It was a little after dusk.
　In the sky, the stars began to shine brightly, and clouds with a thick purple hue drifted in, giving the appearance of night.


　On the other hand, on the ground, the [glittering glass] is shining brightly.
　The city is brightly illuminated, and the reflections on the plate glass used for windows make it seem as if the stars are twinkling on the earth.
　This is the night of the royal capital, which is called "the splendor of ten thousand" by neighboring countries.
　It is said that the combination of the advanced glass industry and engraving technology has contributed to the development of the city, bringing not only the glitter but also the night time to the people living in the city.


　Of course, a lot of that [glittering glass] is used in the [Seal Tower of the Heavens], which is called the largest prison in the capital.
　It is used to quickly find those who take advantage of the darkness of the night to break in or escape.
　In such a place, there was a person who found the escapees before anyone else in this prison.


...... Well, it looks like you managed to get out.


　It was Suu, a friend of Arx's, who said these words of relief in a corner of the sealing tower grounds.
　She looked ahead and saw Arx.
　He was running through the grounds of the sealing tower with his followers in tow.
　Since there were no guards chasing him, he must have managed to escape without being noticed.


"Are you sure you want to do this?


　The woman who was standing beside Suu suddenly asked that question.
　She was in her late twenties, in a fresh age.
　Her long peach-colored hair was braided into a bun, and her light purple eyes were covered by small silver-rimmed glasses.
　She wears a fur cloak, a sign of high nobility, and an eye-catching decorative sword at her waist.
　His face is well-shaped, and his mouth is always set in a straight line, as if to say that he never speaks in vain.
　Her square glasses give her a slightly cold appearance.


　Her name is Lisa Rousey. She is a brilliant young woman who has become the director of the Office of the Inspector General.
　Suu briefly thanked her for her help.


"Yes. Thank you. It seems to have worked.

I was surprised when you suddenly asked me to reduce the security of the sealing tower. ......

I mean, you can't just let Arx go, can you?

It's ...... difficult even with my authority because there are many people here who are under the control of senior nobles.


　I suppose.
　In order to protect themselves, the nobles are deeply involved in the judiciary of the kingdom.
　Sometimes to lessen their crimes.
　Sometimes it's to get favors in prison.
　They use the privileges of the nobility to their advantage and try to slip through the judicial net in a clever way.


　...... If the kingdom were more law-abiding, this could be dealt with, but in order to maintain absolute control of the kingdom, it can be poisonous to place limits on the power of the noblemen, and for that reason, it is not advisable to flee to a republic so carelessly, as was the case with the recently defunct But if you run away to a republic, you will end up as a foolish government that panders to the people, like the recently defunct [Dalio State].
　This is the difficult part of a feudal state.


　Anyway.


I never thought I'd be thrown in jail.

............

I wonder which nobleman was behind it.

"............


　I turn the water on her meaningfully, but she remains silent.
　This time, I ask her frankly.


"Hey. Do you have any idea what's going on here?

"No, I don't.


　You mean you have no idea?
　That doesn't make any sense to me.


　............ Suu "asked" Lisa directly because she received a call a while ago that a friend of hers had been captured.
　In addition, Arx was sent to the sealing tower in the heavens.
　It is the most heavily guarded prison in the capital and is a place where strong countermeasures against mages are in place.
　It is said that there are times when mages are given 'treatment' to prevent them from getting out of control.
　Teeth are pulled out.
　Their tongues are pulled out.
　In extreme cases, the lower jaw may be crushed.


　So when I heard that he had been taken away, I was in such a hurry that I put off investigating what had happened and focused on getting him released or out of there first.


　The question was still why he was put in this place.
　The Arx Suu knew was a good man.
　He is not the kind of person who would do something bad, and in the first place, it is impossible for the children of a nobleman to be suddenly imprisoned in a sealing tower.
　There is no doubt that he was involved in something, and that something was the work of a high ranking nobleman or someone associated with a high ranking nobleman when he was put into the sealing tower without any formalities.


　If that's the case, why is Lisa, the head of the inspectorate, so unclear about the circumstances of this case?
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.


...... Hey Lisa, is the inspectorate working?

It's .......


　Suu came to that answer because the situation was so unnatural.
　In the event that you've got a problem with a person's work, you'll be able to use it as a tool to get rid of it.
　Normally, it would be too sensitive, and all kinds of information would come to it.
　This does not mean that the bureau is not moving, but rather that there is something going on inside the bureau to prevent it from moving aggressively on this matter.


　When I turned up my nose, I smelled a dark presence.
　This is the smell of a back alley after a rain.
　I can even hear the damp footprints coming from somewhere.
　It's times like this when something is going on unseen.
　Then the inspector general's office must be willing to move and do something.


　But Lisa won't answer.
　She doesn't know.
　Or she doesn't know.
　Or maybe she knows and is keeping quiet.
　Or maybe she doesn't know about this certainty and thinks she can get away with it by keeping quiet.


　But not answering is not acceptable.
　Never.


　Yes, absolutely.

　So I let out a small sigh.
　And then.


"I'm going to ask you one more time, Lisa Lauzey, Director of the Office of Inspector General. You're not trying to deceive me, are you?


　As soon as Sue ...... said something different than what Sucia Argusia would say.
　I'm not sure what to do.


I'm not sure what to say.

"Keeping quiet is the same as keeping a secret. We already know the Office of the Inspector General is working on this.

But there's still no proof that the Bureau of Investigation is involved. ......

But I'm sure they have some idea of what's going on. Isn't that right?　Otherwise, they wouldn't have any information that Arx has been captured.

"......?


　But Lisa's response to my question was sluggish.
　It seems that she still doesn't understand what kind of situation she is in.
　Something important to her (Arx) is involved in this.
　Now is not the time to keep quiet.
　If I don't take action soon, it could be irreversible.


　Therefore, I reached for the sword at my waist and pulled it out.
　At the same time, my body exhaled pressure.
　She expands her magic power and fills her body with it.
　Lisa probably had the illusion of a huge being.
　The white blade, illuminated by the moonlight, reflects the glare of hunger.
　Immediately, he aimed it at Lisa's neck.
　As the light from the sword sliced through her bare neck, a shiver of fear went through her hand.


　With that one shiver, he opens his mouth.


"Lisa Rousey, find out all you can about this. Do you know what will happen to your head ...... if you don't do everything in your power to understand and resolve this situation?

You know what's going to happen?　Everything will be as you say it will be!

Did you say that?　Then this matter will not go unanswered.


　I'm sure you'll be able to understand what I mean.
　She panted and wheezed, as if she had just run as fast as she could.
　Watching her, she exhaled and turned into a swoon.
　He smiled.


"Nice to meet you.

"......, haha!


　I saw that Lisa was sweating.
　She was more terrified than she thought.
　I don't think that's the best way to ...... go about it, but in the face of power, this reaction may be unavoidable.




　After a while, Lisa seems to have regained some of her composure.

...... Speaking of which, how did they get down here?　It's only been a short time since the Squire entered. It would have taken them a long time just to get down there.

"Through the ...... outer wall?

That would be ...... unrealistic.

That's right. I wonder if you've created some new magic, Arx. That's something you'll have to find out later.


　If I try to ask him normally, I'll have to tell him about this time.
　Then, how can I make it sound like that?
　Suu's mind was already thinking about magic.
　What kind of magic did you use?
　What combination of words.
　There's no end to her imagination.


　While she's thinking about this, Lisa asks her to move.


"Come here.

Yeah.


　She looks over her shoulder at Arx again.
　She was relieved that he was able to come out safely, but she had one question.


　But that was...


I'm pretty sure he's the guy who kidnapped people, isn't he?　Why is he with Arx?


　Running with Arx was his follower Noah Ingveen and the kidnapper he had confronted.
　The three of them are moving in sync with each other, yelling and crying, so there should be no problem.
　But for Suu, it was too strange a combination.