"Mr. Diet. Sorry about the leftovers. ......

No, not at all!　I love this fish pie!


　The auburn-haired boy with the smiling face took a slice of fish pie from the village chief.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.


　They rent the living room of the village chief's house and take a seat on each chair.
　In front of Arx, there is a boy with reddish-brown hair who looks satisfied after finishing his dinner.
　Despite the fact that this was a hearing, there was no sense of severity.
　Perhaps it was because he had already defended the village once before.
　Rather, his curiosity about the stranger seemed to prevail, and he seemed to be looking at us with a kind of bouncy, happy gaze.


　My impression of him is that he is ...... cheerful.
　He has a charming smile on his face, and he is like a puppy when he lies down on the desk and looks at you.
　Both men faced each other with their attendants and assistants behind them.
　When the scene is set, the boy with reddish brown hair opens his mouth.


"So, again. My name is Dietry.

"Boy!


　The auburn-haired boy was about to introduce himself.
　The aide hurriedly interrupted him.
　The auburn-haired boy looked as if he had suddenly realized something when the auburn-haired man called out to him, as if to accuse him of something.


What?　Oh, that's right, that's right. My name is Deet. It's just Diet. Nice to meet you.

...... Nice to meet you.


　I returned the unnatural greeting.
　I've rephrased it, but I can't escape the unnaturalness when I add the word "just". Rather than deliberately disguising his identity, there seems to be some kind of unspoken agreement.
　He is probably here because he does not want to reveal his identity.
　The position they are in.
　Their relationship with others.
　It is possible to infer his status from this, but there is no need to guess it here.
　I will not pursue the matter in particular, but rather listen quietly.


"So this is my assistant and chaperone, Garanga. I'm in charge of these guys.


　The boy with reddish-brown hair, Deet, introduced him, and the man next to him, who was assisting him, bowed his head.
　A well-built man with hair that was beginning to grow thin.
　He seems to be of high rank, but his tone of voice suggests a certain coarseness.
　He gives the impression of a trained soldier, rather than a regular soldier.
　He is more like an experienced sergeant assisting a new officer.


　He is also standing up for Diet, so Diet must be leading this unit.
　He is too young, but in this world, this kind of thing is quite common if you are of a certain rank. It is not particularly unusual for a person to lead a unit and gain experience at a young age.
　Of course, the degree of "young" would vary from family to family.


　Then the man who had just been introduced to me bowed his head and said, "My name is Garanga.
　Then he said


He said, "I see that you are well-dressed and your behavior is graceful. You seem to be a member of some noble family.


　In contrast to the cheerful Deet, Galanga's eyes flashed with a glint of brilliance.
　It's a relentless gaze, trying to examine and clarify the other party.
　This is not because he doubts our status, but because he knows that we are nobles.
　In the first place, this is the domain of the House of Rastinel.
　If other nobles were to enter without permission, it would not only be unpopular, it would be the cause of a dispute.
　To enter the territory, one must follow the proper procedures.
　This distrust is probably due to the fact that this is not well known.


"...... First, my name is Arx Raytheft. These are my squires, Noah and Kazi. And in the background is Bud, who is giving us a tour.

The Raytheft family is .......

It's one of the oldest baronies in the kingdom. I believe the name is Arx, the eldest brother of the family.


　While Deet was digging through his memories, Galanga's gaze took on a strange light.
　Perhaps this man, like Gills, knows about the rumors.
　Anyway.


Why are these people here?

"There's a reason.

A reason?

Yeah. Here, I have a letter of authorization from the royal family.


　Galanga stiffens for a moment as he pulls out a letter and a sealed envelope addressed to his lord, Louise Rastinel, from his bag.
　The wax seal with the royal seal is effective against people of proper status.
　They are trained to memorize the seal, so they understand it just by showing it to them without having to explain it to them.
　This is especially effective with regular military personnel, especially those of high rank.


"May I have a look at ......?

I don't want you to open the letter to my lord here.

"Yes. Yes, I understand.


　Opening a letter from the king to his lord without permission is punishable by both the person who opens it and the person who is opened.
　Galanga looks over the letter. The expression on his face became mysterious, and then his brow furrowed.


　He must have been concentrating on every word to make sure he didn't miss anything.


　After reading for a while, Galanga let out a big breath.
　Deet asks him.


"What do you think, Garanga?

There's no mistaking ....... It's an official document. And a pretty high priority one at that. Here's the seal with the royal family seal.

Oh, really?


　A distinctive impression at the bottom of the document.
　Seeing the proof that the letter was issued by the Crosselroads, Diet looked convinced.
　Since the procurement of silver is also an order from the royal family, the letter is stamped with the Imperial Seal. The letter was stamped with the Imperial Seal, and if he showed it to her, she would be able to pass through the country without having to go through the troublesome procedures.


　Diet suddenly tilted his head.


But why didn't you call us?　We'll pick you up.

You'll have to figure that out with a letter like .......


　The procurement of silver is a backroom matter. If you're going to send out a herald, you're going to have to deal with it appropriately, and if you do, you're going to be treated like a guest of honor.
　Because of the existence of the magic meter, we prefer not to make a big deal out of it if at all possible.


　Deet, on the other hand, is having a whispered conversation with Galanga.
　He's probably asking Galanga what this is all about. He hears voices saying things like, "It's almost like a secret mission," and eventually Deet looks like he's got it all figured out.


"I understand the situation. So, you stopped by this village after all?

"Yes. The mountain road was blocked, so we came here.

It's the best place to go around. It's a natural choice.

Oh, yeah. Just out of curiosity, did you pay for your stay?　Did you do it right?

I paid for the engraving and repairs in exchange for letting you stay here.

Yes, we've been a big help. ......


　When the chief said this, Diet was surprised.


"What?　What?　Can Arx be engraved?

"Oh, yeah, it can be ......, but so what?


　"Yes, it can.


I'm not sure if you've seen this before.　My sword. I've been feeling a little out of sorts for a while now, and I've been meaning to show it to an engineer. ......


　Deet said and turned to the giant sword that was propped up.
　And as he jumped down from his chair.
　Galanga holds his head in his hands and chuckles in exasperation.


"Boy, you know what: ......

What?　No, because you need it!　It's my weapon of choice!

That's true, but there's a place for it. ......

No!　It's the most important!　What if you can't kill the enemy when the time comes?

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.


　This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.
　I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.


No, it's fine to watch. It's okay to look at it, but after you've used your magic, I'd like you to rest a little first if possible.

"Really!　Okay, thank you!


　As soon as I said yes, Deet gave me a big smile.
　It's an innocent smile. It's still somewhat puppyish.
　On the other hand, Galanga bows his head apologetically.


"So, Deet and the others are still after that bandit?

"That's right. They've been popping up around here a lot lately. We're in trouble too.

So, boy, ......

What?　Oh, .......


　Garanga was taken aback by Diet's careless remark.
　On the other hand, Deet noticed it and made a face of "I did it".
　It is the same as exposing one's kryptonite to talk about one's guilt.
　A simple slip of the tongue can be fatal among nobles.
　You seem to have realized that, but it's too late.


　Galanga exhaled as if he had given up.


"Please don't tell anyone about this.

Oh.


　Such an exchange took place between him and Arx.




"It's not just our territory, either. The bandits seem to be appearing in the surrounding territories as well, causing a commotion here and there.

I'm sure you're not the only one. We're casting a net, but why can't it work like this?


　Finally, Diet blurts out.
　I shouldn't say what I think like this, but I'm still old. I guess I can't help it.
　When I asked him how he was going to catch them, he said.


"I'm going to dress up like a bandit and try to lure him out.

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

"Or carry something valuable as bait.

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

I'm trying everything. ......


　I ask Deet, who seems to be making all kinds of strange plans.


"How does ...... work?

That's a good idea. I think it's a good plan. ......


　It's a good idea, I think.
　And he must be having a hard time because he has to listen to him to some extent.


　Then, Deet suddenly sighed.


"Even though His Highness Ceylan is nearby now. I'm in trouble.

"Hmm?　"His Highness?　Is he coming around here?

Oh, yeah. I don't know what's going on, but he's on a tour of Nadar territory. So he came to this area ...... and now he is near Nadar territory?　If they find out about the banditry at a time like this, they could be in trouble. You should have at least caught them before they came.

I'm sure you're right, but you should be angry first.

...... Ugh, if I don't make a difference, my mom will kick my ass.


　Deet started to hold his head in his hands with tears in his eyes.
　Apparently, he's scared of the thunder of a certain lady.
　Naturally, he must be talking about his mother.
　While Deet was lying on the table holding his head in his hands, Galanga said.


Galanga said, "Anyway, thanks to Arx and the others, we're saved. After all, they were able to catch me while I was still able to talk.

"Oh, I see!　That's right!

...... Did you just find out, kid?

No, I didn't. No, I didn't!


　I'm not!
　You can't do anything about it when you can see that it's a deception.


"At any rate, we've got them by the tail now. Thanks!


　That's how Deet thanked me.


　Anyway, after that, I explained to them in detail about the bandit attack and their characteristics.
　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.


　...... The report that the bandits had taken poison and died came just before the Arks went to bed.