--Interior corridor of the Royal Castle.

　Garland, the Commander of the Order of the Divine Dragon of the Kingdom of Law, was enjoying the view from the Royal Castle.
　The lively yet peaceful human life below.

　He gently stroked his mustache, thinking that it would not be too difficult for him to form a friendship with the Kingdom of Law.

　He was large and strong, and his white armor reminded me of a majestic general, but his occupation was "priest.

　In a country created by religion, it was a job that promised advancement, and his own qualities combined to make him one of the three highest-ranking officials in the country, the "Commander of the Order of the Divine Dragon.

　He is very interested in the alliance with the kingdom and the strategy to be used against the neighboring country, and is eager to fight together.

　In any case, the neighboring country is a multi-racial nation that appreciates miscellaneous things and is a threat to the prestige of the gods. And for the Kingdom, it's an eye sore with many competing interests.

　We had enough material to work with. The king himself came all the way here to lay the groundwork for war.

　If he truly wished for an alliance, he should have paid his respects to the tribunal.
　The high priest, the cardinal, and Garland came to that conclusion, and he went there himself.

　The kingdom they visited was as calm as the rumors said it would be.

　Perhaps it was the nature of the land, but although it was not as lively as the legal country, the atmosphere was peaceful, as the king boasted.

　And then...
　A warrior walked briskly down the corridor where the knights were waiting.

　Slowly, Garland turned around to see the beautiful Cartesian with a graceful smile on her face. The first princess of the kingdom. Her Royal Highness Lilac was there.

"My Lord Garland, how are you?
"Well, well, Master Lilac. You looked beautiful when you greeted me, but you look even better in day dress.
Thank you, sir. I'm a little embarrassed.
Ha-ha-ha.

　I've heard that you were raised to be a butterfly and a flower, but you are a brilliant young woman with an exceptional mind.

　Well, she is certainly pretty, and she has a clever face.
　She must have been raised in a very good environment, and she had a certain grace and kindness.

　But Garland was wary.

　As a good priest, he could see through his opponent's profession.

　Even though the king had groomed him to be a good retainer, he was still a wicked man.
　You never know when he'll open his buds.

　But still... The first time I saw "wicked man" was a very pretty girl.

　I'd heard that she was hard at work, but I'd heard she was only 17 or so.

　I'm not the kind of adult who would be fooled by a little girl like her.

　We should at least keep an eye on her requests and movements.
　That's all I need to know. We're not staying long.

　When I get back to the country, I'll get this from the Chamber of Commerce.


Sir, Mr. Garland.
What can I do for you?
As I told your father, sir, have you ever heard of the games?
Yes, Your Majesty has told me about them. It is a tradition of the kingdom, a clash of martial artists that is also an aspect of proxy warfare. As a warrior, it's very exciting.

　Well, well.
　Garland laughed out loud, but he didn't think he was looking forward to it as a warrior. I'd rather fight a real battle than a proxy war. If you ask me, the authority to kill or steal does not exist in a war game.

　Now, isn't this lovely "wicked man" going to ask me to participate in a preliminary match?

　With that in mind, he took one look at her, and with a look of sincere happiness, he clasped his hands together, brought them to his mouth, and smiled.
　The movements of a beautiful princess come out naturally. "If her father was a wicked man, it would be natural for her to be more rebellious and enthusiastic.

　I wonder if this is an example of how a "wicked man" can become a capable vassal if his father is really a good politician.

Well... I'm glad to hear that. Actually, I was hoping that the Knights of the Shinryu would take a look at it as well.
"I see. And you got the king's approval?
Yes. It's a land of friendship. I wanted you to know as much as possible about my country's culture and traditions. Is ...... strange to you?
Hmm.

　I'll think about it.
　It's not a bad idea at all.
　Let people know about our culture and traditions. The game. --There doesn't seem to be any downside to it.

　In fact, she seemed to sincerely believe that.

　However, I felt it was a bit risky to just take her suggestion at face value.

　I thought about a number of possibilities, but I couldn't think of any particular plan that was being tossed around.

"Indeed, I would like you to know about the countries we are allied with. I'm very glad you feel that way. If His Majesty the King has given his approval, I would very much like to be there.
Are you sure!
Yes, it's true. Yes, indeed. For the time being, I would like to have a special seat like you. I'd also like to have the Knights of the Order in attendance. Not the dignitary seats, of course. I'll have them protect the audience as guards.



　Well, what do we do now?
　Deploy soldiers from outside, the Order of the Divine Dragon. If she's planning something - and I really have no idea what it is - she's not going to like it.

　And I don't have to look around.

"Yes, yes. I was hoping that you and the rest of the Order would get to know the culture of the Kingdom. So you're a commander who loves his men.
"Ha-ha-ha. I'm glad to hear you say that.
I'm also very much looking forward to forming friendships with the Falcons. I'd be sad if they didn't like me.
"I see. If I love my subordinates, Your Highness loves the Kingdom. I'm sure the future of the kingdom will be bright.
"Well. You're very good at that.

　The beautiful princess giggled and smiled shyly.
　I'm sure the future of the kingdom is bright.

　I think you're being overly presumptuous.

　But even so, you can't afford to let anything happen to you.
　For example, there might be some kind of attack during the game.
　As for assassination, being with the king and princess should be enough.

　The possible cases are that the people who will hold the games are preparing for something.

　Of course, the swordsman the princess will prepare will be one of her own.

　She may be planning to do something at the same time as the end of the tournament, which is not impossible.

　Or maybe she's trying to get people to pay attention to the game. Now, was there anything that could be targeted?

　The only thing I can think of is the witch we captured.

　Maybe they took advantage of the chaos to recover the witch?

　Garland knows that the witch was a maid who worked at the castle.

　It is hard to imagine that the princess herself would break her friendship with the law to save one maid, but .......

I'm looking forward to it. The date is convenient for you and your father.
"Yes, sir. I'm very much looking forward to it.

　I stare at the princess' back as she leaves and think.
　What if... What if...? If she is trying to conspire against me, I must show her that it is a terrible hubris.

　And if she really has good intentions, I can't afford to hurt her friendship with the kingdom.

　Just think about it. Garland raised the corners of his mouth.



I'm looking forward to our friendship with the Kingdom. I'd be sad if you didn't like it.



　I'm going to make use of that line exactly as it is.

　If the game is the traditional culture of the kingdom, then witches are executed in the kingdom.

　It's sad to be hated.
　That word is spit.

"On the day of the games, we'll let them know about our culture. I'm sure the King won't say no.

　We can't let that princess play her tricks on us. So, a return move.

　I've thought it out.

　This is the one who is (was) working (on) the project.








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