--The day of the match.

　Futa and Lilac have never seen each other since then.
　Futa and Korona have never seen each other since then either.

　As for Corona and Lilac, that tea party was probably the last time they met.


"Soon?


　Two flags fluttered in the air.

　Two flags fluttered in the air, one intersecting their familiar country.
　The one of a lawful country seeking to establish friendship.

　The arrangements have been made.
　All that remained was to entrust everything to the swordsman he trusted most.

　There was a reason why Lilac and Futa hadn't been in contact since then.

　There was no point in revealing the reason to anyone else, but there was also something that was a little pent up inside of him.

　After this one act, I'll use him again as usual.

　Yes. When this festival is over.


"Her Royal Highness, Princess Lilac.

　A voice called out to her as she looked around the hall with a sharp look in her eyes.
　She immediately changes her expression, her tone, her spirit, and turns and smiles.

"Well, Lord Garland!　Thank you so much for having me here today.
Thank you for having me. Thank you for having me. - Well, it's a great turnout.

　There were two knights behind Garland, who looked around with satisfaction.
　He sits down in the luxurious chair that was recommended to him and looks at the field in front of him.


　This is a temporary performance hall.
　It is located a short distance from the castle, and was built on a large site that was originally used as an execution site.

　The bare earth field is not of the best quality, but the surrounding audience seats are quite impressive for a makeshift venue.

　The spectator seats were designed to be elevated around the field so that spectators could enjoy the game from a distance without being disturbed by the spectators in front of them, and so that the cheers would be louder as they filled the field.

　Except for the fact that the capacity was not very large, it was more than enough. It was complete enough to invite the heavyweights of the legal world without any disrespect.

If the place is like this, it will certainly be fun to watch the game.
"Hmm. And we'll have a special seat.
No doubt. We'll be able to see it from the front.

　The center of the field, where the swordsmen will be facing, is the closest seat to the field where they will be able to see the most.
　That was the special seat reserved for Princess Lilac, Knight Commander Garland, and His Majesty the King.

　They were isolated from the rest of the audience, and no nobleman was allowed to sit around them.
　The only people who could be around the three were the people they had brought with them as their guards.

　Garland was extremely calm even in this situation.

　Aside from the fact that he was a skilled warrior and the two knights he had brought along as his guards were the most skilled knights in the order, Lilac hadn't said a word about the manning of the order.

　Thanks to this, we were able to deploy as many men as we needed in case of emergency, and more importantly, there were far fewer cases of traps set by Lilac and her "schemers".

　And...

But what about your knight not participating in the game?

　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.

I'm not the one who suggested that we have a pre-game. It was not I who suggested the idea of a public match.
"Oh, my. I see.

　He looked at the knight behind him for a moment, showing surprise, and nodded quietly.
　I have proof. It is said to be a match between the Orba Chamber of Commerce and the Lord of Finance.

　There was less and less room for doubt.
　Maybe I'm overthinking this. And...

　Garland believes that "profession" is a way of life ordered by the heavens.
　Therefore, he still believes that if she is a wicked man, she must have something that makes her a wicked man.
　However, the answer is no, she does not have a plan to turn on herself.

　Even if it is a "wicked man", it will work with whomever it wants to work with. There's no lie in that. If he welcomes ties with the legal state, he will try to obtain favorable conditions for himself, but not necessarily to his detriment.

　In this sense, the circumstantial evidence was such that he had to conclude that he was "overthinking" the situation.

　There was no connection between the Orba Chamber of Commerce and Princess Lilac, and there was also information that she and Richter, a member of the nobility, were enemies.

　It is also reported that last month, a battle broke out between Richter and Lilac. What kind of deal was made depending on the victory or defeat of the match is a matter of concern, but this time I was the one who was challenged to the match in the first place.

　It seems that what will be decided by the victory or defeat of this match is the situation based on the financial situation between the Lord of Finance and the Chamber of Commerce.
　It is not hard to imagine that this is a match that both sides cannot afford to lose, so it is too early to assume that this was also a setup.

　Besides, if the princess had chosen a match to show Garland from the beginning, it would have been a match with a more noble purpose or with a fighter of her own choosing.

　It's more natural to think that it's just a coincidence.

　To be honest, Garland was a bit deflated when he heard about the purpose of the match, which was to default on his debts.

　Princess Lilac herself looked apologetic and said that she hadn't heard that part.

　How could she be so careless when she was trying to trap someone?
　Even more so, if the other party is a "wicked man", there is a possibility that you may not be able to lure him to the place you want to lure him to.

　With each piece of information, there is always room for doubt.
　However, with so much circumstantial evidence, it was human nature to feel foolish about doubting.

　Nevertheless, we must be on our guard.

　If there was one piece of information on Garland's side that I was curious about, it was the mysterious swordsman that Lilac was said to be planning to use in the match.

　There was no information about this swordsman, which was unnatural.
　Everyone in the castle was tight-lipped about it. That's why the existence of the swordsman was the only mystery.

　He is said to be a guest of the princess, but I have never met such a person, nor have I seen any signs of contact with him even when I have the princess on guard.



　In order to kill some time before the King arrived, I decided to ask him a question. I was hoping to get some information about this mysterious swordsman.

"By the way, His Highness had a preliminary match with the Lord Treasurer a few months ago.
Yes, yes. You know him well.
Well, I'm a man of information, sir. ...... However... However, I have no information about the man His Highness sent to the fight. As a warrior, I'd like to talk to him.


"Oh, is that her?


　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.


...... I'm afraid I wasn't good enough to keep you. I've been very depressed for about a month.
"I see. Well, that explains why you're not talking about it.
Is that so?　Hmm, you've been paying attention to me without knowing it. Oh, yeah.
What can I do for you?

　I'm not sure what to do.
　I want to get as much out of you as I can. If something were to happen in the future, I'd like to get as much information as possible.

　Lilac lowered her eyebrows as if troubled by him.

I'm not familiar with the culture of the law country, but... May I ask you something?
Yes, please?
In ...... the land of law, there is such a thing as illicit love.

　In that country, there is an illicit love.

　And that's when Garland figured it all out.
　I'm sure Princess Lilac's love was unacceptable. And.
　That's why everyone kept their mouths shut. That's true. It would be disrespectful to royalty to even hint at it.

"Don't worry. "Don't worry. Ours is a country that affirms love. In our country, any form of love is possible and will not be denied. If it comes to that, there are some in my Order who have taken a vow of love.
"Well?

　The princess smiled, surprised, but still slightly pleased.

　A lot of questions have been answered.

　There's no room for doubt at all - but it's a fine balance.
　If it were too plain, the unnaturalness of the setup would be more apparent.

　However, the opponent is a wicked man. We know that the princess's swordsman was very skilled.
　As long as I don't know where she is, I won't release any tension.

　But I can't notice anymore that a rail is already laid under my feet.
　The illusion of being a woman, which has been stuck in my head, cannot be released.
　You are so distracted by the "essence" that you don't notice the information you really want to imprint.

"Would you please treat my guest with respect in the future?

　The wedge that I planted that day was indeed a door in people's mouths.
　The wedge I had planted that day had certainly put a damper on people's mouths, and I was afraid of what would happen to me if I revealed even a little information to the outside world.


　It was just then.
　His Majesty the King came through the largest entrance to the hall, accompanied by the sound of a brass band.

　Everyone rose from their seats and made a graceful bow.
　The only people present were the children of the nobility of the kingdom or those who held a seat in the kingdom parliament.

　Because of the small number of people in attendance, only high society people were invited, which increased the excitement and loftiness of the game.

　There was no way that any nobleman would not come to this important event to establish friendship with the legal nation.

　The people of the Council were no exception, and there were many commoners who proudly took their places in the center of the bleachers.


　--Beatrix M. Orba, of course, was one of them.

　Beatrix M. Orba, of course, was one of them. She and the man next to her were sitting in the most prestigious seats except for the royalty, watching the field.


"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, why? Why is it that the swordsman you're giving out is Futa? ......!
"I don't get it, Bear. I don't understand you, Bear. It's a big deal for our business to be able to squeeze the most out of you. I've done everything in my power. Sorry.

　Richter with his head in his hands, Beatrix with her legs crossed in her seat and her hand on a pastry.

　Yes, Beatrix is giving it her all.
　She's doing everything she can to recover her business, which is on the verge of falling apart.

　She sees the threat of Huta up close.
　Richter and Prim took a big hit.
　The two of them, Prim and Futa, inevitably made him think of the match.
　"Conveniently," he said, "you can keep Futa.

　She's not wrong in saying that there's no way not to take advantage of it.

　But "what is right is not always right" in this world of ours.


　After a few laughs, Beatrix noticed the congratulatory speech that was about to begin below her, and straightened up.
　The same was true for Richter next to him.

　On a stage set up in the corner of the field.

　The King's long speech begins.

　The king's long speech, in which he speaks of the friendship between the kingdom and the law, inevitably hints of war with neighboring countries.






　Give me a break, thought both Richter and Beatrix.




　And that is.




"The king's return is near, and I want to do what I can before then.



"I know you're wary of me. I don't care. I'll tell you what. ...... --Follow me.



I know you're wary of me.








　--This was the consensus of everyone in the room except the warlords.






"We will destroy this country.






"Now, let's begin...




　The curtain rises on the story, and the swordsman arrives to challenge the king.