--The King's Castle Guest Room.

　This room, which is reserved for the highest-ranking guests invited to the capital, is as clean as or cleaner than the princess's private room, and is furnished with many beautiful and artistic pieces.

　Unlike the private rooms of the princess and the king, the room is designed to emphasize the unique culture of this country.

　The painting of the country's highest mountain on the wall is an example of this.

　This room, which had previously hosted Garland, was now reserved for the fifth prince of the empire, Barrier Reef F. Christ, the fiancée of the first princess Lilac.

"Prince!　Please don't do this, Prince!

　He was assigned to .......

I'm not sure if this is a good idea.　It's so much better than our silk, isn't it?　El-chan, take it.
"I'm not taking it!

　I'm not going to take it with me. I'm going to touch the silk on the bed that was prepared as a decoration cloth, spill out some words about how great it is, and tell the person who is looking for it, Elfriede, a mature man named Barrier Reef.

I'm not sure what to make of this.　You mean you're not doing the shalwee dance?
"Just because I don't take it home doesn't mean you have the option of taking it home!　Prince, please stop it!
What?　You're not serious, Erucan. It's not like that's popular in my hometown.
I don't care.

　Elfriede shouts, his bald head flushed with blue streaks.

Put some clothes on, please!
"Elfriede, are you wearing ...... eyes?

　I'm dressed," says Barrier Reef, holding out his hands.
　I'm wearing a short-sleeved shirt over my naked body, and knee-high half pants underneath. The bottom is a pair of half pants above the knee, made of cheap, flimsy fabric.

　He had no socks on, and was wearing sandals.

　He was wearing no socks, just sandals, in this season of approaching cold.

Those are not the clothes of a prince!
"Mister El...

　He sat down on the sofa and pointed at the wall in disgust.
　There, hanging on the wall, is the formal dress the prince wore during his audience with the king.

"That's a real shoulder corsica.

　A korsethka is a kind of spear.

"You have a duty as a member of the royal family!　You have a duty to your people! You forget the orders of the First Wraithdollar!
"Brother.

　The Barrier Reef, who was biting his ears in annoyance.
　The long, thick fingers of the barrier leaf show signs of some kind of training, but they lack the fighting spirit of a warrior, and their behavior is full of gaps.

Elchan.
What is it?
I'm not the kind of guy who comes here because my brother tells me to.

　It's not like I'm here because of my brother's orders," he says, his eyes narrowing as he looks at Elfrid.

I'm not the kind of person who comes here because of my brother's orders.
I'm not a guy who comes from a place of power.
"Yes, yes. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that.　I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea.　I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm not sure what to do.

　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

So?　I'm going out for a bit.
I'm going to go out ...... with that look on your face?　
I want to know something about the city I'm going to live in.
Prince!　You're in trouble!　Prince!
I don't need that. Don't worry, I'll take this useless thing with me.
Prince!

　A sword in a scabbard that looked like it was for self-defense - judging by the slight arc, it was probably a sword.
　You'll be able to use it to protect yourself, and you'll be able to use it to protect yourself.

"Prince!　Are you...
"What do you mean, Elflead?　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to marry a princess, and I don't know anything about the city.
"...... Prince, then escort me.
I can't hear what you're saying.
"Prince!

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

　He gritted his teeth in frustration and shouted to a nearby attendant.

Bring back the prince!　Bring back the prince! ......!

















　At the same time, Futa and Pasta, who had gone out to look for Wind, were on their way to the Orba Trading Company.

　In the meantime, Futa and Pasta are on their way to the Orba Trading Company. Futa is in a hurry, and Pasta tries his best to keep up with him, but he can't, so he runs, goes back to walking, falls behind, runs again, and repeats.

"Oh, my God!　You need to slow down a little!
"This is no time for that. I'm in a hurry.


I'm telling you, it'll be quicker to find them if you slow down a bit and take me with you than if you walk fast by yourself!

　Pasta's body is poor.
　Pasta's body is poorly built, as evidenced by the fact that she did not get good nutrition during her childhood, and also by the fact that she still eats cupcakes all the time.

　In the first place, she had more time to improve her aptitude than to exercise.

I'll carry you ...... on my back then.
...... Well, I guess that's the fastest way.

　It was nothing but humiliation to be taken aback by Futa and to be pitied by him.
　But if it was the best compromise for both of us, there was no reason not to accept it.

"Wait a minute. I can take off my hood.

　I obeyed meekly and let Futa carry the pasta.
　She had been wearing a hood ever since she stepped outside. Even her prominent red hair is completely hidden from view.

"Don't you have to wear that now?
What?　...... Oh, you think you're wearing it because you're going to the Orba Chamber of Commerce?
"No?

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
　She muttered with a sigh as she held her cape against the wind.

It's always like this when we go out. I can't let the kingdom know I'm alive. I'll never walk outside without it again.
"...... Well. Can't you just change your hair or something?
Of course you can't. ...... Oh, I think I can manage it to a certain extent if I do something like transform my face.
How do you do that?
Why don't you just get some of that liquid you use to secretly erase people who get in your way and pour it on your face?
"............


"Now, I'm going to make my half-sister suffer horribly.


　I'll be honest with you. You can honestly say that it was much worse than Futa had imagined.

　But even weighing that against the fact that Futa took Corona - and that she sold her for money - it's still true.

I hope we can find another way someday.
"Yeah. The hood is not so much an inconvenience as it is a disgrace.

　Futa and Pasta arrived in front of the headquarters of the Orba Chamber of Commerce with few words.

I'm sure they'll let you through as soon as they see you. I'm sure they'll let us through as soon as we meet the top brass, but it'll be a problem when we meet the lowly.
I'll leave you to negotiate then. I don't know what you're going to do.

　After dropping off the pasta, the two of them are about to go through the gates of the Chamber of Commerce.

　Futa had already received an explanation from Pasta as to why they were going to the Chamber of Commerce headquarters first.

　First, they check the information gathered.
　To narrow down the search area to some extent.

　And one more thing. This was a new idea for Futa.
　That is, "Who's the bad guy?"

　If the assassins are moving this fast, they've hired someone.
　If we can find out who hired them and do something about it, we can cut them off at the source.

　If we can find out who hired them and take some action, we can cut them off.

"Excuse me. Who are you?

　The person who called out to him was a boy about the same age as Futa, or maybe a little younger.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.

Ah, ......, I'm here to see Dries.

　Dries. The name didn't sound familiar to Futa, but judging from the boy's slightly surprised reaction, it was probably one of the top brass.

"Mr. Dries has ...... a kid like you?

　Pasta snickered at the boy's questioning look.

"What?　You don't even know who they are, and you think you can judge them by their looks?　That's why you're just a lowly a**h*le standing here, isn't it? How did you get hired? If I were you, I would have fired you immediately.
"What the hell, ......?

　The boy's face reddened in surprise and he clutched the spear in his hand.
　He seems to have enough reason to keep his hands to himself, but he can't hide the look of shame and rage on his face.

　Futa raises his eyebrows, wondering why he is agitated.

You have an appointment, don't you?
I don't. But if I tell you, we'll meet right away, so just skip the call.
Huh. Mr. Dries is busy. He doesn't have time to meet a little shit like you!
"...... you fool.

　Pasta muttering in exasperation.
　It's a complete backfire of negotiation, Futa interrupted, unable to resist.

"Hey, it's getting complicated--
It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this. What?
"What, ......?



　There was a buzz around me.
　I don't know what it was that caused it.
　But Pasta's words definitely drew attention, especially from the Chamber of Commerce, who turned their attention to the commotion and to the boy.

　The boy's eyes were shaking, as if to say, "I've done it.
　Futa was the only one who didn't know what was going on, but Pasta's next words gave him an idea.

You need to go back and reread the manual from the beginning. You're too young for the field, small fry.

　One step back, two steps back.

"I'll contact Mr. Dries at ........ What's your name?

　I said in a shaky voice.
　The stern stares from the business community made Huta understand.
　All of Pasta's words and actions now were the foundation of the Orba Chamber of Commerce's instruction manual, and they were cursing him for apparently stepping outside of it.

Pasta. Uh, pasta pomodoro.
"Okay. ......

　Pasta bit his teeth tightly as he watched the boy run off.

"The staff management is not well ......!　If you don't have a thorough training manual, you've got nothing to write about. ......

　I'm sure she'll be able to get through.

　If she was just passing through, she would have been able to get around a little better.
　I guess the Chamber of Commerce is still a place she needs to look after.

　I have a lot to say about the way she did it, though.

"...... What?

　Pasta looks up, perhaps noticing her gaze. You can't see it through the hood, but it's probably staring at you.

No.

　I thought about annoying him by praising him as I had done earlier.

"Why the pomodoro?

　Without Futa's knowledge, his last name had been added. And it was Pomodoro (tomato). It was certainly a name that suited her red hair, but...

　When asked about it, she sniffed and turned her head away.

No. It's just that my favorite pasta is pomodoro.
"Oh. The bottle pasta at Corona is really good too.
Why are you trying to compete, you idiot?
Corona has great pomodoro soup, so I'm sure they have great pasta.
Why do I have to be presented to that witch?
"No, I don't mean that.

　It just occurred to me.

I was just wondering... ......, how did you get into this mess?

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.
　The fact that you can't even walk around without your hood up, and that you're hanging out with people you're not supposed to like.

Do you regret selling Corona?
"............

　I thought I caught a glimpse of Futa's eyes under his hood.

　For a moment, the corners of his mouth dropped.

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

"Oh, really?　You want me to apologize?
"............ I don't want you to apologize. I'm just saying that if you apologize, I'll feel better.
Okay. Okay.

　Okay, after a moment.

I'm never gonna apologize. I don't like the witch. And I don't think I did anything wrong. My job is to sell what I can.
"Really?

　The two of them, waiting for the merchant boy. They spun their words without looking at each other.


Then I'll never forgive you.
That's fine. It won't cost you anything.