"First of all, it's unlikely that a mere bandit would attack this carriage. There are ten soldiers and five adventurer guards. You would have to be a fool to attack such an opponent with only five men.

　After a moment of silence, Arlin said.

　Ekhart was the one in charge of the armed forces in this group, but she would be the one in charge of the entire group.

　Of course, the nominal head of the group was Master Iliad, but she was too young to be in charge.

　Of course, Viscount Nenus understands this, so he has assigned her as his trusted subordinate.

But there was a group that actually attacked us.
"Yes. To be honest, it's baffling.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I'm not sure what to make of that. In addition, the Viscount himself, but not the Iliad ....... I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　If you're not emotional about it, even if Ilias were to be killed, it wouldn't be that painful for Viscount Nenus.

　We have an heir, and there will be no turmoil in the territory even if the Iliad is gone.

　Of course, Viscount Nenus will be furious, but he is a little lacking in character to attack for profit.

"Hmm, maybe that's exactly what he wanted?

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the best way to get the best out of me.

I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.
I'm sure you've heard of the Kergu uprising, right?　I'm sure there were some noblemen and big merchants who were crushed.

　In the event that you've got any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I'm sure we've destroyed a few noble families in the name of ....... But ......, no. The odds of that are still low. They were ruined by pouring money into religion. There is no way they can afford to hire someone as skilled as Toya and his team. ...... in the usual way.

That's right, it's a religion. There are other means besides money. ......



"So Viscountess Nenus has crushed the Order of Saint Satomi and captured the guru. ......

　As fate would have it, we are the ones who actually caught her, but her custody is probably in the hands of Viscountess Nenus.

　I'm not asking what happened to him after that, including whether he's alive or dead, because I don't think that's very pleasant. .......

It's also possible that he was after the Iliad itself.
"Me, sir?
"Enough to offer Viscount Nenus a deal. For example, an exchange of custody.

　For example, an exchange of custody. - You could say that you want me to release Satomi in exchange for releasing Master Ilias.
　However, in that case, there is the problem of whether there will be a place to escape to after the release.

　In the case of Earth, terrorists would be accepted by delinquent nations, but the reason why the Order of the Saints of Satomi was crushed is because of the reason.

　Not to mention the surrounding lords, even other countries seem to be very strict.

By the way, what happened to Saint Satomi?

　Oi, Toya, do you want to ask that?
　I didn't even dare to ask!

No, I'm .......
I'm sorry.

　I'm sorry," Ilias said, slurring his words as if he really didn't know, while Arin shook his head firmly.

I know, right?

　I'm afraid that if you're just an adventurer and you're blabbing about these things, that's more scary.
　I'm afraid that if I'm no longer needed, they'll simply delete me.

But even if I were to be caught, I don't think your father would agree to such a deal. ......

　In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to use it for a lot of things.

The Viscount is rightly a nobleman. His family is important to him, but he can't get his priorities wrong.

　It's necessary, and it's reassuring information for the people who live there. .......

It's not easy being a nobleman after all.

　I'm sure you're right," Mitya murmured.
　This time, the Iliad did not deny it, and only smiled in annoyance.
　If a person in power is trying to do their job properly, they will definitely get sick from stress. .......
　I'm not sure I'd want to do it, at least not if I had a good assistant or someone who could cut corners.
　At least I don't want to do it.



　I think the best position to be in is to get along with the powers that be and give them a little support now and then.

But the people who attacked us weren't fanatics, were they?　They were pretty calm. ......

　I'm sure you'll agree with me.

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

　Trained from an early age, something like that.
　But the Order of the Sutomie Saints doesn't have a history.

What do you think?

　I'm not sure what to make of it.

It is possible that it is another matter, although it is impossible to determine with the current information. In some cases, the house itself may not have been the target. ......

What about it?

...... No, not at this time. I'm sorry.

Oh, no. ......

　Mr. Arlin bowed his head and did not say anything definite.
　But even if I had an idea of what it was, I wouldn't feel comfortable saying it.

For now, let's get rid of that thing and move on. I don't think there will be another attack on .......

I think we're safe, at least for the group that just came in. ......

　I think the probability of an attack without one of us is low, but we can't be too careful because we don't know the group.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject in the future.

　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

　The further along the road we went, the worse the condition of the road became, but since we were already in Baron Diaz's territory, we hurried on without making any repairs.

　Because of the attack, we put more effort into guarding the camp that day than usual, but in the end we came up empty.

　We were only attacked by a few demons, and we arrived safely the next morning.
　And the fourth day.

　By noon, we had finished descending the mountain and had reached the plains where we could see the town, but what we saw of Mijara was a little different from what we had imagined.

"Is that a ...... slum?



　At the end of the road, around the gates of Mijara, outside the barrier wall, there was a messy line of buildings that even the word "barracks" seemed to be a better description.

　They were just lined up in a jumbled and orderly fashion, and there was not even a fence around them.

"Is it safe for demons to build a slum in a place like this?
"I don't think so.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea," I muttered, to which Eckert, who was walking beside me, responded.

"...... You mean?
The lucky ones will be saved. That's it.

　I'm not sure if it's possible to get inside the wall, but I'm not sure if it's possible.

　If you don't have an adventurer's guild card, you'll be taxed every time you pass through the gates, so what about the inhabitants of this slum?

　The guild card is relatively easy to acquire, but if you don't do your job properly, it will be confiscated.

Of course, it's not just luck, you know.　What do you notice when you observe?

　Eckart said, and I looked at the approaching slum.
　The first thing I notice are the buildings.

　The buildings around the gate can be called "buildings", but the further away from the gate they get, the worse they get, and the perimeter is so bad that it's ridiculous to even call it a building.

　Some of them have nothing but pillars and roofs, or even no roofs at all, and are simply boards set up in a gate-shaped frame.

　If I'm not careful, I might as well have seen an orc's nest before.

The buildings around the perimeter are pretty shabby, aren't they?　It's pretty shabby too.

　Eckert nodded, but urged him to go on.

What else?

　Other than the building, I mean, the people.
　Perhaps it was because it was a slum, but all you could see were dirty, lifeless people.
　They range in age from small children to old people.
　There are people of both s*xes, but men are more numerous.
　As a whole, they look unhealthy and many of them are injured.
　Some of them are missing arms or legs, and some of them are so badly decomposed that they are attracting flies.
　In general, it's in a pretty bad state, but as far as the periphery is concerned.

Are there a lot of old people?　Then there are children and unhealthy-looking ...... people.


That's what I'm talking about.

　That's what I'm talking about. ...... Get the slow ones out of here. ......?
　Maybe it's bait, huh?　To stop them.
　If you look closely, even the bodies look abandoned.

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

　...... No, there's nothing to be done. You know the answer to that.

You can't help it if you feel sorry for it.　That's what this place is for.
"...... Oh.
......Oh.

　But Eckhart is not happy about it.
　His expression is bitter.
　Through the slums, our carriage made its way to the gate.
　The smell of death?
　I can't put my finger on it, but it's a nasty smell.
　The slum dwellers look at us from a distance, but show no sign of approaching.

　Maybe it's because we're surrounded by noblemen's carriages, or maybe it's because all the territorial soldiers have their hands on their hip weapons.

　In terms of threat level, the ones who attacked us yesterday were probably much higher, but there was a more unpleasant tension in the air.

　In the midst of all this, a child stumbled out from the shadows of a nearby barbershop and collapsed on the roadside a few steps ahead of us.