Right this way, my hero.

　I was guided by an old guardian knight and arrived in front of a large mansion.
　Not far from Great Keith Castle, the mansion was like a luxurious palace that was distinctly different from the upscale residential area with many large houses around it.
　Behind the huge gate, you can see a large garden and a fountain.

(There's a water genie in there.)
　If something goes wrong, I think we can protect ourselves in the worst way.

"Welcome to our home. My husband's waiting for you. Let him show you around.
　A man who looked like a butler came out from inside.

''Then, brave lord.''
Thanks, old man.
　I thanked the old man and walked through the gate of the mansion alone.
　Apparently, the general wanted to talk to me alone.　

(.........I don't feel like it.......)

　Most of my audiences with the great and famous were with Fujiyan, Sa-san and Lucy.
　I don't have a chance to talk that much, leaving most of the conversation to people who are used to it.
　Princess Noel was easy to talk to, but that was probably because of Sakurai-kun's presence.

　I maximized my 'Meikyomisui' skill and was led through the mansion while nervous.
　There are various sculptures and paintings displayed in the mansion, and although I don't know the value of them, I could tell that the owner of this mansion has a considerable amount of financial power.

　The butler led me not to the room but to the courtyard of the mansion.
　In the courtyard, there was a small stage where dancers dressed in thin cloths were performing a splendid dance to the music played by musical instruments.
　The stage was surrounded by torches, creating an extraordinary space.

"Come in, come in.
　The steward indicated by hand that General Talisker, dressed rougher than when we met the other day, was sitting on a high seat three steps higher than the one around him, looking down at us.
　The general was surrounded by sumptuous food and piles of fruit, with beautiful women on either side of him.

(THE Powers That Be!)
　A picture-perfect man.

　--General Geerhard Talisker.

　Father of Olga Saul Talisker, the brave goddess of fire, and head of the Great Keith State Army.
　He is the second most powerful person in the Fire Nation (Great Keith) after the King.
　He is said to be close to the king.
　As long as you are in this country, you will not be able to cross him.

"I'm glad you're here.
　I tried to kneel before the high seat to greet him, as Princess Sophia had taught me to do.

'Not so, Lord Brave,'
　Suddenly, the General stands up and takes me by the hand and leads me to the top of the high seat.
　Then he asked me to sit next to him.

I've been waiting for you to be the guest of honor tonight, the brave lord Makoto. We have been waiting for you to leave the top seat open.
　He has a friendlier tone than the other day.
　However, his eyes are not smiling, but rather like a hawk's eyes observing us.

''Thank you........''
　I nervously sat down next to him as he prompted me.

'Drink and food for the brave lord. Music and dancing for you.
　As the general ordered, the music intensified and the dancers (dancers) danced violently and incendiarily.
　A revealing woman quickly appears on either side of me, pours me a drink and brings the food to my mouth with chopsticks.
　Oh, unsettling!
　I told him that I would be eating the food myself, and he poured me a little fruit wine of low strength for the sake.
　For a while, he asked me about my cooking and dancing, and I praised and surprised him appropriately.


　◇


Dear Brave Lord Makoto. I would like to thank you for defeating the Sand Dragon's Nest.
　A little while after the feast, General Talisker brought up the subject of sand dragons.
　Perhaps this is the main topic.

''No, it just happens to be...''
　I was only there to witness Sa-san defeating a group of sand dragons.

I've been told that the heroic Makoto-dono is a wizard, but he also seems to be a top-notch warrior. The sand dragons that were defeated were defeated not by magic, but by object(s) reason(s) offensive(s) and(s) fire(s).
....
　That's because you punched everything in the face with your bare hands.
　I can't say that.

''You usually only carry a dagger with you, but your original weapon is different, isn't it?
　The general asks in a confident tone.
'Well I'm not sure.
　You can't have an acquisition heavier than a dagger (in terms of status).
　I can't say.
　I feel like I'm just being quiet.

　General Talisker didn't seem to be particularly concerned that my reply was out of line.
　I'm sure he thinks I'm hiding something.
　It would be quicker if I could say that it was all done by Sa-san.

'Brave Lord, to defeat that horrible demon... how reliable you are.
I've been scared of sand dragons since I was a child. Will you allow me to repay you for defeating it?
　Suddenly, the women on either side of me droop nuzzling me.
　They are both very exposed, so our skin is inevitably close together.
　I want to move away from them because I'm restless, but I can't escape because they're holding me on both sides.

''Oh, those two seem to be curious about Brave Lord. If it's to your liking, I'll have them attached to your side until morning.''
　The general asked me to recommend it for dessert.

''I'll do whatever the brave master tells me to do, right?
Oh my God, so do I. So, what do you like to do, Makoto-sama?

　Hmm?　I'll do anything now... and I'm not!

Makoto! Are you okay?
　Master Noah gave me a dumbfounded tone of voice.
　'I know,' he said.


'Will you be caught in General Talisker's honey trap?

　Yes, sir.
　No.


Even Mr. "RPG Player" has politely warned me that he's a honey trap!

'General Talisker, I appreciate your kind words, but I have to leave for the day.
　I softly refused.
　Was it right to say it this way?

Don't you like them? They are called the two most beautiful women in King's Landing. If you prefer a girl with a fierce temperament, how about a dancer from there?
　No, that's not what I'm talking about!
　But just to be sure, I looked at the dancer and she was smiling seductively at me.
　I'm sure she is being told to seduce the brave man of the water country.
　Once again, looking at the women on either side, I see that they are quite beautiful.

(Just hey....)

　I've always been averse to beautiful women.
　When I told that to Fujiyan and Sakurai-kun a long time ago, they were taken aback by it. !" when I told that to Fuji and Sakurai-kun, they were taken aback.
　No, I'm not a homos*xual.
　I cleared up the misunderstanding.

　I'm shy and I'm not good with strangers, but I get even more nervous when they're beautiful.
　The only exceptions are my old friends Sa-san and Lucy, who I've been adventuring with for a long time.
　Lately, I've gotten relatively used to Princess Sophia.
　I guess that's why I'm still a virgin.

　Furiae-san?
　It's a level where you can't even make eye contact without the skill.
　And it's still a stable 'clear water' skill 99% of the time.

　I used the 'RPG Player' skill's perspective switch and looked around.
　A number of beautiful women that General Talisker would have prepared for me.　
　They're beautiful, but just talking to them because they're beautiful makes me feel tired.
　And by the way, I'm afraid to compare them, but if you think of 'Goddess (Noah), the most beautiful goddess of the divine world'.

(Soooooooooooooooooooooo...)

　The words were rude.
　You saw the cold look on my face, and you knew this wasn't going to work.
You are not drinking well, Lord Brave. Bring me that 30-year-old wine.
　The general seems to have changed his mind about fishing for alcohol and food.

　The best wine was a mess.


　◇


'May I join you, Uncle Talisker, brave man of the watery land?
　As the party was winding down, a woman arrived.

　At first glance, she appeared to be a beautiful woman dressed in a sheer costume typical of the Great Keiths, but her demeanor and the opulence of her decorations were markedly different from the other women.
　And I remembered seeing her somewhere.　

'Dahlia-dono. Is your official duties alright?
　The general's words reminded me.

　--Daria Saul Great Keith, the priestess of the Fire Goddess.

　She was the priestess of the Fire Nation who had been in conversation with Princess Sophia the other day.

'It's my job, the Fire Goddess has advised me to do it.
　The fire priestess tells him matter-of-factly, with an expression that still seems to be smiling and not smiling in her eyes.

'You guys need to move away,'
　The general ordered a nearby serving woman to pay the man.
　It would be just me and General Talisker around the fire priestess.
　The music and dancing continues, and with all this noise, I certainly can't hear the conversation unless I'm nearby.

'What does the Fire Goddess say?' The General said.
'We hear there's a cult of snakes lurking in the royal city of Gamelan that's up to no good.
'I've got that information. But even if I capture the end ones, no one knows the full extent of the plan. Perhaps only the ringleader knows about it, but I have yet to find the head of the snake.
　At the words of the fire maiden, the general announces in a low voice.
　The air of the banquet from earlier disappeared, and a swordsmanlike air took over.

''Indeed I do not know the ringleaders. However, I have learned what they are up to.''
　The fire maiden laughed for the first time with a nice smile.

'The higher up in the hierarchy the more tight-lipped the cult members are. The ones at the end know nothing or are given false information. Is that information trustworthy?''
For several years now, we have been infiltrating the Order of the Serpent with Temple Knights. Many of them have been caught infiltrating and have lost their lives, but they have been useful this time.
　Infiltrate a hostile organization?
　This priestess, what she does is unbelievable.
　Noticing my gaze, the Fire Priestess Dahlia looked at me and smiled.

''It's all for the peace of the Fire Nation.
Well....
　Maybe what's missing in the Water Country (Roses) is a cold-heartedness in this area.
　But I can't imagine Princess Sophia doing this kind of backstabbing.

'Then what is the plan?'
　The general urges the fire priestess to continue her story.

'Three days later, the catacombs on the edge of the royal city. Behind it is the hidden meeting place of the cult. Normally, it is rarely used, but on that day, the people involved in the snake cult that lurks in our country should be there. Let's round that place up we'll kill them all.
All right. We need to be ready for them to be unaware of our presence.
　The general nodded easily at the fire maiden's words.
　Her unassuming tone is terrifying.

''Excuse me for interrupting you, Water Country's Brave Lady.''
No....
　Honestly, are you glad you asked?　It was at the level of what I think it was.
　Isn't this a state secret level story?

　It's time to say hello and leave.
　As I was thinking this, the general looked at me with a serious expression.

''Brave Lord, if possible, I would like to ask for your help in defeating the Serpent Sect in three days' time.''
'Oh, that's a good idea!　General.
?
　I didn't expect that.
　But it seems that General Talisker wants to know how I defeated the sand dragon, and the fire priestess seems to be assessing me.
　I guess this is to be expected.

　General Talisker and the fire priestesses give me an observant look.


''Do you wish to participate in the defeat of the snake cult?''

　Yes, sir.
　No.


The "RPG Player" skill displays a choice.

(Hmmm, what to do?)

　If we are to prevent the 'future vision' of the destruction of the royal capital that Mr. Furiae said he saw, we should get on board here.
　But the Fire Nation is gathering information on its own, and is even more fully prepared to take action.
　Will my participation alone change anything after all this time?

　But in the meantime, I'm the "Nationally Recognized Hero" of the Water Country.
　Because the Fire Nation and the Water Nation are neighboring countries, there is a lot of interaction between them.
　It may not be politically correct to refuse a neighboring country's request without a second thought.
　However, is it right for me to make the decision on my own here.......



'Brave Mako, if General Talisker asks for anything, it's up to you to decide how to respond.
　Princess Sophia told me that before we left here.
Are you sure?
　I'm a novice at politics and negotiations.

'It's fine. I believe in the choices you've made.
Yeah, why?　Princess Sophia. You know how Makoto can be so unthinking at times?
'Sophie-chan, Takatsuki-kun sometimes behaves strangely. It's dangerous to trust him too much!
　Compared to Princess Sophia, who said she believed in me, my two friends are more trusting (in a bad way).
　You're right, though.

　At that point, Princess Sophia laughed and said.　

'Because I've decided to believe in the brave Mako.



　-- Princess Sophia's words came back to me.

　If I had to choose as I always do.

All right, I'll go with you.

　I chose 'yes'.