'Sorry to keep you waiting, Will! Sorry, did you wait for me?'

About a minute after I called her, Irene joined me.
She was dressed in her formal attire as a knight, not the traveling attire of yesterday.

'No problem. It's as expected, or even earlier.

'Oh, no.

'It's not like it's a standard phrase for couples meeting up at ....... What are you talking about?

'Boo. I'm nervous too. You can help me relax a little.'

'Okay, okay. Just sit tight.'

I walked behind Irene and rubbed her shoulders.

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

'There, now you've loosened up. We don't have much time, let's go.

'Uh, yeah, I got it. I'll go to .......'

She slapped herself on the cheek and said, 'Okay,' and regained her dignified appearance for the outside world.
Then Irene and I headed for the main gate of the mansion.

During this time, I also cast a telepathic spell on Irene.
This is for two purposes: to support negotiations and to talk in private in front of the enemy.

Now, with Irene in front of me and me behind her, we proceed to the gate guard.
Irene stepped forward in front of the two gatekeepers, who gazed at her blankly, and said the following words.

'I am Irene, a knight of the royal house of Greysburg. I have come by royal order to ask the Earl of Goldart some questions. I would like you to take care of it.


Even she, as expected, must have established an outward attitude through her training as a knight over the past few years.

The gatekeepers looked flustered, and one of them opened the gate and walked in.
The other, with sweat on his forehead, told Irene to wait here for a while.

Incidentally, the gatekeeper's attention is not on me during this time.
This is because he is using the effects of the Insensible spell, which still lasts, on me alone.

Even so, at this distance, it would be normal for me to be recognized, but perhaps because the good-looking Irene was so conspicuous, my presence seemed to be seen as nothing more than a roadside stone.

After waiting for a while, a butler came with the gatekeeper who had gone inside, and the butler led Irene and her attendant - that is, me - inside.
We followed the butler as he walked through the courtyard to the residence of the mansion.

I'm getting nervous, after all. ....... Will I be okay, Will?"

Irene speaks to me with her thoughts.
My body is still facing forward, only my consciousness is coming to me.

'Stay strong. I'll give you advice if you need it, just keep your back straight so you don't get underestimated.

"Uh, yeah, okay. ...... Please, Will?"


You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in your company.

But this time, Irene has to play the main role in the interview.
If I, as a valet, interfere more than necessary, I will be dismissed as someone who doesn't care.

And that is what telepathy is for.
If you can communicate privately with your thoughts, you can communicate without your interlocutor hearing your words.

It is highly likely that this method would have been effectively blocked if Alice had been present at the dialogue.
Having a skilled sorcerer as an adversary is very troublesome.

That's why we have to finish this interview before Alice comes back.
She's going to be out for a couple of hours, so even if she doesn't come back right away, we can't afford to take too long.

I used another telepathic effect to send a thought to Mee, who was following Alice.

"Mee, are you still all right?"

"Yes, sir. Alice is heading toward the downtown area. There's no sign of our tail.

All right. Take it easy, okay?

I'll be fine. My life is more important than her accomplishments. And I know Will doesn't approve of reckless behavior.

I'm relieved when I get answers like this.
Everything is based on life.
I can trust Mee in that she is not the reckless type like Satsuki.

With this in mind, Irene and I, accompanied by the butler, entered the residence of the mansion.
Now, it's time to meet Count Goldart.