"It's been a long time, Herian. Welcome."



　Boundary City Shields.

　A fortress city built to cover the boundary area between the human and demon inhabited areas. The shield of mankind, entrusted with such an important role.

　Glenn Gardiner, the leader of the city, welcomed his guest, Helian, with words of welcome.



"No, sir. I am sorry for the delay in reporting the results of your request.



　Helian apologized for the request from the Count of the Frontier. It had already been more than two weeks since he had finished his work, and this was the first time he had seen the Count since then.



　When a request (quest) is issued through the Adventurers' Guild, there is an obligation to report its completion when it is accomplished. For a request to kill a target, the client is required to present the evidence, for an escort request, the client is required to present the completion report, and for a collection request, the client is required to present the requested item to the Adventurers' Guild office to complete the completion procedures.



　When Helian heard this, he interpreted it as "in essence, the same system as a temporary job.

　You take on the job you want, and when you are done, you go to the office to receive your reward in exchange for a certificate of achievement. This is the simplified version. The similarities are that the work is diverse and that a contract is exchanged for each job.



　Those who are working in the business world might have come up with other analogies, but the most familiar one to Tsukasa Misaki (Helian), a student, was a temporary job.



"Don't worry about it. In the first place, I have already received a report by letter.



　Certainly, we have reported on them in letters.

　He sent Celes and Gardi on an errand and reported separately through his escort, Miss Zion.

　The request was not mediated by the Adventurers' Guild, but was a request made solely by the client and the contractor, or as they call it, a "stray request.



　The rules for requests (quests) issued by the Adventurers' Guild are well established, and in most cases, stray requests also conform to these rules. However, in this case, since it was not clearly stipulated as such, there is no contractual obligation to report it.



　However, since the Count of the Frontier himself made the request directly to her, without any intermediary, Helian thought that she was obliged to visit him directly and report the completion of the work as a courtesy to the nobleman.



　Perhaps reading something in Helian's expression, the Count of the Frontier continued his words in an admonishing tone.



"I have also received a report from the knight who was accompanying us. As far as I am concerned, the knights' story and the letter are more than enough for me to receive a report of the results. And I am very satisfied with your work. Thank you very much for your efforts in this matter.

"Thank you. I am glad to hear you say so.



　Sitting on the sofa across from the Count of the Frontier, Helian bowed his head and expressed his gratitude. As king, I am not allowed to bow, but Helian here is only a merchant. Lieve, standing behind him, bowed as well.



"And you too, Lord Levee, I hear that you have shown great skill. The knights were amazed. They had never searched the labyrinth with such ease before.

"Thank you, sir. The Count of the Frontier."



　Levee returned solemnly.

　She was the only companion Herian had brought with him this time. Both Gardi and Celes were working separately, renovating the building they had received as a reward.



　Just as we had finished our greetings, there was a knock at the door of the reception room.

　With the permission of the frontier count, a lady attendant entered the room, holding a cup of tea and tea cakes. After brewing the tea with an experienced hand, she quietly leaves the room.



I heard that you like tea, Herian. I have ordered some tea leaves that are in fashion these days. I hope it will suit your taste.

"It's ...... sorry to bother you. I appreciate your concern."



　Actually, he is not particularly attached to black tea, but he is not a fan of coffee, so he has turned to tea as an escape.



　Helian takes the cup as recommended. The tea smelled good, as if it was for a guest of the lord. The tea was neither too hot nor too slimy, and the steam was rising softly from the tea, which had been calculated to be at the perfect temperature by the time the guests sipped it.



　Helian sipped from his cup with a little anticipation, thinking that this was the first time he had ever had tea brewed by someone other than Lievé.



"By the way, Mister Levee is your mistress?"

"What the ......?



　I almost spewed.

　I swallowed with guts, though my eyes were teary because some of it was in my windpipe, and looked directly at the frontier count, who asked me a question that was too much at the perfect moment.



"Oh. You are not, are you?



　He asked in an unexpected tone, but if you look closely, you can see that the corners of his mouth are turned up. He had been acting like a lord just a few minutes ago, but now his expression is that of an evil old man.



　The teasing look on his face convinced Hélian that the timing of the question was intentional.

　She was absolutely convinced that she had done it on purpose by asking him in front of him (Liewe).



"There seems to be a misunderstanding, she is my squire. She is not my mistress.

"Hmm. Then you mean that Ceres is your mistress?"

No, sir.



　He returns the denial to the frontier count who continues to bash him.

　I remembered that he had a similar expression on his face when I first met him, and I recalled with a sense of escaping from reality the incident when I was << surprise attack>ed by the frontier count.



　By the way, if you ask me why I feel like escaping from reality, it is because I am afraid of the presence behind me.

　No, I, Tsukasa Misaki (Helian), a former ordinary person, do not know anything about such things, but I did not want to see Levee's face standing behind me in various ways. Whatever the expression on his face, it was unlikely that he would find the best way to respond to it.



"My God! This is amazing. Both of them are as good as elves, and both of them are as beautiful as elves. I would have thought you'd have gotten your hands on them by now."

"......Thank you for the compliment on the squire. But, you see, I don't have that kind of relationship with them.

"You have not laid a hand in front of such a beautiful woman? ...... You don't mean to tell me that your true love is Mr. Gardi?"

"How can you be so sure?



　As expected, I denied it as hard as I could. Hearing the horrifying question, Hélian lifted his head and raised his voice.

　Immediately afterwards, she realized that she had raised her voice in front of the lord of a large city and covered her mouth with her hand. Helian immediately tries to apologize for his rudeness, but for some reason, the frontier lord has a pensive smile on his face.



"Oh, yes, no, I beg your pardon!　I apologize for the tactless question.

　And I would appreciate it if you would behave as you normally would from here on out. As I have told you before, I am not good at dealing with aristocrats.



　It's easier for me to talk like you just did," said the frontier count, who gladly accepted Hellián's full denial.



(...... Oh. I remember him as such a person.)



　Recognizing once again the character of the frontiersman, Hélien let out a sigh secretly.

　Then, through the sensation of relaxation in his body, he realized that he had been straining his shoulders more than he should have.

　It seems that he had been more conscious of the than he had thought.



　And perhaps, he had taken the trouble to bring up such a sensitive topic, knowing my state of mind.




　I think he is indeed a lord for his skill in guiding the atmosphere of the meeting in the desired direction, despite his claim that he is not good at dealing with aristocrats. However, that being said, Helian was not inclined to learn from this technique.



"Well, let's put aside the topic of the beautiful squire for the moment. I really appreciate your help on this one. Despite the unforeseen circumstances, the fact that we were able to complete the ceremony and stabilize the labyrinthine area without a hitch is largely due to your work. I would like to thank you again, including the fact that you helped Zion by yourselves.

"No. I pushed your precious daughter away, even though it was on the spur of the moment. It was an emergency and I hope you will forgive me.

"Zion is a Gardiner woman. Don't worry about that. ...... should be more concerned about the fact that a contingency has arisen between the ceremonies, itself."



　The frontier count sighs and leans his weight on the couch. The hexenbiest-skin couch in the reception room received his body without a sound, although it must have weighed quite a bit considering his size.



"......After all, was that a rare event?"

"Rare is not the word to use. It's rather unprecedented. It is rather unprecedented that a technique other than is invoked during a ritual.



　Both men talk about the transfer trap that jumped them from the ceremonial hall to the other space. When Gardi was sent to pick them up afterwards, it turned out to be a hidden room on the 55th floor where Helian and Levee had been ejected from the other space. Several hidden rooms had been discovered in the middle level, but this hidden room had never been found.



"We sent out several teams of investigators after that, but it seems that the magic circle that jumped you had already lost its effect. There was not even a trace of magic power, and they did not find anything unusual in the hidden room where you were jumped.



　Ceres reported the same thing.

　It is said that immediately after Helian and the others were jumped, they immediately tried to analyze and reactivate the magic circle, but they could not obtain any significant information from the magic circle that had already completed its task.



　Herian moistened his lips with a cup of tea, looked into the eyes of the frontiersman and asked a new question.



"...... I encountered a rather formidable demon in the hall to which I was sent. It had the appearance of a knight in blue armor.

"The look of a knight: ......?"



　Hmmm," said the frontiersman, crossing his arms thoughtfully.



"Was it wearing the armor of my order?"

"No. I've never seen anything like it."

"I see. I was wondering if you were the result of a knight who had fallen by the wayside. ......"



　It was rumored among adventurers that if a person who died in a thick pool of magical elements harbored strong obsessions or grudges, he or she might sometimes turn into a demon while retaining some semblance of his or her former life.

　The truth of this rumor is not known. Some intellectuals, led by the court magicians, dismissed the rumors as mere rumors, but there were others who believed that the knowledge of adventurers who had been fighting demons for many years could not be underestimated. The Count of the Frontier was one of them.



"To begin with, I can't think of any knight who could be called formidable even by the squire who made such a great showing in the Dungeon Stampede. I can think of a few living people, but I haven't heard of any knights of that caliber ending up in that labyrinth in recent years.

"I see. ......"



　After receiving an answer that was somewhat predictable, Helian backed down.



"We will continue our investigation, ...... but for the time being we can no longer send our daughter to the labyrinth. It's a blessing in disguise that we were able to do it this time. I think she will be able to keep it for a year at least. My daughter also said that she would like to meet him in person to express her gratitude.

"...... Speaking of which, I don't seem to be able to see this Master Zion."

"My daughter is preparing for another ceremony. She's been busy with it for the past few days. She was sorry not to see you. When I saw her this morning, she was puffing up her cheeks in a very obvious way."



　He is cute in his own way," says the frontier count, smiling with a father's expression.



"You are the first black-haired, black-eyed girl she has ever seen outside the family. It may be annoying to you, but you can't help but be intrigued.

"Ha,ha ......"



　Helian, on the other hand, felt a strange awkwardness when he heard his father talk about his daughter's condition. In other words, it was like when the father of a girlfriend suddenly reveals his daughter's private life to him. No, I have never been in a relationship with a man or a woman.



　In order to get away from this delicate atmosphere, Helian changed the subject by talking about something else.



"Well, come to think of it, this is the first time I've met a black-haired, black-eyed person. Is this a rare color in this area?

"...... yeah?　That's true, of course, ......."



　However, the frontier count tilted his head with his arms crossed in response to the question.

　Then he nodded his head as if he had reached some kind of conclusion in his mind.



"I see. You are not from the kingdom, are you?

Yes. I'm from the countryside, unfortunately, so I'm not familiar with the common sense of this place. ...... I'm ashamed to admit it."

"There is no need to be modest, Herian. It does not suit you. You should be more regal.



　The frontier count snapped. Although they did not know each other very well, he spoke to me as if he knew me, but I could feel that he sincerely felt the same way. It seems that he is surprisingly highly regarded.



"I don't approve of making judgments about people based on their origins alone. In fact, some of the adventurers I have come to know are of unknown origin. Some of them may have scars on their shins. Others are outright averse to revealing their origins.

　But I am willing to see them with my own eyes, to speak with them directly, and to trust them if I find them trustworthy. Whether you are from the north, the west, or the east, the Boundary City Seals will not reject you."



　But please don't go to the south," said the frontier count with a smile.

　Well, sure," agreed Helian with a wry smile.

　It would be better to have fewer visitors from the demon territory.



"Well, to return to the topic, you may consider black-haired and black-eyed as very rare. It's the most common and distinctive characteristic of all the heroes of the past.

"Are you a ...... yu,brave......?"



　Without warning, the word "cheap" popped out.

　In front of Helian, whose eyes are black and white, the frontier count nods his head without changing his expression.



(...... No, wait. (No, wait... I remember there is a demon king in this world...)



　If this were on Earth, we would laugh it off as ridiculous, but this is a fantasy world similar to the Tactics Chronicles. And according to what I heard in Rattlestwood, the Demon King used to exist. If so, it is not surprising that there are heroes to fight against him.



　The reason why I felt that the word "hero" was cheap even though I readily accepted the existence of the Demon King may be due to the influence of "Tactics Chronicle".

　I know this is a story from another world, but there was a famous player who played the role of a <>. He was a happy-go-lucky villain, and regularly fought in major wars with the allied nations who were determined to overthrow the <>. So, the word "Demon King" is rather familiar to us.



　On the other hand, however, there was no king (player) who claimed to be a . Well, in a sense, it is natural. After all, every one of the people led by a player is a . And if the player is not capable of fighting, it is a bit difficult to role-play as a brave man. It is lame to call oneself a brave man while leaving the fighting to one's subordinates and pretending to be a spectator.



　I guess it's because of this difference in familiarity that I consider <> to be a cheap word.



"Mm. A being who defeats a demon king, a human being beyond human beings, the fruit of a wish blessed by God. It is said that the heroes who leave their mark on history have jet-black eyes and hair, without a single exception."



　The frontier count continues his explanation in a tone as if he were reading from a textbook.

　Helian, on the other hand, stared at the eyes and hair of the count sitting in front of him, aware that he was starting to sweat as the conversation progressed.

　There was the same jet-black color as that of her daughter Zion.



It has been hundreds of years since the advent of the bravest of the brave has ceased. Some people now mistake it for a trait of a lineage of heroes like ours. But black hair and eyes are the original characteristics of heroes.

"At ......, the Count of the Frontier is . No, the Gardiner family is ......."




"The descendants of brave men, the descendants of brave men. At least that's the legend.



　I was astonished at what was told to me in an unaffected manner.

　And now I understand why he was staring at me with incredulous eyes when I saved Zion.

　At that time, I interpreted it as a kind of state of shock due to being rescued from a critical situation, but she must have been astonished by the color of her eyes and hair.



"I myself have seen black-haired and black-eyed people outside of my family, but as I said before, Zion has never met a black-haired and black-eyed person outside of his family. You are the first one for my daughter. And to be the one who saved her from being attacked in the wilderness, don't you think that's fateful?"



　It was like an act from a heroic tale sung by a minstrel," laughed the frontiersman. However, Helian, who was sitting opposite him, was in a far more awkward position than before. He hurriedly interrupted him.



"Excuse me. I'd like to point out for the record that I am in no way a brave ...... person."

"Yes, I know. With all due respect, you are not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination.



　The frontier count stated simply. It seems that the eyes of the warrior who is called the "Count of the Holy Sword" can see that Helian's fighting ability is below that of an ordinary person. Perhaps, the fact that he had survived the recent request may have supported his guess.

　Helian breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that he is not considered brave in the least. ...... It's a shameful thing to do, but I guess it's a blessing in disguise, right?



"However. For Theon, the fact remains that you have saved him twice from danger. One of these days I will come to visit you in your store. When he does, please be patient with him, as long as you do not disturb him. As a parent, I would be happy if you could get along with my daughter.

"......, huh. We're still getting ready to open, so we can't offer much hospitality, but ...... if that's okay, yes."



　The reply was not very clear, but the frontier count nodded his head in satisfaction with a fatherly look on his face.



　For the next fifteen minutes or so, we exchanged information with small talk, and then the meeting came to an end.







　　　　+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +







　After leaving the house of the count of the frontier, Helian was on his way home in the box carriage that had been prepared for him. The window of the private room, which was separated from the royal bed, was small, making it a kind of secret room.



　Helian asks Lieve, who is sitting next to him, if the car is used as a place for secret talks in the real world, while thinking about such a trivial thing.



"Lievé. Are there any kind of surveillance?

"No. I checked when I got in and I don't see anything unusual about this carriage. No sign of a tail.

"I see. ......"



　As soon as he replied, his vision wavered.

　It was as if I had been struck by an intense dizziness.

　At the same time, my body loses strength, and the wheel falls over with the vibration of stepping on a pebble.



"--?



　Immediately, Levee supported his body.

　Helian grunts in dizziness as he rests his head on Levee's shoulder.



"...... it's okay, it's okay."



　Despite his words, it was only a strong statement.

　He was still leaning against Levee, unable even to return to his original position.

　The dizziness had gradually subsided, but I was still feeling very lazy from the tips of my toes to the tips of my head. I felt as if I had no energy.



　But this was something he had expected.

　This was the meeting that took place with the certainty that this would happen if he pushed himself too hard in his current condition.



"...... I never thought that the repercussions of the secret would last this long."



　In a bitter tone of voice, Hellian recalls the last few weeks.

　But no matter which days he recalls, they are all the same.

　For the two weeks since his return from the labyrinth, his activities have been limited to his bed and its surroundings.



　After a week, he was able to move around on the bed, but it took two more days before he was able to move around outside the room. From the tenth day, she has been able to move freely to some extent, but she continues to be active for only a few hours per day.



　In the game "Tactics Chronicle", if you invoked the while your vitality was lowered, there was a certain probability that you would suffer a bad status such as "dying" or "poor physical condition". However, these bad statuses were only soft, such as a narrowing of the field of vision, difficulty in hearing sounds, or difficulty in moving the body. Nevertheless, the last few weeks have seen Helian weaken to the point where he has difficulty even in his daily life.



(And his natural recovery rate has also dropped drastically. ...... game healed in less than a day, but more than two weeks later, he's still like this.)



　The price of depletion.

　Helian has not been able to pay it off even now, more than two weeks later.



　On the other hand, however, he is now able to work as a healthy person within a certain number of hours per day. After a certain period of time, his body would suddenly stop working as if the battery had run out of power. This is the only part of the story that seems to be subtly digital, and it is even more unconvincing.



"......Are you sure you didn't go out too soon?"



　Rieve asks in a voice filled with melancholy, "What is it that you want to do?

　She is now fully humanized, so she has no ears and tail, but I could read her emotions without seeing them. Her voice is not so clear, and even her usual clear face is slightly broken.



　Helian replies with a bitter feeling that now that he thinks about it, the only time she shows any expression other than her clear face is when she is in a weak state.



"No. No. This meeting was absolutely necessary. Even the count of the frontier has been waiting for us for more than enough time. Under such circumstances, when an invitation is extended to you, it is inevitable that you will accept it.



　I rather wonder how a lord of a large city could wait more than two weeks for a commoner.

　The letter also stated that the meeting could be rescheduled if he was not feeling well, but Helian insisted on this meeting. He had recovered to the point where he could move several hours per day, and he expected to be able to hold the meeting for a sufficient amount of time.

　However, the conversation went on longer than expected, which is why we are now in this mess.



"Besides, this meeting was also beneficial for Alkimaira. The more we pushed ourselves, the more we gained.



　Despite his follow-up, Rieve's expression did not clear.

　Helian pulled himself up with a determined effort.

　Levee rushes to put her hand on his shoulder, but he lightly raises his right hand to restrain her.



"Don't look at me like that. Don't look at me like that. Despite all this, we got through the meeting without incident.



　When he told her this, Rieve rolled her eyes slightly and began to touch her face. Apparently, she thought she was maintaining her usual clear face. He is touching his cheeks and the corners of his eyes, trying to find out what kind of expression he is making right now.



　He seems to be trying to keep a calm and collected character, but I think that this character may have been shattered to pieces by the incident at the inn that day. But he does not have the courage to tell her that, as she tries her best to regain her expression.



　Eventually, she could get her expression back to a satisfactory one, or maybe she gave up on it. Rieve's face slightly turned away from the camera, then she clears her throat and opens her mouth.



Let's hurry back to the inn. I'll take care of the other matters, and you can rest in your bed.




"...... No. I have one important thing left to do today. I'll rest at the inn afterwards.



　As a matter of fact, there are still about 30 minutes left for today's activity.

　This is a reasonable figure, based on the fact that the time of activity is gradually increasing day by day and on the actual time of activity yesterday. I have been hit by a strong dizziness as a reaction to being released from the tension, but I am sure I will be able to move again after a short rest in the carriage.

　It is obvious that after 30 minutes I will be seriously unable to move even a single step, but on the contrary, I can still be active for another 30 minutes.



　But, as expected, Rieve's face turned cloudy.

　Her eyebrows are a few zero-tenths of a millimeter lower than before.

　For some reason, I felt funny that I had come to be able to notice such a minute change.

　In the real world, I could not even notice the changes in a woman's facial expression, but I have grown up a lot.



"Is that a job that even I can do for you?　I know I'm not very good at this, but if it's within my capabilities, I'd be happy to do it for you."

"No, it's not a job. No, it's not a job of any kind, though I'm sure in some ways it's more important than that."

"......, you say?"



　Rieve thought for a while, but could not come up with an answer, so he asked me what it was about.

　Helian replied with a hint of mischievousness in his serious face.



I'm shopping with you, Lieve.



　As soon as he told her, Liewe's amber eyes rolled back in their sockets.

　Helian chuckles inwardly as he continues to speak, thinking that this is exactly what a pigeon looks like when it gets hit by a peashooter.



"I told you that I would come to you as soon as I was well enough, didn't I?　It was unexpected that the call from the frontier count was to be bumped, but a promise is a promise. I can still move for another 30 minutes or so. Let's continue on our way to the street.



　Helian opens a small window in the direction of the governor's platform and asks the governor to go to the street. The young man replied, "Yes, sir," and adjusted the direction of the carriage with the reins.



　Liewe watched in silence, but in truth, he was in the middle of a turmoil. As a vassal, he was screaming at the top of his lungs, "Convince the Lord to go to the inn right now," while Rieve-Freckhilds as an individual was saying, "Don't miss this opportunity. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. You never know when you'll get another chance.



　Stuck between these two opposites, Levee could not stop herself from changing her destination and simply remained frozen. The time passes steadily, and the carriage is approaching the street of stalls.



　Helian, who somehow guessed her inner feelings from the way her amber eyes were shaking, thought, "I wonder if her ears and tail would be funny in her original form," and composed a line of dialogue to convince her.



"Ah, ......, that's an order, Levee. I am going to inspect the local market and the streets of the stalls. I'm leaving you in charge of my escort. I would also like to get some hands-on experience, so if you see anything that catches your eye, let me know immediately. Is that clear?"

"--Ha. Yes, sir.



　If that's an order, so be it.

　In a manner that made it obvious that she was thinking about such a thing, Levee expressed her worship with a sense of relief.

　Helian chuckles at her and begins to arrange the items in his mind, wondering what he should buy.





　--And then, thirty minutes have passed since they arrived at the street.

　Helian and Levee stay until the very end of the time limit to complete their and then head back to their temporary lodging.