Where-- where did you get this?


　The "Silver Star" recognition slip that White Knight Alou was supposed to have worn until his death. How should I interpret the fact that it is in the hands of the Commander of the 'Desert Eagle'?

　While thinking about that, I release a natural question.

　Then Black Knight Joel lightly shrugged his shoulders and responded.


''Let me tell you ahead of time, I didn't take it away or pick it up. This one is a forgotten item.

Did you forget something?

Yeah. Last time I had a drink with that guy from Arrow. He forgot this on his way home.


　He raised his eyebrows at the unexpected answer. It seems unnatural that someone who is the head of a group would forget their recognition slip and leave, and it is also irrelevant that the leaders of the opposing "Silver Star" and "Desert Eagles" had been drinking to each other prior to that.

　We have been in the same boat for a long time, and we have been in the same boat for a long time.

　Joel was thirteen years old, that is, he joined the Belka Adventurer's Guild as soon as he came of age. He had no parents, no money, and no education. If such a person wanted to rise to the top, there was no other way but to be an adventurer. At least, that's what Joel thought at the time.

　To such Joel, the presence of Alou, who joined the guild three years after him, was an eyesore. Although they were in similar circumstances in terms of no parents and no money, Alou had a learning experience that was given to him by Cardinal Sairala - though he wasn't a cardinal at the time - and he could read.

　He can read. He also learns etiquette. He had a core of formal manners drilled into his every action, and in the Belka Adventurers' Guild, where there were many uneducated rogues like Joel, Arrow's presence was distinctly different. A crane in a sweeping pool, as the expression goes.

　If Arrows weren't capable, he would have been kicked out of the guild in a heartbeat. However, Arrows quickly rose to prominence in terms of accomplishments and became a part of the Belka Guild.


'He was an obnoxious kid, really. Well, I guess that's what everyone around me thought of me, too.


　Joel gulped down the remaining fire liquor at once.


I didn't like him. He didn't like the way I was doing things," Joel said. We fought all kinds of battles, and we did some stupid things. Meanwhile, both "The Eagle in the Desert" and "The Silver Star" were growing in stature, and the times we had to fight each other, it was more often than not between our subordinates. I was just hoping that I didn't have to see the clear face of Arrows, but sometimes you have to talk to your superiors to get things right.


　That's when Joel showed up with Alou and went out to a bar at the end of the day. As we are doing this now.

　As I did with A(n) and A(n), as I did.


'I thought it was weird when I got the call from Alou. I hadn't heard of any trouble downstairs. I just thought, well, there's no way that guy would call me out for nothing, so I went out. Then, I don't know what you thought, but you said 'I wanted to talk to you for the first time in a long time'.


　Joel got up from his seat and said, "Don't talk in your sleep," but Arou smiled at him and showed him a bottle of the dwarf's homemade fire wine.

　It's no secret that dwarves are an excellent brewing breed. So, just as Joel knew Alou, Alou also understood Joel. Listening to the story alone, I had a feeling that the two of them had a pretty good relationship.


The story was, well, a bit of an old story. We were talking about such and such at that time and such and such at that time," he said. When I think back on it now, I can't think of any hidden agenda.


　So, having emptied the dwarf's fire wine, Alou offered him yet another bottle of wine as a thank you for his company, and apparently left a step ahead of Joel.

　When Joel noticed the emblem on the second bottle of wine, he didn't see Arrows anywhere.


'There was no reason to bother chasing after him. But if the owner of the store finds out that you were in the store, it will be revealed that the white knight was there. If that happens, some people will notice me. If word got out that the leader of the Silver Star and the Desert Eagle were having a secret meeting in a tavern, it would be a problem. So I left them in charge. As a thank you for the dwarf drink.


　Joel thought he would hear something from the other side tomorrow, but contrary to his expectations, he didn't hear anything from Arrow, and he quickly gave up on his expedition to the unexplored area.

　-- and Arrow didn't come back.


You know," he said, "when you're adventuring in the desert, the unexpected happens all the time. It's not unusual for someone to arrive late and be treated as a death. That's why when I heard about it, I just thought, 'Here we go again. It's not possible for the guys from the Silver Star to be attacked by a desert monster.　


　Joel's face was full of anger and frustration when he said that. The conversation continued even as he was trying to gauge what it was about.

　In response to the disappearance of the Silver Star, Cardinal Sairala, a close friend of Arrows, has led a massive search for the Silver Star. The Desert Eagle also assisted in the search, but they were unable to find the Silver Star.

　Katia had told me about the events that followed. The Silver Star was forced to disband after losing its mainstay, and the Desert Hawk took its place. Because of this fact, there are many people who suspect that the Desert Eagle conspired to kill the Silver Star.

　Joel laughed mockingly.


'Yes, that guy from the Arrow was a bit of a pain in the ass. I always thought it would be so refreshing to be rid of him. Especially when I was young and light. But if you see me now, trying to set up and kill Arrows. Those people downstairs won't be so lucky. There's no way in hell I'm going to let that happen.


　With that, Joel mocked those who cast doubt on him. At this rate, Joel's situation may be more difficult than I think.

　Aside from that, Joel was suspicious of Alou's death.

　There was no way that Arrows and the main force of the 'Silver Star' would be killed by the desert demons. It was also unlikely that they were lost in an unexplored area. The Catalan Desert is a magical land where a moment of carelessness can be fatal, but if that is the case, then Arrow and the others are the most skilled of the veterans who have been active in this magical land for more than ten years.

　Joel, who has competed with the 'Silver Star' for many years, knows more about the 'Silver Star's' abilities than his lame allies. That's why he was even more suspicious.

　But nothing came out to support the suspicion.


'There is no instrumental or magical device in that seal (emblem). I even checked the information network of the Desert Eagle to see if there was anyone who had a grudge against the Silver Star, but no one like that came to mind. Now, after listening to what you've said up to this point, what would you make of it, dragonslayer?　


　When I was abruptly told the story, I answered what I thought frankly.


'Maybe you'll decide that you've guessed too much,'


　All of Alou's actions just before he went missing were the product of a whim, and the 'Silver Star' had used up all of his good fortune over the past ten years and was killed by a demon this time. In other words, there was no backstory to this one case.

　With that in mind, it was understandable that no matter how much he looked into it, nothing would come out of it.


''Haha, well, that's true, isn't it?''


　Joel shrugged his shoulders and gulped down his fire wine.

　How many drinks, I wondered, as I continued.


"Or you will recognize the enormity of the enemy and behave with caution.

.........hmm?


　Joel stares at me. As I look back at that glaring gaze, I gather my thoughts in my mind.

　If there was an intention in Arrows' actions, that intention was nothing more than to leave the rest to Joel. If anything happens to me, please take care of the "Silver Star" - the seal I left behind must have had such a meaning in it.

　However, if this speculation was correct, one question arises. That question is, if Alou was aware of the danger looming over him, why did he not try to deal with it?

　Alou is a white knight who is no stranger to Belka. If Alou was well-liked, famous and armed, he would have been able to deal with most enemies on his own. Even if the enemies were too much for Arrow to handle, he could at least ask the people around him to help him.

　But Arrows did not do that. Even Joel, who had been entrusted with his successor's job, didn't give a hint of the enemy's existence. Why is that?


　--You're going to be able to find out what the enemy is, the people you collaborate with will also be in danger.


　To put it another way, Alou decided that even if the "Silver Star" and the "Desert Eagle" cooperated, they would not be able to compete with this enemy.

　There are very few organizations in the Belka that have more influence than these two combined.

　It is here that I am reminded of something that Joel had said before we began this conversation. Joel had said - it's not easy to talk to someone who's stuck in the Temple of Law.

　Needless to say, once again, the influence of the Law Temple is immense. Even if you put the two together, the hawk and the star, you can't compete with them.

　In addition, this idea also answers another question.

　Another question - why did Arrows choose Joel as the person to entrust the Silver Star to?

　It is true that there was a sympathy between the two, but even so, the Silver Star and the Desert Eagle were at odds with each other externally. It could not be said to be a suitable partner to entrust the succession to.

　In fact, the absorption of the Silver Star into the Desert Falcon has caused a number of problems in Belka. It's hard to believe that Alou didn't notice that.

　If I were Alou, I would leave the rest to Cardinal Sairala, who has been a friend of mine for two generations of parents and children.

　Of course, this doesn't mean that I want the Cardinal to become an adventurer. He would choose a younger generation to lead the next generation, and ask the Temple of Law to be behind the younger generation. In that way, even if the scale of the organization was reduced a bit, the Silver Star would be able to survive.

　However, Arrow didn't do that and left the rest to Joel. Why is that?


　-- all the "why" points to legal deism. I couldn't help but feel that.