It was an elegant garden.

　The red and green trees of the autumn garden colored my vision, and the sound of the water flowing into the pond tickled my ears.

　The sunlight was clear with a hint of coolness, and the surface of the pond reflected the sunlight like a sparkling jewel.

　The sound of deer rustling struck my ears.

　The wind whipped up fallen leaves as if they were rustling, and some of them flew into the room through the open fusuma doors.

　I picked up a leaf from the maple tree that had fallen on the tatami mat, held it by the stem and spun it around, and looked at the owner of the room.

　In front of me, a tall man holding a tea whisk (a tool for mixing powdered tea in a tea bowl) was quietly making tea.

　It is the flag officer of the First Flag, Diarte Berch.

　He has fair skin and lustrous black hair. His brow is cool and his appearance brilliant, and his whole body exudes the air of an outstanding swordsman.

　As the name implies, the Eight Flags of Seirin protect Onigashima, and among them, Diarto, the first flag, possesses exceptional military power and authority. In the event of an emergency, Diarto will assume the role of the leader and take command of the eight flags, effectively making him the second in command of the Mikken family after the leader.

　Right now, Kreia and I were in the midst of receiving a feast from Di'Art.


　--What on earth could have caused this?


　I nodded my head inwardly.

　No, no matter how I did it, when I got on the ferry to Onigashima, Diarto was just there to greet me.

　While we were on our way to Onigashima, Dialto stood on the bow of the ship and released his power in all directions, protecting the ship from the attacks of the sea monsters. This time, Dialto did what Gozu had done the last time we had been here.

　As I said with Gozu, it is the role of the common bannermen to guard the liaison ships, and there is no need for the higher bannermen to come out. Now I am like an imperial envoy of the emperor, so in that sense he may have shown consideration for the imperial family, but it is still quite unnatural for the number two of the Mikken family to come out without an escort.

　It was natural to assume that he had some kind of intention.

　The problem is that we can't figure out what that intention is. I had thought that Gilmore had sent his own son to cover up his blunder, but Diarte did not draw his sword, nor did he show any sign of hostility.

　When I told him that I had come to pass through the demon's gate, he simply nodded his head and said, "I understand," and showed no other reaction.

　After that, we landed on Onigashima and followed Diarte's lead to Berhi's mansion, but there was no movement here either.

　The reason why we were taken to the Berch family instead of the Miken family was explained to us. According to Diarte, all of the main members of the Gouken family, including the Kensei, have now left the house.

　They are repairing the walls that were destroyed in the last demon attack, cleaning up the demons that approach the holly city, and preparing for the demon tribe that will attack the demon gate. At present, the Miken family is so short of manpower that they need a cat's paw to help them out, and that's why Dialto has taken over as the head of the family and is in charge of the feast.

　--To be honest, I think this explanation is dubious. To put it more bluntly, I'm saying to myself, "You're lying! I can't even imagine that my father is out of the house trying to fix the situation.

　Although I thought so, I didn't try to expose his lie. My goal was to find Klimt (and other demons comparable to illusions) on the other side of the gate. If I could pass through the gate without seeing my father or Ragna, so much the better.

　However, even with the emperor's permission, I knew that the Mikado family would not easily let an outsider through. There was also the matter of Kreia, who had escaped from the island. I don't know if they'll take the form of a raid, or if they'll accuse Kreia of a crime and force us to listen to them, but in any case, I knew that the Mikado family would make a move on us at some point.

　However, there was no sign of an assassin on the way to the Berch house, at the mansion, or even after I was shown into the sitting room. There was no sign of condemnation of Kreia, who was supposed to be a criminal.

　Diarte, who is the feaster, does not say much, but he has an impeccable attitude.

　I secretly think that it would have been easier if he had come at me with a sword.

　Considering Kreia's feelings, we can't initiate the attack, but if the other side initiates it, that's a different story. To tell the truth, when I saw Dialto on the liaison ship, I was licking my lips at the thought of the opportunity to eat the twin peaks.

　When I came to this island to visit my mother's grave, I didn't think I could reach the Double Peaks, let alone the Sword Sage, but since then I've eaten the Demon God and the Behemoth, and my level has risen dramatically. I have no concerns about the twin peaks now.

　If Dialto attacked me, I was going to fight him off head on. Turning on someone with a signet ring would be a huge loss for the Mikado and Berch families. It would be possible to make a political deal to pretend that Kreia's crime did not exist in exchange for not telling the emperor about the attack.

　That was what I was thinking, and yet, here I am, in a room overlooking the garden, being served tea by Diarte. I can only shake my head at this.

　Kreia is also here, but she has been frozen in place next to me like a stone statue. He's been like this ever since I saw him on the ferry.

　Dialto, too, seemed to be completely unconcerned about his sister.

　Then, the sound of the chasen (tea whisk) that had been echoing so loudly stopped, and Diarto silently offered me a bowl of tea.

　I accepted the cup with great respect. Regardless of his intentions, as long as the other side is behaving politely, we must also show the appropriate attitude. Incidentally, I learned tea etiquette when I was a child. I thought I had forgotten it long ago, but when I actually sat down, I found that I remembered it quite well.

　The bright green liquid gave off a fragrant aroma.

　At that moment, I was suddenly reminded of Gilmore's mindwear, the "Divine Insect," which I had heard about from Clairae. An eight-legged worm with a jaw like steel. The worm can expand and contract at will, and Gilmore likes to miniaturize it and place it inside other people's bodies.

　It would be hard to notice if there was a worm in this tea - I thought as I drank the contents of my cup.

　I'm not alarmed. According to Kreia's story, the God Worm that had been planted when he was thrown into prison had been cleanly digested by the potion of the Sword of Blood that he drank when he escaped. From this, it can be inferred that the God Worm's durability is quite low.

　There is no way that something that can be wiped out by a potion containing a little bit of my blood can enter my body. Of course, ordinary poison won't work either. There is no need to be wary of poisoning.

　Seeing me drink the tea without hesitation, Diarte's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything out loud.

　After that, he made tea for Kreia as well. He watched her drink it down, shaking all over, and then he opened his mouth.


He said, "Currently, the demon tribe is very active inside the gate, and the situation is very dangerous. If you are aware of this and still wish to pass through the gate, the Gouken family will not prevent you from doing so. You may do as you wish.


　My wish was granted with surprising ease.

　But of course, Dialto's words did not end there.


But not if you intend to bring disadvantage to the Gouken family by going through the gate. His Majesty has allowed you to pass through the demon gate, not allowed you to harm the House of Swords.


　Diarte looks at me with a piercing gaze. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.



　I met Dialto's gaze head-on and said, lifting the corner of my lips, "I have no such intention. 　


I have no intention of doing so.


　I don't think I need to add that I have any real intentions, at least not yet.

　Diarte nodded curtly at these words.


I believe the words of a man who has been entrusted with your trust. However, it is possible that your actions, being unaware of the situation at the gate, could unintentionally bring disadvantage to the Mikado family. To prevent such a thing from happening, the Mikken family has decided to assign a man. This is also a special consideration for you, who have earned the confidence of His Majesty. I ask that you keep that in mind.


　I'll have a Seirin Bannerman, says Di'Art. He said I shouldn't refuse, since it was a favor to me with the seal ring.

　I shrugged my shoulders. I don't know if he's a watcher or an assassin, or if he has other intentions, but in any case, if I refuse, my companion will turn into a tracker.


"Yes, sir. Thank you for your kindness.


　It would be troublesome if he rejected the other side's words and reverted to his previous statement, saying, "Then we can't pass through the gate.

　For Kreia's sake, I'll keep quiet until we find Klimt. Well, depending on the choice of my companion, I may not be able to say that. ...... I tried to ask Dialto the name of my companion, hoping that it would not be Ragna or Ayaka.

　I'm not sure if I'd be able to do that if I were you.


I will introduce you to your companion at a later date. In the meantime, you may relax in my home and recover from your journey.


　When he had finished, he left the room without waiting for our reply.

　Deciding that asking questions to his back would not bring any answers, I silently watched the back of the two peaks as they left.


◆◆


　A full minute had passed since Dialto's disappearance, when Kreia, who had been sitting up straight and tall, slumped down and put her hands on the tatami.

　Apparently, she had lost the thread of tension when she realized that her brother was not coming back. I called out to Kreia, wondering how tense she had been.


"Are you okay?

"Yes, I'm fine. ......


　Kreia replied in a faint voice, then raised her chin as if to regain her composure and looked at me with a mixture of seriousness and anxiety.


What do you mean, Meng-sama didn't mention anything about me?

What does that mean?" "It means that for now, we'll just have to wait and see, I guess.


　As long as there is a possibility that I asked the emperor to exonerate Kreia, the Mikado family cannot easily condemn him. If they did so, it would mean that the Mikado family disagreed with the Emperor's ruling.

　Inevitably, he couldn't force me to follow the Miken family's orders so that he could acquit Kreia.

　As a matter of fact, since the emperor hadn't made any mention of the crime of leaving the island, Kreia Belch was still officially guilty, but I was the only one who knew that. I'm the only one who knows that. I'll find out as soon as I contact the Imperial City, but that's fine as long as this bluff doesn't get exposed until we pass through the gate. One of the reasons I brought Kreia here with my true face was to give the Mikado family this suspicion.

　I could have explained that to Kreia, but this was the Belch house. There's no telling who might be listening in the shadows. So far nothing has touched my senses, but I don't think I should reveal my information carelessly.

　When I blinked lightly, Kreia seemed to have belatedly realized the possibility of eavesdropping. She closed her mouth and bowed her head apologetically.


"Excuse me.


　A few moments later, a member of the Berch family showed up and led us to a remote room.

　According to Kreia, this room was used to accommodate guests. It was true that the rooms were well furnished and cleaned. The surrounding garden had the same elegant appearance as the previous garden.

　Berch's housekeeper bowed politely and left the room, saying, "If you need me, please call me. On the table, drinks and tea cakes were prepared. The meal served afterwards was also very rich. I refused the bath offered after the meal, but I couldn't help smiling at the thoughtfulness of the hospitality.

　It was quite a new experience for me to see the Berch family doing this and that for me.


Is he trying to win me over, or is he just trying to make it look like he is?


　If you think about it normally, the latter is the case, but the fact that Dialto moved in order to catch me off guard is what makes me suspicious. If the Mikado family was serious about getting rid of me and Kreia, they wouldn't have taken such a roundabout way and would have attacked us head-on.

　If you ask me if it's the former, this doesn't feel right either. Considering the past events, it is impossible for me to establish a friendly relationship with the Miken family or the Berch family. I'm sure they're aware of that.

　--Mm?　Is that why you're here, Kreia?

　I'm looking at the possibility that someone has noticed the connection between me and Kreia after the hostage situation and is planning to use it to get to me.

　In fact, I've accepted Kreia's escape from the island, and I'm working hard to fulfill her request to help her brother (Klimt), and from the outside, you'd think I'm in love with her.

　If Kreia and I were to get together, we would inevitably have a connection with the Belch family. If my guess was right, we might be able to arrange our futons perfectly at night.

　When I glanced at Kreia, it seemed that she was also looking at me, and our eyes met exactly.


"Sora-dono, can I help you?

"Oh, no...


　Just as I was about to reply that it was nothing, I heard the voice of my landlord coming from behind the fusuma.

　The message was that Diarte would be arriving soon, accompanied by Ursula, one of the golden generation.