After sheltering Aram Carla in the safe house and telling him not to go outside, he returned to the school.
　He landed on the roof of the dormitory. The moon was already shining in the sky.
　I make sure no one is watching me and go back to my room through the window.
　Then I take out my study tools and prepare to leave.
　I'm about to attend a regular study session.
　Originally it was held to teach Epona, whose grades were low, to study, but now almost all of the S-class students are participating in it.

If you attend this, you'll have an alibi.
　This is a world where airplanes aren't even a concept. Using common sense.........no, even if we threw away even common sense and had the physical abilities of the heroic Epona class, we couldn't imitate retaliating against the Holy Land and the school in half a day.
　At least, he wouldn't be suspected of having kidnapped Aram Carla.

(Hopefully the rumors will spread well.)

A message written in lipstick on the wall of the cathedral that Aram Karla is going to meet the goddess.
　The squire who bribed that one spread it as a rumor, and they also have people in place to spread it.
　They're professionals. Let's trust that they will do well.

◇

The next day, I was called to Epona after class.
　She was the brave one who predicted that the goddess would eventually destroy the world, and I was called to this world to kill her.
　She still wears a men's uniform and acts as a man.
　She looks like a beautiful boy, but I also want to see her acting as a woman because the material is so good.
　I smile at her.

'What's the matter with you, calling me out on the spur of the moment?'

Originally, the reason I approached Epona was to get close to the brave man and get information from him. And when the time came, it was to catch her off guard and increase the probability of killing her.
　But now I think of her as a true friend.

"I'll get right to the point. I was invited to speak to a man in the church this morning. They said that you were trying to confuse the world by tricking them into thinking your words were the words of a goddess. I've heard many other bad things about you. They lied to me about inviting you to the Holy Land tomorrow to honor you for defeating the demons, when in fact they were going to judge you before the Inquisition. I was ordered to do the same. I was ordered to watch you to make sure you don't escape, and if you try to escape, to stop you by force.

The church side is moving so fast.
　According to what Aram Karla said, the goddess declared from Aram Karla's mouth yesterday morning that she didn't call out to me....
　It's impossible to convey orders to Epona through normal means of information transmission.
　So the planting itself has been in the works for a long time?

'Lug, I need you to be honest with me. Are you lying to me?
'I'm not lying. Aramism is lying.
I'm so relieved. Now I can stand by your side proudly.
'It's nice to be believed, but can you trust me so easily?

Epona responded to my question with a smile.

'You saved me. I wouldn't be able to fight without you. It's almost like. You've defeated so many demons and saved the city and so many people," she said. You're a lot more dependable than all those people cowering in the cathedral. When you say it's true, it's true.

It makes me chuckle.
　Epona is not dyed in the wool, for better or worse.
　The influence of Aramism, also known as the world religion, is immense. That's why they can't be blamed, no matter how wrong they say it. If you displease them, your position will be in jeopardy, even if you are a nobleman.
　They're still better off if they're capable of such calculations.
　The teachings of Aramism are correct, or so it is imprinted on them from an early age, and many of them have become common sense.
　That's the tricky part of religion. The people are driven by their hearts, not by reason.

'Thank you for believing in me. I shudder to think of Epona as an enemy.

It's still impossible to beat Epona in head-to-head combat. It's doubtful she'll be able to escape.

(But then again, the power of the church is tremendous.)

The pigs in King's Landing had staked out Epona in the vicinity of King's Landing for the love of their lives.
　And yet, they let her be dispatched to the Holy Land.
　That's how powerful the enemy is.

"We can't get complacent anymore. It's the Inquisition!　What do you want me to do, um, let you go?
We don't have to do anything. I'm going to get the Inquisition. I'm going to clear my name fair and square.

That's where I get the most attention.
　If I get away from there, the label on me will never be removed.
Can you do that?

Even the naive Epona seems to understand what the Inquisition is all about.
　It's not a place for discussion or a truth check, just a place to condemn and expose.

'We can do that. But, yes, if they try to kill me, will you help me?
Of course.
''Well I asked you to do that, but do you understand that it's going to turn the world against you?''

I feel a bit uneasy, so I ask the question.
　If Epona is underestimating the power of Aramaism, then we need to tell her exactly what to do.
　Taking advantage of Epona in a misunderstood way is not something a friend would do.

'I know, I know. But you have to keep your friends and, besides, you have to keep your word to your rogue. You said you'd kill me if I wasn't me. No one else can do that except Lug. We can't let him get killed or caught.

I promised that to Epona, who had gotten her students involved in the fight against the orc demon tribe and cried that she didn't want to fight anymore and that she was afraid of not being herself anymore.

''You were,''
I'd be mad if I forgot.
You never forget.

That's what I was called to this world for.
　As a friend, I will do everything in my power to make sure Epona doesn't destroy the world... and if that doesn't work, I will kill for the people I care about, for Epona herself, and for her tears that she won't hurt anyone anymore.

'Then I'll go.'

Epona walks away.
　I watch her walk away and discard the smile mask I've affixed to her.

''Well she's a nice girl, but she's a bit on the side.

As I sigh, I hear a heavy thud behind me.
　It's a slender man, bound with a rope and a cloth stuffed in his mouth.
　Then the sound of discreet footsteps approaches.

'I'm surprised, Master Lugue is right, that there are people keeping an eye on you and the others.

Tart shows up late in the day in his uniform.
　He had asked Tart to follow us and to capture us if anyone was watching us.
　A so-called double tail.
　We look at the fallen man.

'You've got your arms up,'
Huh?
"Only one wound, in the back of the head. Incapacitated without killing him with a single blow to the back. It didn't even let him know he was getting close. He's a professional, and you should be proud of him for being able to do that against that professional. There aren't many kids around Tart's age that have this kind of skill.
Oh, no, that's because Master Rogues has taught me so much.
You wouldn't have gotten as far as you did. You've done well.

In her previous life, even before she was asked to retire and devote herself to teaching, she had trained a number of students.
　There were plenty of students who had more sense than her, but I've only known one student who grew up to be as good as she was.
　...It's a cliché, but she's a genius at hard work.
　I patted her head like that. Tart blushes and leans in. He tries to make a crisp expression, but even so, his expression relaxes. That's what makes the tart so cute.
　When you take your hand off your head, the tart moves away from you as if it were a remnant.

"Well, let's take care of this guy.

The bound man glares at me with resentment.
　I could readily see that a watchman like him would be arranged.
　Since the only person who could stop me was Epona, I would have to use her, but Epona and I are friends.
　The other side is also considering the possibility of Epona betraying the Aramaic religion. Then it's a natural precaution to keep an eye on her.
　...And it's easy to read because it's a natural precaution.

'We talked in class a long time ago about the tart. About the dangers and usefulness of religion.
'Yes, the believer who says to the point where it comes to a point will give up thinking and religion will be all right. They skip the approach of thinking and don't understand the language. I was taught that it's useful to use it as a tool, but it's terribly awkward to use it against someone who is obsessed with religion.
That's right. And he's a believer in the end of it.
Mug, mug, mug, mug.

The man lashes out.
　He will never, ever tell you that he belongs to the Aramaic hand.
　If an agent speaks of his own identity, he will damage the organization. There was no way he would allow that to happen.

'How do you know that?'
The smell. The Aramaic religion has a special incense. The scent of an incense that can only be given to a man by a huge donation or a significant contribution, seeps into this man.

Originally it was conceived to give believers a sense of superiority. All religions use class in the process of creating devoted followers. It's also as straightforward as possible.
　The sense of superiority makes them more into the religion.
　He may have become that special follower not by money, but by contribution.
　However, the only thing to be regretted is that it was in the form of incense. It would be foolish for an agent to put a marker on himself.

'As expected of Master Roug!　Do you want me to kill him?　You don't want it to be known that Epona is an ally of Master Rogues, do you?　The disposal of the furnace in the workshop that Master Rouges built at the school last time, it's easy to reduce it to ashes in an instant.
"Mgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg.

A man lashes out when he hears the terribly boisterous words spilled from the tart of a pretty, beautiful girl.

'I won't do that. If he goes missing or something, they'll suspect something has happened. 'What do you think we should do?'

When an agent disappears, that in itself is a huge piece of information.

'It's difficult. It would be best to have them become your friends, but... people who are addicted to religion don't understand what you're talking about... and even if you torture them, they'll be happy that they're doing a great job of enduring pain for God, right?　Well, I'm sorry. It's a giveaway.
'I'll give you sixty points. You're right to ask them to be your friend. I'll have them pass on information that is convenient for us.
How do you do it?　When you can't even try to jail or torture him?
'Watch and learn that. It's been a long time since I've had a class like this.

Lately, I've been away from the behind-the-scenes work of Touahade, mostly to counter the demon race. It's been a while since I've done this kind of dirty stuff.
　However, my day job is the assassin nobleman Touahade.
　There's no way I can't use such good teaching materials.

Good luck with that.

Tart is not a genius.
　But he's a hard worker and honest.
　He'll grow up to be one of the best.

Now, I guess we need to make some preparations.
　As Tart said before, these people don't speak the language and they're pain tolerant. It's tough to do it the right way.
　So we'll use the human body, especially the brain structure.
　The difference between emotion and reaction. We can do whatever we want with the parts of our biology that we can't control.
　The fusion of our magic with the technology of his previous life has created a more effective method.
　I feel bad for him.
　But unfortunately, I'm not kind enough to go easy on those who set me up, label me an enemy of the world, and try to ridicule me to death.