The carriage passed through the gates of the royal city.

　The paved road stretches out.
　It was said that the carriage would continue on its way to the north.

　In addition to the coat of arms of the House of Renoir Sphere, the coat of arms of the Holy Royal Family and the Military Royal Family are displayed on the carriage.

　The Specially Lent Coat of Arms is the coat of arms of the royal family that is permitted to be used for a limited time.

　The royal family's permission was required to use it.

　Anyone who attacked a carriage bearing the Seal of Honour was guilty of the same crime as drawing a bow on the Royal Family.

　In other words, they will turn against the royal family.

''The Military God King, who has a divine punishment force that is famous on the continent, is famous for being harsh. It's unlikely that anyone in Ruvel Argan would want to make enemies with the War God King.''

　Before we left, Makina-san explained to me.

Incidentally, if you display the emblem of the Holy Royal Family without permission and it turns out to be a fake, you are usually guilty of the death penalty, and if it's the Ruvelargan, the entire family will be guilty. The family and those closest to them would also be guilty of the crime. That's why it's not worth it to cheat on the name of the royal family without permission.

　Charging felonies prevents misuse.
　So few people misuse the coat of arms without permission.
　If he were to use it without permission, he would have to be very prepared to do so.

　Not only will the person in question be sentenced to extreme punishment, but also the entire family will bear the guilt for the future beyond their grandchildren's generation.....................even if they are evil people, I have a feeling they will be uncompromising.

　I've heard that security is bad in Ruvel Argan, so this special lending crest may be a necessity when inviting an important person.

　Well, I don't know if we are a dignitary or not.

"I've heard that the lend-lease crest is also very powerful when passing through the city gates and checkpoints.

　Mia explained it to me.
　Does it feel like a free pass?

However, I've been informed that the Rouvere Argan doesn't always have permission to use its special coat of arms, even if it's an invited guest.

　This time, I heard that the Holy King family and other families worked on it.

''According to Makina-sama, Yggud-sama also called on Prince Gears this time.

　Giggling, Mia-san smiles.

''When Prince Geas heard about this trip to Ruvel Argan this time, I heard that Prince Geas readily agreed with two replies if it was that forbidden curse user-dono's visit.

　Curie-san opened her mouth.

''You're the kind of person who gets a lot of likes from people who like you, Kurohiko.

　I chuckle.

'On the contrary, though, I'm very much a hater of people who hate me.

　Phiburg and others hated me a lot....
　I was told by Beshgam that I was disgusted with him.
　Even Prince Yggud might dislike him inside.
　His mouthing off to Prince Gears may also be a collateral effect of Mr. Dearles' mouthing off.

　However, if it's a malicious intent towards me, there's no problem.

　The problem is whether or not the people around me will be adversely affected by my dislike.

　If there are negative effects that cannot be overlooked, they must be dealt with appropriately.

　The carriage entered the forest.
　We're probably a long way from the capital.
　At first, I was also gleaming at the changing landscape.

　But the road we're on now is a road in a dense forest.

　It's hard to call it scenic.
　I left the window.

　Then Mia, who was sitting next to me, came soothingly over to me.

"Would you like to have a quick bite to eat?

　Mia whispering in my ear.
　It was close enough to breathe.
　There was a reason why she dared to move closer and hide her voice.

''Soooo........soooo......''

　Right now, in the seats face-to-face, Currier-san was breathing in her sleep.
　I lowered the volume of my voice as I approached, it was a consideration to not wake her up.
　I lower the volume of my voice too.

''Well ... let's do it a little later.
Is your stomach okay?　Well....I heard Kurohiko-sama's stomach growling just now...

　They whisper to each other.

'When Miss Currier wakes up, we'll all eat together.
Yes, sir.

　Mia re-wraps the woven basket on her lap with a cloth.
　Just like with the stomach bug incident earlier, she's a person who really knows her stuff.

　I wonder if this is the kind of attention to detail that she has learned from her time as a samurai.

　When we got through the forest, Currier woke up.
　So the three of us took a light meal in the carriage.

　Then we spent a relaxing time in the carriage until we arrived at the nearby city.


　　　　　*


　When the sun was about to set, we went into a provincial city and got a place to stay.

　Me and my partner were sharing a room with other guys.
　The girls also shared a room with us.

　His name was Rosto, an elderly man.
　I knew him well.
　We had exchanged greetings several times when he had given me a ride in the Renault Sphere family's carriage before.

　He was a nice middle man, with a stocky build.
　His cheekbeard looks heroic.
　The atmosphere was very calm.
　Although he was not very talkative, he was calm and easy to talk to.
　I heard that he had been a gyoja in the Renoufia family for a long time.
　He has been a gyoja since he was in his twenties.
　He is married, by the way.
　He has two daughters.

　That night, I had a light meal with Rosto at a bar on the first floor of the inn.

'Huh?　Mr. Rost, did you used to be a mercenary in Ruvel Argan?
'That was when I was really young, though. I was still in my teens. I was found by a group of mercenaries when I had no relatives and was picked up by them. I started out as a scullery maid.

　The commander bought his fighting talent and he rose through the ranks until he had his own unit.

One day, however, the mercenary corps was destroyed. I later found out that it was set up by a nobleman who was not pleased with the progress of our mercenary group.

　Mr. Rost found out about it in his early twenties, and he rode alone into that nobleman's house to take his revenge.

'They didn't find out it was me, but I thought I couldn't stay in this country like this, so I escaped to Renowthread. Then a lot of things happened, and in the end Wagnus-sama picked me up as his person.

　By the way, I heard that the name I'm using now is not my real name.
　It's an amazing life.
　I couldn't help but listen in.

''According to Wagnus-sama, I was selected for this role this time because I have land knowledge in Ruvel Argan and because I'm an ex-mercenary, so I can also serve as an escort. As for the rest, well........

　Rost-san looks a little embarrassed.

''After serving me for so many years, I would feel comfortable leaving it to you... thankfully, that's what Lady Wagnus said.

　She said she is still honing her body and skills so that she can protect the people of the Renoir family in a time of need.

　After that, we talked about Makina-san.
　Rost told me about her sister.

　To tell the truth, I was a little curious about her sister's personality and the relationship between the Renausphere sisters.

　What was it like from the point of view of someone close to me?
　He was willing to talk about it.

''I see.......Makina-san, you've always respected your sister, right?

　It must be close to an aspiration, said Mr. Rost.

　To Ms. Machina, her sister must be an ideal image.
　Cecily looked at her brother as an object to be surpassed.
　But Makina-san seems to see her as "I want to be like that".

　I feel that the two are similar but different.

　While sipping my drink until the time I decided to return to my room, I was told stories about Makina-san when I was a child.

　It seems that she was much younger when her sister was alive.
　She also seems to have had a personality that made me think that her sister was really good, or perhaps she was no longer a creative person.

　When it was almost time to leave, I asked her one last question.

'By the way, Makina-san's age is--'

　Shhhh, Rosto put his fingertips to his mouth.
　It was a gesture that implied that the rest of it was a secret.
　Hmm.
　Is there a gag order on that matter for people related to the Lunosphere?

　I feel like I'd like to explore it before the day I settle with Hibigami, but....

　No, on the contrary, maybe it's better not to know all the time.
　No matter how old she is, Makina-san is Makina-san, so....

　After returning to my room with Rost-san, I quickly finished getting ready for bed.
　I turned off the light and crawled under the covers.

　I immediately fell into consciousness.


　　　　　* *


　The next morning we left the provincial city and spent half a day in a village near the border.

　After a short break in the village, our carriage finally crossed the border into Ruvelargan.