His dignity as a captain was instantly erased by such a shocking statement, and he froze with a careless voice. There was no time to look at his subordinate's face. But anyone could tell what kind of expression they had. It must be a face similar to his own.

'Hey!　There's a better way to say it. This one takes up more time.
No, no, no. It's the only way. It's a good opportunity. I've been a recluse and a shut-in.
'Don't talk to me in a misleading way!　

　A look at me made me shake my body with a bikin, and I immediately went down on one knee. I don't know what the right attitude to take in a case like this is, but this was the only thing that came to mind. It's a good thing that you're not just a wizard, but also an expert in the field.

　It's a good thing that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away from the fact that you can't get away with it. This was the highest level of respect he could come up with as a single mage.

　His subordinates then hurriedly kneeled down as well.
　The success of a single mage, whether it is in another country or not, brings salvation to all of humanity. As a magician, he had to be the former if he was to be respected by either a single or a general of the same rank. It is none other than the single mage who respects the single mage more than his heart, despite his physical appearance.

　Shortly after he had joined the army, there had been an invasion of demons. It's not clear if it was an invasion properly, but there was a massive outbreak of demons near the defense line. It was inevitable that he, as a new recruit, would be sent out to defeat them. Balmes asked for help with that number to Iberis, and the single magician that Iberis was holding at the time saved his life. No, it was probably just saved on its own. He wiped out the horde with a few shots of magic, how many people could have been saved by that alone? He was only one of them. But he revered the Single Mage's overwhelming power.
　The Single Mage at that time had already retreated to the front lines. Even so, the respect he has for single mages remains the same even now.

''There's no need to go that far. It's too much trouble to make a scene here.''
No, it's a personal matter. But, sir, I can't blame you for not wanting to.

　The captain slowly stands up and fixes his gaze on his chest so that they all don't look directly at him while falling on their faces.
　His demeanor didn't change when they realized that he was still a teenager. It was surprising, though.

''So why Balmes........''

　My heart swells with anticipation as I remember the past. I can even feel a hint of color in his voice. He couldn't help but ask, even if he was embarrassed by the trembling voice. He wasn't consciously aware of the fact that most of his expectations were more personal than his position.

　Ars took a box of letters from his pocket and unfolded it to show the thick parchment from within. The fact that paper is still used for these types of exchanges and contracts will not change now and in the past.
　It is only necessary that even he, who seems to be the captain here for now, understands.

"We have been entrusted by Alpha to rescue and defeat them. "We have been temporarily given full command by Lord Balmes, Holtal Qui Balmes. May I present myself to Viceroy Gagarid?

　Is the captain, with his eyes glued to the ground, checking the royal seal?

“Well, I understand. ''But, you see, it's just that... the Governor hasn't seen anyone in the last few days, I've heard.
Don't you get it?　I've been delegated everything pertaining to the Army of Balmes. Think of it as higher than the Governor's authority and show me around when you find out. We don't have time for this one.
'Ha!　Immediately.

　You can find a lot of people who have been in the same boat as you.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a job.
　The number of mages you pass by before you get to the top floor is quite small compared to Alpha. It might be less than the academy.
　The captain stopped in front of the door and made a half turn.


..........

　There is no answer to the knock. But there is a hint of a human inside.

That's enough for now.

　So labored Ars rudely opens the door.

'Who told you to let me through!
I don't care what you tell me to do.

　Suddenly, an intimidating low-pitched shout goes up from inside, but Ars kicks it off and walks on without a care in the world. Only Ars and Letty are the only ones who enter due to the large group to enter the room.

'Who the hell are you!　What are the guards doing!
That was quicker than I expected, Ars.

　Ars cowered his shoulders in anticipation as the other mature man sat down in his chair.

'So this is what you've been waiting for, Lord Visayst.
That's right. This man is too uptight.

　Ars handed over the letter, and rising to his feet, Vizayst turned to Gagarid, Governor of Barmes.

'Are you satisfied with this?　Lord Gagarid. All authority is now transferred to us. You are obligated to provide us with information, and I hope you will understand that.
f*ck you!　I don't want any help from you Alphas!　This is Barmes' problem, it'll be taken care of straight away....
You still don't seem to understand the situation, and you'll be put on trial after things have settled down. If you don't understand that this isn't just about Balmes, it's already decided.

　When he sat down with a thud, Vizayst crossed his legs and snorted in disgust.
　Vizaisto must understand that time is running out. That's why he has candy and a whip.

'Lord Gagarid, you are already equal to a great sinner. If you interfere with the operation any further, you will only make the crime worse. If it's bad enough, you could be sentenced to supply punishment. Don't assume that there are extenuating circumstances. But if you're willing to be cooperative, I'm willing to promise you alpha and mitigation. Fortunately for you, we're the only ones in the room. In three or four days, countries will be coming together. If we don't resolve the situation before then, you will be executed by the gravestone of a dead soldier.

　The word "supply sentence" made Gagarid's face pale.
　It is the heaviest punishment. He must continue to supply magic power while alive. It is so painful that it begs for death, and the magic power continues to be sucked through the tube to the limit.
　Although there are many critical voices, it was established as a deterrent to eliminate human conflict in a world where demons are prevalent. If confronted with that, it would be enough to cut down on Gagarid and his bullishness. He seems to be gritting his teeth and enduring a situation that can't be turned back by a legitimate argument.

　Considering his accomplishments, etc., it's not usually enough for him to be sentenced to that level of punishment. However, given the circumstances, how he perceives the threat to all of humanity varies. If even one of the heads of state wants to be sentenced to supply punishment, it could be anything.
　Minimizing the damage and resolving the situation early will save Gagarid himself.

"How far can I go ... can I avoid a supply run, and still I'm going to die ... and what about Balmes?

　It was probably because he wished he could have avoided that horrible sentence, even if he knew it was in the hands of Vizayst. The voice on the desk sounded very hoarse.

It depends on your cooperation. If you wish to retire, I will advise you to take that into consideration. If you wish to retire, I will advise you to do so. Still, you should know that you will not be retired with honor. And Balmes is no different, although each country will do something about the decrease in the number of wizards. No country can afford to have a vassal state. For the people, it's just a change of heads at the top.
Okay.

　With the story settled, Ars sits down in front of Vizayst and opens his mouth.

'And that promise is only until the other nations come together. If the alphas don't settle the matter, it will be difficult to get their opinions passed.
Sorry, I'll have to ask for your help again.
'It's not Sir Vyseist's fault. In any case, though, I will demand a sufficient return.
'Hahaha!　If we can take them down with this, I don't see why we should complain.
I hope so.

　Already the map filled the table, with extra sections hanging off the edge.

'What's the current situation?'
'I only took the liberty of checking it out because Lord Gagarid was reluctant to do so, but I've sent my men to scout out the 10km mark. So far, there is no particular trace of them. It's not that I was able to visually inspect the target, it's just confirmation that he's not there. As expected, I can't tell them to die.

　Ars gave one nod, and Letty joined him as she sat down next to him, while Gagarid remained seated at the desk at the front to take in the whole scene.

'Good to see you, Lord Vizayst,'
Letty is the same. Now, if we can't get the best of the best in Alpha to take her down, it's a laughingstock.
That said, it's not feasible for any one country to fight with a single force, presumably.
'That's why. The tops have something in mind, but this should result in something for Alpha. Besides, it'll give us a chance to break down barriers between countries. Cooperation between nations is a necessity, but it's helmed by people who don't feel good about the quid pro quo or superiority of cooperation. That's how it has come to this point. We have seen examples of unfair negotiations in the past. Oh well, even though we divided the country to facilitate the economy, there is no future in selfish thinking. Of course, I'm not saying that free help is a good thing, but if you demand so much that you threaten the economy, you'll leave a grudge and it's not universal.
I don't want to have to be shipped off to another country for that.

　Viziest chuckles and returns with a wry smile, "I digressed.

'And I can't unravel it. Are you sure it's bad food?
I have no proof of this. I have received word from a member of our armed forces, Gilida, who was killed a few minutes later. He died a few minutes later.

　Gagarid's report is that it was Gilida's decision. If a former single wizard made that judgment, it should not be a mistake of judgment. However, since the type of evil eating - or rather, demons with a peculiar nature - is a rare entity, there is little basis for making a blanket statement.

''Even so, it's tricky to say that Balmes won't be attacked immediately by the tendency of the evil eater,''
'Oh, my guess is that they are still hiding out near the ore deposits. Information about the demon is scarce. We'll call this target a malefactor for now.
''However, we can't plan our strategy here. We'll select a few men from Letty's squad that we brought with us, and then we'll take them out right away. Lord Viziest is supposed to coordinate with the other countries that will come later to fortify their defenses. Letty, first select the troops in the conditions I told you about and have them get their heads around the terrain of the target area.
Copy that, captain.

　Arus narrowed his eyes at Letty, who saluted him with a bishu, and hurriedly said, "Quickly.

There is no doubt about it.
'Yes. Yes, the area around the deposit is a balding meadow and the surrounding area is the same as any other area of virgin forest. In the past, when we've had a topographical survey done, it hasn't been so bad.

　He points to a map to show the area of the deposit. It appears that the deposit is newly written down and no other parts of the map have been modified.

'So, the first formation, how developed was it?
'They marched in a wide circle within a one kilometer perimeter and had successfully cleared the area to their target. From our last transmissions and other information, we encountered six A-rates during a search of an area of the deposit................................where we lost communication.
Six of them ... and one of them was a bad meal.
What do you think?　We'll just have to leave it all to the field this time.
Lord Vyseist, we still can't do anything without visibility. We'll have no choice but to go out and defeat them as planned. I've asked Linne-san to arrive as well, so we shouldn't be on the back foot.
"Now, Master Gagareed, as Governor, there are some things you still need to do. I request that you keep the rest of your men close to the target at even intervals so that we can stay in touch.
All right. All right, but this ... they're just going to take them down by themselves?
As I said before, they are the strongest fighting force in the world. Ars and Letty are the single wizards of Alpha.
"I'm not going to let you go...　Then you're the highest-ranking wizard in the world. If that's the case, what's the point of heading with an extra few...

　Ars states briefly, disgusted by the familiar argument.

'We've already made our decision. We're going to take them down. Don't worry, we'll take care of this one. I think it would be better for you, Gagarid-dono, if you were to work on your preparations for an early departure, don't you think?
I know ..................
You might want to choose a mage who can put up a barrier for the communicator.
Can't we just say "destruction of nature"?

　Unparalleled high rates. The war zone is expected to be extremely frustrating. Vyseist let out a sigh, reminiscent of the research facilities of the past. He knows that it is not a good idea to destroy the ecosystem for nothing, regardless of whether it eventually becomes human territory and is developed.
　That's why the forest is spreading even within their survival zone. This is partly to keep the outside world from becoming too dilute, but even more so at my age, I believe that humans should be in nature.

'We will be fighting away from the deposits with as little damage as possible to them.
Please do so.
As soon as we're ready to go no, we'll leave in the morning.
Hmm?　That's pretty cautious for you.
I'm not alone this time, and I'm not sure how far we should go in anticipating the unexpected. I'm not familiar with the terrain, and it's fine that I beat him, but it's not cool if I don't know the way back. More than anything else, I want to avoid it at night.
Absolutely. And I'm sure there's one more annoying thing we have to deal with... don't you, Mister Gagarid?

　I changed my plans on my own, even though I included a joke, but I had to be careful in selecting people due to the lack of information that I hadn't expected. However, Ars's eyebrows rose as if a bad feeling had hit the target of the "nuisance" that Viziest had unleashed.


　♢ ♢ ♢


　He felt more than a little resentful that the conversation was based on the assumption that they could be defeated. Gagarid is aware that Balmes is inferior in terms of military strength compared to other countries. He was visibly static as he looked at the foolish one for heading with a dozen or so people, even though a single was added to the opponent who couldn't win with hundreds of mages.

(I've been in the army long enough, and I can assure you that the singles are certainly of a different caliber... or dimension. Still, I don't think it's more than a few hundred.)

　The number of mages in Balmes is small, and there are no single mages who can boast of it. That didn't mean that even the other mages were so corruptly cultivated that they could be taken lightly; a double-digit mage was no less proud than any other country.
　As he was holding back such a frowning heart, he was suddenly shaken out of the conversation and his heart almost jumped. It wasn't just a conversion, because I could understand what he was referring to.

'Oh. I asked for relief for Krama.
"..........!　Fool!
The "Hail Mary　I didn't have a choice. Besides, I can call off the request immediately. That's the arrangement. Krama told me that the decision will be made in three days. That should be plenty of time for us to do it now.
'That's why you're an idiot. It's a criminal organization to the point of taking on the country. I don't think they're going to just back down. I don't think they'll be able to get away with just exorbitant cancellation fees for the most part.
'I suppose. I feel bad for Ars, but I'm going to keep an eye out for as little interference as possible here as well. It's a big catch, though, a small matter before the big one.
You know that, but if you get in the way, you won't be able to eat bad food.
I understand. Well, Master Gagarid you can't cover up for yourself any longer.

　He nodded his head in resignation with a dour face.
　This is the moment I tasted what form that spanking would come in, since I was trying to help a criminal. It's a good thing that the support for holding your neck together was replaced by a sharp blade before you knew it. It's just like having a blade at your neck.

It's certainly not going to be able to leave right away if this is the case. I need you to prepare the room.

　Even if the other party is a former governor, he already doesn't even have any intention of using an honorific to Ars.

(Krama or.........it's funny times for a criminal to pretend to be a mercenary. But if he's going to be an eyesore at a time like this, I should have crushed him beforehand.)

　Even if you know that clicking your tongue won't make things better, it must still be troublesome. Even if Ars takes on the work behind the scenes, the executives don't even show up. We don't even know where they are hiding, and it's hard to determine if they are even backing out. Krama is a group of first-class criminals, but its members are few and far between. It's all about instigating ragging and taking advantage of criminals. Most importantly, they leave no trace of anything that looks like a trail, so their footsteps were enough to hide in plain sight.
　The reason they've managed to avoid capture is not only because of their individual fighting abilities, but also because of their cozy relationship with the most important people in the country. There is no better honey to line their pockets.
　Those causes are also in each country. The reason for this is clear: All of the people who are capable of defeating them have gone to the outside world. It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.
　The reason why only some of the officers have still been named is because of the backwardness of saying so.

'Lord Gagarid will be given one of my men.
I'm aware.

　It would be easy to guess that it was for surveillance. He is a sinner.
　Ars bowed to Vizayst and left the room.

'So, tomorrow morning.'

　When I left the room, I didn't see any shadows of the troopers.
　Only the captain who had brought them here remained.

''Everyone will be waiting elsewhere. We didn't think you would be noticeable here.
Thank you.

　When I thanked him honestly, the captain bowed deeply, "No problem," he said.
　The place he led me to is a room used by wizards for meetings and the like. There are huge tables, screens, drinks and even snacks available.

I'm sure you'll find that there are no wizards using this room at the moment, so please make yourself at home and relax. I'll call you later when the room is ready.
Okay.

　The captain's back as he left was filled with melancholy at the lack of anyone to use it.
　As the door closed and Linne made sure there was no one to listen, Ars let his troops listen to the conversation with Vizayst.


'Sorry Letty, add a bit of strength to the selection process. We've got even more trouble to deal with.
Master Arth, if that's the case, would you be so kind as to allow me to accompany you?

　It was Sajik who voiced that.
　It was spun in a low tone. From the way he spoke, he must not have been part of the group.

'Well?　Letty.
It's okay, I guess... But this father can only really fight, you know?

　Joking laughter erupts from those around him.
　His actual age is not old enough to be called his father, but he was often referred to as such by his peers because he looked older in appearance. That's partly because of the scar on his cheek.

What do you mean by that? I have a nose that can even detect the strange smell of this sadistic monster.
Oh, you can track it?

　Ars was impressed, but it didn't matter either way. Since Linne is there for detection, the purpose of adding it is to simply increase the strength of the force. If an individual could fight well enough, there was no problem.

　The derisive laughter stopped with a snap and everyone gasped.
　It wasn't because Ars was impressed, but also because he seemed to be holding back something.

''Haha~ You've made a fool of yourself again, Sajik.

　As Letty sighed, another member of the squad opened his mouth in dismay.

''Master Ars, please don't take this seriously. The only thing this guy can find is demon shit.''

　At this point, a few of us erupted as I recall.
　'What?' The expression on Ars's face prompted me to continue.

It's a good thing that you have a nose that is more clever than the others, so I tried it out and found a turd. And even though there is a demon in front of you, it is said that it is the nose of pride that reacts to feces.
'Hey, don't be misleading. I'm sure you've found the demon as a result.
It's a rare kind of magic, some kind of nature change or something.
No, it's just a wild sense of smell. It's just a wild sense of smell, a pseudo sense of smell, like a male looking for a female, or a male looking for a female.
'Hey. Mugel, any more and my cute little nose will be on fire.
That nose is supposedly fueled by the foul smell of feces, so the firepower must be great.

　Sajik rises to his feet and Mugel rolls up his sleeve.
　There is a mockery, and the atmosphere changes to one that seems to be in some tavern.
　There are even some who are agitated. Letty rubs her forehead and sighs as she sits down in her chair and starts again.
　Is this always the case?
　Ars cowered his shoulders, though, saying that they were still a friendly bunch.

'Keep your jokes to that, Sajik, and you can come along, but if you're bothering with shit, I'll leave you alone.

　'That's right,' said Sajik, who made a pitiful noise and dropped a few lines, while his friends tapped him on the shoulder one by one.

'Well, you still haven't explained why your departure was extended.

　It creates a serious atmosphere and changes the air.

'Apparently the governor of this country is incompetent. I've asked Krama for help. I'm convinced like an idiot that I can cancel it right away, in case you were wondering.
So what do you propose to do?
'No, I don't think we can afford it. There are two ways to go. It's not a bad idea to spoil the Governor and others' intentions by giving a d*mn about the criminals, but the reward for me is too paltry. I can only hope that Kramer doesn't interfere in this place.

　Mugel rubs his chin and asks how to respond to the expected situation.

'What if he sticks his head in the sand?'
'We will avoid engagement and keep them in check. We'll take out the demons and kill them if we can afford it, but we won't be stupid enough to wait that long.
Yeah. You're not so lucky to be so awkward about it.
You're not going to get anywhere. I've asked Lord Vizerist to take care of that for you, so I'm just going to do my job. If you see them, you can set them off before they mess with you, but you don't want to engage them.

　Considering that the cadre was comparable to a single wizard, it could make things worse.
　Considering that the elite from each country will be gathered here, it's unlikely they'll stay long, but it's better to be cautious.

''What about the luggage, do you want to prepare the equipment for retreat?
No, that's fine. We'll go as light as we can. The minimum is fine. There shouldn't be too many small fish this time, so leave behind all the equipment that will protect you from odors and cover your traces. The only thing you should take with you is what you need to protect yourself. If nothing else, we'll leave at sunrise tomorrow morning.
Ha!

　Rising up, the voices overlap with each other with a sense of supremacy.

　Ars tries to cruise around to see if the tournament is coming to an end. Of course he's not worried about anything, he was here for the tournament in the first place, so he recalls Cicerunia, who smiled grudgingly and charmingly at him for being weird.

(Wouldn't that be fun if it continued as it was?)