Watching this resolution from a distance, the current head of the Wurmluina family, Morotheon von Wurmluina, stands up quietly and signals the butler to go home.
　It's his role as the head of the family to put things right after this. Wiping his son's ass was not a cheap price to pay, but he realized here that his education had failed him.

　Still, he'd given him plenty of opportunities. There were no words to hang on to the Isle for failing to make the most of it.
　The verdict was passed.

　The cleanup of the son who blew it against the three great noblemen would be expensive as a result. Knowing this, Morotheon did nothing. It could be rephrased as being so thorough that he couldn't do it. This result cannot be reversed.
　That's why the Favell family had fortified the surroundings with all the nobles of their faction. The winner was decided by strict judgment.

　The clumsy Morotheon couldn't handle it, and the reason he kept allowing his son to run alone was because he wouldn't know what to do without stepping on a big mistake.
　While he didn't know how he could have produced a son who was so sharp on his own, he even wondered if his shrewdness was genetic. I made him cut himself off to see how far Ail, who unlike his brother is more ambitious than most people, could go.

　It was already a different time. Morotheon saw that. Ail had grown up to be a close reflection of him, for better or worse, and in terms of entrusting him with that, the future trend of Ummulina was set.

　He would not blame his son. Ail is just like Morotheon when he was young, he was just too good to be compared to himself. But that missing part may be the reason for his defeat, which continues to this day.

　My brother is not as quick-witted as his brother, and he is more compassionate. And his younger brother is too fast, but he lacks compassion.

　It doesn't matter which one you put as the head of the family, it's still overwhelmingly insufficient. But one thing was clear to me in Morotheon.

　Maybe that's why Morotheon's footsteps are light before he gets into the magic car for the return trip home. On the contrary, there is a lot to do, and a sluggish weight to do.
　Is there anything I can leave my sons to take care of before I hand over the reigns to them? ♢♢How can I help you?


　♢♢


　After returning the bracelet, Ars was on his way back to his own side when he saw Tesfia sitting flattened. The bangs sticking to her forehead spoke volumes of her nervousness and anxiety.
　So much so that the tension was broken all at once after winning, and she was probably stunned as if she couldn't feel it.

'It's a good performance for you. As expected, you made me cringe in the middle of the game.

　Ars, who looks at it scrutinizingly with one eye closed, sighs in dismay.
　It's probably because the reason why Ars is also the same as the one who was hit completely. The decision was too early to rebuild from the point when the knight 《knight》 was killed.

　Tesfia twisted her head with a vacant expression, as if she hadn't noticed Ars's presence until she heard such a voice.
　Then, as soon as she saw Ars's face, she rasped her hand, and after a few seconds, she broke her face and responded with a buoyant sign.

　I don't go into it to tell him to talk, even if it's by Jasper on purpose. It's the best I can do while shaking, and that's all that matters.
　Ars even really wanted to praise him for not expecting that much if he was honest. Whether or not you can honestly say it out loud is different, but as the type that stretches with praise, your mouth naturally moves.

''Well done. You've surprised me the most so far.''
"In order to fool the enemy, you must first fool your friends.
'I don't think it's going to have any effect on that this time, though.

　In this situation, deception is a matter of response and tact, but Ars himself was not wrong in that he was deceived. The effectiveness of this is less than expected when a soldier works only with orders.

　That is also her own bravado. There is no point in pursuing the matter.
　Even if you act arrogantly, Tesfia was full of it.

　The proof of this is that Tesfia does not want to get up for any length of time.

'Which one, hold on, I'll carry you.

　Tesfia hesitated for a moment as Ars dropped to one knee and turned away. Then he looked down at his collar and chest.
　There, the damp clothes are clinging tightly to her skin.

　She sniffs sniffs behind Ars. It's odorless, in fact, it smells like yesterday's bath salts, but the fact that she's sweating makes her feel feminine shame and resistance.

'Hey, get on with it. I can't stay too long either... or what, do you want me to hold you like I did sometime ago?

　Glancing over, Ars's eyes had a nasty light in them, and his cheeks lifted slightly.

　Tesfia immediately imagined the sight of holding him and immediately shook her head. She was glad to think about it now, but her complexion would turn an embarrassing shade of red at that moment.
　More than anything else, that position would make it difficult to find a place to put my hands and eyes.

　Tesfia grabbed Ars's shoulders as if she'd given up and pressed on with vigor.
　He put his arms under his hips and stood up lightly.

'You're hot as hell,'
"........Don't say that!　I'm not even aware of it, it's not even a delicacy!

　The body heat transmitted from my back cooled. Tesfia must have prodded me with her arms. But he huffs and quickly leans back against the body.
　She must be really tired. For her, it's more of a mental fatigue than a physical one.

　Ars didn't return her counterpart, but raised her cheeks and swallowed her words.

'I don't mind leaving it at that, just tell me what you did for me, okay?
Yeah, I'm sorry, but I owe you my back, you know...


　Until they meet up, Ars turns his attention to a small voice in his ear as he adjusts his speed.

　The plan Ars had made. And what was the code, the odd plan that was not judged to be in violation of the rules, it was to kill his own soldiers, to put it mildly.
　It wasn't about killing them literally, but about faking their deaths.
　The basic premise was that mapped soldiers would be removed from the map by staying in place for a certain amount of time. The mapping is unmapped.

　That's where Ars focused his attention. If the plot was correct, Arus would take both Orneus or Silsila with him to go around the place that would be the battlefield. This would allow Tesfia and Isle to capture the positions of all the soldiers of both.

　This is where the clash between the infantry would be developed. Of course, there will be soldiers who will be unable to fight each other. In the meantime, the knight in the guise of an infantryman will not participate in the battle, but will hide in the bushes in front of the fighting soldiers. Ars and his team will split up and the infantry will keep their distance as they watch.
　In the meantime, the Knight 《Knight》 would have to stay still for the five minutes that the mapping would be lifted. That's why Ars had to fight with Orneus for five minutes. The wounded soldier would then join up with the infantry and destroy the braces himself while they were snugly attached to the Knight 《Knight》, overlapping each other.

　In this way, they could fake their death. Of course, this is a fragile sword that will be useless if it is captured by the opponent at close range only.
　From the eyes of the Isle, it should look like they were rendered unable to fight due to the engagement. That's why the Knight 《Knight》 can disappear for two people by himself without being recognized from the map.

　After that, if Arus breaks into the Silsilaside engagement with Orneus in tow, there will be space in the center. So there would be a pathway to avenge the king with impunity.

　It was doubtful that it would be against the rules, but the judges seemed to see this as a strategy. In a real battle, faking a death is possible and not unheard of. However, if this is a game, there is a good chance that it won't be overlooked that the man himself will leave the field.

　All in all, timing is the key to success. When it comes to time, the seconds are shown on the Tesfia map. However, as far as Ars's grasp - guessing from the situation - was concerned, it should have been perfect up to the middle, and the possibility of finding the Knight 《Knight》 should have been low.
　Up to this point, this was the strategy presented by Ars.

That's why I thought there's no way he wouldn't notice the number of orders I gave him... I thought he'd find me because the infantry were closer than I expected, and we were outnumbered, so if any of the soldiers slipped through the flanks, they'd be noticed immediately. Right?

'Yeah, well, it's just a coincidence that I didn't get my orders right for one of the infantry. So I had him stand by and take him off the mapping, which is fine, but...
The number of orders you give to the infantry is high, so if you give multiple orders to the infantry, they will notice you. That's why you used the knight as bait.
I'm so glad you made it.

　Huh~ the stuff that had been stored up became an exhale in Ars's ear and was spat out.

　But it wasn't as easy as it actually was to say. On the premise that Isle knows the movements of the other soldier who received the order, Tesfia has to give an order for a reason that can convince the other party. Even if he gave the wrong order, he could never allow the mismanagement of the displayed soldiers not to move.

　And even if the camouflaged infantry moves, it is difficult to eliminate the unnaturalness of the orders, only after the knights are discovered and surrounded. Because of that kind of sensitive sense of timing, it is more difficult than the strategy proposed by Ars.

　In addition to that, the fact that Isle's location was predictable from the start would have been significant. If not, the battlefield would have changed.

　In fact, Isle had sensed it just in time, even if it was too late.

　Isle's base of operations was in a terrain where Umm Luyna could make a nobleman's ruling (temblum) in a superior situation, and he was always on the same side of the camp. That's why he was able to make predictions on where to base himself to be the hardest to find.

　If he got one thing wrong, there was no guarantee that he would be able to rest in relief like this now.
　It's surely not the right time to admonish them now as if you were preaching to them. It's a good idea to have a quick wittedness on the spur of the moment, and it was undoubtedly Tesfia's power that led to the victory.
　That's all you need to do this time.

　With that thought in mind, Ars's gait had changed to a calm one that did not transmit vibration.

'I couldn't do anything on my own. I could have won because of everyone else, and Al was there for me. So, you know. Thank you.
..................

　It must have been a heartbreaking outpouring of joy. The words she sincerely thanked him for were pure water that did not contain any cloudiness at all.

　Because for a little while, it was an earful for Ars personally. Her experience and pride in being able to get through on her own was shaken. They form a squad for missions and other tasks, and they all work together. I'm not sure if this is a good thing, though.
　More to the point, there is a function as a squad to be entrusted with. A solitary battle cannot be compensated for. A single failure is the quickest way to death.
　This may be a truth that cannot be overturned in Letty's unit.

　This time she showed a part of that truth. Arus is conscious behind him and lightly lowers his eyes.

''Praise?''

　What a mischievous prompting sounds half embarrassed. Even that sounds like just the right amount of salt to Ars right now.



　No matter how lightly he spoke, the usual swearing didn't fly.
　Instead, a sullen voice, unusual for Tesfia, was blurted out.

''..............................No.''


　The trees broke off, allowing a meadow to peek through the cracks. Here, Ars let Tesfia down. As expected, it would be uncool for the victor to piggyback.
　By this time, Tesfia had recovered enough to be able to stand firmly on her own feet.

''........what?''
Anything.

　After setting it down, Ars turned around and put his hand on top of Tesfia's head with a pomp.
　She accepted it without a single disgusted look.

''Come on, triumphant.''
Uh-huh.



　And then there was a spectator's table at the end of the grove. Ars saw both familiar and unfamiliar faces there. The expressions that were naturally created were painful.

(Had he even come to Lord Vizayst?)

　The other one is definitely new to me. An old woman so bent at the waist that you could see her from a distance.
　Vizayst, who must have given up his seat, stood. Loki nodded one towards Ars. But his expression was a bit grim.

　If Vizaisto was here, Ars's request would probably be granted. In that sense, it was fortuitous that he was here.
　Immediately after walking towards that direction, the soldiers of the Tesfia camp slither out from behind, staining their entire bodies. I don't feel any fatigue because their faces are joyful at the two words of victory.

　One after another, they find Tesfia and come running up to them. One of them was a man who held the flag of Ummulina firmly in his hand.
　Everyone greeted each other with their eyes downcast, as if they all knew Ars. Froese had told them all about the situation at the last minute, taking the pros and cons of whether or not to join them. But even that would change with one of her opinions.
　If Froese said she believed Ars, no one would step aside.


'You've done it, miss.

　The man rushed over to him and held out the flag to give it to Tesfia.

'Cicero-san, I'm telling you not to do that, young lady. Minasha is like my sister, you know.'

　The name sounded familiar, Ars recalled. It must have been such a name for the maid who had fallen victim to Krama's poisonous fangs when she went to the Fevers' house for the Tenbram operation and report.

'Thanks to you all. Thank you so much.

　Looking at Tesfia, who bent deeply at the waist, Ars felt that the game itself had given her enough experience to grow, and silently moved away from the scene.

　Walking away, Ars's feet were in a different direction from Froese and the others.

(I know, Loki. You took a little too long.)

　Even Ars realized what Loki was trying to say when he arrived here.

　Loki, who moves next to Ars with uncommon speed, stares straight at the opposite direction from the grove of trees.

　A group of about twenty people wearing jet black robes and hoods descend one after another on the hills at the end of a gentle slope. Every one of them has an eerie atmosphere, with their heads down. And it was a situation that was probably more besieged than it seemed.

　At the head of the group, one person walks out with the sunlight at his back. In his hand was a large, crescent-like scythe held in his hand.
　His mouth is in a distorted arc, and his hood is rolled up by the wind.