'Ummm...'

　Suddenly, Silsila heard a biting growl of some kind of conviction from the Lord next to her. She could kind of guess what he was thinking about now, unlike the usual unreadable expression on his face.

'You've completely taken one from Miss Tesfia, haven't you?
'Oh, yeah. That's part of it. I didn't expect her to be so tactful, so I underestimated her. I always thought she was a match for Lord Ars and...

　Silsila wondered at Ail, who tilted his head with an expression that seemed somewhat unconvinced, although he admitted to losing, but he was not convinced.

''Is there something you still don't agree with?　No way!　Is it rigged?!
''That's not going to happen. We're trying to be equal this time, and our opponents are letting the nobles under our umbrella watch the game so that they can't do that.
What is it then?
I was in a hurry at the time, but now that I think about it calmly, I can only say that I've been beaten. It's a complete defeat. It's just.....
"Just?
I don't know what to say, but that's what it feels like to lose.
"....!　Are you frustrated?

　Signs of growth. That's what Silsila felt.
　Until now, Isle had never had the opportunity to look at himself again, having explored his opponent's insides and taken control of people's minds.
　Rather, this would be the first time he had even tasted defeat.

It's not as frustrating as it sounds. It's just that I don't know why I lost. I wish I had done something like this, but I don't think it's about strategy. I just don't feel like I could win a rematch.

　Silsila says what she felt as far as the battle situation is concerned to Ail, who reflects, "What went wrong?
　That's right, because it was the first strategy that couldn't be executed by the Isle. He is overwhelmingly deficient in building strategies based on strokes, odds, odds and calculations.
　He is incapable of the simple and difficult task of trusting people. And this is the reason why he lost this time.
　The trust that is not in the instructions of Ars and Tesfia - and moreover, the fact that Tesfia treated the soldiers not as pawns, but as human beings, was the difference between victory and defeat. Trust and trust. It can't be measured in terms of logic, which is why Ail overlooked it.

　Even Silsila didn't think he could win the next time he tried. Even if he didn't have archers, it would be difficult.

'Well, maybe if you could understand others better, it would be something different. Do you trust them or something?'
'Of course. I trust Silsila and Orneus.
'It's not that. It's more like other people.
What's in it for me?
That's probably what it is. If I had to give you a reason for your loss this time.......do you have any friends, Ail-sama?
'If you're wondering what I'm going to say...'

　The pause in thought was a sign that the name wasn't coming up soon enough. And after thinking about it, the answer Ayre came up with was.

'Silsila or Orneus, you know.
'I appreciate that, but there's a clear master-slave relationship between us. That's not what I meant.

　'I don't think of it that way,' he quipped, 'then you're not here, but does that mean you have to be?' Silsila's cheeks twitched at the mouth that said something like.

'I don't think it's a no-no, but I just think I need it for Lady Isle.
'I see, so maybe I'll make some friends. You can make as many friends as you want, let's find a weakness first, as expected, you can catch them with money, but probably not, right?
'Of course!　And you can't call them friends if you marinate in your weaknesses. You can't have a hierarchical relationship with each other as equals and talk to each other about your problems and concerns.
'Hardly ... I mean, how can anyone be friends with that?'
I think you're in there.　No, we're going to walk up to you. With a smile.
If you want to laugh, I'm your best bet.
No, it's easy to see through that.
Friends who can tell when I'm laughing, that's interesting. Well, in that regard, I'm sure Lord Arus could spot it.
'It's not, it's a natural smile. You don't have to force it.

　His brow wrinkled up between his eyebrows, which was unusual for this Lord.
　I could see his facial muscles twitching.

''Huh?　How am I supposed to laugh?　I don't know how to laugh except all the time.
..........

　The strange question made Silsila a little sad. There was also a pain that made her heart tighten with thorns.

'Yes!　Just like in the old days, Silsila can teach me how to laugh. Like you did before, you know.

　He pressed his own fingers to his cheek and forced himself to lift it. It was a rather creepy look, but Silsila's throat choked up for a moment at the familiar mouth, for sure.
　Then her lips quivered, and she gulped and held back.
　She replied with a big smile that came out naturally and overflowed, ''Yes.

'Yes. 'With pleasure!'



　On the road, he walked on his own, which was unusual for Isle. It was to reflect on his strategic defeat. No one, including Silsila, would hold their tongue and mimic the infantry walking behind them to hinder them.
　They all walked in silence, but it was Silsila who interrupted Ayre's thoughts. Ail, whose front was blocked by an arm, looked at the bandage in front of him and stopped hurriedly so as not to touch it.

'Ail-sama you look a little strange.
What's going on?
Something must have happened. We can't know for sure from here.
'Yeah, Orneus is a bit late, and I'm worried about him.
Orneus should be fine. In this direction, it's the Favell family camp.
Well then you must be military.
"--!　But I'm sure Master Ayl was in charge of this one, even within the army.
'That's impossible. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that, although Ummulina is royalty, she is not an equal to the army itself, especially as long as Governor Beric is seated. Especially as long as Governor Beric is sitting on his throne, they won't be able to win with their own hands.
"Lord Ars's right to hold...
I'm just a candidate to be the next head of the family. I'm only a candidate for the next head of the family. You may be able to do this for your father, but Ummulina will get tired of it. That was not a warning to Lord Ars, but to my father.
..........

　Silsila, as expected, also served Ail - or rather, served Umluina - and was dimly aware of it.
　The face of Ail, who reveals it as if to spit it out, is filled with a bitterness.

''It's just that Umm Luyna got a little too big. That's why I had to choose. That's why I had to choose: who to take in and who to cut down. I think Wurmliuna's rise to the position of head of state is one thing that can be avoided. Part of me is obsessed with the position. But it will keep the Woomrüna family alive. We need to bring the House of Favre in. There's only so much we can do. There's only so many ways to do it once we've taken this much poison.
'Master Isle, that's...'

　When I went out to the relay point, there were only five judges there, and it seemed that the all-important Favell family hadn't arrived yet. Of course, that didn't mean right away, so in this case Ail had come a little too early.

　According to Isle's prediction, Ars' capture should have taken place, in fact it was correct.

'Orneus--'

　Orneus sashayed out of the bushes at the same time as Silarsi's voice and landed with only a lightly broken knee a short distance away.
　His tailcoat, which was like new before the match, was torn in places. His hair seemed to be in a lot of disarray as well.

　After dusting off the clothes and dusting them off, he walks away as if nothing had happened.

''It looks like you've done a lot.''
Yes, sir. I would have liked to help you a bit more, but it was unavoidable. But I've had a peek into the situation on the other side, and it's getting really bad.

　Orneus's expression was expressionless with no interest at all as he told her matter-of-factly. It couldn't be helped if it was only that much for him, and Ail thought it had to be that much. That's the deal.
　So how bad his report was, as I said, would still be at face value.

　Ail stopped to think about it. It's because he decided that he should listen first, but in light of the word worst and this situation, he was not without an idea. Perhaps it was a stop to think for the sake of hoping that he would betray his expectations.

　Isle herself had consciously made a smile on her face.
　But--.

'His Excellency Morweld is engaged, sir.
..........

　Slowly the cheeks that had been in place dropped easily and he asked Orneus in a relatively gentle tone.

''Hey, as I recall, I told you to tell His Excellency that Orneus should tell him, right?''
'Yes, sir. It has been arranged. And I have your permission.
Does this mean that the woodworker moved of its own accord?
I'm sure you will.

　In the Aristocracy's Ruling (Tembram), the nobles who support Umrulina are notified. He was so thorough that he sent Silsila and Orneus directly to the houses with particularly high rank and influence within the army to send them on an errand.
　It is not a good situation for the aristocrats to be divided within the army when the Isle is victorious, other than the monopoly of the achievements of Umljuna.

　Of course they expected the army to move. There was no reason why they wouldn't move.
　This was unavoidable, but there are many families that have a bit of a problem with the connections in the Umluina family. This was a negative human connection inherited from the previous generation. We don't want Major General Morweld in particular to come out.

　If they had cut their hands off at this stage, there would be no problem, but that was not possible. It was already too late.
　Isle had nailed the possibility of Morweld coming out here. Of course, he would owe Umm Luyna the minimum position of a first class demotion during the past great progression. That's why I was caught off guard.

　If you think that he's had an ample private army for several years now, he's been thinking about silly things and ignoring instructions.
　Recently, I heard that a top-secret call was made inside the army, and apparently, Isle has also heard that there was an event there that divided the army in two.

　That being the case, it was hard to imagine Morweld coming out here. He was also vying for that position in the military with Governor Beric. Even though the head of the head of state has the right to make decisions, there is still a lot of preparation and hand-holding that needs to be done in advance.
　Even after being demoted to Major General, Morweld would always have a shot at the Governor's seat.

　Isle brought his claw to his mouth and clipped it between his teeth.

'You're in a hurry, my lord. Do you think they are going to send sparks of fire this way too? It's not going to be a flash of fire. It's not the kind of ball you can think about that much.
What can we do, Mr. Isle?

　Instantly, Silsila looked at the Lord's face and could easily see the most serious situation she had ever seen before.

'I'm leaving, you two!
Yes, sir.

　One of the judges, who had his eyes peeled back as they all turned on their heels, rushed over in a great hurry. The pledge is now to be taken by mutual agreement.

''Umm Luyna-dono, there are procedures to be followed immediately.

　Isle looked depressed at the elder man walking next to him. In his hand he held a rolled up thick parchment.

''I need to reaffirm the terms and conditions and receive a seal of receipt...''
Ummm, I can't do that right now, but........here, get out your pen and red ink.

　He grasps the pledge as he walks away and grabs the pledge to take it away, and without looking over the terms of the demand, he slides the pen to sign and seal it.

'Now you don't complain,'
No, no, this means that if there are any additional demands, in the unlikely event that they are made, you will have to accept them unconditionally...
Don't worry, they're not that arrogant. Do you need anything else?

　This is a very good thing.


"Well, it's hard to figure out, isn't it?

　Blurting that out, Isle thought it through, and after thinking it through, he felt a strange tug. As even Isle, who hadn't seen the actual battle, didn't want to go head-to-head with Ars, common sense dictated that capturing Morweld was a reckless gamble.
　It was unlikely that he would be able to gather that many high-ranking mages in the first place. More to the point, he has a secret that cannot be made public, so he has to think about it being exposed.

　He thought he could at least do such a footnote.
　If they were able to do so -.

(At someone's instigation, huh?)

　As if hurriedly, Isle's stride narrowed the interval.