The complete set of luggage, except for Tesfia's and Alice's pouches, was daringly deposited at the reception desk in front of the school gate.
　In the end, the result was that it was left to Ars's selection as far as belongings were concerned.

　Crystals for scattering magic residue into signal smoke. They are ores of good conductors of magic power, commonly known as magic stones. These were held in small quantities.

''It's a good thing we assembled a little early.

　It hadn't been uttered to anyone, but it was clear that it was referring to both Tesfia and Alice.
　It was an investigative mission, and this time they weren't going on an expedition. Therefore, the earlier the mission was carried out, the better, and in this case, only night had to be avoided.

　Spending a night in the outside world is that much more nerve-wracking, and the demon's senses become more acute. It would be difficult for the two of them to get through the night with their inexperience in manipulating magic power.

　It's out of tune, but there's a need to stop in Hydrangee once to get to the mission, and that's why they're on their way through a number of transition gates.
　With a nervous look on his face, Tesfia suddenly opens his mouth.

''But then again, I've never been to Hydrangee before, so I'm a little nervous.
We've only been to Rusalka once before at the request of the chairman, after all. You've been to many places in Fear, haven't you?　What about Hydrangee?
'Hmmm, even that was when I was a little girl, and I barely remember it. I've never been to Hydrangee. And since it's just a social gathering of nobles, it's not right to say that you've been there.

　Tesfia groaned as she dug up bits and pieces of memory, but the memories had already deteriorated over time, or perhaps they were only dimly reminiscent to her. Perhaps she had memories of being taken by her mother to dine with dignitaries from other countries as a child, or perhaps she had memories of being invited to social gatherings and balls. But that's not enough for me to make an acquaintance.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to have to worry about it.

'In fact, I've had the opportunity to go out of the country in recent years, but not to Hydrangee. It's a long and quiet climate from what I've heard, but that's just the inside. I suppose all military departments are similar.
I guess. The countries have been so closed off that if they had known about it, it would have been at the top. To begin with, there's no way for a simple soldier to know about it...

　After Ars, Loki also mixed up his words. Magicians have their hands full with their own country, and that didn't change even when Ars was out on the front lines.
　Even in the area around Alpha, the number of demons continues to increase year after year, wherever they are gathered from. On the other hand, excellent magicians were not being nurtured quickly, and the higher-ups who had this information should have been able to foresee the death of the country. Even if the eternal prosperity of the future was a delusion, the day of its demise might have been imminent enough to be counted if nothing was done.

　In that sense, it would be more beneficial to the military and, by extension, humanity to have Ars wield its overwhelming power in the outside world than to obtain information from outside the country.

　If we say that this is also a management for utilizing magicians, that is up to the point.

''Each country has its own military system and structure, but the actual situation is not certain.

　The military system, in other words, is directly related to the invasion and threat level of the demons and requires change. What made Alpha special was that it was not dedicated to defense like other countries. There was no doubt that exclusive defense was the foundation.

　Even though they may defeat demons on a large scale, no country was active enough to build a base there. Rightly so, they couldn't devote many magicians there.
　They could recapture an area, but not over a vast area like Alpha. In other words, they're all bases that are built to be abandoned at any time.

''Hmmm, it's hard work everywhere. I mean, according to Al's story, the demon invasion is more intense in countries that face the south, like Alpha and Rusalka, right?　Does that mean that the northernmost Hydrangee is relatively peaceful?
There's no way!　However, like an alpha...

　Suddenly, Ars cut off his words. It is generally believed that the estimated total number of demons itself is not as high as Alpha's, because the confirmed data is not all, but it was doubtful to what extent it could be trusted.
　Loki, who has fully understood that in the past few days, also keeps his mouth shut as well.

I've heard that in class too. The demons originated from the south, so.....　If that happens....

　The new questions Alice posed at the right time were enough to make Ars's bite as a researcher move his fingers.

''You bring up a good point. The evidence that the demons originated from the south is actually scarce. The common belief is that they came from the south, though. The bottom line is that the route that most of the humans escaped from is said to have come from the south.
Oh, does that mean?　Just because it's Hydrangee...
Of course it can't be safe, can it?

　It's a good idea to follow the tip of Ars's narrowed gaze to find out who to ask.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're talking about.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what the mission is. If I had known that, I might have been able to be a little more selective in what I brought with me.

　Perhaps the weak tone towards the end of the word was because he wanted to rinse off the stigma he had just experienced as much as possible.
　However, it was Loki who responded to it, feeling more or less guilty as well.
　He sighed once, but it wasn't directed at the girls.

'That's it. Even Al hadn't been told the details of this mission. Rather, in accepting the Association's assignment, we were only informed that it was an investigation of the outside world.
''Well, it's just that the association's investigation was lacking when they received the order for the request this time, so it's fine to improve, but that and other things, we have to head to the military headquarters in Hydrangee once.

　The four of us board the border crossing gate and recognize the pre-issued access code.
　Then, the landscape changes completely, to the point of almost getting drunk.

　As if the border area hadn't yet been modernized, and that's exactly what the long, quiet town could be seen in full view. The dull-colored undergrowth was hanging down, a sign that the road was not paved at the same time.
　It was partly because of this that the scent of earth, almost like humus, mingled in the dry air of the cold sky.

　Since it was on the border side, there was probably only a small town or so, and the big city called the capital was still far away.
　But--

''Is this really okay?''

　Since the temperature was lower than Alpha, Tesfia said that while shivering, clutching her robe as if she were wrapping it around her.
　Naturally, Ars and Loki, who were used to it, remained silent without doing anything special. This was also a sort of magic manipulation, but I was afraid that baseless swearing was going to fly, so I let it go unheard.

''It's a little cold~''

　The approval suddenly rises from the girl next to me. 'A little?' As soon as Tesfia looked at Alice's body quizzically, she wondered, "Is that right?

I'm sure you're right. I never said I was cold.

　Tesfia stretched out her rounded back and followed Ars and Loki peacefully as they began to walk. Alice followed with a question mark on her strange behavior.

　The three of them, led by Ars, entered Hydrangee and went under several transition gates. By that time, the glow of the sun, which should still be invisible, had begun to illuminate the entire seven countries.
　The cold wind, which seemed to sting your skin more and more every time you passed through the transference gate, made both Tesfia and Alice, as expected, hold down their robes to prevent the wind from entering their bodies.

''The military headquarters are indeed magnificent.

　The comings and goings of people could be sparsely seen, even if it was early in the morning.
　Unlike Alpha's curved headquarters, it was a huge box-like structure. A direct pathway ran from the transfer gate, and two high-rise buildings lined up on either side of it.

　Although it was a familiar sight to say it was overwhelming, both Tesfia and Alice still stopped to look up above their heads.

　--Well, as expected, they are very wary of strangers.

　I'm not going to be the only one who has to be careful. It's not so much because it's early morning, but it still wouldn't feel too good.

'Al....' said Loki in a smaller voice so as not to be noticed. The meaning of that wasn't just about their rude stares, of course.

'Yeah, I kind of expected that...'

　And the soldier who can be seen returning with "I'm sorry, but I can tell from AWR's phone that he is a magician. But it seems that most of the people here are not even directing simple vigilance at Ars and others. A kind of exclusivity towards strangers could also be felt.
　The sensation of touching subtleties is easy to understand, leaving a lump of resentment, a lump of unacceptable emotion.

'I suppose the earlier clash between Teresa and the Hydrangee army was the cause. I heard it was Orneus of Krama who led the way, but it seems the wizards who were forced to participate in the battle weren't informed of any of this.
I mean...
He's wasting my blood.

　It is also known that this was at the behest of Mekphis, who had been transformed into Rafcenal, the head of the then-head of state. Nevertheless, as a result, many Hydrangee soldiers were killed by the Alpha's Teresa-led forces. Of course, that included the assassination unit directly under the head of Rusalka, the Nebula 《Nevira》.
　Neither of them were unscathed, a battle that produced only barren, unrewarding results for no one.

　In other words, even if they understood the bad guys, even if they understood the logic, only their emotions were unacceptable. Because their gaze was directed at him, knowing that he was an Ars.
　At the same time, the emotions carried by such a wayward regret may have changed them to be more exclusive. No, in the sense of not accepting strangers, it may have increased their cohesion in a weirder way.

　Ars stepped out and headed to the Hydrangee military headquarters.

''Do strangers remain the same no matter where they go...?''

　Loki looks at Ars, who has just poured out such self-deprecating words, with a sad look in his eyes. In the end, no matter how many achievements he made in his own country, Ars was treated like an outsider, even within the military.
　Still, it's different now. Everything is different now, in a good way.

　Loki almost opened his mouth for a moment... and then quickly closed it.
　The reason for this was because Ars still continued to speak.

'But from now on that won't work, there are no strangers in the seven countries.
"....!　Yes.