Leaving Bordeaux alone in the conference room, Ars and Loki were met with a smile made entirely of affection, a smile made of affection alone, directed at the woman who had led them here. Affectionate, it was too impure and pure to be felt.

　It's a strange feeling to want to praise the atmosphere that is supposed to be inherent in a person's affability and charm.
　If you take her with you, you may be able to get a deal, no matter how difficult it is. She doesn't make you feel that much more wary of her. You can even create the illusion that they are even old friends.

　The woman is waiting at the door, perhaps waiting for you, and she greets you with a smile.
　Then from behind, Bordeaux's voice jumped over Ars and Loki and flew to the woman.

'Kisii!　--I'm sorry, but please escort the two of you to the changing rooms.
'Awe, Colonel Bordeaux. The meeting was going to be a long one, so I'm going to let you two gentlemen go ahead.

　The lack of sight of Tesfia and Alice seemed to be due to her concern for them.

'I see. Thank you for taking the trouble to do that.''
It's part of the job. I hope you don't mind. Now, let's get on with it. Colonel, if you'll excuse me.

　It was Ars's line, but the woman said it and changed her words hastily.

'Well, then, Colonel Bordeaux. If there is anything else you need, please contact the Society.
Okay.

　With a pale halo behind him, Bordeaux replied with the same unchanging, unmistakably military, strong face.




　After Ars and Loki left the conference room, Bordeaux sat down on a chair and operated a button on hand to lock the door. A click and a dry sound ran through the room.
　To put it simply, Bordeaux was now suffering from a terrible headache. Not because of a pre-existing condition or migraine, of course, but because much of what needed to be done was putting pressure on his brain.

　Once corrected, the report of the emergence of SS rates, no less an event than the one that occurred in Balmes, happened in Iberis. As far as Bordeaux's knowledge was concerned, the appearance of SS rates was fresh in my mind, except for Kronos in the past, the recently troubled [Abomination of Disobedience (Demi Azure)]. That said, it's said that only a few mages in the Alpha Army actually saw it. It was nebulous whether it was even really there. The only thing that existed was the fact that many mages had been lost from Balmes.

　This event didn't threaten many mages, and most importantly, there were a few who didn't know about it because it was ended early.

　Therefore, for most military personnel, this report was truly an unprecedented disaster. And for those who knew about the threat of SS rates....
　Bordeaux's own hands trembled imperceptibly and shook the desk slightly.

　It was a symptom of the body's reflexive trauma, and the thought was long past astonishment. He felt his head spinning neatly because of it.
　Maybe that's why Bordeaux was able to calmly take steps to counteract the situation without panicking.

　If he'd had something to quench his throat, he would have poured it down his throat at once.
　When he resigned himself to the fact that that wasn't going to happen now, he straightened his collar with both hands. That stony, hardened skin wouldn't have been cultivated for much of this kind of etiquette and manners.

　Such rugged, thick fingers traced through the air, and a virtual LCD rose up. It's Bordeaux's private channel.

　Outgoing call marks vibrated slightly in the virtual LCD. It was a deliberate attempt to make the call with an LCD. That's why Bordeaux had to correct his residence.
　Normally, the call would go on for so long that you would turn it off, but Bordeaux just waits with a nervous look on his face. After all, he's probably the busiest man in the world.

"Report, Bordeaux. Mu ... wait a minute.
Yes. I'll wait as long as I want, but...

　There is no image of the other party on the screen, only the sound of something hectic coming through the speakers.
　Normally, I would like to be busy enough to run around inside the headquarters right now, but I could only wait for the other party to do so. However, Bordeaux would not be able to do the job in earnest until a little later, when the superscription was ready.

　And I don't know how high it was, but the view from the LCD on the other side showed only the wide sky. It was as clear and refreshingly clear as the day after the stormy weather. More than anything else, that sky must be connected to this place, Hydrangee.

'You're late. How's it going?
'Exceeded expectations, I suppose you could describe it all in one word, the worst.
But you expected it and took the first move.
I could not do it alone... without the help of the Society and, last but not least, by the grace of Lord Minaris.

　The edge of his mouth lifts up, as if a close-up of his fearless mouth has been taken across the screen.

'That name isn't in use now,'
Oh, excuse me. Lady Ilyce.
'He's as stiff as ever. No one will ever think he's the little boy who used to breathe with an assault rifle in hand.
It's a shame, sir.
So, did he notice?

　Bordeaux ponders his answer to Ilyce, who this time smiles an innocent child's smile. That guy, of course, is Ars Regin, the number one single wizard, but.

''I don't know. But thanks to him, I have a pretty good idea about [Night Meeting].''

　Bordeaux told the report from Ars in as much detail as possible. Then Ilyce said

'So that was the night party. That was it...............I see. Boy, the night party........no, do you know how long the phenomenon itself has been going on?
No one knows its roots. A night party is a form of phenomenon. Isn't that just a matter of convenience?
No, no. Is it just the figure that's grown up?　One of the characteristics that can be found in the 【Night Party】 you guys call it, is the presence of 【Night Walker】. I've seen it firsthand myself. You too, as Ars has told me.

　Bordeaux reflexively nodded at the question.
　Although there were many parts that were quite vague, such as the actual situation, he remembered it for the first time. Above all, Bordeaux had also heard the prediction about the phenomenon of the night party from Ilyce beforehand.

'I don't know what they're doing, but there's one thing I associated with that when I saw it.

　One of the girl's small, thin fingers was held up across the LCD.
　I gulped down a gulp and swallowed raw, "What's that? "It's a ritual," Bordeaux said.

"It's a ritual. It's a 'ritual'. It's like the old, outdated custom of sacrificing and bringing down a god, which is somehow similar to this crazy tradition.

　However, it's a word that doesn't even ring a bell in Bordeaux. Ilyce is talking about a time before mankind was annexed by the seven nations.
　There is very little documentation of this kind of thing, and we can only really imagine what it was like when it was flourishing, when it was a mixture of different cultures.
　Most people do not know much about the details of the cities of the olden times, such as what was going on in those cities, which are only roughly marked on the maps.

　In other words, it is a difference in field. Academics may be familiar with the details, but the military and the public are able to play a role without knowing, and this information is neatly blocked out.
　However, it is a kind of integration of cultures, a new and harmonious mix of cultures.

In that case. I wonder what the roots of the [Night Walker] are?

　Throwing out only questions that couldn't even be spun into such a solution, Ilyce cut off the conversation.

　Across the LCD, Bordeaux elbowed his shoulders in the face of a gaze that seemed to be priced by a girl whose appearance was close to his grandson's age.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

You'll be able to see that the name is finally a physical representation of the child. It seems to have taken on the meaning of the word.

　Ugh, I'm at a loss for words.
　It's true that the name is dignified, but I guess that's only now. I feel embarrassed when I think back to my younger days.

What kind of entanglement is this?

　Bordeaux asks quizzically of Ilyce, the former single wizard who shared the front line, as it was.
　What in the world happened in those blank years?
　That time from those days when Bordeaux was a new recruit to today, when she is ready to pass the baton to the next generation, is long and precious.

　But the divine question was still the same for her as it was then, and she returned it in a mischievous tone.

'Bordeaux, at your age, do you still not know women?　Remember, women are made up of secrets. Even if it took a lifetime for me to understand you, I wouldn't understand you. I want you to understand what you can't.

　It was Ilyce, who exuded an innocent smile like a girl with a kuhahahaha.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

''Thank you,''
Don't worry about it. You'll get what you pay for.
When this is all over, I promise.
"Bordeaux, I need you to be the link between the Hydrangees and the Society. It's a very complicated matter. For better or worse, the Hydrangees are closed. There are a lot of people in the army who don't like the Society's intervention.
'Yes, that's probably due to the earlier failure to report. I'm sure they're busy putting out fires by now.
'That's part of it, but you've been able to deal with some of the problems on your own to some extent so far. The military was able to function even if the top brass was corrupt. As a result, that pride creates a solid monolith and creates closure.


　That's why Bordeaux made a direct offer to Ilysses to submit the request, ostensibly to express his willingness to cooperate and with the approval of the military.
　The key there is.........

''A license issued by the association. You've got a good point.''
The reason it gives rise to suspicion is that each country controls the data on the licenses.

　The failure to report undeleted and other issues is mainly due to their own country's control of the license data. This also leads to allegations of fraud, such as forcing singles to be screwed up.

　However, all the information obtained for licenses issued by the association is stored in the association's database. The data on the demons that Ars and Loki have encountered this time will also be sent to the Association without being dammed up by the Hydrangee.
　With the latest license, it is possible to identify monsters in more detail and accurately calculate the threat level by reading their magic power.

　In addition, no one would suspect a report from Ars, a single mage. It is correspondingly persuasive and can be responded to immediately. The army, Bordeaux was convinced, was a place where the value of a single mage could be properly assessed. Of course, the former Single Mage Crockel had achieved so little in the outside world that his value was undermined. Because of this, when the dignity of the symbolic single digit (single) dignity of a mage had fallen, he also knew firsthand that he was regaining it in recent years due in part to the success of Lehail.

　Bordeaux took a gamble on this opportunity. He took a gamble on this opportunity to raise the value of his appeal.
　And he looked to the association's license as insurance.

　Still, the evening meeting was held for a few days because there was nothing to stop it. If they hadn't acted, there was even a chance that this time would not have been considered a problem.

　But.........if there was a miscalculation.......

''Lord Ilyce, what is going on in the outside world right now?
You mean Iberis. Information is coming our way. For years I didn't even notice that a monster was right in front of me, the comical part of it all is that it's so ridiculous but that's not good enough now that the association is here. The thing is, if I hadn't been in the position of president, I wouldn't have known about it. Well, I'm going to have you working hard, so be prepared for that, kid.
''Yes. Even so, I wasn't told that two additional Academy students would be accompanying you.

　That was the only story that was definitely on Bordeaux's side.
　I didn't blame him, but it was true that he wasn't inwardly distracted. Because the outside world here is more difficult compared to other countries.

　However, the girl on the other side of the screen turned her head away and simply said, "I forgot" in a lazy manner.