It doesn't matter if the country is at war or not, people still need supplies and the fire never goes out of the hearth.

　Some politicians are said to have said that -- and this was true.

　Although the siege prevented supplies from coming in and prices were rising, the market was still open as usual.

　No, on the contrary, many citizens were gathering for necessities like flour and salt before the supplies ran out.

　Alistair and I dressed inconspicuously and infiltrated the market as if we were blending in with them.
　It's because no profession has been as well-informed as merchants since ancient times.
　They knew well that information was sometimes more valuable than gold.

　In fact, they have been bringing in large quantities of goods to sell to the citizens before the demon king's army besieged the city.

　They are a smart bunch.

　I paid more for the overpriced flour and sugar I was buying to send to my nanny and collected information from the merchants.

　They looked at him dubiously at first, but no merchant was bored enough to report to the guards.
　And merchants are a talkative bunch.
　They were willing to share information as long as you let them grab your money.

　Of course, it was unclear if all of them were correct, and there was some dubious information among them, but judging from the various merchants' stories, I was able to obtain information that the kingdom's vizier, Aichis, was holding a night party every day.

''An evening party........?　And that's just like every other day, under these circumstances...?

　When Alistair hears this information, he speaks to me.

''Is there something unnatural about it?''

　I return it to Alistair.

'No, not that it's unnatural, but I thought it was surprising.

How is that surprising?

　When I ask, Alistair tells me about the vizier's tame person.

"Eichs is a scoundrel who usurped the throne from His Majesty Tristan, but he is not a man who indulges in corruption.

"Law.

'Rather, he is known to be an honorable man. He takes good care of his wife, and he doesn't seem to be the type of person who would hold a nightly party.

'Is he getting worked up about usurping the throne? Or--

　I punctuate my words there without daring to tell them beyond that, and I tell Alistair.

'I don't know what Eichis's intentions are for the evening party, but regardless, if he's holding it every night, I'll take advantage of it.

What do you mean?

　Alistair looks into my face with his blue eyes.

'Right. Let's disguise ourselves as dancers or singers and sneak in. Or give the head of the traveling troupe some money and sneak in.

I see.

　She took a handful of steps to convince him.

There's just a troupe over there. Do you want to negotiate?

　He asked.

'Yes, I suppose that would be a good idea. There are two problems.

Two?

'Yes, for one thing, the chairman of that traveling troupe is the type to agree to a bribe. If he's willing to be bribed, that's all well and good, but if he's the type to snitch on the guards for petulance, that's a problem.

That's certainly a lot of work,

So I want to sneak into the troupe as naturally as possible.

What do you mean?

'That's the second question. Well, to put it simply, Lord Alistair, do you have any tricks of some sort?

　Alistair replied with a big smile.
　It was an immediate answer.

'None.'

　She says proudly.

'With a noblewoman, you are immersed in piano and practice from a young age, but I spent my early years training in sword and military science. I spent my childhood training in sword and military science, in order to enter the military academy. As such, it would be wrong to ask for any sort of art from me.

I see, I'm sure.

　I can't blame her, as I don't have anything to call a trick myself.
　Then I'll have to do something else.
　I came to that conclusion and turned my attention to the back streets.
　There are at least a few whorehouses in this city.
　You have to be able to get a good deal more than you think.
　That's what I thought, and I decided to head that way.
　If a nightly party is held every night, it is inevitable that such a woman will be called in.
　If you find a whorehouse owner who knows what he's talking about and give him some money, he might let you sneak in.

　And while it would be awkward to threaten a good traveling troupe, a person from a brothel who lives in the underworld would have no hesitation in using his or her power.

　There's a saying in a previous life that goes like this.


'When a kind word is accompanied by violence, more gifts are given than a kind word alone.'
　And--.


　As I recall, the man who wrote those words was a mafioso in a country called America, and they are wise words.
　Sometimes power can get you more than money and words.
　I showed my power without regret when I went to a high-class brothel, reputed to be the most vicious place in Regis.

　I got the owner of the brothel to agree to an offer I couldn't refuse, and he had Alistair dress me up as a whore.

　It's awkward to make a born-again lady dress like that, but it's a small price to pay if this is how you can sneak into the royal palace.

　I'm not sure if this is the right way to go about it, but it's a small price to pay if this is how you get the seal of state back.

　By the way, I am a servant of a high-class prostitute.

　I'm not going to be able to get it right.

'Why don't you dress up as a woman, Mr. Ike?　Or you could claim to be a male prostitute?

　I said, but I refrained from doing so in a quirky way.

　I wasn't feminine enough to dress up as a woman, nor was I beautiful enough to claim to be a man whore.
　I let slip as if it were someone else's business.

I'm sure the rest of the world will be fine as long as you can get into the palace.

　Then he looked at the trembling master of the whorehouse.
　He was trembling, though I tried to keep my eyes kind, but he was trembling.
　Was I showing a little too much power?
　Well, it was better than getting ratted out and having my plans ruined.
　I turn my attention to the shattered walls of his room.

''Oh dear, I'm starting to feel a little more like a demon tribe myself.

　I lamented my own yawning, even after all this time.
　Anyway, tonight, on the strength of this man's introduction, I'm going to sneak into the royal palace and retrieve the seal of the state.
　That was the plan I had in mind.
　I don't know if I'll succeed, but right now I couldn't think of any other way to sneak into the royal palace.