What?

　Suddenly, Tania's eyes roll back in her head when she's told to arrest me.
　I think I have a similar look on my face.

　Could it be that this is Stella's way of joking?

　........What a thought, but Stella's face was extremely serious.
　The two knights who seemed to be his subordinates also had their hands on the hilt so that they could pull out their swords at any time, and they surrounded Tania from both sides.

''Wait a minute, are you serious?　Why do I need to get arrested?

　Tania said in a bad mood when she was suddenly told she was going to be arrested.
　She emits a light angry temper.

　Although the two knights, who seem to be subordinates, are frightened by Tania's anger, but.......
　As expected, Stella continues to point her sword at Tania without any trepidation.

''I'm serious. Shall I ask you to come quietly to the knight's branch?
Hmm I don't know, but it sounds like you're serious.

　Tania's eyes became as sharp as a bird of prey.

'But you'd better look at them and say something like that, you know?　It's the height of folly to think that you can handle me by force. I'm going to have to knock that idea out of your head...
It's too late!

　He hurriedly stopped Tania from getting into a combat stance.

'Hey, why are you stopping me!
"Don't try to fight in the streets of this city!　Also, I need to hear what happened first.
I don't need to hear some crazy story about how you're gonna arrest me.

　Tania turned away with a pang.
　It looks like she is angry in her own way because she was told she was going to be arrested out of the blue.

　It's not hard to understand the feelings, but.......
　I wish you would calm down a little more.
　Tania's every word and action is so extreme, isn't it?

　I turn to Stella, calming Tania down.

"I'll go with you, but that's okay, right?　So why don't you tell me what's going on?　On those terms, I'll go along quietly.
Mm. That's all right. We were going to explain it to you in the first place.
Hmm, I don't know. It felt like a no-brainer.
Don't be so cynical.



----------



　I took the swollen Tania and moved with her to the Knights' branch.
　We walked into the building and moved to a private room.

　It's not an interrogation room, but is equipped with various furniture.
　Perhaps it's a guest room.

　I sit alongside Tania on the sofa that has been prepared for us.
　Across the table, Stella sat down in front of him.
　The subordinate knights from earlier are lined up on either side of her.

''So ... what in the world is this all about?''
Hmm. It's not easy to say, but the truth is, there has been a rash of dragon sightings lately. And not only have they been seen, but there have been cases where they have been attacked.

　Me and Tania looked at each other.
　Could it have something to do with what happened just a few minutes ago?

　But the question remains.

'I haven't heard anything about that in the guild...'
The guild and I are currently discussing our future plans. I don't want to make a big deal out of it, so I'm keeping it under wraps for now. It's a matter of fact. If word gets out that a dragon has appeared and is attacking people, it could cause a panic. We need to be very careful about how we proceed.
I see.
''So... we have just decided on our future course of action. We, the Knights and the Adventurer's Guild, have decided to catch the culprit before the damage is done.
Hey!　Why would you want to arrest me for something like that?
''Hmm. I'm sorry about that, but the only dragon race known to be in the vicinity of this Horizon is Tania. That's why the state took the easy way out and ordered us to arrest Tania...
I'm shocked.......you just accuse me of being a murderer just because I'm a dragon tribe without properly checking the facts?　It's not outrageous.

　Tania is furious, but....
　I understood what Stella was saying in a way that I did.

　Probably, Stella doesn't think that Tania is attacking people either.
　But the upper echelon that didn't know about Tania the country didn't decide that.
　They decided that Tania was the culprit.

　As a servant of the country, Stella couldn't disobey the order either.......
　I had no choice but to take Tania in.........

'Well, if that's what you're talking about, it's easy enough to solve.
What's that supposed to mean?

　I told Stella, who looked at me curiously, what had just happened.
　I told her that besides Tania, there was a dragon.
　That the dragon was about to attack the adventurers.

　I will explain those events in detail.

''Hmmm.......so there is another dragon race that is different from Tania's?''
He actually attacked a man and in all likelihood, that's the guy who did it.
I see... hmmm, I see.
'Yes!　So I'm cleared of all charges, then?　Can I go home now?

　Tania says with a smile, but Stella shakes her head.

'I'm sorry but I can't allow that.
What?
'Rain's story alone is not proof that there are other dragonkind out there. Of course, I don't believe Tania would ever do such a thing, but I'm too hard-headed up there.
'Then what else do you want to see?　If we ask the adventurers we helped to testify...
'Well that's a little short of convincing the top. Rain is Tania's mate. The top brass may decide that he gave false testimony on behalf of his people....
What's that? Isn't it a felony to testify against someone?　And yet you decide to do that?
To be honest, that's a strong possibility.
Are you crazy?

　Without paying attention to Tania's tirade, Stella made an apologetic face.

　
　When it comes to the position of managing the Knights, they have a powerful power.
　However, in other words, what you bear on your back is tremendously large.
　If one decision is made incorrectly, a great deal of damage may be created.
　Therefore, there is no room for error on the part of those above them.
　They must examine all possibilities, act carefully, and pursue the truth.
　You can't simply take my word for it on the ground.

"Besides, you know, I hate to tell you this, but....
What?
"The dragon in question said, 'I am Tania of the dragon race! I hear he calls himself "The
What?
'I know Tania, so I know that she is a completely different person but for those who don't know her, it's hard to discern. I'm sure most of the people in this city know Tania... but when it's someone higher up, far from the city, even more so.
You did not mention my name.　Oh, God, it's annoying, but I can't help it if it's Stella.....................I agree. If that's the reason, then I can't blame them for suspecting me.

　Stella says in her defense.

'As long as I have my orders, it's not so easy... I'm sorry, but can you stay here and stay out while we investigate?　There's no way we're going to catch Tania. I don't want to. So I want you to stay hidden here until we find the real killer.
You're not going to put me in jail, are you?
'I won't do that. I'm going to have you stay in this guest room. But I can't allow you to leave, so you'll be under house arrest...
Oh, my God. It looks like such a hassle.

　Tania swelled.
　It's not hard to understand.
　We know for a fact that it was someone else.
　And yet, it's not good enough for me to be accused of the crime.

　But I also understand Stella's position of having to follow orders and.....
　It's not that I don't understand what the higher ups are thinking as they are issuing orders.

　After all.....
　So it sounds like there's only one way to solve this case.

Well, then I'm gonna go get the real killer.
Lane?

　Tania looked at me with a surprised look.

　Totally........why is she surprised?
　If our friends are suspected, it's only natural that we should help them.

'There's another dragon tribe, and all you have to do is prove that he's the one who did it, right?　Then it won't be a problem if I catch the real killer.
'It's ... um ... um ... It would certainly be...but...is that okay?　This matter was going to be settled by our Knights, and I didn't mean to bother Rain...
Tania is involved. I'm not a stranger. I'm going to do whatever it takes to prove Tania's innocence.
"...Rain...

　Tania stared at me with a happy look on her face.
　Her cheeks are a little red.
　Is she embarrassed?
　But there's no embarrassment factor...?　It's a mystery.

'Can Tania wait here?　We're gonna get the real killer.
....
Tania?
Oh, I see. Well, if you're going to do that, I'm going to leave it to you, or... well, I'm going to ask you to do it... anyway, do your best for me!　If you fail, I won't forgive you.
You can't fail. I'm doing this for Tania. I'm going to pull it off.
That's just not to be underestimated...
Tania?
No, it's nothing. Anyway, I'll take care of it, okay?　Go get me another dragon tribe that's doing something stupid to prove my innocence!
Yeah, I'm on it.

　I nodded firmly at Tania's words.