How did you know?

　It was the girl who was the first to speak up. The girl hurriedly covered her own mouth, but it would be too late now.

'How did you know?'

　The boy seems to have given up, but his center of gravity is a little further back than it was before.
　Depending on my attitude, it's probably because I'm going to run away soon.

''A hunch........''

　I couldn't say that I could use the appraisal, so I slurred my words appropriately.


　Name...Tida von Bluemail Crustin.
　Age...12
　Race... human race.
　Title: Prince of Krastin, second in line to the throne.


　Name ... Luna von Bluemail Krustin.
　Age...8
　Race... human race.
　Title: Princess of the Kingdom of Krastin, third in line to the throne.


Do you really expect me to believe that you can see through this on a hunch?

　Saying that, Tida took a protective stance over Luna.
　Well, that's what would normally happen. I had no choice, so I decided to think of a plausible answer.

'You look like someone I met a long time ago,'

What about it?　

　Followed by a more alert Tida.

Does the name Kukri Village sound familiar to you?

　With those words, Tida responded, though only slightly.

'Did you know that five years ago, that person was attacked by a pack of orcs on his way to the village of Kukri? Did you know that one of the kids helped you at that time? And that the child was invited to join the Konoe and was rejected?

　Tida is looking at me as if she's seeing something unbelievable.
　Apparently, the king has heard of me before.

'The child I rejected that person's advances the Temma of Kukri village.　

　With a stunned look on her face, Tida pointed at me.

The dragon-slaying Temma is real?　

'I've never heard that name before, but I'm pretty sure I killed a dragon... a zombie.　

　At those words, Tida suddenly straightened up...

I'm sorry!

　I apologized for some reason.
　Luna stared at me intently.

Is your brother really Temma, the hero?

　I thought I just heard a word I wasn't familiar with.

'What's that hero?'

　I asked Luna back.

My grandfather told me that Tenma was a hero, a great man who single-handedly slayed the dragon and saved the country.

　What is that king teaching his own grandson.......seriously.
　But I still can't understand why Tida is frozen in place....

So, why are you frozen?

　

To make enemies with such a person might be the worst thing that could happen to the country, so be careful.

　Really, what are you talking about, that king! Don't use people as discipline for your kids! .........and a hazy feeling filled me, not being able to shout it here.

　Seeing me like that, Tida was trembling.

''I'm sorry! Please, please help my sister! My sister didn't do anything! Just spare my sister's life!

Who will kill him?　　

　I shouldn't have tsked at Tida's desperate pleading.
　It made Tida completely frightened.

'Don't tease my brother! My brother just practiced what the minister told him to do!

　This is where the information about the apparent mastermind came from.

What did the minister say?

The minister said that if you're going to be king, you should at least have some experience in battle. He said the calves are being born at the right time, so you should practice with them.

　I don't know what the minister is like from Luna's words alone, but at least he seems to have inspired these two men.

''Listen, you two. No matter how much the minister says, you shouldn't believe everything he says. I happened to be able to help you this time because I happened to be walking by, otherwise you'd be dead.

　At my words, they started to tremble after all this time.

'Besides, if the two of them die, not only will the kings be saddened, but the minister and his two guards will likely be punished as well. Perhaps even their relatives will be punished.

　This time the guards are turning blue in the face.

''If you had just said a few words to the kings first, we wouldn't have been in such danger. But if I had said that I was going to kill a calf as a test of strength, the king would have been angry.

　Tida's face fell at that, but Luna didn't seem to get it.

'But I've had veal steak, veal soup, and veal many times before. Was that wrong too?

　I asked. Honestly, I think it's hard to say that in an understandable way to a child.

　Even in a past life, I'd feel sorry for him if he ate a whale or a dolphin! And the people who say, "I can eat cows and pigs because I can increase my numbers! I couldn't understand it when I heard him say things like
　There were some species of whales that were in decline, so I still understood what they were saying, but I didn't think it had anything to do with taking the lives of cows and pigs.

　By contrast, in this world where the concept of protection to avoid extinction is so thin, much less cattle, which are thought to be in significant numbers.
　I don't know if I could explain it well, but I decided to try to make it as easy as possible for him to understand, based on my own ideas.

I'm going to tell you first of all that what I'm saying is not an absolute correct answer. You have to be able to say that the human beings live by eating other creatures and using them as their own power. Do you understand that?

Yes.

You see, the calves you ate are now your life. The calves that were killed this time were killed without regard to their being yours. So most of those calves' lives were wasted. That's why the parents were so angry. If only a few had been killed, the cows might have thought it was the natural order of things, that it was inevitable, and they would have run away to save the surviving calves. But all the calves were killed and all they could do was get angry and try to kill you guys... if your family was hurt, you might try to run away with them, but if they were killed, you'd hate the people you killed, wouldn't you? That's how the parent cows felt about it, too.

　In truth, there was no way I could understand how the pro-cows felt, and it was close to a trick to tell them, but I guess Luna is an honest child. She seemed to believe my words without questioning them, and she had tears in her eyes.

So what we did was...

I just bullied a calf to death for fun.

　When I calmly told her as it is, Luna seemed to understand the meaning of what she had done and tears raggedly spilled from her eyes.　

''I'm sorry~.......................Ushi-san Gomenaizai~''

　As it was, Luna ran to the place where she burned the cows and began to apologize to them, crying.
　Seeing Luna like that, Tida looked at me with a serious expression on her face.

'What about the war then? In war, people kill a lot of people, regardless of what they eat?

　He asks me if I've ever been in a war, and I've only heard stories from my grandfathers. I've never experienced war, I've only heard stories from my grandfather in a past life, but since I'm the one who started it, I thought about it for a moment and decided to tell Tida my thoughts.

'I've never experienced anything like it, but I believe there are several types of wars,'

Kind?

There are many wars to live for, wars to protect, wars of pride, wars of desire, but they all have one thing in common: they all have a scene where you participate in, or are involved in, a killing spree, and if you hesitate to take the other person's life, you or the people you care about may die. That's what I mean. That's why people kill people in wars. Not all of them, though ... most of all, though, there's no such thing as a war, of course.

So why do we have to have a war?

　That question may be the simplest, yet hardest thing to ask. I'll take a breath and then.

'I think it's because we're human. I think because we're human, we think a lot of different ideas, and we want to be happier, wealthier, better than other people, and those ideas get mixed up, and then others can't understand them, and those ideas grow and clash, and I think that's what makes war.... This is just my imagination, though.　

　I don't know if she was satisfied with such an answer, but Tida didn't ask any more questions.　
　She watched Luna sobbing for a while, but Tida comforted her and let her go.

'Miss Temma, give me a cow. Please.

　Then Tida ducks her head.

'Why?'

'I know it's self-serving, but it's to make a little bit of difference to our lives. Of course we will pay for it.

　He looked me straight in the eye and said so, so I pulled a cow out of my bag and

Don't pay for it. Instead, eat with this day in mind.

　He handed it to Tida.

'Thank you,'

　Tida thanked him and put the cow away in her bag. It was only then that I realized something.

'By the way, how are we going to get back to King's Landing?'

　The carriage they would have ridden in was overturned, the wheels and other parts of the carriage were broken, and the horse they were tethered to seemed to have escaped, and there was no sign of it in the area.
　From here to the royal capital is about five to six hours if you drive your horse, or about half a day if you hurry the carriage. I was going to take another day to get to King's Landing, but what about these two (plus the guards)? Just as I was thinking about this, Shiroumar suddenly turned in the direction of the royal capital and began to be on alert.
　I strengthened my eyesight with magic and looked in the direction Shiroumar was looking at, and there was some kind of dust cloud rising. Apparently, more than a dozen horses were running towards us.

　I made Shiroumaru wait near the carriage just in case, and Jeanne and the others instructed him to get on the carriage and be on the lookout.

　But my worries seemed to be unwarranted. Although I was not yet visible to those present here, my enhanced eyes caught sight of the armed knights.


''Looks like the knights have come for you..............................That coat of arms seems to belong to the royal family.

　Tida and the others were half in disbelief at my words, but within the next ten minutes, they were surprised to see the knights in sight.

'There! Get away from that man!

　One of the knights at the head of the group shouted at me, and I moved away from Tida and closer to the carriage.
　The knights split into two groups, one to Tida and the others, and the other surrounded us.
　However, some of the surrounding knights had their hands on the swords at their waists, so I took the Adamantine sword out of my bag and held it at the ready.

'You! You're rebelling!

　The knight from earlier shouted that, and I glared at him as well.

'You don't seem to have much decorum for a knight of King's Landing! Or is it the courtesy of a knight to suddenly surround himself with many and try to draw his sword against the prince's life-giver!

What?　

　Apparently, this knight is vulnerable to provocation. I was about to continue with more words when Tida interrupted me and the knight.

'Refrain! Lord Temma saved my sister's life and mine! I will not allow you to point your sword at Lord Temma!

　The knights were silent at those words. However, a man came out from behind the silent knights.

''Your Highness. I understand the situation but please forgive me as I have my reasons for having to fight him...''

　The man, who was wearing an air that was clearly different from the surrounding knights, drew his sword and slashed at me without saying a word.
　Tida was about to stop the man, but it seems that he was stopped by another man who appeared from behind.
　Tida only stopped moving for a few seconds, but in those few seconds the attack and defense between me and the man was unstoppable.

　I knew from the man's mood that he was going to attack, so I put all my strength into my arm to counterattack, but the weight of the adamantine sword that I had intended to use against so many people at this time took its toll on me, and for a few moments I was too busy reacting and falling behind to prevent the attack.

'What's the matter Tenma! You're moving too slowly!

　The man seemed to know me, and for all his attacks, he was friendly to me.
　I'm going to be jittery at this point, so I thought, and I threw my sword at him with all my might.
　The sword was aimed at just the moment I stepped in, so the man slowed down slightly to handle the sword. I took a big step backwards while taking a big step backwards, taking out the korasuma from my bag and getting ready for battle.

'A fresh start.......let's go!

　The man makes another lunge. However, he wasn't going that fast, so I lightly ducked and counter thrusted him.......which should have been the case.

''What!''

　The man stopped abruptly and struck out my thrust, then moved again to match the speed of the sword as he hurriedly pulled it back and swung his sword.

''Shh!''

　The man's slash attacked me, but I barely managed to duck the blow by falling backwards and then kicking at the base of the man's sword.
　The recoil from the kick made me take a few steps backwards, pausing, and this time I attacked from me.
　I unleashed a thrust or two with my sword to the side. In the meantime, I prepared myself and unleashed a third shot with a lot of force, but this one was ducked without difficulty.
　The man sees his chance and tries to break my stance with a body strike.
　However, I was preparing for that attack... or rather, my attack wasn't over yet.
　The thrust I made was the Hira-tsuki, which was also used by the Shinsengumi, and this thrust is characterized by a two-step attack, a sidenagi after the thrust.

　The man seemed to be taken aback by this attack, but surprisingly, he stepped in faster than a slash and survived the attack by catching the area around the base of the sword with his body.
　And then the man blew me away with a body blow and thrust his sword at my rolling throat.
　That's where the game was decided ... probably the most complete defeat since my dad.

'I'm here,'

　I removed my hand from the sword I was still holding and lightly raised my hands as I lay down.
　When it was all over, it was a simple matter of time. My attacks were ducked at every turn, and any attack I thought I had made on the other side of the line was outweighed by the fact that it was all over.

It was just a coincidence. If Tenma had wanted to, I would have been dead I was only that close.

　The man said, putting his sword away and taking my hand and pulling it up.

'You didn't say hello yet. My name is Din Dee. Would it be easier to say I'm an old buddy of your father and mother?


Name... din dee duran.
Age...50.
Race... human race.
Titles: former first-rate adventurer, viscount, captain of the Kingsguard, and strongest in the Royal Army.

HP... 25,000.
MP... 15,000.

Muscle strength...A+.
Defensive Power...S+
Speed...A
Magic... A+.
Mental capacity... S+.
Growth Potential...C+
Luck...B+.

Skills....swordsmanship 10, spearmanship 10, martial arts 9, stick arts 8, throwing arts 8, patience 8, archery 7, axe arts 7, physical enhancement 7, fire magic 7, wind magic 7, sensory enhancement 7, earth magic 6, demolition 6, anomaly resistance 6, night eyes 6, life force enhancement 6, water magic 5, martial arts 100 general 5, destructive power enhancement 5, cooking 2.


　As expected of the strongest of the Kingdom Army. The high level of ability is one thing, but the technology is even more amazing.
　I think I thought I read the back of the book, but I think I was actually made to dance in the palm of my hand.

''You could have used magic, you know.

　That's what Din-san said, but I felt like it was a waste of time to use magic when I was fighting someone who was more skilled than me. At most, though, a half-hearted magic might not have worked.

'No, it's a shame to use magic when you're being matched up with someone of higher rank... Besides, I had a nostalgic feeling, like when my dad was training me, and I forgot to use magic until halfway through.

　I thought it might be rude to call him like my dad, but Mr. Dinh didn't seem to dislike it.
　Rather, he seems kind of happy about it.

'I've always thought of Ricardo-san as an older brother, so he's like an uncle to me in terms of mood. Not bad by any means.''

　It was surprisingly high praise.
　As they were talking, the person who had held Tida back approached.

'I'm sorry to interrupt you, but where did you get that Adamantine sword you mentioned earlier?

　Despite his calm face, the person was wearing an air of nonchalance, and it was clear that he was no ordinary man.
　I picked up Adamantine's sword that had fallen nearby, knelt down and placed it in front of me.

''I got it from a stall in Gunjo City. My Grand Duke (...)''

　My words startled not only Dinh and Tida, but everyone present, except the Grand Duke and Luna.
　Jeanne and Aura were surprised, but they got out of the carriage and knelt down, just as I did.
　By the way, Luna didn't seem to understand why everyone was surprised.

"Ho-ho, don't be so frightened," she said. By the way, why do you think I'm the Grand Duke?

　At that moment, the air emanating from His Excellency the Grand Duke changed. Unlike earlier, he was emitting an intense qi that seemed to hold us back.
　In fact, Jeanne and Aura are being consumed by that air, and Tida and the others, except for Din-san and Luna, seem to be consumed by His Excellency the Grand Duke.

'My Grand Duke, that's about as far as you'll go with your antics. My slaves are frightened, my lord.

　The knights are looking at me with accusatory eyes as I say, "What are you playing miko," but the important thing is that the Grand Duke trembled and said

No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I got a little carried away.

　I started laughing. Din-san shrugged his shoulders at the Grand Duke's change of scenery, and the others, except me and Luna, looked dumbfounded.
　Even at a time like this, Luna had a strange look on her face.......after all, she didn't seem to understand what was happening.......she might be the biggest of all of them.

'So how do you know I'm the Grand Duke?

　Ignoring the stunned faces, the Grand Duke asked again.

''Yes, there are several reasons.

　I said, and from my magic bag, I pulled out the adamantine armor and cuirass that I bought at the same time and placed them on the floor.

It's a good thing that you've got them all.

　The sword doesn't have it, but the armor and cuirass have a lion and dragon emblem on it.

''Since you reacted to the sword, I wondered if it was. And.........

What, are they still there?

　I took a breath, then glanced at Tida.

There is only so much that can be done to stop a prince, and to make him feel the same way as His Majesty.

　I explained to him. Seemingly satisfied with these words, the Grand Duke began to laugh aloud.

"Ho~he is exactly what His Majesty was talking about. It's really interesting.... By the way, did you have any other weapons?　

Is this way?

　From his bag, he now took out Mithril's small sword and Orihalcon's knife and laid them out.

''Oh, well how much should I buy these for?''

　I was amused by the straightforward manner in which he said things, but I quickly thought about it and came up with an answer.

'I'll give you the Adamantine ones, but I don't think I'll need to give you a small sword and a knife.

　The people around me (except for me, the Grand Duke, Mr. Dinh, and Luna) broke out in a cold sweat at those words.

'What's the reason?'

　I was unabashedly honest with the Grand Duke, who almost gave me the illusion that the temperature in the area had dropped.

The adamantine equipment is identified by its crest as belonging to the Grand Duke, but there is no ownership of the sword and knife. I believe, therefore, that ownership is with me.

　When I finished saying that, me and His Excellency the Grand Duke looked into each other's eyes for a few dozen seconds.　
　The people around us are quiet, consumed by the Grand Duke's atmosphere. Behind me, Jeanne and Aura froze completely, and Shiroumaru began to be wary of the Grand Duke based on the atmosphere around him.



　It was His Excellency the Grand Duke who surprisingly gave up easily. At his words, the people around him, who had been nervous, let out a huge breath.

By the way, how much do you want to give up for Adamantine's equipment?

'Ummm ... Din, do you know how much the market will be?'

　Neither I nor the Grand Duke had any idea of the market price, so I had to ask Mr. Dinh for help, but Mr. Dinh didn't seem to know much about it either.

''I don't know, but I don't think it will be a single white gold coin.

　And that was that.　

Of course you will.

　So I was to have it until then.

'Then let's go back to King's Landing... Tida, Luna!

Yes!
What is it?

　The Grand Duke called them both by name.

I'll preach to you when I get back.

　So saying, he stopped just as he was about to get into the Grand Duke's carriage, turned to me, and

Temma, I'm sorry, but could you take the boys into Temma's carriage? They won't be able to get along with me at all.

　He said that he was going to do it. I didn't have to object to it, so I agreed, but I asked him what he was going to do with the carriage these kids had ridden in.

It's all broken now. We'll have to leave a few of our men here and bring back some artisans from King's Landing.

　I heard that. Surely I couldn't leave the carriage with the royal coat of arms on it, but there was still room in my magic bag.

'Oh, I'll put it in my magic bag then.

　He approached the carriage and stowed it in his bag, which surprised both the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh.

''Amazing........................How much did it cost?

　The Grand Duke asked me. I was fiddling with the mouth of my bag at the time, so I didn't think twice about it.

Oh, it's my own work, so it didn't take me more than a hundred g's to do it.

　I accidentally spoke. The Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh froze at those words, and by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late.　

''Homemade........then........''


　I shouldn't have been too indifferent to its value, as it was something I always used casually.
　Usually magic bags are rarely unearthed in large dungeons, or top-notch artisans work with high-ranking wizards for days on end to make them, and it would normally be impossible for a 15-year-old kid to make one by himself.

　It's a joke now, and it's unlikely to be fooled by that, but if it continues like this, it could become a nasty mess.
　There was a strange air between the three of us.

You know, I'm getting a little old for a while now, but I'm having trouble hearing.
I couldn't hear anything either.

　And then the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh suddenly said.

So, you got the magic bag in the dungeon after all, didn't you? I'm so lucky.

　And that was that. Fortunately, there were only the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh nearby, so the other knights didn't hear about it.

''Yes, it was a truly fortunate event.

　The way he blurted out "I'm sorry, I'm not going to be able to do this," he said, like he was doing a poorly done contraption, but let's just say that it didn't cause any trouble at the moment.

　When I walked away from them and headed over to Jeanne and the others, Tida and Luna were already waiting for me.

'Um, I'm Tida von Bluemail Krustin. It's nice to meet you, Temma.
'I'm Luna von Bluemail Krustin. Nice to meet you.

　After the two of them introduced themselves, I introduced myself too, in case you were wondering, and told them that Jeanne and Aura were my slaves, and made them agree to ride in the carriage as well as Shiroumaru, and then I replaced it with the usual carriage in the bag and connected it to Tanikaze.
　Tida and Luna were surprised, but that was purely in response to the carriage coming out of the bag, while the Grand Duke and Mr. Dinh turned away from the magic bag and pretended not to see it.

'Well, let's go then,'

　I instructed Tanikaze to hurry up a bit and head for the royal capital.