Thank you so much for making time for us today.

Well you're going to have to go up anyway.

　When it was past noon on the day of my visit, the Duke of Sangha, Albert and Primera arrived, and they started with a stiff greeting, unlike usual, and even brought a souvenir with them. The polite appearance of the Duke of Sanga and Primera was not strange, but I felt a strong sense of discomfort with Albert, who always came in a casual manner. Because of that, I even suspected for a moment that he was a fake.

''Anyway, tell me the purpose of today's visit. Also, if you could keep your tone like usual........Honestly, it's very uncomfortable for Albert to be so cocky.

Pfft!

　When I passed them through the parlor and used Albert as a bailout to get them to do the usual early on, Primera was the first to blurt out, and although Albert looked like he wanted to say something, he seemed to be holding back before the Duke. And the Duke of Sangha himself looked at the two of them, sighing and in his usual mood.



'Father, isn't it indeed rude to blame me?

'No, I'm under the impression that Albert is a set with Leon and the others. If you stay quiet and quiet, you'll think that he's a fake or he's planning something good. Or do you have something to be guilty of?　Or something.

　The three of them thought that there was something guilty or something close to it based on their attitudes, but that idea seemed to be correct, and all three of them were smiling bitterly.

''It's true that it's not a good thing to be called a good thing, but.......Actually, the Gunjo City Knights Fourth Unit.......I mean, we want you to see what the Primera and her men are capable of....

　It's true that with the content of the request, it can't be helped if it's called a bad plan.
　Up until now, Duke Sanga has sent me a few requests itself, but most of them are delivery-type requests. It's not a bad way to say it, but it's just a request to secure food while I'm in the middle of completing a request that I chose and received myself, or it's a request for Gol and Jill's yarn, which is distributed only to acquaintances, as a matter of convenience.
　It's not only that, but this is a request that can only be said to be for the purpose of improving one's own military strength, and if the contents of this request spread, other noblemen could predict that they will say, "I'm going to make the same request, so please accept it," and furthermore, it is a request that is likely to displease my (supposed) backing royal family. You can say: "I understand your doubts, Temma.

"I understand Mr. Tenma's concern. However, I have spoken to His Majesty beforehand, and he has assured me that this is up to you, Tenma.

　I was thinking how unusual it is that the King and Mary would not let me know about it.

''In fact, this is information known only to some of the Sangha Dukes and their Majesties, but a monster similar to Cayos has appeared in our territory.

Nah!

　I almost shouted out, but then I remembered that the mansion had a Southern Autonomous Region agent, Leni-san, so I quickly covered my mouth and searched the surroundings with a 'search'. As a result, Leni-san seemed to be doing something in the kitchen and I didn't see her exploring the parlor.

''I know you have some questions to ask, but please listen to me to the end first. As for that monster, as far as results go, it ended without any damage.

　I don't know how much of a difference there is between each of them in terms of strength, since the only precedent is Cayos, but I still thought it was amazing to beat them unscathed. But.

'Just because it ended without any damage doesn't mean it was defeated. According to the relative, it was the same as Keos until it was cornered and took drugs, but unlike Keos, it vomited blood as soon as it was deformed and collapsed. He continued to watch her for a while, but she showed no signs of moving at all, and when he touched her to check, he said she was dead.

　It's unfortunate that we didn't get much information from the second example, but if the monster had been as strong as Cayos, it would have only caused the deaths of the miscreants with ordinary strength........

Do you want me to measure the strength of the Fourth Squad?

　If a monster with the same level of strength as Keios appeared, they would want to see how far the fourth unit would be able to go.

''That's how it would work. However, if it is left as it is, it is likely that other nobles will submit similar requests, so if you can accept the request, you can take the Fourth Unit of the Knights of Gunjo City, which I have decided to place in the royal capital as a private soldier, on the day that Temma-kun is training with the Kingsguard, even So, His Majesty and Lyle-sama remembered the story of how the Fourth Squad had caused trouble for Tenma-kun in the past, so they decided to get on the bad side of it and have a mock battle under the guise of a drill.

　For someone who claims to have come to ask for a favor, it seems that the conversation is proceeding on the assumption that I'm going to accept it. That's probably why the three of them behaved strangely when we first met.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's not a bad idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.　Under those conditions, at least if the Marquis of Samons or the Earl of the Haust Frontier did the same thing, there's no reason for me to say no, and with the increase in numbers, wouldn't it be hard to say no if nobles I don't know.......dukes and other dukes who have influence over the royal family, etc., came?

　If it was the Marquis of Samonth and the Earl of Houst Frontier, I wouldn't mind since I have a relationship or acquaintance with the knights, but otherwise I don't want to do it, and the king might not be able to say no if their numbers increase. With that in mind.

''This is not an order from the royal family or a request (a request), but rather an outburst by His Majesty and Lyle-sama. Therefore, just as the mock battle is about to end, Maria and Caesar will notice the commotion and come over. And then His Majesty and Lyle-sama are taken away somewhere.

'So you're saying that it was a 'prank' that the two of you are always doing to me... does it work?'

It will work. It will cost you and Master Lyle a fortune.

'No, I hate to say it, but we do everything by making them do it, so isn't that the same thing as calling it a sacrifice?

　I wondered if the duke had misspoken, but not only the duke, but even Albert and Primera looked sad.

'No, well this has been kept quiet by Maria and Caesar, but they said that it's just the right time for them to reflect on a lot of things because of their usual bad behavior.

　When I asked him if it was okay to talk about such things to me, he said he has the Duke's permission to talk about it at his discretion as long as it's someone he doesn't have to worry about leaking to the King and Lyle-sama.

''I don't mind if that's the case, but what about this time's reward?''

'It is to be paid by the royal family as a nuisance fee. Well, it's actually a 50/50 split between the royal family and the Sangha dukes, but if the dukes pay it outwardly, it will be exposed as a trick.

　As for me, I don't mind if the royal family and the dukes take care of the troublesome things, as long as it's enough to replace the training partners that I do from time to time. Besides, depending on how you think about it, you can train a little differently and get paid for it, so it's profitable.

''So, when are you going to do it?''

'It means you can take it. Thank you!　 I will arrange for news to go to Temma-san the day before the scheduled date.

　Even though a request is a request, we can't leave documents and contracts behind, so we only have a verbal promise of remuneration and conditions, but I don't expect the king and the dukes to break their promises, so this much of a promise is enough.

''So I was wondering.......You said that you would place them in the royal capital as a private army, but will Primera live in the royal capital in the future?''

　Putting them in the King's Capital as a private army would mean that Primera, the troop leader, would be moving to the King's Capital.

''Although not completely, I will be spending more time in the King's Capital. The Gunjo City Knights, but the number of recruits has been increasing for the past few years, and there is a situation where there might be a surplus of members. Therefore, it was decided to move the base of the Primera to the royal capital and create a specialized liaison corps that travels back and forth between towns and villages in various parts of the Duke's territory and the royal capital. Fortunately, many of the Primera's troops are related to noblemen, so their status is clear, which makes it easier for them to pass through the checkpoints when carrying urgent information.

Oh, so you want to know what you're capable of?

　Now that the second monster is out, it's more natural to assume that there's a third one, and it's only natural that you need a liaison person for that. However, if that liaison person encounters a monster, even if they can't defeat it, they'll need to be able to escape or just buy time. They would want to know if they could do that. And that's what the royal family would want to know, and if they were to do so, they might also want to get information on the duke's family.

''Well, we've agreed to exchange information with the royal family, so there's no need to be too geeky.

　And the duke, noticing my concern, assured me that there would be no problems with the royal family.

''For now, is that about it as far as the request is concerned?　And.........shall we hear about the usual Albert stories?

Father!

'Then you might want to invite Grandpa and Amur and the others as well.

Temma!

'Mr Temma, I'm sorry that my brother is always and always bothering you.

Primera!

　Albert, who was teased by the three of us, was screaming in protest...

Isn't it?
Isn't it?
Isn't it?

　It wasn't meant to be, but it was damaging to be told by all three of them together, and Albert was understandably unfaithful.
　Later, when they really called Grandpa and Amour and Albert's embarrassing story was revealed, Albert fled out of the parlor and ran off somewhere else. Well, the place he escaped to was inside the Jouvees' hut, where he was seen perfectly by Steele, who was waiting outside the mansion, and was quickly brought back by Primera, who went to look for him.


'Well, it's been a good day. I was able to get my request accepted, the food was good and I got to hear some interesting stories about Albert.

''That's right.

　After they had finished talking about the request, the three of them were to go to dinner. The dinner was mainly served with dried fish that had been dried naturally to improve the taste somewhat and smoked fish that had been completed in the morning, so it might have been poor compared to what they would eat at the Duke's house, but both the Duke and Primera seemed to enjoy it.
　The Duke was in a good mood when he left, partly because he had been drinking, and Primera, who was also drinking (the second drink had been stopped by the Duke), her opinion of Albert seemed to have plummeted. Well, being in King's Landing more often means that she and Albert will be coming to our house more often, and if she comes to our house, she'll have more opportunities to see why Albert (+ Cain and Leon) is called the Three Fools. Our reputation could fall further.

''I'll bring Cain and Rion with me next time...''

　With his sister's reputation continuing to fall, Albert seemed to have decided to take Cain and Leon on the road as well. His eyes seemed to be dark and cloudy........

''Then please feel free to do it during the mock battle. Then, here we go.

Mr. Temma, excuse me.

Next time I'll come back there will be three.

　I couldn't quite decide if Albert's "it's the three of us" just meant that he was going to bring Cain and Rion next, or if he meant that it would be the three of us who would be disrespected and despised by the Primera... but I couldn't quite decide if it was probably the latter.

　The three of us left and there was nothing more to do, and we launched into a drinking spree earlier than usual that day.

''Even so, Chris-san's sense of smell is amazing. It's a day when there are a lot of snacks to drink, and yet you still come as if you're aiming for the day after the Duke has left.

　Chris, who was being served by Leni, was reaching for the dried fish with a scowl on his face.

'I think I was even feeling myself today. After all, I helped Jean-san with her work on a whim somehow, and I didn't have to run into the duke. No, well, it's not that there's anything inconvenient about seeing each other, but it still makes me feel unnecessary. We're both........and most importantly, it's great that I was able to sell my debt to Jean-san!

　And so on, but I guess the point is that it's too much trouble to wear a cat. Besides, he says he sold his debt to Jean-san, but I don't think he considers it a favor. Rather, he seems to think that he deserves it, or that he'll let me help him in the future... or something like that. Well, it sounds interesting, so I don't want to tell Chris-san about it now, but I'll check with Aina later.

'But then again, Temma you guys are so extravagant. If this dried fish is so bare minimum, then what the average soldier eats is less than adequate. Do you think the Cavalry could be a little better than "so-so"?

　Perhaps it's because dried food isn't sold much in King's Landing, but it's a rather tasty category of food for soldiers to eat.

''Soldiers need to get used to having food that lasts for a while in case of an emergency. Sometimes the food they're given is all dried meat, dried fish, dried vegetables," he says. Not something a little raw like this one, but something that's been dried and hardened to a crisp, in case of emergency.

　Even if it's compared to such a special kind.......but it seems that that's what dry food is to soldiers, and what they stockpile as preserved food in ordinary households isn't that different from soldiers' food.

''The only people who can eat raw or half-raw food are those of high rank among the nobility or those who can afford the magic bag.

　Chris said, and as he chewed on his new dried fish, he said, "You, you extravagant man! He said and drank his drink.

'So, Mr Temma. What's the Duke of Sangha up to?

　Chris seemed to say what he thought, and after saying it, he added, "If it's classified information or something, you don't have to say it. But in this case, if he said something that was gobbledygook, it would be the same as saying "it's classified information". I don't know how much Chris knows about this case, but it would be safer for both of us to assume that he doesn't know at all.

'Oh, it's no big deal. It seems that he came to say hello because he's going to make the Primera's troops with the Sangha dukes in the royal capital. Well, it was a bit of a formal greeting because Albert is always bothering me, but that was only at the beginning and the rest was the same as usual.

　And when I taught him without saying just the true but important part, Chris-san said, "Well, it can't be helped because it's Albert. Rather than that, Primera being assigned to King's Landing.......it's going to be interesting.


　Early in the morning of the next day.

So we'll head out tomorrow afternoon?

　A messenger from the king's castle arrived as soon as possible. Duke Sanga had said, 'The day after tomorrow at the earliest,' but considering the character of the king and Lyle-sama, I felt that it was natural.
　When I checked with the messenger who brought the letter, he replied, 'I have heard as much,' he bowed and left.

'What can I do for you, Master Temma?'

　Aura, who was the first to respond to the messenger, asked me with interest what the letter was about, but I couldn't tell her the details.

They want to invite you to join them in training tomorrow for the Order.

　And I only half told her. When I asked if Aura would be joining in, while I was at it, she hurriedly moved away, saying something like, "The laundry is done," or "The cleaning is done.

'Aura's so much easier to handle at times like this,'

　As I watched Aura run away, I threw the letter I received into my magic bag. You might want to burn this letter later.

Then I'll check on Ji-chan and the others.

　Yesterday, Grandpa and Chris are in bed with a hangover because they started drinking earlier than usual and had a lot of dried fish to snack on. Well, it's not an unusual situation. Leni-san was drinking in a controlled manner, so she's safe, and Amour, who seems to drink in a fit state, is not hungover because Leni-san stopped him.
　I went back to the mansion, thinking that today's meal would be easy on my stomach, and remembering the medicine that would help me with my hangover.