He's flying...?
Yeah.
''Well........in that case, could it be that your occupation is a 'sorcerer' or something?'''

　She makes an amused face and then asks fearfully, "No, I'm not.

No, I'm unemployed.
No, no, no, no, no, the Unemployed can't fly, can they?
Can you fly?　Good luck with that.

　I think I'm starting to get a little warmer than that.
　I think it's time for me to get out of here.


　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　After the young man left the bathroom.

What do you mean...?

　While soaking in the bathtub, she was confused by herself.

''So, but for now, he said he was 《unemployed》, so it must be so.......?　And I don't know why you're lying to me...

　In fact, it's probably more of a lie to say that I flew through the air to get here.
　No, I'm sure it is.
　Perhaps he had some special means and said something appropriate to hide it.

''And anyway, I have to report to Kaede-sama!

　She contacted him immediately.

'Hmm, okay. Good work.'
Oh, thank you very much!
"I'll be right there.
'What?　The maple himself?
"Of course. I don't want her to get it from me.


　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


Thank you for your service.

　The next morning, I left the inn with a young signboard girl seeing me off.
　Then, just outside the inn, I saw a girl standing there as if she was waiting for me.

　She looks like she's about 15 or 16 years old.
　She was small in stature, typical of Eastern people, with black hair.
　She is staring at me with her two eyes, which are devoid of expression and emotion.

　Hmm.
　I'm not an ordinary man.
　But he's just perfect.

"I am a maple. One of the Eight Heavenly Generals. You're Arel?
Yeah?

　Nodding, she said matter-of-factly.

'Her Majesty's orders. Follow me.'

　I was told as if it was a done deal, but I had no business with this Empress.

"No,

　First of all, I've never met him, and I don't know what kind of guy he is, where he is.

''No, you can't do that. The Emperor's orders are absolute.
So who's this Empress that you're talking about?
'My lord. Founder of the Empire. My sovereign, the founder of the Empire, the one who will eventually rule the whole world. Goddess.

　I'm not sure, but I just know that he's a troublesome opponent anyway.

　Come to think of it, I've heard of the Empire somewhere...?

　And then I remembered the story of the shopkeeper.

There is a country that was established just a few years ago and is now a great power with many countries under its control. I heard that they not only treat all unfortunate jobs equally, but also give them generous protection. It's just a dream country for my daughter.

　I see.
　So that's the Empire.

"What does the head of such a country need from me?
I don't know. But it's of the highest importance. Her Majesty has been looking for the unemployed Arel.
Okay.
Will you follow me?
But I decline. I'm just going home to my parents.
Yeah.

　The girl gave a small nod.

Then I'll take you by force.

　In the next moment, the figure disappeared with those words.
　Hmmm, it's a 'shrinking' skill.

　She walks around behind me and throws her sword at my neck in an attempt to cut off my consciousness.

''Huh?''

　But I wasn't already there.
　I had come around further behind her.

''If you're in the mood, we won't show any mercy.　We've got to get rid of the fire that's coming down on us.
What?

　My kick blew her away.
　She flew about ten meters and hit the ground and rolled more lazily.

''Huh!　Lord Maple!

　I thought I heard a little scream from somewhere.

'Why don't you stop hiding and come out?'
...hmm?

　I called out to them, and I could feel the guys who had been hiding out gasp.

'They've known all along,'

　They soon emerge from behind the roof and walls of the house.
　There are about ten of them in all.
　All of them are dressed in black attire and their faces are hidden by a cloth-like object.

''........How did you know?　We are all ninjas. I'm sure you've been using your Concealment skills to disguise your presence...

　One of them asks me.

"No matter how much you eliminate all signs of life, you can't eliminate the fact that someone's there. That means your "stealth" skills are not perfect either. It's not just one person, but when there are ten of them in a group, the smallest discrepancies are even easier to detect.
Oh, no...
Also, you've been watching me since yesterday, haven't you?
What?
'You used to sell apples at the entrance to the city. Then you even followed me to the inn, and even took a bath as a guest.
How did you know?　It should have been a perfect disguise........!
'You'll know it when you see the way he speaks, his voice and his movement habits, won't you?

　When I told her, she took a step or two back, as if she was astonished.

''Heh, I thought I was only good at disguises.......maybe I was the only one who thought that.......?

　Apparently, he was shocked.

''........Sakura. Right now, I don't care about that, I'm focused on capturing it.
'　Ka, maple-sama. You're safe, aren't you!

　The girl I kicked off earlier comes back to us as if nothing happened.
　Her blessings have hardly decreased.
　Well, it seemed to have taken a passive response as well, so there would be no damage with that much.

"This is not just an 'unemployed' opponent. We'll take it with all of us.
Yes, sir!

　Immediately after, they leapt at once.