Western Continental Calendar 2812 August 5 [to the Peninsula], vol. 2:

　The fortified city of Ipyros.
　Located in the northwest of the Roserian Kingdom, it is a key border point.
　The perimeter of the city is surrounded by a high stone wall that reaches more than a dozen meters in height and a deep water moat that blocks the intrusion of foreign enemies.
　There are three entrances to the city. There are three entrances to the city, one to the east, one to the west and one to the north, and the residence of the Count of Salzberg, the lord of the city, rises in the south.
　The fact that this city is an ironclad defensive facility is a fact that everyone in the kingdom of Roselia and Zaruda knows. In fact, the fact that they have prevented invasions from the neighboring Zaruda Kingdom to the west on numerous occasions confirms their perception. However, the residents of this city all understood. The land where they live is the cauldron of hell....

　This is a room in an inn facing the main street of Ipiros.
　Earlier, they had finally arrived at the fortress city of Ipiros, the gateway to the Woltenia Peninsula, after getting the proper procedures.
　It was only a short while ago that the main members, including Bortz, gathered under Ryoma, who was resting in his room.
　Right now, they are in the middle of a meeting regarding future policy.

"It's a border town, so it's only natural that we do our best to defend it, but it seems that we're not just preparing for the Zarda.

　Bolz cowered his shoulders and said.
　It's true that he has been working as a mercenary for many years.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

''Is this a bulwark to prevent the monsters from invading Roselia's side?

　Bortz nodded at Ryoma's answer.

''It looks like this is a tougher land than I thought...''

　Everyone nodded when they heard Bolz's words. It was already known from the stage of being in King's Landing that it would be a difficult place to live. But.


The priority is to get things ready in this town, right?

　What they need now is more information about the fortified city of Ipylos and the Worthenian Peninsula. If they entered the peninsula as it is now, they would only be going to die. The geographic information, the necessary equipment, all of which Ryojin lacks.
　Besides, it seems that there are only pirate strongholds and sub-human villages on the peninsula. If that's the case, the question is what to do about food and water.
　It would be impossible to buy water and food from the pirates and sub-humans. If that's the case, we'll have to buy food from the town until we can build a town on the island and become self-sufficient. They would have to carefully choose their trading partners from the multiple trade associations in the town.
　We've already run out of decisions on the situation in this area.
　Everyone was trying to do their best to survive themselves.

''The Chamber of Commerce will go around with us sisters........''

Yeah, please.

　Laura came in quickly and offered her own role.
　This is proof that she clearly understands what is needed in the current situation.
　It is likely that Saara also fully understands that, and she nodded silently at her sister's words.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it is. I want as much detailed information about the peninsula as possible, especially the location of the rivers and lakes. Especially the location of the rivers and lakes. I'm sure you'll be able to find out everything you can about the monsters that live there!

I understand, young man! Leave it to me.

　Bolz tapped his own chest with his right arm.
　Ryouma nodded, this time turning his gaze to Geno.
　There is no one other than him and Sakuya who is qualified for the job of gathering information.
　Noticing Ryoma's gaze, Geno's eyes glowed sharply.

''I want you to find out what you can about the powerful people in this town, Geno. Family structure, personality........weaknesses, strengths, everything! We're going to be based in this town for some time to come...

Well it's certainly best to have the most powerful people in this town on your side.

　Ryojin nodded at Gen O's answer with a satisfied expression on his face.

''However, don't do anything conspicuous, okay?　Right now, the last thing you want is to do a bad job and have people turn on you for doing a bad job.

Leave it to me you will have your master's approval by tomorrow.

　Old Man Yan bowed reverently.



　As Sakuya and Gen Ou search for the identity of the town's influential people, the only two people who haven't been assigned a job yet are Ryoma and Rionne.
　Likewise, Rionne also fully understands her role.

''Yes.

Am I a knight in shining armor?

''No ... in the future, you will be a knight directly under me, but as of now, you are employed as a mercenary.

　It's tempting to hire them as knights, but it's too risky to hire them when the outlook is uncertain. After all, it's doubtful that they can even secure the wages they're paying.

It's a good idea to hold off on hiring knights until the development of the territory is on track.

　Lione, having led a mercenary group, also knows full well that the army is a money-grabber.

''Well, leave that to me!　Just how many people do you have in mind?　You're going to cost a lot of money when you're good at it, don't you think?

　The salaries of skilled mercenaries are naturally high. If he didn't know how much he could budget, there was no way for Rionne to proceed with the conversation.
　In response to her question, Ryoma turned his gaze to Laura. He has already left the Malfist sisters in charge of getting their own money in and out.


''As for funds, we have about 35 million baht. I would say that this is purely Ryojin-sama's personal assets.''

　Rionne rolled her eyes at Laura's words.

'Heh! You're so rich!

　That's just as well.
　You'll be able to see that you're as rich as a middle class aristocrat.
　The gold coins and jewels that they took from the slavers when they helped the sisters are still there.

But we have to start by building a village. "But we'll start by building a village, in a completely undeveloped area.

You'll need more room, won't you?

　Ryoma nodded at Rionne's question.
　This money will be their lifeline. No matter how much you save, you can never do too much.

'Then it's about 5 million baht?　 That's plenty of time to think about buying food and water, right?

　Laura nodded at Rionne's words.

'Yes, if you can afford it, you can manage it.

Aye!　I'll take care of it.

　Rionne nodded with all her strength after Liang Shin's words. Having led a mercenary group for many years, it would be a no-brainer for her to find out what the mercenaries were capable of. It's the perfect role for her.

　Now the only person who hadn't been assigned a job was Ryouma.

''So what are you going to do, Ryouma-sama?''

It's me... but I'm going to pay a visit to Count Salzberg.

　In response to Saara's question, Ryoma told her something she had been thinking about for a long time.

'Aren't you the lord of Ipylos?　Why would you want to be that guy again?　You're not going to be in any trouble if you meet him?　That's exactly the kind of thing that could harass you for insulting me as a commoner upstart, isn't it?

　Everyone nodded at Rionne's words.
　Her fears could be said to be reasonable.
　After all, they were suffering this kind of thing due to the betrayal of Lupis, the king of this country. It was natural to have distrust of the royal family and nobles.
　But on the contrary, Yan O seems to agree with Ryojin's opinion.

''Well that's not a bad idea.

What do you mean?　The "Gen'o

　Lione didn't seem to be able to grasp why Yan Oo agreed to it.
　She turns her gaze to Yan Oo.
　This is what she is good at. The attitude of listening to and trying to understand the other person's opinion. This is a quality that is greatly lacking in the nobles of Roselia.

It's a good thing that the aristocrats of this country are not good people, "It's true that the aristocrats of this country are not good people. In light of this reality, it's not a bad idea to have a meeting with the Earl here, in case he harasses you for not going to greet him.

　Hearing Yan Ou's words, the image of themselves being harassed clearly appeared in Rionne's mind.
　After all, in order for them to live on the peninsula, they would inevitably have to replenish their supplies from this city. If the Earl's mood was displeased and strange pressure was put on the Chamber of Commerce, that would be enough to dry up Ryojin and the others.

''........Indeed.......that's quite possible.

Well.........aristocrats have a lot of pride.

　Everyone was convinced by Yan Ou's words.

''Well, it's best to meet him once and see what kind of person he is, right?　You can be an enemy or an ally... na?

　Everyone nodded at Liang Shin's words.
　I've experienced firsthand that nobles and royalty are not worthy of trust. But we can't distrust all the nobles.
　In the end, you have no choice but to see with your own eyes and find out for yourself. Whether they are worthy of trust or not....
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My Lord... is there something you wish to talk to me about?

　After the discussion was over, Yan Ou, who was supposed to have left the room, came back into the room alone.
　He felt Ryojin's gaze on him.

''Ah ... there's something I wanted to ask you.

　Ryouma didn't have a single look of surprise on his face as he opened the door of the room without a sound.
(Hmm, did you sense an eagle's presence? I guess my skills have dulled... or maybe it's just this guy's skill.
　In his younger days, he had gone through many trials and tribulations. Although he became a member of the Elders and is no longer in the field, he is still one of the best in his family.
(After all........this is the man the Elders were looking for.......)
　Yan Oo's gaze pierced through Liangzhen.

''What's wrong? The "Gen'o

　I'm sure that Ryouma sensed the passion in Yan'o's gaze. I'm sure you're not going to be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city," he said, looking quizzically at Tooru, who stood silent from the entrance of the room.

The actuality of this is that it's not the same as the original. What can I do for you?

　Gen-O bowed reverently and sat down in front of Ryojin.

''Hey... I have a little favor to ask Yan'o... but before I ask for that, I wanted to ask you something, so I changed my seat like this.''

Well..... please tell me what you need to know.

　This is how he called them up once they had broken up. I guess that means he doesn't want Bolz and Rionne to hear the story.
(Probably........about me and Sakuya.......trust but not trust.......something like that)
　Yan Ou quickly guessed Liang Zhen's mind. After all, the first time they met was when they went to assassinate him.
　He used the assassin who had come to assassinate him without killing him. That showed the magnitude of the person called Mikoshiba Ryoma. But at the same time, he is looking at Geno and Sakuya from a somewhat step back.
　He doesn't fully trust Inou and Sakuya.

(No........that's just as well......after all, I haven't told this person everything either.......)
　Yan Oo muttered in his mind.
　A relationship where we cannot trust each other enough. But that doesn't mean that they are doubting each other. It would be an accurate expression to say that they are currently waiting and watching.
　That may change significantly now, due to the approach from Ryoma.
(Do I tell you everything here? I'm not sure that we can trust the future of our clan to him just yet.
　The future of the family was at stake.
　It's only natural that Yan's father would be cautious.


''What, I only want to ask you, Master Yan why are you following me?

　Did he read the mind of Yan Ou? Liang Shin cut in sharply.
　The question was one that Yan Oo had come to keep in his heart.
　He returned Ryojin's question with silence.

''Can't you tell me now...?''

　Geno meets Ryouma's gaze from the front.
(I don't want to lie...)
　This thought weighs down Yan Ou's mouth.
　If it's a lie, you can tell it all you want. But there is no way to gain true trust in that.
　The only choice he can make is silence, which is neither denial nor affirmation.

　After a long silence, Ryoma cowered his shoulders as if he had given up.

''Fine ... it means you have a reason why you can't say something. I won't force you to ask.''

　Hearing Ryoushin's words, surprise spread across Gen O's face.

''May I?''

It's not nice but I don't think you're a bad person. Well, I'm sure you have a lot of secrets, but that's a story for another time.

　The fact that Yan Oo has a purpose in serving Ryojin is something that Ryojin himself felt the most strongly about.
　Of course, it is not because of any malicious intent.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get the best out of it. Even if it is someone with Japanese blood in their veins.

　After all, he needed a few available manpower now.

''By the way, Gen Ou I need to ask your family for a job, can you hire them?''

That's... of course.

　Hearing Ryouma's words, Gen O's mind regains its calmness. At the same time, his cool-headedness begins to guess what Ryoma's request is.
(I want to hire my clan... you mean you don't want to move me and Sakuya? ...then whatever the job was, it couldn't have been in or around Ipiros... no way! (Lupis' assassination?)
　Considering Ryoushin's personality, it's the most likely to be true. He never forgets his debt, but he also never forgets his revenge.
　This is something that even Geno, who has only known him for a short time, is fully aware of.
　If you think about the malice of Lupis, who forced you to give him the frontier of the Woltenia peninsula, it is not surprising that Ryojin took the means of revenge by assassinating him.
　However, Gen O denies that answer himself.
(No.........that's unlikely.......there's little benefit in doing that now.......)
　If it was while they were in King's Landing, it was still an option. But they're already right in front of the peninsula. When you've come this far, there's no point in killing Lupis without a second thought.
If we kill Lupis now, the kingdom will be caught in the middle of the chaos again, and it would be too reckless to make a choice in a situation where we don't even have our own base of operations...?
　It will take years to develop the peninsula as a territory. If he disrupted the country now, he would lose the time to develop the territory.
　It was unlikely that Ryoma would make such a choice, since he was so intelligent.

''The name of the person I want you to deal with is Walls.......Walls Heinekel. I'm the guild master of the port city of Fulzard.

　The name that leaked out of Liangzhen's mouth made Yan'o nod his head.
　Of course, that human's name was one that Yan'o had heard. After all, it was the name of the person who tricked his master. A name that has come up many times in conversations with friends.
　But everything should have been settled.

'You look strange, don't you? Don't you know why?

　Liang Zhen's question, Gen O nodded honestly.



　Is it simple vengeance? If that was the case, Yan Oo would have failed to see Liangzhen.
　Now was the time for a little money. People who would pay to satisfy their personal vendettas have no future.
　There is no way he can trust the future of his family to such a person.
　However, Yan'o's fears are merely unfounded.

It's true that Lupis' power allowed me and Rionne and the others to prove our innocence. But that also means that the power of Lupis could be used to frame us again, right? Walls once set us up. It is only natural that the person who set us up would resent us for setting him up, but he understands that we are in his way and he knows it. It's not a matter of when he'll join forces with Lupis and set up a plan for us.

　Hearing Liang Zhen's words, Yan Oo was also made aware of the possibilities.
　The king and guild master of the Roselia Kingdom. Indeed, if they teamed up, it would be troublesome.

''You mean to pick them before they sprout.

　Ryoma nodded silently.

''Understood I will dispatch a hand trainer from the clan.

''Thank goodness ... I was thinking of asking Gen-O and Sakuya to help, but it's a long way from home.

　It would take about a month and a half to get from Ipylos to Fluzard and back, and if he included the time to prepare for the assassination, he'd want two months.
　As long as the problem at hand was the top priority, there was no time for that.

''So the reward... how long will it take?''

No, I don't want your money.

"...are you serious? ... no ... no ... do you have any conditions?

　A guildmaster is a pretty big deal; he shouldn't have to pay 100,000 or 200,000 for it. He doesn't need to pay for it. It's only natural that there would be some other condition attached to it that isn't money.

''Yes........do me one favor.......''

Okay? Tell me.

　What kind of secret agreement had been made between Liang Zhen and Yan Ou on this day?
　It was something only the Heavenly Moon knew.