Western Continent, August 8, 2812 [to the Peninsula], vol. 5:



Well that was a very generous welcome, wasn't it?

　Gen O, who welcomed him to the doorway of the inn, received Ryojin's cloak and reverently folded it up and held it in his hand.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. It seems that there is something very dark about it.

　Gen Ou lightly dismisses Ryojin's words.
　The tone of his voice is the same as usual. What does that mean........
　Ryouma could tell right away.

...so you're getting something out of it, too?

Yes but more on that later. Everyone is waiting in the Lord's room.

　Ryouma cowered his shoulders at Gen O's words.



　I came back from the Count's mansion and didn't even have time to breathe in my room.

　If he didn't look into the Count's backstory, his own life might be at stake. Such thoughts passed through Ryoma's mind.

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Well, now that the boy is back, let's get on with it and start with Atai's report.

　When Ryoma sat down on the chair, Rionne distributed the bundled parchment to everyone as if she had been waiting for it.

''Miss........?　This guy,

It's a list of all the mercenaries Atai has interviewed in the last few days!

　Rionne replied to Bortz, who voiced his doubts, with a heartbeat.

''Is this all........''

　It's no wonder that Bolz was surprised; on a piece of A4 paper about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, the names and ranks of the mercenaries are listed in great detail, as well as their impressions of Rionne when she interviewed them.
　The parchment has two entries on the front, and apparently on the reverse side as well. There are more than ten of them.
　In fact, nearly fifty mercenaries' histories are written on them.
　It seems that she recruited the mercenaries under the guise of being a member of the mercenary group [Red Lion].

........And you've also written a detailed impression of Rionne-san.......How could you do all this in a few days....

　Ryoma's eyes were drawn to Rionne's comments, which were scrawled all over the parchment.
　The way she spoke and the way she looked at you, starting with a simple first impression. The way he spoke, the way he distributed his eyes, the way he acted, and the way he acted.

And also someone who doesn't cooperate is no good, either........we interviewed about 50 people, and only 10 or so were hirable.......the ones circled in red are the ones we're thinking about hiring.

　I see, there is a mercenary whose name is circled in red, just as Rionne said.

''?　...I know you circled your name in red but who is this guy in red with a horizontal line?

　Ryoushin looked through the parchment and saw that besides the ones with nothing written on them as it was, and the ones with their names surrounded in red, there were about three others with horizontal lines across their names.
　If those circled in red are the mercenaries we are hiring and not hiring, then what does the crossed out mercenary mean?

Well the problem is that they're...

　Lyonne slurred her words.

'Yes?　What's the matter with you?

'Johan the Black Wolf Celes the Red Clay and Lioui the Distant Arrow................. You're always a top-notch guy, Yasu.

　Interrupting Ryouma's question, Bortz read the names on the parchment, checking each and every one of them.

''Are you famous?''

Yeah the only mercenary who doesn't know the two names of these guys is a runaway who signed up yesterday, you know.

They're very skilled people, aren't they...?

Yes. But these guys are lone wolf mercenaries who, when they go into battle, ignore their surroundings and charge into the front lines alone...

　Bolz answered Laura's question with a frown on her face.

I see..... I understand why Lione-san is concerned about it.

Certainly ... it's all too baffling.

　Ryouma and Gen O nodded to each other.

''Ah ... all three of them are top-notch in their skills. If it were a one-man battle, even Atai would be quite dangerous... only they're all convinced that they're the best at what they do... they're not the kind of people who would even think of joining a mercenary group. .... and all three of them are the type of people who stick to their money and won't hesitate to do a dirty job, as long as they get paid. I can honestly tell you that Atai has something up his sleeve.

I'm going to get to know you better, you know.

　Rionne nodded silently at Ryoma's words.

''Hmm........If they're pulling the strings behind the scenes, it's either Lupis or Count Salzberg.......''

No. Honestly, those two are the most likely candidates, but is it possible that he could have been hired by another country?

　Gen Ou indicates another possibility.
　Indeed, considering that the Woltenia peninsula existed near the border, it was quite conceivable that other countries planning to invade the Roselia Kingdom would release spies 《spies》.

''Other countries, huh.......in that case, it would be impossible to narrow it down based on the information we have now.......''

　All we know at this stage is that the three men we interviewed are suspicious.
　It's also possible that they're trying to join the mercenary group on a whim, in an extreme case.

I've decided to give you an answer at a later date, but should I still say no?

　Rionne's words are the least dangerous opinion. She herself is probably unsure of the decision.
　However, Gen O shook his head at her words.

''Ya, that can't be considered a good idea... if someone has an agenda, if you refuse here, another person will only be sent to you. I hope that Rione-dono will be aware of this next time as well, but there is a possibility that he may not be able to do so. I think it would be better to keep an ignorant face here and recruit three people to monitor your actions.

'Well that's the best way to go about it, but when it comes to surveillance, who's going to do it?　You can't tell everyone at the Red Lion, okay? I've got another job I want to ask you to do for Gen-O and Sakuya.

　Ryoma said and crossed his arms and snorted.
(Do you want to tell all the Red Lion's why and keep an eye on them?　
　The problem is clear. We don't have enough hands. In addition to the small number of people, there's a lot of work to be done.
　It's a big headache for me, too.

Then why don't you call in some people from my family?

The Stern King?

'Yes. Now, what the Lord needs are pawns that he can trust. I'm sure my family will be able to meet your expectations.　

Are you sure the reward is the same as last time?

No, thank you, sir.

　In response to Liang Zhen's question, Gen Ou bowed his head reverently.

''Alright Mr. Rionne. Put some of Yan Ou's clan members into the mercenary corps. I will have them keep an eye on the inside. Is that alright?

Aye!　I'll cover my background well on Atai's side.

　Rionne nodded widely.

Well, for now, let's stop hiring mercenaries. Let me know if there are any more problems in the future and I'll let you know. How much information do we have on the Peninsula?

　Ryoma asked Bortz.

''Yes, Yasu.......As per young man's orders, I looked over the information that was stored in the guild. However, when it comes to the peninsula's terrain and current situation, there isn't much difference between what we looked at beforehand and what we found. It's a den of monsters and sub-humans, isn't it?

Cesspool...

　Ryoma sighs deeply.

He sighed deeply. I still don't have any information about the rivers and lakes, but I did have detailed information about the monsters that live there, so you can see for yourself that they are all quite high-ranking monsters, so it's impossible for ordinary people to live there... ...to be fed to the monsters.

　After saying that, Bolz also unfolds the parchment he had prepared.

''What's this.......at least an E grade......they're almost all classified as D or higher!

　As soon as Rionne saw the name of the monster 《Monster》 written on the parchment, she screamed.
　It was only natural. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this.

　The Monsters 《Monsters》 were divided into ten levels according to their guilds, beginning with the highest level, S-ranked, followed by A⇒B⇒C⇒D⇒E⇒F⇒G⇒H⇒I. And this was linked to the guild rank, which indicated the strength of the mercenaries.
　An individual's competence didn't necessarily match the guild rank, but it was a rough indicator. Judging by this, the monsters inhabiting the Woltenia Peninsula are E or higher. This is the highest rank for a monster that isn't harming humans.
　The only monsters that could be classified as C or higher were those that had caused human casualties, such as attacking villages and towns, or feeding on travelers by setting up nests in strategic locations. It is only when such damage occurs that they are classified as C-ranked. That means that the highest rank they can be classified as a species is D.

''At least E means that if you can't use the legal arts, there's nothing you can do...''

It's no wonder that kings have neglected this place for so long. Even if you bring the people with you, it will cost too much to maintain the town, and only a knight or a mercenary who can use the legal system can defend it, and there is no immediate prospect of profit. If I could...

　As mercenaries in the past, Rionne and Bortz were experienced in real battles with the Monsters.
　That's why they were able to understand the difficulties of the peninsula more accurately than anyone else in the room.


　There is a thick wall between humans and monsters, which is called the wall of physical ability. Muscle strength, reflexes and endurance. The human being is significantly inferior to the creatures we call monsters.
　As a life form, humans are vastly inferior to the life forms that we call monsters.
　The mercenaries and adventurers mastered their skills through training to make up the difference, but the difference in physical specs was impossible to make up. At some point, they are bound to run into an insurmountable wall.
　However, humans have overcome that barrier by creating a single technology. That technology is a combat technique called Hōjutsu. It is a technology created by humans, who are weak, to fight against the monsters, who boast of their strong life force.
　However, in the current world of the Earth, it has become a means for people to fight with each other. Whether or not you can use this technology is a clear distinction between people and their status. It's impossible for the king, the ruler, to encourage his people to learn legal arts, even if it's for the purpose of developing his territory.
　As a result, the Woltenia Peninsula has been abandoned.

"Dharma....hey...　

　Ryoma already has the knowledge, too. He has received basic education from the Malfist sisters in order to return to Earth. But he hasn't mastered it itself.
　It will take about four months at the earliest to master the legal arts.
　During the civil war in Roselia's kingdom, there was no time to devote to learning, and before that, there was no time to learn the common sense of this world or find a way to return to Earth.

(Selecting only those who can use the legal arts?　No, that's not going to happen at all. It costs too much money in the first place. Mercenaries and knights, people who can use legal arts, are valued and should be well paid.......then we have no choice but to have ordinary people learn legal arts.......or..... ...or vice versa, we can use this to our advantage. A country where every citizen can use magic as a weapon overwhelmingly overwhelmed by the power of the law the problem is that we don't have anyone to teach it to them. Now it's just a question of who you tell... and whether it's a bad idea to recruit the townspeople or not... which lord is it? (Because you'd be mad if they took your people...)
　Ryoma quickly did some calculations in his head, but he couldn't come up with a good idea.
　It's not a problem that can be solved with a simple idea.

'Well, we'll talk about that later. 　

Yes, sir!

　When Ryoma concluded by saying that, Boltz nodded widely.

(Totally........one problem after another comes up.......)
　No wonder Ryouma was saddened.
　After all, only two of them had yet to finish their reports.
　The Malfist sisters and Gen-Oh's report was still to come.

　Ryoma let out a deep sigh and switched his sinking feeling. There is no choice but to not listen to their reports here. No matter how harsh it is, the reality is the same.