Inside the box was a ring and a hairpiece.
　Both looked familiar to Douglas.
　No, they were more than familiar.
　The ring was a gift Douglas had given to his wife when they were married as a token of his love, and the hairpiece was an item he had bought her as a birthday gift for her daughter.　
(My wife never takes the ring off, and my daughter loves her hairpiece... no way!)
　Douglas's face contorts as the worst possible scene comes to mind.
　But if you look closely, both the ring and the hairpiece are the beautiful figures Douglas remembers.
　At least neither of them have any blood on them.
　I'm not sure if I've been forced to take them away from you.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
　It's a good thing that you're not too stupid to know that the item is in the box that you received from Baron Mikoshiba.
　How silent he was.
　Douglas slowly opened his mouth.
"So this is your way of doing things....
　Douglas's hands trembled in small increments.
　Anger and hatred for the man who sits so comfortably in front of him must be welling up in Douglas' mind.
　How much better would it feel to have his fists clenched in a fit of emotion as he slammed into the man.
　It was a natural emotion for a man whose family had been taken hostage.
　However, there was no pity in the gaze of those around him that was directed at Douglas.
　Rather than sympathy, what is directed at Douglas is hostility and contempt.
　To those who serve Liang Jing, Douglas is nothing more than a sinner who taunted his own master.
But ... my wife and daughter had nothing to do with the crime ... did they?
　With his face down, Douglas raises a voice that seems to be squeezed out of the depths of his body.
　The hands holding Douglas's knees were trembling in small increments as if he was trying to control his passion.
　Indeed, it is a figure that invites pity.
　But the man Mikoshiba Ryoma is not so naive as to be bonded to such a trifecta of humanity.
It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of your time with the help of a good friend.　Don't change your logic, even if your position of strength and weakness changes. Even if it's not good logic for you... hey, Mr. Douglas Hamilton.
　At Ryouma's question, Douglas choked on his words.
''Well, that's...''
　In fact, the sins of the parents spill over to their children, which is a common story in aristocratic society.
　Douglas himself, as a bailiff belonging to the House of Lords, was once entrusted with the duty of watching over a number of people as they were brought to the execution table.
　Most of them were old men and young men.
　But there were also children.
　Some of them were infants, children whose diapers may or may not have been removed.
　Of course, it wasn't fun, and it was certainly a role I wouldn't have wanted to play if I could.
　The sight of a mother begging for her child's life, especially when she is begging for her child's life, is both pity-inducing and heartbreaking to watch.
　In fact, it was common for colleagues to impose their roles on each other as witnesses at the execution table, which included such children.
　Even Douglas could not remain unconnected with human emotions.
　However, the fact that Douglas was complicit in the act of demanding that his children pay for the sins committed by their parents is undeniable.
(This man....)　
　Douglas could understand with disgust what the man smiling lazily in front of him was trying to say.
　He would make the sinner's relatives pay for their sins.
　This is a much improved concept and system in today's society, where the rights of the individual are more important than the parent-child relationship.
　Essentially, a debt is something that should be repaid by the person who borrowed the money.
　However, since ancient times, it has been common sense that children should pay their parents' debts and their parents should pay this debt.
　The story of being forced to work in a brothel as a form of debt, which is often seen in historical dramas, is not a fantasy or a story from a story.
　And this idea is not just about debt.
　The same logic applies, for example, to debt and revenge.
　It's not so uncommon for people to say that they will repay the debt they have received to the children of the person who helped them.
　This is especially true for people who know the battlefield.
　On the other hand, the same can be said of revenge.
　It is a common story that the enemy has died, and you can bare the fangs of revenge on the child.
　Well, in reality, unlike in stories, we rarely sail to life and death.
　However, it is certain that the sweet temptation of revenge can shake a person's heart at the drop of a hat.
　Especially if there is a difference between your position and theirs........
　There was a time before the modern era when children were sentenced to death or exile for the crime of their parents, and parents were sentenced to death or exile for the crime of their children.　　
　And it has been handed down in modern society, although only in part.
　For example, the public office election law still has a coalition system in place.
　Even if a candidate is not directly involved in the election, if his or her secretary or a blood relative commits an election crime, such as bribery, the candidate can be disqualified from being elected, or can be barred from running for a certain period of time.
　Of course, this is a truly unreasonable idea in today's society.
　However, from the perspective of deterring crime, the system does have a certain effect.
　Especially for people who value their family and friends more than themselves.
　And Douglas was the kind of person who cared about his wife and children.
'Well, that's why I'm asking for your help, isn't it?　Nah, the person we sent here will tell you when to open the gate, so you won't have any hesitation....
　At Ryoma's words, Douglas nodded emphatically.
　There is no way you can say a word of refusal.

The best way to do this is to have a good time with your friends.
　Ryoma murmurs quietly as he watches Douglas leave the room with his shoulders slumped and a heavy hearted gait.
　At those words, Laura, who was standing behind her, reacts quickly.
''Yes, if it looks like that, I don't think you'll betray me, but.......''
　Saara then opened her mouth.
'I think so too, but the man betrayed us once. Besides, I think we should not neglect our surveillance in terms of preparing for the unexpected.
　Even if Douglas himself has no intentions to do so, his behavior might make some of his colleagues suspicious.
　In that sense, it would be a big risk to leave Douglas alone as he is.
''Well, I suppose so.......let's get someone from among the infiltrating Igazakis.
　Hearing those words, one of the knights wearing the armor provided by the House of Lords that was standing in line by the wall gave a small nod and followed Douglas out of the room.
　As he looked at the figure, Ryoma was alone in his mind, thinking about the task ahead.
........)
　In this earth world, there are people who have mastered something technically similar, even if they have not systematized it as a ninja technique as a school.
　There are some assassins, including spies and informants, who possess infiltration skills similar to the skill of a ninja, and the skills that adventurers wear to walk through the forest would be applicable.
　In fact, there are many skilled adventurers who are hired by the country and its nobles as secret agents to find employment after they retire.
　It's not easy to entrust the role of spying, which includes dirty work, to the knights and squires of generations.
　It's easier to use them for the dirty work because they know the world better than adventurous spies who don't have a sense of nobility or mission and are driven by money.
　There are countries in the western continent that take in orphans and train them as secret agents, but this is all dependent on having a reliable secret agent on hand.
　The information they handle can be used to destabilize a nation.
　The skill is important, but the reliability of the information is even more important.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of good reasons to be a part of this.
　When that happens, the biggest problem will be the concept of counter-intelligence.
Information security.........
　It was not until after the rise of the IT industry that the term was used, so it is a relatively new one.
　In essence, however, the term is just a rehash of something that has been done for a long time.
　That's because there have always been two concepts behind war: intelligence and counter-intelligence.
(Not that there's anything wrong with the enemy side being a monkey...)
　The skill of the Igazakis, who infiltrated the scene, is certainly a great feat, but on the other hand, the counter-intelligence system on the side of the House of Lords is noticeably inadequate.
　Well, if you cover your head with a full-face type helmet, it's honestly impossible to tell who is who.
　No, even if you could see their faces, the number of people who belong to the House of Lords is close to a thousand.
　If you include even the small menial jobs, the number would swell further.
　It would be quite difficult to identify each and every one of them.
　In that sense, it is very difficult to completely prevent a malicious third party from infiltrating.
　Of course, it's a good thing for the people who are doing the work.
　But for those who prevent it, it's a nightmare.
(We are taking steps to prevent it, but...)
　It was easy when the only territory was the Woltenia Peninsula.
　After all, apart from the mercenaries, including the Igazakishu and the Red Lion, the only existence that could be considered residents were the slave children who were bought from all over.
　But after crushing the Countess of Salzberg and spreading their influence throughout the northern part of the country, it will be difficult to completely eliminate the secret agents.　　
　Although there are many countermeasures for that, the fact that the Igazakis showed that the infiltration of the House of Lords inside this royal castle was ripe for infiltration with ease made Ryoma happy, but at the same time, it also raised a big problem for him.
''When we get back to Seirios, shall we talk with Gen Ou and the others about the future once we return to Seirios...?''
　With a small muttering, Ryoma sat up from the couch.
　Then he remembered one thing and asked, like to Laura and the others.
''Speaking of which, I forgot to ask, what is Delfina's view on that girl's illness?''
　Laura opened her mouth slowly at the question.