A few hours must have passed since Douglas Hamilton left the room.
　Sitting comfortably on the sofa, enjoying the scent of Kirtantyre tea, Ryoma turned his attention to the clock on his desk.
　The ticking hands would signal thirteen o'clock in a few minutes.
　It was the time for the end of the truce, a truce called a pause in the inquisition, obtained after a tongue-in-cheek battle with the Marquis of Halcyon and the other upper echelons of the House of Lords in the morning.
(We're almost there........this farce is finally over.......)
　Just before the time for the hearing to resume, Ryoma sniffed his empty nose.
　He wasn't nervous in front of the tongue battle that was about to unfold again.
　It's not that I'm complaining about the fact that I've been holed up in this room for the past several hours since I sent Douglas home from this room, I understand that it's not that I'm complaining, I understand that it's necessary.
　But it is also true that I can't be in a very favorable frame of mind, even though I understand that waiting is part of the strategy.
　I'm not saying that it's a waste of time, but I'm sure that I feel that it's a waste of time.
　After all, the man named Mikoshiba Ryoma is too busy.
　The job of being a lord was not an easy role by nature.
　After all, military, diplomacy, and domestic politics were all determined by the lord's skills and decisions.
　Of course, there are also noblemen who impose heavy taxes and leave the practical work to their subordinates, leaving them to enjoy themselves to the fullest, but the fate of such people is not so long.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's interested in this.
You can find a lot of people who have a lot of money to spend on their own, but you can't get rid of them because of the fact that you have a reputation as a great warrior and that Lady Julia has a sharp hand.
　It's only an exception to the rule.
　In the first place, if you have a very ordinary sense of responsibility and attachment to your territory, it's normal that you wouldn't be able to make such a lax stewardship.
　And moreover, the territory that Liangzhen gained in this battle was not small.
　After all, he had lost most of the ten northern families that governed the northern part of the Roselia Kingdom.
　If you compare it to the entire area of the Woltenia peninsula, it would be numerically less than a quarter of the size, but by gaining the northern region, it borders the neighboring countries of the Zaruda and Mist kingdoms, and the land has its own citizens.
　It's not like the Woltenia Peninsula, which was called the uncivilized magical land, the part of the peninsula that we didn't have to be so aware of until now will not be the same as before.
　Ryoma's workload is quite large as he has all those kinds of jobs.
　The time margin created by such a situation.
　It's a good idea to have a cup of tea and enjoy a relaxing break, but those who are encouraged to do so can't help but want to get moving.
(Well, if you deal with it, you'll have more time, but if you think about the next battle, you want to take all the steps you can while you can......
　At that moment, the sound of the bell announcing thirteen o'clock comes from outside the window.
　That's the signal for the start of Ryoma's long-awaited battle.
''Well then, let's go........''
　After saying that, Liangzhen leisurely sat up from the couch.

　With the bailiff leading the way, Ryojin stepped into the hall where they had engaged in a tongue-in-cheek battle in the morning again.
　The faces of the people sitting in front of him are the same.
　The same was true of the fully armed knights standing by the wall.
　The only difference would be that there is a chair that wasn't there in the morning by the side of the information room's replacement.
(Perhaps that's what you're told to sit on...)
　The construction of the chair is not so much shoddy as shoddy.
　It's a common product made of wood, but it's a sturdy structure that looks as sturdy as Ryojin's physique.
　But if you ask me if it's appropriate for a nobleman, it's a delicate question.
(The thing itself doesn't seem to be bad, but...)
　The grain of the wood is bare and there is no ornamental decoration.
　This is an article that makes you want to ask where it was stored in the House of Lords.
　A nobleman with a strong desire to show off would probably complain that he couldn't sit on such a chair.
(Well, I won't tell them.)
　It's a wooden chair with no cushions, so it will never be comfortable to sit in, but it's still definitely the first step to improving the situation.
　However, that doesn't mean it would be too rude to sit on this chair without the permission of the Marquis of Halcyon, who is in charge of this place.
　No, in this case, it might be seen as a trap.
(I know I'm being too cautious, but things are different than in the morning.......)
　It's just a matter of sitting in a chair or not sitting in a chair.
　Normally, sitting quietly in a chair is not a big problem.
　After all, although there is a difference in rank, we are all members of the same aristocratic class.
　At best, it would be a matter of being frowned upon somewhat as an upstart who doesn't know how to be polite.
　But it's different now.
　It's a good idea to give the enemy an excuse in this situation, which could literally lead to Ryojin's life.
　Ryoma stood in the same position as he did in the morning and bowed to the nobles sitting in front of him, who were acting as inquisitors.
''I am grateful to be able to take a moment to rest. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you.''
　At such a situation of Ryojin, a tongue lashing spilled out from the Marquis of Halcyon's mouth.
　Perhaps he feared that it was going to be a roasting of the same thing as in the morning.
　However, the only people who heard the sound were the Marquis Halcyon himself and the senior officials of the House of Lords sitting on either side of him, Count Eisenbach and Count Hamilton.
　The Marquis Halcyon himself must have been quiet because he never wanted the people around him to hear him.
　You could say that his irritation was unintentionally expressed.
　Nevertheless, it was certainly loud enough to reach the ears of Ryoma, who has a sharp hearing to begin with.

　There was no deep meaning to it, but if the other party is that wary, it's not really a good idea to move poorly.
　I'm not going to be able to say that it's a good idea, because if an unforeseen situation arises from a trivial misunderstanding, I won't be able to look at it.
　Ryoma slowly raises his head from its lowered position.
　The first thing he saw was the Marquis of Halcyon's face that looked like he had bitten down on a bitter worm.
　Count Hamilton's face, sitting beside him, is filled with anger and murderous intent towards Ryouma.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　It's because they also know how to hide their hearts.
　It seems that they are very unhappy with the fact that they demanded that the judgment of Douglas Hamilton's custody and treatment be left in the hands of Ryoma, as a proof to clear their suspicions about the House of Lords and to guarantee fairness.
　Indeed, for a nobleman, it is unlikely that anyone would obey honestly when asked to hand over his or her relatives.
　Even if they were involved in some kind of crime, it is the pride of the aristocracy not to let them get their hands on it by saying that they, the head of the family, will take care of it.
　From that point of view, it can be said that it is quite an unusual thing that Earl Hamilton obeyed Ryoma's request and handed over Douglas, who is a relative, to him.
(Anyway, he gave it to me because he calculated that there was no way I was going to deal with Douglas in this House of Lords, right? Well, since the hearing itself could have been a disaster if you hadn't been able to protest to me, I wouldn't have any other choice.
　In Ryouma's estimation, the House of Lords should have thought that this hearing would put an end to all of this.
　Originally, I have been planning on assuming that possibility to be the highest possibility, but now that I have seen the series of movements in the morning, it would be closer to a conviction than an expectation.
　Of course, in this case, Keri does not refer to a settlement or the conclusion of negotiations, but rather the literal end.
　In other words, the lawful execution of Mikoshiba Ryoma would be their ultimate goal.
　This means that from the beginning, they have no intention of letting Ryoma return home alive.
　If you think about it that way, it makes sense that they would break the conventions of the aristocracy and place Ryouma under near house arrest, or that they would come out poorly as soon as they were questioned about their mistakes.
　The Marquis Halcyon's words that this was not a harassment initiated by the upper echelons of the House of Lords must also be true.
　But I don't think it was as irrelevant as they claimed.
(Well, since they were eventually going to execute him, I guess they just tacitly agreed to it as a way to vent their minions before they did.)
　That proves that they have already made the calculation to adjust the final balance on the books.
　But even if they are able to do that much calculation, the human heart is not ready.
　You can't hold back your anger and hatred for Ryoma, even though the result will be obtained in a few hours.
　It's just a momentary event.　
　Compared to that, Count Eisenbach seems to be sufficiently calm and collected, which is quite remarkable.
　However, Ryoma felt the hatred swirling inside Count Eisenbach's heart.
It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it. It looks like I'm hoarding a lot of energy too.
　Nevertheless, there was a gentle smile on his face, perhaps because of his own qualities, or perhaps because he was less contradictory than the two men in the morning's tongue battle.
　But either way, there is no way that the hearing led by them is fair.　
Now that Mikoshiba-dono's concerns have been allayed, let's begin our inquiry into this matter once again.
　As he said this, the Marquis de Halcyon tapped a wooden sounding block with a gavel in his hand.
　This gavel is not used in Japanese courts, but it is always used in Western courts.
　An eerie sound like the sound of a deer whistling fills the hall.
　People's consciousness changes as if they were led by the sound.
　Of course, this is in preparation for the inquisition that is about to begin.
(I see........it's certainly a perfect tool for attracting people's consciousness.)
　It's not clear if the things that flowed from the earth took root or if the same idea was born independently in the earth world, but the only thing that seems to be certain is that he's not banging the mallet with a date or drunkenness.
　As Ryouma was thinking about this, the Marquis of Halcyon slowly opened his mouth.