As I stepped out of the ring and headed for the doorway, Iris appeared as I passed her.
Iris chuckles and speaks to me.

'I see you made it in time.
Yeah, somehow, really, it was just in time. And thanks for calling Iris, too.
Mm. But good work. Thank you. I'm going to wipe your ass for you.

Thanks for that.
I can't look up properly because I honestly think I'm causing quite a ruckus.
Iris went straight to the ring and climbed into the ring with the help of Ayame.
She then borrowed an accessory from her vice-captain and shouted to the still giggling crowd.

'Well, gentlemen. Now, gentlemen, this is a good day. I know that everyone is surprised at this. I know everyone is surprised by this and wondering if it will affect their bets. But now that the call is late, the betting is over, and the leader wins as declared. The rest will be a miracle of sirely love.

Iris continued to speak as if she were speaking to him.

'A master's love for a master who rushed to defend his slave against a knight commander who was described as an 'evil demon ramshackle', so compelling and breathtakingly brilliant. Do you not think it was as beautiful as a scene from a bard's song?　I'm very happy with my strawberry, but what about you?

The crowd, which had been buzzing, seemed to gradually quiet down and listen to Iris' words.

'I know you have your thoughts. But for now, let's give a generous round of applause to our brave master and White, and to our proud Knight Commander for his victory.

Iris smiled and bowed to the king, and to my surprise, the king started clapping softly.
Then the vassals who saw the soles continued, and furthermore, the sound of applause grew louder and louder as if it was contagious, little by little.



After those words, a huge ovation arose.
To be honest, I was quite embarrassed, but I looked up, stretched my chest, hugged White and I left the ring.

''Uh ... that was embarrassing.''

It's an afterthought because I never had the opportunity to go up on such a big stage originally, nor did I plan to.
No matter how big it was, I was just going to step forward and speak at a company meeting.

''Mm-hmm. They say it's love.
Sigh. That's a lot of love for such a small thing.
Hmm, White's a lightweight.

He turns back around, holding White back in his arms.

'What's up?　You don't look so happy.
There's just so much that doesn't make sense.
Don't look so scared. I'll talk to you.

I'm afraid of Arnold's face as he stares at me while supporting Sarah.
Well, but I've already settled everything, so it's not like Arnold is going to kill me.

For now, shall we go to a place where we can't be seen or heard?

''Itsuki-san!
Oh, Hayato.
I'll hear what you did later. For now, thank you for your help!

He clasps his hands together with Hayato with a crack and gets labored over.
I'm still holding Shiro, so I look awkward just pointing my palm at him, but I guess I don't care right now.

''Yeah, thanks. Good luck with the game after this one, Hayato.
Yes!

He looked away from Hayato, who was sniffling and looking motivated.
Hayato went to the ring without even a glance at Arnold.


Well, of course. You are so absurd.
'Well...'

I can guess that there is some reason for this, but it doesn't change the fact that we, who had nothing to do with it, were involved in it.
After that, we walked in silence for a while, reaching the front of the anteroom, and were about to open the door.

''Master!''
Wendy?　And Aina and the others.

Wendy runs out and hugs me, and the three of them slowly approach me from behind.

'I already believed you, but you're being too reckless!　What were you going to do if you were cut down!
'Uh ... well ... I guess one arm would be nice ...'
'Don't be ridiculous!　I thought my heart was going to stop...

Oh, it's a big pussy.
But if it's only one arm, it's probably a small price to pay.
At worst, at worst, it could be cured with an elixir, and if White is dead, there's no way to cure him.

And the target changes to White.

White is white!　You are your master's slave!　How could you be so selfish!　Your life and your body belong to your master!
I'm sorry...
"It's not a matter of apologizing, it's not a matter of apologizing because I couldn't do anything about it and I'm not going to... ...But I'm really glad...

Me and White are flustered by Wendy, who suddenly starts to cry.
Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
I got it!　But you can't be that last minute!
You had me worried!

Calm down, Wendy....
That's right. We're all safe.
That's right. I'll give you a sermon later. But first, I'm going to ask the Lord to explain to you.
Yeah, you're all coming with me.

We all walked into the waiting room and sat down in a simple chair, with Arnold set up in front of us.
What shall we talk about first?
Let's just tell Arnold everything he wants to hear for now.

'Well, what would you like to hear first?'
Why is Sarah here?
Because I asked.

I went to Sarah's house and explained the situation.
Naturally, I was suspicious at first, but I used my guild card to get Iris to clear up the misunderstanding.

'Sarah must have been sick in bed.
That's already taken care of.

That's why we're here.

How did you...
What do you mean by... elixir?
Where did you get it?
I'm a drifter, so the goddess gave me a few bottles for my services.

Of course it's a lie.
But since no one knows the details of the drifter, there's no way to verify it.
And about the medicine you used on White.
That's also an elixir.

To be honest, this was the biggest problem.
When I met your wife, I was torn as to what to do.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's in the bag from Hayato in a hurry.
The magic bag Hayato gave me contained the missing igudrasil flowers and seeds, and the elixir I used to make the moonlight stone I used to process the moonlight grass to make the elixir I used on White. So that's why.

'But how did you get to Sarah and bring her back?
'I can't tell you that. No one would be stupid enough to sow the seeds of a backhandedness.

There's no way I'm going to tell you about the transfer.
There's no way I'm going to give you the lowdown on my final means of escape.
Well, someone in that hall might have noticed it, but.
Even if they noticed, it's not like they're going to try to kill you.
.........although there is a possibility that the Magician's Guild will target you.

...What is your purpose?
Of course I was trying to stop you. I'm just curious, though, you know? What did you and White fight to kill each other for?

It's the biggest mystery.
If you just want to fight, you're still a warrior, and I kind of get it.
But I have no idea why they would kill each other with their lives on the line.
Moreover, I don't see any of the madness I felt at the time now.
It's disgusting, but I can only see a husband supporting his wife who was sick.

'....for my wife.
What?　I don't get it.

How can that be?
I don't understand why you have to fight White to the death for your wife.

"My wife got a disease. A disease that you know can only be cured with elixirs.

When I was transitioning, Sarah, she was sitting up in bed and reading.
But she looked pale and I could tell right away that she was sick with something.

It's a disease that can only be contracted from the saliva of sludge rats," she said. "It's a disease that can only be contracted from the saliva of sludge rats," he said, "and it can be cured by taking medicine soon after its onset. But the slimy rat is the only hexenbiest that's ever been seen in the north.

Sarah smiled painfully and said, ''I heard it can only be cured with an elixir.......'' I was told that my husband is scrambling to get it right..................probably difficult.

'Wait a minute. Your wife was in the south.'
'Oh..... That's why I didn't get the drugs right away. Then.........I realized I was conspired against.
Plotted ... by whom? Do you realize that?
Of course I recognized him right away. Of course I recognized him right away, since he had interfered with every attempt I made to obtain the elixir.


That's just the royalty.........
What came to mind was that guy who was buying up all the elixirs at the auction.

''........Didn't he do anything?''
I can't. You're dealing with a duke. They're royalty. He's not an easy man to deal with. And he has changed the deputy commander into a young man who is able to breathe his life away. The future of the future and all that.
Is that why you were so desperate?
I am not desperate. I was only doing what I thought was best for my wife and my country.
Once again I don't know what you mean.

I'm getting impatient, wondering why that's the reason I wanted to fight White to the death.
But if you're going to complain anyway, I'm going to listen to the whole story.

'He gave me a condition to get the elixir for my wife. "When I step down as Master of the Order, he asks that I appoint the young man to lead the search for the elixir. You see, the reason is simple. He wanted the Order to be privatized and become a puppet. I wasn't reluctant to quit. I have a few years, but I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend the rest of my life with my wife, who had caused me so much trouble. But...

Arnold's face was filled with anger.
The expression on his face conveyed how strong his feelings were.

''I can't let him take charge of the Knights, a section of the country!　If we allow him to hold the real power of the Order, this country will surely be exhausted and decline. Only his glory will remain and this country will not prosper until he dies!

Arnold slams the desk with a ding and shouts out.


The deadline was approaching. "After this tournament, I must announce my resignation and hand over to his pawn, a young sub-leader, or my wife will die. But I couldn't destroy my kingdom in exchange for my wife, so I asked Lord White for a real fight. I want him to kill me and not nominate me.
You want me to kill him...?

No, wait a minute.
White was the one who was almost killed.

Is that why you're the last one to leave?
"....Mm. It was a fight to the death and I had to make him think so. If he had killed himself he would have killed his wife too....

Hmmm.....
No, if he was that dangerous, even if he died after a fight to the death, he would probably be killed out of spite.

Yes..................but he didn't seem to be cutting corners, did he?
''Well the expression on the Knight Commander's face was, well, it seemed like he was enjoying the battle...''
''Indeed, the thought of this being my last battle made my blood boil. And since he was the one who used the techniques of the black cat tribe that should have been destroyed, I couldn't help but.......

Not my problem!
Stupid!　That's what I call a battle freak!

I still wouldn't understand for my wife.
Because for the woman I loved as a man - I don't have any idea what it's like to be a man!
But I want you to think about us getting caught up in this kind of selfishness.

Even if it was in a fight to the death, he killed the country's knight commander.
If there are any results left over from that, we can't walk the plank.
Even if it's justified, it caused the foundation of the country to be shaken, so if it was not done well, they could have been made criminals on top of being accused of appropriate crimes.

As expected of Iris, she wouldn't help me until she shook her own position.......
Besides, if I don't help your wife and you die, how can I help her?

'Wait a minute. The question still remains unanswered. Your wife won't be saved if you're dead.
I've deposited a fortune in the care of an ex-sub-commander, who is the one who helped me buy the elixir. As soon as things quiet down, you'll be ready.
Can you trust this man?
He's the only one who knows all about it. "He is the only one who knows the whole story. I'm sure he's trustworthy and worthy of being the next leader of the Order. No problem...

Hmmm ... well.
There's no way I'd understand, but how can you trust someone with all your money?
But I can trust Hayato with my money too.
That former deputy commander is like a Hayato to me...?

But thanks to you, my wife is cured. From now on, she will be in the hands of someone I can trust. And I'll kill him myself and that's the least I can do to make amends.
Can you do it?　You were scared out of your mind.
I'm just behind the curve. If he tries anything again, I'll kill him, even if it means giving him a bad name.

Ah.........I see.
I feel like I'm ready to throw away my position now........
I'm in a bit of a bind.
I didn't think there was such a backboss, a mastermind behind the scenes.

''Hmm........What shall we do, ma'am?
Yes, what should I do...?
What's going on?
No, you promised me.　He said he'd give me half his fortune if I fought White.
'Come to think of it, well yeah, of course I'll give it to you.
''Yes. Well, of course I'm going to crown it, but for the other half of the money I sold the elixir to your wife...

At first, he and his wife went over here and convinced Arnold to come over here.
He was going to say to his wife that he would pay her the reward that Arnold would give him as it is.
After all, it is the woman he loves who stops a man from running amok. A simple but most effective method for men since ancient times.

It wasn't a situation where he could pretend to be, and if there was even a 1% chance of it happening, he thought he should do it.

But when I found out that I could make an elixir, and furthermore, that I could heal Shiro even if he was hurt while also healing his wife, a new flutter was born.
By receiving the other half of his fortune for the elixir, if he goes broke, he will be forced to work diligently, and we won't have time to overtake the present, will we? And.

With my own experience in the beginning!　And I thought about it like that, but yeah. It was shallow.
If the Commander of the Order kills the mastermind, Arnold is guilty of capital murder, and his wife would be left with nothing....
What should I do, since his wife has taken the trouble to do so, should I return half of it?

By the way, Arnold once bid for the elixir at several times the market price, but it seems that it ended up in the hands of the mastermind guys on the way, so the total amount of money is 400 million Nol. If it were half, it would be 200 million Nol.

''But if I don't kill you, you may be in harm's way.
'Uh.........'

I know, right?
The point is, I'm obstructing the Duke's business.
They know my face.
Aaaaah!　God!
This old man really does nothing but annoy me!

Haaaaah half the time. And if anything else happens to him, you make sure he doesn't get hurt. But just see what happens and do your job as Knight Commander for a while.
Is that what you want...?
"I don't like it.... To be honest, I don't even want to deal with the Duke. But you should give your wife a little more credit for saving your life. You don't want to die so soon, do you?
I'm sorry.
But I don't want you to put a nail in the coffin. If you try to mess with us, I may have to ask you to do it. And I don't know when that will be, but if you're going to apologize, you should at least be prepared to do so.
Yeah. I know. I'm sorry.....

It's a negative cycle........

You'd better not let your guard down.
Since there's the matter of his wife this time, I'll consult with Rainrich first, and then I'll make a large quantity of the elixir and give it to everyone.

Are you going to the next game?
'Yeah.... If you don't answer it, it'll be more unnatural.
I understand. Well, I'll support Hayato, though.

We haven't won the semifinals yet, but I think Hayato will go on to win.
I'd love to see him make up for last year and see this old man get hurt.
That's something I'd like to see.



　- Arnold Side -.

After they left the room, Ecko and Sarah remained in the waiting room.
Naturally, it's not because they have a game after this.
They didn't talk about anything in particular, they just clasped their hands tightly.
That was enough for me.

''Hey. Sarah.........
Yes.....
I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'll be in trouble again.
I have been prepared to do this since the day I became your wife.

I squeezed her hand gently, and she fought back.
When I think back, I didn't do anything husbandly for him.
I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not a good person.

I'm sorry. ...From now on, you can rely on Iris-sama.
Yes.

They were good guys.
I don't mean to be a bother, but he was a good-natured, good-natured man.
He's a sweet guy who can't be ruthless.
A man who seems to be a light man with no core, but a man who is willing to do anything for the sake of those he cares about.
And then there was the man who understood Hayato, the hero, and the man who called out Iris-sama.
I don't know how it happened, but Iris-sama, who would never let an unknown man of his own identity near her, gave his permission for him to come around.
That alone is enough to convince me that the man is worthy of my trust.
That's why I must atone for his crimes.

If I have to betray the king, I must avenge him.
I don't need to tell you who tried to take Iris' life when she chose the king.
But even so, the king has pretended not to see it all, while still doing whatever he wants as royalty and as a duke.

The current king is too much of a family man.
Ever since he parted ways with his brother, he has turned a blind eye to the behavior of his relatives, forgiving and admonishing them, as if by some kind of implication they should get along with him.
This was a fatal flaw in a good king who was kind to his people and governed well.
No matter how many times I have advised him, he has been dismissed as unworthy of belief in the wickedness of the duke's clever concealment of evidence.

...this will be my last act of service to my country.
I will bring prosperity to your future kingdom and take my body with me as my companion to cure your ills.

"My Lord Arnold!　The game is about to begin!　Get ready!

A soldier acting as a messenger approached me through the door.
The final battle.....
I thought that the battle just now was my last........

My last battle. Stand by and watch.
...I will burn your heroic, proud form into these eyes.

She is a good wife.
I didn't deserve such a good wife.





The winner of the final was, of course, Hayato.
As I began to watch the game with White in the bleachers, Iris, who was sitting on my lap, said to me, "It's tough on you, isn't it?

You've got a lot of work to do.
If you think so, help me out...
'Then you would be engaged to a straw man?　If you tell him you'll fall into the city when you marry him, he may not be able to touch you when the unholy blood is gone from your royal family.
He's a...
Yes, I don't know the truth. But an intelligent child will notice. This is a ridiculous thing to do. He's the only one.

Iris bites her lip hard.
Apparently, the Duke is a hateful opponent for Iris as well.

"Well, don't worry. I'll let you know if I need anything. Fortunately, the straw man's entourage is very good at gathering information.
Then I'm counting on you. You're paying me with ice cream, right?
You know what you're talking about.

Iris giggles.
You really have me to thank Iris for something this time, don't you?
I'll have more ice cream for the next time we meet.

The result of the final was Hayato's victory, after he made amends for last year's defeat.
For me, it was an epic battle, but the warriors who were watching Shiro's fight said that his fight was more intense.
I patted Shiro's head and gave him another pat on the head, thinking, "Even worse than that?
When I get home today, I'll make many of White's favorite things to celebrate Hayato's victory party as well.
I'm sure Chris will get into the spirit of cooking, too.

''This time, he must have been exhausted from the battle with Shiro-san. So next time, let's fight again when both of us are at our best.''
Can't you take care of your old man?
"...I want to be stronger. Stronger than you.
"Why do you need to be so strong? "There will be no one in the land who can rival you.
"I have to be strong to protect the people I care about. ...because there are more people I want to protect now than ever before.
Well...

"All the martial arts tournaments in King's Landing!　The winner is our hero, Lord Hayato!!!!''
''Oooooohhhh!

Thus, the Wangdue One Martial Arts Tournament came to an end, though not without incident.



Then, after the tournament ended, an unexpected problem occurred.

If you walked the streets, people began to make fun of it as 'forbidden love between master and servant' or 'love that transcends the age barrier'.
Thanks to Iris, it helped that she was able to look at the commotion favorably, but she had to expose herself to these curious eyes that made her back itch.
White is happy to see those curious eyes, and Wendy is envious....
But, well, I'll assume that it's good if I can see White's smile again and face tomorrow without missing it.

However, he had no idea at this time that it would continue not only in King's Landing, but also back in Ains Hale.
........Bard, I think you're working too fast.