In the end, the July Party's plan failed.
　Apparently, the July Party's plan was to kill the emperor, the royal family, the leading conservative aristocrats and military personnel who gathered for the inauguration of the new prime minister, and all the ministers, including the new prime minister, Strath.
　And the leaders of the July Party were supposed to rule the country instead.

　But they failed.

　Due to the superhuman efforts of the new Prime Minister Strath, who had the Treasure Sword Elea in his hands, the Emperor and his ministers were also protected unharmed.
　It could be said that the inauguration ceremony is not a good omen for such a situation, but he was not responsible for the security of the imperial palace before his inauguration.
　Rather, there was no doubt that Strath's admiration for him as a meritorious protector of the emperors would increase.

　On the other hand, the fire was also put out thanks to the success of Saint Sophia and the others.
　That's why Sofia had disappeared right after the attack, and judging it to be a terrorist attack, she had deployed a magic circle for anti-magical attack defense at key locations in the hall.
　That was Sophia's explanation.

　I said to Sophia while trying to smile as naturally as possible.

'That's Saint Sophia. You made the right decision, and that saved us and everyone else.

Isn't there something else you should be saying?

　Sophia puffed and turned sideways, her cheeks puffed out.
　Then she lightly touched her beautiful, long, golden hair with her right hand.

　It was a habit Sofia had when she was angry.

　Speaking of Saint Sophia, she was a hero who had successfully conquered many difficult ruins as the leader of the Order of Saint Sophia.
　As a sorceress, she had also succeeded in graduating from a magic school at the top of her class and skipping a grade. It is said that he is one of the five most talented sorcerers in the Imperial Church.

　In addition to her outstanding talent, Saint Sophia was also famous for her pretty appearance.
　She had long, beautiful golden hair and large jade-green eyes that shone with a mysterious brightness. And a pure white monastic dress.
　The strikingly beautiful girl Sophia, along with the wise Arute, always occupied the top two spots in the magic school's beautiful girls, and even after she became an adventurer, her beauty was the talk of the town everywhere.

　That Sophia is right in front of me.
　That's because Saphira is my former companion.

　The battle is over, and the enemy has been apprehended.
　We rush around to help the wounded, which finally calms down, and I finally have time to talk to Sophia.
　I was awkwardly facing Sophia.
　Behind her, Filia and Lucy-sensei were watching us with a sense of curiosity.
　I cleared my throat.

'Erm, Sophia?　Are you angry?

Yeah. I'm angry.

I think there's been a misunderstanding.

It's not a mistake that you left me all alone. I had to work very hard to find you.

　Saphira looked at me with tears in her eyes as she said that, and it looked like she was going to start crying soon.

　Now Sophia is a saint with overwhelming strength, strong enough to save the Empire from crisis.
　But the Sophia in front of me looked no different than she did when she was in magic school. The sickly, quiet, fragile girl is the Sophia I know.

　The unreliable Saphira always said, "I'm useless without you, Solon," and relied on me for help.

　But now Sophia is a better adventurer than I am, and she can make the right decisions on her own.
　Besides, Sophia has a fiancée, the Holy Knight Creon.

　There was no reason for Sophia to look at me with a tearful face.

　Anyway, something is wrong.
　Sofia should have agreed with Holy Knight Creon and the executives and kicked me out of the Order.
　Sofia agreed with my banishment because she was worried that I would not be able to keep up with the level of the Knights now and die.
　That's what Creon had said.
　And yet, it's strange for Sophia to blame me for my disappearance.

　Besides, Sophia heard that I was tutoring Princess Filia, and she used her position as a Knight Commander to attend this inauguration ceremony.
　In other words, she went so far as to come to find me.
　This isn't an attitude towards the person I banished.

　I said to Sofia to try.

"Sophia's not alone, you know. She's got Creon.

What's wrong with Mr. Creon?

Because Creon is Sofia's lover and fiancé, right?

　At my words, Sophia's jade-colored eyes widened.
　Then Sophia said in a dark voice.

''Yeah, Solon-kun. Who told you that story?''

It's from Cleon himself.

Well, I mean, really... did Creon-kun say that?

　I remember.
　Creon said he was engaged to Sophia.
　And both inside the Order and in town, there were rumors that Creon and Sophia were dating.

　All in all, it's natural to think that Creon and Sofia had become lovers without my knowledge, and then got engaged.
　When I said that, Sophia shook her head.

I'm not going out with Creon-kun.

'So, when you said that Creon was engaged to Sophia...'

I'm not lying. But it was my fathers' own decision that I got engaged to Creon. They said that he is a holy knight of a noble family and that he will take Creon as his son-in-law.

　When it comes to political marriages between nobles, it's not as common as it used to be, but it still happens sometimes.
　Creon's father and Sophia's father were both powerful aristocrats in the Empire, and the benefits of joining hands seemed to be great.
　I was stunned.

'But either way, you should have just told me that you were engaged. Why did you hide it from me?''

Because I didn't want you to know about it, Solon-kun.

　Sophia blushed a little.
　Then she glanced up at me.

'Didn't you think anything of it when you heard that Creon-kun and I were engaged to be married, Solon?　Were you disappointed or not?

Well, that's definitely a disappointment.

　Then Sophia said, "Really? I mumbled and looked pleased.

　At any rate, neither Sophia nor Creon had told me about the engagement.
　And I felt like an outcast, because I mistakenly assumed they had been lovers for a long time.
　So I should probably congratulate them both if it was true, but I was also a little disappointed.
　They don't need me anymore, I thought.

　Sophia breathed a sigh of relief.

'I'm glad. It's not that Solon-kun doesn't need me anymore.'

It's Sophia who doesn't need me anymore, right?

No, that's not true. I can't do it without you, Solon.

'But I heard you voted to ban me from the Order.

'It's true that Solon-kun said he wouldn't oppose you quitting the Order. But you know, you're not the only one who's going to quit the Order.

　Sophia smiled softly.

''Because I was going to quit the Order with Solon-kun.