It was a slightly foggy morning that day, perhaps due to the water spirits.
　Three days after entering Estor, I reached the capital a little earlier, probably thanks to flying through the air and gaining a little speed.

　People lined up at the checkpoints and queued up at the city walls.
　As he mingled in the line, Nacht was thinking.

　How shall I mislead them, he wondered.
　Nacht and Aisha are smugglers from the kingdom and have nothing to prove their identity. Even if there was proof of identity as a royal citizen, it would be useless now during wartime.
　Such, Nacht's worries were unfounded.

''It's good to pass.

What--?
　I feel like I haven't sounded distracted in a long time.
　Nacht just claimed to be a traveler, and the gatekeeper took the tax and let Nacht through.

''No, Ojou-chan, you're some nobleman, right?　Is the purpose of the city's mystery - well, there are a lot of people who come to the city of the gods under false identities these days - well, if your wishes are strong, Ojou-chan, they might come true. --
　It seems that the gatekeeper misunderstood what was going on and had no intention of stopping them from the beginning.
　When he said that in a cheerful voice, he cleared the way.
　In the meantime, the 'Mithril Certificate' that Nigrud gave me, which guaranteed that I was an important person to the Adventurer's Guild, was wasted.

''It's good to see that you were let through so easily.''
　Aisha smiled happily.
　Since there were so many people, her hand was held by Nacht.
　Nacht stepped into the capital of Estor in a good mood.

　In front of a wide open gate. That's when he stepped out on the border between the capital and the perimeter--
　I felt a sense of discomfort.
　Something that was clearly separate from the outside world. It was as if he felt as if he had been unceremoniously peered into the depths of his mind.
　It was as if an airy, ungraspable hand touched Nacht's back.

''H--!
　Nacht couldn't help but hug Aisha close.

'Huh?'
　Holding a bewildered Aisha to his chest, his golden eyes peered everywhere.
　You will not miss even a single ant, from the shadows of people lining the perimeter, the inside of a merchant's carriage, the guards standing in the distance, and the top of the outer wall to the outside of it. In addition, I can sense its soul.
　It is impossible for anyone or anything to deceive and hide from Nacht's eyes, although he or she does not know where it is, but it is impossible for him or her to hide. Nacht tried to use all of his senses and skills to expose the enemy's existence.

　But - nothing will be found.
　At least, nothing existed that wanted to harm Nacht and Aisha.

''What........was that.......surveillance?　Peeping Tom?
　Assuming there were no enemies, that was the only possibility.
　But Nacht shook his head.
　It's safe to say that there is no one who can monitor Nacht in the current situation. If it's magic such as peep-eyes (pip-eye), it will play with resistance, and if it's from an item, it will be played by an ancient class (Ancient class (Ancient) equipment, body-less earrings) earring that has no substance.
　The only possibility is if there is a player with clairvoyance, in which case Nacht would be unaware that he is being watched. It's a case I wouldn't want to think about if possible.

''If that's the case, then what the hell was that--''
　But Nacht's thoughts stopped there.
　This was because Aisha began to itch and flail in her chest.
　His gaze involuntarily looked down.
　Beyond that, Aisha's face was on fire as if after a bath, and even her arms and legs were dyed bright red.

''.........Nacht-sama......everyone......is watching........'' ...
　Nacht was holding Aisha in his arms in a place where people were coming and going.
　People stopped and looked at Nacht and the others as if they were devouring them. It's no wonder that the most beautiful girl in the world is embracing each other so fiercely.
　Some of them were making light remarks and whistling. Nacht was used to being the center of attention, but Aisha seemed unbearably embarrassed.

''Well, you know, these kinds of things can be done in a more secluded place...''
　The cheers became even more intense. Aisha's weak voice always twitched Nacht's heartstrings. But maybe it wasn't just Nacht's, it was a feeling shared by all.
　To be continued, to be continued, Nacht moved his face closer to Aisha's in order to respond a little to the rising voice.
　Aisha.
Yeah, yeah...
　He was puzzled and wanted to tease her a bit.
　It wasn't bad to look at Aisha's face as the trees changed color like the leaves were turning red, but Nacht had no intention of being a color blur.

''Didn't you feel anything different?''
　Nacht put his mouth close to Aisha's slightly pointed ear and whispered to her.

'Discomfort........?　No, nothing...
　Aisha also says to Nacht in a small voice.
　In addition, I hear a voice say, "It's close, it's close," but I ignore that one and hug Aisha.
　She can't say for sure that the danger is gone yet.
　But at least she doesn't feel anything, and only Nacht feels uncomfortable.

'Is it my imagination, or is it...'
　Nacht was lost in thought, but Aisha was pulling and shaking her body.
　And the strength holed up in his arms became a little stronger.

''I'm already--I'm at my limit!
　After saying that, Aisha slipped out to shake off Nacht's hand and moved away.
　Along with the disappointment of the onlookers, Nacht also made a disappointed face.

''Nahat-sama, why are you even in sync with me!

That's because my Aisha has left me--
　Aisha had a rather uncomfortable look on her face, so Nacht had no choice but to walk on and walk deeper into the city.

　I ran away from the onlookers and walked through the city, hand in hand with Aisha again.
　Even though it was during the war, the city seemed to be bustling with activity.　
　It's not just the heavy traffic of people. It's a lively smile on their faces.
　To the people, war is nothing more than a tragedy of misfortune, whether they win or lose. And that opponent is a kingdom that has been a longtime trading partner. It's normal for them to grumble and their expressions to darken.

　Besides, there's one more thing that bothers me.
　This city doesn't have the same favelas (slums) that the trading cities had.
　Of course, there is not a gap between the rich and the poor, but the quality of life that the average citizen would lead is high. Perhaps this good governance is a factor in maintaining popular support.
　The average citizen will show respect to their government as long as they have good food, clothing and shelter.

'Hey, Aisha, this city is a bit strange - or is it more accurate to say this country?

Is it because we're at war?
　Aisha replies with a scowl.

'That's one thing - but not the essence of it. There's an impurity mixed in with human activity. Shall we leave this place as soon as possible and head for the elven forest--
　Nacht said, and Aisha turned over a little when Nacht said it.
　I guess she hasn't stepped on her mother's toes yet.

'We were attacked by the army, too. And now that I think about it, that was definitely a hostile action!

Ha-ha, it was self-defense. He did this to you.

That's true, but isn't that too much?
　Aisha's tone was a bit blaming Nacht.
　She was probably concerned that Nacht, who usually gets away with a warning, had attacked her mercilessly.
　But that would be a mistake.

'I didn't kill anyone - you saw the army in black?　It's not a man, it's a thing. It doesn't have a life. I don't think it's a necromancer. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing. I know some of them, but I don't like them very much--

Huh?　Oh, it wasn't a person!　Is that why I thought you were less popular than usual...

"I'm always acting like an adult and acting thoughtfully, aren't I?

Then I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't be so dishonest in public.

I can't guarantee that.

Master Nacht!

　Walking through the city while looking and listening and trying to find a good inn to take away some of Aisha's fatigue, just as she pulled back her hand, Aisha's feet came to a halt.

''Aisha...?''
　Aisha didn't answer Nacht's voice.
　No, to be precise, she couldn't answer.

　Aisha stood dumbfounded, as if time had stopped.
　Her breathing had stopped, and even the rhythms of her heart had stopped, as if it had stopped beating, not moving in the slightest. She closed her eyes, opened them again, doubted, and shook her head.

'.........lie..........'
　An awfully vague voice spilled out, as if reaching for the moon reflected in the water.
　Out of the corner of his eye was a man. The man, who Nacht couldn't even tell who he was, had a slight resemblance to Aisha in his eyes.
　The man was happily waving to Aisha, and Nacht just looked at him.

'Oh, Aisha, you're awfully late--welcome back.

...how........how........dad....
　Her eyes shook, her lips quivered, her voice was snatched, and Aisha flopped down, holding herself up.