Well, here's what's coming up.

　Beside the twins, wrapped in their cloaks and asleep, Aldis cuts to the chase.

　The meadow at dawn.
　After the first night out of the city of Thoria, Aldis and the others were preparing breakfast and talking about the future.

'For now, I think we're going to go to King's Landing,'

　After five days on foot on the road southwest of Tria, you will reach Gran, the capital of the Kingdom of Naglas.

''From there, you have three choices. Stay in the royal capital, go to the Union of City States, or go to the Empire.''

　In the west of the Kingdom of Naglas, there are various small and medium-sized city-states that exist as independent countries.
　They formed a loose alliance and formed a kind of confederation of nations.

　To the southeast of the kingdom, there is the emperor-crowned country of the Armenian Empire.
　This country, located in the southeastern part of the Robles continent, has had a long history of disagreements with the Kingdom of Nagras, and has often engaged in warfare in its history.
　Today, both countries are virtual enemies of the other; in other words, they are sworn enemies of the enemy.

The North is not an option?

That country is a b*tc*. ......

　North of the plains from Tholia lies a country called the Bronchell Republic.
　It's a republic that elects a president, albeit a wealthy one, and although the country itself is rich, it's not an option because it's a region with a very strong male-dominated culture.

'Going to a republic would stump Nere. They won't recognize female mercenaries in that country.

　Women rarely enter the professions in the Bronchel.
　Only men are required by law to hold public office, and few private sector employees employ women.
　Naturally, only men are allowed to vote.

　Aldis would not want to take the twins to such a country either.
　That's why it was not an option from the beginning.

It's not a very nice place to live in the Empire. If I want to leave the country, I'll have to go to the Union of City States.

　In the Armenian Empire, the aristocracy is highly elective, and it cannot be said to be a very comfortable country to live in.
　On the other hand, the Union of City-States has a strong sense of independence in each of its cities, and because of this, it is more tolerant of a wide variety of values.
　The weakness of the nation as a whole is a drawback, but in terms of the ease of living, it's on par with the Kingdom.

We'll have to go to the capital first to see what happens. We'll start with the royal capital and if the state orders us to capture them, then we'll head west to the League of Cities and Nations.

　Having decided on a policy for the time being, Aldis and the others rested themselves slowly during the day and began to move after night had spread.

　If you're going to move through the air, it's better to do it at night when you won't be seen, and you're also wary of the pursuers from Trier.
　There was no sign of the pursuers we were worried about, and after flying through the air and arriving close to the royal capital overnight, Aldis and the others hid themselves in the forest about two hours' walk to the royal capital.

''First of all, we'll need a place to sleep for the time being.

　Aldis cuts him off.

　We don't know how the captivity drama in Thoria is getting through to King's Landing.
　Of course, it's unlikely that the information has been conveyed earlier than Aldis and others who have been flying through the air. But in the unlikely event that arrangements were made beforehand, you can't just go to the king's capital without a snack.
　It's better to gather information and hide out in the capital for a few days.

　Moreover, Aldis or Nere should enter the capital alone so that they can quickly escape in case of an emergency.
　If you have a temporary base here and tell Nere that one of you will be gathering information in the capital and the other will be here to protect the twins, she will readily agree, "If my lord says so.

Nere, you'll be responsible for getting rid of any dangerous beasts in the area. And while you're at it, take care of the prey for your meal.

Yes, my Lord.

　It was an uninhabited place, albeit not as much as the Caucasian Forest. Of course there are carnivorous beasts here.
　There's no need to force them to be exterminated, but I don't want them to come near me either.
　I'm sure Nere will take Ardis's advice and will be able to successfully drive the beasts away.

"Well, then, this is the base to build.

Aldis, are you building a house?

Aldis, is that a big house?

　The twins, having had plenty of sleep during the day, are in good spirits despite the fact that it is night.
　They cling to Aldis and ask him curiously.

'It's more of a hut than a house, we're going to build it. And that's all that matters for now, as long as we can keep the wind and rain out.'

　There was still some time before dawn, so Aldis floated a pale magical light, adjusted to keep it from getting too bright, around them and began to magically dig up the trees that were in the way.

　The excess branches, leaves and roots were cut off by the wind, and the logs were piled on top of a foundation made of hard compacted soil.
　We'll use the raw wood (namaki) as it is without drying it out, but it's a temporary home anyway. There was no time to spare.

　The ceiling was lined with logs and then lined with hardened earthen boards to protect it from the rain.
　Trimmed leaves are magically dried and laid inside instead of beds.

　Perhaps lured by the sound and light, the twin-sworded beasts, which occasionally approached, hunted nonchalantly with the shortsword that Aldis sent flying.
　The twins continued to cling to me while I was working, but I didn't care and continued to work, thinking it was better than leaving my side poorly and being attacked by the twin-sword beasts.

　After creating a temporary base in less than two hours, Aldis entered it with the twins, who were tired of frolicking, and sat down with the light floating in the air.

(I should have machined the floor flat at least.)

　He frowns at how uncomfortable it is to sit on, even though he's laying down dried leaves, it's not as comfortable as he expected.
　After chopping down a few additional trees, he now cuts them into boards and lays them out in the room.

'I'm back, my Lord,'

　In the meantime, Nere returned.
　In each hand, there is a prey dangling for the meal.

'Thanks for the effort. How did it feel?

No one is so tough. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Also, there was a swamp nearby. The water there is too dirty to use, but there may be underground water there because there is no river in sight. It would be worthwhile to try digging a well.

'The well or ......, let's get on with it and dig it tomorrow. Take a break for today.

I'll finish dismantling these things first. My master will be the first to rest.

　After pulling his prey up to chest level in his hand, Nere walked out.

　Soon the night would be gone. It's only an hour or so before sunrise.

(When the sun rises, make us some breakfast. We'll dig a well. Fence off the shack. Search the perimeter. Eliminate the dangerous beasts. (Also, ......, maybe we can do a little more decorating here.

　Aldis wraps herself in her cloak and begins to sleep, feeling Nere's presence outside the hut.




　The next day Aldis and Nere began to set up their temporary hut and the surrounding area.

　After the sun had fully risen, they had a late breakfast of the meat Nere had cut up, and then they got to work.

'First up is the well.

　Aldis magically explores the area around the hut and the water begins to come out at the third one.
　He dug several more and prepared the area with the best water quality and quantity of water as a well.

　After that, we cut down more trees around the well and split them into pieces of appropriate length to form a slanting fence around the hut.

　Since he was using magic to do this with his ample magical power, the well and fence were only about three hours old at best, but if he did this by hand as usual, it would probably take more than ten days.
　The twins, unaware of the insanity of the scene unfolding before them, were delighted with the new equipment that was being added one by one, gleaming in their eyes.

'Aldis, what are you going to make next?'

Ardis, I'm gonna make a big one!

I'll make more later for now.

Yeah!

　The twins puffed out their cheeks in frustration.

　They have become much more expressive than when they first met.
　When I was in Tria, I was afraid of being seen, but I don't think many humans would come here.

　When you think about it, it might be better to live in a place like this rather than in the city.
　Of course, this is after ensuring the safety of the twins.

(I'll at least build a garden and playground for them later: ......)

　Adding one more appointment for tomorrow in his mind, Aldis calls out to Nere.

'I'm going to take a look around for a bit. Take care of Filia and Liana.

"My Lord. If you need a search or an exorcism, I'll go.

No, I want to be aware of my surroundings. I'll be back by "Awasora".

　Aldis said and walked into the forest.
　While treating the occasional carnivorous beast she encountered, Aldis went around the distance of about thirty minutes' walk from the hut.

　Just like Nere said, there is a swamp in the vicinity, and unusually for the forest, there are aquatic creatures such as "shell cows" and "crawlers" that live there.
　But that's about the only thing that's unusual about it.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not a fan of this, but I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not a fan of this.

　The only people who bother to come to this place are the mercenaries.
　Since it is far enough away from the street, it is unlikely that peddlers and travelers will wander in here.

　It's just right for a temporary base of operations.
　Aldis killed two small beasts as a souvenir, and then returned to the hut while the sky was bright.

　The next day Aldis made a playground for the twins inside the fence and went into the forest, leaving Nayle in charge of their absence again.
　They chased away any beasts that looked dangerous to the twins with a show of overwhelming force, and quickly disposed of any fools who still came at them.

　In addition, they also actively hunt prey for food.
　There is still some food left that we took out of Trier, but it's difficult to go out hunting with the twins while we go to the capital to check on them.
　It is necessary to stock up on a certain amount of food while Aldis and Nere are both present.

　It's a good thing that they are both foul power when it comes to magic.
　It's a good thing that we're able to have a good time with them.

　Five days had passed since they left Tria.
　That's how long it would take for a peddler on foot to reach the capital from Trier.
　Of course, the horses of the order should have arrived there long ago.
　It would be a good time to enter the capital to find out how the news of the incident in Thoria is being conveyed.

'Nere. You will take care of the twins and their absence.

'Yes, my Lord. Leave it to me.

　As long as we leave the twins here, one of Aldis or Nere will have to stay.
　From the point of view of competence, it doesn't matter which one, but emotionally, Aldis himself would like to stay.

　However, if Aldis and the others are also arranged in the royal capital because of Tria's case, it would be a bad idea to stand out.
　When you think about it, Nere's appearance still catches your eye.

　After giving it some thought, it was decided that Aldis would go to the royal capital.
　Fortunately, the twins have gotten used to Nere, and they have no worries about leaving him in charge for a while.
　Their trust in Nele personally is also much greater than before.

'We'll be back tomorrow evening or night.

Aldis, come in.

Aldis, don't forget to bring me something.

　With the twins' farewell, Aldis leaves the forest on a "floating walk".
　It is probably the time when the gates of the royal capital are not yet open. Fortunately, we didn't encounter any people walking along the street.
　As it was, Ardis arrived at the north gate of the royal capital after walking along the road for about forty minutes without being seen.




　Gran, the capital of the Kingdom of Naglas.
　With a population of approximately 300,000, it is the largest city in the Kingdom of Naglas, and one of the largest cities on the Robles continent.

　Like Trier, Gran is located to the south of the Canobis Mountains, and like Trier, is renowned for its scenic beauty that faces the sea.
　It is located at the intersection of the Great Road that crosses the Robles continent and the road that leads to the southeastern part of the continent, and is a key transportation hub that leads northeast through Trier to the Bronchell Republic, west to the Union of City States, and southeast to the Ermenian Empire.

　Gran has long been a prosperous trading city, attracting people and goods from all over the continent, as well as enormous wealth.
　Its wealth has grown from a single city-state to a kingdom of vast size and scope.

　The Royal Capital consists of the Old City, lined with houses from the days of the city-state, and the New City, which was newly expanded after the establishment of the Kingdom.
　The Old City and the New City were separated by a wall that encircled the Old City. The wall is a remnant of the walls that existed in the city-state era.

　Initially, the site of the new city was made wide with considerable room to spare, but even to this day, Gran's population is still growing, and we were told that there was already little room for development.
　Apparently, there were some opinions that some of the outer walls should be expanded, but the enormous cost and the current situation of disquiet with the Empire didn't seem to allow that to happen easily.

　Aldis walked at normal speed towards the outer walls, remembering what Norris had told him earlier.

　At the gate, the soldiers were just preparing to open the gates.

(Well, I hope he doesn't suddenly become a wanted man at the gate: ......)

　Pushing aside his nervousness, Aldis called out to the soldier on the gate guard.

'Can we get through soon?'

Yeah, hold on. I'll be ready soon.

　The gatekeeper responds to Aldis's face without changing his attitude.
　It seems that at least the arrangements are not being made to the gatekeeper's office.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this topic.

It's so early in the morning.

　Perhaps they're ready to go. The gatekeeper speaks to me.

''I really wanted to get into King's Landing by last night, but I was attacked by a glass wolf on the way in, so I didn't make it in time for the closing gate. I was attacked by a glass wolf on the way in, so I didn't make it in time for the closing gate.

Hey, that's a disaster. You're safe and well, ......, and you're a mercenary?

Do I look like a peddler?

You don't look like a peddler, as expected .......

　The gatekeeper shows a good-natured smile and says.

''Well, you're an excellent mercenary for a young man, aren't you? But it's not safe to camp alone, is it?　We can't delay the closing gates, but we'll at least camp in front of the gates with our eyes closed. There are nighttime guards and bonfires on, so it's probably safer than camping out in the middle of nowhere. I would recommend you to come here next time, even if you have to push yourself a bit.

　The attitude of the gatekeeper, who was friendlier than expected, loosened Aldis's guard somewhat.
　After paying the tax called the "gate tax" that is collected when entering the city center, Aldis completed the formalities.

　In the meantime, merchants and mercenaries departing from the capital pass by Ardis one after another. The number of people leaving early in the morning was as expected of the royal capital.

''Good, good. Is this your first time entering the royal capital?　If that's the case, I'll have to give you a few caveats.

'No, I know because I've been here before.

Okay. Well, that's not for me to say.

　I thanked the gatekeeper and stepped into the early morning air of the royal capital.

(First, we have to make sure we're leaving and get a place to stay for the night.

　Aldis looked around and disappeared into the back street.