After a near painful meal, Aldis and Kirill begin to talk about the future.

Kirill. For now, you can stay here for the night. If you want to keep your sword, I'll keep it for the night. If you don't have money for accommodation, I'll pay for it today.

Oh, no, I'll pay for my own accommodation. I've saved the roadside silver for the return trip to ....... And here's .......

　As he said this, Kirill held out a few silver coins to Ardis.

''What's this?''

Excuse me. I'm sorry, this is all I have on hand right now: ......

　Kirill's voice squeaked out in an apologetic tone.

'So what is this you ask?'

　Ardis asks again, with a hint of grimness.

'Thank you for your help and for helping me find the sword .......

No.

But .......

I didn't save you because I wanted money. And didn't you just say, "The silver on the way home"? Isn't this gold the roadside silver?

......

　Kirill's silence affirmed Aldis's point.

'I don't see how you could take that.

　It may be that Kirill is trying to show his gratitude to Ardis by leaving the minimum amount of money on hand.
　Perhaps he intends to camp out on the road to the Union of Cities and States, but a child without the strength to fight is beyond reckless to spend the night alone in the camp.

　It was hard to believe that Kirill was such a foolish child that he didn't realize that.
　But the sense of duty to somehow repay Ardis's debt, and my own cowardice in not having anything to offer, and this is probably the conclusion I arrived at as a bitter measure.

　But it would be too extreme to offer up all the roadside silver.
　It's the unbalanced and extreme thinking that makes Kirill feel like an unworldly child, and Ardis, wrapped in frustration, scratched his head.

　No matter how much the Union of City States was a neighboring country, traveling across the border would be dangerous and expensive.
　The amount of silver coins Kirill offered is just barely enough or not enough for all of them combined.

　A person accustomed to traveling wouldn't travel with such possessions.
　It's not always possible to arrive at the destination on the itinerary as planned, and unexpected troubles may occur.
　It was common sense for both mercenaries and peddlers to expect at least double the amount of money to be prepared.
　Kirill, who had probably never been outside the city walls since he was born, could not help but be unaware of this.

　By no means was Kirill incompetent.
　Considering his age of twelve years old, just coming to the royal capital by himself, hiring an escort, and reaching the forest of Causus is too much work.
　An ordinary child would not even be able to reach the royal capital.

　Even though he went to work for the Chamber of Commerce at the age of ten and saw the world earlier than the other children around him, it's not easy to do.
　There are people who work from childhood, like farmers, but most children are still at the age when they are sheltered by their parents.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're doing.
　It's a good idea to send them out with an escort, or at least an adult to accompany them. I can't suppress such indignation.

　Moreover, as far as I heard from Kirill, the first road silver handed to me was also too little.
　It didn't help that I could only give him one gold coin to hire an escort.

''Don't let the kid take care of you.

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's interested in this.

'What?　What do you mean?

He wants you to get the sword, but it's not real.

　Aldis swallowed his words as he was about to speak.
　It's not a good thing to tell a child that he or she is not actually just trying to get rid of you.

' - No, I get the feeling that it's not a very good prospect, or that you don't really think you'll be able to take the sword home with you.

　That being said, Kirill nods his head.

'I don't think so, but ....... There were proper ruins and swords at the place Marida-san said, and I was able to listen to them, and I met Ardis-san.

　Whoa, Ardis almost yawned and stopped moving.

'What did you just say?'

　I check with Kirill with a serious look on my face.

''No, is that what you're saying?

And then...

"Marida was right about the ruins and the sword, and you were right about meeting Mr. Aldis--

There!

　Aldis pointed out, interrupting Kirill's words.

'What?　What is it?

What do you mean you heard me say?　Then it's as if you knew in advance that you were going to meet me.

　As a result, Kirill obtained the desired sword with Aldis' help.
　He was able to return safely from the forest, which was normally so dangerous that he had to hire skilled mercenaries to escort him, but that was only because he happened to meet a person named Ardis.

　At least Aldis didn't know Kirill until the moment they met.
　Perhaps the same is true for Kirill.
　If you know Aldis, you should have tried to contact him at least once before you went to the Kosas forest.　

I'm not sure I've ever heard of Aldis-san. What I heard was 'you can trust a man with a violet-colored cloth on his forehead'.

　Kirill denies what Aldis said.
　It seems that what Kirill had been told beforehand was not referring to a specific person's name.

　But, Ardis thinks as she puts her hand to the violet-colored cloth wrapped around her forehead.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're talking about.

''What exactly are you talking about?''

'I don't know any more than that either. He didn't even tell me why, but that's all he said, and he reminded me to never forget it.

　The one who spoke to me was a merchant called Marida.
　She was the one who instructed Kirill to bring back the example sword from the ruins in the Caucasus Forest as a condition for granting a loan to the trade association he was working for.

''Oh, speaking of which: ......

　As I remembered, Kirill stuck his hand in the glove compartment bag and began to rummage through it.

'I was told to open this if I succeeded in getting the sword.

　As he said this, he took out a small envelope with a long side of about five centimeters.

''What's that?''

'Come on, ....... Marida only told me that 'you'll need it later', so .......

　Kirill's voice is laced with confusion as he answers.
　The envelope looks thin and light to look at. It didn't look like it was actually containing the travel expenses for the return trip - or anything like that.

''Well, you'll find out when you open it.

Yes.

　He was told to open it when he got the sword.
　Now that I've gotten the sword and even returned to the royal capital, it wouldn't be a problem if I opened it.

　Kirill opened the envelope as quickly as possible.
　Inside it was a small card.

　Kirill looked at the surface of the card for a while, but there was a hint of confusion on his face.

''What's wrong?''　What does it say?

That's ......, I'm not sure.

　You can hear the bewilderment in his voice as he answers.

'Don't you get it?　Isn't that a letter?

'No, I can read what I can read, but ......, I don't know what it means.'

What does it say?

"Let's see, ......, 'Our sword is for victory, our hearts are for our friends. Let's go, 'Let's go, glory to our flag', is that ......?

　As soon as he heard the sentence Kirill read out, Aldis stood up with a change in his blood.
　The wooden chair he had been sitting in fell to the floor with a crash.

'Duh, what's going on?'

　Kirill rolls his eyes at the unusual Aldis.

　Kirill's questions seem to have fallen on deaf ears, so Aldis leans forward and snatches a small card.
　He then reads the words on the card over and over again, and continues to stare at the card for a while.

'Um, ......, Aldis?'

　Fearfully Kirill called out to him, but there was no answer.
　The words leaked out of Aldis's mouth as she stood there as if isolated from the noise around her, without letting anyone hear them.

'Why ......, who is ......?'