So?　Do you mind?

I'm not afraid!　We were so close to winning the game...

　Rona, who eventually took her place in Aldis' bedroom, answered with a sulk.
　As she sat down on the bed, the owner of the room looked ahead to see a single golden beast sitting on a chair and tossing its head sloppily to the round table provided.

'You're not the enemy, you don't need to win,'

The pecking order should be clear because we're not the enemy.

　Rona raises her head to argue with him.
　Whether it's a habit of being a beast or simply Rona's personal obsession, I can see the color of dissatisfaction in her eyes.

　But even if Rona had a grievance, even if it was a hand-to-hand combat to measure the opponent's strength, she couldn't have them fight in earnest.
　Rona and Nere are both important relatives to Ardis. As long as Rona was working with Ardis, she needed to have Nere's presence tolerated.

'I told you to go easy on me, didn't I?

U......, yes, but ......

　Rona slumped awkwardly as she pointed it out again.

'Nere has been taking care of the house and the twins while I'm away. I can't think of anyone with that much skill, and yet I can't think of anyone who can be trusted with the twins at the moment. It would be a shame if Rona got carried away and injured Nere or got rid of him.

　This world is too hard on twins. If the twins are to be abandoned, or not, then there needs to be someone to take care of them both.
　It's a good idea to make sure that you have the right person to take care of the children, who is strong enough to get rid of the danger, and who can accept the existence of the twins, since Ardis can't stay with them all the time.

Unless, of course, you're willing to stay here and take care of the twins.

　The only people who can trust the twins, as far as Ardis knows, are Nere and the members of the "Myoujo of Byakuya".

　Of course, Rona is not only competent, but she also knows her temperament.
　As long as Rona agrees, you can leave the twins to this former partner.
　But unfortunately, Rona is not the kind of person who can sit still in the same place.

'Oh no. That's boring.

　Sure enough, Rona instantly rejected the idea.

'Then bear with me. Nere was the one who lured him out, but looking at the situation earlier, it was Rona who went at him, right?

　It was Rona who was giving off a hint of aggression in the forest, and Nere was only dealing with her because she was challenged.

'Boo.'

　Rona, who has no words to reply, looks flustered and says what she felt in the fight.

'Who is that girl?　I felt like he was pretty used to fighting, even though he was weak.

　Rona and Nere. The difference in power between the two is obvious.
　Arm strength, physical strength, and magical power. Rona's arm strength, physical strength, and magic power, all of which are overwhelmingly superior to Rona's.

　But perhaps because of her character, Rona doesn't tamper too much.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　That's why Ardis was caught off guard.

　Nere, on the other hand, has a good fighting style.
　He is skillful in the timing of his attacks, the way he pauses, and the way he constructs his attackers so that he can achieve great effect with little effort.
　It's obvious that he is used to fighting, and in terms of technique, Nele might be better than Rona.

''Well, you know. I heard that you were a flow mercenary before meeting me ......, but I have a vague feeling that's not the only thing you seem to be doing.

　But when asked who Nere was, he had no choice but to say he didn't know.

　Neither Ardis nor Nere will interfere in each other's past.
　It's not something that was agreed upon verbally, but it's because there's an air as if such a "pledge" was exchanged somehow.

　We don't know her origins or her purpose.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it. Don't think in terms of their standards.

What, with that?

　Rona gives me a questioning gaze.
　I know what you want to say, though,'' Ardis said up front, and continued to speak.

I've seen a number of mercenaries and soldiers over the past year, and of all the mercenaries I've met, Nere's is the most outstanding. The country's soldiers are just as bad as they are over here. I'm sure that even three Neduros would destroy a country or two.

"Three Neduros will destroy the country?　Isn't that ......, a little too weak?

　Neduro is the name of the carnivorous beasts in the world where Aldis and Rona were.
　They are commonplace six-legged beasts that can be found everywhere in the cold, warm, mountainous plains, north, south, east, west, and west, perhaps due to their strong reproductive power or their high adaptability.
　Its skin is as hard as sheet metal armor, and its claws on its forelimbs can easily slice through steel shields and spit out flames from its mouth. The claws on its middle paws also contain a fast-acting paralyzing poison. But that's it.

　If the magic power can be channeled into the weapon, its hardness doesn't matter, and you can avoid both fire and paralyzing poison.
　That's why Neduro is often used as an opponent to measure the newcomer's strength.
　It's also an indicator that a mercenary will be recognized as one of the best if he can win one-on-one.
　In that sense, he might be in a position like a dispatcher in this world.

　But that is only if we compare it to a position in the whole.
　If Neduro actually appeared here, even one of them would probably be certified as a disaster-class demon.

　In the original world, it was a beast that Aldis had also fought and defeated many times.
　If it was a newbie, it was not an opponent that the current Ardis would struggle against.
　So for Ardis, fighting against demons and beasts that are considered dangerous in this world is like hunting a small herbivorous beast.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

It's not that I'm weak, it's just the norm here. ─ It's not a weakness, it's just the norm here. You'll see that Nere is the exception to the rule.

Then what?　So Al's not in trouble in that state?

　Even though he has become a boy's body, I'm confident that he can annihilate about five Neduros by himself.
　Compared to Neduro, even a dispenser with such a grandiose nickname as Despair on the Grasslands is cute.

It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it. In that sense, I was lucky too.

What do you mean?

If it were the other way around, I'd be blind. You'll be dead before you know it.

　For the humans over here, it was doubtful that they could even live for an entire day in a world where there were disaster-grade beasts roaming around.

''Yeah, I see.''

　After being convinced, Rona confirmed to Ardis the strength of the opponent she had just matched up with.

''But if it was her, she could win even against the three Neduros, right?　Maybe.

Yeah, that won't be a problem.

　In fact, the grinder that fought in Tria would have been able to manage with Nere alone.
　At that time, Nere was assisting Ardis, but I don't think he would fall behind a demon of that level.

'If what Al is saying is true, does that mean she's not normal in this world either?

　It certainly wouldn't be considered normal.
　Even the famous mercenaries of the 'Byakuya no Meisei', the mercenaries who were well known in Tria, the second city of the Kingdom of Naglas, were not that strong.
　It was clear that Nere's strength was outstanding.

''Who are you?''

Come on.

　The answer to Rona's question is short.

'What do you mean by 'come on'?　If you're going to leave me in charge, you should be a little more interested in me.

　Four swords propped against the side of the bed.
　Aldis turned his gaze to one of them.

　All the information he got from Marida in the case of Leitin's one was told to Nere.
　But that does not include information about Aldis's past.

　At the same time, there were things that Ardis hadn't told Nere.
　It was about the red sword that he and Kirill had found in the forest ruins.
　The vision of a Nere lookalike that appeared from the red sword at the end of the Leitin defense battle.
　It was Marida who said that Nere's hair was needed to quell the red sword, but even that person didn't know 'why it was needed'.
　I saw it in a dream, so I knew it was necessary.

　A woman who looks exactly like Nere appears from the red sword wrapped in Nere's hair in a vision.
　As expected, no one would think this is just a coincidence.

　I was unsure whether to tell Nere about what I saw with my eyes or not, but time passed and the timing was off.

　After looking at the red sword for only a short time, Aldis quickly turned his eyes back to Rona's face.

'I'm interested. But you see, I have a lot of things to hide. It's too bad that you can't just tell us what's going on over there without revealing it.

Aren't you going to teach it from ...... Al?

Not so far. So I won't even ask you who Nere is.

So you trust her?

"I do.

　Ardis' awareness was strongly evident when she answered 'I do' instead of 'I can'.

'...... Okay, I get it. If Al says so, I won't say anything else. And if she betrays Al, then I'll just bite her throat out.

　When he finished saying the things in a cheerful voice, Rona curled up with a yawn and began to fall asleep.

'Who are you, hey ......?'

　Throwing herself on the bed and looking at the ceiling, Aldis muttered to herself.

　If Nayle was willing to talk to him, but he didn't even have a grasp on himself, Aldis didn't have the luxury of prying into the identity of others.

　Thanks to seeing Rona again, there were a few things she knew.
　But still there were things that remained unknowable.
　Why am I not dead? Why did I take on the form of a boy? Why had I been sent to a different world?
　I'm not in a position to say anything about Nere. I'm not sure what I'm talking about, but I'm not sure what I'm talking about.

'If anyone can tell me what it is, I'd rather hear it than me.