Her medium-short hair is a dark brown color that seems to have melted away in the dark of night.
　Her brown eyes are fixed on Aldis with a mixture of surprise and alarm.
　The clothes worn by young women are common in the city, but the fabric has been soiled and worn out.

　She was dressed as an ordinary town girl.
　But of course, we can't let our guard down just because she's dressed like a town girl.
　It's not uncommon for people in the backstreet business to disguise themselves as ordinary citizens, and in the first place, there's no way a simple town girl would be walking alone in the middle of the night like this.
　It was easy to at least guess that the girl in front of me was not a decent person.

''Who are you?''

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

''......,''

　However, the girl doesn't show any signs of fear and doesn't move slightly as she looks straight into Aldis' eyes.

　That in itself proves that the girl is not a mere town girl.
　The fact that she does not scream when she is confronted with the tip of a sword, on the contrary, the way she looks for an opening while observing with a sharp gaze so as not to miss our way out, is clearly that of a person who has received some training.
　But on the other hand, it's the girl's body that confuses Ardis.

''What's the matter with you, Ardis?　Have you gotten rid of it yet?

　The one who caught up with him was his golden partner, who reflected the moonlight and shone dully.
　As soon as he appeared, he said a few words to Ardis, then turned his gaze to the figure at the tip of his sword and uttered a simple question: "What, this skinny?

''What, this skinny?''

　Yes. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're ready to buy.

　Of course, regardless of gender, there are individual differences in physique.
　Some people are too thin and some are too well dressed, but the girl in front of me is too thin.
　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's been in this situation.

　It's a good thing that you can't say that the arms are fleshy, as the elbows of the elbows are highlighted and the ankles peeking out from the hem of the skirt also look very thin.
　If you look closely, you can see the occasional signs of wobbling, and it's hard to believe that this is a person who makes a living doing rough work.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time here.
　It's a good idea to try to blend in with the crowd, but it's obvious that there's no point in disguising yourself in this way at all.

　Such an inconvenience is baffling to Ardis.

''I don't understand.''

　The straightforward answer to Rona expressed Aldis's frank feelings.

　That was it. Neither Ardis nor Rona said a word, and a strangely long silence lay between them and the union.
　During the pause in the silence, as if no one else was present, the girl wavered twice.

"You're one of those guys who attacked us just now?

　Again Aldis questioned her with her sword at her side.
　The girl remained silent and gave a small shake of her head.

''Where are you from?''

......

Who asked you to do this?

......

　But he doesn't seem to intend to answer all the questions, and all that comes back to Aldis' questions is silence.

'Were you after us?'

　The girl's head shook to the side again.
　Ardis could tell that it wasn't a lie, even from the lack of any killing intent at all.

'Then your purpose is surveillance?'

......

　Silence again.
　Just as Ardis was about to open his mouth to probe again, a sound that was almost out of place interrupted it.

　It is the sound of a stomach bug buzzing.

　The source was the girl's stomach.
　The sound spread out into the quiet nighttime back alleys, loud and dumb.

"......

......

......

　Everyone in the place fell silent.
　Aldis and Rona looked at each other and showed subtle expressions, while the girl who rather grandly belched maintained the most unconcerned face.

　The air that had been tense was relaxing and the meaning of silence was changing from what it was earlier
　When Aldis, drained of his venom, let out a small breath and settled his sword at his waist, Rona called out from beside him as a confirmation.

''Are you sure?''

'Well, ......, you don't seem to mean any harm.

　Aldis answers Rona's question with a tone of resignation in his voice, as if he had given up on a lot of things.

'I hope Al says so,'

　Aldis beckons Rona, who looks good either way.

'Rona,'

Hmm, what?

　Ardis quickly thrusts her hand into the bag around Rona's neck as she approaches unguardedly, and without refusal, she takes out a large baked good and some fruit.

''Ah!　Al, that's my snack!

You ate a lot of food earlier.

　Leaving Rona ranting, Aldis held out the baked goods and fruit in front of the girl.

'Here, give me your hand,'

......

　The girl's face as she looked at Aldis in silence said, "What are they saying?

'You're hungry, aren't you?　This should make you a little hungry. Just take it.

　Now it was the girl's turn to be confused.

'I don't know who your employer is, but if they won't even let you eat properly, you'd better give up on them. I know it's a bit of an afterthought for you, .......

......

　When the baked goods and fruit are forcefully pushed into the hands of the girl who is unable to understand the situation, Ardis thrusts a warning at the girl along with it.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has to deal with this, because I won't show any mercy if you attack like those guys just now. I'm not going to be stalking them, but if they are hostile to you, I won't show you any mercy. Remember that.

　Leaving the girl standing there, Aldis turned her feet toward the outer wall.

　Rona hurriedly chased after her.
　They lined up next to each other, occasionally turning back and turning their faces toward Aldis.

'Do you have to go to that extent for someone who might be an enemy?'

　Rona asks, as if she just doesn't understand.

'You should have taken care of it while you were at it anyway.

I didn't mean you any harm.

But it's annoying. Even if they don't mean you any harm, they're enemies anyway, right?

It's depressing, sure, but that doesn't mean we can't get rid of all those people who are following us, does it?　And my employer isn't necessarily the enemy. Maybe they're just watching me at the Duke's behest.

　Aldis defends himself with a reasoning that he doesn't believe in.

'The Duke wouldn't have sent that thing to watch over me, would he? I was so wobbly that I felt like I was going to collapse. That would be useless in a pinch.

Even if that employer isn't the Duke, there's no way we're going to be able to get rid of every single one of them just because they're being watched.

It's true that every time they come to the capital, there are always people watching us or rather Al. It's not like they're all hired by the same company. The fact that there are so many people chasing after you is the proof that Al's name is selling well, right? Yo, I'm a celebrity!

Don't mess with me.

　When they reached the edge of the royal capital, Aldis and the others made sure that there were no sentinels around, they crossed the outer wall in a single bound.
　Even though the outer wall is over 10 meters high, it is no obstacle for Aldis and Rona.

　After landing outside the king's capital, Aldis begins to walk through a position where the light from the gate cannot reach him.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you can't get away with it. I'm not going to be able to get the best out of them, but I'm not going to be able to fight my way into a fight with a friend or foe. Besides, .......

　Aldis trailed off.

　The girl just now is probably not so different in age from the twins and Minerva and the others by the looks of it.
　Such a girl is engaged in a backstabbing business that involves risking her life.
　The fact that the body is so skinny that it doesn't even have a good meal suggests that it is not eating well, which makes Ardis' chest tighten dully.

　The world is full of children who are forced to stray from the path of righteousness in order to survive and eat.
　It might be better to say children who are forced to deviate.

　Aldis is not a saintly child. He is not a king with immense power, much less a god.
　He can't crush all absurdities and misfortunes at one end, and he doesn't have that much of a sense of justice.
　But I want to protect someone within my reach, and if I can save them, I want to save them.

　I am well aware of the hypocrisy of this.
　We don't know what we can do.
　Only a very limited number of people can be saved.

　And now Aldis's top priority is Filia and Liana.

　Aldis remembers the first time she met them.
　At first they were so wary of everything around them that they refused to eat a bite to eat.
　The twins and the girl from earlier. For some reason the two overlapped in Aldis's eyes.

　I understand that it is a cheap sentimentality.
　But even so, it can't be helped if they appear to overlap.
　It's a good thing that Ardis didn't mean the girl any harm and reached out to her on a whim.

　After all this time, Aldis regretted it.
　She should have said nothing and walked away quietly like that.

　Even if she didn't have any harm in mind for Ardis right now, that girl was the one who was used - and also the one who was disposable.
　Depending on the orders from her employer, she would instantly attack Ardis with a weapon.

　Tomorrow, he may well be tearing that thin body apart with his own sword.
　The best way to do this is to have a good time with the people you're dealing with.

''And?''

No, it's nothing.

　When he replied vaguely to Rona, who urged him to continue, Ardis kept his mouth shut.
　I hope in my heart that that girl's employer doesn't change his mind and come after her life.

''Really?''

......

　Aldis left Rona, who was still asking questions, and turned his attention to the forest.

'Al has become a lot more rounded, hasn't he? ...... Well, I suppose it's a good thing,

　Against the backdrop of Rona's small, audible murmur, Aldis hurried onward in silence, pretending not to hear.