It has been more than a dozen days since he began actively trying to make contact with the girl left behind by the destruction of the organization.

　During the time he's been monitoring Aldis, the girl has at least been able to eat once or twice a day.
　As such, she no longer had a trace of the emaciated appearance she had when they first encountered her, and she was healthy looking enough to fit in uncomfortably with the town girl style of dress.

　One day, after a strange but peaceful period of time, the calendar changed months.
　Aldis went to the tavern at the inn where he always waits for guests to buy information from the informant Cesare.

''A request for a rather good revenge?　I think it's better to ask the people who play the role of the face, rather than an informant like me, don't you think?　I thought you were getting to know Mr. Jang, as I recall?

　The gentleman, who wouldn't be left alone by the town girls if he was sober and sipping his glass, asked Aldis with a questioning look.

I'm not sure that Jean is of much use to me, so I'm going to pay you to ask him.

It's a good thing that I'm an informer, or else I wouldn't be able to do my job. If not, the job of being a face officer wouldn't have been possible. What did Jean-san say?

"He said, 'Get some rest,'

Rest?　What do you mean?

''Since you took out all the demons around King's Landing from one end to the other, the number of requests to take them out has been decreasing lately, and the other mercenaries have been eaten alive.''

　The moment he heard that, Cesare blew out a "pfft" laugh and began to shake his shoulders, holding his mouth with one hand.

'Hey,'

'No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't expect such a line to come out of the mouths of those who play the role of the face. It's true that thanks to you, the number of demons appearing around the capital has decreased dramatically. After all, even the three powerful demons that had plagued the kingdom for years were defeated by you in just one day. That's because to the other mercenaries, it would be like having their jobs taken away from them one by one.

'I didn't mean to do that, but ......

It's not a surprise that the demons disappear before you do, even if you don't intend to, if you continue to defeat them at your own pace. I'm sure you're not in need of money anyway, so why not take it easy for a while?　You might want to take this opportunity to visit different countries. ...... Oh, although I'd suggest you don't make Albarn your destination.

'What?　Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to go to Albarn?

We haven't received any detailed information yet, but it seems that there was a political change in Arvern. The story goes that the king was murdered at the hands of his own king and the Marquis of Coppus presumed to be his own king. We haven't been able to corroborate it yet, though.

　'Mostly,' Cesare mouthed, and a testable smile appeared on his face as he tested Aldis.

'It's going to be rough in Albarn from now on, so if you mean looking for work, that might be just fine.

No, I'm not in the mood.

　As long as Cesare speaks of it, there's probably no doubt that political change has taken place in Arvern.
　If the king was murdered, it is hard to believe that the situation would be settled easily.
　It's not surprising that a civil war could break out involving the entire country if the situation is poorly handled.

　It could be said that this is a chance for mercenaries like Ardis to get an opportunity to play an active role.
　In fact, if word gets out, there is no doubt that some of the mercenaries in King's Landing will try to move to Arvern.

　But for Ardis, who has the twins, that option is not even worth considering.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has the ability to do this.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get it right, but I'm not going to be able to get it right.
　But since it was Cesare, he must have been able to anticipate Aldis' thoughts.

'That's true. I have some special information, would you like to buy it?

　Cesare himself probably didn't seriously recommend going to Arvern.
　He changed the subject easily.

'Save it?　How much is it?

Ten gold pieces.

...... ten?

　That was an unbelievable amount of money for an information fee.

　Of course, Aldis knows that Cesare is not a person who would unnecessarily gouged out an exorbitant price.
　At the very least, he takes pride in his work as an informer, and he does a job that is commensurate with the amount of money he receives.
　You can't trust him as a person, but as an informant, he's a trustworthy partner.

　This is the information that he put a price of ten gold coins.
　Perhaps it means that it is worth that much.
　After hesitation, Ardis placed the ten gold coins on the table.

'There is a disturbing rumour circulating about you. No, to be precise, they are due to flow now.'

　Cesare broke off the conversation with a serious look on his face, holding his voice down.

'Disturbing rumours?'

It is rumored that you are harboring a twin. They also say you are a revengeful heretic and a pagan.

...... That's annoying.

'Well, I suppose it's true about the twins, but the other one is hard to ignore, too.

　Heresy or not, she was never wrong in terms of avenging the goddess.

　In the first place, Ardis did not believe in the existence of the goddess itself.
　No, it's not about not believing in it fundamentally.
　It's not that I don't believe in her, it's that she is an enemy to be hated above all else and an enemy that must be avenged.

The rumor seems to have originated in the church. To be precise, it's the church's cat. In addition, the cat used by some noblemen also seems to be actively helping the church. It probably won't take long for the rumor to spread.

Church or .......

　That in itself is not a strange thing.
　It is true that Ardis has been in trouble with the church on many occasions since she was in Trier.
　Although she has a friendly relationship with Sorte in the church in King's Landing on a personal level, this is largely due to her own personality.
　Aldis knows that by hiding her hostility and acting smart, even on the surface, she can avoid conflict.
　But the existence of the goddess is so difficult for Ardis to accept that she cannot even do that.
　It was inevitable, in a sense, that he almost got into a bad mood with the blessed-eared priest at the recent jitourei, and it's good to say that it was inevitable.

'So what's the actual situation?'

Even if he denies it, don't rumors grow irresponsibly, do they?

You're not going to deny it, are you?

If I can make you believe me by denying it, I can deny it all I want.

　If such rumors can be seen moving among the informants to circulate, it won't change no matter what Aldis says now anyway.

　It is needless to say that I cannot worship the goddess, even if it is a lie, and it is a fact that she is hiding the twins and avenging the goddess.
　Of course, unlike those two, the whole pagan thing was a complete false accusation.

'I see. I understand perfectly.

　Cesare withdrew unexpectedly easily, either because he could tell something from Aldis's appearance, or because he decided it was impossible to get the information out of her.

'So?　Are you going to sell my information to the church?

'No way. If I was going to do that, I wouldn't say this in the first place, I'd do it quietly. I'm wasting information that could have originally been converted into a hundred gold coins and providing it to you for a mere ten gold coins. You can feel indebted to me, okay?

Yeah, well. You were sneaking around behind my back when we first met. How's that for a spin?

　Cesare had a criminal record of seducing a foolish mercenary to attack Aldis when Aldis had just arrived in the royal capital.

''Oh, let's not talk about that time. I'm not a fool either, you know. It's because I decided that it was more profitable to be a good business partner than to make an enemy of you. I'm not very proud of this as an informant, but my instincts also tell me that I shouldn't cut ties with you.

Well, I hope that's not the case.

　Seeing Cesare's panicked face, Aldis lowered his gulp.

''I just wanted to thank you. I'll keep a low profile and be quiet for the time being.

'Oh, yes. From now on, please don't come here in the middle of the day in the open air. I don't want to be spotted by the church or the nobility either.

I know. I'd keep my head down in public places.

　After deciding on a method or code for asking each other to contact each other, Aldis left the table.
　As Aldis was about to leave, Cesare added, as if remembering, "I'll continue to investigate this matter.

'We'll continue to investigate the case, sir.

I'm not expecting much, so take it easy and get on with it.

'That's not how it works. Once I've taken on the job, I'll take responsibility for looking into it.

　Aldis, impressed by the man's discipline in a strange way, gave a subtle bitter smile and left the inn in silence.





　A room in a church in the royal capital.
　A young nun took a bite out of a middle-aged priest.

''Mr. Aldis, you have saved me twice, and I owe you a debt of gratitude!　He's an infidel or something!

'Sister Sorte. No matter how much you try to defend the man, it doesn't change the fact.

　The blessed-eared priest admonishes the infant, but the nun, called Sorte, has no intention of listening to him.

'I have known Mr. Aldis for five years. I know Aldis-san better than the priest. It is true that he sometimes speaks with a lack of respect for the Goddess, but at least he is not a person who is planning to do something bad!

'I've known that man for four years now, too. Looking back, there were some suspicious words and actions since then. He even directed hostility toward the goddess, rather than respecting her. At the time, I thought it was just my imagination, but now that I think about it, it's only natural that I, as an evil god, would look at the Goddess as an enemy. If I were not an evil person, I would never have thought that he would have refused to pray to the Goddess in a purgatory and then sheltered her abominable twin.

'The only reason he didn't pray at the prayer meeting was because Mr. Aldis was prioritizing the protection of his daughter. Besides, isn't the story that hiding the twins is just a snitch!

Of course I don't believe in snitches.

　The church, which is a symbol of consecration to the goddess, would not be allowed to humiliate people just because of a vague or vague tip-off.

Then--!

　Father Blessed Ear interrupts Sorte's increasingly vigorous voice and explains matter-of-factly.

''We've received testimony from the church in Trier that there is a mercenary who saw the twins at the inn where that man once stayed.

'It's too soon to link Mr. Aldis with an infidel on that basis alone. We may have just happened to be at the same inn.

'That's not all. I'm telling you this after gathering information from all sides. Even when that man was in Trier, there were rumors that he was harboring the twins.

Isn't that a rumor!

The Marquis of Trier has informed us that the man is a dangerous man. When he was informed that the twins were in hiding, he sent his men to vet them, but they conspired against him and missed them.

What, the Marquis of Tria at ......?

　Sorte has surprise on her face.

'Lords, churches, mercenaries, citizens. All the testimonies point to the same fact. Namely, that the man is harboring the twins who are pawns of the Evil One.'

Such as .......

　Rumors and tips alone are no proof.
　The testimony of a mercenary of dubious identity alone would not be credible.
　But if a person in the responsible position of a lord was a witness, it was a different story.

　Although his authority and influence were inferior to that of the king, he was, on the contrary, second only to the king and the church.
　If a lord, and even a marquis, decides that it is dangerous, there are only a handful of people who can disagree with him.

''Sister Sorte. Many people know that you were close to that man. Many people know that you were very close to that man and if you say anything more in defense of him, you may find yourself under suspicion. Think again of your position.

......

　Solte didn't remain silent because he thought of self-preservation.
　It's because she understood that she could no longer change the situation by herself.

'Soon, in the name of the Goddess, that man will be declared an evil heretic.

Heresy, certified ......

　Sorte was immensely disappointed.

　If that happens, there will be no place for Ardis in this land, or even in the country of the entire continent.
　The teachings of the Goddess are unmistakably rooted in cities like the royal capital, and even in small villages on the frontier.

　A place without a church or congregation of the Goddess would be synonymous with a place that is uninhabited or uninhabitable.
　To be recognized as a heretic by the church meant the same thing as being an outcast from human society.

　Sorte is convinced that Aldis is not an infidel or otherwise.
　Likewise, there will be many people in this royal city who will be Ardis' allies.
　There are many people who know him in name only, as a hero who played an active role in the war against the Empire, as the defeater of the three powerful demons.

　But on the other hand, how many people know the life-size Ardis?

　The fame that has been lifted on vague grounds of rumor and reputation will fall to the ground on equally vague grounds.
　Most people will believe it, even if it is untrue and bullshit.
　And if the church also gives its endorsement of heresy recognition to that fuzzy basis, the outcome is not hard to imagine.

　Thinking of the hardships that would befall Aldis, Sorte felt as if his eyes would go dark.