Hey, girls. It's good to see you.

　A petite woman carrying a cargo bag laughs, wrinkles deepening at the corners of her eyes.
　Her name is Michelle.
　She is a peddler who travels all over the continent and is an old acquaintance of Aldis'.

　There were a number of problems in the village, whose population had grown rapidly in two short years.
　One of them was trade with the outside world.

　Originally, a young man from the village named Jigu was the sole provider of everything from necessities like salt and oil to high quality medicines and other items that the village could not provide.
　However, with the rapid expansion of the village, it was clear that the amount of goods carried by a single vendor would not be enough to meet the demands of the village.

　So Aldis approached Michelle, a man he had met in Trier.
　Michelle has never shown any signs of reluctance when confronted with Riana and Filia, and has treated them as if it were a matter of course.
　It was only at the beginning that Riana had to be wary of them.
　Once she understood that foul language is the same for everyone, the distance between them has decreased a lot.

''Hello, Michelle,''

It's been a while.

　Following Carina, Liana also spoke back to Michelle.
　Then an out-of-place female voice interrupted her.

''Liana-chan!''

　A lone red-haired woman jumps out from among the escorting mercenaries accompanying Michelle.
　Liana's expression distorts for a moment.
　But that expression is immediately obscured from the surroundings as the red-haired woman embraces Liana's body.

''O, Orphelia-san ......!

　Wrapping Liana with her entire body and rubbing her cheek against her head is Orphelia, a female magician.
　She is a member of the mercenary party 'Byakuya's Myoujo', a party of mercenaries that Aldis used to work with often in the past.

　She has been taking care of me since I was a child, and although I don't have bad feelings for her, Riana was not very good with her excessive skin-to-skin contact.

'Hey, Orphelia. Liana looks like she's in pain. You need to moderate it.''

Oh, I'm sorry, Liana.

　Orphelia was blamed by a swordsman with a rude appearance.
　It's the party member, Ted.

"Pfft!

　Liana, who had escaped the restraints of the embrace, retreated (later on) and kept her distance.

'You don't have to be so alarmed: ......

Haha. That's because every time I see him, if he's about to be choked out every time I see him, I'm usually wary of him.

　A small man with a bow laughed, teasing Orphelia, who was mumbling sadly.
　Orphelia glared at the man.

'Don't do it, Norris. You're going to get yourself in trouble.''

Hey, yeah.

　When Ted chided him, the man called Norris shrugged his shoulders and looked away in the direction of the day after tomorrow.

'Huh?　But Michelle, it's a little early for regular mail, isn't it?

　Carina, who had been smiling bitterly at the exchange, reminded him of the question.

　Liana wonders if that's true, too.
　Michelle comes to the village once every two months to peddle.
　Liana nodded her head, remembering that it had been only a month and a half since her last visit.

The only problem is that it's a bit early, I know. I was originally planning to come back in half a month. It's just--

"Just?

　The next time you have a question, Michelle changes her expression and continues with the question from Karina.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. I thought I'd let you know as soon as possible.

Does it matter?

'Well, at any rate, we need to get to the village--oh, is Aldis there today?'

　Asked by Michelle, Liana repeated what she had just answered to Lupus.

'Aldis would have gone to Leytin with Filia and Rona.

Well, you missed a trick. Oh, boy. How long do you think you'll be back?

I'm sure he'll be back by the end of the day.

'Okay. Well, that's just as well: ......

　Ardis and his friends do not walk on the road like ordinary travelers.
　They fly at high speed through an empty sky, so they can leave the village in the morning and return home in the same day, an unorthodox route to travel.

　But that is a secret that has not been revealed to Michelle or the members of Byakuya no Moshi.
　Naturally, Michelle and the others would assume that Aldis had been away from the village for a significant number of days.

But if he's been in Leytin, he might take the information back with him without me having to come back to tell him.

...... What happened to you?

　Michelle told Liana, who was questioning her, with a serious look on her face.

I'm not sure what's going on with the Empire. Maybe we'll start a war with the kingdom again.





　Shortly before sunset, Aldis returned from Leytin, and when he was informed of Michelle's visit, he accompanied Rona and Nere to the village chief's house.

　The village chief's house, which also serves as a lodging for visitors, is where Michelle, "Byakuya no Meisei" and the rest of the guards are staying.
　The people gathered in the hall are the village chief, Father Elmer, caretakers and other key figures of the village, members of which usually gather to discuss various issues of the village.
　The only person who is not here is Sailor, who has been out for three days.

　When the number of people are present, Michelle starts the conversation.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.

The Empire is waging war on the kingdom?

I don't know if there's going to be a war or not yet. If there is going to be a war, it will definitely be with the kingdom.

Well, after the war four years ago, the Empire must be very upset.

　Michelle replied to the caretaker's doubtful voice, and then Ted followed up to speak for the empire's sentiments.

　In the first place, the Elmenian Empire has no other opponent to wage a battle against other than the Kingdom of Naglas, whether for historical reasons, political reasons, or even geographical relationships.
　If the Empire was going to move an army, it was perfectly natural to think that the opponent would be the Kingdom.

''But even if there really was a war, it's none of our business, right?　This place is protected by the angel's wards, and the only people who can get past the demon's habitat in the first place are those who are very good at it or have the angel's protection.

　Another caretaker expressed optimism that it wasn't that serious.

I think you have a good point. The only reason we have been able to come to this village is because of this amulet. I don't know what the theory behind it is, but we haven't encountered any demons on our way here.

　Saying this, Michelle takes out a talisman from her neck.

　It is a talisman made by Sailor, which is called "the talisman of the angel" by the villagers.
　Ardis doesn't understand the mechanism itself, but it is said that wearing it will prevent you from encountering demons and beasts.
　It's a good thing that the young man is not attacked by demons, despite the fact that he travels between the village and the outside world by himself as a peddler.

　The only thing the power of the amulet seems to do is to make it harder to encounter dangerous opponents and harder to be noticed, so Sailor reminds us that it is not absolutely safe to wear it.

'Without it, no matter how many well-known mercenaries you hire to escort you, you won't be able to get this far. Isn't that right, Ted?

'It's frustrating to admit, but it's impossible to deny it. Even with Clente and Helena with us, it's indeed too dangerous on the road here, much less while escorting a peddler with a large load of goods, it's beyond reckless.

'Then it wouldn't be a problem. Even if the imperial army won, they wouldn't come this far and the defeated soldiers wouldn't wander in. In fact, the war four years ago didn't have any effect on us.

　The village chief waited on the caretaker's insistence that there was nothing to worry about.

'That may have been the case four years ago, but it's not necessarily the same this time,'

　Elmer agrees with the village chief's words.

'The village chief is right. It's true that if the war ends soon, as it did four years ago, there may be no impact. But there is no guarantee that this time it will end soon as well. If the war is prolonged, the price of goods will rise, and if the kingdom becomes a battlefield, logistics will be hampered. If the security situation worsens and the dangers on the road increase, Michelle won't be able to move as she used to.

The population of the village has increased a great deal since the last war. It is no longer possible to manage it with just a jig, as it used to be.

　As the village's population has grown rapidly, the amount of logistics has increased as well.
　That's why the village has asked Michelle to play a part in bringing in the supplies needed for the village.

That's the way it is," he said. Prices will rise and the war will spread, and supplies will be in short supply. Even if we wanted to, we might not be able to buy necessities like salt or medicine, even if we wanted to. It's better to be prepared now than later, isn't it?　If you don't move quickly, you'll be forced to pay a ridiculously high price for it.

Could there be a hint of that already?

There hasn't been any significant movement within the kingdom. Within the Empire, the prices of medicines and sustenance seem to be slowly rising.

　Elmer's question is answered by Michelle, who doesn't look amused.

'Aldis. You've been to Leytin, haven't you?　Did you get word that the Empire was starting to move over there?

'I didn't hear any rumors of that in the city. It's just that Marida - I know the Chairman of the Board of Trade personally - seemed to be aware of the Empire's movements. He was all excited that it was time to make some money.

Well, you'd think a merchant would have a better sense of humor. --What do you want to do, chief?　If we're going to increase our stockpile, we've got to get moving as soon as possible.

　After a few moments of contemplation, the village chief, urged by Michelle, sighed and decided on a course of action.

The population of the village has grown beyond what it was four years ago. The population of the village has grown enormously in the last four years. We don't know what kind of unforeseen circumstances will arise. We should be prepared as much as possible.

The problem is getting the money and getting it out of there. How's that working out for you?

I will use the money the messenger has given me. The messenger will allow you to use the funds that he has entrusted to us for the benefit of the entire village. But if you want to transport it, please go to .......

　The village chief's face clouded over.
　I don't need to say it, but Michelle seems to understand why.

We can only carry a limited amount. This village is a long way from town, and the roads are bad. We can only make a round trip every half a month, even if we try.

Muu......

　The village chief and caretakers crossed their arms and wrinkled their brows.

　The problem was the location of this village.
　Not only is it far from a large town, but it is also in a mountainous area with poorly maintained roads, and since it is necessary to walk through the trees, it is naturally impossible to use something like a carriage.

　It was difficult to use an animal like a packhorse.
　In the Canobis Mountains, where the presence of demons was so thick, timid horses would be reluctant to move forward, which in turn would hinder their progress.
　If they were to be carried by hand, the amount of horses they could carry would inevitably be very limited.

　While the villagers were scratching their heads, Ardis came up with a plan.

How about this?　I'll have Michelle and the others carry you back and forth to the border of the Canobis Mountains and the grasslands, and we'll carry you from there. That way it's less of a burden on Michelle and the others, right?

That's because we can use horse-drawn carts if we don't have to go into the mountains. We can do the round trip in four days. Isn't that right, Ted?

Yeah, if it's a grassland, the demons that come out of it are at most a dispensation.

　But one of the caretakers balked at that.

No, but ....... We can't get it from there to the village by ourselves, can we?　No matter how much of an angel's amulet you have, if you ever come across a demon with a heavy load on your shoulders: ......

　The caretaker has a valid point.
　I was not going to let the villagers risk such a risk, as Ardis has no skills to fight demons.

Rona and I will carry the shipment we received in the meadow to the warding. Then there is no problem, is there?　There's no danger in the wards, and if you want, you can have Lupus on your back.

'Just Aldis and Rona?　That's a lot of recklessness, isn't it?

　Normally it would be impossible for Aldis and Rona to carry such a large amount of goods in a carriage alone.
　However, Aldis and Rona have a "gate" that leads to another world.
　As long as they were sent through the gate to the other world, they could store more goods than they could carry on their backs, more than their carriages could hold.

　Moreover, time is slow on the other side of the gate.
　If it's fresh vegetables, it won't be a problem to leave them unattended for a year or so.
　Nothing could be more useful for storage and transport.

　In the meadow, we receive our bags from Michelle and the others and temporarily send them through the gate to the other side of the world.
　Aldis and the others would then travel to the inside of the warding, where they could retrieve their belongings from the other side, and then the villagers would be able to transport them to a safe place calmly.

　However, since the existence of the gate is hidden from the villagers, Aldis didn't want to let anyone other than Rona and Nere accompany them.

''Well, leave it to me. You shouldn't be disappointed.''

　Aldis smiled cheerfully at her caretakers, who looked anxious.