After separating from Riana and Charu, Aldis went to the lower town where the common people live in the royal capital.
　She waited for about an hour in a deserted diner, where it was unclear whether the restaurant was even open for business.

　Eventually, the informant Cesare appeared quietly.
　Cesare, the informer, came up to Aldis, his face hidden by his hood, and complained to him.

'Since you called me in at this busy time, I assume you'll at least buy me a cold drink?

What kind of cold drinks do they have here?

You just need to keep it cold.

　Cesare ordered a fruit water and sat down at the same table as Aldis.

　Cesare pushes the glass of fruit water brought by the owner towards Ardis and smiles brazenly, "Magic is very convenient," he says.
　Aldis lightly clicked her tongue and took the glass, creating three small ice cubes to float in it.

''Thank you. It's a good idea to have a good time.

　Cesare takes the glass from Aldis.
　The slowly melting ice made a clinking sound.

''Oh, of course, this is like a hassle fee for calling out, so I'll take a proper information fee for the information fee.

You're not going to ask me for information on that one.

　A single cold drink is sufficient as compensation depending on the content of the information, but the information you can get with that is of little value.
　Probably, Cesare will only provide you with the same level of information that Liana and Charu would obtain.

It's not a good idea. Well, Aldis-san is a good customer. I usually deal with idiots who don't even know that much.''

Cut the gobbledygook, let's get down to business. You're busy, right?

That's fair.

　With a bitter smile on his face, Yuuo changed the subject, "Then.

''Of course the information you want at this time of year is about the war, right?''

Yeah. Has the edge of the war already been opened?

　The answer to Aldis's question was unexpected.

'That seems to be still the case. Apparently there is a continuing standoff between the two armies on both sides of the border.'

...... surprising.

'Yes, it is indeed surprising. Last time we crossed the border before the kingdom was ready, but not this time. Is there an agenda, or is it just that they're moving too slowly ......

　After uttering that much, Cesare brushes away his glossy bangs with one hand, which are not suitable for a placeholder diner.

This is the end of our service to our clients. From here on out, for a fee, what information would you like to receive?

　Slightly dark brown eyes turned straight to Ardis.

''The strength of the two armies and the thoughts of their superiors, the moves made since the standoff began until now, the information from the Imperial home country, and also the reinforcements that caused the defeat of the kingdom four years ago--is that one there this time as well?''

That's a full course. So I'd say four gold coins.

　Without complaining about the price Cesare had given him, Aldis took four gold coins from his pocket and placed them quietly on the table.
　After checking the weight of each one, Cesare put them away and drank the fruit water, which was moderately cold, and then opened his mouth.

I guess so. I'm sure you'll be able to see that the imperial army has about 6,000 men.

Six thousand?　That's not much. Didn't we have over ten thousand last time?

　Aldis questions the number, which is less than he expected.

'Yes, four years ago it was 12,000. The reinforcements in the example were 2,000, so in effect it's 10,000.'

'That reinforcements ......, I believe it was the St. Rogel monarchy. Are you there again this time?

　It was an army from the southern continent that had come from the southern continent to reinforce the imperial army in the last war, controlling a strange horse called a flying horse.
　It was the Empire's greatest contribution in the last war, defeating the third prince, who was the general, and decisively decisive in destroying the Royal Army.
　He was also the biggest contributor to the Empire's success in the last war.

''It seems that the armies confronting them on the borders don't even have an appearance. However, we haven't heard that diplomatic relations between the empire and his country have been severed, so there is still the possibility that they will interfere in some way or another.

Is it possible that there's a separate task force at work?

　If the number of imperial troops on the border was small, and the troops of the St. Rogers monarchy did not show up, then of course they would have to be concerned about their movements.
　The first thing that could be considered is to take a separate force to the side of the imperial army, or to launch an invasion from another route.

''We can't deny that. It seems that there are people in the upper echelons of the kingdom who think this way, and the kingdom's army doesn't necessarily have all of its forces on the border. Due to the small number of imperial troops on the border, five thousand five hundred, or about seventy percent of the entire army, is directed to deal with it, leaving one thousand two hundred people in the defense and reserve force of the royal capital. Since the territorial armies as far away as Thoria haven't arrived yet, if we put them together, we will be able to gather around two thousand five hundred troops in the royal capital.

　Two thousand five hundred was by no means sufficient.
　However, as long as the enemies on the border had to be kept in check, it was inevitable that there were not enough of them.

''Together, it's eight thousand or ....... I don't know how many forces the Empire has hidden, but it's not much.''

　The Royal Army, which had been devastated by the last war, was still in the process of rebuilding.
　Compared to the devastation that occurred immediately after the war, the situation is much better, but even so, there was a limit to what could be done in a short period of four years.
　The current situation for the Royal Army was far from perfect.

　The Imperial Army, in contrast, did not suffer as much damage as a single soldier.

''The Empire would have suffered less losses than the Kingdom, and it wouldn't be surprising if they mobilized the same amount of troops as they did four years ago, would it?

'I don't have accurate information on that part of the world because it's another country. ...... It's just--

"Just?

　Cesare brings up a different view than Aldis'.

'Since the battle four years ago, there has been a lot of purging of leading nobles in the Empire, though not to the point of civil war. Perhaps that's why our mobilization power has declined.''

　It can be expressed in one word: Ardis' fault.

　In the last war, many of the nobles and their children had been killed in battle due to Ardis' rampage in the final stages of the battle.
　In particular, the death of Duke Tangram's legitimate son (Chakushi), who is also the head of the largest faction of the imperial aristocracy, made the Duke distrustful of the emperor and brought the other nobles into the mix, bringing the situation to the brink of civil war.

　However, it is said that the emperor's side did the big hatchet job at the opportune moment.
　As a result, a civil war was avoided, but it seems that a significant number of nobles were cut off.

　Whether it's a kingdom or an empire, the territorial soldiers under the command of the nobility make up the majority of the war effort.
　The decrease in the number of nobles also meant that the number of troops would be reduced by that much.

''Do you think six thousand is the maximum number of troops the Empire can mobilize?''

There seems to be a small number of people who have that kind of optimism. Even if they aren't that optimistic, there are also those who think that 'this case could be an act of imperial domination'. The fact is that the Imperial Army has not yet crossed the border, so technically speaking, we are not in a state of war.

　The melted ice made a cool sound in the glass Cesare held.

''I've heard that the imperial forces confronting them at the border are also very quiet. They're not building up a position, they're not provocative, and they don't have much tension. That's partly why some of the officers seem to have decided that they don't intend to attack us seriously.

　After moistening his mouth with cold fruit water, Yuuo continues to speak.

''It's reasonable to say that because it's an act of demonstration, the number of mobilized troops is small. It is argued that it has the meaning of exploring the response capability of the kingdom's army in preparation for the full-scale invasion to come, isn't it? Of course, that's a minority view, and so we're also calling up distant territorial armies to prepare for the time when we actually go into battle.

It's tough on the territorial army. If it's true that it's a show of force, then the kingdom will only be pushed around by the empire for so long.

　Shrugging his shoulders at Aldis's words, Cesare says to himself, "It's not just the kingdom that's being pushed around, though.

　In fact, the kingdom isn't the only one that's getting into trouble for this.
　Cesare's is a busy, profitable business, but for Aldis and Michelle, it's a business that has more disadvantages than advantages.

'Well, it's still better than an actual war. Although we are recovering from the defeat four years ago, the kingdom's army has not yet recovered to its original size. It would be better for the kingdom to postpone the conflict. Of course, for the Empire, the opposite is true.

　In the end, it is up to the Empire to make its own calculations.

To be honest, there's not much information about the inner workings of the Empire, so there's a lot we don't know. I'd rather buy it at a high price if I had useful information.

　After speaking up to that point, Cesare leans in a bit and asks Aldis about it.

How about you go and infiltrate the Empire yourself and find out what's going on there?

I'm sorry, but I'm pretty busy as it is. I can't be gone for long.

　Aldis's answer was curt.

''Well, I'm just saying. Anyway, even if we go to the Empire now, considering the schedule for the round trip, it's conceivable that the matter will be settled by the time we bring back the information.

　If Aldis was so inclined, he could make it to the imperial capital and back in two days.
　But of course Cesare, who did not know this, thought it was a joke and retracted his own proposal.

''If you stay in the imperial capital for a while, I can continue to provide you with new information. For an extra charge, of course.

No, I'll be out of King's Landing soon. I'm very popular despite my appearance.

So it seems. Not so much for a while, but sometimes people still want to know where you are. Of course, I don't know where you are, but I don't know where you are.

Yeah, that's the smart thing to do. That's the smart thing to do. You and I just happened to be sitting in this diner today, and I happened to buy you a bottle of fruit water on a whim. So you just chatted with me to pass the time while you sipped your fruit water.

'Yes. For some reason, after all that small talk, there seems to be a few more gold coins in my pocket, but I'm sure it's just my imagination.

Yeah, it's my imagination.

　Aldis and Cesare grinned at each other and walked out of the shop, each walking in a different direction.