"'Wow, oh dear!'

　As soon as he enters the room, such cheers stimulate Ray's ears.
　I turned my gaze to the stage, guided by the voice, where a woman with a spear in her hand stood holding her stomach, and the man with the back of his hand sank on the stage.

"Well, I didn't think the spearman would win," That's too bad."

　Turning to a voice from behind, Tung, who invited Ray to his room, breathes a regretful sigh with a bet in his hand.
　From what it looks like, I can see that the aristocrat in front of me was betting on the loser.
　He advises Ray to sit on the sofa in the room, and Tang, the baron, takes the trouble of putting it in a glass and presenting it in front of him.

"...thank you,"

　Though Ray is momentarily surprised at his behavior, which is not considered aristocratic, Tang opens his mouth with a smile.

"Is it surprising that I am doing such small things with my own hands?"
"Well, well, basically, I thought aristocrats were going to make this kind of work a maid."

　Ray replies, but when he recalls the aristocrats he has met, he realizes that this is not necessarily the case.
　Especially with Elena, she was practicing to get herself to drink tea.
　except that it was the action of a girl in love.

"Hah, well, now I have the attitude of being a baron, but I am originally the third son." You couldn't have succeeded to the peerage under normal circumstances. So of course I had to be a soldier or an adventurer to support myself."
"Is that now a fine baron?"

　What happened? That was Ray's honest feelings.
　Being the third son, he must have had two older brothers. If for some reason the eldest son cannot take over the family, he still has a second son.
　In other words, the third son of a nobleman is a spare position for the head of the family. Ray couldn't help but wonder that the third son would succeed to the family estate in that situation.
　However, Tang explains to Ray, carrying a glass into his mouth.

"Well, I understand the wonder. It's unlikely that the third son would be the heir. In fact, my brothers treated me like a grainbreaker, and I was told to leave home as soon as possible."

　I don't feel any particular negative feelings about the small shoulder shrug. This is probably because Tang himself thinks it is not so strange for aristocrats to do so.

"Then how did you become a baron?"
"Well, first of all, brother... oh, in this case, brother of the second son, died in the Spring War."
「……」

　Ray looks surprised for a moment because he didn't think he was involved.
　But Tang continues, as if he had absolutely nothing in mind.

"My brother originally went to war to make a name for the Baron Autos. Well, I'm sure you had a lot of thoughts about the second son and the eldest son's spare. However, the result was a simple death. and the Baronet Autos had his face ruined."

　Tell me so and shrug my shoulders.
　He doesn't seem to care about his house at all because he doesn't have that much affection for his house.

(Well, as far as I'm concerned, I think my two brothers treated me like a nuisance. Have you lost your feelings for your house in the process?)

　Despite Ray's thinking like that, the story of Tang continues.

"If that had been the case, I wouldn't have had to take over the Baron Autos, and I would have been at ease with the grain-milling."
"...that is, something happened?"

　As I asked him so, he was somehow predictable.
　He died without victory in a war in the honor of the Baron Autos. The Vestian army was defeated.
　It is only natural that the eldest son of the Baron Autos should consider it a humiliation.

"Yes, it's just as Ray expected."

　Tang nods, wondering what Ray was thinking just by looking at him.

"But the Empire of Bestia was already defeated by the Kingdom of Milliana. If you want to poke your nose at Ray, who was the cause of the defeat in that situation... and if you succeed, it's OK. But if it fails and is known to the Kingdom of Milliana, it will be a great loss to the Empire of Bestia."
"Did you get rid of it?"
"Correct. Well, to be exact, I used a messenger to ask His Highness Kabazeed to do that."

　Kabazeed. Ray knew the name.
　the name of the first prince of the Vestian Empire and now the closest man to the throne
　and one of the elder brothers of Vihela, who is under house arrest of the third prince whom Theorem serves.
　Ray dared to cut it out without saying it.

"...cut off your brother?"
"Well, what's wrong with you? It's only natural for a nobleman in the Westian Empire."

　Ray shakes his head without further comment, as Tang tells him so readily.
　You could say that you saw the charisma of a person called Kabazid.

(As expected, he is the most likely successor to the Imperial Throne.)

　I thought so in my heart, and decided that there would be no point in continuing this talk, so I said it again.

"And why do you want to talk about the place again?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. It's not exactly right, but I wanted to meet you, called crimson, and talk to you. and I was told by His Highness Kabazid that I should see him."
"...to me?"

　Knowing what he is thought of in the Vestian Empire, he looks surprised when he is told by the first prince that he should see him.
　But it must have been interesting to see Ray doing that way. Tang nods with a smile.

"Of course. You should know how you feel about yourself. ... of course, I know you are not well thought of in the best part of the Empire because of the Spring War. But if there is a figure of Prince Kabazid behind him, his reputation will change completely."

　With that information, Ray can understand what the person in front of him wanted to talk to him for.
　In other words, pullout.
　Is it Kabazid's own idea or Tang's own discretion? I didn't know which one, but I still thought it was my purpose to solicitations.
　Until now, he had asked Dusker to refuse any contact from the nobility, but he was forced to accept it because it was a request from the people concerned with the first prince of the country that invited him.

"What do you think? I think it will be a response, but I think it will satisfy you. Your Highness Kabazeed will take care of the people who have the ability. --that's obvious to me, isn't it?"

　It was the words of a man who kicked his brother off and became the head of the Baron Autos family. It must be true that they place importance on ability.
　But...

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to serve anyone at the moment."
"Really? I've brought with me the conditions that I'll never regret. I don't think it's difficult for you to receive a peerage and become a nobleman if you wish.""I appreciate your story, but unfortunately it suits me better to work as a free adventurer."

　Tang is surprised to hear his flat refusal of even the peerage.
　I didn't think he would kick the peerage without even thinking about it because he wanted to be free.
　Of course I didn't expect to nod easily. ...or, if he had nodded simply on the condition of a peerage, Ray's reputation would have gone down in his tongue.
　But I didn't expect him to say no without hesitation.

(This is... I think I need to change the evaluation a little bit.)

　raise one's reputation of Ray in one's heart
　The more people have decent values in themselves, the more capable they are. It was close to Tang's empirical law.
　It was also true, however, that many of them had a habit of ability. 　
　In that respect, Ray is the typical type.

"Well, then... Then shall I ask you this?" If you were to serve in the Empire of Bestia... or in the service of His Highness Kabazid, what conditions would it be possible? As far as you can see, it seems impossible to do anything with the impromptu objects of money, women, and power, so please let me know."
"... as I said before, I am satisfied with my present life."
"That means you have no option, under any conditions, to serve His Highness Kabazeed?"

　When I tell them that, they close their eyes and open their mouths for a few seconds, as if to remember something.

Come to think of it, I hear you have a hobby of collecting magic items. Is it no use attacking from there?"

　The next time I was shocked was Ray.
　It's true that my hobby is collecting magic items. But I never expected it to be known.
　In the first place, not many people know it.

(Where did it come from? Theorem would have spied a great deal on the kingdom of Mileana, so you might know, but it is unlikely that Theorem, the third prince, would leak information. Then another... is it the worst?)

　I remember a wizard staying at a long‐lasting hut.
　In fact, Ray asks Most if he has any idea of a shop selling magic items. If that's the case, did it leak from there? I thought so, but I'll deny it right away.

(There's a good chance, but I don't think so.)

　There is absolutely no evidence of innocence. Conversely, circumstantial evidence indicated that Most might be a tool of the First Prince's faction.
　But... still, Ray decides, though half-informed, that Maast is not involved in the matter.
　Or maybe it was a mixture of Ray's wishes.
　That's how Ray nods back to his tongue.

"Well, I don't deny that I'm collecting magic items, and it'll be easy to get if you put them under His Highness Kabazeed. However, collecting magic items is my hobby. I will not lose my free life as an adventurer for that hobby."

　Cut off the words and continue with a fixed gaze towards the tongue.

"Also, hobbies are enjoyable only through hard work. For example, you can walk around the city looking for magic items, dive into dungeons looking for magic items, or receive a reward for receiving magic items. However, even if you become a subordinate of His Excellency Kabazeed just to want magic items, and as a result, you get a large amount of magic items.

　Tell him that and shake his head silently.
　That's not fulfilling.
　Tang understood what I wanted to say.
　Understood, it was a different story to say whether you were satisfied with it wasn't.

"Hobbies are a lot of troublesome things,"
"Does Baron Autos have any hobbies?"

　Ray asked me casually, but I laughed bitterly when I returned to that word.

"Unfortunately, as the third son of a noble family, if I had a hobby without thinking, they would have been a good excuse to attack me." However, it was far from my job after I was picked up by your Highness. ...but a hobby or a hobby. It is true that aristocrats should have one or two hobbies."
"Well, I've heard a lot that a hobby can enrich your life."

　the moisture of life
　Hearing the words, Tung looks at Ray with interest.

"Oh? I want you to tell me what kind of hobbies you have."
"...I don't know much about it either, but if I listen to it often, I think it's like collecting sake."

　Ray told me so, but it's just Ray's imagination of aristocratic tastes.
　Fortunately, however, it seems that some people in the Westian Empire also enjoy collecting alcohol, and Tang nods convincingly whether he knows anyone who has that hobby.

"I hear other things like collecting furniture and tableware."

　In this way, Tang listened with interest to the tasteful tastes of aristocrats acquired in comics, novels, movies, etc., when he was in Japan, not in Japan.