What the hell did I do to deserve this? ......
You know what? Ao said he was sorry, too. I didn't have time to explain.
I had a hard time holding back my laughter, didn't I?

　Harkdock is not angry, but rather looks sad. In the event that you're not sure what to do, you'll be able to find out what to do.
　In the end, her mother was worried about Hurkdoc's health, but Ao insisted that he was fine, so she just left. However, with the way she was acting, there was a great possibility that she would come in contact with Harkdock again. I'll explain the situation and get his cooperation.

"I see. That's why they want to stop him so desperately. Ecdysium and Lakra wouldn't have thought of stopping it on the spur of the moment.
"Right. I said I'd go along with them, but it's my fault for not being serious enough. I'm sorry.
Don't apologize to me. It was just my bad timing, right? I'll chalk it up to an unfortunate accident. But you know, Natra-san seems like he really wants to see you guys. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you.
"As for me, I wouldn't mind that. However, once you meet him, there is a possibility that another person will appear. And if that happens, it's hard to keep the complications hidden.

　Hiding something is something I've never done before, hiding a story. It would be difficult to try it out in the real world. Since I promised to cooperate, I can't do anything half-heartedly.

It's kind of a pain in the ass. I don't like the way you're forcing Natra-san to put up with this.
Yes, I do. But as for me, I have a close relationship with Lakra and Ao. I can't help but choose what comes first.
Can't you make it safer?

　"Can't we make it safer?" ...... My compatriot used to say that. It's not a bad thing to rely on them, but you can't rely on them too much. Relying on them may not be a bad thing, but being dependent on them is not a good thing.
　Above all, we are in the middle of a battle against the Scarlet Witch King. If we increase the burden on our people, we may increase the possibility of losing the battle. We should solve the problem on our own and without taking too much time. But how can we do that? .......

I'd like to come up with a plan, but ...... I'm torn.
A lot of people in this party aren't good at thinking.
That's terrible, isn't it?
Do you have any better ideas?
I don't know. Maybe Natra will want to get in touch with you again, and you'll just have to fake it.
That's true, but... I'm a terrible liar, you know?

　Lies ....... That's what my compatriot said. Lies inevitably come apart at the seams. Therefore, it is easier to deceive people if you avoid using them as much as possible. But is there a way to deceive without using lies ......? By the way, I heard that when Lakra first met his compatriot, the compatriot kept deceiving Lakra by hiding things from him. I don't think he lied to you much even when he was with the Purple Demon King. While I was thinking about this, Lakra appeared in the room.

Gentlemen, the meal is ready.
"Oh, you must be hungry. Can you bring my portion to this room?
The Blue Demon Lord will eat in the other room, right?
That's why. The Blue Demon King is tired from his time in the Mejis demon world, right? I'm not sure what to do with it. I don't want such a person to eat lonely.
You're a gentleman for nothing, aren't you?
And by waste, I mean waste!

　The meal for Hark-dog was brought to his room and he ate in the living room. Ao said that it was complicated for him to be bothered by Harkdock's bad behavior, but he made up for it by making Harkdock's portion a large one.

I don't think I've ever felt the pain of eating alone. ......
But it's better to eat with others around the table, isn't it?
It depends on the person. Well, I can eat relatively well with this group of people.
"Right. Well, at least I don't feel bad about it. Anyway, what are you going to do now? The way he's acting, he's going to contact Harkdock again, isn't he?
"And I was wondering, Lakra, since you can see through lies, have your people ever fooled you before? How did you do it then?
"Master Shosho? Well, you didn't use any lies at all, you only used the truth to deceive.

　I'm not sure if there is anyone here who can do that ...... on the spur of the moment. Even if there were, they wouldn't be able to do it as well as their compatriots.

It's not easy, is it? It's not easy, is it?
"It's hard to tell, isn't it?" "Don't say too much, or you'll get ripped off. It would be more appropriate to say that he knows, but not in detail.
"Right. Harkdock is the right-hand man of Riod's advisor? And? It's probably best if you've heard at least a rumor about Exdoik.

　I've been an adventurer in Riod for a while now, but I've done a fair amount of behind-the-scenes work. The people who know me know me. It's true that that's the minimum amount of information needed, and it would be difficult to track me.

In that case, I'll answer within the scope of my knowledge before I met him in Kuama. What about Lakra?


"Well, I guess you could say that a Yugoslavian priest was registered as an adventurer in ...... Morgana.
"I see. It's no wonder that Harkdock has such information in his position.

　It would be difficult to expect Harkdock to lie on the spur of the moment. However, if they all thought about the questions they would be asked in advance and how to answer them well, they might be able to cope. My compatriot did not stick to a single plan, but thoroughly thought out a plan based on as many scenarios as he could think of. We don't have the imagination to think of everything by ourselves. We don't have the imagination to think of everything by ourselves, but we can make up for it with our numbers.

　I hate lying.

　I don't like to lie. I don't like lying because my brother on the staff hates lying. I started thinking that if my respected brother hates lying, then I should hate it too, and I did.
　That's why I don't like it when Exoik and others ask me to deceive Natra-san. Even if they tell me I don't have to lie, or that I don't have to elaborate, I think hiding what I know is almost like lying. I honestly don't like it.

"Exduk is an adventurer in Riod. It's just that he's more of a behind-the-scenes guy than a front man, so it'll be hard to get in touch with him.
So ......

　But since I'm the one who started this whole thing, it doesn't make sense to just ignore it. If you don't want to do a job you don't like but you have to do it willingly to get things done, then you have no choice. Mr. Natola looks a little disappointed, but he doesn't seem to be that depressed.

You're a man of the streets, you don't want to be in contact with a man who lives behind the guild. But I can understand why you would want to see your son again.
You're the right hand man to the guild's advisor, right, Harkdock? Is it difficult for you to help him?
"There's nothing I can't do, though. But the advisor, Jestiff's brother, is very strict about taking advantage of his position to be selfish. I don't want to do anything that would make my brother hate me.
I know. ...... I'm sorry.
I'll tell him you wanted to see him if I ever see him again. The rest is up to him.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. I thought it would be easier not to tell lies, but it's really hard to choose the right words to hide what you don't want people to know! I've heard that brothers are as deceitful as the breath they breathe, but what kind of training does that take?

But thank you for telling me. I'm just happy to know that my son is doing well.
I'm sorry I can't give you more information. But I owe you for guiding me. Anything I can do to help, I'll do.
You sound like you'd be comfortable with that.
That's what my brother taught me. "A favor is a favor, no matter how small. If you can't return even a small favor, you won't be able to return it when you receive a big favor.

　I can talk a lot about my brother, though. He's a really easy person to live with.

Now can I ask you a favor?
"Oh, what is it?
Mr. Harkdock, you're involved in this war on your own, aren't you?
Yes, I'm working under my brother's command.
Can you coordinate with the Ghanaians and the Mejis?
Yeah, I'm not, but my brothers can talk to some pretty big people.
"I'm trying to get in touch with a girl named Lakra who's a priest of the Yggra cult. Can you help me with that?

　Oh, yeah. Now he's changing his focus to Lakra! All I remembered to do was to cover up Exdyke, but what about Lakra? Well, I think it was ....... Oh, yeah!

The name "Lakra" does sound familiar. I heard that a Yugoslavian priest with that name recently joined the Morgana Adventurers.
"Oh, really? But Mr. Harkdock is from Riode, right? Then can you introduce me to someone from Morgana's Adventurers?

　You're going to have to look for him again from there. ...... I don't know. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at our own website. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I'm not sure. If there is anyone nearby who belongs to Morgana, I will bring them to you.

　That's how I ended up looking for Morgana's adventurers. If you're looking for an adventurer in your area, Lakra herself and Mikus are two of them. ...... Even an idiot like me knows that Lakra herself is a no-no.
　What about Mikus? I'm sure he's smart enough to fake it. But he's in Garne with his brothers.
　If only there were enough Morgana adventurers in this village to make things easier. Lakra may belong to Morgana, but he's basically with his brothers and it would be very difficult to find him.

But are there any other adventurers in this village?

　Adventurer parties are basically assigned to raids and scouts. There is no ...... chance of them showing up in this village, where soldiers are gathering for control and defense. There are only the holy knights and priests of Medicine,......?
　I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm sure you've heard of her. Rank 2 ...... is just right. Let's go talk to her.

"Hey, you. You got a minute?
What, me?
Yeah. You're the guy who works for Morgana, right? Name's ......, right?
Masetha Noicis. Oh, you're from Rio de Janeiro, aren't you?
Yeah, I'm Harkdock. I need to talk to you for a second, okay?



　Masetta is a man who knows what he's talking about, and when I told him that there was someone in the village who was looking for a girl who belonged to Morgana, he readily agreed to meet me. I gave him Natra's appearance and name, and he was able to do the rest. Oh, good, good, good.
　Oh, but Masetta was dressed as a Yugoslavian, wasn't she? And he looked like a bishop. ...... Well, it's not a problem, since Lakra is said to have been an outlier among the Yugoslavs.

　I'm not a fan.

　You'll be able to get a lot more than just a pair of shoes. My relationship with Lacra was already settled in my mind, and as I had kept her at a distance, I had vowed not to interfere too much anymore.
　Nevertheless, it was fate. We are both priests of the Yugra religion, and I know exactly what's going on with Lakra. As for Morgana, ...... well, let's not think too much about this.
　I'm sure Lakra is working for him right now, and that's where I'll start looking for him. ...... I know very little about his background. We don't even know his name yet.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject in the future. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's not the first time it's happened.

I wish I had a clue, but ...... I can't leave my post right now.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you. Do you think we can get some information by visiting there?
　As I was heading there, I saw an adventurer. I mean, .......

"What are you doing in Mejis, Gilista?
"Oh? Who might you be?

　Short, fiery red hair, big claw tattoo on his right eye. How could I not know those features? He once took part in a mission to defeat a demon and attacked his friends in battle. She is wanted by Mejis because of the danger she poses to adventurers who try to stop her. Even though she was a member of Morgana, the danger of her actions had reached her ears.

"Masetha. "Masetha, a wanted woman in the village of Mejlis, you've got some nerve.
That's what I thought, isn't it? But now you have my permission, don't you?

　Then Gillista shows the handprint. It's definitely a real handprint, and it's .......

"Are you working for him?
"That guy? Oh, yes. He's working with your husband and the Mad King.

　I can't believe I'm getting this lunatic on my side. ...... But he could certainly do it. If he says he's in control, then we can only leave him alone for now.

So. Is Lakra with you?
Yes, she is. They are in the village together.

　Oh, Lakra is in this village too? What a convenient turn of events. No, it's just fate. This must be the luck of Natra who wants to see her daughter.

Oh, yeah. Just as well. I need to talk to you, so I'll see you later. Can you tell Lakra I'm coming?
"Sure.

　There's definitely no venom or madness in Gillista now. I've heard rumors that she won't hesitate to attack a strong man if he's nearby. ...... Do you underestimate me as a weak man? It doesn't sound like it.

I'd also like to warn you that many people in Mejlis know you. There are a lot of people in Mejlis who know you, and I'd advise you not to show your face too much, because there's a war on and people are on edge.
"Right? It's a shame that they don't do anything about it, even though some of them have been hostile and deadly at times.

　He is still a dangerous person. But there must have been a reason why he didn't do it himself. It must be because of that person, without having to think about it.

"By the way, I'd like to know his name, can you tell me?
I don't know his name either.
We're working together.
You know the Purple Demon Lord? That Demon Lord can turn people into puppets just by calling their names, right? And he hasn't told anyone his name?
Not even to ...... Lakra?
Yeah?

　I can't think of a word to describe it. I've heard that the Purple Demon Lord can rule over any human being. In the past history, he has caged brave warriors and generals one after another and turned them. This has forced him to fight almost unilaterally, and he has created a demon world that encompasses most of the current land of Mejis.
　It's understandable if you can control them just by calling their names. And he is able to counter and follow the power of such a monster as a matter of course. I shudder to think what it would be like to not be called by anyone's name.

"......, what should I call him?
"What? Everyone calls him something else.

　I think Gilista calls him Mr. Husband because he's the client. I almost misunderstood for a moment. ....... I'll have to think of what to call him before I see him again. For now, let's solve the problem at hand.
　Now that I know where Lakra is, all I have to do is get Natla to go with me. We're at war, we need to get these things done quickly.