When the Royal Family of Serende and Raheit had made contact, Arkreal had been next to them. Tudouari remembered that Arkreal had told him about that incident.
　When I heard Ts'doari's report, I immediately sent Morari to Arkreal's side. I knew that if the people of Yugra were serious about investigating the royal family of Serende, the royal family would do something to silence Arkreal.
　However, the reason why he sent Morari was because he was planning to capture the Selende's handlers who were approaching at that time to get information and to gain an advantage when negotiating with the people of Yugra in the future.

I didn't expect anyone to be able to push Arcreal this far.

　He looked down at Arcreal, who was lying on the bed and had not regained consciousness. He was breathing calmly, but for the time being there was nothing we could do except watch him.
　There are two main wounds that Arcreal received. The chest wound was deep but it has been completely treated now. The problem is the one on his head, the blow that destroyed his skull and reached his brain.
　Unlike the other organs, whose mechanisms are largely understood, the brain's mechanism is still a mystery. There are spells that can interfere with the brain, but their principles are still uncertain. Therefore, even if a recovery spell can regenerate the brain in some form or another, some kind of damage often remains.
　It's obvious that the reason he hasn't woken up after the treatment is because of the damage to his brain. But there's nothing more we can do, we can only hope for the resilience of Arclial himself.

I'm sorry, .......
"No need for you to apologize, Morari. It was because you went to Serende with T'Dwari that T'Dwari was able to remember the information and made the decision to send you to Arkreal. It's because of you that Arkreal was saved.

　I analyzed Arcturial and found some places where he was supposed to have gone afterwards. Morari went around there and was able to get to Arcturial.
　When Morari found Arcreal, he was already fighting with the assassins and Morari saw Arcreal fall in front of him.
　The assassin was also badly injured, but he was still standing as he should have been, and he was trying to finish off Arcreal. Even though he was dying, Morari judged that it was dangerous to fight against a powerful person who had cornered Arcreal and immediately fled with Arcreal. And here we are.

But how could Arkreal be defeated? ....... Is it still a bastard?
"It's best not to assume, Jastet. If all you mean is that you defeated Arcreal, that could have been accomplished by an ordinary person with no power whatsoever. It's just that ...... that's more likely.

　The reason why the people of Yugra were able to suppress Arcreal was because they took advantage of Arcreal's weakness, which was his inexperience, leaving everything to his talent and not learning from his own experience. This time, the assassin surpassed even his talent and delivered a blow to Arkreal.
　If we consider the information Morari gave us, we can imagine how the assassin used to hunt down Arkreal. It is possible, but it is a theoretical story that lacks a sense of reality. It must be someone who has the talent to be Yugra's bastard who can do that.
　I didn't expect to find an unknown bastard in Serende, which I used as my home base. Perhaps he was picked up by a member of the royal family before his talent was recognized as heresy by the people around him. .......

"Do the people of the planet Yugra know about this?
"The assassin was seen by Morari. Morari has seen the assassin and will be able to find out who he is as soon as he passes on this information. But ......

　The royal family that cooperated with Rahite remembered about Arkreal and sent the assassin. I don't think this is such a simple story. If the royal family had enough assassins to kill Arkhreal, they could have just sent them to the people of Yugra.
　Are the assassins unsuited to fight against a large number of people, or is there something about them that prevents them from killing the people of Yugra? No, if that's the only reason, there are other ways to do it.
　The conclusion I came to is that the royal family that Arkreal contacted with Raheit and the royal family that sent the assassin are different. If so, the one who sent the assassin is probably Prince Washekht or Princess Hilmera.
　The existence of the people of Yugra would tip the scales for those who want to succeed to the throne. Their objective would be to successfully expose the secrets of the other princes and take away the advantage of the succession to the throne. That is why he sent his assassins to prevent them from getting that information from Arcreal and me.
　Prince Washekht and Princess Hilmera must have known that I had contacted the people of Yugra. Then they targeted Arkreal. ...... Was there any factor that made you think that Arkreal's information hadn't reached me? The people of Yugra are moving too evenly against the other princes, or they are putting off the winning prince, or something like that.

"Master Lytal?
Let's take a look at him for a moment. If we poke him too hard, he's likely to endanger himself.

　What we do know is that there are assassins who have hunted down Arclial on the royal side who are cooperating with him. It's not a good idea to add another obstacle to a man who is currently being shunned by the three royal families.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

　Lakra was almost assassinated and Marya was almost kidnapped. There was no surprise on the faces of his compatriots when they heard the report, they just listened quietly to our report.

The woman who was alive, she was hired for money and was only told to bump into me on cue.
"So is this old woman. When we came to talk to her, she just ordered us to divide Marya well towards the barn.

　We called Masetha as backup to carry the captured men and questioned the old woman while we were at it. In the end, however, we were unable to get any information of any kind.
　Unlike the men who had attacked Lakra, the men I had captured did not possess any poison. I'm glad I was able to catch the perpetrators, but I'm afraid that ......

I'm glad we got the guy who did it, but I'm afraid he might have been a "I pulled some information on the guys in the Lost Belly, but they were just following instructions from a letter and didn't even know who they were working for.
That's right, haha. ......

　In response to Du Vreoori's report, his compatriot sighed in a slightly dumbed-down voice. The men were like ruffians, a sort of working force for the merchants and nobles. They just tell you their plans and carry them out, and from the royal family's point of view, it doesn't hurt them one bit to get caught.
　According to Duvraeori's account, they were simply following the regular letters and money bags that were delivered to their hangouts. The person who delivered the letter was a civilian, probably in a position to receive anonymous letters and instructions.

I don't like it. "I don't like it." He only gives orders to inexperienced people, but he himself is looking up to them. I don't get the sense that you're trying to produce results.
"I'm setting these things up with the intention of being lucky if they come out. The basic purpose is to warn and intimidate. "The basic purpose is to warn and threaten, to say, 'Okay, we're going to take it from here.



　From the looks of it, it's highly likely that they'll try to do something to Harkdok while he's recuperating. My compatriots have already hidden the Butler Army under their beds and in the shadows of their chests, so I'm sure they can handle any direct harm. .......
　By the way, I heard a report the other day that T'Dwali showed up at Harkdok's place, but his compatriots were letting it slide that he should leave it alone. I thought there might have been some kind of approach from Rithial. ...... Was it something personal for T'Dourri?

I'll take care of picking up Masetta to visit Harkdock, just in case.
That'd be great, Ecdysium. Now, about Marya...

　Marya's body shuddered at the mention of her name. I think she's worried that she almost got caught.

"My people...
"From now on, you are never to be alone, and you are to keep the chain of Exdoik at hand. You won't be able to go to the bathroom unaided, so make sure you stay hydrated and take care of yourself better than ever.

　My compatriot interrupted me and informed Marya of his decision. He must have anticipated that I would follow up with Marya and told her there was no need to do so. If my compatriot makes that decision, then I have nothing to say.

Well, yes.
"As I said before, I was aware of the possibility that Marya might be targeted. I'm not afraid of that. If you're afraid, let me know and I can send you to work on the base, so use your own judgment.
"I'm fine!
Good. It's true that Marya may be less experienced than the rest of us, but she's a hundred times better than me. If it was me, I'd have died from a surprise attack from behind.
"Haha ......

　Marya smiled dryly, but I'm sure her compatriot wasn't joking. If they were attacked with the same treatment as the inhabitants of this world, they could really die if they were not careful.

　The next day, he took his compatriot and Ilias for a walk around the city. Marya seemed to be okay, but she still had a little bump, so we decided to let her rest.

"But are you okay, compatriot? I don't think they're going to set it off today because it was yesterday. ......
"If you're worried, be a few times more protective than Marya. You don't have a shred of pride, so you can protect her without worrying.
"Okay, okay. ...... You know that much, don't you?
I'm sure you're not the only one. You'll be able to see that she doesn't want you to think she's slowing you down. How would you treat Marya if you saw her like that?

　If I had said something defensive to Marya at that time, she might have blamed herself for it. She seemed to be a little tense, but she was still able to think about her friends, and her fellow countrymen still had room in their hearts.
　There is no particular place we have decided to gather information today. He wants to compile the information we've gathered so far and take a look around the city of Serende in his own way.

I'm sure it's a nice country, but ......

　As they were walking through the city, Ilias spoke up. I can fully sympathize with the fact that it is a good country. Each person is living their own life, and you can hear their hard work in their voices and expressions. The streets of Serende are just as vibrant as the rest of the country.
　Even the Iliad must have sensed this strangeness to the extent that he hesitated to say anything at the end. He must have sensed the gazes that were occasionally directed at us from the streets, and the emotions that were put into them.
　I don't feel that strong hostility, but I'm sure they're wary of us. Many of us are probably under orders to watch those people. With all these eyes on us, our people must be feeling it to some extent.
　However, despite this, his compatriot smiled sarcastically at Iliad.

It's no use getting too worked up. Just let me know if you feel like killing. I can't react to emotions outside my field of vision.
I don't need to be asked to do that. ......

　From the point of view of my people, it's up to me and the Iliad to deal with any sudden surprises. Overthinking it will only consume your mind. I wonder if they think the princes will ever get what they want.
　They continued walking through the city, chatting with anyone they could find.
　I got the impression that this was similar to what Marya had been doing, but the timing of the conversations varied from early to late. It seems that they are trying to determine whether or not they can extract information while conversing with each other.

Mr. Washekht is famous for his love of ruins. He is asking not only nobles and merchants but also citizens like us to help him protect the ruins. Well, we may not be able to pay money, but we can at least help to clean up the ruins on our days off. I think it's not a bad idea to take care of the heritage of the past.
"Really? Doesn't cleaning involve going inside?
If you touch it, it will be broken. Some ruins have traps, so unless you're a daredevil, you won't enter without permission. However, the tour to explore the ruins organized by Mr. Washekht has quite a few participants. After all, it's safer if there's an expert's instruction, and I guess people are interested in it.

　I see. The reason why ordinary people don't want to get involved is because of the influence of the merchants and nobles. In this way, they can give us information about national specialties without feeling any resistance. There are some things that can be gained from such conversations.
　For example, from what I said earlier, we can conclude that there are donations from nobles and merchant associations for the protection of the ruins. By investigating the flow of the money, we can find out the influence of those who are supporting Washect. If there is an unnatural amount of money flowing, it could mean that there is something else behind it.

I've heard that you're quite fond of ruins, but you're also very active. I've heard that Princess Hilmera is also influenced by it.


"Well, yes. Hilmera-sama is always helping Washekto-sama, she could do something a little more spontaneous.
"Princess Hilmera doesn't seem to interact much with the other princes, do you think they don't get along?

　It seemed like an ordinary conversation, but then my compatriot suddenly asked a penetrating question. This person seemed to be a member of the Washekht faction, but he seemed to have a thorn in Washekht's side against Hilmera, whom Washekht was very close to. I wonder if that bothered him.
　I've been watching my compatriots talk a lot, and I think I'm getting pretty good at reading their thoughts. Although there is still a gap in the skill of speech at .......

Although there are still some differences in their speaking skills, partly because of the age difference. But there are some rumors.
"Rumors?
Oh, no. It's nothing. I don't like to talk about royalty behind their backs.
Well, you never know where your ears are. You never know where your ears are. You don't want to gossip about blood relations or anything weird like that.
"Oh, yeah. If it's a good rumor, don't spread a bad rumor!

　Did the compatriot provoke this reaction on purpose? He ended the conversation and moved to the plaza where people were gathering for rest. There were many mothers and children with their children, and the children were playing happily under the watchful eyes of their parents.

"Compatriot, about what you said earlier: ......
It's not too far-fetched, is it? It's also not impossible that Hilmera is not related to the Washects.

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on," she said. However, after her brother died, King Selende is said to have taken her in marriage, and she gave birth to Princess Hilmera within a year.
　In other words, she was pregnant with Princess Hilmera even before she became queen. There is a great possibility that the father is not King Selende. And the people of Serende seem to be aware of this consideration to a certain extent.

Even if Princess Hilmera is not related to the other princes, it doesn't matter much to us, does it?
"Not directly, no.
Indirectly, you mean. ...... Do you understand, Ilias?
If Princess Hillemera is the child of King Selende's brother, there is a good chance that those who supported Selende's brother in the previous struggle for the throne will follow Hillemera.

　His compatriots nodded their heads in agreement. I see, even though Princess Hilmera was young ten years ago, if there were people who were trying to use her to regain power, it is highly likely that they would have cooperated with Rahite and the others.
　However, as far as I can tell, there is no sign of such a person around Princess Hilmera at the moment. ...... In any case, this information will be useful to our people in determining the state of Princess Hilmera's own mind.

Now, let's get to know the madams!
"Madame ......, you mean those mothers. What are you going to do?
"That's where you come in, Exduk.

　At first I tilted my head, but soon I could read my compatriot's intentions with the results.
　He bought a children's doll from a nearby stall and attached its moving parts to my chain. In short, they wanted me to perform a street performance as a puppeteer.
　It's a technique that uses the tension and looseness of strings to make the puppet look alive, but it's no problem since my chain can be moved freely.
　As I manipulated the two knight dolls and made them look as if they were fighting each other fiercely, remembering the scene of the knights' hand-to-hand combat I had seen at Tarz, one or two children came up to us and watched the scene with shining eyes.
　At first, the mothers looked at us suspiciously, but when we talked to them and told them that our people wanted to practice street performance, they gradually let their guard down. And now they are happily chatting with each other.

"Wow, you can buy something of such high quality at such a low price, can't you?
"My subordinates select what the princes can eat from the ingredients gathered. The ingredients that are not selected are sold directly to the market. The food that isn't selected goes directly to the market. It gets damaged a little faster, but the quality is guaranteed, so there is a lot of competition.

　I've heard that the distribution of what goes into the mouths of royalty is unique. I've heard that the distribution of what goes into the mouths of the royal family is unique, and that even the people who arrange, cook, and poison the food are carefully selected. It can be said that this is a characteristic of a country with a long history of poisoning.
　However, what is more astonishing is his ability to draw out conversations from his compatriots. She doesn't use any magic at all, but takes control of the other person's caution and guides their words so that they will want to speak.
　He also has a smile that is rarely seen, but I can't believe that it is a fake smile. If I could smile like that, I'd be able to gather information a little better.
　Ilias looked at his compatriot who was making friends with the housewives with indescribable eyes. He may be used to it, but it's as if he's given up on even trying to be amused. I think he had a similar look when I saw Lakra lying on the ground, drunk.

Good night. More things to do with the chains.
"Yeah, I guess so. But if you're going to make a living as a street performer, you're going to have to get a little more serious with your props.
No, you don't have to take this seriously.

　My compatriots are playing with their children, picking them up. The mothers, who had been wary at first, were now watching the scene with smiles on their faces. Is it possible to gain so much trust in such a short time?
　The child is more interested in the doll that I was manipulating. When I poked the doll with my fingers and moved it in response, it seemed to be very happy and excited. It's ...... strange that children, who are usually afraid of my appearance and don't want to get close to me, can laugh so easily.

It's time to clean up and go back.
Yeah, right. All right, boys, that's it for today! I'll see you next time!
No, no, no.
One more time, one more time, one more time!

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm rather limited in my arm,......, but it's no use! There you go, line 'em up! Hey, ecdysiac, Ilias! Don't just laugh at me, help me satisfy them!
I don't mind, but won't it hurt the kids if I ...... pick them up?
It's better than being grabbed by the arm strength of the Iliad.


Wait a minute, that doesn't sound good, does it?

　The children lined up in a sensible line. My compatriot rolled up his arms and lifted the children one by one.
　Seeing this, a part of me felt relieved. Even after the battle with Rahite had been settled, the compatriots were always in a tense atmosphere.

"Ilias, take it easy. "Ilias, take it easy on yourself. Don't throw it around like it's too expensive.
I won't!

　So I can't help but wish that such a peaceful time would soothe my compatriot's heart for a little longer. The smiling Ilias next to his compatriot must be thinking the same thing.

"Hey, Exoik.
What is it?
"That kid there, he's an assassin. Take him down.