That day, the Kagemusha business was closed.

　A horse-drawn carriage with a lacquered texture moves slowly through the city. The carriage was not overly ornate, but it still exuded a sense of luxury.
　When passersby see its great appearance and the family crest engraved on its abdomen, they bow their heads and take off their hats at the side of the road. This is because it is the carriage of the Earl of Keighley, the lord of the city.
　It is surrounded and guarded by three guards and members of the Dragon's Throat.

　During the battle against the Night Pythons, the Earl has been confined to the castle as much as possible to attend to his duties, wary of retaliatory attacks. However, as a lord, he can't stay indoors all the time.
　In order to manage his domain smoothly, he has to go out of the castle to meet with people and attend meetings.
　And Iris (Rene) is to accompany him as his escort. Simply because the presence of a wizard is important, and the Dragon's Throat can only work at its full potential if all the members are present.

　--The Dragon's Throat is probably the most powerful force the Count has ever had. That's why he called me.
　　　The Count may love his daughter dearly, but he prioritizes her life. He always puts himself first.
　　　The reason I'm usually the daughter's shadow is because I can protect the Count if I have to be in the castle. In effect, they're protecting us both.

　If Catherine dies, it won't hurt the house and the estate that much, but if the Count himself is killed, the whole thing will be shaken to its core. So it was natural for the Count to prioritize his own life.
　This is not a good thing or a bad thing, but something a lord should think about.

　Day in and day out, wearing clothes that are beautiful but difficult to move in, like armor, and paying attention to every finger to make sure they don't fall apart. There is no time to relax.
　Perhaps as a reaction to all this, I felt as light as a feather in the wild robe that was my equipment as an adventurer. I felt uncomfortable, as if I were walking around naked.

It feels like it's been a long time. The four of us together.

　Hugh whispered, and Benedict nodded.

"How's work?

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

　Benedict suddenly asks Iris (Rene) a random question.
　If you look into Iris's memory, you will find that he is always like this. He is not a good talker. He is not a good talker. Hugh is in charge of talking and negotiating.
　This kind of simplicity and earnestness may be Benedict's charm. Iris (Rene) also answers him properly without being annoying.

It's okay. At first I was a bit confused, but actually there's not much I have to do.
　All of my teachers know that I'm not real, and if I talk in front of other people, they'll recognize me by my voice anyway, so all I have to do is keep my mouth shut and walk with my back straight.
"I heard the lady is trying to keep her voice down too. I heard that you try to keep your voice down too.

　Deanna looks more pleased with herself than with the compliment.
　Iris (Rene) can't help but giggle.

"You've changed, you know. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.
Yeah, your footsteps have changed.
There you go.

　The men were impressed to see Iris (Rene) not dressed as a young lady for the first time in a long time.

　It's not until they say that that Iris (Rene) realizes.
　She had thought she was taking it easy, but now she found herself walking with her back straight as if she was being pulled by a string.

　--I thought, "How can I fool the people who work in the dark?　I was wondering if I could fool the people who work in the dark with this. ...... It's not hard to see that I'm a pretty good young lady for a newbie.

　I'm not sure if I should be happy about that, "Chojiro" is lamenting in my head.

That's the way it is. A woman can turn into a woman at any moment.
　You have a lot to learn from this job, don't you, Iris?

　Deanna says this, but it's a little strange that she has such a positive attitude towards this job.

I'm sure you'll have a lot to learn about this job.
　"Well, but, you know, didn't Deanna not want me to do this job?
Well, I'm still against it. It's such a crazy job. I'm still against it.
　It's a poor lottery anyway, you should get some money back.
"Oh, come on, you can't call it a lottery.
It's a lottery. You're putting Iris in a lot of danger.

　"You're putting Iris at risk," Deanna sniffs, protecting her client's carriage of all things.
　She's not going to concede on this point.

I'm sure you're not the only one.
"Yes, very sweet.

　Hugh said with a chuckle.
　I think we're all pretty sweet, but I think Deanna has a soft spot for Iris.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to retire before Iris does, and I'm going to die before she does.
　That's why I want to protect you and leave you as much as I can while we're still together as adventurers. Experience, knowledge, that kind of thing.
"That's great, that's true.

　Hugh laughed without irony at Deanna's brazen declaration of indulgence.
　"I'm not sure what to make of that.
　This is something that Iris finds annoying but gratifying, and she adores everyone. ......

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.



"What's wrong?

　Diana looked into Iris's face with concern.
　I didn't mean to show it on my face, but it seems I had a bad expression on my face.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to use the same type of software for all of your needs. I wonder...

　I didn't know what I was going to say, but when I put it into words, the question seemed awfully wormy.

　Deanna looked puzzled, but then, as she walked, she suddenly hugged Iris (Rene)'s head with all her might.

You're so cute!　You're so cute!
"Oh my God!

　And then Diana rubbed Iris (Rene). Her whole body tickled.

"I don't care who you are, as long as you're you, when you met me, you'd be my best friend. I'm sure.
"So, what if someone else is 'Iris, the Dragon's Throat' and I'm someone else who isn't Iris?"

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

　--What are you asking me, ......?

　I'm not sure what you're talking about. My heart is beating uncomfortably.
　My heart is beating uncomfortably. ...... What's so unsettling about that?

　You'll be able to find out more about it in the following article.

I can't imagine how unrealistic that sounds. ......
　If you want me to take care of you, and you're not Iris, I'll take care of you.

　I'm sure I would.
　When she heard this, she suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

　--If we had met in a different way ......?

　I'm not sure if he would have cared for Rene the same way he cared for Iris.
　...... That's just an IF. I'm not sure what to make of that.

That's it. Don't be too chatty or the enemy might take advantage of you.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. ......

　Benedict said, and they broke off.
　It's a good thing that Benedict stopped me, though I would have liked to have been hugged by Diana a little longer. Something inside of Iris (Rene) was going to break if she didn't.

　It's not that I was not careful while we were having this conversation.
　Iris (Rene) was continuing to explore her surroundings with the power of emotional perception.

　She was also aware that there was something ...... nearby that the other three and the guards were unaware of, something inorganic and cold and hostile.

　--I'm here,......, but it's not coming this way. What the hell is this?

　I didn't say anything because it would seem unnatural for me to notice it at such a distance.
　As if it was my job to simply observe, something was lurking on top of a building on the side of the road ahead, waiting to see what would happen.

　--...... on top of a building?

　If this were Earth, it would be the first position to be alerted as an anti-terrorist measure.

　That's when.
　Even though we are still quite a distance away, the hostility of someone lurking on the roof swells like a gassed balloon.

"Windshield!

　Before you can check the situation, Iris (Rene) uses magic.

　Immediately after.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm not sure what to do.

"!

　Finally, those around her reacted.
　But by that time, the flying object was approaching the carriage,......, and was caught up in the wind magic that Iris (Rene) released, hit the carriage, bounced off, and hit a nearby building while spinning.
　Outwardly, it was just an arrow. But it was impossibly fast and powerful. It was aimed through the window at the Count in the carriage.
　Wind magic altered the trajectory of the arrow to hit the hard exterior and killed some of the power, so the arrow was repelled. However, there was a deep gash in the carriage. This should have been enough to break through the window and pierce the body of the occupant. And the arrowhead has an eerie, smeary glow. Poison.

　--Oh my god!　You're lucky I'm here!　You're the one who would've died!

　I don't care if the Count lives or dies... but I don't want him to die now.

Sniper?
From where?

　By the time the others looked up at the top of the building, the sniper had already started to flee.
　The hostility was gone, and he looked slightly confused and humiliated, as if his pride had been severely wounded.
　Such an emotional response is running across the rooftops and trying to get away.

　--I can't let you get away!

"Snare!　≪"Snare!" "Snare!　≪"Snare!

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

Did you get him?
I don't know!　I was just shooting at random!

　That's a big lie.
　It may have looked like I was firing randomly because I couldn't aim, but in fact I was following her emotional response and aiming perfectly. The first two shots burned through the talisman and the third took him into custody. The assassin fell in a heap, his feet stuck to the rooftop floor.


　Benedict grabbed an uneven wall of the building, and with all his strength, pulled himself up and climbed on top of the building.
　The enemy has no way to move. He can't even shoot Benedict without turning around, so it's safe to leave the rest to him.

　--But really, everyone has a talisman. Even if it's a common item, it's not cheap either. That's a crime syndicate. They've got money.

　"I also have a dragon's whistle, but I usually keep it inactive because it's durability is reduced by any kind of magic. It's too expensive to use regularly, so I only equip it when I think I need it.

　The carriage turned on the spot and increased its speed as far as the foot guards could follow.
　Everyone seemed to be wary of their surroundings, but Iris (Rene) traced the emotions in the area and found no further reaction from the attackers.