Looking up at the clear blue winter sky, Iris (Rene) sighs.

　Three times in the past few days, Iris (Rene) had slipped out of bed in the middle of the night, turned into a ninja as usual, and saved a soldier's family from being attacked.
　He had caught a strange hostile group moving through the castle with his emotional sense.
　He had prevented Night Python's plot, but his heart was still in the right place.

　--If they attacked me in the same city, I'd still be able to notice and help, but if not, there's nothing I can do. d*mn it.

　The effective range of emotion detection doesn't even cover the entire city of El Talef. We can't even notice if someone's being attacked in a nearby village or a remote city.

　--If the Count's numbers continue to decline, the battle may end abruptly. ...... But that's not good enough.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one.
　It is said that they are finally going to capture the boss who controls the territory.

　However, Iris (Rene)'s goal is to destroy Night Python itself. This is a different dream from that of the Count, who is fine as long as he can drive them out of the territory.
　In the current situation, he made a rather rough plan to secure the custody of the boss of the territory for the time being and then think about it, based on the hopeful assumption that the executive who controls the territory would know the whereabouts of the big boss.

　Unfortunately, the Count had asked me to stay at home, but there was no need for me to pretend to be Iris at this point. All we have to do is to preemptively raid the boss's hiding place that the Count has identified.

　--...... That's all well and good, but I'm afraid that if you go all out, the whole mess will leak out. There's also talk of a possible connection between the Night Python and the coup faction, so I don't know what to do.

　If there's a commotion when we capture the boss and the big boss escapes, we're screwed.
　Even if not, I would like to do it secretly if possible. After achieving our goal, it will be much easier for us to prepare for battle or escape if the country is not aware of us.

　--But what exactly should we do with that?
　　　For example, you can bring the Night Python and the Count into an all-out war and defeat the big boss. ...... No, you can't. It's more than the Count can handle. I don't know if I can ...... force my way through this. ......

　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　A cool breeze blew through the air and seemed to cool her head.

　The castle of the Earl of Keighley, though relatively small in proportion to the size of his domain, is a battlemented fortress built on a small hill. The top of the wall offers a good view of the houses in the castle town.

　When a soldier standing guard notices Iris (Rene), he salutes her reverently as if she were his master. He's dressed as an ordinary adventurer now, but I guess he's showing his respect because he knows what Iris (Rene) is doing to protect Catherine.

　--Hmmm, I can't think of any ideas. Let's just see how the castle town reacts.

　Iris (Rene) extended the range of her emotional search to the maximum and walked on the castle wall.
　The reason why she chose to walk on the castle wall was to see if there was anyone watching the castle. The other day, I got rid of two freelance assailants for hire, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next one is on the way.
　I thought that if anyone was watching this place, they might sense something about the appearance of Iris (Rene), who had been playing the important role of the young lady's shadow, and react to it and feel some emotion.

　The reaction came surprisingly easily.

　--Oh?　It's a building with a view of the castle.
　　　Is this a 'surprise'?　And the cold "hostility" typical of a workman. ......

　While walking, Iris (Rene) took out a crystal ball just in the watcher's blind spot.

"Crystal Eye".

　The trace was successful.
　In the crystal ball, there were two men holding up magic binoculars in a bleak room, looking out the window.
　The room was cluttered with things like portable food, weapons, and other disturbing items.

　--Oh my god, a rope, a bag that could hold a man. I'm not sure what to make of this.
　　　...... No, wait, who?

　One of the men took his eyes off the binoculars for a moment and looked at the kidnap kit.
　This gesture was not missed by Iris (Rene).

　--Is it me ......?　Why?

　I've been thinking about the usefulness of kidnapping for a while.
　Night Python will want to do something about the Dragon's Whistle, just as they are attacking the raiders and their families.
　So why would they want to kidnap him without killing him? ......

　--Well, there's no one on the inside anymore!　They don't know that the Dragon's Throat won't be in the final battle, and they're trying to take countermeasures!

　Killing the families of the raiders was an effective attack. I don't want my family killed," he said.
　But let's say you kill a member of the Dragon's Throat. Would that be a warning not to do anything more?
　No, it wouldn't. It would be a battle of revenge and mourning, and we would fight with all our might.

　So what if they took hostages?
　Probably, the three of them won't be able to move once Iris is taken hostage.

　--But how are they going to get me?　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the best way to get the best out of me.
　　　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the best way to get rid of them.

"Iris!　There you are.

　Suddenly there's someone calling my name from beneath my feet.

"Benedict!

　Benedict is in the courtyard, inside the walls, waving at me.
　Knowing that Benedict has no intention of doing so, Iris (Renée) casually presses the skirt of her robe. If it were to spread a little in the wind right now, ......

　--I'm not sure if I've done anything normally girly now.　I've been living as ...... Rene for 10 years, so it's not surprising that I have that habit.

　It was a little complicated for Choujiro, but Benedict didn't seem to notice such complicated and twisted gender problems.

"Here, take it. It's for you.



　Benedict threw up a large card-like object.
　It spun around and flew into the air, and Iris (Rene) caught it in front of her with a white blade.
　It was an envelope stamped with the stamp of the Adventurer's Guild.

　--From the Adventurer's Guild?

"Thanks, Benedict.

　Waving Benedict off, Iris (Rene) opens the envelope.

　Inside was a letter of invitation from the guild.
　It was long and overly ornate, but to summarize the seven lines of text into one line, it said, "We found a flaw in your previous quest report, so come and correct it.
　As an adventurer and as a guild, this is the part of the story that should not be taken lightly.

　That's why it's too suspicious.
　Or rather, the timing is too good.
　Iris (Rene) thought that something was wrong, and she immediately had an idea.

　--Oh ......!　There's a Night Python insider in the Adventurer's Guild!　He was a spy for the city python, but the territorial python must have contacted him again.
　　　You can't do anything about it anyway, and there's no natural way to tell ...... the existence of the insider, so you left it out. You're using it here: ......

　I'm not sure if it's a fake document that the guild's insiders put out on their own, or if they made the branch manager (master) write something that he didn't say, but I'm pretty sure he's involved.

　And since the Dragon's Throat's job is to protect the Count, it's unlikely that they would leave the castle together. Especially now, right after the assassination attempt on the Count.
　Inevitably, Iris (Rene) alone, or at least the two of them, will go out.

　It was a trap to lure Iris out of the house.

　--Okay, okay, I'll take advantage of that. The duck will go out with a leek on its back. But with poisonous ducks and leeks!　You'll get sick to your stomach!

　I'm more in the mood for fishing. The fish are coming. All we have to do is bait them.

　--Well... Don't go to ...... to talk to the party. You might get stopped. Let's just keep going.

"Fly.

　Iris (Rene) jumped down from the castle wall under the watchful eyes of the guards.

　The men watching seemed to panic at this and began to move in a hurry, surprised and impatient.
　Following their movements, Iris (Rene) softly flew through the air and descended into the city.

　She landed on the street that flanked the castle and began to walk the shortest distance to the Adventurer's Guild.
　It was a path through the intricate houses and alleys between the buildings. In short, a perfect place to attack.

　Two men with hostile intent were rapidly approaching.
　I no longer need to use my emotional sensing power, I can feel their presence so strongly that I can almost reach out and touch them.
　You may think you're killing the presence, but "reading the presence" means sensing the faint flow of magic power. And Iris (Rene) is an undead who uses magic to perceive the world. She is very good at reading signs.

　A group of men approach, killing the sound of their footsteps.
　They close the gap between Iris (Rene) and the slow walkers. And then.

"Mwah!

　When they got close enough, Iris(Rene) was jumped into a hug from behind and her mouth and nose were covered with a damp cloth.
　The air tinged with magical power invaded her body. As a matter of courtesy, Iris (Rene) screamed and flailed.

　--Sleep Potion: ...... This will work for 3 hours ...... to increase resistance... ...Tantrums...... sleepy.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.