You owe me, sir.
"I know, sir.

　Marks says, as if to reassure him, and Patrick responds with a deep sigh.
　They watched the execution from the balcony of the castle from a distance.

I'm so ashamed. It's a shame, sir.
　I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you. If Noa Curio's image were to deteriorate here, it would have been detrimental to our future.
What? I can't spare one or two of my men for the sake of bilateral relations.
　However, if this keeps happening, I won't be able to protect you.
"Yes. I've issued a notice to all the troops to strictly refrain from lawlessness.

　Both of them had a relatively accurate understanding of what had happened. But then they killed Yuyin.
　If the Noachurians were found to have used violence, there would be a public outcry against the Noachurians. That would have been very bad for Marks and Patrick.
　That's why he put all the blame on Yin and executed him.

　It was a painful expense for Marks. The sorcerer is valuable as a pawn.
　But it's not a bad investment when you consider what lies ahead. Now we need to move things along smoothly and I owe Patrick a favor.

And what was that knight all about, anyway?　A convenient perjurer has sprung up of his own accord.

　Patrick cocked his head.
　A witness came out of nowhere to perjure himself to incriminate Yuyin, which was obviously not true.

"...... Viscount MacGregor, who was in charge of his capture, was acting suspiciously. He may have been working behind the scenes for some reason. When things settle down, we'll look into Viscount McGregor as well.
　Well, in this case, it was convenient.
"Indeed. I'm a little sorry he's dead, though.
Yes.

　--His death will be the cornerstone of this country's stability. That's what a knight wants.

　Marks was thinking selfishly.

"There have been some unexpected problems, but ...... now we can proceed as planned.
　Hey, Your Highness.
"Yes, Marquis.

　Marks called out behind him.

　There was a handsome young man there. He had red hair that looked like it had been set on fire, and a prominent forehead. He was dressed in crimson, and behind his lower-rimmed glasses were silver eyes of a mysterious color.
　Gislain "Blaze" Ela Ciel-Teira.
　He had a fresh smile, full of religious inspiration.

"Everything is in God's hands.

　* * *

...... So, killing Viscount MacGregor will make me stronger.
　I heard that Viscount McGregor supports an orphanage in this city, and even shows up here and there.
　He's been in Teiracaines for a while now, so he'll show up. I'll wait and kill him.
　Everith gave me this potion that will kill you three days after you take it, making it look like a stroke. ......
Hey, wait, Princess. ......
"...... What's wrong?
"What's wrong? No!　You're not the same person!
　No, I know it's the princess inside!　Why are you possessing me like that again!

　The backyard of an orphanage in Teiracaines.
　There is a small field for growing vegetables, a fruit tree with ivy hanging down, and a ragged barrel lying around as a bench or something.
　In a small garden, surrounded on three sides by buildings and the back of an orphanage, Tracy, with his hair down and armor off, his adventurer's aura gone, has taken on the appearance of a boorish town girl. As he was the most famous person in town, it would have been conspicuous for him to be here, so he came to meet her under the guise of a passerby.
　Facing him, Panira (Rene) is having a secret conversation.

　She was dressed in grafted clothes and had short, shaggy brown hair. Her eyes are dull brass and her face is covered with freckles. That's what Rene looks like now. She has nothing in common with her normal self except her age.
　Born into a poor family, she and her mother ran away from her violent father, but after her mother died, they were taken in by an orphanage with a temple. That's who she is now.
　The crime was committed last night. At the beginning of the night, Panira was walking out, lured by the moon, when Rene "omitted" her.

I can't disguise my presence unless I'm possessed. You can't use other magic when you're blocking out a presence with magic.
"That's not what I meant.

　Tracy flapped her apron dress in exasperation.

...... You can't give that body back to its rightful owner, can you?

　Tracy's gaze is so-called, and it's blatantly accusatory.
　Rene accepted the accusation with open arms. Tracy's feelings are legitimate. I don't respect that at all.



Not by conventional means. I'm too stimulating, and once I'm inside, I'll be defiled as a vessel for the soul. If I leave, I'll die of consumption.
　I'm sure there's a way to deal with it, but it's not worth the cost.
If you'd just gone straight for the target, you wouldn't have had to use your body, would you?
It would have been tough to break into a place where a holy beast was already on the loose and secretly poison it.

　Currently, there are about twenty Holy Beasts spaced at random intervals throughout the city of Teiracaines.
　It is likely that the holy beasts, which are sensitive to evil spirits, are placed in a row so that they can detect anything that appears anywhere.
　This would make it difficult for jack-o'-lanterns and other spirit-based undead to take us by surprise. I had the feeling that my opponent was thinking about how to fight the undead army, or that he was reading my moves. It's an unpleasant trend.

　Anyway, the inn where Viscount MacGregor was staying (where several other knights were also staying) was one of the waiting places for the Holy Beast. Rene, who was scouting the area with his magic, saw a tiger-shaped Holy Beast sitting like a figurine in the garden and blew up.

　He needed a shell of a person who had not yet become undead.
　In the time between getting a new body and turning it into an undead one. Rene is able to blend in with the human race, almost completely cutting off all signs of evil. This is an ability that Rene had already possessed. Ordinary spirits and undead can't do such a perfect job of blocking out evil. If Rene's body were to be examined with magic, his true identity would be revealed.

I'm sure you could force your way through and kill him and escape, but ...... that would interfere with your work. If the knight is slaughtered, the enemy will be wary.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find some good bait in this city (Teirakainen) of all places. I want to kill him secretly without leaving any traces of my activities so as not to interfere with intelligence activities.
So you want to kill the Viscount to make it look like he's sick?
Yes.
That's why you gave me his body?
Yes.
Mm-hmm.

　Time efficiency, safety, success rate. This is the method he chose to balance them all.
　In other words, in order to efficiently carry out the revenge project, Rene used an unrelated person.
　René is aware that this is a terrible thing. However, he no longer has any remorse in his conscience.
　If he commits too many atrocities, he will be driven by fear, so he tries to avoid unnecessary killing.

I'd like to keep the number of people I kill like this to a minimum.
"I see. ......

　Tracy just nodded her head as if forcibly breaking her neck.

...... I'm going to get started.
"Have a good day.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.
"Am I somehow contributing to the destruction of the world?
Yeah.
"Mue ......

　Tracy, wearing a mousy aura.
　I felt a rain cloud over my head.

And it's a launching pad for the invasion. We've got a good story, and we can't afford not to use it. When I told Evelisse about the plan over the air, she said, "That sounds like fun! "Oh, that's right.
Yeah, that's it.
　...... Yeah, I'm only partially on board with helping out there.

　It was complicated.
　From now on, Tracy will be correcting injustice and unreasonableness. That's why Tracy said she was willing.
　But it will ultimately benefit Rene, in this case.

"Call me if you need anything. Especially if you need magic. I'll help you as long as I don't reveal myself.
"Okay.

　Tracy waved over her shoulder and walked away.
　Operation ...... has begun.