"Oh man, is it that time already ......?

　Eustace is a man who works for a trading company.
　He works for a company that deals in household goods.

　When the Noah's Curio army showed up, the business was booming with special demand.
　That's all well and good, but just because there's suddenly more work doesn't mean you can suddenly hire more people.
　More work than usual was pouring in.

　That day, Eustace came home late.
　The sun had already set and there were few people around. He hurried home by the light of a few magic lamps.
　Even though he was familiar with the city, he was afraid of the night. You never know where you might be chased off.

　But what he encountered was something even worse than a mugger.

　As he entered a side street from the main street, Eustace stopped as he thought he heard a strange voice.
　The voice sounded like the rumbling of wind, like a broken whistle, with a horrible reverberation.

"............ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo............

　The voice was clear.

　Eustace stopped in his tracks.
　He wanted to run home as fast as he could, and he felt he could save himself if he did.
　But the fear that if he moved even a finger, someone would jump out of the shadows and sear his fangs into his flesh, held him in place.

　A light appeared in front of Eustace.
　Did the magic light suddenly increase?
　No, no. There was something more terrifying.

　There was a man there, vague, with an indistinct outline, seemingly melting into thin air.

"Hee ...... hee .............

　All Eustace could do was let out a stifled scream.
　A ghost.
　The ghost of a man floating in the air.

　The ghosts were glaring at the heavens with bitterness, as if they couldn't see Eustace who was so close.

"I only saved my son from being killed by ...... Noah's Curio soldiers. ......
　But the Marquis ...... made up my crime in order to flatter the Noahcurio army. ......
　I was betrayed by the ...... Marquis. ......!

　The ghosts wail.

　Eustace knows what I'm talking about.
　The incident that caused a commotion in the city. A knight had a dispute with a Noahcurio soldier and killed him, and he was executed in less than ten days after the incident.
　I thought the Marquis was thinking about his relationship with the Noahcurio when he handled the incident so quickly. ......

　--I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.　Is this the truth behind the incident ......?

I've been thinking about this for a while.
　Ore ...... hate you ......!!!

　With a resentful cry, the ghost disappeared.
　All that was left was the sound of the wind. It was as if the ghost was still howling somewhere.

　Eustace didn't notice the girl running away, blending into the darkness.

　* * *

　Tracy, on the other hand...

"Hey, long time no see. I'm glad you're both okay.
I guess.

　At an adventurer's tavern in the city, she met a muscular fighter.

　"What a weird old lady.

I saw a very suspicious old lady, what is she?　If you're working for the Marquis now, do you know anything about her?
"If you say she's suspicious, she's suspicious. But I don't know much. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　On a street corner in the late afternoon, I met a fighter with a long mohawk hanging down one side of his face.

　I don't know.

Why is such an unfamiliar person in the army?
"I heard he was recruited by the Central Army, not the Lords.

　At the general store, I met with a Noahcurio soldier.

　What's his position?

What kind of position does he actually hold?
He's a technician who was kicked out of the Moon Eaters. He belongs to the Royal Army, but he's on loan to the General. "It's a countermeasure against the Rose Princess of Hell. ......"

　In an elegant restaurant, he met with a low-ranking knight of Noah's Curio.

　I'm not sure.

"So they're using you even though they don't really know you?
"Only the general knows the details. The only thing is, he can't even use magic very well, but he handles holy beasts.



　I was meeting a knight of Noah's Curio in a fancy bar.

　.

I guess he's not that strong.
But there's a rumor about this guy. ...... That old hag has the ability to transfer her wounds to holy beasts.

　I met Noah Curio's mercenary in a gambling den with a mysterious atmosphere.

　"Oh, by the way.

"Speaking of which, have you heard about the incident where a Noahcurio soldier was killed by the Marquis' knight?
Of course I heard about it. Of course I heard about it. The whole town was in an uproar, so everyone knows about it.

　I was meeting a party of new adventurers at the Adventurer's Guild.

　"That was actually a soldier who was killed.

The soldier who was killed was actually the one who was wronged. It seems that the Noacurio army, fearing a backlash, put pressure on the Marquis and unilaterally made the knight, who was acting in self-defense, the bad guy.
Seriously? I've heard rumors that the executed knight came out as a monster.

　I was meeting with the owner of a weapon shop in town, someone I knew.

　It's true.

"This is really just between us, okay?　Don't tell anyone. It's something that a lot of important people are hiding, and it would be bad if they knew I told you.
It's okay. I'm known for my tight-lippedness.

　At the church, I met a priestess with a light heart.

　I'll be fine.

　Rumors about the "truth" of the incident were spreading like wildfire in the city of Teiracaines.

　As of yet, there was no outspoken condemnation of Noa Curio's army or his lord for this incident.
　However, just as a glass of water will eventually overflow if you keep pouring it, it will erupt if the threshold is exceeded somewhere. It's like having a bomb in your hand.

I don't think it's my place. I don't think it's my jurisdiction. Even if the wraith is a high-ranking wraith, magical invisibility doesn't last forever.
　After all, the execution site must have been cleansed by priests, the corpse burned in holy oil, and the soul's disappearance confirmed by psychic vision. It's not right for them to become undead. I think this is the work of the humans.

　Morgana, who had been summoned by Marks and Patrick, expressed her own opinion.

　Patrick raises his eyebrows in annoyance.

"...... illusion?
It is natural to think so.

　Someone is creating an apparition of Yuyin, manipulating it as if it were a ghost, and showing it to the people of the city.

Who would do such a thing? ...... No, there are people who would do it.
The West.
If that's the case, they're pretty quick. ......

　Marks is planning to rebuild the state system (and make himself a central figure in it) with Gislain and Noah Curio at its core.
　At a forced meeting of the Lords, Marks declared his support for Gislain, and fought the opposing Lords to the hilt.
　It is not surprising that the other side would take steps to frustrate Marks' intentions.

"It's not good to interfere with the gods. But it's hard to find bad guys in holy beasts. It's your job.
　Find them fast, make them live in hell, and then put them in real hell.
You can't rely on the holy beast. ......
I'll mobilize the troops and put them on night watch. You filthy rat, grab my tail.

　I'll be right back.

　Marks' order was given, and nighttime patrols were increased in areas where there were reports of ghost sightings.
　But just then... But just then, as if to mock the night watchers, the ghosts stopped appearing.

　Rumors had already spread throughout the city, and there was no need to cause any more trouble.

　The reason I said it was the Marquis and not Viscount MacGregor was to direct the public's suspicion to the Marquis as well as the Noahcurio army, and to make it easier to proceed with future operations.
　It was a coincidental fact that Panilla (Rene) only found out about it after Tracy had gotten the information. ......

　Under the cold moon.
　Sitting on the roof of a nearby building, Panilla (Rene) looks down at the knights and guards looking around and smiles.

　There is smoke where there is no fire, but there is always more smoke when there is a spark.
　The trouble the Noah's Curio soldiers were causing, the real witnesses, Yuyin's son who was there when it happened: ......
　There is no shortage of material to reinforce the cries of the ghosts. There is no shortage of material to reinforce the cries of the "ghosts". The truth that should have been buried by the manipulation of information is being unearthed.

　So far, there has been no major outcry, but Rene has left an invisible scar on this city.
　That wound will soon bleed.

　Below me, a soldier standing on the street is shaking and sighing.

"Thanks for your service, I guess. Stay there and lose sleep.



　Panira (Rene) turned herself around and disappeared from the city at night.