An operations room within the Great Wall. That was the meeting place this time.

　The seat was occupied by Mattia, the brains of the heraldry, his aide Largud An, and some of the main figures of the heraldry. Then there's Caria, Fialaat, and I'm sitting at the end, though I'm not sure.

　And then there's the messenger from Gazalia...

"What, Lugis? Are you saying you forgot my face? You look very strange.

　Yes, a voice that tickled my ears echoed in the chamber.

　Of course. In fact, not only me, but most of the people in the room have distorted expressions on their faces. In fact, there are few people who look at her and remain calm.

　Seated next to Mattia is the undisputed ally of the heraldry cult, the one who now rules Gazalia. Finn Erdis. She must be the Elven princess who spent some time with us in Ghazaria, or maybe she's the queen now.

　Of course, it would be a hassle to send an emissary from Ghazaria here, but it's not that easy for the head of a country to go to a meeting of other powers. Besides, how far do you think it is from Gazalia to here? Even so, is it really that easy to send out illusions?

However, as an ally, the sooner the top comes, the sooner we can talk. It would be a hassle to send messengers back and forth, as is often the case.

　As he said that, Kalia swayed her body as she leaned on me, looking not very interested.

　That's true. There are many things that can't be decided by a messenger in a communication between major powers.

　Every time this happens, the messenger has to go back to his country, receive instructions, and then go back to the other country, or some such foolish thing.

　In any case, when it comes to the king's words, there is no way to simply communicate with him by magic.

　The ritual of having the messenger kneel on the venerable wax. The higher you go, the stricter each step becomes. Apparently, these stages are important for the upper class.

"Even in my country, we used to send messengers to each other to protect each other's dignity. It's not going away. I don't like that kind of futility, that kind of stuffiness.

　Fialaat put her hand on my right shoulder and said in a disgusted voice.

　I see, like Kalia, Fialaert's family itself is of a high class, I believe. It's not surprising that there are some such exchanges. As for me, it's too far away for me to really feel it at all. Anyway, it's not a bad thing to be quick.

My thanks to you, too. Finn Elddis. I'm glad you're here in person.

　Mattia says the words with a reverent bow. Her posture is so graceful that it almost makes you sigh.

　I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea. I can't help but feel a twinge of agitation in the back of my chest, wondering if it's okay for someone like me to be there, even if I'm in the last row.

　Erdis, who was offered a bow, returned the bow as well, a smile on his lips like a ripple.

"Saint Mattia. I, Gazalia, will not forget our friendship with the heraldry. We pledge to work together ......, but let's not be too rigid. I've been taught that you can't be too polite.

　You can feel the tension in the room slowly dissipating as Erdis' cheerfulness is not out of place. It seems that Anne and the surrounding representatives of the heraldry were more nervous than we were. It is understandable, after all, many of them have never even seen an elf before.

　Anyway, if you're going to have a meeting, just get it over with.

　I don't have much of a say in it. There's only so much I can tell you about strategy. In fact, I doubt if there is anything I can do.

　I put my elbows on the table and squinted. When I looked forward, I didn't know I was looking at Elddis.

　Instantly, her blue eyes twisted into a scowl.

What are you doing there? Come on, come on, come on.

　Well... What are you talking about?

　At Erdis's sudden words, the faces of the people around him became tense again, or rather confused. It was as if they couldn't figure out what the hell she was talking about. Of course, the same goes for me.

　But what those blue eyes are piercing is, without a doubt, me. The eyes of the people around me are slowly gathering on me, as if they were following me. It's not only Mattia's, but also Kalia's and Fialat's.

"...... Lugis, you're my knight, aren't you? I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea. Now I'm stifling my frustration and allowing you to be free.

　Erdis' words sounded impatient.

　At that moment, I felt with my own body that air seems to have mass.

　Or perhaps it was the fact that Kalia's arm wrapped around my left arm and Fialat's hand on my right shoulder each conveyed a tightening sense of pain. No, it's not pain. This is going to break if you're not careful.

　I move my gaze slightly to take a peek at my surroundings. Your eyebrows shoot up.

　Kalia is looking at you with a big smile on her face, but you can see that her cheeks are fluttering. Considering her personality, it's a wonder she doesn't take some action right now.

　Fialat, on the other hand, has a pale liquid around the edges of her dark eyes. His shoulders were squeezed tightly.



　All the eyes and gazes around me were looking at me. For some reason, even the saint Mattia's gaze intensified, as if she was looking at me with contempt. If possible, I hope I'm wrong, but...

　After a few seconds of this, I couldn't take it anymore and opened my lips, which had hardened.

"No, well, ...... what is it? It's--

What's that?　Do you have any idea what I'm talking about, huh?

　Her lips opened and were forced to close.

　Kalia's eyes widened from a wide smile and she took the edge off my words. Well, it seems that smile didn't mean tolerance. Rather, it was something with a more vicious intent.

　She looked back at Erdis as if asking for help. The point was that if Elddis would retract or rephrase her words, the situation would be settled for the moment. Of course, it would be a stopgap measure.

　When she looked at him, Elddis blinked her long eyelashes lightly and smiled, as if she had drawn a thin line across her face.

　She then remained silent, not uttering a single word. It's as if he's telling us that he has nothing to say.

　The heavy air felt more and more oppressive. What the hell is this?

　If you think about it, this is the first time in this era that Caria, Fialaat, Erdis, and most of the members of the former Salvation Journey have gathered together in one place.

　But you know what? In the past, I've never seen such a pressure, such an atmosphere, holding people down like this.

　It's not as if I was the only one who didn't notice it at the time. In fact, I can say that I was the only one who felt oppressed and persecuted. It would be correct to say that the party was basically having an amicable exchange.

　And yet, what's going on now? Why is this happening, when it's just the same thing that happened before?

　Of course, one of the reasons is that it's just me, not the hero Herdt Stanley.

　But is that really the only reason? I wonder if I'm doing something wrong, if I'm stepping onto the wrong path. Even after all this time, the anguish has turned into saliva and is flowing down my throat. My throat gurgled.

"...... Uh, uh... I'm sorry, sir. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Anne's shoulders jerked up and her eyes rolled back.

　A moment of silence. There was a feeling of overlapping thoughts among the attendees, running through the air in circles.

"...... Yes. Finn Erdis. Would that be all right for now?

　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and the best way to get in touch with your loved ones, you can contact us at our own web site. I'll give you some time later, she added. With these words, the atmosphere around her gradually eased. Although there was a strange tension in the air.

　On the other hand, the pressure on my left arm and right shoulder had not eased at all. In fact, the pressure was increasing, and I was becoming a kind of spokesperson for Caria and Fialaat, tightening up on me.

　That's not good. Very bad. I can't even leave this place without seeing a gap in the heat of the meeting.

"So, once again... I am pleased to announce that an alliance has been successfully formed between the Elven nation of Hanging Gardens Ghazalia and our heraldic religion. From now on - the guidelines to be set by our alliance. I will propose the details as the first item on the agenda.

　Anne's words echoed in the hall, hiding her trembling as she brushed aside all the pressure.