Raishou, an elven recorder from the Hanging Gardens of Ghazaria, was frantically writing down the conversation in front of him on a piece of recording paper.

　A cold sweat was running down his forehead, but he didn't even have time to wipe it off. The people of the heraldic religion and the high-ranking officials of Gazalia were speaking one after another, as if they did not even need to pause for breath. By the end of the meeting, Raishou's fingertips had lost all feeling.

　The task of taking minutes is a simple one, but it is a necessary part of any meeting between forces. After all, every word can be used as a bargaining chip later on. It would be too much of a waste of time to argue about what you said or didn't say later on. In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to write down the entire conversation on a piece of paper.

　As the name implies, the parchment is used to record the contents of the conversation into history without any stagnation. Even if it is attacked by a big fire or a stormy sea, the record will not be lost and the words will be handed down to future generations.

　In the case of a large conference, every word must be written down so that it is not lost.

　Therefore, a recorder like Reischauer, who can handle shorthand, usually boils his fingertips and brain with heat when a big meeting comes around.

　However, Raishow himself did not think that being a recorder was a bad job, even if it was a burden. This is a valuable job that doesn't put you in any particular danger, allows you to use your skills, and the pay isn't bad.

　Moreover, this time, I have been appointed as the recorder for the conference that Finn-Erdis will attend. It's an honor, and I'm sure it'll have a positive effect on my career.

　If he were to be honored by a high official, perhaps even by Finn-Erdis, he could well be promoted to a high ranking recorder.

　If that happens, he may finally be allowed to marry his lover, which has been denied due to the humble job of a recorder. The position of a high-ranking recorder or a high-ranking civil servant would be enough to make one famous and envied in a rural village like Raishou's hometown.

　If he imagined such a convenient future, his current toil would become less painful. Moving his numb fingertips somehow, Raishow wrote shorthand on the parchment in front of him.

　Just when it seemed that the agenda was complete, the discussion had been exhausted, and the task was finally over. The words came out of Finn-Erdis' mouth.

"You'll be joining the troops as a knight of Gazalia in the war against the Great Patriarchate. For this reason, I hope so too.

　The voice came from the knight Lugis, who was sitting at the end of the chamber.

　I'm sure you've heard of him, but you've never heard of him. However, he did hear that he was the one who had rescued Finn-Erdis from the tower prison while he was still a human, and eventually brought about the alliance between Gazalia and the heraldry.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this. It's not like Raishou has any interest in getting into Finn's affairs, but he understands that the knight Lugis must be a great man.

　I'm not sure why he's sitting at the end of the floor, but I guess he's a humble man. Come to think of it, I don't remember recording his words in the record of this meeting either.

　In shorthand, Raishow recorded the name of the knight Lugis, and then wrote in affirmation of Finn-Erdis' question.

　After all, Finn-Erdis, the queen in the human world, had said that she wanted to. It was almost an order, albeit a euphemism. No matter how it is worded, the final answer must be an affirmation.

　This kind of writing is not something that Reischauer has guessed prematurely, but it is common knowledge that is known to some extent among the recorders. In addition, it is impossible to record every word in a meeting where many words are exchanged without anticipating and recording questions and answers that have already been answered.

　Therefore, Reischauer had made the right decision.

　--No, I've already decided on my role. I'm thinking of going independent.

　It's just that Lugis, the human knight, didn't make the right call.

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


　I'm not sure what to say.


I don't understand what you just said, either. I'm not sure what you mean by that.

　It is the voice of Saint Mattia. It was a voice that seemed to tremble, yet pierced me sharply. She crossed her arms in front of her stomach and looked at me.

　That's not good. I misread. I thought that in a public place like this, she would just brush it off with a single word.

　After a certain amount of discussion, the meeting came to a rest. The high-ranking officials of both the heraldry and Gazalia, who had been crammed into the chamber, were probably now cleaning up after the meeting.

　So it's just me and a few others here now. And yet, the stares are strangely painful. It stung like my skin was burning.

"I'm not gonna do anything. It's just that I don't think a guy like me would be much use to any unit. I just thought it would be good to stretch my wings a bit.

　I really didn't mean anything more than what I said.

　A heraldic army has its own heraldic rules, a Gazarian army has its own Gazarian rules. If I, a person who has not mastered them, enter the army, it will only cause unnecessary disorder.

　In a military organization, even a single lapse in alignment can lead to an upset of the entire organization. In the case of a war against the Great Saints, it would not be strange if that unrest became the material for defeat.

　Therefore, such elements should be removed as much as possible.

　Once again, I let the words fall from my lips. Even though that was all I did, I felt strangely thirsty. A cold sweat licked my neck.

I see, so there's no problem with the organization belonging to Gazalia. I just want to operate as a separate unit. That's what you want, isn't it?

　Erdis, the Queen of Gazalia, said in a voice that still tickled the inside of my ear. Her cheeks smiled gently, and she took a step closer to me.

I'll allow the knight to be as selfish as he is. You can be my personal guard. In that position, you'd be well served--

　Before the slightly viscous voice could finish all of its words, a strand of dark hair bit off the back of it.

I don't mean to be disrespectful to the Elven Queen, but you'll have to wait. I don't want to be rude to the Elven Queen, but wait a minute. I think you need to break it down from there to be able to put it all together.



　Fialat's resonant voice bit through Elddis'.

　The voice itself was directed at the people around me, including Elddis, but the black eyes remained the same, piercing me. That's why I could see the heat in her eyes, as if they were about to smoke.

　No... Not as good as I thought, this. I can feel the frustration clawing at the back of my chest, scratching at the inside of my body.

　It's not that there's anything wrong with me. It's not that I have anything to be ashamed of, but I've definitely done something wrong. The constant stares and words from the people around me make me understand that, even if I don't want to.

It's simple. I knighted him, and he took it. I knighted him, and he took it. Pleasure, Princess.

　After Erdis's words echoed through the room, the air felt as if it had creaked.

　My throat is so dry it hurts. Numbing my fingertips, I turned my gaze to Kalia, who had remained silent for a while now. It's not that I'm asking for help, but I was wondering if you could help me out a little.

　Her silver hair bounced as she met my gaze. And his lips rippled as he tilted his head lightly.

"...... Lugis, my dear. You seem to like making promises to a lot of women, huh?

　I wonder who you'll keep your promises to. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that," he said, his cheeks breaking out in a smile.

　Her cheeks twitch, as if in a spasm.

　In spite of Kalia's unmistakably kind smile, her silver eyes were as hard as stone. She is looking at me with a distorted look that is hard to describe.

I think this is a good time. For heraldry and for Gazalia. He's a big deal. That's why I think we should make our agreement and position clear.

　Mattia says again, with a sharp look at me. The expression on her face, her gaze, and even her tone of voice were all trembling, as if she was forcibly suppressing her emotions.

　Nodding to Mattia's words, Elddis opened her lips.

"-Recorder Richaud. Come in.

　Behind the closed door, from the side of the corridor, there was a sound as if someone had hit their head badly. And after that, an elven man came in as if he was afraid. His eyes clearly show his fear of the scene.

　Of course, so am I.

"Forgive me for using a new piece of parchment. Use all magic-infused ink. Every word you say from this point forward must be recorded, not a word out of place.

　And so, voices rang out again in the chamber. And so, voices rang out in the hall once again, with a fervor that rivaled that of the joint meeting that had just taken place.