"Information gathered.

　After school.
　I was on the roof of the school, listening to Chris's voice while holding the 'news paper' to my ear.

"That's great, you work fast. I didn't expect to hear the results the day after I asked.

"We're an intelligence agency.　Even a first year rookie can gather this level of information.

　It's scary to hear someone from the Kingdom of Terraria's biggest dark agency, the Royal Defense Intelligence Agency, say that.
　He's not kidding. The bureau already has the pipes to do just that.

So tell me what you know about Elysia Milicitan.

　At my request, Chris paused for a beat before starting his report.

"First of all, it turns out that Milicitan is my mother's surname. The mother died soon after Elysia was born, but ...... that's irrelevant now. What is important is that Elysia had another name until a few years ago.

What was that name?

Elysia-Esperanto (・・・・・・). She is the only daughter of the previous leader of the Order of the True Phosphorus.

　As soon as I heard that information, I was convinced.
　Elysia's swordsmanship is unparalleled among her generation. It's obvious that she's been studying it for a long time.

　Perhaps her father had taught her swordplay.
　But--

Is that it?

No way. I'm sure the higher-ups at your school have this kind of information.

　Apparently, there's more to this information.
　I'm relieved. Just because you know Elysia's maiden name doesn't mean anything.

"Do you know anything about her father, Gaul-Esperand?

Yes. He was a knight who was particularly active in the Great War.

Yes. ...... The Order of the True Phosphorus was very active in the war. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

A hero indeed.

　So Elysia was the daughter of a hero.
　But that hero is no longer with us.

It was in May of 1923 that Galia was killed in the line of duty. "Gaul was killed in May of 1923 when he served as Lord of the Retreat for a party of heroes. He and a limited number of companions fought to keep the party from escaping. As a result, he died with honor.

　Galia's death came as a great shock to the people of Tellaria.
　For the people of the kingdom, the Knights of Orthophosphorus were the most active knights during the Great War. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing. The other half were sent to guard Sophia Terraria, a member of the royal family and a member of the heroic party.

　Because of this, the Knights of Orthophosphorus fought hard.
　Especially the leader, Galia, made remarkable achievements.
　That's why many people were saddened by his death. There is a famous story that he died after serving as a lord in a retreat.

But later, it was discovered that there was something strange about that battle.

　I tightened my lips at Chris's words.

"Not only the Knights but also mercenaries hired on a temporary basis participated in the retreat. It seems that these mercenaries assisted the Lord of Gallia, but they all died. Strangely enough, however, the bodies of Gallia and the mercenaries were found in completely different locations.

...... It was a retreat, so they fought on the move, right?　Isn't that why the bodies were misplaced?

The mercenaries' bodies were located far off the retreat route. It's as if they were killed by other forces after they left the front line.

　Chris said.

"The mercenary was hired by Roberto Tergande, who was directing the retreat at the time. And he's suspected of ...... corruption.

　I felt like biting my tongue when I heard the information Chris had given me.
　It's a situation you run into a lot when you work in the dark side of a country.

"Did you find any Gallic artifacts on the body of the ...... mercenary?

You're right, you're right. A sterling silver pendant was found on the mercenary's body. Upon further investigation, it turns out that the pendant was a gift from his wife and was cherished by Galia for the rest of her life.

"That means Galia was stabbed in the back and killed by those mercenaries, not the Demon Lord's army. And those mercenaries were disposed of when they were no longer useful.

Yeah. The mastermind is definitely Roberto.
　Perhaps the Gauls found out about Roberto's corruption. As a result, he was killed to keep his mouth shut. ...... I've heard the story from Roberto's retinue. There was a room in Roberto's mansion that his followers and even his family were not allowed to enter. Just before the retreat, he heard Galia and Roberto arguing in that room.

...... confirmed.

　There must have been evidence of corruption in that room.
　And Gallia has seen it.

　She sighs.


　What a miserable end for a hero of the kingdom.
　The world is really full of injustice.

　Not just Gaul. The mercenaries are victims too.
　Roberto must have turned the mercenaries into enemies for some random reason and had his knights deal with them. Mercenaries were originally soldiers hired for money, not for trust. Even if mercenaries confessed to the assassination of Gallia at the end of their lives, no one would believe them.

So?　What does this information have to do with Elysia?

"It's simple. It seems that the squire told Elysia what you just said.

　I was at a loss for words to reply.
　That's - what a stupid thing to say.

"...... is not a slip of the tongue.

It's too much information for a single squire to carry alone. It's too much information for one squire to carry alone. ...... But now we know why Roberto is so worried. The man has made a lot of enemies by spreading his corruption too thin.

That's why he asked the Bureau to protect him along the way?

Something like that.

　I remembered what Chris had told me before.
　The bureau is in charge of escorting Roberto on his way to King's Landing.

　I let out a deep sigh and put my hand on my forehead.
　Now he could finally realize the true nature of Elysia's strange behavior.

Elysia's goal is to take revenge on Roberto. ......

I'm pretty sure that's the case.

"...... Is Roberto aware of Elysia's movements?

No, I don't think he is. Now that he has dealt with Gaul and the mercenaries who were instrumental in killing Gaul, he thinks he has completely covered up the evidence of corruption.

　But in reality, the squire overheard the exchange between Roberto and Galia, and it was passed on to Elysia.

...... What do you think would happen if Elysia killed Roberto?

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do. The current head of the Tergande dukes, Kreis-Tergande, trusts his brother Roberto. If they find out that someone has killed Roberto, they will definitely send the Order to avenge him.

That's dirty work for the Order of the Right Phosphorus.

Even if it is dirty work, a knight will never disobey his lord's orders. I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who'd like to know more about it. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. ...... Roberto has a good reputation, so even if he doesn't move the Order, there's always the possibility that other parties will try to retaliate.

　It's too risky a revenge.
　Even if Elysia succeeds in her revenge, the chances of her surviving afterwards are close to zero. Even if she accused Roberto of corruption, he wouldn't believe her. It will be dismissed as the work of a daughter who resented the death of her father.

By the way, is the Bureau going to act on this?

Are you asking if we're targeting Roberto?　No comment. I can't tell you that.

　I've been getting some very sensitive information from them, but they're not going to tell me what the Bureau is doing.
　Perhaps the Bureau knew about Roberto's corruption. But just because he is guilty does not mean that he should be dealt with immediately. There are times when it is in the best interest of the country to keep someone alive, no matter how serious the crime.

　The bureau operates entirely for the sake of national security.
　It doesn't work for good or evil. If Roberto has a use for it, it will probably tolerate corruption.

Chris, thank you.

　I got the information I needed.
　I say thank you to Chris.

You owe me one.

I know.

　I cut off communication with Chris and let out a sigh for the umpteenth time today.

I'm going to have to convince him to go to .......

　I know it's selfish, but ...... Elysia is already a part of my daily life.
　I'm not going to leave my friend to die.
　I need her to call off the plan at all costs.