137 The next thing you notice is...

I took Nora out to the garden and told her what was going on with Taze and the world, and most of what I knew.

I told her that the gold I was close to was a demon lord, and that Exoik had become a demon.

Finally, I told her about the exchange with the Colorless Demon King, but Nora kept her head down and listened in silence.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing and how you're going to do it.

I don't know. It's bad enough that you didn't listen to me. But it's also the fault of me and the other adults for not explaining the real danger properly and hiding it.

But if Nora had listened to Luko-sama's advice, there would have been no problem.

That's exactly the problem that could have been solved if I had explained the list of contraindications to you and properly bound you so that you wouldn't study it carelessly.

That's a sly way of putting it.

"Oh, adults learn how to be sneaky. Don't think you can win with words, especially when it comes to 'me'.

You'll be able to get a lot more out of it than you think.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

"I heard he's awake, but I'm leaving that to someone more qualified. The only thing I can do is to have Luko complain to me later when he gets better. Let's get pissed together, shall we?

I'm not sure what half of what you said before ...... means.

The reason why the Great Sage Balastos sent Nora to Taze instead of himself when he was asked to research magic.

Nora said it was for magical training, but I think she was half right when she said that.

"It's enough that you've got a sense of what's going on, but why don't you put it into words? It's hard to verbalize, you know?

"Well, ......, it's important to work hard to complete it, but you have to think about what happens after you complete it. Nora has the ability to do research, but she lacks the ability to see beyond it. That's why the Master must have wanted her to learn it from the people of Tarz who are researching new magic for the future of the country.

You're almost right.

Almost?

I'm sure your mentor was looking for an answer to that question. The answer is much simpler. He wanted you to know that you're still a child and that you can rely on adults.

...... doesn't like to be treated like a child.

That's right, your magical talents are better than most adults. But it's not. Nora laughs at Luko, who has a subtle talent for magic, for being immature?

"...... That's not true. Luko-sama is much, much better than Nora.

Yeah, Luko is awesome. His strength is not something he developed through training, but through living as a human being. It's a privilege adults have.

Are you strong too?

I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm as ballsy as Luko. I don't know, it's hard to say if I'm as ballsy as Luko, but I think I'm great in other ways.

It's muddled.

It's not just the magic. Nora will grow in many, many ways. So there's a lot that's missing right now, and there's nothing wrong with relying on others to fill in the gaps. If you don't learn that from childhood, you'll have a hard time when you grow up.

The relationship between a great sage and his disciple is a limited relationship.

The relationship between a great sage and his disciple is limited.

As a great sage and a master, Balastos could not indulge Nora, and he was probably concerned about that.

The other party is Marith, the Wise King, who will not do anything wrong if you send him a child.

A lot of things grow, like boobs?

It's hard to make up for that, and some adults don't have them.

"I'm kidding, but I get it. I don't know exactly what it is, but I think I know what it is that I need to know.

Well, if you can do that, you're good.

He pats Nora on the head.

To be honest, if you were to ask me if I understood this difficult subject when I was a child, I would say no.

I was told that children depend on adults, but I was never told the detailed reasons.

It is true that it is better to realize such difficult things when you become an adult.

But as a child, coercion without reason is just a way to rebel.

How to deal with this is an important job for adults.

"......, do you still have the larvae of the Itoura butterfly that you fed to the colorless demon king?

"Yes, I do. Here it is.

"Here it is," he said, taking out the rest from his pocket.

Incidentally, Marito just said to me, "If you think about it, it's not a good idea to have a caterpillar in your pocket.

Well, I think so too, I'll just have to dry it in the sun.

I thought you would.

I knew you'd do it. It's a rather valuable medicine.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I asked Kuto to take out another water bottle and give it to Nora.

"It's water with a lot of honey. Just rinse your mouth.

Nora takes the canteen, pours it into her mouth, and vomits into a nearby flowerbed.

It was a good thing she hadn't eaten because she hadn't had an appetite, though it wasn't good.

Nora comes back to me with tears streaming down her face.

"It's bitter, it's bitter, it's bitter. ......

The colorless demon king even threw up, so drink more.

...... That's enough.

It's bitter enough to make you cry. Don't push it.

It's okay, I have to remember this bitterness. Master Luko had a much harder time.

I don't think we need to worry about Nora anymore.

Not many children are as strong as she is, and she won't have an easy time changing her mind.

"Oh, man, you should be more like a kid. You'll probably throw up if you eat any more food today, so I'll feed you something good tomorrow.

I'll give you a good meal tomorrow.

You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

He knocked on the room but there was no answer.

There is a presence in the back, but no sign of movement.

You open the door and go into Luko's room.

Luko's room is decorated with a number of small potted plants.

All of them are peculiar plants, some of which I have tried to kill before.

...... No, let's leave it at that for now.

You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

"Hey, Your Majesty!　What? Why?

I came to check on you, but you didn't answer my ...... knock, so I apologize for my rudeness.

No, no!　I'm the one who's dressed like this.

That's the right way to dress. I would be offended if anyone forced me to wear a serving uniform when I should be lying in bed.

Yes, yes, I do. ......

As far as I can tell, it's the same old Marco.

But considering the way he looked when he entered the room, it goes without saying that he was physically and mentally overwhelmed.

"How are you feeling?

Uh, ...... yes, I think I'm fine. ....... I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this,....... --

He pulled Luko's head and held her gently against his chest.

I knew that was what Luko would say, but I didn't want him to say anything else.

"Your Majesty, ......?

"Don't apologize for anything, Luko. You're stronger than any knight and more powerful than the Mad King. You've shown more courage than any other knight I've ever seen and I'm not about to let you say you're sorry.

But if I hadn't stopped him, he wouldn't have scared that little girl. ......

That goes for you, too. You were subjected to unbearable fear, and you did your job well. Don't take any blame now, I'll take it all. So for now, just let out your fear.

"......u......u......u......

Luko shuddered and sobbed in his chest.

Luko has no training in combat whatsoever.

He is still loyal to Taze, but his heart is too fragile compared to those who have been trained.

The fear of death consumed her mind, but she fought it with all her might.

But the cost has been very high.

"Luko, you will have many nightmares remembering the horror of last night and imagining the horror of dying at any moment in the future. But I will not admit it, I will not overlook it. I will pay for all the threats that are etched in your mind, and I will continue to give you happiness so that you will not have nightmares. I swear to you that I will protect your future in the name of Marith-Thayes.

After a while, Luko had fallen asleep, probably from crying.

I tucked him gently into bed, stroked his forehead gently, and left the room.

Around the corner, I saw my friend and Lord Ratzel.

...... Have you been waiting here all this time by any chance?

Well, I was having trouble deciding how much consolation I wanted, so I didn't want to go near the room, so I was just killing time here.

"Passing the time.

In the back of Sir Ratzel's feet, with an uncomfortable look on his face, lies a gambling game that knights play at the bar.

It's a simple game that emphasizes psychological warfare over intelligence, and it seems that my friend is winning hands down.

Well, I guess Lord Ratzel can't gamble.

That was quicker than I expected.

He must have been exhausted, because he went straight to sleep after crying.

Nora, well, she's been growling all day, but she's fine.

What did you do to him?

Nora took a bite out of a larva.

Whoa.

The child is too reckless to be prepared. I can't scold him for this.

Maybe I should experience it as a reminder, my friend did it too, it's important to share.

By the way, I'm not forcing you to do anything, okay?

I don't know if I'd do it if I were relentless.

It depends. Nora didn't need it.

I feel sorry for people who do.

Call me when he's settled. We'll talk about the future.

All right, ......, but what are you going to do?

Well, that depends. Nora will continue to do her best, but Luko will ...... talk about it as well.

Luko's character would probably prefer to stay, but that would be a burden on her.

But forcing her to leave would also be an act of taking her away from you.

A friend would not fail to see the line between the two.

I promised to protect her future, so please be strong.

What, did you just propose to her?

I didn't go that far.

Yeah?　But in a way, I'm not surprised it sounds like that.

No, I can see how Ruco's character would deny it, saying, 'No, that's not possible.

What's up?

Well, I thought it might not be a bad idea to close the distance between us.

You're taking advantage of me. That's impure.

I've always wanted to do that, so why not?　As long as Luko doesn't approach me, I have no choice but to approach him.

You're the one who's been trying to enjoy the process so much.

I'm sure you're using that thing on me too.

I'm very happy about that, though.

If you're leaving now, why don't we have a little dinner?

I still have a bitter taste in my mouth, so I'm going to bed.

That's too bad. Tomorrow you'll be back to gathering information as a Schneid?

Yeah, we're moving right along.

I'd like to say you're brilliant, but the way Lord Ratzel is staring at his friend with white eyes, I'd say you look pathetic at first glance.

From what I've heard, he's just doing his job and gaining trust.

Nevertheless, you are still making some moves, my friend, so let's wait and see.

I'll wait for good news. --So how much did you get from Lord Ratzel?

"What?

You've got enough money to feed the Dog Bone for the next week.

Don't take too much money from a serious knight with a weak streak.

There's something different about eating with other people's money.

That's interesting. Maybe I'll challenge Sir Raggedy to a game next time.

"Oh, forcible confiscation.

That's a terrible thing to say.

I'll tell you what.

Most of the work undertaken by guild members in Liod involves combat.

Ostensibly, they are guards and bodyguards, securing rare items in dangerous areas.

Behind the scenes, they may be asked to perform espionage, sabotage, or even assassination.

Naturally, there is a risk that Riod will find out about your request if you commit a criminal act.

Riod acts as an intermediary, passing on only the details of the request to the adventurer and proceeding in secret.

He keeps a large amount of money in his pocket as an intermediary.

It is rare for a client to negotiate face to face, as in the case of Rahite.

Although he had changed his body, his presence was apparent from this point of view.

That's why Gillista had been able to get information about the person who had contacted the adventurer directly with relative ease.

Currently, we are trying to get information from the adventurers who were on the list prepared by Gillista, and from those who may have been in contact with them.

The list contains the names of the adventurers who were contacted, the characteristics of the contactees, and their locations, dates, and times.

......, ......, ......, ......

This one's off, too.

I used magic to examine the adventurer's direct contact, but it yielded no results.

There is a very high possibility that even if we finally locate him, it will be in vain.

The adventurers have been unsuccessful so far, and while it is true that some of them have been in direct contact with us, we have only been able to confirm the prices of each adventurer.

He had examined about ten of them, and four of them had been examined somewhat roughly and with magic, but no information had been obtained.

As he was preparing to manipulate and release the memories, Wolfe appeared, carrying a shopping bag.

"Wolfe, I'm back!

Sorry to leave the shopping to you. Sorry for leaving you to do the shopping. Let's eat.

Yes!　By the way, how was Mr. Eckdruk?

No. I have a feeling, but I don't have any concrete information.

What's wrong with him?

Yeah, all the contacts are asking the adventurers for advice on how soon they can accept each request. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

Yes, the body may have changed, but the inside of him is the same.

That's why the way he speaks and the impressions he gives are all the same.

I've also negotiated with Raheit, so I could sense him.

But there was no other information that I could find.

"Say hello and goodbye?

Yes, at least the adventurers on this list have no magical interference.

But Shishou said this list was important.

"Yeah, he said, 'Use the list as a starting point for your research.

But he didn't say how important it was.

It's not that he's mean, he probably means something by it.

But if it means that we have to do something on our own for our future, I'm sorry, but I can't help you.

It's hard to believe that ...... is possible.

I'm back!

"Welcome back, Gillista!

Hey!　It's nice to have a pretty girl to greet you!

Gillista returns from gathering information and hugs Wolfe, who greets her.

The two of them seem to be getting to know each other.

This is not a bad thing, except for the fact that Gillista occasionally challenges him to a hand-to-hand fight and is instantly killed.

Gillista, any new information?

I don't know, sometimes there's information about events that are on the list, but...

Our contacts and adventurers have been searching for that information, but there are few clues.

I guess. I've tried attacking adventurers I've come into contact with on occasion, but to no avail.

You didn't kill him, did you?　I don't care if you're a battle-hardened maniac, but if you're working for one of my people, you'd better control yourself.

"Don't worry, it's not going to turn into a killing spree unless they're on your level.

The dangerous thing about this woman is that even if she doesn't kill each other, she can't be sure she won't kill you.

It's not that unusual for adventurers to ask for prices, as merchants who want to save money will sometimes negotiate.

However, it's a different story when it's an adventurer who is a stranger.

You don't know the adventurer, and the adventurer is wary of you.

If the adventurer is well known, this may not be the case, but there are not many famous adventurers on the list.

Hiring an adventurer without the guild's help may bring you into disrepute, and you risk being noticed by the guild.

There may be no point.

It would be more effective to confuse them with the information that Raheit had contacted them.

No, but I don't think it was just a fake interrogation.

"Exduk, can I borrow this to add to my list?

Yes, please.

Um, the name of the adventurer who was contacted is this, and the contact's information is that he has a haircut that looks like a chicken's coccyx gone pathetic. ......

"What kind of hair?

Huh?

Hey, hey, you asked for me. Gilista, how did you get this list?

What do you mean?　Someone who doesn't often interact with adventurers had a conversation with that adventurer or something like that.

...... So, that's it.

I'm sure you'll agree with me.

In the first place, it was unnatural for the same information to flow so frequently.

"Gilista, let's go.

"Yeah, let's eat first, okay?

"We're finally making some progress, we need to make up for lost time...

When I turned around, I saw Wolfe looking at the food he had taken out of the shopping bag, looking as if he wanted to leave it behind.

I let Wolfe buy whatever he wanted, and I'm sure he had his favorites.

"Do you want to skip ...... the food?

"Let's eat ...... and hurry up.

Yes!

Aren't you going soft on me, Wolfe?

Don't say it, Gillista. I'm aware of that.