138 Before we move on, let's give a quick quiz.

"Good morning, brother.

Good morning, baby!

...... Oh, oh. Good morning.

It's a good idea to have breakfast with Ilias at the Dog Bone, and when you open the door, you'll find Luko and Nora.

What's up with ......, aren't they Ruko and Nora? What are you two doing at ......?

"Good morning Sir Ratzel too. I was asleep all night last night and woke up very early. ....... I thought I'd talk to you while you're still at Tarz.

"Nora went to Luko-sama first thing in the morning to apologize. He said he was going to visit Nee-chan, so I followed him.

Even if Marito followed up, what kind of mentality is that the very next day?

Luko is behaving as usual, but the wounds in her heart do not heal quickly.

I know you're straining yourself, but it's hard to tell you to go home and sleep when you've come all this way.

I don't mind listening to you, but ...... Nora, is your mouth all right?

I think there's a little aftertaste, but I'm fine.

All right, let's talk about it over breakfast.

I took the two of them to "Dog Bone" before it opened.

After a quick greeting to Godz, I asked him to prepare breakfast for us.

I knew the food here would be good!

"Well, you said that Mix had taken you there before. If it's good, it's okay.

I didn't eat anything yesterday, so I'm hungry!

Would you like a little extra?

"Thank you!

My tongue is also slightly numb, but not so much that I can't taste anything.

Well, I'll think positively that I can concentrate on talking if I can't enjoy the taste now.

I'll taste Godz's food next time, so don't worry about that.

You'll be able to find a lot more information on this topic at .......

If you have anything to say, Luko, feel free to say it.

"...... Yes. As for the magic research, ...... would you be willing to let it continue?

I guess you'll have to choose that one, and the reason will be Nora.

Nora showed her intention to continue her magical research.

Luko was going to take care of Nora until the end while she was in Tarz.

Not to save his own life, but for Nora's.

Marito told you who I am, didn't he?

"...... Yes, I met with Marito this morning.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

Luko would at least show his face to Marito as soon as he woke up.

The words "while I'm still at Tarz" suggest that he's heard most of it.

I've been doing my best to keep Riko and Nora in the dark for their safety. But in the end, it backfired and this incident happened. The blame for that lies entirely with us, and I'm sorry.

He stood up and bowed deeply to them.

I'm sure he has already bowed to Marito as well .......

Take a seat and let's talk about it.

"So, ......

"I had the same conversation with Marito yesterday. We both agree that Ruco shouldn't be in any more danger than he already is. I and Marito can't afford to keep an eye on you guys right now because of other things. But that doesn't mean we can't leave you alone. We don't want to make the same mistake again.

That's ...... true, but ......

The only thing I can do is to prepare the minimum means of safety. It's going to take a lot of work to convince Marito to do that, can you do it?

"It's ......, uh, it's .......

I don't have the words to stop someone who really wants to do it. You can show me that you're serious by convincing Marito.

"Yes!

If you can convince Marito that you're serious enough, then he won't give up even if I try to talk him down.

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

That's why I'll leave it to Marito.

Luko-sama. Can you continue?

There's still this guy Marito. He's probably half expecting it.

Actually, ...... Marito-sama said the same thing.

"...... what?

"If your brother approves, I'll give you permission. ......

That bastard threw it to us first.

I can easily imagine Marito gloating in his castle right now.

Your Majesty's got you by the balls.

Wait a minute, I'll think of something to say to him.

I thought you didn't have the words to stop him?

That's right, you don't have a word to say, do you?

Nunu...... can't help it.

Luco also deliberately brought it up without giving any details.

It's a good idea to take a look at your own personal life.

But now that you've done this, you need to put more effort into the safety measures you prepare.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

But, Luko, you need to take another day off to rest.

I'm fine now!

The way she walked, the way she ate, the inflection in her voice, the way she looked away, each of them compared to her normal appearance, showed signs of distress. If you don't take care of yourself, I'll do something cowardly to stop you.

"That's an easy and scary way of analysis.

Cowardly, e.g., ......?

"I'll tell Marith that you've fallen in a very real way. I'll be by your side for three days and three nights.

That's not fair, is it?

And I've got safety arrangements to make today, so I can't resume my research immediately. So just rest. I'm not saying that you should stay in bed, but you should take up a hobby or a pastime to change your mind. It's your job to refresh yourself.

It's your job to refresh yourself." "Haha ...... I understand, I'll indulge you then.

Nora is still good, but Luko should do some mental counseling, or at least be more observant than usual for the time being.

After that, Nora and her team added a new person who knew more about the situation and was more familiar with magic to their research.

Specifically, it was Ao and Murasaki who were spending their free time in the forest.

Both of them are unevenly skilled in their own magic, but their knowledge is definitely top-notch and will be of great help.

And there's not much safer than having a Demon Lord to protect you.

Nora and Ruco have been in contact with the Gold before the Colorless Demon Lord, so they don't have as much fear of the Demon Lord, and they seem to be able to separate their fear of the Colorless Demon Lord from their fear of him.

I suppose I should be grateful for Gold's friendliness in that respect, but only in the corner of my mind.

However, whether or not he can get along with Ao, who frequently yells at him, or Murasaki, who is always around the unsociable Duvraeoli, is another story.

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

But Marito made a fine play not to give permission by pinpointing, and the request for money was successfully rejected.

In the end, he said, "Then I'll just go for fun! I'd like to thank you for your time.

I'm sorry.

I thought the adventurer or contact person was the key to the information that someone had contacted the adventurer.

But if you take a step back, there is another person.

Yes, the informant who witnessed it.

I thought there was some kind of artifice in the fact that everyone was reporting the same sighting .......

I thought it was . "You went out with a bang, but you didn't make it, did you?　If you doubt your informant, you won't get any clues.

"Shut up.

Gilista examined the informant, but found nothing unusual.

Most of them had only seen it in the taverns or in the streets.

There were cases of multiple witnesses contacting a single adventurer, and there was no indication that they were intentionally passing on false information.

But I think that idea of yours is important, Exduk-san!

Don't let that comfort you, .......

I felt like I was on to something, but ...... I guess I'm just not experienced enough yet.

It's a good thing I ate first, because this feeling of defeat combined with hunger would have made me even more miserable.

"Oh, Mister Exdoik.

I turned around at the sound of a voice calling my name, and there were Lakra and Mikus.

Both of them seemed to be walking down the street, sipping on some snacks that they must have purchased from a stall.

How's the ...... going?

"I have no idea, sir. I've talked to some of the Morgana adventurers on Gilista's list, but they all tell the same story. I don't see any signs of brainwashing.

It's the same here: ......

How did the Mix get the information from the adventurers?

"We asked King Zenotta to investigate the tendencies of adventurers in Morgana by name. After that, Lakra-dono and I summoned the adventurers on the list under Morgana's name for a question and answer session.

"I see. Morgana is a very disciplined place. I see. Morgana is very disciplined, so she took advantage of the fact that you can't refuse a summons from headquarters unless there's something wrong.

However, if the request was made in the name of the King of Zenotta, it would give him time to prepare appropriate countermeasures in case the adventurer was a collaborator of Rahite.

If the adventurer is as wise as Lakra and Mikus, who can see through lies, he would not be able to take countermeasures against a half-hearted opponent.

There's still time, but it's going to be tough with all these bad harvests.

Oh, ...... should we consult with our people?

"Your friend will be here tomorrow.

"The Shishou is coming back!

I've sent him off to leave Quama to me, but I don't like the look of him.

That's great news, but I feel like we're running out of time. It would have been nice if we could have gotten a clue while Mr. Shoushou was away. ......

...... That's right.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

If this were a battle, everyone here would be able to make up for the lack of strength in our people.

But this time, it's an investigation, a joint effort on the same footing as our people.

As we are working together, it is not advisable to rely on our compatriots for everything.

My compatriot said, "Please keep as many details as possible.

If I'm coming back to Quama tomorrow, I should spend the rest of the time compiling what I've learned.

But there's so little information, should I leave it to Wolfe and do a little research on my own?

Should I leave it to the Wulfe and do a little legwork? No, the Wulfe would want to do the same thing, and I shouldn't take any chances without being sure.

If my people come back, I'll switch. Even if the information is similar, let's focus on creating a document to present to our people and prepare for tomorrow.

"Right. If we're exhausted from running around until midnight, we'll be in trouble after your friend issues his guidelines!

For now, I'll rely on my ability to see into the depths of my fellow enemy.

But I wonder if one day I will be able to grasp the intentions of my invisible enemies as well as my compatriots.

I'm not sure.

I've finished discussing my current research with Luko and the others, and I've finished all the work I can do at Tarz as a member of Schneid.

So I flew again in my Kuto and landed near the gates of Quama.

I put my heavy clothes back on.

"Whew, it was cold. But with a little more preparation, I think I can fly alone.

"Arjisama, kaze hikanai yo ni ne!

"Even if you do learn to fly, it would save me a lot of heartache if you refrained from doing so. The cold would be too much for your body to handle with just your clothes.

Ilias likewise took off his coat, which had been provided to him by Ragdoll.

When I explained that I wanted to try some trial and error, he agreed, saying, 'Then I'll try to fly without winter magic.

It was quite difficult for us both to fly while pulling ourselves together.

In addition, they did not act like huddling together, which is often seen in scenes of people in distress in snowy mountains.

The surface temperature of the Iliad's armor is below freezing, and if you were to come into contact with it with your bare skin, you would undoubtedly get stuck to it and suffer misfortune.

Lowering the flight altitude would solve the temperature problem to some extent, but if humans were to see a demon flying in the sky, they would surely mistake it for a demon.

Even when landing, there is a high risk of being seen unless there is someone who can use teleportation magic to check if there are any people around.

I've asked Kuto to prepare full armor so that we won't be directly exposed to the wind, but even so, some things will get cold. If we cut off all the air, it'll be a little better, but we could die from lack of oxygen.

It would be quicker if Kuto could handle magic, but Kuto can only change form, blend in as a shadow, and perform actions that ordinary animals can.

Because of the law of conservation of mass, he can't carry a large load, but he can carry bulky items in his belly, which is quite an advantage.

Morphological change is, well, ...... I didn't major in mechanics, so it's trial and error for the time being.

When I arrived at the inn where Mikus and the others were staying, the Ex-Doic team was already there.

"Your husband is busy coming and going, it's not good to move so fast.

The more convenient it gets, the more work it will be.

That's one of the things we have to be careful about when we raise the level of civilization in this world.

Excessive development will have a great impact on the people who do the work.

We want to avoid unemployment as well as more jobs per capita.

I quickly read through a document that summarizes the activities of Exoik and Mix to Riod and Morgana.

I'm sorry compatriots, I had no problem joining the guild, but I couldn't get ...... any useful information.

"Don't worry about it, I had a hard time getting into the guild.

"So your friend joined the guild too!　In Morgana, of course!

Schneid.

Oh, you're a Schneid. ......

I heard that Rahite's hand is reaching out to the Schneid as well. That's why you'll basically be working with Ilias in Kuama.

Ilias nodded proudly, he didn't need to go that far against Exdoik.

I've been banned from Riod, so I can work with your husband.

I'd like to work with you if your notoriety hasn't spread to the Schneid.

Hmm, maybe not?

I'm surprised you're even staying in Kuama's country.

Now, while reading the material, I went to ...... and looked around.

"Well, you've gathered enough useful information.

"What?　I thought the only information I had was from the adventurers on the list.

The fact that the mix shows a surprised face means that ......, I see.

You guys didn't share the information properly, did you?

We talked about it yesterday. ...... What do you mean?

"Read each other's files, you'll see.

Then I handed Mikus' materials to Exdoik and Exdoik's to Mikus.

Both of them read it very carefully.

"...... Oh, so that's what this is!　This is--

"Wait, Mix, I want to find out for myself, too. ...... Is this slightly different?　No, but ......

Can I read Wolfe too?

Yeah, but if you notice it, don't say it.

Gilista heard that someone had made contact with the adventurer.

The adventurers who had been contacted were numerous, and Gillista made a list of them.

Based on this list, Ekuik and his team investigated the adventurers of Riod, and Mikus and his team investigated the adventurers of Morgana.

The contactees appeared to be unspecified, but their behavior indicated that they were all likely to have been possessed by Raheit.

The results of the investigation were the same, and it was concluded that all of the adventurers who were contacted had been offered the same advice.

However, by looking at each of the documents, he was able to immediately notice the differences.

Mikus immediately recognized the meaning of the differences, and even the methods that Raheit was using.

It's only a matter of time before Ecdysius figures it out on his own, so let's plan for it while we can.