229 だから気軽に。

My brother's mind was rejuvenated. When I was first told about this, I thought it was a joke, but when I heard the details, I understood that it was a very serious matter.

We all gathered at the mansion of Balastos, though Marya was resting in another room and the Blue Demon King was in the next room. At any rate, we decided to gather and discuss.

"Hey bro. I heard you're relearning, but have you relearned anything about this world?

"At least to a minimum. But I'm not used to being called "brother.

Oh, yeah?

Don't worry about it. I didn't get along with my own brother, that's all.

That's all I know." I may or may not have heard that story from Miss ........ I've heard that my brother was kind of a misanthrope before he came to this world. .......

Should we call them something else?

No, I've never been called that by a real person, and I don't mind. So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make it quick.

"Oh, so you're going to fight back! You can count on me! I'm not that strong, though!

First, Ecdysium and Mikus, they'll be going into the Horstal Trading Company together. Next, Keir and Harkdok, you will handle the tasks written on this parchment.

The brothers hand over the parchment with a pop. The content is ...... hmm? It's not impossible, but ...... it's a bit of a letdown.

It's not the brothers' handwriting. Is that Exduk's handwriting?

I didn't have time to learn to write. That's it for the meeting.

What about Masetha, Lakra and the Blue Demon King?

I don't think we need them. Stand by.

Oh, he's not like the usual brothers. He said it so bluntly.

Mr. Shosho, is there anything we can do to help? ......

"No. We need manpower, but we'll find another way.

But if you want to go in directly...

Lacula, I'm telling you, I don't need your help to do what I'm doing. The same goes for Masetha and the Blue Demon King.

I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm not sure. It's not like I'm saying you don't need incompetents.

Hey.

Hey, can you please not take this the wrong way? This time there's no time to use a locally sharp force like Lakra. Or can Lakra and Masetta multitask and perform multiple tasks with the same ease as Exoik?

That's .......

If that's true, we only need one Exdoik to get in. But the mix is Marito, right? I'm sure you're not the only one. So I had to.

But, brother...

The tenseness, the stinginess, it's all a symptom of your tension. If you're going to make concessions to someone like that, and then suggest that they bear the brunt of a failed mission, you can take responsibility for that, can't you?

Whoa! He's anticipating everything I'm thinking! No, I can't even get these brothers to compromise in my head! But, but, but! I don't like this atmosphere!

"Calm down, Hark-dog. My people are just more unaccountable than usual. They don't take Lakra or Masetta because their methods don't suit their personalities, and they're not suited for the job they've given Harkdock and the others. If my people have their way, we're not going to have a proper battle.

"...... Really?

I'm not sure that my job is suitable for Lakra or Masetha, only because Keir uses their talents.

It's true that I can think of many ways to use you guys. But the real incompetents are the ones who can't do anything. But the real incompetents are the ones who are in a position to think of the right way to use you, but fail to do so. You are not people who can be used up. You are valuable human resources that the future "I" does not want to dispose of. Are you at least aware that you've been treated as such?

Oh, you talk a lot with your cheerful face. ....... It's not like I've been asked to die here ....... I'm not going to be afraid to fight for my life.

"Or do you want to die with me in my current state telling you to die?

No. I'm willing to risk my life for my people, but I'm not taking a job I know will kill me.

That's fine. But don't tell me you're risking your life or anything stupid like that. I'm really going to use it up.

I'll do what I can to keep you alive at .......

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on. I'm not sure what to make of that. It's not that the brothers think that Lakra and the others are useless, it's just that they don't really have a role to play. In the end, the way of thinking about the right person for the right job is still the same, right?

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. Here we go, Cale!

Yes, sir!

Hold on, Hark-dog.

Whoa! Don't stop so soon after the ecdysiac ...... people are just getting into it.

Show that to Lacla and the others. It's not a job for Ao or Lakra, so make sure you explain to them that it's a backstage job.

Oh, I see. That's right. I'm convinced because of this, and I think Lakra and the others should see this too. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

I'll finish my preparations too. It's really good to have a clear enemy, isn't it? It's worth hunting down.

"......

...... I've felt all sorts of scares like the high spirits of a strong man or a killer. Thanks to my instincts, I can sense danger at the level of fainting. But right now, it feels like a cold sword has been plunged into my spine. My instincts don't see you as dangerous, but I'm personally freaked out. Why is this guy smiling so cheerfully?

I don't know.

I'm going into Solide's room with Komiha. I can't seem to get used to the smell of this sweet incense any time I smell it. The longer I stay in this place, the more my brain will become numb from it.

"Hello, Smyths, and Comha. You look very nervous.

No, I'm not. ...... No, I'm not. ......

Whose fault do you think it is, whose fault is it? I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

You don't have to be so cautious, do you, Smaitos? I'm not in need of a woman. I'm not trying to get to you or anything. I'm just trying to give you some good news, okay?

"Good news: ......?

The Yggra people I briefly mentioned before have been confirmed to be trying to mess with Trin's base here. I want you to be a part of the response.

What's the good news about that?

When she heard the word "force", tears were already welling up in Komiha's eyes. She hates conflict, so it was inevitable.

If you are successful, I can negotiate for you to be sent to Serende.

Is that true?

It's not a lie. I know you don't like me, and I know you're a distraction. I like the climate here in Trinh, and I've already negotiated a reward with Ritual for your disappearance.

Solide is in charge of the bastards in Torin. Unlike Ritual, however, his treatment is violent, using his power to instill fear in his opponents and rob them of the courage to stand up to him or run away. Komiha and I have both had our memories stolen by Solide. The fear of suddenly not being able to remember anything will not be easy to forget even after the memory returns.

What are you going to do about the other bastards?

Don't you care about the ones who can't even use their talents to their full potential?

For you, maybe. But to me, they're like sisters in arms.

As long as you're in Trinn, you can't escape my control. ....... So can you take me with you? To be honest, taking care of people I don't care about is just psychological pain.

"Okay. Then I'll cooperate.

Solide is certainly a good administrator. He can manipulate people's fears and obey them, and he can mercilessly dispose of those who stand in his way. But it's unbearable to be controlled. There is no such thing as proper freedom, only a better place to be than when you were floating on the surface of the world.

"Just to confirm, Smyths' talent is immunity, right?

Yes. I'm highly resistant to all forms of poison and magical interference.

Even if the poison doesn't kill you, it doesn't mean you won't suffer from it. When this talent was discovered, I was treated like an experimental tool by a medicine man. I was tortured for days on end, forced to drink poisonous medicines in order to develop new medicines. I don't even want to think about what would have happened to my mind if I hadn't been saved by Mr. Litiar. ......

I'm not even going to think about it. They use a lot of poisonous knives and such, so you'd be a good match for them, right?

"It's not like he's immune to knives. Well, if you're a knife-wielder who does tricks like that, you're not going to have much pure combat power. ......

My left hand is a poisonous hand. It can penetrate through the skin and take away the freedom of the opponent. I have trained myself to the point of vomiting blood in order to hit my opponent with this poisonous hand. A simple knife-wielder would be able to finish him off.

There's also a chain wielder named Exduk. Komiha, manipulation of objects is your forte, isn't it?

"Yes, .......

Komiha's ability to interfere with matter is outstanding. She has a great skill with the threads she manipulates, which is perfect for combat, and she can even take control of things that are being manipulated with magic. However, one of her character flaws is that she can't fight in close quarters. I will have to assist her thoroughly in this regard.

If you run into a Tarzian knight named Ilias-Ratzel or a white subhuman named Wolfe, you can run. I can take care of those two.

Solide's fighting prowess is not exceptional. This man's strength lies not in his pure fighting ability, but in his ruthlessness in controlling his opponent's mind. If I make a move here and now, I may have a chance to win. But if I failed, my mind would be stuck in the memory of those torturous days for the rest of my life. I do not have the courage to wield this poisonous hand with that fear on my back. ......

The door to the room opened roughly, and a man entered. He is not a member of the Horstal Chamber of Commerce, but is probably one of the ruffians who are being treated as Solide's private army.

"So, Mr. Solide! Trinh's army is on its way to this place!

"Trinh's army is coming to ......? Is that it? The last time they attacked the people of Yggra, they unleashed magic all over the city. There must have been a certain number of victims.

Hasn't this man been told by ...... Rituals-sama to refrain from living! If he did, Torin's army would surely move. The fact that they're heading to this place means that they may be related to the people of Yugra's planet.

What should I do?

I'm taking refuge in the basement that T'Dourri has prepared. I'm taking refuge there. You should go home.

The bastard T'Dourri, now in Serende, has a talent for covert action. There is a crypt in this trading post that she has set up that can evade all detection methods.

Not only can you use magic to detect the basement, but you can't even feel like looking for it near the entrance. When Trinh's army came to investigate this place before, we were able to avoid detection by taking refuge in that crypt. That ability is worthy of trust.

Komiha, take care of the other bastards. I'll blend in with the merchants and see what happens.

Unlike Solide, who is only a parasite of the Horstal Chamber of Commerce, I am also a member of the Chamber of Commerce. I will need to check the situation outside, and find out what kind of name he used to appear in this place, and what he will do in the future.

As an employee, you go to the side of Landesle, the face of the Horstal Trading Company. After speaking with Trinh's troops who came from the front, Landosle ordered all the employees in this trading hall to gather. Soon after everyone was gathered, Odysse, the general of Trinh's army, began to explain the situation.

We have received a report that a person who used magic in the town a few days ago and harmed several people is hiding in this trading post. We will now investigate the premises.

I knew it was Solide's case. That man really does cause trouble. But it's unlikely they'll find that basement. I thought the soldiers were going to enter the building right away, but they started unloading barrels from the wagons and trying to carry them into the building. Seeing their suspicious appearance, Landesle called out to them.

What are those barrels?

"It contains a piece of the seal stone. It was pointed out that the culprit was a person skilled in magic, and that he might be able to use some kind of magic to evade our investigation. Therefore, we will investigate while scattering these. As for the cleanup, we'll send someone else here after the investigation is complete.

With that, the soldier opened the barrel, and inside was a pebble-sized magical seal stone. Well, that's not a bad idea. If it had been concealed by ordinary magic, it would have been broken by this. But Ts'douari's formula was an improvement on the methods used by other nations' dark forces. While there is magic in the basement, it is the magic that is being generated that has the peculiar effect, and a magic seal stone of this size would be unaffected.

You will all stay here while we investigate. We've already surrounded the trading post with soldiers, so please don't do anything strange.

From the lack of noise in the area, it seemed that the ruffian who had come to give the information had escaped unharmed. It would have taken some time to surround the place, and there is a gathering place for ruffians near the trading post. It was a 50/50 chance that they would be suspicious enough to be in the vicinity, but not enough to be certain.

The investigation itself went smoothly, and within an hour, the soldiers who had gone into the trading post returned. There was no report of any bastards being found, so there was no doubt that they had failed to find the basement.

"Report, sir! I've searched all the rooms inside, but I can't find any sign of anyone!

So, what are you going to do about it?

I think we should disperse after we talk to the employees.

It seems that Odysseus was just now questioning another soldier. ...... Isn't Odysseus in command of this scene? Odysse ordered the soldiers to begin asking the employees simple questions while showing them a description of the person.

Does this person mean anything to you?

"He looks so unfit that I'd like to kill him.

The questions were simple and did not go any further. If it had been a Yugra cleric, I would have had to think of a lot of ways to deal with him, but for an army of people, this was a pretty lazy investigation.

"Hey, hey, what's that smoke?

One of the soldiers shouted, pointing at the trading post. When those present looked toward the building, they saw black smoke coming from that area. Immediately, they could see a hand of fire rising from the black smoke.

"Oh, fire! Somebody forgot to put out the fire! It's spreading like wildfire!

Calm down! Calm down! All the employees are outside and safe! Some of the men I'm sending can use water magic. All of you must leave the trading post!

Under the guidance of the soldiers, the employees moved away from the building. In the meantime, the fire had spread and the entire building was burning. Was this a deliberate act of arson? It is inconceivable that Torin's army would make such a move. Then we should assume that the people of the planet Yggra are involved.

Fortunately, the basement that T'Dwari has treated is made of stone, so even if the trading post is on fire, it won't affect those who are sheltering inside. There may be some smoke coming in, but Solide and Komiha will be able to handle it with their magic.

I'm not sure what to make of that. General Odysseus.

That's true, but ...... this is no way ......

"We were outside when the fire broke out. Maybe someone just forgot to put out the fire?

One of the soldiers took off his helmet, looking hot and bothered by the fire. He had dark eyes and black hair, exactly the same features as reported. It's definitely a Yugra's people. The Yugra alien looked at the employee's side of the room, and just after his gaze met mine, he pointed in my direction.

"Exduk, Mikus, that's her. She recognizes me as an enemy.

Before I could comprehend the meaning of his words and react to them, my entire body was frozen in place and I was pinned down on the ground. His whole body was wrapped in chains, and he had a knife in his shins. Not only the people of Yugra's planet, but even their allies disguised themselves as Torin's army ......!

"Mm, ......, the poison's not working so well. Ecdysium, I'm going to need you to tighten the restraints a bit.

Yes, sir.

I don't see anyone else. I was expecting a few more bastards among the employees.

What the hell is this?

Suddenly, the employees were attacked, and the landslaves are protesting, but the soldiers are holding them back. The people of the planet Yugra slowly walk towards me and give me a cheerful smile. But there is something wrong with that smile. There's no depth to it. There's none of the reserve of the strong, none of the hostility and murderous intent of the enemy. It's as if he's just smiling at someone he knows. .......

"Hey, you're the enemy, right? Let's talk to me.