Legend

Carfili, king capital of the kingdom of Mireana. Inside the royal castle in its central part, Dusker spreads his collar with a look that seems cramped by unfamiliar outfits.

What you see around you is a large room decorated with this or not. No, it is one room that is so large that it cannot be represented by the word room. Perhaps lowly aristocratic mansions such as the Baron and Viscount would go round. Countless people are currently gathered in that room, which is large. Most of them were aristocrats, and other servants and maids walked around and gave the aristocrats glasses of wine.

The triumphal ceremony is over, followed by a party venue. On such occasions, but everywhere the nobles are solidified, they are bickering. Behind that collusion, however, there is a battle that can also be called a war quieted by the art of speaking as a nobleman.

(Another war at the triumphal ceremony after the war is a boring story. But you were right not to bring Ray's guy)

As I think about it in conversation with the same neutral aristocracy as myself while carrying wine into my mouth, I notice some shadows approaching me fuzzily and tongue-in-cheek them not to hear me.

But you can't run away from them here as the central figure of the Neutralists. As a result, I wait to be spoken to as I pretend to enjoy wine and cooking.

"This is Uncle Larks Borderline, congratulations on your victory this time"

It was a fat, fat man to see. He said he'd just walked all the way here, but there was already sweat seeping through his forehead.

If you're judging by the appearance alone, it looks like you're in your 50s because of the lifeless nature of it, but if Dusker remembers correctly, the fat man in front of you was only supposed to be in his 30s. Two others of similar stature follow.

"Long time no see, Viscount Ottavo. And that's for sure..."

"Yeah, he's my strange son. I was hoping to find my sons' brides for this party."

"... well. So you don't have time to talk to me, do you?

There are a lot of things I think, but as a Dusker who knows what marriage is like for a nobleman, I'm not going to say anything in particular. But I just didn't feel good about Viscount Ottervo talking to me.

That said, he is in the status of a frontier uncle with Dusker. Even if the Viscount in front of him knew that he was squeezing taxes so close to starving his inhabitants to death in the territory, he would not put that disgust on his face.

"Before I do, I wanted to tell you a story about the heroes of this war. So, where are the rumored adventurers?

Ask Viscount Ottavo, shaking plenty of jaw meat, an instant neck-shaking dusker beside him.

"Unfortunately, if he's in Royal Castle... or he hasn't come to Carfili. Straight back to the city of Gilm."

The moment Dusker said so, Viscount Ottavo's eyes shine sharply as if they were half buried with the flesh of his eyelids.

"Hmm? Hmm. You think a war hero hasn't attended this ceremony? What the hell is that for? It looks as if Uncle Larks doesn't want to be exposed to people or keep them hidden..."

It was a dusker moving pickles and cheeks at the word, but before that other neutral nobles open their mouths.

"Viscount Ottavo, aren't you rude toward Master Dusker, the borderline uncle? As a royalist nobleman, you should be able to speak a little more."

"Ho? Oh, maybe I do. Excuse me."

Rather than being rude, Viscount Ottavo pays a respectful tribute. The meat on my face is shaking at that time, but that makes me feel more creepy than funny.

"But other aristocrats attending this party also want to see rumored adventurers in their eyes. If that's not part of it by order of Larks Border Uncle, who is also my employer...... hey?

Viscount Ottavo speaks to his two sons standing behind him.

"Well, it certainly doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be anyone out there who runs rumours like your father said. For example, Larks Border is planning something with an adventurer so powerful that he can leave the army."

"Ha ha, you don't. Sure, Ray may have that much power, but there are Rank S adventurers in this country. I don't see how Ray can do that before someone like that. And if such rumors spread, it would be the one who spreads the rumors as the one who disturbed the capital of the Kingdom of Mireana who would be guilty of disturbance."

What are you up to surrounding an adventurer named Ray? If you imitate badly, I'll ask you to punish me for spreading it as an instant rumor.

It surrounds the Rank S Adventurer who is said to be stronger than Ray, so don't complain. I'll hold you thoroughly accountable for any strange rumors.

We exchanged distant conversations with each other characteristic of nobility of such a content - not with the son of Viscount Ottavo, who uttered the word, but with himself - but I guess we saw the situation as unfavourable. Viscount Ottavo smiles and bows his head as he wipes the sweat flowing from his forehead with a silk handkerchief removed from his nostrils.

"Really? It's a shame you couldn't see the rumored adventurer, but shall we take the next opportunity? By the way, I ask this out of curiosity, why didn't you bring in an adventurer named Rumor Deep Red this time?

I want to get some information, even once I leave. Dusker smiles bitterly at the questions raised with such thoughts.

"As you know, Ray is an adventurer, not a nobleman. Besides, I only lived in the countryside behind the mountains until I came to the city of Gilm, and I haven't been polite to the nobles. Considering that, he seemed to make a lot of noise with His Majesty, so this time he asked me not to come to the king's capital and return to the city of Gilm."

"... I see. Surely disrespect for Your Majesty is unacceptable. Given that, I think Larks, I think Uncle Borderline was right."

Exactly. There is no way that Viscount Ottavo, the king, could bring an adventurer who might work disrespect for the king, with his cheeks picky with a perverted frustration, but he bows his head.

"I've said a lot of rude things, but those are all words that came out of my mind to avoid unwanted misunderstandings by Uncle Larks Borderline, so it would be helpful if you could forgive me"

"Oh, of course. I'm glad you're so worried about me."

"No, we are nobles of the same kingdom of Mireana and pillars that support His Majesty. Especially the Larks Border uncle, as his name suggests, governs the only border of this kingdom of Mireana, offering rare materials and demonic stones all over the country. I'm not happy for the country to start getting punished for unwanted misconceptions.... So, around here. I need to find someone for my boys."

Viscount Ottavo, who once again gives thanks as he rocks the meat on his cheeks, takes his two sons and leaves them in front of Dusker.

A neutral nobleman who was dropping off his hindsight smacks his tongue.

"Shit, Viscount's got that kind of mouth toward Master Dusker."

"Don't get too angry. I don't give a shit. Look, it's a corner party. Delicious alcohol for a delicious meal. If you don't enjoy this, it's a loss, right?

"... excuse me, Master Dusker. If we had more power..."

Another nobleman groans carelessly and bows his head to Dusker.

Such a glance at nobility, a sighing Dusker.

"So don't worry about it. In general, I don't care about the person I was told, but what do you guys care about? You've always known we neutrals were small and uninfluenced, right? Well, this time it stood out oddly thanks to Ray"

"That's... yes. That's true, though. But isn't that why we should use this opportunity to increase our influence?

"I don't think so, though. Surely we could stretch this to some extent if we tried to use it as an opportunity to grow our influence. But what was the purpose of this Kingship in the first place? Count Arius was eager to fight for his birth, but basically he would drain and weaken our neutral and aristocratic forces, wouldn't he? We can't do that, but on the contrary, we're losing our power, so there's no doubt it's tingling over there."

Mumble, continuing to wonder if that was the cause of earlier Viscount Ottavo's arrival.

"But the nobles who took part in this war, starting with Count Arius, are not the mainstay of the Kings. Then would you care if the Kings lost their power to that point?

One of the nobles shouts so in his mouth, but Dusker shakes his head small to the side.

"You're not. Even if it's not mainstream, it doesn't change being a king. Whatever happens, kings, nobles and neutrals are different factions, and it's negligible that our power should remain intact if we try to be the Kings.... you're doing this in a national disaster, so don't cry the name of a big country"

"Or maybe it's because it's a big country"

Said so, and smiling bitterly that it must be, Dusker reaches for a dish full of luxury ingredients like the only one he can eat in King's Capital on the table.

Did the cooks just wave their arms around here just because it was a victory party, every dish is very tasty and fully tongue-in-cheek.

Then the king shows up and speaks lightly and exchanges conversations with other faction nobles or neutral nobles, but as a dusker who doesn't like such exchanges, it was purely time to rest his heart when he was tasting food and booze.

Not until the person shows up.

"Long time no see, Larks Borderline Uncle. Are you enjoying yourself?

He appeared before the Dusker in a neat appearance but also of nobility… it is also a figure wearing his majesty as the Duke of the highest rank. Naturally, even for Dusker, I knew who was in front of me. No, of the kingdom of Mireana...... and therefore if there was a nobleman in the neighbouring countries who did not know the face and name of this man, he would not know much of it boxed or unknown. Liberté Kelevel. He is the fruitful father of Princess General Elaine, making the aristocracy the leading figure.

"Duke of Kelevel...... we had a tough time this time"

Just to deal with such a person, Dusker's tone has also turned into something more polite than usual.... only to the extent that it can be said to be more polite than usual, Liberté nodding to eagle fry at the words of such a Dusker.

"Oh, not at all. I had no idea the Kings wouldn't even trust information about Warcraft soldiers. With that in mind, this war was well won."

"Yeah, I guess thanks to working with the aristocrats against the Vestian Imperial Army"

"Really? I've heard from Filma that the adventurer you hired was very active. My daughter seems to be close, and I would have liked to have seen her face if I could. Unfortunately, they haven't come."

"Because only the adventurer has no courtesy towards the nobility"

We're having a conversation with each other laughing, but our eyes aren't laughing.

If you try to be a dusker, I do know Elaine and Ray are close, but that doesn't make it possible for them to pull out adventurers with as much power as Ray, and as Liberté, Duke of Kelevel, who is also a central figure in the aristocracy, I definitely want to draw that much power in.

Of course, Liberté has given top priority to strengthening his faction, but at the same time he was thinking about his beloved daughter, Elaine.

It is not a rare story that only one substandard presence in this world works on par with dozens, hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of troops. In fact, the work that Ray showed and showed in this war was enough to say that few even Rank A adventurers could do it.

"More than that, Larks Borderline Uncle. Looks like our faction's bothered you this time. Let's just say we're careful not to let those idiots out after that."

Dusker floats behind his brain the face of an aristocrat named Renodis, who hears Liberté's words, is jealous of the presence of Ray and tried to call him in the night to assassinate him.

"Right. I never thought you'd try to assassinate Ray, who could be a war hero. It would be helpful if you could make sure that there is no more of that. Even the Duke of Kelp, who leads the aristocracy, won't have a problem getting that kind of event out of the ordinary."

Dasker asks in a worrying tone, but what it means is obvious, which Liberté also understood properly.

Therefore, I snort with a grin on my mouth.

"Surely Uncle Larks is right. If anything happens, let me help you. Please do me a favor."

That's what he said, and he offered his hand in search of a handshake.