Legend

At the end of the awards ceremony in the arena, Ray was walking towards the long empty pavilion where he was staying.

I could have gone home with people like Dusker, Elk, Minn, if I were you, but after the martial arts tournament, I came back first because I was going to fall asleep from the tiredness of the game waiting on the spot because I was busy having conversations with the nobility of the Bestian Empire and the nobility of other countries invited...

(After all, should I have waited for Master Dusker to finish his errands and come back in the carriage with him?

Ray has a blurry head somewhere and whines inside when he sees a bunch of people gathering around the arena.

If it's just a bunch of people, there's no problem. Because I guess we're just discussing that sentiment after the fight.

But...

"Hey, have you found the deep red?

"No, I don't think there's any information yet that he's out of the arena."

"Then it's still in the arena?... Just so you know, you're keeping an eye on all the entrances and exits, right?

"Of course not. If you miss it here, it's gonna be a lot of trouble."

If you listen to me like that, it's not a man's word, but it would be a hassle because I could have predicted it.

Even he fought higher noise than himself and forcefully used his skill, the armor of the king, which he had never used before. There was still heavy fatigue in the depths of my body, and I just wanted to go back to the long empty pavilion and sleep in bed if I could.

Just because it is the highest inn in the Bestian Empire, the beds of the ancient sky pavilion are of a very high quality that will softly receive your body.

Even in the futon category, it is made from a variety of precious materials, starting with the harpy queen feathers of the rank B monster, for use by the nobles.

However, some people are usually too upscale to get used to sleeping, but fortunately Ray was able to sleep without feeling anything like it at all.

Now I just want to sleep in that futon and take the fatigue that's in my body.

My dear lover... that was what Ray wanted for the futon as if he wanted Elaine, and those around the arena were nothing but intrusion.

Especially if he was after himself, he might have been able to deal with it as hard as he could.

But I'm at the end of my gaze right now, even if I'm after Ray...

"Viscount's orders, do you really think that deep red will serve us?

"You can't do it first.... but as far as we're concerned, we have to obey the Viscount's orders."

As the saying goes, even though they were after Ray, they were after him in another way.

(Elaine...... oh so to speak, should I keep you informed about the fight tournament in the opposite orb)

I've spoken to Elaine several times in the night before using an orb against her, but I didn't really want to talk about this one... losing the noise in the finals.

It's true I couldn't beat the noise, but still Ray is a man too. It would be natural to have feelings that you don't want to teach your naughty things to the person you like.

But still, in the end, I have to talk about it without being able to hide it more than it's important.

"Hey, haven't you?

"Oh. He hasn't come out of the arena yet,"

"... damn, maybe he's already out of somewhere else, isn't he?

"Well, then I don't mind."

"Ha!? Hey, are you serious?

"I mean it. I mean it. In the first place, it's not like you don't know where Deep Red is staying. Then it's the worst inn I've ever stayed in... was it a long empty pavilion? Why don't we head there?... but you're jealous. I'd like to stay for once."

"Idiot. Why do you think we're waiting outside the arena like this in the first place? Because even if you offer to see Deep Red at the inn, it will be rejected without question. No, if you do poorly, it's also possible that Larks Borderline Uncle will come out. I guess that's why we're trying to get him in front of the Viscount with or without this."

While listening to such a conversation, Ray leaves the scene wearing a dragon robe hood and trying not to be found by the person waiting for him.

I would never have thought of a dragon robe that had the effect of covering it up so reliably.

While half of his head feels tired and heavy, Ray walks away from the people who said it was the use of the Viscount.

There are a lot of spectators around the arena, because of the decision that if you leave here and get disputed there, you won't find them first.

(Anyway...... just for a few hours, I want you to let me sleep)

Already about 30% of them think in their sleeping minds, while proceeding through the city, which is crowded with spectators.

"Hey, did you hear that? The explosion sound at the award ceremony. I hear something happened at the castle."

"I heard. I heard. Anything a bandit or something tried to sneak into the castle, and the knight and wizard who found it repelled it? It's amazing. And the knights were prepared by His Highness Kabbazide."

"What? What is that? I mean, did His Highness Kabazid know that bandits were coming from the beginning?

Hearing that word, Ray's foot stops perfectly as he walks.

My consciousness was about to be invaded by the sleeper, but there was something that bothered me.

Leaning on a nearby building to wait even for the rendezvous, he turns his gaze to those who were having an earlier conversation a little further away.

Despite the autumn already, it's hot as midsummer today. Because of the heat... and most importantly, the finals of the martial arts tournament, I guess I decided it was business time. The nearby tavern said it was only before the evening, but a table was served outside the store, where many people were drinking.

From such a painting of a store like Beer Garden, I can hear the voice I was talking about earlier.

"You didn't know if the bandits were coming, but it's simply every year that many of the castle greats are going to the arena today, right? I suppose that's why His Highness Kabazid was worried that the castle's defenses would be diminished."

"... but it's a castle, right? That's the castle of the Bestian Empire, too, isn't it? I can't believe a normal bandit would do something about a place like that..."

"But that bandit came, didn't he?

"Oh. We were talking about a bandit coming after a treasure that was in the castle."

Listening to such a conversation, Ray tilts his neck inside.

Obviously because there are people praising and lifting Kabazid.

Moreover, the narrative of the person was very good, and even those who were drinking at the table around them were mixed up in the conversation, as opposed to those who were listening at the same table.

"Yeah? But what I heard is that it was His Highness Vihella who escaped the castle? Anything, like the guy who saw you head to the castle, or the guy who saw you leave on a horse."

In the meantime, that's what the man who was sitting at the table near the man tells him.

It must have been a familiar story among the men at the table around us. Many are nodding to agree with that.

But the man, speaking loudly from earlier, shook his neck alongside the words.

"No way. For the most part, His Highness Vihella ran away from the country, didn't he? Your Highness is not in the capital at this time of year."

"... I've certainly heard stories about that area before..."

"But it's His Highness, Vihella? Isn't it possible that it's a martial arts tournament that you're back in the Imperial City?

The character that favours the Battle of Vihela is known throughout the Empire. Given that, it's certainly not strange to be back at some point in the fight.

But the man shakes his neck sideways with the meaning to deny it.

"No way. Indeed, His Highness Vihella prefers to fight. I understand that, but instead of coming to see the fight, why don't you join?

"That's true... but I ran away, so it's hard to show the Emperor his face, isn't it?

"Don't you think it's a little improbable that His Royal Highness Vihera, who prefers to fight, won't compete in a martial arts tournament to avoid meeting His Majesty the Emperor? Besides, if it was His Highness Vihella, he would naturally have known that the immovable noise of Rank S. would compete in the martial arts competition. If it were the real His Highness Vihera who showed up at the castle, do you think he would miss such an excellent opportunity?

The word is taken around with a strange amount of persuasion.

In fact, if it was Vihera who knew who was listening to that story, it could never have been because he missed the opportunity to fight the Rank S Adventurer against him, etc.

It might have been different if we had known that Merclio, a third prince of the same belly as Vihera, was under house arrest, but there is no way that such important information could have been made known to the general public.

And...

"I mean, I guess it was the bandit who pretended to be His Highness Vihella that showed up at the castle. So, in an attempt to sneak into the castle by poking at the gap where the martial arts tournament is taking place, the knights arranged by His Highness Kabazid ran away."

It was only natural, in a way, to be able to conclude so.

(Something... you're weirdly lifting the kabazid. Even if it's a vihella, it really looks like it wants to be treated like a fake. No, I know you want to hide that the runaway Vihera attacked the castle and took away the third prince who was under house arrest... it seems strangely information is biased...)

If always, Ray may have noticed the identity of that discomfort as well. Or if I had walked around a lot more in the Imperial Capital, I could have found many others who were saying things like what they were saying to the masses at the end of Ray's gaze. And I would have thought of the word information manipulation.

But now that the feeling of losing against a mighty enemy named Noise, and even more so of the previous tenacity that it was a martial arts tournament, Ray's head is already 30%...... no, nearly 40% of the time he was asleep by keeping his weight on the wall and listening without moving.

Ray, whose eyes began to close so as to lose his drowsiness as it was, eventually decided that he would fall asleep all over the city if he stayed here, decided that he would not be able to gather any more information - more precisely losing his desire to sleep in bed - after the occasion.

With more than half asleep, underfoot unrestrained, it's like a drunken leg walk, but still walks away without bumping into the crowded city of Imperial Capital after a martial arts tournament.

(If someone resents me for sleeping around the city... if they find me... if they find me...)

Around the thought looping like that even in my head, I wonder if my body is looking for a deep sleep, and for some reason I keep going around the city questioning myself being able to think objectively...... eventually I see a long empty pavilion.

But when I look at that entrance, Ray feels subtle discomfort in his head, which was already half asleep.

Because there were a lot of people around the long sky pavilion, just like when we were in the arena.... No, it's bigger than when I was in the arena.

There are some aristocrats and chamber of commerce users who are gathered here who, of course, want me to be a clerk, but many would like to see Ray nearby.

"It stinks."

Ray sees a bunch of people like that at first glance and decides that if he somehow shows up like this, it's going to stink.

Fortunately, this would have been the longest empty pavilion, one of the finest inns in the Bestian Empire.

Because there are people hired to guard, and no one is forced into the inn because of it.

It's only natural to hire guards over and above those like nobles and the merchants of the Great Chamber of Commerce, but that's the way they saved us.

But only the average person can stop it. If you are of aristocracy, it is possible enough to enter the inn.... Well still, even if I say I want to see Ray, there's no point in seeing Ray in person if I don't have a lot more to do than talk to Dusker first.

Either way, Ray walks away to sew among those surrounding the long empty pavilion with a fluttering foothold, eventually entering the inn.

Once inside the inn, I'll go to my room at the counter and go through the process just to make sure it's okay.

To Ray as he went up the stairs, some face-to-face acquaintances - I met him at several celebrations in the dining room - spoke, but Ray waved lightly at it and went straight to the room… When he entered the room, he locked up, removed everything he was wearing, starting with the dragon robe, and fell straight into bed, at which moment his consciousness sinked to the bottom of the darkness.