"What about the north...?
Ardis, who had participated in the discussion after being treated as a stakeholder, suggested modestly.
One of the guards, called Endori by Moore, responded to the words.
"To the north? There's no town in the north that could accept evacuees, right?
"There will be no town, but there will be a small village. If the" Suzumori (Suzumori) Ri "was a territory in the hills, the colonization should not have progressed that far. People are welcome, right?
Ardis is talking about a colony in the northern part of the King's Capital, which has just been handled in the last decade or so.
This area is a land where monsters once called "Suzuri" reigned and did not send people.
Since the bell ringing, which is counted as one of the three mighty demons, was crushed by Aldis, the existence of heavy iron veins was originally confirmed in his land, and many small villages were created by the colonists.
"But I don't think the Empire will leave that area with the heavy iron ore behind. Your hand will reach out eventually."
This time, a guard named Jake talks about his concerns.
"I'm not going to live there forever. Even the Empire will take some time to stabilize the kingdom and duke territory. I can earn time for six months or a year. In the meantime, the situation may change, or you can move to another place again."
In the meantime, Ardis argues that it is a temporary measure.
The kingdom's main army, led by the Duke of Nirestelia, is probably still alive, and the army that intercepted the Trinian leader has not been defeated.
Even if kingdoms and dukes were under the reign of the Empire, they could be rebuilt if they were able to defeat the Trinian leadership and base themselves on the kingdom's second city, Tria.
Of course, that's as long as we can get the backing of the Bronche Republic and the National Union of Cities....
But if even that level of diplomacy cannot be exerted, the kingdom no longer has but a path of destruction.
In the first place, Ardis has no desire to do something about the kingdom itself.
If someone like Minerva and Moore were safe, they wouldn't have known.
"But what about the food? I don't think there's any storage in Tailoring Village that keeps feeding 3,000 refugees."
Now Moore has come up with a realistic problem.
In addition to the original refugees from the King's Capital, now that the refugees from the Territorial Capital have merged, the total number has swelled to roughly 3,000.
Sure, if you cut down the surrounding trees, you can get the ingredients for the moment, but that's not how food works.
The Duke's territorial capital, where the Minervas were originally destined, would have had enough storage to accommodate evacuees from the King's City.
The Union of Cities bordering the West has shown friendly diplomacy to the Kingdom of Nagras and has the means to secure immediate food by temporarily importing it from there.
But that's impossible in the northern colonies.
Minervas today do not have the funds to import food, and even if they do, they must pass through the Imperial sphere of power that captured the territorial capital with the Union of Cities.
A small amount of food for 3,000 people would cast doubt on its unnaturalness.
"I can handle it. You'll have to be disadvantaged, but not hungry."
However, with Ardis and Rona, it is possible to scratch the eyes of the Empire and lurk to procure food.
There is a "gate" that connects the other world to this one, without which Ardis would not have suggested this.
There is a limit to the amount that can be left in that world through the gate.
But for example, Ardis goes to a big town to buy food, and then he sends it through the gate to the world.
At the same time, if Rona keeps taking food out of the gate in Tailoring Village, theoretically there is no need to consider the upper limit of capacity.
The disadvantage is that no one else can handle it, so Aldis and Rona will be held up for food for a considerable number of days.
Trusted collaborators are also needed to conceal (maximize) the way food is transported, as well as to actually buy it or bring it to the village warehouse.
We must also reveal to our allies the existence of Aldis's "Gateway".
Rona would say that the burden and the risk were too great without the benefit, but it was the result of Ardis' compromise to the best of her ability, rather than Minerva's showing difficulty abandoning the refugees.
Somehow, Ardis tends to be sweet to those in his pocket.
Nevertheless, I do not intend to take on such a role unconditionally.
"However, there are conditions."
"Conditions?"
Moore answered with her eyes.
"The priest of the church is to be left to the man we designate. Those involved in the church who cannot obey the priest will not accept it. Two of them."
No matter how poor the refugees were, people who blindly believed in the doctrine of the church refused.
Neither does Ardis want to treat people who disobey the church as evil or save people who are harmful to the twins.
Originally, I wanted to get rid of all church officials, but the evacuees would also be anxious.
Fortunately, in the hideout where Aldis lives, there are priests, including Elmer, who preach the doctrine before it perverted 500 years ago, and there are apprentices who inherit the doctrine.
The village on the colony, given its size, would still be before the priest was sent from the church.
Thankfully, Aldis was going to send Elmer and one of his factions as a new priest.
"Ah, well, from your point of view, of course."
Moore is convinced that he remembers that Ardis was arranged by the church as a cult.
Of course, all the others lived in King's Landing.
I was aware of the circumstances, and no one objected to the conditions.
Ultimately, accepting Ardis's offer and heading north will bring everyone together.
Though the immediate route has been decided, it is time for the group to prepare for the camp as the sun will soon set.
They were all men who fled the King's City without being able to prepare for the camp.
Most of them can only sleep on their tired bodies while enduring hunger.
While the silence surrounded him, Ardis stood a little further away from the group with Rona.
"You didn't have to take care of everyone, did you?
Rona asks about the food that Aldis proposed during the discussion earlier.
"I don't have a stepsister to save those church guys. Otherwise, I guess it's just the general public. If you are blind to the teachings of the church, you can truncate it, but if not, you can do it for as long as you want."
If Elmers who do not forbid twins are placed in charge of the church, the consciousness of the evacuees will change even if it is not possible soon.
The majority of the general public is not blindly believing in the church today, they are merely yielding to the world's synchronized pressure.
"What about church officials?
"I don't know if she's here or not, but if she is, she will follow me under Elmer. If you're not happy with that, you can leave."
Ardis sat on a nearby rock.
"I wonder if it's going to be that convenient. Rather, why don't we split the evacuees into several villages and gather church officials from King's Land and the Territorial Land in one of them? It's easy to truncate, and even if there's a conflict with the Elmers, it won't bother us where we stand. If they rebel against Al and Elmer, they just stop supporting the village."
Rona makes a terrible suggestion.
"Or do you want to build two churches in the same village, the church of Elmer and the church that worships that madwoman? So you're just going to distribute food from Elmer's church? As long as I'm not such an enthusiastic believer, I think Elmer and the others will come by."
"That's not how it works....."
Another idea that popped out of his partner's mouth made Aldis look reluctant.
Sure, Rona's plan will eliminate future anxiety sooner rather than later.
But it seemed a little radical.
They are in danger of causing turmoil on the plains.
Aldis is not willing to tolerate the hostiles, but he doesn't want to kill any potential enemies.
At least if there is no aggressive harmful intent, you can leave it, and if there is no malicious intent, you just turn around and do what you want.
"Well, I have to figure out what to do in the near future...."
Ardis was aware of a person approaching him with words that would raise the issue.
Say your name when you see the other person.
"Minerva."
"What's wrong? If you can't sleep, can I sleep with you?
Rona asks Minerva for her expression of sorrow.
"Ah, no... That's not how it works."
"Well, I'll let you sleep on one leg first."
Did Rona perceive anything from the reply? Rona walked willfully to Moore and the others.
I suppose you're trying to distract me.
"Next... okay?
Ah.
Without hesitation, Minerva asked, and Ardis leaned aside to open the space.
The long hair of Minerva, quietly lowered, is blown by the night wind and shakes slightly.
Never short silence.
Instead of talking, they just look up at the moon that opened up in the night sky.
The next thing I know, Aldis manipulates his magic and gathers it in front of Minerva.
It's just a mass of magic that doesn't do anything in particular, or make a difference in particular.
The magic attracts Minerva's eyes.
When Ardis moved the magic chunk gently and put it in his hand, Minerva's gaze moved along with it.
You see the magic.
After all, it was magic.
Conversations like answers are exchanged between mentors.
"When did you find out?
"If you think about it now, two years ago.... at first I thought my eyes were tired and just blurred. I started thinking about magic about six months ago."
I see.
If Ardis hadn't gotten heresy certification from the church and left King's Landing, he would have done his magic trick sooner.
After all, even Cyril, who was an accomplished student at Mariules School in King's Landing, could not see the magic until the end.
I could say that Minerva is very good, given her qualities as a magician alone.
"If you can see magic, you'll be able to use sword magic anyway. They can also form scaffolds."
"Really...."
"You don't look very happy. What's the matter with you? Have you lost interest in sword magic?
"No, that's not it. It's just...."
Spicy, yet painful, Minerva speaks of her thoughts now.
I spent two years brushing my sword arm with Moore's help while Aldis was gone.
The fact that you can see things that look magical while you're drooling.
The fact that she was admitted as a swordsman, not as a daughter of her employer and a hired man, while being mixed up in the training of the guards.
After the ambush of the Imperial Army, he took a sword to protect the King's people as a duty of nobility.
To have been able to save some people.
Anger toward the nobles who try to flee with their people as shields.
After the fall of the royal castle and the inevitable escape of the royal capital, he tried to stand in the way of protecting the people from the pursuers.
The inability to abandon a wounded ally and consequently pushing an ally into distress.
To Ardis, who listens silently, Minerva talks slowly as if she were spitting out the accumulated stuff.
"I don't want to think I was wrong. I take it for granted as a nobleman to take the sword and be the shield of the people. So I don't want to deny it. But the result is one step closer to total annihilation for Cain. If Master hadn't come at that time, we wouldn't have all been alive."
Minerva squeezes her fist.
"Should I have abandoned Cain then? Or was it not possible in the first place to try to intercept the Imperial Soldiers with only five? Is it a mistake to think of protecting someone with my abilities?
You must have noticed something a little exciting.
He exhaled slowly to calm himself down, and Minerva snapped like a cry.
"... I'm sorry. I know I'm talking about tributaries. I just don't know how I got it right..."
Aldis tells the truth of his restlessness to the voices of his children who are about to disappear.
"Nobody will know the right answer. I don't know about noble duties or pride. But let me just say one thing as a starter. As a result, no one died, and I managed to escape safely, and that would be all."
Ardis has come to the conclusion as to where he made the wrong choice.
However, there would be no benefit in pointing it at the current Minerva.
If Minerva keeps putting herself on the battlefield, she'll find out for herself.
So what Aldis needed to do now was lighten Minerva's heart.
"Maybe Minerva made a mistake somewhere. On the contrary, he may have made the best choice without making any mistakes. But the results obtained in reality should never be bad. Reflection and lessons learned are important, but there is no point in continuing to regret them. Mistakes and regrets are inevitable as long as we live."
"Master... is that so?
Hmm?
"No mistakes, no regrets."
"Ahh... Well... Yes, unlimited."
Ardis' chest aches.
There are many things I would have lost if I hadn't made a mistake.
Regret was only growing for the years I had lived.
Past mistakes can no longer be recovered, and the weight of regret never diminishes.
"That's right...."
Silence came again at the end of the crushed voice of Minerva.
Eventually, the feelings were sorted out, and Minerva smiled a little overwhelmingly at Aldis.
"Master... will you teach me swordsmanship again?
"Very good. But is sword magic better?
"Of course, you can tell me."
In addition to her thoughts, Ardis overwhelmed herself with positive teacher reactions.
"Ha ha ha. I got greedy before I saw him for a while."
With a loud voice, Aldis began to tap Minerva's head with one hand.
"No way...?
An unintentionally blinded minerva asks a fearful question.
"I don't think so. It's good to have an uplift in the teacher."
Minerva won't let go of her hand, even though she was more violent than before.
"Thank you again, Master. I'll definitely learn sword magic."
"Ah, leave it to me. I will stay with you until you dismiss me as your mentor."
After two years of reunion, my mentor makes a promise.
It was illuminated by countless lights falling from the moon, and the two shadows lined up on the big rock were reflecting on the ground.