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“That looks good on you.” 

I changed into a formal dress at the firm of Ban-san the next day. 

Man, I thought I asked for something that doesn’t stand out though. 

A design that reminds me of medieval nobles. Is this fashion sense shared between worlds?

But if that’s the case, the fashion sense of Saira is a bit worrying since it would work on a part of the customers in the modern era. 

She really should find a mentor that can teach her the basics instead of learning by herself. 

Wolfe saw my appearance and was wagging her tail with interest. 

“Shishou, you are kind of different!” (Wolfe)

“Must be.” 

This suffocating feeling that’s different from the clothes of Ilias is extremely rough. 

I just have to think this is better with no corset and wig. 

I was missing that suffocating feeling from the first time I wore a business suit as I learned the bare minimum etiquette from Ban-san. 

As we were doing all that, Cara-jii came in with a carriage. 

“Ooh, lad, dressing sharp there!” (Cara)

“It is nice that you have your usual armor on…” 

“No, it is not.” (Cara)

He showed me his armor. 

Yeah, the design may be the same, but there’s an increase in ornaments here and there.

The armor itself is barely injured and pretty clean. 

“So there’s armor for ceremonies.” 

“It was picking up dust. Washing it and giving it maintenance was pretty rough.” (Cara)

I get you, I get you. There are times when you would have to whip out those leather shoes you normally don’t wear on sudden ceremonies. 

I got on the carriage after that and headed to the castle. 

Taizu is surrounded by giant walls. 

When we cross the gates, the first thing that comes into sight is the area where the market and the residences of the people are. 

Dog’s Bone and Ilias’s house are located here. 

When we advance further than that, the amount of fancy buildings that the affluent would live in increased in numbers. 

Maya-san’s church is right in the middle of those. As we advance, there’s the company of Ban-san, and the houses of renowned knights like Cara-jii. 

And then, as we go even further, the Taizu castle surrounded by walls enters my eyes. 

The height of the Taizu castle’s walls is astounding and there’s moats with water around it. 

The bridge at the very front is the only path to come and go from the Taizu castle. 

We finish the inspection at the front of the bridge and cross the 2nd wall. 

The castle itself reminds me of the Middle Ages, but the impression the surroundings give me is that of a military facility.

I see a lot of horse sheds and barracks. 

I can also see training grounds for knights here and there.

I could only see knights patrolling or keeping guard on important points, but they are active here every day. 

And then, we got down the carriage in front of the castle and got inspected again. 

I see decently sized magic seal stones as decorations at the entrance. 

So they have also thought about countermeasures for magic, huh. 

It is most likely to ward off people who change their appearance with magic. 

We advance inside the castle and arrive at the venue of the ceremony. 

There were a whole lot of knights and nobles forming files at their respective position. 

It doesn’t seem like it has begun, so I could hear conversations every so often. 

There are no few gazes directed here. 

There’s a lot of knights, but there’s more nobles. 

An uncommon black haired young man showing up together with a senior knight like Cara-jii; this is enough reason to direct gazes here. 

Cara-jii followed me to the space where the nobles were. 

“It should be beginning in a little bit.” (Cara)

I can hear a variety of topics coming into my ears.

There’s those voicing their happiness at the bandits having been subjugated, and discussions about the future trends of the nation. 

However, I also hear unsavory things like ‘even though she is a woman’, ‘what kind of underhanded method did she use?’, ‘she doesn’t know her place’.

I glanced at Cara-jii. 

He is not showing his anger outside, but I can’t feel the gentleness I normally feel from him. 

If he were to reprimand them here, it would be pouring cold water on this ceremony. 

Also, stuff like this must be a daily occurrence. 

It makes me truly glad that Cara-jii and the others are allies of Ilias. 

Someone that looks like a high official eventually showed up at the front and announced the beginning of the ceremony. 

They talk about the details of this time’s bandit subjugation and the results of it. 

And then, the king of Taizu shows up. 

A young man. 

I was imagining a dandy king with a nice beard, but he gives me the impression of a young politician. 

But as expected from a king, the way he carries himself is majestic. 

Hm? 

I feel like our eyes met there, but…it must be my imagination. 

And then, the king gave his compliments and the proceedings to receive the medals began. 

The knight captains of the respective divisions that participated in the operation were called and kneeled in front of the king. 

Their achievements were praised, and they received gifts from the king. 

Lord Leano with a red cloak; Lord Fohl with a yellow cloak; and a green cloak old knight stepped forward. 

I listen to the name that was called. I see, so that’s Lord Ragudo.

I have not seen him once before, but I feel authority fitting of his image. 

“And lastly, Lady Ratzel.” 

I didn’t know where she was until now, but Ilias showed up. 

She is wearing armor that’s several notches more splendorous than the one she usually dons. 

She has the bearing of a gallant knight which I have seen a number of times in the bandit subjugation. 

That figure of hers that she polished through her strength. 

“I give praise to the many achievements in the bandit subjugation at this instance, and the splendid valor of smiting the ringleader of the bandits.” 

Different from the knight captains that received medals as representatives, Ilias was the only one who received a medal for herself. 

A sight with significance where her own achievements are being recognized in a public space. 

The faint clicking of tongue I heard just now was from a pure inferiority complex. 

I have remembered your face. 

The ceremony continued on without issues after that and ended. 

We moved venues after the ceremony ended. 

From an elegant hall to a dazzling and beautiful hall where a buffet is being held. 

Cara-jii went off to the place where the other divisions are.

Cara-jii told me I can drink and eat as I please, so let’s enjoy the cuisine of nobles at once. 

There’s barely any dish that makes use of salt, but I can tell even at a glance that all the ingredients used are of high quality, and it made it even clearer when I ate it.

The thing that looked like a giant pistachio has a nice taste, but eating it is a hassle. 

The grilled fish wrapped in herbs has a taste I like. 

I prefer the drinks at Gozu’s place, so I keep it moderate here, and concentrate mainly on the food. 

That said, the gazes directed at me every now and then hurt. 

If you are curious, you can come talk to me, you know~?

But I am a man that’s constantly getting food on my plate, so they might be gauging the moment to talk to me. 

In that case, that does put me at ease.

“So you were here.” 

I thought someone had finally spoken to me, but it was Ilias.

“What, so you are done with your business?” 

“Yeah, I have finished my greetings.” (Ilias)

I could feel mental fatigue from the light sigh of Ilias. 

She must have had to speak to a variety of people as this time’s biggest contributor. 

There’s obviously going to be a good deal of people within those that are not in favor of Ilias. 

Actually, most of the knights and nobles outside of the Ragudo Division would fall in that category. 

There’s no doubt there was sarcasm and snides within that. 

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to celebrate together with Wolfe when we go back. 

Speaking of which, I wonder if Wolfe is doing well at Ban-san’s place…

I wonder if I can bring the food here back home? Is there tupperware? 

“Lord Ragudo said he would like to meet you. Please come.” (Ilias)

“Got it.” 

Right, Lord Ragudo invited me here, so I have to greet him at least once. 

There’s food and drinks set at the center of the venue. 

It is a space where the knights and nobles were interacting with food and drinks in hand. 

I was guided to a spot in that place.

The ones there were Lord Ragudo…and the king of Taizu.

Eh, seriously? The king is here? 

I glanced at Ilias and she was also making a face as if she didn’t expect this. 

…Hm?

“Y-Your Majesty!” (Ilias)

“No need for formalities. If you were to get all tense even in the buffet just like in the ceremony, you won’t be able to enjoy the taste of the alcohol, right?” 

The king of Taizu smiled candidly. 

And then Lord Ragudo walked here. 

“You are that young man, right? I have heard about you from Ilias and Caragyugujesta. I am Salvet Ragudo. My division has been in your care.” (Ragudo)

“I myself have been helped greatly by the Ragudo Division by sheltering me when I was stranded, and also the rescue team in the matter of the black wolfkins.” 

He most likely has already heard a variety of things about my origins. 

The book must have reached the hands of this person. He must have a variety of opinions regarding me. 

“I see, I see. So you are the helper of Lady Ratzel!” 

The Taizu king came in at that point. 

“Marito Taizu, the king of this nation.” (Marito)

He showed an amicable smile as he walked his way here. 

“Lady Ratzel is outstanding in her fighting prowess, but she is a knight that lacks in many other places. I have been thinking about speaking with you once as the person who splendidly led her as her helper.” (Marito)

Saying this, Marito Taizu asked for a handshake with hand stretched out. 

◇◇

My heart danced when I saw him at the ceremony. 

Black hair and black eyes. 

I felt my mouth on the verge of curving the moment I saw that figure of his that was just like the reports.

I heard that he will be participating in the banquet that follows too. 

I want to talk to him soon. I want to personally confirm just what kind of person he is. 

I was thinking about that and cooked up a plan. 

It is the handshake I am offering right now. 

I have heard that he is close to Lady Ratzel.

This is a request for a handshake after making a fool of her. 

I want to see what kind of person he is with this. 

‘Call him here. I would like to test him out a bit when greeting him. I am a bit sorry, Lady Ratzel, but could you tag along in the acting?’ -is how we arranged this beforehand. 

Lady Ratzel is making a complicated look behind me. 

He has seen that in his vision. 

There’s two big divergences in the way he could act here. 

Reject this handshake or accept it. 

Will he be angered by a close person of his being looked down upon? 

Will he say words that will help her, or maybe he will stretch out his hand indignant? 

Will he push down those emotions and shake my hand? 

Will he consider her honor and snake his way out with a smile? Will he throw crafty sarcasm? Will he be obsequious in front of the king? 

I don’t mind what kind of choice he makes. This is an action to learn more about him. 

Now, what will you do, young one from a parallel world? 

“……” 

He was silent for a bit. 

—He looked at the faces of Lady Ratzel and Lord Ragudo. 

He observed the state of the two after seeing my actions as the king, huh. 

It doesn’t seem like he is an impulsive person, but I can’t tell that just yet. 

Some emotion might well up from him after looking at the complicated face of Lady Ratzel.

“…?” 

He then looked around even more, looked back, and began walking. 

He rejected the handshake and decided to leave? -is what I thought, but he went to a certain place and came back soon after. 

And then, he gave me the food he brought. 

“…Eh?” (Marito)

“Please have some.” 

Did he take my outstretched hand as a demand for food? 

Is it that kind of sarcasm? 

It doesn’t look that way. 

But how should I react to this? …Should I pretend I am angry? 

No, if I do that, it would be the end.

For now, let’s try showing confusion and eat. 

“A-Alright.” (Marito)

But this food is something you need to peel the skin of before eating and it takes work. 

If I put too much strength to it, the fruit inside will break and spill. 

Is he trying to make fun of a king that pitifully drops food on the ground? 

But something of that degree is nothing. 

I carefully peel the skin off, take out the fruit, and bite it. 

It is something I eat often. There’s nothing really different from it. 

What next? 

“……” 

He turned around again.

Again?! 

What do you plan on bringing next?! 

No, in the first place, this is a handshake. 

But now that he has left, I don’t really want to call him to a stop. 

I must speak up about this once he returns. 

He went to the place where the food is at…passed by that place…and left the hall just like that. 

“…Eh?!” (Marito)

I didn’t understand what was going on for a moment and let out my voice. 

I looked back at Lord Ragudo and Lady Ratzel. 

The two of them are obviously also speechless at this. 

Of course they are. When I requested a handshake, he gave me food, and then left the place. 

Even I don’t know what to say here.

There’s no sign of him returning.

Did he…leave? 

No no, wait wait! 

Even though we finally met, this is the end?! 

I thought of a lot of topics and questions to assess him. It would trouble me for it to end like this. 

I will have him brought back by the guards—no, what am I doing escalating the issue? 

At a glance, it simply looked like he did a round trip between me and the food, and then left the place. 

Wait, this is not the time to be thinking this. I must call him back quickly. 

I head to the exit of the hall. 

I walk so that it doesn’t stir the surroundings. 

Even so, my feet were still slightly hurried. 

The guard at the entrance lowered his head. 

I answered with my hand and left the hall. 

I look around the corridor. I can’t see him. 

After confirming that there’s no eyes around, I run towards the way back. 

I turn a corner and head to the entrance—

“In a hurry, Your Majesty?” 

And he was standing there with a smile. 

◇◇

I am standing in front of the surprised King Marito.

“You…didn’t go back?” (Marito)

“It seemed like His Majesty was requesting some tomfoolery, so I responded in kind.” 

I could soon tell that was an act. 

I heard from Cara-jii that King Marito is a person with no prejudice to men or women in the first place.

That goes the same for the greeting of Lord Ragudo being so light. 

He went as far as to give a free day to Ilias to invite me, yet that was all he said to me?

A person higher than Lord Ragudo himself must have wanted to meet me then. When considering who that person could be, there’s none other than this one. 

By the way, the acting of Ilias gets a failing mark. When I felt something off, got requested a handshake, and saw her face again, I was certain this was an act. 

Ilias told me that he is a good king, so if she was made fun of by the person himself, it would be strange for her to not show surprise. But what she showed was a pained expression.

She should have learned from Lord Ragudo with his iron expressionless face. 

It seemed like he was trying to check whether I would answer the handshake or not, so I took the 3rd choice. 

Wolfe holding food in her hand left an impression on me, so I immediately thought of it. 

I gave him the giant pistachio-looking thing that has skin on and had him eat it. 

A normal king would be indignant at this point or would try to amend the talk of the handshake. 

But King Marito ate it. 

In other words, he took the option of waiting for my next action. 

And so, I acted as if I was going to get food again and retreated. 

It was an action with the assumption that King Marito would be taken aback and hurriedly try to call me back.

“I didn’t expect Your Majesty to be coming personally. There was no need to be so hurried.” 

I thought Ilias would be the one who would call me back, but he must have wanted to meet me a lot. 

“So you tested me instead.” (Marito)

“Got a satisfactory result?” 

“…Pu…hahahahaha!” (Marito)

King Marito erupted in laughter.

“Man, you really got me. I couldn’t hold back my curiosity!” (Marito)

“You could have called Lord Leano.” 

“That wouldn’t have been wrapped up with just an act. I feel bad for Lady Ratzel.” (Marito)

“What a prankster king.” 

“Sorry sorry. —Now then, let’s have a talk once more, resident of a parallel world.” (Marito)

And so, we both returned to the banquet. 

Only Ilias was waiting with a worried face.

“Just what brought that all of a sudden?!” (Ilias)

“I couldn’t endure my laughter from that bad acting, you see. I left to let a good laugh out.” 

“Wa?!” (Ilias)

“Umu, you have piqued my fancy. I would like to talk to him about a variety of things. I will be borrowing him for a while, Lady Ratzel.” (Marito)

“U-Understood.” (Ilias)

Ilias sighed and Lord Ragudo was laughing in amusement. 

It was just as I heard from Cara-jii. 

But it seems like King Marito has a bit more of a jolly personality. 

After that, King Marito brought me to a private room that can look down on the banquet venue. 

Lord Ragudo is at our side. 

Ilias was talking with the members of the Ragudo Division at the hall.

“Now then, you can take it easy. Relax and call me Marito without honorifics!” (Marito)

That’s an incredible way to relax. 

I don’t know what tucked his strings, but was there anything that made him like me that much? 

Hmm, there shouldn’t be. The most I did was act in a way where he would think ‘this guy can do work!’…

It reminds me of the time when I was playing a dating game. I made a single choice and that boosted the affection of a girl in one go, and I got dumbstruck by it. 

My gaze swam towards Lord Ragudo, wondering what to do.

“He is that kind of king. Please go along with him.” (Ragudo)

“If that’s the case…” 

Marito sits on the chair with a relaxed posture, different from before. 

Rather than a young and capable king, it is more like the stance of a young friend. 

“First, let me thank you as a king. Our knights are tied up to their chivalry and were being led by the nose by the sly bandits.” (Marito)

“No, that was because Dokora had good ability, and because coincidence was on our side.” 

Seriously, what’s with this informal tone? Lord Ragudo isn’t looking over here. 

The reality is that, if I didn’t have my first contact with the bandits in that fashion, we wouldn’t have been able to trump them, and we wouldn’t have been able to draw the information from them. 

“That may be true, but you drew the information from them, and it is thanks to your smarts that Lady Ratzel managed to take down the ringleader, right?” (Marito)

“That’s…well, true.” 

“So you won’t brag about it.” (Marito)

“There’s no way I can brazenly brag about methods that take advantage of people’s weaknesses. The one that should be praised is Ilias.” 

“Fumu, what should I be praising of Lady Ratzel?” (Marito)

“Even when she aimed to be like her ideal -her father- and walked the chivalric path, she had the resolve to accept such methods.” 

Ilias didn’t find the methods I took to be agreeable. 

Even so, I still managed to do them because she understood and accepted that it was necessary. 

“She might be slandered for using underhanded methods, she might be smearing mud on her own chivalry; despite understanding this, she still prioritized the fastest solution.” 

“It is true that even when she handed the glory to Lord Leano and the other knight divisions, those are things you would find hard to do with a dedicated heart towards your country -especially in her position.” (Marito)

“Can’t you correct it with your authority, Marito?” 

“If I threaten them, they might stop doing it on the surface. But if I do that, I feel like their movements in the shadows will grow even nastier.” (Marito)

Yeah…

“Don’t worry, it is the truth that they have no choice but to acknowledge her abilities. Now all that’s left is to shut them up with results. If they still howl despite that, it would be the cries of a sore loser.” (Marito)

“It would be nice if the person herself can distinguish that though.” 

“Lady Ratzel is still immature on that front.” (Marito)

I was poured a drink and I just gave it a sip and continued speaking. 

“I would like to thank you regarding the black wolfkin matter too. It should have been easy to seize them with the military power of this nation.” 

“Please don’t make me into such a dangerous king. My reputation as a virtuous king would drop.” (Marito)

“…”

How to say this…aah, right, I know the identity of what was bothering me. 

The inside of his head is similar to a certain someone when he is peppy. 

“I would like to hear a lot of things about your world, but let’s wrap up the main topic first.” (Marito)

Marito raised his hand and Lord Ragudo walked over here in response. 

Lord Ragudo takes out a book after getting close. 

A familiar book; the book that Dokora left behind.

“You have smacked the topic I have been trying to avoid right on my face…” 

“Aah, sorry sorry. But it is an important thing after all. You didn’t read it despite it being a language from your own world, right?” (Marito)

“I heard that even the act of wanting resurrection magic is condemnable to death in this world after all.” 

“It wouldn’t have been discovered if you just gave it a stealthy look.” (Marito)

“Cara-jii was there. I didn’t want to make him an accomplice of a lie.” 

“By the way, I couldn’t read the inside at all. There’s no doubt it is the language of your world.” (Marito)

“Must be.” 

“But there would be places where things like the structure of magic were shown in illustrations. According to an analysis, it is the basics of necromancy that the bandits used.” (Marito)

Dokora most likely lost his job as an Anbu thanks to that book or the necromancy. 

If that book is related to the Demon Lords, it wouldn’t be strange for resurrection magic and the taboo of the same kind, necromancy, to be depicted in this book. 

“The reality is that research of resurrection magic has been agreed upon between nations to be a forbidden practice even now. If this were the nation that’s strict of the forbidden, Mejis, they would have dug you out and executed just like that.” (Marito)

“Even when I haven’t read it?” 

“If you can read it, they won’t even ask questions.” (Marito)

What a fearsome country. That’s on the level of a witch hunt. 

“That’s nasty.” 

“There’s still a lot of land in the Mejis territory that’s inhabitable because of the Demon Lords. That’s just how sensitive the regions with the most harm caused by the Demon Lords are.” (Marito)

I see, that does make sense. 

The hate towards nuclear weapons is especially high in Japan because they have been hit with nuclear weapons before. 

It is because they know the fear with their own bodies. 

If there’s still places where they can’t live because radiation still remains, their actions against it would be even more extreme. 

“However, the nation where Dokora was working as an Anbu before was also Mejis.” (Marito)

“…It is starting to smell fishy.” 

An Anbu from the most sensitive country towards taboos obtained an avenue towards that taboo and was driven away from the country. 

It is not clear whether it was in that nation or he stole it from a neighboring nation, but Dokora managed to obtain it and looked inside. 

He then was driven out from that country and fled towards Gahne. 

He hid in Gahne, acted as a bandit, learned necromancy, and then fled to Taizu next, huh. 

“It is fine if this book was simply sealed there, but if it existed as part of a research, it would be an issue of that country. Therefore, we are currently investigating the origins of this book.” (Marito)

“I would like to not be involved in this if possible.” 

“And so, I would like to request an analysis of this book.” (Marito)

“Did you hear what I said just before?!” 

“Now, now, I will assure your safety. You can tell it’s a decently necessary measure, right?” (Marito)

“…What you want to know is just how much information this book has, right?” 

He nodded. 

Marito wants to know just how close to the forbidden this book is. 

If this is just a biography of the Demon Lord, it wouldn’t be that much of an issue. 

However, it is certain that there’s at least enough information to learn necromancy. 

On top of that, it is hard to say whether there’s information regarding the forbidden resurrection magic. 

If there’s a nation that’s researching this -that’s the crux of this matter.

“Who knows about this?” 

“Only me and Lord Ragudo. I haven’t told the Yugura devotee, Maya.” (Marito)

“Even Maya-san?” 

“The holy grounds of the Yugura Church are in Mejis.” (Marito)

I see, makes sense why he wouldn’t be able to tell her about it carelessly. 

There’s the possibility that the nation that chased Dokora away, Mejis, knew about Dokora having this book. 

Maya-san is the highest ranked person of the Yugura Church in Taizu. 

She most likely has no small amount of interactions with Mejis which is the holy grounds of the Yugura Church.

No, before all that, I got the documents of Dokora after asking for them from Maya-san. 

The chances of her getting those from Mejis are high.

“I had Maya-san investigate the origins of Dokora. The chances are high that she knows Dokora has that book.” 

“The reality is that they showed moves that corroborated this. You chose them to support Lord Leano, right?” (Marito)

“Yeah, I did hear that the clergy know how to deal with necromancy after all.” 

“According to Lord Leano, they apparently showed signs of searching the area when they were cleaning up the undead.” (Marito)

“…”

“On top of that, they also requested to investigate the lairs the next day with the excuse of this being a countermeasure for undead.” (Marito)

“But the book is here.” 

“Yeah, thanks to you for going ahead and retrieving it.” (Marito)

“…”

“No need to make such a complicated face. I know that Maya and Lady Ratzel are close friends. It is not like I am accusing her of being a spy.” (Marito)

“That’s…” 

“It is natural to investigate a person who might have something related to necromancy as a Yugura cleric. You could even say it is their duty.” (Marito)

That’s true. The image of Mejis bringing retribution to the ones who touch the forbidden magic is so strong that it ended up repainting my view of Maya-san.

“The reason why she was moving without telling you anything was probably because she wanted to keep you away from such talks.” (Marito)

“…Right.” 

Maya-san was showing apprehension towards necromancy and resurrection magic. 

It is not something she would want others to get involved with regardless of who they are. 

“But what would you have done if I had been the one telling Maya-san about the book?”

“Maya would have come directly here to talk regarding that. We would have dealt with it appropriately. The fact that she hasn’t come is because you haven’t told her, right?” (Marito)

“Right. So the only other person who knows would be Cara-jii, huh.” 

“I have ordered Lord Domitorkofucon to not disclose this through Lord Ragudo. What I was personally worried about was whether you told this to Lady Ratzel.” (Marito)

“I haven’t told Ilias.” 

I just told her I felt like taking a walk. 

I wanted to avoid bringing any more problems to Ilias who was that depressed after all. 

“Lady Ratzel is a close friend of Maya, you see. That’s why she interacts with her even now. Lady Ratzel consulting with Maya about the book out of worry was the highest possibility.” (Marito)

“I see. But what’s the reason for hiding the existence of the book?” 

“The biggest reason would be that I still don’t trust Mejis completely. There’s a really high chance that Mejis is already aware that Taizu had subjugated Dokora who they have been chasing after. But Mejis is not saying anything about this book at all.” (Marito)

If the reason Dokora was being pursued was because of this book, the chances are high that Mejis is searching for it. 

Judging by the fact that Maya-san tried to check the belongings of Dokora, it should be safe to assume it was under the orders of Mejis. 

If Mejis were innocent, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to  have told Taizu about the book, and requested to search together with them. 

Of course, there’s the possibility Maya-san searched for it just in case as a careful person. 

Mejis might have hidden the information in order to avoid unnecessary confusion, and considered the dangers that Taizu would obtain knowledge of necromancy. 

“Meaning that, even if we can trust Maya-san, we can’t trust Mejis and the Yugura Church who are behind her, huh.” 

“Yeah. I think she is a good person.” (Marito)

“Right.” 

“And so, I would like to investigate how dangerous this book is and the nation that had possession of it by myself.” (Marito)

What to do.

The level of the landmine has increased, but I do have the desire to read this book. 

Also, it has the permission and protection of King Marito.

There’s the possibility I might get targeted by Maya-san, the Yugura Church behind her, and even the whole nation of Mejis though…

But if I let this chance escape, it should be safe to assume there will be practically no chance to read it. 

“Got it. So how should I help out?” 

“I would like you to translate this -into the language of our world.” (Marito)

“Isn’t that dangerous?” 

“It would be dangerous to keep it. However, I will manage that information here.” (Marito)

Marito pointed a finger at his own head. 

“And so, I would like you to come here often from here on. However, the chances are high that the Yugura Church might suspect us if you come here just to translate. Thus, I have thought up an excuse.” (Marito)

“That is?” 

“In charge of opinions.” (Marito)

“…Explain.” 

“The position where you will be telling me about the parallel world and its knowledge like a bard. From an outsider’s perspective, it would be something like a court jester.” (Marito)

A court jester, huh. 

The profession where you entertain important people with smart jokes and stories. 

That certainly would serve as an excuse for Maya-san. 

“I don’t know how much we could apply the manufacturing methods of the parallel world here, but I doubt there’s none we could use. There might be subjects that would prove of value to tell us, so please tell us, I guess.” (Marito)

“Well, yeah… But I was a commoner over there. I am lacking a lot in the specialized knowledge department, you know?” 

“I don’t really hold excessive hopes for it. I will be listening purely for fun.” (Marito)

The eyes of Marito were shining. 

That certainly does seem to be one of the reasons.

“—Got it. However, if that’s the case, it would make it hard mentally to visit Maya-san’s place often.” 

“What do you mean by that?” (Marito)

I tell him about how me and Wolfe are learning common knowledge and language at Maya-san’s place.

“I see. It would be simple for us to prepare a place like that for you, but it would be ungrateful to change locations all of a sudden, huh.” (Marito)

“That’s how it is. Maya-san can see through lies, so just throwing that topic would be rough for me.” 

“Don’t worry. Preparations for the festival are going to begin soon, and the Yugura Church are the ones mainly leading this. She will get busy too. You can switch at that point.” (Marito)

“Is that so.” 

“Let’s leave the translation of the book for later just in case. It would be better for you to hurry in learning the language after all.” (Marito)

Something that bothered me popped up in my mind.

But it is not that good of a thought. 

My thoughts most likely veered in that direction due to us scheming secretly here. 

However, it can’t be helped now that I have thought about it. 

“There’s also something I would like to arrange.” 

“What is it?” (Marito)

I told Marito about the details and he nodded in understanding. 

“There’s worth in doing that. I shall have it arranged.” (Marito)

“That would be a great help. Then, I will be counting on you.” 

“Yeah, here as well. Looking forward to our long relationship.” (Marito)

And this is how I achieved the weird rank up from jobless to court jester. 

◇◇

Marito and Lord Ragudo remained in the room after he left. 

“You were pretty merry there, Your Majesty.” (Ragudo)

“Yeah, he was an even more interesting man than I hoped for.” (Marito)

His casual attitude of before was not there anymore. He was speaking with the most senior knight captain as a king. 

“Was my tone weird?” (Marito)

“I was on the verge of bursting out laughing.” (Ragudo)

“…Well, I will be going with that when I am alone with him. It would work just fine as a breather.” (Marito)

Just how long has it been since he has spoken that way? At the very least, he hasn’t since he succeeded the throne. 

Marito laughed, thinking there’s still uses for the way of speaking that he was reprimanded for as vulgar and hadn’t used anymore. 

“About the matter of just now, I leave the arrangements to you.” (Marito)

“As you will.” (Ragudo)

Marito sits at the place the man was sitting at before. 

(Just how did I look to him? Did he think I was someone he could trust?) (Marito)

He poured a drink onto a glass nearby. 

He closed his eyes and remembered the conversation he had with him. 

“Umu, I really do want him.” (Marito)

“I think you have already obtained him as a helper though.” (Ragudo)

“At that point, yeah. However, I want him in this country.” (Marito)

Taizu is a country with a long history centered on knights. 

There’s stiffness remaining due to this. 

The reality is that adventurers who travel around the world don’t gather in this country. 

There is an adventurer guild, but it is an extremely small one. 

It is because everyone places their trust in the knights who have a long history here. 

Because of that close-mindedness, they suffered against the bandits with their wile wits. 

They didn’t even notice the existence of the demi-humans that lived within their territory. 

The one who easily changed this was a single man. 

It is not like his abilities are outstanding or anything. This man  brought flexibility to this country. 

Marito had felt the stiffness of this country as suffocating since before he became a king. 

“That man will become a beneficial existence in the future of this country. That’s why I want to make him mine.” (Marito)

Marito said this as he finished his drink. 

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