139 CHAPTER IV CONCERNINGS ON THE OTHER SIDE (1/2)

SIDE:?

What?　A failed infiltration attempt?

I couldn't help but raise my voice when I heard the report of my subordinate's horrible mistake.

''I'm sorry!''

Why?　You know how many we've sent in there?　They usually hire one of them, right?　Could it be that the soldiers you prepared were of such poor quality that they couldn't join the Knights of the Middle Nobility?

No, no!　It is by no means that way!

I'm sure . As far as I've seen, there were at least a dozen guys who could make it in the higher noble knights' order.

''Then how did that happen?''

This time there were only two knights employed by Léonce Muldaine.

...... Two people?　Two people?

What?　Only two?　You, you have a lot to lie about to protect yourself!

You're gonna have to lie better than that if you're gonna have it!

'I am not lying!　There were really only two of us.

So he's thinking of going to war with me with just those two men?

'Yes, no ....... Leons originally owned the mysterious Red Knight. ......

Yeah, I know. You wear all red armor, right?　But those guys are too few in number to fight a war. So they don't pose a threat, do they?

Sure, they're not as strong as we thought.

But they're not as strong as they should be.

Yes. I think so.

d*mn it, ......, I can't read what he's thinking.

What do you want?　Maybe you were aware that there were a lot of spies mixed in and you weren't going to hire anyone other than someone who was really good at it?

So, what are these two guys like?

That's why ...... we know the identity of one of them, but the other one is currently under investigation.

Yeah. Okay, so tell me more about the ones you do know. And if you don't know, tell me what you know.

Yes. Let's start with the one who knows. This is Bernolt, a former S-class adventurer.

Bernholt?

What?　Um, is that Bernolt, the leader of one of the only three S-class parties in this world?

Yes. Yes, I'm sure.

Why?　How did Bernolt get into his order?

What possible reason could he have for giving up being an adventurer to become a knight?

That's why ...... last month, Bernold's 'Follow the Brave' organization, which he was a member of, disbanded.

That party's broken up?

Why?　Those parties were famous for being close, weren't they?　Is someone seriously hurt?

No, they're not. The sorcerer in ”Follow the Brave” is pregnant, and they've decided to take this opportunity to disband and work independently.

Yeah. We've made enough money, so we should each take it easy from now on.

So that's what it is: ....... So how did Bernolt end up joining his Order?

'And it seems to be a whim. He quit his job as an adventurer, and when he had some spare time on his hands, he happened to find an opening and decided to join.

Freaky. ...... That's what he's always saying.

Maybe not. That guy lives his life on a whim, but he's really a purposeful guy. Otherwise, he'd never get his party to S-grade.

'Yeah, right: ......'

Well, you'll never know, having never met him.

I'm sure the sorcerer's belly is full of Bernolt's children.

The money he's earned so far should be enough to live on. ...... Probably because of that guy, he thought that now that he's got a family, he'd be better off with a stable job.

'Well, okay . More importantly, what's the other guy like?　I'm more interested in that one.

There's nothing scarier than a lack of information about a mystery woman ......

We'll have to make sure they do their research.

That's all I know about ...... is that she's a very powerful woman, and that's all I know about .......

'So strong?　Is it as good as Bernold's?

'No, probably not. Leonce had his own men deal with that woman, but with Bernold he was dealing with her himself.

Yeah?　What do you mean?　What kind of test did he perform?

Why is he dealing with that guy himself?

'It's simple. It was a formality in which anyone who came forward would be dealt with by either Herman Caroon, a disciple of Leons, or by Leons himself.

Yeah. Hermann ...... was given to me a while back. He's the son of Lars Caroon, right?　Originally, he had close to zero magic power, but after Leons taught him something, he became ridiculously strong.

Yes. Yes.

So how strong was Hermann really?

That information is very important.

He's one of my key players in the fight.

We didn't fight long enough to determine that, so I can't say: ......

What do you mean?　Did he deal with all of them?

No, Leons only dealt with Bernold.

So who else did you deal with?

Don't tell me he had more than just Hermann, did he have other strong men under his command?

No, there's no one. No one ever came forward in the first place.

What do you mean?

'First of all, Leons told me to raise my hand if I'm confident in my arm.

Yeah.

So, in the beginning, of course, I mentioned them all.

Well, I guess so.

No one will take the job if they don't have confidence.

I can't think of a guy who didn't mention it.

So Leons randomly picked the guy in front of him and had him fight Hermann.

So?

It was an instant: ....... In an instant, the man was knocked down as fast as I could see.

Ha-ha-ha. Not much.

”d*mn. You know you're a monster. It's not every day you can move something fast enough to be invisible to the naked eye.

'If you ask me, I'm sure you're right: ....... The fight afterwards was so awesome I forgot about it.

And then?　Oh, Bernolt and the mystery woman.

''Yes . Back to the story, the prospective recruits, having been shown Hellman's outrageous strength, stopped raising their hands to see what was going on.

You guys?

'Yes . If I stepped forward in that situation, I would stand out. ......