A recap of events so far.
Having recruited leaders and great powers from around the world to defeat Geese,
Geese was in the Kingdom of Biherril!
But the North God Kalman the Third was reported to be there as well.
Should he try to recruit the North God, or should he reach out to the Sword God first?
While Rudeus wavered, a report arrived from the mercenary group about the discovery of a person believed to be
The discovery location: the Kingdom of Biherril.
Rudeus resolved to journey to the Kingdom of Biherril, where the three—Geese, North God Kalman the Third, and Ruijerd—had all converged.
There, I was seated directly across from Orsted.
Flanking us on either side were
Roxy was taking the minutes.
"—And that about sums it up."
I gave Orsted a consolidated report on all the recent discoveries.
When I told him that Geese and North God Kalman the Third had both been spotted in the Kingdom of Biherril, Orsted had been in high spirits.
Though he didn't say it aloud, the atmosphere practically screamed "Well done!"
I got caught up in the momentum and kept reporting.
"……"
But that good mood vanished the instant I reported finding Ruijerd.
It drained clean away, turning murky.
"Um… is something wrong?"
He looked angry—or maybe not quite. Those piercing eyes drilled into me, surrounded by a palpable aura of negativity.
It wasn't that I was trembling at the glare anymore. I'd gotten past that.
But not knowing why made me uneasy.
"…The Kingdom of Biherril is also home to the Demon God, isn't it."
The Demon God.
Right, come to think of it, Demon Island, where the Demon God resided, was located east of the Kingdom of Biherril.
It wasn't that I'd forgotten, exactly. But it was worth confirming.
"Wasn't it said that the Demon God tends to side with the enemy?"
"The current Demon God once became an Apostle in a past loop."
I see.
Then the possibility of Geese's location being a trap had just gone up.
Or perhaps Geese's objective was the Demon God itself.
That kind of speculation couldn't be resolved sitting in a conference room. I'd have to go there and see for myself.
But right now, I was in a conference room.
Let's keep the conversation to what could be discussed in a conference room.
"I'd like to discuss our plan of action going forward, including all of that."
"Sure."
"Given what we have, I don't think there's an option to skip the Kingdom of Biherril or put it off."
I launched into my strategic presentation from there.
"It's possible this is a trap set by Geese—or rather, the
But we don't know when we'll get another chance to pin down Geese on the run. This seems like an ideal opportunity.
I regret not reaching out to the Sword God, but I intend to go to the Kingdom of Biherril. What do you think?"
"I have no objections."
Either way, Atophé had already begun moving on her own after receiving the report about Geese.
I hadn't asked what route she planned to take, but she'd certainly arrive quite late.
A month, two months, perhaps even longer.
To rendezvous with her upon her arrival, and to have the locals briefed on who she was, I had to go to the Kingdom of Biherril.
"There are four things to do.
Find and defeat Geese.
Find and persuade North God Kalman the Third.
Find and persuade Ruijerd.
Find the Demon God—persuade or defeat them.
The priority is the order I just listed… that's fine, right? Lord Orsted?"
"…Sure."
Personally, I wanted to meet Ruijerd first, but the North God should come first regardless.
As for the Demon God, maybe the simplest approach was to just throw Atophé at the problem when she arrived by sea.
If I didn't establish contact soon, that was probably what would happen anyway.
Actually, how was I even supposed to reach Atophé? The only means of communication should have been the communication stone tablet installed at Necros Fortress.
…Well, maybe I'd figure that out after Atophé arrived. Or maybe there was no other option. Not having emergency communication was certainly inconvenient.
"Furthermore, if Geese's forces turn out to be substantial when we locate him, I'll call in reinforcements as well."
The enemy was in the Kingdom of Biherril.
But if I gathered forces in the Kingdom of Biherril only for Geese to be gone by then, I'd be the boy who cried wolf.
It was bound to happen sooner or later, and it would erode trust from the other nations too.
"I think calling reinforcements after we've confirmed Geese's location isn't too late."
So: first confirm the enemy was there, confirm a decisive battle would happen.
Then call in allies. If I repeated the cycle of finding Geese, gathering allies, having him escape, and dispersing—only to find myself unable to assemble anyone when the time came, it would all be meaningless.
"To that end, I plan to have teleportation magic circles set up in various locations."
The Kingdom of Biherril was a small country, yet it boasted three major cities.
The capital, Biherril.
The second city, Irel.
The third city, Heirelru.
"I'll set up teleportation magic circles near each of the three cities."
I glanced at Roxy.
"There are only a limited number of people who can accurately draw teleportation magic circles, but—ever the visionary—my esteemed teacher prepared several scrolls of teleportation magic circles for just such an occasion. Applause."
Thunderous applause erupted.
Confetti showered down, scattering over Roxy on stage.
The moment Roxy, microphone in hand, waved to the assembled fans from around the world in the hall, a cascade of people fainted.
This was all happening inside my head, of course.
"Whether Geese has been found or not, we'll cut off his escape routes.
Send people to the neighboring countries and monitor the highways.
For this, I'll use the Rude Mercenary Group based in Sharía."
Linia and Pursena.
"With escape routes sealed, we search for Geese, and the moment he's spotted, we deploy reinforcements. Crush him in one blow."
The key was confirming the enemy was there.
And then, until our forces assembled, preventing the enemy from fleeing.
Fortunately, the Kingdom of Biherril was surrounded by forests, mountains, and sea, so it didn't border many countries.
Sealing off escape routes wasn't that difficult.
That said, when Kixirisu had spotted Geese with her demonic eye, she'd detected the Hitogami's presence.
If so, there was a high chance the Hitogami had detected her in return at that very moment.
It was even possible Geese had already fled.
If Geese truly had recruited someone as mentioned in the letter, he could probably escape through the forest as well.
Securing the neighboring countries was more of a psychological comfort than anything.
"I see. So who handles the magic circles at each location?"
"Let's split up. Three teams."
"…Isn't that dangerous? You're the one being targeted, Rudy."
"Yeah."
At Sylphie's words, I nodded.
Believe it or not, according to Geese's letter, I was the target.
If I moved alone, I'd be walking straight into a trap.
There was also the risk of being picked off one by one.
"But thanks to Lord Orsted's bracelet, I'm invisible to the Hitogami's surveillance.
Geese and the Hitogami can't detect me or Lord Orsted, or anyone closely associated with us.
That said, knowing Geese, he'd try to find me through some old-fashioned method.
In other words, he'd pick me up through normal intelligence gathering.
So I'll enter in disguise.
Set up the magic circles quickly before being discovered. That's the plan."
Whether it was a trap or not, I shouldn't show my face.
So, disguise.
Even in disguise, gathering intelligence to find Geese would eventually give me away.
But I could avoid the scenario of entering the country and immediately being surrounded and defeated.
If I moved well enough, I might even seize the initiative even if Geese had laid a trap.
And if it wasn't a trap, then it meant Geese and the Hitogami had never anticipated that Kixirisu's demonic eye would pick me up.
In that case, Geese would run.
But Geese also had business in the Kingdom of Biherril—he wouldn't be there without reason.
He might try to finish his business at the last possible moment before I arrived.
By disguising myself and delaying my discovery, I could extend the window before his escape.
There was no reason not to try.
"If you want to hide Rudeus's presence, a diversion might help," Roxy suggested.
A diversion.
Meaning: make Geese think "Rudeus didn't come because he sensed a trap."
If they baited the hook and all they caught were small fry—with the prize fish nowhere to be seen—they'd be thrown into confusion.
"A diversion, you say? Do you have a specific proposal?"
Roxy nodded.
"Yes. What if one of us goes to the Sword God's location?
Princess Ariel has promised to send reinforcements quickly. Guileané and Izolte would surely be among them.
Those two would be well-acquainted with the people at the Sword Saint's sanctum, and even if they ended up as enemies, they wouldn't be outmatched.
Even if the Sword God himself turned hostile, they could gather intelligence beforehand, retreat without making contact, and there'd be no problem. And if the Sword God was too much, they could at least bring back Sword King Nina."
Sword King Nina.
I'd met her in the
She was someone Eris had rarey tried to recruit on her own initiative.
She probably couldn't replace the Sword God, but if she was on par with Eris, she'd certainly be a formidable asset.
If the enemy showed up, don't push it—just bring back Nina and slip away. Whether that was actually doable was another question, but with Guileané and Izolte along, it didn't seem impossible.
"Oh, I'll do that job."
The one who raised their hand was Sylphie.
Sylphie going to the Sword God's place… well, she could handle the negotiations, certainly.
She had acquaintances among all three—Nina, Izolte, and Guileané.
More to the point, the fact that Sylphie went in person would serve as a diversion in itself.
The child had already been born, so the value of killing his wife was slim, but the Hitogami should know perfectly well what Rudeus valued most.
If his wives were spread out, it would be harder for them to pinpoint his location.
But there was one concern.
"…Wouldn't it be dangerous?"
"Of course there's risk. But since we know where Geese is, the danger should be minimal."
Fair point.
Geese wouldn't do something foolish like allow the allies he'd just recruited to get picked off one by one.
If Geese was elsewhere, his companions would have gone with him.
That was what I thought—but maybe that line of thinking was being read.
"The Hitogami should also know what Rudeus cares about most. If we go, it serves as a diversion," Roxy added, pressing the point I'd been considering just moments ago.
But wait… come to think of it, wasn't my strategy kind of dangerous?
I'd set up teleportation magic circles throughout the Kingdom of Biherril and gather forces. But even so, it would take half a day to a full day to reach each location.
Wasn't there a real risk of being picked off one by one?
The whole thing was starting to feel like a full-scale war.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of setup where scattered allies dropped dead one after another?
No—I'd learned well enough since coming to this world that flags and the like meant absolutely nothing…
"But, uh, I'm a little worried… maybe we should scrap this strategy…"
"Rudeus…"
Roxy let out a soft sigh.
As if she'd seen right through my sudden loss of confidence.
"Listen, Rudeus.
Adventurers who delve into labyrinths aim to finish their expeditions with everyone accounted for.
Each person does everything they can to maximize the chance of a safe return.
Up until now, Sylphie and I have treated looking after the children at home as 'doing what we can.' Neither of us can hold a candle to you or Eris in a fight.
But what I've proposed now is something we can do—and I believe it raises the probability that everyone comes home alive."
Probability…
But she was right. There were no guarantees.
Even trying to be safe and certain, unforeseen events could happen. Something beyond imagination could cause failure.
"I know you want to keep us locked up at home, Rudeus.
But no matter how long you lock us away, if we lose, it's over. Total annihilation.
Any action carries risk.
Let's take the risk, and in the end, we'll all laugh together."
If even one of them died, would I be able to laugh?
Going to the Kingdom of Biherril, coming back to find Roxy, Sylphie, Eris—all gone.
Could I laugh in that state?
No.
"Rudeus, we're parents now.
Let's think not just about ourselves, but about the future."
Those words conjured
If Paul were alive, what would he do at this moment?
When I entered the Teleportation Labyrinth, he'd brought me along.
During the Teleportation Incident… well, he'd been desperate, so let's set that aside.
Before that.
When we lived in
At the very least, Paul never locked me up at home.
He wanted to protect me, sure, but he let me wander freely around a village where even a short walk could be dangerous.
Even after becoming pregnant, during stable periods, she'd go out now and then, as I recalled.
Paul wasn't entirely in the right, either.
He didn't have a clear enemy to face.
But I was alive now.
Thinking about it that way, being overly protective in every situation did seem a bit excessive.
Though, of course, the circumstances were completely different…
"Yeah. Roxy's right."
Sylphie agreed.
"We'll take the risk. If we take down the enemy, someone just needs to survive and look after the kids."
"…That's right!"
At Sylphie's words, Eris nodded.
I wasn't sure how much of the discussion she'd followed, but at the very least, she was on board with Sylphie's sentiment.
"……"
Zanoba and Orsted didn't speak, but they didn't raise objections either.
"All right, then—that's the plan. Anyone opposed?"
No objections.
Then we'd go with this strategy.
Conceal my identity, split up to search for Geese, and once found, secure his escape routes while waiting for reinforcements—then strike.
"Now let's nail down the details."
All that remained was to work out the specifics.
--- After much deliberation, the teams were divided as follows: · Team to seal Geese's escape routes in the neighboring countries: Aisha, Linia, Pursena, and other members of the mercenary group · Diversion team to bring back Nina from the Sword Saint's sanctum: Sylphie, (Guileané, Izolte) · Team heading to the capital: Zanoba, Juli, Ginger · Team heading to the second city: Rudeus · Team heading to the third city: Eris, Roxy After setting up the teleportation magic circles at their respective locations, each team would independently search for Geese or the North God.
Sylphie would act as she'd proposed.
Zanoba would focus primarily on intelligence gathering.
Eris and Roxy would handle the Demon God.
As for the team sealing off escape routes, putting Aisha in charge should yield good results.
My own assignment involved Ruijerd-related matters.
The Demon God, about whom there had been talk of trouble brewing for some time.
The North God Kalman the Third, who happened to head to the Kingdom of Biherril at this particular moment.
And Ruijerd, who was deeply connected to me.
With Geese's movements hard to predict, splitting our forces was the only way.
We'd keep information flowing tightly and act flexibly as the situation demanded.
The team heading to the Kingdom of Biherril would move out immediately.
Hesitation would only let Geese slip away.
I had no intention of repeating the cycle of finding Kixirisu just to locate Geese again.
Sylphie would move a bit later.
Ariel had promised immediate reinforcements, but she had her own constraints.
Arriving mere minutes later with Guileané and Izolte wasn't realistic.
Juli, Ginger, Linia, Pursena, and the rest of the mercenary group all had other duties—I was asking them to prioritize this despite that.
But this was the critical moment.
Even if it meant pushing them, it had to be done.
A chance or a trap?
Things were suspiciously convenient, but I prayed it was the former.
I relayed this plan to Ariel and
Ariel responded immediately with "Reinforcements will be sent forthwith," but Cliff's reply hadn't arrived yet.
Unlike Ariel, who had a stone tablet in her room, in Millis the message had to go through the mercenary group to reach Cliff, so his response would naturally take longer.
"Any questions?"
I looked around, but no hands went up.
Seemed like there were none.
The only one who looked slightly uneasy was Zanoba.
Given the situation, the third city near Demon Island and the second city near the Ruijerd sighting had been deemed important, but the capital would have the most people—and might be the most dangerous.
Ginger's intelligence-gathering ability was strong, and Zanoba was a powerful warrior, but he was weak against fire magic.
Don't die on me, I thought.
"Zanoba, be careful."
"I am well aware. However, if anything, I am more worried about the shop."
"Yeah, fair enough…"
In principle, both the shop and the factory had been set up to function without the top leadership.
But if both Zanoba and Juli were gone, and a major crisis arose…
"I would've liked to keep Juli here."
"Ha ha ha! I swore I would never leave her side again, after all."
Zanoba was well and truly loved by Juli…
Though come to think of it, what were Zanoba's own feelings?
Did they love each other?
I couldn't really dig into that.
Zanoba had a certain wariness around women—kept a step or two back, if you will.
If they ever had a kid, I fully intended to tease the hell out of the old lolicon, but I didn't want to meddle too much from the sidelines.
"Eris, are you okay?"
"…………I'm fine."
Eris looked displeased.
She'd wanted to stay by my side.
But if she did, there'd be no one left to guard Roxy.
Plus, Eris was extremely conspicuous. Stealth work was simply not her forte.
So she'd be assigned to Roxy—the second most conspicuous person.
They, too, were part of the diversion.
"It worries me that Rudeus will be alone."
Fair point—I was worried about myself too.
Could I actually evade Geese's eyes while gathering intelligence?
Geese's information-gathering skills were top-notch.
If I wasn't careful, the moment he learned someone was looking for North God Kalman or Ruijerd, he'd pick me up.
If he found me too early, he'd slip away as a matter of course.
In general, things never went well when I operated alone.
"Well, I'll manage somehow. I'll figure it out."
Over the past six months, I probably should have recruited one or two more people useful for intelligence work.
There was no point regretting it now.
I hadn't anticipated things taking this shape.
"What will Lord Orsted do? If you could stay here and manage the communication stone tablets, and protect the family, that would be much appreciated."
"…Very well."
"Thank you."
Orsted would hold the fort.
He was too conspicuous for intelligence work anyway.
There might be moments when he was needed, but ideally he'd stay here and join the decisive battle when the time came.
Given the magic power constraints, I didn't want him participating in combat too much, either.
He was more like the final trump card.
In fact, the whole reason I existed as his subordinate was to let him conserve his magic power.
If Orsted fought, I figured we'd lose.
"……"
Orsted fell silent.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but the helmet made it impossible to read his expression.
Was he concerned about something?
Or maybe he was tense knowing a major operation was about to begin.
"Rudeus. Keep that ring on you, just in case."
"The ring?"
"The Death God's Ring."
I looked down at my hand in surprise.
There it was—the garish skull ring. The one the Death God had given me. I'd kept wearing it more or less out of habit after meeting Kixirisu.
"Can I ask why?"
"Just as a precaution. Simply wearing it has an effect."
"…Understood."
I didn't fully get it, but if simply wearing it was effective, that was fine.
I'd understand when the time came.
"Oh, and there's one more thing—"
"Um—"
Someone's voice cut in from outside.
Orsted shut his mouth.
Who dared interrupt the CEO?
I looked around, but no one in the room had spoken. No hands were raised either.
But it had been a woman's voice.
So the culprit was one of three.
"Chairperson—"
The person who called me chairperson—wait, that meant…
"Guests here—!"
No, I'd known all along.
The voice was distant.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the door.
It was the elven girl from the front desk.
What was her name again…
"Excuse me, I'll go take a quick look."
I'd told everyone not to be disturbed during meetings…
But it might be urgent.
--- "…Wha—!"
The instant I stepped into the lobby, what jumped into my eyes was gold.
Pure gold.
From head to toe, the figure standing before me was entirely gold.
No—wait.
Gold from the tips of the toes to the crown of the head.
A man clad in glittering golden armor stood there.
"Wh—!"
"Hey."
The golden figure casually raised one hand.
That voice, that bearing—I saw a phantom of a certain being.
And the golden armor.
A Golden Knight.
The Battle God Armor had been golden.
And Bardigardi, who had previously been an Apostle, had donned golden armor to fight Laplace.
So—they were attacking.
Geese was the decoy!
The Hitogami had salvaged the golden armor and sent an advance force here!
"This gentleman came through a teleportation magic circle under Princess Ariel's orders, apparently."
Like that was possible.
The armor only looked gold in the right light—upon closer inspection, it was a dull ochre.
"Ah, a pleasure."
The man removed his helm.
Underneath was a head of black hair—rather rare in this world.
He appeared to be around fifty. Deep wrinkles lent him the air of a veteran.
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Shandor von Grandol, knight of Princess Ariel."
"Ah, the pleasure's all mine. Rudeus Greyrat."
He'd bowed, so I bowed in return.
Quite the distinguished name.
The House of Grandol—I'd never heard of it, but he must be a noble.
"A short while ago, I received a secret order from Princess Ariel and came here directly."
Saying that, Shandor presented a small box he'd been carrying under his arm.
"A short while ago"—as in, just now? I'd only just relayed the plan during the meeting. That was awfully fast.
"Yes. What is this?"
"Inside, you'll find magical items for altering your appearance. Her Highness thought they might be needed."
Oh, right.
Come to think of it, the Asura Kingdom did have something like that.
The same thing Ariel had used for her disguise.
Still, the preparation was impressive.
Maybe she'd anticipated from the start that it would be needed.
"Please take a look inside."
"Sure."
Peering inside, I found exactly what I expected: a set consisting of a familiar green ring and a red ring.
The wearer of the green ring took on the same face and hair color as the wearer of the red ring.
Using this, I could disguise myself as a completely unremarkable villager.
"Additionally, this is a crest from the Asura Kingdom.
Her Highness says that should anything arise, you may present this along with your name."
Another box was handed over.
Inside was indeed a medal bearing the Asura royal family's emblem.
Judging by its pristine condition, she'd had it freshly minted rather than go through the hassle of writing letters one by one.
Another debt to Ariel.
"Furthermore, we have been instructed to assist Rudeus as well."
Assist…
So they were stopgaps until the reinforcements arrived.
It wasn't practical to dispatch a Sword King or Water Emperor immediately, so she'd sent some available knights.
No—I shouldn't call them stopgaps. That was disrespectful. They were perfectly fine reinforcements in their own right.
Knowing Ariel, she'd chosen people who could keep a secret.
People who wouldn't go blabbing about the teleportation magic circles.
"Hmm? 'We'?"
"Yes. Go on, introduce yourselves."
When Shandor jerked his chin, a wall moved.
In the corner of the lobby, a massive suit of armor that had been sitting there like a decorative piece suddenly came to life.
I hadn't noticed it was there until just now… it had been that inconspicuous.
But once I was aware of it, its presence was undeniable.
A heavy, gunmetal-gray suit of armor. Broad across the shoulders, with an enormous battle axe strapped to the back.
An axe-wielder, then.
"…Doga."
"………Ah, nice to meet you. Rudeus Greyrat."
His name seemed to be Doga.
Not an axe fighter, but an armored knight.
His name and build were both imposing, but his face had a certain simple, honest quality about it.
The strong-and-silent, gentle-and-sturdy type.
He looked to be in his twenties… or maybe even his teens.
Shandor, for his part, was a handsome middle-aged man with that ochre complexion.
He was broad too, but standing next to Doga, he looked positively lanky.
They looked like the kind of duo that would appear together as the boss fight in some castle.
"Now then—please give us any orders you wish. I can do anything."
"Uh, well…"
As much as I appreciated them coming, what should I have them do?
The natural fit would be to join the mercenary group team…
Or maybe attach them to Zanoba.
But it was likely there'd be fighting.
"…Shandor, are you combat-capable?"
"Indeed. Of course. Within the Asura Kingdom's knight order, I'm the strongest."
The strongest.
Though I doubted Guileané or Izolte were part of that order…
"It'll probably be against Column-class opponents. Are you sure you're up for it?"
"I am. The moment I chose to serve Princess Ariel, I resolved myself to lay down my life."
Hmm… then I supposed it was fine.
Ariel may well have sent him with the intention of using him as expendable.
I'd have them stay with Zanoba.
…No, wait.
Something didn't add up.
I'd only just sent the communication a moment ago.
Even by Ariel's standards, this was absurdly fast.
The timing was too perfect.
What if the Hitogami's— "You."
I turned around, and Orsted was there.
Upon seeing him, Shandor bowed.
"It's an honor, Dragon God Orsted. I've heard from Princess Ariel, but I'm relieved to see the curse is being held in check."
I noticed the elven receptionist girl clasping her hands together, looking up at Orsted with an expression of deep emotion.
What was that about…
It couldn't be her first time seeing him.
The helmet helped, and the curse seemed to be relatively well-managed, apparently.
But never mind that—Shandor.
"Are you serving Ariel now?"
"Yes. I have proof of appointment here."
As he spoke, he produced a letter from inside his coat and showed it to me.
It clearly stated the appointment of 'Shandor von Grandol as Captain of the Asura Kingdom's Golden Knights,' complete with Ariel's personal signature and the Asura Kingdom's royal seal.
Had he carried it here on purpose?
Somehow, the more proof he showed, the more suspicious it seemed—probably because of my earlier doubts.
"You two will accompany Rudeus. Your faces shouldn't be known to Geese."
"Understood."
"Rudeus, is that acceptable?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
He'd shown up out of nowhere, and it was decided just like that.
Well, if Orsted said it was fine, then it was fine…
"Ah, no—it's not fine. Hold on. This is awfully sudden. Who exactly is this man?"
"Oh, he's—"
Orsted stopped mid-sentence.
I looked over and saw Shandor pressing a finger to his lips.
"If you don't know, perhaps it's better left unknown.
I am currently Princess Ariel's knight, and from now on, I shall be Rudeus's attendant."
The fact that he said it like that meant he was probably famous.
But who?
He didn't feel Column-class. He seemed rather unimposing.
Someone Orsted would know who was famous… like connections to the Dragon Race—perhaps Saint Dragon Emperor Sirard, or Nether Dragon King Maxwell.
Oh, but he didn't have silver hair.
Could hair be dyed?
"Are you sure about this?"
"If it's this man, there's no problem. I was uneasy about you operating alone too. But he's the right man for the job. The likelihood of him being an Apostle is low, and he's skilled at intelligence gathering."
If Orsted said so with confidence, I should probably trust him.
His appearance had been so abrupt that it was hard to judge.
"Leave it to me."
So he was someone famous in the intelligence world, then?
Orsted knowing him was natural, and the way he accepted being known suggested a man who dealt in information.
I'd been uneasy about operating alone too, but I was also uneasy about working with someone I didn't know.
But if Orsted trusted him, there was no need for suspicion, right?
He was also reinforcement from Ariel.
Hmm…
Orsted had spoken up at just the right moment.
Which meant he'd assessed this man's ability as high and his reliability as solid.
Ariel had sent him as an attendant, too.
She knew my situation.
And based on that, she'd sent him as immediate support.
At the very least, she trusted him enough to let him use the teleportation magic circles.
Then for now, I'd place my trust in the judgment of Orsted and Ariel.
"All right, then—please join the meeting. Though we're just about wrapping up."
"Understood."
Once the strategy briefing was finished, I'd ask Ariel about these two as well.
With that thought in mind, I led the two unknowns into the conference room.