—For now, we’ve managed to win over one of the Marquises. From here, we’ll have a Strategy Meeting on what to do next. Sofia and I will act under the premise that “Sofia, a relative of Nefmeiza, is moving to stop the atrocities.” Therefore, we cannot yet discuss things like the Emperor’s Qualification and such.

I must be careful not to reveal any flaws, or I’ll be suspected and various troublesome things will happen. With that resolve, we decided to enter the Town and have a discussion… There was some confusion when the Marquis tried to attack, but Abel’s subordinates apparently handled that.

“So, it’s fine if we claim credit for defeating him?”

Then, we began our conversation in a room at an inn. When I mentioned the previous battle, Abel asked me a question.

“Yes. Because of Sofia’s situation, we want to avoid drawing attention.”

“In that case, I understand.”

He readily agreed. Good, it seems like things might work out. However,

“May I ask a few questions?”

Exon asked. When I replied, “Go ahead,”

“First… your ability.”

I had a prepared explanation for this.

“I am a Human from outside this Continent… a Human from the Shelzia Continent. And I have fought against powerful opponents like the Marquis before.”

“So, you are someone who experienced the War with the Demon Lord. I see, that explains your strength… but this Continent should be in a closed-off state right now. How did you get in?”

“I’d like to keep that a secret.”

Exon shrugged. Well, I did show off quite a bit of Magic. Perhaps he interpreted it as me being able to do whatever I wanted through brute force.

“…So, I have various reasons for coming to this Continent… but one of them is that I heard there were various troubles happening on this Continent.”

“Are you the type to stick your nose into things?”

“I thought that if I left it alone, it might cause harm to the Shelzia Continent as well. It was an action based purely on speculation, but it seems I was spot on.”

Exon shrugged again at my words.

“You have a peculiar personality.”

“Just think of me as a Human who likes to get involved because I possess power.”

“I see… and as a result, you got involved with her?”

I looked at Sofia. I nodded and said,

“That’s how it is… and to discuss future plans, I need to explain a lot to Abel…”

“Some shocking facts are about to be revealed.”

Exon said to Abel… Indeed.

From here, I slowly began to explain. I told Abel who the true Mastermind of this battle was… and what Nefmeiza intended to do—

After I finished my story, Exon was the first to speak.

“So, you’re going to analyze and integrate our Dragon Demon Stones from the Documents. I see, that’s an interesting endeavor.”

“If he takes such a step, how will you respond?”

“I only possess the ‘Dragon Life Stone.’ If a counter-strategy is devised, there’s nothing I can do. Your words about dying make sense.”

Here, Exon laughed.

“The Dragon Demon Stone held by the Emperor possesses greater power compared to those of the Four Dragon Marquises, including myself. If he can meticulously research and wield that power… I would have no way to counter it. In that case, death truly awaits.”

He said this, but there was no hint of despair on Exon’s face.

“Hmm, I understand the situation. So, what about you, Abel?”

…For him, it must be nothing but shocking facts. When I looked, I saw him with furrowed brows, deep in thought.

“The fact that it’s Lord Nefmeiza is astonishing enough… but his goal is to steal the Dragon Magic Stone Power, huh?”

“Please don’t tell the members of your organization about this. There are probably people in the organization who know him and trust him, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

Abel had a gloomy expression. The fact that he showed such an expression indicates that Nefmeiza’s acting is quite remarkable.

“I, like the Marquis, understand the situation… but what do we do from here?”

“First, we must deal with the Army approaching here—”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Exon made a reassuring statement.

“They haven’t reached the territory yet. I’ll contact my Vassals and have them deal with it so they can’t pass through.”

“……I’ll ask just in case, but will your subordinates follow orders? If you’re going to betray the Emperor –“

“Don’t worry so much.”

Exon smiled, his face mixed with joy.

“They’re all subordinates I’ve personally trained. They might even get carried away and attack the Army.”

…How bloodthirsty can you get?

Speaking of which, among the Four Dragon Marquises, Exon and one other were extremely aggressive when using Dragon Demon Stones, even attacking the Emperor’s Army without hesitation. In fact, the other one, unlike Exon, was a dangerous individual who even felt excitement at the destruction of anyone who wasn’t an ally… What a pain.

Well, whatever. Exon himself is still a source of trouble, but his presence will undoubtedly be a breakthrough in this battle.

“And now for the second question. Can Sofia and Richard fight? Sofia has a sword.”

“Yes. She combines sword and magic. And Richard has Familiar Control Ability… I’ve also given him some devices, so I think they’re sufficient as a fighting force.”

If I say this, it’ll explain things if Sofia fights in the future, right?

“I see… I have a question here. Since you’re a Human from outside the Continent, I can understand you not having a Weapon Vessel containing a Dragon Demon Stone. However, why don’t Sofia and Richard have one?”

–Sofia is a relative of Nefmeiza. And Richard is her attendant. Indeed, with this explanation, it seems strange that they don’t possess Weapon Vessels related to Dragon Demon Stones. Now —

“I will explain that.”

This time, Sofia suddenly started speaking… Is she alright?

“First, we couldn’t take out the Weapon Vessels that were in the Mansion. If we had carelessly touched the Weapon Vessel storage, there was a risk of our actions being discovered.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Under those circumstances, I first thought about procuring Weapon Vessels… but since I couldn’t take out funds or anything, I ended up using my own sword, which doesn’t contain a Dragon Demon Stone.”

Sofia explained smoothly. From her tone, Exon seemed convinced.

“Is that sword one you usually favor?”

“Yes. It was the only Weapon Vessel I could take with me.”

“…Is there a possibility that your disappearance has caused confusion?”

“I’ve taken measures to ensure there are no problems in that regard. Please trust me on this.”

“Understood. Then, we first need to acquire Weapon Vessels.”

I felt he was a bit too understanding… but I sometimes caught glimpses of him observing us, so perhaps he had something in mind?

Well, even though he’s on our side, I probably still need to be careful… Just as I thought that, Exon made a suggestion.

“We’ll need to move to the Town where my Mansion is. There, I should be able to provide enough Weapon Vessels.”

So that’s how it is. Now, what about Abel and the others?

“What will you do, Abel?”

“…Either way, we’ll need to move. It seems our whereabouts are known, just as you came here.”

“Right. Do you have any other hiding places?”

“We do, for now.”

“Then you can move your members there. I’ll leave it to you how to proceed. However, I would definitely like to invite Abel to my Mansion.”

What is his intention in saying that? While I found it difficult to read this person’s intentions… I had one thought.

There’s one thing left that I need to do in this Town. That is — to confirm whether Protagonist Yusuka is in the organization.