A young girl—I was surprised to hear that. Could it be—

“A girl? A Noble’s daughter?”

“It doesn’t seem to be a case like a minister’s daughter going missing. It’s certain that a search is underway within the Imperial Capital, though.”

Abel responds to Exon’s question. It’s probably not very valuable information to either of them.

“If she’s important enough to be searched for, could she be a relative of Nefmeiza?”

Abel offers a guess, but Exon denies it.

“Currently, there’s no information that Nefmeiza is the Mastermind of this war. Plus, many Humans support him… I can’t imagine a situation where his relatives would be targeted.”

“What about his political enemies?”

“He certainly has enemies, but he’s even managed to win over ministers. If such enemies were in the court, he’d expose them immediately and deal with them easily. It might not be related to him.”

Having said that, Exon looks at Sofia.

“I briefly considered the possibility that they might be looking for you, but since it’s a girl, that’s probably not it.”

“Probably not.”

Sofia nods… At this point, I ask Abel a question.

“When is that information from?”

“The Humans who came from the Imperial Capital rushed to this Town… so it’s probably from a few days ago.”

A few days ago… If they’re still searching, does that mean I can still make it if I go to the Imperial Capital?

When I heard ‘girl,’ the image that came to mind was—the last Emperor Candidate, a girl named Romilda Carlatti.

She originally had high potential and was supposed to become the strongest among the Emperor Candidates… but at the time she joined, she only possessed abilities on par with an ordinary person, so she was useless if she participated in combat.

There were several awakening events for her, which would increase her abilities and make her a fighting force, but the degree of increase was lower compared to the other two Leaders’ growth, making her seem inferior. Even leveling her up was quite troublesome.

Additionally, she had another drawback: a lack of skills and Magic. Abel focused on skills, and Katora learned a good balance of Magic and skills, but Romilda could barely learn any. So, what do you do? You teach her through items and events.

Her stats eventually surpass the other two, but the problem is that factors other than her abilities hold her back, making it a bit of a handicap to fight using her. However, she does possess strength commensurate with the effort. At high levels, she also learns some exclusive skills… but getting there is certainly troublesome.

Also, even if it is Romilda, there’s a question. The orphanage where she first resides is not in the Imperial Capital. Why would she be in the Imperial Capital… and why would Nefmeiza be looking for her—no, there’s an answer for that.

That is, Nefmeiza was defeated by her existence and returned to the past. Therefore, he’s trying to do something about her.

According to Abel, the information is from a few days ago… Can I make it if I go now?

“You seem concerned.”

Exon says. I meet his gaze, and see him smiling.

“It’s something that makes Abel and me scratch our heads, but Ruon seems to have sensed something.”

How should I explain it? Even if I explain that I have a clue about the girl, if I go into detail, I might reveal too much—

“…Let me say this first: I personally don’t regret anything, regardless of your thoughts, and I intend to act to avoid death.”

Exon suddenly starts speaking. What in the world—

“That’s right, I should make my stance clear here.”

With that preamble, Exon begins to speak.

“The reason you gave for fighting was logical and convincing. However, I’ve come to think that it might be a lie as I’ve acted with you all.”

“A lie…?”

Abel frowns. Exon, in turn, says, “Wait a moment,” and holds up a hand to stop him.

“Nevertheless, you didn’t seem like someone who would try to deceive me or pull off some kind of scam. Firstly, if you wanted to do something like that, Ruon, you could do it countless times with your power. That means you have a goal you want to achieve by working with me.”

—Exon probably inferred various things while interacting with us. I must have acted so as not to arouse suspicion, but perhaps as a Marquis, he sensed something.

“That is, the overthrow of Nefmeiza… However, the astute Ruon seems to realize that defeating Nefmeiza now would throw this Continent into chaos. For example, if it were simply for Revenge, you could muster your strength and defeat Nefmeiza. The fact that you’re not doing that means you’re planning a Strategy to avoid bringing chaos to this Continent… in other words, you’re thinking about what comes after Nefmeiza’s defeat.”

That, too, is correct.

“As I said earlier, I believe the reason you gave for fighting is a lie. This is partly my intuition, so I apologize if I’m mistaken. However, your lie is trivial to me. If your ultimate goal is the overthrow of Nefmeiza—and to do so without causing unnecessary chaos on the Continent—then I want to say that I agree.”

—Is Exon asking me to tell him the situation because he agrees with our objective, whatever the circumstances?

“I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say by now. I’ll hear your answer, Ruon.”

I glance at Sofia. She just nods back. As my attendant, she will follow my lead. Richard seems to be in agreement as well.

…Well, since I haven’t fully explained the circumstances of the Book, there’s a risk of future strategic discrepancies. If Exon is showing a cooperative attitude, then going along with it is the best option.

However,

“……Assuming the Marquis’s statement is correct…”

“Indeed.”

“Even if we were to discuss that… first, there’s something we need to do.”

“Rescuing the girl?”

I nod clearly. Abel, for one, has question marks floating above his head, but he doesn’t interject.

“Very well. The Emperor’s side will also be hard-pressed for an offensive now that Shuon has been repelled. We are not in immediate danger. You should do what needs to be done.”

“That helps… Sofia.”

“Yes.”

“Remain in this mansion and guard it.”

Upon hearing the word “guard,” Exon let out a sound of interest.

“I haven’t seen her abilities yet, but are they quite remarkable?”

“You may confirm that, but please, save the details for when I return. Also, if you harm her—”

“I won’t. There’s no benefit to doing so… Hmm, I prefer the expression Lord Ruon is showing now.”

I showed a questioning expression. Exon, in contrast, began to laugh.

“Rather than seeing you lost in thought, it’s much more satisfying for me to see your face resolute in speaking.”

“I see… Sorry, but I’ll be away for a while. I intend to return as soon as possible.”

“Alright.”

“Also, Richard.”

I sent him a glance, and he responded with a look that said he understood.

“A monster for travel, I presume.”

“The capacity is… about three people, including Richard. I’d like it to be as quick as possible.”

“If we can use the Dragon Demon Stone in the Marquis’s Mansion, I can create something suitable by tomorrow morning.”

“Given that, I have no choice but to provide it.”

Exon readily agreed. I said, “Please,” and then addressed everyone.

“I’m going to the Imperial Capital to investigate the girl. If I find her… I’ll be bringing her back to this mansion, so please be prepared for that.”