Valuable Information

Rebecca and I exchanged glances as a signal, then approached the two young knights walking slightly ahead of us. I casually started a conversation.

“Walking through the forest is surprisingly difficult.”

I started with something harmless, and the two knights turned back toward us with friendlier expressions than expected.

“This forest is a place where almost no one enters.”

“There aren’t even any animal trails, and if you get lost, that’s the end.”

“Aren’t adventurers used to walking paths like this?”

“That’s true… well, we’re probably more used to it than knights, but it’s rare for us to move through such a deep forest by feeling our way along. —By the way, I heard a little about it, but being a knight must be tough. They say you might be held responsible and no one knows what will happen…”

When I casually brought up a topic involving the Empire’s upper leadership, the two of them visibly twisted their faces in displeasure.

“…It’s a terrible situation.”

“Sure, we have some fault, but our punishment will be decided depending on the mood of those above us. You two ended up coming to a country like this too, so that’s unfortunate.”

“Hey, don’t say things like that.”

“It’s fine. Something like this is harmless. Besides, these two aren’t people of the Empire.”

—Maybe these two have been building up dissatisfaction with the Empire.

People like that would probably be easier to talk to. This might be a good opportunity.

“To be honest, I think this country is a bit dangerous.”

When I quietly expressed an opinion that sympathized with them, the two knights exchanged looks and then leaned closer to Rebecca and me.

“Right? Among the knights there are plenty who think it’s great because they can do whatever they want, but I can’t see it that way.”

“There’s no way a twisted country like this will last long.”

“…How did things end up like this?”

At Rebecca’s question, the two fell silent for a moment before speaking while glancing around cautiously.

“This is just a rumor, but the Chancellor’s Aide is apparently dangerous.”

“He’s called Caesar-sama, and there’s a rumor that he’s the one controlling the Chancellor.”

“…Is the king also being controlled?”

“Who knows. We don’t know the details, but we’ve heard that the king only cares about immediate pleasures.”

What we just heard was definitely important information. We couldn’t let these two go. Since coming to this country, this was the first time we had met people who knew about the central leadership and were willing to talk about it.

“Can’t something be done about that person? I feel sorry for the people of this country.”

“…………”

“Are there people trying to do something about it?”

The slight pause seemed to indicate they knew something, so I leaned closer toward them.

“We’re not citizens of this country, so we’re safe. If anything, I dislike the Empire’s upper leadership who tried to forcibly marry Lady Henriette and caused all of this. If there’s anything we can do, we’d like to help. …Over the past few days we’ve also gotten to know some people in the city.”

“There are many small children suffering too, so if something can be done, I want to cooperate.”

“We should be able to be useful. I’m confident in our strength in battle.”

After hearing that much, the two looked toward the formation again as if to be even more cautious, confirmed that there was a considerable distance between us and the others, and then spoke.

“…Slip away casually during tonight’s camp. We’ll talk there.”

“Understood. Tonight.”

Tonight’s conversation would probably be important. Feeling a little nervous about that premonition, we followed the two as they quickened their pace to catch up with the formation.

“Lady Seremees, do you have a moment right now?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

While walking through the forest, I called out in order to relay the important information we had just obtained.

“Actually, we managed to get some information from two knights earlier, and I think the Chancellor’s Aide named Caesar is suspicious.”

“Caesar… that’s someone I’ve never monitored before. I’ll find him and observe him for a while.”

“Please do. It seems there are rumors that the Chancellor is being controlled by that aide. Possibly even the king.”

“Then he must be someone close to those two among the Chancellor’s aides.”

So there were several Chancellor’s aides. If that was the case, identifying the person immediately might be difficult.

“I’ll contact you if I learn anything.”

“Thank you. I’ll wait for your message.”

After that I occasionally spoke with Lady Seremees while continuing to follow the formation without idle chatter. The formation stopped by the side of a small stream when the surroundings began to grow dark.

“We will camp here today. Prepare yourselves individually.”

As the knights began their preparations at Ernesto’s words, we quietly started preparing our dinner off to the side.

Then after finishing our meal and seeing the other knights beginning to relax, the two of us quietly slipped away from the area.

“Hey, over here.”

Once we reached a place where the knights could no longer be seen, one of the knights from earlier called out to us.

“Stay quiet so no one notices.”

“Understood.”

We followed the knight deeper into the forest, and when he stopped, the person waiting there was the other knight from earlier—and, unbelievably, Ernesto.