Lord Galgard gladly wrote a letter for us.

I spun a story like that.

“The lady is dressed in the manner of an adventurer, but that is for the purpose of concealing the fact that she is a high-class noble and avoiding the attention of unsavory individuals. Your Excellency must understand this as well.”

“I see.”

Baqciel still has a sour expression.

“In other words, you lot are the allies of the slave thief group named ‘Fittoa Region Search Group.'”

“Y-You’re mistaken. What are you saying? We are more inclined toward the Arbalest Group.”

“I don’t know the name Eris Boreas Greyrat.”

Snorting like a pig, Baqciel continues with a “however.”

“I do know the name of a small-time scoundrel called Paul Greyrat. It’s rumored that he’s one of the recent slave abductors, you see.”

Your bad reputation is merciless, Dad.

“In other words, you’re saying the following: Galgard-sama’s letter is a forgery, and Lady Eris isn’t an Asura noble. Furthermore, we are the allies of that undisciplined womanizer—that smelly-footed, alcoholic, hopeless case who not only finds fault with everything his son does, but also puts his daughter through hardships. Correct?”

“Mmn.”

What a cruel guy.

Paul has been giving his all in his own way. He certainly has a lot of bad points, and he may have gone about things wrong. However, it’s absolutely unacceptable to call him a hopeless case and give up on him.

“Why do you think the seal on the letter is a forgery?”

Saying this, I point toward the paper on top of the desk.

Baqciel frowns ever so slightly, and then nods.

“There’s a large supply of forgeries for the seal the Order of Instruction uses.”

Is that how it is? It’s the first time I’ve heard this.

“Why do you believe that my employer, Lady Eris, is a fake?”

“As if a daughter of Asura nobility could bear to look like such a bumpkin swordswoman.”

When I look at Eris, I find that she’s folded her arms and is in her usual pose. Should I just use the name Arbalest? But I’ve said that we are inclined toward them and got ignored.

Although there are no marks on her chest, she’s suntanned enough that you can’t imagine she’s a refined lady, and her muscles look even firmer than those of your average young adventurer.

“I see. It seems that your Excellency does not know of Lord Sauros.”

I laughed without warning.

Baqciel immediately takes the bait.

“Sauros… was it? The feudal lord of the Fittoa region?”

“As well as Lady Eris’s grandfather. He had Lady Eris undertake special education for swordsmen.”

“Why would he do such a thing…?”

“Though this is a private matter, it has been decided that Eris will marry into the Notos family. Lord Sauros hates the current head of the Notos family, so…”

“I see.”

In summary, I had implied that Eris was raised to be such a boorish person for the sake of beating the head of the Notos family to death in the bedroom.

Eris is tilting her head in confusion. If she understood, she would probably cave in my face.

“Thus, it is essential that the lady returns to Asura. Should you conclude that Lady is a fake, then we will return to Milishion and appeal this decision at the appropriate place.”

I don’t know where this ‘appropriate’ place is. I haven’t looked this up, after all.

“Hmph, if you are the real thing, as you say, then show me some proof.”

“Galgard-sama’s letter is better proof than anything.”

“Foolishness. This is a pointless argument.”

“That’s fine, even so. Could you be looking to start a confrontation with the Greyrats of Asura?”

Crap. I have no idea what I’m saying.

However, for now, it seems like I’m getting through to him. Baqciel is glaring at me.

“Very well. In that case, I shall grant you and that lady passage.”

“However, our guard—”

“With my name, Duke Baqciel, I’ll appoint you several knights as guards. Rather than relying on a demon, this way would be safer, correct?”

I see. In other words, if it’s about letting a demon through, then he’ll appoint two available knights instead.

Anyhow, it seems that Baqciel has no intention of allowing Ruijerd passage. For him to be obstinate to this extent… Though it’s the first time I’ve seen it personally, the prejudice toward the Demon Race is stronger than I had thought.

Now then, what do I do about this? Should we transport just Ruijerd separately? Would we end up in another fight with smugglers because of that? It’s possible.

What to do…

Knock, knock—

At that moment, a knock resounded through the room.

“What? I’m in the middle of something, you know?”

Though Baqciel was making a puzzled face, he opened the door without waiting for a reply. There, dressed in blue-colored armor, stood a blonde-haired woman.

“Excuse me. I had heard that ‘Ruijerd of Dead End’ was here, but…”

“…Mother?”

It was Zenith.

Because I had muttered the word ‘Mother,’ everyone there had turned their gazes toward the woman. She glared at me indignantly.

“I’m single. I don’t have a child as big as you.”

Wait, Zenith-san? Have you lost your memories in the time that I haven’t seen you? Or could it be that you’ve fallen out of love with Paul?

While thinking this, I stare at her. When I do so, it becomes clear that there are a few places where she looks a little different. Because we’ve been apart for a number of years, I don’t remember Zenith’s face that well, but the position of her mole is different, and her hair is a little different as well.

It’s someone else.

“Forgive me. You resemble my missing mother.”

“I see.”

She looked at me with pity. I may have been seen as a child who had been separated from his mother. Though I haven’t really been treated as a child recently, my appearance is still that of a child after all.

“Well, well… If it isn’t Temple Knight-dono, who has recently been demoted. Is there something you need?”

Baqciel snorts and glares at the knight who resembles Zenith.

“A Superd has appeared inside the borders of Milis. I’m devoted to my work, so it’s natural that I’ve come here, isn’t it?”

“Your new post begins ten days from now. Don’t stick your nose in.”

“Don’t stick my nose in? That’s a strange thing to say, Duke. Certainly, I have not yet taken up my position officially. However, the one who formerly held the post has already departed and is no longer in Milishion. When there is a problem at the customs house, it is a Temple Knight who proceeds with the matter. Though this is the case, there is no other Temple Knight to be found here besides myself. Just what is going on?”

The knight who resembles Zenith continued to talk on and on. Baqciel had uttered “Uh—” and his complexion began to worsen.

“There should be two guards at the customs house. That is something decided by the Milis Religious Organization—an ironclad rule. Surely, Duke Baqciel, you aren’t planning on rebelling against the Milis Church?”

“How could that be? I have no such intention. It’s just that you’ve come to this town in no time at all. How about taking a break first?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Duke Pig’s expression was like that of livestock about to be slaughtered. It seems like I’ll be having a good time the next time I eat pork.

“So what’s going on here?”

It seems that somehow or other, this knight is as important as the Duke. Hearing ‘Duke,’ you’d normally think of the highest class of noble, but… Religion is very strong in Milis, so that might be a reason.

“What’s happened is…”

With that, Baqciel begins to explain. Sometimes Baqciel will say something colored by prejudice, and as appropriate, I provide supplementary explanations.

The female knight quietly listens to the end, and then looks toward us.

“Hmm… He certainly is a demon, huh…?”

She turns a particularly strong gaze toward Ruijerd. However, the moment she sees Eris, that gaze relaxes. Then, finally, our eyes meet, and she suddenly brings her hand to her chin in thought.

“…Previously, you mistook me for your mother, didn’t you? Would it be fine if you told me her name?”

“It’s Zenith. Zenith Greyrat.”

“And your father’s name?”

I glance at Baqciel. Right. I really don’t want to say it, but…

“It’s Paul Greyrat.”

For the time being, I say it frankly. Baqciel’s eyes are wide open.

My father is a different person from that trash we mentioned earlier. That’s what I’ll tell him. My father is a saintly person. He’ll even give you money if you hit him just a little.

“I see.”

The female knight had said this, and then crouched down and embraced me tightly.

“Eh!”

I was shocked. I suddenly got hugged out of nowhere.

“It must have been hard on you…”

While saying this, she started patting my head. Because she’s wearing armor, this doesn’t feel very good. However, she gives off the sweet and soft scent of a woman.

Naturally, my lower parts don’t rise. That’s strange. Why, oh son of mine? What’s happened? It’s the smell of slightly sweaty women that you love so much. Just recently, even that time with Eris…

Which reminds me—I look at Eris and find that her eyes are wide open and she’s clenching her fists. It’s terrifying.

“Umm… errm?”

After patting my head, the female knight had risen to her feet. Without looking toward me, she then declared:

“I’ll be taking custody of them.”

“What?! One is a demon, you know!”

Baqciel is confused.

The female knight snatches the letter from my grasp and examines it quickly.

“There’s no problem with the letter, either. This is Lord Galgard’s handwriting.”

“It can’t be. Is a Temple Knight going against Milis’s teachings?”

At that point, with an “Ah—,” Eris raised her voice. The female knight turns to face Eris and winks.

What?

“I, the Middle Leader of the Order of the Temple’s ‘Shield Group,’ have spoken.”

“Ku—, even though you had lost your subordinates and were then demoted…”

“Hmph. I’ll send those words right back to you. However, between I, who had completed my duty, and you, who had given up halfway, there’s quite a difference in our positions.”

Baqciel gnashed his teeth at that. Somehow, it seems that he’s also been demoted. Considering this, despite being called “Duke,” the position seems quite a bit less important. It’s strange.

Baqciel’s eyes are full of hatred.

“You… If you get too carried away, no matter how high of a birth you have…”

Baqciel never finished his complaint. The female knight had quickly lowered her head.

“No, I apologize. I’ve said too much. I have no intention of quarreling further with you. This case is a personal matter. Please forgive me.”

I had been thinking that she had great timing—saying as much as she wanted, and then immediately apologizing. With those few words, she had dispelled Baqciel’s anger as well. I’ll try and copy her the next time I aggravate someone.

“A personal matter, you say?”

“Mmn.”

The knight nodded firmly in the face of Baqciel’s puzzled expression. Then, with a slap, she places her hand on my shoulder.

“This child is my nephew.”

What was that?

Therese Latreia.

She’s the fourth-born daughter of the Milishion noble family, Latreia, and having become a Middle Leader of the Order of the Temple at a young age, she’s an up-and-coming knight.

Her family is the Latreia family that holds an earldom. Zenith’s family is the Latreia family that holds an earldom.

When it was revealed that I was her kin, Baqciel looked like he had given up on something, and after letting out a large sigh, he waived the voyage fees for us.

Right now, I’m in a West Port Inn, and I’m currently being hugged. The ones in the room are Therese, Eris, and I. It might be because Ruijerd had read the mood, but he’s not here.

“Rudeus-kun. I know about you from Nee-sama’s letters.”

“Is that so? What did my mother write?”

“That you were extremely cute. And though I’d never imagined that I’d see the real thing, you truly are extremely cute.”

While saying this, Therese is burying her face in the nape of my neck. Thinking about it, in the twelve years I’ve been alive, though I’ve been called brazen, suspicious-looking, or disgusting, the only one who’s ever thought of me as cute is Zenith.

However, though I’m being embraced by a large-breasted beauty, for some reason, the railgun between my legs isn’t firing off any coins with its super electromagnetism.

Speaking of which, my victory never did stand up when it was Zenith. Thinking about it, I never thought I would become any closer to Norn than necessary.

…I wonder if it’s because we’re related.

“Therese, it’s about time you let go of Rudeus.”

Resting her chin in her hand, Eris taps at Therese. She’s in a bad mood. She might be jealous. I’m a sinful man.

“Lady Eris, though I understand your feelings, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see Rudeus-kun again. Moreover, the next time we meet, he’ll have definitely lost his cuteness. It’s a fleeting moment. Please pardon this.”

Without any shame, Therese continues to stroke my body.

“Therese-san, why are you speaking to Eris so respectfully?”

“I owe her my life, after all.”

I decided to investigate further.

Eris had gone out to suppress goblins and saved Therese when she was driven into a corner by enemy forces. At the time, Therese had been protecting a certain VIP, and had it not been for Eris, that VIP would have lost their life as well.

The story was something like that. I hadn’t heard a word about this.

When I looked toward Eris, I found that she was making an awkward expression.

“Sorry, Rudeus. I had forgotten about it…”

According to Eris, she had seen me all depressed and had forgotten all about the goblin hunting incident. It’s my fault, huh? I guess it couldn’t be helped.

I’m being hugged from behind, so I’m not sure, but [she’s] probably making an expression of ecstasy and groping my body. I won’t go so far as to say it feels disgusting, but somehow I feel kind of uncomfortable.

At any rate, even having my body touched, with boobs pressed against my back, I’m not getting aroused. It’s a new sensation.

“Ahh, but Rudeus-kun really is cute. Cute enough that I’d eat him up.”

“Do you mean eating me up in a sexual sense?”

I had tried to drop an appropriate joke in, but my mouth was covered up by her hand.

“…You’re cuter when you don’t talk, huh? When you do, I recall that Paul guy’s face.”

It appears that Therese doesn’t like Paul very much.

“Still, Grand Master Gash is the same as ever, huh?”

While she continued to stroke me, Therese changed the subject.

“You’d think that it’d be obvious that that kind of thing would happen if you handed over such a letter to Baqciel.”

According to Therese:

Galgard Nash Venick is the Grand Master of the Order of Instruction. The Order of Instruction is a mercenary group that sends young knights to areas of strife for combat experience and, at the same time, is responsible for spreading the teachings of Milis to various places.

Right now, they’re in a recruitment phase that occurs between expeditions and have returned to Milis for the sake of recruiting new members.

“Gash” is the Grand Master.

In the past, he had returned as a survivor of the Demon Continent expedition, and over the past few decades, he’s been the driving force behind the Order of Instruction’s being successively known as the strongest.

An unrefined and taciturn man, he rarely laughs. It’s rumored that no matter what kind of villain they are, he’s able to deal with them impartially.

Participating in one of the Order of Instruction’s expeditions is a coming-of-age ceremony for all Milishion knights. Since the time Gash became Grand Master, the survival rate of the Order of Instruction rose past 90%.

As a result, the Order of Instruction is presently known as the “strongest.”

There are a number of people who have had their lives saved by Gash, and currently there is no knight who doesn’t hold him in respect.

“And he’s also famous for hating writing and being of few words.”

Though he promptly gives out orders on the battlefield, normally he’s quite unmotivated and, for example, won’t return greetings. He hardly writes any letters, and he completes most documents with a stamp. There are hardly any people who have seen his handwriting.

According to Ruijerd’s story, he was talkative and passionate. However, Ruijerd isn’t very talkative either, after all. Perhaps our standards are just different. There’s also the possibility that he’s just different from Ruijerd.

“Hey, just how long are you planning to cling to him like that?”

Eris was steadily becoming more irritated, and it felt like she was about five seconds away from being angry for real, so I separated from Therese.

“Ah… Rudeus-kun’s warmth is…”

Though Therese is making a regretful expression, I’m not a hug-pillow. I wasn’t even enjoying it, after all.

“Rudeus, come here.”

Being told that, I sat down next to her. When I do, my hand is firmly grasped.

“…”

When I look at Eris’s face, I find that her ears are bright red. Just by gazing at that profile, my mouth becomes a little slack.

Looking at Therese, I found that she had been hitting a pillow. She could have just hit a wall. She seems to lack muscle, though.

Therese let out a sigh and gave a serious expression.

“That’s right, Rudeus-kun. Let me give you just one piece of advice. It might not have much meaning since you’re about to leave Milis, but…”

Having introduced the topic, Therese continued.

“It’d be better not to mention the Superd race while you’re in the country.”

“Why?”

“One of the old teachings of the Milis Church dictates that the Demon Race should be completely expelled.”

The Demon Race should be completely driven out of the Milis Continent. That’s one of Milis’s teachings.

Though it’s hardly practiced anymore, it’s something that the Order of the Temple obediently adheres to. Even if the Superd race were to try negotiating, it appears that the knights would drive them out with all their might if they were genuinely demonic.

“Because he had helped Rudeus-kun, I couldn’t help but overlook him. However, normally it absolutely wouldn’t be overlooked.”

“It’s pointless.”

Replying to the serious Therese was Eris, with a cold look.

“If it’s you guys, no matter how many people you bring, you won’t be able to win against Ruijerd.”

“That’s true. It’s as Lady Eris says.”

Therese had spoken in a tone that implied that it was natural and made a bitter smile.

“However, the Order of the Temple is a gathering of religious zealots, myself included. That’s why, even if we understand that there’s no chance of winning, we have no choice but to fight.”

Among the knights of Milis, there are people like that too. That’s why if we ever came back to the Milis continent, we had to be careful. This was something that Therese made sure we understood.

This incident made me realize again just how deep-rooted the discrimination against the Demon Race was. Restoring the honor of the Superd on our travels from now on may be difficult.

Also, it’s possible that if it comes to light that I worship Roxy as a god, I might be caught by the heresy inquisition and be made to go through some horrible experiences. That’s why I decided to keep silent about my religious affiliation.

The voyage turned out well.

Therese had taken care of all the necessary arrangements, from the food en route to medicine for seasickness. I had thought that the pharmacology in this world wasn’t very developed, but it seems that this world doesn’t get by solely on healing magic. They at least have something on the level of seasickness medicine.

However, I heard that it was quite expensive. The things called “family connections” are wonderful.

Therese had made things as comfortable as possible for Eris. She had looked at Ruijerd with stern eyes, but… that can’t be helped. Not everything has an easy solution to it.

Thanks to the seasickness medicine, though Eris looked a little uncomfortable, she was well enough that she hadn’t asked me to use Healing. Speaking of my true thoughts, I felt it was a shame that I couldn’t see a meek Eris.

However, thanks to that, my gauge didn’t fill up, my Buster Wolf didn’t run wild, and I didn’t receive Eris’s Sunny Punch. It was as usual.

However, it might have been because Eris was uneasy about last time, but while we were on the boat, Eris was always attached to me. She wasn’t meek.

However, seeing that Eris was able to become excited about seeing the sea, I was satisfied as well.

“Yo, you two. It’s getting pretty steamy over there! Are you getting married in the Dragon King Kingdom?”

When the two of us were watching the sea, the sailors started whistling and poking fun at us.

“Yeah. It’s going to be quite a grand one.”

Because of that, I got carried away and wrapped my arm around Eris’s shoulder, and was hit.

“I—it’s still too early for marriage!”

At the same time, though Eris was hitting me, she didn’t seem annoyed and was a little bashful. It seems she hates being made fun of. She’d prefer to do that kind of thing in a place with just the two of us and where the mood is right.

Even Eris, the sword-wielding Asura, was a maiden when it came to matters of love.

Still, marriage, huh?

Philip and the others had tried to pair Eris and me together. I wonder what’s happened to them? Paul had told me not to be optimistic, but…

It’s not just them. Zenith and Lilia are still missing. We don’t even know where Aisha is. There’s no news about Sylphy either. I don’t know if Ghyslaine is alive, either.

There’s nothing but worries.

No, it’d be best not to think in such a bad direction. There’s the possibility that, unexpectedly, we might find upon returning to the Fittoa region that everyone has returned safely.

It’s an optimistic thought. I know that there’s absolutely no way this is the case. However, for now at least, I won’t think about these worries. That’s what I’ve decided.

Just like that, we left the Milis Continent.

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