The night before Rio’s arriving in Paladia, when the sun just ascended from the eastern sky. The villagers were gathered at the plaza of a certain village located to the west of the royal capital.

  The villagers expression didn’t look that good. The reason were the dozens of armed men surrounding them. Most of those armed men were wearing knight uniforms, which made them even more more intimidating.

  In the middle of them――,

  「Now tell me then village chief, have you really not seen a girl who wearing an expensive dress come by here? 」


  The man in the prime of his life who had a sadistic grin on his face, Lucius, asked as he pointed his jet-black sword towards a middle aged man. He wore his own independent attire, different from the other men who wore knight uniforms. Though it was a cloth of the same quality as the knight’s uniforms, his equipment was closer to that of a mercenary or an adventurer rather than a soldier.

  「Y-Yeah! 　I really didn’t see her. In the first place, no outsider has come to our village in the past week! 」


  The man that looked like the village chief replied frantically as if begging for his life.

  「You better not be lying to me for the sake of your village you know? 」


  Lucius showed a vicious grin while looking at the other villagers. Thereupon, the village chief’s face turned pale――,

  「I-I REALLY AM NOT LYING!　I REALLY DON’T KNOW ABOUT SUCH A GIRL!　P-PLEASE BELIEVE ME, I’VE TOLD YOU EVERYTHING ALREADY! 」


  He was already begging for his life.

  「………. I see. Well, it can’t be helped if you don’t know about it. I also don’t have a hobby of tormenting old men.」


  Lucius heaved a sigh and sheathed his sword.

  「Ooh, does that mean………….」


  Though a ray of hope was lit in the eyes of the village chief――,

  「We’re going to stay in this village tonight. Ah, and we’re going to search the entire village ofcourse.」


  After Lucius said so, the face of the village chief strained. It could be said that he felt like out of a frying pan into an oven. But――,

  「Ye-Yeah. If that will clear your suspicion, I’ll accept it. Feel free to look for that girl until you clear your suspicion. 」


  The village chief reacted positively till the very end as he declared his stand on the current situation.

  「……………… Your highness, it seems that she’s not in this village. 」


  Lucius muttered so in a tired tone to the first prince of Paladia who was standing behind him.

  「Oi Lucius. Is that girl really in this area? 」


  Frowning, Duran asked that question.

  「Of course. My rule is to not use sinister plots against you, your highness. There are a few villages in this area and we have yet to search the forest. We should be able to find her by tomorrow.」


  Lucius replied with a far more formal tone than usual.

  「………….It’s good then.」


  Duran heaved a disappointed sigh.

  「…………. Geez, the first prince is displeased now.」


  Lucius muttering while shrugging his shoulder, and――,

  「So that’s it. A couple of people will be enough to search the entire village. So then……….. Oi, village chief. Prepare a resting place for his highness!」


  He gave an order for the knights to search the village and then told the village chief to prepare a resting place for them.

  ◇　◇　◇


  Later that night, when the sky turned completely dark, the figure of Lucius slipped out of the village. Passing by the agricultural land around the village, he then entered the forest beside the highway.

  「Where are you going to go at such a time? 」


  The man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and called to Lucius―― was Reis.

  「I came because I felt your sign. Didn’t you say that you have some business in Rubia kingdom?　What are you doing in an unrelated place like this? 」


  Lucius asked that question without beating around the bush since he felt troublesome in not doing so.

  「It’s nothing. The truth is, I left a spy to monitor princess Silvi after I met her in Rubia.」


  Reis replied with a sad face――,

  「……….. That means there was a blunder right? 」


  Lucius grinned happily in looking at their situation.

  「Yeah, you might say so. But, the other party is a troublesome opponent. Since the situation will turn tricky if I handle this matter in the wrong way, can I borrow your power to fix it?」


  「Beyond your abilities? So that means you’re looking for me for that rascal? 」


  「No, it’s a different person. Or should I say, one of the heros. You said you wanted to fight the hero, right? 」


  Reis showed his creepy smile while asking so.

  「He-………… Ro? Interesting. But, don’t you think I have no time for that right now?　I mean, I have to babysi-……….. To guide a prince after all. 」


  Lucius said so with a belligerent face.

  「It doesn’t matter. It will end in an instant. The other party is within my range and I keep considerable distance so as to not be perceived by him. The tactic is………….」


  Reis explained the tactic they were going to use with a pensive look on his face and――,

  「That’s under the assumption that this hero is employed by the princess of the Rubia kingdom, isn’t it? 」


  Lucius said.

  「No, the person called princess Silvi shouldn’t be that kind of a rash person when it comes to her little sister. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that matter is out of consideration either. We will have to take appropriate actions if we sense something unusual from the princess’ side.」


  Reis replied, while shaking his head.

  「Ha, quite full of yourself aren’t you? Shouldn’t we come from the front, facing against such an opponent?」


  Lucius laughed happily as he suggested so. Hearing that, a smile formed on Reis’s lips――,

  「As you wish then.」


  He nodded respectfully.

  ◇　◇　◇


  A few months ago. Kikuchi Renji was a normal highschool student who lived in a certain city in Japan. For some reason, when he came to, he was already in the middle of a certain forest of the Rubia kingdom. Though the person himself wasn’t aware that he was chosen as the hero, soon he became aware that he possessed an unbelievable amount of magic power along with mighty physical strength.

  Then, around one month after being summoned to the other world, Renji had been living in a village close to the forest. By chance he saved a girl of that village from a beast, and going with the flow, he decided to live in that village to learn about the necessary common sense of this world.

  But wasn’t too successful in doing so since living in such a secluded village wasn’t too suited for Renji. Moreover, Renji’s hair color and his small build of a Japanese was bound to invite many troubles for him. He was often teased by the men of that village. While those days passed by without anything big happening, Renji came to know of the existence known as adventurers.

  A job where power was everything, a way to getting rich quickly and the privilege to live freely. That kind of lifestyle suited Renji the most.

  His only regret was the girl who lived with him in that village. That girl was the most popular girl, yearned by many young men of the village, but she lost her family due to disease a couple of years ago so she lived by herself until he met him. Deep inside, Renji even felt that it wasn’t a bad thing to live with her even in that boring village.

  Thus, Renji was standing between the two choices of whether to stay in the village or leave the village to become an adventurer. A trouble visited that village during that kind of time.

  Renji’s rare Japanese features caught the attention of the prefectural lord who came for a routine inspection. Renji responded rudely sparing no face to the prefectural lord who spoke to him in an overbearing manner.

  As expected, the prefectural lord who disliked Renji’s attitude demanded him to show some respect and apologize. But, Renji didn’t comply to that and instead frankly insulted the prefectural lord for being haughty.

  When the dangerous atmosphere drifted between Renji and the lord’s group, the girl who lived with him quickly diffused the situation and apologized to the lord――


  （I of all people became the most foolish one huh?）