“Heave-ho.”


  “Le-leader!?”


  I carried the tied up Ririnrara and her two subordinates to the basement in Ruti’s mansion.

  The two already captured High-Elves showed expressions of dismay as though they were looking at something they couldn’t believe.

  “Guu ……”


  Ririnrara groaned. She seemed to have regained consciousness.

  “You’re awake? I applied emergency first aid but I didn’t use a cure potion. Your wounds will open if you move too much.”


  “You bastard …… what do you plan to do to me.”


  “What do I plan to do? …… You’re the one who attacked me. My job is done once I hand you over to Ruru and Tifa.”


  I smiled.

  My job for this case was done when we found Mistome-shi and the others.

  This time I was attacked so I reluctantly had to respond.

  “Just who exactly are you people?”


  Ririnrara was stunned by my lukewarm reaction that she seemed like the toxicity was extracted out of her.

  Well, how do I put it, this was somewhat of an accident for both sides.

  It is unbelievable that the heroes who cross swords with the Demon Lord Army would be in Zoltan. It would be unreasonable to expect her to anticipate that.

  On our side, we never expected Princess Misufia, the leading character in the political coup of the Kingdom of Veronia written in the history of the Avalonia Continent to actually be here.

  And then there was the current problem.

  “I told you I am just a regular apothecary.”


  “As if there are apothecaries like you.”


  Nevertheless, it was a strange turn of events but thanks to the stormy relationship between the Kingdom of Avalonia and the Kingdom of Veronia even before the invasion of the Demon Lord Army, they were unable to recognize me.

  If it was any other country, I have been called to ceremonies in their royal palaces during my time as a Knight so my identity might have been revealed.

  “Hey bastard! Treat her head wound properly!”


  “Hm?”


  The High-Elves captured by Ruti and Tise complained to me while I was pondering.

  Perhaps her wound opened slightly when I was moving her as the bandage wrapped around Ririnrara was soaked red.

  “Asking me for treatment is quite preposterous given you guys were the ones who attacked me.”


  I replied with a slightly sharp tone.

  There was no incident because of the difference in ability but what they did was abduction through violence.

  “I have applied medication. Furthermore, with her High-Elf life force and high divine protection level, she probably won’t even feel any after-effects.”


  “The treatment of prisoners of war is a treaty between Avalonia and Veronia!”


  “This is not the Kingdom of Avalonia but the Republic of Zoltan. It might be a City State but it is independent. Furthermore, you guys who attacked without a declaration of war did not identify yourselves as the navy. I am treating you guys as criminals who attempted kidnapping.”


  “Guh, that’s right but ……”


  Seriously.

  ” …… Bastard, you have former military affiliation?”


  I frowned involuntarily at Ririnrara’s words.

  I messed up. Though I don’t believe my identity will be revealed with just that.

  “Are you a commissioned officer from somewhere who made a problem or lost in a power struggle? In that case, how about it? I can make you, your younger sister and her companion into commissioned officers of Veronia.”


  “I refuse. That will not work so give it up.”


  “I see, there doesn’t seem to be room for negotiations.”


  Ririnrara moved while still restrained and regained her posture.

  Her subordinates hurriedly tried to help but they had both hands tied as well so they couldn’t give much aid.

  I sat on the floor and waited for Ruti to come as I watched them.

  Eventually Ruti, Tise, and Lit came down to the basement.

  “Hn, Lit came too?”


  “I don’t want to be the only one left out.”


  “I was planning to go home once Ruti takes over though.”


  “I want Onii-chan to stay too, if it is not too much trouble ……”


  “See, Ruti says it too.”


  I’m weak to Ruti’s requests.

  “All right. Then I’ll standby behind Ruti in case anything happens.”


  “Thank you.”


  Ruti replied happily.

  Seeing that face, I ended up feeling it was fine. Well, in Zoltan, this kind of commotion rarely happens.

  “How do I put it, just who exactly are you people.”


  “As I said ……”


  “Enough with that! You bastards have captured a General of the Veronian Kingdom! If you ask for ransom, you will receive enough to live a life of freedom as a citizen or if you announce your capture, your fame will net you an officer rank in any country. At the very least, you have captured the ringleader of the disturbance in Zoltan.”


  The anger of being taken prisoner disappeared from their expressions before I knew it.

  Anxiety from seeing beings they could not understand had replaced it. And a vague sense of terror.

  “Why are you people so calm? Why are you capable of behaving as though you are just spending an ordinary day?”


  We looked at each other. I see, the four of us certainly had our usual faces on.

  Ririnrara was once a legendary pirate who traveled to the Dark Continent. A respectable figure who survived in the Demon Lord Continent of which we never stepped foot on before.

  However, the Veronia Army have not fought the Demon Lord Army before. Ririnrara and party are unaware of the despairingly mighty and cunning Demon Lord Army that took control of half of the Avalon Continent in just two years.

  For those of us who have been fighting a bitter war even when the entire Avalon Continent met them with full force, even if she was the right arm of the Pirate Champion Geyserik, Ririnrara was nothing more than the general of a country.

  And for this incident, it was only the fight for a country’s successor, a far cry from the crisis that threatens the existence of human nations.

  Compared to when Ruti was the 『Hero』, the severity of the issue was vastly different.

  “Well, we’re just country bumpkins so we do not know how it is like in the cities.”


  Of course, we couldn’t honestly tell them what we were thinking. That’s why I said that to Ririnrara with a wry smile.

  ☆☆

  Ruti’s questioning was short.

  She probably didn’t intend to extract any information out of them from the beginning. Knowing that Ririnrara was not willing to answer the questions, she quickly ended it.

  “So what do we do?”


  “Does Red-san possess any effective truth serum medicine?”


  “All of their divine protections are well advanced. The medicine I can create can probably only get them to spill what they ate for breakfast yesterday.”


  I honestly replied Tise’s question.

  Divine protection will resist any adverse effects of drugs. For that matter, individuals with high divine protection level or those with divine protections that have strong resistances in the first place can safely use medicine that has side effects.

  The four people locked there could be said to have elite divine protection levels if compared with the regular standard. They were impossible opponents for me who only have common skills.

  Furthermore, in order to use truth serum medicine on opponents of this level, not only will the medicine have to be of high grade made from ‘Advanced Alchemy’, medicine strengthening skills such as ‘Essence of Poison’ or ‘Dosage Strengthening’ was probably needed as well.

  “Is that so.”


  Tise probably asked just as confirmation and she didn’t place much expectations. She merely nodded lightly and didn’t show any disappointment.

  “Should we pass them to Zoltan authorities after all? Or should we use them as a diplomatic card to make Prince Sarius give some concession since we probably can’t get information out of them.”


  As expected of a former royal family member, Lit proposed using the prisoners of war as a diplomatic card.

  “That might be good too. We can’t do anything to her either.”


  The opponent was the heavyweight Kingdom of Veronia.

  If we injure her any more than necessary, the Veronian Navy might even mobilize.

  If that happens…… it’s not that we couldn’t win but Zoltan would no doubt suffer enormous damage.

  Of course, we would rather not have such a heroic stage and stand out.

  “I.”


  Ruti looked at me and spoke after thinking for all this while.

  “Want to let Mistome and Ririnrara meet to talk.”


  Lit, Tise and I all stopped talking in shock.

  “This should be resolved by the involved parties.”


  “That’s true …… the countries, diplomacy, and succession war elements ultimately all boils down to the feud between Mistome-shi and Ririnrara.”


  “But will that be okay? To bring the person Ririnrara was looking for.”


  “There will be no problem if I witness it.”


  Ruti asserted her answer to Lit’s question.

  It was true that if Ruti was present, she will be able to stop anything perpetrated by human opponents.

  “What does Onii-chan think?”


  “It’s bold but …… yup, it might work. Let’s try doing it as Ruti says.”


  “All right.”


  This would probably change the situation immensely.

  That boldness was a quality of Ruti from her battles against the Demon Lord Army.

  She was never fighting by relying only on the strength of her divine protection.

  She’s truly a younger sister I am proud of.