After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

worship?

Of course there must be some, after all, he has accomplished so many things that I would never be able to do, and it is not an exaggeration to describe the series of achievements he created as miracles.

But but but——

"What's wrong? Give me a definite answer. If necessary, I need someone to arrange it."

"...Well, I...will give it a try."

It sounds a bit harsh to say that she was possessed by a ghost, but after going through a lot of confusing mental processes that she herself didn't understand, Chris nodded slowly.

----------

"A-choo! Tsk, what's going on..."

Aize, who was standing at the door, had been sneezing non-stop since he came out. He even shivered from time to time, and his body shook unexpectedly.

I always have a bad feeling.

It's not surprising. Now that all forces are ready to take action, it is the calm before the storm.

While I was thinking, the door behind me opened, and Chris walked out with her head lowered, closing the door silently.

I seem to be in a very low mood... It's not quite right to say this, but it's certain that I'm worried.

He stepped forward and asked:

"What's wrong? Did you say anything just now?"

"No! It's nothing serious, he just asked about our situation!"

The moment she was addressed, Chris's whole body twitched like a frightened bird.

"Compared to this, what do you think about what I just said?"

"Just now?"

"It's... uh, it's what Mom just said. Let's go around the territory tomorrow and look into this matter. What do you say? Let's go together?"

"Um……"

Aize is not in the mood to go out for fun now.

But if the expedition begins, this place and the surrounding area will become the initial battlefield, as well as the forward base and material transfer station for subsequent larger-scale operations.

For this purpose, it is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the environment in advance, assess the status, and check if there are any hidden dangers.

The issue is--

"That's fine with me, but what about the combat meeting we mentioned earlier? Didn't they say it should be held as soon as the Madam wakes up?"

"Well, mother just said that His Royal Highness the Prince has left for an urgent matter and will not be back for a few days, so there will be no problems for the time being, so we can be more relaxed."

Leaving at this time must be related to the expedition, and it must be something serious.

It just so happens that tomorrow is the regular meeting time, so I'll see if there is any news then.

"Um, Master, can I go?"

The blue-haired girl asked quietly and carefully.

"Well, sure, go ahead, but where to..."

There was a loud noise at the end of the corridor.

Several maids came to the two of them, carrying a large cart, a wooden bathtub, and several large buckets of steaming hot water.

The leader was the maid from last night. She bowed to the two of them and said:

"My lady, Lord Aize, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, what are these?"

"The master ordered us to move these things into the room and help the lady bathe... Um, do you have any other instructions?"

Because of what happened last night, the maid's standard work-like smile was filled with a lot more eagerness and sincerity.

But after all, he is one of the people influenced by Rosaline, so it is better not to have too much contact with him just in case.

Aize waved his hand casually:

"Nothing, just get busy."

He made way and watched several people skillfully unload various things from the cart, move them in, then close the door, lock it, and start their work.

Turning his head, he continued to look at his apprentice:

"Where were we just now? Oh, right, where are you going tomorrow? Do you have a plan?"

"Yeah! Yes!"

Chris nodded desperately and continuously, her movements so fast that they left an afterimage.

"First, I'll walk around the city and take a look. Then I want to go a little further and explore the city."

"Outside the city?"

"Well! Outside the city! The environment around here is quite good. If you like, you can also use the hunting grounds in the territory, and -"

The girl suddenly paused, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, perhaps thinking for a moment or making up her mind, before continuing:

"Also, there's a really nice place nearby where you can go on vacation. If you don't mind, could you go with me?"

Chapter 50: Fans should not blame idols for their behavior

With the hostess waking up safely and without any visible mental problems, Aize finally had one less thing to worry about.

The next day, Aize got up early. A few hours before the agreed departure time, when it was still dark, he walked out of the castle alone and came to a building in the center of the town.

Adventurer's Guild, Jarlsberg Branch.

Although the organization has branches in almost every human city on the continent, the businesses they undertake and the personnel they employ vary greatly.

In most areas, subjugating monsters is the main type of commission, so teams usually operate in groups of several people, flexibly and spontaneously taking on various tasks.

On the front lines like Jarlsburg, a large number of human-demon armies are in a long-term standoff. In order to ensure the safety of the rear and supply lines, both sides will periodically clean up unstable factors such as monsters.

Adventurers will also form larger teams and take on mercenary-like work from important figures such as nobles, generals, and lords.

Therefore, the guild's reception hall would appear quite deserted, with neither clients nor adventurers.

Just like it is now.

The still dim sunlight and thick fog made the empty hall look quite dark.

There was only one female receptionist sitting behind the counter, dozing off with her head propped up.

Aize walked forward and knocked lightly on the table. The other party raised his head sleepily:

"……Um?"

"I would like to entrust your group of adventurers to conduct a reconnaissance operation against the demons."

"you are?"

"Someone from the Karseid family."

It was too troublesome to use his own name and have to explain it, so Aize asked Chris for their family emblem as proof of identity last night.

He took it out of his pocket and slapped it on the table. The receptionist's spirits suddenly lifted, and he put on an almost flattering smile:

"So you are from the lord's family. Excuse me, please sit down for a moment. I will make arrangements."

The reason for giving this commission is because the situation is a bit strange.

After a series of riots in the Holy City and the local area, the demons were theoretically fully aware of the large-scale expedition that the empire was about to launch.

But up to now, there has been no movement from the demon clan.

This does not mean that everything is safe and sound. On the contrary, it means that the situation is completely out of control.

Therefore, when the intelligence network became ineffective, Aize thought of trying a stupid method to see if he could find some clues.

That's why I came here early in the morning.

Of course there is another reason.

"How did it feel meeting my parents-in-law for the first time?"

The receptionist, who was writing furiously behind the counter, suddenly asked a question in a lower tone that was completely different from just now.

"It's normal. Being looked down upon is within my expectations. I've made a lot of preparations for this."

Aize said, shrugging.

"But after what happened the night before last, these preparations are no longer necessary. Haha, from this perspective, I should really thank those faceless freaks for saving me from a lot of cold stares."

Routine connection.

The receptionist in front of him used to work in the Adventurer's Guild in the Holy City. Before being transferred, Aize's intelligence director made some adjustments and made him a usable communication channel.

"I've heard about the Faceless Men. After all, there was such a big commotion the day before yesterday, and the fighting even affected this place. You almost couldn't contact me today."

The receptionist raised her head and gave Aize an expressionless look.

"And then, how was it facing the Faceless Man directly for the first time?"

"This is terrible, full of confusing things... Well, let's not talk about this anymore. Have you received any news about the Imperial Prince?"

"The morning before yesterday, Duke Cruz, one of the Empire's border nobles, united with a large number of nobles allied with him and jointly opposed this expedition, citing the possibility of intelligence leaks."

"really."

The night before yesterday, halfway through the party, while Aize was confronting the Faceless King, the prince received some news and suddenly left, and has not returned since.

For him, who was ambitious to rely on this expedition to rebuild the country, the only thing that could lead him away at this juncture was something directly related to the expedition.

But this is not good news for Aize.

He sighed, lowered his body and put his chin on the counter, and said with a slightly tired look:

"I was hoping that if I spent more time, I could convince him to give up the expedition, but after these guys messed with me, the arrow is on the string and has to be released... What a bunch of idiots who are more likely to cause trouble than help."

For the prince, although this expedition has put a lot of effort, he can give up as long as there is a sufficient reason.

The problem is, I have to give up on my own initiative; you can't force me to give up.

A group of nobles united to openly oppose it, and the nature of the movement changed from a matter-of-fact discussion regarding the expedition to an open challenge to the authority of the prince himself.

This is tantamount to roasting the prince himself on the fire, and there is no reason to give in.

What's more, Aize really has no real evidence to object to it now.

The intelligence director smiled softly:

"You are to blame for this."

"what?"

"For many years, the prince had the final say throughout the empire. Then, out of nowhere, the brave Aize appeared. You, your brave team, and the Holy War Knights repelled several demon attacks, and all the nobles praised you highly. The prince of the same age and generation, who always played a leadership role, has become a mere figurehead. Tell me, who else can I blame if not you?"

"whispering sound--"

Although it is very unpleasant, this is the truth.

And it’s even more than that.

For those nobles in the empire who opposed the prince but were suppressed to the point where they could not raise their heads, Aize was their only excuse to disgust the prince, and of course they would not let him go.

Like what——

"Your Highness, who has received the highest standards of education in the Empire since childhood, is unable to even compare to a commoner from another world. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Aize is responsible for resisting the demonic attacks and mediating the conflicts among the nobles. Who will be the future heir to our empire, Your Highness, or the brave Aize?"

"Your Highness? My assessment is that you are not as good as Aize."

"Oh my! I don't even know how His Royal Highness's achievements compare to those of the Hero Aze."

……

……

and many more.

Anyway, it is impossible for Aize to really inherit the throne, so let's just make up stories and slander him to death.