Simon greeted a middle-aged nobleman who looked older than the duke. “Marquis, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Simon de Gresia.” His greeting was impeccably polite, but uncharacteristically stiff. Was he nervous in front of the marquis?

After the marquis, Simon greeted the noblewomen and then the marquis’s children. First was a young man who looked barely of age. Judging by his age, he seemed to be the marquis’s eldest son. Seeing him reminded me of Martin, the illegitimate son we’d met on the way here. The big, confident illegitimate son and the timid-looking legitimate heir were such a contrast that even I, an outsider, couldn’t help noticing it.

Simon exchanged greetings with the other sons, who looked unremarkable, and finally with the daughters. The eldest daughter, Adria, came first. When she bowed her head, Simon spoke. “L-let me introduce myself properly. I’m Simon de G-Gresia.” Good heavens. Simon, who seemed to have noble etiquette engraved into his bones, was stammering. Now I understood why he was nervous.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed. The marquis and the noblewomen smiled discreetly, while Adria’s younger sisters covered their mouths and giggled. Simon’s face turned bright red, but he finished greeting everyone. The way he endured the embarrassment was the very picture of a fine nobleman.

“Who’s the boy behind them?” the marquis asked, looking at me after the knight commander and head butler had offered their greetings. I’d hoped to let it pass so things wouldn’t get awkward, but now that he’d asked, I couldn’t avoid introducing myself. I stepped forward and bowed. “My name is Alex. It’s an honor to meet you, Marquis.” “Alex? Ah, the illegitimate son...”

I glanced at him. He was scowling openly. So the marquis knew my name. Well, he was arranging a political marriage. Of course he knew about the other family. “... Come, let’s all go inside.” As expected, he barely acknowledged my greeting before leading the party through the doors. I knew this would make things awkward. Why did he have to ask?

The marquis’s family whispered among themselves as they looked at me. Some stared in surprise; others glared at me harder than the marquis had. Most of them plainly thought an illegitimate son had tagged along where he had no business being. There was one exception. Simon’s prospective fiancée looked pleased to see me when she heard I was an illegitimate son. Simon went into the inner residence surrounded by the marquis’s family, and Adria, who had been looking at me with curiosity, disappeared inside with them.

“I’ll show you to your rooms.” The knights, the knight commander, the head butler, and I were escorted separately to the guest quarters. Fortunately, I was given a room of my own. My awkward position probably left them little choice. Lunch was brought to my room as well.

After I finished eating, someone came to my room: a soldier I’d worked hard to win over on the journey to House Hierro. His name was Juan, and he was quieter and more diligent than the others. I’d spent money and effort getting him on my side, and the knight commander had allowed him to help me during the trip. Looking after a young master might well have been a nuisance to Juan, but thanks to my efforts, he was happy to do what I asked.

“Did you find out?” “Yes. Fortunately, he didn’t go far.” “Where is he?” “I confirmed that he’s staying at an inn on Mercenary Street.” “He didn’t notice you, did he? He might get the wrong idea if he knows he’s being watched.” “No. I changed into civilian clothes before keeping an eye on him.”

I’d chosen well. He’d done even better than I expected. I’d asked Juan to secretly follow Martin after we parted at the outer wall. I’d told him I wanted to find Martin later and give him a surprise. The nuance was different, but it was, in fact, the same reason.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to repay you someday.” “There’s no need. You’ve already done more than enough. I’ll be sure to pay back this money too.” He tapped his chest, and I heard the gold coins I’d given him clink there. The money was for medicine for his sick mother. As soon as I heard he needed money to buy it, I’d handed it over. That was also why I’d chosen Juan.

It wasn’t a small sum for me, either, but on a journey, it was hard to find a faster or surer way to win someone over than money. Besides, I had nowhere to invest it. If I got the principal back before I came of age, it wouldn’t be much of a loss. ‘Surely he won’t run off with it. Of course he won’t.’ I pressed down my growing unease and asked Juan the name of Martin’s inn. “The Silver Hero Inn.” The Silver Hero. Did that refer to an ancestor of House Hierro? Either way, it was an easy name to remember.

I made a few more requests of Juan as he left my room. After he was gone, I sank into thought. Running into Martin on the way here had made things easier. I knew where he was staying now, and I’d learned he had ties to mercenaries. I could check for myself whether they were the same mercenaries I’d encountered. Along the way, I’d also found out when Simon had fallen for Adria—and, though it was beside the point, why Martin had set things in motion.

“So all that’s left is to find evidence.” Unless the worst happened, I couldn’t deal with Martin myself. I needed someone else—House Hierro—to do it, and I’d need evidence if I wanted to tell the marquis about him. Then again, judging by the situation, it didn’t have to be conclusive. Something that would make the marquis or his wives suspicious ought to be enough. “Now I just need a reason to go out.” I rose and headed for the knight commander’s room.

“You want to know when Young Master Simon will go on his outing?” “Yes. I think I should look over the places he’ll be visiting in advance.” A faint, incredulous smile crossed the knight commander’s lips. “A preliminary inspection? Where did you hear of such a thing?” I could understand how he felt, but I pressed on. “I came to guard my brother. On the journey here and the journey back, there are knights and soldiers, so there’s nothing for me to do. It’s the same inside the lord’s castle.” I hadn’t seen Simon once in half a day. While we stayed in the castle, it seemed I’d have trouble even seeing his face, let alone guarding him. “Only a small group will go on the outing. That’s when I’ll be needed. I want to do the job I was given properly.” I lied without batting an eye. “... Very well.” The knight commander gave his permission, looking reluctant. “But I can’t send you on an inspection alone. Take a knight with you.” “Then I’ll go with Sir Hugo.” “Hugo?” “Yes. I think Sir Hugo would be good at it.” The knight commander studied me, as though wondering how I knew. Because I’d seen it in my last life, of course... I met his gaze with an expression that suggested I’d only made a guess.

The outing was set for three days later. Introductions and greetings that had begun on the day we arrived continued through the following day. Word of the betrothal between House Hierro and the ducal House Gresia had already spread far and wide. There were several banquets, and people kept flocking in to make the acquaintance of House Gresia’s future head. So many came that the outing nearly got canceled, but the marchionesses insisted the couple needed time to talk among themselves, and it was arranged after all. Luckily, Mercenary Street was on the itinerary.

The day before the outing, I left the lord’s castle to inspect the route. Sir Hugo came with me, and House Hierro assigned someone to show us around the city. Oddly enough, they sent a maid. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Bianca.” I couldn’t help laughing at this renewed connection. Come to think of it, there was nothing strange about her being our guide. Illegitimate or not, I was a member of a ducal family. My age must have made a maid the natural choice, but they couldn’t send just any maid beyond the castle walls with me.

The three of us walked in silence after leaving the castle. Bianca was no different from when I’d last seen her. She kept her skills hidden, presenting herself as nothing more than a maid showing us the way. But she couldn’t entirely conceal the presence that leaked out now and then. Unlike in my last life, though, Hugo failed to notice it. He surely wouldn’t have known how skilled Bianca was back then, either, if he hadn’t been told beforehand. Was it only Hugo who couldn’t tell? Or could none of the knights? I needed to find out whether sensing Bianca’s abilities was part of my own ability or a trait nobles shared.

We followed the planned route, which fortunately stayed within the city. Once we were farther from the castle, Bianca began explaining the sights around us. “This is the central square. It’s famous as the place where the marquis before the last one confessed his love to his wife beside that fountain.” The story she told with such a blank face didn’t suit her expression at all. “The temple over there has been empty for a year. The priest in charge got drunk and cast his divine arts backward, so it became a restricted area. Be careful: if you go inside, you’ll become impotent.” Her commentary included both the sort of gossip neighborhood women shared in secret and stories people preferred not to talk about. Sir Hugo listened with a look of dismay. Her personality certainly hadn’t changed. But she hadn’t been quite this bad before... Apparently, something was bothering her. Unfortunately, I had no time to hear her grievances now.

Sir Hugo kept a close watch on our surroundings as he listened, and I imitated him. After passing through several places, we finally reached the one I wanted. “This is Mercenary Street. There isn’t much to say about it. It’s noisy, filthy, and full of troublemakers.” Her assessment was scathing, but the street before us made it hard to disagree. It was bustling. Armed mercenaries walked in groups while boys and girls called out to lure them into inns, weapon shops, other stores, and taverns. In the corners, mercenaries lay sprawled drunk, and tavern women and mercenaries shouted at one another.

On one side of that filthy, noisy street, I spotted the sign I’d been looking for.

[The Silver Hero Inn]

It was where Martin was staying. “Could we stop in for a moment? I’d like to see what it’s like inside.” The two of them looked puzzled, but neither objected. I led them into the Silver Hero Inn.

Perhaps because it was daytime, the inn’s ground floor wasn’t very loud. Some people lay sprawled where they’d been drinking since the night before; others were eating. A group of mercenaries talked quietly among themselves. Among them, I spotted the man I was looking for. No—the mercenaries were familiar, too. The crazy female mercenary and the man who had killed Adria and me. They were talking with Martin.