A very noisy, tavern.


    A small shop located in the royal capital of the Kingdom of Harzion, far from the center of the city.


    All kinds of people drink here.


    Some come here on their way home from work, some come with good friends.


    Men and women also vary, more men than women, I guess.


    Maybe because most of them are drunk, most of them talk loudly.


    That''s why the shop is so crowded and no one would hear you if you spoke in a low voice.


    ''''Can you hear me?''''


    I''m aware of that, but I mutter that in a very quiet voice.


    I wonder if the people next to me can hear me, in a voice that would never be heard if it were this bar.


    And there was no one next to me sitting at the counter.


    From my side (or side of me), it looks like I''m a lonely person who has come to drink alone.


    He is dressed in a cloak and a hood so deep that his face is hidden from view, so he may be seen as a dangerous person.


    ''Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me too?


    I hear a voice responding to my words earlier.


    There''s no one next to me.


    Whoever said those words earlier would be sitting at a table in this tavern.


    ''All right, then, as planned.


    Okay.


    We heard each other mutter that in a small voice, so that means the magic is firmly working through.


    The wind magic allows my voice to reach Tina and Tina''s voice to reach me.


    It seems that the voice reaches you by shaking the air, so if you manipulate the air, even a small voice can reach someone far away.


    I don''t know exactly how that works, but it looks like Tina learned it from Commander Anne.


    ''''Hey, shopkeeper,''''


    Hmm?　What a face you don''t have.... or rather, I can''t see your face.


    I spoke to him, not in the small voice I had just used, but in a voice that could be heard by the owner in front of me, even in this noisy store.


    ''I got a scar on my face a while back. You shouldn''t look at it, it''s ugly.


    Well, that''s okay. So, what is it?　Order?


    I realize it''s probably a lie, but the owner keeps talking to me.


    ''No, don''t order. Just a word.


    You don''t go into a bar and ask for a drink and talk to a guy who doesn''t have one.


    ...then I''ll have the lowest number of drinks.


    Yes.


    I''m not here to drink, but if I can''t listen to them, I have to ask.


    After a while, a wooden mug of liquor is placed in front of me.


    I take the handle and drink it lightly.


    Maybe it''s because it''s low in alcohol content, but it has a strong fruit flavor.


    I''ve never been to this country before, but it''s a nice country.


    ''Is that so? I would have thought so, though, since you''re dressed like a traveler to look at.


    For now, I start making small talk to get the information out of him.


    ''The rest of the country was a lot more cutthroat,''


    ''''The Kingdom of Harzion is so strong with His Majesty right now. You don''t have many people to challenge with the rest of the world.


    I said it like I''ve been to other countries because I''m set up as a traveler.


    In the land of the demon race, the strongest person is the one who rises to the top.


    If you are strong, even if you were born in the underground city, you can become a king.


    That was proven by Felix in his previous life.


    ''''Was it His Majesty Celedonia?


    ''Yeah, yeah. You weren''t even challenged to fight before, but you''re starting to get challenged a bit more recently.


    Oh, really?


    His Majesty lost once before he was challenged.


    So you''re changing the king?


    ''It was supposed to be, but whoever defeated his Majesty seems to be dead. Rumor has it that he was killed by someone else.


    Yeah, I know.


    I killed him.


    ''So it was. But it''s hard to believe that''s what happened, the country seems to have settled down.


    ''Yeah, there were some guys who said things like ''Your Majesty lost once, so abdicate,'' but ''then you should beat your Majesty,'' so those guys shut up.


    You''re weak.


    ''They''re all talkers, they don''t rise to the top in this country. But things have settled down in King''s Landing now, but it seems the villages and other places around King''s Landing have been attacked.


    I''ve heard that story before.


    As Christo''s bodyguard, I found that attack when I came to this country and went in to help him.


    So be careful when you leave King''s Landing.


    ''Thanks for the advice. Well, I''m going to tour King''s Landing a bit more before I leave, so hopefully I''ll be calmer by then.


    ''I don''t know, I''m sure His Majesty is taking measures, but this country''s territory is pretty big. I don''t think he''s going to settle down anytime soon.


    ''Well, well, I''ll wait patiently. There seems to be a lot to see in this country, you know.


    Yes, the shopping district sells some interesting things and there are all sorts of things to see.


    The owner likes to see that kind of thing, and he gives me recommendations for shops and sights to see.


    I listened to his recommendations as he talked to me.


    You should see the acrobats over there.


    ''Oh, well, that''s something I''d like to see. I''d like to see a lot of places so... oh yeah, is there any place in this country I shouldn''t go?


    ''What?　Why are you asking me that?


    You can''t go to a place like that by mistake when you''re sightseeing. I''ve been to those places before, and it''s a hazard.


    I see.


    The owner looks thoughtful and tells me where I shouldn''t go.


    ''First of all, you can''t go to the underground mall. There''s nothing to do there, and the people who live in the underground malls will go after your baggage.


    Underground, or is it something else?


    There aren''t many places like that in this country other than the underground malls but if I had to choose, I wouldn''t go to the nobleman''s district. If a suspicious person like you goes there, you''ll get caught first.


    Huh, yeah.


    I smile lightly and phase in, and a voice that doesn''t belong to the owner of the store echoes in my ears.


    ''Eric, I''ve finished checking this one out. You''re ahead of me.


    A voice that only I can hear, not the owner or anyone else.


    ''All right, I''m on my way.''


    I also mumbled in a voice that only reached Tina, not the volume I had been talking to the shopkeeper earlier.


    She wouldn''t notice that I mumbled because she couldn''t see my mouth from the shopkeeper because she had her hood up, so she wouldn''t know I was mumbling.


    ''Thanks, shopkeeper,''


    I paid for the drinks I asked for, plus a little extra money on top of it in the form of a good story.


    ''Yes,''


    ''I''ll come back when I''m done sightseeing. Then we''ll talk about the show.


    Yeah, I''ll be there.


    Then I put my hood back on deeply again and left the store.