Pascoe Rush and Lelamie Northland were eating while listening.

In places like this, it is useful to hear the real voices of ordinary people. ...... if the listener is willing to listen.

And they were willing to do so.

"...... Das Trading Company seems to be doing well."

"Yeah, I heard that too. They said they need some help, so I'll go and see if they can hire some people tomorrow.

"Oh, that's no good. Most of the people there have been out since yesterday, buying and stuff. I guess I'll have to wait until the day after tomorrow.

"Oh, really?"

Pascoe was pleased to find out that he had gotten more useful information than he had expected, even though he had chosen the restaurant at random. Besides, the taste of the was not bad.

"Thank you very much!

After paying the bill and leaving the diner, the two whisper to each other.

"So, the Merdus Trading Company is the same as the Merdus Trading Company, right?"

"Yes, I think so."

"......Hmm, if it is known to the general public that the employees are out, it is possible that the bandits know about it too?"

"Yes."

Of course, there is no proof that the bandits will attack there. And it is even less likely that they will do so tonight.

Still, Pascoe thought, if the possibility was not zero, it would not be a waste of time to be vigilant.

"Shall we focus on the area around the Merdus Trading Company tonight?

"Yes!"

The night was deepening and it was almost midnight when the sun was about to change.

All the lights in the storefronts are extinguished and only a few night-lights remain, and darkness reigns.

The moon in the night sky is almost in the south. Its light casts a small shadow on the ground.

"...... has the date changed, too?"

"Yes, it has."

Pascoe and Lélamy were walking along West Middle Street, where the Merdus Trading Company is located.

"I hope nothing happens tonight."

"Tonight, too, right?"

"Yeah, right.　Yes, that's right."

They were whispering as they walked, but Pascoe stopped and listened carefully.

"Captain?"

"......, I hear a noise."

At these words, Lélamie also stopped to catch his breath and listen carefully.

Indeed, footsteps could be heard coming from somewhere. They are coming from above.

"They seem to be coming through the roof!

Pascoe whispered. Lélamie hears this and looks up.

Because of the low rainfall, the roofs of the houses in this area are sloped. This is because it is easier for construction and maintenance.

At the same time, however, it also had the disadvantage of making it easier to walk along the roof.

"Let's see how it goes for now.

Pascoe and the others hide in the shadows where they can see the back of the Merdus Trading Company.

As they gazed at the roof through the night sky moon, two large shadows and one shadow half that size appeared on the roof of the Merdus Trading Company for a moment, then quickly withdrew.

"...... are you here?"

"Yes, ho, ho, really!　What do you want me to do, Captain?

Pascoe is a little nervous and Lélamie is very nervous, not expecting his prediction to come true.

"Don't panic, calm down."

Pascoe wished he had called for reinforcements, but it was too late.

The two of them had to make do on their own.

"It's a bad idea to try to capture them all. Let's try to catch one first. And if that's not possible, follow him and find his base.

Yes, sir.

To be clear, Lélamie is the second-in-command because of his healing magic and clerical skills. Therefore, he is not suited for rough work at all.

Pascoe is well aware of this, and he knows that he has to act with a reasonable attitude ......, but there are always some risks involved.

He knew this when he joined the Royal Guard, but as a captain and as a man, Pascoe did not want to put Lélamie in danger.

But more than that, he had to fulfill his duty as a member of the Royal Guard. These conflicts plagued Pascoe, but in the end his sense of duty won out.

He was determined to let Lélamie go in case of danger and to deal with the situation on his own.

After about 20 minutes of waiting and watching, three shadows, two large and one small, appeared on the roof and hung off in the direction from which they came.

"Okay, let's go after them."

"Okay, let's follow them." "Yes."

Pascoe and Lélamie followed the shadows on the roof.

But the roof is different from the road.

The roof allows for diagonal shortcuts, even if they have to go all the way around, so in less than two minutes Pascoe and the others lose sight of the shadow on the roof.

This was partly due to the fact that they could not use their lighted magic tools in order to avoid being noticed.

"...... d*mn ......"

Pascoe is disappointed. Lélamy is also dour. He is worried about his slow pace.

"I'm sorry, captain. It's because I'm slow. ......"

"No, don't worry about it. Even if there were more of us, we wouldn't have been able to keep up."

Pascoe's eyes were fixed on the rooftop where the bandits had disappeared, even as he consoled Lélamie.

* * * * * *

(These are the bandits who are now disturbing the royal city, aren't they? ......)

Meanwhile, besides Pascoe and Lélamy, there were others who were chasing the bandits.

(Are they two and ......1 body?)

The fifth column (Quinta), a male Regulus 2, a.k.a. Reiver, is stationed in Alban, the capital of the Kingdom of Klein.

< and moves through the air by <> so that it cannot be noticed.

(Although it is a few steps ...... inferior to the master's, it is the key, isn't it?)

The rider is staring at a shadow about half the size of an adult male.

(A small golem? (A small golem......... It would certainly be easy to sneak into that one, wouldn't it?)

A golem about 80 centimeters tall, with the physique of a child. It seems to be the bandits' trump card.

It can easily pass through gaps that adults cannot pass through, and if its strength is twice that of an adult ......, it is quite reassuring.

(Seeing it running on the roof with little noise, it seems to have good mobility. They also seem to be light in weight).

Regulus 2 and Leiber observed and analyzed them carefully.

The two and one arrived at the outskirts of town. The time is 1:00 am.

The bandits were looking up at the sky as if waiting for something. And there it was.

（A black hot air balloon (......?)

A jet-black hot-air balloon that seems to have come to pick them up.

(I guess you can't find it unless you know it and look up at the night sky. In that sense, they were lucky ...... or unlucky, I guess.)

In the first place, only bandits or guards would be outside in the middle of the night, since guards would normally keep an eye on the ground.

In this case, the bandits had Pascoe and Lélamy in their sights without knowing it, but not Leiber.

The two men and one of them boarded a hot air balloon that was slowly descending.

Only one man was in the hot air balloon. The man asked them.

"Good job. How did it go?"

"Of course, I'm sure."

One of the passengers held up a bag that appeared to contain gold coins and showed it to them.

"Well, it must be no less than 50 gold coins," he said.

They were not after precious metals that could be easily traced, but only money.

"Well, that's about right. Okay, let's go home."

The black hot air balloon glides through the night sky, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

The fifth-row driver followed them, unnoticed.