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A few days had passed since I started working in Zaria when a messenger from the Senate arrived again. It was Kait.

“I apologize for my rudeness the other day.”

The young man bowed deeply and explained the situation.

“Regarding Lord Vorzharb’s greatsword, it was exactly as you explained. Considering the circumstances, we will not demand its return.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”

I’m truly glad.

But Kait continued.

“Today, I have brought a formal letter from the Senate addressed to Zaria.”

If it’s an official letter to the Governor of Zaria, they should have called for Shatina instead of me.
Just as I thought that and started to stand up, Kait waved his hands frantically.

“Y-you see! Given the nature of the contents, um…”

Ah, so it contains something that would make Shatina furious.
He’s having it hard too, huh.

I gave a wry smile and took the letter from him.

“Well then, as Lady Shatina’s tutor, I’ll take a look at it first.”
“I’d appreciate that. If possible, could you perhaps put in a good word for us?”
“I’ll do my best.”

I agreed to that and read the letter from the Senate.

The Senate’s letter was utter nonsense.
Simply put, it said, “We can’t trust the demon race, so let’s take Miraldia back into human hands.”
This is terrible for a letter addressed to a governor, let alone one meant for ordinary citizens.
All the governors of Miraldia prioritize the lives of their citizens above all else. To put it bluntly, as long as it’s for the citizens, they couldn’t care less what happens to Miraldia as a whole.
So even if someone waves around a grand cause like “humans versus demons,” the governors probably wouldn’t be very interested. In fact, for the sake of the city’s safety and prosperity, they’d even ally themselves with the demons.

I folded the letter and could only manage a wry smile.

“Do you know the contents of this letter, Sir Kait?”
“Yes, since I’m the messenger…”

He wiped the sweat from his brow with a tense expression. Poor fellow.
I spoke to him gently.

“There are two problems with this letter. First, it offers no benefit to Zaria or the governor—it preaches only righteousness.”

A noble cause is, after all, merely a wrapping paper to conceal one’s true intentions. You cannot move a governor or an army with a noble cause alone. You need a more practical reason.

“And the second is that the very righteousness it is trying to preach is greatly mistaken.”

In the Southern Federation, harmony between humans and demons is gradually progressing.
Demons have begun to migrate little by little into the various cities within the Federation.
Until now, the Senate had imposed restrictions on infrastructure development, such as city walls, but that is no longer the case.
Urban redevelopment is underway in every city, and demons and nomads are moving into the newly built residential areas in droves. Since the majority of the demons who have arrived are dogfolks and dragonfolks, they are very well-received by the residents.
Even without the Demon Lord’s Army taking the lead, the coexistence of humans and demons will likely be irreversible.

“In the Miraldia Federation, the coexistence of humans and demons is the very essence of our cause. Demons are neither barbaric nor ferocious.”

Kait then counters:

“But the three northern cities of Bachen, Schwelm, and Arjög have been occupied by demons and have suffered significant damage.”

That may indeed be true for the people of the north…
As for the Second Division’s legacy of destruction, I’m afraid I’ll have to pretend I don’t know anything about it. I didn’t have the power to stop it back then.

“Demons and humans are getting along just fine here in the south. I know nothing of the north.”

But Kait seemed to have anticipated this response and pressed the issue relentlessly.

“But there’s no doubt that the werewolves appearing in Zaria are ferocious. It’s that werewolf known as the Slayer of Four-Hundred, you know?”

That’s me.
I should have revealed my true identity sooner, but based on past experience, whenever people find out I’m a werewolf, they get unnecessarily scared, so I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“Four hundred people…”

Kait seemed to misinterpret my muttered remark, which sounded slightly shocked. He immediately replied:

“That’s right, a slayer of four-hundred. A cruel and ferocious monster. In the north, he slaughtered the hero’s party, turned them into zombies, and put them on display. Such heinous acts can never be forgiven.”

They turned into zombies due to the kindness of the current Demon Lord, you know…
I hesitated for a moment, but decided to try arguing back.

“You speak as if you’ve seen it all, Sir Kait.”

At that, he wore a slightly smug expression.

“I am a mage; I can accurately discern events that have occurred in the past.”
“I see. So you’re a divination mage, Sir Kait.”

Divination magic involves discerning past and present events, and it’s closely related to precognition magic, which reveals the future. These are the fields in which humans excel most. No other race values history as much as humans do.
That means he’s not a diplomat, but an investigator.
No wonder his diplomacy skills are so awkward. And I’ve also figured out, more or less, why the Senate sent him here.

Unaware that he had just revealed critical information, Kait nodded and spoke with conviction.

“I have been conducting investigations across the land on the Senate’s orders and reporting on the atrocities committed by the Demon Lord’s Army. They are absolutely not a force with which humans can coexist.”

From Kait’s perspective as someone living in the north, that is certainly true. Neither I nor the Demon Lord’s Army have done a single good deed in the north.
But it wouldn’t do for this kind of rumor to spread, so I’d better refute it.

“Unlike the Senate, the Demon Lord’s Army doesn’t assassinate governors. I think that alone makes us a trustworthy partner, don’t you?”

Kait frowned.

“The Senate would never resort to assassination. The Senate has the authority to dismiss a governor. There’s no need for assassination.”

He doesn’t seem to be lying about this either. He hasn’t been told anything important—in short, he’s just a messenger.

If he doesn’t know, I’ll teach him the truth.

“The thing is, even if they dismissed the former governor of Zaria, they couldn’t stop the region from leaving the Alliance. That’s why they assassinated him. I have evidence.”
“Evidence?”
“The poison used in the assassination can only be harvested deep in the mountains of northern Miraldia. People from the south don’t know how to handle it.”

And I handed him the knife the assassin had been carrying. It belonged to the assassin I’d defeated at the scene of the governor’s assassination.

“As a practitioner of detection magic, you should be able to examine this knife in every detail—where it came from and what it was used for.”

Kait stared intently at the knife, then nodded slightly.

“Very well, I’ll take a look.”

To master the art of retrocognition, that is to say, reading the past, one must learn many techniques, such as those for sharpening the five senses and grasping the passage of time.
Furthermore, analyzing and understanding the fragmented information obtained requires extensive knowledge. One must also be highly erudite to determine the date, time, and location from the scenes perceived.
The art of retrocognition stands at the pinnacle of this vast body of knowledge.
Incidentally, I can’t do it.

Kait stared intently at the knife. It seemed that retrocognition required a considerable amount of time and mental concentration.

“The streets of the religious city of Ioro Lange… the Schude Mercenary Corps… the poison of the purple willow… indeed, all of these are from the north…”

Kait had been staring at the knife as if in deep thought, but eventually muttered as if suddenly struck by a realization.

“Lord Rükaitos!?”

Aha, so the mastermind’s name is Rükaitos, is it? I’ll keep that in mind.
Kait hurriedly looked up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I… I saw it. I definitely saw the Senate’s envoy… No, but that can’t be! Surely not!?”
“If you are a mage yourself, you should understand that the history of that knife is an undeniable fact. The art of seeing the past is ‘silent, yet it never lies,’ is that not so?”

Kait then asked with a tense expression.

“Why do you know that… Who on earth are you!?”

Good, I’m glad you asked. This is my only chance to introduce myself.
I let out a relieved smile and told him my name.

“My name is Vait. I am the guardian of Lady Shatina, Governor of Zaria, and a councilor of the Miraldia Federation. And I am the Demon Lord’s direct vice-command.”

He seems to be a suspicious sort, so I’ll transform and show him the proof.
Watching me transform into a werewolf, Kait turns pale.

“Y…you’re…L-Lord Veit?!”

The knife falls from his hand and clatters to the floor.