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I spent several days making arrangements for my absence and successfully slipped out of Zaria under the pretext of an “inspection of northern Zaria.” Technically, that wasn’t a lie.
However, I have a watchdog with me.

“Boss, don’t do anything strange, okay?”

Jerich is accompanying me on this trip as the representative of the Werewolf Corps.
When I told Jerich’s unit about the inspection, they insisted that the squad leader accompany me personally.
I couldn’t very well tell them not to come, so I decided to set out with Jerich. I’ll leave the rest to the three squad members.

He was smiling meaningfully, so I asked him.

“You look like you already know where we’re going.”
“Ever since we were kids, it’s been obvious when you’re up to something, Boss.”
“What? You knew from the start?”
“Yeah.”

It seems my childhood friend saw right through me. But I’m grateful that it saved me the trouble of trying to convince him. Friends are what you need.
Jerich looks strangely pleased as he asks me.

“So, how far are we going? Worngang?”

Jerich mentioned Worngang, the fortress city north of Zaria, but I shook my head.

“We’re going to Klauchen.”

Jerich stared at me intently, then sighed with a wry smile.

“Boss.”
“What?”
“Ah, never mind. Let’s go.”

What the hell?

“You really do pull off crazy stunts without batting an eye, Boss.”

Kait, who had come to pick us up, looked puzzled.

“You don’t seem too surprised when you heard where Mr. Veit is headed?”
“Haha, well, yeah! Boss’s been pulling stunts like this since he was a kid!”

Was I really that rowdy?

Then Jerich sighed again and said to Kait with an unusually pleased look on his face.

“This guy once defended a village from monsters while still in human form when he was a kid. All by himself, no less.”
“Without turning into a werewolf? What kind of situation was that?”

Since Kait seemed interested, I hurriedly stepped in to stop Jerich before he said anything else.

“Enough about that already! That was over ten years ago, wasn’t it!?”

That’s my earliest memory—getting scolded relentlessly by Big Sis Fern.

“By the way, Mr. Veit.”
“What is it?”
“I thought the Demon Lord’s Army had practitioners of teleportation magic, so why are we walking all the way to Klauchen?”

Oh, so he’d noticed after all.
If you know the story of me appearing in the north and fighting the fake hero, any mage would suspect that possibility.

However, calculating coordinates is essential for using teleportation magic. Without detailed location data for the destination, you never know where or how you’ll end up.
If you’re teleported to a location with a 100-meter elevation difference, there’s a chance you could be sent 100 meters underground or 100 meters above ground.

“It would be nice if we could just be teleported there, but apparently, you can only teleport to places you’ve visited and surveyed in detail. Didn’t you learn that during your training?”

Kait then made a frustrated face.

“The Senate’s Magic Academy is very secretive; they hardly teach anything outside your major. They even told us not to teach other students about detection magic.”

What a contrast to Master, who loves to talk about things even when no one asks.

Since Jerich and I were serving as Kait’s porters and bodyguards, we decided to enjoy the journey to the northernmost city, Klauchen, at the Senate’s expense.
The first city is the fortress city of Worngang. It’s a military stronghold considered the Senate’s trump card against the south.
Since Jerich and I are werewolves, if we were scanned with magic during the inspection at the city gates, our true identities would be exposed.
But we have Lord Kait, a mage directly under the Senate.

“These two are my bodyguards. We’re in a hurry, so could you let us through?”
“Ah, y-yes, please! Thank you for your service!”

That means no inspection. Wonderful.

Our lodging is a luxury hotel that’s the Senate’s official supplier, and of course, the entire bill is covered by the Senate.
Food paid for with the enemy’s money tastes exceptionally good.
In the north, there’s a dish similar to cheese fondue, and since the flavor varies from city to city, I’ve decided to try them all.
The cheese in Worngang was white, mild, and easy to eat. I could probably eat this forever.
Kait watches me with a sigh.

“Some nerve you have, Mr. Veit.”
“It’s no big deal even if they found out. Ah, Jerich, pass me that bread.”
“Sure thing.”

If Jerich and I transformed into werewolves, escaping from here would be a piece of cake. We could just carry Kait with us.
But Kait seems to have gotten the wrong idea; he’s nodding thoughtfully.

“True—if you ever wanted to, you could turn this whole town into ruins in half a day, right?”

Don’t be ridiculous.

After that, I made full use of Kait’s authority to arrange an inspection tour of the northern cities.
The fortress city of Worngang, and the agricultural city of Vilheim to its northeast. The cities of the Northern Alliance are all impressive and have large populations.
That’s because the population overflowing from the cramped cities of the south has migrated here. This, too, is a scheme of the Senate.

“So there are a lot of people from the south in the Northern Alliance, too…”

Then Jerich peered at my face.

“Boss, you’ve got that evil look on your face again.”
“Yup.”

I’ll probably be able to use this for something someday.

Along the way, there were a few nerve-wracking moments, like getting stopped for questioning, but thanks to Kait’s authority, we managed to get through it safely.
It also helped that Jerich was a blacksmith and knew a lot about weapons.
It’s cool how he could casually tell a guard, “You should probably get the tip of your spear reforged soon.” He really looks like a veteran mercenary.
I tried my best to act like a skilled mage-warrior too… but before I knew it, I was treating the guard’s back pain, so I feel like I completely missed the mark on how I was supposed to present myself.

Along the way, we tried comparing dishes like cheese fondue. We’ve only visited two cities so far, so we still have a long way to go before we’ve conquered them all.

“What was it called? That orange-ish cheese that’s a specialty of Vilheim. That was delicious.”
“It’s good, but isn’t it a little too rich? I prefer whiter cheese. Like the one I had in Worngang. Just simple bread on the side.”
“Don’t talk like an old man. It’s meat, man. Beef is the best.”
“Just how much do you love meat, Mr. Veit?”
“I’m a werewolf, can’t help it.”

Lately, Kait has been treating me like we’re a senior and junior in a club. Apparently, that’s how he sees me.
He’s being pretty laid-back for someone facing an enemy commander—especially a demon who’s trying to use him.
Maybe I should give him a little warning.

“But you know, I think you should have a little more sense of danger.”
“Huh? No, you of all people have no right to say that, Mr. Veit…”
“He’s right, Boss.”

What the hell is wrong with these two?