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Since my uniform was ripped, I had no other choice but to wear my casual clothes. Anyway, now that we’re ready, we headed to the Leader’s office.

「You’ve finally arrived. Still, you took quite some time.」
「There was a bit of a problem, so yeah. Oh, can I ask for a new set of uniform?」
「I don’t mind but-…… Hm? Ahh, I see. Considering what happened earlier, the uniform was torn up, was it?」

He’s oddly sharp, though he has no tact at all, doesn’t he? Normally, you wouldn’t ask that even if you know, don’t you think?
And since Nera-san is letting out a deep sigh, this has probably happened before, huh.

「Now then, would you mind explaining the situation?」
「Before that, umm… Leader, I’m really sorry.」
「About what?」
「Well, I might have been a bit too harsh in the past, so…」
「…… Finally warming up to me?」
「No! I’m just saying sorry because I thought that I went too far!」

But now I sound like a real tsundere, don’t I? The leader even has a huge grin on his face. Oh come on!

「So, about what happened earlier…」

Well, there’s not really much to explain, I just acted a bit too careless. And after that, the Order of Knights just overreacted.
After honestly explaining that, the Leader was a bit taken aback.

「While it’s quite amazing that you were able to do that after simply thinking that you might be able to, you should consult someone before doing these kinds of things. At any rate, the only casualties this time were some trees, so you won’t be punished for this but be more careful from now on.」

After saying so, he had a big gulp of his tea.
While I was waiting for his next words, I noticed that Nera-san was glaring at him. Probably also noticing that, the Leader knits his brows. But after pondering for a while, he had a seemingly stunned look on his face. I wonder why?

「I-It can’t be, you mean that this is also a habit!?」
「As I thought, you haven’t noticed it, have you? You always drink that way before saying something that the other party would likely dislike.」

Heeh~ So Nera-san knew about this habit of his. Since the Leader said “also”, I guess Nera-san knows more of his other habits as well. But even though she does work under him, it isn’t something you’d normally notice, is it? Hmmm…… It can’t be that, can it?

「Then, is the subject of this matter about what you’ve previously wanted to discuss with Natsuki-san?」
「Well that’s a part of it, but there’s one more thing…… Which should I start with?」

Eh? There’s something else? I probably can’t say that I don’t want to hear it, so which should we start with?

「Hmm, then I want to start with the one you’ve wanted to talk about before.」
「I understand. Well, although I said that I need to discuss something, I simply wanted you to listen to my excuse, or rather explanation.」

According to the Leader, the reason he invited us to join the Order of Mages is because it’ll be scary if we leave for another country and become their enemy, and……
Because he wanted idols for the Order…… What?……

「I’m quite baffled…… I can understand the going to another country thing, but idols? What the heck? So you agreed to our absurd contract just because of that?」
「Well, no, it’s mostly because of the former. I swear, it’s true. As such, could you please not look at me like that……」

Is it really though? Besides, even if you say that, it’s only natural for me to react like this, you know?
Well anyway, since it’s not like he’s actually in love with us, that’s a relief.

Now, he’s sipping the tea in a way that looks like he’s dampening his lips, but is this one of his habits as well?
Stealing a glance at Nera-san’s direction, she’s not just glaring at him, she’s scowling at him too, so I’m probably right.

「So then, what is the other matter you want to discuss?」(Ruti)
「About that, you see, there’s a rumor that a group of bandits had built a hideout at the Northwestern Mountain Range. It’s not an issue if it’s simply a rumor, but there are actually bandits appearing around the area. And because of that, I want Nera-kun and Natsuki-kun to investigate the area.」

Excuse me? And what about Ruti? Can’t there be three people?

「Why am I not a part of this? Also, couldn’t this be entrusted to the Order of Knights?」

「This is because the Order of Knights specializes in functioning as a group. The knights aren’t used to acting in small teams. On the other hand, the Order of Mages is suited for missions that require only a few people. Also, because of magic, mages have higher mobility. For those reasons alone, reconnaissance and investigation are what make up most of the Order of Mages’ job.

Also, the reason that Ruti-kun isn’t part of this mission is because we want to reduce the risk of detection by limiting the number of people. For that, I’ve selected Nera-kun, for her experience, and the strong close-combat fighter, Natsuki-kun, just in case anything happens.」

「I understand why I was chosen, but how long does it take to reach the rumored place?」

I’d hate it if it’s too far away. I’ve never been separated from Ruti for long periods of time, so I just can’t help but feel anxious without her.

「On foot, the town nearest to the location is approximately 20 days away. And from the town, the location would take about 2 days away.
However, you’ll be given permission to fly around the outskirts of the town, so flying should make the travel time much shorter. Although in that case, Natsuki-kun will be carrying Nera-kun since she can’t fly.」

Ugeh… At most, I expected it to take as much time as the slime campaign back then, but it’s not even going to come close to it. No choice but to fly full speed carrying Nera-san, huh. I should be able to go faster now, so that should shorten our travel time by a lot.

「…… Say, can’t you assign other people to do it? Otherwise, maybe you can reconsider going too.
If I go along, we should be strong enough. You wouldn’t mind if we actually annihilate them instead of investigating, would you?」

Ruti-san, stop jinxing itttt!? That’s like “I’m marrying Ruti after this mission” level bad.

「I said that it’s an investigation, didn’t I? We don’t even know how large this bandit group is. As the leader, I can’t permit an extermination campaign. There’s too much of a risk.
Besides that, the others are also assigned to different missions, so the former isn’t possible. Do you understand?」

「But……」

「Ruti-san, I will also be going along with Natsuki-san, so please be at ease. Despite how I look, I am still a captain. This isn’t the first time the Leader gave unreasonable demands, but I’ve always managed to handle it.」

Nera-san also tried persuading Ruti, but it looks like she’s still worried about it.
Would she be convinced if I say something myself?

「It’s going to be fine. We’ll just go there quickly, complete it, and I’ll be back in no time.
So Ruti, just wait for me here. Besides, once I’m back, I’ll do any one thing that you want.」

「…… Fine. But don’t push yourself, alright? You can’t come back wounded, alright? Promise me?」

「I know. You’re worrying too much. Nera-san’s coming too, so I’ll be back without a scratch, okay?」

Ruti embraces me. I guess she’s just that worried about me. There, there. I stroked her head to help her relax.

Still, I somehow managed to convince her, but it was probably too much to say I’ll do anything she wants……
Well, for Ruti’s sake, I do intend to do anything, though.

「Why does my black tea taste so sweet right now……」

Ah, sorry about forgetting you, Leader.