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A few days have gone by since that personage has ordered me to keep an eye on Prince Washekt. 

The Serende King told Prince Washekt to cooperate with the resident of Yugura’s planet. 

It is possible their objective will be detrimental for that personage.

(It seems like there’s other people aside from that personage who are interested in Prince Washekt though…) 

I can tell there’s people acting like civilians within the presences in the surroundings.

I am pretty sure it is the spies sent by the other candidates to the throne. 

I want to know the exact number, but it is possible even my presence will be noticed if I were to show such intentions.

I am also trying to act like a passerby and avoiding any actions that might make me stand out. This is most definitely the right decision.

There aren’t many by the side of Prince Washekt, so I should be able to gather as much information as I want if I really try to. 

This is because Prince Washekt chooses who will be by his side by personality rather than skills. 

But I can’t act carelessly right now. 

It is because the ones by the side of the resident of Yugura’s planet that made contact with Prince Washekt are extremely dangerous after all. 

First would be the Blade of Annihilation, Mix. 

Anyone who knows a lot about adventurers would know about this woman. 

If the tales are true that she wiped out the Geshva bandits alone, I at the very least wouldn’t be able to do anything about her by myself. 

And then, there’s the white demi-human and the female knight of Taizu… Those two are no joke. It is to a degree where I would believe they are Demon Lords if I were told that. 

(It is great that this is just a mission to observe. I wouldn’t want to clash blades with those people.) 

The only saving grace is that the resident of Yugura’s planet is pretty much a civilian. 

I would be able to win against him no issues even with both arms and legs tied. 

Or rather, I don’t feel any mana from him to a degree where I think he might die from exhaustion or something. 

I once thought that maybe he is hiding his mana with quite the skill, but I could immediately tell that wasn’t the case. 

That resident of Yugura’s planet is currently checking the ruins together with Prince Washekt. 

It is possible they are exchanging information in some way while doing that, but I can’t tail someone that’s traveling by horse. 

We are talking about Prince Washekt who is showing abnormal degrees of attachment to ruins, so I don’t think they are having that much of an important talk, but…I can’t really say it is not possible. 

And so, I will leave Prince Washekt to the others and investigate the resident of Yugura’s planet. 

I have infiltrated the medical facility that he is using as a patient in the neighboring room. 

The excuse is that I am beginning to get into the habit of straining my back. So, I am a civilian that requires treatment. 

It may be for the mission, but destroying my own back with magic makes me feel conflicted. 

I hope it doesn’t really turn into a habit though… But I should be able to listen in without putting my ear on the wall. 

A decent amount of days have gone by since that man was hospitalized. 

He will most likely be discharged soon, but I have not overlooked that either. 

I have already secured the neighboring room of the inn that Mix has arranged. 

I am also in the middle of setting my comrades as employees. 

“Shishou, good work!” 

“Seriously, it really was tough work. That Washekt guy talked only about ruins even on our way there.” 

“He was also bragging about his little sister. It must be pretty reassuring to be liked that much.” 

“I respect my brother too and treasure him, but it made me a bit jealous-desu zo!” 

Speaking of the devil, the resident of Yugura’s planet has returned. 

I can hear the conversation without issues. 

I consider the possibility that they might be able to tell my movements even through the wall, so I act as if I am trying to rest in bed as I silently concentrate on their conversation. 

“By the way, you seemed to be awfully interested in the ruins. Did you find anything interesting?” 

“Hmm, yeah. It was a civilization before the influence of Yugura Nariya, so there were a good couple of interesting discoveries, you know. I managed to hear stories about the other ruins from Washekt, so it might be a good idea to go around a few more of them once I have a bit more free time.” 

Looks like they really just toured the ruins. 

In that case, if Prince Washekt gave them any information, it would just be in the form of documents? Was there no noteworthy discussion in that vein? 

“Talking about your memories in this little trip is fine and all, but it would be better to lower your voices. I am fine with it, but it could hinder the sleep of the patients in the neighboring rooms.” 

“Ah, that’s true.” 

Knight of Mejis, Yox. 

He apparently was hospitalized due to some pretty serious injuries, but he really had to stick his nose where he didn’t need to. 

He gets along well with his woman the whole day, and I am being made to listen to his sickeningly sweet conversations, but to think I would feel displeasure towards him here as well. 

Well, what he is saying is common sense. 

Lowering their volume to a certain degree will lower their wariness since there would be less of a worry that others will hear it. 

I can clearly hear them even if they lower their voices as someone who has been trained in that field. 

“There was someone in the neighboring room?” 

“It seems like there was someone who finished the process to be hospitalized while you were out with Prince Washekt. I had Lilisa confirm this, and it seems like it is a treatment for a strained back.” (Yox)

They are unexpectedly thorough. 

They managed to investigate the reason for my hospitalization in this short span of time? 

But I am actually receiving medical treatment, so I can just continue in bed without worrying about anything. 

“Cara-jii also gets his back strained often now. So it doesn’t just heal in an instant with magic, huh.” 

“It depends on the treatment. Healing magic mostly uses the mana of the person and increases the recovery of the person themselves. But the ones who receive the treatment don’t know much about how their own body works, right? It may be possible to bring it to a state close to how it was before, but it is hard to bring it back to the ideal state.” (Yox)

“So that’s why scars still remain.” 

“That’s right. A skilled mage would still need a decent amount of time to treat the body of another person to an ideal state. Most of the process is eaten by weaving the spell and adjusting the healing to the reaction of the patient.” (Yox)

That’s exactly right. That’s why deceiving a doctor isn’t that difficult. 

I just have to show them my back is actually injured and demand them to properly heal it, and I won’t have any issues being hospitalized. 

I give them a little extra to get the room I want and use the excuse that I am picky when it comes to the scenery I see outside the window.

“That means it will take a while for you to be discharged, Yox.” 

“Not really. Lilisa is skilled in healing magic. She knows my body extremely well, including my body’s reaction to healing magic. I should be able to recover far faster than normal as long as my stamina comes back.” (Yox)

“Can this be considered bragging, too?” 

It does. 

To think I would feel heartache even when his lover isn’t around. 

Maybe I should smack the wall next time to complain. 

No, no, what am I doing trying to appeal my presence when I went through so much work infiltrating?

“Ah right, Mister Friend. How about sharing some of this mountain of fruits with the neighbor?” 

“Oh, that’s a good idea. He is hospitalized because of a strained back, so there shouldn’t be any restrictions to what he can eat, and there aren’t many people visiting him. Wolfe, please put a few of them that have a good color and shape inside a basket.” 

“Okay~.” (Wolfe)

He plans on coming here? 

No, there’s no need to get flustered. 

He is simply trying to share some of his fruits with me since he was given so many from his visitors. 

I should just act like a good civilian, get moderately surprised, and thank them moderately. 

They shouldn’t get conscious of me if I don’t try to get along with them carelessly and maintain distance. 

“You are going to put in that much?” 

“A bit more. I feel like I can put a bit more in. I have already finished sharing with the patients nearby. This is my last chance.” 

“Even if so, that amount is just…” 

Wait a moment, how much are you planning on giving me? 

It is not like I like fruits that much, you know? 

The resident of Yugura’s planet came out of his room after a while and arrived in front of my door. 

And then, he knocked on the door a few times.

“Come in.” 

The door was slowly opened at my response. 

A young face, and black hair and eyes…

I should show a wondering face here and then change into a questioning look. 

“Sorry for coming here so late in the night. I am a patient of the neighboring room.” 

“Uhm…is something the matter?” 

“I was out not that long ago, and I heard about you just now, so I have come to greet you.” 

A gentle expression. 

Unnecessary strength leaves me even without me being too conscious about it. 

He is someone the Serende King ordered Prince Washekt to help out. 

I was worried about how sharp this guy was, but he seems like a good guy. 

But the female knight in the neighboring room is keeping her guard up. 

It would be better to not stare at him too much.

“There was no need to hurry. You could have come tomorrow morning.” 

“I wanted to, but this…” 

The resident of Yugura’s planet showed me a basket filled with a mountain of fruits. 

That’s not an amount you give to one person.

Just how much is he getting? 

“Uh…what’s that?” 

“There were a bit too many people visiting me, you see. I have a bit too many fruits now. I was thinking about sharing a bit of them before they go bad.” 

“T-That many? I am grateful, but…I don’t know if I would be able to eat them all…” 

“You can just eat what you can. There’s still a lot more in  my room, so…I feel like I am eating fruits as my main meal. My main meal has become desserts, hahaha…” 

“A-Alright…” 

The resident of Yugura’s planet must have been happy by my response, he left the fruit basket on top of a nearby table with a happy face. 

He really must have been troubled about how to finish them.

“By the way, who ordered you to infiltrate this place?” 

◇◇

His reaction makes him guilty. 

There’s no doubt this old man infiltrated this place in order to get information from me.

Ilias got in between me and the old man with sword drawn faster than the old man could react. 

“Wait, wait. You shouldn’t rampage in a hospital room.” 

“But…” (Ilias)

“W-What?! What are you talking about?!” 

He is a pretty good actor. 

He must have judged that I am trying to bait him here and is trying to push on the civilian narrative.

But I can’t give you a passing grade with that.

“You should have been more flustered about having a sword pointed at you before acting dumb. Civilians are more scared of bladed weapons, you know.” 

“As I said, what are you talking about?!” 

“You probably think you managed to have a normal conversation there, but you normally wouldn’t think these many fruits would be for just one person. It is more normal to think that I would be going around to the other patients, too. And yet, you understood that all of these fruits were for you and reacted accordingly. In other words, you were listening in to our conversation in the neighboring room, right?” 

“?!” 

That said, we didn’t speak that loudly and the walls of this hospital aren’t that thin. 

It was a volume that you would need to put your ear on the wall or have some pretty damn good ears. 

If he were simply a civilian with good ears, he should have made a face as if he already knew. 

“That’s not all. Strangers came to your room, moreover, one of them is a knight from a foreign country. If you are going to be reacting like a civilian, it would have been better for you to be sneaking glances in fear of danger rather than just making a wondering face. There’s no way a guy that just got here today would be able to know the appearance of Ilias.” 

“A-About that, I simply heard about it from the people of this facility—” 

“It would have been better to say you saw Ilias in the city before you were hospitalized. I could gather all the hospital staff here and confirm whether they have told you about the appearance of Ilias, you know?” 

“That’s…!” 

Looks like he has said something unnecessary after being pointed out what he should reflect on. 

I have spoken to the doctors and employees in the time I was here, but I didn’t see any suspicious actions. 

Me being hospitalized was unexpected to begin with. 

“Is this man really trying to investigate us?” (Ilias)

“There’s no need to question that part. I have already evaluated him as darker than gray. We should be able to tell immediately after investigating it. For example; whether that back pain is self-inflicted or not.” 

The chances are higher that this old man has injured himself to pass off as a patient rather than the mastermind ordering an already injured guy to infiltrate the place. 

It may have been more natural if it were a guy that strains his back easily from carrying heavy stuff, but would such a person try to investigate like an anbu?

A doctor would get suspicious if there’s external wounds, so he must have brought himself into a state close to a strained back with magic or something. 

“Should we restrain him and have Dyuvuleori confirm his memories?” (Ilias)

“There’s no need to go that far. It is true that this old man has been hospitalized with an injured back. He most likely was just ordered to investigate us and doesn’t have much information himself.” 

It seems like an extension to keeping an eye on Washekt who was ordered to help me out.

In that case, the ones who would know about this would be the Serende King and the ones present at that time. 

Or people who have been keeping surveillance on Washekt already. 

“But wouldn’t it be better to make it clear who gave the order?” (Ilias)

“No need for that. Old man, please give my regards to Princess Yumis.” 

“—” 

I baited a reaction there, but it seems I was correct. 

From what I saw in the files Washekt gave me, the one who gave me the impression that she wouldn’t mind being discovered and would continue pushing on was Princess Yumis. 

Sending a spy to the neighboring hospital room is seriously an aggressive move. 

“Well, we can just have him move to a different room by tomorrow. He has to bear the risk of being under surveillance now that he has been discovered. He won’t be able to continue his mission to observe us.” 

“If you are fine with that…it can’t be helped.” (Ilias)

Ilias sheathes her sword back. 

It seems like she didn’t feel the old man trying to pull something here. 

He injured his own back to get hospitalized, so he wouldn’t try to escape or attack the moment his cover is blown. 

In other words, this old man isn’t that scared of the risk of being caught. 

Meaning that he doesn’t have that much noteworthy information. 

Learning that Princess Yumis is investigating us is information enough. 

“Are you…not going to do anything?” 

“We might put surveillance on you at least. See ya, old man. Do your best with the fruits, okay? You have to treat your body better.” 

“O-Okay…” 

I already knew that the other candidates would be taking some sort of action after making contact with Washekt. 

It is not clear whether Princess Yumis was the ally of Nektohal, but it can serve as an excuse to talk to her. 

Well, that’s all I got anyways. 

To be honest here, the biggest harvest here was that I managed to not waste the fruits, yup. 

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