Published: August 10, 2026
A statue of the first king in the Sars Capital.
The statue, said to have been made at the time of the nation's founding, is life-sized, though it stands atop a pedestal, and is said to well represent the first king's character.
There is no exaggeration at all, and the material is plain and ordinary. He must have truly been devoted to frugality and simplicity.
Even the existence of this statue suggests that Sars gained its independence peacefully.
The statue stands in a square where people come and go, and is sometimes used as a meeting place.
And today, as usual, there is a group waiting in front of the statue.
"Look, that château over there is the center of Sars politics. It's also the royal residence, but in Sars, it's probably more of a parliament building than a castle. Even the exterior reflects that, wouldn't you say?"
An elder gentleman with a cane topped by a spider carving that drew the eye spoke in a gentle voice.
"That's just an old man who can't resist rambling about trivia whenever he gets the chance. Boring for the young, isn't it?"
Insai laughed, his face lively and youthful despite the cunning air he wore.
"I haven't been to the castle since I was banned from it. Guess I'll have to make them serve me some expensive tea after all this time."
Even in old age, the broad-shouldered elder shook with laughter as he slapped Lizel on the shoulder.
Standing with those three, Lizel gave a single thoughtful nod.
He had declared that he would lean on others as much as he liked, and he had indeed tried to stop hesitating about borrowing people's help.
Still, he couldn't help thinking that he had picked a very convenient group of people to rely on.
"You mean you're still unbanned?"
"If they aren't kicking me out, then I'm unbanned, aren't I?"
"The fact that you can say things like that without missing a beat is why adventurers are so hard to hire. The adventurers' guild really does a good job."
Thus the three veterans traded light banter.
Watching them, Eleven, standing beside Lizel, said with a half-smile, "Your leader selection is insane."
"I didn't exactly choose them for that reason."
It was hard to deny that this had turned into a group that looked fit not just to lend a hand, but to leave everything to entirely.
Still, that only made it more reassuring, and Lizel smiled at that conclusion. Behind him—
"......"
The official who had come to receive them looked like he was on the verge of death.
Yesterday, Lizel had asked the elite for one additional favor.
He had asked them to gather, from among Lizel's acquaintances, people who knew the details of the great invasion and who had enough standing to complain to Sars, and who would be willing to go along with that complaint. Of course, they also had to be free on the day in question.
The elite who received that request had been momentarily at a loss upon realizing that there were multiple people who fit those conditions.
Rather than wanting to say "No one like that exists," the reality was that there were actually quite a few. The last condition, added almost as a joke, couldn't be laughed off because it genuinely narrowed the field down.
And so, the three elders before them had been gathered.
"Insai-san, you were in Sars?"
"Nah, I was over at Judge's place. So I only just got here."
"Sorry to drag you away from family time."
"No, no. I've got my own complaints for Sars too."
The envoy leading them toward their destination had a dead look in his eyes.
"How did you, elite-san, know Insai-san was in the Capital City?"
"Did someone say something to that guy over there?"
The one Eleven glanced toward was the elder gentleman, straight-backed and refined, wearing a mild smile.
Eleven shot him a suspicious look, then said bluntly to Lizel, "Information broker chief. Top of the line around here."
"Oh, come to think of it, Insai-san did say something like that before."
"That was just a side job. Personally, I'd be happy if he'd keep talking with me."
"Of course. I'd be happy to as well."
Lizel smiled.
This was someone he could talk to deeply about books, in a very different way from Arim—someone with whom he could have real literary discussions.