A certain place in the capital.
『Royal Capital's Third Knight Order's Cavalry unit』――They are entrusted with the security of the royal city of Vinceton, and today they continue to patrol the streets as usual.
Here was a formidable knight duo.
Alex Virginia, 22, and Claris Virginia, 20.
They were brother and sister, to no one's surprise. The family was astounding: the father was a knight, and the little sister was a Kisenshou challenger for the 466th title games. The number of villains the two have arrested so far was one of the best, if not the best, among their peers in the jurisdiction. They were, so to speak, "professional patrolmen".
"Oh, it's so peaceful."
"Hmm, that's good."
In the morning, the two looked around the less populated part of the royal city.
A yawn-induced mumble. Although seemingly distracted, their eyes would never miss a criminal.
"..."
"Mnh."
"Oops? "
A young man came out of an alley.
He looked like an ordinary young man... but in their eyes, he was strange.
"The sign of someone drowning in darkness."
Alex was known as the "young noble" in his jurisdiction, and his use of language showed glimpses of this. There was something about him that gave him a distinctive feeling.
Claris took one look at her brother and chuckled.
Did he look at us, make a horrified face, and run away? "
"Umu. Shall we chase him down for now?"
"All right, let's call out to him."
Discovered with the eyes of the brother, analyzed with the eyes of the sister. This is why they were known as a great duo.
"Good morning. Mister, can we have a word? "
"Eh, what? "
"What were you doing? So early in the morning even."
"No, I was just…"
"Just what? Just what were you doing? "
"What? "Ahh...What was it?"
The man fidgeted and was restless.
He was acting suspiciously...Well, that was something they were grateful for.
"That one, I guess."
"That one, obviously."
They whisper to each other. They had already realized why the man was acting weird.
He sensed the unique "smell"... one that wafted from the man.
"You know, just tell us, it's all too obvious. We already know."
"Yeah. You can't get away with it now. Come on, say it. There's no point in hiding it."
"Yeah, that's right. It's easier to just talk."
"Eh...No."
"Get that out. Now. You have it, don't you? "
"Hey, bring it out. Come on, show us your belongings. It's better to be honest."
"Huh? What? I don't have anything! I ain't got nothing! "
The man was hiding something―― they could tell that much from the look on the man's face in that split second when he came out of the alley.
"Claris, call for backup."
"Yeah, yeah."
Claris launched a "signal arrow" into the sky under Alex's instruction. It was a marker to let the Third Knight Order know where they were.
Soon after, six knights rushed to support them.
The man was surrounded by knights and no longer had anywhere to run.
However, he made no attempt to comply with the search of his belongings.
Why on earth would he?
Yes, some things were not to be seen.
"I don't have any! Ahhhg! You guys are too stubborn! "
"Don't hide it. We know."
"Ahhhhh, you are in my way! Out of the way! Back off, yo! Get me a lawyer! A lawyer! "
"I'm asking to see your personal belongings first."
"I ain't showing you! What right do you have to do this? Bring a warrant! Hey! A warrant! "
The man raised his voice and ranted and roared.
Could it be that he put up a false bravado with his abusive words?
"Why won't you show me?" Is there anything you don't want us to see? "
"There's not! "
"Then you can show it. Show us your belongings."
"I refuse! "
"Why the refusal? "
"It's none of your business! "
"Wrong, it is our business. Let's see what you have on you."
"But I don't see why I have to show it to you guys! "
...An hour passed.
The man sat on the curb, still unwilling to submit to a search of his belongings.
He smoked cigarettes continuously. His hands were trembling and shaking. Is it fear, nervousness, or...
"Just give it up. I know it. You're using it? Right? "
What?! I ain't doing it! Let me go home, already! "
"You're not using it, then? Then you can show it, right? "
"I said I ain't showing you! "
"Why can't you show me? "
"Because I don't want to show you! "
"When you say it like that, it makes me suspect that you have something on your hands."
"I told you I'm not! "
"Then show me."
"I'm. Not. Showing. Anything! "
This is not going to get us anywhere... the knights sighed.
Then another knight rushed in.
"The inquiry is over. Two prior convictions, both for ※Caramelia (※meaning possession of Caramelia)."
"Oh, I knew it."
"As expected."
Claris and Alex gave each other a small nod in response to the expected report.
Probably...bingo.
This stubborn refusal was, after all, the reason behind it.
"Well, let's just go over to the station."
"Get up. Come with us."
"I said I don't want to! "
"Come on, get up."
"Stand up."
"Shut up! "
"You're bothering people, so just stand up."
"If you're sitting in a storefront, you're obstructing business."
"You're the ones who came in droves! Just fuck off already! "
"Kyaaa."
The man waved Claris away with his hand holding a cigarette.
Then the cigarette burned Claris, and she held her arm, screamed, and fell heavily on her buttocks.
"※Public disturbance! Public disturbance! (※meaning disruption of public order)"
「※Seize him! Seize him! Get him! (※meaning to arrest someone in the act)"
The next moment, the Third Knight Order pounced on the man without mercy.
Several people held him down, handcuffed him, restrained him, and took him to a holding cell.
It was the moment to catch him red-handed.
This was about an hour and a half after Alex and Claris had approached the man.
During a subsequent interrogation, the man confessed to using the illegal drug Caramelia. Three grams of Caramelia were found in the man's inventory and he was cited for violating the Caramelia Control Law.
"It's like this every day."
"As a knight, discipline is important."
"But a crime is still a crime."
"We must not let the bad guys get away with it."
"We just have to keep at it, even if it takes a while."
"Umu. Well, this is the best we can do."
They would work steadily, to do the best they could.
Today, the two skilled knight siblings continue to patrol the royal capital to protect public order.
On the outskirts of the royal capital.
The sun was setting, and the lights of the streetlamps illuminated the dimly lit night streets.
A passerby called out to the Knight Guards.
"A fight, a fight! "
"Which way? "
"There! The slum folks! "
According to a passerby, there had been a yelling quarrel between several men just a few minutes prior.
The knights immediately rushed to the scene.
Soon after, several figures that appeared to be onlookers came into view.
However, there was something odd about the atmosphere at the site.
"Uhh, those?"
"Four victims, apparently."
"Are you all right? Are you conscious? "
"...Not good, they've fainted."
Four men were lying on the ground.
A horrific scene... or so it seemed.
Strangely enough, they all "fainted".
"Hmm..."
More importantly, the knights had one thing on their minds.
Their external appearance was not what one would call that of "good people".
Was there some kind of conflict between gangs?
While thinking about it, the knights moved to secure the four men.
"Huh...I think I recognize him."
One knight whispered unexpectedly. This was Clarice Virginia, who was there for support.
She looked at the faces of the four men, thought for a moment, and then let out a surprised expression.
"These four are suspected of illicit Caramelia distribution...?）"
"Ehh."
Without a doubt a big catch.
It was also a scene that seemed as if someone had orchestrated it... given that they were all found unconscious.
The knights changed course from protecting to securing.
Afterward... as expected, a large amount of Caramelia was found in the inventories of the four of them.
These days, there was no end to the number of these strange incidents.
And without fail, at the scene of such incidents――
"Oh, there it is. The Lotus Flower."
A card featuring a lotus flower was left behind.
Rumor had it that the famous righteous bandit 『R6 (Rimusuma Six) 』 had been revived.
Apparently, a certain ambassador might or might not be behind it.
"I really wish they would stop, though, because it's dangerous. There's a lot of opposition within the Order. But as a knight, I think I'm more grateful for the help we've received, for now."
Claris said.
The maintenance of security in the capital might be in the midst of a transition to a new era.
"――will probably happen. Guess it's completed now."
The Vins Newspaper had a large headquarters in the heart of the royal capital. After finishing his article in one of the rooms, the young man reclined on the back of his chair and stretched out with a grin.
"Did you finish it? Good job."
"Oh, Editor-in-Chief, thank you. Can you check it please?"
A middle-aged man approached from behind the man. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Vins Newspaper.
He had the habit of checking articles written by reporters immediately after they were completed, and again this time he gave a short, one-word response, "Hmm," and began silently looking through the freshly completed article.
And then, after a few minutes. The editor-in-chief broke the silence.
"The second half is a no-go. Let's go with the first half."
"Eh!? "Why? "
He flatly rejected it.
Naturally, the reporter was not happy with the situation.
The editor-in-chief then scratched his head and continued his words.
"Do you know that story? About God's sigh."
"No, it's the first time I've heard it."
"There was this God that wasn't feeling all too well, so he let out a sigh. Haa, he went."
"Okay."
"And what do you think happened? "
"No idea..."
"There was a huge tornado that killed a bunch of people."
"...It's kind of a sad story, isn't it? I guess even God can't breathe a careless sigh."
"Yeah. Ultimately, with great power comes a corresponding responsibility and obligation."
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean..."
"――Hmm～. Do you, want me to teach you? "
Windfield, the spirit strategist, appeared without making a sound.
She had been associated with the Vins newspaper ever since she dropped a special story during the political strife.
"Geh."
"Geh? How mean. I wonder, if I'm being hated."
As soon as he saw Windfield's face, the editor-in-chief turned pale.
The editor-in-chief was not a fan of hers. He felt deeply frightened by the unusual sharpness of her mind.
"Well, whatever. The story continues. God's sigh, you know."
With the editor-in-chief stiffening with a tense expression on his face, Windfield turned to face the reporter.
The story of God's sigh. Needless to say, this was a story that Windfield shared with the editor-in-chief.
"The point is, you have to be careful what happens on a whim."
"On a w-whim?"
"Yeah. For example, someone with some great power, on a fleeting whim, helps others. Even if it's not a big deal to the person helping them, it's a really, really big deal to the person being helped."
'Like with Second-san,' she added in a whisper so as not to be overheard, and then smiled with a giggle.
Seeing her smile for the first time, the editor-in-chief widened his eyes and was quietly surprised.
"In other words...It's also true the other way around? "
"Indeed. Even if you think this is not that big of a deal, there might be someone out there who will make a real, real big deal out of it.
"I see. Is that the case with this article...?"
The man took Windfield's words to heart and looked again at the article he had written.
However, he did not seem to understand what was so problematic.
"I can't tell you the answer. I think it is important to think and realize it by yourself. What impact does each article have on the reader and what are the consequences? You have to think it through, you know?"
Windfield says as if admonishing while twirling her fingers.
Then, as she headed for the exit of the room, she opened her mouth to say one last thing.
"I think you know what I mean. It's better not to write an article about Second-san. Be it good, or bad, okay? Because, if I were to find one, I... simply don't know what I'll end up doing."
Bye-bye, she said. After threatening them, Windfield coldly turned her back on them and left without a glance.
But the moment she was out of their line of sight, she hummed and skipped back home smiling.
For a moment, silence prevailed.
"...She's kind of scary, isn't she?"
"No, she was quite nice. She was in a very good mood today. Something good must have happened to her."
"T-That was nice...? "
"Well... You'll know eventually."