It is worth mentioning that during Ira's time working for the Empire, or rather... after fighting to the death on the battlefield, he also did a lot during his leave.

Some of these activities involve exploring the world, such as visiting ruins... and then unexpectedly encountering Faviginho and teaming up to start an operation.

Some situations are unexpected, such as when Uther is kidnapped by a great goblin and forced into slavery, so Ira has to gather people he knows who are strong enough to rescue him.

Some of them, however, were Ira pursuing something with a purpose... such as going to the Silvermoon Tree Garden to see the World Tree and find the truth about how she came to be here. She became the savior of the Silvermoon Tree Garden and also came into contact with the serpent's molt.

That would be a piece of cake.

...

However, it should be obvious to everyone that Ira is not a very righteous person... Here, "not very righteous" does not refer to his despicable character.

Rather, it means that Iraq's methods could be extremely despicable.

In fact, one could say that sometimes he would do anything to achieve a certain goal, even without any scruples, such as the simplest example... Julius Caesar, whom he had spoken with before.

The other party's identity is very simple to explain... She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Caesar, the seemingly real but not actually existing King Caesar, who was switched and thrown into the river, and was found by a couple in a village on the outskirts of the duchy's capital.

By chance, Ira learned the truth about what happened back then and found Julius Caesar, who had become a gang leader, in the village. It was at that time...

Then a hidden plan was laid.

In other words, it is expected that after he and Yuther win the war against the monster-controlled areas, during the time when the Empire and the Demon Lord's territory are simultaneously recovering, he will deal with the sore spot called the Nobles while manipulating Julius Caesar to cause trouble for the Duchy.

Similarly, Ira's relationship with Julius Caesar will be brought into the open at some point, and then, nominally, Ira will intervene in the affairs of the principality under the pretext that "I don't understand the affairs of the principality, but someone asked me for help."

This doesn't require the Empire to expend any more effort; it's just that Ira will cause chaos in the Duchy.

...

It's not just the principality; in fact, Iraq has similar preparations in many countries... Sometimes, Iraq really is like Batman, but there's one major difference: Iraq has parents.

This applies to both their parents in the Federation and their current adoptive parents in the Elkaras family.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking you might become new members of the Duchy's parliament."

As Ira spoke, he drank with the others. When he first met them, he made a promise that he would gradually help them gain significant social status whenever he needed their help.

Such a promise is not an empty promise, after all, if Iraq really uses them, then their status is closely related to Iraq's interests.

But now, it's considered a failure.

"It doesn't really matter anymore."

The tall, thin thug said this casually as he sipped his strong liquor, "We're doing pretty well with the boss now, stealing those idiots' wallets, it's awesome."

"That's true."

"That's right, that's right."

"..."

It sounds like they're quite enjoying themselves; perhaps that's what contentment is all about. But... this can't go on forever. If they slip up one day and get caught and hanged, then there's not much they can do.

However, Julius simply sat there drinking, seemingly lost in thought.

What do you think?

"That's what Ira asked."

"Ah, I can't explain it either..."

"It's been a long time since we've had any spare money for drinks," said Julius Caesar, her face scarred, staring at the wine glass in her hand. "Ira."

With a helpless smile, this usually outgoing and generous leader could only helplessly put her hand on Ira's shoulder... a very standard arm around the shoulder.

However, because Ira's physique and appearance are not very mature, or rather, rather childish... he now looks more like a well-behaved child being coerced by an older sister and some kind of thug.

“When we get money, we can only buy food. If we pull off a big deal, a really big deal, then we might have a chance to buy some alcohol, and usually I can drink it all by myself… There’s no hope for this kind of life.”

As Julius spoke, she seemed somewhat sentimental, and the thugs around her fell silent as they watched her.

Have you ever thought about switching to another industry?

Ira asked casually... To be honest, he could arrange whatever the other party wanted to do at will, and even supporting a hundred or so idle people was very easy, as long as Julius Caesar didn't really enjoy this exciting petty thieving life.

Besides, Julius himself is a professional of a fairly high rank, so he could also be an adventurer.

"I don't know either. I actually wanted to start a business. I secretly took a few dozen gold coins from a sneaky guy and rented a small shop to sell wine. I hired someone to manage the shop, but that guy ran off with the money... although I managed to get the money back later."

As Julius spoke, under the bewildered gaze of the shifty-eyed man, he made a "beheading" gesture, indicating the specific methods she meant by "bringing back."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!