"My lord, listen to me for now.

Just when Alice was terrified, suddenly an unexpected figure broke the silence. The one who spoke out was the deputy captain of the garrison, and now he is Charlie, the deputy head of the [Knights of the Luna].

"I've also heard the ins and outs of this incident from my stinky boy. Anyway, what happened to the two of them in [Regedia] will make even adults feel uncomfortable. Maybe it's because Miss Alice and my stinky boy don't have anything to worry about in terms of combat ability right now, so I'm negligent...... However, children are just children after all, and their emotions will inevitably get out of control after encountering emergencies. In the final analysis, this time it was also caused by poor supervision, and the two children should not have been allowed to enter the city alone in the first place. ”

"Yes, it's my fault this time......" As his father spoke, little John also stepped forward with a sad expression and stood in front of Alice, "Lord Earl, I provoked this incident! If there is any punishment, just come at me!"

Although the young man's speech was very handsome, it was a pity that he wore a maid's outfit in a ponytail, and then said these things with a pretty face, which really didn't show much manliness.

"Lutga, too, I don't think Miss Alice has done anything wrong. To put it mildly, the empire that has been making you miserable since eight years ago always needs someone to step up and make a difference, and it would be great if you could do it yourself. I believe this is also a good time for you to make up for your past regrets. ”

Hilda has a 'happy' attitude towards Alice's approach, and to be honest, she has always disliked the status quo of the empire, and it is not an exaggeration to say that she hates it, especially for the treatment of her life-saver Lutga over the years, and the cold eyes of other nobles around her. But as a maid, it's not easy to say more. She believes that with Lutega's ability and character, he should be more reused.

"Hmm...... What Alice did, I also participated, then, I will also be punished. ”

Ratchet didn't say much, just paced lightly behind Alice, leaned down, rested her chin on the soft top of her daughter's head, and wrapped her arms around her delicate body.

"Haaa......"

The attitude of everyone working together to protect Alice made Count Lutga sigh, and in fact, from the beginning, he had no intention of punishing Alice. It's just that he didn't expect his daughter to be spoiled by others to such an extent, but he felt a little worried.

But the words of the crowd also made Lutega sure that his thoughts were correct. Alice didn't do anything wrong, she was just acting with the purest sense of justice. It is not possible to deny her motives and actions, but she has to criticize her rash behavior.

People should be responsible for their words and deeds, and the nobles should be even more so, of course, this is based on the behavior of the nobles of the empire in the past, and there are fewer and fewer nobles in the world who have a sense of responsibility and pride in their identity. Perhaps, Alice is just a child, and it may be difficult for some strong people to start exercising the sense of responsibility of adults from this age.

However, his former brother, who was Lutga's instructor, once warned him that with great power, he must bear the corresponding responsibility. Now that Alice has acquired the power of the Ancient Immortal and is actively using it, she must be held accountable for the consequences of wielding it. So, the final verdict -

"Alice. ”

"Yes, yes Daddy...... Oh no, Father!"

"I just saw the statistics, because of your speech, most of the slaves who were sold have been settled by Earl Will, and it seems that many of their parents are willing to bring back their children. Although this may only be a temporary effect, if the lack of supplies is not solved, as Alizer said, sooner or later they will be old. After all, you can't go hungry...... However, it seems that you have already settled on this side. However, among the slave children rescued by you, there are still more than 70 orphans who have no relatives or a cause.

I will arrange some gold coins, as well as abandoned houses and fields in the west of the city for you. I can understand your sense of justice and impulsiveness, but as a child who was saved by you, you must fulfill your duty to take care of them. ”

“......”

Alice was silent, and secretly shouted in her heart, "Sure enough", in fact, she had guessed that there would be such a result before saving them, at that time, in order to play handsome in front of John, she even sank foreign ships, and these orphans who were abducted in the slum are now truly desperate......

You know, even if they become slaves, they don't necessarily have a harder time than they are now, because they are still young, maybe they can't understand those impassioned chicken soup for the soul. Therefore, among these children, there may be very few who really thank themselves, and the so-called thankless work is probably like this.

"Answer me, Alice, do you understand?"

"Ming, I understand......"

Alice hid in Raghi's arms and reluctantly agreed, she understood that the punishment given to herself was basically like "the cats and dogs that were picked up were raised by themselves!". Although the content and depth are very different. Verbally agreed, but what to do, Alice was completely confused, she counted her previous life, she didn't even have the experience of feeding pets, let alone educating children.

"And, Sophia. ”

"Yes, Father. ”

"It's the same with you, although this time it's going to get to this point, and it's ultimately Alice's brain that is hot. But you also seem to have done a lot of dangerous things. For example...... You've done something to the Goddess Cult, haven't you? In terms of influence, you're more dangerous than Alice. It is an organization in the Empire that must not be hostile. ”

"I ......" her father's accusation made Sophia want to complain something, she wanted to express that she was different from Alice, that she had thought it out and that she had experience as a basis...... But in the end, nothing could be said.

And as if he had seen through Sophia's thoughts, Count Lutga continued:

"Sophia, you're just a child, don't be too deliberate in using some dangerous and extreme means. Even when you have to, you should try to find something better first. It seems to me that you are motivated by not believing in your own personality at all, but rather being too self-defeating. ”

Indeed, Lutga is right, her motives are very different from Alice's, there is no sense of justice or compassion in it, it is just like the 'man in black' in her previous life, using shady means to 'complete the task'.

Maybe this is one of the reasons why I was angry with Alice before, because what my sister did, in my opinion, without a trace of calculation and strategy, was so pure and dazzling. Alice has always been like this, and in whatever she does, she always carries out a gentle and courageous gesture, which makes Sophia feel jealous and self-loathing at the same time.

"Sophia, you have always been an empathetic regulator for your sisters, and you should stand up to stop your sisters' outrageous actions, instead of adding fuel to the fire. ”

Her father's 'empathetic' assessment was full of irony in Sophia's ears, and she couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly. Because this girl believes from the bottom of her heart that she is not fundamentally different from the 'man in black' she once was, and is destined to be an unsightly monster living in the shadow of society. Your every word and deed, every move, will take the initiative to hurt anyone. For example, Cam and Shephilia, this time she even used them as 'chips' and 'commodities' in public.

However, she didn't realize that there would be such disgust and emotion, which was what made her completely different from the 'man in black'.

"Finally, Eliza. ”

"In yo~~Father~~"

"Alize, you are my proud daughter, you are a genius. Even if you don't have the help of Mr. Edward, one day you will be able to spread your wings on your own. ”

"Eh, hey~~"

Her father's praise made Alize's pure and proud laughter.

"But Arizar, I don't expect much from you just because you're a genius. ”

"Eh...... why is my father~~?"

The girl, who had always been relied on by her sisters, heard from her father, 'I don't need your talent,' and inadvertently put away her signature smile.

"Because, since I came back to Ceria, I have found that you may know a lot, and you have done a lot, but you have never thought about and restrained yourself in what you do, and you have always done whatever you want, and you have obeyed Alice's outrageous plans, and even developed dangerous weapons...... Isn't that right?"

"Yes~~? Isn't that okay? Father?"

"No...... Eliza, before you become a genius, you must first understand how mortals should live. To learn mortal values, mortal emotions, mortal etiquette. Because, this is the world of mortals...... In the mortal world, there is no way to be happy only by relying on outstanding talents. ”

“......”

In response to her father's words, Ali Ze showed an unprecedentedly puzzled expression. She couldn't understand why she had to be "mortal" to be happy. Because she is living a very happy life now, she has no regrets or dissatisfaction with her research and invention.

That's right, as long as she still lives in this home and has a family that loves her deeply, then-

If...... The family members who loved her so much are gone, and she has the memories of both the sage 'Edward' and the 'Researcher'. She knew that both of them were out-and-out geniuses.

However, Edward was not happy, and neither was the researcher. They are just living alone on the path of satisfying their intellectual curiosity. There was no clear goal, and no one ever shared the joy. The environment in which they live is diametrically opposed to the warm family in which no matter what they do, there are people who genuinely praise them.

If you can't understand mortals, will one day you be as lonely as them?

Thinking of this, a creepy chill suddenly emerged from the bottom of Ariz's heart, a situation she definitely didn't want to experience.

"So, the same as Alice. Together, you are responsible for caring for the abandoned children. I hope that the three of you sisters can learn something from this job...... As for the alliance, since it is no longer possible to shirk, I will do my best to deal with the next co-ordination work. ”

Rutga?? Count Crusney said with a resolute look in his eyes, and at the same time turned his gaze to his right-hand man. The body of the adventurer Charlie.

"Charlie, I hope you can assist my daughters......"

"No problem, wrap it up with me, lord, what kind of friendship do we have! Your daughter is also my daughter!"

"Ah no, Charlie, make this clear, my daughter is just my daughter......!"

The last words made Charlie smile bitterly.