Knock, knock, knock!
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of knocking at the front door came through the room door.
"Your Excellency Ambassador, this is Taki Chiba. Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning."
Then, through the room door, came the voice Iwama most did not want to hear.
As expected...
This Little Monster was specifically assigned to monitor us. Perhaps only Konoha, who knew our intentions, could rest easy with him watching us.
But this was good too.
As long as Konoha was at ease, their precautions would inevitably slacken. And this Little Monster was only human; he could not possibly avoid making mistakes.
There was still an opportunity.
Until then, they had to be careful—more careful than ever.
Upon hearing that most unwelcome voice, Iwama, who had been up for an hour already and was handling documents related to the Peace Alliance, took a slight breath and steadied himself, suppressing the jolt that had struck him upon hearing it.
Then, after those thoughts passed through his mind, Iwama rose to his feet, opened his room door, and prepared to head for the front door.
"Lord Rando."
Yet just as he stepped out and turned toward the front door, Iwama halted slightly and spoke in surprise.
At that moment, Rando, the eldest among them, had opened his door and stepped out. Due to the layout of the rooms, he stood directly in Iwama's path.
"Oh... Iwama. You're already awake?"
Rando's white brows twitched as he gave a faint smile.
"Yes, I was dealing with some documents we might need later."
Iwama hurriedly answered, following Rando as he began walking toward the front door after saying that.
"Is that so?"
Rando merely replied with those two words and said nothing more.
"Lord Rando, is something wrong?"
Yet Iwama sensed