Dark Knight Kroki

　We came to the Free City of Thessia with Sirone and his friends.
　The Free City of Thessia is not a very pretty city.
　It is clear that the city was not built according to the city plan properly.
　Perhaps because the city is free to come and go as well as free to live in the city, a variety of people come in.
　Some people seem to have been kicked out for committing crimes in other areas.
　Therefore, the security of Tessesia is not so good.
　In the first place, this Tessesia is a city that was created to house refugees who came from other areas to this region where there are fewer demons.
　And there was no doubt that the leaders of the Republic of Ariadia, who created this city, considered them to be troublesome guests.
　After all, this Thessia is the only one in the region built on the side of the labyrinth, which is more dangerous than the rest of the region.
　However, it might just be that this was the only place where there was extra land that could accommodate the refugees.
　Perhaps it is because of the dangerous nature of the land that many of the refugee males who have found their way to Thessia have become freedom fighters.
　However, it may be that the only other job available to them is as a freedom fighter.
　Even those with no skills in their hands can call themselves freedom fighters if they have a healthy body and just hold a sword.
　And there are quite a few women who become prostitutes for a living.
　This is also an inexpensive occupation that one can become if one's body is available.
　It is the goddess Ishtia that such prostitutes believe in.
　The goddess Ischthia is one of the pillars of the three beautiful gods and one of the twelve gods of Elyos, as well as Raina and the goddess Feria.
　The religion of humans in this world is polytheism, which worships the gods of Elyos.
　Among the gods of Elyos, humans believe in twelve gods, six pairs of men and six pairs of women.
　It reminds me of the gods that I heard about from the humans.

　Odis, the male god of law and order, and Feria, the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
　2. Heivos, the male god of blacksmithing and treasure, and Ishtia, the goddess of beauty and love.
　3. Triden, the male god of the sea and fertility, and Gena, the goddess of the earth and fertility.
　4. Nectar, the male god of drink and food, and Phanakea, the goddess of medicine and herbs
　5. tors, the male god of power and battle, and Raina, the goddess of wisdom and victory.
　6. the male god of song and art, Alfos, the goddess of song and art, and Totona, the goddess of knowledge and books.

　The god Heybos is the god of the dwarves, but he is also believed in by humans.
　However, the god Heybos is a treasure god among humans.
　The dwarves find and handle the gold and gems that are found in the ground. Therefore, it is said that if you worship the dwarven god Haybos, the dwarven god among humans, you will become rich.
　That's why it seems to be worshipped not only by artisans but also by merchants.
　By the way, there are other gods of Elyos, but they are not often believed in by humans.
　And among these twelve gods, the god-king Odis and his wife, the goddess Feria, are especially worshipped.
　However, it is not a problem to believe in more than one god at the same time, perhaps because it is a polytheistic religion, and it is possible to believe in God-king Odis and Raina at the same time.
　However, depending on the content of the doctrine, there are some gods that cannot be believed in at the same time.
　That is the goddess Feria and the goddess Ishtia.
　The cult of these two gods is famous for their disagreement.
　For this reason, in a world where there are many countries that believe in Feria, the Ishtia cult is not very major.
　And although both are goddesses believed by women, their doctrines are quite different.
　In the Feria faith, they are taught to be good wives and wise mothers.
　In contrast, Ishtia is the exact opposite. In the first place, there is no idea of marriage in the Ishtia faith.
　In the teachings of the feria, it is taught to be faithful to one husband, but believers in Ishtia can have more than one lover.
　Such is the goddess Ischthia, the god of prostitutes. And the temple of Feria does not recognize the profession of a prostitute.
　This seems to be the cause of some of the conflicts between the believers in Feria and Ischthia.
　It may be because of this, the goddess Ishtia, who is in direct conflict with the goddess Feria, who is worshipped in many countries, is not often worshipped.
　However, in some places she is the patron goddess of the country.
　In the kingdom of St. Sargonia to the west from here, the holy prostitute of the temple of Ischthia is said to be more important than the king.
　Even here in Thessesia, the Ishtia cult is strong.
　And I am here in the Temple of Ishtia in that free city of Thessesia.
　The reason why I am here is because there is a priest of Lena here who says he will guide me through the labyrinth.
　The Ishtia congregation and the Rena congregation are not that close, so we can do this.
　The Temple of Ishtia is probably the most magnificent building in the city.

'I'm uncomfortable: ......'

　I can't help but wonder.
　The temple of Ishtia, the place of the meeting, is the goddess of love and beauty, as well as the goddess of prostitutes.
　On the way to be guided by the congregation of Ischthia, we passed a number of thinly clad women.
　Probably the congregation of the goddess Ishtia.
　Only women can be members of the Goddess Ishtia's congregation.
　And the believers in this temple are often prostitutes at the same time.
　It seems that the purpose of the inn in the vicinity of this temple of Ischthia is such a thing.
　As is to be expected, the thing of such 18 prohibited content is not done because it is daytime now, but still, it is natural to become restless if I say that I will have a meeting in the love hotel town.
　It seems that this Temple of Ishtia was originally a brothel.
　The proprietor also seems to have been a man.
　However, the poor treatment of the prostitutes aroused the wrath of the apostle of the goddess Ischthia who came to this place.
　The apostle of Ischthia led the prostitutes to revolt and took over the brothel.
　The brothel was renovated into the temple of Ischthia, and the temple is now the head of this Thessiah's brothel.
　The temple is not a bad thing, though.
　The organization of the temple is made up of prostitutes and is a kind of mutual aid organization.
　It is said that it does not forcibly make a woman a prostitute, on the contrary, it chastises the man who has done unjust things to a prostitute.
　And it is said that if you do anything outrageous to the women of the Ischtian congregation, you will be cursed by the goddess with a curse of impossibility. That's why it's unlikely that any man would treat the prostitutes of the temple of Ischthia roughly.
　Rather, it is safe to say that they are worshipped like a goddess.
　I walk through the corridors of the temple of Ischthia.
　Thanks to the tribute from the men, this Temple of Ishtia is very fine.
　The decoration is elegant and feminine and delicate.

'Kroki. Don't ever follow them, even if they invite you.

　Shirone, who is walking next to me on my left, glares at me in a whisper and says to herself, "Of course I'm not going to go with you.
　Of course, I don't want to follow you, but if you're going to say that, I hope you won't choose this place as the meeting place.
　The priest of Raina, the guide, is on good terms with this Temple of Ishtia, so he was given a special room to use.
　There is no Temple of Raina here in Thessia.
　Because there are already great temples in the Republic of Ariadia and other countries, it seems that they didn't dare to build a temple of Raina in this Thessia.
　The Feria Temple is also not in Thessesia for the same reason. That's why the temple of Ishtia was built here in Thessesia.

'That's right, Kroki. If you go with me, I will be angry.

　Raina, right next to me, also nails herself in a whisper.
　I don't know why Raina would say that to herself.
　That Raina is wearing her hood deep and hiding her face.
　If the goddess had come down to earth, there would be a commotion. So she hides her identity.
　But now Raina has brought the priests and priest-warriors from the temple of Raina. All of them are apostles, by the way.
　If they are followed by so many people, it is like saying that they are important people.
　Who are the prostitutes watching and who are they when they see Raina? I'm consulting with him.
　You should be more discreet like yourself.
　I'm here to hide the fact that I too am a dark knight. Right now I'm a squire serving Kyoka, the younger sister of a brave man.
　In order to hide my identity, I dared to buy a luggage carrier, and my clothes are dirty old clothes. Naturally, I don't have anything that can be used as a weapon, let alone a sword.
　With this, no one would think that I am a dark knight.
　Incidentally, the priests of the Temple of Raina who followed along with Raina do not know that they are the Dark Knight.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do.
　And there are ten priests from the Temple of Raina in the Republic of Ariadia who follow Raina and Raina.
　That's a pretty big group. Thanks to that, the place for the meeting was limited.
　By the way, Regina is also here in Tessesia, and she is helping to carry our luggage to the inn where we are staying tonight.
　They say that the Temple of Ishtia doesn't allow women to stay there unless they are believers.
　Men can stay there if they have special permission. However, they are not allowed to stay unless there is something very special.
　Therefore, we decided to take an inn near this temple.
　It seems that Trumarkis or something like that, an official merchant of the Temple of Raina, arranged for us to stay here.
　After a while walking down the corridor, we arrive at a certain room.
　It is quite a large room. I guess you could call it a multi-purpose hall in the temple.
　Men and women who look like freedom fighters are waiting in the room to enter the room.
　Perhaps these freedom fighters are the guide to the labyrinth.
　And looking at the freedom fighters, I nodded my head slightly.
　There are more people than I had heard about.
　I had asked in advance what kind of people were there.
　The first of the freedom fighters is probably the priest warrior Leiria, the guide. I have a shield and on that shield is engraved the holy seal of Raina.
　And I heard that all of the priest warrior Leiria's companions are women.
　But there are two men.
　And there seems to be one more woman. Are they related to the Temple of Ischthia?

We've been expecting you. Kyouka-sama and Shirone.

　Priest warrior Leiria kneels in front of Kyouka.
　In case you're wondering, the leader of this menace is supposed to be Kyouka.
　This priest warrior seems to be an apostle, so he should be aware of Raina's true identity. However, the angel that made her an apostle probably gave her orders to ignore Reena and kneel down to Kyouka.
　Kyouka is at the front, with Shirone and Kaya standing beside her. Myself and Raina stand behind them, with the priests and priest-warriors of the Raina Temple further back.
　Raina looks like an important figure, but by putting Kyouka in the front, she's making it less obvious.

'Leiria-san. We're ready to go too. What state is the labyrinth in right now?

　Cyrone calls out to Leiria.

'That's ......,'

　A woman named Laylia makes something hard to say.

'What's going on?'
''Yes ......, in fact, the surface portion of the labyrinth is now occupied by lizardmen.
'Lizardman?　As I recall, I heard before that there are cockatrices on the surface, right?
'Yes ...... actually ......'

　Leiria explains.
　The surface part of the labyrinth was originally inhabited by cockatrices.
　But since Rage and the others hunted most of the cockatrices, there aren't many of them now.
　Instead, the lizardmen who escaped from the arena have taken up residence there.
　Lizardmen usually live in the Kish River and attack ships that come and go. But they are not always on the river. They seem to have chosen the surface part of the labyrinth as their above-ground home.
　The lizardmen are attacking the humans who enter the maze.
　Some of the freedom fighters have tried to defeat it, but it doesn't seem to be working.

'As I recall, a lizardman is a big skallion person, right?
'Yes, sir. That's right, miss, it's a big lizard that walks on two legs. Also, it is said that the higher lizardmen have wings and can fly. From what these men tell me, there are no high ranking lizardmen.

　Kaya is right, lizardmen are sub-humans, a cross between a lizard and a man.
　There are also lizardmen in the swamps south of Nargol.
　And one of the eight demon generals is also a high lizardman of high rank.
　The High Lizardmen have wings that look like the wings of a dragon and can fly.
　He also has high intelligence and is an excellent warrior.
　I think of Librum, who calls himself the Dragon Demon General.
　He is from the High Lizardmen and is a believer in dragons.
　Perhaps this is why he is so respectful of himself riding the dragon Glorious.
　Librum was defending the Demon King's Castle with his kinsman knight, Jivryus, when Rage and the others attacked. He didn't fight them directly because he himself defeated them before Rage entered the Demon King's Castle.

''Lizardman or ....... But if it's me or Kaya, we can win without a problem. Let's just go now and defeat him quickly and move on.

　Syrone says comfortably.
　It's true that Syrone and his team would win easily.
　But .......

''Please wait, Sirone-sama ....... Can't you wait to take out the Lizardmen?

　I whisper to myself.
　Since I am now a squire, I call out to Shirone in the order of service.
　As I say this, the others look at me.
　You'll be able to see that they look at you with their heads bowed, and Sirone looks a little sad.

What's wrong, Kuroki?　We need to go save Mr. Rage as soon as possible.

　Syrone asks himself. Syrone obviously has no qualms about killing the Lizardmen.
　But I think. Is killing the Lizardmen the right thing for me to do?
　The world is weak and strong. I'm not going to deny that.
　I'm not going to tell the wolf not to eat the sheep. I'm not going to stop people from killing demons in order to live.
　But I have a feeling that this time is a little different.
　Why are the Lizardmen here?
　This area was not inhabited by lizardmen.
　Lizardmen were brought in to make a spectacle of themselves in the arena. Isn't that different from slaying demons in order to live?
　Apparently, Lizardmen are attacking humans after they escape the arena.
　So, from the perspective of Shirone and Rage, the heroic defender of humans, it might be the right thing to do to slay the Lizardmen, regardless of how it happened.
　But I'm a dark knight. Maybe it's because I was summoned by Modes, but it's hard to stand on the side of the humans.
　And then there's the matter with the Dragon Demon General Librum. So, I can't agree with exterminating the Lizardmen.
　Most importantly, there is no need to force the lizardmen to be exterminated in order to save the heroes. We just need to get them to move elsewhere while we enter the labyrinth ourselves.

'No. ....... It would be a bad idea to go into the dark. It's better to check out the area a bit before going into .......

　I whisper just to be myself.

'What ...... but you, Rage, are ......'
'Hold on, Shirone. If you go in with a blind eye, you'll only end up with the same thing as Rage. You should examine this place thoroughly before proceeding.

　Raina, who was behind me, also spoke up.

''Syrone-sama. It is true that Re ...... the Great Saints have a point. If even we are trapped, who will help Lady Rage? We also have a map of the labyrinth here. You might want to survey the area first.

　Kaya also offers to help.
　Raina is here as a sneak peek. So we're not going to call her Raina, we're going to call her the Great Saint.

'Hmm. All right, ....... I'll wait a bit. ......

　Silone reluctantly agreed to it after being opposed by Raina and Kaya.
　He really wants to go to the labyrinth right away. Syrone is a little too forward-thinking. That hasn't changed even now.
　Before, when Shirone was going to do something dangerous, I would stop her.
　How was Sirone when he was with Rage and the others?
　But I've never heard of Shirone being in danger in the previous world or in this one.
　Someone must have stopped her.

''Um!　Lady Syrone, the maiden with the sword!　I need to ask you to do something for me!

　Suddenly, one of the freedom fighters speaks up.
　It's a red-haired man. He's still young. He's probably not that old as himself.

"Hey, Novis! You don't have to say that now!

　The woman beside him stops the man. But the man, called Novice, does not stop.

'Shut up Siszfe!　Please!　You won't teach me the sword!

　The man named Novis bows his head further.
　They find themselves surprised by the suddenness of the situation.

'Mr Novis!　Now is not the time to say such a thing!　We should ask for that again after we save the heroes!　I'm sorry, Lady Syrone. This is Lord Nobis, the Fire Hero. It seems that he was inspired by what he saw Lady Rage fighting before this. After all, he was a wonderful person: ......

　Laylia bows her head.

'For you, Rage. 'Then I guess I don't have a choice.'

　Cyrone says happily. He's happy that the man he likes is praising him.
　Rage is hated by a lot of men, but not all of them hate him. After all, he's strong and he's good with women. Some men even admire him.
　Is it the same with this man who calls himself Novice, the brave man of fire?

So you're going to tell me, then?

　Novis looks at Silone happily.

'Umm ...... but I'm not very good at teaching. I'm not a good teacher ....... I'm sorry.

　Syrone bows to Novis.
　It is true that Syrone is not very good at teaching. Syrone has a talent for the sword, but teaching is another.

''S...... then, will you make me your squire!　I'll do anything!

　Novis bows his head.
　Perhaps he plans to become a squire and force me to teach him the sword.
　He doesn't seem to plan to back down easily.

''I'm sorry. I'm not recruiting for a squire right now.''

　Syrone chuckles.

'Then fire that guy and make me your squire!

　Suddenly, Novis points to himself.
　I am surprised to find myself suddenly pointed at.

'You ...... suddenly what ......?'

　Even Cyrone seems surprised.

'From the looks of it, I don't even have a sword, and it doesn't seem to be particularly useful except as a baggage carrier. I'd be more useful than someone like that!　Even though I look like this, they call me the Fire Brave!　I can even fight, and it's much more useful than just carrying a load!

　Novis says confidently.

'Hey, Novis: ......!

　The girl beside Novis stops her.
　She's a pretty beautiful girl with long hair. She has the look of a priestess of the Temple of Ishtia, indeed.

'Shut up Sisyphe!　I want to be strong!　So I have to learn the sword at any cost!

　Novis forces his way through the conversation.
　Then he comes towards us.

'Old man! Take the squire's place!

　Novice calls him an old man.
　It hurts him to be called an old man. He's dressed dirty, like a squire, but does he look like that?

Sorry, old man!　I'm not like my old man, I want to be strong!

　Then he grabs his own chest.

'What ......?'
'You're forcing yourself to follow the brave men of light, anyway! And it doesn't look like he doesn't even have a sword! That's how you look like!

　Honestly, I'd like to say why we're in this situation.
　To begin with, I'm not working with Shirone and the others on my own. I'm with them because they asked me to help them.
　Why do I have to be told this?
　And I can feel something black coming out of my heart.

'Hey you!　What are you doing to Kuroki!
"Lady White!　I know a guy like this!　It's hard to flirt with the strongest!　He's the one trying to profit from its authority!　How dare this guy look like that!

　Novis decides. It's too heavy-handed a complication.
　Do you think you look like that ......? It's quite a shock to be told that way.
　And I manage to suppress the black emotions inside me.
　It's not good.
　I feel like the emotional fetters have become easier to remove due to the influence of the tea Kuna made me drink.
　But in this case, it's not inferiority complex, it's fury.

'Ya ...... stop it ...... please ......'

　I sound pathetic.
　I didn't want to let these feelings explode.
　I suppress the black heart that overflows from my mind.

'Don't worry, Sirone!　I'll make this guy a success!

　Novis shakes his fist at himself.
　Very slow. Easy to avoid, but I'll take it from the front.
　Fist in the face. It doesn't hurt at all.
　Then I fall backwards and roll awkwardly as the fist hits me. And then I lie down and don't get up.

"Don't you dare come near Sirone ever again if you do this! Come on, Lady Syrone! This guy is gone! Now you'll have to make me your squire!

　Novis says to Silone with a big heart.
　I look up from the ground and Novis has a radiant look on his face, as if he's done something very good.

'What are you talking about ....... Do you think I would do that to you for saying something horrible to Kroki?

　Syrone's voice is trembling.
　There's quite a bit of anger in his voice.
　The air in the room changes.
　Wings are sprouting from Sirone's back.
　The force field emanating from those wings is making the room tremble.

''Oh ...... that Sirone-sama ......?''

　Novis makes an anxious sound.
　From the feeling in his voice, Syrone is completely angry.
　It's been a long time since I've seen Cyrone this angry.

'Let's cool off a bit ......?'

　I see Cyrone reach for the sword at her waist.

''Hi!

　A scream can be heard from the freedom fighters.

''Wait, Master Shirone!　Don't kill them!

　Kaya, who had been silent until then, stood in front of Shirone.

'Sirone, calm down!

　Kyouka also holds Shirone's arm to stop her.

'All of you!　Stop Master Syrone!

　One of the priests shouted, and all the priests around Raina went to Syllone's side.

'What are you doing!　You guys need to get the hell out of here!

　Kaya shouts.
　The freedom fighters hurry out of the room.
　Only Novis is looking at Silone, stunned.

'Novis!　What are you doing!　It's going down now!　I'm so sorry, Mr. White!　I'll tell this idiot better later!

　The woman who was called Sizfe pulls Novice along.
　Cyrone can only see her back from here, but she seems quite angry.
　Cyrone doesn't usually get angry. I saw something very unusual.

'Are you alright, Kroki?'

　Someone called out to him in a small voice.
　I look up from my sprawled position and see Raina close by.
　And I feel something soft on the back of my head.

'Huh?　Le...... Lena?

　Raina was giving herself a lap pillow.
　It was like she was laughing, though she couldn't see her face under her hood.
　All the priests and priest-warriors around Raina moved away to stop Syrone.

'I'm sorry, Kroki. I just made you hide your true identity and this is what happened. ......
'No, ...... nothing else hurts. ......

　Novice's attack couldn't do any physical damage to herself.
　And the reason he didn't fight back was not so much for Raina's sake, but because he didn't want to let his power run amok.
　I didn't do enough for her to thank me.

'Still, let me take care of you. At least no one is looking at you.

　Then he hugs himself.
　Raina's cronies are going to Syrone. So there's no one around.
　My left cheek is muffled and buried in Raina's large chest.
　The softness of it is impressive.
　I wonder if it's a perk of the beating I got. Let's just say woo-hoo in my mind here.
　The black flames go out of my mind as Raina hugs me.
　I turn my head to see that Cyrone is about to go after the freedom fighter. Kaya is holding it back.
　Now, what do we do now? I want to help the Lizardmen.
　That's what I thought as I enjoyed Raina's chest.



◆Sizfe, the freedom fighter girl.

　After leaving the Temple of Ishtia, we gathered at a nearby restaurant.
　This restaurant is owned and operated by a former prostitute. This restaurant serves snacks and tea. The restaurant is popular with the women of the Ishtia Temple.
　Many of the waitresses are women, and Justy works here when she is not working at the temple.
　Children raised in the Temple of Ishtia have to go out and earn their own money when they reach a certain age.
　The occupation in which they work can be anything, and they don't have to be a prostitute.
　However, in Justy's case, she can't be a prostitute because men won't get close to her because they are afraid of her brother, Gaudin.
　That Justy, along with his brother Gaudan, had met Master Shirone with us. And now he is helping in this shop.

Hey, Novice!　Master Cyrone was pretty pissed off!　What are we going to do!

　I scold Novis as we all sit down at a table that can seat a large group of people.
　It reminds me of the exchange between Novis and Sirone-sama earlier.
　Novis was right, sometimes strong people can be approached by people who want to use their strength to suck their sweet juices.
　There have been times in the past when such people have approached Novis.
　I'll take in their words and force them to become my friends. And then they dignify it by saying that I'm one of the Fire Braves.
　There are people who do that even though they have no power.
　And the people who do this seem to be ordinary, good people. In fact, they can't do it to someone who is rather suspicious to look at.
　The person Novis hit had a pretty good face. I can understand why Sirone-sama would want to keep him on his side.
　And Novis has a theory that a man with only a good face like that is a bad guy.
　People who try to profit from the fame of the brave man of light-sama. It's true that the person Novis hit might be that kind of person.
　But I don't think it's right to assume that.
　I'm angry at Novis for thinking so, but the person in question is sitting there like his soul has been drained.
　It must have been quite a shock to him that he was almost killed by Syrone-sama.
　But you need to get a grip.

'Hey, Novis!

　This time I shake my body.

'Oh, Siszfe or ......'
'Oh, no it's not: ....... Get a grip, already.

　I really want you to get your shit together.

That was awesome, though: ....... The room was shaking. The room was shaking. I really need you to take me on as an apprentice.

　Novis says with a laugh.
　I didn't know you were thinking about that ....... I'm not lumpy at all. My head hurts.
　This guy has been like this before.
　He thinks the world works in his favor.

''Hey, haven't you given up on becoming an apprentice yet?　Obviously, Master Shirone was angry with you.

　I say, bored.

'What are you talking about, Siszfe!　There's no way I'm giving up!

　Novice chuckles and says with a chuckle and gingerly raises his arms and makes a fist.
　He doesn't seem to feel bad about hitting me at all.

'But you know, Novis ....... It wasn't just the way things were going with Master Syrone, you know. That guy you hit, well, maybe he's not just a baggage carrier.

　Sister Kayna said.
　It's true that Lady Shirone was not just a matter of when she hit that man.
　Maybe he's not just a baggage carrier.

''But yea. As I recall, there aren't any bastards in the company of the heroic husband of the light, are there?

　Gordan says. He's with us for some reason.
　He's Justy's brother, and when we met him and talked to him, he was surprisingly nice.
　And Gordan was right, all of Master Rage's friends were supposed to be female. I don't think there were any men.

'Gaudin's right, man!　There are no bastards in the company of the brave men of light, I'm sure!　Mr. Leiria, who is he?

　Novis asks Leiria.

'That's ....... We don't understand it either. Before we know it, he's appeared and taken on the role of Lady Syrone's squire. Apparently he's an old acquaintance of Master Silone's. ......

　Ms. Leiria shakes her head and replies.

'An acquaintance, huh ...... what kind of relationship do you have? Like a lover or something?'

　Maddy says with a smirk.

'No, you don't, Maddy. Sirone-sama is one of Rage-sama's lovers.'

　I deny Maddy's words.
　As I recall, all of the women at Lady Rage's side are supposed to be her lovers.

'Maybe they're close, if not lovers. Novis, shouldn't you be apologizing?
What, why, Mr. Nola?

　Novis says with a nod of his head. He really doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with him.
　This is how Novis has always been, selfish and unconcerned about his surroundings.
　I don't really like these things about Novis.
　Of course, Novis has some good qualities. He is very kind to pretty girls. He is willing to risk it all to protect a girl.
　That's why Justy and the other girls like him.
　But I don't think Syrone-sama will ever like Novis. She's stronger than Novis, and most importantly, she has Rage-sama.

''Haha, I don't think Shirone-sama will teach you the sword if you don't apologize, but what are you going to do?''

　I say, looking at Novice as I glare at him. I'm sure this guy won't mind if I give him a cold look, though.

''Don't worry about it, Sisyphe. I'm not going to be that upset over a mere beating of a baggage carrier's squire. I'm sure Lord Shirone will change his mind if I show him how useful I am.

　Novis says, with plenty of himself.

'I guess so: ......'

　I nodded my head. Sirone-sama was angry with me with a terrific swordsmanship. Would he forgive me?
　In the first place, I don't think it's okay to hit a squire.

'You want to be useful? Then why don't we go and kill the Lizardmen?

　Suddenly we are approached by a voice.
　I looked at the direction of the voice and saw two men sitting in a seat near where we were sitting.
　I don't know what time they came. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn't notice them.
　It was a man with brown hair and a scar on his cheek who approached us.
　He was wild and moderately cool.
　I guess he is a freedom fighter from the fact that he carries a bow on his back and holds a sword at his waist.
　The other one has long light blue hair and a face like a woman's.
　The fact that he is holding a spear suggests that he too is a freedom fighter.

'You're Zephyr, aren't you!　What do you look like!

　Suddenly Kayna's sister stands up and glares at the man with the bow.

'Yo, Kayna. It's been a while, hasn't it?

　The man smiles at his sister Kayna.
　The name Zephyr sounds familiar.
　Zephyr, the brave man of the wind. This is a man who was a past companion of Kayna's sister.
　I've heard from Kayna's sister that her womanizing is quite bad. I'm sure you'll be able to get a good feeling from what Kayna said.

You're not. You're not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things.

　Speaking of which, I heard he was injured in a failed attempt to defeat the centaurs. I wonder if he's already healed?

'Geez, don't tell me that, Kayna: ......

　Zephyr's face turns grim.

'Well, what's up with the women who are always around?
......

　Kayna's sister asks, but Zepha turns her head away and says nothing.

"I see. I see. The centaurs have beaten you to the punch, and you're feeling pretty good about it. I'm afraid you'll have to quit looking for women for good.

　Sister Kayna laughs vigorously.
　Zepha looks somewhat chagrined.
　Zephyr the Wind Brave and Sister Kayna must have been fellow warriors before I became a freedom fighter. They used to go into the labyrinth together. But something happened in the past, and now they don't seem to be getting along with each other.

You should not do that anymore, sister Kayna. By the way, who's with you?

　I look at the person with Zephyr.

'I am Nephim, the brave of the water. Young lady, it is an honor to meet you.

　Then he comes to my side and puts his knees on the ground and takes my hand.

'What?'

　Nephim takes my hand, and Novis lets out a cry of surprise as Nephim takes my hand.
　I've heard of Nephim the Water Brave. He's a famous freedom fighter from the inland seas of Caird in the west.

'Are you the brave master of the water, Nephim?　Did you lose to Merman, as I recall?

　When I said that, Nephim said, "Geez! He moans.

'Pfft.'

　I can hear Novis laughing.

'Haha ...... you're quite a demanding young lady,'

　Then Nephim pulls his hand away from me.
　He's trying to look calm, but his face is pulled back.

'By the way, what the hell do the brave men of wind and water look like to us?

　Gordan asks.
　Does Gordan's definition of us include us? I wonder, but I shall not say anything.

'You are, I believe, Gaudin, the brave of the land?　We need your help. To slay the lizardmen.

　Zephyr huffs.

'Slaying Lizardmen?　What's this all about, Zephyr?
It's that simple, Kayna. You can't keep getting beat up on your way out of here.

　Zepha says in frustration.

''I see, even if you call yourself a brave man, it wouldn't look good if you keep losing.

　Sister Kayna nodded and replied.
　Zepha and Nephim; the two brave men failed to defeat a demon just recently.
　Do they want to avenge that stigma?

'Yes, sir!　We have to redeem our stigma!

　Nephim hits the table and says with all his strength.
　I almost squirm when I hear it.
　What will I do to redeem my stigma?
　I wonder if anyone will go into it. But no one says anything.

'Yes!　Now the maiden of the sword is coming, right?　We have to take the Lizardman down by ourselves before she takes him down! Let's redeem our reputation!

　Zepha says out loud, too.
　Zepha is wrong too.

'Hmm, I see. I'm not going to have a chance to play an active role in the game if Sirrone-sama defeats me first. So you are in a hurry.

　Sister Kayna says, scratching her butt.
　'I think that misbehaving should stop because it goes against the teachings of Lady Feria.

'That's what I'm talking about, Kayna. The Ishtean priestess told me before we met that the maidens of the sword don't go to slay the lizardmen any time soon," she said. But we're in a hurry. If I can win on my own, fine, but I don't have the stomach for it. If that's the case, we'll just have to defeat it with a coalition of four brave men.
So you want us to help you?
"That's what I'm talking about, Nobis the Fire Hero. The story goes that you were blown up by one of your fellow light heroes, right?　Then I hear you haven't been particularly active. You don't want the brave men of light to keep taking the good parts, do you?　How about you, don't you want to redeem yourself?

　Zephyr looks at Novis seriously and says.

''I might want to redeem the stigma, for sure. ...... Besides, this is your chance to show Master Cyrone that I can be useful. Okay, I'll give you a hand. Let's redeem ourselves!

　Novis stands up and says with all his strength.

'You'll be there, Gordant, the brave of the earth, won't you?

　Zephyr asked and Gordan nodded.

'Yeah, fine. That lizardman was a problem in the Association. I'll go along with you guys to redeem your stigma.

　Gaudin is wrong too.
　I look around. My sister Kayna, Maddy, and Mr. Laylia are holding their heads.
　Apparently, they realized the mistake just like me.
　The four brave souls are all together, "Let's redeem the stigma! And the voices are all together.
　It hurts my head to hear it.

'But it's late today. We'll do it tomorrow. So everyone get enough rest today.

　Zepha said and the three brave men nodded.

'That's why. Sizfe and sister Keina. Tomorrow, we're going to slay the Lizardmen!

　Novice laughs and tells me.
　But wait a minute.

"What ...... are we going to do?

　I couldn't help but mutter that.



◆Dark Knight Kroki.

So long, Maiden of Swords. If there is anything you need, you may call upon me at any time.

　A woman named Atrana walks out of the room.
　She is the wife of Tormarchis, the merchant who arranged the inn.
　Tormarchis seems to be an official merchant of the Temple of Raina, and his wife, Atrana, is said to frequent the temple.
　I was beaten up by a brave man named Novis and carried here pretending to be unconscious.
　And then Reena sent the priests away because she had a secret to tell them.
　So there are six of us in this room, myself, Shirone, Kyouka, Kaya, and Raina and Regina.
　The priests had some difficulty with my presence, but in front of Reena's words, it seems that I have no choice but to agree with them.
　The room where I was brought in is quite large for a squire's room. The bunk could sleep two people as well.
　This room was assigned to Regina. It looks like she's done a great job for herself.

'It's safe to get up now, Kroki.

　Sirone says and raises his upper body.

'Fu, pretending to be a squire isn't easy either: ......
If you were gonna do that, why didn't you just call him our new companion and not the squire?

　Cyrone says, sounding angry.
　He still seems to be angry that he was beaten up.
　Sirone seems to think about himself enough to be angry at being treated unreasonably.
　But I don't think I can be one of them.
　Most importantly, I don't think Rage will join me, and even if he did, he'd be isolated among them.

'If you do that, you'll stand out ....... There will be people trying to figure out who you are.

　So I shake my head and answer myself.

'Er.'

　Cyrone seemed unhappy with the answer.

'That's right, Sirone. Croki is pretending to be a squire for me.'

　Raina says happily.
　I'm actually hiding my identity for Raina's sake.
　I want her to feel a little indebted to me.
　If Raina gives up, I won't have to fight Rage myself.

'Hey, Kroki ....... How long have you and Raina been friends?

　Cyrone asks me with zit eyes.
　To be honest, I don't understand myself either.
　Well, I'm sure it's thanks for coming to save Rage. I can't think of any other reason.

'For that matter, I was just talking about Lizardman earlier. ....... May I?
'I feel like I'm kind of going off topic, but ...... well, okay. What's up with the lizardman?
I need you to stop exterminating them if you can.

　I'm going to cut to the chase.

'Lizardman?　Why?
'They were brought in to force us to fight in the arena ....... I don't agree with exterminating them. So why can't we just convince them to go somewhere else while we enter the labyrinth?

　I say what I've been thinking.

'I see. ....... That's so typical of Kuroki. I'm relieved that nothing has changed.

　For some reason, Shirone seems happy to hear herself speak.

''You're very kind, Kuroki-san, aren't you?

　Kyouka laughs and looks impressed.
　But Kaya next to Kyouka looks at her coldly.

'Kuroki-sama. Lizardmen are already hostile to humans. It may be good for a time, but it will attack people at some point. Are you going to help that lizardman?

　Kaya was right.
　Even if you evacuate the lizardmen from the labyrinth temporarily, the lizardmen will eventually attack people again. If that happens, eventually someone will exterminate the lizardmen.

'But even then, I want you to stop exterminating them: ....... Even if it's only temporary.

　I catch Kaya's gaze as I say this.
　In the first place, I am a dark knight. I'm not on the side of man.
　That's why it shouldn't be strange to save the Lizardman.

I see. But ......
Wait, Kaya!

　Suddenly Kyouka lets out a loud voice.

'Miss .......'
''Kuroki-san is the one who came to your brother's rescue. We have to put Kuroki-san's will before our own here.
Kaya, please. Do me a favor. Do Kroki a favor for him.

　Syrone and Kyouka offer their help.

'If you two are so inclined, I have nothing to say to you. ...... 'I'm sorry, Kuroki-sama,'

　Kaya bows to herself.

'No. ....... You're right too.

　If you look at it from the standpoint of being a fellow brave man, Kaya is right.
　Lizardmen are hostile to humans.
　If we don't exterminate the lizardmen, someone else might be killed.

'But it is too late for today. Why don't we try to convince them tomorrow? Please join us for dinner today with Lady Sirone. Are you ready, Miss Ligena?

　Kaya says to Regena, who was a step away.

'Yes, we are ready for you. We have an assortment of items for you to choose from, Master. The priests have helped me with this.'

　Ligeena looks at herself and says.

'I don't think it's right to eat with the squire ....... 'All right, we'll have dinner together.'

　If possible, I don't want to do anything too obvious, but Regina prepared it for me, I can't do it without a fight.

''It's been a long time since I've had dinner with Kuroki. Let's talk about all sorts of things, shall we?

　Cyrone seems to be having some fun.
　I think it's good to see that.
　Tomorrow we'll go to the labyrinth and try to convince the lizardmen. If they are like the Lizardmen of Nargol, we should be able to talk to them.
　I thought about tomorrow.



Atranaqua, the spider goddess.

　There are countless others who wriggle in the darkness.
　All of them are women of the Arkeny tribe, my household.
　The Arcenies are a race whose only members are women. Their upper bodies are no different from human women, but their lower bodies are spiders.
　They change their appearance into human beings and live in the underworld of this free city of Thessia.
　Humans wouldn't expect to find so many Arcenians living here.
　This reminds me of earlier.
　The woman who was with the brave men of light.
　There's no doubt about it, that's Raina. She hides her face, but I can tell by her presence.
　I didn't expect that goddess to come to the rescue of the brave.
　I'll have to report to Lavrus.
　But I'll think about it.
　I want to take care of Raina with my own hands.
　That's right: ....... I'm sorry to tell Lavrus, but it's the right thing to do.
　Now's as good a time as any to get your guardian angels out. It's an opportunity.
　But as long as the maidens of the sword are around, they're hard to mess with.
　And he'll be just as hard to attack while his priests are around.
　But there will always be an opening. If there aren't any, then create an opening.
　There should be no one else to be on guard against.
　There's a human squire, but he's weak.
　I heard he was struck down by a fire hero and went down easily. We won't have to be alarmed.

"Wait for me, Raina. I'll get revenge on you: ......

　The thought of that brought a smile to my face.