Sisyphe

This isn't good, Sisyphe. It's getting dark out there. If we don't reach the Kingdom of Alm, we're in trouble.

　My sister Keina, walking beside me, looks at me and says.
　The time is dusk and it is already dark. Once the sun is out of sight, it will be difficult to walk.

'I'm sorry, Shizu. It's because I walk too slowly.
'It's not Maddie's fault. I thought we'd reach the Kingdom of Alm by nightfall, I was naive. I'm the one who owes you an apology.

　Maddie has done nothing wrong. I am the leader of the group. I am the one who made a mistake in judgment.
　I am the one who apologizes.
　After a four-day boat ride, we arrived in the Kingdom of Wildona, which has a large river port.
　Originally, we were going to stay one night here and then go overland to the Kingdom of Arum.
　The reason why we were going to the Kingdom of Arum is because there is a place near that Kingdom of Arum where the Harpies are believed to be holding Phineas.
　But without staying overnight we are heading to the Kingdom of Arum.
　The reason why this happened is because Regina offered to lend us a lizardman and a small boat.
　A small river, though no large river boats can enter, runs near the Kingdom of Alm. If I use the small boat pulled by the lizardman, I'm sure I'll be able to reach it faster than walking the streets.
　Hearing that offer, I'm lost.
　I unfold the map that Ligeena-san has and confirm the location of the Kingdom of Arum.
　A dwarf's map with surveying ability is accurate and free of errors.
　If I borrowed a small boat, I would be able to reach it by dusk.
　After some hesitation, I consulted with my companions and accepted the offer.
　Because it was a life saving mission and I needed to get there quickly.
　Besides, there was something else that was bothering me.
　The New Green Warriors had left the ship in the Kingdom of Wildona, just like us.
　I don't know where they're going.
　But maybe they are going to the same Kingdom of Arum.
　If that's the case, I may end up going with them on the road.
　It's not that I'm in a relationship to fight with them.
　But for some reason, I didn't want to go with them.
　That's also the reason why I accepted Regina's offer.
　Thus, we took a small boat to the Kingdom of Arum.
　However, from the place where we got off in the small boat to the Kingdom of Arum, it is naturally off the road. Therefore, it was difficult to walk and took a long time to get to the Kingdom of Alm.

''But it's certainly not a good idea to keep going. We don't have any tools for camping.''

　Leiria-san also looks worried.

'Shouldn't we hurry up a bit, Siszfe?　Yes, Maddy, do you want me to give you a piggyback ride?

　Novis turns his back on Maddy.

'Yes, but I'm sorry, Mr. Novi,'
Don't worry about it. Maddie might as well have been the one who beat up the kid.

　Novis says with a laugh.
　I turn around and notice that he clearly saw Maddy's breasts when he turned around.
　He may mean well, but doesn't he know that Maddie is concerned about her child-like figure?

Mmm. That's okay, Mr. Novi. You don't have to pat me down.

　Sure enough, Maddy says in a gruff voice. Then she forces herself to start walking faster.

'Whoa, hey, what's going on?'

　Novice rushes after Maddy.

'Huh, what are you doing ......'

　I let out a sigh and follow the two of them.
　Soon, we emerged at what looked like a street.
　I say "street-like" because the road was so shabby that it was hard to believe it was a street.
　However, this is definitely a street.
　I'm usually familiar with the roads around the Republic of Ariadia, and that's why I think so.
　The Kingdom of Arum is a country on the outskirts of the Minon Plain.
　I've heard it's not a very rich country.
　If the only people passing through are citizens of the Kingdom of Arum, then the Kingdom of Arum has to maintain the roads.
　Because it is not a rich country, it is not possible to build a great road.
　We walk along the road. It will be nighttime by the time we reach it, but it can't be helped.

'Wait!　Everyone!

　As we are walking down the street, Nora suddenly lets out a loud voice.

'What's wrong? Mr. Nora?
There was something running behind me.

　Then Nora put her hand to her ear.
　Elves have a much better ear than humans. They can hear sounds that we humans cannot hear.
　Nora's words change everyone's mood.

''Are the demons running this way?''

　Nora shook her head.

'From the sound of his footsteps, he's human. They seem to be chased by something. Maybe they're being attacked by a demon.

　The tension on everyone's face as they hear those words.

'I'm coming to help! Everyone!

　We all nod.
　We take out our weapons and run in the direction of the footsteps.
　Kayna's sister and Nora are ahead of us. Then me and Novice follow.
　Maddie can't run fast enough, so she and Leiria fall behind.
　Soon, we see one man and one woman running towards us from ahead.
　Several goblins are chasing behind them.
　Goblins don't like daylight, so they don't show up much during the day. However, they can be seen at dusk when the light is fainter.
　The number of goblins is quite high, maybe 20.
　Hastily we go to the fleeing men and women.
　The men are looking like knights and are running away while protecting the women.

''It's all right, sir! I'll help you now!

　I shout and the knight looks at me in surprise.

'What about you guys?'
I'll explain later!　Step back.

　I head for the goblins with my sister Kayna in the lead.

'Shit!　New humans are coming, Gob!

　Some of the goblins noticed us and held up their bows and arrows.
　The small single bows used by the goblins have a short range, but they are a threat if they are in range.
　An arrow is released from the bow.

''Reena-sama!　Protect us!

　I produce a shield of light by the power of Lady Raina's blessing. That shield prevents arrows from reaching us.
　The goblins in the vanguard stand ready with their stone axes and stone spears to protect the goblins with their bows.
　Goblins can't make iron weapons because they can't use fire, but they can at least polish stones to make sharp weapons.
　If they attack you where you don't have armor, it can be fatal.

''Let's go!　Novice!
'Oh!　Sister Kayna!

　Sister Kayna and Novice run into the goblins.
　Kayna doesn't want to be restricted in her movements, so she only wears light armor.
　Novice's upper body is bare, as she is a Thor's Madman without armor.
　The two of them have a lot of exposed skin and could be fatally wounded by a goblin attack.
　The goblins raise their stone axes and stone spears to intercept the two men.

''How could such a lazy attack hit you?!

　The Kaina sister flies small, ducks the attacks of the goblins and attacks them with her spear.
　The speed of Kaina's legs surpasses that of an ordinary person. She uses her healthy legs to break free in a single attack.
　The goblins' ranks are broken by Kena's attack.

"Oryaaaah!

　Novis raises his spirits and plunges into the crumbling ranks of the goblins.
　A few goblins are blown away as Novis swings his great sword.
　Watching the way they fight, I think again that the two of them don't need armor.
　One of them ducks all the attacks and the other twists everything down with force.
　A goblin bowman will aim at the two of them.
　Of course, I won't let them do that.
　Nora-san uses her rapid fire to accurately aim at the goblin archers who are aiming at the two of them. Even among the elves, the Oreiad clan is skilled with the bow.
　Nora, who is from this clan, is an expert with the bow. The bowman can't aim at the two of them because Nora-san is blocking him.

''Sizfe!　I'll take care of the previous goblins!

　Sister Kayna brilliantly avoids the goblins and heads for the goblins that follow.
　The goblins are not stupid. They try to chase after Kaina's sister.

''There's no way I'm going to let them!

　I confront the goblins.
　Four goblins, afraid of being attacked from behind, head towards me.
　In the past, I would have had a hard time dealing with just one goblin.
　The goblins don't have strong bodies like the orcs, but they move quickly. My magic sword is useless if it doesn't hit them. That's why I wasn't good at opponents that moved quickly.
　However, if it's me now, having received Raina-sama's blessing, I won't lose even to this many goblins.

''Gaaaaaah!

　The goblin at the front attacks me with a stone axe.
　I brush away the attack with my shield and quickly turn my body to slash it apart. Then, without stopping, I slash the spear of the goblin that attacked me with my spear and push it with my shield, hitting another goblin.
　Then, when I sense the goblin coming from behind, I re-hold my sword in my backhand and start to follow behind.
　I take down the one coming from behind, and the two goblins that got up thought they were no match for me, and they run away from me.
　I look around and see that the other goblins are also running away.

'What do we do, Sizfe. Should we go after them?

　He shook his head at Novice's words.

'You can't go deeper. We should get to the Kingdom of Arum before night falls.'

　As we were talking about this, Maddy and Leiria caught up to us. Behind them are the two who were running away.

''That's amazing. We chased away a bunch of goblins with just the four of us.
I guess we're not going to get a chance to do this.

　Maddy and Ms. Leiria laugh.
　In the past, this wouldn't have happened. But this time, Novis was there, and I became stronger too.
　Even against this many goblins, I was able to win.

''Thank you. I'm Bormos, the knight of the Arum Kingdom. And this is my sister, Edra.''
My name is Edorah, warriors. If you had not come to us, the goblins would have captured you.

　The man and woman who were on the run thanked us for our help.
　These two men must have been safe because they didn't use their bows to capture this Mr. Edra alive.
　Bormos is injured, but Edra doesn't have a single wound.

'I'd like to talk more about it in detail, but let's move on for now. Please stay in our country tonight.

　With that, Bormos bowed his head.







Sisyphe again.

　The Kingdom of Arum has a population of about 8,000 people.
　It is not blessed with cultivated land, and its main industry is cattle breeding.
　It would be one of the poorest countries in the Ariad Alliance, which has many rich countries.
　Built on a small hill, the kingdom is surrounded by walls about three times my height.
　Probably not made by dwarves, but by humans. To put it bluntly, the walls are shabby compared to those made by the dwarves in the Republic of Ariadia.
　But, on the contrary, the walls of the Republic of Ariadia are too magnificent.
　There's the matter of the goblins just now, but the rate of appearance of demons is higher in this area than in the Republic of Ariadia.
　That's why this country needs a more magnificent wall than the Republic of Ariadia.
　On the other hand, the Republic of Ariadia would not need such a magnificent wall.
　They say it's a problem if the things they need don't go where they are needed.
　Incidentally, this is what I heard from Maddy.
　Originally, it was a story about a great wise man.
　According to the wise man, the Ariadic nations should become one nation.
　By doing so, he says, they will be able to share their wealth with the poor countries.
　To be honest, it's too big a story for me to understand.

'To Lady Sizfe the War Maiden and her companion Lord. Thank you for helping my nephew and niece.''

　The king of the Kingdom of Arum thanks me.
　Bormos was the nephew of the king of this country.
　In other words, he is royalty.
　But in this country, the king is decided by the people's assembly.
　Basically, the king's son is often chosen as the king as it is, but it is not always possible to become the king.
　Therefore, even though they are royalty, they are not that different from ordinary citizens.
　We were invited to dinner for rescuing Bormos and his friends.
　This dinner was prepared by the queen and a woman of her family.
　Meat balls made of minced lamb mixed with herbs and baked, and beans ground and fried.
　The place is a royal castle. It is the largest and most public building in the country, where those who have become kings are allowed to reside.
　It was at this dinner table that I was thanked for my hospitality.
　Seated at the table were our companions, the king and queen, their granddaughter, the princess, and Bormos.
　The dining room is large, as if the family usually eats together.

'Oh. Appreciate to the fullest ....... Ugh!

　I poke Novice with my elbow to shut him up.

'No, no. It's all thanks to Lady Raina's guidance.

　I say, praying to Lady Raina.

'Oh, I see. Thank you, Lady Raina. This will make Edra's marriage go well.

　According to the king's story, Edra was to be married to a prince from a neighboring country.
　And this morning, Edra had gone to that neighboring country to meet the prince. Her brother, Bormos, was her chaperone.
　It was on his way home that we met.
　As a result of a long talk with the other royal family and a late return, we were attacked by goblins in the evening.
　The horse they were riding was attacked first, and then the two of them had to run away.
　If we hadn't been there, she would have been captured by the goblins.

'It was a dangerous place, are there many goblins around here?'
''Yes, Lady War Maiden. This is within the sphere of influence of the Galmoe tribe of goblins. Their main base seems to be a long way from here, but every once in a while, the tribe's goblin warriors come out with their soldiers.

　The king says with a troubled look on his face.
　According to what I've heard, the tribe of goblins is divided into a priestly class, a warrior class and a general class below that, with the king (Lord) at the top. In other words, there are the smart ones, the powerful ones and the ones with no particular ability.
　The priestly class is said to be in charge of internal affairs under the king, and the warrior class is said to lead a select group of soldiers from the general class on an expedition.
　The warrior class is said to be in charge of the internal affairs of the king, and the warrior class is said to lead a select group of soldiers from the common classes on an expedition, hunting in the forest, fighting against other goblin tribes, and raiding human lands.
　The Kingdom of Arum, which is in the sphere of influence of the goblin tribes, could be invaded at any time. The king would have a headache.

''Um~ War Maiden-sama. Can I become a warrior too?''

　The princess speaks to me.
　Princess Sanira, the king's granddaughter, is eight years old. Her innocent smile is so cute.

''This is Sanila!

　The queen scolds the princess.

'It's good, Grandma. Girls can be warriors too, can't they?　I want to be a warrior too!

　Princess Sanira looks at me with expectant eyes.

'Already ....... Sanila. After those girls, if even you are gone .......

　The queen looks sad.
　With those words I guess.
　I wonder why my granddaughter, the princess, is at this table and her parents, the children, are not here.
　Perhaps they have died for some reason.

'I want to be a warrior!　As a warrior, you can go find your father or mother lost in the forest!

　But Princess Sanila doesn't listen.

'Princess Sanila. Lady Raina allows everyone to take up the sword. But it's for the protection of the people she cares about. Doesn't the princess care about her grandfather and grandmother?

　I go to Princess Sanira and take her hand and admonish her.

'Nope. Your grandfather and your grandmother are important to me.
'Then you shouldn't worry about the people you care about. Warriors are there to protect those they care about.

　I say, making a smile.
　Princess Sanila looks at the king and his wife. They have a worried look on their faces.
　Seeing their faces, Princess Sanira nods as if she noticed something.

''Yes ....... I don't want your grandfather and grandmother to be sad.''

　Oh, good. I think he understands.

'But then, if I don't have to worry about you, can I become a warrior?

　They look at me with expectant eyes. I'm weak when you look at me like that.
　Well, it's good if you don't want me to worry.

'Yes, I suppose so. If you try not to worry, I think you'll be fine.'

　When I say that, Princess Sanira gets a big smile on her face.

''Yes!　Me!　I'm a warrior!　I always thought that only men could be warriors because the only warriors who came to this country were men! But it's different. Yes!

　Apparently, no freedom fighter who has ever come to this country has ever been a woman. Princess Sanira is pleased.
　But there was something about her words that bothered me.

''Um, what kind of person is this warrior who always comes to this country?''

　I ask timidly.

'Yes, we don't usually get many warriors visiting this country, but lately we've been getting a lot of visitors who call themselves the New Green Warriors.

　It was Bormos who answered.
　And the answer was as expected.
　It seems that the New Green Warriors are frequent visitors to this country.
　According to Bormos, they regularly receive requests from someone else to come to this country.
　What kind of request could this be?
　The people of this country were also wondering what the New Green Warriors were asking for, but they were silent about the foreign currency they were dropping.
　I have a very bad feeling about this.
　But I can't be sure.
　Well, there's no point in worrying about it.
　Anyway, it's full-blown outdoor activity from tomorrow. Let's go to bed early tonight.