Shirone the Maiden of Swords

　The Bandol Plain is the largest plain in the eastern part of the central continent.
　Because it's an open land like the Minon Plain, there aren't a lot of goblins that are dark-skinned.
　But despite that, there has never been a human country in the middle of the Bandol Plain.
　This is because in the center of the Bandol Plains, there was a large magical beast called Peruda.
　Peruda was a vicious demonic beast with the head and tail of a snake, four legs, a tortoise shell with green skin, a body covered with long hair like a lion's mane, and a venomous sting on its back that grew along its spine.
　Peruda spits out flames and burns down crops, attacks livestock, and floods in the river, making the surrounding area uninhabitable.
　But now Peruda is gone.
　But now Peruda was gone, because Rage had defeated her alone.
　At that time, Raji's fighting spirit was amazing.
　Even though he lost to Kuroki, he's a brave man of light.
　I can't afford to lose, either, so I look down at my feet.
　A huge boar was lying at my feet.
　This eight-meter-long boar is the one I just defeated.

It's as good as a sword maiden, Sirone. You are the only one who could defeat the boar.

　One of the warriors who followed along complimented me.
　This great boar, called Paia, has been ravaging the neighboring countries.
　It was hard to find because of its wide range of activity, but we finally managed to defeat it today.
　The accompanying warriors cheered.
　They followed me, despite the fact that they were a liability. I'm a goddess to them, it seems.
　I don't know why, but these people gather around me.
　They look at me with sparkling eyes.

'Dear Sirone. Leave it to us to carry the boar.

　The warriors flock to the boar.
　It would be quicker if I carried them, but since it's a good time, let them carry them.

"Come, Lady Syrone. Let us return to the Kingdom of Eld.

　I nodded at the words of one of the warriors.
　'The Kingdom of Eldo is the one we created in the land after we defeated Peruda.
　Six months after we left Kroki in the Republic of Ariadia, we are building a new kingdom.
　As for me, I want to go and help Kroki, even if I'm alone, but Chiyuki has stopped me from doing so.
　I can't let my friends worry about me.
　That's why I'm relieving my mind from the gloom and doom by fighting off the demonic beasts.
　But isn't it time to make a move?
　I'll say that to Chiyuki-san next time.
　I returned to the Kingdom of Eldorado, thinking about this.





The black-haired wise man Chiyuki.

　The Kingdom of Eldo is a country that has been in existence for less than a year.
　Originally, this land was not inhabited by humans because of the presence of a magical beast, Peruda.
　When Rage defeated it, humans were able to live in this land.
　And we decided to build a country on this land.
　There are many reasons for this, but the first reason is that we didn't know when we would be able to return to our home world, so we all decided to build a base of operations.
　There is the St. Renaria Republic, but that country is for Renna. Therefore, we have to refrain from being a part of Raina.
　That's why we decided to create a country that exists for us.
　The name of the country we built is Eldo.
　Now, it is still a small country.
　But located in the heart of the Bandor Plain, this kingdom will soon be one of the greatest powers in the region.
　We are now gathered in the conference room of the Eldo royal palace.

''Come on, Chiyuki-san. We're all here except for Sahoko-san.

　Cyrone looks at me expectantly.
　Sahoko is not here because she can't attend the meeting. So we have to have a meeting with only the members here.

'Right. Shall we start the meeting then?

　I said and everyone nodded.

'Okay then, Kaya. I would like you to explain first.

　Kaya says and reads the document in her hand.
　There are many things to report, but Kaya reads them smoothly.
　Finances, security, and miscellaneous issues.
　There are still some problems, but it seems that there is no need for us to act.
　It's a matter we can leave to our men.
　Most of them are women that Kaya trained while she was in the St. Renaria Republic.
　They're quite good, and they can do the paperwork properly without us having to give them instructions.

''From the ...... and more, it seems that the management of the Eldo Kingdom is going well for now. However, if it continues to grow like this, there is a possibility that problems may arise.

　I nodded yes to that statement.
　I remember how hard it was to build a country from scratch.
　So, in the beginning, we had a lot of problems.
　We are amateurs in urban planning. Things could go wrong.
　And the biggest problem in nation building was religious policy.
　Unlike Japan, where the separation of church and state is the norm, in this world, society and religion are closely connected.
　In politics, there are the Odysseus Order and the Feriah Order, and in commerce and industry, the Heybos Order. Commerce and industry are the Heybos cult.
　Water supply and fishing are of the Triden Order, and sewage and agriculture are of the Gena Order.
　The world works by having these churches closely related to the society.
　But if I was going to build a country, I wanted to build it without relying on the existing religious cult as much as possible.
　Therefore, I had a hard time in the early days because I could not get the cooperation of these groups.
　But now, half a year later, things have settled down.
　That's because the people who came to worship us while we were in the Republic of St. Renaria cooperated with us.
　In this country, including Rage, we are worshipped like gods.
　In a sense, the Kingdom of Eldo is a country created by a religious group called the Brave Warrior Religion.

I'm not sure if it's safe to assume that nation-building has come to an end then? Kaya?

　I asked and Kaya nodded.

'Perhaps. Now it's easier to gather funds and information than it used to be.'

　A cheer goes up from all of us.

'Well then!　It's time to head to Nargol!

　Syrone taps the desk and shouts out.
　But all but Shirone are silent.
　It's not unreasonable, our most powerful rage has been ripped off. With the exception of Sirone, I would be cautious about going to Nargol.
　That's one of the reasons why we're not going to Nargol to build our country.

'But, Sirone. Shirone-san's childhood friend is very strong. Rage was no match for him either. Aren't we supposed to be cautious here?

　Reno says anxiously.
　And then Rage beside me at the "I was no match for you" part, "Ugh! He grunted.
　Apparently, he remembered that he had lost a ragged battle.
　Normally he pretends to be calm, but he clearly hasn't recovered from his defeat.
　Normally, she would take the initiative, but she's quiet.

'Reno-chan!　Kuroki is not the enemy!　It's that girl with the silvery white hair that's to blame!

　Syrone's cheeks puffed up.

'You are indeed a good man, Kroki-san. I can't see him as an enemy.

　Kyouka agrees with Shirone.
　I don't know what it is, but Kyouka thinks highly of Shirone's childhood friend.

'But you know what, Shirone. Even if we wanted to deal with the Silver Witch alone, she's in Nargol, which is enemy territory. You can't take on her alone.

　I shake my head.

'Chiyuki-san. That's the thing, but it seems that the Silver White Witch isn't in Nargol.

　They all look at Nao.

'What's going on?　Nao?
The thing is, Reiji-senpai. The other day I went to check on you near Nargol.
'They went to see ....... Nao-san, such a dangerous thing: .......

　It's dangerous to go and see them alone.
　What is Nao doing there when I told her not to act dangerously?

'Duh! It's okay!　Mr. Chiyuki!　I'm not in Nargol!　I just went up to the neighborhood to see what's going on!　However, on the way there, in the blue forest, we found the castle of sweets that Shirone had mentioned in her story!

　Nao, who was about to be scolded by me, hurriedly explains.
　The Castle of Sweets is the residence of the White Silver Witch that Shirone had talked about before.
　It seems that it can be moved by having Myrmidon carry it.
　And the Blue Forest is a forest that extends just south of the Acheron Mountains, which is the border of Nargol.
　In other words, the Castle of Sweets would be outside of Nargol.

''What does that mean!　Nao!

　Cyrone closes in on Nao.

That's all I can say. As you might expect, it's dangerous to get close to ....... But I saw a girl who looked like a silvery white witch from a distance.

　They all look at each other at those words.

'Maybe we should go check on them. ......

　Everyone nodded at those words.



◆Dark Knight Kroki.

　The Blue Forest is a forest that stretches south of the Acheron Mountains.
　The forest is large and adjoins a number of human countries.
　It's not just a matter of time before you find yourself in the middle of a battle.
　Until recently, this forest was ruled by Kuzig, an Ogre witch.
　However, that Kuzig is no longer with us.
　The forest is now in the hands of a new queen.
　After returning from the Demon King's Castle, I took a short walk through the forest.

''What can I say ....... Isn't this forest getting closer to the Dark Forest of Nargol?

　When you walk through the forest, you can see the demons that live in Nargol.
　Looking at the demons, I can't help but wonder if this is the right thing to do.
　I continue to walk on.
　Then the sweet scent becomes stronger.
　The center of the blue forest. The peach-colored fog makes it difficult to see.
　The one generating that fog is the Castle of Sweets, located in the center of the Blue Forest.
　The Ogre Kuzig used this sweet scent to lure and prey on his prey.
　This fog still occurs even now that Kuzig is gone, and when this castle was in Nargol, a number of Orcs were captivated by it.
　Of course, the orc kings (lords) complained about it.
　Therefore, it was necessary to move the castle out of Nargol.
　Humans are less nosy than Orcs, so it seems that no damage has been done so far. However, I'm not sure if I should leave it as it is.
　We reached the castle of sweets and entered the castle.
　Then the soldiers of the Myrmidons hold their spears high and salute you.
　I raise my hand in salute and walk past them.
　You walk up the sugarwork stairs to the lord's bedroom.
　On the way to the castle, I passed some of the Gold Beetle Fighters.
　The Gold Beetle Fighter is one of the strongest of all the mushrooms in the Dark Forest.
　It is about two meters long and looks like a golden beetle standing upright.
　With weapons on each of their four arms and wrapped in an exoskeleton as hard as iron, they are born to be strong warriors.
　They are also the guardians of Kuna, who have gained the ability to use bugs.

I'm home~. Kuna. Have you been a good boy?

　When I entered the room, the new Queen of the Forest, Kuna, was sprawled out on a cotton candy couch.

'Welcome home Kroki,'

　When Kuna sees her, she jumps up and hugs her.

'Good, good, did you find anything unusual, Kuna?'

　He pats Coona's head.

'Nope. There wasn't anything unusual about it, just .......

　Coona turns her head in the direction of the room.
　I get caught up and look in that direction myself.
　The moment you see it. I feel my expression harden.
　It's because there was someone there who shouldn't have been in this room.

''It's been a long time. ''Your Excellency. Gufufufufu.''

　A cold sweat runs down his spine as he smiles at me.

'Um. Why are you here?
Hmm. I figured he'd run the castle while Kuna was away. He's here.
'Oh ....... Yes, .......

　I manage to produce a smile.
　But from the outside, you can see that he's pulling back.

''Yes. While Lady Coona is away, you can leave it to this Datier.''

　Then the goblin queen, Datier, laughed, "Guffaw.