Lawrence Reinhardt's father was an alchemist.
　His job was to make mithril alloys for mining pickaxes, which he sold to pickaxe workshops.

　Lawrence was proud of his father.
　He was proud of his father, and although his father's work was not the kind of work that would be seen by the public, he thought it was work that would support this country.

　It was when Lawrence was seven years old that a dark cloud began to loom over his father's future.
　As a young boy, Lawrence didn't really understand what was happening, but he did remember that his father was grumpy and drank more than usual, as debt collectors with horrible faces began to visit the house every day.

　On one occasion, Lawrence intervened unthinkingly to save his father from being beaten by a debt collector, and was beaten up by three adults.
　Although he was not seriously injured, the incident made Lawrence vow to become stronger.
　If you think about it calmly, it is obvious that using martial arts to get rid of debt collectors will cause more trouble than it's worth, but that's just the way children think.

　To protect his family: ......
　The reason why the naughty boy took up the sword was as simple as that.
　When Lawrence knocked on the door of a dojo run by a retired royal knight, he was offered free sword lessons in exchange for helping with the dojo's work.
　There, Lawrence quickly rose to prominence.

　Eventually, as Lawrence grew up, he came to know.
　He learned that his father was unable to keep up with the changes in the national system and the standards for the alloys used in mining equipment.
　As a result of pressure from Federation merchants to sell goods to Ciel-Teira, a treaty was established to align the domestic system of Ciel-Teira with that of the Federation. One of the hundreds of items included in that treaty was the....

　The Federation, home to the Golem Corps, is a leader in the technology of magical alloys using alchemy, and has received generous research support from the government. The craftsmen of Ciel-Teira could not cope with the new standards based on the Federation. The workshops that had been my father's clients were forced to rely on imported products from the Federation.
　My father, who was an alchemist but had no great knowledge or skill, and who made his living with a single alloy, lost his job, and while working as an unaccustomed pack-master, he studied to meet the new standards, and finally broke down.
　My father's life burned out like the flame of a lamp getting smaller and smaller, and then he died.

　Was it my father's fault for not being able to survive the changing times?
　You can blame him for not having enough technology, or not having enough business acumen, or whatever you want.
　But for Lawrence, it was enough to make him hate the Federation.
　The sword that had been used to protect his family had one day become a sword used to slay Federation soldiers.

　With the recommendation of the dojo master, Lawrence was recruited into the Royal Guard by the time he was 15 years old. In order to help his mother, who was the sole breadwinner in the family, Lawrence jumped at the chance to serve.
　But what awaited him there was...
　Lawrence's first job as a knight.
　Reinforcements for the Federation's war effort.
　A country near Ciel-Teira, about the same size as Ciel-Teira, was having a skirmish with the Federation, and it was a battle to bring it under control.
　It was Lawrence's first battle, and he earned a lot of valor. But Lawrence did not know what he was fighting for from beginning to end.

　Even after that, Lawrence served his country as a knight with many questions and frustrations.
　Even though he couldn't fight against the Federation, he believed that his fight was for the good of the country and to protect the interests of the country ...... and many others.

　And.
　Lawrence...

　* * *

"Aaaaah!

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　After passing through that blow, Rene closed the distance straight away.
　And just before the next side-cutting blow ...... came.

"What?

　Rene disappeared.
　To be precise, she went into a "short warp" behind Lawrence.

　The red blade that Rene wielded plunged into Lawrence's armor.
　In a trajectory that sliced his chest in a circle.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

　Lawrence twisted around.
　He spun his body around to avoid the deep blow instead of being sliced halfway across his chest in a shallow cut.
　At the same time, he struck Tayla Ayulu.

Ha!

　Renai catches the blow with all her might. ≪The red blade of Teir Ayul, which had been hit by the Consecration, sharpened, sending out red sparks. ≪The "Bad Blood" seemed to have already lost most of its power as magic, and it had become a mere stain that did not weaken the holy air.

　But Lawrence's blow was light. No, Rene's power was getting stronger. This was due to the fact that he had gained strength from eating souls, and Rich, who was part of the siege team, had buffed Rene.
　Lawrence had also given up his talisman to receive the buffs, but now Rene was simply stronger.

　As soon as Lawrence sees that he can't win by force, he immediately changes his policy.
　He relaxes for a moment, as if to give her a shoulder kick, and then cuts back with his sword, breaking Rene's stance.

　You can't avoid it and you can't catch it, and you can't avoid it by shifting.
　He tried to do so.

"I won't let you!

　Lawrence read it.
　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.

I'm not sure what to say.

　I'm not sure what to do.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

　--What was that?　What was that?　I'm not sure what you mean by that.
　　　But this is only the second time you've shown me ...... short warp!　Can you handle that?

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.
　There's no way he can reach her. But the thrusts fly.



　He slips a half step to the side. A thrust goes through where Rene's head used to be.
　Bend down. The thrust flies past the spot where Rene's tail used to be.
　≪Fly two steps sideways at "short warp". The thrust flies through the place where Rene's heart was.

"Shield!
"No!

　Sparks flew in front of Rene with a gust of wind.
　The light barrier in front of Rene prevented the thrust.
　I'm not sure what to do.

It's not going to be as good as a sword, after all.

　Rene muttered, as if confirming something.
　In the form of Dullahan, Rene has instinctive swordsmanship skills that are innate to Dullahan, but his skills are no match for Lawrence.

　The Turtle Formation is as hard as ever.
　In addition to breaking it directly with magic, you can also try to use the "Ground Crack" spell to create a crack in the earth and swallow it, but this was quickly countered by the "Earth Cancel" spell. It's a little tougher to fight Lawrence and have an endurance battle until the knights' magic power runs out.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.

You finally understand the difference in ability. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
I would have preferred to win head-to-head.
　...... It's my way from here.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

　The undead army, which had been watching the battle from a distance, stirred.
　He could feel the caution of the knights, as if they thought he was going to attack them all at once.
　I hate to say it, but it's not that sweet.

"Stop!　Stop!
Help me!

　There was an ear-splitting scream from the undead.
　Skeletons emerged from the rear through the army. In their hands, they hold a crying girl. A little over ten in all. They are all about the same age as Rene, and to varying degrees, they are all beautifully dressed and well-bred.

　While the knights were standing around, the skeleton came out and stood the girl he had been carrying in the front row of the army, and thrust his sword at her as if to embrace her.
　When he saw her, a voice rose from the Turtle Formation.

"Sasha!
Gillian!

　At the sound of these voices, the surrounding knights and Lawrence seemed to understand what was going on.
　They knew who these women were.

　To the frightened girls, Rene spoke in an impersonal cat-like voice.

"Good girls!　Welcome to Rene's fun, fun, fun carnage showtime!
　I've been whipped, had my fingers crushed, burned with a iron, had needles stuck in my mouth, had my head stuck in water, and many other things done to me by everyone's dads, and then I was guillotined to death. Have fun!

　Whenever Rene mentioned the disaster that had befallen him, the girls trembled with a frozen look of fear.
　I'm sure that Rene is not unhappy with you for doing this to him.
　I'm not sure what to make of this. ...... Now, where will Rene's grudge go in this situation?

　I'm sure they've heard the rumors circulating in King's Landing too. What did the knights do?
　It's no longer someone else's problem.
　They've been dragged up to the stage of revenge.

If you can't say your name correctly, you can go to .
　If you can't say them correctly, you know ......, right?
"Oh, oh, oh, .......

　The girl was shaking and incontinent as Rene held a red blade to her face.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand. Your father is ...... Aston Grevi .......
"Gillian!
Oh, my dad, oh my dad!

　The knight who almost ran out of the Turtle Camp was pulled back by the surrounding knights.

　The girls were dragged by the skeletons. They are all the daughters of the First Order.
　There is no such thing as a family register in this country, but the Order still keeps track of the residences of its members in King's Landing for various communications purposes. I had obtained that list in the name of Duke Gerald.

　The tearful introductions continued.
　Rene could sense the anger, frustration and despair in the knights.

　--Five of them were particularly responsive. The rest responded with 'your father's name'.
　　　Yes, it's more shocking when it's a child of someone you know than when you don't know who they are.

　It's not always convenient to get children of the participants of the Turtle Battle. That's why Rene thought of a way to get them to say their father's name.
　Every time a colleague's name is mentioned, it causes psychological damage.

"...... Oh?

　René paused, about to put his sword to the next girl.
　One of the girls brought in was a familiar face.

　The girl looks frightened, but she raises her head and looks at you.
　She has long, shiny, citrus-colored hair and gray and red odd eyes. She is wearing a relatively plain (but by commoner standards, overly ornate) dress for going out.

　Catherine Margaretha Kiely.
　An adventurer's bodyguard during Rene's time as Iris.

　--Why are you here ......?


　　　Oh, by the way, the families of the Lords are being gathered in King's Landing. Maybe they were out visiting someone they knew and got caught together.

　Renai will kill Catherine if she has to.
　But she's not the target of revenge. There was no need to kill her, she was purely a distraction right now.

He's useless because he's not the son of a royal knight. Just let him go.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

"How do you know about ............?
"What ......?

　I don't think Catherine would have the guts to say that under the circumstances.
　No, that's not a problem.

　Indeed, if you think about it, it's unnatural for her to know Catherine's identity.
　How can I answer Catherine's question without ruining the narrative of ...... Rene's theater?

I'm sure you've heard of it.

　I'm not sure what to say.
　I'm not sure what to do. This is a habit of Rene's. It's a habit that Catherine has been telling me to fix. ......

　--This is ...... not good!

Take him away!
"Iris!　You're not Iris!　Hey!　What's going on here?

　Katherine screamed as the skeleton dragged her away, disappearing into the crowd of corpses.

　Rene shook his head (or rather, moved his hand holding his head in such a way) to regain his composure.
　That was just a minor broadcast accident. It should be erased from your memory. You'll never see Catherine again.

"Well, then, my next friend. You're the last. What's your name?
"My name is Carla Placken...... and my father's name is ...... Hick...... Harm. My name is .......
"Yes, well done.

　When the last one had finished introducing himself, René turned to the knights.

I'm not sure what to do.　You can return them safely if you all die, right?
"Outrageous ......!!!

　Lawrence barked in anger.

I'm not sure what you mean by "outrageous".　If that's the case, what about me, whose mother was killed?
　Can't you think I'm kinder than you guys because I don't just kill people without question?

　The Turtle Formation appears to be intact and undisturbed. But the knights' hearts are in an unsettled state.
　As if sensing the unrest in the rearguard, Lawrence, keeping an eye on Rene, shouted at them to keep them alive.

Calm down!　If the hostage dies, he will lose his shield. There's no way you can easily get to him!　All you have to do is kill him!
We could just kill him randomly, one by one.
And...　If we give in to his demands and we end up being sacrificed, his next target will be you!　It's the end of the world!
...... You can't deny that.

　I can't deny that." Did Rene's words really reach him? Either way, Lawrence is going to charge at us.
　I know I'm no match for him with a sword, but Rene took him head on.

　Three strikes of divine speed, a smash, a scoop, a thrust, and if the distance between them is even a little bit, "Tenbun"!
　In addition, the Holy Arrow from the Turtle Formation also flew, but it was a flimsy ball, perhaps not fully concentrated. ≪It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time with your family.
　≪It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

I'm not sure what to say.

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

What?

　Rene looks at the battle between himself and Lawrence from above, as if from a bird's eye view. This way, there are no blind spots and no one can read your eyes.
　The head flying in the air may look like a nice tomato at first glance, but in fact, even if it's destroyed, it's only the main camera that's been hit.
　The body moves. His magic perception allows him to see what's going on around him. And if Lawrence gets his hands on it, he can kill him while he's at it!

　Rene moves diagonally behind Lawrence with just his torso and slashes at him.

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.

I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm not sure what to do.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

If you throw your head up ......

　Lawrence sneered triumphantly.

It's natural to assume that you'll be transferred to the point of fall to catch it, isn't it?



　Rene's torso collapsed with the loss of strength, and the head he had thrown up fell on top of it, bouncing and rolling.
　After a beat, a cheer went up from the Turtle Formation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!
"Yes, he's done it!
That's the Commander!

　He's cornered, and the nation's existence is at stake, no joke.
　It's the hero Lawrence's triumphant victory.
　The knights were still in a state of disbelief, but they were celebrating the dramatic victory.

　However, Lawrence remained alert in the midst of it all. He looked around quizzically.

　He was suspicious of the fact that the undead were not even the slightest bit shaken, even though they had defeated Rene, who was supposed to be the source of the problem.

...... You failed to finish him off.

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

"If you think this is the end, you've got a bad brain.
Are you going to kill the hostages?
　You can try. My sword will carve you up faster than that skeleton's sword can move.
Hostage. A hostage. ......

　Rene laughed lowly.

"You're thinking like a fool. ...... That's something much nicer.