A few days later.

　We flew to the territory of Patriarch Kittle.
　Our goal was to restore the magic circle at the Traveling Merchant's Rest.

　Princess Sylvia has told me that there is a problem with demons in her territory, and that there is a mysterious rumor going around.
　So the quickest way to get rid of the demons is to revive the warding.

The map shows ...... that this is also a cave.
Well, if we get in, it won't be long before we reach the magic circle.

　After landing on the ground, Lisette and Haruka are staring into the cave.
　It's a cave at the foot of a mountain near the village of Kittle.
　The entrance is a little narrower than the last one.
　If it's smaller, then they should be able to reach the magic circle faster, but...



"You subhumans!　What are you doing here?



　Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.
　It was coming from the village.
　When I looked, I saw several people coming toward me with weapons in their hands.

"...... I thought someone flew in, but it's the subhumans!
We know that you have been rampaging through the village!
We know you've been rampaging through the village! You're the ones who brought the demons here!
We'll take you to the princess!

　There are two men in the front. Behind them are women and children.
　They're holding thin sticks in their hands. If I hit it with my enhanced weapon, it'll break easily.
　The people are shaking and staring at me, Lisette and Haruka.

...... We have Princess Sylvia's permission to move around the territory.

　You will find a lot of people who have been in the business for a long time.
　It has a rather strange design on it.
　I'm sure Princess Sylvia has ordered that anyone carrying this flag be let through.

And here's a letter I got from Princess Sylvia. It has the family crest of the Kittle family stamped on it. I think it proves that we're here with the princess's permission.
"............?

　People are looking at each other.
　It looks like these people saw us flying in and came here.
　So they must be from a nearby village.
　But it's not often that people from the frontier come this far. ...... Why are they so wary?

I'll say it again, we've been commissioned by Princess Sylvia. That's why we're here. We have no intention of bothering you.
"...... The princess is being deceived.

　One of the villagers said.

Nothing good happens with subhumans!　We'll let you off the hook here, so get the hell out of here!
That's right! Don't mess around in my village! Get out of here, you subhuman!
...... Lysette, Haruka, hold her back.

　I raise my hand towards them.
　Then I put down my weapon and stepped in front of the villagers.

"What have the subhumans done to you?
Don't be stupid!
I'm not stupid. We've just flown here. We don't know anything about what happened in the village. If some subhuman from the frontier did something, we'll find him and bring him to you.

　I said, and the villagers fell silent.
　Then the first man stepped forward.

"There's been a beastman rampage in the village of ......!
"Beastmen?
"A tribe of beastmen with ears and tails who used to live on the frontier.

　Lysette explains it to me.

They never settled down, and they were belligerent, so they helped other lords in battle. I've heard that they left the frontier a long time ago and have been traveling around the country hunting .......
Well, I've never met him.

　I turn to the villagers.

"These 'beastmen' you're talking about aren't from the frontier. So it's none of our business. ...... Would it be wrong to say ......?
Of course not! A subhuman is a subhuman!

　You're in trouble.
　I don't control all the subhumans either.
　I can't help you if a species that's not on the frontier does something.

How can we convince them we're on their side?
"...... Shut up." "How can I trust a subhuman?
We're talking to you here. We're not attacking you. We're unarmed. Is that not good enough for you?
We're desperate. ......

　The villager kept his weapon pointed at me and started talking.

"Since ...... the Lord Keeper has been gone, things have been strange.
"Travelers and merchants have been saying that he is dead. "Travelers and merchants are always saying that he's dead, and that the Ten Wise Men are coming to invade our territory. I'm anxious as hell.


The princess's soldiers stopped the merchant who was spreading the rumor, and he was attacked by ...... beastmen.

"...... That's not true.

　That would be alarming.
　But ...... why are the beastmen doing that?
　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why. .......

One of the villagers said, "In addition, demons have been appearing around the village and attacking us at night.

　One of the villagers said.

So we came here to kill them. Then we saw you flying at us!　That means you're one of the demons!
No, that doesn't make any sense.
Then prove it to me!
All right.

　It's all the same.
　But if that's the case, you'd better hurry up.
　First, you'll need to call in the Soldier of Will from the King's Vessel storage skill.


"Hey! "Hey, hey! "Hey, hey, hey!


　With a cheerful voice, the "soldiers of will" appear.
　There are eight of them.

"Yeah. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　I ignore the villagers' astonishment for the time being.
　I give orders to the Soldier of Will.

"Listen. Soldiers of Will. Until we return, prepare for demons with the villagers. There's no need to fight it when you see it. We're going into the dungeon super-express, so if you're at the same level as last time, you should be back in less than an hour.
"Hey!
No, wait a minute, that's crazy! What the hell are you talking about? What are you talking about?　What the hell is this wall?
Can I stay, too?　Brother?

　Haruka grabbed my hand.

I'm sure you're not the only one.　I want to hear about the subhuman who rampaged through the village.
Are you okay?
I have an 'enchanted' cudgel. And...

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
　...... Yeah. The villagers' weapons are poor. An enchanted cudgel could disable them with a single blow. There's less than ten of them. There are women and children in the village. And we've got soldiers of will.

There's a demon nearby. If you're in danger, use the soldiers of will as shields and hide in the cave. Lysette and I will take care of the demons inside.
"All right. Brother. Don't worry.
The soldier of will. The magic I gave you will last for a little over an hour. Take care of Haruka.
Hey!
You're going to bring peace to this land. Wait a minute.

　Halka stepped forward with a club in his hand.
　I stood next to him and said to the villagers.

I'm going to prove to the villagers that we're not your enemy.
""...... Oh, oh."
"Haruka and these walls will protect you. Please wait around here. If all goes well, the demons should be gone in an hour. When the demons are safely gone from around the village, can you trust that we're on your side?

I don't know what's going on, but I do know that it's bad to make enemies with ...... you.

　The villagers nodded obediently.
　Their weapons are already on the ground. Hands in the air.
　I wonder if they're ...... letting their guard down.

Let's go, Lisette. I'm going to use all my skills to conquer the dungeon because we don't have much time... 'Shoushuu Kakusei'!

　I transformed and carried Lysette in my arms.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

I'm not sure what to do.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
"Good luck!　Brother!

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.





　Haruka's point of view...






"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! "Hey, hey, hey!
"Don't worry about me, just protect the villagers.

　Haruka ordered the Soldiers of Will.

　This is the entrance to the Traveling Merchant's Rest.
　In the event that you've got any questions, you'll be able to contact us at the web site.

"Can I ask you a question, ......?
But don't get too close, okay?

　Haruka smiled mildly, club in hand.

I'm already your wife, you know. I can't be touched by anyone else. I belong to you from head to toe.
No, I won't do that.
We're not gonna let you. And you know what?

　The villager woman steps forward to interrupt the man.

I'm sorry I spoke out of turn.
It's okay. It happens all the time. ...... But I'm still mad at you for pointing a weapon at my brother.
I'm ............ sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know that our village has a variety of ...... subhumans.

　The women bowed to Haruka and then said.

The women bowed to Haruka and then asked, "So, what kind of life do the sub-humans of the ...... frontier lead?
"What kind of life?
"Rumor has it that they run around with beasts, lie down on the ground, hunt and gather.
Well... Maybe not these days.
Is that so?
There's a big field around the village. It's ...... recently expanded, so it's about the size of a town near the border of Lord Kittle. I'm harvesting "Huraraimo" once a month and "Karturo" once every two months. We also have grazing.
It's richer than our village!

　The villagers recoiled.

But the frontier is full of demons, isn't it?　Even if there are walls, isn't it dangerous to go outside?　Living like that...
"No... Lately, there are no more demons at all.
What?
"The demons that come around the village automatically die and turn into 'evil crystals'. I've been hunting for them while collecting them.　I also want to eat meat.
""............"
"......, what's wrong?
No. ......

　The villagers huddle together, whispering to each other.
　Eventually, a woman stands up and says.

"But there's no entertainment in the middle of nowhere, is there?
"Entertainment?
But there are no amusements on the frontier, are there?　In our village, you can walk for a few days to the capital where the Lord Keeper Kittle is. There we can listen to the minstrels and watch a play...
But there are hot springs in the middle of nowhere, you know?
""......"
And you know, my brother recently built a trading post. A lot of merchants have been coming. Now he's talking about bringing in minstrels and troupes. And, you know, there's a lot of these kids in the village.
"Hey," "hey," "hey," "hey!
"They're going to be the children's playmates. They serve as a clothesline, a stepping-stone for picking berries from high places, and a lift when walking becomes a hassle... I think I live a pretty convenient life.



"I love it!



"What, what, what?
We misunderstood the sub-humans!
People who live like that would never attack us, would they?
I want to live in the middle of nowhere!　What should I do?
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Stop!
""Hey!"

　Halka shouts, and the Soldier of Will intervenes between the villagers.

And I don't think you'll have to worry about demons either. Because ......
There it is, the demon!

　Suddenly, the villagers shouted.

　Suddenly, the villagers shouted.
　Pure white body hair. About twice the size of an adult.
　A dangerous species, intelligent and powerful, the Shiroout Ape.

"Soldiers of Will, protect the villagers!
"'Hey!



　The three "Soldiers of Will" aligned themselves to form a literal wall.
　Telling the villagers to stay behind Hei, Haruka stepped further forward.

"Hmm. It's been a while since I've had a good time.
"Whoa. Ho-ho-ho-ho!

The Shiroout Ape howled as it pounded the ground.

I've never had any luck with the monsters in the middle of nowhere!　I needed someone I could fight with all my might!　Come on, Shiroout Ape!　I'll show you the power of the Demon General, Haruka Karmilia!
I'll show you the power of the "Demon General" Haruka Karmilia!

　The Shiroout Ape rushes forward with its long arms outstretched.
　Haruka holds up a club.
　The villagers look on, trembling.
The Soldiers of Will prepare for impact.



　At that moment... the ground shines with light.



"............UH?

The Shiroout Ape stopped moving.

"Uho?　Whoo-hoo-hoo!　Hohohoho!

　I'm not sure what to make of that.
The Shiroout Ape is about to jump on Haruka.
　I'm not sure what to do.
　The Shiroout Ape is frozen in place, vibrating in small increments.

"d*mn... You've already regenerated the wards. You're working too fast .......

　Haruka poked the Shiroout Ape in the chest with his club.

"Gah!

　The demon was blown away and crashed into a tree. The body crumples and becomes immobile.
　And just like that... it was gone.

"Gah! Gu-o-o-o-o-o! Geeeaaaaah!

　The screams of the demons could be heard from all over the forest.
The wards have been fully restored.


　After a while...


I'm home... and it's over. Haruka.
Good night!　My brother. Sister Liz.

　From the entrance of the cave, Shoma and Lisette appeared.

It was a surprisingly small dungeon. There weren't that many demons.
The only thing tougher was the Shiroout Ape.
It only took one breath to kill it.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it.
I'm glad to hear that the wards have been successfully regenerated.
I was worried about you too.
I was worried too. Prim and Yukino came too!

　In addition, Prim and Yukino appear from behind Shoma and the others.
Thanks to the transference ability of the warding, the villagers don't know anything about it.
　They were just stunned by the miracle that had happened before their eyes.

"Is Haruka alright?
That's it!　I'm not sure what to make of it.　I've been blown out of the water!
That's what I'm complaining about.
But I'm glad ...... you're okay.
Are the villagers all right?
Yeah. They're good people. I talked to them and they understood!
What about the rumor mongers and the beastmen?
Oh, I forgot. ......
Yeah. Well, okay. I'll ask them.

　Shoma crouched down in front of the cowering villagers and made eye contact with them.
　Then, in the gentlest voice possible.



"Once again, we're not enemies...
"I'm sorry, sir!



　He got down on his knees.
　The village man, the young woman and the girl all rubbed their foreheads on the ground together.

"I will tell you everything I know. So, please forgive our rudeness.
"...... Uh-huh.

　Thus.
　After increasing his wards, Shoma was able to hear from the villagers of Kittle's territory.