I was a member of the famous party "Red Lotus Fang", but one day, I was suddenly expelled by the leader Nacht.
　Unemployed, I was offered a job as a gatekeeper by the guild's receptionist.

　The gatekeeper of King's Landing.
　It sounds easy enough to just stand there at the gate.
　Not at all.
　The job was supposed to be a quiet one, but it turned out to be unusually hard work...

"There you are again.

　You're here again?" I muttered with a smile, and before my eyes was a pack of gargoyles. I'm not sure what to make of it.
　They were probably sent here as scouts.
　They have swords and spears in their hands.

"Zeke!　We're coming with you!

　After receiving a report from the watchtower, the guards rushed to support them.
　We'll intercept them at the gates of the royal city of Astaroth.
　We can't let them through here.
　There are many citizens in the city. Nobles and royalty. And most importantly... there's an orb of light in the treasure lake of the royal castle.

　An orb of light.
　The Demon Lord who once tried to destroy this world is sealed inside. We can't let it fall into the hands of demons.

"Goooooooooo!

　The gargoyles are attacking, their eyes glowing red.

Come at me!

　One of the guards swung out his sword, dodging the spears of the gargoyles. But the blow is flipped by the stone body.

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

　Gargoyles are made of stone and have high defense.
　You can't get through a half-hearted attack.


　The gargoyle tries to spear the guard as he is on his back.
　Before the tip of the spear can pierce the guard's heart, he activates Iron Control, a skill that focuses the enemy's hate on him.
　I force the gargoyle's consciousness to be drawn to me.
　With a single flash, I cut the oncoming enemy in half. The severed head falls to the ground. The red glow in his eyes had disappeared.
　Apparently, it had stopped breathing.
　It seems that even a stone statue can stop its life activity if it is damaged too much.

"Great ......!　I cut him down with one blow. ......!
Guys!　The enemy's defenses are nasty!　Blows and slashes are ineffective!　Use point-blank weapons with piercing and crushing power!

　I call out to the guards.

"Well said. You're the one who's overwhelmed with a single sword.
Zeke can't be beat. Let's go!

　Morale boosted, the guards headed towards the gargoyles.
　But the advantage went to the enemy, who could fly.
　Cannonballs were fired from the walls surrounding the city, but the quick gargoyles dodged them all. It's as if we can't catch them.

　First we have to drag them down to the ground...
　And then, just as I was thinking about what to do.

　A rain of arrows rained down from above the gargoyle's head. They flew through the wind and struck the enemy right between the eyes.
　One after another, the gargoyles were shot down.
　This is--

"Hmm... You can't escape my arrows.



　When I looked, I saw a silver-haired girl holding a bow and arrow on the castle wall.
　Her body was so small and thin you would think she was a child. She was dressed inconspicuously in a jet-black costume, but she was a very skilled archer.
　Femme, a member of the 5th squad I lead.

"Grrrr ......!

　The gargoyles all turned their hate towards Femme at once.
　The gargoyles' hate turned on her at once, their red eyes glowing with anger.
　But she kept a cool expression on her face.

"I wish you'd stop being angry. I'm not used to having strong emotions directed at me.

　She said with a smirk.
　I'm not used to strong emotions.
　The gargoyles took off for Pham on top of the city walls.

"Well... It's no use. If we can't persuade him we'll just have to silence him. I'm going to strip you of your emotions.

　Hyun!

　If even a single arrow misses, it will allow the enemy to approach.
　However, Femme shot down the gargoyles one by one, between the eyes and through the feathers, with precision and accuracy.
　We gave chase to the gargoyles that had fallen to the ground. The gargoyles were wiped out as if they had been struggling for a while.

It looks like it's all over.

　I put my sword back in the scabbard at my waist. I put my sword in its sheath at my waist and chuckled.

"But there are more demons than human visitors. This is the third time we've been attacked. It seems that this city is very popular with demons.

　The orb of light in the royal city of Astaroth is something that the demons wish to obtain even if it costs them their lives.
　If the orb falls into the hands of the demons, the Demon Lord will reappear. If this happens, the world will be on the verge of extinction once again.


　I won't let that happen. I'll protect you as the gatekeeper.
　With renewed determination, he called out to the shadow of the gate.

"Fumm. Thank you for your efforts. Thanks to your archery support, I was able to get this done pretty quickly. I'd say you're pretty good at it.
"....... Thanks.

　Femme quickly emerged from the shadows.

But how did you know I was back by your side? But how did you know I was back? Are you clairvoyant or something?
"Not exactly. You were very active in the battle earlier. I think he's looking for a compliment.
I see. You seem to know me very well.

　You seem to know me well." Fam smirked.

I'm the type of person who thrives on praise. I don't need a whip. Just keep giving me candy. There you go.
What do you mean, "Go ahead"?
Praise me all you want.
How can you be satisfied with a non-natural, cultured compliment?　I'm sure you'd be happier with something that came naturally to you.
Once it's in your stomach, it's all the same.
...... Well, if that's what you want, I don't mind.

　I chuckled, then opened my mouth.

I could not have finished this fight so quickly if it hadn't been for Pham. I'm impressed with your skill with the bow.


"Hmm. Well, I guess so.

　Femme looked smug as she stretched her thin chest.
　She seemed to be taking it all in stride.
　He's usually so cool, but he's so naive.
　Have you never been approved?

Hey. You guys. Good job.

　It was Bolton, the leader of the Guard, who called out to us. He had just rushed over to call for more support.
　He stroked the stubble on his chin lazily and said.

When I heard the enemy was coming, I rushed over and found it was already over. You are indeed the ace of our guard. That's great.
"It's because of the support of the others.

　When I said that.

"Well... I'll leave it at that.

　Bolton smiled and looked around.

"Well... Where are the rest of the 5th squad? You and Pham are the only ones I can see. There should be two more.
"Spinosa and Seira are out patrolling the city. Two people are enough to guard the gates when there are no demons coming.

　We don't need four people to deal with visitors.
　It is better to patrol the city to keep the peace.

It's taking too long, though, isn't it?　The enemy is attacking us. The battle is long over.



　Bolton stroked his neck and sighed.

"Well, they're slacking off, aren't they?
"...... Commander Bolton. That's a suspicion I don't share.

　Fam muttered to himself.
　I wonder if they're trying to protect their friends.
　That was unexpected.
　I thought that Fam didn't get along with Spinoza.
　But it turns out he actually trusts her.

"...... The only one slacking off is Spinoza. Seira is just being kept company. So the correct answer is, 'He's slacking off.'

　Wrong.
　The only one I trusted was Seira.

"Well... I guess that's about it. Seira's not the kind of girl who slacks off voluntarily. Maybe Spinoza got to her.

　Bolton was easily convinced.
　Bolton was easily convinced.
　And the depth of the Guardsmen's understanding of Spinoza is such that even such a person would not be fired. ...... No, there is a theory that they simply don't have enough manpower.

It's time for the gatekeepers to change, so we'll go find them. I'll make sure Spinoza gets his moxa.
Oh, please. Please.

　We decided to go find Spinoza and Seira.