In the hallowed halls of the king, knights were gathered.
　But their eyes were not those of the sane.
　They were red eyes, caused by a mixture of demon blood.
　Their hostility was directed at Sonia, the priestess of light.
"GOOOOOOOOO!
　The out of control knights attacked with a beastly cry.
The knights' swords fell on Sonia.
　I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a way to get the best out of it.
"Master Sonia. Please hide behind my back.
"Yes.
　Sonia, who was standing behind Eleanor, nodded.
Eleanor. You're keeping your sanity, aren't you?
I intend to, but... --I think they're the ones keeping their sanity here, and we're the ones who might be crazy.
I'm not so sure about that.
　Eleanor stands in front of Sonia, guarding her from the knights who have run amok.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　It is said to surpass even the leader, Gregor. She's no match for the knights of the commonwealth, even when they're united.
　--It was supposed to be.
I'm not sure what to say.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'd like to know what you think.
I'm not sure what to do.　And no matter how many times you slay them down, they keep coming back at you as if they have no sense of pain. ......
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.
　In the event that you've got a lot more than one of these, you'll be able to get a lot more.
　--It's a good idea to keep your mind off of the situation. ......!
　The only person besides Sonia who has kept her sanity in this place is Eleanor.
　--Commander Gregor is missing. I'm not sure what to make of this.


　I don't think we're gonna get much support.
　In other words--.
　If Eleanor falls, there will be no one to protect Sonia. Then the knights will try to kill her.
　--I won't let that happen. Master Sonia is the light of hope for mankind. I will protect her even if it costs me my life!
"GOOOOOOO!
　I was attacked by a knight who jumped at me.
　He was attacked by a knight who jumped at him, not with his sword at his waist, but with his monstrous strength.
　I don't know what they did to him.
　But he knew that he had been robbed of his knightly dignity.
　To Eleanor, that was the most revolting thing of all. She cut down the enemy in time and brushed off the blood from her sword.
"Master Sonia!　Don't leave my back!
"Yes.
　Behind Eleanor, Sonia was standing on the spot where the throne was.
　You can see the crowd of knights, who have lost their reason, coming at you with murderous intent from the elevated position.
　A large amount of negative emotions surged into Sonia's slender body.
　For now, Eleanor is acting as a bulwark, but if she should fall, Sonia will be swallowed up by the mass of malice.
　Even in the face of mortal danger, Sonia's expression is unshaken. I've always tried to be calm and collected at all times.
　Besides...
　Sonia had no attachment to life.
　Not even to the mission she had taken on.
　If the light maiden's life was destroyed, the sealed demon king would be resurrected, and humanity would be destroyed--it didn't matter.
　For Sonia, humanity was unworthy of protection.
　The royalty and nobility only thought about enriching themselves, and the lowly people only insisted on their rights without fulfilling their duties.
　In spite of the fact that humanity as a whole should be united, nations start fighting each other, and many weak people are sacrificed in order to line the pockets of those above.
　Even though Sonia devotes her life to her role as a priestess of light in order to protect humanity, everyone seems to be oblivious to this, hurting and killing each other.


　I don't know who I'm doing this for.
　There is no one to protect.
　All humans are selfish creatures.
　I wish the Demon Lord would come back and destroy us all.
　The priestess of light is a sacrifice, Sonia thought. A sacrifice to keep the Demon Lord, a powerful monster, enclosed in an orb of light.
　Therefore, Sonia was not afraid of death. She had no attachment to the world and was ready to die at any time.
　The people of the country saw her and praised her for her strength, but she herself understood that this was not true strength.
　Because she had nothing to lose, she had no fear.
　So, even in this situation where the knights were trying to kill her, Sonia should have been free of fear.
　--And yet, I'm scared.
　I can't stop shaking.
　I really don't want to die, I think.
　As she pondered why she was thinking that way, the image of a guard crossed her mind.
　Zeke.
　He was a strange man.
　He was not afraid to face her, the priestess of light, and he had the strength of a thick core in his back.
　Why do you risk your life to protect people? The human race is not worth protecting.
　When I asked him that, he replied.
　--I just want to protect the people I care about. That means my colleagues in the guard, my former comrades, the people of the city.
　--There are people I don't like. There's a lot I can't stand. There are things I don't like about them, things that make me wonder if they're worth protecting from the perspective of humanity as a whole. But I'm determined to protect humanity from the hands of the demons in order to protect the people I care about.
　I'm fighting to protect the people who are important to me.
　Humanity is just a side note.
　The man who said that was a person Sonia had never seen before.
　Zeke was not just talking, he was willing to risk his own life to protect Sonia. He had the courage to stand alone in the face of a horde of demons.


　It's not the strength that comes from neglecting life.
　It's about protecting what needs to be protected.
　I felt that I saw the true meaning of strength in his back.
I can't believe it.
　In front of Sonia's eyes, Eleanor had fallen into an inferior position. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
I will never let you go to the princess. ......!
　Eleanor tried to protect herself, risking her life.
　Eleanor is trying to protect herself with her life. From her blind spot, one of the knights, who has lost his reason, is about to attack her.
　Eleanor immediately noticed, but since she had already confronted another knight, she could not immediately take a position to intercept him.
　If this continues, Eleanor will be defeated.
　When she thought that, Sonia's body moved reflexively. She ran out of the way and hit the bank of the knight who was aiming for Eleanor.
"Guo!
　The knight, who was struck by surprise and went out of control, lost his stance.
What?　What the--
　I don't know why I moved.
　I just wanted to protect her.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.
"GOOOOOOO!
　It's only a physical assault by a small girl with no combat experience. It's not enough to make her lose her will to fight. The knight man knocked Sonia away as hard as he could.
"Aah!
　This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing. I'm not sure what to do.
　--I can't move my body. ......!
　A group of knights are closing in on Sonia.
"Princess!
　Eleanor immediately rushes out to rescue Sonia. --But other knights stood in the way, blocking her way.


"d*mn ......!　I'm not going to make it ...... in time!
　With her butt still on the floor, Sonia looked up.
　The red eyes of the knights were glaring at her all at once. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
　I'm going to be killed for sure.
　In the face of imminent death, Sonia recalled the words she had exchanged with Zeke at the Sacred Fountain as a running memory.

　--Zeke. I have one more question for you.
　--Whatever you want.
　--Do I count as one of the people you're trying to protect?
　--Of course.

　He answered without any hesitation.
　So Sonia couldn't help but ask.

　...... If the power of the light priestess were to disappear from me. I'm not sure what to make of it.
　You're not a light priestess or a princess, you're Sonia.

　Why did I ask that question?
　Thinking back now, I feel like my face is on fire.
　Everyone around me saw Sonia only as a priestess of light. She was just a human pillar to seal the Demon Lord.
　So...
　Maybe she wanted at least one person in the world to recognize the value of Sonia, not a light priestess, not a princess, but a person.
　Zeke said.

　--I will protect you. If that's what you want. Even at the cost of my life.

　It was after I heard those words that I began to fear death. I became obsessed with life after Zeke told me that.
　At that moment, the scenery in my eyes began to change color.
　I felt a sense of elation that made me think I was the center of the world. My whole body was filled with heat, as if I were in a spotlight.


　I didn't realize it at the time, but the reason they were so eager to hire Zeke as a Kingsguard wasn't just because they thought he was capable.
　It was because they wanted to have Zeke by their side.
　The moment she realized this, Sonia slowly closed her eyes.
　As if to escape into her own sweet memories.
　At the very least, she hoped to die with happy memories in her heart.
　But no matter how long it took, the pain did not come.
　Instead, a scream came.
　It didn't come from my own throat.
　-- then whose?
　I opened my eyes and saw the knights lying at my feet.
　And there was a large man standing in front of me.
　Instead of coming towards her, he turned his back to her, as if trying to protect her from those who were about to attack her.
　There he was, the source of Sonia's obsession.