'My name is Izaak. I am the son of the great leader, Lord Eveleth, and Archbishop of the Order of the Serpent.

　The son of the great demon king Eveleth...?
　in short
Demon King?
No, Makoto-san. The leaders of the Serpent Sect all claim to be sons of the Great Demon Lord.
The Demon King is none other than the three Demon Kings in the Demon Continent.
　Prince Leonard, Princess Sophia's sister and brother got stuck with me.
　'Excuse me, I was ignorant.

'Nonsense!　I don't know if it's the Archbishop or what, after all your people have been defeated!
　The first prince is bullish.
　Well, the raid failed.

　Archbishop Isaac didn't answer him, but raised his right hand upwards.
　In his hand, something is held.
　A snake's silverwork entwined with an apple?

Watch out! He's going to do something!
　The knights buzzed.
　However, from the looks of it, that magic tool has no magic power.
　It's just a shell, it's just a messenger tool.

It's just a matter of time. This is a record of our great father's voice that was used in the Water Kingdom's royal capital.
What the...?
What does he mean by...?
　The Highland soldiers look at me suspiciously.
　Could that be.........

"An item to create an abomination of demons?
　When the dying giant became an abominable giant in the Horn.
　The voice of the Great Demon King is the voice from that time........

"Bravehearted Makoto!　Is it true?
Well, you know the drill.
　Princess Sophia made a startled sound, and Archbishop Isaac said with admiration.

'Before the abominable giant awakened, I heard a child-like voice. I think he said something like 'defy your fate' or 'yukang warrior'.
''Well that sounds like it's definitely the voice of Eveleth.
　The Great Sage says that the Great Demon Lord always says it's his destiny.

''Right now, the demons that our fellow members of the snake cult are taming are all heading to the royal capital.
　To match the voice of the grinning Archbishop Isaac.


　--can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can....


　The sound of tapping bells could be heard from the gates of the royal capital, Symphonia.
''Report!　Demons are gathering in front of the gates on all sides!
All four sides?
Nonsense, the demons would have gathered on the land side of the forest.
''No problem. The Knights of the Sun and the Four Heavenly Knights have already been waiting in front of all the gates last night. As for the Temple Knights, except for the minimum number of troops to protect the city's security, they have been sent to defend the gates. We won't let the demons attack.
　To the flustered royalty and nobles, a man named Chancellor of the Order is calmly answering them.
　Was it President Ewain?　The name of Sakurai-kun's boss.
　As expected of the head of the Sun Nation Army.

''Huh........I thought they were hiding the sea side demons. That's pretty good preparation.''
　Archbishop Isaac did not lose his spare attitude.

'Ha!　They are just a bunch of lowly demon races. There's no way they can break the defenses of the Sun Nation!
''You're very good, Master Ewain. This filthy cult of demons is nothing to be afraid of!
　The nobles of the Land of the Sun seemed to be relieved.

''Hmm, there's an 'Abominable Demon' mixed in with the herd, right?　I've used this to awaken a few of them, you know.
　Izak throws the snake's silverwork and catches it in the air, saying.

''Abominable demon........''
'What!　Here is the Lord of Light's Brave Lord. He has already defeated three abominable dragons in the Great Labyrinth!
'To begin with, it's enough of a demon that even a brave man from the Water Kingdom could defeat it.
That's right, payback!
　Isn't that kind of a casual distraction?　Me.　

That's what they say about you, Makoto.
'That's rude!　Takatsuki-kun.
'Brave man, I must remind them of that.
...No, let's just go through it.
　I don't know if Lucy and Saa-san are mad at you, but Princess Sophia is mad at you, too.
　Well, well, well, everyone calm down.

Great Sage, are you sure you don't want to catch that Izak guy?
I'll let him talk some more. You're a chatty one, you know.
　Grand Sage-sama folded his arms and stood still.
　If that's what the Grand Sage says, then I guess we can wait for a while.

''But can we just guard the castle gate?　I've heard rumors that the beastmen are planning a rebellion?
　The Archbishop speaks with a grin.
　That's so white, you guys are the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes, aren't you?

'That's a shame!　All the leaders of the beastman race, after we've captured them!
　The first prince is dignified with a smug look on his face.
　But that's mostly Fujiyan's investigation, right?
　And it was supposed to be Princess Noel who arrested her.
　He glanced at Princess Noel, but she had a sober face and didn't say anything.

"Haha, I see. I'm glad to hear it.
　Izak laughs happily.
'What are you laughing at?'
　The second prince with an unpleasant look on his face instructs his men, "Let's just kill that guy already.

　--can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can........

　The bell continues to ring, signaling an emergency.

'Gosh, report!　Massive riots in the Seventh and Eighth Districts!　It's a group centered around the beast race!
　A Highland soldier jumps in.
　The murmur grew louder.
　Archbishop Isaac's mouth on the platform twisted wide.

''Ah-ha-ha-ha, oh?　This is weird!　The leaders of the beastmen race should have captured them!　I wonder what the hell is wrong with this one!
You!　What the hell did you do!
Those cattle!　Mutiny in a time of trouble!
　The bluster of earlier is gone, and all the royals and nobles are in a hurry.
　They are restless with their bluster and panic.

(.........)
　What a piece of work!
　It's all in the words of the person who said it all.
　I glanced at her, but her face was hidden by the hood, so I couldn't see her expression.

'I'll make a prediction!　Today, Symphonia, the royal capital of the Land of the Sun (Highland), is doomed to perish!
　The Archbishop of the Order of the Serpent spreads his hands and declares in a high voice.
　I'm in a groove.

''Oh, no.......nonsense! The Highland capital was supposed to fall but a horde of demons and a rebellion of beastmen came together at the same time and we had to flee.
　The buzz of anxiety is at its highest.
　Izak looks down at us.
　The only person who's calm is President Ewain, except for us.

'It won't come to that, sir.
　A dignified voice.
　The owner of the voice, which sounds like a wind instrument, is Princess Noel.
　The timing is perfect.
　The director.

'Oh, are you the reincarnation of The Sun Priestess, or rather, The Saint of Salvation:Anna, Princess Noel?
　The Archbishop said as if he had just noticed.
''Is your neighbor the brave man of light? I'll deal with you guys sooner or later, but that's for another time. Until then, you can wait and tremble, at best. By the way, what do you mean it won't come to that?
Just the way it is. Sinfonia will not fall.
　Archbishop Isaac, who has not lost his spare attitude, and Princess Noel, who remains calm.

'Noel!　What the hell is going on?!
Explain, Noel.
　The second and first princes ask for an explanation.

''This rebellion of the beastman race. This has something to do with the 'narcotic (weed)' that was prevalent in the seventh and eighth districts of the royal capital.
Well.....
　Izak shows an amused expression at Princess Noel's words.

''I've found that regular use of the drug (weed) makes you more susceptible to the moon magic: brainwashing curse.
　Princess Sophia continued.

'What!　I've never heard of that!
"As an outlet for the beastmen's grievances, the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Wards have loosened their restrictions on 'weed', which may have been an addiction...
But I didn't know they had that kind of use.
There's no research on moon magic anywhere...
　To the surprise of the Highlanders.
　Well, we only found out about it yesterday, too.

'It took us ten years. Little by little, the plan is to brainwash the sub-humans living in the royal capital, Symphonia, into revolting. Curse magic takes time to activate, but it's not easy to lift it either. Once activated, the curse cannot be broken until the objective is achieved. The curse I cast is 'If you hate the human race that oppressed you, destroy the royal capital Symphonia'. There isn't a sub-human living in the Land of the Sun who hasn't experienced oppression by the human race. This curse is effective for all sub-humans. And the signal to activate it is 'the sound of the bell to announce urgency'. A sound that has never been rung in the last ten years to announce an emergency.'
　Mr. Izak explains with a look of pride.
　Sure, he's chatty.
　He taught me everything.

　--can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can.

'Someone!　Make that bell stop ringing! I'm sending a message to you right now!
　The Highlanders were in a hurry.
''Haha, it's too late. The curse that has been triggered won't stop now!
　That sounds like a lot of fun, Archbishop.

'But are you sure you want to tell me all that?　Archbishop.
　I didn't have time to stay silent, so I poked around.
'Oh, brave man of the water country. This project is 'done'. I told you.　The royal city of Symphonia is doomed to perish. This cannot be reversed by any man.
　Hmmm, Izak-san seems to be absolutely confident in his plan.

(But I heard this from Friae yesterday...)


　Go back to the day before.


I have a condition.
　Friae-san smiled suspiciously at me.

''But first, I'll explain how the royal capital, Symphonia, will fall tomorrow.
　The plan of the Order of the Serpent told by the Moon Priestess.
　It was something no one expected.

"Curse magic of 'brainwashing' by drugs (weed)........
Creating an abominable monster...
Is the ringing of the emergency bell a prerequisite for triggering it?
What if we stop the bells before they go off?
We can't let the public know that an evil entity is coming.
And while it may prevent tomorrow, it won't solve the root of the problem...
Well, it's a problem...
　A lot of opinions are expressed, but no action is taken.

'Friae-san. There's something you can do about it, isn't there?
　I talk to the silent moon priestess.
''Yes, I can break the curse magic. I have the holy grade skill of moon magic.''
　Oh.........Holy grade magic.
　It's said to be the highest rank a human can reach.

And here's the deal...
　Mr. Furiae looks at me.

'You are a brave man of Roses. Be my guardian knight.
What?
　You're so abrupt. I'm the knight in shining armor?

What are you talking about?
　The first to react was Princess Sophia.
''Lunar Priestess Friae-dono........ Explain to everyone why.''
　Fujiyan's face was an 'I know' look.
　You read my mind.

''Because if I help out, the future will be changed. If there's no chaos in King's Landing, I won't be able to escape. That's why you need someone to hold me hostage, right?　If you're a guardian knight, you have to protect the priestess.
Hi, hostages...
　Lucy muttered exclaimed.
　Ah, a hostage, I see. I see.
　I mean, what?

Why would being the patron knight of the Moon Priestess be a hostage?
'If you become a guardian knight, your lifespan will be halved if you abandon the priestess. If the priestess dies, you lose all your skills.
　It was Princess Sophia who answered.

''Don't just tell her the demerits. By becoming a guardian knight, you'll get the blessing of the moon goddess.''
Was it dark magic?
Or maybe it's curse magic or necromancy magic.
　I asked a question to Friae's statement and got such an answer.
　I'd prefer dark magic, if I could choose.

''But why Makoto-san!
Yeah, that's right!　Or anyone else, for that matter!
　Prince Leonard, at Sa-san's words, Friae only smiled.
　He doesn't answer anything.

　Nevertheless.
　In the first place, it shouldn't be me who wants Friere-san to become a guardian knight.

''Friere-san, don't you actually want Sakurai-kun to be your guardian knight?
Hey, don't be stupid!　You can't do that!　Ryosuke is a brave man of light!
　Friae-san overreacted to my tweak.
　I'm not sure if she has room for it or not.


　Princess Sophia whispered in my ear.
(Yes, and Sakurai-kun seems to like Friae-san too, probably.)
Oh, my God...
　Princess Sophia is about to wobble and fall, so I rush to support her.
　Is the combination of a brave man of light and a moon priestess still a bad idea?　It's not good.

Now what do we do?
Makoto.........and Takatsuki-kun.......
　With Friae still smiling and the worried eyes of those around me staring at me, I often ponder.
　What is to be done?


''Would you like to be the guardian knight of the Moon Priestess?''

　Yes, sir.
　No.


　Hmmm.
　I didn't expect this option, to be honest.

　Also, Friae-san is looking at me and backing away.
　It's like the same thing before.
　This time, it's a normal option, you know?

(True. I wouldn't recommend the Guardian Knight of the Moon Priestess as a good choice.
　Do you disagree, Noah-sama?
(Not so much against... but I don't know what the moon goddess (Naiya) is thinking, and that moon priestess is a marginalized entity across the continent, so it's going to affect your future activities, right?
　That's right.
　I feel like going deeper into the Moon Priestess isn't a good option for the Sun Nation, let alone Princess Sophia's reaction.
　I look at Furiae again.
　She's a beautiful person.　
　In this way, she doesn't look like a cursed priestess.
　She seems a little less fortunate, though.

(Huriae-san, are you trembling?)
　The moon maiden's hands are trembling in a small way.
　Does she look like she has plenty of time to spare, but is she actually skinny?
　Did I mention that there is no one on our side in this world?　and
(Sakurai-kun asked me to do something for him, you know.)

Now what?　The Brave Man of the Water Country (Roses)
　It doesn't show its trembling, and only its voice speaks to me calmly.
　But only I, who is staring at it from the front, can see that its eyes are moist with fright....
　This kind of thing is weak.

''All right, Moon Priestess.

　I made a choice.