--Highland Castle, a grand party in the Great Hall.

　We've been here before.
　You know the difference.

"May God the hero!　You did a great job on this one!
'How about it!　Would you like to join us, the Knights of the Sun, in training?
''We invite you to visit the Northern Heavenly Order!　Master Gerald will be pleased.
　Is it the point of being surrounded by a lot of knightly people?
　Orto-san, the head of the Sun Knights, Stra-san and his men.
　The rest of the people from the Northern Heavenly Knights were also surprisingly friendly when I talked to them.

''Magic to round up that bunch of demons!　What is that magic?
''Let's see, with the Water Demon Law and the Great Water Prison arrangement...''
''It was like it was something else...I've never seen anything like that before...such as the cloud-like water giant's magic...''
　Indeed, even the person who used the magic thought it was something else.

''And yet, where the hell did five thousand old demons come from........''
'It's obvious. There's only one place where the demons of a thousand years ago still abound today.
The Northern Continent...
　The sun knights are talking with difficult faces.　
　The northern continent is, as I recall, a place ruled by the demon race, also known as the 'Demon Continent', right?

I know. And on his continent, he has a demon army at his side, the 'King of Beasts' Zagan.
One of the 'Three Demon Kings' who rule over the Demon Continent the Demon King Zagan?
''No demon from the northern continent will ever leave the continent without an order from the 'King of Beasts'...''
You think it's the Order of the Serpent and the King of the Beast working together?
It's very likely that there was at least some kind of a deal.
There's a problem.
Yeah, it could interfere with our plans for the Northern Expedition.
　It was getting to be something difficult for the soldiers to talk about.
　I left the knights and headed to a table with food to get something to eat.
　As usual, the food in Highland is as opulent as ever.


''Oh, um!　Thank you so much for your time earlier!
　The blonde female knight spoke to me as she pouted and turned her face away.
　Let's see, is this person Gerald's sister, Janet Ballantine?
　What did I do earlier?
　Before I could try to talk to him, he went somewhere else.
　What was that...?

　And then...
Good day to you, brave man of Roses. I am Sandra of House Roland.
'How do you do, my brave friend? May I speak to you over there?
'My hero?　Would you like to tell us the story of your bravery?　After the party, we can relax in my room...
　I've been approached by many noblewomen.
　I don't like to be accosted by strangers because I'm shy.

...What's that?
Takatsuki is just love-struck.
It's frustrating...

　I could hear some familiar voice, faintly.
　Lucy, Sah, is it Princess Sophia?
　By the way, Friae was not present.
Do you want to go to Highland Castle with me? I asked him, "Absolutely not. But please give my regards to Ryosuke.

　So, as I was dreading the approach of the beautiful aristocratic woman
My dearest hero. Your contribution to the victory in this battle was a great one.
　Briefly, the crowd cracked open.
　Princess Noel, dressed in a luxurious dress, appeared on stage.
　Sakurai-kun is next to her.

I heard that you defeated 5,000 demons from a thousand years ago all at once, Takatsuki-kun?
You've got more than a hundred abominable demons in there.　It must have been harder for you, Sakurai-kun.
　I heard about it later.
　It seems that a large number of abominable demons attacked from the sea side.
　........The Order of the Snake is getting serious.
　In the end, they were slaughtered by the hero of the light, Sakurai-kun.

By the way, what about Furiae...?
Absent. He said hi to Sakurai-kun for me.
Well where is she now?
I think he's at the inn with Fujiyantschi.
Well I'll catch up with you later.
　When I was having this conversation with Sakurai-kun, Princess Noel interrupted me.

''Ryosuke-sama?　What's wrong with that?　You have other plans after this. Did you forget?
Uh, Noel?　But....
What's wrong with that?
　Princess Noel has a smiling face and a calm voice.
　There's a power in her voice that's unapologetically powerful.
　It's a bit chilling.
　Sakurai-kun, you're going to get your ass kicked.

　At that time.
'Well, I hope you are enjoying yourself, Roses' brave man. It has been a pleasure working with you.
　Suddenly, a large man came to speak to me in a pompous manner.
　The First Prince of Gaius Highlands.
　He stammered into the conversation, put his hand on my shoulder and grinned.

'How's that?　I will give you whatever you desire. Why don't you come to the Land of the Sun and serve me?
...What?
　What are you talking about, old man?

Oh, wait!　Master Gaius. He's a brave man of Roses!
　Princess Sophia barged in.
'Princess Sophia,' she said. ─ Princess Sophia, I think his talents should be put to full use in a great country. What do you think, my dear brave friend? What do you think, my dear friend? You can't compare it to the water country. It's not a bad deal, is it?
You are a brave man, Makoto...
...er...
　It's a pain in the ass.
　I want to say no, but I have a criminal record in the Great Maze.
　How do you say no without getting a corner, how do you say no in these cases?

You mustn't do this, Brother Gaius. You are a potential betrothed to Princess Sophia.
"What?
　Me and Princess Sophia both exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
''It sounds like this is the first time we've both heard of it...''
　First Prince Gaius said in dismay.

'A goddess priestess and a brave man from another world are united to save the world. You know the oracle of the goddess, don't you?'
　Princess Noel speaks with a calm expression on her face.
　What's that?
　I've never heard of it before.

'Hmm, it's you and the brave men of light, isn't it? Oh, well. Roses' hero. We'll send an official messenger afterwards.
　Finally, grumpily, the First Prince Gaius left.

Princess Noel, Princess Sophia. By the way, I heard that your brave Lord Makoto is the guardian knight of the Moon Priestess. If the Moon Priestess rebels, I'm not sure the armed forces of the Water Kingdom will be enough to protect her.
　The next person to appear was the Prime Minister.
''What do you think?　How would you like to see the brave Lord of Roses take up residence at Highland Castle?
That's not...
　Princess Sophia is rambling and arguing back.

　I'm starting to read it somehow.
　In short, we're talking about keeping them in the Sun Country for a reason somehow.
　I heard that the Land of the Sun (Highland) is scraping together all the people they can use anyway, but it's true.
　I want to support Princess Sophia, but I don't know the rules of negotiation between countries at all....
　For a while, I just listened to the conversations of the bigwigs in a daze.


Hey, genie slayer. If you're coming to Highland Castle, you might want to stop by my place.


"Great Sage?
　The Great Sage has come out of nowhere!
　I was tapped on the shoulder by the Great Sage Master, and the people near me roughly, back away.

(Great Sage-sama in front of such a crowd?) I don't like crowds, but it's rare that I've ever seen one so close to me.
　Apparently, it's very rare for people to show up at an event like this.

Hmmm, a celebration of the last battle? It's not too much to ask for a battle of that magnitude.
Great Sage Master it's rare to see you in a crowded room.
　Princess Noel is talking to her nervously.

'I thought I saw a sign of Mr. Spirit Master.
We were going to come by later.
　The Great Sage Master folded his arms and looked around with a sullen face.　
　His body hovered in the air.

''Hey, you're getting carried away with your activities. Hey, I'm sure you'll be tempted by some noblemen to throw away your precious virginity and...
Hey!
　He hurriedly blocked the Great Sage Master's mouth.
　What is this guy saying in front of so many people!

(Hey, don't cover your mouth. You won't be able to speak.)
(Don't talk like that!)
You should be proud to be a virgin.
You should be proud!　(I won't give you any more blood!)
(Mmm ... that's a problem.)

　Do you understand?
　Careful.
　This guy hardly seems to come out in public on a regular basis, and I think he's lost his common sense....

Then I'll be waiting for you.
"Okay, okay, I'll come over later.
I promise!
　While saying that, the Great Sage-sama disappeared in a spatial transition (teleportation).
　Fussy.

''..........''
　Suddenly, I noticed that people from all over the hall were looking at me.
　Princess Noel, the Prime Minister, the noblemen, the clergy, the knights, and the party hall's miscellaneous people.
　Even His Majesty the King, who was in the upper seat, had a pouty look on his face.
　........Why?

Takatsuki-kun..... You're close to the Great Sage, aren't you?
　Sakurai-kun began to talk to me at a leisurely pace.
No, it's not even close.
　I just donate blood from time to time.

　After that, the number of people talking to me at the party went way down.
　Really, I don't know why.
　It's a good thing I don't get talked to by strangers anymore, because it makes me feel better.


　◇


Hello.
　The number of people talking to me decreased and I had less time on my hands, so I headed to the Grand Sage's place.
　Lucy and Sa-san came out alone as they were talking to the people from the Sun Knights, Third and Fourth Divisions who fought the demons with them, as well as the people from the Southern Heaven Knights.

''You're late!''
　When I went to the mansion, I found the Great Sage lounging on a huge couch.
　He continued to look unhappy.

'Sit here.'
Huh.
　He sits down next to the Great Sage.

'Good.'
'What!　Hey, Great Sage?
　Great Sage-sama straddled my lap, facing forward.
　Naturally, we were going to be facing each other at close range.
　The Great Sage's red eyes, white skin and young face loomed up close.
　A cold breath splashed on my face.

"Hey, support your back. You're crazy.
Yes, sir.
You selfish wise man!
　I mumble in my mind and put my hands around the Great Sage's back.
　The weight is light.

''Hmph, let's have it then.
　Capri and the bite on my neck.
　I'm getting used to this pain by now.
　I could hear the sound of Grand Sage-sama's throat churning in my ear.
　Until I finished my drink, I rubbed Grand Sage-sama's back because I was bored.

(A small body....)

　But the magic power (mana) that comes through is tremendous.
　He looks like he's only about 10 years old.
　Is he a legendary wizard that has existed for a thousand years?

(I can't see it...)

　Somehow, I put my hand on the Great Sage's head and lightly stroked it.
''Huh!''
　The Great Sage Master looked up, showing a surprised expression.
　His big red eyes widened and he stared at me.
　Yikes, was that rude?
　He's a great guy from the Land of the Sun (Highland), isn't he?
　Did I offend you?
　But by looking at his expression, he didn't seem to be angry.

''........continue.''
　It was so small I couldn't hear it at first.
'What?'
Keep on ... patting your head.
Yes, sir.
　For a while, he continued to pat his head with the Great Sage Master on his lap.
　He seemed to like it.
　I continue to get my blood sucked.
　Isn't this an optional fee?


　-- on this day, they sucked a little more blood than usual.
　I was a little bit anemic.
　Moreover, this is the mansion of the Great Sage.
I was loosened up, thinking that the "enemy" couldn't possibly come.

　That's why.　
　The reason why I didn't notice the people coming into this room until they approached.

''Ta, Takatsuki-kun and Daishonin-sama!　What are you doing here!''
　Sakurai-kun and I shouted in surprise.

'Eeeeee!　No, Miss Sophia!　Don't look at it!
'What, what?　Master Noel, is there something wrong?
　Princess Noel was there, covering both of Princess Sophia's eyes with her hands.

(.........Huh?)
　It's something of a grand misunderstanding....