You're so rude to me when you're eating a nice meal.
　The Great Sage grumbled as he backed away from me.

“Cho, food. Oh I see....
Sir, please.... You scared the hell out of me. I thought my heart was going to stop beating.
　Sakurai-kun and Princess Noel apparently noticed a misunderstanding.

''Um...?　What the hell happened?
　Princess Sophia doesn't seem to get it.
　So neat!
"You're a brave man.　Do you have something crazy in mind?
It's all in your head.

So, what are you doing here?
　Staring at the heroes and maidens with a stare, the Great Sage-sama.
　I can't believe it's the same person who was patting my head earlier.

''Could you give us your opinion on next year's northern expedition plan? The involvement of the Demon Continent's 'King of Beasts' Zagan became more likely today, as the 'Serpent Sect' was controlling a horde of demons from a thousand years ago. The Highland Military Department has expressed the opinion that we should move up our plans for the Northern Expedition.
　Princess Noel speaks with a serious expression.
　In contrast, the Great Sage-sama's face looks boring.

''What's the status of the Six-Party Alliance's military buildup?
I'd say we're about 80% of the way there.
It's ridiculous. You're not even ready for this. What's the rush?
''However, the demon tribe may be able to make the first move!
I'd like to say that I have no choice, but I'm an amateur at strategy. I pride myself on being the best wizard on the continent. If the General Staff comes to a decision to accelerate our timetable, I will not object.
Are you sure...?
Do what you want. But I think I should only fight when I think I can.
　When he said that, the Great Sage Master looked a little nostalgic for something in his eyes.

''Are those the words of Savior Abel-sama?''
　Princess Sophia asked.
'Yeah, he always said, "Complete the preparations for victory beforehand" and "When you attack, take them by surprise". He was very cautious, even for a brave man. Well, it can't be helped. When the battle with the great demon king Eveleth, Abel was the only brave man.
What about the other brave men...?
　When I asked him about it, the great sage looked at me meaningfully.

"The other heroes were annihilated by the demon king and his minions.
(Geez.)
　Even Princess Sophia stared at us.
　'Noah-sama....

''I understand, Great Sage. The plan for the northern expedition will proceed on schedule as planned.
　Princess Noel said quietly.
'Ho, is it good?'
"I will obey the word of my Savior.
　It seems that they've decided on a policy.
　For me, I want to train until an event like 'Defeating the Demon King' as much as possible, so it's more helpful to go ahead.

''Nevertheless,''　
　At this point, Princess Noel's expression and tone of voice broke down.
''You are quite close to the brave master of Roses, aren't you, Grand Sage? Miss Sophia will scold you.''
''No, Noel-sama!''
　Princess Sophia is flustered by the sudden change of subject.

'It's been a while, Priestess of Roses.
Yes. Great Sage, the same.
　Do the two of you know each other?

'Me and Sophia-san took a course to become priestesses at the same academy. The Great Sage Master was my teacher of magic.
　Princess Noel told me in a whisper.
　Princess Sophia looks nervous talking to the Great Sage-sama.
　I guess it's because the Great Sage is in a higher position of power.

''By the way, please moderate your drinking of the blood of True Lord-sama. You have given the blood of the birth daughter of the Sister of the Goddess Church.
Noel but half the blood that reaches me is that of a living girl.
"What?
　Princess Noel and Princess Sophia screamed in surprise at the same time.
　Me and Sakurai-kun looked at each other, not understanding the meaning.

''Oh no..... Aren't half of the sisters in the Goddess Church born daughters...?''
Impossible!　As a practitioner, you shouldn't have any contact with the outside opposite s*x at all!
So it's the opposite s*x on the inside.
"...and...
　At the words of the Great Sage Master, the two princesses fell into a depressed silence.

　Is that it?
　That the s*x inside the Church of the Goddess had been disturbed.
　It's the end of the world.
　Oh, it's actually the world of the apocalypse.

I guess I should be getting home. What are you going to do about Princess Sophia?
What, you're leaving? You can leave anytime you want.
　I don't want to get any more blood in my veins.
　I feel a little woozy.

'Are you okay?　Makoto the Brave.
　Princess Sophia gave me a worried look.
　I returned it with a wry smile.
''See you later, Sakurai-kun.''
Yeah, another time. Takatsuki-kun.
　I bowed to Princess Noel and left the Grand Sage's room with Princess Sophia.

　After that, I went back to the inn to collect Lucy, who got drunk and unleashed her fire magic at the party, and Sa-san, who was s*xually harassed by the Sun Knight's man, outside the castle, and beat the man up.
　


　◇


　--The next day.

'Thank you for coming. A brave Lord of Roses and a young lady and a wizard elf.
　This is the VIP room on the top floor of the Grand Highland Casino.

'Yes,'
Thanks for having me. Uncle!
'Yes, nice to meet you. I'm Lucy....
　For some reason, me, Sa-san and Lucy are once again surrounded by the Castor family (family).
　So all of a sudden Peter invited us to come.

'Thanks for coming, brother (brother)!　Sorry you're so busy.
　Peter, as usual, is in good spirits.
'No, it's not like I've got time on my hands.
　In fact, once the mayhem is over, the great people are taking care of the rest, so the people on the ground like me and Sa-san have some free time.
　Princess Sophia seems to be busy.
　Fujiyan has a lot of work to do, so he didn't come with us today.

Dad didn't want to thank you in person.
　Jack Castor, the eldest brother, smiles briskly.
There are many beastmen in my family. We would have been in a lot of trouble if they hadn't lifted the curse placed on us by the 'Order of the Snake'.
　The head of the family speaks in a heavy tone - Genova Castor, who has a large scar on her face.

'It was our Princess Friae who untied it. I'll let her know.
　By the way, I invited Friae to come too, but he didn't come.
　Would you normally refuse to go see the mafia?

''Brother I hear you've become the guardian knight of the Moon Priestess.
A Knight of the Cursed Princess...
　Peter and Mr. Jack have a somewhat drawn-out look on their faces.
　I knew that the Moon Priestess Knight wouldn't be given a good look in this world.

'Hey. Hey, no need to be rude!
　Mr. Genova blackmails him.
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, my dear, but you're the reincarnation of a legendary witch of misfortune, and just because you're named Freyae, that's all you need to know. The Castor family owes her a debt of gratitude. It's a shame he can't come today, but please tell him he's welcome to come back anytime.
Yes, yes....
　Let's just tell them.

"The brave Lord of Roses. You need help with something?　I can't do much, but I'll do the best I can.
'Well...'
　I'm confused.
　I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but to ask a mafia man for a favor honestly.
　However, it's also not good to say anything.

　I glanced at Sa-san and Lucy at the next table.
"Aya-sama, this is a rare gemstone from the land of the soil (Kalilahn).
Lady Lucy, this dress is all the rage in the Highlands at the moment.
"Wow, it's beautiful." "Lovely!
　Is it the female casino staff that's around?
　Saasan and Lucy seem to enjoy being shown the various items.

''We'll give you all of these,''
What?　You have all this stuff?
Well, what do we do now, Aya...
　Sa-san and Lucy are drawing back by saying they'll give me expensive-looking precious metals and dresses.
　Well, it seems this time it's a thank you for breaking the curse.
　I guess it's fine to take them up on their offer.
　I think I'll at least get a souvenir for Friare-san.

(By the way, the Castor family..... The head of the royal capital's backroom.......)

　He is one of the most famous mafias on the continent.
　A different kind of power than Princess Noel and Princess Sophia.
　A thought came to my mind that I had been wondering about.

''Can I ask you for one thing?''
　I said it.


　◇


".............................
　In front of me, gaping open-mouthed, are the sisters and orphans of the church in the Ninth Ward (slum).

Hey, I'm Peter of the House of Castor!　From this day forward, you can call me Brother!
　Peter introduces himself in a loud voice.

''Ah, um........Makoto-san. What the hell is this........
　The sisters inquire intently.
'I'm sorry to be so abrupt. If you have any trouble, the Castor family will help you. It may have been unnecessary for me to imitate them, but...
　This church was a vulnerable group of people in the Ninth Ward Street (slum).
　I asked them to take care of this place as the Castor family's territory.
　Of course, I promised not to invite the orphaned children to join the mafia.

''Thank you very much, brave man.
I heard it was an orphanage where Jean and Emily grew up. It's the least I can do.
''Enough is enough. These children continue to be discriminated against just because they have the blood of the demon race. In the current environment, I'm sure they would have resented the world....... It really helps.
　The sisters thanked me with tears in their eyes.
　I'm glad. It looks like I didn't have to do anything unnecessary.

'Nee-chan, thank you!
True to form. I'm going to be a hero.
''Silly, the status and skills of the heroes are not the same as the lowlifes like us.
''Yeah, I'm only a 'Martial Artist, Intermediate' and 'Earth Magic, Beginner'...'''
''I'm only a 'Fire Magic, Intermediate' I don't know if I can even be an Iron-ranked adventurer...


　...What?　

　Do these guys have that much strength?


Hey, hey, hey. You guys. Look at my soul book and be amazed.
　I showed my 'Soul Book' (Soul Book) to the children.

''Eeeeeeee!''

What's your status? He's weaker than me! Well, it's a magical four? Oh, no! Nee-chan, are you really a brave man...?

　Oh, oh........　
　Astonishment → Pity → A flowing change in gaze of doubt.
　Reminds me of the Water Temple days!

'You guys, brothers. You're a true hero who defeated Brother Jera, the lightning hero, in a tie and drove away the 5,000 hordes of demons from a thousand years ago.
　Peter followed up.
"... "True to form, wow!
　I was back to envy again. Good.

'Well, you can be brave even with this kind of status and skill. Everyone else will be fine too.''
Okay, all right! Nee-chan, I'll do my best! I'm going to be a hero!
　Phew, we made it. They're all cheered up.

Seriously I'm not sure I should think of you as the standard.
　Lucy whispered in my ear.
　Next to her, Sa-san nodded yes.
'Yeah?'
''Guys - the brave Roses here is such a freak that he trains all the time except when he's sleeping!
　Sa-san called out to the children.

'Oh, really?　Nee-chan.
The whole time you're not asleep...?
Hey, Lucy. You're not just saying that.
　I immediately plugged in.

"Yo, that's good. That's great...
You can train in your sleep.
".........
...do you train in your sleep? I knew that Takatsuki-kun... but...
　Not only the kids, but even Lucy and Sa-san have turned their eyes to look at the freaks.

Set the 'Clearing Water' skill to 99% and create a water bullet above your head and keep it floating.
　If you miss the control, you'll wake up with water on your head.
　I recommend this as it allows you to train in your sleep with a moderate amount of tension.

　--I explained that.

Everyone does things at their own pace!
" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "
　In the end, I'm listening to Lucy.
　Who's a freak, rude.

　Sa-san says, "I'm going to play with the kids for a day! And remained in the church.


　◇


　--On the way home from church. At Fourth Ward Street.

Hey, Takatsuki.
Yeah, hey, Takeda.
　I was approached by a former classmate.
I knew I was in a "point of view switch".
　I figured she probably wouldn't talk about it, so I ignored her.

"Hey, you were awesome at that!　I was in the first division of the Order of the Sun. It was a long way from where you were.
Yeah, huh?
　I didn't know that.
　I had no idea.

'It was actually a close call. Demons from a thousand years ago weren't the same as the ones we usually fight.
　So Takeda looked a little apologetic.
I'm sorry about the other day. You're awesome. Brave man, I know it's going to be tough, but hang in there.
'Oh, oh.... Good luck with that one too.
　Takeda waved one hand as he left.
Next time we get together with our classmates for a reunion, I'll call you!
　I heard a voice in the distance.
　I smiled vaguely and returned it.

(Probably won't go, though.)
　I'm not very good at that kind of thing.

You look so happy.
What?
　Lucy was nimble next to me.
'Good for you!　I got to make up with my classmates.
　No, we weren't in a fight...

(Well, but. Has it improved compared to the Water Temple?)
　Maybe I'm more happy to be praised by my old classmates than I am to be praised by a nobleman from the Land of the Sun for whatever reason.
　My steps on the way home were a little lighter.


　◇


　--three days after the mayhem ended.

'Princess Sophia, Prince Leonard. We'd better get back to McAllen.
'What!　Already?　The noblemen of the Highlands are eager to see you, Makoto-san?

　That's right.
　It seems that word has spread that I'm close to the Great Sage, and noblemen have started coming to see me one by one.
　They came with some kind of gift (wilo).
　No, what would you do with a gift for me?

It's a great opportunity to expand your network. You're not greedy.
　Princess Sophia chuckles.

'I'm simply not very good at talking to strangers.
You're as sensitive as ever, Takatsuki.
You're not afraid to run into a monster.
What are you talking about, Lucy? Demons don't talk.
"Huh...　
　Why are Sa-san and Lucy sighing at the same time?

　So, I just told the Sun Country that I was going back to the Water Country.
　Highland Castle--Princess Noel called me.


Makoto, the "Brave Man of Roses". She asked me to come to the castle by myself.