I followed Friae.

　We went through the square in front of the guild.
　The place we came to was the McAllen common graveyard.
　Friae-san, you like graveyards........

　I feel a sense of déjà vu when we first meet.
　In the moonlight, her pale colored dress and long black hair shone in the moonlight, reflecting a fantastic scene.
　Somehow it was hard to talk to her, so I hid behind a tree and looked at her.

'Tsui~. Uryi, Uryi.''
Now, now.
　Furiae-san is rubbing the throat of a familiar black cat and purring it around.
　Or rather, that's what you decided to name the black cat........
　After looking at it for a while, it suddenly turned around to me.

''What do you want?　My knight.
　Oh, you got me.
You were sneaking out. I was just wondering what happened.
　I scratched my head and walked out from behind the tree.
If I didn't use my 'covert' skills, I'd usually be noticed.

''........You had a tough day. I heard you killed an old dragon by cutting down on your 'lifetime'?
I didn't have a choice.
　A black cat - Tsui - came up to me and rubbed his face against my pants.
　He's cute, this guy.

''That demon beast has missed you so much.
Oh. A friendly cat.........well, a Hexenbiest!
　You are able to look down at the black cat with a start.
　I'm not going to be able to get a good look at it.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find it.
　Is this a Hexenbiest?　Oh, my God.
　Are you kidding me?

'You didn't notice?　It's enough to be affected by your weak 'charm' magic, so it must have water-based magic. Perhaps you've subconsciously tuned in?
...Seriously, you're a magical cat?
　He strokes the black cat's head.
　He rubs his head adorably, though.
　You won't be using water magic and intermediate in the future, will you?
　You'd cry if you did that, wouldn't you?

I'm not in any danger, by the way, am I?
''It's weak because it's a juvenile demon, and it's safe because it's under your 'fascination' to begin with.
　Oh, okay. Well, so much for the small talk.

　That's enough chitchat.

You sound depressed.
　Furiae's expression is cloudy.
　Doesn't he want to say it?
　It's awkward to force the question out, but....
'My knight.'
　Kiri, Friae-san looks at me.

........today's mass stampede. I heard that the snake cult was backing out of it.
'Oh, did the guild say something like that?
　It's still in the rumor stage.
　I guess we'll learn more once they start investigating.

"The members of the Order of the Serpent are made up of demons. You know that, don't you?
　Friae, with a dark expression on her face, continues to speak.
'In a manner of speaking, I know,'
　What are you talking about?

I'm a member of the magical race. That means I'm a demon.
　He uttered a fading voice as he looked away.
'Heh,'
　I've heard that many of the inhabitants of the Land of the Moon (Raphiloig) Ruins are of the magical race.
　Friae is from the Land of the Moon.
　It doesn't seem that surprising.

'Surprised?　I didn't know a moon maiden was a demon race.
No, it's not...
You're kidding!
　Yes..........

''The Order of the Serpent once said they would welcome me as an executive. Of course I refused. Maybe the attack was aimed at me this time........
　Friae's voice was somber.
　I didn't know that was what I was thinking.
　I don't know why McAllen was targeted, though.
　No matter how much, the reason for attacking the entire city with a group of demons is not Friae-san.

''Nothing good can come from being with such a cursed priestess with the blood of a demon race. Hey, my knight. I've enjoyed my short time with you so far. I know Ryusuke asked you to continue to be my guardian knight, but I'm canceling my guardian knight contract...

Wait!　Hoo-li!
　A loud voice echoed in the quiet cemetery.
　I turned around and saw Lucy, and Sa-san standing there.
　Huh?　I don't know how long I've been following them.

Lu-chan said that Takatsuki-kun and Fu-chan were having an encounter, so I had to chase them.
　Sa-san explained to me, smiling bitterly.
''Wait!　Aya!　You don't have to tell me that.
　I didn't know you were so worried about me!

"Of course, Takatsuki-kun would never do such a thing........ He already has three lovers....
　Come on, sir!　You're leaking "intimidation"!
The 'danger detection' alert is beeping.
　Also, I'm afraid of the lightless eyes.
　Sa-san's 'intimidation' sends a shiver down my spine.

　Tsui at my feet is grooming his hair in a carefree manner.
　You, you have no sense of danger.
　Even the dragon is an 'intimidation' that ran away........
　Maybe it's a bigger deal than you think.

''What are you doing here, wizard?''
　Furiae's tone was hard.
''What, is Huli going to leave Makoto's party?
　Straight to the point. That's Lucy.

"Yes. Having a bogeyman like me around can get you guys in trouble.
It's... no, no.　Hey, Takatsuki-kun.
　Sa-san gives us a look that looks like he wants to help us.

'It's not safe for a girl to travel alone, is it?
You'll be fine. I'll make some death knights from the cemetery here to escort you.
　Apparently, he's thinking about it.
　But it's not like he's saying, "Well, here you go then.
(Hmmm, that's a thing.)
　I remembered my conversation with Sakurai-kun.


　◇


　It was a conversation from the night I was taught the magic sword technique.

'Furiae, you don't call Takatsuki-kun and Sasaki-san by their names, do you?
'Oh, sure. I wonder why?

　I'm 'my knight'.
　Lucy is 'Mr. Wizard'.
　Sa-san is 'Mr. Warrior'.

　They all call each other by their professions.
　But Sakurai-kun is the only one who calls me by my name.
　I didn't care much about it.

I don't know. It's because all the people who were close to her in the past have died.
....
'The people who raised me, my friends, the people who believed in the Moon Priestess, they're all dead. That's why they don't call new acquaintances by their names because it makes them sad when they die and leave.
I'm afraid that's a bit heavy.
　Seriously.
　Was that the reason?

'By the way, you said I'm a brave man of light, so I'll call you by your name because I won't die no matter what,'
Yeah, well...
　I thought she was the type of tsundere character who only called out people she liked by name.

Why are you telling me that?
No, I thought that somehow Takatsuki would be able to open up to Freyae.
Huh.
　I'm a bit of a comic.

People have always liked you, haven't they, Takatsuki?
No, no, no.
'Didn't Mr. Takahashi, our English teacher, like you in junior high school?　He was strict with every other student, but he was only kind to Takatsuki.
　With a grin and a mischievous look on his face, Sakurai-kun smiles.

''Forget about it....''
　It's black history.
　An English teacher, Ms. Takahashi (30 years old, single), was relieving her stress at the arcade, and I couldn't help but talk to her, and we played a match at the arcade.
　From then on, she liked me a lot....
　We exchanged contact information.
　I started getting long text messages.
　Phone calls to my phone, every night.
　That was scary....

Well, I'll try to get Freyae to open up to me.
Yeah, you'll be fine, Takatsuki.
　I told Mr. Sakurai that I was going to give it a shot, regardless of what we used to talk about in the past.

　This is my memory of that conversation.


　◇


(Apparently, he didn't open up to me, Sakurai-kun.)

　Mr. Furiae is about to leave on his own.
　But, well.
　I feel like we can have a little more heart-to-heart talk before that.

'Hey!　Hooli cares about the fact that he has demon blood in his veins!
　Lucy, you used your 'ears' skill.

That's right. Of course no one wants to make friends with a bunch of demons...
By the way, my father is a demon!　You mean, he's a demon!　What about Hooley?
Huh?
　Oh, unusual.
　Cool beauty Friae is all smiles.
　I don't remember you telling me about our background.

You're an elf, aren't you? But you have red hair. But, semi........demon race?
Yes!　But the truth is, I don't care about that!　As for Houri, he looks completely human, so his demon blood is lighter than mine, right?
　Lucy has a thud on her face.
　Mr. Freyae looked at me with a look on his face, not knowing what to do.

'Oh, um!　My knights and warriors don't.......care?
　I look at her and she looks at me.

"Well actually, I'm this kind of person.
　Saasan unleashes her "Change" skill.
　Sa-san, in his lamia outfit, appears.
　It's been a long time since I've seen her.

"What the hell!　Well, demon!
　Friae let out a scream.
'Ah, it's a bit hurtful to be screamed at like that.
I'm sorry, soldier.
Well, all right.
　Laughing, Sa-san returned to her human form.

'Wasn't the warrior-san an otherworlder...?'
Yes, I'm from the same world as Takatsuki. But am I reincarnated?　He did. To the Lamia people of the Great Maze.
Well, how is that possible?

　We compared Lucy and Sa-san in turn.
　Furiae-san looked at me.

'Hey, my knight. What about you?
What do you mean?
Are you actually reincarnated as a demon or a demon?
No, I'm a purely otherworldly person.
Yeah, yeah.
　Friae sighed in relief, though.

'Well, he's an apostle of the Evil One.
Huh?
　It was the loudest voice of the day.

'You're a brave man from the Water Country (Roses)!　Don't be ridiculous!　You're not fooling me!
　No, I'm sorry to hear that.

''It's true, the brave one is an apostle of the old god race.
　Suddenly, a dignified voice came to be heard.
'Sophia?'
　It was Princess Sophia in her priest's uniform.
　Why was she here?

Princess Sophia!　You must be a water priestess!　There's no way the Water Goddess would certify an apostle of the Evil God as a hero!
...which is why I have received a personal message of permission.
　Princess Sophia speaks with a resigned look on her face.
It's not ... such a ridiculous thing.
　Friae, who was frozen in surprise, left it at that.

'Sophia. Why are you here?
　This is a cemetery.
Eil-sama told me. The brave man himself is here.
　
　Is Noah-sama with you too?

''Well even if that's the case!　I am the reincarnation of the witch who was said to be the scourge of humanity a thousand years ago!　Wherever you go, you get shunned!　If you stay with me, you'll be absolutely unhappy!　I'm an awkward person who doesn't fit in in any country I go to!
　Furiae, who still despises herself.

'Hey, Princess.'
　I stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
".........
　Lucy, Sa-san, and Princess Sophia's gaze gets tougher.
　No, I'm not going to do anything weird, okay?

Shall I tell you my purpose as an apostle?
"...what?　Suddenly.

''I will defeat the Great Demon King, take control of the world away from the Holy God tribe, and restore Master Noah's clan.
"?
　Ah!　
　It wasn't just Friae-san, even Princess Sophia froze.
　Come to think of it, I might not have said it.

''Eh, Eir-sama!　Did you know the purpose of the brave man himself?　....What, did you know?　S-So...okay...hah, no problem...are you sure it's not a problem?
　Good, Ail-sama has followed up on that.
　I'll explain it properly later from me as well.

...
　Mr. Furiae is still frozen.

'Oi, Princess.'
'.......Is my knight an idiot?
　Hmmm, well, I'm sure the goals are somewhat grandiose.
　I can tell you one thing.

'With or without Friae-san, I'm an apostle of the Evil One, an 'enemy of the world'.


　-- so come on, turn the world upside down with me!

(Decided)
　The perfect (perfect) negotiation technique (communication).

　It was meant to be a clincher.

' " ".........
　Lucy, Sa-san and Princess Sophia reacted poorly.

　The expression on Friae's face was indescribable.
　I didn't know what she was thinking.
　Just a word.

''I'll hold off on the matter of terminating the contract.
　I muttered to myself.

　I got him to stay!
　I did it!　Sakurai-kun!

　No, Lucy and the others, stop with that blank face!


　◇


　We trudged back to the guild together.
　Oh, Princess Sophia is with her guards.

　The area around the guild is still full of drunkards.
　One of them approached me from among them.

''Hey~, Makoto-kun. I have to have a word with you.
Emily?　You're unusually drunk.
　Emily gave me a red face and dragged me and Lucy into our own bar.
　Hey guardian (Jan), we're getting tangled up.
　You're my fiancé, you better watch it.
　And I found him sleeping on the floor.

"You were kissing Lucy when we were fighting the Stampede! I'm sure that wasn't the case when everyone else was fighting so hard.
I saw you!　Emily!
'No, that was for using spirit magic...'
　Me and Lucy gasp and excuse ourselves.　

'Ah!'　I heard that too!　Makoto-kun. No matter how brave you are, I don't think you should do naughty things to girls during a fight!　So, me too...
　Even Marie got involved!
　Hey, don't casually kiss me!　
　Don't push me down!
　Their life expectancy is dwindling and their stamina is low!

Adventurers who go "hue" and agitate, and adventurers who cluck their tongues.
　It's the usual McAllen Adventurer's Guild.

'Oh, it looks like it's my fiancé who's being pressed there, doesn't it?
　A chilling voice descended.
　Princess Sophia looked down at me with icy eyes.
　Yeah, I was with her.
　I'm being pushed down to the ground by Marie.

''So........Fia.......sama?''
　Oh, Marie is instantly turning blue past her bare face.

'Hey, did you hear that? She said she's my fiancé." "Yeah! It's not true, it's Lady Sophia! Oh no!
　There were screams from everywhere.
　It's a quintessentially popular one, Princess Sophia.

''You're a brave soul. You may prefer the heroic colors, but be moderate.''
　He looked at me like he was looking at a pig and walked past next to me.
　The old man of the guardian knight and the guardian knight followed from behind.
　Princess Sophia overheard the old guardian knight say something to the old guardian knight.　

'Today's banquet is a rude celebration of this city's salvation!　Make a lot of noise!　The Roses royal family will pay for it!
　The old man declares, "" ""Whoa!" And the adventurers got excited.

　Then Princess Sophia opened her mouth.
''However. The brave man there is my fiancée. If you want to get close to him now (...) and later (...), you must go through me.
　Spitefully, he said.
　Future.

'Marie seems to be doing OK,'
'What, what?　Really?　Am I ever going to be fired from my guild's receptionist position?
I'm sure you'll be fine.
　Maybe, though.　

　After that, a special seat was set up at the back of the guild for Princess Sophia and the water holy knights' members.
　For a while, I talked with Princess Sophia and was drunk by the old guardian knight.

　After that, I was drunk at various seats.
(No good, it's been a long time since I've drunk this much...)
　He wobbled around and sat on the floor in the area and drank water.
　The clamor in the guild did not subside at all.
　Somehow, I used my 'listening ear' skill to hear everyone's conversation.

　-- I heard this conversation.

'Oh no, it's a big deal. You're a brave man of McAllen.
'True, true. I was numb when I chased off that horde of demons! I felt like I needed a hug!
''Oh, I wish I had been allowed to join the party with Lucy-chan back in the old days when I was about bronze rank.
　Oh, I'm talking to you.

No, you don't. Princess Sophia is going to stare at you.
Yeah, well, you're the king's brother-in-law now.
And Lucy and Aya are your girlfriends too, right?
'Tsk!　Harlem bastards.
　Is the guy who's talking about radical things the guy who was screaming when Princess Sophia announced her engagement?
　Maybe he liked Princess Sophia.

''Good!　Let's pick two real names for the truth!　How about a three-pronged hero?
No, my guess is that Marie and Mr. Hooley, the true bastard, are in on it.
...Seriously? Five people in a row?
You're a f*cking freak.
"You're a f*cking hero!　McAllen's yakuza hero, Makoto, is the bomb!
'Yes!　Let's spread those two names around!
""Oh!"

You!　Screw you!
　I'm a virgin!
　I couldn't leave it at that, and I punched the seat.

''Hey, hey, Makoto!''
Takatsuki, calm down!
　Soon after, Sa-san and Lucy held me down.
　Ha, ha!　
　We're going to hit them with a waterball!
　He did his best to flail about, but he couldn't move when Mr. Sa-san strangled him with his wings!

'I've never seen my knight so unflappable.
Oh, he's just drunk. Makoto, you don't drink well.
Sigh........I don't think I'll be able to be alone with the hero, Makoto, today.
　I thought I heard such a voice reaching my ears.

　That night, the party continued until morning.......apparently.

　My consciousness disappeared in the middle of the party.