--Laffiloig, the land of the moon.

　It was a prosperous country a thousand years ago.
　It is said that the Moon Palace, located in Cornet, the capital of the Moon Country, was the most beautiful castle in the world at that time.
　Why did the Moon Country flourish in the dark ages when the demons ruled?

　The reason for this is because the "Wicked Witch" who was a priestess of the Goddess of the Moon and the Queen of the Moon Country was in contact with the Great Demon King.
　However, this fact has been hidden for a long time, and the Moon Country has been called the land of miracles where no demons have ever attacked it.

　The witch of misfortune who reigned in the Moon Country had been pushing a certain policy of reconciliation between humans and demons.
　The method was the intermarriage of the "human race" and the "demon race".
　In order to get in on the side of the demons, who were the rulers at that time, the humans married the demons and formed a child, giving birth to the "Majin" race.
　The demons were both humans and demons.
　The idea was to make them a bridge between the two races.

　But it was not done well.
　The witch of misfortune used her ability, the mesmerizing eye, to force both the demon and human races to agree to this.
　Both sides didn't want it, and many demons and humans crossed paths with each other.
　Afterwards, their wickedness was exposed by Abel, the savior of the world.

　After the Great Demon King was defeated, the Moon Country was dismantled.
　A large number of "demon race" refugees were born.
　The evil witch's infamy is still talked about after a thousand years.


　And now.
　I've arrived at the capital of the departed country, Cornet, the place that gave birth to the witch race a thousand years ago.


　◇


This is Fu-chan's hometown?　Ummm.....
What a refreshing place it is.
　Saasan and Lucy speak up, as if choosing their words.

'There's nothing there,'
　That was my impression of the place when I saw it.
　There are remnants of old buildings here and there, but most of them are crumbling.
　What's left is a field.

All these people live underground. If you walk on the ground, the Highlanders and Cameron's merchants will take you away.
'What?　Why?
　Mr. Furiae's words were questioned by Sa-san.

'It's to kidnap the women and children of the demon race and make them slaves. Because we don't have any human rights.''
No.....
　Sa-san is exclaiming.
　Mr. Furiae's past is heavy.
　I don't know what to say.　

'Hey, hey!　When I was little, I was told to never leave the Great Forest. Elves are often targeted by slavers too. Especially when it's a pretty looking half-elf like me?
Luce?　That's the first time I've heard that story!
Oh, Makoto. Was it?
　In an attempt to change the air, even Lucy mentioned her heavy past.
　The Great Forest was such a safe place.
　I'm still scared of other worlds!

"..........
Now.　
　The only sound in the dark air was the purr of a black cat.
　At that time, Orto-san, the Knight Commander of the Sun, came over.

''Mako-dono, may I have a moment?''
Yes. Yes?
　Thank God we can change the subject.　

''We'll be setting up our base now. There will be a meeting with the royal capital in the evening, using communication magic, so please join us. You are free to do whatever you want until the base is set up, but if you're going to go away, please give someone a message. Also, there is a beach behind the ruins of the Moon King's Castle, but there is a possibility that the demon king's army of Forneus, the king of sea demons, is approaching on the sea side, so please be careful if there are any demons or demonkind there. As for the rest... it's unlikely, but the snake cult might attack us, so please keep that in mind as well.
　There are many points to note.
　After all, before the war, the tension was different than it had been before.

Mr. Orth. I understand.
So,
　Mr. Orth left in a hurry.

　In the distance, a huge tent is being set up.
　Mr. Ault is giving instructions to his men.
　I wondered if I should help them with something, but they are professionals and we are amateurs.
　It seems to me that they are professionals and we are amateurs.

　Then, it's free time.
　I thought I could at least keep an eye on them....　
　As I thought on the road, many of the people who show aversion to the belief in evil gods and the maidens of the moon are church officials and noblemen.
　The people of the Order of the Sun don't seem to care much about them.
　Hmmm, I have some unexpected free time.
　Now........what to do.
　I suddenly turned my gaze towards Friae-san.
　Hm?　Friae looks at me with a "what?

'What?'
Hey, Princess. So you know this area pretty well, huh? Can you show me around?
　Only ask the locals about a place you don't know.
Yeah, sure.
　As I asked, Furiae-san walked quickly to the front of the line.

"Foo-chan, you walk fast!　
Hooli, I'm coming with you.
　Sa-san and Lucy followed them.
　I followed the three of them while using the 'Searching' skill.

　The buildings of the deceased city of Cornette were almost completely gone, but the cobblestone streets barely remained.
　Furiae-san proceeded straight on it without hesitation.

''.......Nothing has changed. Of course.''
Really?　Whew.
Yes, the abandoned city where I was born and raised for more than a dozen years....
　Contrary to his words, Friae-san seems to be enjoying his tone of voice a bit.
　I wonder if she's cheered up a bit.

'I saw the Land of the Sun and the Land of Water and I thought. How unfair it is.... Everyone else can live above ground, but we're being driven underground like moles. Hmmm, every time I see the happy faces of those who have never sipped muddy water, I feel like killing them...
　No, Friae's mind is deep in darkness.

''Hey, princess. Princess Noel is against the class system, so if she inherits the throne, won't there be no discrimination against the demon race...?
　Somebody had said something like that sometime ago.
　Relying on that memory, I asked Huriae-san.

''I don't know, that woman said she would end discrimination against the beastmen and elves, but that doesn't necessarily include the witch race. In the first place, the Goddess Church doesn't recognize the demon race as people.
It's ... I've heard of it.
　At Friae's words, Lucy continued in a dark voice.
　Princess Noel, the Sun Priestess, is also the Cardinal of the Goddess Church.
　Indeed, it's going to be a pain in the ass to convince that Pope.

''In general, it's annoying to expect that woman to do it. A woman who was born with everything in her!　My knight!　From now on, stop talking about the Sun Priestess.
　With an irritated tone, Friae said.


　As I recall, Princess Noel was originally the third-ranked heir to the Highland throne.
　But when the brave man of light, Sakurai-kun, came along and became her fiancé, he moved up to the first place in a hurry.

　--It's the turn of the brave men of light to be paired with him.

　Until then, she had been training as a sun priestess with the aim of becoming the pope of the Goddess Church.
　I'm a fine person who can't be compared to me," said the super-hardworking Princess Sophia, so there's no doubt about it.
　So I have a strong impression of Princess Noel as a hard worker...
　Well, now is not the time to talk about that.　

''Princess, I won't talk about that anymore. By the way, where are you headed?
Okay. There it is.
　Mr. Furiae pointed in the direction of a small hill.
　On top of it, there was a huge stone brick structure.
　It's still crumbling, but it was a place where there used to be quite a magnificent building.


This is where the Moon Palace used to be. That basement is where I used to live.



　◇



Wow, I didn't know there was this big space in the basement.
Is this some kind of way out of the castle?
　It was a huge circular space, connected to many underpasses.
　Saasan and Lucy were scurrying around curiously.

The first thing you need to do is to get to the ruins of the former Moon Palace and the maze-like underground passageways that surround it. As a way out during the war.
This is just like King's Landing on Fire.
　It brought back memories of the time when he and the executive knight were looking for the Order of the Serpent.
　And there, the Order of the Serpent was performing a ritual.
　The 'self-destructing magic' ritual to destroy the royal capital Gamelan.

(.........just in case.)
　I think I'm worrying, but I'm going to activate the 'search for enemies' skill.


　--response.


Okay, thanks, Lucy.　There's someone hiding in there. Princess!　Come here!
Okay, okay.
　At the sound of my voice, Freyae comes running with a thump.
　His movements were quick.
　But whoever was hiding was also quick.

Don't resist!
"Kill all the Knights of the Sun!
Save Master Freyae!
"Glory to the Witches!
　More than a dozen masked people who had been hiding in the shadows attacked us.
　The one who was closest to the masked men was........Sa-san.

''You guys, this woman's life.......BUBELLA!
　The leader of the group, perhaps judged to be the weakest among us, tried to catch Sa-san - and danced high into the sky.
　Sa-san is holding his right hand out in front of him with a pouting face.
　I had no idea when the fist was thrust out.

''Huh?''
　The rest of the masked guys stop moving.

(That girl is the strongest in our party.)

Are they a cult of snakes?
　Above Lucy's head as she raises her staff, a flaming bullet about five meters in diameter is roaring and burning.
　Lucy's flaming bullets (fireball).
　........It's vicious no matter when you look at it.
　If that thing struck directly, not even a single bone would be left to burn down, I'm sure.

"Makoto, you're going to burn them all to death!
Yeah, but we'll keep the leader's man. I'll hand him over to Mr. Ort. We'll burn the rest.
Okay!
　Lucy winks at me mischievously.
　I mean, it's a joke.

　The giant fireball is raging with Lucy's magical energy (mana).
　If that thing goes off, it's going to blow up the entire ruin of the moon's royal city.
　If I really shoot him, we'll be buried alive too....

　Lucy continues to send magic power (mana) to the flaming bullets (fireball), which she has no intention of shooting.
　The air is dry and the magic in the air is burning with dust and it's hard to breathe.
　The masked men would feel nothing but fear.

'Well, wait!　If you want to kill me, take me!　Just everyone's life, just save your life!
　Sa-san blew me off, the man unmasked and apologized.

'Oh, my dear...'
　Friae, who had been hiding in the back until then, came in for a short run.

''........It's not Havel. ........What are you doing?
Master Freyae!　I never thought I'd see your face again...!　I will definitely, definitely help you!　I'll be with you in a moment!
　These guys....

"Princess, do you know them?
'Yes I do. My knight, wizard, could you give me a moment?
　Lucy fits the magic into Friare-san's words.
　I've really gotten good at magic.

''Ah, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be able to rely on Lucy's magic like this...''
Hello, Makoto?　I don't feel that impressed by a fireball, but it doesn't make me happy.
Hey, hey, Takatsuki. What are they going to do?
　As me and Lucy chatted, Sa-san pointed towards the guys who had attacked us.

'It's Friae-sama!' Priestess! Ooh, ooh, good to see you again.... thank you...
　The attackers are kneeling on the ground, unmasked and kneeling around Friae-san.
　Some are in tears, some are trembling their voices, some are worshipping....what the hell is that?

'Oi, Princess. Introduce me to those people.
　I waved to Friae.

'You!　Such a mouth for Lady Huriae!
What? (Overwhelmed)

　The leader-rated guy was awesome to me, but Sa-san's 'intimidation' skills made me sit up.
　In addition, even the rest of the guys have been knocked over.
　........Queen Lamia's (Queen) intimidation, terrifying!

'Wait a minute!　My knight!
Okay.
　At Friae's request, I had to wait a bit.
　As far as I can see, there didn't seem to be any concern that they would harm Mr. Freyae.
　Me, Lucy and Sa-san decided to wait for them and Friare-san to talk to each other for a bit.
　I watched them absentmindedly.

'Hey, hey, Mako. Did you notice?　The way they look....
　Lucy whispers in my ear.
'Yeah, they're all demonkind,'
　The people surrounding Friae all had the characteristics of the demon race, such as horns on their heads and red eyes.
　The same as the children of the demon race that they met in the orphanage in the Land of the Sun.
　They were people who could be identified as having the blood of the demon race just by looking at them.
　Also, I thought they were all men, but there was also a young woman.
　What kind of relationship do they have?

　For a while, Friae was talking to the demon race people, but she came towards us alone.

''My knight, I'm sorry. Those girls are followers of the Moon Goddess (Naia) just like me. They wanted to get revenge on the Knights of the Highlands for taking me away. Could I be missed...?
'Ummm...'
　In case you're wondering, this is the one who was attacked.
　Sa-san was strong, so it wasn't a problem, but if it had been Lucy who was attacked...or something.
　Lucy is strong these days.
　I was the one who was weakest in melee combat.
　So, what should we do?

"If you are arrested for being attacked by a demon tribe, you will be executed without exception...
Yeah!
　Furiae's words surprised Sa-san.
　That's also pretty extreme.

'So you want me to miss it?'
But I don't think so.
　Unusually, Mr. Furiae seems to be salty.
　Are they important to Mr. Huriae?

These guys I've lived with since I was a little girl. I'd hate to see them executed, indeed.
Childhood friends...
　That's because I want to help.

　I glanced at Lucy and Saasan.
'You can decide for yourself, Mako.
It's okay.　No one was hurt.　
If you guys say so.
　I turned to Friae.

'I'll pretend I didn't see it.'
Are you sure you want...?
Okay. Just tell the Order of the Sun not to mess with them again.
"Thank you, my knight.
　If Sakurai-kun or Sa-san's life was in danger, I would definitely try to save them, too.
　I can't just sit back and watch them get executed or something.......but I can't think of a scene where Sakurai-kun or Sa-san's life is in danger in the first place.

''........Thank you, Friare-sama. You guys........I'm sorry.
　I was bowled over by some of Furiae's acquaintances.
　Even so, the tone of voice doesn't sound like a childhood friend at all.
　Does the position of a moon maiden mean that she is special to the people of the demon race?

''Shh, but!　My knight is a guardian knight contract.
Yes, I do.
'Why, sir!　If it were our SS, I'd be ready to lay down my life for Master Huriae!
'Yes, sir!　Apparently, he doesn't have much of an aura or magic power (mana)!　It doesn't look like you have the power to protect the miko-sama very much!
Please!　Come back to us!
　The demon tribe's people are pleading with Mr. Freyae with the force of rubbing their heads on the ground.
　You guys, don't you casually disrespect me?

'My knight is a brave man from the land of water. And in the Woodland, I've defeated the Demon King Biflons.
" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "
　The young men of the Demon Race shouted in surprise.
　Did they look that weak?

''Also, that warrior who blew up Havel earlier is a brave man from the Fire Nation.
" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "
　You're going to have to agree to that!

'You've seen the magic of that wizard,' he said. Even if there were a hundred of you, you'd be no match for them. Besides if a mage race is chosen to be the guardian knight of the moon maiden, the temple knights of the Highlands will kill you in the blink of an eye.
"..........
　At Furiae's words, everyone shushed.

''d*mn, you, what's your name⁉
　The leader of the demon tribe team, a man named Havel, crowded me.
''Takatsuki Makoto... but...''
Takatsuki Makoto an otherworldly hero.
　His face is close.
　Silver hair and sallow skin.
　Although he has a well-formed face, his red eyes and the horns of his forehead prove that he is of the demon race.

''Friae-sama ... please ...''
　The man of the demon race lowered his head to glare at him, exuding frustration.
''All right.''
　I don't need to be told.

''Dear Friae. In spite of our weaknesses, the people of the Moon Country will spare no effort to help you in your time of need.
　With that, the demon tribe man looked at his companions and turned to leave.

''Wait, there's a Demon King's army approaching this continent right now. Does everyone know about that?
　Mr. Furiae stopped him.
'Yes, I know.
　The man of the demon race replied with a sad smile on his face.

''........Yes, you're right. Be careful.
　At the sound of Furiae's voice, the young men of the demon race bowed their heads and disappeared into one of the underground passages.
　Alright, unnecessary conflict was avoided.

(There's just one thing I'm worried about.)
　You might say I'm a little airheaded....
　But we're in the middle of a war, you know.

You know.............................
What?　My knight.
Uh, I hate to say it, but...
　I was wondering how to ask.

"Are you worried about those kids being connected to the Demon King's Army or the Order of the Snake?
　Friae told me first.

'Well yes,'
'I thought my knight would say that, so I secretly charmed him and got his 'true feelings' out of him. I wasn't lying. Those girls had nothing to do with the Demon King's army.
Oh, yeah.
　That's what I'm talking about.
　That's good.
　Well, let's get out of here.
　I have a meeting I have to attend in the evening.
　As I started to walk back to the place where the base was set up, I got a peck on the shoulder.

"...Hey, my knight.
　Mr. Furiae peeked up at us, looking up at us.
'What?'
What if I'm lying to you?　Maybe those kids are working for the Demon King's Army.
Are you lying?
I'm not lucky, but...
Okay, I believe you.
Okay.
　Mr. Furiae rolls his eyes.
　Why, surprise.

'One of these days you're going to get tricked by a bad girl!
　Mr. Furiae looked away and went away.
　Why was he pissed off?

'Hey, hey, Fu-chan's face was red, what did you say?'
　Sa-san came in instead.
'No, nothing?'
Hmm.
Hey, is Makoto doing this on purpose?　Natural?
　Lucy came to us.
　Apparently, Lucy could hear the conversation.

'Roo-chan, what did Takatsuki-kun say?'
"I believe in huli," he said.
No, Lucy, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders and the princess don't lie, do they?　So I believe it.
"...and...
　What's with the weird look on your face?

"It's a cold one!
You make me cry.
Yo, natural gigolo.
　Master Noah!

Hey!　Don't you have to come back? I know you have a meeting in the evening!
　Friae turned to me and yelled at me.
　Oops, not good.
　It's not good to be late.

　We went back to the base where the Order of the Sun was setting up.
　As soon as we got back, we were taken to a large tent in the center of the base.

''Wow, what's this.......''
The one I saw in the trees.
　What was there was a lot of images floating in the air.
　I heard it's called communication magic.
　The elders of each village in the wood country were using it.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.

　The head of the Order of the Sun, President Ewain, is reflected on the most huge screen in the image floating in the air.
　Sakurai-kun was also seen next to him.
　Great Sage-sama is........sleeping?

Then let's get started.
　President Ewain's low voice started the strategy meeting of the anti-Demon King army.