The Order of the Serpent has been decimated!

　What?
　So this is what Master Ila said about 'making a move'.
　But how?

Fujiyan, what the hell is going on...?
''I don't have any details yet either.... What I do know is that under the orders of the Goddess of Destiny's Priestess (Esther) and His Holiness the Pope, Alexandre-dono, the Nation of the Sun's National Accredited Brave, went to the Demon Continent alone and attacked the lair of the Serpent Cult's leader 'High Priestess'. He killed the 'High Priestess' and the other leaders of the Serpent Sect who were hiding there.

Yeah, yeah.
　It was explained in more than enough detail.
　Seriously, what's going on with Fujiyan's information gathering network?

'But did that vague Highland national certified brave Alec do it all by himself?　Not with the Order of the Sun or the Temple Order?
The story goes that you didn't move your army, you acted alone.
　Hmm, I knew that guy was incredibly strong.
　If Alec, the nationally certified hero, had cooperated, he could have defeated the Demon King more easily, don't you think?
　In the earlier operation, it seems that for some reason I was separated from Sakurai-kun.

"Currently, the leaders of the Serpent Order have been 'exposed' in the square in front of Highland Castle. The head of Archbishop Izak, who is related to Takky-dono, is also over there...
What?　He did?
　I was shocked.

　In Horne, the royal capital of the Land of Water, he causes an abominable demon to run amok.
　In the Land of the Sun, he causes a stampede of demons in Sinfonia.
　Attempts to revive the demon king in the Land of Trees.
　In the Fire Nation, he plans to drop the comet.
　A hard-working terrorist who (supposedly) planned the operation of the Demon King's army to invade the land of commerce.
　Archbishop Isaac.

　I see.........So, Mr. Izak is dead?
　And I heard that his head is exposed.
　After all, I couldn't see his face before he died.
　I wonder what he looked like....

''Tacky-dono, would you like to come and take a look?
　Fujiyan asked with a reserved look.
'No I won't.'
　I shook my head.
　It's too late now.
　Let's not whip the dead.
　The nasty enemy was supposed to be gone, but for some reason I felt a pang of relief.

'And there's another piece of big news for you!
"Law.
　Fujiyan raised his voice to dispel the seriousness of the air.

''Princess Noel has successfully surpassed the 'Divine Trial' and has become the 'Saint of Charity'!
"God's test?
　Huh, I'm twisting my neck.

'Brave Mako. Noel-sama, the Sun Priestess, overcame God's ordeal and gained the same power as 'Saint Anna'.
　Princess Sophia has arrived.
　I don't know if I've ever heard of such a thing.
　I see...Princess Noel became a "saint"?
　I'm sure she's become a lot stronger than before.......................but do you think she'll be able to fight?

Lady Tuckey. Saint Anna's "March of Victory" skill is a legendary skill that can turn tens of thousands of soldiers into a one-man army of warriors.
　I see........an enhanced skill, huh?
　It's not a standard thing to strengthen tens of thousands of people at once.
　The normal targets of strengthening (buffing) magic are a few to at most a dozen people at most.
　It's a unique skill of the saintly lady.

You're not going to be able to get away with it.
Yes, Master Noel has also been given the 'Victory March Song' skill.
That's very reassuring.
　It's a shame, I wanted it in the last war, but I guess it's just fortuitous that I got it in time for the decisive battle with the Great Demon King.

By the way, did Princess Sophia need something?
　Fujiyan guided the conversation as if he had read her mind.
''Yes, that's right. I apologize to Sir Fujiwara, but I'm going to borrow the heroic Mako to Princess Noel's place.''
Of course!　Take me there.
　Huh?
　You haven't heard back from me and your decision is final?
　Well, I'm going under orders from my boss.

　Princess Sophia and I are going to Highland Castle.



Is that...?
　Many people had gathered in the square in front of Highland Castle.


　They seem to be watching the heads of the leaders of the "Order of the Snake" who are being exposed.
　Some of them are throwing stones.


　.........I wouldn't say it's in bad taste.


　The snake cult is a group that advocates the 'liberation of the demon race' and their method is radical 'indiscriminate terrorism'.
　The Church of the Goddess is often targeted in the 'Land of the Sun (Highland)' and 'Land of Commerce (Cameron)', where the influence of the Church of the Goddess is strong, and it is said that innocent civilians were often involved.
　There may be people whose families have been killed.
　If the sight of the hapless appearance of a hated revenge makes you lower your spirits, it may be meaningful........

　The onlookers are conversing.
He picked up people's conversations with his 'listening' skills.


"Don't keep your mouth shut. How many times have we been interrupted in our business!
Yes, thanks to the brave men and the Pope.
I can't tell you how many lives were lost because of them...
''But the Pope is also very kind. He should have eradicated all the demon race anyway.
It's true. If we can keep the 'dirty blood' guys from the Moon Country (Rafiroig), there's no doubt that a new cadre of the Serpent Sect will be born.
Let's just burn the whole f*cking moon state down.
They did this to my dad.
Demons don't belong on Earth!


　It was an indescribable feeling.
　The Order of the Serpent is made up of the Demon Race, but not all of the Demon Race believe in the 'Evil God'.
　The sisters and children in the Ninth Ward Street (slum) are a mild demon race who believe in the Goddess of the Sun.
　However, to the general public, the Fiends themselves may be seen as evil.

　The Land of the Moon (Raphiloig).........is Huriae's hometown.
　The people from Furiae's hometown are living in the basement of the ruins.
　Will the day come when they can live a life of peace and quiet...?

　Maybe I should talk to Ila-sama about this matter.
　With that in mind, Princess Sophia and I walked through the gates of the royal castle.



　◇



"...I'm sorry, heroic Makoto. I did have an appointment (appointment) for a visit, but...
'Princess Noel's secretary had a double booking (double booking), so it's not Princess Sophia's fault.
　When I went to Highland Castle, I found that my interviewee, Princess Noel, was not there.
　Princess Sophia said, "What do you mean! I tried to talk to him, but he said, "Master Noel is very busy. Please adjust the schedule again.
　It's a mistake on their side, but it's a terrible story.
　This is the difference between the next queen of the great Highlands and a princess from a small country.
　I had no choice but to try again to secure a date for a meeting, but the date specified was for a few days later.



　--I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what to expect.



Oh, welcome back. Makoto-sama, Sophia-san.
"What?
　And when I came back to my hospital room, there was Princess Noel.

　What's going on?
　I thought there were so many temple knights in the hospital!　
　All of them must be Princess Noel's bodyguards.

I heard they were here to see Princess Sophia and my knights.
　Furiae-san is petting the black cat unhappily.
　Lucy and Sa-san are also a little nervous with the incoming king of the Highlands, as expected from the quintessential Highlander.

''What's wrong with you!　''Noel-sama.''
　Princess Sophia rushes over to me in a hurry.
　Now, the words I should say........

''Princess Noel, congratulations on the matter of 'God's Trials'.
'Thank you, Miss Makoto. Miss Sophia, my secretary apologized for her absence. She had to leave her schedule and come here.
I'm sorry, sir.
　Oh.
　It's nice of you to give me a head start.
　Princess Sophia is feeling a bit ashamed of herself.

　But Princess Noel must be really busy.
　Why did you come here?
　As I twisted my head, Princess Noel smiled and came closer to me.

''Makoto-sama.''
Yes, sir.
　What is it?

''I heard that you became the patron knight of the Great Sage Master and after the defeat of the Demon King the other day, there's a lot of talk about you in the Highland Castle.
Is that so...?
　I'm afraid so.
　Well, Great Sage, you're a big man.
　Fame Tax.

Ryousuke-san is always talking about Makoto-sama. I hope you'll continue to help me defeat the Great Demon Lord.
　Tightly, he held my hand and stared at me.
　I felt an illusion of being enveloped in light.
　Is this the power of the "saint"?

　........Lucy, Sa-san, and Princess Sophia's cold gaze is stabbing at me from behind.
　But they seem to be refraining when the other party is Princess Noel.

''We'll deal with it for good, right?
　I answered safely.

'Absolutely, sir!
　Pushing it harder, Princess Noel.
　Hey, it's close!
　You were trying to keep your distance.

'Will you not become familiar with my knight?'
　Huriae pulled me up.

''Oh, Moon Priestess (Friae). I beg your pardon.''
Hmm.
　Princess Noel moved away from the line of sight in the direction of Miss Freyae.

There are many good warriors and brave men in the Highlands. My knights are weak, so don't get involved in them, will you?　The Sun Priestess (Noel)
Yes, of course Highland will lead the fight against the Demon King's army. But we should all join forces. Also, I'm a 'saint' now.
Yeah, you're really proud of that?
'No, sir. You don't have to say it that way. Friae.
　Furiae-san also doesn't make eye contact with Princess Noel.

　Both of them are calm in their tone, but........
　The atmosphere is a little cursory and uncomfortable.
　Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, Princess Noel smiled at me as if to change the subject.

''That was it!　I have a message for you, Miss Makoto.
Me?
Ryousuke-san would like to speak to Makoto-sama. Please see her once.
　Princess Noel said something like that to me.

(.........Huh?)
　But I was stuck by Princess Noel's words.

(Sakurai-kun, you show up here quite a bit...)

　In fact, he came to visit me in my hospital room a while ago.
　He chatted with me, and also talked with Furiae and Sa-san.
　At that time, all we did was chat, but....
Does that mean 'I want to talk to you both'?

''Come to think of it, you're not with the brave Lord of Light today.
　Princess Sophia is also on board with that topic.
''Yes, Ryousuke-san is also busy. I haven't been able to see him for a while now either.''
　Princess Noel smiles sadly.

　Oops, is that so?
　Sakurai-kun and Princess Noel are living at cross purposes.
　But you can't tell Princess Noel that you came here secretly, right?

　I look at Sa-san and say, "You know what I mean, right? He signaled to me with his eyes.
　I know, I know.
　I read the air about it too!

'What?　Ryousuke would be here, sometimes. Hey, my knight.
The "th.
　Hey!
　Mr. Freyae, don't say a word!
　Ah, the smile disappeared from Princess Noel's face.
　Friae-san made a deliberate 'shucks' kind of face.
　Nyalo, you did it on purpose, didn't you?

'....Friae, is it true what you just said?
I didn't say anything. You need to forget about it.
I haven't seen you in a week!
Oh, that's tough. I feel sorry for you.
And you've seen him?
Hey, lady, don't take my hand!　That hurts.
Mr. Ryousuke!　This woman is that good!
　Oh, Princess Noel is distraught.

Why don't you say it in person?
I can't tell you that.
Ha, it's tough being a prude.
'I don't like to be told that by someone who fascinates without regard.
What?
What is it?
　Mr. Furiae and Princess Noel are staring at each other at close range.
　This can't go any further!

Yes, Princess Stop.
Master Noel, please calm down.
　Me and Princess Sophia will separate the two of you.
　These two are really bad together!
　I thought it was a no-brainer when Sakurai-kun was there, but it's no good without him.

Excuse me, Sofia-san. So, please meet with Mr. Ryousuke, Makoto-sama.
Yes, sir.
　Princess Noel smiles gracefully.
　I nodded my head.

Let's have a long talk tonight, shall we?
　The 'listening ear' skill picked up Princess Noel's murmurings as she was leaving.
　Oh, no.
　Princess Noel is falling into darkness.
　Sakurai-kun, I'm sorry.
　I clasped my hands together in my heart.

　Princess Sophia chased after Noel.
　Apparently there's something I want to discuss with her while she's on the move.
　It's hard to take time out of a busy person's life.

　Thus, there was peace as usual in the hospital room.


(Well........my next action is....
　Princess Noel asked for a favor.
　Let's get this thing over with.


　I went to Fujiyan's side with my sword in hand, and said, "Fujiyan, Fujiyan.　


"Fujiyan, Fujiyan.
Oh, what is it?　Tacky-dono.
I need to ask one thing of you...　



　◇



　--A place to talk with Sakurai-kun.


　It's not easy to secure time for Sakurai, who is now the driving force behind "The Demon King's Defeat".
　That's why I asked Fujiyan to make an adjustment.
　Even Fujiyan, as expected, thought it would take him some time to do so.

"Yokoyama-dono is managing Sakurai-dono's schedule," he said. When I said 'Takky-dono wants to meet you,' he made the most of it.
　That's what it was about.
　Come to think of it, is Saki Yokoyama the second in command of Mr. Sakurai's unit?
　My classmates' connections are so strong.

　The next day, I was able to set up an appointment (appointment).

　I waited for Sakurai-kun at a reserved seat in a bar in the downtown Highland area.
　It was noisy and noisy, but the clientele was not bad.
　I didn't have to worry about getting tangled up with the weirdos.
　I waited for him while I snacked on some French fries and sausages and sipped a barleywine (ale).

　What's Sakurai-kun's story...?
　Don't tell me that you saw Friae kiss me (on the forehead) the other day!
　No, that was a no-brainer in my territory....

(Really?)
　That's right, Master Noah.
(Watch out for the blade wounds!)
　No, no, it's not there. It's not there.
　...it's not here, is it?

　When you think about it, it's so stupid.

Hey, Takatsuki. Here you go.
Hey, hey, Sakurai-kun.

　A somewhat lackluster childhood friend (a brave man of light) appeared.