I was awakened by a voice from outside the room.

'Good morning, Aya,'
Good morning, Princess Sophia, Prince Leonard. What do you want with Mr. Takatsuki?
"Leo didn't tell me he was going to meet a true hero.
Well, you said your sister wanted to see you, too.
Leo. Shut up.
　Hmm, it's so noisy.

Takatsuki-kun, are you awake?
　There's a knock on the door.

... um, I'm awake.
　Rubbing my sleep-dazed eyes, I reply.
　I trained until late last night.....
　The door opened quietly.

Good morning, Takatsuki-kun. Let's have breakfast together........
'Good morning. My plans for today are....
　Sa-san and Princess Sofia froze with their eyes wide open as they came in.
　Hmm?　

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. How can I help you?
　I stretched and greeted him, but he didn't respond.

'Hey, Takatsuki-kun........'
　I heard Sa-san's chilling voice.
　A chill, a chill that was hard to describe, ran down my spine.
The 'danger detection' skill rang out loudly.
　Huh?

Makoto Takatsuki....
　Princess Sophia muttered, pattering like an ice storm.
　Not metaphorically, the temperature in the room dropped.
The 'Ice Magic, King Class' skill is being activated...?

　What the hell happened?
　--!" the question was quickly put to rest.

'Makoto-san and Lucy are good friends, aren't they? They sleep in the same bed, don't they? By the way, why do you wear your clothes and not the other way around, Lucy?
　A prince with a smiling face and an innocent heart was there.

　Thanks for explaining the situation!　Prince Leonard.
　And things are bad!
　I glanced over next to her, and sure enough, Lucy was sleeping peacefully.
　Well, she was sleeping in my bed yesterday.
　The shoulder straps of the camisole she always wears are unfastened, revealing her bare shoulders and arms.
　Oh, at first glance, you look naked.
　OH! This is not good!


　Sir?　Why is the hammer you gave me yesterday so huge!
　Don't point that stuff at your classmates!

'....in the sacred room of the brave.......this is why men in other worlds.......'
　The ice spirits are buzzing around Princess Sofia, who has the coldest eyes ever, and the ice spirits are flying around her.
　Oooh, the spirits are full of energy.
　I see, this is what it means to share feelings with a genie.
　This is no time to be impressed!　

Go ahead, make up your mind. It's a bad endgame.
　Master Noah poked me.

'Wait a minute!'
　I managed to explain it to them both and they understood.


　◇


I'm sorry, I fell asleep in your room...
　Lucy apologized and apologized to me.
'No, it's fine,'
　The misunderstanding was successfully resolved.

''Oh, that's nice. I'm going to sleep in Takatsuki-kun's room today, too.
'Sounds like fun!　Can I come visit you too?
Okay, but I'm a practitioner, okay?
　Apparently, Mr. Saasan and Prince Leonard are coming to my room today.
　That's not the point, I don't mind.
　I suddenly find myself looking at them and turn my head in that direction.

"Princess Sophia will be joining us?
!　What are you talking about?
　I was pissed.
　Hmmm, I thought it would be a good way to get along.

''........Brave Makoto. I need to talk to you for a moment, so please come to me in the evening.
　Pfft, turn around.
　Princess Sophia has gone.

"Hey, where do you want to go shopping today?
Yeah, I guess it's my turn to be next.
Makoto!　We'll practice our magic together.
　You guys are doing great.
　I ended up going with Prince Leonard to practice his magic, went shopping with Lucy, and had tea with Sa-san.
　It was an okay, full day.


　◇


　--That evening.

　I'm in the dungeon beneath Castle Roses.
　This is a place where criminals who have committed heinous crimes are locked in a holy ward that prevents them from escaping.
　Princess Sophia brings me to a man in a certain prison.
　He has thick iron locks on his feet and is chained with thick chains.
　Huh?　I think I know this guy.

This is the leader of the group that caused the monster disaster the other day.
Well.....
　Seriously, I look at his face.　
　We've only talked for a few minutes, but it's probably him.

Who is... you.
　The man in the cell looks up at us with dark, cloudy eyes.
'He's a brave man from the Land of Water. He has defeated the demons you set him up with.
　Princess Sophia answered for her.

''........such a kid?　d*mn, the awakening failed....
The Awakening?
　An unfamiliar word jumped out at me.

'The giant has become an abominable demon, you know. He has defeated the abominable giant.'
....
　The man doesn't say anything, but glares at me hatefully.
　Oh, is it called awakening to become an abominable demon?
　And I said something else that had been bothering me.

"You're with that circus clown guy, right?
　That man was the man who spoke to me the day before the day of the demon's rampage, who had changed into a clown.

'....What are you talking about? I don't know.
　The man replied blankly.
　Well, let's not be honest.
''Heroic Makoto. Are you acquainted with this Demon Race's - the man from the 'Order of the Snake'?
'I saw him once when I was near the circus tent. With a man in a suspicious clown costume. ........What's this thing called the Order of the Snake?
Using the "Change" skill, I blurted out the story of wandering around in the middle of the night and answered.
　The demon tribe.....
　Fujiyan said that this demon incident was the work of the demon tribe.
　But the term "snake cult" is a word I've never heard before.

"....
　The man didn't speak.

''It turns out that behind this demon disaster, the 'Serpent Cult' that they Demon Race believe in is pulling the strings. He had been hiding in the royal capital, Horne, and had been waiting for this opportunity. The clown man is probably a senior member of the Order. We are after the man. This has been investigated by your friend, Lord Fujiwara, a merchant.
Great job, Fujiyama.
　That's an eight-sided effort.
　The man's expression twisted at the mention of Fujiyan's name.

''d*mn!　Jesus Christ, that guy!　You easily found the location of the hideaway we've spent over a decade building!　
　With a crunch, the man punched the prison's iron fence.
　Ten years in the making....
　It was premeditated, wasn't it?
　What he's doing is an act of terrorism, though.
　Thanks to Fujiyan, it looks like they were able to arrest the terrorist group.

The cult of the snake worshipped the Demon King Tufon. And it is said that the founder of the Serpent Sect is the Great Demon King from a thousand years ago.
　Princess Sophia explained.
''The Great Demon King!　Don't call the great One such a joke!　He is the prophet who will guide our demonkind!　The Great One will return in a miraculous way and eradicate you humans!
　The man screamed with bloodshot eyes.
　He curses us with a mixture of hatred and insanity in his voice.
　'Just a little scary.

"Well, Princess Sophia. Why am I here, by the way?
As a brave man, your enemies are not necessarily demons.
　Princess Sophia looks at me with gloomy eyes.

'It is said that most of the demon race are in the land of destruction, Raphiloig, but there are some that live mixed in with the land of men. It would be fine if they just lived a normal life, but there are those who, like them, threaten our peace. Please remember that.
Huh, I see...
　It's not simply a matter of defeating the Demon King, is it?
　The difficulty level is getting higher and higher.

"It's good to live a normal life?　You've been roasting, ostracizing, and slaughtering us demonkind who live quietly!
　The man tried to grab onto the bars and shouted at me, not even bothering to snag the chains on my legs.

'That was a long time ago. In today's Water Country (Roses), we don't force ourselves to find and discriminate against the demon race who have nothing to do with it....... In general, though.
　He is still expressionless, but his voice is low.
　Did they used to do that..... Or is discrimination still going on in another country?
　Well, it's one thing for a country to say that discrimination is no good, but it's another for it to permeate into the behavior of its people.

'We'll see......... It's useless to detain me. There are countless others in our Order. I don't think you have any time for peace.
　Princess Sophia calmly told the man who was spouting curse words at her.
''We know that your next target is the royal capital of the Sun Country. We've already contacted the Sun Country.''
　For a moment, the man looked taken aback.

'Where the hell did you get that information from...'
You don't need to know that. Let's go, brave man.
　Princess Sophia and I left the dungeon.


　◇


'I'm sorry, my brave friend. I'm sure it wasn't a pleasant encounter, but given your situation, I thought it would be better if we met in person.
　Princess Sophia said apologetically.
'No, I didn't know that, so I learned a lot.
　Really, I had no idea.
　There's a lot going on in this world.
　It's a sobering story.
　I didn't see that kind of dark history in the Water Temple's instructional book.

''The demon race is also a pitiful people........ After the death of the Great Demon King, they were persecuted by the western continent and could not survive in the harsh continent of the north....... As a result, they have been discriminated against for a thousand years as a wandering people without a country.
''Why couldn't you have a country in the Northern Demon Continent?''
''The demon race is looked down upon by the pure demon race. They are called half demons.
Oh, I see.
　So you're hated by both the human race and the demon race?
　It's hard to know.

"Without a country, their mind is rooted in the belief in the snake god.
'What?　An evil god?
　You startled me.

(The letters are wrong. It says "serpent god.
　Oh, that way.
　Thank you, Mr. Noah.
　I'm in a hurry.

What's up?
No, no. Anything. The demons believe in a snake god, don't they?
"The Snake God is another name for the Demon King Tufon. Legend has it that the Great Demon King was an apostle of the Demon King, Typhon. And as a result, this belief has spread.
Huh, so that's history.
　Let's get the information straight for a moment....
　I may not remember it all at once.

By the way, is it true that they're targeting the capital of the Sun Nation?
''I heard that there was a plan in the place where the cult was based. I didn't know the specifics, but I heard that there were traces of them investigating the Royal Capital of the Sun Country...
...I see.
　As I am about to head out, this is disturbing information.

'You will be escorted out of the water country as best you can.
No, no. Prince Leonard is here too. Moderation is good.
　I think Princess Sophia is more dangerous than that.
　The princess being targeted by terrorists is a very unusual situation.

　But the problems of race and religion are very deep-rooted in every world.
　I believe in a god that I can't tell others about, so I'm not someone else's problem.
　Come to think of it, I'd like to check one thing just in case.

'In the land of water, beliefs other than the goddess of water are forbidden, right?'
　Master Noah has told me so.
'No, your faith is free.
What?
　Hey!　Master Noah, you have the wrong information!

'There are many adventurers and travellers in the Land of Water, so limiting their faith will stop people from coming. However, 'spreading' the beliefs of anyone other than the Water Goddess Eir-sama is a prohibited act. If you are found, you will be deported, and if you are vicious... there will be severe punishment.
...I see.
　So you're saying that individuals are free to believe in their own faith, but not to engage in recruitment.
　So it's illegal to increase the number of followers of Master Noah.
　That's good to know.

Didn't you believe in any other deities besides the Six Great Goddesses?
Yes, she's a minor goddess...
　When I was appointed as a brave man, they suggested I convert, but I refused, saying I believed in a different god.

'I would ask you to convert to the Goddess of Water, Eir, so that you can receive maximum blessings from me.... That's an insult to your faith. Forget it.
　You're a serious person.
　I don't want you to be forced to convert, so that helps.

'By the way,'
　Princess Sophia changed the subject.
'Leo is going to your room this evening. I apologize for the inconvenience.
That's okay. We're just going to practice our magic together.
'Truly, you are an industrious man. Your friends who used to be in the Water Country used to play around.
　Princess Sophia said with a smile.

''Haha........those guys are strong even without training.
　It reminds me of my classmate Okada and Kitayama, and it makes me nostalgic....not that I don't miss them.
　I wonder where they're going and what they're doing.
　I wonder if he's chasing women's asses in another country.

I don't know. I don't think they've been able to defeat the abominable demon.
'That's tough. ''Well, I'm weak, so I train every day,'' he replies with a laugh.

''Well I don't want Leo to bother you too long, so I'll go get him.
　Princess Sophia said timidly.
　I don't mind if you stay forever. You're so thoughtful,'' she said.

Don't worry about it. If you want to come with us, Princess Sophia can come too. I want to hear more about the 'Order of the Serpent' and the 'Northern Expedition Project' that you talked about earlier.
!　! Okay, I see.　Well, I'll be going then!
　He said in a strong tone.
　Did I put you in a bad mood?
　Thinking about it, it's beginning to feel impolite to hear such a story from the princess.

Then we'll see you later.
　After bowing gracefully, Princess Sophia left with a light step.
　Oh well.
　I think we'll get to know each other better if we talk a lot, maybe.


　◇


　Then, for a few days.
　During the day, I prepared equipment for Lucy and Sa-san, and trained with Prince Leonard and the old guardian knight.
　I'm also training at night, but I learned about this world from Princess Sophia who wandered in and taught me about it.
　And then one day.

"Oh no, here you go.
　Fujiyan has returned to the King's Town Horn.

''Here you are, sir.
Sorry I'm late.
　Nina and Chris are with me.

No, no, no, it's been worth it.
　I was able to get more than enough equipment and items for everyone.
　My equipment?　I didn't have enough muscle strength and every powerful magic armor was overweight....
　That's fine!　I have spirit magic!

Fujiyan, have you settled down at work?
Yeah, not bad. I've left the rest up to the guys at the store.
　Well then, let's go back to our original plan, even though the schedule has shifted significantly.

''Tacky-dono, shall we head to 'Symphonia', the royal capital of the Land of the Sun?
Yeah, let's go.

　The capital of the Highland Kingdom, the largest on the continent.
　Go to a place called the central city of this world.