Escort requests. It is a request that should only be made to trusted hunters or high level hunters.

The outside world is dangerous. There are demons, bandits, and sometimes treasure halls appear. Strange Grief was not a party with a good reputation, but the average level of its members was high, and Luke was once addicted to trying out bandits and was feared by them, so such requests came in several times, and I accompanied them several times. I've accompanied him a few times.

However, when the target of your escort is the Emperor, it seems that you are of a different class.

The destination of the hunter team was a large carriage with the Zebrudia emblem on it.
It seemed that the Emperor had not yet arrived. Franz, the leader of the Knights of the Kingsguard, who was in charge of the escort this time, said in a solemn tone.

'It's made of mithril and adamantite. It's impervious to bullets, swords and magic.

These are high-grade materials used for weapons and armor. Mithril is resistant to magic, while adamantite is impervious to physical impact.
Adamantite in particular, while powerful, is very heavy and can only be used by close-combat hunters. I didn't think anyone would make a carriage out of it.
It would be too heavy for a mere horse to pull, but the horses tied to the front of the carriage were the platinum horses that Eva had provided for us during our vacation. And there were four of them.
If the platinum horses are strong and ferocious, the demons will not attack.

'But if there's an eruption right below us, we'll die, right?

'......'

'If lightning strikes, you'll die, right?

'Don't be alarmist! His Majesty, Ladrick, has equipped you with the Safe Ring, just in case.'

As expected of the emperor of a great power, he's well-protected. I nodded plausibly and looked at Platinum Horse, who was trained and relatively quiet.

'That's a relief. By the way, how many are you equipped with?'

'............'

'But we'll die if we run out of air, right?'

'......'......'

'But if you're submerged in water, you'll die, right?

'Shut up, not with the treasure house you're going to! The safety of this escort route has already been guaranteed to some extent!

No, I'm not going to such a dangerous treasure house.
The carpet is tapping my body. When I looked at it, it shrugged its shoulders. It seems that my carpet is also disgusted. If you move too hard, you'll lose your magic power. .......

Franz's face turned red, and he pointed at me as if to denounce me.

It's not like you're going out to play. We're not going out to play!

'No, this is my fighting style. ......'

'Don't lie to me! You can't have a fighting style like that!

The "Perfect Vacation" shirt-type treasure trove is a perfect vacation trove, as the name suggests.

There are many armor-type treasures, but I have never seen one as useful as this one.

It has the ability to adapt to any environment.
Although it offers no protection, the wearer of this shirt will be comfortable in all situations, whether in the sky, the sea, the mountains, or the ocean floor.
Except for the flashy pattern and the fact that it loses its effect when you put something over it, it is truly comfortable. And when combined with the warding finger, it is literally perfect.
I wonder how harsh the times were when the origin of this shirt existed.

Rumor has it that there are flip flops and sunglasses in the series, but unfortunately I don't have any. I would have loved to wear it on vacation, but unfortunately, I was out of magic at that time.

'Well, that's fine. I don't expect dignity from hunters. Your job is to provide insurance in case of emergency. If anything should happen to you at this meeting, it will affect more than just Zebrudia. You understand that, don't you?'

'Of course, I understand. I know, but if I were the Emperor, I wouldn't want to have me as my bodyguard. I'd have too many enemies.

I'm unlucky, and as the leader of the Ghosts of Sorrows, a group that was once as fierce as the criminals themselves, I may have more enemies than the Emperor. And since I'm not under guard, I'm an easy target to attack.

But being the emperor's bodyguard isn't all that bad, if you think about it.
Now I have a carpet. I'm in the mood to fly very high on my new carpet.
Joining the emperor's guards would mean that attacking me now would be a rebellion against the emperor. The mighty Knights of Zebrudia and the number two of the Magic Staff would be standing in my way.
It's a reversal. In a way, this is very convenient.

'First of all, I trust Franz-san and the others very much. If we join the fight, it'll be chaos for your troops. We're going to keep our hands to ourselves.

At the high-level excuse, which took into account the prestige of the other side, Franz-san frowned and said pompously.

'That's fine. We'll secure the Emperor's perimeter. There are knights, mages, and healers here. You stay out of his sight. Tell your suspicious companions to stay out of sight.

That's a terrible thing to say. But I'd say the same thing if I were in Franz's shoes. Kecak Chakka's in too much trouble.

'Okay, I got it.

'...... horses are ready. You two, guard the wagon in a circle. Remember, I told you to stay out of sight, not to slack off.

At the spot where Franz-san was pointing, there were five black horses tied up, not platinum horses, but strong and rugged looking.
Iron Horse. They were very good war horses. It was very generous of them to assign this level of horse to the hunters who were guarding them.

But Iron Horse is a horse that requires training to ride. It's also a difficult horse to ride, with a terrible tendency not to carry the weak.
I mean, I can't ride a horse by myself.

The rug is wandering around as if to say, "Leave it to me. He's a dependable guy.

'You don't need a horse for me. I have the carpet.'

'...... Suit yourself. Just don't bother us with it.'

Mr. Franz said tersely, and ended the conversation.












'Hihihihihi.........hihihihihi............'

'Yowaningen! Don't leave me in the middle of these people, sir!

'Kiru kiru......'

I really wonder if I'll be okay.
As soon as I returned, I was filled with anxiety, and the only sane man nearby let out a chuckle.

'Hmm ......, I didn't expect you to assign such a member to the emperor's bodyguard, it seems that the two names are not false pretenses. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

A tall, old man. His gray hair is pulled back in an all-black bun, and his manner is gentle, but there is a sharp light in his eyes.
He does not have a wand, but his wrists are adorned with bangles of deep blue jewels.

Basically, magic power, unlike physical ability, does not diminish with age. For this reason, Magi tend to become more powerful in proportion to their age.

Thermu Apokris of the Stopwater was a man who lived up to his level 7 name.

The Hidden Curse is one of the oldest and most famous mage clans in the Imperial City.
The most famous of the clans is the Abyssal Fire, but Thermu Apokris is the second most famous mage.

Rumor has it that he was a rival of the Abyssal Fire. It is said that they once fought over the Clan Master of the Staff.
However, his demeanor was so calm that it was hard to believe. If I were in a position to choose the Clan Master of the Demon Staff, I would have chosen him over that old woman. Well, if I was taking her to war, it would be her.

'I'm sorry for calling you here so suddenly. I really need your help. ......'

I flattered him again, but he stopped me with the palm of his hand.

'That's fine, it's Lohse's order. Besides, you're the leader this time, you don't bow down that easily.''

'Kekekekekekekekek.........'

'Kiru? KILL? KILL?'

Well, I guess it doesn't matter who's leading this party. It's like, if you can put it together, put it together.

'Yowa-nin-gens, get your shit together! That's it! I feel like an idiot for doing so. I'll be the leader instead of you, sir!

'What? Are you sure you want to do this?

'!

I'm going to talk about the escort as soon as possible.
The color of everyone's face did not change when they heard that they would be assigned an iron horse. Apparently, I'm the only one who isn't confident about riding.


But that's okay. I have a more comfortable rug than a horse. He's rambunctious, but he's a good guy.


More people are coming. I had heard that they kept the number of people to a minimum, but when it comes to moving the emperor, a carriage or two won't suffice.
There were many more, from the personal care of the emperor to the nobles who were also attending the meeting.
Finally, the Emperor appears, surrounded by his bodyguards. He glanced at us and got into a sturdy carriage without saying a word.
There are at least twenty knights in the surrounding guard. That's a lot of men.

Well, they're all going to die when the mountain erupts anyway.

Even though he saw the vicious face of the Iron Horse he had prepared, he did not change his color as he stroked its neck and sashayed astride it with nimble movements. He says in a slightly better mood.

'It's a pretty good horse for a human to use, sir! You can make it your own if you want!

'I didn't know Crus could ride a horse.

'Huh? Don't make fun of me, sir! There is no such thing as a spirit person who can't ride a horse, sir! In the forests of my hometown, I rode a unicorn.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it. Even with a large man in a suit of armor on board, Iron Horse was unshaken.
As for Telm, he's level 7, so it would be insulting for me to worry about him.

The carriage begins to move. Everyone in the city is watching the emperor's departure.
I took a deep breath and said to the carpet standing beside me.

'Well, I guess it's time for us to go, too.

The rug lies down. When I climbed on top of it, the carpet suddenly took off.
A tremendous floating feeling. The scenery flows behind me at a speed no less than that of the Dark Wings of the Night Sky. If I hadn't been wearing my treasure shirt, I would have been choking.

The carpet, now in good shape, spins up and down. Strangely, it did not fall. Apparently, the carpet is designed so that the rider will not fall off unless there is something wrong with it.
I think there are other safety features that should be added. I wonder if there is a rule that flight-related treasures should not be safe to use.

''Ah, Yowaningen--''


In the blink of an eye, I overtook Crus and the others who were walking ahead of me, overtook the carriage, and left the screams and shouts behind.
This speed, it feels great.


It would have been even better if I could have controlled it.


Then, at breakneck speed, I plowed headfirst into the city gates, dying once before the journey began.