'Don't be silly! That's it! Why do I have to give you a ride? I do! You got what you deserved! That's it!

I got mad as hell for sticking my head through the gate on my own. The safety check had delayed our departure time by two hours, and I had every right to be angry.
In fact, it was a miracle that I could get away with only that. Having committed a blunder even before departure, he should have been removed from the escort. Apparently, His Majesty doesn't want me to leave.

'Hey! Yowaningyuan, don't grab me in the wrong place! Don't step on my hair! You don't have enough respect for me, Yowaningen! It is unacceptable for a mere mortal to touch a spirit person! I'm not allowing you to touch me. Ride as far away from me as possible! Oh...'

And I was forbidden to move on the carpet. I was disappointed because I thought I could fly around in the sky.
What is the meaning of a "flying carpet" that does not want to carry people? They are really naughty.

'Hold on a bit, sir! Are you really a level 8, falling off a horse? What's the purpose of the Yowaningen's legs, sir! That's disgusting! I can't believe it! You're not doing this on purpose, are you? I can't delay any longer! I'll give you the right to touch it just for now! Here, just grab it tightly! Ah--'


In the event that you've got a lot of time and energy, you'll be able to make the most of it.
I've already lost my footing quite a bit. I can't afford to cause any more trouble.

The Iron Horse is a strong horse, and the slender Krus and I are perfectly capable of carrying two people. It was a shame to have to ride on the back of a girl, but even I didn't have the courage to ask Ketchupka or Telm, whom I didn't know very well, to ride with me. Killnites in independent thinking mode were out of the question. It would not be a good idea to carry a large man in full body armor, even in terms of burden.

Behind me, the carpet, which had been in a good mood after I dropped it, was following me around.

As far as I know, almost all spirit people have long hair. Apparently, they use it as a medium for magic in times of need.
Krus's silvery-white hair was well groomed, velvety, and slightly cool to the touch. The body temperature of spirit people is a little lower than that of humans. I put my arm around her from behind and grabbed her tightly, her body was also cool through the robe.
Thanks to the power of the "Perfect Vacation", I'm comfortable on the horse. I'm getting very sleepy.

It's a good thing I was nice to you, you know? You're lucky I'm nice to you, sir! If I were an ordinary spirit person, the Yowaningen would have been killed already, sir!

'I know. You're saved. That's what I'm talking about, Kryss. You're much better than a carpet.

'? You're making fun of me, aren't you?

It's a compliment, but I'm going to have to ask you to recharge my warding fingers that I consumed later ....... .......








West of the imperial city of Zebrudia.
More than a hundred men were gathered in the middle of a meadow a few hundred meters off the main road.
They were crawling and hiding in the tall grass and trees, and their equipment was camouflaged, so a casual glance from the outside would not reveal that they were hiding in such large numbers.

The men were a group of mercenaries. They were a group of fighters similar to bandits, hired by underworld organizations to do their dirty work. They are notorious in their own circles.

The request we received this time was far from legitimate, as we had to attack a passing carriage bearing the Zebrudia emblem.
It was a big job. The client is unknown, but he is a generous customer who pays in advance. The route and time of the attack were already known, and all that was left was to attack.

All targets, women and children, were to be killed, and the men would get a share of every single item taken. The target seemed to be an important figure in Zebrudia, and he was accompanied by a regular order of knights, but that was taken into account.
It seems that no matter what the knightly order, there aren't many of them escorting him, and we have nothing to protect. The only thing you have to be careful of is missing your target, but this place has good visibility and there are few places to hide.

But the expression on the face of the leader of the group was not good. He scowled and said to the man next to him, his face smeared with a special paint to mask the smell.

'It's already past the appointed time. Something might have happened.

The men are used to this kind of mission. They can hide in the grass for hours in the hot sun, but they can't stay focused for hours.
The scouts we sent out hadn't returned yet. He had already received his reward. If there had been a change of plans for some reason, there would have been a sign, but there was none.

Suddenly, the wind blew. The grass swayed greatly, but that was not enough to expose the men who had crawled into hiding.

'Wait for the second half. If the target doesn't show, we'll move out. If something happens, we can't wait any longer.

If his client was somehow captured, there was a chance that the men would reach out to him. If they were to be killed in battle, they couldn't risk the group by sticking to one request.
Perhaps he was tired of waiting, but one of his companions who was lying down nearby sighed heavily. It's not like he's on a mission.

Perhaps noticing the head's gaze, his companion said with an embarrassed expression.

'I'm sorry, I'm suddenly feeling sleepy.

'It's the second half of the day, pull yourself together.

'Hey.

In my experience, it's rare for a target to arrive at a time like this.
This time the client was good at what he did, but something must have happened. It's also possible that the target changed his mind. The route had been announced only a few hours ago, but there were plenty of reasons for a change in plans.

At that moment, I suddenly spotted a shadow coming toward me in the distance.
There was only one of them. Not the target of the mercenaries, but this place is off the beaten path. It didn't seem to be a scout they had sent out, but if they were coming straight to this place where they were hiding, it was possible that they were sent by a client.



The figure was a woman. Her skin was tanned and her boots were black. She was dressed in a revealing outfit that made her look like a thief.
His steps were heading straight for us. The head of the group held his companions in place with his palms facing them, and stood up with his weapon drawn.
The woman's feet stopped more than ten meters away. Her eyes widen and she stares at the green-painted face of the head man.

'Are you the messenger? Give me the sign.'

There are more than a hundred of us hiding here, and if they were enemies, they wouldn't come alone.
At the head's words, however, a pink-blonde woman with pale pink eyes shouted out behind her.



'Shito, shito, shito! I don't think we have enough sleeping pills! You're the one who told me to get rid of them, aren't you? If you don't hurry, Kry will come!

Hey! Hey!

At the head's signal, the others stood up at once. The sight of people suddenly rising up from the almost flat grassland was as if countless trees had suddenly sprung up.
However, the expression of the unidentified woman did not change when she saw the number of people.

She then took out a mask from nowhere with a careful hand and put it on her face. Confirming the arrangement, the head of the group took a step back.

I know of a fearsome hunter who uses a mask of a skeleton with a creepy smile as his symbol.
At one time, they took the initiative in destroying criminal organizations and were feared by all organizations. They were crazy enough to take on dozens of organizations with a party of six. No one would dare to wear the mask of a party with so many enemies.

''Stupid ............, are you that Strange Glyph? I thought you'd been quiet lately.'

The skeletal woman said in a casual voice to the head who was shaking her voice and calling out her name.



'I'm sorry, but I don't know how many more groups there will be, and I'm not interested in the name, I'm on a time attack right now.

Suddenly, a roar rises behind you. My friends, who rarely get upset, gasped and let out a stifled scream.
There was a huge knight, wrapped in dull armor, looking up at you. It was more than twice as tall as the large head.

As if crawling up his right shoulder, a pink-blonde woman appeared.

'Big sister! Don't kill her because it's too much trouble to clean up the corpse! I'll make sure all traces of him are gone!

She's crazy. She's been licked. If the rumors are true, the Ghosts of Sorrows should have had six members plus one new member, for a total of seven. Taking on a mercenary group with only seven members is out of the ordinary.
But what the head felt was intense fear. The other side looked at the men standing up and did not see them as enemies.

'Hey, Lizzie! I've got the hardest one, so I'll take the rest.''

A red-haired man climbed up on his left shoulder and shouted in a high voice for a man.
Without answering, the woman called Liz yells at the woman with the same hair color as hers. She doesn't even seem to be prepared for the men who are already on the verge of war.

'No one's ever slept! You said you'd use sleeping pills, didn't you? What are you going to do about it? You can't take the time, can you? Lucia, frog!

'Lucia, frog, please! I'll catch them all and set them free in the labyrinth!

'? Lucia, the frogs!

'Mm-hmm.'

In response to the tense voice, a voice that sounds like a scream comes down from above.
I look up.

'Enough, enough! I'm telling you, that's very tiring!

A large kite floats in the sky as if it were a joke.