After the study session, there was nothing special, and the time passed peacefully.

　I took a bath, ate dinner, and had a bit of time to think about the city of Medis, Mr. Arsen's inn, and the dragon car, and I drew pictures.
　Incidentally, Iltimina and the two men who came back from the dining room were a bit surprised to see my painting.

'Marle is really good at drawing, isn't she?'
"You're a ragweed. You're a bit cheeky.
Hmm. Will you be a painter?

　Is that so?

(I'm simply drawing a feature.)

　Personally, I feel like I'm drawing instead of keeping a diary so I don't forget my days in another world. Maybe one day when I learn to write, I'll add text to it.

　And so the night goes on.
　I spent the night lying in a slightly hard bed on a straw mattress with Iltimina, who was smiling at a shredded example of one sentence, Soltis with a plump stomach, and Kilt, who smelled of alcohol.

　Maybe it was because the day before, I didn't get much sleep.

　I fell asleep in no time at all, and then the next morning came.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　The weather is clear on the second day of the road trip.
　At about 9:00 a.m., the dragon carriage with us departs from a village on the mountainside. Clay's escort adventurers and the two cars in the back with other passengers are with us, of course. The three cars rumble and shake their wheels as they make their way down the mountain road leading to the royal capital, Mulia.

　I open the window curtains.
　I can see trees growing thickly along the road. Above the flowing landscape, the mountains of the Klote Mountains appear in a blue haze, and behind them, an early morning blue sky spreads out.

(...........)

　But my mood wasn't strangely uplifted by looking at such a beautiful view.

'What's that, rags and rags?　You are so quiet today.

　Noticing my condition, Solstice asks me.
　No, when I looked closely, Illtimina-san and Kilt-san were also looking at me, looking a little worried.

''Yeah, kind of.''

　Laughing in annoyance, I look out again.

　-- I have to admit, I was unsettled.

　The stories I heard yesterday about man-eating demons (ogres) and wild thieves were stuck in my head.

　I'm sure I'm 'terrified'.

　In front of me, there is a forest along an unassuming city road.
　But all of a sudden, a giant monster could snap off of it and appear.

　In another minute, dozens of vicious people might appear and try to kill us and steal our money and goods.

　Such a nightmarish image comes to my mind as the scene in front of me overlaps.

(..........I am pathetic.

　But I can't hold back my imagination.
　I can't help but remember the time I found the red tusked dragon with the aura of darkness in the forest at night.

　There was an alien presence mixed in with the ordinary landscape - the fear of that moment.

　There's a chance that the same thing could happen again on this street.

　I think I finally understand why Kirt-san kept the 'Ogre Sighting' a secret for me yesterday. If I had known, I would never have been able to enjoy the journey of the dragon car yesterday.

　We don't know when we will be attacked.
　Maybe they won't even show up at the royal capital.
　But if we're not careful, we won't be able to deal with an actual attack.

(...really, I'm unsettled.)

　I sigh loudly.

'I just wish the ogres and field robbers would come out sooner rather than later.
Huh?

　Solstice was stunned by my spilled true feelings.

'What are you talking about?'
'No, then Mr. Illtimina and Mr. Kilt will take you down, won't they?　When that happens, it won't just be me, but everyone else on the street will be safe now, too. I'd like to take care of my worries as soon as possible so we can all feel safe.
...and two lives are at stake for the two people who are fighting for it?

　U..........
　Solstice looks at me with disdain.

''Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to fight ogres and wildlings, you?　You want to keep everyone safe?　Then why don't you try fighting those guys on your own first!
..........

　That's for sure.
　Against seven little evil tigers, I nearly died.

　Twenty wild thieves and ogres are much stronger.

(Fighting those guys against my precious Illtimina-san and Kilt-san?)

　No matter how strong the two of them were, I didn't even think deeply about what I had said.
　Self-loathing made me feel painful in my chest.

''I'm.......sorry. I said something stupid.

　He nods and apologizes, bowing to the three of them.
　Solstice, still angry, folds her arms and turns away with a 'hmph'. Kilt-san looks at the two of us in the younger group with a wry smile, and Iltimina-san's white hand gently strokes my depressed back.

''It's okay. Indeed, we're strong.''
..........
Don't worry about anything. Whether an ogre or a thief shows up, I'll make sure Marle is protected by me, okay?　So don't look at me like that.

　She put her hands on both of my cheeks, "Right? I laughed softly.

　I, too, forced myself to laugh back, trying to respond to her.

　But for the rest of the time, Solstice's words stayed with me.

(Fighting alone...?)

　If I don't learn to fight, I might not be able to - I thought.

　Enough to defeat the ogre and the wildlings without the help of the three of them... or even the stronger Red Fang Dragon!

　Perhaps Solstice's words were the spark, but such an emotion similar to frustration is smoldering in the back of my mind.

(-- Or else I wouldn't be able to defeat the 'demon')

　I found myself staring at my right hand.

　The six children of light are gone.
　I am alone.
　And I have to be strong enough for all six of them.

　I don't know why, but feelings rush me.

"I want to be strong...

　A small, thoughtful voice.

　Ms. Illtimina is surprised, and Solstice cowers her shoulders as she looks out the window. Kilt-san rolls her eyes, then looks a little thoughtful as she stares at me, slumped over.

　The dragon car is carrying us with all these thoughts and more as it moves forward. After crossing the Klot Mountains, we reach the Regunto Valley.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.　


　About four hours after leaving the village, the trees suddenly disappeared from the right side of the road, revealing a large crack running into the earth.

''Wow ... a valley!

　It was a huge canyon.

　Not as high as the Toggle cliffs. But it is more than 40 meters to the bottom of the valley.
　On the bottom of the valley, a river was flowing, reflecting the sunshine in blue and twisting like a blue serpent into the far distance. From the shore, several waterfalls flowed, creating white splashes and rainbows of seven colors on the surface of the river. The current seemed to be very steep, and in many places the water was rushing down into the rocks on the surface of the water, creating a violent whirlpool.

'It looks like we've entered the Regundo Valley,'

　Mr. Illtimina next to me looked out the window from beside me and nodded.

(This is the Regunto Valley....)

　Nervous, I spit at the thought.
　If I fall, I'm never going to be able to save myself, right? ...I'm a little scared.

　The distance to the other side of the river varies from place to place, but it's between 100 and 200 meters away, and there's a line of low mountains.
　There is a line of low mountains there.
　At the foot of the mountains, you can see a stone tower of lights, so it seems that if you cross the 'magnificent bridge' that Solstice mentioned yesterday, you can get to the road on the other side.

　The dragon car with us on it will continue along the road along the Regunto Valley.

　Then, about 30 minutes passed.

　Clank!

　Suddenly, the dragon car came to a sudden stop.
　The three of us in the back seat involuntarily squeezed in front of it.

(What's going on?!)

　For a moment I thought it was an ogre or a wildling attack.

　But I don't hear the sounds of a struggle.
　We wait for thirty seconds, but nothing, and we look at each other.

　Concon.

Excuse me. May I have a word?

　Just then, there is a knock on the door of the dragonwheel and I hear the voice of an elderly person.

　I, who was closest to the door, opened it.
　The person standing there had a very troubled look on his face.

''What's wrong?''
I'm sorry, sir, but something has come up that was somewhat unplanned and I was wondering if anyone would be willing to step forward to check it out?　

　Unplanned events?
　Gosha-san looked at the direction of the dragon carriage as he said this, as if he was concerned about its direction of travel.

''Hmm. Well then, let's go to the strawberry.

　With that, Mr. Kilt left his seat and got out of the dragon car.

'You wait here,'

　The door of the dragon car closed.

　The rest of us looked at each other in confusion.

'What is it?'
Well?
Well, okay. Let's just let the quilt take care of the rest, okay?

　Eventually, it comes to a conclusion.

　And about five minutes later, Mr. Kilt came back.
　But she had a very difficult look on her face. Just like Gosama from earlier.

'I'm sorry, but you must come too.

　Huh?
　Mr. Illtimina frowns a shapely brow.

'What do you mean?　What the hell happened?
It's easier to show you than to tell you.

　Mr. Kilt said, and he sighed and crumpled his rich silver hair.

　Doubtfully, we got out of the dragon car.
　Led by Kirto, we walked down the street.

　A hundred meters ahead of us, we saw a large stone bridge over the Regunto Valley.

　The bridge is three lanes wide, the same width as the road, and it is a magnificent bridge with a stone tower of lights.

　In front of the bridge, people were gathering.
　There were six people in front of the bridge.
　Three coachmen in each carriage, a father with his children, a pilgrim, and Clay, the leader of the escort adventurers - a total of six people. They all have a uniformly difficult look on their faces and are discussing what's going on.

(What are they talking about?)

　So I walked up to it.

Huh?

　I found it hilarious.

　That bridge the color of the bridge has changed from the middle of the bridge to black?
　That's what I thought at first.
　But it's not.

"Hey, what the hell is that?

　Solstice mutters, stunned.
　Iltimina-san's crimson eyes narrow as she finds the same thing.　

''No way........that bridge, has it collapsed?
No way.

　Kirt looked up at the blue sky above him and said with a sigh.

'With the collapse of the King's Capital Bridge, the strawberries can't go any further,'


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　To explain the situation, one of the piers supporting the Wangdu Bridge has collapsed and there is a large hole in the middle of the bridge.

　At first glance, the bridge is so wide that it looks like they could go through the side of the hole.
　And the father, with his father and son, insisted on doing so.

　But Gosha, Kilt and Clay objected.
　There were no piers.
　Even a seemingly passable place, they said, was likely to collapse.

　The representative of the pilgrims suggested that we return to the medis. As long as we can't cross the bridge, there's no point in staying here. Let's contact Medis and wait for the bridge to be restored before we start again, he said.
　Quite right, indeed.

　But it was Mr. Kilt and his father who voted against it.
We can't meet the deadline for the strike down and the contract for the work we have left over.

　So what are we going to do?

The Old Road?
I know.

　Solstice nodded at my mutterings.
　It seemed that the only way to get to the King's Landing was to use the route that you told me about before, the route that bypasses the Regundo Valley.

(But it's like a beast path now, right?)

　I'm a little nervous that it's going to be okay.

　As we watched from afar, the adults were still talking.

　I looked up and saw Illtimina standing on the collapsed bridge. Nearby, Clay was also standing.
　From a distance, they look beautiful and well suited to each other.

(............)

　I, being the disturbing bug, moved closer to that side.

　Mr. Illtimina was kneeling on the very edge of the hole, touching the disintegrated area with her white fingers. Her white fingertips are stained black.
　Frowning, Clay's voice can be heard.

'What do you think?'
Definitely after the gunpowder. ...It doesn't look like the cause of the collapse of the piers was anything like the swelling of the river from the long rains.
It's still artificial, isn't it?

　Mr. Clay sighed and Illtimina stood up.

　I had stopped when I heard the conversation.

(Bad thing, I might have heard?)

　Someone's tearing down the bridge.
　And for what?

　Of course. To lead us to the old road.

Oh, my stomach's starting to hurt...

　Is the 30% chance changing to 100%?

　But I'm not the only one who looks sick to my stomach.
　Clay-san looks at the silver-stamped demon hunter next to him as he taps his fingers restlessly on the hilt of the sword in his waistband.

''Do you still want to use the old street?''
As an adventurer, you understand the importance of quest deadlines.　We do. I don't know about any other vehicle decisions.
Oh, jeez, you got me.
Let's just give them some information for now.

　Mr. Illtimina tells us coldly.
　Then she turns to me.

Ma'am?

　He noticed me and looked very impatient.

'Why are you here?　No, more importantly, what we're talking about now...
Oh, yeah. I ... heard.
..........

　The white beauty paled.

''It's all right, Merle?　It's not that this is the work of wild thieves, and it doesn't necessarily mean they'll attack you on the old road, and if they do, I'll be sure to get rid of them, and I won't let them lay a finger on the lovely Marle, so--

　Ms. Illtimina spoke fast and flustered.
　Clay-san was somewhat stunned and watched her transformation.
　Haha.........

　I managed to quiet her down and we tried to tell Kilt-san and the others the reason for the collapse.　

　The discussion was still even more confusing.

''It's too dangerous!　We disagree.
'No, no, no, no, that's what you're here for, to protect me.　It hasn't changed the fact that it's always been dangerous.

　Mr. Pilgrim's representative strongly disagreed, and his father still insisted on going to King's Landing.
　Mr. Kilt folds his arms and says, "Hmm.

Clay. How about you?

　I asked.
　All eyes were on him.

'As an escort, I disagree. There's no reason to go into a trap for a moment.
Okay.
''However, our client is the Carriage Guild. As long as it's an escort job, if you still want to go on the old road, I'll accompany you. However, for everyone's safety, I think it would be best for us to return to Medis.
I see.

　Mr. Kilt nodded widely.

So what makes you think that the road back to the Medis is a safe one?

　I asked.
　Everyone said, "What? This is a good thing.

"It's very possible that the thieves are waiting for us on the old road. But it's also possible that they're waiting for you in anticipation of your return to the Medis, don't you think?
It's...

　Mr. Clay stammered.
　Mr. Pilgrim's representative looks a bit lost, too.

(I wonder?)

　But I have my doubts.
　If so, didn't you attack him on your way here in the first place instead of waiting for him to return?　Or he stopped when he saw the broken bridge, like right now.
　There were plenty of times when they could have attacked him.

(If they didn't attack him there, I'm sure he'd be waiting for them on the old road where they set up their traps.)

　I asked Mr. Kilt for a sneak peek, and she smiled and smiled.

Shut up.

　thud

　I was smacked on the head in a position where everyone couldn't see me. Ugh.........
　Illtimina-san hurriedly pats the place where she was hit.

　A voice as powerful and heroic as iron says to everyone present.

''It will take some time to restore the bridge. If we miss it now, it will probably be two months before we get to King's Landing.'
..........
'Therefore, whichever decision you make, you will take the old road, and together you will be able to wield the great sword of Kirto Amandes for your protection. Together, this great sword of Kirto Amandes could be wielded for your protection. But if we part ways, what can we do about it?

　Beautiful golden eyes glare at everyone gathered.

　Don.

　The great sword he was carrying was removed and stabbed into the ground in front of him. On the back of his right hand gripping the hilt, a golden magic emblem shines on the back of his right hand.

''Before my sword, no wildling or demon is an enemy!　The glow of this golden seal shall be your protective light!　But if you still want to return to the Medis, I will no longer stop you!　--Now, answer the question!　Will you come with me, Kirto Amandes?　No?

　The air trembles and the soul is shaken.
　That's how powerful he was.

　The Golden Mark Demon Hunter, Kirt Amandes, was like a queen with an intimidating presence that captivated the people gathered.

　Looking at their faces, there was no need for any more answers.

(You do it, Kirt-san........)

　Mr. Illtimina and Solstice, who were used to it, cowered their shoulders.
　Kilt-san looked around at everyone with satisfaction.

　-- and so it was unanimously decided that we would continue on the old road that bypassed the Sigurt Valley.