A week has passed since we left the royal capital of Mulia.

　After passing through several villages and towns, the huge dragon carriage that carried us - the "Rider's Carriage" - is advancing northward on the city road.

　The landscape out the window has also changed a bit.

　The landscape of the grasslands became more and more swamps and forests surrounded by mountain ranges. As I thought, the area around the royal capital was a plain that was easy for people to cultivate, right?

Also, it's getting a little cooler.

　The temperature may have dropped, and it feels a little chilly in the morning and evening.

　It took about two weeks to get from the royal capital, Mulia, to the border.
　From the border to Astirio, the capital of the Arun Divine Kingdom, it's about a month and a half.

　There's a big difference between the two.

You can't blame them for that. It can't be helped.

　is Solstice, the girl who knows things.

(Hmmm.)

　Come to think of it, I remember you once saying that the Arun Godland is the largest country in the world.

There used to be many other small kingdoms over there too. But Arun swallowed them all up. As a result, it became a huge country.
Really?
'Yes. That's why there's still a small rebellion now and then on the frontier. They're quickly put down, though.

　I see.
　I'm a little surprised it's still in progress.

How's Shumuria holding up so well?
The royal family was descended from the goddess Shurian. Although small, Shumuria's military might was tremendous and they had a certain amount of land. And now they've given a Shumurian royal family member to the emperor as a bride. Is that a wise decision by the Shumurian royal family?　--and it's not like Arun is a country that wants to take over the world indiscriminately, either.
Really?
Yes. Before, there was a lot of warfare between small nations. But now, in the name of Arseus, god of justice, and Moa, god of love, the emperor is ruling them. Instead, it's all about peace.

　Hmm?

I think that's why there's still so much instability and confusion in the Arun Godland, outside of the center, with so many different values.
I see.

　As usual, you have an amazing amount of knowledge.

(That's what Solstice is all about.)

　I'm a little impressed.

　Now, while we were conversing like that, she was actually looking at the thick stack of paper in her little hand the whole time.
　Come to think of it, she's always reading it during her travels.

(What is she reading?)

　I noticed the way you were looking at me.

This?　It's a research report on the possibility of summoning the Household of God to a new location.

　He said it simply.

(...what?)

God's family?

　Kilt-san and Illtimina-san both look surprised.

''Ho?''
How is that possible?

　With all three of us looking at her, the girl raised her glasses above her head and

'I've been thinking about it for a while. If the world is in danger, I wondered if we could summon the gods again. But as expected, there's too much technology lost since the time of the ancient Thanatos magic dynasty, and there's no way we could recreate the great magic that such a super-civilization put all its energy into.
"Uh-huh?
But I thought I could summon at least one of his household members, not the God himself. --Thus, we have Merle.

She looked at me, a 'divine dog', and said　

''And didn't you also get a collection of magic circle plans in the Great Forest of Aldoria?　I figured out the structure, and I had a feeling I could recreate it. I talked to Mr. Columcude the other day, and he told me that he had done the same research in the past. I found out that Mr. Columbudo had done the same research in the past, and he lent me his report.

　bang-bang

　A small hand lightly taps the stack of papers in his hand.

(Heh, really?)

　I had no idea.
　I'm impressed.

　And then Solstice put the stack of reports on the table.

The bottom line is... you're not going to get it.

　............
　The girl looked up at the ceiling in frustration.

''To be frank, 'Gates of the Divine Realm' is difficult, but I think I can recreate it.
..........
''But in order to summon them, you need the 'Gate of the Human World' in the Divine World as well as the Human World. In short, we needed two 'gates'.

　My God.....
　But I also thought it couldn't be helped.

(Because it wouldn't be good if I was summoned to do whatever I wanted for human reasons, would it?

　As a divine dog, I agree.

　I was just a little disappointed because I was hoping that I might meet a new kindred spirit.
　No, I was disappointed in The Body of Marl, I guess.

　'Well,' says Mr. Kilts, 'I suppose that means we can't do it by ourselves.

'Well, I suppose that means we can't hope for anything.
Yeah.

　Solstice nodded.

　Four hundred years ago, the gods could not abandon the people who were being overrun by demons.
　Still, there are limits to our help.

　Right now, we have no choice but to stand alone against the world's threats.

(Isn't that what you're saying, Lord Yacaul?)

　In my mind, I called out to the Lord God of Marl.

　Then someone's hand gently stroked my hair from behind.
　'It's Illtimina.

'What, it's just the same as it ever was, that's all.
..........

　A gentle smile.

'Yeah, I guess so.'

　I stare at it, and I, too, smile a small smile.

　Then I look out the window.

(Ah....)

　Far away from the road, deep in the forest, far away from the road, there was a very high mountain range covered with perpetual snow.
　It was vastly higher than the other mountains.

　Its tip seemed to reach the gray, cloudy sky no longer.

　As I looked at it, Illtimina murmured from beside me.

''It's the Deol Mountains, isn't it?''

　Huh?

(The Deol Mountains.....where that "fiery lion" died in battle!

　We looked at Mr. Kilt.

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

　The golden-marked demon hunter rested his cheekbones on the window sill, looking out of the window with an unconcerned face, gazing at the view. But his golden eyes have always been focused on that snow-covered steep mountain range. Their red lips are pulled into a straight line.

　I looked at the Deol Mountains again.

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

　I close my eyes and say a silent prayer.

"...you will be avenged, Elle.

　I heard Kirt's small, muttering voice.

　And so, on the road of the Shumurian Kingdom, lined with lighted stone towers, we proceeded in a huge cavalry car towards the border of Saban.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　The journey went well.

　We were attacked once by thieves, but the four of us didn't have a chance, and the three knights in the driver's seat and two armored dragons that had been unfastened to the carriage kicked them out in a flash. The bows and arrows that were shot at us were still unable to penetrate the metal armor of the dragon carriage, and we who were inside were very peaceful.

　In the first place, it's rare to find a burglar aiming at such a heavily armed dragon car.

"It's either a fool who was dazzled by a rich man's dragon car, or he was in dire straits.
"Hmm.

　This is a conversation between Solstice and I in the car, which we fought off in less than 10 minutes and started moving again.

　Two weeks after leaving the royal capital, Muria, we were able to get to the Saban region, where the border is located, without any problems.

　Saban region.

　The altitude is very high in Saban.
　Not so much on top of the mountains, but simply the whole land. I heard that the altitude is nearly 2,000 meters above sea level.

(A bit thin on oxygen, perhaps?)

　I can't tell when I'm zipping around.
　But as soon as I move my body in practice with Mr. Kilt, I can't help but catch my breath.

It's just the right amount of exercise for my cardiovascular system.
Whew!

　My master was laughing, but I couldn't even reply.

　Then we reach the border.

　Maybe it's the altitude, or maybe it's the cold, but there isn't much vegetation, and there's a lot of rocky ground. Such a rocky canyon was a natural keystone, and a huge fort was built at the end of the road in its only valley.

　It's a sturdy-looking fort built of stone walls.

　A real military facility with no flamboyant decorations at all, rugged and intimidating to visitors.

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

　We're going through this.

　I'm starting to get a little nervous, I'm a little nervous.

　Fort Saban, to be exact, was divided into two parts.

　In short, the buildings of the fort were divided into two sides, the Shumurian Kingdom side and the Arun Divine Kingdom side, and each soldier was guarding it. And a crossover corridor was built to connect the two forts.

　First, on the Shumurian side, we went to the departure procedure.

　The next step is to go to the Arun side for the entry procedure.

　The next step is the entry procedure on the Arun side.

　The knights took care of the difficult formalities in writing.

　Of course, we, too, were examined individually.
　We were questioned by the soldiers in the fort about our belongings and the reason for our departure.

''It's to fulfill a quest from the kingdom.

　I answered as Iltimina-san had taught me beforehand.

　Perhaps the Shumurian royal family had also informed us in advance. Our departure inspection was easier than expected, and the cavalry car passed through the fort and entered the Arun divine Kingdom side of the fort, passing through a tunnel-like corridor.

　This time, it was the immigration inspection.

(Ugh........the soldiers' equipment looks different.)

　Against the Kingdom of Shumuria with silver armor, the people of the Arun Divine Kingdom are all in black armor. Moreover, it's a bit sophisticated design, a bit cool.

　The language was the common language of the same Albac continent, so there was no trouble.

　I'm going to give the same answer as the Shumurian side to the question from the soldier who still has a scary face.

　They took the equipment I gave them and looked at it curiously.

(What are you doing?!)

　He pulled it out of its scabbard without permission and touched the blade. And even though it was an examination, I was beaten to a test swing with a hyphenated swing.
　Yes, that's someone's property, right?

　But I'm a picky eater, so I can't complain.
　I didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble before I entered the country, so I held back.

　In the end, my examination was over quickly.

　I went back to the dragon car and met up with the other three.

　When I saw the looks on everyone's faces, I was a little relieved.
　But the look on their faces made me feel like they had been annoyed by their judging as well.

　Solstice's lips are pouting, and Iltimina-san suddenly hugs me and starts stroking my head repeatedly, as if she's trying to calm herself down. I calm down too, so I do as she does.

'Well, this is Arun,'

　Mr. Kilt chuckles and says while rubbing his shoulder.
　Mu~.

　And so I thought we could enter the Arun Divine Empire like that.

What do you mean you can't get into the country?

　Suddenly, I heard Gosha's knight's cry.

(Huh?)

　We looked at each other and headed down the dragon car to the direction of the voices.

　There, across a desk with a spread of papers, were three Gosha knights and about ten Arun border soldiers glaring at each other, led by a fat, black-armored man. Hey, what's going on?

　The fat man, who looks like a captain, laughs and says, "I didn't say you couldn't enter the country.

I didn't say you can't enter the country. I didn't say you could not enter the country, I said it would take some time to get a permit.
Isn't that funny that it's been a month?

　Huh?

You mean to tell me it's going to take a month to clear me?

　Why?
　The three of them are as stunned as I am, and Gosha's knights are angry.

　But the fat captain wrinkles his brow deliberately.

''But we don't have enough people to do it. It will take some time to judge. It will take some time for the judging.
You....

　Aren't these people behind you busy?　I want to plunge in.

　Mr. Knight indicated the papers on his desk.

'You'll find them here, too.　This is a mission ordered by the Shumurian royal family!
The lives of small royal families are not our concern.
Wha....?

　Knight, exclaimed.

　The fat captain looked at us.
　Then he distorted his expression in an exaggerated manner, going out of his way to make sure we could hear him.

'And it would be a very daring thing to allow a demon bloodline, tainted with it, into our sacred territory. No wonder it takes so long to get permission.

　The expressions on the three of them were strained.

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

　Even the soldiers behind the fat captain have a sneer or a look of disgust on their faces.

　I clench my fists.

　The three knights also glared at the border soldiers of the Arun Divine Empire with anger, ''You guys.......''

　I understand well.

　This is just harassment.

　It's also just to satisfy their personal feelings towards the small country's 'Demon Blood People', which means nothing..............just to satisfy their personal feelings.

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

　Solstice bit her lip, and Mr. Illtimina had a scary look on her face, her emotions gone.

　The fat captain was shifty and clingy.

Well, I suppose we'll have to accommodate you, won't we? But we do have to do a few things for that, don't we?

　I whispered.



　It was so outrageous that I was ready to stop thinking about the consequences.

　But first.

I see.

　Mr. Kilt gave a horrible smile and started to walk away.

　From her pocket, she took out a bag of money.

　They too all noticed her approach.

'You are the proud border guards of the Arun Divine Kingdom, indeed. If you can accommodate me in that way, I will be happy to oblige.

　The burly captain crumbles in affinity at the size of the money bag in her hand.

'Oh?　You're pretty understanding for a 'demon blood people', aren't you?
Hmm, is that right?

　Mr. Quilts smiles and smiles.

　Then he puts the money bag on the desk.

　gashawang

　As it was, with a ridiculous amount of arm strength, the entire desk was snapped to pieces of wood.

　The bounced coins gleamed with light, and a confetti of papers flew through the air. On the back of the white right hand that had done it, a magical emblem shone on the back of the white right hand that emitted a golden light, illuminating the faces of the surprised Arun border soldiers.

''Nah, nah........!

　The fat captain fell on his butt.

''Oh, you're........you can't be the Golden Mark Demon Hunter.......?　Ah, that demon princess Kirto Amandes, who is said to have been approved by His Majesty Emperor Arun........?
You can have your money. Just get me out of here.

　Mr. Kilt says coldly.

'Wow, okay. --Hey, you guys!　Soooooo, now let these people through here!

　The fat captain, still on his buttocks, hurriedly instructed his men.

　Even the stunned soldiers behind him quickly ran.

　Mr. Kilt snickered, "Hmph.

　The fat captain kneeled on the spot and gave Shumuria's proud Golden Mark demon hunter a squeeze.

''Well, well, well, I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused by my subordinate's mistake.
..........
Please, please don't tell His Majesty Emperor Arun about this. No, no, I mean, it is not my intention to bother His Majesty with such trivial matters. I do not wish to conceal them, but to protect my men, so I beg you to keep your mouth shut.

　A subordinate's mistake....

(Rather, I took the initiative, didn't I?)

　Is it disgusting, or thick-faced, or, on the contrary, is the purpose of pretending to be such an idiot to disgust and discourage people from reporting it?
　I'm not sure about this kind of black-hearted world.

　The fat captain picks up the scattered coins, stuffs them into a bag, and reverently presents them to Mr. Quilt.

'Well, here you are, sir.

　You look like you've been bribed.
　No, no, no, no, no, that's Mr. Quilt's money to begin with.

"Hmph.

　Kilt-san took it with a look of disdain.

　The few black-armored Arun border soldiers who were still remaining were unable to move a single step due to the power of the demon princess-sama.

　Solstice raises her right hand to Kirt-san who has returned.

''That's it, Kilt...''
"Hmm.

　bang

　The two of us laugh and clap our hands together.

　Me and Miss Illtimina, too, smile and raise our hands.

　bang

Huh.

　My palms were very sore and hot. But it felt so good.

　The three knights of the guru's knights also come to her, immediately.
　She bowed her head deeply.

'I'm sorry, Mr. Kilt. I didn't mean to bother you.
I'm fine.

　Onihime-sama is a hawk.
　Glancing at the fat captain and the border guards who finally stood up.

It's just that I have a bad day. I had a bad day and a bad day. --Is this your first time with Arun?
Yes, sir.
'I see. Well, it happens sometimes on the frontier, Arun's men, but not all of them are like this. Consider it an experience.
"Haha.

　The knights responded ostentatiously and saluted.

　Mr. Kilt pomped the three of them on the shoulder, tapping them lightly, and got into the cavalry car.
　We followed.

　The procedure, which was said to take a month, took only 10 minutes, and we passed through the border Saban Fort and finally stepped into the territory of the Arun Divine Kingdom, with the fat, bitter-wormed captain's expression on his face that said, 'Get going,' as if he had bitten a bitter bug.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


So this is the Arun Godland.

　It was a new land that I had finally arrived at, the second country I had been in since I was reincarnated in another world.

　But of course, before and after I crossed Fort Saban, there wasn't much difference in the view from the window.
　The land with little vegetation and a lot of rocky surfaces.

　Originally, borders were self-defined by humans.

　Only people try to protect them, but for plants and animals, it's the same land. There is no difference in vegetation just because they crossed a border. I think they come and go freely across borders as a matter of course.

(Well, their previous life was in Japan, surrounded by the sea, right?

　In a way, the borders were clear.

　But in other countries, like Eurasia, the Americas, and Africa, it's natural that they're connected to the land, and you can walk across the border.

　And I thought.

　Isn't it easy to cross borders silently in this other world, where science is not as well developed as in the previous world?　And.

　I asked him that.

It's easy.

　Mr. Kilts, nodded easily.

'In the meantime, there are a few border guards making rounds every day at different times. There are still some people who are going over the border. I'm sure you'll find it hard to live in Arun, especially if you're a demon-blooded person who has a hard time living in Shumuria.
Really?
Well, in Arun, it's a death sentence.

　Hmmm.
　I knew that was going to happen, didn't I?

　Mr. Illtimina slowly confessed, looking at me thoughtfully.

'Me and Sol, too, right?'
What?
'Originally, we sisters were also from Arun. After that event, we left our country and fled to Shumria to protect ourselves.

　That event.
　I mean, after they killed my family and burned my village to the ground.

Oh, is that right?
Yes, sir.
I don't really remember much about it.

　Illtimina nods.
　Crossing her hands behind her head, Solstice, who was six years old at the time, says, as if it doesn't matter.

　Mr. Kilt, too, as if to add.

When I was 14 or 15 years old, I crossed the border with Shumuria without permission.
And Mr. Quilt?
It's a long story.

　When I said that, Mr. Kilt laughed, somewhat maturely.

(So everyone is from Arun except me?)

　As expected, I was surprised.

　But I guess that's how hard the Arun Divine Kingdom is to live in for the 'Demon Blood People'. Just hearing about Iltimina-san's past, I thought it was outrageous.

(Somehow, it's going to be a harder trip than I thought...)

　I was a little worried about the future.

　And so the cavalcade with us on board rumbled along the roads of the Arun Divine Empire.

　I noticed one difference from the Shumuria Kingdom.

　The city roads were not very well maintained.

　This may be due to the fact that the country is more than three times larger than the Kingdom of Shumuria, but the ground is not as well prepared as in the Kingdom of Shumuria, and the impact on the seats is much greater. This is what happened to a cavalry car with a good shock-absorbing mechanism (suspension), so an ordinary dragon car should be even worse.

　Also, there's no 'Stone Tower of Lights'.

　On the roads of Shumuria, they were set up every 500 meds, and I could ride normally at night, and they were a good landmark from a distance.
　But the Arun road doesn't have them.

(It would be too dark to go on at night, wouldn't it?)

　Or so I thought.

　He looked around and saw nothing but a vast expanse of land, with no village or town in sight.

　I see.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea to go to a remote place like this, where people can't get rid of their stress and their hearts are in turmoil and they end up like the people in the fort...............well, it's not something that can be forgiven.

　--that's when we were halfway down the street.

　The sky had turned a reddish-brown color, and since there were no villages nearby, when we were talking about the fact that we were going to stay in the cavalry car tonight.

"Master Quilt.

　The knight in the driver's seat approached me through the window in front of me.

''What's up?''
There's a group of men fighting over at the end of the road.

　Huh?

　We hurriedly leaned out the side window and looked ahead.

　First we saw a cloud of dirt.
　Then there were two carriages in the center of it, and around them were about twenty men astride two-legged dragons, with swords drawn, attacking us.

(Could it be wild thieves!

　An old man by the carriage confronts him with a sword in his hand.

　But he's a civilian who doesn't even come in armor.
　Easily, he is beaten by the wild thieves, bleeding from his arm and dropping his sword.

　Near the carriage, there was also a woman with dark hair and red skin.

　She too has a sword in her hand and is standing up to the wildlings. She's quite strong.
　But we're outnumbered.
　Little by little, they are being pushed back.

　The driver's knight asked Kirt-san, holding back the fact that he was about to jump out of the way.

''What would you like to do?''

　We're on a mission.

　It would be unacceptable for a bunch of knights with orders to get involved in unnecessary danger. But as knights and as people, we have a separate heart. That anguish, which I couldn't hide even if I tried to, showed on my face.
　So.

We're coming to get you.
Ha!

　When the Golden Seal Demon Hunter announced without hesitation, they popped the joyous color and struck the reins to the dragon.

　Dogarara.

　With a tremendous sound, a huge cavalry car drove by.

　Inside that car.

Goody-goody.
I'm sorry.

　Solstice teases and Mr. Kilt apologizes.

'No, it's okay,'
Yes, sir, everything's fine.

　Me and my three sisters laughed and held our respective weapons at the ready.

　Kilt-san also laughed and grabbed the hilt of the great sword of lightning.

''-- Alright, let's go.''

　The cavalry car plunged into the crowd of opposition, and with the command of the Golden Mark Demon Hunter, we ran out of the dragon car to help the people who were being attacked.