Princess Reclear, the third princess of the kingdom, appears in front of us.

　Behind her, five knights are waiting for her.

(?)

　It wasn't the usual female knight of the Kingsguard.

　It was a knight I hadn't seen before, wearing beautiful silver armor.

　On her right hip, a long sword.

　On her left hip, a staff.

　On his back, a large shield.

　From his neck, there is a Bible on a chain.

(It's kind of a unique piece of equipment, isn't it?)

　They all wore helmets that showed only their mouths, and the one who seemed to be the leader of the group at the front seemed to be a woman.

　Princess Reclear smiled quietly and

'Please don't blame him, Kirto Amandes. I'm the one who approved Reidl's proposal.
Ha!

　Mr. Kilt bows his head reverently.

　Her all-seeing blue and gold odd-eyed eyes turn to the two women who fought as well.

''You two, please forgive me, too.
Yes, sir.
And it's a terrible idea.

　Iltimina-san calmed down and Amieukel-san replied as if in a hurry.

　Then the princess's eyes turned to me as well.

''It's been a long time, Lady Marle.
Yes, sir.
I'm sorry it took me so long to see you again. But I'm glad to see you here again, Master Merle.

　I nodded.

I couldn't wait to see Princess Reclear, too.

　I laughed.

　Princess Reclear was surprised, "Well," and Illtimina-san looked at my profile in astonishment.

(Eh....?)

　No, I mean, you wanted to talk to me about the future.

　I'm confused.

　Princess LeClear put her hand over her mouth.

'Hmmm, Master Merle really hasn't changed.

　He laughed somewhat happily.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　When the mood had settled.

'There was quite a bit of trouble upstairs on this one, wasn't there?

　Mr. Kilt asked.

　Princess Reclear nodded.

''It was completely unexpected to be contacted by the Child of Darkness, you know?
..........
"Moreover, it includes a ceasefire and a joint struggle. Furthermore, it predicts that the devil will return to the dollar continent within a year. People weren't sure how much to believe.

　....I see.

(Well, we all have our suspicions, don't we?)

　But.

I don't like him.

　I utter a small mouthful.

　Everyone looks at me, Princess Reclear mutters.

　I looked up.

"But I didn't feel that he was lying when he said that. At least that's where I saw the truth.

　I assure you so.

"..........

　Two coloured eyes that see through everything stare into my face.

　Princess Reclear nodded.

''If Maal-sama says so, then it must certainly be true.
..........
But it wasn't enough. I needed more tangible power to convince everyone.

Convincing...?

　Mr. Kilt noticed and asked.

'Is that the fight between Irna and Amuikel you were talking about earlier?
Yes, sir.

　Princess Reclear smiled.

''I can't decide if the words of the Child of Darkness are true or not. Then you must show that you are capable of biting through it, even if it's a trap.
..........
We decided it was the best and shortest move we could make to convince everyone.

　Nah, I see.

And in order to do that, Iltimina Wong, I needed you to show me what you can do.

　The brilliant young third princess continued to do so as well.

　No one had any doubts about Kilt Amandes' abilities anymore.

　However, Iltimina-san, who had just become the 'Golden Seal', was different.

　Currently, she is still Kilt's partymate.

　It was hard to say that they were on par with each other, and there were a lot of Shumuria's upper echelons who were questioning her abilities.

(A bit frustrating........)

　But our own Mr. Illtimina.

Well, I suppose that's just as well.

　He was calmly accepting that assessment.

　And in order to overturn that reputation, it was necessary to properly show everyone the competence of the 'Golden Seal Demon Hunter' who would be the guard of the precious 'Godgu'.

　Princess Reclear looked back at Amuikel-san, shaking her light blue hair.

　Noticing her gaze, Amieukel-san nodded.

''I admit it.''

　The dragon knight girl said.

''At least, this woman isn't on the level of the 'Silver Seal'. If you wish, I'll testify against all the great nobles.''

...Mr. Amukel.

　Iltimina also looked a little surprised at the words of Amieukel, who was probably one of the doubters.

　The young man who was the girl's boss also piled on the words.

''Iltimina Wong's ability was confirmed with my own eyes. I will advise you that the words of Amyukel now are the consensus of the Shumurian Dragon Cavalry.
Yeah.

　Princess Reclear nodded in satisfaction.

　She then looked back at the five knights who were standing behind her.

''You guys saw the battle just now, didn't you?
Yes, sir.

　The female knight in the lead nodded.

　A cool, calm voice.

　Crunch.

　I touched the Bible hanging around my neck with my armor-covered fingers.

"Excellent work. All of us 'temple knights' agree that he is worthy of the honor of the Golden Mark.

　I told him sternly.

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

　A temple knight is a... what?

Could it be that this is the god of that army, the one that is going to fight against the dragon?

　I remember when I first came to King's Landing, Illtimina told me about it.

　Not the Shumurian royal family, but the knights belonging to the St. Shurian Church.

　Their strength is considered to be on the same level as the Shumurian Dragon Cavalry, which is considered the strongest in the kingdom, and these are the knights that even that Kirt-san couldn't assure me that they could 'win' in a group battle.

　The two wings that support the kingdom.

　The Shumurian Dragon Cavalry and the Temple Knights.

　Were the five people in beautiful silver armor in front of me the ones who were one wing of that?

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

　I stare at it, unconsciously.

　Noticing my gaze, the female knight looked at me.

　Nicot.

(Uh.....)

　The mouth peeking out of his helmet forms a soft smile.

　It conveys a sense of serenity and a strange sense of security that is unique to the priesthood.

　But behind it.

(I feel a great calm 'pressure'.)

　It's like a calm sea surface.

　Once the will dwells there, it is likely to swallow me up easily as a raging wave.

　So this is the Temple Knight.....

''Then, Temple Knights, Commander Aase Mderka. You will be the one to testify to the Archbishop and the others.
Yes, Princess Reclear.

　Touching the Bible on her chest, the female knight, who seems to be named Arse-san, bows.

(Ah, I see.)

　When I saw it, I noticed.

　The statue of Goddess Shrien-sama had four hands.

　On each of those hands.

　Swords.

　Wands.

　A shield.

　A Bible.

　is held.

　So that's where Temple Knight-san's equipment came from.

　And so, Princess Reclear smiled with satisfaction at the fact that Illtimina-san's abilities were recognized by both the Shumurian Dragon Cavalry and the Temple Knights.

''Hmph, that's really quite good.

　Mm-hm.

　I'm also a little proud to see that Illtimina-san has been recognized.

　I look up at the sister next to me with a smile.

　When she notices it, she makes a slightly embarrassed face and gently strokes my head with her white hand.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　After witnessing our exchange.

Assuming that this will convince the higher-ups, what will happen to the strawmen?

　Mr. Kilt asked.

　Princess Reclear nodded.

Merle and the others are going to head for the dollar continent.

　I told him clearly.

(I knew it.)

　Heading to the dollar continent I mean.

"You're going to fight with the Children of Darkness?
Yes, sir.

　The princess nodded once more at Kilt-san's confirmation.

''Currently, there is too little information about the 'Child of Darkness'. It can be said that this makes it difficult for us to make a decision.
..........
Then it's one thing to do what he wants.

　And then I would gather information about him.

(So, if it's a trap, you're going to eat it.)

If we can reduce the number of demons by even one, it will be good for humanity. After that, we'll have to decide later. But of course we have to take some precautions.

　Looking ahead, Princess Reclear added, as well.

　Mr. Kilt nodded.

　Then those golden eyes looked at Mr. Raydor next to her.

Do you intend to send the Dragon Cavalry and the Temple Knights to the Dollar Continent as well?
No.

　Shaking her light blue hair softly, the princess shook her head.

(Huh?)

"Unfortunately, the Dollar Continent is a foreign land. We can't send Shumria's regular army or temple knights.

　Oh.....

(Foreign affairs, huh?)

　Even in a world crisis, humanity cannot be monolithic. That's what I found out when I went to the Arun Divine Empire.

(It's frustrating and seething, but...)

　But that's just part of being human.

　I suppose that's just the way it is.

'So it's just the strawmen?
Yes, sir.

　Princess Reclear nodded.

And this time, I'd like you to join me, Master Columcude and Divine Dragon Nargaiya.

　He looked at the two men who had been silent until now and said.

(And Mr. Colontude and Poe?)

　I'm surprised.

　Kirt-san frowns for a moment at the thought of being accompanied by the incompatible 'Golden Seal Demonologist', "M................

　But there is no change in the expressions of the two people in question.　

　The hunchbacked High Elf looked at Po-chan next to her.

　The divine dragon's little girl also looks up at Colonchudo-san.

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

　A silent stare at each other.

　Then they looked back at Princess Reclear.

Okay, okay.
.......................

　He nodded easily.

　Ummmmm?

(...is there something that just the two of us can get through?)

　But that's how well we got along.

　I was honestly happy about that.

'So, we're traveling together this time, six of us.
Yes.

　I smiled at Iltimina-san and she smiled too.

　Solstice was ecstatic, "With Lady Colontude........" she was ecstatic.

　Kilt-san swallowed her own emotions and exhaled heavily.

''Yes sir.''

　She replied.

　Mr. Reidle approached her.

'I'm sorry, Kilt Amandes,'
I'm fine.

　The captain of the dragon cavalry looked a little frustrated.

''But we have our own mission.

Mission...?

　Noticing my gaze, Amyukel-san told me.

''It's an investigation of the 'Child of Darkness' stronghold that that woman told me about.

　He indicates Renu-san with his thumb.

　Mr. Renu's face is startled when he suddenly points to himself.

　According to Reidol-san, six other dragon knights are still heading to the more than a dozen strongholds of the Children of Darkness scattered throughout Shumuria that Renu-san's interviews revealed.

　However, although we've already surveyed two of the locations, they are empty.

''It seems that they have beaten us to it.

　And.....

　

Just by moving this fast, I can see why this is a difficult opponent to deal with.

　crunchy

　A quiet fighting spirit emanated, and Raydor-san muttered with a terrifying smile.

(Hmm.........?)

　I looked over and saw that Mr. Renu had a blue face.

　Reidl-san's fighting spirit wasn't directed at Renu-san.

　But to her, who was once a demon, it might have felt as if she was being blamed.

　I moved closer and took her hand in mine.

　Geez.

Oh ma'am, ma'am.

　Renu looks at me with a huff.

　I laughed.

　Then I look back at Princess Reclear.

'Princess Reclear, please take care of Miss Renu while I'm gone.

　He lowered his head.

　Princess Lekria was surprised, then immediately looked understanding and nodded widely.

''I understand. Renu Widert's body and soul are sworn to be protected in my name.'

　That's what he said.

　Good.

　Now you'll be able to take care of Renu's heart and protect her from mindless accusers.

(Thank you, Princess Reclear.)

　Renu-san is looking at me, holding my hand, with moist eyes.

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

　Mr. Illtimina looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't say anything, probably because she was in front of everyone.

　And Kilt-san had a thoughtful look on her face.

'Hmm.'

　She looked at Princess Reclear.

''But with the Dragon Cavalry in charge, won't the defense of King's Landing be a bit thin?

　I warned him.

(Oh ... well ...

　Princess Lekria is the spearhead of the Child of Darkness against the Child of Darkness.

　If the series of actions of the Son of Darkness is a trap, then it is possible that he will target this royal city while we and the dragon riders are not here.

　However.

Don't worry, Kirt Amandes.

　The one who answered was the Temple Knight, Arse.

''We, the Temple Knights, are responsible for the protection of the royal city without you and the dragon cavalry.
"Huh?

　Mr. Kilt looked surprised.

　Princess Reclear laughed too.

'That's what I meant.'

　Well, all the best.

That's Princess LeClear.

　I'm sure he's coordinated a lot of things between St. Shulianism and the Shumurian Kingdom government to this day.

　I really admire his foresight, even though he's the same age as me.

　And then.

(...hmm?)

　I suddenly noticed Aase's gaze.

　Although I couldn't see anything but her mouth because she was wrapped in her helmet, I felt her gaze turn to me.

(????)

　When I looked back at her, she smiled happily and

We will protect the land to which your precious 'Godgu' is returning. Please be concerned, Your Majesty.

　And then he bows his head, touching the Bible.

(And, precious Godgu?)

　When I looked, the other four temple knights were also bowing towards me.

　I was a bit stunned.

　Could it be that they are people who serve God, so they are also paying respect to me who came from the same divine world?

(No, I'm imperfect...?)

　I was kind of tempted to apologize.

　Princess Reclear laughed at the situation and said

　bang

　He struck a small hand wrapped in a glove.

　Then he got everyone's attention.

Well, now that we've had our little talk, would you like to have a little dinner?　As a matter of fact, I've got lunch ready for you here.

　I smiled at him.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Eventually I was ushered into the dining room, and I opened my mouth with angst.

　Gleaming and gorgeous.

　That's all I can say.

　In a room that looks like it could hold a hundred people, but right now there's only one table set aside for fifteen of us.

　The table is made of polished stone, like marble.

　The ceiling is lined with seven huge chandeliers.

　The chairs are strangely long-backed and richly decorated.

　And by the wall of the room, a total of about 20 sisters who seem to be serving girls are standing there.

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

　And the participating members are gorgeous.

　The top adventurer of the Shumurian Kingdom, the "Golden Mark Adventurer" was 3.

　The strongest knights in the Shumurian Kingdom, the dragon knights of the "Shumurian Dragon Troop", were 2.

　The five temple knights of the "Knights of the Temple", the pride of St. Shulianism, are the five temple knights.

　And Princess Reclear, who is of Shumuria's royal bloodline.

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

　Me, Solstice and Renu are devastated by our sense of place.

'Come on, come on, be my guest,'

　Princess Reclear smilingly recommended it.

　The dishes on the table looked very high-class and beautiful and gorgeous.

　But I don't know the table manners.

　For now, I picked up one of the many forks and knives lined up and brought the appropriate food to my mouth.

　Mug.

　I chewed it up.

(Oh, I can't taste it...)

　I was so nervous that I only felt the meat melt in my mouth.........

　Ah, I feel like this would have been better if I could have eaten a fio sandwich or something from a food truck with ease.

　When I look at them, both Solstice and Renu-san have the same face as me.

　Click!

　And then the fork fell from Renu's trembling fingers.

'S-Sorry, sorry, sorry!

　Renu bows her pecking head and tries to pick up the fallen fork.

　But before she can do so, a serving girl comes over quickly and collects the fallen food and fork.

　Renu-san, you are stunned.

(Haha....)

　I could only laugh dryly now.

　By the way, Iltimina-san seems to know table manners and is eating calmly.

　Mr. Colontude and Poe are natural, even though they don't know any manners.

　Mr. Kilt seemed to be more interested in fine wine than in food.

'As usual, Kilt,'

　Mr. Reidl looked dumbfounded.

'Hm?　You can drink all this expensive booze for free.
Oh, man.
But you have a point.

　As he says this, Amikura empties his wine glass.

Oh, you know what to do. Here, drink some more.
Oof.
"...it's bad for the education of my men, so stop it, Kilt.

　Mr. Reidle was holding his temples as if his head hurt.

　On the other hand.

Don't you drink?　

　Aase, the temple knight, was asking Iltimina a question.

　She tipped her glass of water.

'Yes, I'm a sober man.
"Huh?

　Mr. Illtimina had stopped drinking since she had shown her ugly face in front of me before.

　Mr. Aase nodded and

''It's a good attitude. That's the least you can do if you're going to be entrusted with guarding your precious jingo-sama.
..........
We must protect you, my dear jingo, with all our might.

　koto (unit of distance)

　Ms. Illtimina put down her glass of water.

　Then she looked into Aase's eyes, behind her helmet, with crimson eyes.

With all due respect, this girl is ma-lu-lu.

　I told him.

'What?'

　Mr. Arse makes a dubious sound.

　Ms. Illtimina speaks up once and for all.

'This boy's name isn't Godgu. It's Marle.'
..........
'And I don't protect him because he's a 'divine dog', but because he's Marl. Please don't let me be mistaken.
...Oh, yeah?

　bang

I felt a spark between the 'Temple Knight Commander' and the 'Golden Seal Demon Hunter'.

　A standoff for a few seconds.

　But Arse-san pulled back.

''Well, that's good. Whatever your perception, I can tell you're prepared to risk your life for the sake of the 'Godgu'-sama.
Of course.
Good!

　Mr. Aase nodded broadly.

　Touching the Bible.

Your resolve to do so will be worth it for the sake of your life, my dear jingo.
Yes, sir.

　Illtimina-san nodded her head, 'Of course.

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

　Umm, yeah, there's something similar about these two.......I'm a little scared.

　If I look closely, the other four temple knights are also nodding their heads, 'Yeah, yeah'.......

(Huh.........)

　As we ate our meals, we were gazing at them.

Hey, Leku?

　Suddenly, Mr. Colontude called out to Princess Reclear.

(What? Leku!?)

　I almost blew my dish.

　Mr. Reidl and the others were taken aback, and Mr. Amieukel said, "What's a lech-chan, lech-chan?! And they resent the disrespect to their masters.

　But Mr. Columcude ignores him.

　Princess Reclear seems to be a big shot, and she doesn't seem to mind.

What is this?

　He turned around.

　The High Elf, who had blonde hair and sleepy hair left over, tilted his head and asked, ''Where are we going?

''Where are we........heading to in the dollar continent?''

　And.

(Uh.....)

　Come to think of it, I hadn't heard the details yet.

　Princess Reclear nodded.

It's in Vega, one of the seven countries on the dollar continent.

　He told me.

　Apparently, there's a 'Demon Sealing Land' in that country's territory.

I've already contacted the royal family in Vega. They will accommodate us if we need help.

　And so it is.

(As expected of Princess Reclear, she's got a good handle on it.)

　Mr. Colontude, with his jade-colored eyes down.

We're ... there ... killing demons ... and then ... killing each other.

　I muttered.

　............

　Strangely, everyone stopped moving, and the sounds of eating disappeared.

　Po-chan looked up at the hunched over High Elf-san.

　When she noticed, her hand gently stroked Poe's head.

''Don't worry ... I'll protect Poe.''

　An awkward, clumsy smile that tries to reassure you.

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

　It was somewhat distressing.

　Princess Reclear, with her beautiful blue and gold eyes down.

I'm sorry to put you all in such a dangerous role.

　I apologized.

　I shook my head hard.

'It's not.'

　And.

　We're not the only ones in danger.

The people of the dragon cavalry investigating the stronghold of the Son of Darkness also have a dangerous mission, as they do not know what is in store for them.

　The temple knights defending the royal capital will have to fight for their people when the time comes, and I think they are prepared to lay down their lives for that purpose.

　Renu-san was also desperate to share her memories of the time when she was a painful demon.

　Even Princess Lechlear has been bearing the burden of making various decisions for the sake of world peace.

　I said, "Everyone has their own role to play.

Everyone has their own role to play.
..........
No one can do anything alone. That's why each of us works as hard as we can, and we all work together.

　My blue eyes were fixed on Princess Reclear.

We'll protect this world together, Princess Reclear.

　sizzling sound

　I gripped her hand, hard.

　The hand of a princess.

　But it was one girl's little hand.

　She looked like she was going to cry for a moment.

　A girl's face for her age.

　But it was only a moment, really, before she was depressed and her face, raised again, was back to that of a princess.

'Yes, Miss Marle.'

　A gentle smile.

　It was a beautiful smile that everyone watching seemed to be absorbed by it.

　With that smile, she says to me.

''Hmph.......Marle-sama is truly a mysterious person.
...Is that so?

　I don't understand it myself.

　I'm sure you'll find that you'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to pay for your services.

　--And so our dinner party went on harmoniously.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Soon the dinner party was coming to an end.

Excuse me.

　A woman dressed in a maid's uniform walked into the dining room with a reverent bow.

(Ah, it's Fedonia.)

　She is the maid of honor with Princess Reclear.

　As she approaches Princess Reclear, she hides her mouth with her hand as she tells her master something in his ear.

''Well....''

　Princess Reclear looked surprised.

　And the beautiful blue and gold eyes are turned towards me. ........Eh?

Uh, Merle.
Yes?
As a matter of fact, your father asked for Mael.

　Eh..........your father....

(You're the king!)

　I am stunned.

　Everyone else is staring at me in amazement.

"Can we meet?

　Princess Reclear nodded her head.

　Her beautiful, light blue hair swayed as she saluted.

(How could she say no?)

Okay, I understand.

　He uttered a reply that was the opposite of what he meant.　

　As if she had seen through it, Princess Reclear gave a small smile.

　Fedonia-san bowed and

Master Merle, please follow me.

　He still has the same masked, blank expression on his face, and he urges me to get out of my seat to show me around.

'Merle,'

　Illtimina-san looks worried.

　She said she followed me, but as expected, she couldn't go to someone who hadn't been called.

　I forced a smile.

It's fine. I'll be going out for a bit.

　I tell everyone and get out of my chair with a pion.

''Please ... please don't let Marle be killed for disrespect...''

　muttering

　Solstice mumbles something ominous and worships with her hands to me.
　'No, no.

'Then let's go.
Yes, sir.

　Fedonia told me to take a big deep breath once.

　Then, with everyone watching me, I walked with nervous feet to meet the greatest person in the country.