The "King's Ship" we were riding on was approaching a continent that seemed far away in the distance.

(Ah ... a town.)

　In one corner of the land, I saw what looked like a port town.

　A new land I've never seen before.

　Nervousness and excitement heat my little heart.

　Soon, the large flag of the Kingdom of Shumuria was raised on the mast of the "King's Boat".

　Bassa.

　The national emblem, which resembles the goddess Shrean, flutters in the wind.

(Is it to let them know that this ship is from Shumuria?)

　Or so I thought.

　The harbor is full of boats, large and small, docked and sailing.

　Fishing boats.

　Merchant ships.

　Military ships.

　There were all kinds of ships.

　Among them, five large warships of about 100 yards in length approached us.

　On the bow of the ship, there is a statue of the Winged Lion.

　On its lower part, a huge impulse horn (ram) protrudes sharply.

　On the deck and sides, the barrels of the cannon were also visible.

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

　I'm a little nervous about the approaching ships.

"Don't worry," I say, "that's the navy of Vega. That's the navy of Vega.

　Mr. Kilt told me.

　And from one of those five ships, a lot of something flew up into the sky from one of the lead ships.

(What...?)

　At first, I thought it was a giant bird.

　But I soon realized.

(No, it's a man!)

　They were the knights of the bird people with eagle heads and wings sprouting from their backs.

　Bassa, bassa, bassa.

　They formed a line in the sky ahead of the 'King Ship' and held the spear in their hands towards us.

　In the sunlight, the tip of the spear gleamed in the sunlight.

(Huh?)　(Huh?)

　The suddenness of the situation made me panic.

　But Kilt-san and the others seemed to have calmed down.

　A squadron of bird-man knights flying in the blue sky.

　At the front of the squadron, an exceptionally large-bodied bird-man opened his beak and let out a loud voice.

''This is the Vega State Navy, the Xiang Air Force!　From this, the territory of the Vega State!　State your affiliation and purpose!

　viciously

　My eardrums quivered.

　It was so loud that it could be heard in my lower stomach.

　In response, it was the captain of the 'King's Ship' who stepped in front of us.

　He was in his sixties, a knight in military uniform with a white beard.

''We belong to the Shumurian Navy of the Kingdom of Shumuria, the First 'King's Ship'!　By order of the Shumurian royal family, we have come to you for further friendship with your country. I beg your permission to enter the country!

　This one is as loud as it can be.

　The captain then held up a tube of letters with the royal coat of arms on it.

　............

''--I'll confirm.

　with a splash

　About five or so bird-man knights descended on the deck.

(Ugh.....)

　A bird person up close and personal.

　Its face really had the same structure as a real bird.

　It had four toes on its hands and feet, with sharp claws.

　Its feathers were beautiful and looked very comfortable to the touch.　

　And its eyes showed a deep intelligence that was still far removed from that of a bird.　

'I'll take a look.'

　The contents of the letter that the captain gave him, the bird man knight examines the contents of the letter.

　....................

　We watched the scene with bated breath.

　Soon, the letter is put away.

　He nodded his head.

"I'm sorry, sir. We will now lead the way. Follow our ships.

　The bird-man knight changed his tone.

　The captain nodded, "Yes, sir.

(Hoho)

　Thank goodness the deal seems to have worked out.

　I'm relieved.

　Quilt-san noticed that and chuckled a little.

I'd like to remind you that this is all a token exchange.
What?

　He was flabbergasted.

I'm sure they already know what to expect upstairs. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to proceed with the case without an inspection.

　Really?

　But, if you ask me, I feel like it.

It's so hard being an adult.

　Soltis said, dismayed.

　Mr. Kilt is bitter again.

'There are masks to be protected and considerations to be made for the other side.
..........
..........

(Is that something?)

　Convincing and unconvincing........

　And Iltimina-san gently strokes my hair while laughing gently.

''Please, Marle, please remain as you are, an honest Marle, okay?
..........

　Hmmmm?

　As for me, I can't wait to become a man worthy of Illtimina-san, so I'd like to quickly join the adult world.

　The two adult women laughed at my troubled face, and the two adult women laughed in a funny way.

　Eventually, the bird-man knights returned to their ships.

　And so, surrounded by five warships, our 'King Ship' entered the Vega Country on the dollar continent.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　We got off the ship and were taken to a building near the harbor that looked like a barracks.

　There were only six of us who got off the ship.

　The knights of the Shumurian Navy remain on the "King's Ship".

(Why?)

Their work is done, sir.

　Illtimina-san noticed my expression and told me so.

　The Shumurian Navy's only job is to transfer 'the six of us' to the sea.

　It is said that neither country wants the Shumurian regular army to land in Vega Country, due to its relations with the other six of the seven countries, and that neither country wants the Shumurian regular army to land in Vega Country from a diplomatic standpoint.

　In other words.

This is what we do now, my dears.

　Shumuria's proud 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter' told him reliably.

(I see.)

　Okay, I'll do my best.

　I steel myself for the sake of the Shumurian naval knights who saluted and saw us off as we disembarked.

　Then we were led to a room in the barracks.

''Hey!　Well done to you, Shumurian guests!

　As soon as I entered, one of the beastmen there welcomed me with open arms.

(Wha?)

　A loud voice startled me.

　I'm not sure if it was a lion or a leopard, but it was a male beastman with the features of a large carnivore of the cat family.

　His age was probably around 30 years old.

　He's tall, about six feet tall, about six inches.

　His golden fur is beautiful, and his face looks like a mixture of cat and man.

　His lithe-looking muscular body is hidden by his elegant aristocratic clothes.

''My name is Arnold Guiba!　I have been appointed to be your caretaker for the duration of your stay in Vega Country. Best regards!

　bang

　I pounded my own chest with my fist and called myself that.

　And a smile.

　His white canine teeth gleamed and he smiled like a child.

(What a great guy.)

　I was a bit taken aback.

　But when I looked closer, I saw that there was a scar behind the fur on my cheek.

　No, there were several others all over my body.

(...................Military?

　I thought so.

　And from here, the 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter' of the past war, after all, comes forward.

I'm Kirt Amandes. It's a pleasure to meet you.
Oh, you!

　Mr. Arnold's ears perked up and his eyes twinkled.

'Do you know the straw?'
'Of course!　Protector of Shumuria!　The most powerful woman in human form!　Demon Princess of Destruction!　Rumors are reaching this continent!

　.....................

　Now, isn't that last one terrible?

　Mr. Kilt, too, is smiling but has a blue streak on his forehead....

　But Mr. Arnold didn't seem bothered by it.

'The common man may not know it, indeed. But if you're a knight, if you're a warrior, there aren't many people who don't know your name, one goal and one aspiration.
..........
Do you mind if I shake your hand?

　He holds out a pawed, hair-covered, humanoid hand.

'Hmm.'

　Kilt-san squeezed his hand back.

　Gishi.........

　I heard a strange sound.

"Nuh-uh?

　Mr. Kilt faintly frowned.

　Then he looked back at the vertical pupil eyes on Mr. Arnold's half-human, half-cat face.

　He remained smiling.

　Mr. Kilt laughed back, too.

　Giggling.

That's a long handshake, huh?

　When I had my doubts.

Huh.　

　bad

　Suddenly, Mr. Arnold removed his hand as if he were playing.

　His long tail curled up between his legs.

'Oh dear, oh dear!'
Are you playing too many tricks, Master Arnold?

　Mr. Kilt says with clarity.

'No, I'm sorry. I just met the woman of my dreams.

　The feline beastie was scratching his head with his hand, smiling sourly.

(????)

　When I was scowling.

Apparently, they were comparing kilts and grip strength.

　Illtimina gives me a soothing earful.

(Yeah, right?)

　If you look closely, you can see that his fingerprints have left a red mark on Mr. Kilt's white hand.

'Can't you be a little more gentle with me next time?
Oh, of course!

　He smiled and nodded.

　Then he looked at us, who were standing behind Mr. Kilt, and then at us.

"My Vega nation welcomes you!　Welcome to Vega Country!

　He played a cheerful smile so cheerful.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　Outside the barracks, there were three large carriages, ready to go.

　No, can we call them 'carriages'...?

　It wasn't a horse that pulled the carriage, but a creature that looked like an elephant with pure white hair.

(Big deal.)

　The carriage is big enough to hold about 20 people.

　Later, I was told by Illtimina-san that it's called a 'beast carriage'.

　There were about 30 knightly beastmen of the Vega Kingdom Army lined up beside it.

''Let's ride!''

　At Arnold-san's call, the knights climbed into the vehicles in front and behind us.　

　We got into the central beast car.

　We are now going to the capital of Vega Kingdom to visit the royal palace where the king is staying.

　The journey to the capital, Karanka, will take three days.

(Hmmm?)

　With that kind of explanation, the three beast cars departed from the barracks at the port.

　Galang, Galang.

　The bells attached to the elephants' necks are ringing.

　This is to alert the people in front of them of the approaching beast car and to prevent them from accidentally trampling it.

　The people in the port city also noticed it right away and opened the way for it.

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

　The only people who avoid them are really beastly people.

　There are people like Mumpa-san and Qualina-san who have beast ears and tails and other features in their human form, and there are people like Arnold-san who have a lot of beast features.

　There seems to be a lot of differences between the beastmen, too.

　Other mammals such as dogs and cats.

　Birds such as birds.

　Fish such as fish.

　Lizards, frogs and other reptiles and amphibians.

　There were so many people in this port town with all the characteristics of various creatures.

　Only about 1 in 10 people look the same as us.

　This is another continent.

(After all, it's a different country from Shumuria.)　

　That's how I feel about it.

　Tsun Tsun.

(Hmm?)

　Solstice pecked me on the arm.

　If you look, the girl was looking out the window.

Hey, Merle. Isn't that money?
What?

　I followed his gaze.

　Beyond that were the buildings of Vega Country.

　There are various types of buildings, such as private houses, merchant houses, and buildings that seem to be public institutions.

　They were all made of white stone.

　But the ornamentation on their doors, outer walls, and roofs reflected the sun's light and shone with a golden color.

　........Eh?

Oh, you don't think it's all real gold?
I guess so.

　Solstice nodded at me in surprise.

　Come to think of it, I had heard that this Vega Country is a country that produces high quality magic stones and has many rich people.　

(.........I see.)

　Apparently, the story is true.

　If you look closely, in addition to gold, they also use the magic stones themselves as ornaments.

　What a luxury.....

　It's much bigger than the 3,000 rido, or the magic stone in my bracelet that cost 300,000 yen.

　The girl next to me also has a look of 'what a waste~' on her face.

(Vega Country, great!)

　With two kids like that.

"Lord Arnold, you are aware of the circumstances of our visit to this country? You are aware of the circumstances of the visit of the stragglers to this country, are you not?

　Kilt-san asked.

　Ah.........

　Me and Solstice also straighten our posture.

'Of course.'

　He nodded.

'The king is thinking of helping us. That's why I'm taking you all to the King.
Okay.
But it's not as easy as it sounds.

　Huh?

　We become Kyoton.

　The beastman from the Vega country in front of us says, "It will take us 20 days to get to Vega from Shumria.

It will take twenty days to reach Vega by pterodactyl flight from Shumuria. By the time word reached us, you had already left the country without waiting for a reply from our king.

　... uh-huh.

Well, things are what they are. I suppose it can't be helped.
..........
But thanks to that, we haven't had time to reach a consensus either. We're still close to a mess.

　He held out his hands in a frightened manner.

　Then he looked at us.

'To put it bluntly, there are some of us who have a lot of animosity towards you.
..........
..........
..........
..........
..........
..........

　We couldn't say anything.

　'I don't know,' laughed Mr. Arnold brightly.

'But rest assured. I'll protect you from those people!

　We looked at him in surprise.

　He nodded, showing his white teeth.

That's why I'm here, because the king sent me.
Mr. Arnold.

　There was a certain sincerity in his eyes.

　Kilt-san nodded.

'I see. I'm sorry, but I'll take care of you.''
Yeah.

　bang

　He patted his chest and undertaken

　And.

But slaying demons... Can you guys really do that?

　He asked me the opposite.

　To which I replied.

It's not a question of can you do it, you have to do it.
..........
Otherwise, the world will fall apart.

　Mr. Arnold looked surprised at the child who suddenly answered.

　But then he looked at my expression.

I see. So you're the 'Godgu'?

　He nodded as if he was convinced of something.

　And.

All right. The king and I will do whatever we can to help.

　He said.

(Mr. Arnold....)

　He laughed at our gaze.

　Then, as I suddenly remembered.

''But I don't want to spare you any cooperation, but there's a lot of complications here too. I apologize for the 'sorry' ahead of time.

(?)

What do you mean?

　Mr. Kilt asks.

　Mr. Arnold's cat ears and gaze turn toward the day after tomorrow.

Well, we'll find out when we get to the capital, Karanka.

　I just replied.

(...what the hell does that mean?)

　But he didn't seem to be willing to explain further, telling me, 'Ask the king for details.

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

　The six of us look at each other.

(Well, okay.)

　If we can find out when we get to the capital, we'll figure it out then. Yeah, we'll figure it out.

　Satisfied, I look out the window.

　A breeze with the scent of the tide was blowing, and in front of me was an exotic town.

　A lot of beastmen were walking there.

(The land of beastmen, Vega Country........?)

　I muttered in my mind.

　Soon, our "beast car" will pass through this port city and head for Karanka, the capital of Vega Country.