Under the red and white moonlight, I looked up at the night sky for a while.

　Pic.

(Hmm...?)

　One of the beast ears on his head moved, and he could hear footsteps there.

　I turned my head towards the sound.

Merle!

　There was the figure of Illtimina-san running down the corridor of the inn towards us.

　Behind her, with Poe in the lead, there was also Kilt-san and Solstice running.

　And Iltimina-san's feet stopped as she approached.

　With an expression of surprise, her crimson eyes widened and she was staring at me.

　Is it because I was in the form of a 'divine dog'?

　plop

　Purple blood spilled from my right hand to the floor.

　Illtimina-san's gaze followed it.

　Kilt-san and the others also noticed.

''Marle!　What the hell happened?

　I was asked, but I didn't know how to answer.

　I was still a little confused myself.

　So I was.

Guys what are you doing here?

　Instead of answering, he asked that back.

　Mr. Kilt says.

"Poe complained that he felt a 'presence of evil'. He went to the place where he felt that something was wrong and met you.
I see.

　I gave a small smile.

　Seeing that expression, Illtimina-san gasped.

　Geez.

　The next thing I knew, she was hugging me.

"I'm so glad you're safe........

　A shaky voice.

　I was surprised.

　But I was happy.

　I was truly relieved to be able to feel her warmth.

(...if I had taken one wrong step, I would have been killed.)

　I bite down on that fact.

　My hand touches Illtimina-san's back, confirming the warmth of it firmly.

　Kilt-san looks at us like that.

Hm ... let's go back to the room. You can tell me more about it there.

　I suggested that.


　◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　We went back to our rooms on the seventh floor.

　There I sat down on the bed with Mr. Illtimina hugging me and telling everyone what had just happened.

　Mr. Kilt, Soltis and Poe sat on the couch and listened to me.

　And.

'You don't think the Child of Darkness is here?

　After listening to everything, Mr. Kilt's golden eyes rolled back in surprise.

　Solstice, too.

Oh my god...

　He muttered in dismay.

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

　Poe remained silent, but his light blue eyes narrowed grimly.

　And Miss Illtimina.

Oh, I'm sorry, Merle. I can't believe I just left you alone and now I'm going to put you through this horrible thing...!　

　swoosh

　He strengthens his arms that hold me and says so regretfully.

　Ugh ... it's a bit painful.

　But I was also glad that he was worried about me.

'Thank you, Illtimina. But I'm fine.''

　Poof! Poof!　

　I smile at that and lightly tap the arm that holds me in my little hands.

　Kirt-san says as if to confirm.

'You're sure you're not hurt?
Yes.

　I'd rather have been injured than the 'dark child'.

'I see,'

　Mr. Kilt exhaled as if he was relieved.

　Then he quickly tightens his expression.

But we didn't expect him to show up like this, all by himself.

...Yeah.

　There are over 400 frontier warriors here.

　We are in the middle of hostile territory, so to speak.

　Even if he had the ability to hide himself from the public eye, there would have been a significant risk.

(How did he go to such lengths to warn us...?

　And that too, because you're worried about me...

　Hmmm.

　Solstice says while looking at me who is thinking about it.

''You really do like him, don't you?
Don't do it.

　He said it wasn't funny, even in jest.

''Or if you were attacked by all the warriors, you would have had enough confidence to escape, or even be able to turn back.......
..........
..........
..........
..........

　Mr. Kilt's words sounded heavy.

　Evolution into a demon.

　If that's what he was aiming for, then he should have 'evolved' by defeating the demons in Vega Country and absorbing their magical power.

(.........How strong is that guy now?)

　Although I had been vain earlier, I wasn't confident that if it really came down to a fight, I wouldn't be able to win without a weapon.

　...........

　You were really lucky, me.

''But is the Dark Continent so dangerous as to warrant such a warning?

　Kilt muttered.

　Solstice cowered her shoulders.

'Wasn't it just a ploy to make us think that and keep us from going?

A ploy...?

　I don't think so.

　He didn't know about the Divine Spirit Stone.

　He thought we were 'going to defeat the devil'.

(Defeating a demon is something he should have wished for...)

　There's no reason not to let him go.

　Besides.

That guy was really serious.
..........
..........
..........
..........
So, I don't want to defend myself, but I don't think I'm lying.

　Solstice gave me a reluctant look at my words.

'Does that mean that if we go to the Dark Continent, we'll all die?'

(Uh...)

　That's what it is, isn't it?

　I'm at a loss for words too.

　The air in the guest room grew heavy.　

　Ms. Illtimina exhaled heavily.

'You won't know unless you go there. Until I see it with my own eyes and feel it firsthand, it's all speculation, no matter what they say about it.

　... yeah.

(That too, I suppose.)

　Mr. Kilt and the others nodded.

　And Mr. Illtimina.

It doesn't matter, I'm rather worried about Merle.

　And so it went on.

(Huh?)

　Miss Illtimina hugged me from behind.

We don't want anything to happen to Merle in the future, leaving him alone. From now on, you'll have to be careful not to leave Merle alone.

　I made a strong appeal.

　Mr. Kilt and the others are a bit surprised.

　I'm surprised too.

　Ms. Illtimina continued, "From now on, Merle will not be allowed to be alone in the bath or in the bathroom.

'From now on, Marle can't be left alone to bathe or go to the bathroom. I'll have to stay with him.

　............

(Yeah, yeah!)

　Bathrooms and toilets too!

　I mean.

'It's all right, Illtimina. I'm sure the 'Dark Child' won't be coming back.

　I said in a hurry.

　Illtimina-san's crimson eyes stared at my face from close range.

''No, I don't feel safe,''
..........
'I am entirely responsible for Merle's safety. Please be assured of that.

　crisp

　I was sued very seriously.

(Duh, what do I do?)

　It's embarrassing and annoying as you'd expect, even if it's not usually, to the bathroom or the toilet.

　I look at the silver-haired sister for help.

''Mu........''

　Noticing, Mr. Kilt looked a little distressed, then rustled his rich silver hair.

　Then.

Oh, Irna.
Yes, sir.
You know. Wouldn't it be better if Marle was always in a place where he could be seen around you at all times?

　He said.

　But Mr. Illtimina furrowed her shapely brow.

'What do you mean?　And yet, what if those around you don't help you?
Mm.

　Mr. Kilt flinched.

　And.

'I will protect Merle. Anything else is not to be trusted.

　Illtimina declared again.

''...........''
..........
Yeah, I see. Yes.
Yes, sir.

　Mr. Kilt, we've been pushed out!

(Quilted?)

　I appeal to him with tears in my eyes.

　When I did, Mr. Quilt looked weak and said

Oh, uh, well, you could at least wait outside the private room for him to go to the bathroom. Merle has some self-esteem.
........... Yes, I understand.

　Ms. Illtimina nodded in slight frustration.

　The compromise was installed and Mr. Kilt let out a breath of relief.

　Then he noticed my gaze.

..........

　He gives me a look like this is the best he can do.

(Ugh...)

　I wish I had tried harder.

　In the hope of a little more, I'll give Solstice and Poe a look for help as well.　

　But.

..........
..........

　Full, full, full.

　The two men only shook their heads from side to side with a somber look on their faces.

''It's okay, Marle. I'll make sure you're well protected.
..........
..........
..........
..........

　Iltimina-san stroked my hair, smiled gently, and said emphatically.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Four days had passed since they left the city of Pargania.

The cavalcade of cavalry cars carrying the 5th Pioneer Group continued to move steadily southward, and was expected to arrive in Welka, the southernmost port city of the kingdom, in a few more days.

　In the meantime.

Merle, is the bathroom okay?
Uh-huh.

　Miss Illtimina has always been very close to me.

　She is my bodyguard, and never leaves my side for a moment.

That's encouraging, but...

　But I'm in a bit of a bind.

　Even now, when I'm traveling in the dragon car, he worries about me.

　Well, I'm glad you're worried about me, so I'm going to let you do what you want, Iltimina-san.

　Outside the window is a large grassy field.

　Eventually, when the sun was reaching overhead, all the cavalry vehicles stopped in a clearing by the side of the road, and it was today's lunch break.

　Gaya.

　Fires are burning and ration bread and soup are being distributed to everyone.

'Yes, Marl.'
Oh, thanks, Miss Illtimina.

　The kind sister got one for me, too.

　My sister Solstice asks.

''What about ... my portion?''
'Go and get it yourself. I can't be away from Merle for long.
..........

　Err.....

　On the back of the girl who sadly went to receive her rations, I was unable to say anything to her.

　Just like that, it's lunch time.

　Except for Kirt-san, all of us have received our ration lunches and are returning to the front of the cavalry car.

(Quilt-san, you're late.)

　Our rule is that we don't start eating until everyone has gathered.

　Solstice, the gourmand girl, was staring at the bread and soup with a hint of trepidation.

　And.

Sorry I'm late.

　Ms. Kilt has finally returned.

　Solstice's lips twitched as she took her seat.

'You're late. What have you been up to?'
No, a pterosaur flight was sent to Wawa and the others. I was just checking on it.

Pterodactyl.

　I stared at her.

　Mr. Kilt looked around at us and finally settled his gaze on the blonde little girl.

　And.

We were informed that Colon left the Kingdom of Shumuria yesterday without incident.

　I said.

　Pic.

　Poe's little body reacts.　

"I'm on my way to Vega with the delegation. I'm told they won't be arriving in Elfland for three months.
..........

　The young beauty lifts up and looks up at the silver-haired beauty.

　And.

Poe agrees. Thanks for the information.

　She was quiet, and then she uttered her thanks.

(Poe.....)

　I can't help but stare at Poe's profile.

　Solstice lets out a breath.

''I'm sorry to say that Colonchude-sama and the others have left before us...''
'It can't be helped. We're working in a group of 400 people, so we'll inevitably be slower in comparison.

　The girl's sister says calmly.

　She is always sleepy, mysterious High Elf-san.

　I gave her the Exploration Stone Disk while I was in King's Landing.

(I hope she'll find it useful.)

　And I want you to get the 'Divine Spirit Stone' safely and come back to Poe.

(For that, we have to come back safely from the Dark Continent, too.

　Yeah, let's do our best.

　When I looked at her, I saw that Po-chan had cut up her ration of bread and started to eat it like a little animal, munching on it.

　...It's kind of cute.

　We all looked at him with a friendly expression.

''The warriors must also do their part so that they don't lose to the cologne. To do that, we must first prepare ourselves.
Yes.
Yes, sir.
You're right!

　We nodded to each other and brought the day's lunch to our mouths.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Blessed with good weather, we arrived at our destination, the port city of Welka, on the 17th day after we left the royal capital.　

(So this is Welka.)

　It's a town with tropical trees and a somewhat cheerful atmosphere.

　Is it because it's a port town?

　It's like a mix of diverse cultures, different buildings with different tastes, and people dress differently.

(And there are a lot of beasties, too.)

　It reminds me a bit of Vega Country.

　After passing through such a city, the flock of cavalry vehicles we rode headed straight for the harbor.

'Ah, a ship!

　I couldn't help but squeal at the view from the window.

　In the large harbor, there were four sailing ships about the same size as the King's Boat we had been on.

　Each ship had a cannon on board.

(A warship.)

Will we ever get in that one?
Hmm. Yes.

　Kirto nodded.

I've heard that the construction of the ship has been proceeding at a rapid pace since more than a year ago when it was decided to dispatch the settlement team to the Dark Continent. I've heard that they are nowhere near as good as the King's Ship in terms of performance.

(Oh, really?)

　That's kind of encouraging.

　But I guess we wouldn't be able to take on the unknown dark continent if we weren't that good.

　Looking at the four huge ships, the dragon car carrying us proceeded deeper into the harbor.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


The 400 men of the "Fifth Pioneer Group" disembarked from the dragon car.

　As we were instructed by each of them and the number of people were divided into different ships to embark, the five of us, for some reason, were called by General Roberto to visit the port facility building.

(Huh, what's that?)

　Wondering, he confronted General Roberto in what looked like a reception room.

　General.

Princess LeClear asked me to give you this.

　And held out a small wooden box to us.

(From Princess Reclear?)

　It's a rectangular wooden box, about six inches long.

"It's for Mr. Merle and Mr. Poe.
Us?

　Not the quilts?

　Puzzled, I took it on behalf of the two of them.

''Can I open it?''
I don't mind.

　General Roberto nodded.

　Then...........

　I put my finger on the lid of the crate and slowly opened it.

　Kapoop!

　There was a sound of air being let out, revealing the contents.

　The inside of the wooden box was covered with sawdust and white cloth, and two jewels with thin chains connected to them were stored inside.

(What is this...?)

　The gemstone glowed blue, with shimmering Thanatos letters glowing inside.

(What?!)

　I stiffened as I realized what it was.

　Everyone looked suspiciously at my reaction and peered into the crate.

''

　Instantly, the three of us had the same reaction as I did.

　The only one whose reaction didn't change was probably Poe, who had no idea what this gem was.

　General Roberto announced in a stern voice, "It's the 'Bright Stone of Life'.

''It's the 'Bright Stone of Life.'''

　...I knew it.

　If you wear it, even if you lose your life, it is a miraculous treasure that can bring you back to life just once.

　There's no way I'd forget about it.

　It's a miracle that Illtimina and I both survived in the past.

　But...

This is very valuable to us.

　I checked with General Roberto, puzzled.

　The General nodded.

''Your existence as 'Divine Attendants' is absolutely necessary for the future of humanity. Princess Reclear must have made that decision as well.
..........
'In addition to the one that Maar donated to the kingdom, the Shumurian royal family's 'Brilliance of Life' has been added here. Both King Schubert and Princess Lechria are that prepared, and they are expecting and fearing for you guys. I hope you will understand that.

　The King and Princess Reclear.........

　Once again, I look at the two gems.

　He wanted to give us both this miracle.

(....)

　The weight of the honor made my heart tremble.

　And.

Excuse me.

　Seeing me unable to move, Illtimina-san stretched out her hand from the side.

Holding one of the 'Bright Stones of Life' in her hand.

　tsk tsk

　He manhandled me around my neck.

....

　tsk tsk

　The same jewels are placed around Poe's neck.

(Mr. Illtimina....)

　Iltimina-san catches my gaze as I stare at her, and then stares straight back at me strongly.

　Cocoon.

　I nodded widely.

'--Yes.'

　Feeling that will, I nodded my head, prepared to do the same.

　General Roberto's eyes narrowed somewhat dazedly at our appearance.

　And then.

"May your light continue to shine with us, the human race.

　I smiled at him.


　◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　Eventually, we boarded one of the four Pioneer ships.

　The ship was about to leave.

..........

　From my neck, a blue gemstone is held up, shimmering in a small way.

　I touch it with my finger.

　A miraculous gemstone that has returned to me after a year.

　The Solstice.

It's cool, Merle. Let me check it out later, okay?

　I laughed.

　The light smile and the words made me laugh a little, even though I was feeling the weight of many things.

　Illtimina-san and Kilt-san were laughing too.

　And then Poe suddenly looked up above me.

(Hmm?)

　The sun shaded for a moment.

'Oh...!

　I couldn't help but gasp.

　I looked up at the sky and saw these huge dragons with their big wing membranes spread out.

　The heads of the dragons also contained human figures.

Oh, I see that Raydor and the others have arrived.

　Kilt-san laughed.

　The strongest knights in the Kingdom of Shumuria, the majesty of its four dragon cavalry, had all of the pioneers on board buzzing at the majesty of the four horsemen.

　''Guo-On!''

　The dragon howls.

　It's a roar that makes my eardrums tremble and echoes down to my stomach.

　It's powerful, and to think that these mighty dragons are on our side is very encouraging.

　Baffle, Baffle.

　Flapping their massive wings, the four dragons landed like a perch on the masts of the four ships.

(ka, cool....!)

　The dragons are in a very stable position, as if they were designed that way from the beginning.

　The dragon knight lightly waved his hand at us below.

　Then.

　Phuong.

　The sound of a whistle, like a seashell, echoed throughout the surrounding area.

　Zabun.

　The ship began to move.

　Kicking up blue, shimmering waves, the huge hull of the ship slowly made its way towards the distant seas.

''We're finally leaving.''
Yes, sir.

　Holding my muttering hand, Illtimina-san nodded.

　Kilt-san stared at the sea and sky in the direction of our progress, narrowing her golden eyes.

　Solstice held her purple hair in her tiny hands as it fluttered in the breeze.

　Poe stared ahead and exhaled quietly.

　...........

　We, the Fifth Settlers, had set out on a long voyage into the vastness of the sea, towards the unknown dark continent.