Mr. Quilt!

　I ran up to Mr. Kirto, who had returned to the audience.

　Solstice, who is faster than me, said, "Kiltoo! And tackle its abdomen first.

'Oof!'

　Mr. Kilt let out a strange voice at the shock, which was stronger than he had expected.

　Solstice's voice was tearful.

Glad you're okay.

　I say.

　At the sight of her, Mr. Kilt smiled and stroked the girl's hair with a wishy-washy stroke.

　Everyone laughed at that, too.

　Me, too.

'We won, Mr. Kilt.'

　I almost laughed at that.

　Mr. Kilt looked at me.

　Then he looked at me, a little annoyed.

The result. The result, however, was that we were evenly matched in strength. It was only the difference in weapons that allowed us to pick up the victory.

　I said.

　Apparently, Kirt-san himself was not satisfied with this victory.

　Indeed, if Kirt-san's weapon wasn't a Thanatos magic armor, he might not have been able to win against that hero, Pardooine-san.

(But.........)

　Still, it's possible that Mr. Kilt wouldn't have lost.

　Besides, that was an all-out battle.

　Even if Kirt-san hadn't used the 'Great Sword of Thunder' in order to eliminate the difference in weapons, surely she wouldn't have been able to give her all with any other unfamiliar weapon.

(That would be disrespectful to Ms. Pardewan, too.)

　So for me, I'm pretty sure that Mr. Kilt won this time.

　When I told them that, they all nodded.

　Even so, though, Kirt-san still looked complicated.

''Nevertheless,''

　When Mr. Reidle saw Mr. Quilt like that.

'Kilt was getting strong again, wasn't he? I honestly didn't expect him to be able to go toe-to-toe with a warrior like that.

　I said.

　General Roberto nodded.

'Before you know it, you've raised your arm again,'
"Hmm.

　Mr. Kilt pondered the praise for a moment.

　Then he looked at me.

'Well, maybe that's because of Merle.
What?

　Me?

　Kirt-san nodded at my scowling.

'While traveling with Marle, Warawa also fought many strong enemies. That experience must have strengthened him.

　His hand strokes my hair.

　Sneeze, sneeze.

If I hadn't met Marle and come to the Dark Continent, the strawberries might have been killed here.

　What did I say?

(Do you think so?)

　I nodded my head in my mind.

'Still, I have a feeling that Mr. Quilt would be able to handle it, though, I suppose.

　I said so honestly.

　Hearing that, General Roberto, Mr. Reidl and Mr. Aase looked at each other.

''I see.''
'How can you not be strong if you're constantly looking at me like this?
You're a true master, Your Majesty.

　The three of them nod to each other.

　Mr. Kilt chuckles.

　I don't know what that means and I'm confused.

'What I mean is that meeting Marle was a good match for Kilt.

　Illtimina-san smiled at that.

　Amieukel-san muttered, 'That's very Mar-dono,' Solstice cowered her shoulders, and Po-chan nodded, 'Yeah, yeah.

　Torkia knew that their 'hero' had been defeated, but she knew how amazing Kirt-san was with her, and she was giving him a new look of respect.

　Just like that.

It was brilliant.

　A beautiful voice fell from above us.

(Ah.)

　Looking up, in the noble seat ahead of me was Her Majesty, the beautiful Empress who ruled the 'Toluga Empire'.

　Her eyes gazed at Kirt-san.

　And.

That was a great victory, 'Hero of Shumuria'.

　I send you a straightforward compliment.

　There is no ulterior motive there.

　I admire the depth of their gracefulness in admitting their defeat.

　His Majesty the Empress Ameldas says, "'Hero of Shumuria,'

''The Hero of Shumuria had weapons worthy of a hero. But the Hero of Toluga didn't get a weapon worthy of a hero. This is my fault. And this is the defeat of Toluga.
..........
'You will be proud, Shumurian warriors!　You are the 'mighty winners'!

　Pan, pan.

　Their white hands clapped.

　At the same time, the 100,000 Truga warriors who had gathered together also applauded with cheers.

　There was no hostility on their faces.

　The only thing there is pure is respect.



　I chew on that fact.

As the arena erupted in roars of joy, the Empress Ameldus looked at us and said.

You've proven your strength by passing the three tests. Then I will fulfill my promise and give you the information about the 'Spirit Stone' you seek.

　I told him so.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Then the ten of us were led near the top of the giant triangular-shaped Toluga Imperial Castle.

　It was an observation room with a great view.

(Ugh...)

　The walls on all four sides were made of highly transparent glass, from which we could see the panoramic view of the imperial capital, Leda, and the fertile Truga land beyond.

　Sprawling grasslands.

　Great rivers.

　Dense forests.

　The blue sky was filled with flocks of bright red birds that I had never seen before.

　And below, there is the glow of Leda, the Imperial Capital, where many people gather and flourish.

　...........

　This is the true nature of the world called the 'Dark Continent'.

(How majestic and beautiful it is.............　

　The view, full of life, made me want to cry.

　The other nine people were also fascinated by the view from here.

　Her Majesty Ameldas, the Empress who rules this land, seemed satisfied with our appearance.

(Hmm...?

　It was then that I noticed a great mountain range at the edge of the horizon to the north of here.

　That was

Demertas.

(What?)

　Next to me as I stare into his eyes, before I knew it, His Majesty the Empress Ameldas was standing next to me.

　Her red eyes, wrapped in blue eyeshadow, stared at the mountain range at the end of the earth.

　And then.

The 'Spirit Stone' you seek is probably in that mountain.

　I said.

(!)

　The sudden and shocking statement startled the ten of us.

''Really?!''

　I ask back.

　I realized after I said it that it was impolite.

　I was flustered, but the generous Empress didn't seem to mind my childish comment and slowly sat down on the throne that had been prepared in the observation room.

''In the past, a calamity known as the 'Land of the Black Death' occurred in this land.

　.....................

　I know.

　It was an event where the demons of the Divine Demon War flew to this land of Toluga and sprinkled destruction and death.

　His Majesty the Empress Ameldas speaks.

The Black Giant, which caused the disaster, was defeated by the White Giant. It is said that the White Giant had the Stone of Brilliance in his hand. And it was in the Demertus Mountains that the White Giant defeated the Black Giant, risking its own life.

("Stone of Brilliance"...?)

　thumping

　When I heard those words, for some reason my heartbeat became stronger.

I don't know if the 'divine spirit stone' and the 'radiance stone' you are looking for are the same thing," he said. I don't know if the 'Spiritual Stone' and the 'Luminous Stone' you are looking for are one and the same, but they are the only ones I can think of.

　Announcing this, His Majesty the Empress Ameldas exhales.

　.............

　Indeed, there may be no guarantee that the 'Stone of Radiance' is a 'Divine Spirit Stone'.

(But it does bother me, strangely enough.)

　When people asked me why, I had trouble answering, but the feeling never left me.

　As I pondered.

...hmm?

　For some reason, the other eight people, except for Turkia, were looking at me.

(What?　(What?)

　Even His Majesty the Empress Ameldus looked dubious at the sight of a large group of adults staring at one child.

　Then, Illtimina-san opened her mouth.

''What did Marle think after hearing what you just said?''
What?

　It is.

''I don't know if that 'radiance stone' is a 'divine spirit stone' or not, but it kind of bothered me a lot.'''

　I answered honestly.

'I see.'

　Ms. Illtimina nodded.

　Then she looked at Mr. Kilt.

　Ms. Kilt nodded.

If Marle's gut feeling is that way, then it's probably more likely.

　I said.

　And everyone else nodded.

(Huh?)　(Wait a minute?)

　I panicked.

　But Ms. Illtimina smiled kindly at me.

I don't mind if they're wrong. There's just no other way to be sure, and in that case, we'd like to trust Merle's instincts.

　Then he stroked my head.

　..........

(Are you sure?)

　I would be confused, but there was a deep trust in the eyes of everyone looking at me.

　The Solstice.

If you miss, you'll be very responsible.

　What a teasing way to say it.

　And they all laughed happily, for some reason.

　I was happy to see their smiles and the warm trust they had in me, and I laughed, too, as if I were in trouble.　

　His Majesty the Empress Ameldas looked at us in wonderment.

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

　Then he looked at me curiously and narrowed his eyes.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


"Thank you for the valuable information, Your Majesty Ameldus.

　The ten of us, led by General Roberto, bow our heads.

　Her Majesty looks around at us.

Are you going?

　He asked.

　We nodded strongly, "Yes.

　I don't know if it's really the Divine Spirit Stone, but if there's a possibility of it, I thought we should find out for sure.

　As we made up our minds, Her Majesty was silent.

　Leaning her weight on the back of her chair, she gazed at the distant landscape.

The Demertas Mountains are a haven for the 'Black Great Ape'.

　I said.

'This year, it's also the big breeding season, which happens once every seven years. On top of that, for some reason, there seems to be a large breeding season that is several times larger than usual. The number of them exceeds several hundred thousand. It won't be easy to even get to them.

　Is that a statement of concern for us?

　But even if it's dangerous, we have to go.

　That will and determination seemed to have been conveyed to the Empress.

　She let out a breath.

A crisis of the world.

　I muttered.

　We nodded.

　Even if we spared our lives and stomped our feet here, the Child of Darkness wouldn't wait for us. In the meantime, he'll get the power to destroy the world, and he'll do it.

(I won't let him do that.)

　I really need to go for that.

　His Majesty the Empress Ameldus was pondering.

　And.

"In a time of world crisis, you came to this land, and as if to thwart your purpose, in the Demertas Mountains, an unusually large breeding season of the 'Black Great Apes' occurred.
..........
I see. So that's what cause and effect looks like.

　She said so quietly.

　Then there was a light in her eyes as she looked at us and made a decision.

'Very well.'
..........
"In order to protect the people against the spread of the Black Great Ape, I was going to send 100,000 of the Tolga Warriors to the Northern Perimeter. And I will add you to it.

(What?!)

　She laughed at our astonishment.

I've grown tired of that black beast," she said, "and I'm going to march on the Demertas mountains and wipe them out. We'll march into the Demertas Mountains and eradicate them all. At that time, you should look for that Spiritual Stone.

　It was an unexpected word.

　That means that he's going to help us in our 'search for a divine spirit stone'.

(Ah.........)

　A light shone on the hopeless situation.

　A mere 400 people had to face hundreds of thousands of 'Black Great Apes', and now they had the support of 100,000 Toluga warriors.

　How could this be possible........

''Thank you, Your Majesty Ameldas!

　I'm so impressed, I say a few words of thanks.

　Then, we all bowed our heads deeply.

　Looking down at us, the great Empress Ameldas of the "Toluga Empire" responded with a graceful smile and nodded vigorously.