A few days after the battle in the forest of Titis, I still remained in the city of Ishka.

　Originally, I should have left for Belka before I left, but due to a series of unexpected events, such as the undead attack and the appearance of the Pope, I was forced to change my plans.

　One of the reasons why they decided to do so was because they no longer needed to rush to secure the horns of the King of Beasts (Behemoth).

　According to His Holiness, the horn of the beast king (behemoth) is a tool that can be used to strengthen and maintain wards, but it doesn't mean that you can't set up wards without it.

　As long as you have the right techniques and personnel, the warding spell can be activated. This visit to the Canary Kingdom will bring a three-digit number of clerics from the Holy Kingdom, and His Holiness assures us that there will be no problems with the strength and maintenance of the wards for the time being.

　However, it was indeed impossible to keep that many priests - those highly virtuous priests who were in the forefront of the Holy Kingdom - in other countries for months, years, or even longer because of the poison that could disappear at any moment.

　After all, it was necessary to obtain the horn of the King of Beasts (Behemoth) or its replacement. However, it was not a matter of a moment's notice. According to what I've heard, the Hokage religion has already begun searching for the Behemoth, so in that sense, there was no need for me to move around in a hurry.

　So, what I was doing while I was staying in Ishqa was helping to build a ward magic. To be more specific, I took His Holiness on Klau Solas and looked around the Titis Forest from the sky.

　He looked around the distribution of the poison from the sky, figured out a suitable position for the base point of the warding, and then set up the base point on the spot. This would normally be the kind of work that would require all the advance team members to work together, but His Highness was quietly doing it all by himself. Of course, I helped when hard work was required.

　Speaking of the advance team, I expected some complaints about me working alone with His Highness, but that was not the case, and instead, the older captain bowed to me, saying, "Please take care of His Highness.

　When I asked him distantly if he had any complaints, the captain gave me a pouting look that didn't match his age, and then he laughed loudly as he realized my intentions.


It is impossible for me to feel any animosity towards a man who single-handedly destroyed the King of the Immortals, even though I respect him. And if His Holiness wishes to do so, what is the matter with you?


　The grand old church knight said these words and then added in a low voice: "I must confess that I was skeptical about the arms of the Dragonslayer.


I must confess that I was skeptical of the dragon-slayer's bravery, but now that I have witnessed your bravery, there is no room for doubt. But now that I have witnessed your valor, there is no room for doubt. If it's all right with you, I'd like to see you continue to serve as His Highness' bodyguard, that I do.


　If so, the rank of holy knight is not a dream - the captain said that under the guise of a joke, but the look in his eyes seemed to be quite serious.

　The immortal king was such a troublesome monster.

　Incidentally, the information about Sharamon and the Night Meeting was again given to me by His Holiness after the earlier discussion. When I asked him about the possibility of another attack, His Holiness shook his head and replied.


''Those who belong to the Night Association are generally very cautious. The third-ranked Sharamon was destroyed outside of the Holy City without a ward--I don't think they will move immediately in the face of that fact.


　In fact, the three immortal kings that His Holiness had destroyed in the past were also just challenged individually by each of them, but they didn't seem to be working together.

　Well, in the extreme, for those who had obtained immortality, they wouldn't feel the need to move in a hurry, because if they waited for His Holiness to grow old and die, the threat would disappear. However, even so, there was no doubt that they would be an eyesore, so it seemed to me that they were in a state of confrontation where, like Sharamon this time, if there was an opening, they would set it up.

　--And although I tried to comment on it as if it were someone else's problem, will I, who defeated Sharamon, also be included in that conflict in the future? When I asked about it, His Holiness looked at me with a faint tilt of his head.


''You have the credit for destroying the Immortal King. Once the world learns of your achievements, the Night Meeting will definitely take an interest in you. What color that interest will take on, one can only speculate, but with a blade that can reach the underworld, you are their natural enemy. And I don't think there is an immortal king who would tolerate the existence of a natural enemy.

Would that be correct?


　His Holiness had a point. For someone who had a connection with Sharamon, he would also be an avenging enemy, so the likelihood of them becoming enemies is even greater.

　There's nothing to fear when the Yoru-kai has become an enemy - to me. However, the Immortal King is a threat to the people around me. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get away with it.


''In that case, I'd like you to keep the fact that I slayed Sharamon and this thing under wraps.

Are you sure?　I may not be a big talker, but the reason why a young man like me was able to rise to the position of Pope was because of my death by killing an immortal. In addition to this, you have also accomplished the slaying of a dragon. This is truly an achievement that will be revered throughout the continent.


　Are you going to throw that glory away with your own hands?

　The reason I wanted fame by creating a clan is because I wanted a position where I wouldn't have my head held down by the Adventurer's Guild. In that sense, the fame of being a dragon slayer is enough to make change. On top of this, if His Holiness the Pope was soon to be praised for the feats of an immortal slayer, there would definitely be more trouble than the benefits he could gain.

　The result of that battle was the safety of Lunamaria and Miroslav. I wasn't going to ask for anything more than that.




　While His Holiness and I were having such conversations with His Holiness, I was also talking to the Clan members. I was mainly listening to what happened while I was away, but there were times when I would direct questions at them.

　I'm sure you'll be able to see the frustration on the faces of Luna Maria and also the sparrows. There was also a vaguely thoughtful look on their faces.

　As proof that this was not their imagination, they have always desired to accompany Belka with an eagerness that was not there. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but you have to be careful not to get yourself killed.

　The desperate look on their faces was something I had never seen before, and I accepted their request to accompany them. At the same time, I felt the need to hear their detailed stories.

　Both men are serious at heart, with Lunamaria harboring a strong sense of remorse and Sparrow harboring a deep sense of gratitude toward me, so they tend to keep their mouths shut whenever they want to say something.

　If this were an everyday occurrence, I could have waited until they opened their mouths, but it's not a good idea to wait and see what happens with them now. Somehow, I felt that way.

　And with this kind of problem, putting it off until later usually yields bad results.

　So I went out into the garden with the sparrow on the day I talked to them. I sit down on a bench near the trees. It was my regular position when I would talk to a sparrow.