I approach the adventurers who call themselves 'Desert Eagles'. I don't put my hand on my weapon. Slowly and leisurely, I closed the distance between me and my opponent.

　If they attack you, you can counterattack in self-defense. If they can escape under air pressure, that's fine.

　Although the leader of the other side backed away once, he managed to stay on the spot, perhaps because he was concerned about the eyes of others. I was looking back at my opponent, who was staring at me hatefully, and wondering if he could quickly draw his sword from his waistband.


''You guys, what are you doing there!''


　With such a voice, a new group of people break in. They are wearing the familiar Canarian regulars, probably the guards of the castle gate.

　They may have noticed the commotion and rushed over, but judging by the timing, they may be in league with the Desert Eagle. The fact that I thought that was a sign that the reputation of the city of Belka was plummeting in my mind.

　And then the person who looks like the head of the guards walked up to me and angrily shouted with a grim face, "I don't want to--not to me, but to the 'desert hawk'. To me - not to me - but to the 'Desert Eagle'.


'You guys again!　How many times do I have to tell you not to make a scene here!


　There was no color of acting in the guard's bitter voice and the power with which he stared at the adventurers was real. The lower half of the guard's face was covered with a rich beard, which added to his power.

　The leader of the Desert Eagles, who was facing me, looked clearly intimidated by the strong-looking guards, but he still raised his head and began to argue.


We are looking for the elven criminal who bared his fangs to the Desert Falcon!　The arrangements should have been passed around from the political offices. No need to meddle or interfere in any way!

What a 'none of this is useless'!


　In a thunderous roar, the sparrow let out a small "yelp". The reaction was natural, and my eardrums were trembling.

　Perhaps the good hearing of the elves has taken its toll on them, and Lunamaria is frowning unusually.

　Despite our reactions, the guards were closing in sharply on the Desert Eagle.


But that's no excuse for you to do whatever you want!　If you're an adventurer, don't just imitate the authorities, hunt the demons!

'You're going to mess with The Eagle of the Desert!　You think you can get away with that for free--

"Hawks, hawks, hawks, you're talking to the leadership, Mishita!　If you intend to damage Belka's reputation any further, you're the ones who will be punished as criminals!


　With that, the guards disperse the six-man group. As I watched the whole thing, I thought it was surprising that the hawk of the desert had easily retreated, but -- well, is it natural that the response to the outsider and the guard is different? You can't just point a sword at a regular soldier, either.

　The guards who chased away the adventurers came over to us as if they were sorry.


''You guys were a disaster as soon as you arrived.


　Then the guard smiled and smiled at the sparrow, mainly at the sparrow. He was careful not to frighten the child.

　He has a tough face, but he seems to be a good person - though his smile is a bit like that of a grizzly bear who finds a beehive.

　Thinking about this, I thank the guards.


'Thank you for saving me,'


　Then the other side raised its right eyebrow with a surprising look on its face. Maybe they were expecting a stern response from my mood.

　The guard's expression quickly changed and he waved his hands from side to side as if in a panic.


''No, no, there's no need to thank me. It's our duty to keep the travelers safe.


　After that, the guard looked in the direction where the Desert Eagles had left off and added bitterly, "Normally, it is our duty to control such people.


Normally, it is our duty to control people like that. But ever since the Silver Star was gone, the Desert Hawk has changed a lot.

'The Silver Star', sir?

'Oh, you don't know "The Silver Star"?　Judging by the bravery of your hips, you must be an adventurer or a mercenary, right?　Even though they've already broken up, I've only heard rumors about it - haha, you, is this your first time with Belka?

''Yes. I didn't even know about The Desert Eagle until a moment ago, let alone The Silver Star.

I see.


　The guards nodded widely as if they were convinced, and continued to speak with gestures.


The 'Silver Star' and the 'Desert Eagle' are both A-ranked parties that belong to this city's adventurers' guild. As I said before, the 'Silver Star' has already been disbanded, but both parties have over twenty members, and on top of that, they are all very good at what they do. Even the guild's staff was known to be unable to talk about these two.


　They huff and puff at the information that comes out of their mouths.

　The following is a summary of the story of the Stiff Faces Guards.

　Because Belka uses the power of adventurers to defend the city, the Adventurer's Guild has a lot of influence. This is the same with Ishka.

　And the two parties that had great power in that guild were the 'Silver Star' and the 'Desert Eagle'. The number of members, strength, and achievements of both parties were almost equal, and it is said that they were locked horns in a relationship. The leader of the Silver Star had a strong sense of justice, while the leader of the Desert Eagle was the type who would do anything to achieve his goal, and it was said that the two leaders did not see eye to eye.

　However, it is a fact that the competition between the two was the lifeblood of the Belka Guild, and when desert monsters attacked, the two would compete with each other to take the lead in fierce battles to protect the city. Because of this, the residents were very supportive, and the two parties continued to be symbols of the city of Belka for a long time.

　That equilibrium was upset a few months ago. The main members of the 'Silver Star' who had gone out to investigate the unexplored areas of the desert had been wiped out. To be exact, deaths have yet to be confirmed, but if those who were accustomed to desert adventures wouldn't return for a few months, it was hard to imagine an outcome other than death.

　The unreturned members were all top-ranking players, including the leader, and the remaining Belka members would not be able to hold the A-rank by themselves. In addition, the remaining members were not a monolith, and in the end, the A-ranked party, the Silver Star, ended up being disbanded.

　As a result, the power of the only remaining A-ranked party, the Desert Eagle, doubled. The number of members also increased greatly, and not a few of them used the name of the 'Desert Eagle' to behave arrogantly - this was what the guards had told me.


The 'Desert Eagles' also have some old-timers who understand things in their own way, but the younger guys are not much different from the guys from earlier. You'd better be careful about the elven girls over there. You can always count on us for help. I'm sure you're not trained to be on par with those guys.


　After that, the guard patted his face with a smoothie and gave a big bow with a new expression on his face.


He said, "I'm sorry to be late, but I'll do my job - welcome to Belka, lads. As a matter of fact, don't think that these people are all that's left of Belka. This is a city of no comers and no go-getters, a city of dreams, money and greed, and more than enough to keep you busy. Whatever your goals are, I hope they come true in this city.





　Afterwards, Lunamaria was questioned, but all she was asked about was her name, whether the robes of the wise men were real, and finally, where she would be staying in Belka.

　The guards say that even though the arrangements are not for the thugs, they don't care about them at all. He laughed and said, "Where in the world do you find wanted criminals wearing wise man's robes?

　After our interrogation, the guards saw us off and we stepped onto the main street. Immediately, the streets of Belka burst into view, overflowing with people.

　There are armed adventurers, bards playing musical instruments, merchants setting up stalls, and men in incendiary outfits calling out to men on the street, perhaps as touts in a tavern or maybe in a brothel.

　A sparrow is scurrying about in a frightened state, looking around at the vibrant streets, which may seem too noisy. The prosperity of Belka must have been impressive to Sparrow, who knows the bustle of Ishqa and the royal city before the Stampede.

　As I've mentioned before, the Catalan Desert, which stretches west of Belka, is not only a major habitat for demons, but also a source of countless riches such as gold, silver, salt, spices, and spices.

　There is no end to the riches of the desert, and there is no end to the riches that can be drawn from it. The bustling scene in front of us was a clear testament to the value of the Catalan Desert.


Master, what are you going to do after this?

We'll head for the inn for now. We'll meet up with Ilaria-- and the sparrow!


　The sparrow that had been walking ahead of me, intrigued, was about to be swept away by a wave of people, so I hurriedly reached out my hand and pulled the girl's body closer to mine.

　The sparrow, which settled into my arms with a thud, bowed her head while holding her horn-covered hat in her hands.


''Gee, I'm sorry, thank you!

You're welcome. Just in case we get separated, we'll hold hands to make sure we don't get separated.


　When I held out my left hand, the sparrow's eyes fluttered in confusion, but she eventually grabbed my hand in a reluctant manner.


'In that case, so am I.'


　Lunamaria, who was listening to the conversation, picks at the edge of my sun-shielded cloak. She did not try to grip her free right hand, probably out of consideration for the swordsman's dominant hand.

　This time it was my turn to blink my eyes, not the sparrow's.

　Out of the corner of my eye, Lunamaria is tilting her head with a clear face, as if to say, "What's the problem? I almost opened my mouth to say something - in the end I couldn't think of anything, so I just closed it.

　After a few minutes of shuffling around in a huddle, we arrive at the inn where we had stayed with Ilaria before.

　When we entered, we were met with strange looks from everywhere. Well, it's not an inn for adventurers to stay at, so it can't be helped.

　However, the owner at the reception desk seemed to remember my face, and he's been talking to one of the employees about something. He must have gone to call for Ilaria, because he saw the employee hurrying up the stairs.

　My prediction was correct, and before long Ilaria came down the stairs as if in a panic. I'm sure you'll be able to see that she is in good health and not injured.

　A young girl appeared behind her, looking very nervous. She was older than a sparrow in years, probably about the same age as Seal. She was wearing the priest's uniform of the Hokage.

　Ilaria is pointing at me and talking to me about something, so I'm sure we know each other, but...well, who is it?　I thought it was a friend I'd made in the temple while gathering information, but I don't think Ilaria would introduce me to an ordinary friend.

　With a vague whiff of trouble, I approached Ilaria.



　As it turned out, the girl was a childhood friend of Ilaria's. In other words, she was a resident of Merte Village. She was also a childhood friend of Lars, who was sold into slavery as a child due to the hardships of life and drifted to Belka.

　As mentioned above, the girl is wearing the priestly uniform of the Dharma God. And on her chest, a seal (emblem) in the shape of a silver star was shining.