When I heard Joel's story, I had my doubts about legalistic religion.

　But I knew that my doubts were based on the one-sided information of the black knight in front of me. It wouldn't be fair to just accept one side of the argument and cast doubt on the other.

　It didn't look like Joel was lying, but then again, it didn't look like Cardinal Sairala was lying either.

　Besides, there's something definitively missing from Joel's story.

　It's the purpose for which the Hokage conspired to kill Alou.

　The first thing that comes to mind is the plot that Alou found out about the conspiracy and the ugly news of the Hokage religion and that he had to keep his mouth shut, but the Hokage religion is the largest sect on the continent and the state religion of the Ad Astera Empire. Its apex pope is also the king of the Holy Kingdom of Caritas.

　I'm not sure if a deadly conspiracy or an ugly story exists that would compel the Dharma God religion, which has transcended the boundaries of religion and even gained secular power, to conspire to kill Arrows. I can't imagine it.

　Even if the Dharma God religion had such a secret, it raises another question. Namely, where did Alou get the important information that could be fatal to legal theism?

　Until this point is clarified, Joel's story is a matter of speculation.


I'd like to hear from Cardinal Sairala as well.


　The fact that he uttered that was an indication that he wasn't going to believe your opinion one way or the other.

　Joel seemed to get it exactly right and shrugged lightly.


'They'll be eating at you with their eyes triangulated, I'm sure. You see, like the priestess who accompanied you. Oh yeah, speaking of accompanying you, the silver-haired one who was with you, the elf. That's the one who got into trouble with the guys below us, right?


　Suddenly, Joel changes the subject. I guess he is referring to the elven criminals I heard a glimpse of earlier.

　By the way, the answer to the question is yes. I'm sure the answer to the question is yes, because I heard it directly from Wisteria.

　When Wisteria was walking the streets in search of information on Behemoth, she was suspected by a group of Desert Eagles, and in the course of their struggle, she injured one of them.

　I could have blurted out the other side's question, but I nodded without much hesitation. Unlike being wanted by the legal gods for the destruction of a city, this one's arrangements are not much of a problem. That was clear from the guard's words from sometime ago. I was confident that I could cut through whatever Joel had to say.

　Seeing that I nodded easily, Joel chuckled.

　After that, what the Black Knight uttered was not an accusation, but a deal.

　From now on, 'Desert Eagle' will not get involved with Wisteria, and the arrangements will be dropped. In exchange, this one will pay the wounded person's medical expenses and consolation money. That was the deal.

　I accepted this. As mentioned before, the arrangement of the Desert Falcon is not a big problem, but if we leave it unattended, it will cause problems for the unrelated elves who will visit Belka in the future. It's a good thing that I'm not going to be able to get away with it.

　........Perhaps this story will be passed on inside the Desert Eagle in the form of 'the leader made the dragonslayer admit his wrongdoing' and Joel's stock will rise. Well, it would be great if that would settle the situation. If an agreement was reached between the Commander and the Dragonslayer, the hawk's lackeys would not complain.

　I looked at Joel, who was still stirring up the fire wine, and gave a small shrug.


◆◆◆


　At the same time.

　At the Alwet Oasis in the western Catalan Desert, one of the soldiers working the night watch was yawning loudly and was being warned by another soldier.


'Hey, if the captain finds you, he'll have you arrested. I'm not saying you shouldn't yawn, but at least cover your mouth. I don't want to get caught in the middle.

Oops, that's okay. I thought we'd get a good look at the moon today.


　The soldier who yawned apologized while scratching his head. As if prompted by his voice, the soldier who had been paying attention also turned his gaze to the sky.

　In the cloudless night sky of the desert, a large moon was floating just as my partner had said. A golden glow that hazed the stars in the sky. A bard might have been inspired by a poetic sentiment, but what the soldier felt at this moment was not poetic sentiment, but a sense of dread.


'........it's like a big monster's eyes. It's as if it's staring at you from the sky.

Ha-ha, what's that?


　The soldier stares at his beaming partner and opens his mouth to say something back. But he quickly reconsidered, kept his mouth shut, looked into the tube and resumed his mission.

　Here in Alwet is the closest oasis to the unexplored area and is often attacked by demons. The responsibility of the guards is heavy, and the most important among them is the guard on the west side where the unexplored area is located - in other words, they were themselves. Most of the demons that attack Alwet emerge from the west. There is no time for frivolous talk.

　The desert today is illuminated by the twinkling moonlight, and there seems to be no need to be so nervous, but it's better to be cautious than to be careless, of course.

　After that, the soldier continued to keep watch, while appropriately dealing with his partner who was talking to him vaguely. After a short while, the eyes that were looking into the watchtower become narrowed.


".........the 'sand wall' is subsiding, isn't it?


　The huge dust storms that frequently occur in the unexplored areas could be seen from this lookout point. They are especially visible on a bright moonlit night like today.

　In fact, just a few moments ago, a thick cloud of dust could be seen in the distance. It is gradually disappearing. At this rate, it would be completely gone by the end of the night.

　If the Silver Star was still alive and well, it would have headed for the unexplored area with great joy - that's what the soldier thought and smiled sadly.


　The silence of the night was broken by the fierce sound of bells.


　The sound, which is being struck as if to echo throughout the oasis, is an alarm bell that tells of a demon attack. Of course, it wasn't the two people here who rang it.

　The soldier said in a sharp voice.


''North?!''

...or is it South's ringing, too?


　I raised an eyebrow at my partner's words and listened carefully. Then, sure enough, the alarm bells could be heard from the south.

　The soldier sticks his tongue out a bit.


From the north and from the south. That's not good. At times like this, it's usually from the west as well.


　Those ominous words soon became a reality.

　A plume of sandy smoke flooded in from the west, illuminated by the moonlight. It was clearer than the fire that it was a swarm of demons, forcing the soldier to click his tongue again.


'At last!　Hey, ring the bell!


　The soldier who had given his partner the go-ahead, himself leaning out of the lookout tower, shouted loudly to his colleagues below, "They're coming from the west, too! I called out.

　Again, it was not unusual for the Alwet Oasis to be attacked by demons. But it was indeed not often that they were attacked on three sides at the same time. If it appeared from the east as well, this oasis would have been completely surrounded. If that happened, there would be no way for them to retreat to the Leelo Oasis.


''There's no such thing as a Demonic Beast Runaway (Stampede)... right?


　Massive outbreaks of desert monsters. Sometimes it would swallow all the oases scattered across the Catalan Desert and even reach the walls of Belka.

　I'd like to think that it's indeed not an attack of that scale - but as the soldier was thinking about that, the area suddenly went quiet. His partner stopped beating the alarm bell.

　The soldier stared at his partner, who was stunned in some way, and said in a strong tone of voice: "Hey, don't stop the alarm bell.


''Hey, don't stop the alarm bell!　If we don't stop them, they'll think the attack on the west was a false alarm!

Uh.....

"Hey, we're not fooling around!　Get a grip!


　Now the soldier's voice was completely angry. However, his partner still didn't move. His eyes were wide open as if they were tense, and he was staring in the direction of the west, stunned.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this in the future.

　In his field of vision, he saw a group of demons that were close enough to see with the naked eye, and the desert at night, illuminated by moonlight. And the 'wall of sand' in the distance - thinking that far, the soldier was struck with a strong sense of discomfort. He looked into the watchtower in a hurry.

　The wall of sand, which he had just judged would subside soon, was about to reappear?

　No, no. That's the 'Wall of Sand' - it's not a sandstorm. What looked like a sandstorm were countless demons. A swarm of uncountable demons, overlapping like a single living creature, writhing around each other.

　No, no, that's not it either.

　There are countless demons. Certainly there are. But there are more huge demons than that.

　Big. So big that I am lost for words. That huge body from so far away. If you look at it up close, how big is it?

　If you were to get a hold of it, you would be able to kick Arwet Oasis off with your toes. The Leelo Oasis would be crushed with one foot. Even the city of Belka would not be able to enclose that huge body.

　What the soldier thought was a 'wall of sand' was the giant beast that covered the horizon and the countless demons swarming to protect that giant beast.


''What... what the hell is that...?''


　The stunned soldier's voice echoed vainly on the watchtower.

　If the soldier had been more calm in his observation, he would have noticed that some of the demons in the flock were sinking their fangs into the giant beasts. The giant beasts were walking around the desert being eaten by the demons.

　If they were able to notice this fact, they might be able to figure out the identity of the giant beast from the desert legend.

　........Although, even if they were able to find out its true identity, it didn't change the outcome of the attack on the Alwet Oasis from now on.





　That's the reason for the world that bears the name of illusion

　The incarnation of a violent eater who drinks up great rivers, sips the fertile soil, and bites the spiritual leader in half.

　I will look up to the sky and roar to eat the light of the stars

　I'm not wetting the ground and crying to tell you to eat me

　Its flesh to flesh and its blood to water.

　Reigning over the sandy earth, with hunger and thirst

　His name is Covetousness (Behemoth).

　His name is Devotion (Behemoth).

　The Mother of Beasts, the King of Beasts, the Mother of the Desert.