"Yeah. I don't even know what happened to me.


　On the way to the demon's gate, Ursula let out a deep breath when she heard what Sora and Kreia had told her.

　Although she had heard a certain amount of information from her superiors, Shukuya and Dialto, most of it was either speculation or just skimming the surface of the facts. I had no way of knowing what was going on, and I had no idea what Kreia had been doing since she left the island.

　Even if she wanted to talk to Ayaka and the rest of her classmates, Ursula had her own duties as a Seirin Bannerman. With the demon tribe stepping up their offensive against the demon's gate, a bannerman guarding the demon's gate doesn't have much time to spend on personal matters. He was worried about his friend's safety, but he could not move for a long time.

　That was why the joy of seeing Kreia safe and sound was so great.

　Ursula bowed to Sora, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.


"Sora, I want to thank you first and foremost. Thank you for saving my friend.

"You're welcome, but I didn't act out of friendship or kindness. You don't have to thank me, I'll pay for it.


　When I said that, Sora laughed lightly. It was a laugh that the old Sora would never have given, and an expression that he would never have made.

　Ursula narrowed her eyes and looked at Sora.

　It wasn't that she was taking the current gloomy attitude seriously. He knew that Sora's attitude was a kind of embarrassment.

　However, the word "compensation" bothered me.

　This time, Sora not only saved Kreia's life, but also went to the imperial capital to find Klimt, who had disappeared beyond the demon's gate, and received a signet ring from the emperor.

　Ursula is not familiar with the situation outside the island, but even so, she understands that Sora's connections and energy are extraordinary.

　What did Sora want from Kreia in return for all that effort? If it was too excessive, Ursula could not remain silent.

　Of course, Ursula, who could not do anything for Kreia, had no right to blame Sora for actually acting. However, I think that I can shoulder the price imposed on Kreia.

　When Ursula glanced at Kreia, her white-haired friend noticed her gaze and gave her a gentle smile. Then she gave a small shake of her head. He must have noticed Ursula's secret concern and told her not to worry.

　Seeing this, Ursula realized that her fears were unfounded. Whatever the exchange between Sora and Kreia, the look on Kreia's face now told her that there was no need to worry.

　Ursula let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she was a little concerned about Kreia's calmness.

　--It had been a long time since she had seen Kreia so calm.

　And then there was Klimt. It's not surprising that he was more depressed than usual, but now he seems to have a sense of comfort.

　When she was confronting Diarte earlier, Kreia seemed to be maintaining a sense of normalcy even though she was feeling tense. The old Kreia would have been more intimidated in front of her revered brother.

　Ursula thought that something was protecting the softer side of Kreia's heart, and observed her with different eyes.

　The distance between the sky and Kreia in Ursula's eyes was very close. They were not walking hand in hand, but they could easily connect if they wanted to.

　Looking at Kreia, who is walking as close to Sora as possible without disturbing Sora, it's obvious who wants this distance.

　And once you know that much, there's no need to ask. What supports Kreia is her trust or affection for the sky.

　--Could it be that her gratitude for being rescued led to adoration?　

　Ursula put her hand on her forehead and thought about it.

　Normally, she would never pry into another person's love life, nor would she pay any attention to it in the first place, but as a friend of Kreia Belch and Ayaka Azurite, she could not remain indifferent to the scene in front of her.

　My gaze naturally turned to the sky.

　There was no lie in the words I had said earlier, "I was surprised at how much things had changed. Now the sky is looking forward naturally, with its chest outstretched and its feet firmly on the ground. This imposing figure, backed by a strong confidence, was never seen in the "Miken Sora" before he was expelled from the island.

　Just by walking close to him like this, you can see that the sky is filled with a powerful energy. It was clear that my former classmates had grown tremendously, even in this one instance.

　Sora's achievements that Ayaka had told me about the other day - kicking the earth spider in the test ceremony, slaying the demons that had invaded the island, and finally defeating and destroying the demon gods that had appeared in the world - were undoubtedly true. Furthermore, the story that he had defended a demon girl, defeated Gozu, Klimt and Kreia, and slaughtered a dragon species must have been true.

　For Ursula, whose father was killed by demons, Sora's actions were not something she could praise with all her might. However, she was still glad that Sora had obtained the power she wanted.

　In Ursula's vision, the back of the young man walking in front of her overlapped with the back of the boy from five years ago.

　The five year old Sora was weak and inexperienced, and if asked if he was worthy of being the leader of the Seirin Hatamoto, he could only shake his head.

　However, Ursula never belittled Sora for this. He knew that Sora was more aware of his own weakness than anyone else.

　She also knew that Sora had been working hard to change his weakness. Ursula herself once accompanied Sora in his training at his request.

　In the end, her efforts did not bear fruit while she was on the island, but even so, Ursula never disliked Sora Mikken for his sincere dedication to his training. ......


"-Sora.


　I'm not sure what to make of it.

　I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it, but it's a great idea.


What is it?

I'm sure you've heard of it.　Of course, I mean after the whole thing is over.

"That's very abrupt, man.


　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.

　It is true that it was abrupt, I think. The embarrassment of calling the other person's name without being aware of it caused me to say something strange.

　Ursula immediately tried to take back her previous words, but Sora's reply was a little quicker than that.


I don't mind.

"...... Oh, you don't mind?

I don't know if you remember me, but when I was on the island, you used to take me to practice.　Now it's my turn to go with you.


　Ursula's eyes blinked as she heard this.


You remembered the training, didn't you, Sora?

"Yes. I also remember that I was beaten to a pulp without being able to do anything about it.




　Ursula shrugged her shoulders in response to the deliberate glare from the sky.


I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"That's true. Okay, let's do that again this time. Lately I've been hungry for an opponent who can fight with all his might, with mind armor. How about, while we're at it, the loser does whatever the winner says?

"Anything?

Anything.


　Then Sora grinned meaningfully.


If you win, you can even get rid of Kreia's price.


　Apparently, not only Kreia, but also Sora had seen through Ursula's fears. Ursula smiled as she realized this from Sora's words.


I'd really like to hear that. By the way, just for your information, what are you going to demand if you win?　I'd rather you didn't do anything too shameful.


　That was Ursula's idea of a joke.

　Ursula was aware that her body attracted the attention of the opposite s*x, but she knew that the sky would never look at her in that way, even though she had been made aware of it by both Ayaka and Kreia. Ursula naturally believed that Sora would never look at her that way.

　This was because the Sora Ursula knew was sincere when it came to love.

　Five years ago, he had not paid any attention to any woman other than his bride, Ayaka. The relationship between Sora and Ayaka changed inevitably with the expulsion, and it is not clear whether Ayaka still lives in Sora's heart. However, even if a woman other than Ayaka lived in his heart, Sora would be sincere to her. He would not take advantage of a bet and make a move on Ursula.

　As if in response to Ursula's trust, Sora opened his mouth without any sign of being upset.


I'm not going to take advantage of the betting to get my hands on a woman.


　He was about to say that he would not, but suddenly he realized something and shut his mouth. And then he turned his gaze away from Ursula, looking embarrassed.

　Ursula involuntarily looked at the sky with half-lidded eyes.


...... sky?　I'd like you to comfortably assure me that you won't.

"Well, yes, of course I do. No, of course not.


　Ursula put her hands on her temples and exhaled a sigh, looking at Sora, who laughed deliberately.

　Maybe I need to adjust my perception of the sky downward a little bit. As Ursula thought about this, she noticed Kreia's gaze on her.

　Seeing Kreia's red eyes wide open in surprise, Ursula asked suspiciously, "Kreia, what is it?


"Kreia, what's wrong?

It's not that there's anything wrong, but ...... were you and Ursula close?　They seem to be having a very natural conversation. ......


　I'm not sure what to make of this. I didn't mean to behave in a friendly manner.

　However, if you ask me, I think I spoke too much to someone I hadn't seen in five years.

　For someone who rarely exchanges words with others, I was sure that my mouth was moving smoothly.


　--I wonder if it's because he's the one who doesn't need to worry about Uthgarza's family name?


　Ursula interpreted the ease of talking to Sora in that way.

　The Uthgarza family has a long history of serving the Mikado family. The Uthgarza family has a long history of serving the Mikado family, and while they are not as old as the Sky Sheep family or the Kuumon family, they are much older than, for example, the Berch family, which has risen rapidly in this generation.

　To add to that, it was also a family that had dominated the position of Shiko, one of the Four Lords, for many generations.

　However, the name of Uthgarza is never mentioned when names of famous families are mentioned in the Mikken family. On the contrary, most of the people who heard the name of Uthgarza usually frowned in disgust.

　This is closely related to the role of the pirates.

　The role of the Shiko is to maintain order on Onigashima and in the Miken family. His main duty is to crack down on criminals.

　However, it is not ordinary criminals that he deals with. It was the crimes related to the eight flags of Qinglin that Shi Kou cracked down on, in other words, the criminals were the Qinglin bannermen that Shi Kou cracked down on.

　In other words, the criminals who committed the crimes were the ones to whom Shiko was cracking down. It would be easier to understand Shiko as a military police officer cracking down on crimes within the army.

　The Qinglin bannermen had the authority to suspect and probe allies and capture them as criminals. It is difficult to capture them unharmed, since both the pursuers and the pursued are Qinglin bannermen. It was not uncommon for people to die when a pirates attacked.

　In particular, the previous Shiko, Ursula's father, although capable, often took forceful measures, and in the process often caused casualties. He often incurred the enmity of others, and was even openly referred to as the God of Death.

　When her father died, Ursula was still a small child, but she remembers that the funeral was a lonely one with only a few mourners.

　And among those few mourners, Ursula clearly remembers that Ayaka Azurite and Sora Mikken were there. ......