A few days after the stampede occurred, the trio appeared on the defensive line protecting Ishka.

　They had come from the royal capital Horus, and each of them had a distinctive appearance.

　A large, cloud-like man wearing an eastern style armor, with translucent white hair and a cloud-like appearance.

　A woman with translucent white hair and ruby eyes. Dressed in a yagasuri kimono and a scarlet hakama, this was something rarely seen in the Canary Kingdom.

　The other young man, like the woman, had white hair and red eyes, probably a sister and brother. Unlike the other two, he was not dressed in an outfit that was recognizable as an Easterner at first glance, and he wore gray-brown robes with a terribly cold expression.


　All three wore swords on their waists and asked to participate in a defensive battle. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.


　-- the power of the three of them was overwhelming. Whenever a crowd of demons rushed in, they stood in front of the demons like giant rocks blocking a torrent, cutting down the hits with every fiber of their being.

　Their appearance is truly that of a one-horse race.

　At first, the Ishqa government had planned to buy as much time as possible for the first defensive wall, which was hastily built, and in the meantime, they planned to build the second defensive wall, which would be moved to the first when it fell.

　The plan was to buy as much time as possible and then move on to the third bulwark, during which time they were supposed to prepare the defensive system of the main city of Ishqa.

　However, thanks to the efforts of these three men, even the first defensive wall, which should have been the first to be abandoned, was still intact.

　The second, third and fourth defensive walls had already been completed in the rear, and the defensive line was getting ready to be rock-solid.

　The Stampede, which at one point seemed to be on the verge of falling to Issaquah, might finally end without ever reaching the walls of Issaquah. There was even an opinion that was beginning to emerge.


　It was unanimous that the three men from King's Landing had done the greatest job so far.


　The Canary Soldiers said. They are as good as the best knights, even the best dragon knights, the adventurer said.

　The adventurer said. They are as good as the only three first-class adventurers in the country, the adventurers said.


　They were unknown to those who admired them.

　One day, a white-haired young man, one of the three, overheard the praise and murmured with a spiteful look on his face, "Comparable?


　-- comparable?　It would be a mistake to transcend.


◆ ◆ ◆



"Shiba, how long do you plan to continue hunting small fry in a place like this?

Discontent, Klimt?

'I'm not happy. In the first place, we came to investigate a dead monk in this country. And it turned out that the person who cut the monk was a duke named Dora something. Then all we have to do now is slay him and return to the island. Why do you have to hunt small fry among the weak (scum) in this place?


　The young man called Klimt kicked the ground in abhorrence.


''I'm tired of being called a dragon knight or a first class alongside you. It's just disgusting that they think they are praising you for that. We didn't even put out our heart-dressing.''

'There are different standards of strength on an island and a continent. Common sense and values. "Common sense and values are different on the islands and on the continent. I've already explained to you why we are fighting here. We, as subjects of the Sword, must atone for Jijinbo's rudeness.


　Shiba - when Goz Sima said that, Klimt gave a small shrug.


'It seems like it's too late now, though. When we fight here, the people who died because of the monk aren't going to come back to life.'

But that's just it.


　Goz responded in a grave voice. You will be able to find a lot more information on the subject, but you will also be able to find a lot more information on the subject. Of course, this was not directed at Klimt.

　Goz was furious when he found out what Jijinbo had done after investigating the disturbance in the Canary Kingdom earlier.

　Both in his personal feelings and as the Mitsurugi family's bishop - the assistant to his lord in military matters - what Jijinbo had done was hardly acceptable.


The Itto-ryu is wielded for the purpose of protecting the country and saving the world. It is to protect the powerless. Jirinbo's actions were very contrary to this.


　For this reason, Goz did not plan to take any revenge against the Duke of Dragunot for defeating Jirinbo.

　In truth, he wanted to go to the Duke's residence to apologize for the wrongdoing of his fellow countrymen and to praise the courage of an outsider who had defeated the heart-dresser.

　Klimt nodded his head in annoyance at Goz's words.


I have no intention of disobeying Shima's instructions. It's just that, even so, fighting all these small fish every day like this is going to wear out your arm. Don't you think so too, sister?


　Klimt pointed the water at the woman who had been quietly listening to him.

　The woman, who looked very similar to Klimt, responded with a small shake of her head.


Pride and arrogance are not the same thing, Klimt. Pride and arrogance are not the same thing, Klimt," he said, "and you must not be proud at any time. And you should be more careful with your words. ─ You can be strong, but that's no reason to look down on others.

That's all you do, sister Cryer. The small fry are small fry and the weak (scum) are weak (scum), no matter what you say.


　Klimt, who couldn't get his sister's approval, coldly spat it out. However, the color on his face was not antipathy towards his sister, but the same color as a child sulking.

　That alone would give you an idea of the relationship between this sister and brother.


　Goz observed them in silence.

　The older sister is Crya Berch. The younger brother is Klimt Berch.

　The Belch family is one of the most prominent families in Onigashima, and Goz's Seema family, for example, is not even close to a footnote in terms of family size.

　The Gokens have four chief vassals, known as yonkei, who support the head of the family. The Gokens have four lords: Shito, Shiku, Shihu, Shiko, and Goz's retainer, Shima, and to say that the House of Belch controls up to two of these is a good indication of its power.

　It was believed that the older brothers of Crya Klimt would eventually become the heart of the Gokens.

　This time, Goz was secretly given the task of determining their suitability to serve as future vassals of the House.

　As Goz was thinking about this task, his sister, Crya, spoke up.


''Shiba, I would like to ask you something. It's about the Duke of Dragnaut in the royal capital.''

'You mean Lord Dragnaut?　Hmm, what?

''Does Shiba really think that that person took out the Seirin's bannerman?''　


　Goz's eyes narrowed faintly at Cryer's words. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.


It's a good thing that you're a good user. He is probably at the same level as us, around fifty. With me and Klimt against him, he will not be able to escape the struggle.


　When his brother heard this, he tried to refute it by peeling his eyes away, but Cryer held him back with a wry smile.


It's not a good idea to use a newer version of yourself. You can always win if you use your heart attire. I've heard that Lord Jirinbo's level is over seventy and that he was using his heart attire. I find it somewhat hard to believe that Lord Duke was able to defeat Lord Cihnyobo's opponent.

Is that the only reason you suspect Lord Dragnaut?

Another reason would be the activities of the Duke after the end of the affair. I heard that he moved vigorously in and out of King's Landing in order to rebuild the city that was ravaged by the walkers. In other words, he was able to win a victory against Lord Jirinbo, who was far superior to him in level, without suffering any injuries. I am also suspicious of this point.

I see.


　Goz nodded slowly.

　To tell the truth, Goz was also curious about that. He had been trying to find out what was going on when word of the stampede reached King's Landing, so he hadn't had time to look into it.

　Goz was about to explain to Cryer that he intended to resume gathering information once the stampede was over.


'Excuse me. Is Lord Goz Sima here?


　A voice called out from outside the tent given to the three of them.

　When Goz heard the voice, he raised only his right eyebrow dexterously. This was because the voice that had called out to them was that of a woman.

　Due to their success in the defensive battle, the three of them were given a glance or two by the soldiers and adventurers around them. There are a small number of women in the defense unit, and some of them have asked Goz and Klimt to join them for the night.

　For a moment, Goz was cautious, wondering if he was the one for that sort of thing.

　However, if you listen carefully, the voice of the call does not contain any flirtatious colors. There was no hint of coloration in the content of the conversation either.

　Goz invited two women who claimed to be messengers from the Adventurer's Guild into the tent.

　The two women, who despite their youthfulness were thick-skinned, called themselves Liddell and Parfait, respectively.