Standing on top of the lofty walls of Ishka, I looked down and saw three figures spat out of the gates, running straight north.

　They were the three men of Onigashima, as they were known. Klimt and Goz's injuries were blocked by the magic of the Sailor Priest who rushed in after the roar. They've also taken a strength (stamina) recovery pill (potions), so they won't be able to fight for the time being.

　Klimt, who had recovered from his injuries, clearly looked unhappy with the role they had been assigned, but he didn't try to complain openly. Maybe he thought it was because it was an order from Shiba (Goz), or maybe his sister's persuasion had worked - don't tell me it had anything to do with the fact that he was secretly blushing when he saw the Sailor priest?

　Anyway, the trio would be a shield for the Stampede as I had intended. As for the outside of Ishka, it was going well.


　On the other hand, the inside of the Ishqa was not going as well as I would have liked.

　None of the Clan members were following my instructions to "run".

　Lunamaria is going around tending to the wounded from the chaos in the city. If there were rioters or fire robbers, she would take them down.


''Master. In order for the Sword of Blood and Smoke to become a trusted clan, it is in times of peril like this that it must work.''


　The elven sage (sage) was right. There is no room for dispute.

　But I created the clan in the first place as an allowance for the Adventurer's Guild. I have no intention of improving the status of the clan at the present time, when Ishqa itself, let alone the guild, is about to disappear.

　And this should have been unnecessary to say to Lunamaria.

　After all, she is a founding member of the clan. She knows better than anyone else that I don't have any commitment or feeling for the Sword of Blood and Smoke.

　Nevertheless, what lies in my heart that I dared to mention the name of the Clan and decided to stay in Ishka? I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of the wry smile that Lunamaria spilled when I asked her about it.


　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's not.

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.


''It is my duty to protect my ally (master) from being absent. The first time I was defeated and the second time I escaped, I will not expose myself to such disrespect.


　Beside Miroslav, who was saying it forcefully, the beastly seal was also nodding loudly in approval.

　Even though it wasn't as deep as Miroslav's, Seal's wounds, which had been slashed by Cryer for protecting the sparrow, were also deep.

　Even though the wound itself had been sealed up by the Sailor Priest, the blood that had flowed out would not return soon. They should be resting for a while, but Seal followed Miroslav's lead and took a strength recovery pill and worked to whip his body into shape.

　He knew that he couldn't sleep easy while Miroslav, who was more seriously injured than he was, was moving around without a care in the world.


　The wounded are in such a state across the board. I don't need to tell you what the sparrow, protected by them, did.

　The fear of being attacked by the three men from Onigashima has not yet worn off, but she is doing her best to help Miroslav and Seal. The reason why these two are the ones to help is probably as a precaution in case the condition of the two seriously injured people suddenly changes.

　Yes, he's still a gentle boy.

　I was concerned that the reason for the attack was my own, so I told him he didn't need to worry about it - but I'm sorry to say that I didn't know how much effect my words had on him.

　If I had a little more time, I could talk to you in detail, but right now, I'd rather not have that time.


　It was the responsibility of the priestess Serra and her daughter, too, to bring them here at the worst possible time. It's my duty to send them to a place where there is no danger, but I didn't have enough time to do this either - well, this mother and daughter aren't going to leave Ishqa before that either.

　By the way, my face is now covered with a white cloth from my nose down. The mask that covers my nose and mouth is a measure to protect me from the demon's poison, but it was also made by priest Sela.

　Of course, just wrapping a mere cloth around it won't have much effect. The cloth was a holy cloth - a cloth made from threads of holy water - and it contained the blessing of the Dharma God.


I don't know how effective it will be against the incurable poison that even the earth is guilty of. But it's better than trying to fight it without anything at all.


　Such a Sailor Priest's vestments were missing a large portion of the sleeves.

　The cloth covering my mouth is the same cloth that originally made up the priestly vestments of the Sailor. The priest, who understood the situation, quickly cut it out and sewed it up for me as a mask.

　I'm sure the vestments of the Sailor priest were quite valuable, since Ilaria, who was watching the whole thing, looked up to the heavens in silence.


　-- Totally, all the more reason to not lose.


　The original plan was to be able to fight a bit more lightly like this.

　I've been thinking about this as I looked again at the north direction.

　There was something there that hadn't existed until just a few minutes ago.


　Far to the north, a huge vermilion tower rises from the forest of Titis towards the heavens.

　Depending on how you look at it, it may look like a giant tree, or it may look like a tornado.

　It's only a fist's worth of thickness to look at it this way, but considering the distance between Ishqa and the depths, that thing's actual size could easily swallow the city of Ishqa.

　That much area of soil, trees, and water curled backwards into the sky. Naturally, the animals and magical beasts that live there must also be mixed in. The vermilion color is due to the color of the soil in the depths, but I also suspected that it was because of the blood of many other creatures.


"A disaster born of flesh and blood. A disaster born of flesh and blood.


　It's clear that the anomaly is caused by an illusory species.

　It would not be easy to defeat them, let alone approach them. Even if you surround it with an army of a million people, it will be blown into the sky from the edge of approach and wiped out.

　Are they deliberately deploying a protective barrier, or is the earth screaming at the presence of the illusory species?

　Either way, it was incomparable to the demonic beasts it had fought in the past. It's worthy of the strongest species of illusionary species, the dragon species that stands at the pinnacle of its power.


　--You're not going to be able to get a good deal more than you'd like. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier. Quickly let me eat that thing," he said.


　The next moment, I jumped down from the top of the city wall.

　My body, which had been lifted into the air, began to fall after a moment's pause. I was straddled on the back of an indigo winged beast that emerged from beneath the castle walls without hitting the ground - without missing a beat.

　And then, as it was, it soared up into the sky with great force.


''Let's go, Klau Solas.


　At that command, Crow Solas said, "Phew! He responded cheerfully.

　Essentially, the winged beast (wyvern) is a member of the dragon family. I expected them to resist fighting the dragon, or to show fear without going that far.

　However, Klau Solas showed no pretense of either. Resolutely obeying his orders, he pushed forward towards the vermilion tornado in a single direction.

　He chuckles in the saddle of the winged beast (wyvern).

　It's called Crow Solas, and Clan members, and apparently I've been misjudging a lot of things. I can't argue with this, even if they say my eyes are knotty. From now on, I'll try to cultivate my eyes to look around a bit more.


　While I was thinking about this, Klau Solas was getting closer and closer to his destination. On the way, I saw several flying monsters, but they all either avoided Klau Solas or were blown away by the wards woven by Klau Solas' magic.

　By the time they reached the depths of the Titis Forest, those magical beasts in the sky disappeared.

　Instead, the reddish-purple colored dust became more prominent. The magic of the illusory species had caused the earth to curl backwards and the debris that had risen from the ground to rain down on the surroundings.

　The vision that had cleared up just a moment ago was instantly covered in sand and gravel. There may be poison in the sand and gravel. Perhaps it's the effect of the wind wards, but so far there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Crow Solas--


Pui!

Hmm, does it work?　Then do it.

Puppy!


　He lightly patted Klau Solas' back as he happily complied.

　The moment I jumped into the tornado, I felt a kink behind my ears. The sound of the roaring wind. From below to above, dirt and trees are flying up.

　I could see that Crow Solas was doing his best to keep his body from being swallowed by the current.

　Visibility is now close to zero. But in terms of distance, our destination should be right around the corner. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find out what I'm supposed to be seeing if this backwards wind disappears - the moment I thought that, my vision suddenly cleared up as if someone had read my thoughts.

　The inside of the tornado was not as wild as the outside.

　And, as expected, 'it' yes.





◆◆◆





　It is the reason of the world, which is named after an illusion

　A divine monster with eight heads, eight tails, and a bloody torso

　His eyes, red with hatred, are filled with hostility towards the living

　The flowing blood is like a corpse's poison, burning even the heavens and earth.

　The manifestation of impurity, the incarnation of the nine thoughts, the king of poison that denies immortality

　Its name is Hydra, for example.