Six days after being promoted to B rank. Finally, the day of the request for an escort has arrived.
　The meeting point is in front of the east gate of the royal capital.
　So I'm going to go to the Adventurer's Association now to borrow a horse and then head there.

''All right, then, let's go.

This is the first time we've been asked to be our own personal bodyguard, and I'm nervous.

'I know. We're good at taking them down, but we're not used to fighting while defending them. Let's be careful.

　This is the second time I've asked for an escort.
　That time, Glynn-san was there, but this time it's just us.
　I'm not worried at all about our strength, but it's not just a matter of hunting like we've been doing in the past, so we have to keep our heads up.

''Sisha, don't stay depressed and cheer up.

Yes.

　Unlike us who are fully motivated, Sisha looks down and has a gloomy expression on her face.
　He seems quite shocked that he won't be able to see Luna for more than ten days from now on.

''Heihachi, are you leaving already?''

'What?　How come you're awake?　It's only morning.

　As I was soothing Sisha, who was forever in a gloomy mood, Luna came into the living room.
　Hey, hey, it's morning now. It's so impossible, it looks like a spear is going to fall on us.
　The Nors were also surprised, and Sisha looked up from her downward glance and looked happy.

'We may not see Heihachi and the others for a while. It's no wonder we're going to see them off, right?

　Luna is tilting her head at my reaction.
　Don't tell me that Luna got up just to see me off?
　There are a lot of cold spots, but when it comes to the important part, you're very considerate.

Luna.........I'm kind of impressed with you........

'I don't think it's that impressive but thank you, Luna.

'You can always call me on the walkie-talkie if you need anything, okay?　I've also saved some rice in a bag and put it on my desk, so eat it properly. There's money in there too, so you can use it if you need anything.

'Oh, don't worry. If Heihachi and the others have any problems, call me immediately.

　Just because Luna is going to see me off in the morning, Nol holds her mouth and trembles.
　While I'm dumbfounded by such a Nole, Esther smiles and looks happy too.
　I'm a little touched, too. That's how unthinkable it is for Luna to get up in the morning.
　It would make me happy if it was for us to see her off.

'Ugh, Luna!　Mr. Luna!

'Ugh ... don't hug me ...'

Because... because...

　Sisha couldn't take it anymore, and went up to Luna and kneeled down and hugged her.
　Luna looked up at an angle and had a dumbfounded look on her face, but she remained still.
　Sisha was happy about it, and finally she started to cry and even started rubbing her cheeks.

　
　I guess I'm going to miss leaving, after all, for some reason.

'Oh my, it's so rare that you accept Sisha.

Yeah, I'm going to say goodbye to you. I'm going to have to accept it at least once.

　Luna, who was being hugged, is patting Sisha's head with a gentle expression.
　I see........Sisha, you disappear.......what do you mean!
　That's the kind of thing you say to someone who's dying!

Wow! I'm not going to die!　Don't talk to me as if I'm going to die!

Ha-ha, I'm just kidding. Come back safe and sound.

　Luna laughed in a barred voice and pulled Sisha off of her.
　Then he loosened his mouth a bit and tapped her on the shoulder to send her a word of encouragement.
　After all, it seems that he was properly concerned about Sisha as well.

●

　I stopped at the association and borrowed a horse and came to the east gate of the capital.
　There are already two carriages there, one is a luxurious black carriage and the other is a simple wooden cart covered with cloth.
　The luxurious carriage is surrounded by black boards like a shed and even has a door.
　This is the carriage that our client will be riding in this time.

"Um, are you one of Arderbel-sama's party?

Who the hell are you?

"Excuse me, I've been asked by the Society to be your escort!　I'm not a suspicious one!

　Near the carriage is a man wearing a white cloak and carrying a sword at his waist.
　I called out to the man and tried to confirm that this carriage was the client of this time, Mr. Arderbel.
　As soon as the man looks at me, he jumps back from the spot, draws his sword and points it at me.
　Hey, I just called out to you, why are you so wary of me!
　He hurriedly showed the silver plate that was hanging around his neck to show that he was an adventurer.

''Surely that plate is an adventurer...I'm sorry. I was dressed suspiciously, so I couldn't resist. Wait for me to tell Arderbelle-sama and I'll tell him.

Haha I'm sorry.

　When the man saw the plate, he lowered his sword and let his guard down.
　Then he bowed his head and apologized before heading to the black carriage.

　I didn't expect that he would suddenly point his sword at me.
　What in the world did I do.......hmm?　A suspicious looking.......maybe.

Okura-dono, let's at least take the helmet.

I'm so used to seeing it all over again, I totally forgot about it.

Surely you'd be wary of someone like this coming up to you.

　Apparently, it was my fault for being so alarmed.
　I've been less suspicious lately, so I was inadvertently caught off guard.
　Let's take the helm off while we're at it.

　The man from earlier is opening the door of the black carriage and talking with someone.
　It's probably Mr. Arderbel.

　Shortly thereafter, a man and a girl, about middle-aged, got out of the carriage.
　The man is dressed in black clothes, like a well-tailored tuxedo, and has a calm atmosphere.
　So this is Mr. Arderbel.

　And behind the man is a girl who walks with her long brown hair fluttering.
　She looks about the same age as Estelle.
　She's dressed pretty in a frilly short-sleeved pink shirt and a black skirt.

You are the adventurers who will be the escort for this time. I'm my client, Ardell Bell.

Thank you for the greeting. My name is Heihachi Okura. These ladies are my party members.

　The man who got out and came towards us identified himself as Ardelbel.
　I bowed my head and greeted him, then turned my hand to the Nolls behind me and urged them to say hello.

''Okura Heihachi.......could it be the E rank adventurer who fought Dius and the others before?''

Oh, yes. This is Okura.

　Arderbelle-san asked me while putting her hand on her chin and making a gesture as if she was thinking.
　'Apparently you know what happened at that time I hope you don't think it's weird.

'Oh no, I didn't see it, but that was talked about a lot. I can't believe it's already a B-rank, it's only a victory over Dius and his team. I have high hopes for this one.

'Thank you. We'll do our best to meet your expectations.

　Mr. Arderbel says with a laugh.
　Good, apparently it's not a bad impression.
　But I feel like I've raised the bar of expectation... but let's go for it anyway.

'Dad,'

Annelie, what's wrong?

Those are the adventurers who will be escorting you?

Yeah, I do.

　The girl who had been silent suddenly opened her mouth.
　Then she looked at us and asked Mr. Arderbel if he was an adventurer.
　Hmm?　I don't know what it is, I feel like your eyes are looking behind me, not at me.
　Is it looking at Noll and the others?

'She doesn't look any older than me, is she okay?'

"...don't worry. These people are B-rated adventurers. They are the most skilled adventurers of all.

Hmmm ... yeah.

　Annelie-chan was apparently looking at Esther.
　Are you questioning the fact that a girl about your age is your escort?
　She has a wand, and it seems like you can tell that she's a mage...........................but is it a little hard to believe?

　Mr. Arderbel was unsure of how to answer, and he paused for a moment before answering.
　After hearing her reply, Annelie-chan fell silent, sounding unconvinced, and went back to the carriage.

''I'm sorry. It's not like I meant any offense.''

Oh, no, I don't mind.

　Mr. Arderbel apologized to Esther.
　But Estelle smiled and put her hand on her cheek and said she didn't care.
　

　Mr. Arderbel also returned to the carriage and finally began to prepare to leave.
　First of all, we had to confirm how we were going to head to Queles.

''Well then, let me check before we leave. I'm Egon, who is Arderbel-sama's personal escort.''

　The first man who approached me seemed to be my personal bodyguard.
　There are two other similarly-dressed people in a simple carriage, so these people are hired as personal bodyguards.
　And we're the guards they've asked for specifically to protect against demons, right?

　After greeting Egon-san, we immediately discuss how to proceed.
　It's a good idea to make sure that you're not going to have to worry about your own safety.
　We were told that Egon and his team would be the driver, and that we would be asked to divide ourselves into two groups: one to advance ahead of them and the other to follow them from behind.

　They will also confirm what to do if we encounter a demon.
　In the event of encountering a demon, the carriage would basically stop and not move until it was safe to do so.
　You will have to make sure that one of us stays with the carriage just in case, although Egon and his team will protect you.
　If we can't fight back, the first priority is to get the black carriage out of there.
　These are the things I want you to pay attention to," he said.

Do you have any questions?

Okay, can I ask you one question?

I don't mind.

　After we finish talking, Egon-san confirms it.
　Then, it seems that Esther has something she wants to ask.
　As for me, I didn't think there was anything in particular to ask, but.......what is it?

Is it okay to cast a support spell on a horse?

'What? You could do that?

Oh, you can. I just haven't had a chance to do it. I can't enhance things, though.

　Could it be that if it's a creature, anything can be enhanced with supportive magic?
　It's a shocking fact that I'm only just now learning about... well, it seems like I could do it in the normal course of events.
　It's true that I usually used a beacon and a magic carpet, so I never had a chance to try it.

'I wouldn't mind having you do it, but...'

'Then I'll let you do it. I think this will make it easier on your horse.

　Egon-san has an incredulous look on his face.
　Does that mean normal mages don't do this kind of thing?
　If you can do supportive magic, maybe you can reach Queres earlier than planned.
　But is it really safe to do so?
　The support magic doesn't seem to consume that much MP, but if you're going to travel for several hours, you should have to reapply it many times.
　No matter how great Esther is, if she does that, it will take a toll on her.......

''Are you okay with it?''

''Yes, the natural recovery of magic power is much faster now. It's just a matter of continuing to support magic, so don't worry big brother.

Really?　But as soon as it gets hard, say it. Don't ever force yourself.

　When I asked her about it out of concern, Esther replied that she was fine.
　I didn't say it before Egon-san was there, but it probably means that the natural recovery rate of MP has increased with the equipment of the gacha.
　If she says she's fine, then I'm sure she's fine but I don't want her to be overwhelmed.

　Once the conversation is settled, it's time for us to discuss what we should do with the horses.
　We're going to ride each horse with two people, but how should we divide them?
　Since Noor and Sisha are the only ones who can ride the horses, it's a given that we're going to split them up.
　So what I'm thinking about is who I and Estelle will ride.

　Sisha and Estelle are magical backup factors, and if possible, they should be paired with either me or Nole.
　I don't think Sisuha is capable of fighting in close quarters right now, though.
　I mean, I'm not going to let him fight this time.

''Ummm ... yeah, you're right. Let's split it between Noor and Esther, Sisha and me.

That is a good balance, isn't it? We will take care of the front, and Okura-dono would like to take care of the back.

I'm with Nole I'm a little nervous.

　I said my thoughts and Noll nodded that was fine.
　Then she says she's going to take the lead.
　That's right, she can leave the front to me without worry, and that would be good.

　Estelle has an expression on her face that doesn't float when she hears that she's with Noor.
　She's the first one in this group in terms of horse handling, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about, but...............but I have a terrible feeling about it.
　Well, well, it should be fine....yeah.

"Riding together with Okura-san, huh?.......I think they're going to do something naughty.

I won't!

　Sisha hugs her own shoulders and makes a gesture of escape from me.
　It's true that riding a horse with her would be enviable for a normal man.
　But perhaps because I know what's inside and understand the disappointment, I don't feel that way at all.
　It's kind of distracting, but I wonder if I'll be able to finish my escort safely.......