A few days after being invited to Mr. Arderbel's house.
　We left Queles early in the morning and the request for an escort began.
　Before we left, Myra-chan came to see us off and exchanged goodbyes with Esther and the others.
　Well, she's a good girl!

　Again, Noor, Esther, Cisha and I are riding two horses, escorting Arderbelle-san and the others' carriage between the front and back.
　Of course, I'm behind Sisha. What you can't ride can't be helped.

'So Okura-san is behind me on the way back after all. You can practice your centavra, but you should also practice your riding.

'Oh no, because we never get a chance to practice, do we?　And I don't get to ride that very often.

'Don't be so open-minded at all. Let's ask Mr. Noll to instruct you next time.

'Heh, don't get me started on Nol. He's pretty spartan...

　Please stop, it will kill you.
　If you ask Noll to teach you a lesson, he's really tough....
　It's like a lion pushing its own child off a cliff.

'And yet the trip home seems to be uneventful.

Trent's anomaly has been resolved, so he should be fine this time.

　Trent was blocking the road when we were coming to Queles, but we've resolved the anomaly, so there shouldn't be any problems on the way back.
　Still, we can't let our guard down, though, so we'll have to use the map app to keep an eye on our surroundings as we move.

''If we continue to return to King's Landing, are you going to consider buying a house like we were talking about last time?

''I'm considering it positively. However, properties in Wangdu are still too expensive........ Thinking about the future, it would be better to choose carefully.

It seems like a good idea to buy a cheap house for a beacon, but.... A house that you can live in to some extent is preferable, after all.

　Buying a house in King's Landing is fine, but I'm wondering how much house to buy.
　Do I want a house that I can live in without house extensions or do I want a small house for a beacon....
　A big house would normally be over a billion dollars......... We don't have that much money on hand.
　I'll take a look around, and then I'll think about it.

　Besides, when we get to the capital, I want to meet with Dius and the others to get their opinions on the magic stone hunting.
　I also want to ask Glynn and others for their opinions, and I'll be busy when I return.

''I'd like to spend some time alone with Luna-san at my home in the royal capital.

That's a dangerous vibe, I'm afraid.

Why?

　Sisha pretends to wipe her mouth and makes a prickly noise.
　My instincts whisper to me that I shouldn't let him spend time in a house alone with a little girl like this.
　Luna is already in such a state that she can't be without Sisha, so what am I going to do to make her even more dependent on me.......

●

　As the sun was beginning to set, we ended today's move.
　Just like the last time I requested an escort, I set up my tent at a little distance from Arderbelle and the others.
　Then, while we were eating around the campfire, Annelie-chan came over to Esther and was chatting happily with her.
　I, on the other hand, was chatting with Noll and the others about trivial matters, but....

''Noll-san, I'd like to ask Okura-san to teach me how to ride next time.

Mmm. Riding, is it? Leave it to me!

Stop!　I don't want to be Noor, just Noor!

　Hey, hey!　Now you're telling me that!
　The Nolle who was asked to do it is also strangely excited about it....

"Why do you hate it so much, sir?　We want you to leave it to us as if we were on a big boat!

'Is it a mud boat mistake?　I don't like Noll because he's so strict.

That's not true, sir. They only do it to the extent that they become lightly lame.

It's just too much!

　Don't be so light on your feet or so contradictory!　You're not light when you can't stand up on your feet!
　If it's the Noor-style cultivation method, I'll be able to ride it even if I don't want to......but I'm too scared.
　As I was so frightened, I heard Annelie-chan's laughter.

''Just like Esther said, Okura-san and the others seem to be having fun.

Hmm, I know. I never get tired of looking at it.

　Hmm?　Maybe he was watching our exchange?
　And for people to think it's fun it's all Noll's fault.

'Is Okura-san's party all girls except Okura-san?

'Oh, yes. The four of us here are all of us.

What's that, Luigi?

You covered your mouth before you could get your breath out, didn't you?

　Sisha tried to slip up with Luna, so I quickly got behind her and covered her mouth with my hand.
　I was bracing myself for the fact that she would definitely do it, but she really ran her mouth.
　Annelie-chan tilted her head at my actions, but she didn't really pursue it.

''Heh, I see. ........Esther, good luck with that.

Yes, thank you.

　What the hell is it from the question you just asked Esther to hang in there?
　
　I didn't realize that we were getting along so well that I didn't have to put words to it.
　Or did you talk to him about something at the mansion the other day?

Okura-dono, Sisgah is in danger.

Hmm?　Ah........

　As I was thinking about the exchange between Esther and the others, Noor tapped me on the shoulder with his fingertips a little bit.
　When I looked at Sisha after being told, she grabbed my hand and tried desperately to peel it off. She seems to be in great pain.
　I quickly let go of her hand and let her go.

''Buhaha!　Huh........... Okura-san, please don't think with my mouth closed......... At least don't hold your nose........

I'm sorry. I totally missed it.

　Apparently he was holding his nose along with his mouth.
　I'm scratching my head and apologizing to Sisha, and Noor puts his hand on her shoulder and gives her a thumbs up and good job.

'How can I help you?'

Sissiya is starting to be treated similarly to me, isn't she? She's one of us.

That's not true. Isn't that right, Okura-san!

'Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'd rather have it up to worse than Noll.

Oh, yeah?

　I'm more aware of Sisha as a heteros*xual in many ways, but I think she's beyond Noor in the way she does things.
　They're both friendly and the same type, but there are some subtle differences.

●

　Six days after the request started.
　We encountered a few demons, but we dealt with them without problems and proceeded smoothly.
　We must have already passed half the distance from Queres to the royal capital.
　I thought that if this was the case, I could finish the escort without anything happening this time, but................There was a curious reaction to the map app I was looking at in order to check the surroundings.

''........Hmm?''

Can I help you?

'I'm getting multiple blue responses in the Maps app. It's stopping a little further down the road.

Are there any demons around?

Yeah, he's not here. Yeah, he's not under attack. But I'll keep an eye out for him.

　On the road we are about to take, a blue dot has stopped.
　Since it's a blue dot, it doesn't seem to be an enemy to us, but it might be dangerous to continue on.
　So I asked Egon to stop the carriage and asked Nolu and his team what we should do.

'Are there people in there, sir?'

I don't know if it's a person but he can't be the enemy.

What's going on here, stopping at a place like this?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

　We all agreed that it was not safe to proceed with Arderbel-san and the others.
　Leaving Noll and Esther as the carriage's escort, it was decided to head to the blue dot that was stopped by me and Sisha.
　After advancing for a while, we finally saw the scene.......the carriage was growing at an angle from the ground to the sky.

''Ah ... the carriage is in great shape.

Wow ... what's going on there?

　There was a large hole in the ground and the back half of the carriage had fallen into it.
　There were a few people around it, one of them keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings. From the way he looks, he's an adventurer just like us.
　If we call out to them, they will be suspicious like they were with Egon-san, so let's take off our helm.
　As if he noticed us coming towards him, the man who was guarding him drew his sword and took up a fighting stance.

''Who are you!''

Oh, I'm not a stranger!　I'm an adventurer!

　I moved closer to where I could hear voices and held up one hand to show him the Adventurer's Society plate, letting him know we weren't enemies.
　The man leans forward a bit to check our plate, and his eyes widen in surprise.

''B, B-ranked adventurer.......sorry!

'No, no, don't worry about it. What's more, what happened?

　The man had a copper-colored plate hanging from his neck. Copper-colored means.........C-grade.
　There were four other men, and one of them looked like he was in pain while sitting with bandages wrapped around his hands and head.
　He doesn't wear any armor or anything like the adventurers, so I wonder if this guy was a client and was in the middle of an escort request?
　Three horses are also down nearby. They may have been injured by the impact of the carriage's fall.
　The remaining three men have the appearance of adventurers, one accompanying the injured man, while the other two are in the hole trying to lift the carriage.

'We were going down the road when all of a sudden the ground caved in. Maybe it was the Tarpa.

Tarpa?　Are you a demon?

'Yeah, they're rare demons. It's not very strong, but it digs underneath the ground to advance, so it suddenly caves in like this and causes damage. Huh...............

　It's a demon I've never heard of. If it's going to dig its way through the ground is it some kind of sandworm?
　Digging a hole deep enough for the carriage to fall in, that's a pretty big looking demon.

　The adventurer man lets out a big sigh as he stares at the fallen carriage.
　Hmm, it would be a pity to just let it happen.
　As I was thinking about this, Sisha now called out to him.

''Is it your client who is sitting over there?''

"Oh, yeah I hit my head and limbs. I've got it under control, but it hurts a lot...

Has anyone else been injured?

We'll be fine. We're all right, but we got a couple of horses stuck in the saddle.

Is that so? If so, may I take a look at it?　We'll treat you.

Oh, you!　You're a priest after all!

'Yes, it's a priest. Okura-san, please take care of the carriage.

Oh, I'm on it.

　Oh, Sisha is unusually willing to serve as a priest.
　Then I'll do as I'm told, I'll do something about the carriage that fell into the hole.
　I looked at the carriage and saw that the two men were still trying their best to scream out a bullhorn.

'Whoa!　Aaaaah!　

It ain't working!

　Fight, one shot!　What a shout that sounds like it could be heard at any moment, but the carriage only lifts a little.
　Both of them are macho men who are well-muscled, but it still seems impossible to move them.

"Um, if you don't mind, would you like me to help you too?

Oh?　Who's that?

I'm just an adventurer passing through.

　Ofu, he replied in a scary voice. You seem to have a lot on your mind. You're a big guy and you look scary.
　The carriage fell down and is in a helpless state, so it's not surprising.

''I also want to pass through here from now on as part of an escort request. So let me help you.

I'm going to help you...

You might be a B-ranked player, but one person won't make a difference.

You'll never know unless you try. Let me just do it.

Oh, yeah you're on it, then.

　Since I got approval, I decided to go into the hole and lift the carriage as well.
　Hmmm, I wonder if the client is a merchant or the type of carriage that puts things on a cart.
　It looks like they unloaded the big load before lifting it up, but there's a little bit of cargo left.
　The carriage itself is about one size smaller than Arderbel-san's expensive carriage.
　I think I can handle this much. If this doesn't work, I'll call Mr. Noll.

"All right.

　He grabbed the bottom of the cart and pushed it upward.
　Then the carriage lifted easily.
　I continued to push it in and move it over the ground and pulled the carriage out of the hole.
　Good, it was heavy enough for even me to lift it.
　I guess my level has gone up and I'm much better equipped, and I'm also much strengthened.

''Jeez, are you kidding me?　Hi, you just lifted me up by yourself!

Hey, hey, hey... what the f*ck is going on?

　The men who were watching were surprised with their mouths open.
　Ah, you'd be surprised to know that I, a hirsute man compared to these people, lifted it up.......
　I lifted him up by myself, but it would have been better to do it with these people.

The treatment is over. How's Okura-san doing?

It's over, too.

　It looks like Sisha just finished her treatment and came trotting over to us.
　Good, so that's how we can help people.

"Okura... oh, you're the guy who had a run-in with Dius and the others before!

Oh, it's Okura!

　Which Okura is it.........
　Since Dius' name was mentioned, it's definitely obvious that it's us.......
　If you know that story, I wonder if these people are also adventurers who frequent the royal capital?

Yeah, you've been really helpful. Thanks, man.

'No, no, it's like we did it for ourselves.

　The large man who was about to lift the carriage thanked me.
　In terms of atmosphere, it looks like this guy is the leader of this adventurer's party.

''But yikes. If the Talpas have passed through here, there's a good chance they will continue to cave in. You guys had better be careful if you want to continue on.

'I see......... What should I do?

'Then why don't you leave it to Miss Esther?

Oh, I didn't know we were gonna do that.

　Poof, there's no change in the ground, so it's hard to see where it's going to cave in.
　But Esther might be able to do something about it with magic.
　We immediately went back to Arderbel and her friends, told them what happened and asked them to move to where the adventurers were earlier.

'Wow, I didn't know this was going to happen.'

'Yeah, I don't know where the holes are, so you'll have to try your magic to find them.

I'll take care of it. That's about as cheap as it gets.

　As soon as I asked Esther, she held the staff and yellow grimoire in her hand with a confident expression.
　........Will it be safe to leave it to her like this?
　As I was worrying about that, Annelie-chan came out of the carriage.

''Esther, are you using magic?''

'Yeah, I'll use a pretty big one. I'll stay close to your brothers.

'Yes!　I'm looking forward to it!

　You saw us from the carriage and guessed that we were going to use magic.
　If Annelie-chan is here, she won't use dangerous magic.
　After receiving the cheers, Esther held up her wand with a more motivated expression than usual.

''Yeah!''

　I thrust my staff into the ground with a voice more spirited than usual.
　Immediately afterwards, the surroundings shook for a moment with a wobble, and then the ground here and there sank with a series of sounds.
　Large holes appeared where the streets used to be, and even linear holes that stretched out all over the place as if they were connected.
　If you put it all together, it looks like it's several hundred meters long.

''Whoa!　What the hell is this?

'Well, you didn't mean to........cave in all of Tarpa's pathways.......'

　The male adventurers who were looking at the scene were astonished.
　Wow ... it really is full of holes.
　If we had continued on like this, our carriage would have fallen into the hole as well.

'Su, that's an amazing hole. It looks like there were more than just the street, and even if we avoided it and proceeded, it might have caved in.

'It's such an annoying demon to make a hole in the ground. Let's fill in the holes for now. Hmm, yeah!

　When Estelle sticks her staff into the ground again, the caved-in ground rises and the holes are filled one after another.
　Haha..............Estelle is amazing after all.
　The several dozen meters of holes were filled in an instant.

It's a good thing.　Estelle's magic is always so bold!

'Hmmm, more compliments would be nice.

'Yes!　Praise!

　When Estelle asked for more praise in her usual tone, Annelie-chan patted her head good-naturedly.
　Estelle put her hand on her cheek as if she felt good and smiled.
　Ho, when you say that line, does that make you happy?

'Oh, there's something jumping up and down in there.

It's a Tulpa!　You jumped out at me earlier!

　Noll raised his voice to see if he'd discovered anything.
　When I look at the one I'm pointing at, I see a black object struggling on the ground some distance away.
　Was it launched to the ground by Esther's magic?

　That's a tarpa........short black hair, sharply elongated paw claws, and a thin, elongated red nose.
　That's a mole, isn't it!　But it looks like it's at least 2 meters tall....
　Even if it is a mole, it's strong.
　We don't want it to go back into the ground and make more holes, so it's best to get rid of it here.

I'm going to take it down quickly!

Wait, wait!

　Noll draws his sword and runs towards Talpa.
　Hey, hey, running into another one by himself........well, we're talking about not being that strong of a demon, so I guess I'm okay with that.

　Approaching the struggling Talpa, Noor draws his sword and slashes at it as it is.
　With a single blow, the mole was cut in half and turned into particles of light and disappeared.
　Ah, too stunned........

''........Just as I've been told, you guys are a bullshit party.

Haha.....

　The large man who had thanked me earlier approached me in a dumbfounded voice.
　He said he was listening to the story.......what kind of story is being spread?

''It really helped us this time. You guys were in the middle of requesting an escort, but I'm sorry.

'No, sir, not at all. More importantly, was the carriage all right?

Yeah, it's a little banged up, but it's all good as long as we go slow. I'm sorry to my client, but I'm going to ask him to delay it a bit.

　I was worried because the carriage that was the object of their escort had fallen, but it seemed to be okay.

"Thank you for healing my horse too. Let me thank you next time I see you in King's Landing.

'No need to thank me. Well.....

'Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Dolph the C-ranked adventurer.

Oh, hi. I'm Heihachi Okura, as I'm sure you know.

　Dolph-san held out his hand to me, so I squeezed it back in return.
　Oh, I've made more acquaintances with the adventurers in the royal capital here.
　　........No, that's indeed impossible.
　It seems like you know Dius as well, so I'd like to ask you if you can get involved from there.
　After lightly exchanging words with Dolph-san, I returned to Nolu and the others.

''Okura-dono, are those people okay?''

He's going to be okay. The horse seems to be able to move thanks to Sisha's treatment.

Some of the horses had broken legs, so it wouldn't have helped if they had stayed that way.

'Sisha can be a priestess sometimes, can't she?

　This time we got to see a rare Priestess scene from Sisha.

''Uh-huh, I've always done a fine job as a priest, haven't I?

Ha, you've got to be kidding me again.

　We overheard Sisha's joke and we began to move forward again, this time toward the royal capital.