Clatter, clatter, clatter.

　In the dimness, the black armor made a heavy sound as it advanced through the darkness. It was the only armor that walked in the dim light illuminated by the green torch, walking down a passage dominated by an eerie serenity. If you listened to the disgusting silence, you would have noticed some strange driving sound mixed in with the sound of heavy footsteps.
　But there was no one in this space to hear it, or to point it out. The armor just rattled around.

　Eventually, the armor went out to the hall. There was an extremely wide round table with chairs assigned with numbers from 0 to 11.
　Precisely I to ☽lectric. It was a strange feeling to know that the Roman numerals were used in another world. Compared to Chinese and Arabic numerals, it's still somewhat better.

'You're here.'

　At the round table, there is one man sitting in a seat marked VI.
　The rest are in seats II and IV, one in each seat. Both are women. The one sitting in II can be called a girl.

　I knew the man sitting in VI very well.

　Elvin Gaudin, an elven swordsman who was skilled in scheming. The armor stopped in its tracks when he called out to him, chattering.

'Akira, let me introduce you.'

　Erwin said as he pointed towards the two women.

''These are the two members of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights) who will be accompanying us on this mission.
It's a big deal. We're just trying to catch a monster that's run off into the countryside.

　The black armor, i.e., Ei Hino mutters in a flat voice. Erwin laughs.

''You're the best proof that they're not just demons. The more forces you can move, the better.''
.........

　At Erwin's words, Ei once again turned his face to the two remaining people.

''Ah, well, let's introduce ourselves, shall we?

　The one who stood up saying that was a small girl. In terms of age, she must be no more than 12.
　Her short, dark pink hair is not uncomfortable, despite the fact that it looks very unrealistic, and it makes you realize that this is a different world.

　The girl cleared her throat and said.

"I'm Melodious Killer, the "Dark Beast Brave" of the Dial Knights, the second seat of the Dial Knights. It's nice to meet you!
Hi, I'm Filhana Granbana, also in the Fourth O'clock section, "The Iron Fist Lady." Nice to meet you.

　A woman with loose blonde hair, fluttering in the seat in front of her, also waved her hand.

'A brave man and a saint?'

　Ei muttered.

'What's wrong?'
No, in the games we play in my world, it's the brave ones who take down the demons.

　He replies to Erwin's words with a curt voice sound.

''A party of brave men usually includes a warrior, a sorcerer, and a clergyman.
Oh, I see. So in the meantime, I'm a warrior and you're a magician.
Or vice versa, if you prefer.

　With that, Ei looked at the palm of his own armor.
　He now had a body that had no trouble moving like this. This was what he had gained by throwing his friends into prison. But there is not the slightest regret in his heart. In order to achieve our goal, we can't afford to be lukewarm about it. You can't care who hates you.

　But what about Kyousuke? Will he resent Ei? Will he be angry? Will he be sad?

　If possible, I don't want it to be either of those things. But that was an extravagant and selfish request, Ei knew.

''We are now heading to the Kingdom of Verneus.

　Erwin huffed and raised one hand, and flames flared up in the atmosphere, spinning out a map of shimmering light. With the sword he drew from his waist, Erwin pointed at the map.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this," he said. We will hit it there.
I just got back and now I'm back in a daze...

　Philhana chuckles.

'Oh, well, that's okay, Phil, sister. Let's just pick two Ackie names.

　Melodious said in a carefree voice.

'My two names?'

　Akira asked, and the girl nodded with a big smile.

''Yeah. Ackie is like a customer of the Clockboard Alliance, you know. Let's see, there are seats from the midnight to the eleventh hour, so Ackie is at twelve?
He'll be seated at 1 p.m., since the midnight and 12 o'clock seats are the same.
Isn't 1:00 a.m. the same as 1:00 a.m.?

　Ei was slightly taken aback as the two of them began to talk about other trivial things, but he quickly raised one hand of his own to indicate his intentions.

''Thirteen is fine. .........No, I prefer 13.
Yeah?　Do you like thirteen?
I hate it.

　But it suits you. The number that symbolizes a traitor; thirteen; it's like a brand for me now.

'So it's 13. I think it's 13 o'clock.
If you need two names, just call it Black Sun.

　Erwin said.

'Simple. Oh well. So, Ackie, just tell me your name.
Yeah.

　You sound like a hero. There is a slight self-mockery.
　No matter how much he likes the situation, his heart doesn't twitch.

"The Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), seat 13 (Irregular Time), 'Black Sun' Akira Hino."
Yes, well done.

　With a clap of his hand, the Melodious Killer smiles.

'Good luck with your work! I'm counting on you, Ackee.

　As Melodious laughed at that, Ei saw a black haze on Melodious' body for a moment.



　Yukinoshita and Mizashiki, accompanied by Rain, went to register with the Adventurer's Association. It seems that Inugami doesn't like "that kind of thing," so he rejected them out of hand, saying he was going to wander around the city of Zelneus by himself.
　I don't need to tell you how many dangerous results Inugami's solo activities have produced until now. So Kyousuke unusually reprimanded her. Inugami looked surprised for a moment, then looked a bit hurt, but then he grabbed Rin and went away. Well, if Rin is with me, I can feel safe.

　The other students also wanted to go around this city, but no matter how adventurer autonomous territory it is, having demons wandering around alone is a bit of a mess. Therefore, Kyousuke and the others decided to go around with Lesbons to try to find a place that seemed to be out of the ordinary for now.

''Even so, it's quite eye-catching...''

　Lesvon blurts out.

'I'm not so sure about that, but everyone else is being watched like crazy.
''Karasuma and his friends are monsters that don't live on this continent. They can't help it. And I don't like to be the one to tell you this.

　He kept his voice low.

'As for the unicorns, the Empire has a complete monopoly on how they are bred. There are only a limited number of monsters that can use near-perfect healing magic.
'Oh, so that's why they're watching the white horse too...'

　Such a white horse showed a change in expression of joy and sorrow as he watched the woman on the street. He was really a creepy guy.

''Let's go into a tavern for now.

　Saying that, Lesbon pointed to one of the adventurer's taverns. The sign said "demons OK" on the sign. They are treated as if they are just like pets. Although it is unavoidable, the hardships of the foreignness of monsters living in human society are once again felt.

Welcome......

　The bartender standing behind the bar counter is a huge man with a strong face. Since it is said that you can bring a demon with you, the only staff members who are allowed to work here are those who are confident in their skills. The waitress is also an overly macho, muscular maiden who is about two meters tall. Rain was still like 'boobs on top of muscle', but this waitress was nothing but muscle. In addition, the white horse had a glint in his eye. I respected him a bit.

　As the group was about to enter the store, they heard a clunking sound from behind them.

''Kutu...!　I can't fit in.

　It was Walled Field. Indeed, her body area was larger than the entrance to this cramped tavern.
　She was one of the students whose movement was greatly restricted, even in the Heavy Duty Branch School. For now, with Kyousuke and Karasuma, they rolled her onto her side and carefully carried her into the restaurant. As it was, a mellifluous sound was heard as she was placed vertically, and the head (?) of the wallono was placed on the ceiling. but the bartender glanced at me and didn't say anything.

　Inside, a group of adventurers with a rough-and-tumble atmosphere were drinking in the middle of the day. Not a very good impression, Kyousuke thought.

'Give me a drink anyway. It's ale.''

　Lesvon sits down at the counter and orders.

'Do you want a bottle of Utsurugi?'
'I drink it and it makes a mess on the floor, so it's good. Where's Karasuma?
If you got a bowl that fits my beak, I'll take it.

　Gotori. A bowl of Kandarai, filled with sake, was placed on the counter.
　Hakuba and Azuki also finished their orders. Kabeno was stuck between the ceiling and the floor, unable to move, and did not specifically request a drink. The eyes of the adventurers would naturally turn to this strange group of people.

　Utsurugi drank as he scooped the drink out of the golden dalai with his lower beak.

'Utsurugi, you never heard of dinosaurs evolving into birds?'
'There is. Or rather, that seems to be the theory now.
'Why did the dinosaurs choose this inconvenient evolutionary direction...'
To make it easier to catch fish or something.
You still aren't funny...

　I don't dislike the open-ended mannerisms, but it did irritate me a bit.

"We're underage, so don't drink alcohol....
"What's the point of having a school trip if you don't drink alcohol?　My dad said he used to sneak off to the convenience store and buy beer!
Your dad's generation would have been appropriate for age verification and such.

　After continuing such a random conversation for a while, Kyousuke also has time to take another look around the store.
　It seems that the Adventurer's Tavern is a place used for socializing among adventurers. In places that have signed an official contract with the association, adventurers receive requests and missions, i.e. quests, and even if they don't, adventurers form parties with each other and informants hang out there.

'It was here that I first met the wombats,'

　Lesvon said as he sipped his drink with one arm. Karasuma's hand, which had been drinking desperately, stopped slightly.

'And Weygun and Filhana,'

　For a moment the air was almost faint, and then Lesvon quickly regained his expression.

I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be resentful or sad or anything.
I don't mind.

　Karasuma dipped his beak in the sake again.

　Just then, a bell on the door rang with a chirp.

'....Welcome.

　The bartender muttered that and all eyes in the restaurant turned to the entrance at once.
　Immediately after that, the rough adventurers buzzed together. Kyousuke and Karasuma looked behind them, wondering what it was.

　There was a man standing there. He was dressed in a long black coat with a long hem and a large upright collar that made his face quite difficult to see. He wore a hat with an awfully wide brim, and a metal ornament hung from the end of the hat. He carried two swords, one large and one small, on his right hip and one on his back.

"'Nameless'...."

　I knew someone was mumbling.
　Lesvon's mouth was open, too. The only people in this restaurant who didn't show a look of surprise were the second year four monster students and the rest of the bartender.

　The man silently sits down at the bar counter, next to Kyousuke, and orders.

'Corn distilled sake, please.'

　As soon as you ask for it, the whiskey is served.

　There wasn't much in the way of liveliness in the man's face, which peeked out slightly from between his collar and hat. Perhaps that's why it was terribly difficult to tell how old he was; to say he was in his twenties would be an understatement, and to say he had the old age of a man in his fifties would certainly be an understatement.

'I heard there was a talking demon, so I came here.

　The man muttered to himself.

It's a good thing that you're the "nameless" of the wolf planet, isn't it?

　Lesvon asked in a shaky voice to the man who muttered to him.
　The man who was called Nameless glanced at Lesbon with a lifeless gaze, then continued.

'In the Zelga Gladiatorial Duchy, I met Goubayashi and the others.
....!

　Kyousuke huffed. The nameless man continued to talk to himself while he drank.

''This is the first time I've seen a talking oga. .........No, it's not impossible for an oga that was affected by the underworld miasma to develop intelligence and understand human language, but in any case, this is the first time I've encountered an individual that combines reason and intelligence.
So where is Goubayasi now...?
'I heard that there were other demons in the same situation, so I was a little curious. I just happened to hear a rumor outside and came over.
Um, uh, Mr. Nobody?
Hey, moron, he's moving too fast.

　To a confused Kyousuke, Karasuma says the obvious from behind.

　The namelessness of the Hibiki Wolf Star. I thought I'd heard of him, but he's something like one of the five strongest people certified by the Adventurer's Association. I don't know what kind of person he is, but from what I've seen, he uses a sword. From the looks of it, it didn't seem like he would be partying with anyone.
　How strong is the strongest one? I'm a little curious about the criteria.

''I actually didn't have great expectations. But I did get a fair amount out of it.

　A lifeless gaze was directed at Kyousuke's right arm.

''I didn't expect the king piece to be in that place.

　At that moment, there is shock and tension between Kyousuke and the others.

　Indeed, Kyousuke now possesses one of the king pieces. In all seriousness, it's only natural that there are those who are after it. However, he didn't expect to be spotted by the strongest class of the Adventurer's Association as soon as he returned to this continent. He twisted his body to protect his right arm.

''Wait, no name.''

　Lesvon said.

'That skeleton is a demon I brought with me. If you're an adventurer, you don't want to take things from people without permission. I'm your fan.

　He is a one-armed, one-eyed swordsman. A gold-ranked adventurer, but he has already lost his power. If he went to apply to the Association once again, he might not be able to avoid a drop in rank.
　The man he is confronting and staring at is the strongest rank recognized by the Adventurer's Association. There was a huge gap in strength between the gold and platinum ranks, and on top of that, this nameless man was one of the five most powerful of the platinum ranks.

''.........''

　Nameless just tipped his empty glass and didn't try to say anything.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, 'nameless', hello!"

　Then a shadow shifts in between the two men. It was a demon dressed as a mountain priest and wrapped in black feathers.
　It was Karasumaru Yoshitsune, the Raven Tengu.

You've been telling me to zigzag right from the start. Hmm?　You're dressed like you're in a jump manga. He doesn't respond to a word I say?　Huh?　I don't know how much of a platinum ranker it is, but if you say things that sound too much like a platinum ranker.......huh?

　Soooo, the nameless reached out an arm around Karasuma's lower jaw and lower beak. The fingers had just made the shape of a deco-pin.
　Nameless's fingers flicked. The impact stored in his middle finger exploded into Karasuma's beak.

What?

　With those last words, Karasumaru Yoshitsune's body was blown away. The body, launched high by the decoupling, crashed through the ceiling and disappeared into the sky like a cannonball. It happened in an instant. There was no time to stop it. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling, like a gag.
　Karasumaru Yoshitsune, the way he set up the flag was perfect. It was unmistakable thug action.

'It'll come down eventually.'

　The Nameless muttered.

'I'm not interested in the King's piece itself, I'm interested in the power that comes from it. I'm interested in the power that comes from it.'

　I can see the lifeless eyes begin to glow slightly under the hat.

''You're not a regular conformist. I'm barely holding down the king piece by replacing only my arms with the bones of the Demon Royal Race. But even so, this is my first time fighting the owner of a royal fragment.

　The nameless man slowly gets up from his chair.
　There, for the first time, Kyousuke gets to see this man's face from the front. His eyes are gleaming in a different way than they were before.

''Well, wait. Even if you say you're going to fight, even if you say it out of the blue.......
I'm not going to take my life.
I don't mind. Utsurogi, why don't you help him out?

　A white horse calls out to me from behind me in a carefree manner.

''I'm not going to take your life, I said I won't even take your life.
I don't really understand these types of people, you know...
All the more reason. This is the kind of guy Himemizu is.

　If you ask me, that's certainly true. Rin has a rather maverick personality.
　It's been a long time since she became a slime, but she should still be passionate about running, and she's still proud to be the fastest sprinter at Kamiyo High School. When he's turned back into a human, he'll be happy to play jogging with you if you ask him to, and he might even want to compete with you if he sees someone who looks fast.
　In that sense, the man in front of me, Nameless, and Himemizu Rin might be very similar types.

　No, no.

　Kyousuke immediately denied it in his head. Rin was prettier.

　Well, that's just the way it is.

Well, if you win, what do we have to pay?
No.
So, what if we win?
It doesn't make sense as a prerequisite.

　Kyousuke was a bit miffed when he said that.

''That's a lot of confidence. No, I know you're definitely stronger that way, but...''
Hey, come on. You win, you get to do whatever you want.

　The white horse comes in for a tea from behind.

'Yeah. I think it would be a great help if you could help me with something.

　Wallno nodded in agreement. To be precise, he tried to nod but couldn't move because his body was stuck in it.

''Fine. If you win, I'll take whatever you demand.''

　The nameless man takes a gold coin from his pocket and places it on the counter. As it was, he fluffed his coat and headed for the exit. The metal hanging from the hat clashed with each other, making a cool chirping sound.

'Come to the Great Square when you're ready.

　With those words, the nameless man walked out the door.

　It was a tricky one. Well, it doesn't seem like there's any loss in fighting, but it doesn't seem like there's much to gain, either. But it's just one of the indicators of the standard of strength in this world. At best, I'll ask him to lend me his chest.

　When Kyousuke turned around, Lesvon was standing with a gleam in his ship's eye.

''Su........''
Su?
'That's great, moron!　I never thought I'd be able to fight that nobody!
Yeah, yeah. I knew it was going to be great.... In this world.

　I don't know, it's kind of like this, I got the impression that I got to shake hands with a famous rock musician and my rock-loving friend was incredibly envious of me for it, or something like that. Not that Kyousuke doesn't know much about rock music, I know his name and I know he's a great guy, but I'm not that excited about it. It's usually like that.

'.........Oh, shit.

　And Kyousuke looked at his right hand and remembered.

''I was told not to use the power of the king piece, not too much........ It's bad when the total time is an hour........
Well, I'll probably last less than five minutes, so I'll be fine!

　Lesvon said that with a big smile on his face, and I was a little miffed again.

　It wasn't long after that that the blasted Karasuma fell from the sky.