Makina Renoussphere was leading the guests, who had arrived in the early afternoon from Louverargan, to the Great Sacred Place.

　This was because the first prince, Ghias Ruvelargan, wanted to see the Great Sacred Place.
　As soon as they arrived at their destination, Prince Geas jumped out of the carriage.

''Every time I come to Renowthred, I see the Great Sacred Ground, and it's always a spectacular sight to fall in love with!

　Although there are still traces of the face of the War God King in his facial features, many of the expressions on Gearas' face are probably ones that his father wouldn't give him.
　The good nature of his upbringing is fully evident in his behavior.
　Makina hurriedly chased after the prince, almost tumbling off the carriage with undue momentum.

''I have a dinner meeting with the Holy King, so I can't stay too long but until the time is up, but please, take your time.''

　Makina said, mindful of the civility of an invitee.

'You're as uptight as ever about Geas, O-Su.

　Ton, the one who jumped down from the carriage was Prince Geas's companion, Shanatrice Twoelf.
　He was the vice-captain of the God's Punishment Corps, a special unit directly under the Military God King, and an old friend to Makina.
　While following the prince through the entrance, Makina sent the question she had been having for some time to Shanatrice.

'How can you be so rigid, you're the prince of a country?　It's been bothering me for a while now, but.......do you usually act like that towards the prince?　Oh, is that a problem?
Geass!　What's wrong with my attitude?

　Shanatrice called out in a tone of reverence to Prince Geas, who looked around the building with a glint in his eye.

'No problem, sir?　And you've been like that for a long time, even to your father, the King!　So some of the credit goes to the attitude... no, but it's a really great building!　I love architecture, but this grand sanctuary gets my heart pumping every time I see it!　Gunjinba is the ultimate in ruggedness, so he doesn't have this exquisite subtlety!　Yeah, I want to rebuild it!
''........Gee, Prince Geas never gets tired of it either. Every time he comes to the Christophia, he always comes here.
If Ruvel Argan was more peaceful than it is now, that might have created a more scenic royal city.
Is the civil war still not over?
Chain after chain of events. Well, maybe that's why this is a country that fosters mercenaries. The War God King himself even favors warfare between local lords.
Strange country...
"If we wanted to, we could put down all the current internal conflicts with the God King's Army and the Divine Punishment Corps led by the king. In other words, as long as the strongest absolute military force in the country is in the capital, civil strife in the provinces can be overlooked. To you, it may seem like a warped situation.
And the finances will be paid for by an abundance of rare and scarce mineral resources.
We've been steadily increasing our profits through trade with other countries. The irony is that this successful trade is thanks to the appearance of the Four Deadly Disasters, which has allowed the Empire to establish diplomatic relations, even if only superficially.
Don't talk nonsense to me.
'Ho-ho-ho!　Don't worry, Makina. At least Renowthred is safe. In addition to the Order of the Holy Tree led by the Black Juggernaut, you have the most powerful curse-smith in the land. The Empire is not foolish enough to pick a fight with the nation that defeated the Four Deadly Plagues. It's because the Empire wanted to maintain their friendship with you that they accepted your invitation without hesitation.
The only thing I can think of is a positive outlook, but.......and in terms of strength, you have the God King's Army and God's Punishment Squad at your place too. Moreover, the person leading the God Punishment Squad is--

　Makina takes a glance at the obsidian armor that rises behind Shanatrice.

''Captain of the Divine Punishment Corps [Armor War Demon]--Rose Claywall.

　Makina has yet to see Rose Claywall say a word.
　Shortly after her arrival, Shanatrice said, "He's a silent one. Please forgive him," she apologized, and her second-in-command introduced Rose instead.

　The Armored Warrior Demon is sometimes spoken of as the equal of the Black Sacred Juggernaut.

　His stature was not even comparable to the giant Van Stos and that Beshgam.
　He is as tall as Nira'taru (two meters), even if it is conservatively estimated.
　The gender is unknown.
　Shanatrice asked, "Gender?　Ho-ho-ho, it's not like I'm in this armor," is all he said.
　From the way he said it, it seems that he doesn't want his gender to be made clear.

　The gender is unknown, partly because I haven't heard his voice, but also because Rose's head is entirely covered by a helmet.
　Her chest is also covered by thick armor, so it's impossible to tell if she has a bulge or not.

''Ho-ho-ho!　We can't even tell them apart by their breasts, even if they aren't in thick armor!
'Don't just read my thoughts and go straight into my head!　And ... soooo, there's a little bit of that!
Take it all off and I'll have enough fun to keep a man happy, won't I?
'A woman's breasts are not meant to amuse men.　Totally....

　I re-partition my observations, staring at Shanatrice with zit eyes of dismay.

　Rose remained silent, watching Makina and the others.

　Darkness pooled around the eyes of their helmets.
　Even if you stare into its eyes, even the color of its eyes is indiscernible.
　The heavy helmet has two long horns that remind me of monsters in mythology or demons in eastern lore.
　The armor itself also has many rugged protrusions.
　Combined with the silent figure, it emits an eerie sense of menace.
　After arriving in this country, all of the deaf people had seen Rose for the first time and all of them had a look of surprise on their faces.
　Is it not unreasonable with that demeanor?
　The wide long sword at his waist is probably the holy demon sword "Tailfinger" that I have heard rumors about.
　Although I've met Prince Gears several times, this is the first time I've met Rose.
　The reason why Rose accompanied him only this time is because of the presence of the Empire's guests, after all.

''If the imperial god of war is over there, we'll have all three of Midzubere's famous warriors in one place.
Garbarossa Gimmenze is on the western continent, and I heard he was all over the western conquest.
I've heard. Speaking of which, Makina, the study of the human psyche is becoming very popular on the Western Continent.

　At that moment, Rose ran.

　Her footsteps were heavy, but her movements appeared light.
　Every time she stepped on the floor of the corridor, a metallic sound could be heard.

'Rose!　What's the matter with you?

　He seemed to be trying to catch up with Geass, who was ahead of him.
　I noticed that the prince had finally advanced far enough to be able to see behind him.

''The four entrances and exits have been processed upon entry, and I don't think any suspicious characters have entered... but just in case, let's hurry up and chase after them.

　Makina followed the back of Shanatrice and Rose.
　Perhaps because of the large difference in stride, it was hard to catch up with them.

''Hmmm... what is it?　There's a figure--
'Oh?　That huge, jet-black armor you are not Ruvel Argan's "war-armored demon", are you?

　A cheerful female voice.

'Hmm?　Nope. Too bad.

　A woman wearing a white hat embroidered with red embroidery pushed up the brim of the hat.
　Golden eyes.
　Long, monochromatic green hair.
　Surprisingly clear white skin.
　What she is emitting is the air of one who speaks from above.

It's nice to meet you. I'm the First Princess of the Empire of Guntarios, Hel Guntarios.
What?

　Shannatrice was the one who uttered her surprise.
　Makina also gasped at the unexpected encounter with an unexpected person in an unexpected place.

　-- arriving earlier than the scheduled time she had heard about.

　Since she hadn't met her and had no information about her appearance, she didn't immediately realize that she was the Imperial Princess of the Empire.

''Oh!　You're the First Princess of Guntarios!　My name is Ruvelargan, First Prince of Ruvelargan, Ghias Ruvelargan.　Henceforth, it shall be known to you.

　Rather unfazed, Prince Geas held out his hand.
　Hel smiled with just a mouthful and held the offered hand.

I'm Hel Guntarios. It's a pleasure to meet you. Yes, it's a great honor. It's a pleasure.
It's a pleasure. By the way, you're a beautiful woman!

　There is not the slightest hint of discouragement in the Prince.
　He's always been like that.
　He acts innocent and talks to everyone innocently.
　Whether that was calculated or not, I still can't discern.

''........Hmmm. The First Prince of Ruvel Argan seems to be quite an interesting guy. So - who are those two lovely people there?　Are you related to the Holy King?

　Helle asks, bobbing up and down in the prince's grasped hands.

'My name is Shanatrice Twelf,'

　Shanatrice prodded her knees in awe.

'I'm the second-in-command of a special forces unit that reports directly to the War God King, who rules over Ruvel Argan.
Hmm?　Oh, I see. So you are the famous Ruvelargan witch? I'm sure you're not the only one who has heard of you and your excellence has reached my ears. I'm sure you'll be picked up by me if you lose your place in the world.
It is an honor to receive such a generous compliment from Your Highness.
'Hahaha!　It's a total stranger's distance. She seems to be a very inedible woman. That's a witch indeed. And what about that other "princess" of yours?

　Helle shifts her gaze to Machina.
　Makina Fufu.

''I'm Makina Renowskaia, the daughter of the Duke of Renowskaia's family. I am the head of a training institute that trains candidates for holy warrior of Christophia.
Oh, yeah?　So you are the Makina Lenowskaia.
Well I understand that Princess Helu is expected to arrive a little later.
'Surprise is the foundation of warfare, Miss Makina. I was selfish enough to ask to see the Great Sacred Field, and I was graciously offered a carriage.
Ha, ha.

　Makina was put off by the open-ended mannerisms.

'But--whether it's you or Shanatrice, you have a well-endowed appearance and physique. Given your track record, you're not as old as you look.''

　There was no sound of mockery or sarcasm.
　As he approached the prostrate Makina, Helu let his fingers tuck his chin up.

'Physical characteristics that are worthy of mimicry are a kind of strength.

　Golden eyes filled with steel will.
　Hel softened her eyes.

I'm not going to be the only one who can do that. If I'm wrong and my country dies, both of you should come to me. I like it.

　Makina looked straight back into Hel's eyes.

'Don't worry. Runowthread will not perish,''
'I suppose. After all, you have someone in your country who is powerful enough to repel those four plagues - the Forbidden Spell Maker.

　Kurohiko's presence, I know.
　Vigilance grew in Makina.
　Hel shifts his gaze to Shanatrice.

'Rubel Argan also dug up that [Subhuman King], didn't he?　If we were to go toe-to-toe with the Empire from now on, wouldn't we still have a good chance of winning?
However, I believe that the best use of too much power is as a deterrent. For that reason, the name "Subhuman King" is a very reliable one.

　Throwing an amused smile at Shanatrice, who cunningly shrugged off the disturbing mannerisms, Hel stood up.

If you are willing to fight. If you're willing to fight, though, you're welcome to do so. Battle is an evolution.
Evolution?
Man is a deadly creature in matters of life. Hence, in times of war, the speed of evolution increases rapidly. Aren't you delighted?

　Makina's expression tightened and she looked up.

'At the risk of sounding rude, I disagree. It is only in peace that human culture can evolve in a healthy way. Evolution made in an environment where life is exchanged is, in my opinion ... an unhealthy evolution.
Haha, that's an interesting way to think about it.
Our desire is inexhaustible, even when there is no exchange of life. And that desire is surely the source of evolution.
'But the root of man is laziness but even the laziest of men need to sleep and eat. If you don't do these two things, you'll die. If you extend it to the life and death of the entire human race, the act of reproduction for the preservation of the species is also a necessary act - although I personally think that the fear of death is the biggest ass-kicking to humans, anyway. It's not the same as the healthy evolution you're referring to as the overall bottom line.
I hate war with all my heart, though!　With conditions, of course!

　Gears interrupted without reading the air.

''Hmm, you said it was conditional. Let's hear it.
"I ask that you not destroy this precious piece of architecture--you must protect it!　Oh, you can keep on destroying those haphazard buildings, if you like.

　Hel looked as if he had found something unexpected.

'Hmph, it seems I must examine my impression of the Ruvell Argan prince. I'm sure you have some interesting sensibilities. But you know what?

　Hel walked over to Geas and swung his arm over the edge.

'Even if you're not wanted, for example, if you unravel history--'

　Shanatrice steps forward.

'What do you think you're doing?
Sometimes these little events can start a war, don't they?

　Helu slapped Gears on the cheek--

"...haha, it's just a play for comfort. Are you serious?

　Rose was between Hel and Gears in a moment's time.

　Rose seemed to have tried to grab Hel's arm.
　But - that Rose's arm had also been grabbed by another person.

''Oh dear, I'm troubled by your highness the Princess.

　A voice that I would like to describe as tangled.

'I'm sure your brother would have warned you to refrain from this kind of behavior to the point where your ears hurt.

　There was one more man on the scene.

　Makina was unable to catch any movement at all until he appeared.
　Moreover, he was holding the arm of that 《Armored War Demon》 with one hand.
　From the trembling of both of their arms, it seemed that they had not yet relaxed from each other.

''Let's apologize for our excessive flirtation, Hel-sama. That was uncalled for.''
Yeah, that's rude.

　Hel stepped back and bowed his head.

'I beg your pardon, Prince Gears. I meant to play along, but I'm afraid I've created some unnecessary tension. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. I'm sorry.

　Makina was uncomfortable.
　Even Shanatrice's face was upset.
　In the midst of all this, Geass opened his mouth aloofly.

''No, no, no!　I was surprised, but I don't get upset over a slap!　So please, don't worry about it!　Oh no, but he's an amazing person for blocking Rose's movements, isn't he?　Can you introduce me to your side?
Haha, you're a very generous prince. Hmm?　Yeah, he's my roommate. It's a good thing that I have no desire to get ahead in my career, because it's a problem for me. Now, then, introduce yourself.

　Removing his hand from Rose's arm, the man repositioned his square-framed glasses.
　A somewhat slouchy but fearless-looking man.
　His attire is reminiscent of a military uniform with a strong western color.
　His beard is neatly arranged on his shapely chin, and his dull blond hair is brushed back.
　He had the air of a gentleman, but there was an air of weary wildness about him.
　Or maybe that tiredness was a mimicry for him.
　With an honest smile on his face, the man spoke his name.

''My name is Varaga Wormood. I'm the head of the department called Warehouse Management Department 2 in the Imperial City Branch.

　I knew it, Makina thought.
　The moment she saw his movements, which were impossible to capture with the naked eye, a premonition resembling a conviction ran through her.

　The Sixth House.

　Currier, Rokia, that Hibigami and Noyes' hometown.
　He remembered that Hibigami had said something like that at a glance.
　I'm sure he's not just a guy.
　But I don't know why that man from the 6th House is currently in the Empire.

''But, well--''

　Helle takes a glance at Rose.

"As expected of the famed Armored Demon. It was a move that even I was amazed at. Even without that holy magic sword at your waist, no ordinary warrior could stand a chance against it. What do you mean?　If I had to fight the pride of our empire, the Warrior God or the Black Archer, who would win?　I'm very interested. And--

　Helle, with a clunk of her shoes echoing down the corridor, stands in front of Makina in an intimidating manner.

'Rumours, I mean?　Yes, the Forbidden Conjurer from the land of the Holy Tree. I have a strong interest in this person. If it's all right with you, could you let me meet him?
It's a--

　Can we allow this princess to meet with Kurohiko?
　There is something uncanny about Princess Hel, just like her behavior earlier.
　How should I respond?
　My thoughts do not play out the best answer.
　How far is silence permitted?

''Hm?　What's the problem with bringing me along?
The thing is...

　When Makina was at a loss for an answer--

"Last semester's classes went off without a hitch, but it's a little awkward that we're the only ones who got a perfect score for the Seibu Festival, isn't it?

　The one the Princess had requested to be brought in appeared from the passage a short distance away.

'Huh?'

　This is where "he" notices us.

'Shana-san and Makina-san?'