''Goshujin. Here's what I found.''

　While searching the hiding place, Garum found a parchment with fine writing on it.
　This parchment had the strongest odor of Felipe Gerst, according to Garum.

"It's a plan of some kind. This is...

　Written on the parchment are the names of Felipe Gerast, the user of the Beast King (Beast), and Dorothea Zamuelos, who used to use the Spirit King (Phantom).
　Underneath it is written what they do and for what purpose.　

Their ultimate goal is to infiltrate the huge dungeon 'Elysian' in the capital.
Those men were your friends after all.

　Me and Odette took the time to check out the plan.

　I had fought Dorothea-Zamuels once.
　He was a user of 'necromancy' and was good at manipulating people.
　Even before that, he had approached and used the nobles of the Countesses as a sink magician. Thus, he wanted to resurrect the bishop of the Sanctuary Church as a dead spirit.

Their ultimate goal was to infiltrate the huge dungeon 'Elysian'. Their ultimate goal is to infiltrate the huge dungeon 'Elysian' and plunge the capital into chaos by bringing the 'Lord's Horseman' into that place. Furthermore, they're going to invite the sympathizers of the Church of the Sanctuary who are in the country to occupy Elysian...?
It's a big project, isn't it?
The fact that it's not impossible is a little disgusting.

　If the two 'King Horsemen (Lords)' and 'Armed Ogre' cooperate, they can at least disrupt the royal capital.
　To begin with, the 'Beast King Horseman' would normally come over the city walls. It's a very good idea to have a pair of "anti-magic" shields and a "Spiritual King's Horseman" to attack them.

At least there were dozens of deaths in the area.
I'm glad they missed it. Really.

　Dorothea-Zamuels was defeated, and I gave the 'Spirit King Rider' to the 'Magic Guild'.
　Felipe Gerast attacked Count Torrius in a hurry, but I managed to stop him. We also confiscated the Beast King's Horse.
　That's why we've been able to explore his hideout.

But as far as the connection to the Empire is concerned, there's no evidence of a connection.

　I didn't expect this one.
　I thought the Gaiul Empire was supporting the remnants of the 'Sanctuary Church'.
　It would have been confirmed if a document with the signature of the Emperor or a nobleman from the other side of the world had been produced, but there was no such thing.

　The only thing I had was a memo on how to contact the remnants of the 'Sanctuary Church'.
　Even this is useful enough, though.

''Well I guess that's all we can find out here.

　I put the material on the table.
　The soldiers of the survey team were still searching the house.

　A pile of parchment, a demon helmet and armor, and even a jar of water are gathered in the corner of the room.
　It seems that he intends to take everything suspicious with him. That's reasonable.
　It's much faster than checking all the documents one by one in here. As expected of Count Torrius's team of investigators, they're very capable.

　The rest I think we can safely leave the rest to them.

Excuse me, sir. May I come out for a moment?

　I asked the captain of the survey team.
　The captain and Odette, by the way, looked at me and had a strange look on their faces.

I want to see the 'Ancient Battlefield of the Vernal' while it's still light. You all are staying overnight in a nearby village today, right?　I'll join you at night.
'That's fine, but why are you on the ancient battlefield?
I'm interested in history.

　I turned to the captain and said.

'I want to see with my own eyes what the place where the battle was fought two hundred years ago is like now. Otherwise I'll feel like I'm leaving my homework behind, somehow.




　That same afternoon, the battlefield of the Vernal.




　I arrived at the "Ancient Battlefield of Vernal" in the early afternoon.
I flew in with a combination of "Double Body Strengthening (Boosted)" and "Flying Skill", so it took less than half the time of the carriage.
　There's still time until nightfall.



'It's Yuki, so you must have an idea. I'm not going to tell you not to go.''

　At the hideout, after listening to me, Odette said.

'But at least take the messenger with you. I will investigate this place a bit more with you all. I'll tell Yuki everything we find out.''



　With that, Odette sent me on my way. She was smiling bitterly, though.
　I left Dick as Odette's bodyguard and came up here with Garum in my arms.

　In front of us was a plain of bare earth.
　There was really no grass or trees growing on the ground.
　The ground was so hard that there were only shallow claw marks on the ground if you tried to scratch it.

So this is the 'Ancient Battlefield of the Vernal'...

　This is where the magical battle took place after I died in my previous life.
　I wanted to see this place.

　Even after the death of Dean Nosferatu, the Sanctuary Church continued to run amok. They started a huge war involving many countries that existed at the time. That was the 'War of the Eight Kings'.
　I know that as knowledge.
　But I wanted to take a good look at the actual site of the war by myself," Dean Nosferatu said.

　Dean Nosferatu had died before the War of the Eight Kings, so I wanted to see the battlefield alone.
　So it's not like I was directly involved in that battle.
　But........I'm still curious.
　It's as if I remembered that I hadn't done my homework since I was reincarnated, and it's like that.

　If I - if Dean Nosferatu was alive, would I have been involved in the war?

　I'm not sure if I would have been able to help the wounded at least when I saw the powerful "ancient magic" used here, and was so outraged by the devastation it caused that I might have at least helped to treat the wounded.

　It's a good thing that we can't confirm that now, though.
　.........but the people in Feera Village are okay, aren't they?
　You don't get caught up in a battlefield like this.......do you?

''Well then, I really don't see the creature.
"Ooh.

　In my arms, Garum replied.

'It hardly smells like a normal creature. 'Gojinshi,'
How do I smell the demon?
'There is a lingering scent! But there doesn't seem to be any nearby.
I see. All right, take a look around. I'm gonna survey the place for a while.
"This is the place!

　Garum slipped out of my arms and started running in a circle around me.
　I drew the emblem of 'Ancient Magic' on my palm.

Activate. Force the Earth.


　Dogo.


　When I activated the magic, a stone spear flew out of the ground.
　I flipped it in the air and slammed the tip of the spear into the ground.


　Gagin!


　It sounded like a bang on something hard, and then a hole in the ground.
　It was smaller than I had expected.
　The ground in this land is really hard like a stone.

　Moreover, the power of magic is weaker than usual.
　The 'magic blood' written on the palm of the hand also disappears quickly.
　I'm not sure if the magic power in the atmosphere is weaker than other places.

　In this world we live in, magic power resides in the soil, the air and the water.
　The sorcerers use it to activate their magic.
　The reason I'm an immortal in the first place is because my ability to take in magic power drifting through the world is stronger than that of a human.
　Because the magic power is going around inside my body, I won't grow old or get sick.
　Because the magic power is absorbed into the blood, the blood turns into "mystel blood" with a high concentration of magic power.

　But the magic power in this place is a bit different.
　It's extremely difficult to take in, and it's thin.
　I can understand why Garum and the others call it 'disgusting magic power'.

　It's impossible to grow plants and trees, and it's also impossible to grow crops in this state.
　If this is the ancient battlefield of the 'Eight Kings War'.......how many places are there like this?

　As a sorcerer, I would like to know what kind of magic was used here.
　In my previous life I died before I knew about it, but this time I want to know as much as I can about it. I want to know about 'Ancient Artifacts' and 'Ancient Magic'. If possible, I'd like to know what the 'Ancient Magical Civilization' was like.
　Well, I don't have any plans to die for the time being.

''Goshujin.''

　The next thing I knew, Garum was back near me.

'It looks like someone is approaching here. 'Five people,'
Thanks. What's he like?
"Carriage. 'There's a soldier in there, it's tingling. 'Hurry up.'
Carriage?　From the village?
"No, it's the opposite direction........well, it's the one with the 'toilet seat'. If you make Garum more "boosted", I'll do it.
I don't need to intercept. You know what I mean?

　From across the street, I saw a white carriage approaching.
　Around the carriage were soldiers and people in white robes.

　They noticed me and slowed the carriage down.
　The soldier held his spear up and did not point it at me. They didn't seem to want to fight.
　The carriage is a large, ornamented carriage. There aren't many noblemen who own such a thing.
　I don't know if they loaded the carriage onto a ship and came across the Inland Sea, or if they got it from this part of the Inland Sea, but I don't know if they would ever mount such a magnificent thing on an ancient battlefield.

　Royalty and nobility's prestige is a pain in the ass.
　Of course, that carriage is probably not the taste of the person riding it, though.

　Soon, the carriage came to a stop with a creaking sound.
　The door of the carriage opens faintly. But the person inside doesn't come down.
　He seems to be planning to get off, but the people around him are holding the door.

　This is probably also a formality.
　I should probably be the one who finds the carriage and rushes up to meet him.
　I know that, but my robe is dirty from investigating Felippe-Gelast's hideaway, and it's also browned from sprinkling dirt on the ancient battlefield of the Vernal.
　As someone who greets the occupants of that carriage, I wonder what it's like.

''Wow, wow. Someone's banging on the carriage door from the inside!''
'Garum, you have a good ear.
'The nose is better. It's probably a girl in the carriage, isn't it?'
I know that, too.

　I heard from Odette that she's on her way.
　I don't think a royal princess should be walking around with a whimper, but that guy is a man of action.

　It was the same 200 years ago.
At the end of the year in the village of Fira, it was my duty to inform the parents about their children's studies.
　It was a tradition that had lasted for many years. When it was over, it was a festival.

　But that guy's reputation has always been, 'It's good to be studious, but let's settle down'.
　His father, Lyle, and his mother, Remilia, always laughed at him.
　That personality doesn't seem to have changed even after two hundred years.

'Let's go. Garum.
''Yes. The Five Peoples'

　I take Garum and walk towards the carriage with as much politeness as I can muster.
　An escort soldier and a group of robed sorcerers open the way.

　Someone is banging on the door of the carriage from the inside, faster and faster.
　The female sorcerer who was holding it down opens the door with a surprisingly graceful motion. At the same time, she glares at me.

　As I kneeled down as I was wont to do, a girl in a pure white robe appeared from inside the carriage.

'Oh, thank you for welcoming me. My guardian knight, Yuki-Grossaria-sama.
Welcome to the long journey, Your Highness. Your Highness Iris Liestier.

　Standing in the doorway of the carriage, Iris had a bat cliff on her shoulder and an awkward smile on her face.
　She looked at me, took a deep breath, and then──.

We have just dispatched a messenger to Torrius territory, and we are informed that Yuki and Odette have been sent with a survey party to the enemy's lair. By the orders of my brother, the second prince, Kyle, we have come to join you and Yuki.
By order of His Highness Prince Kyle?
We'll talk in the carriage.

　Iris took my hand.

''First of all, I will tell you more about O-Mei. I believe that this will change me and Yuki-sama's behavior in the future.