At the sight of the knights lined up in a line in the central square of the royal capital, as if it were a war, the residents flee into the buildings out of surprise and fright.

　Such a monstrous situation is extremely rare in the royal capital of the Karruk Kingdom, which has avoided war, and even those who have not lived in this land have their eyes wide open in surprise.

　In the midst of all this, there is a race of people who immediately start moving.

　The merchants.

　Some hide their assets to prevent them from being requisitioned in a war, others immediately investigate the situation with their neighbours, and others, for their own protection, load their belongings on wagons and prepare to leave the country.

　If war broke out with another country, the armed forces of the Karruk Kingdom would be in a losing battle in every case. If that happens, the losing country will have to wait for looting, overrunning, and executing the royalty and nobility.

　It depends on the victorious nation, but in most cases, the defeated nation was always facing a disastrous future.

　And among the money and goods to be plundered were often the assets of merchants.

　Therefore, the genuine merchants, who had always earned their money by acting ahead of time, moved faster than anyone else.

''Which country are we fighting against?''

I'm sure the countries that would move are still trying to figure out what the Blau Empire is up to. If there's a nasty hexenbiest...

"If I'm going to defeat a hexenbiest, why don't I gather my troops in the middle of King's Landing like this? Aren't you planning to fortify the city with a defense?

　As the merchants with shops in the King's Capital gathered in the back alleyway to exchange information, they saw another merchant running up to them in a hurry to catch his breath.

''Oh, hey! I've heard from these peddlers who just arrived in King's Landing that no one has seen an invading army from another country!

　The color of the merchants' eyes change as they hear the report that was shouted at them.

''Well this isn't war, is it?''

So it's a very high-level purge?

Then you should have been quicker and decided the game before he could make a move.

He's in no hurry, he's gathering his troops like he's letting everyone know he's about to make a show of it. They're far outnumbered.

　As soon as that word came out, everyone present looked up at the same time.

''Which way?''

Aristocrats or that new slaver.

It's a bunch of aristocrat hunters. I'm told that the store is connected to the Celestial Kingdom. Did you see that golem? That's not normal.

　The conclusion was reached in the blink of an eye. When the merchants arrived at the answer, the sense of danger faded from their expressions and their mouths relaxed.

''Aristocrat hunters, huh? It's because of them that we are losing customers. It's a shame.

'But in that case, we'll be on fire in the city. In some places, we'd be the ones to suffer.

You don't think it's going to be a nobleman's town, do you?

'Not necessarily. Rather, a nobleman hunter would try to flee to the nobleman's town if he was in a tight spot.

　Everyone fell silent with a reluctant look on their faces when they heard the last line. Sweat trickled down from their foreheads.

　Then, without anyone else, they all started running at almost the same time.





　The morale of the knights was high.

　There was no opportunity for war, just training, maintaining security, and fighting off bandits.

　Even in the very rare skirmishes with other countries that occur, it is only the mercenary corps of the past that stands at the front. Therefore, the Knights of the Karruk Kingdom had a low opinion of them both at home and abroad.

　They were dissatisfied with it, but the knights were pessimistic that there would be no place for them to play an active role in the future, and their pride as knights was waning, and eventually they were transformed into ruffians who only fattened their own pockets.

　They threaten merchants with ample funds, take money and slaves, and live like high nobility.

　This time, the knights ordered to capture Gray and the others were a group of knights who mainly patrol the most corrupt part of the royal capital.

　They were chosen because of their intention to be familiar with the city, but the Knights of the Order in question think of it as nothing more than an earned fodder.

　I'll show you the power of the Knights. Let's cut down those who have committed crimes without mercy and make it easier for them to do business in the future.

　With such lowly intentions in mind, the Knights marched ostentatiously through the city.

　Eventually, the knights moved out of the center of the royal city and arrived in front of a dimly lit alleyway.

''Draw swords!''

　When the man at the back of the line gave the order, the soldiers drew their swords in unison.

''We are the strongest knights of the Karruk Kingdom, the Knights of Desperado! If we go to war, there will be nothing but murder! Cut down every last one of them!

'Oh!'

　There was a shout of anger and the man nodded in satisfaction, raising one hand and swinging it forward.

'Come on, go! Crush it! It's a bloodbath!

　At the command, the soldiers who had drawn their swords ran into the alleyway. As if they were being sucked into a hole, a large number of soldiers charged in, and immediately a scream rang out.

　There is a scream that sounds like an apocalyptic scream and a roar that sounds like something heavy crashing.

　The man's eyes, which at first had a smile on his face, were laced with confusion.

　The sound of metal can be heard, but it's far more of an earth shaking and crashing sound.

　Something unusual is happening.

　As soon as the man thought that, the stone walls on either side of the alley shattered as if they were popping.

　The roar, the dust, and the debris that danced up to the man's immediate vicinity.

　Cowering into them, the man gasped.

　Meanwhile, the buildings that had formed the entrance to the alleyway were crumbling one by one, and then the soldiers who were supposed to be wearing heavy armor were being blown away like a ball.

What... what... what happened?

　As the man turned his voice inside out and shouted at him, he could see a huge shadow moving behind the dust that had risen.