"General GRASSUS WEN ANTOQUE. "General Grasshopper Wen Ank, you will take 15,000 of your expeditionary force into the kingdom and overthrow it...
　King Estor, Bale Sale told Grasus as he bowed his head.
　His voice, which rang out, sounded too faint.

That country has forced its outrageous trade on us, an unforgivable act of barbarism... Therefore, there is no mercy for those who stand in the way. Overrun every inch of it.
　It was as if he was doing paperwork. The king's eyes as he tells Grasshopper don't have the slightest hint of the gentle glow they once had.
　On the contrary, he was like a doll without light, not even knowing what he was looking at.

''Why!　Why are you in the kingdom--what's the use of fighting with a kingdom?
　-- meaning?
　However, a vassal cannot be allowed to interfere with the king's order. This is the king's order to Grasshopper, who has been duly anointed as general.
　His head hangs down, his right hand on the ground creaking the polished floor.
　I could taste blood from my biting mouth.

'This is a decision, General Grasus. Understood, then, I'm going to go now - my wife, she's waiting for me -

　There was a burr, the sound of something cracking.
　Even though it was during the audience, a disproportionate amount of anger weighed on the air.
　After the king's departure, the figures faded away, leaving only Grasus with his head bowed.

　Somewhat later, he stands up and opens the door messily, as if to break it open.
　He stepped out into the hallway and spat out the foreign object in Grasus' mouth.

'This country has gone mad--what in the world is going on--'

　The pieces of the tooth, coated in saliva and blood, reflected the light that plugged in.




◇




'Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!　You must never, ever, ever let go!
　Aisha, who was uncharacteristically uncomfortable at times, said frantically to Nacht.

'Ha ha ha ha, don't be so frightened, Aisha, calm down and look at it, the view from the sky is brilliant and beautiful--'

　Aisha clung to Nacht and kept her eyes closed.
　The sound of wind cutting echoed through the air.
　It would even be a shame not to experience this fast and exhilarating feeling.

　I spread my wings to swallow the light and use wind magic to eliminate the influence of the outside world.
　Even though it's not so high, it's still about two thousand meters above the ground. Aside from Nacht, Aisha would be affected by the changed pressure and temperature.

''Why, all of a sudden, this kind of........in the sky........calm down and look at it, it's impossible!

'Why, even if I asked you to go through the border normally, no one would take you up on it - forcing your way through is not graceful. Then why don't we just jump over the border, don't you think?　Because no human-defined territory can be a wall to me.

That said, this is too fast, too fast!
　I wonder if that's true.
　I'm flying much slower than when I fly alone.
　In fact, even now, I'm only going about seventy kilometers per hour. I had refrained from going too fast because I thought it would put a strain on Aisha, but I guess I still didn't give it enough consideration.
　Nacht further reduced his speed by about thirty kilometers.

''Now, how's that?''

Yes, well that's a little better than the...
　Aisha said, and almost opened her closed eyes.
　However, perhaps because of fear, she still did not leave with her face buried in Nacht's chest.

''Be assured--whether the arrows come, the magic, the storm, or the dragon, I will never let go of my hands.''
　I tell Aisha in a princess hug.
　Hearing this, Aisha looked up slightly and opened her eyes.

　Then, finally, Aisha would have seen this view.
　A light like a pillar of light descended from the wide open clouds in the infinite azure sky.
　A landscape that stretched out to the far distance, all of which could now be captured in view. Turn to your left and you will see the deep green of the Jorno Forest, turn to your right and you will see the color of the sea in the distance, beyond the grasslands. In front of us is a rising mountain range. In effect, the borders of the region are formed by these mountains.
　There are three ways to cross them. However, people actually use only one.
　The great non-degrading tunnel built by the ancient demon tribe.
　That road, which was hollowed out of the mountains by magic, is the only way to connect the kingdom to Estor.

　Most importantly, though, Nacht passed through the border easily by flying this way.

''Hafu, I'm not good at heights...''
　Aisha looked out for a bit, but soon hugged him tightly.
　Nacht thinks that the view from the sky is spectacular and refreshing, but Aisha is apparently not very good at it.

'It can't be helped. Let's get down--
　Aisha was relieved to hear Nacht's words.
　Nacht wanted to fly like this and get to the capital of Estor, but they were reflected in Nacht's eyes when he thought that if Aisha was afraid, she would have to get off.
　The altitude that had been lowered is raised again.

'Huh--why--'
　Aisha's scream spills out slightly.
　Beyond the mountain range, a long line of people are linked together.
　The one in uniform knight armor is undoubtedly an Estor soldier. But who is that peculiar army that caught my eye?
　I'm not sure what they are, but either way, if you continue to get off, you will definitely be treated as a suspicious person.

"Let's just fly some more.

Oh, no.

　A group of people mingling with the army and wearing all black robes.
　They are not just wizards. They're not just a bunch of people, they're also a bunch of people who have a lot of experience in the field.
　There was a woman standing at the front of such a group.

　No, it would be more accurate in this case to call it a woman.
　Her eyes were fixed on Nacht, who was floating in the sky.

''Aisha, we're accelerating--''

"Huh?

　A moment later, the atmosphere was cracked.
　Flaming bullets were flying in the place where Nacht's afterimage remained. They disappeared into the clouds as they pierced the sky.
　It could be said that he had a moderate skill to accurately aim at Nacht, who was about two kilometers up in the air, and to be able to deliver an attack.

''Whee!

　Two turns in the sky, three more twisting and turning, and Aisha, held by Nacht, who avoids the attack, would have felt the intense G and floating sensation, not a screaming machine in her eyes.
　In contrast, Nacht is feeling the exhilaration of flying around in the sky, though.

'd*mn, sweet Aisha is scared. No, a screaming Aisha is also a good thing, yes.

'Stop paying attention and stop, please!
　Nacht pauses at Aisha's plea.
　Nacht tells Aisha, who is breathing a sigh of relief.

'But is it okay, Aisha--'

"Huh?
　It is reflected in Aisha's eyes as well.
　The pillar of fire that looms like a wall in front of us--

I think it's a little hot in here, don't you?

''Hot is never good enough!　Here!
　Nacht says as he closes his eyes and reassures Aisha, who seems to have made up her mind.

''Then let's cool off a bit--Iceicle Magic--Undestructible Blue Ice (Immortal Crystal).
　The flames, glowing orange, disappear.
　The flames and the ice must have collided, but there was no sound - it was as if there had never been any flames there in the first place, and they had vanished without leaving a trace.

　All heat was blocked by the countless fine ice cubes floating in the sky.
　On the contrary, even the heat that had been flowing through the air and filling the area was rapidly lost, and the exhaled breath turned white. Even the clouds in the sky may have been affected by this, and snowflakes, which are rarely seen in the south, fell in drops and drifts.

　The blue, beautiful ice not only clears the flames, but it also rains down on the fools who have launched a tactless attack.

　It may have been disastrous, in the middle, below, but Nacht's interest was not turned.

'Either it's broken now, or--'

"Fooch!
　Aisha's sneeze interrupted her words.
　Nacht walked away from the battlefield with Aisha in his arms at ease.




◇




What the hell is going on here?　How dare you unleash your magic!　Shit, what did that woman do?
　Glassus spat abominably.
　Suddenly, as if that monstrous army had launched an attack, an unseen piece of ice rained down from the sky, and part of the earth was covered in ice.

''I didn't give them any orders to attack!
　Besides, what was that flying human? It was only faintly visible, but its outstretched wings were inexplicably similar to the wings of a dragon.

　The wings of a dragon, as legend has it.

　Glassus spat angrily at the captain of the legion who acted on his own.
　But the commanding officer, standing there in the snow and ice, did not move a single eyebrow, only smiled coldly.

"Why are you acting on your own, you--

It's not up to me. I function at the behest of my lord, His Majesty, Veilsale. Even though you are a member of the military, you do not have any command authority, do you, General Grasshopper?
　Yes.
　That's where it gets strange in the first place.
　There is no such thing as two generals in one army.
　Most of all, though, I should say that this war is two armies working together, and each of them has its own general.
　The army in black is not the soldiers of Grasshopper. They are unknown soldiers who came out of nowhere and somehow joined the war. I'm not sure if I'm going to be a good fit, but I'm sure I'm going to be a good fit.

''And yet, your army seems to have been wounded?

It's all clear, sir. Most of them are safe, except for the frozen ones--please continue your march, General Grasshopper.
　Grasas's legion was fifteen thousand, and the kingdom would be able to mobilize ten times this number of troops. Her legions combined would total 20,000.
　The difference is obvious.
　Right from the start, it was a battle that had no chance of being won.

　But no one argued with them.
　The people who would have stopped the king, even if they had to raise their voices, all kept their mouths shut. It was unthinkable in the old Estor.
　Everything has changed since a year ago.

　Everything has changed since that day, when the king, who was working hard at his government, said his wife had returned to life.

　There is no doubt that someone is working in the dark, but you can't even find a shadow of it. In just one year, the city of Estor has gone mad.
　And now this war.
　No one is speaking out to stop it. It is probably only those on the margins who think it's strange.
　The general, Grasshopper, does not know the identity of the black-clad army that suddenly joined the army. The only thing he knows is that they are strong enough to defy ordinary soldiers and have high magical abilities.

''Don't worry, General Grasus - I returned fire because of the danger, that's all. The real thing is the overrunning of the kingdom - there's nothing wrong with that. Shall we proceed, for your sake--
　The eyes of a woman who glows suspiciously.
　A woman with an elaborate, exquisite, fragile, beautiful body that is not fit to stand on the battlefield.
　There was no conflict, and if one had simply looked at it, one would have marveled at it as if one were a goddess.
　But to Grasshopper, she looked like a smiling demon.