Nacht was the only person sitting in a room in the quiet inn.
　He laid out a luxurious cushions on the tatami mat room and meditated while sitting on the floor.

　As I did so, the sound of the leaves of the trees that swayed in the wind reached my ears in a pleasant way.
　Overlaid with such sounds, Nahato was able to tolerate the act of waiting a little more, as he tried to pay attention to the sound of the water gently rushing by.

　He didn't have to think of it as a quaint way to spend time quietly in a typical Japanese space, but after all, there was something boring about just sitting still.
　I couldn't help but wish that Aisha or Shtel were here to stroke their heads and spend some happy time with them.

'It's about time.'

　Nacht opens his eyes with a snap.
　It was only a few seconds away from the time of the appointment that Haruka had mentioned. The sliding doors of the room were quietly opened.

'Have I kept you waiting?'

　The old man looked at Nacht and said so in a vaguely gentle voice.
　The old man, who walked as if the sound had been erased, had a physique that was so well-developed that it didn't match his white hair and beard.
　The thing that caught my attention more than anything else was the scars.
　It was as if half of his face had been shaved off from his forehead to his eyes, and even after it had healed, it still bore the scars of war on his body.

　It is said that he is over 60 years old this year, but his figure with his famous sword on his hip is no doubt a warrior who will pass in active service.
　There were two guards behind him, but to be honest, this old man looked ten or twenty levels higher than him.
　This was the previous general, Tatibana Kensei, the one Haruka had mentioned, the one she had been talking about.

''No, it's almost on time. You were a little early.'

　The air was heavy.
　His voice and expression always wore an air of gentleness, but there was a single sword inside.
　That sword, which must have been forged over many years, still emits an incredibly strong pressure even after being sheathed. It's no secret that if faced properly, an ordinary person would be swept up in the air.
　But even so, Nacht still responded in his usual pompous tone of voice.

I asked Haruka to pick me up, but she's still a free spirit, as usual, not even picking me up. Anyway, I'm glad to see you're not late.

　Then Kensei said one thing.

It's time to go.

　And with or without a voice, he made the guards back down.
　Slowly, by the time Kensay sat down, they were left alone in the room.

'Was that good?'

　Nacht asked, and Kensei laughed softly.

'Ho-ho-ho, I don't care what--it won't make a difference if you're there or not.

"--

　He was impressed by Nacht's words as if he knew what he was doing.

It's a skill of an old man who has wasted his years," he said. He's still a tremendous person. Even Erin-sama didn't go this far.

Hmm, he was here too.

''Yes, once ten years ago and again not long ago. Due to a connection from a long time ago, I was able to learn a bit about the intentions of the demon race and the war.

　The child of that person who fought in Estor.
　The little girl who was apparently looking for her niece, Rinoa, was apparently moving around a lot, as she was the supreme head of the Demon King's army that crossed from the door to the continent.

It's a lot of noise outside, it's tough. We've been a hermit for generations, so we don't know much about the outside world, but...''

-- is that what you wanted to hear?

　When Nacht heard the point, Kensei still laughed gently.

'If only, that is all I could do--by the way, what is Haruka-chan doing?　I would have told him to be here as well as to greet you, but...

The guy's a bit overzealous - he's probably thrashing about in his room right now.

　Filnelia and Haruka both have terrible hangovers.
　They don't have the energy to get up from the bedding, or they just drink water and still sleep sluggishly.

''Ho-ho-ho, is that girl over-excited - that's also a rare thing, isn't it? Is that also due to Lord Nacht's influence?

Yeah, well, I guess he's still a kid.

　Incidentally, Aisha, by the way, was not hungover.
　The dragon's followers get a good amount of resistance to state disorders, so it's not like they are defeated by the poison of alcohol.
　However, the problem was not with their bodies, but with their minds.

　Being resistant to state abnormalities naturally meant that the memories of the time when they were drunk were also present.
　He didn't say much for the sake of Aisha's honor, but yesterday Aisha had been moderately bad.
　But even so, Nacht could get away with being cute when Aisha was drunk, but in any case, the person who had come to his senses was in a terrible self-loathing mood.
　Apart from the two of them suffering from hangovers, he wouldn't come out of the room.

''That's another poor girl. A princess priestess is not allowed to be weak, but she is no longer a priestess. Let her be pampered to her heart's content.''

'My Aisha will sulk if I get too involved. We'll think about it in moderation.

　When Nacht smiled softly at that, Kensei also smiled back.

'I am Tachibana Kensei, your predecessor--what, I'm just a retired old man now.

　To such an easygoing greeting, Nacht also replied with his usual words.

''The Spiritual Dragon is the Dragon Man, Nacht Shateng, you may call me Nacht-chan with affection.






◇　




　
　The Shogun's Tachibana are the pinnacle of the Land of Harmony in both name and reality.
　Many of the Tachibana are so skilled that they are said to have climbed to the top of the many warrior families by sheer force.
　Power is required for politics in a country of harmony. More to the point, it demands military prowess.
　The previous shogun, Tachibana Kensei, was an accomplished general who had distinguished himself on numerous battlefields, and even now that he has retired, he still has the power to influence the government of the country.
　It is said that he has been defeated and wounded only once in his life. The truth of this is unknown, but it's so good that it's a living legend among the people.

　In the Land of Wa, where ferocious demonic beasts are roaming around, the defense of the nation is considered more important than anything else. Because of the remoteness of the country, there is little need to be wary of invasions from other countries, but the need for military force is always imminent when dealing with magical beasts.
　This is such a place.

"This country is a good place, we are blessed. No, is it too good to be true?

　The rich nature and the vicious monsters that feed on it.
　In the first place, why is there such a concentration of harsh nature in this land?
　Nacht naturally knew the answer to that question.

It is also because of this that the Far East island, which is not large and remote, is still rich after being closed off to the rest of the world, but... it's hard for people to be happy about it.

　This land is a convergence point for the magical elements (mana).
　The number of pathways of the magical elements (mana) running underneath the ground - the number of dragon veins is uncommonly large.
　All of them overlapped each other a little bit, forming three huge pathways of magic elements (mana). Perhaps it was the effect of this, but the land had risen and turned into a mountain range, and a rich but sometimes stormy sea had been created.

'It's a nice place to visit, it's a shame to be closed off to the rest of the country - or maybe it would be better if we could just walk through the door and have a monopoly on it.'
　It was a very high bar to get into the country.

We welcome you to stay with us, Nacht, and you are welcome to make the most of it. You are welcome to stay with us, Nacht-chan, and enjoy your stay as long as you like.

"I thought with Haruka as well, you're quite lenient. We were warned at first, but later on, the welcome we received was, I think, quite too convenient for us.

　If a foreigner like Nacht had his way in the country, there would undoubtedly be those who would complain about it.
　When Nacht said this, Kensei's expression tightened slightly.

There are several reasons for this," he said, "but basically, the people of our country welcome visitors from beyond the door. Especially the demons. The people of this country owe a debt of gratitude to you, and some of them even believe in you like a god.

　It was a thin reason that could be emitted on the surface.
　Even if they were indebted to the first Demon King, that was two thousand years in the past. There was no way they, who weren't the parties involved, would trust Nacht for such a reason unconditionally.

It's just a coincidence that the visitors from the door are all benefiting the Kingdom of Harmony. When Erin, the Demon King's daughter, came to our land, she said she was busy, but she participated in the slaying of demonic beasts and single-handedly slaughtered the vicious monsters that had been tormenting our people for years. On the contrary, he said, 'If it's too hard, I'll send you a battalion right away.　He even suggested things like, 'Oh, of course I'm not going to ingratiate myself with you like this, well, it's been a long time, let's start by rebuilding trust'.

　Kensei said happily.

Trust is earned through action - we, the Nation of Harmony, are allies with the demons. Well, it's only an unofficial and secret treaty, but that's still a good enough reason to welcome you, Lord Filneria.

　Kensei's words sound like a beautiful story if you take them as they are said.
　However, Nacht grasped the desperate thoughts behind his heart.

'Is that a painful decision?'

I consider myself lucky. But it's also true that I don't like to talk about my own country. But, Nahat, it is a fact. But, Nacht, you can't fight nature. If you jump into the raging sea, you will die. If you want to do something about it, you need to cling to something beyond humanity.

　A weak tone of voice, as if he realized something.
　Kensei ran a hand over his hand to hide the raw, lingering scars.

'To return to my first question, the only reason for welcoming you, Nacht-chan, is simply because you are afraid. The fact is, if you are powerful enough to open that door, if you are the enemy, does the country stand a chance?
　Nacht couldn't help but chuckle at the old man's words, which were too honest.

''Are you sure you want to talk like that?''

There's no one here but me and my little Nacht.

　Then Kensei gave a wry smile.
　But that was only a small part of it.
　Kensei spun the words in a quiet voice.

When I was young, I was quite vain.

　The old man's eyes, as he spun his words while staring at Nacht, seemed to be looking at some other landscape.

'As for me, if you let me enjoy the sights, that's enough for me. In the meantime, there's absolutely no chance of anything happening to this country, I can guarantee you that much.''

Ho-ho-ho, you're doing great - we'll try to accommodate you as best we can, but please try to keep your head down.

　He's probably making fun of the other day's incident and of Shtel.
　Nacht chuckled.

Haha, I'll do my best.

　Still, he still slurred his words.