It had been two weeks since Kuhn had arrived.
　Time passed with no new information and no sign of a new child appearing.
　During this time, Ende, Else, Yae, and Hilda had been working at their adventurer's earning business and focusing on increasing their rank.
　Thanks to their efforts, Else, Yae and Hilda were able to reach the Silver rank, and Ende's finally rose to the Gold rank. He was the third Gold-ranked adventurer.
　Currently, there are only three Gold-ranked adventurers in the world: Old Galen, the future king of Restia, myself and Ende. Well, they might add three more soon.
　It seems that Ende's one has become a gold-ranked person, and there are talks of pulling him out from various places.
　I heard that there was also a country that was going to welcome him with the Knight Commander's treatment, but ''Boku, I won't be leaving this country for a while. I've heard that he refused all of them because of Alice's words, "If you're going to go, you'll have to go with your father alone. He's becoming a bit of a parental idiot, too.
　As for Alice, except for the occasional visit to the castle to train with Else, she spends most of her time with Mel and the others. Walking around with Mel, Ney and Lise, the four of us look more like four sisters than father and son.
　My coons look more like sisters when they're alongside Lean, though. Maybe it's only natural since we're here across time.
　Well, I'll leave it at that.

'So what have you guys been building all this time?

　I called out to the three of them, who were repeatedly adding magic to parts they didn't understand, assembling them and taking them apart.
　They are Dr. Babylon, Engineer Elka, and my daughter Kuhn.
　They have been holed up in Babylon for a long time, continuing to develop and research. To be honest, I'm really worried if I don't ask them what they're building now.

You see, they built a magic train in Felsen, didn't they?　I was wondering if we could golemize it.
"Golemize the train?
'In normal times, the locomotive pulls the carriages; in an emergency, it changes and becomes a giant golem...'
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

　It's good until the locomotive is Golem-ized. The driver won't be needed, and the cost may become considerably cheaper if the magic power supplemented by the magic battery is supplied by the G-cube of the golems. As for our country trying to sell the magic batteries, it would be good for business.
　That's all well and good, but do we really need a giant transforming Golem?
　The ELCA engineer explains to my doubts, "It's useful when a carriage derails or is connected to another one.

It's handy if a carriage derails or if you have to hitch a train to another carriage. Also, it could be a good deterrent to bandits who try to rob the train.
'Ummm...'
And from what I've heard from Kuhn, giant beasts appear rather frequently in the future. I'm sure it's due to the world fusion, but we need to take measures now, don't we?

　That's how many people show up?　I had predicted that because of the fusion of the two worlds, the demonic pools would increase and the demonic beasts living there would mutate.

''According to your father's... oh, I'm sorry, according to your father in the future 《Mukou》, compared to the giant beasts that had appeared in the past, they aren't that big and aren't that strong. There are some individuals that can be defeated by a few red-ranked adventurers. Though there are rare occasions when strong individuals can appear.

　Hmm. There's a difference between the magnesium pools created by the world fusion and the magnesium pools that existed in the past.... It's like a farmed and natural product. If that's the case, is it possible for the Golem train to transform and fight off giant beasts........

''These golem trains are already running normally in the future.　It never occurred to me that I would be involved in its development.

　Oh, it's going to happen.... The future has already been decided? They're not going to build a locomotive with a human face attached to it...?
　Mom says that I was so scared of that thing when I was a kid that it made me gawk and cry, me. Please don't give me any more unnecessary gimmicks....
　I've given up thinking about it, but my ringtone arrives in my ears. It's not mine, is it? It's Koon.
　Koon takes the phone out of his pocket and answers it. .........it's in a rather decorative case.......
　Is that phone a.........

Yes, hello. Where are you?　 Look, please don't move there. Now email me with the location attached. Okay. Please do not move there.

　With a beep, Kuhn hangs up the call. He sighs something and frowns, but........

'That was.....
The third one is here. Sister Frey.
Huh!

　Frey. Freygard. Daughter of Hilda and I, she is the second daughter, and is an older sister to Kuhn. She's the third one, after Yakumo and Kuhn, but she's concentrated on the older group. What is the reason for this?

The first thing that comes to mind is the appearance of Frey-sama in the Devil's Country of Helgaia.
In Helgaia?

　The country of demons and subhumans is located in the western continent. After the world has fused, it is next to the Kingdom of Egret, which has the same terrain, as if it were a mirror match.
　It is an island nation ruled by the Vampire Lord "Majin King", and I met the Majin King before when the pirates kidnapped Queen Claudia-san.
　Since then, Helgaia has begun diplomatic relations with the neighboring kingdom of Igrette, and I heard that they have now begun to trade by ship. Had Frey appeared in that Helgaia?
　Pilon, Kuhn heard a text message ring from his phone. Kuhn immediately forwarded the email to my phone.
　There was no text, just a map attached to it. Is this........in the woods somewhere?　There's one large building in it and a few smaller ones....

''I heard it's the root of the bandit group. I heard that they were going to destroy it now, so I waited for now.
What?

　Thieves!　What the hell are you doing?

What can I say, my dear sister Frey is a chivalrous person and doesn't let this kind of evil go unnoticed.
No, I mean, that's a noble thing to say!　You're not trying to do this alone!

　If this building was a root cell, there wouldn't be ten or twenty people in it. There might be close to a hundred people here. It's a bit of an army. No matter how strong they are, a ten-year-old girl or so alone........!

And call Hilda anyway.
'I think you'd better be quick about it. I hope the bandits haven't messed with you, because Sister Frey is not one to keep quiet when attacked.
Why do you have to be so belligerent?
Well, I wouldn't exactly call it belligerent.

　Hmmm, Coon nodded his head with a troubled look on his face.
　When I called Hilda, she said she was just at the training ground, so I transitioned there with Kuhn on the call. A startled looking Hilda appears in front of me.

''Kyah!　What's wrong with you?　Coon is with me...
'We'll talk later, Hilda!　I'm going to pick up Frey and I'll come with you!
'What?　Frey is......... Oh, wow, my!

　Grabbing Hilda's hand, who was surprised by my sudden appearance, I start transitioning to Hellgaia. I've been there once to exterminate Tentacler at the request of the Demon King, and since Helgaia is rather close, there's no problem with [teleportation].

''Wait, sir!　Where are you and Lady Hilda?
'Sorry, Yae!　I'll explain later!

　Amidst the disappearing landscape, Yae, who was in the training ground like Hilda, was panicking, but we, who had already finished the transition, were in the forest of Helgaia.

''This is my 《I》 daughter...?
Oops, the position is a little off. And it's this way?

　I see what looks like a building at the end of the forest. Is that a ... small fort?　I heard that there was a civil war here in Helgaia before the Demon King ruled.... Is it that abandoned fort?

Let's hurry. If we don't hurry, Frey and the bandits might start fighting...
'And the bandits!　Wait, Fuyu-sama!　What do you mean by that?

　Hilda, who's never heard of me before, opens her eyes and comes at me. Please, please calm down. First of all, please let go of your hand that holds the chest. It's too hard, it's very painful, but....
　In place of me, who was released from my breathing difficulties, Coon explained to Hilda what had happened so far.

''Like riding into a bandit group by yourself!　What are you thinking?!
No, I'm afraid I'm going to have to...

　I chased after Hilda as she hurriedly ran through the forest, angrily chasing after her. It's still dark, even though it's only just past noon. The dense foliage of the trees blocked out the sunlight.

''The photo is located around here but...''

　I scurried around, but there was no sign of it. It's not like we can call out to them out loud in the territory of the bandits....

Shh. .........Father, Hilda mother, be quiet.

　We stop and listen to Kuhn's voice. What?　Do you hear that?

'Ooooooooooooo...'

　I think I heard something. What was that?

It's this way.

　As Kuhn strolled through the shrubbery, he found a girl sitting at the base of a slightly open tree.
　No, no. She's not sitting down. ...sleeping?
　The little girl, leaning back against a tree and breathing in her sleep, wore her shoulder-length, fluffy blonde hair and easy-to-move partial armor. So this is the girl, Frey.
　The armor was vaguely similar to Hilda's, only the gauntlets and grieves on both arms and legs were disproportionately rugged. He's not equipped with any weapons, but I wonder if he's a martial artist.

Sister. Sister Frey. Please wake up.
'Hmmm...?　 I can't sleep at all...

　Frey woke up with a shake of his shoulder from a shake and a coon. Slowly opening her eyes, they were filled with the same clear blue light as her mother's.
　I didn't feel that much in my sleep, but when I opened my eyes, I could see it clearly. Surely this child is me and Hilda's child. She looks a lot like the princess knight girl standing next to me.

''.........?　Mother!　Your father is there!　Wow!　You're still a little young!　It's kind of weird~!

　With his eyes wide open, Frey jumped up and ran towards us. And then he dives toward the two of us. What.........!
　There was quite a bit of momentum, but we took my daughter head on. Ta-tah-tat!　My armor hurts!

Well, Frey....Freygard, is it?
That's right. That's Frey, Mother. Don't you get it?
I'm sorry, I've never seen you before...
Oh, I see. Yeah.

　Frey quickly backs away from us and chuckles.

"Didn't your father understand?
Yeah, that's right. But I can see the resemblance between you and Hilda.
'I see. Glad to hear it.

　Their personalities seem to be quite different, though.
　Hilda is a crisp image, but Frey is a ho-hum image. It's kind of loose. Cute though.
　I think she looks more childish than Kuhn. No, it may be that Kuhn is just too mature.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. Why are you talking about riding into the root of the bandits?
'Shit, yes!　It's not safe!

　Kuhn asked the question we had been meaning to ask, but had put off asking, and Hilda responded by urging Frey to do the same.

I found myself near a small village south of here. I heard that bandits attack this village every month and steal all the food they have to offer. It's terrible. So I thought I would destroy it.
But that doesn't mean you can't...!
'A knight is a shield and a sword for the weak,' your mother always says.
Ugh...!　I don't remember saying it, but I think I will...

　Why?　Hilda flinches at Frey, who tilts his head back.

'But you're just a kid...'
'Some of the people in the village were killed by the bandits. If we don't do something quickly, more people will get hurt. We have to do it while we can. It doesn't matter if you are an adult or a child. If you have the power to do it, you should use it.

　This one ... I'm surprised. He has a loose character, but his thinking is solid. It's not like she was swept away, but she thought it over properly and acted on her own.
　Her strength of will certainly makes me think of her as Hilda's daughter.
　Eventually, Hilda lets out a small sigh as if she has given up.

''........Fufu. I understand what you want to say. We certainly can't leave the bandit group alone. Since we'll cooperate with them, let's get this over with and go back to Brunhild.
'Oh, really?　Yay!

　Frey raises his hands in the air and says, "Hooray. What a light-hearted reaction. ........soothing.
　But that's about it.

By the way, Frey doesn't have a weapon, but is he a martial artist?
'What?　No, no?　Weapons, you see, [storage].

　As Frey muttered this, a magic circle appeared in the air and a huge great sword that looked like it had a blade length of a meter and a half fell from it.
　Zakk!　And that great sword that stabbed into the ground was a crystal great sword whose entire sword body, except for the handle, was made of crystal material.

''Frey can use [Storage]........''
Good.

　Frey lightly lifts a large sword bigger than his height. Ugh!　What an idiotic power...!　Oh, I wonder if the [Gravity] has given you a lightweight magic?

Is that your weapon of choice?
"Sister Frey has many different weapons in her [storage]. It's a style of Frey-sama's to change the weapon to suit the occasion. It's a bit unusual for a knight, though.
'What?　That's not true! Your mother also said that chivalry isn't about how to fight, it's about belief. Right?
'I don't remember saying it, but I think I might...'

　Hilda looks up to the heavens with an indescribable face.
　When it comes to swords, it's probably Hilda, Yae, and Morobane sister's training, so there's no need to worry about it. Oh, if it's an axe or a bow, can you learn it from Karina-san?

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that most of my weapons were made by your father. In total, I have about a hundred of them. I gave them 【Paralize】 and 【Modeling】 and so on, and they can be set to stun mode or even to a blade-pulling state!
'Kah!　You are so sweet on my daughter!

　I don't know if I'm angry or disgusted with myself anymore!　You're giving her a weapon like you're giving her a toy!　It's too bleak!

'I see, it's the same as my sword. With that weapon, you can change the killing power to suit your needs. Even against a group of thieves, I won't have to do any unnecessary killing.
Yeah. We're gonna get him and make him pay for his crimes. We're not going to forgive the bad guys. But they'll have a bone or two to pick.
I agree with that.

　What's going on? My wife and daughter are having a devastating conversation. Can't they be more harmonious?
　With a drawn-out smile on my face, Coon came up to me and sneaked up on me.

'Don't worry. That's your normal driving style, sister Frey. ........By the way, of all the sisters and brothers [siblings], if you offend them, you are the most frightening, so please be careful.

　...Really?　It's hard to imagine from the carefree and loose atmosphere, but they say that the usually quiet type is more scared when they get angry. ........I don't think I'm the quiet type either.

''Father. Do you know how many bandits there are in the bandit group?
'What?　Oh, wait a minute. Let's see.....　I can't search.... Is there an inhibiting ward in place?

　Since Hellgaia is also a former/underworld, I thought there would be less magic wards and such.
　 In the past, it's possible that such wizards have granted inhibiting warding magic to this fort. That's probably why the bandits also used this place as their base.
　Well, I think it's about a hundred people, but the demon tribe has excellent physical abilities and many of them are formidable. I'm sure there will be golems to follow them around, so there might be a good number of them.

''Can Kuhn fight?''
Like your mother, I can use all kinds of magic except for the dark attribute, but when I fight, it's exclusively this way.

　With a swing of the 'storage card' in Kuhn's hand, two unusual guns appeared there. Is that.........a magic gun 《spellcaster》?

And there's this girl.

　Further from the "storage card", Parra, aka Mecha Paula, falls down and stands up with a clatter.

"Does this guy have the ability to fight?
''It's not as good as 'The Crown,' but it can fight reasonably well. I don't have the special ability [Golem Skill], so I only have built-in equipment.

　Kuhn explained, and Parra let her short claws fly out of her hands. With a bang, bang, sparks sparked. An electric shock claw 《Stun Claw》?
　Well, is this okay?

Hehe. It's fun. It's like going on a family picnic.
'Yes. I know it's inappropriate, but it's kind of fun.
'No..... I don't think it's quite the same as a picnic...

　The mother and daughter stand side by side, looking up at the fort and smiling. Why do you guys look so happy?

Well, let's go. Let's go get the bandits.

　I didn't know that the first time I worked with the girl I met was to kill bandits.... I gave a small sigh at Frey's words.