"-- Oh!　I'm not listening to any of that shit!

　The next morning. I was a little confused.

　It all started in the middle of the night last night. I was asleep at the inn when I was suddenly awakened by a knight of the Kingsguard who came to visit me and instructed me to "take command of the Imperial soldiers in front of the Grease Dungeon and carry out the mission.

　I don't know what the mission was, but he said that this would teach me how to be a knight of the Kingsguard.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get the best out of it. He said.

'You're not listening to me?　Is that right?
f*ck you!　You think you can do whatever you want with it, but you're wrong.　Just leave!
I mean, captain, your knight in shining armor.
Rousey!　If I'm not there to protect my troops, what are you doing?

　Apparently this old man is the captain.

　Oh, yeah, I get it. You think I'm going to take over the squad, don't you?

　The soldiers were like, "That too! And even the guys who were so weak earlier joined the captain in saying, "Go home, go home! I said.

　Somehow I think I've gotten a feel for their personalities.

'Don't worry, don't worry. Just for today, just for today.
Just today?　You've got to be kidding me!
I'm not kidding. So, what's the mission?
............

　When I asked them that, the soldiers opened their mouths and froze, and the captain clicked his tongue before speaking.

You didn't even know what your mission was. You guys are too big-minded to get us involved in the grafting of these Konoean soldiers. You're in charge of their safety, you know. I can't leave the command of a dangerous dungeon to a bunch of lads who don't even know what the word "field" means.

　I was surprised. I thought he was just an old man with a bad temper, but what he said was very true.

　It is very simple for the soldiers around them to say "yes, yes, the captain is right" and agree with him, but this captain is not going to be a simple matter.

　It's a good idea to have a knight in shining armor. ...... In other words, it's a good idea to have the guts to bring these rough, field-oriented bastards together.


I'm not going to be able to get it right. So here's what I'm going to do. You're going to use me...
...... Huh?
It'll come in handy. What do you think?
"No. ...... Are you crazy?　Knight of the Kingsguard, right?　He said he'd use it: ......

　The old man is appalled.

　I can't help it. He won't even tell me what the mission is, so I have to force myself to follow him.

"Mission accomplished is the most important thing. They say the right person in the right place at the right time. You said it yourself, you don't want to work under my command, who doesn't know what's going on in the field.
That's true.
Well, I'm your boy now. You should have no problem with this. Sergeant, tell me what to do.

　When I say that, the captain often has a stunned expression on his face, then breaks the silence with a snicker.

"Heh, you idiot. It's a good thing that you're able to do that.
'So it was. But I don't know the mission, so there's nothing I can do about it.
So you want to tell me your mission?　That's not the way to do it.
No, so just take me out of here and yell at me.

　Again, the captain looked dumbfounded and silent.

''...... You, you're quite unusual. Are you really a kinsman knight?
I don't know.
'Haha!　She's special. I'm going to take you on a special trip. But don't let me slow you down.
Yeah, okay.


　All right, I'm taking you with me. Now all we have to do is figure out the mission and we're all good to go.

　The time limit is until we meet up with Prince Light in the morning. In other words, it's in about 24 hours.

　What kind of mission is it? Capturing the Grease, a grade B dungeon?　No, they can't be that lukewarm with so many people on board. If you're going to go to the trouble of using twenty Imperial soldiers, you're going to ...... I get it, you're aiming for a subspecies (・・・・), right?

　Grease Dungeon's boss 'King Salecoube' and its subspecies 'Masked Salecoube' have a 4% chance of being replaced by a boss. I guess the strategy is to get a large group of players to efficiently go around the dungeon to hunt down the subspecies and try to get a rare drop.

　Hmmm, how many rare drops was the masked salekobe's rare drop probability, I think it was around 10%. I think it was about 10% ...... No, these things can come out surprisingly well if you don't recall the exact number. Anyway, let's hope you can delve into it in the next 24 hours.


'You, what do you use as a weapon?'
Anything.
'Heh, anything: ...... everything!

　He gave me a horrified look.

"Hey, are you f*cking kidding me?
No, hmmm, yeah. If I had to choose, I'd say the bow.
Whoa!　A bow, huh? That's unusual for a close guard.
'Grease dungeons are full of flying demons, so I prefer a bow.
You know it well. You're right. Grease is like a flying skull. So, six for the shield, eight for the spear and five for the bow.
Hmmm. What's the captain doing?
I have a bow.

　I don't see that as a form ...... of fishing with a shield, clumping with a spear, and the bow providing firepower.

　Is it a caveman style where you push with your shield, break through with your spear, and the bow supports you?

............

　No, let's not. I'm not welcome.

　Let's just go once, just one battle. Let them do what they want to do. Then we'll show them how to make it better. By the end of the battle, they'll have learned to listen to me.


All right, let's go.
'Hey, wait, wait, wait!　You stupid bastard!　You're going on a picnic or something!
'What?　I'm sorry right away. Did I do something wrong?
'Don't try to get ahead of me by yourself!　You broke ranks!
"The ranks ...... Oh, yes, yes, the ranks. ......

　I like it, the ranks. So did a certain court magician's division. Do civil servants generally like the ranks?

All right, I'll be at the back. I'll be right behind you.
You're in line, a**h*le!　You're going to die!

　I'm pissed. It kind of reminds me of elementary school.

'Yes, yes. As you wish.
"...... You're such a pissed off little bastard, you.

　And so it was time for the grease dungeon.



　　* * * *



　So last night I told him not to go drinking. Now I've got some pretty nasty looking guys on my case.

　Now, of all places, this joke of a guy comes along.

　He's a knight of the Kingsguard, he doesn't know anything about the horrors of grease dungeons, and he doesn't seem to be intimidated at all.

　I'm sure you've been wondering how many soldiers have tried, and how many of them never came back.

　I've been thinking about how to keep them all alive and complete their mission and return home, and that's when this man appeared.

　I'm grateful for the extra manpower, to be honest.

　That antics aside, this man is a knight of the Kingsguard. He's probably more competent than us.

　However, if you ask me if he's familiar with the field, that's not the case.

　It seems that even he knows this, and has chosen to use the bow for logistical support.

　It's a cool decision, not influenced by emotions, as is to be expected from an elitist who is on the fast track to success.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.　The answer is no. The knights of the Kingsguard I've encountered in my life have been inexperienced, inexperienced lads, spouting disrespectful words and making theoretical arguments about our soldiers.

　In this case, they must have forcefully taken command and discarded us as if we were expendable.

　This uncharacteristic knight of a knight of the guard may be trying to work with us to investigate the boss of the grease dungeon and take the credit for himself...... Maybe he has another goal in mind. It was so different from the other Konoe Guards knights that one would think so.

　It's really not like a korean knight. No matter how rude I am, this man does not raise an eyebrow. This is clearly unnatural.

　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm a hardcore idiot or a very big shot ...... well, it's the former.





　-- and I was wrong in thinking that.

　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.


　A single blow to kill. With an unseen skill that combines archery and sorcery, I buried the Winged Salekobe one after another.

　By the time it took nineteen soldiers to finally kill two Winged Salecoves, this man had killed a total of thirteen of the demons behind them, and even those behind them.


''

　I was speechless.

　I was at a loss for words.

"Captain?
Oh, yeah, I'm sorry.

　The soldier's voice brought me back to my senses. I've been standing there for a while with my mouth hanging open, apparently forgetting to even give the command.

......?

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make sure that you don't disrupt the ranks.


　...... Surely, this man would have no problem going ahead by himself. I'm not sure I'm going to be the only one who can do that. I also play bow, so I know this one well. This guy's bow is extraordinary.


"...

　Suddenly, this man's words come back to me.

　It was just today, he said. Surely, with this man's help, we could get to the boss today.

　He said it would come in handy. He's right. On the contrary, he's the only thing that's going to keep me out of trouble.

　He also said I could be of use. I know what I'm doing. He never breaks ranks. I'm not complaining. And with so much skill.


　What is this guy all about? It's hard to believe that he is the same as those arrogant and elitist knights of the Kingsguard.

''Hey, you!''
What's going on?
I'll tell you what the mission is.
Oh, yeah, that's refreshing.

　Not that that's why ...... is a fickle one, but a fickle one. I've decided to give him a mission.

"A task entrusted to me by the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister?
Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me you don't know Lady Cigarone Eleveni.
Oh, oh, that guy, Cigarone Eleveni, yes, yes, yes.

　Yes, you stupid bastard. I guess he was just joking to distract the troops from the confusion I was causing them with my mission. In fact, they're all laughing at me. So simple-minded. But I feel the same way, though, as I do, I'm tempted to bad-mouth His Highness the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister says there's a strange man who sometimes appears as the boss of the Grease Dungeon. I've been tasked to find out what he looks like.
'What, you mean the masked salekobe? It's a subspecies that appears once every 25 times.

Huh?

　You know that?


So I guess it's not ...... bullshit.
There's no point in saying that now.

　I'm not going to lie about that bowmanship, no matter how ridiculous he says it. That's why I have to take his word for it.

Let me ask you something. Is there any way to safely defeat this variant of Nanciara?
'I'm sure I'll finish it off one-on-one, but the easiest thing to do is not move (・・・・).'
Not moving?　Isn't that dangerous?
'Yeah. I know it's scary at first, but if you don't take a step, it won't do anything to you. It's that kind of monster. So from the moment the Masked Salekobe appears, you can attack it from the moment it appears, standing on a stick.
I see. ......

　If they really don't move and don't attack us, is that the easiest and safest strategy?

Isn't that what bosses are supposed to do?
No, not King Salekobe. Rather, it's the exact opposite. They attack mainly on the ones that aren't moving.
Then we should form up and concentrate our fire on the shields: ......
'It's no good. These guys don't have enough HP and VIT. They'll have to endure two shots. The third shot is a close call.

　The bloodthirsty soldiers said, "What?! But I couldn't believe that this man was lying. But I couldn't help but think that he was lying, because all the men who had reported to me that they had reached the boss had returned without their shields, and it seemed to me that they had escaped with their lives. I've been told that they had returned with their lives in vain.

I'm not going to be the only one who can do that.　Use your head. What this guy is saying is, well, at least it's correct. Well, then, I only have one thing to do.
No way, Captain!
Oh, I didn't think so.

　It's for everyone's safety.

Why don't you take command of the squad?





　--and then it was just a rage.

'Winged Salekobe has a narrow search range among flying-type demons. The very last line that can launch a first strike before it is noticed is 15 meters, well, this is about the position. Learn it by feel. If you can't finish them off with a single shot, they will definitely rush you. Aim your spear at the counter of the Golden General spear technique, and your shield at the parry of the Silver General shield technique. Don't touch the bow, if you hit one more shot while rushing, it will be an anomalous move. Finish it off with the archery skill with the most firepower after the spear or shield responds.

　It's going out, it's going out, it's like a department store of knowledge!　I knew that the knight of the Kingsguard was smart, but he had such a tremendous amount of knowledge that I could be convinced that there was no one else who knew as much about dungeons as this man.

　He also has a talent for conducting. He knows his surroundings well. That's how relaxed he was.

　And above all, his tempo is good in every respect. He stepped in so fast that he didn't even have time to get lost, and then defeated the demons with a bang without even having time to think about it. This is not only true for this man, but also for the rest of us who are following him.

　But it's better than that. We didn't think about anything else, didn't spend too much time being cautious, and were able to focus on what was in front of us before we became exhausted.


　This man is not just any man. On the way, I was curious and asked him, "What are you doing?

"You, when did you become a Kingsguard?
Yesterday.
Yesterday?
Mr. Wright had no choice.


　I can no longer help but be stunned.

　I suppose it's a joke to some extent when he calls His Highness that, but it's this man, and to some extent it's true.

　But I'm convinced. My intuition tells me this. I have a gut feeling that this man is not the kind of man who can fit in with the rest of the Kingsguard.

It's not an honour to hand over the credit to such a woman: ......
Did you say something?
No, it's nothing.

　If he returns to the imperial capital at this rate to investigate this Masked Salekobe or something like that, this man will be held in high esteem by His Highness the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has a terrible character, but those who can do the job are highly valued.

　Surely, this man who just became a knight of the Kingsguard is bound to rise in the ranks. We'd be proud of ourselves if we could help such a man do his job.





All right, scatter!
Oh!

　How many times have we gone around? It was four rounds now.

　We didn't think we'd be able to capture the Grease Dungeon so easily.

　I have to admit, I'm impressed. I'm impressed.

　I'm impressed, to tell you the truth. This man's presence or absence is enough to make a dungeon that I couldn't even manage to conquer easy and safe.

　There were some amazing people in the world. As someone who has been working in the field for a long time, I was impressed by this.


"Oh, man, that was another king salekobe.
You said it was a twenty-fifth of a percent, right?　I ain't gonna do it.
Okay. So, we'll go around again.
Oh.

　His instructions were so simple that even a simpleton like us could understand them.

　Once you're in the boss's territory, you don't make a move until he gives you the go-ahead. That's all.

　If you are told to disperse, you disperse. And then the King Salekobe goes towards this man who is not moving and gets severely beaten back.

　And then he said, "One more round.

　It's easy enough to make the guys who've been struggling so far feel ridiculous.


　Because it's ....... We were a little less tense.





Don't move!

　Finally, the time has come.

　The Masked Salekobe - a giant flying skull with a tattered, rawhide mask.


'Ugh ......!'

　Disgusting, what the hell is this: ......!

　Some of my men were so terrified that their stomach juices were rising in fear.

　The hair color was too different. The King Salecoube was just a crowned skull, not at all as creepy as this one.

　But this Masked Salecoube is ...... too creepy. It's impossible to see something like this and not be afraid of it.


''Ugh, wow!

　Thud!　And then, unexpectedly, one of his men staggered back a step and slumped to the ground, as if one of his men were sitting up, as the masked salekobe was coming at him with a terrifying speed.


''Uh-oh.''

　I can hear the man's disappointed voice.

　Yes, I've moved. That bastard couldn't follow that guy's instructions.


"...... hi ......

　The masked salekobe takes aim at my man, who is on his ass on the floor.

　I was in a quandary. Should I help him or obey his orders?

　But in the split second that I was undecided, the man had already taken action.


Yo, yo, yo!

　The man cancels the [Magic] he was preparing without moving, and stands blocked in front of the slumped soldier, and immediately begins to prepare the 《Gold General Archery》.

　And as soon as the preparations are completed, he activates it, knocking back the Masked Salekobe, and then, just when you think about what he's preparing for the chase--

!

　Oh, [body art] or ......!

　With a body technique that I've never seen before, the masked saloonoon is intercepted by accelerating the momentum of its approach and screwing its fist into the middle of its body.

"Whoa!

　It was such a shock that the ground shook. It must have been a very powerful skill.

　Then, that man is preparing some kind of [magic] as a tome.

　However, even though Masked Salekobe has risen from down, and then approached me, he still hasn't tried to shoot that magic.

　How much more will it attract? It's almost ten seconds away, when that guy suddenly activated his magic.


What the--?

　A blinding flash. The next moment, a shock hits me as if the sun has exploded. Naturally, there was no way I could stand.

　Yeah, that's it. That creepy skull was also blown off. And without a trace of it. There's no way you can withstand this kind of thing.



...... hey, come on, you dead people, show me your hands!
"Captain ...... you're not dead, are you ......?
Unless we're in hell.

　As soon as the light and the blast stopped, we got up slowly, and I saw something strange.

　Then I see something strange.


"Hey, look!　One hit.　I've probably subtracted 10%!


　That Konoe Knight guy, probably dropped by the Masked Salekobe, approached us with a happy expression on his face with an item that was probably dropped by the Masked Salekobe.

　He's not angry at the soldiers who have put everyone in danger by not following his instructions to stay put, but he's saying that with a boyish smile, saying, "Look at it anyway.


'Hey, what the hell is ......?'
The Mask of Fear. Well, it's an accessory equipment. There's a certain percentage of attacks that have a shiver effect.

　I gingerly lifted it and examined it.

　This is ...... amazing. It's a hell of an item. I'm sure it's no less than several tens of millions of dollars on the market.

　This must be what the Prime Minister was looking for. This is awesome!　He's got a great career, I'm sure.


　I was truly surprised at ......, but soon after that, I was even more surprised.



I'm glad you accomplished your mission. Well, I'm done with this.

What about ............? !


　And then, lo and behold, I was about to leave.

　The Mask of Fear is in my possession. In other words, this man had no intention of taking this tremendous achievement back to the imperial capital.


　I thought it was a joke, but I was wrong. The man is a stalwart, and without hesitation, he really is about to leave.

　This guy, this guy, really, really, from the beginning to the end, didn't tell us a single lie.


　You don't want the credit for that? ......　You're going to turn over every single thing to us?　How is that even possible?

　No, it's not normal. I don't care if it's stupid, it doesn't do any good.


　I mean, all you've done all day long is help a bunch of poor slobs like us.

　You did everything in your power to help us until the very end of the mission. That's all there is to it.


　We'll never let a man who can do that take credit for something like that. ......!


Hey, wait!
Hmm?

　I stopped him and he looked back at me with a desperate look on his face.


'What's your name, my dear?
Seven.


　Oh, so it's called Seven.

　A good name. A man who would one day become the heart of an empire.


　I have found it. A man we can trust with our lives.

　I look at my 19 men. I look at the 19 men, all of whom seem to agree. They all nodded enthusiastically. Ha ha ...... that's a pretty simple bastard.


"Sir Seven. The 20 of us are loyal to you. We'll follow you no matter what. We may be fools, but we can be foolish. We'll take care of the rough stuff, the heavy lifting. We want to help you.