Anko's 《Dark Transition》 and 《Dark Summoning》 brought Second and Nova back to the big hole where they started in just a little over a minute.

'As I thought at the Eight Crown Anniversary Party, she's terrific. After seeing this transition skill and her amazing defense, especially that big spear, even I didn't want to deal with her. Furthermore, according to rumors, she also deals in some kind of terrifying magic, right?　In addition, when it comes to the second method of attack, we've got no enemies.

　Nova is constantly impressed.

　Even on the way to the dungeon, she had spoken highly of Anko several times.

　The Second takes it for granted. Because the dark wolf is the number one ranking of demons that the world's number one admits to wanting to tame at all costs.

''What a compliment, Anko!

　The second, who was in a good mood after being praised for his anko, smiled and said, "I am proud to be an instrument of the Lord (Aruji-sama).

'I am proud to be an instrument of my Lord (Aruji-sama).

　Anko is also an anchor, and she can't help but wag her tail when she sees that Second is in a good mood.

'Why don't you teach him some tricks?

　Second, mistakenly thinking that Anko showed a rare reaction to a human, became amused and tried to talk to her further.

　Then, for some reason, Anko looked ecstatic and opened her mouth lustily.


"Because of the Lord's two thousand one hundred and sixty-nine times, I've had the pleasure to have you--

............ Yeah, right.


　Nova had no choice but to return it after a word of silence. Even if she suddenly confessed to playing SM, it was hard to react.

　Anko's beautiful ceramic-white cheeks reddened, "Aha, I'm embarrassed," she said, wiggling and pulling at Second.


'Go home or ......'

　For some reason, Second, who felt awkward for some reason, worked on Anko with a word of "good work" before "sending her off" and then looked for a wall that would allow her to climb to the ground.

''Ah.''

　Suddenly, Nova notices.

'Second, did you forget your disguise?
'Oh!　It was.
You're getting too relaxed.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

...... kuhuh.


　That exchange just now, it was so sweetheart-like - I thought, and it was Nova, grinning to herself.



　　* * * *



　After Nova and I came out of the big hole, it was a riot.

　First of all, I thanked the captain and his team for obeying my orders with certainty and not moving for hours, and then I said, "Bingo! And I'm pissed. And "What happened! And they ate me up so badly.

　I told them the general result, and after a few moments of silence, the soldiers surprised me with a loud, ground-shaking shout. Next, I told them about the draw against Nova, and they cheered loudly and inexplicably decided to celebrate.

　It's been three days and two nights on the road to Marmella, the imperial capital, and you've done your job, so you feel the urge to have a drink at night. I know how you feel.

　We also talked about forming a pact with the Orangi Kingdom over drinks, and the conversation became even more lively, with all the soldiers drinking until morning.

　It's through this kind of daily communication that we've been able to build a friendly relationship with them. I don't know why they call me "Seven. I don't mind, but I'm supposed to be the boss, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

　The next day, while traveling, I let slip that I'm going to conquer the Varlene dungeon and give the emperor a souvenir, and they are also very surprised. By the time the sun goes down, everyone has already spread the exaggerated story, and we end up having another big party that night.

　Everyone said, "There's no doubt that Seven will rise to the top.
You've seen it! For some reason, the captain was very proud of himself. Seven's dungeon capture is truly amazing. It's no wonder you managed to capture Verlene's dungeon all by yourself. You've never seen anything like it.　You wanna see it?　I've seen it! He was going around bragging about it all over the place.
It's a miracle that I was able to pull off such a great performance against Nova Barthelemyon," one of them shouted while drunk.

　It's kind of hard to sit on your ass when you're pampered to this extent. Even though meritocracy is ingrained in the people of the empire, it's probably too much of a fuss to just draw Nova one-on-one, get a pact, capture an A grade dungeon and bring back the boss material.

　That's not the kind of awesomeness I want you to understand. It's more like, you know, I want you to look at the technical aspects.



"Knight Commander Seven, I salute you!


　And when you arrive at the imperial capital Marmella, you'll find ...... this welcome. The people of the imperial capital are lined up on both sides of the road. I'm not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do that.

　It seems that the information was already passed along on the fast horse, and soldiers and knights were all there to welcome us back.


''--Seven Knight Captain, your safe return, thank you very much.
Oh,
"I am a Knight of the Kingsguard with His Royal Highness. My name is Olympia. I am now a member of the Knight Commander's entourage. It is my pleasure to be with you.
Oh ......?

　The entourage?

　The long haired and rather handsome man who called himself Olympia spoke to me as soon as I arrived at the castle was one of the kinsmen knights I taught the Dragon Horse Archery and Dragon King Archery before.

　He's one of the best, right? Wouldn't it be a shame to be my close associate?

I don't need it.
Na......

　When I refuse to say so, Olympia gives me a pathetic look that almost sounds like a "Gahhhh".

'What? You don't hate it?'
'No way!　I was appointed to the post after winning a forty-fold victory.

　Forty-fold!

Oh, ......, yeah.
I'm at your disposal.
Okay, sure. I get it.

　This is outrageous.

'I apologize for my early return, but I would like to explain my plans for today. First, you will have an audience in fifteen minutes. This will be followed by a meeting with His Highness Prince Wright, a meeting with His Highness the Prime Minister, and then a feast.
Okay.
Also, there are eight people who wish to meet with you. In order, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Oranj, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Castal, the Central Council of Kamel, the Maurice Chamber of Commerce--
"All right, all right!　I'll ask him later.

　It's a hell of a thing!

"They are all looking for the obvious, sir. They have gotten wind of the incident with Citizen Minor and are trying to ride the winning horse. Sir, in my opinion, there is no need to meet with them individually. Since they will be among the first to arrive at today's banquet, I think it would be best to invite only those who are interested to meet with them at a later date.

　Winning horse?　Me?　Hahahahaha, grass.

　Ambassadors from all over the world are rushing in thinking I'm going to get a big promotion. I'm not sure if I'm a vice-general or a general or an emperor. I guess they want me to make as many connections as possible while I still have a long way to go.

　What a shame!　The ship you're about to board has already been replaced with a sinking mud boat. In fact, the ship is loaded with bombs, and it's about to explode in a big way that will engulf the entire Empire. The ship is scheduled to explode in the near future, engulfing the entire Empire.

　What's going to happen now? It seems to me that we've already had enough of that. ...... It's the sixteenth day since we left our first test home. At last, we are at the turning point.



　　* * * *



Lift your head.

　Gathered in the audience room were a distinguished group of faces.

　Next to the Emperor Gordo Marvel is the fortune-teller Spica Amritto. Opposite him is Cigarone Erebuni, the Vizier.

　Beside the Princess Melson Marvel was the General Nato Shaman, and diagonally behind the Prince Wright Marvel, Olympia took Seven's place as his kinsman.

　And hanging his head to the emperor was the main character of this time - Seven, the Knight Commander of the Kingsguard with the Prince.


''Good, raise.''

　At the second call, Seven looked up.

　Gordo opened his mouth with a look of real satisfaction on his face.


'The work you have done here is heavenly!　How dare he offer that Barthélémon a one-on-one to avoid war and bring both sides into a position to compromise and talk!　I'm surprised!


　The words that came out of his mouth were rave reviews.

　Naturally. The reason is that this one ended up being a "compromise," as Gordo had hoped.


'A very clever way indeed. When it's all over, it's true that Barthelemon would be a character to come on board one-on-one, no doubt. But whether an ordinary person can take it to a draw from there is, of course, impossible.

''Your Majesty, Seven may have dared to try for a draw. I don't see how Seven, who has won ten consecutive victories over General Nato, can't beat Barthelemon.

'Oh, I'm sure you do!　Spica is right. Seven has a heart of peace, a heart of goodness. Hence, you didn't dare to win where you could have won and tried to conclude an agreement with both sides equally. Hmmm, that's brilliant. I'm impressed.

　Where Gordo was getting hot on Seven, Spica dropped fuel on him as if he was aiming for it. As a result, Gordo started to praise Seven even more passionately.


'Throw away the glory of a victory over Baltelemon and get a draw for the Empire. I know that only a good man with no ambition can accomplish this. A hero, indeed.

　And then, as if in a decisive move, Spica says the word "hero".

　The moment you do, Cigarone clicks his tongue a little.


"Hero!　Mm, you just played a hero!　Hahaha!

　Gordo is in a good mood and praises Seven as a hero.

If you have a good heart, the door will be opened; if you have an evil heart, the door will be closed. ...... Hmmm, Spica was right about that one!　The door of peace in the Orangi Kingdom was opened by a hero with a good heart, and we can now confirm that my thoughts were also good.


　Cigarone knew that. That Gordo liked words of honor, like hero.

　And Spica knew it, too.

　In other words, Spica is trying to lift Seven up. Cigarone, on the other hand, did not like the blatant intrigue.

　Gordo, so to speak, was dancing to Spica's clever words.


'Your Majesty, I have the loot.

　Unaware of such under-the-surface tactics, Seven took out an item from her inventory, taking advantage of the silence.

''Huh?　Trophies?

　Gordo was suddenly intrigued, wondering what it meant to be a draw and the loot.


'I actually found a hole in the middle of the desert that leads to the Valeen Dungeon. As an added bonus, I collaborated with Nova Valtelemon to conquer it and obtained the tail and fur of the boss's thunder monkey. Since it was a good time, I asked her to bring back the thunder monkey's fur.


　Seven gripped the white furry tail carelessly and munchingly, and told the facts in a matter-of-fact manner.

　As far as one could hear, one would think it was utterly ridiculous. However, the best evidence of all hangs plastered from Seven's hands.


'Ha ......'

　Gordo's voice came out briefly and was silent as he choked.


'Non-rude!　You think you can fool my father with such a big lie--

'Hahahahahaha!

!


　Princess Melson raised her voice to reprimand Seven, but a laugh loud enough to drown out her voice echoed through the audience room.

　Gordo laughed.


'Father!

Melson, can't you see me?　The shine of that tail hair, it's undeniably real. There is no reason for Seven to lie here. Or do you want to say that Seven lied in front of me, surrounded by many knights and involving other army generals, in front of me?

...... ......!

　Melson shuts up when Gordo gives him a rebuttal.


'Hahahaha!　But still, that's interesting. The loot, yes, but I didn't expect it to be the loot of the dungeon.

I think the decision to send the pelts over there is a very good one. I think it's a great decision, and I think it's a sign of peace between the two countries.

'Mm-hm!　It's everything I had in mind and more. That's really talented, Seven. Such an outstanding individual who, without due recognition, will never be remembered as an emperor.


　As usual, Spica made Gordo's expression of excitement even more exciting.

　As a result, Gordo's excitement reached a climax.


"Seven, I've decided--I'm going to make you a general right now!

Father!　It won't be!


　At Gordo's startled proclamation, Melson looks distraught and raises his voice.


'Why do you think so, Melson? Let me tell you why.'

'Seven has been in the castle for less than ten days!　And yet it's ridiculous that he's already a general!

...... Do you call me a fool?

"?　No, no.

''What's the difference. He just clashed head-on with Barthelémon without sacrificing a single person, promised to sign the agreement fairly and square, and showed a sincere willingness to compromise by achieving the capture of an A-class dungeon with only two people. What is ridiculous about my decision to rate such a capable man as a hero and give him the status of a general?　Now, make a claim. Melson!

Sorry to hear about .............


　Gordo was angry with his daughter with a blue streak. Because of his deep-rooted meritocracy, he disliked the fact that his abilities were not properly evaluated.


'Could Nato have done it?　Could Cigarone do it?　It would be no. They may have defeated the enemy, but they have never made peace with them. They can't do it the same way as Seven. It is precisely because of Seven that they have been able to accommodate me and accomplish great feats. It is precisely because of Seven that he is worthy of being responsible for the future strategy of the Empire.


　When Melson spoke out against her objections, contrary to her wishes, Gordo took a hard line.

　Not wanting to anger Gordo any more, Melson fell silent. Nato is standing beside him with an expression of "it can't be helped".

　Spica smiled with satisfaction, Cigarone had his usual angry face, and Light had a twinkle in his eye as he tried to see what was going on.


'What do you think, Seven? Will you serve as your general?

I'll take it. ...... but I would like to ask one thing.

'Oh, you'll take it!　What, a wish?　Say it. You're a hero.

　When Seven nodded, Gordo smiled good-naturedly. Then he returned it like he would grant you any number of wishes.


'The fifth platoon is doing very well. The fifth platoon is doing a great job, and so is Joe, the guard. I'd like to have them as my men.

'Oh, no, you don't!　Hahaha, I don't need to wish for one thing.

Oh, I see. Well, that's all.

What?　Are we done?

Yes. Not particularly.

Well, you're a very selfless man.


　Seven gains even more favor with Gordo in the details.

　Today alone, Seven's position in Gordo had risen to a very high point. To the point where even Melson was in danger, let alone Cigarone and Nato.


'Very well, now we end our audience. Tonight we will celebrate your triumphant return and your inauguration. This is a happy occasion!


　Gordo declared, smiling and standing up and leaving in a good mood.

　On the way there, he turned around as if he remembered something and opened his mouth to see Seven.


'Ah, Seven. The next time you have something to do with me, just tell my chamberlain. Then you will be welcomed into your private room.

!


　It was Melson, after all, who showed a look of astonishment at Gordo's words.

　The only person who could visit the emperor's private chambers in person was the one with the rank of vizier or higher. In other words, inside this imperial castle, except for the Queen Cleara Marvel, who is under house arrest, there are only four people: Cigarone, Spica, Melson and Wright.

　Then Seven was added to that group.

　In other words, General Seven is currently in a higher position than General Nato Shaman.

　In other words, from now on, Gordo was planning to place Seven in a higher position than Nato.

　In other words, Princess Melson's goal of becoming the next emperor was a long way off.

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

　Melson can only stare silently at Gordo's back as he leaves behind a serious statement. It's because if he further pours water on Gordo, who is feeling better, he might really get irreparably angry.


''Tsk.''

　On the other hand, there is one man who leaves the audience room with a tongue in his mouth and a sullen look on his face. It was Cigarone.

　Seven had put Gordo's orders ahead of Cigarone's secret orders this time, not Cigarone's secret orders. In other words, he showed by his actions that he was a moderate, not a hardliner. To Cigarone, it was like a betrayal.

　It was impossible to tell from his face whether he was particularly angry or not, because he always had an angry face.

　Well, I'll see you later anyway ...... and Seven, with plenty of time to spare, waved off Cigarone's back as he left, his cloak dominating.


　His vacation had just turned around today.

　In just half a month, he's stirred up the Empire in a horrible way.

　But perhaps that's why the thoughts of each ...... finally began to soundly move--.