Mr. Eigha, you've never seen an activity, have you?

　I said that and gave Eiga-san a ticket for the activity "Eiga".

But ......

'Instead, please get to S-rated soon and take me to the regular screenings in Zahalbert.

　Then he turns around and runs to the boat in a hurry.

　Tattertta: ......

The ship is leaving for Goetheburg Castle!

'Oh! Please wait!

Hmm?

Hahahahaha ...... oh, meek and alone!

'I'm hoping you won't rush aboard. ...... Well, you're a pretty girl, so I'll give you a bonus.

Thank you!

　Thus, as soon as I got on board, the boat departed.

　Phew, that was just in time.

"Well, and ......

　Where would I find the thief Tordo?

　I'm pretty sure I'm on this boat: ......

Nice work, Tordo.

Yeah.

　Ooh, I found one!

　The two mysterious people who said at the coffee shop that they were fans of Eiga-san.

　It's the bandit Tordo and the silver-haired boy.

　They are leaning against the railing of the deck, shoulder-to-shoulder, looking at the view of the boat going up the river.

　Tordo the thief is an all-back with long arms and legs and a tight suit.

　He has silver hair and is a beautiful boy with a slight resemblance to Mr. Morier.

'......?'

　Oh, no!

　A boy turns around and looks back at us!

　Sassafras: ......

　I hide behind the mast in a rush.

'What's wrong?'

'No, I just felt a bit of a stare: ......

'It must be my imagination. Yuri-san is very self-conscious.

I'm not so sure.

　Then they start looking at the scenery again.


　Whew, it was a close call.

　I was also next to Eiga-san in the coffee shop for a while, so if I ran into her now, I might be warned.


'But Tordo. Isn't it too early to go to Goeteburg Castle now? I don't want to spend a long period of time in a castle town in the middle of nowhere like that.

'Please be patient. We have to build up our stance ahead of time before the [Miracle Five] arrive.

　Ahead of time?

　After all, their purpose seems to be related to Cross-san and the others' defeat of the Demon King.

''The female heroes are coming as well, right?

'I'm going to meet up with Sophie and Gonzalez at the Castle of Goetheburg. I intend to introduce you there.

　Is that silver-haired boy called Yuri a new member of the female hero's party or something?

　I don't think a party of three women brave enough for many years is going to increase its staff now, though: ......

Plus, .......

　And that's when.

'I've served my purpose at ...... Hafenfeld, you know.

　Tordo said and patted his face.

　And then, what do you think?

　What a surprise! That face that used to be Toldo's is now Eiga-san's!

''You stole his face properly, didn't you? I didn't even kiss you on the mouth.

'I don't have a taste for kissing men on the mouth, but ...... I could steal this much with one of my handshakes. Hmmm.

　Tordo laughed and turned his head back to face him, and he and the Yuuri boy walked into the cabin.

　...... Yeah.

　It's going to be worth the chase, after all.



　◇



　The boat then sailed quickly up the river, passing through several towns before arriving at Goeteburg Castle.

　Tordo and Yuri took a room at a small inn below the castle, so I stayed at a nearby inn to keep an eye on their activities.

　If they've made it this far, they're do-gooders!

　Nevertheless, as the silver-haired boy, Yuri, says, this castle is not a very prosperous place.

　Although it is surrounded by the dense forests and rivers that are unique to this culture, the nature is abundant.

　They would go to the rundown coffee shops and stroll through the forest during the daytime, wondering 'why don't they get crushed by it?

　It was surprisingly laid back.

　At night, however, Toldo often slipped out of the inn and went away.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

　And more than once.

　For what purpose?

　And since it doesn't look like they will answer me when I interview them, I eavesdrop on their conversations and sneak into their rooms at the inn while they are away to find out what they want.

　I'm not sure.

"Hell Gate

"Defensive Magic Saint-Lair

　Words such as "I'm not a fan of this" and "I'm not a fan of this" appear at every turn.

　It's just that I can't quite see the context in which these words are being used.



　So, one day...

　Sophie, the female hero, and Gonzalez, the mysterious Gonzalez, came to their inn.

　Speaking of which, you mentioned that Tordo was planning to join them on the ship.


　I look like a regular guest and watch them meet up while pretending to read the newspaper in the lobby.

'You're welcome. Sophie, Gonzalez.

　Tordo said with a thin smile.

　Sophie, the female brave, appeared in the lobby of the inn, with a well-groomed face and strong-willed eyebrows, healthy limbs, wearing a sleeveless and short skirt and a long cloak.

　The monstrous Gonzalez is a manly man with a bigger back than that miraculous five Mr. Derrys, broad shoulders, a single skinny abdomen, and thick, hairy arms.


　To cite her knowledge as a reporter, Miss Sophie was originally known as a precocious genius from her girlhood.

　She debuted as a party of three with Tordo and Gonzalez early on, and with her reputation for bravery, she's made a name for herself ever since.

　He's 22 years old now, and he's the third-ranked strongest person in the world.


Tordo. What is it that you have called me here all of a sudden?

　Sophie, the brave woman, flicks off her long, beautiful hair, and the gold plaque shines brightly.

"Sophie, you are being very loud. Please calm down.

You can't control it. I am the leader of this party.

'Just shut up. This is your chance to advance to ...... hell.

......!

　When Tordo said this, the female hero's face changed color.

'Okay. Talk to me.

'There's a lot of people in here. Let's talk in your room. Go ahead and check in.

'Huh. ....... I get it.

　As soon as I heard that, I went to Trudeau's room.

　Yes. I've already been in his room.

　You can even pick and unlock it.

　Let's sneak inside Toldo's room before the female heroes are checked in.


　Rumble, rumble, rumble: ......


　But it's just an amateur trick.

　As I was moping around, I could hear the voices of the female brave Sophie and her friends buzzing from the stairs.

　I fumed that it was bad, bad, bad: ......


　Gacha Gacha...... Kari...... Kacha!


　It's just in time.

　Before they make it up the stairs, the door is unlocked and I hide in the closet in my room.

　Huh, that was a close call.

　A few moments later, I hear the door to my room and a mixture of male and female voices.

"Come on, Toldo. Talk to me.

　Peeking into the room through a gap in the closet, I saw the three members of the female hero's party and a silver-haired boy named Yuuri.

''Before that, how did the negotiations with the guild go?''

Oh. Oh, no. Not at all.

　Sophie shakes her head from side to side as if in disgust.

'All the guys in the guild are so hard-headed! That's why the idea is so symptomatic. No matter how many monsters appear in the human world, they keep coming back. We can't get rid of the darkness forever if we don't aggressively launch ourselves into hell. Right? Don't you think? Tordo, Gonzalez.

Yes,

Uh-oh!

　Tordo and Gonzalez answer emphatically.


　Hmmm, but what do you think?

　I know there's an argument for 'adventurers should advance to hell and cut off the roots of the monsters' too.

　But is darkness ...... shade really something that should be exterminated in every corner?

　I think it's a bit of a scary idea that humans should at least try to light up the darkness of hell.

　But that's just my opinion, though, and I'm not denying Sophie and her team's position entirely.

If so, go to ......

　Oops. While I was thinking about that, Toldo started talking again.

''If the guild won't steer towards advancing into hell forever, then we'll have to scramble the [Hell Gate] on our own.

Yeah.

So I'd like you to meet him.

Hi, I'm Yuri.

　The silver-haired boy finally opened his mouth there and held out his hand to Sophie, the female hero.

'Who? This girl,

　But the female heroine glares at you with her beautiful blue eyes and won't shake your hand.

''I am Yuuri, the Dark Mage. I'm going to take advantage of the appearance of the Sixth Demon King this time to open the [Hell Gate]. In other words, I'm your collaborator.

...... Hmmm.

As long as we have a level 6 defensive magic [Saint's Lair], we should be able to advance to Hell.

　Normally, the maximum power of magic is limited to level 5.

　But in this wide world, there is a rare occasion where there is a 'level 6'.

That's right. That's right, I heard that if you don't use that level 6 defensive magic, you'll die if you pass through the gates of hell.

'There are only two people in the world who can use Saintrea; one is Elle of the Prophecy Office. The other is a member of the [Miracle Five]. They, I've been assigned to defeat the Demon King this time, so you can go to .......

　Tordo gave Allback a pat on the head.

...... I'll steal that one for you.

　I said.

'I see. Well, then, let's work out the details of the operation!

"Uh-uh, just wait for .......

　It was the monstrous Gonzalez, who had been silent until then, who stopped the female brave who was thus ready to get laid.

''What's going on?'' Gonzalez.

Soong. ...... Soong Soong.

　He only snorts when asked that.

'Ooooh, I can smell ...... the scent of beautiful women!

'What? No, no! What are you going to say now, Gonzalez ....... I'm not that kind of person.

　And a delirious female hero.

　I think Sophie is a very beautiful woman, but Gonzalez doesn't seem to be looking at her right now.

　Or rather, she seems to be looking at us somehow, but is there something in the closet that's bothering her?

　Mr. Gonzalez walks in leisurely and opens the closet door.

　Rattle rattle ......

......, huh?

　The next moment.

　I could clearly see me with a stiff smile in the dark eyes of Mr. Gonzalez, who was looking down at me.