A white-stone building near the center of the royal city.
　The church, which stands to avoid the hustle and bustle of the central square, is enveloped in pure silence.
　Except for the occasional visit by pious believers for services, there is hardly anyone coming in or out of the church, creating the illusion that this is the only place that is isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city.

　However, those who are familiar with the church would have noticed that the atmosphere is different from the usual.
　There was a sense of tranquility and serenity, but there was also a sense of urgency in the church.

'Sister Sorte, are you ready to go?'

　One priest stops a woman moving in the hallway.

'Yes, Father,'

　The one who returned the words was a strange old sister.
　She was a beautiful woman with light red eyes and pale cherry blossom colored hair.
　Although she was a little short in stature, her appearance, worthy of being described as dainty, was sure to captivate the men of the world.

　Sister Solte, as she is called, stopped and gave a discreet smile to the priest who approached her.

The preparations for the ritual have been made. All that remains is your personal belongings.

'I see. Then would you be willing to help Sister Julia with her free time?　Apparently, things are taking a little longer over there.

　The priest with the distinctive blessed ears nodded reassuringly at Solte's reply and asked for help by naming the Sister who was still hurriedly making preparations.

'I understand. I'll be on my way when I'm done with the business I was told to do.

I'm sorry to put a burden on you, please.

No, sir. No, we have never had such a large-scale Johto Reiki before. It is inevitable that it will take a long time to prepare for it.

　Johrei is a ritual to purify the soul by going to the place associated with the goddess to pray to remove impurities and purify the soul.
　Originally, devout believers began to perform this ritual spontaneously in order to obtain blessings from the goddess.
　However, as the purifying ritual spread among the nobility and the general public, it gradually became obsolete.

　It is now regarded as a means of raising the rank of an individual's soul, and those who perform the prayer rituals are considered to have a higher status than other people.
　Therefore, unmarried noble ladies, who for various reasons cannot get a good match, often perform a Johrei as an effective way to raise their own value.

''Certainly, such a scale has not been recorded in recent decades,''

　The person who would perform the purification ceremony this time was the daughter of the Duke of Nilesteria's family, which boasts great authority as a bloodline in the royal family.
　The fifteen-year-old daughter has been ill for the past year or so, and it is said that rumors such as 'cursed' have been circulating.
　Despite the fact that she had been mentioned as a candidate for the prince's empress until then, it is said that she is now shunned by the sons of high-ranking nobles.

　It seems that the Duke wants to improve his daughter's reputation as much as possible.
　I've been asking the church for a purifying prayer service on a scale unprecedented in the last few decades.

　As a result, five priests, eighteen monks, and sixteen nuns from the church accompanied me for this prayer vigil, and on top of that, my bodyguards, my daughter's attendants, and the maids of the household, brought the total number of people to two hundred.
　Naturally, it was a lot of work to prepare for this event.
　The church in King's Landing alone was insufficient, so much so that they had to call in support from neighboring towns and villages.

''As expected of the Nilesteria dukes. The number of guards alone, private soldiers and mercenaries combined, is close to a hundred, so one can only say that it is amazing. It seems a bit excessive, though.

　Even so, the blessed-eared priest did not seem to have any negative feelings about it.
　It was a very rare and rare opportunity for him to be included in the five priests who would accompany him to the prayer meeting.
　It was a rare good fortune and an honor that lifted his reputation for calmness and composure.

'I'm actually looking forward to seeing you, Ardis-san, as it's been a long time since I've been with you.

　With a smile on her face, Sorte mentions Ardis' name.

　It has been six years since they met as students.
　The two of them, a mercenary on one side and a church sister on the other, rarely saw each other, but even so, they had known each other for some kind of long time, as they had been asked to be Solte's personal bodyguard two or three times a year.
　Although Aldis's mood would get bad when she mentioned the goddess' teachings, they otherwise maintained a good relationship with each other.

''Is it 'The Magician of a Thousand Swords'? ......

　But Father Blessed Ear's expression darkened when he heard Aldis' name.

''Father, what's wrong?''

'No ......, it's nothing. There are some lands where dangerous demons can appear on the way to the purification ceremony, and I just hoped that nothing would happen.

　As if to cheat, Father Blessed Ear turned the conversation away from the subject and Solte replied as confidently as if it was his own affair.

''It's all right then. After all, Aldis-san is a magician of a thousand swords who defeated the three great and powerful demons all by himself. I heard that he won the Fuyo Cup the other day without using any magic. Even if you are attacked by a demon, Aldis-san will take care of it.

Yes, it's .......

　At Solte's words, Father Blessed Ear Priest showed a smile that was somewhat forced to be made.





　At the same time, in Ardis' house in the Causus Forest, the actual 'Magician of a Thousand Swords' was asking Nere for help with a troubled face.

''Oh no, I have to follow you!

Please take me with you!

　Phyllia and Liana both grab Aldis' arms and close in from either side.

'Nere: ......'

It's none of my business.

　A troubled Ardis called out to Nayle, but the squire with amairo eyes curtly declared non-interference.

　Why is this happening?
　It was due to the nature of the job Aldis was currently undertaking.

　This time, it was decided that Duke and Lady Nilesteria's daughter Minerva, the Duke and Lady of Nilesteria, would go to three places in the Kingdom of Naglas for a purification ceremony, and it was decided that she would accompany her as an escort.
　Since many people involved in the church, such as priests, monks, and nuns, will be among the people accompanying her, Aldis does not like to take on this job.

　But when the target of the escort is his student, Minerva, and the Duke of Nilesteria himself has asked for his escort, and Moore has also asked for his escort, and Ardis, as expected of him, says "please" with an anxious look on his face, Aldis can't say no.
　The fact that Solte's name was included as a member of the nuns who accompanied her must have had some influence on this.

　As a result, Ardis decided to accept the request as Minerva's personal bodyguard from the time she left the royal capital for the purification ceremony until she returned.
　The problem was the period of time.

　The three places of the purifying ritual are not that far from the royal capital.
　But if you go around to all of them, it will take some time.
　In particular, this time around, there were going to be a large group of more than two hundred people in total.

　If it was just a small group of mercenaries, the same route would take about ten days, but as the number of people increased, the progress of the group would be slower, and the places to stay would naturally be limited.
　Therefore, this time they had signed an escort contract for about a month with plenty of time to spare.

　The ones who changed their complexion when they heard that were Filia and Liana.

　This would be the first long absence since Aldis returned to this world.
　Until now, there was no problem if he was absent for a few days, but when he heard that he wasn't coming back for a month, he began to insist that they take him along with them.

'I can fight well too!

I won't slow you down!

　The twins certainly have the ability to say that.

　During the year that Ardis was away, the twins had shown amazing growth.
　It seems that they have learned how to use magic without the need for chanting from Nele's instruction, and they have repeatedly fought real battles in the forest, and they have mastered the ability to win against swordswolves without a hitch with the help of the two of them.
　It is true that he is not as powerful as Kirill, but there are probably few mages of the same age as the two of them who can fight to this level.

　Incidentally, Kirill had become strong enough to win against three ractors in the past year.
　Kirill is in his third year of school life, which is just the halfway point to graduation, but I think he already has no enemies in the school.
　As far as the actual battle is concerned, if they are not good at it, their abilities might even exceed those of their instructors.

　Pulling back her nearly derailed thoughts, Aldis looks alternately to Filia and Liana, who continue to appeal to her left and right.

'I know that, too, but ......

　Aldis appreciates the growth of the two of them.
　But no matter how much strength the twins have acquired that is inappropriate for their age, they cannot be allowed to accompany their escort this time.

　In normal circumstances, they are still children before they become adults.
　It is outrageous that Ardis, who should be working as a bodyguard, would go out of his way to increase the number of targets for escorts.

　Even though the twins have abilities that do not need to be protected, Ardis is the only one who understands this.
　The other mercenaries who were guarding them would naturally not look good either.

''The first to accompany them is ......

　Aldis murmured softly as she was pulled by her arms and shook her body in small increments, "The biggest problem is the large number of priests and monks that accompany the church and the fact that the twins are an abomination to the faithful.

　The main problem was the large number of priests and monks who would be accompanying them, and the fact that the twins were an abomination to the goddess's faithful.
　There is no reason to take them into the middle of people who abhor the twins when you have to pay attention to their safety.

　No matter how desperately Filia and Liana plead their case, no matter how much they puff up their adorable cheeks, they can't take them away for once.
　But just saying no, no, no, no is not going to convince them.

Well, I think it's time for you guys to go out into the world.

Yay!

You sure?

　So Aldis offers a compromise.

But only if you two are able to defeat the racter.

'Yeah!　I can't do that!

'Ractor is a bit ....... If it was a double-bladed beast, it would be .......

No. You must take out a Lactor together. That's what I needed to get you out of the forest. Kirill, until you can defeat Lactor, I was taking care of the commute between King's Landing and the forest. Now that I've been able to defeat Lactor, I'm allowing Kirill to go through the forest by himself.

　Nowadays, Kirill's abilities are much better than they were back then.
　As long as you don't step into the depths, you won't be in any danger even if you walk through the Causas Forest alone.

'I let you fight alone with Kirill, but you two can take out a single lactor. I think I'm making a lot of concessions with this, but are you still unhappy?

Ugh. ......

No. ......

　It seems that the memories of the past have faded, and now they are twins who have become increasingly spoiled and selfish towards Aldis and Nere.
　However, they seemed to know when to back down.
　Unlike most children, they don't spoil it forever.
　If he understands that Ardis will not give up, he seems to have learned enough sense to back down with an open mind.

''Just be patient with me this once. I'll take you with me when I can beat Ractor.''

Yes.

I understand.

　Reluctantly, they both nodded.

'Don't be so downhearted,'

　The one who comforted the twins was Nere, who had been watching from the sidelines to see what was going on.

'The double-sworded beast is no longer your enemy. I'm sure you will be able to defeat Laktar soon. That's right ......, if you continue the actual battle for another month or so - by the time my master comes back, you'll be able to win.

Are you sure, Nere?

Can we win, too?

Hmm. A little tighter, but that's all right.

　Instantly motivated, Filia and Liana declared with a snort.

''Don't worry, I'll do my best!

I'll definitely take out Lactor before Aldis comes back!

Hmm. That's the spirit.

　Aldis is relieved to see them.

　The twins will soon reach the age of adulthood, and it's no longer possible to describe them as young.
　They have grown to the height of Ardis's shoulders, and their bodies are soft and feminine, with glimpses of femininity.

　The fact that he is a little restless for his age is troubling, but thanks to Kirill, he has learned common sense and the use of language.
　It's time for them to think about being on their own.

　It's a good thing that you are happy with the growth of the two of you, but on the other hand, you have a feeling of loneliness in the back of your mind and gently close your eyes.