Essentially, it's about a five-day walk to the village.
　In terms of actual physical distance, it's not that far away.
　However, the road is not well maintained forest and there are many ups and downs on the slopes along the way.

　This is a large habitat for demons that are said to scatter the lives of ordinary mercenaries as soon as they set foot in it.
　Of course, there are no roads for wagons to pass through, and even if you take a horse or donkey with you, it's just like providing food for the demons, so in the end, you'll have to walk with a person carrying a load on your back.
　Inevitably, progress is slow.
　It's inevitable that the journey will take five days to complete one way.

　Moreover, Michelle and the others have abandoned their luggage and are now carrying only what they can carry with them.
　They were not sure what to do with their food, let alone water.
　So Aldis suggested that they could shorten the journey by taking their horses into the forest and riding them.

"No, I'm not sure about the food," said Ardis. It would be reckless to take a horse with you, wouldn't it?　You're just trying to lure a demon in.

　Ted's concern is also natural.
　It's a good thing that the special amulet made by Serra was not prepared for horses as well.
　Even if Michelle, Ted and the others wore this amulet, it was useless if the demons came after the horses.

'I'll take care of the demons that come by. We're running out of time right now.

　The water can be produced by Aldis through magic, and the food can be taken out of the 'gate' pretending to be from Char's backpack.
　Even if it takes five days to walk, you probably won't have any trouble finding water or food.

　But the problem is time.
　Aldis was inexplicably concerned about the story of the Tholian army.
　He wanted to send Michelle and the others back to the village as soon as possible to find out what they were up to.

　There are enough horses to go around.
　Of course, it's not an even road, so we can't run through it, but if you can get Liana and Charu to ride behind someone else, they can go much faster than on foot.

''Are you saying that Aldis alone can repel the demons that attack us while running alongside our horses?　Do you realize that you just said something outrageous now?

　Verbally, as if to ask a question (only). On the other hand, Norris looks into the eyes of Aldis with a smiling face and an air of expectation that he is expecting an amusing spectacle without saying a word.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world," he said, "when the demon attacks, you just need to stay in one place and concentrate on quieting the horse. Leave the rest to me.

　When Ardis confidently tells you so, all the people around you, except Norris alone, make a look of being unable to judge.
　However, the members of Myoujo of Byakuya, who are aware of Aldis' abilities, do not speak out against it.
　In the end, Michelle expressed her willingness to respect Ted and his group's decision, so the group reluctantly accepted Ardis' proposal.





　Two days later, Aldis and his friends arrived in the village.
　To be exact, they stepped inside the wards instead of the village grounds, but if they made it this far, they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by dangerous demons, and the rest of the way, Ted and the others would be able to reach the village safely.

'Oh no ....... I knew it was substandard, but when I saw it again, I couldn't even describe the bullshit in words!

　The one who laughs away with a haha is Norris, who controls his horse with his bow on his back.
　The people around you react to those words with a dry smile, cheeks twitching.

''He really did clean up all by himself, though.

　With a look of resignation, Ted agreed with Norris.

　As declared, Ardis is the only one to protect eight people, including Ted and the rest of the mercenaries guarding him, plus Liana and Char, a total of ten people.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one.

　As Ted feared, the moment they entered the forest of the Canobis Mountains, they were attacked by demons, but they were quickly repelled by Ardis' silent magic and the flying swords she summoned from the gate.
　It was such an instantaneous kill that there was no room for Ted and the others to dismount from their horses and join the battle.

　As a result, even though the road was bad, they were still moving on horseback, and the group was able to complete a journey that would normally take five days to complete in just two days.
　If we continue at this rate, we will arrive at the village in less than half a day.
　With this in mind, Ardis noticed a large amount of magic approaching.

　There are two of them.
　Eventually that magic power found Aldis and the others and came in front of them, and the first thing it did was to ask a question at the opening.

''Huh?　Why are you with me?

　The owner of the magic power is Rona, Ardis's partner, and following behind him is Lupus, a Krol species that became a member of the village two years ago.
　The size of the magic power was far greater than the demons, the fact that this is inside the ward, and that the magic power came from a certain direction in the village, just as Aldis had suspected from those clues.

'Ah, just as well. Lupus, can you take Michelle and the others back to the village?

Oh, yes.

　Aldis pushes Ted and Michelle to Lupus, who gives a straightforward answer without asking why.

'Aren't you going back to the village?'

'I'm concerned about the movements of the Trierian army that I've heard about. Rona and I are going to check out the situation for a bit.

　Aldis answered that to Michelle's question, and Orphelia interrupted her from the side.

'But Aldis, you haven't slept for the last two days, have you?　Wouldn't it be better for you to go to the village and rest your body for the night?

It's not like I haven't slept at all. I'm fine.

　During the night camp, he was alerted to his surroundings, but still got a short sleep.
　This body, which is younger than the original Aldis, doesn't lose much performance even with a little sleep deprivation.
　Young is a good thing, Aldis chuckled only in his mind.

　Of course, sleepiness would always strike, but that was always the case and it wasn't something that would bother him now.
　Rather, the priority now is to check the situation as soon as possible.
　Having concluded that, Ardis left the rest to Lupus and decided to turn back the way he had just come.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.
　If it comes to a battle, the other party is probably human.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

''Let's go, Rona.

　The only person I'm taking with me is my partner, who I can trust with my back with Aun's breath.

...... You'll explain it properly, won't you?

Of course. I'll tell you what happened on the road.

　With Rona reluctantly following him, Aldis walks off in the direction of the meadow.





　After gaining enough distance from Michelle and the others, Ardis and Rona rise into the sky and begin to move at high speed.

''Tria's territory army?　I don't know much about it, but you have a history with Al and the twins, I believe, right?

It's not much of a fate, though. Well, it's certainly not someone I'd want to get involved with too much.

So why don't you just let it go?

'Since Michelle and the others were being hunted, I guess we can't just leave them in the dark without knowing anything. I'd like to at least know why.

　I finished explaining to Rona the situation that Michelle and the others had told me about on the way, and we had just exchanged a few words with each other when I saw a stirring shadow in the distance.

''What is that?''

　As they get closer, the shadows begin to show more clearly the human form, and gradually Aldis understands what is going on there.

　A group of armed humans.
　The scene of it splitting into two, fighting and killing each other was spread out below them.

''This is .......''

''The Tria Territorial Army and ......, the ones fighting are also Kingdom soldiers. I don't know which territorial army it is.

　Aldis and the others are in the grasslands along the big road that connects the royal capital to Thoria.
　It can be said to be in the center of the kingdom, far from the border.
　It is a place where demons and humans fight, but it is not a normal place for humans to cross swords with each other.

　But what Ardis is seeing is that impossible scene.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

　The mounted soldiers of the Tholian army galloped across the grasslands and splashed the infantry with their momentum.
　An arrow fired at the cavalryman accidentally pierced the horse's eye, and the soldier who had fallen from his horse in pain was surrounded by a number of infantrymen and chopped to pieces, and now the infantryman who was swinging his sword at the cavalryman was pierced by a spear thrust out from behind, killing him.

　In the midst of the chaos where the assailant and victim are replaced in an instant, all that increases is the ominous color of red (kurunai).
　The screams of agony squeezed out of their dying breath and the cries of fear to overcome their fears overlap each other, and a sound too cruel to be called a clamor echoes around them.

'Al, the direction of King's Landing!

　Aldis frowned as he looked south at the sound of Rona's voice.

'Is it burning ......?'

　The figure of the royal capital, which exists in the distance, looks like a hazy shadow from this position.
　However, something that looks like smoke rises from that shadow, which would normally be invisible.
　It's not just a matter of being able to see it even from such a distance.

'What the hell is going on?'

What do you want to do?

　He groaned involuntarily at the unexpected situation, but he didn't need to think about what action Aldis should take.

　The only people on the battlefield below are strangers who have nothing to do with Ardis.
　But there are several acquaintances in the royal capital.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're in the marketplace.

　Thinking of a few faces, Aldis said without hesitation.

'I'm going to King's Landing.'

Yeah.

　Along with Rona, who replied as a matter of course, Aldis took a course to the south.

　If you look up, you can see a clear blue sky.
　In the clear, cloudless sky, Ardis and her teammates' destination, with the red-tinted land behind them, is the dull-colored capital of the kingdom, Gran, which is shrouded in dullness.
　With a sense of urgency and anxiety, Ardis hurried to the royal capital.