One of them, Ray, who was most conspicuous as he straddled the Gryphon, looked about him.

"What's the matter?"

　One of the guards' knights asks Ray, but he shakes his head when it's nothing.

"No, it seems it was just my imagination. I think I felt something."
"Is that so? Well, this is already within the Empire of Bestia. I don't think it's a bad thing to be too vigilant about the people around you, so tell me if anything happens."
"Oh,"

　In a brief answer, the knight would have been pleased with it. head back toward a carriage

"Grull?"

　When Ray sees such a knight off, Seto sings as he walks.
　Sett and Ray had noticed. We're talking about... more precisely about the man who saw himself and Seto and ran away.
　I didn't see his face, but I knew it.
　Of course it's not pleasant, but that doesn't mean they've attacked us, so there's no way we can do anything about it.
　In addition, he decided that there was no particular problem because he had run deep into the forest along the highway.

"Don't worry," And if you go through the Westian Empire, something similar will happen. It's no use worrying about it any longer."

　We have no regrets about what we did in that war. He said to himself, and yet, remembering something concerning about the man who had just escaped, the Lays continued on the highway.





　Among those who had seen the Dusker party off, there was a muttered voice as they disappeared completely.

"... did you go?"
"Yes, absolutely abhorrent." I can't believe that the people of the kingdom of Mileana would walk about in the Westian Empire with their own faces."

　The other opens his mouth soothingly to the voice which exudes the atmosphere of verbally abominable.

"It's no use telling me now," For the most part, I send invitations to the competition against the Kingdom of Mileana every year."
"That's true, but up until now you've only sent a proxy, haven't you?" But only this year, L'Arcus himself..."
"That's probably the effect of the Spring War,"
"I know," I know it. But I can't get rid of this disgusting feeling."
"Well, now that you have a piece to throw away, why don't you accept it?"

　A woman's voice echoes as if she were interrupting two men muttering to each other.
　The two men paused for a moment, but soon realized they were familiar. open one's mouth with a small sigh

"Don't be too surprised," ...and more like a piece of hand?"
"Yes. It's a survivor of the Spring War. Well, it seems that he was only a soldier, so he can only use it as a piece of junk."
"Well, how long will it take you to use it?"
"It takes a few days, whether it's used as a military force or as a throwaway piece. for my fear of crimson is ingrained to the core."

　The two men who were listening to the woman's words frowned at each other.

"Isn't it useless as a piece of junk?"
"It is true that it is as it is now, but if you replace the fear which exists in his heart with hatred, it will do him a good job."

　Because you have a deep fear, if you can turn it into hatred, it will be the driving force that drives you, and as a result, it will become a piece that you can use.
　Because of this background, women decided to use it as their own.

"Then why don't you let them attack you? Oh, of course, I know there's crimson over there. But it's troublesome that we don't know what the other guards can do."
"That's fine, but... as I said, it will take a few days for us to be able to use it. We don't have that much room in our hands at the moment."
"Oh, that's all right. It's good enough that you can't push yourself too hard. This is the army of Larkus, who is in charge of the remote guillem. I understand that his ability is not low, but I'd like to see how strong he really is."

　At the man's words, the woman breathes a little sigh.

"Then it doesn't have to be my hand piece." That's a lot of adventurers and soldiers."
Even if it is an abandoned piece to see the opponent's ability, it is meaningless if the abandoned piece does not have some ability.'

　The other man agrees with the man's words, who never let the woman say them all.

"Well, it's not interesting to watch a battle where there's too much difference in ability. And, considering the instructions from above... you know?"

　You don't have to say it, do you? When a man says it silently, a woman nods as if she had given up.

"All right. The next town... I don't think it's going to be possible, so it's next or the next. Why don't you do that?"

　The two men must have nodded and reached an agreement. The three of them continue to scatter in different directions.
　The woman turned to the forest where she had come from, the soft-spoken man to follow the path in which the Dusker party came, and the last man to follow the Dusker party.





　The Duskers, who never thought they were talking about it after they passed by, kept on going down the road, and eventually, in the afternoon, they saw the city ahead of them.

"I think I'll be spending the night in that town to-day,"
"Glu?"

　Ray nods and caresses his neck when Seto asks, "Is that so?"
　Being a neutral figure, one of the three major factions of the Milliana kingdom, Dusker and his party received various favors wherever they went.
　For example, no resident of the Vestian Empire would want to put in the city a Gryphon... or Seto, who killed a large army of the Vestian Empire in the Spring War.
　On the contrary, even within the kingdom of Miliana, they are often not permitted to enter the city simply because they are glyphons.
　But as long as he is accompanying the Dusker party, there is no way the city's guards can manage it.
　As a matter of course, Dusker sent one of the knights to the lord of the area, and he was granted permission to pass through his territory on the grounds that he was invited to a competition.
　I, like the people in the city, did not want to give Dusker permission, but I reluctantly gave him permission to go through the territory.
　As a result...

"... All right, please go through."

　A guard mumbled as if he had suppressed his feelings, but gave him permission to enter the city.
　It's only natural that the gaze should be directed at Ray.

(In many ways, this country is my enemy territory.)

　What does it mean to look at yourself? It's understandable to Ray.
　Perhaps he knew that guard... or someone who took part in the war from this city was killed in that battle.
　But Ray doesn't care too much about it. In the first place, if you don't want to die, you don't have to be a soldier from the beginning.
　If it were not a regular soldier, but a kind of volunteer soldier, you would think so.With that in mind, the Dusker party continues through the city.
　He went straight to the inn where the guards told him, and after a light conversation about Seto, he succeeded in staying safely.

"Well, set," as usual."
"Gruly!"

　You know what Ray means, don't you? As soon as he heard Set say his consent, he returned from the stable to the inn.
　It's true that the inhabitants of this city are beyond the reach of Ray and Dusker. That's a fact.
　But other than those who stayed at the inn... for example, the carriage they were riding in, the horse they were pulling, or the horse they were riding in, and if they were subservient, it would be a different story.
　Basically speaking, it's unlikely that anything you do will reveal it.
　But... it was even fatal that no one knew Seto was a Rank A monster, and that he was highly intelligent because he was created by witchcraft.
　In fact, some of the towns I have visited have tried to poke fun at horses in the stables, including Seto, but all of them have been obstructed by Seto, and they have escaped, and the man who attacked them with weapons has lost his life.
　It's true that this would cause a stir, and some people were caught by security forces and executed when they fell into slavery or when they became terrible.
　For the lords and magistrates governing the city, the Daskers are the guests whom the Vestian Empire formally invited.
　He thought that if he did not disclose that he had punished the guest properly, he would be blamed on himself.
　However, for Dusker himself, I took it for granted that there was Ray who was active in the war, and Ray was not particularly pessimistic because it was half expected that there would be someone who was harmful to him or Sett.

"Gururu..."

　Seeing off Ray's back as he left, Seto lies straight down to where he was assigned.
　for about an hour Then he noticed footsteps approaching the stable.

"Glu?"

　A set of low-pitched vigilantes, gently closing their eyes and watching.
　Soon the approaching footsteps enter the stable, as Seth had expected.
　In order to counterattack him immediately when he was attacked, Seth was searching for signs, but the man who came into the stable walked without hiding his footsteps.

"Grull?"

　I looked at him with a purring gaze, and there was a man in his 40s standing in his hand with plenty of magical meat.

"Oh? What? Did you wake up?" Look, rice. I've got a lot of money from your owner. It's the flesh of a deer."

　When he was told so, it was a deer plumped with meat, as the man said.
　It's a whole animal, skinned and gutted.

"Gurling... Gurling!"

　Check with smell that no poison or strange medicine has been prepared, and peck at a little meat with a stick.
　Feeling relieved at last that Seto eats plenty of food and begins eating the flesh of the deer he exercises during the summer.
　The man squints at it and gazes at it for a while before feeding the other horses.
　Fortunately, the man in charge of the animals and demons in this stable has nothing in particular to do with the Dusker and his party, whether they have any acquaintances or relatives who have died in the war.
　Perhaps Seto, who was just watching the situation while eating meat, understood it. concentrate on one's meal with peace of mind
　I don't think you noticed Sett's appearance, but he was taking care of her with a satisfied smile.





"...this inn was a hit,"

　It was Elk who was in Ray's room for some reason.
　Since it's inside the inn, Dusker's bodyguards are left to Minn and Rodos.
　"However, I didn't completely forget about the bodyguard, only inside the inn."

"Well, the food is delicious, and the employees, let alone their inner feelings, have not expressed their dissatisfaction. If you think about it that way, it was certainly a hit."

　Since Larkus is going to stay, of course it's one of the best inns in town.
　It's not that big of a city, so it's nothing compared to the Golden Futei Ray stayed at Egzil, but even the hotel staff had something to say about Ray and the Duskers that they didn't show.

"I hope this is the case with other inns."

　Elk muttering while drinking fruit water from Ray.
　It's a sight for Ray to want to go to a bar, but even if he's allowed some free action, he's a bodyguard. I couldn't leave the inn and go to a bar or drink at the inn's cafeteria.
　As long as he was in the position of guarding the lord, if he could find such a thing...

(Other than that, what kind of judgment will be given by Min?)

　It was Elk who was going to crush the pain of his cane, which had been thrown down on his head many times, while talking nonsense during his break.