We switched from carriages to regular horses and hurriedly arrived at the border between Mejis and Selende, but we were not allowed to enter the territory immediately. It seems that Archbishop Omsum had arranged various things to let the Holy Knights enter the country smoothly, but we had no appointment. If we were to force our way through with the Knights in tow, it would be perceived as an act of aggression. I'd like to check on Yokus, but I can't get any information from the Battler Army because I've asked Purple to come a little later.
　I had the fast Ecdysium go ahead of us and have the Serende side complete the procedures before we arrived. It would not be long before someone from the Serende side would come to ask about the situation.

"What do you say, compatriot, that we head for the ruins with those who can disappear?
"We don't know how many capable people there are on the Serende side, and more importantly, we can't let them come into contact with Arkreal and the others with only half their strength. Even though it's frustrating, we have no choice but to hurry as much as possible by proper means.

　Conquering the ruins would not be a solution to all problems. There is no guarantee that there will not be someone who will flee the country after Nektokhar and Ritual are neutralized. Especially someone like Raheit. Serende's cooperation will be indispensable if we are to completely cut off all future fears.
　That's why we had to avoid a single country acting on its own without aligning itself as in this case. It was our fault, too, for thinking that the representatives of each country would be able to read the atmosphere and for not nailing down the details, so let's not revisit this topic.

"Shishou, there's a horse coming from a distance!

　At the sound of Wolfe's voice, I looked towards the Serendipity side. A dozen or so horses, not that big, but armed to a certain extent. The horses stop nearby, and Serende's men dismount atop them. All of them were subhuman and classified as elves, and if it weren't for the circumstances, I would have been tempted to shout in admiration.
　I've seen the person in the front once before. He was the Prince of Washekht, who was appearing at a summit of sorts to prepare for the invasion of the Scarlet Witch King.

"I came to see who's the less polite of the two." "It was you, wasn't it? That makes sense. Is there such a difference in common sense between your planet and Yggra's that you suddenly show up at the border with an army?
"If you're going to be sarcastic, tell it to the guy from your country who couldn't judge the Medis holy knight's arbitrary action and passed it by.

　I'm not sure what to make of this. Ilias and the others in the back of the room are listening to the conversation with a bit of a complicated look on their faces, but Prince Washekht doesn't seem to be that bothered. I guess he's a man of many words by nature.

"This is what happens when you let people in freely out of kindness. What was gratitude three days ago is criticism today. This is why diplomacy is so troublesome.
I agree. I agree. And I'd like to hurry up and meet up with the holy knight who preceded me. I need permission to travel within the country.
"I've been informed of this by Yokus, the head of the Holy Order. Here's the permit.

　Prince Washekht handed me a rolled up piece of parchment. I opened it and checked the text inside.

"That's Yox.
"I would have hoped that would be directed at me for making the arrangements. I'll take you to your destination, but in the meantime, I'd like to hear about the details.

　On the way, I shared with Prince Washekht what had happened so far. It seems that Serende was a bit confused by the sudden explanation, but Archbishop Emsam had allowed the Holy Knights to enter the country smoothly with a reasonable price. I know it's for the justice of the Yugra religion, but that earnestness is spinning out of control in a bad way. .......
　Serende had also spent the last three days compiling a list of questions he wanted to ask us, and we answered them. It's nice to know that I don't have to explain everything.

"How dare you bring this trouble to Serende's doorstep? How dare you praise Yugra?
"How dare you praise Yugra as a prince? There are people from the Yugoslav religion here.
It doesn't change the fact that you're creating trouble for future generations. I don't care.

　I've heard that Serende is a neighboring country of Mejis, the birthplace of the Yugra religion, but that the Yugra religion has little influence there. By the looks of it, they don't just have no influence, they hate us. If they are not careful, they might even reject diplomatic relations, but if they can't pass through Mejis, diplomatic relations with all countries will become impossible. I think it is a wise decision.

You've done all you can explain. We'll take care of catching them, but for the time being, I want you to strengthen security near the borders and in the territory. There's a possibility that the ones we let escape might do something to prepare for their own destruction.
We've already increased security around the city where the ruins are located. We have to avoid our own people being involved in this, you know.

　I'm not sure if they're cooperating with Yokus and the others. If I'm not mistaken, they're not even watching us. There seems to be a deeper rift between Mejis and Selende than I thought. Well, now's not the time to be thinking about that.
　I would like to hurry the horses, but the horses Prince Washekht and the others are riding are much smaller than the Tarzan horses. Their speed is probably not that fast, and the horses have just traveled a long distance and haven't had a proper rest. I guess we'll just have to live with this pace for a while longer.

I've been to ...... every country I've ever been to to solve problems. ....... I was hoping to do some normal sightseeing.
"Do the people of the planet Yuggra like to travel? If so, Selende will be a good place for you. After all, it's a country with more history than any other.
"Deeper history? ...... All of these countries were set up together by Ygras with their own borders, right?
Ostensibly, yes. Serende has been taken over by the royal family that once controlled the land. That's why it's most treasured for its history.

　I think the Taze royal family is also old, but their ancestor is the Blue Demon King. The Tarzians are also old, but their ancestors were the Blue Demon King, so they are a bit out of step with the demon world. I guess that means Serende is still there. It's a country that is not adjacent to the demon world, and they left it to those who know what they're doing.

"Well, yes. Every country is a different world, but it's interesting to see how much history remains from before Yugra took over.


I know, I know! You're a man who knows what he's talking about! When this is over, I'll show you around myself!
"Oh, oh, ......

　Prince Washekht may not be exactly like Selende, but I think I got the general idea. It is a nation that values its past traditions and does not like major changes, but it is tolerant of visitors. Its delicate relationship with Mejlis may be due to its avoidance of the influence of Yugraism.
　Prince Washekht, who was in a good mood, told me about the various ruins in Serende. The tense atmosphere took a rather strange turn, but this may have been a good way to relax. It would have been a big deal if he was aiming for this, but it seems he is just an elf who genuinely loves his hometown. To be honest, I'd rather be guided by a beautiful elf lady.

The city you see before you is Liran, the city where the Holy Knights went to the ruins.

　It's a city without a castle, so it doesn't look that unique, but the houses are old and unique. The city is full of the feeling of a frontier land, yet it feels peaceful because it is an old but not impoverished country.
　Thanks to Prince Washekht's already tightened security, there is no one walking the streets, but my eyes meet the gazes from the windows of the houses we pass. The gazes of some caution and a strong sense of interest are more intense than those I've felt in other countries.
　As we continued to move, a person who seemed to be a subordinate of Prince Washekht, who was ahead of us, joined us and asked Prince Washekht something. Prince Washect looked thoughtful for a moment, but then quickly turned to us and shared the information with us.

I heard that the holy knights are resting at a place a little further down the road.
"Oh, I see.
You're very perceptive. Then you can see for yourself.

　In the event that the holy knights who outsmarted us in order to secure Ceraes had completed their mission successfully, they would not be resting on their laurels. After all, they are in a situation where they need to take a rest.
　At the place where I was led, there were several tents that seemed to have been built with supplies borrowed from the people of Serende, and I could see some holy knights outside of them. As far as I could see, there were no wounded, but the number was somewhat smaller than the number of people who had set out. More importantly, everyone had a dejected look on their face. I revealed my identity to the holy knight and asked him to talk to me, and he led me to one of the tents and told me what had happened so far.
　It seems that Nektokhar and his men had already left their base and Arkreal was waiting for them alone in the ruins. The Holy Knights fought against Arcreal, but eight of them were killed in the blink of an eye. It is said that Yokus went to war with Arkhreal, but it was too one-sided to even be a fight.
　But that was not the end of the story. Yoxu avoided instant death, but Arkhreal requested for a rematch with a cure. He insisted that they continue fighting until Yokus was no longer able to fight. Yoxu, who was mortally wounded two or three times but did not die instantly, ordered his men to heal him and continued to challenge Arkhreal even though he was exhausted.

The repetition continued until the sun went down and Master Yoxu became unconscious even after completing his treatment. ......

　Arkhreal had declared that he would kill everyone if Yoxu was unable to fight, but when he saw that Yoxu was no longer able to stand up, he said, 'I'm hungry and I'm leaving. As a result, Yokus and his men failed in their mission and 20 people were killed. Twelve of them couldn't stand the sight of Yoxu's healing and attacked Arclial.
　I saw Yox lying in a tent. Only the upper half of his body was visible with a blanket over him, but all of his bare skin was covered with bandages and blood was smeared everywhere. His magic power is used for the healing spell, but Yokus has been driven to the point of depletion by the battle with Arkreal, and until his magic power is restored, he cannot even perform a satisfactory healing act. It is said that his magic power has not recovered because he is in a critical condition. Ecdysium examined Yokus briefly, but he immediately shook his head and said that there was nothing he could do.

If we give him a full treatment, his magic will be depleted soon. Yox would have had to repeat the minimal amount of treatment to continue the fight.
"Ecdysium, please share the medicine in my pack with the Holy Knight. It will come in handy in times like these.
...... Yeah, sure.

　I'm not sure how much magic I have, but I don't get the same benefits from healing magic as I do from Yox. I'm not sure what to do with it. It's a bit of a consolation, but it's better than what a holy knight would have had to prepare for.
　I leave the tent and let out a big breath. It's always hard to get used to seeing someone you know in a different state. Your nerves become irritable and you become mildly agitated. Seeing this, Ilias rubs me on the back with a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay?
I feel bad, but if Ilias is worried about me, I'm fine. I'm not that angry.

　Thanks to the incident with the Scarlet Witch King, everyone is even more nervous about the death of the people around me than I am. If I go out of control here, I'll probably be in an overprotective situation for the rest of my life. Well, I'm calm enough to think about such irony.

"Well, if you're that smart, you're safe.
If Arcreal had been a simple scum, I think he would have been a little more bloodthirsty.

　Even if it was Yox's strength that he didn't die instantly two or three times, he could have killed him anytime after that. For Ark Real, fighting Yokus was like playing with insects. He didn't think about his opponent, he just kept playing with it and when it stopped moving, that was the end. He probably doesn't feel the slightest bit of guilt when he sees the devastation of the bugs. However, Yokus continued to respond to Arcreal's request. Arcreal must have respected Yokus as a human being for that act. That is why he granted Yoxu's wish to fight to protect his men. However, since he killed all the holy knights who came at him during that time, he didn't seem to have any intention of showing mercy to him.

"Yokus is the leader of the Holy Knights of Mejis. I'm sure he'll recover.
"Yes, he will. Now we just have to think about making use of the information Yoxu gave us.
With that face, there's no need to worry.

　So far, the only decent information we've had on Arkreal is from the encounter with Exoik and the others. But this time he took the time to stay in front of Yox and the others. The information obtained from him could only have been obtained after the Iliad and the others faced each other and before the game was decided. In a sense, I would say that Yox has won a big prize. No, it's my job to make sure that happens.

"Iliad, let's use it. You ready?


Yeah, let's see what you're really made of.