Is that what you mean by "suspended"? The big hexenbiest thing?

Yes. No matter how successful you are, if you break the rules, you will be punished. It's the only way to show the others. Don't you think it's a deplorable vice, sir?

　Kalia Vadnick's lips twitched in annoyance as she muttered, "You should respond to merit with honor.

　It was a great act of self-control on my part not to reply, "Because then people like you would be reckless.

　But there is no doubt that what she did was a great achievement. The fact that she had single-handedly defeated a magical beast, and a large one at that, would have been greeted with astonishment rather than respect.

　This is where the subtleties of emotion are beyond the comprehension of someone as gifted as Kalia Vadnick. She blinked her eyelids and turned her gaze slightly downward.

　The ordinary man is a creature of awe as well as respect for genius. They fear them, avoid them, and sometimes even persecute them. Similarly, as an ordinary person, I can understand the state of the Order when I received her report. How could they be so foolish as to defeat a large magical beast alone? If, by any chance, it really is true...

　Wouldn't that be like a monster, different from us, different from humans? His face must have turned pale.

　I finished eating one of the red fruits, leaving the core. The red juice spread in his mouth.

But why did he do it again? If you wanted to test your skills, you could have done it any other way.

　The bigger the enemy, the better.

I needed the fame. You know the stigma of the House of Bardnick. You know the stigma of the House of Bardnick. To remove it, you can't just follow the path of ordinary people. All for the sake of your father's ...... name. That's what knightly nobility is all about. Well, a commoner like you wouldn't understand.

　I don't want to know. I responded with a sarcastic shrug of my shoulders.

　Having grown up as an orphan, I can honestly say that I can't really feel what Kalia Vadnick feels, let alone understand it. Home and parents seem to be very distant and elusive things. If I had to guess, I would say that Mr. Nines and Alueno are like that. When you think about it, it doesn't seem so bad.

It's not a bad thing.

　I stare at Kalia Vadnick's silver hair, eyebrows bouncing, eyes rolling. For a moment, the words spill out of her. For her father. Such human thoughts, if you can call them that. It was somewhat surprising that she had thoughts and feelings like a normal human.

　Of course, this woman was also in love with the savior man, but other than that, I don't feel much compassion for her, and I have a strong impression that she is a somewhat unworldly person.

No, no, I see. That's good, isn't it? It's good to be like that, to want to show someone the good side of you, that's human.

"...... Hey, you don't know what you're talking about. I've been thinking, you don't have enough respect for me, do you?　You're a commoner and I'm a knight. Even a child can tell who's better, hmm?

　Kalia Vadnick stood up with a smile that contained a hint of anger. She looks as if she wants to continue where we left off in the tavern. I don't think I've ever seen this woman smile properly.

　Certainly, my attitude toward the knightly class is not as good as it should be. But when it's her, Kalia Vadnick, I can't help but feel uncomfortable acting ostentatious because of my journey to salvation.

"Sir. "Sir, please don't get out of control. If you move too much, you'll break the wheel!

"...... Yes, sir.

　The father of the boss, who may have sensed the dangerous atmosphere, turns around and shouts. You can find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

　--A whoosh!

　There was a sound of wind slicing through the air.

　A moment later, the next sound was the popping of things. It was not the sound of a canvas or a wagon wheel breaking. It was the sound of something full of flesh and blood popping and splattering.

　Reflexively, you look ahead in the direction of the sound. It's bad. The target is the very man who steers the horse. The head of the man who had just been speaking to you was shot by a bow and arrow and exploded. Blood spurted out, and they stained the air red as they splashed in the wind. The smell of iron begins to waft through the area.

　The guru's body crumbled like a wooden figure and slid off the carriage.

"Get down, you!

　As if in sync with Kalia Vadnick's voice, he dropped his body to the floor of the carriage. The horse, having lost its master, shook the cart wildly, and the floorboards bounced as if they were powered.

　--Huh-uhn-uhn!

　The same sound echoed in my ears over and over again. The same sound over and over in my ears, a sound that alone could make my face pale and my knees tremble.

　A bow and arrow. A merciless weapon that kills unilaterally from a distance far beyond our reach. A long sword is fine. A spear would be acceptable. But this, the bow and arrow is the only thing we can do. If there are enough of them, they can crush the enemy. A wagon top like this won't be able to stop them.



　I managed to shrink myself down to a small size, and continued to lie face down, hiding behind my luggage.

　All that's left is to pray. Just endure.

　There is no other choice against the archers. No matter how much Kalia Vadnick is with you, you can't do anything against an enemy you can't see or reach. The only thing that matters is that they run out of arrows. Or my life will be taken. That's the competition.

　I narrow my eyes, keep my voice low, and just endure.

　--Whoosh!

　The arrows that cut through the wind and became resilient killers, ruthlessly pierced the hood and destroyed the floorboards. The arrows cut through the wind and became resilient killers, ruthlessly breaking through the tops and destroying the floorboards. They cruelly cut down and destroyed the cargo, the carriages, and the horses.

　It's all about the arrows.

　Five horses were slowly approaching the carriage, which had been shot through its entirety by the archers and had finally stopped moving. Without exception, each of the five horses carried an armed man on its back.

"Are there any survivors?

"No, I don't think so. We may have overdone it a bit.

　A distant look inside the torn and decayed hood revealed a clear vermilion paint job. Although it was shaded by the top. The red color was clearly visible.

　The horse that had been pulling the cart had finally run out of strength, unable even to run wild, and its remains were exposed. It was not a pleasant sight to see. However, the men decided that this was a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

　The five horsemen who had attacked the carriage each raised their weapons as if on alert. The spears had been miniaturized to make them more maneuverable. This would be enough to deal with any enemy that suddenly appeared.

　A man in a helmet says. He's probably the captain.

"Three of you stay on the perimeter. One more on me. Search inside. They must have mission documents or something similar.

　After having the three men guard the perimeter, the captain and one of his men stepped into the completely dilapidated carriage.

　The moment they stepped inside. The moment they step inside, they groan.

　There it is, red, red, red. Even those who are used to seeing horrific battlefields can't help but frown at the sight of such a scene. Inside, a man and a woman. The bodies of one man and one woman. It may be a blessing that we can't see them clearly because of the shadows of the canopy.

But ...... this could be just a decoy. It's too unprotected to let it carry mission documents. There was no resistance at all.

　A subordinate stomped on the floorboards as he said this.

　Indeed, the words fall into place. In fact, the odds of that happening were much greater before the attack.

　But that didn't mean I could miss it. If there was even the slightest chance of that happening, then we had to set up a net. The value of the operational documents to be delivered this time is very high. Assuming the information is correct, of course.

This one, sir. It fell near the man.

"Hmm. ...... wax seal. It looks like it. I don't know what it is.

　You'll have to ask the priest to judge the authenticity of the object. The man in the helmet held up the red-painted letter and lightly reflected it in the sun.

　Strange color, isn't it? I suddenly think. It's a very pale red, even for blood. Maybe it's just that the blood is too weak, but it's not dark enough to be blood. It was hard to tell in the shadows of the collapsed carriage, but in the sunlight, it looked like some kind of juice or dye.

　When I came to this realization, I was already in time.

　Like a snake entwined with a snake, a hand from behind covered my mouth. My eyes widened in shock, and my breathing became erratic. Enemy! Where? Who... We must defeat it. We're not gonna make it. I need help!

　All my thoughts are wasted, and before I can even try to speak, my throat is slit by a knife. The disgusting sound of forcibly tearing flesh echoes inside my body. A voice, inaudible. In my vision, I see the same figure of a subordinate with a silver sword sprouting from his throat. The one attacking you is a woman who should have been dead and covered in blood. The blood is surprisingly thin when it comes to light. It's not blood. It's a dye or some kind of juice.

　The last thing I saw was a gush of blood coming from my own throat. It was a dark red, the color of familiar blood.