It's coming, it's coming, it's coming. The demon was coming with footsteps.

　Roseau pulled his shoulders back and looked down at the scene from the gates of the city of Philos. His eyelids fluttered unconsciously. His heart gave a high-pitched cry.

　A band of heraldic warriors came rushing down the street like sheep driven by dogs. Without a second thought, without a care in the world.

　Of course. There aren't many people who are willing to face a stone pellet thrown at their back. And although they were well armed, they had no intention of fighting. Then they're not mentally or physically ready to fight.

　So, they're coming.

　They'll end up at the gates of the city of Philos, thinking they're bandits or something. Roseau muttered this over and over in his head. It was as if he was telling himself that everything would be fine.

　But today, Roseau could not afford to be so cocky. Combat and tactics were too far out of Roseau's league. For a man who considers his tongue to be the only thing he knows how to use, a war without it must be something to be avoided.

　Should he cancel the war after all? This is something that will fall out of my hands. Maybe now I can get it back. If I alone take my life, it may be the end of everything.

　Even the heraldic army doesn't know that the soldiers of the city of Philos are still directly at them. It might even be possible to put everything back to normal now.

　But that will end when the heraldic army is officially turned against us. As Philos-Treit said, the city of Philos would die out. Roseau himself understood that very well.

　So this is the place to turn back. We can still make this all go away peacefully.

　Roseau closed his eyes. Then, clearing his throat, he said to the ears and hearts of his men and the city soldiers posted at the gate.

"Men of the city!　The enemy is here. That demon is definitely coming here. This must be the handiwork of God.

　Loudly and proudly. Roseau's voice caressed the ears of the citizens, as if he had never done anything like this before. He's never been better at this.

　Roseau's cheeks split open.

"The Kingdom of Garryth and the Cathedral have promised us!　"The Kingdom of Garleist and the Cathedral have promised us great support in our fight against paganism!　Do not be frightened, my friends, only if you endure now will you be granted salvation!

　Roseau says, as if he is sucking in everyone's brain, echoing deep into their guts.

　The heraldic demons are trying to devour this city. If we don't fight, we'll just die. If we hold out here, help will come. Those words, spoken over and over to the citizens.

　It sounds ridiculous, but to the citizens of the Great Saints, Roseau's words ring true.

　The heralds are demons and beasts of burden, and they are always after our pockets. Every citizen has been taught as a child that they are always looking for an opportunity to eat our heads. That they are not the same people.

　And likewise, that when the time of true suffering comes, God will provide a helping hand.

　That's why it's impossible for a citizen to take the hand of the devil. Philos-Treit, who tried to kiss the devil, is an immoral man who sold his soul. The good citizens believe that if they get close to him, they will lose their souls too.

　So perhaps Roseau is not deceiving them. He just whispered their ideals in their ears, gave them a future they wanted to believe in, and gave them the means to believe it was right. That's all.

　Even if there was not a single word of it in the secret book truly given to him by the Garleist Kingdom.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

　I'm not sure what to say.

　The city of Philos is surrounded by a slightly open plain. The city's terrain is such that you can see far into the distance from the city, and if bandits appear, the city's soldiers can immediately rush to help. Since there are no steep mountain ranges, it is extremely easy to travel through the city.

　It is said that the city of Philos once prospered as a transit city to the Kingdom of Garleist, probably thanks to the fact that the city was located in such a place suitable for trade.

　The only drawback is that the plains make it easy to deploy a large number of soldiers. Perhaps that is why Philos has fallen so many times in its history.

　However, it seems that the disadvantages have been replaced by advantages on this occasion.

　In front of the gates of Philos. I gritted my teeth reflexively when I saw the Philos urban soldiers holding spears and projectiles, completely surrounding me and my troops.

I had heard that they were replenishing supplies, but were they also replenishing troops, An?

　He says, sighing. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. And they've taken it upon themselves to drive the troops back with a surprise attack. Then, of course, there must be soldiers behind them. So we're all trapped.

　I had a bad feeling from the moment I saw the stone bullet. I felt a numbing sensation in the core of my brain. But how could it be possible that the city soldiers of Philos would now turn against the heraldry?

　I guess I was punished for being so selfish in my estimation of things. I never thought I'd end up trapped in this place.



　I don't know who is writing this script, but he seems to be a guy who likes to get under people's skin. It's in poor taste.

　To my words, Anne replied, "Of course not," and continued.

"Master Lugis. Please select ten men and take them with you. We can make it through with the rest.

　Right now, Anne said. She twisted one eye and removed the cigarette from her lips.

　There was no mistaking her meaning. Anne's voice, which must have been shaking from the cold a moment ago, now sounded much firmer. Just listening to her voice was enough to harden my spirit.

　She wanted us to run. She told me to cut down Anne and most of the soldiers like a lizard's tail and run back to the camp with some of her companions.

　She breathes once, deeply. What are you saying? The words almost escaped my lips in reflex. Don't be silly, I thought, how could I do that?

　But when I turned around and looked into Anne's eyes, I knew that what she had just said was not an easy thing to say. What she was prepared to do, what she had decided in that split second.

　It's pathetic. What am I letting a girl smaller than me do? It's beyond stupid.

　I breathed in and the air filled my lungs again. A voice echoed in front of the gates of Philos.

"Welcome, heraldists.

　A low voice echoed around the area. As if in response, the city soldiers shook the tips of their spears. Apparently, the reason they did not attack us while we were surrounded was because they were waiting for this voice.

　I felt a twinge in my heels. My chest, burning. That's it. That's the ringleader. So he's the one who created this ridiculous situation.

"Anne, who's that bastard looking down at us from the wall?

　He twisted the words into a sigh. My eyes narrowed and my tongue felt very dry. Before I could hear Anne's voice, a name had already popped into my head.

　Ann's throaty voice.

"That's it, Master Lugis. That's Roseau. That's Roseau, the man who represented the Philosophers' Council and was our collaborator.