In the midst of dead snow, a figure with long, coiled hair swaying in the air comes into view. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

I'm not sure how long it's been since I've seen you. Rougis. You've inflicted more wounds, haven't you?

　The grand city gates of the puppet city of Philos. In front of the gate, the saint of the heraldry, Mattia, said with a graceful smile.

　You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

　Seeing Mattia's face, her eyelids, which had been distorted by the chill of the dead snow, opened wide. She gripped the horse's reins tightly with her fingertips.

　Ann, who was standing beside me with her horse, probably had the same expression on her face as I did.

　When I sent for her, she told me that someone would be coming to pick her up. But still. I've never heard of a saint who is the head of a heraldic cult showing up at the gate.

　I'm not saying it's wrong for the saint to greet you in person, because you have Caria, Fialat, and the alliance's monarch, Elddis, here. But even so, I was only escorting the heraldists who were being held in Prison Bella.

　When you think about it, isn't that a very excessive welcome? As he said this, Mattia lifted his lips and spoke back.

You are not the only one who is good at catching people off guard and making them panic. Sometimes it is necessary to understand the mind of the attacker.

　Mattia says, his lips rippling mischievously. The expression on her face and the words she said were soft to the core.

　It was supposed to be.

　When I looked into Mattia's eyes, I felt my cheeks twitch. In the depths of her eyes, there was a very dull color. Eyes that were dark, but never smiling peacefully.

　What was hidden was a quiet, yet sure indignation.

　It was easy to read the meaning, probably because Mattia didn't have the slightest intention of hiding his emotions from me.

　That's not good. Oh no. It seems to have deeper roots than usual.

　I knew immediately what the root was. It had to be that I'd walked into Jail Bella with Vess. That's the only reason.

　Now that you mention it, I didn't give many details about the Jail Bella incident in my letter. Well, my intentions should have been stated to some extent.

　I can't help but feel that the closer Mattia gets to me, the more intense the color in his eyes becomes.

　I turned my back and pulled my face away. A feeling of guilt was rising in my elbows, as if I had done something wrong.

　When I twisted my lips to see how I could explain it, Mattia said with a smile on his face.

It's going to get cold in here anyway. Let's get them inside. It would be foolish to stand around in the dead snow and catch a cold, wouldn't it?

　At the same time, Mattia's expression and eyes really relaxed this time. It was unusual for a saint like her to keep her face so tight.

　Mattia looks behind me. What she sees are several carriages.

　Inside the carriages are the heralds from the prison Bella. With the exception of the seriously injured who could barely move, they were all hoping to move to Philos in the carriages, even if they were a bit cramped.

　It would be difficult to provide all of them with warm clothes in this deadly snow. On the other hand, if they were in the carriage, they would at least be protected from the cold wind, and since they were gathered together, they would not freeze to death.

　I saw Mattia cast a moist glance at the carriage, and I finally understood her intentions. She wasn't coming to pick us up. She was coming for them.

　Vera, the prison she called a burial place. They were thrown there violently, and yet they never gave up their faith.

　They lived as heralds in various places and were sent to prison just for that. They had their dignity crushed, their thoughts and faith denied, and still they resisted. They were persecuted unreasonably, stoned, and bit their bitterness.

　I'm sure the saint Mattia raised her flag for them in the past. She became a saint for those who could not be saved.

　Therefore, it is only natural for her to welcome them back with her own body. Perhaps that's why the heralds respect you so much?

　It's quite admirable. I don't think I could do anything like that. After all, I must be an extremely selfish person.

　In this case, as long as I could save Mr. Nines, who is one of my relatives among the prisoners, I would have been fine with that.

　I'm sure I wasn't even thinking of Mr. Nines when I did that. I just wanted to save him for my own sake. It was just an act to satisfy myself.

　Because of this, a sense of guilt was swirling inside my skull, and I hadn't been able to talk to Mr. Nines seriously yet.

　It's so pathetic. When I stand in front of Mattia, these feelings come up even more. I let out a light breath.

　Behind me, Mattia led the horses forward to check on the carriage.

　As we pass each other. My gaze met Mattia's, briefly. Her lips rippled.

"Lugis, there is much to discuss. But right now, I can't hold enough gratitude in my hands.

　There was nothing in it. It was a simple statement. His eyes widened for a moment as he took in the words. Then he shrugged his shoulders and said.



　I can't help it. My cheeks are ticklish.

I told you before. I did what I wanted to do. That's all I could do.

"Then I guess you and I want the same thing. My hero.

　He still had the same burning emotion in his eyes. Still, with a very beautiful smile, Mattia said.

　Don't you dare. I'm not used to being complimented so openly. I raised my hands lightly and replied.


　"I'll tell you what.


I'm sure you've heard of it.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

　It's probably not a place where many people originally gathered. In the rather cramped space, there were the saints Mattia and Erdis, Caria and Fialaert, as well as the main figures of the heraldic order.

　Philos, who used to be the ruler of this city, was also sitting opposite me.

　But I don't know why. I can't tell why, but I can't help but feel that the white eyes of the woman wearing the spectacles are staring at me more sternly than usual. I don't remember doing anything special to her, but...

I'm sure you're all aware of the fact that a messenger came from the Kingdom of Garleist to the heraldry.

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　It was about the Zebraelis, a fortress behemoth that had appeared in the northwestern part of the Garlist Kingdom. And then there were the hexenbiest disasters that appeared in various countries.

　The messenger said that they were simply devouring people with their will, and thus continuing to trample down civilization. The messenger then added, albeit only as a chat.

　If necessary, the nations may need to join hands in response to this catastrophe.

　If the sender is a mere nobleman, this is really just a chat. But to my joy or sorrow, it was not. That's why we're meeting face to face.

　The person who sent the messenger was Protector Jace Brackenbury. Jace Brackenbury, the Protector of the Realm, the hero of the Garlist Kingdom and the shield of the nation itself.

　As soon as he heard the name, he saw that Kalia's gaze intensified. His silver eyes were strangely frowned upon, and he looked unusually tense.

　Originally a knight of the Garlist Kingdom, Kalia must have felt the weight of the name "Protector" more than anyone else. At least in this place, the only ones who can really feel the weight of the name are Karia and Philos.

　I know the name and what it means, but I can't really carry the weight of it on my shoulders.

　I know the name and what it means, but I can't carry the feeling on my shoulders.

I have gathered information from various countries, and there is nothing wrong with what the messenger said. The Kingdom of Garleist has been bitten to its knees by a fortress behemoth named Zebraeliris, and other countries are also being plunged into the teeth of hexenbiest disaster.

　Biting his inner cheek a little, he searched for words. He chewed his inner cheek a little, searching for words.

　The Age of Dead Snow is a time of misfortune, when Hexenbiests roam freely.

　Naturally, in such a time, a certain amount of hexenbiest disasters are bound to occur.

　A village or two being blown away at a whim is just a common tragedy. No one pays much attention to it.

　Even the nobles who always roam the land with their own faces turn a blind eye. It's only because of the dead snow, they say.

　That's how dead snow is the worst time of the year.

　Even with this in mind, Anne says that the scale of the disaster continues to grow.

"A hexenbiest disaster is essentially just a bunch of hexenbiests moving around aimlessly. A hexenbiest disaster is just a bunch of hexenbiests moving around aimlessly. But this time, they've been engulfing cities and villages as if led by something.

　A man with wrinkles like cracks on his face among the members of the heraldry cult replied, "What do you mean by led? I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

　Anne nodded her head and said, "I'm not sure yet.

"I've heard that there is a being that leads the hexenbiests, the demonic ones.

　--Majin. I have heard that there is a being who leads the monsters and demons.

　I'm not sure what to make of this. There was the sound of iron clanging as it stirred.