"You smell so sweet today. You always smell so different.

　Erdis said as he put on his bedroom underwear in his private chambers. Her high nose poked the air like a neigh. Her blue eyes flickered near her neck.

　I wonder if there's much of a smell left. People can be very careless about their own smell.

　Well, maybe that's because I don't chew tobacco as much while I drink.

　When I mentioned this lightly, Elddis said with a lift of her cheeks.

"Hmm... That's good. I'll give you some perfume next time. I'll be back.

　The first corner of my eye goes up. The first time I saw him, he was looking at me. The first thing I did was to look at my eyes.

　The first thing you should do is to look at your eyes. The first thing you should do is to look at your eyes.

　The people who looked at people in the back streets as if they were animals usually wore such perfumes. As the saying goes, it's nasty.

　Erdis still broadened his shoulders, saying, "It'll smell just the way you like it. Apparently she's not going to back down. That's just like an elf to be pushy. But it could use a little work.

　Erdis's breath is so close to my neck that I can almost feel it. I wonder if that bothered her. The elf who had come to call for me made a small sound in his throat and said.

"Master Erdis. I understand this is an urgent matter.

　Erdis's expression darkened slightly as he stroked my neck with his slender fingers. Then she turned on her heel and looked at the window, or rather out the window.

　His blue eyes were looking strangely far away. It's as if he's looking somewhere we can't see from here. Such an expression. Erdis spoke out quietly.

"Lugis. Actually, things went sour. You said you were going to save the Garleist Kingdom.

　I see. That's what you said. He nodded, brows furrowed, chin tucked.

　After inciting the nobles, he crowns Philos-Treit. That would be the quickest way for the heralds to oppose the Great Saints.

　In order for this to happen, Philos and the heraldry must have a track record.

　They need to have a track record of defeating hexenbiest disasters and demon monsters and saving the Garlist Kingdom from peril. People are more interested in celebrating the savior of the world than the distant king.

　I'm well aware of that.

　Of course, I don't expect everything to work out the way it's supposed to.

　It's just a fantasy I put together. There will be sloppiness, there will be unraveling. There will be objections from heraldry and from Gazalia.

　Perhaps that's what Erdis was referring to when he said it was a bad idea.

　That's what I was thinking. Facts are always two steps ahead of imagination.

　I thrust my gaze at him, urging him to continue. Her blue eyes wavered as if she were upset.

　Unexpectedly heavy words fall from his lips.

"The place that needs to be saved, the capital of the Garlist Kingdom, Arche, has fallen. To be precise, it has lost its function as a royal city. I'm not sure how accurate the information is, since it came from a fast horse.

　But because of this information, Erdis continues, voices are beginning to emerge from the heraldry community that now is the time to retreat.

　After that, there were several more words that conveyed brand new information. I'm sure it was about the unimaginable unified threat of the hexenbiests, or the movements of the surrounding nobility.

　But... To be honest, Elddis's words didn't really register with me. It was as if the moment the words touched my ear, they shattered and scattered. The first words were too heavy.

　What did Elddis say now? That Arche had fallen. Is that what she said?

　What's going on? The city has fallen. The center of all glory. And in such a hurry. We haven't even been told it's under siege.

　My skull was in turmoil and I was even feverish from all the thoughts running around. I was getting dizzy.

　Is Elddis telling the truth? Is she playing some kind of game with me? Or is the mead making me dream?

　My waist was hot. The sword was neighing. My thoughts raced wildly, then I gulped down a large gulp of spit and said.



"Where is the king? Where's the national army, the shield of King's Landing? Is there a demon out there, yeah.

　Erdis slipped her lips at my words. Her hair, the same color as her eyes, bounced silently in the air. Her head jerked slightly to the side.

The news of the king's death has not reached us yet, but we still don't know exactly what happened. The only thing that is clear is that the royal city of Arche has been unable to stop the hexenbiest disaster as if it were a disaster - the word "hexenbiest" might be more appropriate.

　Erdis continued, saying that the demon forms of the gods that led the hexenbiests and demons were called such.

　While she was speaking, a number of thoughts crossed her mind. My brain plasma was burning hot.

　I don't know. What should I do now? There's too little information.

　After all, I never imagined the fall of Arche, the royal capital. After all, it's the place where the Saviors once flapped their wings. That it would fall into the hands of a demon.

　Even in the past, such a thing has never happened. It's been hit by a hexenbiest disaster.

　Then I suddenly realized.

　I'm momentarily lost in thought, and a sickening feeling comes to my throat. My eyes twitched involuntarily.

　--Herd Stanley the hero is dead. If that's the case, then there are things that could happen here and now that would not have happened if he had been around.

　Such a delusional thought came to my mind. And so I let something boil in my heart. An idea begins to have a strange truth to it.

　I see. The world is a very complicated place. And in the worst possible way.

　I felt like I'd been beaten with a stick. If there is a God, he's very cruel. No, maybe he's always been like that...

　I let out a breath. My fingertips unconsciously search for a chewing tobacco. My hand is controlled by a thin white finger. It was Elddis's fingertips.

　She takes my hand and says.

And what will you do, Lugis? The heraldry is trying to back out. Gazalia is not going to go along with this recklessness.

　I'm sure they do. At any rate, if the fall of the capital is true, the Garlist Kingdom will have been stripped of most of its functions.

　The local nobles will lose control of the center, and the king will have lost his hands and feet. The mayhem caused by the hexenbiest disaster will dig deep into the wounds that have been created in the kingdom.

　Forcing your hand into the middle of it is like picking up a stone from the fire. It's insane. No, it's not serious.

　So I think it's a very rational thing to say that we should just sit tight. It's the right thing to do.

　But then... Don't die.

　A lot of people will die. People will die like idiots at the feet of a demon. Sometimes as people, sometimes as livestock. Their blood will be wrung and their heads twisted. They'll die in pain and sobs. They will die as they should.

　I've seen people die like that many times in my life. Or more accurately, I've left them to die. Of course. People live only for their own reasons. They never act otherwise.

　How many of us would risk our own lives to save the life of a stranger? Yeah, I couldn't do anything about that either.

　Erdis whispers to me, his lips closed in silence, his words clouded. Her blue eyes seemed strangely close.

I'm sure many people will hold you back. But I'm not going to tell them that.

　I open my eyes. What the hell does that mean? Erdis smiled and let out a breath as he looked back at her.

You're my knight, and I'm your master. That will never change. Even if it takes the life of an elf to do it. So I will trust you alone. Even if Gazalia doesn't believe in you... what will you do, Lugis?

　Instantly, your eyes narrow. I felt an itch in my chest. After all, in the past, she had never given me this kind of trust.

　And now that the heroic Erdis has opened her heart to me, I couldn't be happier. I'm not worthy of it.



　Relax your shoulders for a moment and exhale heavily. Let go of the thoughts that are floating around in your skull.

　And then I decided. Of course, it was the only choice.

"There's no way I'm retreating. There's no reason to retreat, no. There's a throne and a crown lying out there.

　Then let's go pick them up. It's the least I can do. Then I'll do it. This time, I'll do it.

　He said, his cheeks flushed and a forced smile on his face.