Vol.9 Chapter 3 — Makoto Takatsuki Heads for the Award Ceremony

Chapter 3 — Makoto Takatsuki Heads for the Award Ceremony

I woke up and got dressed, then offered my prayers to Noah. When I made my way into the living room, Sasa was awake, as she always was. Oddly, Furiae was sitting there too—she would normally still be sleeping at this time. Lucy was almost certainly still in bed.

"Morning, Sasa, Princess," I greeted as I sat down at the table. "Hiya, Takatsuki."

"Good day, my knight."

As I sat down, I noticed a mysterious...thing...on my plate. "Sasa, what's this black stuff?"

"Hmm... Charcoal that used to be bacon?" "And the black thing next to it?" "Charcoal that was once an egg."

I was silent for a moment. "Is there...anything else?"

"What?! Are you saying you can't eat what I made?!" Furiae demanded. "What? You made it?!" I returned in shock. This was the first time I'd ever

known her to cook.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"N-Nothing." I stared at the black objects on my plate. Charcoal? It wasn't going to kill me, was it? I plucked up the nerve and reached out with my chopsticks, but then, Sasa yoinked my plate away.

"All riiiight, this is your actual breakfast. We just wanted to show how much effort Fuu put in." Sasa smiled, replacing the charcoal with a properly prepared meal. "I'm going to go wake up Lu," she said, wandering off.

I met Furiae's gaze, but she quickly and awkwardly looked away. "It will be better next time," she mumbled after a moment.

"Ah... Okay."

This was really weird.

Lucy arrived after a while, still sleepy, and we all ate breakfast together.

I pulled my arms through my jacket's sleeves, fixed my dagger to my waist, and then shoved my money in my pocket. I was just deciding where I'd spend my day when Lucy called out and stopped me in my tracks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, I was just gonna wander around the town."

"Takatsuki," said Sasa. "Do you remember what day it is today?" "Do we...have something planned?"

Huh. I don't think I promised to do anything with Lucy or Sasa... Did I?

"Haven't you heard?" Furiae asked, petting Twi in her lap. "Today is the award ceremony for those who distinguished themselves in the fight against the demon lord."

"Oh!" Right. That was today?

"That was close. You wouldn't have come back until the evening," Lucy remarked.

Sasa shook her head. "Sophie even reminded you. Jeez, Takatsuki."

Oh yeah, Princess Sophia had mentioned it when we got back yesterday.

Oh well. Guess I'll just spend the day here.

I killed some time training, and Princess Sophia arrived at around lunchtime.

When she saw me, she sighed in relief. "Thank goodness you're actually here."

"Of course I am."

"Don't lie, Makoto," Lucy scolded. "You were about to go off this morning."

"He didn't remember at all," Sasa added.

Stop tattling on me, you two! Well, that cat was out of the bag. Princess Sophia gave me a half glare before saying, "We should be leaving now."

And so, we all walked with her toward Highland Castle.

"There're so many people..." I muttered, looking around.

The crowd was even denser than when Sakurai had been appointed— probably because people from all six nations were present. Lucy, Sasa, Furiae, and I were representing Roses. Though so many had already assembled, we were apparently still waiting on the king and the sacred nobility. How lucky. They get to turn up fashionably late.

I started juggling some waterballs to kill time, and I caught Furiae up in it.

She challenged me to do something else, so we played around with all sorts of magic before Princess Sophia got angry and told me to wait quietly.

A group soon headed over to us, maybe having seen the disturbance. One of them seemed like a genial old man at a glance, but his eyes were sharp. He was wearing a priest's garb, but his attire was clearly of higher quality than the people around him.

This was the pope of Highland's church...with Temple Knights behind him.

"Excuse me, guests from Roses," he said.

"Your Holiness, what do you need of us?" Princess Sophia asked hastily. "If you had sent a message, we would've—"

The pope interrupted, waving her off. "I have business with the delegation from Roses, so it is only right that I come to you." He then turned to me. "Hero of Roses. You have my deepest gratitude for your aid in defeating the demon lord."

"R-Right..." I answered warily. I thought he hated me for following a wicked deity...

"I would like nothing more than to ask you to convert to Althena's church, but Princess Sophia is unlikely to allow that. However, is there a reason you have not converted to Eir? You are a hero of her country, after all."

"Your Holiness... Eir herself has allowed him to keep his own faith," Princess Sophia answered for me.

"It is not a matter of it being allowed or not. Our daily life is only possible thanks to the goddesses' blessings. We should repay them with our gratitude and devotion. Making a wicked deity's believer into a hero is heretical."

"W-Well..." she stammered, faltering at his sharp tone.

This again... I complained mentally.

Althena's followers are all so hardheaded, Noah added.

"Still, let us speak no more of it for now," said the pope. "After all, Sir Makoto Takatsuki is the second most decorated here today. There will be plenty of time to discuss such things in the future."

Huh. He'd let it go way easier than I thought he would. Princess Sophia's expression looked relieved as well.

But then he continued. "The real problem is the Priestess of the Moon."

The pope's hostile gaze switched to Furiae.

She remained silent.

"Iblis will return in the coming days. And yet, the reincarnation of the Witch of Calamity, the very antithesis of loyalty, remains free. I swear it now! When Iblis returns, he will once again contact the moon priestess, and she will be a wolf among the sheep. She cannot be allowed to remain free."

"Lady Noelle has said we should cooper—"

"Princess Noelle is another matter... Equal treatment of the beastmen and demihumans aside, lightening our stance on the filthy-blooded..."

Furiae's expression was getting harsher as he spoke. This was bad. "Princess helped with the rebellion here," I interrupted before she could

say anything. "She's hardly going to defect now."

"Princess...? Ah, you are her guardian knight, yes. Foolishness.

Following a wicked deity was bad enough, but..."

This old-timer sure loved bad-mouthing my goddess...well, I suppose that, publicly, she was a wicked deity.

"However, I will concede that the moon priestess has contributed," he admitted. "She will be kept in a guest room rather than a dungeon this time. That should solve the issue. Now, come with us."

We all startled as the Temple Knights surrounded us. Come the hell on! This is way too heavy-handed! Lucy, Sasa, and I all stepped out to protect Furiae. The knights of Roses, despite their clear confusion, also moved to shield us. This had now turned into a confrontation between two countries' knights. How was this going to go?

"My, what a shame. I hadn't wanted to resort to force..." the pope said with a troubled look—albeit probably a fake one—as he folded his arms.

You're already being plenty forceful...

"Hey, Grandpa Pope, want me to get her?"

Even as I wondered who had asked that flippant question, I saw that it was someone among the Temple Knights.

"You should not act out, Hero of the Sun," the pope replied.

"This is all pointless. I could take 'em in a single hit." Alec, the Hero of the Sun, was grinning as he spoke.

Was he...always like this? That's not what I remembered.

"Stop this, Alec. Althena would not permit such barbarism. Well then, people of Roses, if you change your mind, then come to the cathedral. We

will be glad to supervise the Priestess of the Moon there. Once Iblis is defeated, she will be released. Until then." The pope turned on his heel and walked away.

"You got off lucky," Alec added before he and the other Temple Knights followed suit.

What was that...?

"Was he always so...?" asked Lucy.

Sasa shook her head. "He didn't say a word before, right?"

They seemed to be thinking the same thing I was. He'd changed way too much.

"Tch." Furiae scowled.

"It'll be okay, Princess," I assured her.

"It will." Princess Sophia nodded. "Roses is on your side."

Furiae paused for a moment, then replied, "Thank you." Her expression had relaxed somewhat at our words, but she still looked uneasy.

Maybe we shouldn't stay in Highland any longer than we strictly need to...

"First, introducing our prime minister..."

Regardless of the momentary chaos with the pope, all the participants had arrived and the ceremony had begun. The first order of business was a greeting from the prime minister, then a bunch of the sacred nobles and royalty would speak. That was when I realized something... This is going to take absolutely ages, isn't it? Will it even end today?

"Sophia, do you know the schedule for this event?" I asked.

"For the ceremony? Here," she said, handing over the program for the day.

It...was a ridiculously long program list. And I was pretty much the last thing on it. Until then, all I'd be doing was waiting.

I looked at the list.

The Grandsage (Absent)

Rosalie, the Crimson Witch (Absent)

Lucky them! I thought in jealousy. Man...I was bored. Could I maybe slip away?

"Sophia," I whispered. "I'm going to get a drink." There was a long pause. She looked at me intently.

"Make sure you are back for when you're called," she reminded me.

Busted—she'd seen through my excuse and knew I wanted to slack off. Still, with her permission (or not), I could kill some time somewhere.

Stealth. I was only using the skill to make sure I didn't disturb anyone, but just as I tried to leave, I was interrupted.

"Where are you going, Makoto?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Takatsuki, it's right in the middle of the ceremony," Sasa scolded me. Furiae stared at me pointedly. "Just sit still, my knight."

Seriously, how did they have such sharp powers of perception?

"I'm just going for a walk..." I mumbled. "Wait up, I'll come with you."

"No fair, Lu! Me too!"

"What?! If you're going, my knight, then so am I!" Ack, this was turning into a full-on outing.

"So, where are we going?" Sasa asked.

I hadn't made any real plans. There were a few hours before it would be my turn, but going too far probably wasn't the best idea. Eventually, I came up with something.

"Well, if I want advice, who better to ask than the Grandsage?" "Uh...won't she be in a bad mood at this time of day?" Sasa asked. Lucy nodded. "Her place is all gloomy and kinda unnerving." Neither seemed entirely on board—both decided to pass.

"What about you?" I asked Furiae.

"The White Grandsage's estate... I've got some words to say to her about taking you."

Well, Furiae felt like joining in, so the two of us used Stealth to sneak out.

Because of the ceremony, there weren't many knights stationed around the castle as a whole. The ones on watch didn't notice us, and we soon made our way to the Grandsage's estate.

"Hi!" I called as we entered. Furiae trailed cautiously behind.

The combination of the candles and my Night Vision skill revealed the familiar building as we moved through it. As we entered a large room, I saw the Grandsage positioned on a large sofa. She was breathing softly. She looks just like a kid when she's asleep.

"She's resting, my knight. Perhaps we shouldn't have just wandered in..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm her guardian knight." "I don't think that means what you think it does." "Let's just hang around until she wakes up." "Wha...?"

She looked exasperated, but I didn't pay it any mind.

Instead, I started poking around the place for anything interesting. I wasn't stealing stuff...just looking. The Grandsage had all sorts of books and magic tools. I'd wanted to have a proper look around for ages.

Furiae selected a rare-looking book from the shelves and started flipping through it. I headed farther into the room, wondering if there was anything unusual. I might even borrow something if it looks interesting.

Suddenly, I did come across something. "What the...?"

Hidden behind a bunch of bookshelves was a weirdly empty space. In the middle of it was a huge, rectangular box that looked big enough to fit a person.

Is this...a coffin?

It was. A pitch-black coffin. What was this doing here? Well, the Grandsage was a vampire, so was this her bed? Although...she was currently sleeping on the sofa.

Hmmm, then what's this for? I crept closer out of curiosity...even though I obviously couldn't open it.

"What're you doing?"

"Whoa?!" I leaped back in shock. The Grandsage had appeared right behind me.

"You're a bad person—sneaking into a home while the owner is asleep.

What's this supposed to be, some nighttime visit?" "Yeah, that's what it is," I replied.

"Moron. Who brings a woman with them for that kind of thing? Come back here."

"Sure," I replied, moving toward her. I hadn't really been able to mess with that coffin.

"So, what are you here for?" she asked. "The ceremony is underway, isn't it?"

"Well, you are here, so as your guardian knight, it is only right that I spend my time with you, no?" I grinned.

She smirked back. "Well said."

Then, she brewed some tea for Furiae and me.

That's nice of her. I sipped at the tea. I thought Furiae might speak up, but she stayed quiet. Instead, the Grandsage carried the conversation.

"That reminds me—after today, I will be away for a while." "You will?" I asked.

"Indeed, Forneus has been sighted off Caol Ilan."

"What? That's a big deal!" Was this really the time for ceremonies?!

"It is likely just a threat. Iblis will be back soon, so there is unlikely to be an actual attack until then."

Forneus was the demon lord that ruled the sea monsters. I was sorta interested—I figured I might be able to help a bit if we were fighting on or in the ocean.

"On another note... Both of you, be careful of the pope. He has been decidedly upset since I took you as my guardian knight. He probably has some sort of plan."

That was perfect timing.

"Speaking of, we had the displeasure of meeting him just earlier." Furiae scowled.

"The current pope is a real hater of other religions. He has his reasons...but we need to avoid internal conflict until after Iblis is defeated."

"You can say that again," I replied. I was in full agreement on that front. But it seemed sidestepping trouble with him wouldn't be easy, considering how he'd been acting. That reminds me... "Oh yeah, the Hero of the Sun, Alexander, was with him."

"Him... I do not know the details myself, but he turned up out of nowhere about half a year ago. His strength is not in question, though. I had no idea there was someone with such mana and aura who was unaffiliated with a deity. I'd thought we had found all we could on the continent... But perhaps he hails from another. I considered that he might be an otherworlder...but that seems to not be the case."

"Huh..."

What a weirdo. He'd changed completely in personality as well. "I-Incidentally!" Furiae said, breaking her silence.

"Hm?" the Grandsage replied.

"I-I would appreciate you not taking my guardian knight as your own

without permission!"

"Oh?" The Grandsage grinned, baring her fangs. "Jealous?" "I-I am not! What are you even implying?!"

"Serving multiple people as a guardian knight is hardly rare. There is no real inconvenience to it."

That's right! You gotta use what you have!

"Still, he is using four of the five contracts... I may have recommended it, but four is a lot. Perhaps the Blood Contract was excessive."

"Hm?"

Four? I had one with Noah—Soul—one with Furiae—Spoken—and one with the Grandsage—Blood.

"But I only have three?"

"What do you mean?" she replied. "I may not have noticed before, but you have a contract of the body as well. With that redhead. Well, a temporary contract like that won't show up in your Soul Book...but I can still see it."

What? "That redhead" would mean Lucy. There was a Body Contract

between us?

"M-My knight...when did you?" Furiae, at my side, was looking betrayed.

She was shaking slightly.

Hold on! This was a misunderstanding! Right?

"So, my knight! When did the two of you make a contract with your bodies?!" she demanded.

Seriously...I don't remember doing anything like that. I'd researched them a bit after Princess Sophia had read me the riot act about not knowing what contracts I had.

A Body Contract was exactly what the name implied—a physical relationship bound the contract. Incidentally, it had nothing to do with gender, so it'd be fine to have one with Prince Leonardo as well— What am I even thinking?!

"Waitwaitwait! Lucy and I haven't done anyth— Actually, there was that time we went drinking... I don't remember what happened. Or maybe when she and Sasa came onto me. Actually, that day... What?! Wait, what about the day before yesterday?!"

"How many possibilities can you think of...?" Furiae asked with a glare. Well, I couldn't help it! Lucy was always so assertive.

Makoto, she's talking about the Love Contract, Noah said. Love

Contract...? The thing that happens when we kiss?

Ah, okay. Maybe people started calling it a Body Contract recently?

Right, just a difference in terminology.

"Grandsage, apparently the contract we have is a Love Contract," I relayed.

She looked up at me questioningly. "A Love—? Elementalist, that's a nickname. Some romanticist started calling it that. You don't actually need romantic feelings to create that contract."

"Huh..."

Oh...really? Noah murmured.

She and I both sounded surprised. Hang on, Noah didn't know either...? "Only virgins call it that," said the Grandsage, silencing both of us. "Well,

I suppose that's why you'd use that name." There you go, Noah.

S-So what?! A "Body Contract" sounds obscene! she growled. "So, my knight, what's the conclusion?"

"My innocence is proven!" I proclaimed.

"Is it now...?" she asked with a doubtful look.

"Well, a Body Contract is usually a marriage. But a temporary contract implies that you won't be tied down to a single woman and are still going to play the field. Our elementalist is quite the player for a virgin."

I had no words. It hadn't proven my innocence at all! Furiae was once again looking at me like I was trash.

"Well, I would prefer he stays chaste, so I don't mind," said the Grandsage. "Come on, Elementalist, hand over my usual."

"Sure, sure," I replied. After all, you had to pay the entrance fee when you visited a venue.

I sat down on the sofa she'd been sleeping on. She put her teeth to my throat and latched on...or, that's what I expected to happen. Instead, her small tongue traced its way along my neck, sending a chill down my spine.

"G-Grandsage?!" I yelped.

She chuckled. "You're always pleasant," she murmured, stroking my skin. "Your body is just as clean as your blood. I never would have thought you were an adventurer."

I sighed. "Well, I use water magic every morning and night to shower, and if I get sweaty, I get rid of it right away."

"Huh, you do?" Furiae asked in surprise. "That sounds nice. Do it for me at some point too."

"I did it for Sasa, but she said it tickled like I was touching her everywhere," I warned.

"How filthy... I'll pass."

"By the way, Grandsage, aren't you going to— What are you doing?!" Suddenly, she'd started to pull my shirt off.

"Hm? Well, always using your neck gets boring," she said, tracing delicate fingers over my chest. She looked about twelve years old or so. At first, it was almost like she was a kid playing around, but knowing her actual age made the gesture feel oddly alluring. Her large red eyes looked up at me as she put a cold hand on my cheek.

"Now then...time to punish my rude servant for sneaking into where I sleep."

I gave a long pause. "I'm your guardian knight, not your servant," I pointed out.

"Close enough."

Was it? During that exchange, she kept pulling my clothes off. Though she wasn't using her hands, something was deftly undoing my buttons. Was this...spatial manipulation?

I sat back and watched her magic, feeling impressed by it. Then, a yell came from my side.

"M-My knight! Why are you just letting her do that?!" Furiae demanded, her cheeks red.

"Sorry, Grandsage, Princess isn't happy with it, so no more."

"Miser," she complained. She then put her arms around my back and sank her teeth into my neck like normal. Actually, not like normal. She didn't just have her arms around me—she'd even wrapped her legs around my waist like some sort of koala.

Whew, this is kinda hot. I listened to her drink my blood down until she

licked up the final drops and healed the punctures with a touch.

"Well then, now that I've had my fill, I am going to rest until my trip. You can use the place however you like." After that, she fell back onto the sofa.

She seemed kinda tired. Normally, she would keep chatting.

Maybe she's still exhausted after the last fight?

"Grandsage, will you be all right in Caol Ilan?" I said to her back. "Make sure you rest up proper—"

I hadn't expected a response, but an answer interrupted me regardless. "You worry about yourself. Things are about to get much more difficult for you."

"That's not going to happen. I'll just leave the strong guys to Sakurai."

Honestly, it felt like the last battle was going to be the worst of it. As long as we watched out for the Clouds of Darkness, Sakurai was pretty much unbeatable. I'd just be taking things easy far from the front lines. Obviously, though, I'd go help him if he needed it.

"No. Things are going to get much more difficult for you." She said it as if it was set in stone. It almost sounded like...

"Is that Future Sight?" I asked. Had she foreseen me befalling some terrible fate?

"Not exactly. I can only see about a minute ahead, not the distant future." "Even that much is pretty unfair, isn't it?" That level of clairvoyance was

pretty much perfect for positioning during a fight.

"Whoops. It's a secret—make sure you don't tell Rosalie." "You told me pretty easily..."

"I'm heading to sleep now. Don't wake me up." Suddenly, I heard soft breathing coming from her. She must have actually gone to sleep.

I really wanted to hear what in my future was going to be hard... Some other time, I guess. I glanced over at Furiae and found her eyes fixed on me.

"Princess?"

"I'm heading back," she replied after a moment, stalking off toward the entrance.

"Whoa, hold up!" I rushed after her. "What's up?" "Nothing."

"Are you angry?" "I am not!"

She sure seemed like she was. Neither of us said anything after that—I

just followed her silently as she left the estate.

"Why did you even bring me?" she finally snapped. "You're her guardian knight, aren't you?"

"Well, I was yours first."

"Hmph! A likely story! After how you were so touchy-feely with her!" "That's pretty much how it always is."

"She's always...?" Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to me. I suppose the Grandsage may have been a touch more extreme this time.

Furiae let out a tired sigh and sank down onto a nearby bench. I sat next to her. She wore an unhappy frown.

"I'm thirsty," she murmured.

Oh, was this my chance to get out of the doghouse?

"Wait a minute," I said, pulling a cup and some fruit from my snack pack.

The fruit was something tropical-looking—it was easily preserved by keeping it cool.

Water Magic: Ice Cutter.

I used ice blades to peel it, remove the seeds, and blitz the fruit as a whole. I conjured even finer ice crystals and mixed them throughout the pulp, then slid everything into the cup. I handed it over to her, wishing I had a straw as well.

"What's this?" she asked.

"An Otherworld Tropical Smoothie."

"I'll try it..." Doubtfully, she took a sip. Then she exclaimed, "This is amazing!" before practically chugging it down.

Ah...if you drink that fast—

"Ow, my head! Is this a curse?!"

"You shouldn't drink iced things so quickly..." I said, explaining about brain freezes and prompting her to take another, slower sip.

She cheered up again. Girls really do love smoothies! (Just a bit of a stereotype.)

This drink was something Fujiyan and I had come up with—it should be popular in this world. However, Nina had said it'd cost too much to hire someone that could make them with water magic like I did, so ultimately, the idea had never been used.

"Aaah." Furiae sighed happily. "That was delicious. You need to make it again."

"Sure, any time. You're the first one to try it, so I'm glad you enjoyed." "I was the first... Hmmm." As she sat on the bench, she swung her legs in

the air. It was a habit of hers when she was in a good mood. "Say, my knight. You and that merchant are always thinking up new products. What else is there?"

"I can only really help with water magic... But Fujiyan's got a whole bunch of ideas."

"Tell me."

"Well, lately..." I quickly launched into an explanation of one of his more recent projects.

Eventually, after killing enough time, Furiae and I headed back to the castle. Lucy and Sasa were both snoozing against each other, and the ceremony itself was still going on.

I think they're from Great Keith, I considered as I looked at the person onstage.

"You took your time." Princess Sophia shot me a glare.

I apologized as I sat down in my chair. "How's it going?" "You should be called in an hour."

An hour... That was ages away. When I glanced up at the stage again, I noticed something: the warrior from Great Keith was talking about how great their country was.

"Sophia, do I have to do that as well?" I asked.

"Of course you do... Have you not thought of a speech?" I'd been given homework?! "I...haven't..."

"I told you over and over." She sighed. "Fine, let's think of something together."

"Right..."

Furiae glowered at me—apparently, I'd picked the wrong time to run away from my obligations.

"Start by introducing yourself," said Princess Sophia. "State your position."

"It's 'hero,' right?"

"'State-Authorized Hero General Makoto Takatsuki of the Roses Royal Family' is your official title."

Huh, didn't know that. It's really that long?

"Then, after that..."

"Uh... So if I..."

"You should make it a little longer. Also..."

Thanks to her help, we just about made it—I even managed to get everything out without tripping over my tongue. I felt almost faint standing in front of nearly ten thousand people. Though, if it had been ten thousand monsters, I would've been fine.

"Calm down, Takatsuki," Sakurai soothed from behind me.

Chances are, I would've bolted if not for his encouragement. He really is handsome, inside and out... Oh, the award itself? It was some money and land or something. I hadn't really been listening.

With that, our business in Highland was finally over.

However, Iblis would be resurrected in a few days, and then the heroes would all reconvene in Highland again anyway. We could head back to Roses temporarily...but that was more effort. We were thinking over what we should do when a messenger arrived with a letter.

A letter from the pope.

Remnants of the Snake Sect had been sighted near the capital.

𝘘

"Makoto, do we really have to pay attention to his requests?" Lucy asked. "Right! He was so awful to Fuu! It was like something out of an ero-

doujin!"

"What's an ero-doujin?" Furiae asked.

"Oh! I know!" Lucy exclaimed. "Where the girls say 'just kill me,' right?" "Lu...how do you know that?"

Furiae threw her hands up. "I have no idea what either of you are talking about."

The three girls continued chattering away. Currently, we were a short distance from the capital poking around some ruins. This was a village that'd been destroyed by a stampede a few decades ago. It had been uninhabited for a while, but there were rumors that the Snake Sect was now using it. We were here at the pope's request to find out whether that intel was true.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," I pointed out. "Princess Sophia's in a tricky position."

Roses had some Temple Knights, though not many—because of our nation's lack of defensive personnel, they were on loan from Highland. They fulfilled a similar role to the police in this world and were an indispensable part of public order. However, their allegiance was to the church. In other words, the head of said church could, at any time, recall them "to defend against Iblis." This would put Roses in a terrible position.

Of course, such a thing would normally never happen...but refusing the pope could make him go after Furiae again. Thus, we decided to just go along with his request for now.

"So, are any of the sect here?" Furiae asked, clinging to Sasa's sleeve and peering around.

As her guardian knight, it would normally be my role to act as her shield...but she was honestly safest with Sasa.

Scout. I scanned for enemies as we traipsed through the ruins. I saw nothing, though. Well, Scout only has about a hundred-meter radius...

One of us was far better than me at finding enemies, though. "How's it going, Lucy?" I asked.

"Hm, nothing. Can't hear a thing." Her hearing had a longer range and was more precise than my skill. So if she couldn't hear anything...

"It's a false lead, huh?" I said.

"Then what're we doing hanging around here?" Sasa asked. "Shall we head back?"

"Hmm..." If there truly was no one here, we didn't have any reason to keep looking. I did consider something though—maybe they just weren't here now. We should stick it out for a bit longer.

"We'll wait for a while and head back if no one turns up," I decided. Sasa nodded in agreement. "Sure."

"Hmph." Furiae seemed less content with the plan. "And after we came all the way out here."

"Better safe than sorry," Lucy said.

We settled down to wait, relaxing in the shade. My Scout was active, and Lucy was paying attention, so an ambush was pretty unlikely.

Thirty minutes or so had passed when I heard a voice.

No... Mak...! Get...of...!

Noah? She sounded so far away. Goddess, what's wrong? No answer. Weird.

But then...

Thud.

It was a small noise—someone landed on the ground. It seemed as though they'd been flying. I hadn't even noticed their presence until they were right in front of me. That's terrifying! They're so quick and quiet... I felt my skin erupt in goose bumps.

The man standing in front of us was wearing white armor emblazoned with the goddess's emblem. A Temple Knight.

This was the Hero of the Sun, Alexander.

But...why didn't Scout react to him?

"Hey, what a coincidence," he said brazenly, a slight smile on his face. Coincidence? In a place as deserted as this? No way.

Silently, I readied my dagger. Lucy lifted her staff and Sasa stood in front of Furiae, who was glaring dubiously at Alexander.

He grinned openly. "If I could, just let me take that priestess." "Like hell," I said, refusing immediately.

He seemed to have expected that since he didn't look surprised in the least. "Sure, but you don't actually have the right to say no." He shrugged.

"Did the pope put you up to this?" I asked.

"Nope. This is all me." His face was still fixed in an easy grin. Even if he hadn't been sent by the pope directly, this whole excursion out of town had been a trap fueled by ideas the pope had set into motion... We shouldn't have come.

"Sasa," I said.

"I'll protect her!" she exclaimed fiercely. I called out to the elementals; Lucy readied her mana.

The hero in front of us just kept grinning. He didn't make any other moves. "Come on! Resistance is pointless. Just hand her over before you get hurt." He seemed to view this as a done deal.

When we still didn't acquiesce, he apparently decided to force things along. "Haah... I've never really enjoyed picking on the weak, but... Hm?" He stopped midway through the statement and glanced up. I followed suit.

Something was closing on us fast. "Furiae!"

"Takatsuki! Aya!"

Sakurai! He and Yokoyama swooped in on a swift pegasus. Sakurai leaped from the pegasus and stood in front of us. Phew! The Hero of Light was here. We could relax.

"We heard from Princess Noelle that the pope was planning on capturing Furiae," Sakurai explained.

Alexander sighed.

"So you're here too. But I was told I couldn't hurt you..."

Alexander didn't seem fazed, even with Sakurai in his way. I glanced up, and while there were some clouds, it was nothing like when we'd fought the demon lord. Even in dappled sunlight, Sakurai was practically all-powerful. So why was Alexander so relaxed?

"Move, Hero of Light," he said haughtily.

"I will not," Sakurai answered, drawing his sword. Lucy, Yokoyama, and I moved so we could support him.

In contrast to our wariness, the Hero of the Sun still seemed utterly at ease. He sighed again. "What a pain."

Then, there was a roar—massive waves of aura billowed off Alexander's body.

Suddenly, Sakurai began to glow, and we were all engulfed in light. His aura must've been protecting us from Alexander's. Though Sakurai's was much quieter and calmer, it was a match for the aura coming off the Hero of the Sun.

"Alec, Hero of the Sun. We should not be fighting here. Withdraw." "Of course, Hero of Light. I am not here to fight."

"Then—"

Alexander spoke right over him. "As long as I take that priestess with me."

"I cannot allow that."

"Then negotiations are over."

What about this could be considered a negotiation?! Alexander had just made demands without listening to us.

"Don't come any closer," Sakurai warned harshly. "Ryousuke..." I heard Furiae murmur uneasily.

The Hero of Light was supposed to be the strongest, so it should be fine...right?

Alexander's smile didn't falter as he continued closing in on us.

Sakurai narrowed his eyes. "I'll go easy on you, so don't blame me." He swung his sword, striking the other man with the flat of the blade.

But Alexander snatched Sakurai's sword out of the air with his bare hand. "What?!" Yokoyama exclaimed in shock.

"Did you think such a sloppy blow would do anything to me?" Alexander asked. His other hand swiftly darted toward Sakurai's face.

"Guh!" Sakurai grunted, backing off.

"Oh, you dodged? Maybe I held back too much as well." The Hero of the Sun kept smiling pleasantly. "Come on! Stop this pointlessness and give her to me."

"Fine then. I'll attack properly this time," Sakurai snarled, his body and sword shining like they had when he'd defeated Zagan.

Instantly, he vanished from my sight.

Flash, Sword of Light!

There was a small burst of light and an explosion. Then, a blast of wind sent dust scattering in the air around us.

I saw something fly away—a person. "What the...?" I heard someone ask dazedly. The figure...was Sakurai.

Unconscious