Yomigaeri no Maou

On the arena stage, where one side of the area is covered with fog, I feel signs of the area quietly with my sword in place.

Vision was dominated by that wall of water, which serves as a collision blocking the gaze formed by magic.

That tactic, which is as effective as wanting to say, is full of enemies, but only this time, I don't want to say that they were bad.

More importantly, I don't do much visually-reliant fighting.

If that was the way you fought in those days, I'm sure you would have lost your life sooner.

Across the fog, Lulu laid out the direction the sword was going to take as he firmly captured the signs of running from his own side and around the diagonal top on the right.

Following the airflow caused by the person coming from the other side, the fog gradually diminished, and before I could see its body, I could see a silver cut coming towards me.

If you first realized its existence in sight at this moment, it was probably difficult to take it or avoid it.

But Lulu knew it would come more than the place before he could see it.

Because the signs of magic, the slight movement of the air, and the insights gained in this match, as well as the many habits and preferences of the opponent, had taught Lulu clearly about it.

In a partly sunny mist, the look on the face of the opponent, who seems surprised that Lulu is already grasping the sword coming at him, looks oddly clear.

Floating in the fog, its face belongs to a woman, and the sword that comes toward it is a skinny one-handed sword over Lulu's sword.

That's why I feel that the speed is medium, and I can still convince you that you are an advanced degree of strength.

Her expression, however, was stained with a serious consternation that was advanced and made her guess that she had never been in this situation before.

That method of warfare, which generates fog from the start of the match, blocks and strikes my sight, is something that some people find horrible, and it was probably just the best stage I could call my field for a human being who has completely lost sight and trained me to capture the opponent's whereabouts rather than my sight.

However, when the opponent is able to use the same or more skill in the fog, the move becomes meaningless.

She's going to find out the truth today.

Lulu waved his sword in a slow motion, looking straight through at that face staring at this one.

No! No!

and, along with the sound of metal bumping into each other, an orange spark scatters to illuminate the fog.

Understanding that his own raid failed, the opponent sinks himself again into the mist and pulls himself away as soon as he can disappear from Lulu's sight.

But behind Lulu's brain, I could see all of that, until her escape direction, her appearance, her posture, and what she wanted to do next.

Lulu runs through the cradle of water, which makes her feel a little uncomfortable, cleaving and catching up with her.

"... why"

Lulu's sword shook down at her, groaning and groaning.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

"Now it's time for the three of us to qualify."

Out of the athlete's lobby, there stood Illis.

Kyou and Illis have already won the fourth qualifying round, which means they won all three of Lulu's earlier matches.

Since panacea is a third-place winning product, it is desirable that all three of them have a monopoly on the top in order to ensure that they get it.

The main election takes place by grouping the twenty-four main contestants into eight groups, where the three remaining winners play a total win to determine the outcome.

We definitely need to win that far in order to make sure we decide to win the third place prize.

For that reason, at least until the third round of the main race, none of the three could ever lose.

I have Gran and Yumis, so I can say that they stay that far, but if they do, I feel scared that if I ask for a panacea, I'll lend them another one.

Talking about that, I saw Kyou running from the other side.

When she finds Lulu and Iris, she waves closer.

Lulu asked her, who had come all the way in front of her.

"What's up, what's going on?

Then Kyou answered.

"There was an important eyewitness testimony... that said!

That means nothing more than eyewitness testimony about the Ortes, the missing persons.

Chiffon got the information, so the three of us headed to the family (Klan) "Explorer of the Age (Elam Kupidr)" tavern to hear more about it anyway.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

"We have seen several carriages running west of Desierto, the king's capital."

That's what Chiffon said as he wiped his wine glass in the store where he was idle after lunch sales.

But Lulu tilts his neck without immediately understanding what it means to fulfill that information.

"What makes it an" important witness statement ”?

The entry and exit of the people of the Wang capital is intense.

At least it shouldn't be weird that the carriage is going down the street on the King's Capital or vice versa.

Apparently, Chiffon, who understood the question accurately, begins to explain it in detail.

"Sure, that's right... there's no record of more than four carriages of the same type left King's Capital that day in a row as the one witnessed."

Gates exist in the Wang capital, east, west and north.

It is called the East Gate, the West Gate, the North Gate and the South Gate, respectively, and leads directly to the streets, but the entry and exit of people and carriages to and from the Wang Capital are accurately recorded in the Knights of Peace stuffs, which are co-located at the respective gates.

On that record, there is no record of four or more carriages of the same type as the one witnessed leaving in a row, indicating one fact.

"I went out through separate gates and joined them afterwards, does that mean?

That's what Iris said and tilted his neck.

Chiffon nods at the word and continues.

"That's the thing ~. In fact, there are records of two carriages leaving from the North Gate, two from the South Gate, and two from the West Gate, supposedly the same carriage that was witnessed. Then it will undoubtedly mean that we have rendezvous later. It's just... it's hard to say that that's clearly suspicious ~"

Is there anything else suspicious about that?

"Yep. If you look it up, the load of that carriage was chiseled ~. It's not so strange against the reported destinations of one carriage at a time, but the rendezvous means we're headed to the same place ~. Considering that...... it's strange after all ~. The main loads declared are fruits and necessities, for example, a carriage loaded with apples is out of the South Gate and the destination is assumed to be the port town of Ronca. That's not strange. However, if you look at the destination of the other carriages you rendezvous with, it can be considered a list of their apple regions ~. No one bothers to take it home where they bring it ~. Given the distance, it will be rotten by the time you bring it back. I mean, you could say this is a disguise."

If you ask me, they have all sorts of suspicious parts that resemble or stop by other carriages.

I cleverly hide it, and even for those on it, it was not only a pedestrian or a villager with no philosophy based on the impression of a security knight who hit the response, and there was nothing strange about the answer, saying that there was nothing unnatural about it as a whole, so it would have been enough disguise to leave the King's Capital if it had been.

It was just a matter of being witnessed that in this way it was organized as information, and that a few carriages each seemed to have nothing to do with merging in the same direction.

If we'd joined a little later, then we wouldn't have been able to make it to our destination individually without each rendezvous, etc.

But I guess there was a reason we couldn't do that, or we had to rendezvous at a point where we would be witnessed. That's why the camouflage was discovered.

"That's why six crazy carriages are going west in a row. There must have been... the Duchy of Camahard over there. From there the streets leading up to Arca Holy Country...... how far are you willing to go?

That's what Chiffon said to himself.

The direction we're headed doesn't seem to lead us to identify the destination of the carriage.

They didn't have any information in those carriages that would allow them to identify the organization or country they belonged to.

"Still, it would have been nice to just figure out where we were headed... we'd be caught before we left the country now, wouldn't we?

When Lulu said so, Chiffon said with a slight tilt in his neck.

"I don't know what to do ~. I don't think it's possible given the speed of carriage progression I've heard from people who've seen it..."

"Then you should go right away. Iris, Kyou. Let's go."

That's what Lulu says and tries to turn his heel back.

On the back of such a lulu, a voice was heard from Chiffon.

"Wait. Sure, it's very suspicious, but you can't say it's absolute. Maybe it's something else..."

Exactly, if you ask me.

But if I'm not mistaken, it won't be a good idea if I don't go right away.

You understood what Lulu was thinking about that, Chiffon said.

"... well, even so, don't worry there because I'll look into it and point people at it. I just have to ask Mr. Gran and the others to come out if they have to, but be prepared for that area ~"

I mean, don't resent more loans.

Ortes' life may be at stake, and given that, we won't have much choice.

Lulu nodded and left the tavern behind.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

All three of us have already finished the game today, and we don't have any particular business.

If it was to be cleaned up by the end of the day, I had no problem chasing them.

However, the carriage appeared to be out early yesterday morning and, given that, should have been considered quite far from the King's Capital.

The general position that Chiffon calculated and indicated to me is still quite a distance from the Wang capital, not such that I can go on a day trip and come back.

But things contend for a moment.

Plus, you have to come back by your own game to compete in the competition.

Well, what's up, Lulu?

Heading for the three of us is going to be tough inside.

But it's not like there's no way.

Lulu alone should be able to do something with that leg, I thought so.

"... I'm coming alone"

To Lulu, who said so, Illis returns it.

"That's... stop. No, I'm sure your brother will be fine. But......"

I would like the words that follow to stop because they remind me of what I once remembered, would.

Lulu has a priori.

Once, there was a priori who threw up the same dialogue and said he never came back forever.

Illis remembered that and had a sad look on his face.

Things were different then.

Lulu's offer to modern magicians and swordsmen is not so likely.

But still, trauma is not something that disappears easily.

I guess that's why Iris can't really admit it.

From my own sight, from where I can see it, that Lulu will be gone.

Lulu got lost there because he somehow understood the feeling.

It's probably best to keep going alone.

But I don't even think I'm going to try to ignore how Iris feels.

I don't know what's going on... Kyou said where things got glued.

"Hmmm...... is it my turn here...... this is the time! Fuuka!"

That's what I said, I spoke to the puppy I put on my head.

She rubs her eyes like a pain in the ass and jumps right down to the ground.

I couldn't wait to poke around to see if you'd been asleep before, but I decided to stop doing that for now and asked Kyou with my gaze.

What are you going to do?

Kyou does not speak the answer, but shows it in action.

"Come on, Fuuka...... now is the time to show you our power!

That's what I said, I shook up my fist, and I said.

- Transformation!!

After Lulu and Iris, who opened their mouths to the words that were cried out, Huka's body was wrapped in something like a hag.

Lulu and the others were staring at each other blurredly.