50-050-Temporary party formation

128 years of St. King's history, the 3rd day of the Yellow Moon, just after noon.

We collected our bags at the inn as soon as we finished listening to the king and headed southwest.

'I thought for sure Uranus was going to marry the princess.

'Perhaps something happened to the two of you later than the three levels of the tower that Kanata-san and the others turned back.

Nodding at Elena's words, I turned my attention to Harl, who was poking his head out of Satsuki's hood.

'Well, Harl seems to be acquainted with Uranus and the others, was there anything that bothered you compared to the last time we met?'

It's not like this. The last time I came to the temple to get the ice crystal was a long time ago, but even then a girl named Krull was with me, and no one else seemed to be in the party.

"She ... has been hanging out with me for a while now ... and we've been hanging out.

Fleur replied with a rather peculiar comment, but that still leaves me with a question.

I wonder what kind of relationship Uranus and Krull have. It's possible that a brother and sister (sibling) travel together, but it's strange to see them adventuring together without partnering up with anyone else.

It's not a bad idea to have a temporary fight with other parties depending on the situation. I'm sure that if Uranus were to marry the princess, it would be difficult for her to travel alone with Krull.

I don't know how I'm feeling because I've never traveled alone with a girl myself, but it's true that Harl is right, it can't be the same as it was before.

I'm not sure if I'll even be able to continue the adventure of defeating the demon king as the next king.

''Ha!　Could it be that Krull-chan found out that the brave Uranus loves the princess instead of her and stepped aside for the two of them!　And then, wishing for Uranus's happiness, he set out on a journey to defeat the demon king alone... Ugh, how healthy (and languid)!

Lately, seeing you reach such a point of view has made me think that it's just like you, Satsuki-chan...

What do you mean by that?

Satsuki is indignant at Jupiter's calm opinion, puffing out her cheeks.

However, there's no chance of that actually happening, and it would be premature to laugh it off as just Satsuki's imagination.

'Anyway, let's hurry up and meet up with Uranus and the others!

◇ ◇.

Oh, you're here too. Now, shall we head to the Tower of the Gods together?

'Oh, yeah. Well, I'll call it a temporary party then...

We headed southwest non-stop from then on, and to my surprise, we caught up with Uranus and Krull before the sun was directly overhead.

Inwardly, I wasn't sure if we would be able to catch them or not, so I really didn't expect to be able to join them so soon.

I'm sure we'll be able to reach the Tower of the Gods before sunset if things continue to go smoothly. The more people we have, the smoother the battle will be, but from here on out, the more powerful enemies we will have. You guys take care that your children do not get injured.

Yes, sir.

Looking at Satsuki, who responds carefree despite being counted as one of those 'children', Uranus smiles.

Indeed, our party is an Iroquois from any perspective, and it's natural for Uranus to be worried.

Then, just as if he was timing it right, Krull held up his staff with a serious look on his face.

''Uranus, we have an enemy!

Mm!

The first to notice the enemy's presence, Krull pointed to the tip of his finger and saw the figure of an ice golem.

It's less than one-tenth the size of the one we fought on the sea~.......although it may be a misnomer to say that it's a normal-sized ice golem, in short.

It seems that the opponent hasn't noticed us yet, so this is a chance to strike first.

''Deyaaaaahhhh!

Uranus slams his sword with all his might towards the ice golem, and then he cuts it down in one swipe - and then he's gone.

Gaiyyyyy!!!

No, it was just a crack in the surface of the ice.　

The ice golem was suddenly taken by surprise, and undaunted, it swung both arms of the ice block down to smash Uranus!

Quickly evading it, Uranus slams his blade into the crack repeatedly, layering it over the crack.

And Krull.....

Weapon Boost, Speed Boost, Acceleration, Slow, Slow, Slow, Shield Break, Weapon Break...

He continued to chant support magic for Uranus, who was making a series of attacks, and debuffs for the enemy.

A short time later, the battle ended in victory, but the time of the battle was so long that Satsuki got tired of seeing it in the middle of the battle and completed a snowman on the snowfield that was quite complete.

Objectively speaking, Uranus' fighting style is cautious, to put it positively.......but frankly, he's just a badass.

''Huh, sorry you had to wait. Thanks too Krull.

Good job, Uranus.

He turned to the two of them, satisfied after the fight, "Not very efficient, is it? It's impossible to say.

Even Satsuki, who is the number one ranked air-reader in the world, has been shut down by their fighting style.

Jupiter, unable to see the situation, spoke to me in a whisper.

''Shouldn't Kanata-nih-chan defeat them next time?''

'No, that's kind of sarcastic, and I'll try to follow up on that somehow...'

I gulped and slumped my shoulders, and I felt heavy thinking about the next battle.

[Holy King's History 128 years, Yellow Moon, 3rd day and night of the same day]

After all, we didn't get there by sunset!

"You're camping out in front of the tower today, aren't you?

Elena chanted in a leisurely tone and began to cut and gather the surrounding snow into blocks to make a 'kamakura'.

Seeing the cottage of snow that was created in a flash, Satsuki was the first to jump in.

'Wow!　It's not too cold inside, even though it's snowing!

Oh, Satsuki. It's a good idea to put something underneath you to keep your butt wet if you sit on it.

Hey, Jupiter, hey, hey, hey!

I've got a bad feeling about this.

The slightly out-of-place exchange between the two little guys brings smiles to the faces of the other adventurers who are also camping around the tower.

It's a good idea to be careful, and you and I will take turns guarding the area just in case there are this many adventurers, although I'm sure there's no danger of being attacked by monsters. Is that all right?

Yeah, that would be great.

I agreed to Uranus's suggestion and turned my attention out of the Kamakura to the tower of the gods, which was illuminated by the moonlight.

Judging from the number of mouths to let the light in, it's probably a pure white structure consisting of all six levels, but it looks like the temple where Harl and Fleur lived, so maybe it really was built by a god.

'I wonder what's up there...'

In the world I once saw, Uranus arrived at the top of the hierarchy before anyone else and accepted his marriage to the princess.

But now I see him in front of me, telling me that he wants to live out his days of adventure as a brave man, and he doesn't want to be royalty.

This can only lead to one answer....

--On the top level of the Tower of the Gods, "something" happened that changed Uranus' mind.

Climbing that tower, he would surely know the answer to that question.

"Besides, last time we retired after three levels...

It may be the nature of being a shifu, but stopping the dungeon exploration in the middle of the day is not a very pleasant experience.

And since we're going to climb the tower, I can't blame you for wanting to go to the top.

As I was thinking about this, I was tapped on the shoulder.

I'm sure you'll be able to find it in a few days.

Hmm, what's the matter?

''Well.........Kanata-san and Uranus-san said they'll take turns guarding you, but if it's hard for you, please tell me so I can help you too!

Huh?　Haha, he said not to worry about it too much. But, well, it would be nice to have someone to talk to when you're feeling sleepy.

When I told her that, she smiled happily at me.

However, Elena, who immediately lowered her eyes, hesitantly squeezed the sleeve of my coat.

I want to tell you one more thing I have to tell you.

Another one?

Elena looks puzzled and scurries around and then pulls her face to my ear.

Apparently it's something that is not good to be heard by others.......

''Actually.........Uranus-san and Krull-san are--''

The story Elena told me there was a fact I hadn't thought of.