Chapter 296: The waiter is coming

"Huhhuhhu~h"

Claudia Balling, also known as 『Sword Dancer』, is singing a humming song in a room on the second floor of the building that Muss provides for the house guests. Claudia is holding her breasts with both hands――not enough, so she checks it with a mirror.

"Hmm. It's okay if the effect starts to come out soon, but what's going on?"

On the table where Claudia looks sideways, there are suspicious medicine bottles and books scattered on the ingredients.

"After all, consult Edda......not good! What if such a woman holds my weakness?"

There was some noise, so when Claudia turned to the source of the sound, she saw the doorknob moving. Someone was trying to enter the room, but the door of the room was locked. Claudia cannot let someone know this secret. But when the visitor noticed that it was locked――he broke through the door. Thick door trees are scattered throughout the room.

"I'm going in"

With that said, Joseph wasn't afraid to break the door and stepped into the room.

"Hey!? What's with coming into a maiden's room without permission――kyaaaaaa!!"

Claudia tries to complain and screams as soon as she sees Joseph's face. The terrifying appearance of Joseph was Claudia's most disliked one. After Joseph met Yuu, she was hiding the ring, so Claudia was relieved somewhere.

"What? What! What!? Why are you angry? I, I'd have told you that Roy came and that Roy was going home"

"That Roy. That bastard, after all, lied to me"

Claudia, who has been with him for many years, cannot make eye contact with Joseph. Joseph is so dangerous now. Claudia wonders what Roy's purpose is to make Joseph so enraged.

"Find Yuu's whereabouts"

After all, Claudia muttered in her mind.

"I can't. I've said that before, didn't I? For that child, the spirits don't cooperate much even if I ask"

"Yuu is somehow liked by spirits. There must be places around Comer where spirits were active. Follow the traces"

Joseph at such time is abnormally smart even if the head is not usually used at all and the intuition is clear enough to think that it is foreknown. Immediately, Claudia examines with the help of the wind spirits and she immediately finds a place where the spirits move violently. Following the flow, it continued from the south gate of Comer to the highway and the traces were cut off in the middle of the road.

"It looks like he is heading out from the south gate"

"Then, the south is different"

"Is he there?"

"Did the movement of the spirits end in the middle?"

"Y, Yes"

"I wonder if Yuu had taken the trouble to go along the road from the south gate and then moved by space-time magic. Why does he have to do such troublesome behavior? And Roy was heading north"

As Claudia glanced at Joseph's face, she felt impatient in his wrath. In fact, Joseph was impatient. It's possible that Yuu i really moving south, letting him think he's headed south. No, given Yuu's personality, everything could be disguised and everything looks like it's true. Yuu urged Nina not to return to the mansion until the sun went down, but he didn't always meet Roy at night.

"Lend me your griffon"

Without an answer, Joseph decides to follow Roy's route to the north. He asked Claudia to lend him the griffon owned by her. The griffon is a monster that has eagle's wings and upper body and a lion's lower body. Although it is a ferocious monster with a strong temper, its mobility to run in the sky is incomparably higher than that of horses.

"I tell you, my griffon can only be carried by me, the lord"

Joseph glares at Claudia.

"I, I understand. Don't stare at me so much!"

Claudia goes out to the roof balcony and rings her finger whistle. Then, the griffon descends from the sky to the roof balcony with a bird cry in response to the finger whistle. The moment Joseph touches the saddle of Griffon, who chews on Claudia, Griffon opens his beak wide and threatens Joseph.

"See? That's why I say――"

"Hurry up. If you take the trouble――I'll kill you"

"――Sorry"

Claudia apologized involuntarily, even though she knew it wasn't told to herself. Griffon, who was struck by Joseph's murder intent, shook its body and its feet were wet. Griffon, known for its ferociousness, was incontinent because of fear.

"What if you find Roy?"

Claudia asks Joseph, who straddles the griffon, who said it could only carry the Lord.

"I'm going to kill him, depending on how it is"

Claudia saw off her griffon flapping into the sky.

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"A~h! Why do I have to clean it up!"

Claudia complains as she cleans the roof balcony.

"What are you doing?"

Lara Tombler, also known as 『Cursed Sword Princess』, called out from behind Claudia.

"Hey! You! You came into a person's room without knocking!"

"There is no door to knock on"

"Uh......"

The door to Claudia's room remains open because Joseph broke it.

"Do you know where Joseph is?"

Claudia, with a sullen face, teaches Lara how to interact with Joseph.

"All right?"

"Okay. I'm cleaning because Claudia leaked"

"No No! You don't understand!"

"Rather than that, we should follow Joseph too"

"Are you going to do that?"

"I have a bad feeling"

"It's okay. Joseph is super scary right now! You will also wet yourself when meeting"

"Also?"

"Noisy!"

Claudia shouted to deceive.

"Before Joseph and Roy meet, Joseph is quarreling with Hana Blossom"

"You didn't play against Joseph when you said you'd been in trouble, didn't you?"

"Joseph can't lose if Roy is alone, but if Jardalk is involved, the story is different"

Claudia's hand, which she was cleaning with care, stops.

"Jardalk knows Joseph's power well. If Roy's purpose is Yuu and Jardalk is in the dark......"

Claudia wears her armor in a hurry as she throws out her deck brush.

"Lets chase him quickly!"

Lara nods silently and summons a hippogriff with her summoning magic. A hippogriff is a monster born between a griffon and a mare. The upper body is the same eagle as the griffon, but the lower body is a horse. When Lara and Claudia straddled the hippogriff, they flew the hippogriff in the direction Joseph was heading.

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Bueruko basin. It is a basin in the Zinba Kingdom. A small shrine enshrining the local deity is built in the center of a flat land surrounded by mountains and forests. Looking at the west sky, you saw a sunset that left a slight appearance from the clouds. In a dozen minutes, the sun will set completely and it will be time for the light to rule the darkness.

"It seems that the hero Roy hasn't moved yet"

A young knight who serves 『Iron Wall』 Barash reports, but the essential Barash is rowing a boat.

"Barash-sama"

"Hmm, hmm. I'm not sleeping"

Barash, who opened his eyes, said so, but the young knight sighed a little. He can often sleep in this situation.

"Will the 『Jet Black Seventh Heavenly Demon』come?"

"Come"

Barash affirms the question from the young knight.

"――Rather, it would be a problem if he didn't come. Do you know how much money is moving in this military operation? It's hard to get a headache just by thinking about how to procure armor and supplies for human resources. If 『Jet Black Seventh Heavenly Demon』 doesn't come, many heads will fly"

The young knight didn't know the specific amount, but just guessing the amount from Barash's words, he couldn't even make a laugh and became a true face.

"How many subordinates will 『Jet Black Seventh Heavenly Demon』bring?"

In the unlikely event that Yuu didn't come, the young knight would have a stomachache. As if to drive away that idea, he gives Barash another topic.

"Umm. It's fair to worry about, but you don't have to worry about it"

"Will he lead an army?"

"'The 『Jet Black Seventh Heavenly Demon』is cunning, but he doesn't like to flock. Even if he brings it, it's probably an undead called Russ or Kuro"

Although only two, they are high-ranking monsters. The true acceptance of Barash's words 「Don't worry」 couldn't be done, if not very much, by the young knight. However, even if the high-ranking monsters Russ and Kuro, as well as the party members Nina, come, the operation that took the survival of humankind――no, it is a holy war. He tightens his mind that he can't fail. However, there was one mysterious thing about Barash's strategy, rather than convincing.

"Joseph Yorm――"

"Even if Joseph comes, there is no change in the strategy"

In this operation, Barash communicated some uncertainties――concerns to those above the captain level. Although he doesn't like to flock to Yuu, it is the trend of Muss's freeloaders who have a deep connection with uYu, the adventurer clan 『Red Meteor』 of Comer City and the Udon Kingdom that forms an equal alliance with the Nameless Kingdom.

Needless to say, the freeloaders of the well-known 『Collector』 Muss Goffa Buff are A-rank adventurers or those with combat power comparable to A-rank adventurers. From the point of view of Goffa's defense, not all will participate in the war, but even half of them will participate in the war against the army of a small country.

『Red Meteor』 is a clan headed by Tropi Ton and although it is smaller than before, there are still more than 100 adventurers enrolled with nearly 10 high-ranked adventurers. That's right. Its strength is incomparable to the average Knights. It's unlikely that she'll move the clan, no matter how close she is to Yuu, but it's still never been a matter of attention.

And the most important thing to pay attention to is the Udon Kingdom. Although this military operation has been carried out with great care, it would be very troublesome if the Udon Kingdom sniffed from somewhere and put in a horizontal spear. The 『Udon Five Knights』 would be able to handle it, but how much damage should we be prepared for if the 『Great Sage』 comes?

"Yes, Barash-sama said so, but he added later. When Joseph appears with a spear, he must consider canceling and withdrawing from the operation"

"Umm"

Barash opens his heavy, drooping eyelids slightly and nods to the young knight.

"Please forgive me for my stupidity"

"Hmm"

For seven years, he has served Barash, such as the opinion of a young knight.

"Even if Joseph Yorm appears with a spear, the operation――the holy war should be carried out"

Is it because Roy is being monitored? It wasn't a loud voice but plain words, but his voice had a strong will.

"Because the Lord doesn't know Joseph"

Barash is pensive as he stares into the air.

"As I say, I have served in the Third Holy Devil War. I also saw Joseph fighting at that time. At that time, not only the Derim Empire but also neighboring countries were afraid. I thought he was a man who had tremendous strength and horror so that I could understand what he was doing"

Hearing the words of the young knight, Barash slowly shakes his head from side to side. And――

"I don't understand anything"

Barash holds down the young knight who tries to say something with his hand.

"Joseph is defeating God"

「That's stupid!?」, the young knight squires with his mouth wide open.

"Do you know the Walpurgis Cult?"

"I know that the evil Walpurgis cult was destroyed by the Allied forces of the five major powers"

"Hmm, that's about it. No wonder, because talking about the Walpurgis cult in the Holy Country Jardalk is tacitly forbidden among those involved"

"Is it prohibited......?"

"Umm. The Walpurgis cult was a cult that worshiped any evil god. It was one of the religious groups in the elephant lessness, and it was not so vigilant. Then, after a certain time, it rapidly expanded its power and increased its followers''

"What is a certain time?"

"The blood of the Kanmurida Kingdom has digged into the center of the cult"

"Speaking of the Kanmurida Kingdom, is it a country that perished long ago?"

"Those who should be called the remainers of that perished country are still in the dark. Is it okay? It's not as easy as it sounds to perish a country. Especially the nature of the Kanmurida people――well, anyway, the Walpurgis cult gathered children with the 『Holy Blessing』and the 『Devil Blessing』. The young Theodora-dono and the Holy Country Jardalk finally got their lazy butt in gear as they got there"

"『Three Saintess』-sama"

One of the 『Three Saintess』, Theodora, was kidnapped and it was new to the young knight. Although it is a tacit understanding, he understands that it is natural for the parties to talk to each other.

"But they were moving too slowly. By the time the five great powers began to move, the Walpurgis cult had already collected a lot of rewards from all over the Ream continent"

With the story of Barash so far, the ending can be seen even for the young knight.

"In other words, did Joseph defeat the resurrected evil god?"

"No. Then, isn't Theodora-dono dead? The Walpurgis cult was subdued by the Allied Forces of the Five Major Powers. Do you know why?"

"Is it possible that the remnants of the Kanmurida Kingdom could have entered the small and medium-sized nations?"

Barash nods satisfactorily at the words of the young knight.

"That's right. You can't miss the mouse. They had to keep their movements secret. The roots of the evil spirits were deeper than they had imagined and they stretched to the centers of each country. The Allied forces crushed the bases of the Walpurgis cult one by one, leaving an escape route on purpose"

"To make one net exhaustion"

"Hmm. That's how the Allied forces tried to rescue the kidnapped children by driving them into the headquarters of the Walpurgis cult. The cornered Walpurgis cult forcibly began an evil ritual"

With that said, Barash took a big breath. Rubbing his brow with his index finger and thumb, he nods again and again.

"We saved only half. The Walpurgis cult was trying to revive the evil god, but the remnants of the Kammurida Kingdom were different. Frighteningly, they were trying to summon the ones that existed"

In the woods with the sounds of birds and insects, you heard the young knight breathing in.

"But the ritual was unsuccessful. Was there not enough rewards or was the ritual flawed? It wasn't the one who existed――it was God. No, that. Is a demigod......maybe a sub-god. It looked down at the monsters that appeared, as if it was ridiculing those who were relieved at the failure of the ritual. Those who were injured and those who were vulnerable were in a state of depression and tens of thousands of soldiers self-harmed on the spot"

It is possible to suicide the subject by fascination with abnormal conditions, but it was an unbelievable amount of power, such as suicide of tens of thousands of soldiers.

"It was crying, the monster. It's funny and unbearable anymore. Looking at the faces of the souls dyed in the color of despair. In fact, many of the soldiers who were there were themselves. ――No, I think the world will be destroyed. Isn't it just a story here? I thought so inwardly. I felt that power without having to cross the blades. Some people――on the contrary, there was one who was going to be happy"

"That is"

"Yeah, Joseph. I knew only the rumors. Someone was chosen as a member of 『Seven Swords』 at a young age. Joseph was leading the soldiers of the Derim Empire when he subdued the Walpurgis cult. Well, apart from those who advised to withdraw, the soldiers of the Derim Empire began to charge after Joseph. I was ashamed of myself, as were the other generals and famous knights. Probably, they started to follow him with their weapons one after another. The appearance of more than 100,000 troops chasing Joseph's back would have looked like a giant sword"

"Wait, Barash-sama, I understand that Joseph is amazing, but he is a good general to lead people"

Again, Barash restrained his hand to silence the young knight.

"More than 100,000 troops were completely eaten by the monster"

“..................Ha? Then......who defeated the monster?”

"Of course, it's Joseph. Joseph defeated him alone. Do you know what this means? A monster that couldn't do much damage even if more than 100,000 troops did everything, Joseph knocked it down with a spear in his hand. Did you understand this? If Joseph shows up with a spear in his hand, we have to think about withdrawing"

Another knight sends a signal to the young knight who is still unconvinced.

"Barash-sama, it seems that the 『Jet Black Seventh Heavenly Demon』has arrived"

"Umm. It's a superposition. This saves him from being cut off"

"But, as expected, 『Three Saintess』Theodora-sama"

When the young knight turned around, the Knights of the Holy Country Jardalk lined up in a line.

"Hiding 50,000 soldiers in this Bueruko basin. Hero Roy is completely unaware of our existence"

"You should call yourself the strongest of the『Three Saintess』. I don't want you to do this much. Rather than that, don't forget to complete the siege at the same time that the 『Jet Black Seventh Heavenly Demon』contacts Roy. After that, the enchant magic 『Strengthen Night Vision - Night Vision』 and the combat technique 『Brave Heart』"

"Yes"

At the behest of Barash, the young knight quickly instructs the surrounding knights.

"I've been waiting for you, Satou. Did you come alone?"

"I guess you said I shall come alone"

There was a contrast between Roy, a hero who stood quietly as if he was wearing silence, and Yuu, who gave off a fierce fighting spirit.