Volume 2 - CH 427

10-13. The Unity

A large fortress came into view.

I feel like I haven’t been here in a long time. I should decide where to go.

It would be great if there’s a place to rest for Lacc and the others, but I’m sure Asure will take care of that.

For now, it’s not a good idea to enter without permission, so I’ll land a bit away from the Garott Kingdom.

From here, it’ll be on foot… Well, we’re bound to stand out.

A huge flying dragon, a mounted dragon, and a battle horse.

There’s no way we won’t attract attention.

I wonder if they’ll let us inside?

“Ah! It’s Ouren-san!”

“Who…?”

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t remember the name of a mere soldier… I was one of the reinforcements who went to the Oni Village.”

“Oh! Right! Well, I appreciate your help back then. Thank you.”

“No problem! Um, about the entry procedures…”

“Is it still a problem if these guys are with me?”

“Not at all. And I’ve been instructed by Asure-sama to bring you to the castle when you arrive.”

“Then let’s go. I want to see him too, after such a long time!”

…Well, Asure’s invitation is probably to hear about the current situation.

But I can’t just refuse to go. Let’s finish the entry procedures quickly.

We paid a few silver coins and entered.

Usually, it would only cost a few copper coins, but this time, with the flying dragon, mounted dragon, and battle horse, it cost a bit more.

Well, they’re special individuals, so it can’t be helped…

“Alright, let’s head to the castle!”

“You’re taking these huge creatures with you!?”

“Asure should have prepared a place for us… Bringing the battle horse to a regular stable would scare the other horses and cause trouble.”

“It’s true they’ll be a valuable force, but finding a place for them might be a problem. I was a bit reckless…”

No, no, that won’t be an issue.

Just wait and see the contributions they’ll make. Any worries will disappear in no time.

…So, what’s with all the commotion?

There are adventurers running around…

Wait, could this be part of the operation!?

“Hey! Make sure to hold it tightly!!”

“Nuooo!!”

“Ah!! The small one escaped!”

“Capture it with all your might! And what the hell are you doing, bastaro..”

“I-I’m sorry!!”

Adventurers and knights are bringing captured monsters into the Garott Kingdom.

Afterward, it seems they take them to the dismantling site for processing… But, this scene is terrifying…

Even the residents are scared, right?

Well, it can’t be helped, but they’re really going all out…

Is this Asure’s command?

“Well, if you listen to the story, you’ll understand…”

“They’re really serious about this… As for me, I’m delighted.”

“But there should be limits…”

“There’s no such thing. The army of monsters we fought easily exceeded ten thousand. This is still not enough.”

“W-Well, maybe you’re right.”

…But, there’s something that feels odd about this.

I can’t explain it in detail, but I feel like we’re overlooking something…

Hmm, I don’t know.

Anyway, first things first, let’s meet with Asure.

The soldiers seemed to know a lot about me and often approached me along the way.

The soldiers who came to the Oni Village, the soldiers who came to support the Bamil Territory…

Each time I met them, I expressed my gratitude and asked them to return to their duties.

Because of that, it took some time to reach the castle.

The guards on duty were surprised to see monsters walking around, but they seemed to understand when I showed up.

Hmm, I don’t get it.

It seems that they had heard about me as well, as they immediately let me in.

Before that, I decided to have the four creatures I brought with me wait here quietly, and finally, I stepped into the castle.

I was led by a soldier, but the place we were taken to was the castle’s garden.

The lawn was neatly spread out, and there were many flowers blooming in the flower beds.

There were also some shrubs that hasn’t flowered yet due to the season, but they still looked beautiful.

It was well maintained.

“Ouren-san, over there.”

“He is having quite a fancy tea party, huh…”

“That’s what nobles do.”

“He is a member of the royal family, though.”

Asure was sitting in the space set up in the garden, enjoying tea.

It’s called a gazebo, I think… It looks very beautiful with its pure white design.

However, it seemed that he was also looking at many documents at the same time, so I can’t say that he was relaxing there.

It seems he hasn’t noticed us yet…

Well then…

“Hey! Asure!”

“Whoa!! Oh, Ouren-san!! I’ve been waiting for you!! It’s been a while!”

“Hey, man, where’s  the noble way of speaking?”

“Please let me relax a bit when I’m with you, Ouren-san…”

“Well, fair enough.”

After laughing together for a while, I also sat on a nearby chair.

Houen bowed and stood by my side.

…W- wait a minute, Houen.

If you stay like that, it looks like you’re my servant. Can’t you just sit normally?

“Ouren-san, what about that person?”

“He is Houen, the same kind as me.”

“Nice to meet you, Asure Coursette-sama. I am Houen, an A-rank adventurer who has been active in the Salettana Kingdom. Currently, I am a member of the party led by Ouren, the Reitei.”

“Eww, creepy.”

“Oi, want me to slap you with my fire?.”

“Hahaha! So it’s a existance other than Ouren-san. Please feel free to speak in your usual way.”

“…Asure-sama, aren’t you too humble despite being a member of the royal family?”

“This is my true nature. I always try to act a little more to prevent other nobles and royals from looking down on me.”

Since parting with Asure, I haven’t heard much about this fella’s achievements, but he seems to be working hard in his own way. He’s doing his best.

There aren’t many people who have known me since the beginning. Asure, with whom I can speak without reservation, is an important presence for me.

“…Can we get to the main topic?”

“That means you’re in a desperate situation. I’ll call Bart-niisan, so please wait a moment.”

“How’s his health?”

“He’s in excellent health, or so I’ve heard.”

I hope he’s not overexerting himself. He seemed lively when he came to the Oni Village as Asure’s replacement… Well, he knows his own body best, so I won’t interfere too much.

Asure instructed the attendant nearby to bring Bart. After bowing, Asure immediately entered the castle.

“Is it necessary to call Bart?”

“It’s not necessarily the case, but it seems that he wants to talk to Houen about the current operation.”

“With me?”

“Apparently, there are some concerns.”

“I’m not omnipotent either. It’s a good thing to be pointed out.”

Houen handles most things alone and has a sharp mind. While not everything is perfect, they rarely intervene. So there are hardly any points to be raised. Even if I were to point something out, it would probably be taken lightly.

After that conversation, Houen started to review what might have been wrong on their own, focusing on their own experiences. However, it seems that they couldn’t find anything missing.

“Well, I’m looking forward to talking to Bart-sama.”

“That’s great to hear. Oh, by the way, I also talked to Uchikage-san and Alena. We’ll handle the resurrection of the evil god this time with the full support of the Garott Kingdom.”

“!?”

Wait, why does Asure know about that!?