＜Infinite Dendrogram＞

□■< Northernmost City Winter Orb > Nearby

The city was built further north than the great desert of Cardina, close to the Severe Winter Mountains.

The northernmost of the countries that joined the National Coalition of Cities. It is named < Winter Orb > because it is the coldest place in Cardina, but it is also blessed with rich mineral resources.

The Winter Orb is older than Cardina herself.

That's better than the Alter Kingdom and the Drylife Empire in the midst of war.

From the deserted wilderness after the great invasion of the Dinosaurs, the first Rogue family owners found a vein of rare ore, built a city, and developed it into a city state.

In the turbulent era of the Three Strengths, before the spears could be exchanged, it was said that I joined the [Overlord] 's umbrella and became a member state.

At that time, Adrastar and the Yellow River weren't the only two great powers on the battlefield, but there were anecdotes that [Reigning King] and [Cat God] had fought.

In addition, there is a legend of eyebrow salmon that both suddenly appeared to the giant and they cooperated to challenge it.

But in the process, the city survived.

With its miraculous steering and balance, it survived the Sanqiang era, which can be said to be the nation's biggest crisis, and was able to return to an independent city state after the collapse of Adraster.

Then, after a while of peace, I joined Cardina's coalition.

◇

A winter orb with a long history.

But today there is a different air.

One of the reasons for this was that it was floating (...) next to the city.

An enormous island floating in the sun... it's a raputa.

And as he had done in the king's city, he stretched forth a pillar of light in a corner of the city, and many [the master] descended in it like an elevator.

The Laputa docked at Winter Orb stops here for half a day.

Although it is necessary to meet with the Mayor as the Yellow River, the escort's masters are also allowed to rest temporarily in the city.

Many went to the market for rare items not found in the Kingdom.

However, some people have different tastes from those people.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa."

Outside Laputa's castle... a woman was digging a hole on the base of the island.

Dig a shallow hole with a horticultural shovel, not a scoop, and fill it back with a small fragment.

It looked like gardening on the sidelines, but it wasn't plant seeds that were buried... it was scraps of various metals. It is too strange an act.

"Dig, dig, dig, dig"

The working woman sat on the branch of the tree planted on the island, and the man called out unwillingly to say "master".

Grimes, help me out!

"This one is mapping." If Sonia (you) had left the work to us, she would have made a mistake and started over. "

Female...... to Sonia's complaint, male...... to Grimes.

They are the Master of the Fairy Tale Squad, one of the parties that participated in this escort quest.

Grimes is also the winner of the ninth day of the tournament.

The Fairy Tale Squads were also successful in the Pearl's < UBM > crusade, and they were classified as powerful in the face of the escort this time.

But it's a mystery why we're digging through the ground of the Rapunzel.

"Ugh... physical labor of the real senses..."... even if I'm in charge of the buyout? "

"Hey, I'll definitely buy you something extra." Waste landmine woman »

"That changes the meaning of a landmine woman!?" I mean, what about Grimes! "

"I hated it." The Winter Orb doesn't have a gambling venue. "

"You're investigating!" You were so eager to go! "

The two of them who continue to argue like that naturally stand out from their surroundings...

"What are you doing there?"

I was also questioned about the quality of the other [Master] positions that I had been given an escort quest.

The voice of the Lord wore full-plate armor, and his scalp was invisible.

The armor shone white, and the design emphasized beauty over practicality.

The armor was familiar to Grimes.

(Conductor of the AETL consortium that embarked on the Laputa. His name was Carbine.)

Those who are here now are Elizabeth's fans in the AETL Consortium.

He wasn't a superpower, but he was the leader of the largest group of guards.

He is also expected to become the owner of the new clan after the Yellow River move.

Elizabeth's bodyguard and Sto...... Lorico crossed the country to watch...... the leader of the warriors.

Of course, I didn't overlook any explicit anomalies within the escort range.

"Um... prepare for the defense a little..."

Sonia, who had been questioned, said so, but it was a bitter word on the sidelines.

How can digging a hole in the garden of a flying fortress lead to defense?

It's not deep enough for a pitfall, and it's filled in the first place.

What's more, it's not a trap, it's metal scrap.

It was incomprehensible from the field.

'Suspicious', I can assure you.

"...... Mr. Carbine, I wonder if you could give me that sword-swallowing indication?"

"The ex-combatants who remained in the King's City...... I heard from all sides of the AETL Union in the correspondence." The war that began yesterday in the capital city was attacked by people who had turned to the Empire. "

"... are you suspected?"

Carbine nodded. Looking at it from the side, there is no surprise.

"As long as you act suspiciously at a time when there are fewer people at the port of call." Why don't you go down to the city? They also seem to handle hard-to-reach items in the kingdom and the Yellow River. "

"Because it's missing money."

The Fairy Tale Squad was a party plagued by shortages of money.

Sonia has a wasteful habit of buying magic items for viewing, and her wallet frequently pierces the bottom.

Grimes likes to play games, but he is weak on games, and his money is always negative.

Therefore I received this escort quest, which rewarded me well for my desire for money.

In addition, Asma, who is a member of the two parties and looks after them, is not here. I am in charge of the purchase which is not left to the two of us.

"What about you?" You're still here, aren't you? "

"I am your Highness' first guard." You don't need to rest. "

To Carbine, who said proudly, Sonia said, "Wow..."

"As rumored, you're obsessed." But I don't know. This flying stronghold is like a princess' wedding procession, right? Is it okay for you to stick to a specific individual? "

…………

In answer to that question, Carbine put her arms around her and showed her a little thought.

Meanwhile, Sonia said, "What is the dowry procession?" Grimes replied, tilting his neck, "It is one of the marriage habits of Japan until nearly a hundred years ago, around the middle of the Showa period." He is a man who is familiar with miscellaneous studies while grasping the old marriage habits of foreign countries.

That's right.

Carbine then untied her arms and nodded to convince herself before responding.

"I'm glad my fiancée is Mr Tsang Rong. I can still visually forgive you."

"Who are you looking at..."

"By the way, the opponent is far away from the prince... For example, if you were a middle-aged uncle of Loricon with a beard and a fat sweat, what would you do?"

Sonia raises her hands in horror and asks what she doesn't need to ask.

"At that time, there will only be one more person in the cage."

And the answer was immediate.

(Oh, it's him.)

Do you slap your opponent into a cage, or do you go to prison yourself?

Either way, it is a response that is willing to beat the marriage between royalty with personal feelings.

"Beautiful things, ugly things must not touch."

"... well, I know what kind of person you are." But the princess at heart seems to have descended into the city. "

"...... what?"

In response to Carbine's voice of doubt, Grimes pointed down from the top of the tree... to a corner of the city that was visible at the edge of the laputa.

Before he was pointed out, there was definitely a figure of Elizabeth walking through the city with Tsang Rong and Xuanyu. It is very prominent because there is a rapid feather.

Your Highness!? I'm coming to escort you now!

Carbine jumped from the edge of the laputa to the city of Winter Orbs underneath her.

It's a skydive that uses no tractor beams, no ropes, no parachutes.

"Hey, yeah!?"

Sonia pulls out her hips in response to a suicide in front of her.

However, Grimes only opened his eyes a little and did not seem so surprised.

"... I don't know if it's a roll or a serious one, right?"

"Gu, Grimes! That man has fallen!" It fell!? "

"Well, you're not going to die, are you?"

"Die!? You're human!" I'm lowering my altitude, but it's as high as a skyscraper!? If he dies, don't you think we pushed him down?! I can't hang you!? So I don't like quest failures!? "

Grimes shakes his head at Sonia, who is in a panic.

"I'm not going to die. Even then, I'm a certified type of proficient [super] [super] [super] [super] [super]." You'll do it on your own. "

Huh, that's it!?

It was the most powerful PK in the kingdom, the same as Barbaroy.

However, there were words and deeds that Sonia could not imagine.

If you're a fighter, you're the number two man in the second clan in the former kingdom.

In other words, he was second only to [Sickle King] Voinich.

”Even though you're such a pervert?”

"Isn't sex and strength a different story?" We're squandering and gambling habits, too. "

"Will you leave me alone with Loricon!?"

In any case, since Carbine, who referred to Sonia's actions, was gone, the two of them resumed civil work for their defense.

◇◆◇

North □■End City Winter Orb

Winter Orbs is one of Cardina's richest cities in terms of foreign currency gained from mining and exporting ore, and the city's infrastructure is well-developed.

Therefore, the civic park, which was a place of relaxation, had some playground equipment placed on the adjacent site, and many citizens, including children, were going there.

Today, however, the children do not play and are fascinated by certain things.

Standing at the center of the children is an old man in the guise of a conductor, who lets people listen to the four-legged Embrio.

He is the [Music King] Berdorbel.

Formerly the Master of the Triangle of Wisdom, he was now aboard the Laputa to escort Elizabeth.

Nevertheless, his combat style was not suitable for escort, even if he was intended for interception.

Elizabeth leaves the guards down in the city to Kunihane, and now that she's free, it's up to the city's strangers to listen to her performances as usual.

(... um)

However, Berdorbel, who directed the performance, felt a tingling atmosphere somewhere.

It's something that grows up in the city, especially the guards.

The children approaching Berdorbell seem to be purely listening, but some of the adults listening in the distance are not able to relieve the signs of tension.

The signs of armed guards are somewhere aggressive.

I realized it because he is a professional and sensitive audience.

(If I suddenly boarded such a flying fortress, it might not be surprising. But that was a strange sign. The hostility and vigilance of the inhabitants... seems to have been directed at us, who descended from the flying fortress.

Rather, they even seem to be expecting something.

(Now, what kind of thoughts are we in?)

The mayor told me in advance that he was going to call in Laputa.

Therefore, there was no confusion even if there was a shock of seeing the real thing.

It is also said that those who descend from Laputa are the masters of the kingdom and the Yellow River.

(The "enemy" for the residents is probably not the kingdom or the Yellow River. So what do you call 'the enemy'?... I don't know the answer. Let's leave it around for now.)

Even if you think about it, you won't get an answer.

Therefore, even though I am concerned, when I think about concentrating on playing...

♪



Suddenly, a sound other than a performance was added.

It was the unintended timing of Berdorbell and Bremen's singing.

But the melody was too natural.

As if it was a setup where songs would be added here from the beginning, there is no discomfort in the sound.

It was as if he was reading Berdorbel's command intentions perfectly.

…………

You can see a man standing behind the children surrounding Berdorbel.

A strangely tall man pushes a nursing carriage (...) with one hand while lifting a distorted sword at his waist.

Singing was a compound-eyed fairy standing on his shoulder.

The names of one person are Asma and Jiminy.

He is a member of the Fairy Tale Squad, just like Sonia and Grimes who remain in Laputa.

♪

The singing Jiminy is a monster, and the race is [Chorus Insect].

Originally, it is a designated species that lives in Legendary, reads the mind, learns the language of other creatures, and sings hypnotic songs in herds.

But now I'm reading the intentions of the Berdorbells and singing along with them.

♪

The reason is that "it was a good melody, so I wanted to sing it."

It might be said that singing is the nature of a monster that has an instinct for singing.

The children were delighted with the sudden ransacking but brilliantly matched singing, and Berdorbel was able to keep the singing without inhibiting the performance. The concert with people and monsters continued for several songs.

◇◆

…………

"'I'm sorry for suddenly breaking and entering'..." It was a very pleasant sound, so I wanted to mix it up... "

After the performance, the two groups left the park together, while repeatedly being seen off by children who wanted an encore.

Along the way, Asma and Jiminy apologize for rushing into the performance.

However, because Asma is silent in Infinite Dendrogram, his words were the words of Jiminy who read the thoughts.

To tell the truth, Berdorbel often does the same. During the battle, his voice will be blinded by the performance, so he will speak on behalf of the sound waves emitted by Bremen.

However, I didn't think that it was the muscle that made me speak on behalf of myself from day to day.

"No, it was a good song. It's harder to perform than here."

Anyway, thanks to Jiminy's singing, it was true that the audience boiled down more, and I was grateful.

I recognize you. You must have been one of the guards.

"Yes, I'm in an escort quest with my friends."... both Grimes and Sonia jumped into high-paying quests because of the rough money. ”

Hmmm. The reward offered was high indeed.

"'We have a lot of tame monsters, so we have to pay for food.'" I think they're different because the creator's expenses are necessary expenses..... "

Including Jiminy, Asma's Tame Monster was born from the egg of the [Super-Beast Mother Goddess Gaia].

Therefore, Jiminy calls Asma "the Creator."

However, as the number of monsters that admired him continued to increase, his living expenses in Dendro were very oppressed.

"I see..."

Berdolbel himself also participated in the redemption of the Franklin case, but he nods that there are other circumstances in other masters.

Then we came up with a mutually beneficial proposal.

"I will personally participate as an escort, but I am also a consoling musician. I'd appreciate it if you could help me play in front of the Second Princess like you did today... Of course, I'll also give you a reward."



Asma was silent, but her expression expressed surprise.

Berdorbel did not merely offer them a golden helper, but Jiminy's singing matched very closely with Bremen's performance and changed the quality of his music.

If Countess Carcellatan asked me to play for you, I wouldn't have given you a better chance to listen to music.

In the first place, I thought it would be a good time to use it because I received a lot of compensation for "expense".

…………

"Creator! Of course I'm okay!" It's a worthy Jiminy! ”

Asma looked at Jiminy with a "what should I do?" face, but she was more enthusiastic.

In response to her reaction, Asma decides to accept, "If so..."

'Thank you very much!'

"Yeah. Let's play it good. I'm sure you'll be delighted."

Thus, it was decided that the collaboration between Bremen and Jiminy would be held in Laputa on the journey to the Yellow River.

To be continued