◆ Norb ◆
"Dear Meglierna, this will be the last village"
That's what I told you, Sir Baharn, one of Princess Meglierna's escorts.
He is who Princess Meglierna has been an escort since childhood.
It's not a standout escort, but it's the one who was sending us and picking us up when we were moving around the village we lived in and the King's Capital.
"Thank you, Baharn."
"Words without body"
I don't feel comfortable behaving like a regular Megli, but as the original Princess Meglierna, this one is normal, isn't it?
It is the situation of Princess Meglierna that even words must be restricted so that her own qualities are not found out.
Knowing what her "last" will be, I get the rage of having to deprive her of her freedom so far.
"It's okay, Norb."
and Princess Meglierna, who perceived my mood, smiles a little.
If it's true, it's my job to wipe away anxiety that way.
"Princess Meglierna, whisper, eat as luxuriously as you can in this village. Because some of the food I bought in the city before is sweet."
You can do as much as that.
You don't know how many decent meals you can eat once you get into the land of corrosion.
"Thanks Norb. I'm looking forward to it."
"That's about all I can do."
"... pup, couscous"
and suddenly Princess Meglierna leaks a small laugh.
"Princess Meglierna ⁉ ●"
"'Cause, Norb, it's like someone else"
"Yes, no, that's because Princess Meglierna is royal now, because I have to do the wording I deserve as a subordinate"
"Nothing. It's good as usual."
"That's not why I'm going!
"Phew, the knob is stiff"
"Because that's my role"
In this situation, Bo... I'm the only one who can talk the way I always do!
"Nothing. The princess is always happy, right?
I said it was former Count Russell, who is accompanying me as an escort.
He is also famous as one of the kingdom's leading sword masters.
"Right. Anyway, we're all here with our old, short grandfathers."
"Oh, come on, there's a young Lord Norb, too, isn't there?
"Oh, then Lord Norb is one of our grandfathers!
"That would be different"
"" "" Hahahahahaha "" "
It was all of you who accompanied me as an escort to Princess Meglierna, like the former Earl of Russell, who laughed with pleasure that way.
He is the former Commander of Ibuka, who expelled the Kingsguard Knights, Baron Emeritus of Alblair, a former head of court magicians, and, furthermore, the former Viscount of Bren, who has experienced many battles in fortifications along the border.
Everyone is a first-rate combat skilled person who has avoided any demonic or bandit attacks at all on the road so far.
They were active in their respective fields until recently, but they were asked to leave the line in order to participate as escorts for the ritual of Princess Meglierna.
Princess Meglierna's ritual of purifying the earth of corrosion is a top secret business.
Therefore, the ritual escort must also be trustworthy.
Not only does it have to be trustworthy, but it also has to be top notch because it reaches the bottom of the danger zone.
What a luxurious story to make such a powerful man disposable for a one-way journey he will never return to.
All of you who have received more life than His Majesty the King, but on that face there is no sadness to go to the dead.
On the contrary, it's even a little bit like going for a walk.
"Aren't you all horrible? We're headed to the deepest part of the corrosive earth, a dead place where we can't go home alive, can we?
I couldn't help but ask questions about their too natural behavior.
I was wondering if it wasn't horrible.
But they laugh at my queries.
"We've already lived as we please."
"Um, I leave the rest to my son, so I have no heart."
"If the destination is the deepest part of the earth of corrosion, it is fitting as a stage for the last adventure. Non is still a former A-rank adventurer."
and Baron Emeritus Alblair grins as he nostalgic for the old days.
"Let it fall out, would your A-rank be like a souvenir during retirement?
"Ha ha, still more effective than your sword against the demons of the corrosive earth"
"Be careful not to run out of strength before the magic," he said.
Content is the sarcasm, but its mouthfeel seems more like a light-mouthed slap than to say it hates each other.
"Well what. If the last thing in your life is to help your country, say it's not a bad end. Don't worry too much."
Their words and their eyes felt concern for us as we headed to the dead world young.
"We have arrived in the village"
When Sir Baharn, who has not previously joined the conversation, speaks from your podium, the carriage slowly stops.
"We will be staying in this village for today. Even so, there's no inn, so you're gonna rent the village chief's house."
When I told him that, former Viscount Bren went one way to the village chief's house.
"So wait here until Bren gets back."
I sneak out of the carriage, stretch my body.
It's just hard to keep riding a rocking carriage.
You can't ride a very luxurious carriage with only a top-secret mission.
"Ha, it would have been easier if I had flown"
"Then the Baharns won't follow you."
Princess Meglierna, who continues to behave as a princess, is also stretching her body to see if she was just as elaborate.
Now she behaves as a princess, but what she wears is not a dress or armor, which is somewhat similar to the costume she uses in church rituals.
This is a sacred sacred garment used in rituals to quell the land of corrosion, and they use fairly rare materials to increase the success rate of rituals.
Still, there's something wrong with the villagers.
If it's a village I've stopped by before, people in the village become wary of strangers and catch people's eyes, but that's not the case in this village at all.
It feels like you can't afford to worry about us.
Surprised at what was going on in such a village, former Viscount Bren returned.
"I've got a story with the village chief. They're going to be able to rent us a room in the village chief's house."
"Good day, Master Bren."
But former Viscount Bren looked somewhat surprised.
"What's wrong with you?
"No, it's a little strange."
"" Weird thing?
When me and Princess Meglierna strangled me, former Baron Bren told me a rumor he heard from the village chief.
"You already know that this village is the closest to the land of corrosion."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"In some of those locations, the village periodically checks to see if there are any ragged demons that have been coming out of the land of corrosion and how close the erosion of poisonous swamps is to the village," he said.
That explanation was understandable.
Because you have to run before the village is swallowed up, more than the land of corrosion erodes the surrounding land.
"But a few days ago, the earth of corrosion suddenly disappeared."
"" Extinction "
"What does that... mean?
"Literally, they say the poisonous swamp has disappeared and returned to its original earth. in an instant without any foretaste."
……
I heard that story. Me and Princess Meglierna will look at each other.
Even without words, only one face is on each other's mind.
(Rex?)
(Is it Mr. Rex?
"Is that for sure?
As a precaution, Princess Meglierna will take confirmation with former Baron Bren.
"Yes, a few villagers said they were on their way to confirmation, but there's no doubt. Normally, they couldn't see the venomous swamp from where they could see the corrosive earth, and the corrosive earth disappeared to the other side of the horizon."
"How far did the villagers check?
"Because you're only a civilian. They're not too far from the village.
But still, he's definitely losing sight of the corrosive earth. "
Then again, it's Mr. Rex's face that comes to mind.
After we left the mansion, did Mr. Rex do something about the land of corrosion with any intent?
"Just one thing that bothers me"
"What do you care?
"Yes, the villagers say they saw the goddess when the earth of corrosion vanished."
"" Goddess?
We looked at each other again.
(Is that it? Isn't that Rex?
(Isn't that Mr. Rex?
"When the goddess who descended from the sky descended into the land of corrosion, she wiped out the land of corrosion with the divine light."
"Divine light...... is it?
What does this mean?
It doesn't seem like a woman, Mr. Rex, but I don't think any other human being can do anything about the land of corrosion that the country has been unable to do for hundreds of years.
"Then... is it the Virgin?
"The Virgin?"
"Yes, in the Holy kingdom, where there is the main mountain of the Church, there is a Foca, certified Virgin. Master Foca is also an S-class adventurer, so maybe he used some kind of sacred magic newly developed by the Church to purify the land of corrosion"
"Are you a S-class adventurer at church...... Baharn, what do you think?
Princess Meglierna asks for Sir Baharn's opinion.
For her, is she a grandfather rather than a father, because she is someone close to.
"Well, if the goddess is a church official, I don't think she's consulting the state. And if so, I'm afraid Princess Meglierna will delay her schedule for the pilgrimage."
Indeed, Sir Baharn is not mistaken in his thoughts.
If the Church had found a way to manage the land of corrosion, Princess Meglierna would still have remained the adventurer Megli, wouldn't she?
"What is likely, then, is that the Church's proposed means were scarce in reliability and thought to be to a good extent if we were lucky enough to succeed"
Former Ibuka commander, who led the Kingsguard Knights, has also been at the heart of the country and makes the assumption that he did not tell us from the thoughts of His Majesty the King and the bureaucrats.
"Sure. I never bothered to teach you a less likely way to succeed."
Everyone else seems to have come to a similar conclusion.
And that was then.
Suddenly there was a dazzling light coming from the other side.
"Hey, what⁉"
"" "" "Eh!
When we are surprised by the brilliance of the morning sun, we exercise perimeter vigilance as Sir Baharn and his men pull out their swords and immediately surround themselves to protect Princess Meglierna.
"Goddess! The light of the goddess!
"" "" Goddess. - Uh-huh!
And aren't the villagers who were around you lying down to the light?
"That's the light of the goddess...?
Apparently, that light is the light of the example goddess.
"... let's go"
It was Princess Meglierna who said that.
"Princess..."
"I don't know what's going on. But there's definitely something going on in the land of corrosion."
Certainly, the light was coming from the direction where the earth of corrosion we were planning to head.
"Then you won't be able to go without checking. What is happening as we have come to quell the earth of corrosion..."
The look on Princess Meglierna's face I told her so seemed to be that of my familiar silent adventurer Megli, not that of a rapping princess during the journey.