The? ?vice? ?city? ?Kashnart? ?had? ?made? ?a? ?complete? ?change? ?from? ?the? ?hustle? ?and? ?bustle? ?of? ?when? ?the? ?

    armed? ?tournament? ?had? ?started,? ?and? ?time? ?flowed? ?in? ?a? ?relaxed? ?manner.? ?It? ?was? ?simply? ?because? ?the? ?

    participants? ?weren’t? ?in? ?the? ?town,? ?but? ?people? ?who? ?were? ?making? ?bets? ?on? ?who? ?would? ?end? ?up? ?in? ? ?

    highest? ?position? ?could? ?still? ?be? ?found? ?here? ?and? ?there,? ?and? ?it? ?wasn’t? ?like? ?the? ?festive? ?atmosphere? ?had? ?

    completely? ?disappeared.? ?

    ?

    ?Even? ?the? ?knights? ?on? ?security? ?duty? ?had? ?accepted? ?that? ?atmosphere,? ?and? ?there? ?was? ?no? ?mistake? ?

    that? ?they? ?had? ?relaxed? ?to? ?some? ?extent.? ?

    ?

    ?Speaking? ?about? ?it? ?even? ?further,? ?the? ?Kashnart? ?Defense? ?Chivalric? ?Order? ?that? ?was? ?doing? ?the? ?town? ?

    gate’s? ?security? ?were? ?more? ?precisely? ?not? ?serving? ?the? ?royal? ?family,? ?but? ?a? ?local? ?Chivalric? ?Order? ?that? ?

    was? ?employed? ?in? ?the? ?town? ?of? ?Kashnart.? ?

    ?

    ?When? ?compared? ?to? ?the? ?Chivalric? ?Orders? ?that? ?served? ?the? ?royal? ?family,? ?their? ?loyalty? ?to? ?them? ?was? ?

    low,? ?and? ?weren’t? ?all? ?that? ?serious.? ?

    ?

    ?There? ?were? ?even? ?people? ?who? ?thought? ?that? ?no? ?matter? ?who? ?this? ?civil? ?war? ?fell? ?to? ?between? ?Narika? ?

    and? ?Celis,? ?they? ?didn’t? ?care? ?since? ?they? ?had? ?prepared? ?the? ?excuse? ?that? ?「?we? ?will? ?simply? ?carry? ?out? ?

    our? ?duty? ?of? ?defending? ?Kashnart?」.? ?

    ?

    ?Maybe? ?because? ?of? ?that,? ?even? ?when? ?that? ?group? ?came? ?walking? ?towards? ?the? ?town’s? ?back? ?gate,? ?

    they? ?didn’t? ?think? ?of? ?it? ?as? ?anything? ?but? ?an? ?Adventurer? ?party? ?coming? ?in.? ?

    ?

    ?The? ?knights? ?on? ?security? ?called? ?out? ?to? ?the? ?blonde? ?woman? ?that? ?stood? ?at? ?the? ?front? ?of? ?the? ?group? ?

    with? ?a? ?light? ?tone.? ?

    ?

    「?Ou,? ?sorry,? ?Nee-chan!? ?If? ?you’re? ?gonna? ?pass? ?through? ?here,? ?you’re? ?gonna? ?have? ?to? ?either? ?present? ?

    some? ?identification,? ?or? ?put? ?your? ?hands? ?on? ?a? ?Reveal? ?Crystal.?」? ?

    ?

    「?The? ?Kashnart? ?Defense? ?Chivalric? ?Order? ?huh.? ?Looks? ?like? ?they’re? ?following? ?Narika.?」? ?

    ?

    「?Ah??」? ?

    ?

    「?Well,? ?that? ?can’t? ?be? ?helped? ?either.? ?She? ?is? ?a? ?member? ?of? ?the? ?royal? ?family? ?too? ?after? ?all.? ?That? ?choice? ?

    was? ?correct? ?on? ?their? ?part.?」? ?

    ?

    「?……You……??」? ?

    ?

    ?One? ?of? ?the? ?knights? ?that? ?felt? ?that? ?something? ?was? ?strange? ?tried? ?to? ?get? ?a? ?better? ?look? ?at? ?the? ?

    woman’s? ?face,? ?but? ?at? ?that? ?moment.? ?

    ?

    ?A? ?fist? ?in? ?a? ?gauntlet? ?was? ?driven? ?into? ?the? ?knight’s? ?bare? ?face.? ?

    ?

    「?Gufueh……!?」? ?

    ?

    「?O,? ?oi!?? ?Y,? ?you……Gaah!??」? ?

    ?

    ?The? ?other? ?knight? ?tried? ?to? ?draw? ?his? ?sword? ?while? ?being? ?surprised,? ?but? ?he? ?was? ?punched? ?and? ?

    defeated? ?before? ?that? ?could? ?happen.? ?

    ?

    ?At? ?the? ?same? ?time,? ?the? ?sound? ?of? ?something? ?falling? ?over? ?with? ?a? ?thud? ?resounded? ?from? ?the? ?

    watchtower? ?as? ?well.? ?

    ?

    ?What? ?could? ?be? ?heard? ?after? ?the? ?sound? ?of? ?what? ?seemed? ?like? ?someone? ?running? ?down? ?the? ?stairs? ?

    was? ?a? ?short? ?angry? ?voice? ?and? ?scream.? ?However,? ?that? ?also? ?immediately? ?concluded? ?and? ?things? ?

    became? ?silent.? ?

    ?

    「?That? ?was? ?quite? ?easy.?」? ?

    ?

    「?More? ?like,? ?aren’t? ?they? ?a? ?bit? ?too? ?lax?? ?Ah,? ?that? ?jerk? ?Brutus? ?went? ?and? ?attacked? ?what? ?looks? ?like? ?a? ?

    waiting? ?room.?」? ?

    ?

    ?Sending? ?her? ?gaze? ?to? ?Shironos? ?and? ?Olred? ?who? ?came? ?down? ?from? ?the? ?watchtower,? ?Eltrinde? ?

    shrugged? ?her? ?shoulders.? ? ?

    ?

    「?I? ?can’t? ?deny? ?that? ?but……Normally,? ?even? ?if? ?the? ?guards? ?below? ?were? ?to? ?be? ?defeated,? ?the? ?guards? ?

    on? ?the? ?upper? ?floors? ?would? ?sense? ?the? ?disorder? ?and? ?ring? ?the? ?alarm? ?bell.? ?It’s? ?because? ?the? ?device? ?

    that? ?opens? ?this? ?gate? ?is? ?also? ?in? ?the? ?upper? ?floors? ?after? ?all.? ?If? ?not? ?for? ?people? ?like? ?you? ?all? ?who? ?could? ?

    move? ?up? ?to? ?the? ?upper? ?floors? ?with? ?just? ?your? ?physical? ?abilities,? ?there? ?is? ?no? ?way? ?they? ?would? ?have? ?

    fallen? ?with? ?an? ?attack? ?like? ?this.?」? ?

    ?

    「?It’s? ?probably? ?because? ?of? ?thoughts? ?like? ?that? ?that? ?this? ?sort? ?of? ?thing? ?happens.?」? ?

    ?

    ?Vermudol,? ?whose? ?armor? ?made? ?a? ?clanking? ?sound,? ?placed? ?a? ?hand? ?on? ?the? ?gate? ?that? ?was? ?still? ?

    closed.? ?

    ?

    ?During? ?that? ?time,? ?Olred? ?turned? ?his? ?gaze? ?towards? ?the? ?upper? ?floor? ?once? ?again.? ?

    ?

    「?Although? ?this? ?is? ?the? ?back? ?gate,? ?as? ?long? ?as? ?it? ?is? ?a? ?key? ?point? ?for? ?even? ?an? ?instant,? ?the? ?organization? ?

    of? ?the? ?security? ?should? ?be? ?more? ?strict.? ?To? ?be? ?placing? ?only? ?the? ?minimum? ?amount? ?of? ?security? ?there,? ?

    they? ?must? ?either? ?have? ?great? ?confidence? ?in? ?the? ?gate……or? ?if? ?not,? ?they? ?must? ?have? ?highly? ?evaluated? ?

    that? ?nothing? ?major? ?would? ?happen? ?even? ?if? ?it? ?was? ?attacked.?」? ?

    ?

    「?……It’s? ?probably? ?both.? ?The? ?gates? ?of? ?the? ?royal? ?capital? ?Elarc? ?and? ?vice? ?city? ?Kashnart? ?are? ?made? ?

    with? ?hard? ?metal.? ?Even? ?if? ?battering? ?rams? ?were? ?used,? ?they? ?aren’t? ?things? ?that? ?would? ?be? ?broken? ?so? ?

    easily.?」? ?

    ?

    「?Hey,? ?could? ?you? ?leave? ?the? ?chatter? ?at? ?that?? ?In? ?the? ?end,? ?what? ?should? ?we? ?do? ?to? ?open? ?this? ?gate??」? ?

    ?

    ?At? ?the? ?same? ?time? ?as? ?those? ?words? ?of? ?an? ?irritated? ?Ykslaas,? ?the? ?tightly? ?shut? ?gate? ?made? ?a? ?

    *gigigi……*? ?sound? ?and? ?started? ?to? ?open.? ?

    ?