It's night time, when darkness reigns――and as if to reject it, light illuminates the darkness. It's not moonlight. It was not the soft, somewhat fragile light of the moon. It was a strong, red, swaying light source――a flame. One of the forts in the southeastern part of the Holy Country Jardalk was on fire. You can easily imagine that something terrible has happened, as black smoke rises from everywhere into the night sky.

"Gaa......inferior, gob............lin......ki, come......9th battalion............lose......?"

The man who was the battalion commander of Fort Faro had been pierced through the chest by a goblin. Frighteningly, it wasn't the sword or spear that pierced the man's chest, but the goblin's arm――that is, his bare hand. The battalion commander was not blind to the attack. He caught the blow with his Damascus steel shield. However, the goblin's fist penetrated the shield and went straight through his armor, piercing his chest.

"Gegyaa. Do you regret it? Losing to a mere goblin"

The goblin, who understands human language, sneered.

"Y......Youu"

"Gegyagyaa. Hey, do your best"

The goblin twisted his right shoulder. Then, the shield made of Damascus steel and his right arm that pierces the armor work together to bite deeper into the man's chest.

"Gahaa............"

The man spat out blood from his mouth as the right arm dug in. The man already has no power or energy to resist.

"How long have you been playing? Get it done quickly"

The other goblin says with a cold stare. The other goblin, dressed in a butler's uniform, looked uncharacteristic of a goblin.

"Tsk. All right, all right"

The furry, bandit-like goblin clicks his tongue in a boring manner. And the moment he put his strength on his right arm, the body of the male commander broke up. The goblin, covered in a large amount of splattered blood, looks up at the moon in the night sky with joy. For a moment, the only sound was the sound of fire popping. There were countless corpses lying around the two goblins. Incredibly, the five hundred soldiers guarding Fort Faro had been overrun by two goblins.

"I didn't see anyone I knew here either"

A blood-red goblin muttered in annoyance, his face illuminated by the blazing fire.

"This is a bit of a problem, isn't it?"

"We're in a different country from here, aren't we? I've got an idea. Why don't we go back and attack a bigger place?"

"Don't get too carried away. We've been doing fine until now, but we've gone on such a rampage. Jardalk won't be able to keep silent much longer"

"That's good. If there is a human who can defeat us, I would like to meet him"

"Did you forget what happened as a result of your growth? If so, I'll remind you"

"I, I know. I didn't mean to get carried away"

When the butler-like goblin gave him a sharp look, the bandit-like goblin began to make excuses as if in a hurry.

"If you know it, it's okay. By the way――is there something you want from us?"

The butler-like goblin speaks into the darkness. Then, as if seeping out of the darkness, a robed figure appeared. Because of the black robe that covered the head, it was impossible to distinguish the face or gender.

"Lost person――――gohuu"

The black-robed one was unable to finish his words. He was pierced in the abdomen by the left fist of the bandit-like goblin.

"Who the hell are you? I can't speak with this. Gegyagyaa!!"

The black-robed man fell on his back, blood pouring from his mouth and never got up again.

"Should I not have killed him?"

"Gaul, it appears that your fears are unfounded"

"Ah? Shirun, what do you mean......"

The goblin, called Gaul, followed Sirun's gaze and saw someone standing on the outer wall of the fort. The same robed person from just now.

"Isn't it the same person I killed just now?"

"I am the leader...――――"

A head danced in the night sky at the same time as the clicking sound. When the goblin called Shirun jumped toward the outer wall, he just kicked up the head of the black robed person. The power of the kick was that instead of breaking the cervical spine, the head was torn off the neck.

"O, Ooo!?"

Gaul was surprised to see that Shirun, who usually admonished him, actively attacked that person, even though the identity was unknown.

"What is it? If you can kill it, let me kill it"

When Gaul looked up at Shirun on the outer wall, he saw countless people wearing black robes.

"I am the seeker, the giver of trials"

"I am the investigator, the seeker of truth"

"I am the savior, the guider of the lost"

"I am the observer, the watcher of the course of mankind"

One by one, the black-robed people start talking.

"What the hell is wrong with these people? I can kill them, can't I?"

"Yes, kill them all you want"

Gaul and Shirun attacked. The black-robed ones were attacked without much resistance and each time one part of their body was blown off and they died. In just a few minutes, dozens of new corpses were piling up in Fort Faro.

"Weak, too weak. Hey, Shirun. These guys are too weak to respond"

Shirun didn't answer Gaul's call, but rolled up the black robe covering the corpse's face to check it. It was a human boy. The next corpse, this time an elven woman――Shirun continued to check. The corpses ranged in age from men to women, children to the elderly and not just in gender. No, it wasn't just age or gender. There were also a wide variety of races, including humans, beastmen, elves, dwarves and demons.

"After all...they're just being manipulated?"

"Hey, that's――what!!"

Gaul and Shirun look back at the strange sign that suddenly appeared.

"I don't approve of mischievous killing"

How long had they been watching? There was someone standing inside the burning building of Fort Faro. It was a man in a black robe, the same appearance as those who they had just killed. They could tell from his voice that he was a man. However, it was hard to tell how old the man was. He sounded like a grown man, but also like an old man. The tone of his voice gave them a strange impression.

"I don't know where you've been hiding all this time. Nice to meet you, I´m Shiruntiga, the king of kings, in the service of the High King and this is my partner, Gaultiga. If you don't mind, may I ask what your name is?"

Shirun bows to the unknown person with a slightly too polite attitude.

I am the tester. I am the one who gives trials, the one who guides mankind and promotes enlightenment. But I am also a bystander"

"Damn, not this again. I'd have let you off the hook if you'd just shut up"

Gaul spits and walks towards the man in the black robe. Toward his back――

"Gaul, get serious"

――Shirun called out to him. This was a rare occurrence. Even though Shirun may give up on a goal that goes wild on his own terms, he says he should fight aggressively――moreover tell him to do it seriously.

"Okay!!"

By nature, Gaul is not good at thinking about difficult things. Instead of thinking about the true meaning of Shirun's words, he concentrated on fighting. With a shout of enthusiasm, a huge amount of fighting spirit overflowed from his entire body.

"Just because I'm a goblin doesn't mean I'm not――

In the next moment, the fighting spirit converges in Gaul's body as if it had been absorbed. The next thing you know, his whole body turns to gold.

"――You're going to get burned!!"

A golden goblin――a fist shot by Gaul accurately punches the man's chest in a black robe while scooping the ground. However, the destruction caused by the shock wave released from the right arm of gold never stops. With a single blow, he obliterated the buildings that were still burning in the rear and furthermore, he carved his mark on the outer wall that surrounded the Fort Faro, far beyond the plain in the back.

"Shirun!!!"

When Gaul called out Shirun's name――Shirun's figure had already leapt as if floating in the dark night. His whole body transformed into a silver body and his silver left leg swung towards the empty space. It was as if a huge beast had swung out its claws. A silver slash is engraved in the space.

"What's going on?"

Gaul mutters as he looks up at the sky. Before he knew it, the man in a black robe was floating there as if nothing had happened.

"Attack on either the physical or spiritual body has no effect. It's a troublesome opponent"

Shirun, who landed on the ground without sound, lined up next to Gaul.

"A poor goblin who serves the high king. The hunter――the black wrath is in the south"

After saying this, the figure of the man in the black robe disappears as if melting into the darkness.

"He ran away. What the hell was that?"

"It's the remnants of the exiled country"

"A human country?"

"Yes. Gaul, do you know the name of the Kanmurida Kingdom?"

"I don't know. Generally, I'm not interested in human countries"

"Well, it was destroyed before we were born. It's natural that you don't know about it"

"What does this Kanmurida Kingdom have to do with that black-robed man?"

"The Kanmurida Kingdom was a country without resources, technology or anything else. It was a time when the human race was even weaker than now. The people living in the Kanmurida Kingdom were living in misery. While other countries were being threatened by demons and other races, there was no time to worry about such a weak country. However, there was only one country that reached out to such a miserable country"

"Well, that's quite a good-natured country you got there"

Gaul was getting tired because Shirun's story seemed to be longer than he expected.

"It's a small country that excels in 『Undead Magic』 and 『Alchemy』 called the Goth Kingdom. Not only did they improve the living standards of Kanmurida Kingdom, but they also passed on their own secret potion making methods and magic techniques and by reaching out to other countries, the Kanmurida Kingdom has made remarkable progress"

"The Kanmurida Kingdom must have been grateful"

"Huu......huhuhuu"

Shirun began to laugh uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?"

'No, I didn't mean to laugh at you. The Kanmurida Kingdom wasn't grateful. On the contrary, they resented them"

"Haaaaa? What is there to resent in what you just said?"

Gaul scratched his head in confusion.

"The people of Kanmurida Kingdom, to a greater or lesser extent, have a tendency to envy and hate those who are better off than they are. Until now, this nature has been directed towards their own people, but unfortunately, with the help of the Goth Kingdom, it has been directed towards other countries"

"This is absurd"

"How cute our goblin nature is compared to the human race. The Kanmurida people who have begun to become rich have come to think like this. They could have helped them sooner, but the Goth Kingdom and other nations did not and mocked them. The other countries had taken away the wealth and happiness that they were supposed to have. Believe it or not, the people of Kanmurida really believed this and they acted on it. They bribed the powerful people of other countries with bribes and women and sent their own people to the center of the country"

Shirin almost laughed again and gingerly covered his mouth with his hand.

"At important meetings, they procrastinated and delayed decisions as long as possible. Even if a decision was made, they would reiterate what had already been decided in the next meeting or bring up unrelated topics to prevent the meeting from going smoothly"

"I'm getting irritated just listening to you"

"You're right. The people of Kanmurida were very good at dragging their feet and spreading ill will. They assigned unimportant tasks to the capable ones and important ones to the incompetent ones and gradually undermined the internal and external affairs of other countries. They were very good at that kind of thing"

"I understand. The other countries found out about it and destroyed them, didn't they?"

"No. The cunning Kanmurida Kingdom had carefully arranged for their evil deeds to be exposed. The destruction must have been the work of the heroes of............the beginning"

"What do you mean, it should have been? You don't know the important part, do you?"

"You can't seem to comprehend how great it is to know this much about a human country, a country that was destroyed long ago.

Shirun glared at Gaul as if it was out of his mind.

"Anyway, it was the Kanmurida Kingdom that perished, but not all people of Kanmurida died. The remnants have been hiding in religious groups at times and in countries that excel in magic at other times"

"So the guy we just saw is a remnant of the Kanmurida Kingdom?"

"It's too frank, but it's generally correct. He calls himself 『Wandering Saviour』, 『Guider』, 『Bystander』and sometimes seeker of trials. The High King has ordered me to kill him on the spot if I find him"

"What? Then why did you miss it!!"

"Calm down. The High King went on to say, 『If you feel that you are no match for him, run away』"

"I will not be defeated by that bastard. Also, that bastard sounded like he had some idea who we were looking for"

"Nonsense. Do you really think I'm going to believe a stinker like him?"

Perhaps he doesn't like Shirun's words, when Gaul doesn't understand and is about to squeeze in――a giant monster bird descends to the ground with a roaring sound from the night sky. Shirun pulls out a bundle of paper from the wooden tube attached to the monster's ankle and as soon as the monster has finished its role, it screams loudly and flaps toward the dark night sky.

"What is this?"

"Who is it from?"

"From the High King"

Both Gaul and Shirun couldn't hide their surprise at the letter directly from the High King. As evidence, Shirun's hand holding the paper was quivering. Gaul didn't seem to make fun of it. He was in awe. The existence of the High King was such an absolute thing for the two of them.

"So, what does the High King want?"

"He lives in Comer, a city in the Udon Kingdom. It says to bring a boy of the human race named Yuu Satou"

"Where is the Udon Kingdom?"

"It's south of here"

"South? That's the――

"We have to follow"

"I know"

"But that's not all. Don't launch an attack from here until we get out of Set Republic´s territory"

"Haaa? Why? In Jardalk, we are allowed to do as we please"

"Are you unhappy with the High King's decision?"

"No, of course not"

"Good. Very well, let's go"

And with that, the two goblins proceeded towards the Udon Kingdom.

------------------------------------------

At the same time on the same day, the months-long war between the Immortality Cult and the allied forces on the All Plains of the Mandogoa Kingdom was finally coming to an end.

"Grandpa, it looks like that place~"

"Hmm"

Two shadows were seen in the night sky, flying with the help of the wind spirits, Arzerotte and Dorm.

"Meri-chan, are you still alive?"

"I don't think he's going to die so easily"

The two of them talk lightly as they fly off into the battlefield where the fires are spreading.