The person who was waiting for us in the castle of Myalak was the queen who was binge drinking potions.

At first, I was stunned, but considering the situation surrounding her and the country, it was understandable.

After casting a healing spell on her, we introduced ourselves again and were in front of the Norn as before.

 

"I'm sorry I was rude."

"No, it's the situation, and we don't care."

 

Norn's face changed from one of exhaustion to one of contentment.

Perhaps the healing magic had worked so well, and although there was still Kuma, the tired feeling had completely disappeared.

 

"But healing magic was a blind spot, I never imagined it could be so beneficial...... If you have this, you can continue to work without sleep, right? When this fuss is over, I'll gather the healing wizards ......."

"You can heal your body, but you can't heal your mind, and no matter how much your body can move, if the mind that supports it becomes exhausted, you will eventually collapse."

 

The healing magic is gentle on the body, but not on the mind.

If you force yourself to heal your body with healing magic and continue to work without sleep, you will go crazy.

The queen looked disappointed at my words and played with the potion beside her with her palm.

 

"I thought I wouldn't have to rely on potions anymore, but it looks like I still need them."

"Norn-sama, you'd better stay away from the potion first than look for a healing wizard."

 

The maid who was standing behind the Norn warned her, but the Norn didn't listen at all and carefully put the potion in her pocket.

Isn't this person seriously addicted to potions?

I feel like it's too late to put the potion in my pocket instead of putting it down.

 

"So, you guys are emissaries from the Ringle Kingdom, right?"

"Yes, we came to Myalark with a purpose. ...... See you then, Usato-sama."

 

At the urging of Mr. Aluk, I took a letter from my pocket and awkwardly handed it to Mr. Norn.

She opened the letter and read it silently and let out a small sigh.

 

「...... It's the Demon King."

 

It is probably impossible to get cooperation this time. It's not that they say no, it's that this country is far from it.

However, I wanted to tell him that the threat of the Demon King was approaching, so I gave him a letter.

 

"A boy dressed in white visits...... He's right."

「...... Huh?"

"I'm going to put this answer on hold."

 

Hold? Why don't you refuse?

I expected to be turned down immediately, but what was the intention behind putting it on hold?

Looking next to him, Alc also seems to be confused.

 

"We are now confronting the crisis of Myalark, and it is no coincidence that you have come to us at such a time. You came here to come. And I knew you were coming."

「......!」

"But I didn't believe it, and who would want to go into Mealak now that he's running amok outside? Even if they were, they would be frozen and dead by now."

 

The way she said it, it was like she was expecting it to come before we even came here.

What's more, it wasn't her who expected it, but someone else.

 

"But you've come this far, and that's why I have to tell you what you've come. The beginning of the calamity that has befallen this city, the tragedy that suddenly struck a man with the power of a dragon--"

 

With these words, the Norn continues to spin his words.

 

"The one who is rampaging outside is a former Knight of Miarak, and his name is Charon. ...... Judging by the look on her face, it looks like you've already heard about this from her, haven't you?"

 

She? Ah, the maid's story.

With that in mind, I nodded at the words of the Norn.

 

"Now that you've done the general description, let's talk about him in detail first."

 

Hmm, she nodded and resumed her explanation.

 

"He was just a young man who didn't have that kind of dragon power until recently."

"You mean he was a normal person?"

"No, he's not a normal person. Even though he was just a young man, his origins were complicated."

 

Complicated circumstances?

That's a vague way ...... put it.

 

"He was a good knight, a man of great strength, a prudence, and even had the potential to become the hero of the city. In fact, there was a lot of fuss about who would be given the name of the honorable hero, him or the other selected candidate."

 

Is this where Leo's statement that he was supposed to be a hero comes from?

But if he was that good, why did he go out of control?

As he tilted his head, the Norn spun the rest of the words.

 

"That's when something happened to him—he held his head as if he were enduring something, and he became so delirious that he wounded a knight who was nearby."

"And in prison?"

"Yes, it took a lot of time to lock him up, even if it took a few people to hold him down, but I still managed to imprison him in the toughest cage of the Mearlark, but that cage was also after all...... It just bought me time."

 

If he had been imprisoned for exactly two weeks -- a month ago, would that mean that in half a month, Mr. Charon had escaped from prison?

 

"When he got out of prison, he made his way to the treasury as if he had been drawn to something, where he picked up the treasure of the Myalak—the most powerful and free weapon in the world, with power and potential comparable to that of the sword wielded by the hero who overthrew the Demon Lord."

"...... equivalent to the weapon of the brave!?"

 

He unconsciously puts his hand on the hero's sword that is attached to his waist.

Nowadays, it's used to cut fruit, pierce the forehead of a grudge, and so on, but I know how the original user of this fights.

The battle between the hero and the evil dragon shown by the grudge of Samaria.

The previous hero had strengthened himself by sticking a small sword into his body. Moreover, for some reason, it was so powerful that it exceeded the power of the evil dragon in its heyday.

I wonder if Charon has a weapon that exerts such ridiculous power......

 

"Is that the axe ......?"

"It's not an axe, it's changed to the shape of an axe when he's using it, but it's just a stick. The creator says: 'This is a bow, a sword, a whip, an ice 'staff' that transforms into the optimal form of the bearer."

"It's not an axe, it's a cane."

 

The shape of the axe now means that it is the most suitable form of armor for Charon now.

That power makes sense. Rather than a half-hearted sword or spear, the blow of an axe that tried to smash with force chilled my heart.

 

"It's great that he's wielding a weapon that can only be wielded by the wand's chosen bearer, but I can't be happy when he's in that state.

"So the water around Myalak was frozen by him?"

 

Norn nods in response to Aluk's question.

It's enough to freeze that much water. I'm glad it wasn't put out when me and Leo were fighting. If we had taken something of that magnitude head-on, we wouldn't have been able to get away with it for free.

...... Or maybe it's the blizzard-like attack that unleashed after Charon's body transformed? But it wouldn't have been powerful enough to freeze the lake.

 

"He's the one who froze the city around, but that's just the result of an overflow of all his power. When you're out of control, you shouldn't wield that much power. ...... That is, if his power is not released to the next level."

「...... That ......."

"Well, according to his calculations, he's got about half a month to spare, so he's still fine."

 

We look at the Norn, who smiles at us and tells us to rest assured.

Maybe when he's fighting me, you can see that he's grown horns and a tail, and he's been released to the next level. It makes sense to assume that the power of the blizzard was not powerful enough to freeze the surrounding water, because it had released a large number of icicles at us before that.

...... But it's really hard to say.

It's very uncomfortable to tell her that she was so deformed before I cast a healing spell on her, and Charon has already awakened to the next stage.

 

"Usato, say it."

"Usato, tell me."

"Usato-sama, please."

 

It's hard because my friends throw the whole thing when I say it.

Aluk understands that I should report it because of the fight, but Nea and Amako feel like they're completely annoyed.

 

"Norn-sama"

"Yes? What is it? Usato, with such a mysterious face."

"Charon has already awakened, and now he has horns on his head and a dragon's tail on his waist. So this...... It's a pretty bad situation."

「...... Huh?"

 

The Norn, who had hardened, shook his voice sadly.

 

"Have you woken up yet?"

"Yes."

 

I nodded, and she held her head.

 

"Calm down, calm down, Norn, it's still okay. It shouldn't be at a level where you can't get your hands on it yet. If we can do something about him by then, we can still get him back on ......."

 

The Norn began to mumble something, and I felt a strange melancholy in the air.

But it's not just her, it's us. Whether you stay in this country or leave, a clash with Mr. Charon is inevitable.

When that happens, will I be able to stand up to him who has awakened to the next level?

In addition, he has armor in his hands that rivals the weapons of the brave.

For the time being, I have a hero's weapon, but it's meaningless because I'm not the one who bears it in the first place.

No, more than that, there are many unclear points in the story of the Norns.

Where does Charon's power come from in the first place? His magic is beyond the scope of what one person's magic can supplement with at the very least. The magical power to cause a snowstorm and freeze all the water around it was beyond the norm I knew, and it was more powerful than even Inugami-senpai and Kazuki.

 

"--Knight Leona, it's late, but you've returned from the battlefield!"

「...... Hmm?"

 

A familiar voice sounded from the door of the great hall.

Hearing the voice, the Norn looked up and smiled as if welcoming the person outside the door.

 

"Come in."

"Hah"

 

I quietly threw the door open and looked at the people who came in, and I was a little confused.

From the voice, I thought it was Leo, but contrary to my expectations, it was a woman who entered.

A woman with beautiful blonde hair that stretches to her waist and is tied into one, and eyes that are as sharp as a hawk.

A woman who entered the hall dressed in light armor and a long skirt walked up to us with a polite and natural bow.

 

"Huh......

「?」

 

She smiled and patted me on the shoulder, then walked to the front of the throne where the Norn was sitting and knelt down.

Suddenly, I was tapped on the shoulder and tilted my head for no reason.

I don't know, he's a very friendly person. It was as casual as saying hello to a friend.

Is that normal in this city?

 

"I'm glad you're back safely."

"Words of Regret"

"You are the only knight who can deal with Charon, and if we lose you now, there will be no one to fight him. He came back often. Knight Leona"

 

Is it Leona?

The fact that he was dealing with Charon must be a very strong knight.

...... Hmm? Just a moment ago, Charon-san was supposed to be fighting me and Leo, but was this person also fighting?

 

"He has awakened his powers."

"I've heard from Usato, how strong is Charon in your eyes?"

"It seems to be more ferocious and correspondingly more powerful than it was before the awakening...... I'm sorry, I was knocked unconscious in an instant right after I woke up, so I don't ...... accurate information."

"A knight as good as you in an instant...... This is bad."

 

Hearing Leona's report, the Norn frowned.

Leona, still on her knees, looks up and glances at me for a moment.

 

"I'll be honest with you, I was forced to defend myself and almost be defeated, even against Charon before I woke up."

"Is he that strong?"

"Yes, I'm alive and standing here because of him--Usato here."

 

Hmm?

Why is my name popping out of Leona's mouth?

 

"What do you mean by him? He's supposed to be a healing wizard, so there's no way he can fight......

"No, he crossed paths with Charon using only his healing magic and his own physical abilities, and even saved me when I passed out."

「...... Usato, is that true...... Usato?"

 

The Norn was talking to me, but my confused mind couldn't recognize her words.

With a confused head, he looks at Leona.

She tilted her head at my gaze.

 

"Hey, Leo...... Isn't it?"

"Well, what's going on--"

"Was it a woman?"

「......」

 

The Norn and the maid in front of Leo froze in a daze.

Leo--Leona--Leona's expression stiffened with a smile on her face.

After a moment of silence, Leo slowly approached me and grabbed my shoulder as hard as he could.

 

"Did you mistake me for a man? Until now?"

"Eh, he was tall, and his voice was muffled through his armor, so I ......."

"I'm tall...... Wow, why did you call me Leo?"

"Well, I thought that was the name."

 

As she says this, Leo reluctantly removes her hand from her shoulder.

Anyway, when I tried to apologize first, she shook her shoulders and squeezed her voice out.

 

"It's okay, Usato."

"No, that ......."

"I'm the one who misunderstood, yes, yes. If he is taller than you and is dressed in full-body armor, it is understandable that he could be mistaken for a man. Moreover, with such an unfeminine tone, it ...... because of his masculine personality. So there is no need to apologize. Yes, I was the only one who was soaring. Huh, huh, I was 20 years old and soaring like a child."

 

I don't know what to say to Leona, who is looking down at me and smiling servitively with a face that looks like she's about to cry.

Sadly, I don't think it's my fault that this emotionally unstable reaction convinced me that this person was Leo.

I feel that the gaze of the Norn and the maid has become severe.

I looked behind me and said, 'Oh, didn't you notice?' Nea and Alc send a look.

And then...

 

"Amako, did you know that?"

"Yes."

 

If you know, let me know .......

No, it's me who misunderstood.

Exposed to the gaze of everyone in the room, I first thought about how to apologize to Leona.

 

______________________________________________________

Leo was Leona...... (True)

She is a man of manliness in her actions and behavior, but mentally she is quite struck and vulnerable.

 

Now that I'm done with my errands, I'd like to restore the update speed.