15-34. Golden Knights' Deployment (2), Seryuu City's Boy Knight
※ Not from Satou's point of view this time
"What's wrong Yuni?"
"Martha-san, would Seryuu city be alright?"
"Priest-sama said the bad ones are the weaselkin right? Nothing to do with us."
The maid little girl and the inn lady's daughter are having such conversations at the Gate Inn of Seryuu City.
Even the people who gathered at the temples to seek salvation right after the God's Divine Messages have returned to their daily life.
Outwardly at least--.
◇
"Get out of Seryuu City demi-humans!"
"Go away!"
An act of barbarism that would make any sensible person frowns is being carried out in one of the vacant lands inside the city.
Brats dressed in good clothes are throwing stones at demi-human children.
Many stones missed their target, but several of the ones thrown by older boys hit theirs.
"P-pleass, sthop"
"I'm sohryy"
"Plese"
Neither the fast dogkin, the agile catkin, nor the smart weaselkin could defy the [Don't move from there] order of their master, asking for mercy was all they could do.
It's an ugly scene that would make decent human beings feel sick, but it appears to be a pleasant entertainment for the humans here.
Of course, not all the people in Seryuu City regards this is an entertainment.
"What are you doing! Cease at once!"
A beautiful girl showed herself up from a carriage parked at the side of the road.
With her long blond hair, her strong-willed blue eyes filled with dignity of a noble are glaring at the people participating in the ugly festival in the park.
"The woman over there, are you a government official? Earl Seryuu should have given a direction not to abuse beast people pointlessly."
The earl has prohibited owners of beastkin slaves inside the city from abusing them because he has a dealing with the influential Viscount Pendragon who has beastkin slaves.
It seems the fact that Viscount Pendragon's cooperation is crucial in order to put the management of Seryuu City's labyrinth on track is not divulged to the low class government officials.
"This is a filthy place. It's not a place some great priestess-sama should come."
For the female official who's aware of her declining beauty, a fresh young girl accompanied by a handsome knight is an object of envy.
Due to her uncontrollable envy, the female government official spout out words to drive the girl away.
"Do you mean to say that you don't intend to obey Earl Seryuu's decree?"
"Did you hear otherwise?"
The girl raised her brows in anger at that answer.
Because that was equivalent to rebelling against the lord.
It'd be a different story if she were one of the ignorant populace, but it's absolutely intolerable for someone who gets their payroll from the lord.
"Sir Marientail, cut down this official. I have confirmed that she's clearly rebelling against the earl."
The girl gave a merciless order to her accompanying boy knight.
A slight anguish floated on the boy knight's face that looks similar to his big sister's, Zena Marientail.
"Auna-sama, are you sure about this?"
"It doesn't matter. A fool who can't abide her lord cannot be anything but harm."
A cold smile shows up on the beautiful girl's face, she mutters, "This is my mercy."
It seems there is no one here who's aware that Auna is the name of Earl Seryuu's daughter.
"Besides, if we arrest her here, her whole family will be executed."
The boy who knows the depth of the girl's compassion and her inflexible nobility draws his sword.
Pale blue light twinkles on the sword's surface.
"Be at ease, it will be painless. Are the people over there your friends? I've to execute them along with you if they are?"
"N-no, I'm not."
"Me neither."
"M-me too, I'm not."
The boy knight let the scurrying men in the vacant lot go, but he acted when the boys who were throwing stones tried to do the same.
"Whoops there, I can't let you kids go just like that."
The boy knight goes around and cut in in front of the children using Flickering Movement and then he drops his fist on them.
The person himself intended it to be a light punishment, but due to his tempered body from the level ups in short term, his version of [light] didn't seem to be light at all.
The kids are groaning in agony on top of the grass in the vacant land.
The boy knight looked a bit awkward at first, but then he turned serious when his ears caught the shrill noise from the [Bone Conduction Alarm].
"Auna-sama!"
"Looks like it has begun."
"Yes."
Auna understood that an unprecedented crisis has befallen Seryuu City from the short exchange with the boy.
"It cannot be helped. Let's end our tryst."
"T-tryst?"
The boy knight's face reddened at Auna's joke.
It's an innocent scene between a boy and a girl, but it appears the Gods of this world aren't kind enough to allow that.
Black particles extending to the sky can be seen at the direction of the labyrinth.
"It seems the labyrinth monsters are overflowing outside. Go Knight Marientail. As for me, I will accomplish the role that's been assigned to me."
"Yes, Auna-sama!"
The boy runs through alleys with speed of wind.
Was there anyone who noticed that he looked like her big sister during the initial appearance of the labyrinth?
"I wish to City Core. With my Authority as the nobility of Seryuu, cancel the contracts of these people."
『Confirmed the qualification as the nobility of Seryuu to cancel the contract.』
When Auna spoke to the ring she took from her chest, a voice could be heard out of nowhere.
『Canceling the contracts.』
At the same time of that voice, blue light flows from Auna's ring and wraps the beastkin children.
"Your healing will be at Parion Temple. Get into the carriage."
"Buf, canf move"
"Ordee, been"
"I've already released your slave contracts. We don't have much time, quickly move."
The beastkin inadvertently obeyed Auna who was used to giving command, and then they raised shouts of joy when they found out the pain didn't come even though they moved.
At the vacant lot left by the carriage and the beastkin children, the female official who narrowly escaped death timidly lifts her head.
"She totally forgot about me.... Good grief, just who does she think--"
The female official couldn't finish her cursing.
The last thing reflected on her sinking dark eyes were a gigantic camel cricket and a brutal claw that looked like the death god's sickle stuck on her chest.
◇
"Are you guys alright!"
"Marientail-sama! The labyrinth blockade has failed."
A soldier of the territorial army with wounds all over his body answered the boy knight.
"At first the blockade was working...."
A part of the territorial army composed of nobles who thought the monsters coming out of the labyrinth looked weak undid a part of the blockade as they tried to score meritorious deed for themselves.
"What happened to those guys."
"Their bones are over there."
One soldier laughed with a gloomy face.
"Marientail-sama! I'm sorry for being late. We will help the blockade here. Marientail-sama, please exterminate the monsters who have scattered in the city!"
"Understood. I'll leave here to you."
The branch manager of Echigoya Firm appeared with a group of golems and was left to take care of the labyrinth's blockade.
"Platoon commander Allison, I will entrust the command here to you. Leave the direct battles to the golems, please don't let any monster that crosses the blockade alive."
"Where are you going company commander?"
"I'm going to dispose of the monsters scattered in the city."
Those sounded like he was abandoning his duty as a commander, but there was a reason for that.
The boy knight's level is higher than anyone here, but his actual battle experience is shorter than anyone here.
Thus he decided to secede the command to the experienced platoon commander Allison, and went to do a sweeping outside.
"Platoon Marientail will be divided into four groups. I give the right to command the groups to the noncommissioned officers. Hunt every monster you see while waiting for the reinforcement from territorial army to arrive."
"""Yes, commander!"""
The four military units went on to slaughter the monsters that attacked the citizens.
Among them--.
"Amazing, he defeated a monster that could even defend against great axe in one blow!"
"Uwaah, look at that! He defeated another one."
"Awesome, didn't know there was a knight that strong besides Kigori-sama."
"Oh! How nimble! He kicked the wall to get to the roof!"
The citizens who saw the boy knight's deeds shouted as if they were watching an action movie before their eyes.
"But y'know, the sword of that knight-sama earlier--"
"You saw it too?"
"It really was shining blue wasn't it?"
Such conversations continue to repeat and spread inside the city, the notion that, "Boy Knight Marentail's true identity is the 『Silver Masked Hero』" seemed as if it was true by the time the monster number had decreased.
And then they lived happily ever after--.
◇
--Would have been nice if it ended like that.
"The holy sword would cry y'know? I advise."
The boy knight is facing off against a jet black demon in the open space in front of the castle.
Moreover, two camel crickets bigger than houses are accompanying the demon on its sides.
"One who attacked Seryuu City before--Jet Black Greater Demon."
"Pleasantly correct. I delighted."
The greater demon draws a dark red great sword out of thin air.
"Now let's fight. I battle."
At the northern end of Shiga Kingdom, the boy knight's battle against despair has just begun.