“Friendly forces are entering the castle! Open the gates!”
The gates opened, and the advance party entered the fortress.
A thousand soldiers marched into the inner walls, carrying weapons and provisions brought from the Royal Capital, as well as the meat of Giant Buffaloes hunted along the way.
“Brother, it’s been a while.”
“Caryas, is that you?”
A young knight appeared before the advance party.
Calling Bareya, the leader of the advance party, “brother” meant that he must be Caryas Cattleya, the commander guarding the fortress.
(So that’s Yuri’s second eldest brother… not quite what I imagined. Not very gorilla-like.)
Rest, watching the brothers’ reunion from a short distance away, harbored such impolite thoughts.
Caryas Cattleya had delicate features and an intellectual face.
Though tall, he had the air of a civil official or scholar rather than a knight.
His father, Iljas, and eldest brother, Bareya, had sturdy builds and somewhat resembled apes, but Caryas looked quite different.
“Hey, big brother. I’m here too.”
“Toya? Glad you could make it.”
Another young man joined the brothers’ conversation.
He had a sturdy build and a somewhat frivolous but stern face similar to his father.
It was Toya Cattleya, the third son of the Cattleya Marquis House.
“You came as well? I appreciate the reinforcements.”
“If only Blood were here, all the brothers would be together.”
“No, this is enough. With three of us Cattleya brothers here, we can’t possibly lose. Let’s show those barbarians what we’re made of!”
The brothers exchanged words cheerfully, yet powerfully.
The prestigious Cattleya Marquis House, a renowned family of martial arts… with three of its promising next generation gathered, it was an incredibly reassuring situation.
(Wait… there’s another brother, isn’t there…)
“So, about that fellow…”
“Ah, him.”
Suddenly, the three men’s gazes shifted.
The brothers’ faces turned towards Rest with almost audible speed.
“Whoa…!”
Rest involuntarily flinched.
Bareya, Caryas, and Toya… all three of their gazes were fixed on Rest.
“He’s… thinner than I expected.”
“He’s a Magician, after all. Apparently quite skilled.”
“He dealt with the Magical Beast Sabnock… and other powerful Monsters as well.”
“He’s reliable, but isn’t he the Rosemary Marquis House’s son-in-law?”
“My angel… does that mean Yuri-san is a concubine? He laid his hands on our treasure while having other women?”
The muttered conversation was far from complimentary, and Rest even felt like he was being glared at intensely.
“I greeted him during the march.”
“Then I suppose I should greet him as well.”
“I won’t be satisfied until I give him a piece of my mind.”
“Should we use words… or perhaps fists?”
“Since Father approves, there’s no need to interfere…”
“Why not use our hands instead of words?”
The brothers continued their ominous conversation.
Rest felt sweat trickling down his back as the atmosphere grew increasingly dangerous.
“I’ll… go take a look around over there, shall I?”
Rest tried to slip away, but suddenly, his shoulder was grabbed.
“Hold on, Count Clover.”
“We’re about to have a war council. Where are you going?”
“Eh…!?!”
Bareya and Caryas, who had been more than ten meters away just moments ago, grabbed his shoulders with incredible speed.
“We have a lot to catch up on… let’s go inside. Brother-in-law?”
Furthermore, Toya moved in front of him, blocking his escape route.
The brothers displayed an exquisite combination.
Rest didn’t think he could escape even if he used accelerated magic.
“Come now, this way. We’ll give you a tour of the fortress, okay?”
“…………Okay.”
Surrounded by the three brothers, Rest was led into the fortress.
“Lord Rest… stay strong.”
“D-do your best… Rest-kun.”
“…I don’t know anything. I saw nothing.”
Dibble, Isis, and Lübesse were nearby, but they kept their distance from Rest as if not wanting to provoke the gods.
――――――――――
April 1st: Book 1 will be released!
Melonbooks, Gamers, and Animate will each include bonus short stories with purchases.
This is all thanks to everyone who has supported me. I sincerely thank you.
Thank you for your continued support of this work.