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This time it’s a side story between the two arcs.

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The Methuselah domain that had lost its lord had not fallen into as much chaos as was expected.

To begin with, the Lamech duke household was indifferent to the domain’s public order and they themselves got involved in evil deeds such as the circulation of dangerous drugs.

From the citizens’ perspective, it was just a continued tyranny.

Now that the tyrant had been removed and replaced by an amiable and quite capable ruler, they had no grounds to revolt.

That day, the substitute ruler was heading to the Methuselah domain from his own.

“Master Donovan, we’ll soon arrive in the Methuselah domain.”
“Right, good work. But we still haven’t arrived. Stay sharp.”
“Yeah yeah.”

The one speaking proudly while looking out the carriage window was Donovan Stolla Serwa. He was the current lord of the Stolla domain, as well as Nicole’s follower.

He was closer to the Methuselah domain, and held the margrave title that rivaled marquis, and as such, the king ordered him to act as the substitute ruler of the Methuselah domain.

His haughty attitude had quietened down, but his tone was still as domineering as before.

But that was giving a new charm to his personality.

He even did public greetings as a representative during the citizen’s festivals.

They were scared by his haughty tone at first, but their wariness disappeared instantly once they saw him trip and fall flat on his face and get a nosebleed when he was getting down from the platform after his short speech.

Since then, he had become known as a clumsy young master, and he gained their cooperation through their sympathy.

This was unexpectedly similar to Eligore’s charisma. And Nicole’s as well.

“Please stop. Coachman, stop the carriage!”

He had hired three Adventurers. They couldn’t ride his decorated noble-use carriage.

They took a formation around the carriage and walked along as they stayed vigilant of the surroundings until now. The two-horse carriage was quite big and they had quite a bit of trouble covering it with the three of them.

Those three—Sebastian, Francis, and Andrew—suddenly stopped and took defensive stances.

They had once challenged Nicole, lost, and now respected her like an elder sister. In that sense, they were quite like Donovan.

Due to such background, the three continued steadily rising up in the ranks as they received the Guild commissions.

They had an overbearing appearance, and their heads were shaved clean like skinheads.

Moreover, they had now changed into normal clothes and even removed the weird tattoos on their faces, so they were seen as slightly scary Adventurers now.

The three’s faces grew even more stern as they stopped in their tracks.

“W-What’s going on?”

Donovan peeked out of the small window used for giving instructions to the driver and asked the three to explain the situation, but the three were fully focused on the surroundings and had no time to do that.

Donovan also sensed their tension and stayed quiet and observed the situation.

Before long, the leader among them, Sebastian, opened his mouth.

“The insects have grown silent.”

It was a minor detail. A powerless client would’ve laughed it off. But Donovan knew well the importance of that detail.

This highway, like most other ones in Raum, was surrounded by forest.

And the thickets around were always full of animal and insect noises. It was also the natural symbol of Raum’s abundant nature.

And now, those sounds had suddenly stopped. As Sebastian pointed out, that was clearly a sign of an abnormal situation.

Suddenly, a being appeared before them as it cut down the trees.

It was a giant over three meters tall, with swords in both hands, and an atypical goat face.

Needless to say, it was one of the Twin-bladed Devils that were rampaging in the north.

“Enemy attack!”
“No need to scream!!”
“I can tell by looking!”

Francis and Andrew answered Sebastian’s warning.

The Devil roared threateningly towards the three.

Its scream froze the legs of the three, Donovan, the coachman, and even the horses pulling the carriage.

Their fear lasted for only a few seconds. But those few seconds was enough for the Devil to draw near.

“S̲h̲i̲t̲, you guys run! Francis, Andrew, we’re gonna hold it back here!”
“D-Don’t be stupid! It’s clearly beyond you!”
“Shut up! This is what being a guard means!”

Sebastian pulled out his sword and shield and forcibly cheered himself up, and stood before the Devil.

But the Devil’s might was apparent with one glance.

Even Donovan, who wasn’t a fighter, could tell that they were not its match.

No, Donovan was still an honors student that achieved good results at the magic academy. He was strong to a degree.

And that was exactly why he knew how hopeless this situation was. At this rate, both them and he would die in vain.

“You shut up! If you’re guards then listen to your client. We’re running. Run like your lives depend on it!”

The coachman received his order and whipped the horses.

The horses, stimulated by it, dashed with tucked tails. Once the carriage had separated enough, Sebastian’s group also attempted to flee.

However, the Devil was already allowed to come close, so it wasn’t so easy to escape. But the experience they had gained until now wasn’t for show either. They had learned the hard way that they weren’t that strong.

Thus, they couldn’t be picky with their means if they wanted to survive. They had learned the importance of preparing such means during their Adventure with Nicole’s group.

“Eat this!”

The fact that Sebastian was able to move into action after being hit by the Devil’s pressure was nothing short of a miracle.

He took out a small bag from his pouch and threw it at the Devil’s face.

The Devil sliced it down as easily as swatting a fly. The Devil wasn’t so stupid as to just get hit by it.

But that was within Sebastian’s calculations.

The contents of the sliced bag scattered about. Being hit by it, the Devil reflexively held its face and screamed.

Inside the bag was a blinding powder made with a mix of chili and black pepper. Strangely enough, it was the same thing that Ellen used in Raum.

It was a tool so that the three who lacked strength could gain time to survive. It was one of their secret moves, no longer caring about being called cowards.

“Let’s go! We should be close to the northern checkpoint!”
“Okay!”

Francis and Andrew followed Sebastian’s instructions and fled.

If they reached the checkpoint, there would be soldiers who had received formal training, as well as a fortress.

If they could survive for that long, their chances of survival would dramatically increase.

Their escape act for survival opened the curtains there.