Episode7(S1-1)：THE FOUR KNIGHTS

【The Royal Capital, The Kingdom of Prerahar, A certain day, E.C. 1657. 】

Ras Shamra was destroyed. The news quickly spread throughout the kingdom.

At first it was just a bit of hearsay. Even if all the people in Ras Shamra had been wiped out, the fact would mysteriously become known to those around them. It is spread from person to person, directly or through written information, and travels around like an explosive infection. The impact was particularly devastating in Ras Shamra, a town that had prospered as the embodiment of peace. This is also the moment when the increasing damage caused by Hexenbiests, which had been on the rise in recent years, became more serious.

At first, even the kingdom's top officials refused to believe the rumors, dismissing them as isolated incidents. It is more difficult to believe it when you hear that a town that has claimed to be one of the most peaceful and safe places for the past several hundred years has been destroyed in just one day. But as time goes by, it changes from a rumor to a certainty. Information and people exchanges were severed, and what was revealed when a survey team was dispatched on the basis of this information was a town in a state of utter disrepair. Houses are burned down, and things that are indistinguishable from The Humans and Hexenbiests lie in the street. The clear, beautiful streets are wet with brown blood, and there is no sign of the bustle of the past. It is hard to believe that it was once a town of peace. It was that devastating.

“This is ......”

Barbot de la Lusterion, The King of Prerahar, spoke to himself as soon as he read the report. But he could not spin the words that followed. It was that shocking.

“Let me know what you guys think.”

Barbot, exhaling heavily, asks The Four Knights who share his seat for their opinions. They are one of the few under the direct command of the king in the kingdom, and they advise him daily as experts in anti-Hexenbiests. The word "knight" here means "one who serves the king," and in fact, there are not only military officers but also civilian officers.

They pass around a parchment given to them by the king, and their opinions are expressed.

“This is ...... After all, is it the effect of the activation of Hexenbiests, which has become a problem in recent years?”

So says Grullius Zenon, the first of The Four Knights. He has served the king since the time of the previous king and prides himself on his loyalty to the king, which is greater than any other. Barbot feels the same way and values his presence more than anyone else.

“But it is believed that Hexenbiests do not have a social structure. Above all, until now, they have been a passive counterattack against those who attacked us. Active raids like this one are unprecedented.”

Aela Quis, one of the few women among the kingdom's soldiers to grow a head of platinum colored hair, replies. In contrast, Galianot Maxwell, a large man with a strong physique, snarls and deepens his consideration.

“Is there a reason, you say?”

“Yes. That's the possibility that someone is plotting behind the scenes.”

“There's still too little information out there. About the case, but most of all about the Hexenbiest itself: ......”

With a sigh, Barbot doused the goblet with water from a jug and drank it down in one gulp. he feels that problems are happening more and more frequently these days. The same is true for the Hexenbiests and the abnormal weather that is occurring in many areas, although it has not yet been publicized.

The Kingdom of Prerahar has its The Royal Capital at the center of the country, from which large towns develop in all directions. He had just received information a few days earlier that abnormal weather was hitting the towns located in the four directions of east, west, south, north, and west of the city.

“By the way, you've been sitting there thinking since a few minutes ago, have you figured anything out as The Heavenly Priestess? I believe you was with the survey team as well: ......”

Barbot speaks to a girl sitting right next to him. Her name is Ephemera Ilah. The Heavenly Priestess is the title given to her for her important position in the state religion of this country. Her hair, a mixture of moonless-dawn color and twilight colors, is gathered together, and her large cat-like eyes droop gently to create a dainty and fragile look. Although outwardly aged in her mid-teens, her exact age, born and raised as an orphan, was no longer known or cared about by anyone.

“Yes, that's right. If I had to worry about something, would it be the number of deaths? Not of The Humans, but of Hexenbiests.”

“Hexenbiests?”

“Yes. Ras Shamra is a town of peace. Naturally, I would say, security was less tight than in other towns. This is evident in the number of soldiers who died. But if that is the case, don't you think that the number of deaths of Hexenbiests is too high?”

In fact, the number of soldiers killed in the Ras Shamra incident is only about 150 that can be confirmed - if civilians are included, the number increases to several thousand and counting - while the number of deaths of Hexenbiests is said to be at least a thousand or more.

“Indeed it is. Perhaps there was a civilian strike force, but even taking that into account, it's extraordinary.”

“Not only on the side of the Hexenbiests, but also on the side of their opponents, there may be people who are plotting behind the scenes.”

“But for what?”

“Now, why is that?”

The four of them racked their brains, but they had no clues or even predictions. Time just passes, and they pursue answers that they don't even understand.

“First of all, let's increase security in each town and village. I want each of you to look into the cause of the problem, the root cause, and how to prevent it in the future.”

Each of the four responded and set about their respective tasks. Barbot looks away from them, then leans back in his chair and looks up at the ceiling. The ceiling, supported by fine, ornate columns, overlooks him with colorful paintings. It is painted in the motif of a mythical war that is said to have once taken place here, with countless The Angels and The Devils pointing their weapons at each other.

Does God exist? If so, could you please lend us a hand?

Barbot muttered weakly in his mind, and then he got up and went about his duties again.

【Near Ras Shamra, The Kingdom of Prerahar, June 8, E.C.1657.】

The blue sky that extends beyond the mountain peaks is cloudless. A scorching sun ring sits at a point slightly tilted to the west from the zenith, brilliantly illuminating the ground. The flowers, grasses, and trees that fill the Prerahar Plains grow tall to maximize their exposure to sunlight. It embodied a calm passage of time, idyllic and peaceful to all intents and purposes. There is nothing there that speaks of the tragedy at Ras Shamra. There is nothing there that reminds you of the rubble covered in blood and pieces of flesh.

And then a horse gallops across that peace-covered plain. A young man straddles his back and a girl flies just above his head. The horse, called Da Darg, is composed entirely of machines and has twilight colored horns extending from its head. It is no longer a presence that should be allowed to exist in the world of mankind, and stands out as a distinctly different entity in the midst of this peaceful plain.

Quon Alfein, a young man astride the back of a mechanical horse, is terrified by the speed that surpasses that of a normal horse, but somehow manages to cling to the horse's back and bathe his entire body in the wind. He somehow manages to ask the girl flying overhead, feeling suffocated by the wind he is exposed to.

“Hey! Where are we going now?”

The sound of the wind seemed to drown out the voice, but the girl recognized the voice and looked back at the owner of the voice, who was clinging to a horse running alongside below her. This girl, Alpina, called herself The Devil and offered Quon a contract with her, but the fact that she is flying in the sky like this without a care in the world makes him wonder if she really is The Devil, an element worthy of believing.

She replies, her hair and clothes swept by the headwind created by her flight.

“Masomra, where you live, is by the forest northeast of Ras Shamra, right? That's where we're headed. From now on you will devote your time to me according to our contract. But it is certain to be fraught with danger. Before you do that, say hello to your family at least once, to avoid any hassle.”

“...... You're a very humane The Devil. I thought that kind of thing would be taken out more forcefully: ......”

“There used to be many The Devil who would do so, but unnecessary trouble and distrust would lead to fewer contracts, wouldn't it? Contracts are made only as a form of enjoyment, not as The Devil's tribe obligation, but it's always better to avoid trouble.”

Besides," Alpina leaps in front of Da Darg. When flying and facing Quon, she crosses her arms and legs while flying backwards. She laughs in an ostentatious manner as if she were sitting in an easy chair.

“If you go on a journey with nothing, you will die in vain. You are just The Human Child. At least have a sword and some money.”

Quon laughs to himself, "After all, she is a very humane The Devil," and Alpina soars high again. Then she would fly overhead to look down on Quon.