"Eldew, what's the situation over there?"

"No signs for now."

Eldew's usual cold voice echoed not far from me.

Standing on the tower of the city wall with the widest view, I nervously rubbed my hands. Although I am great and have faced this kind of scene dozens of times, I still can't completely adapt to the impending atmosphere calmly.

…

This city wall is too high! How could it be so high! The trees below look like beans, how tall is this wall!

It's so scary, really scary. What if I fall down? Would I be scared to death before I even hit the ground?

Why doesn't such a high wall have any railing or something? What would happen if my fragile body gets blown off by the wind?

Who designed this damn wall? Why dig a moat? Wrap the wall with cotton!

Now, I am huddled in a corner of this tower, hugging my head.

Yes, I am scared of heights. But so what? It's natural for living beings to be afraid of heights. If someone says they are not afraid, it means they are not in a high enough place!

"Master, how useless are you? Can't even handle lookout duty? If you're so scared of heights, why didn't you just wait at the city gate?"

Meruvie, as always, expressed her thoughts bluntly.

"Hmph, you don't understand. I am the Sea King Camey, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I am a great person. The hero coming today must be some trailing hero who can't even make it onto the ranking. As long as I look down on them with dignity, they should be scared and run away crying."

With my back to the endless wilderness, I nervously poked at the dust on the ground and said to Meruvie.

The cold sweat breaking out all over my body dried up with the autumn wind, it was a bit cold. I must have been trembling when I spoke, probably because I was freezing.

Damn it, why hasn't the hero arrived yet? What will happen if my noble body catches a cold?

"Ohooho, Master! It's here, a shrine is floating towards us from over there!"

Suddenly, Meruvie yelled loudly.

Being spirited is also one of her advantages.

"Oh, here it comes. Eh? The shrine is floating over? Is the hero this time carrying a mobile shrine?"

I stood up in disbelief.

A mobile shrine is not something an ordinary hero party can possess.

I turned around and all I saw was the endless wilderness, and then all those sceneries were under my feet...

No good, I almost fainted.

I forced myself to stay alert and looked in the direction of the small Meruvie. She was looking at a completely different direction from the wilderness.

"You idiot, what are you looking at? That side is the Sea of Despair."

I slapped Meruvie's head hard.

To the south of Moria is an ocean called the Sea of Despair.

As the name suggests, the Sea of Despair is a sea where no living beings can survive. Even aquatic monsters like me and my maid sisters cannot survive, let alone humans.

"Is it true?"

Meruvie buried her head and looked at me with a grievance.

Although I know it's impossible, looking at this little maid, my heart is shaking.

"Master, they really have come, and they are indeed carrying a mobile shrine."

Eldew, with a indifferent gaze at the distant wilderness, also joined the conversation with an unquestionable tone.

"Huh? Really, they've come?"

My heart was lifted again.

"Why do you believe Sister's words?"

Meruvie pouted in discontent.

"They are already very close, you just need to take a look to see."

Eldew continued.

"Huh? I still need to take a look? Uh, yeah, you're right, without seeing it, I can't confirm... Okay, just one look, just one glance."

I trembled as I moved away the hand that had been covering my eyes, and then squinted, leaving only a narrow slit.

Then, I saw.

The opponent I was about to wage war with, the hero team.

A hero team consists of a minimum of three members and a maximum of eight members.

Heroes first need the certification from the Adventurer's Guild in the continent, and then they must be affiliated with a church that is recognized by the United Church, in order to form a hero team with the qualification to wage war against the demon race.Among the various hero groups on the continent, there is also a ranking system. However, only the top one thousand hero groups are eligible for a specific number. The hero groups outside of this ranking are generally considered to be just small fries.

Generally, hero groups have a base. Because the heroes need to travel around the continent, the base is often a means of transportation. The small fries outside of the ranking usually use carts or carriages as their bases. Those hero groups who have achieved some notable deeds, gained recognition, and made a name for themselves have slightly more advanced bases, such as magic-powered cars or refined Kin cars. The more impressive hero groups even acquire ancient relics and use movable buildings as their bases, commonly known as "mobile churches" or "mobile temples". More exaggeratedly, some of the top-ranking hero groups are said to use floating islands as their bases, but I have not personally witnessed this, so I cannot guarantee the truth of these rumors.

Today, the opponent I am facing is not simple.

Because, I saw a large building flying at low altitude towards us.

It was an antique, massive temple. No, calling it a temple might not be accurate; perhaps "castle" would be more appropriate.

The overall structure of the giant building was made of white stone, but every stone emitted an ancient aura, showing severe signs of erosion by the passage of time. The only color on the building came from the intricate plant-like vegetation covering it, resembling seaweed.

Although it was flying on land, when I first saw this temple, I had the illusion that it was in the deep sea. Even from a considerable distance, I could still smell the distinct scent of the sea breeze.

For some reason, this majestic, ancient temple filled with the aura of the ocean felt incredibly familiar to me.

I suppose it must be the feedback from the memories that have been dormant within me for thousands of years.

"What a joke! Isn't this the Sea God Temple?" I couldn't help but scream in a high-pitched voice. A hero group that uses such a high-level relic as their base is definitely not a simple role to deal with.

Enough with the kidding around. I can't even defeat those small fries still riding in their horse-drawn carriages. Facing this hero group, I might as well go find the Demon Lord to wrestle naked!

The autumn wind blows, hmm.

The autumn wind on this day is truly chilly.