Ilias was taken off duty in the morning by order of Lord Raggedythe.
　The goal is to find him, invite him to a ceremony and a dinner party, and make him attend.
　Serious, Ilias immediately begins to roam the city, looking for him.
　But he can't find him.
　He seems to have visited the Dog Bone, but after eating, he left the place.
　He didn't say where he was after that.
　He has been to Maja's church, her home, the market, and many other places, but he can't find her.
　At this point, I began to wonder if she was hiding on purpose.
　The next thing you know, it's already dark.

I've been waiting and looking for it, but I can't find it. ...... What should I do?

　What should I do?" The cries of the stray cats echoed in vain.
　I went back to the house several times, but there was no sign that he had returned.
　In the nighttime, there were few stores open.
　So I went to the stores, including "Dog Bone".
　I'm sure I'll find him, I'm sure.

"...... Why?

　I still couldn't find it.
　Even though he wasn't physically exhausted, his mental fatigue was steadily accumulating, and it showed on his face.
　It's no use. Let's go back to the house.
　If I stay at home, that's enough for me.
　With that thought in mind, I headed back home.
　And there was someone waiting for me.

"Well, I finally found you!

　It seems he was looking for me.
　But Ilias had no idea who he was.

"Uh, who are you?
Oh, I'm an errand boy for Master Ban!

　Ban, the owner of a large merchant house in this city had a name like that.
　I hadn't had a chance to visit such an establishment since my parents passed away.
　Then, the memory of drinking with him at the Dog's Bone came back to me.
　He said he visited a merchant with a name like that.
　And I guess... Oh, there he is.
　I'm more relieved that I can finally track him down than I am that I can't.

Are you talking about the young man in my house, by any chance?
Yes, he's been kidnapped by subhumans.
What about ......?

　She's still working overtime.

.


　The next day, I went to Obaba's place in the morning and started talking to her.

I'd like to add one condition to the deal we had yesterday.

　The surrounding Kuro Wolves were buzzing. Only Obaba was quietly looking at me.

"That's short notice, the boy already agreed to it yesterday. Are you trying to overturn that?
"No, we'll have a negotiating table whether you accept the additional terms or not. But if you accept the terms, I promise you a reasonable price.
What's that?
I promise you that I will negotiate with the other party on an equal footing.
Does that mean I have to drink to be on equal terms with you?
No, I'll just give you a seat and nothing else. It's up to you.
You're saying we can't do it.
If you're sure you can do it, don't drink. We'll just arrange a meeting as promised.
...... can you tell me what your terms are?
I want you to give the Abomination a chance to leave the village.

　The crowd buzzed again, but much louder.
　Obaba silenced them by raising her hand. 　

Can I ask you something?
Yes, of course.
I knew you were obsessed with it. So why didn't you tell me to give it to you?
For two reasons. For the abomination and for you.
It will gladly leave this village. We'd be happy to give it to you. What good does it do to just give it a chance?
"As for the opportunity, who is the strongest of them all?

　I look around at the surrounding Kuro Wolves.
　After a few moments of silence, a man raised his hand.
　He's very well built and has the bearing of a warrior.

"That's me.
"Then you will duel the Abomination. If the Abomination wins, the girl will be set free.
You want me to kill the Abomination?
No, as long as one of you is incapacitated. I won't blame you if you kill him when he's too far gone.　
Oh, I see.
Obaba?


"He's just like us. He feels sorry for it and hates it. So I want him to fight you and die easy. We don't want any more abominations in the future when we trade with this village, so we want you to deal with us.
"I see.
If that's what you want, then so be it. So you'll take it?
I'll take it. I'll take it.
All right, I've got your word.
But there's no one in this village who wants to kill it and take the curse. But there's no one in this village who wants to kill him and take the curse.
No, the man will fight, if not kill, then fight.
Me?

　And then a black wolf tribe came in from outside.

"Obaba, there's a man with a weapon at the entrance to the village!
Looks like we've been picked up.

　"Looks like they're here." And they all head for the village entrance.
　There they found Grandpa Kara and the rest of the Ragdolls, as well as Mr. Ban.
　All of them were armed, creating a tense atmosphere.
　When Karaji saw us, he started walking straight ahead.
　But he stops halfway and looks back.
　Another knight of Ragdoll's squadron walked out and faced him head-on.
　The knight was armed with a huge mallet, the same weapon that had been used to defeat the bandits.
　It was the man known as Bolberakti...... Bol.
　The two of them set up their weapons, leaving the Kuro Wolves dumbfounded at the sight.

"Huh!

　With a shout from Kara, a flash of a spear struck Bol.
　The spear was so fast that he could not even see it, and of course he caught it with his hammer.
　At that moment, a roar and a shock wave were generated around him, and were felt by everyone present.
　Grandpa Kara's thrusts did not stop.
　However, while handling it, Boru seized the opportunity and swung down his hammer.
　Kala narrowly avoided the blow and the hammer plunged into the ground.
　The vibration was so strong that it shook the houses in the village.
　Yesterday, I compared them with the Kuro Wolves and gave them a fair score.
　But now, their movements were overwhelming.
　Each strike sent shockwaves through the village.
　The black wolf tribe watching them couldn't help their shocked expressions.

"Whoa!
Haaaa!

　Finally, the two sides collide with each other with their best blows, and an extremely large impact occurs.
　Some of them fell back and fell on their backs.

"Well, that's about right.
You're not getting any worse, are you?
You, too. Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

　The two men laughed as if nothing had happened.
　They walked up to the strongest man in the village and called out to him.

They are not going to fight. They are not here to fight. They are here in small numbers to show off their prowess so as not to be underestimated.
"......
"Then let us begin. They will do nothing but watch. The strongest man in the village will duel.

　The man tightens his grip on his weapon.
　There's no option for him to cut corners now.
　After such a great performance, if he were to cut corners and fight warmly in front of the knights and the tribe, he would publicly show the difference in his abilities.
　Even if they were to negotiate on equal terms through dialogue, they would be under a lot of pressure in the future.
　If they cannot prove their strength as a tribe here, they will not be able to consider themselves mentally equal to the humans.
　While the villagers were preparing to bring the girl, Grandpa Kala walked up to them.
　He bows to Obaba and stands beside her.

"How is it, did you get what you ordered?
"It was a good performance. I think you'll find it interesting.
I'm not so sure. I'm a little worried about ...... and what I have to do afterwards.
Excuse me. I'm sorry, but Grandfather Kara is the one who can ask the most of the Raggedy Crows.
I'm sure that's not a bad thing to say. Well, it looks like they're here.

　A girl is brought in by the villagers.
　She is poked with a stick and driven into the square.
　The spear in Grandpa Kara's hand makes a sound at this scene.

"Please try to control yourself. I know it's the hardest thing you'll ever have to do.
"Oh, I believe in you, kid.
Would you like me to go and say something?

　She turns to Obaba and points at the girl.

I don't mind.

　As soon as she replies, he stands up and walks over to the girl.
　The girl is trembling.
　It's no wonder, the stares around her are filled with avoidance.
　I whisper in the girl's ear.


　The girl rolled her eyes and looked at me, but I ignored her and went back to Obaba and sat down.
　In the center of the square, the village's strongest warrior and the hated girl are face to face.

'You've done well to incite them, my boy. It's hard for a tribe to get away with something like that. ......　
It'll all be over in an instant.
The bravest young man in the tribe will be forced to deal with the cursed abomination. ...... If he is cursed and loses his life, we'll be screwed either way. ...... That was the real goal, wasn't it? Yeah, that's what they did to me.
I'll know what you're really up to in a minute. You can start as you wish.
All right, ......, both of you!

　The man is holding a stone axe and the girl is standing there with her sword slumped in her hand.
　The girl is standing there with her sword slumped in her hand, looking at me anxiously. 　

"Kara, please.
"...... Mm.

　The spear that Karaji was holding in the ground tilted.

"Start!
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!

　The man shouted and jumped into the air, swinging his stone axe.
　His speed was second to none even to Grandpa Kara and the others.
　Anyone can see he's going all out.
　The girl squeezes her eyes shut, drops her sword, and tries to protect herself with her arms.
　She doesn't have the skill or even the idea to use a weapon.
　The stone axe swung down with all its might and accurately caught the girl's arm and head.
　--It shattered them to pieces.

"What?

　It wasn't just the man who was astonished. It was not only the man who was astonished, but also all the Kuro Wolves in the room who made faces of disbelief.
　And when they saw the man who had stopped moving, they shouted.

Now!　End that life with your own hands!
Aaaaah!

　The girl screams and pulls her right arm back wide.
　Then, with all her strength, she thrusts her right hand into the chest plate of the man who has stopped moving.
　A dazzling light rushes out.
　This is an enormous amount of magic, nothing built up, just stupidly contained magic leaking out into the surroundings.
　It lacks the sophistication of the blow with which the Iliad kicked the undead, and its destructive power is far inferior.
　But the man who had been struck by the vast amount of magic power flew through the air, over the crowd, and slammed into a house far behind.

"......

　Everyone was speechless. 　
　The strongest man in the village had been defeated by the weakest abomination in the village.
　He gave it his all and was defeated in an instant.
　They just froze, unable to comprehend it.
　Breathing a sigh of relief, he tells Obaba.

"This is what I really want.

　She stands up and walks over to the girl.
　The girl doesn't understand exactly what has happened to her.
　She looks at the palm of her hand and has a strange look on her face.

"Listen, all of you, this girl you hated is not a cursed child.

　The girl you abhor is not cursed.

This girl is an albino, a genetic disorder, not a curse, just a personality that affects one in ten thousand people.

　The albino, whose existence is well known on Earth, is just one of those things that have existed for a long time.
　In a village with a tribe of only a hundred people, albinism would have occurred at intervals throughout history.

"The death of a parent for having a child, the loss of a wife, the man's disgust at his child, and the lagging behind of a beast because of his heartache are all common tragedies that can happen in any country.

　It is the combination of this rare occurrence and the tragedy that has doomed this girl to persecution.

"But without knowing it, you feared the combination of tragedies and created a cursed abomination that never existed. Your folly in not understanding your ignorance and seeking an easy outcome, that is your sin!

　All this would not change the awe they felt for this child.
　Only an old lady who can see through the lies can believe what I'm saying now.
　But that's okay. So I'll tell them the words they'll regret most.

"But there will be some who won't believe you. But there will be those who won't believe me because their delusional beliefs are correct. That's why I made you fight this duel. To prove the value of this girl.

　He takes the girl's white hair in his hand.

"Plants and trees change their appearance according to the magic in the air. Excessive magic will cause the plants to wither.
　The reason for the ecology of the plants I saw on the mountain where the Kuro Demon King was killed is the same as the case of this girl.
"There is a place near here where transparent trees live. These trees grow by feeding on the vast amount of magic contained in the air, and the excess magic spills out from their leaves as light. Just like the shine of this hair.

　Yes, that's the reason why this girl's hair was shining.
　Her hair was overflowing with magic power.

Kuro is the color that can catch the most light, but this girl didn't need black to catch the light from the outside. But this girl didn't need black to receive light from the outside, because she had the light of magic power overflowing from within. She was born with the promise of possessing an abundance of magical power from the start.

　After embracing the girl, the reason the possession technique worked was because her touch caused her overflowing magic power to interfere with the possessed spirit, and that magic power seeped in.
　That's how extraordinary the amount of magic power this girl possesses is.
　I checked with Mr. Ban, and he said that her talent was once--

"Her talent is comparable to that of a hero who once defeated a demon king.

　The black wolf's expression wavered.

"This child is not an abomination. This child was not an abomination, but a miracle given by the heavens to you who live in fear of the Demon Lord.



　That's why I sent this girl to fight.
　This girl had a talent that made it certain that she would win.
　From the time she was a baby, when she didn't have enough magic power, she had enough magic power to make the plants around her wither from overnutrition, and she possessed a unique magic power that allowed her to interfere with the spirits in her opponent's body just by touching them.
　Even I, who would not normally be able to detect the presence or absence of magic power, could sense the signs from his appearance.
　Once I had confirmed it, I didn't hesitate anymore.
　I asked Mr. Van to teach me just how to release the magic power.
　It was the same principle as when Ilias grabbed the stone hammer with one hand and crushed it.
　It's not even a technique, it's just strengthening the body with violent magic power.
　The body was originally incapable of stopping magic from leaking out, so he was able to acquire a way to release it all at once in no time.
　At first, I thought it would be a good idea to show it as a demonstration, but when I heard Ban's muttering, "You're as good as Ilias-sama ......," I arranged this occasion.
　There's nothing to be afraid of if you're equal to that gorilla.
　And there are two main reasons why I took this approach, one is for the girl. 　
　She had the power and the talent to wipe out the fear of this village.
　She just wasn't given the chance.
　So I gave it to her and let her win her freedom with her own hands.
　I'm not feeling it yet, but that's okay.
　This experience will surely become the foundation for this girl.
　And the other reason, as I told Obaba, is for the good of this village.
　In the future, if we continue to trade with the Taze, we will be exploited by malicious people if we remain stuck in superstition and unreliable information.
　That's why I made them understand and regret what they've done.
　The reality is that they have killed a girl's talent that could have overwhelmed the best warrior in the village.
　--It was simply because of my inexperience that I condemned her rather than admonishing her for her personal feelings.
　If this changes the village, I have no complaints. If it doesn't, the relationship between equals will end without touching.

"Then I'll take the girl as promised. I will make good on the rest of my promise.

　With that, he left the village with Kara and the others.
　The girl looked curious as she walked through the forest for the first time.
　None of the Kuro Wolves wanted to keep her.
　What that meant - it was too early to tell.

"...... boy, that was a great performance!

　When they got back to the cave, it was Grandpa Kara who broke the silence.
　He patted me on the back and I relaxed.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't rebel against me, even though I did my best to accuse you, ...... really.

　I'm not going to lie, I was scared the whole time!
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.
　I'm not sure what to make of it.

He's not an abomination. This is not an abomination, this is a miracle child given by the heavens to you who live in fear of the Demon Lord.

　He's even mimicking my face.
　Please stop. It's a very embarrassing line to think about!
　How much courage do you think it takes to say that with a straight face?
　You can't do it unless you've made up your mind about this girl.

Please give me a break. ...... Really.
No, no, no, that felt really good, girl!

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.

"...... boy, can you please clear up this misunderstanding quickly?
"Yes, yes, I understand.

　To be honest, I don't feel comfortable explaining this to a girl, but .......
　The reason why Grandpa Kara came to our side was not to protect us.
　It's to spur the girl on.
　Thanks to Ban's lecture, he learned how to release the magic, and the plan seemed to be solid, but there was a problem.
　The girl has a strong fear of the villagers.
　I'm worried that she'll be consumed by that fear and forget what I taught her.
　So, ......, yes.
　I've got a play for you.
　The girl was open to me.
　I took advantage of that.

"If you lose this duel, you're dead. But don't worry, if you don't, I'll die with you.

　I told him and asked him to point the spear at Kara.
　She's a very good girl, you know, if she thought that the first person to give her a good will would die because of her, right?
　So, I decided to disregard my fear of the villagers. .......

I'll get around to it.
What ...... is ......?

　I'm sure you're aware that there is a difference in the guilt of deception between an evil man like Docora and this innocent girl.
　He left the astonished look on Kara's face and proceeded through the cave.
　The girl follows closely behind.

What should I do? ......

　This time, because of the girl's talent, the story was able to end in a refreshing way.
　But what if it was just a symptom of albinism?
　Would it have been possible to wipe away her trauma and make the people of the village understand the mistake they had made?
　Think about the impossible hypotheticals in your mind.
　Could they complain to the Táiz about the discrimination and persecution and use their position as trading partners to blame them?
　Or do you just pull her away from the village and teach her to forget the past and look only forward to the future?
　Or you can ask a real, proud hero like Kara or Ilias to save her. .......
　If those don't work, what would you have done?
　The tears I shed for the girl were real.
　But the anger and hatred that welled up is also real.
　What would I have done if I had just let it happen?

Well, only time will tell, won't it?



　When I get back to Taze, I'll clean this girl up first.
　I wonder if I can ask Cyra to make her some clothes she can wear.
　I want to feed Godz.
　I'll ask Maja to help us communicate with each other.
　After that, I'll have to think of a name for her.
　There's still a lot to do, but we'll take our time.
　I can do most anything to get to the future that lies ahead.

"......
What's the matter, kid? You're stopping ......
What's up ......?

　The knights following you can't help but chuckle.
　As soon as you leave the cave, it emerges from the bushes.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　Ilias was smiling with a blank look in his eyes.