The royal city of Arche spat out from its gates a demonic force and a crowd of people accompanied by it. Men and women alike, they walked with a languid gait. Their appearance is diverse.

　Some are in perfect physical condition. Some are missing an arm. Some with battle scars and bandages. But none of them were unharmed.

　Many of them were soldiers. Those who wielded their spears and shields to the last to protect the capital. Unfortunately, they were the ones who were captured and not killed.

　The demons that surround them and draw them in are demonic. They are so large that a human would look up to them. Even the relatively small ones were about a size larger than an adult male.

　Every human had a definite premonition.

　We're going to die here. Your heads will be split open and your hearts will be ripped out as an example. After all, the people the demons had taken with them had never returned.

　The thought of it makes me nervous to the point of shaking. I want to fall to my knees right here and now. Everyone had such thoughts, yet no one started to scream and cry.

　Men and women alike, they were soldiers of the Garristo Nation. Among them, there were those who stood their ground and fought back against the demonic until the end. Some of them were citizens who acted bravely.

　That's their pride. You can call it pride in being human. Even though their hearts are crushed by the cold prospect of death, the light of dignity alone keeps them standing tall.

　Every time they take a step forward, the threads of tension feel as if they are going to burst. My heart pumped blood through my body more than it should have, and my breath leaked out with a strange heat. I wonder what will happen. Somehow I was conscious of not thinking about it.

　The demonic Kobold, walking in the lead, said with a strange movement of his feline face. A light-colored fairy-like thing was flying beside him.

I've done this three times now and I'm getting tired of it. It's a rule, so listen.

　The soldiers were more than a little surprised that a demon could show intelligence and come up with words. They had experienced it a few times during their captivity, but they still couldn't get used to it. I felt as if I were having a bad dream when I heard the cat face speak.

　The fairy beside the kobold shines its dull light.

If you swear allegiance to us now, obey us and we'll forgive you, the demoness said. What do we do?

　The Kobold says, sounding quite unconcerned. It's as if he's not interested in answering his own question. I guess it's true that I'm getting bored.

　It can't be helped. It is natural to get used to and weary of seeing the same scene over and over again, whether it is a person or a demon.

　So this was the third time Kobold had seen or heard this. A relatively large woman standing in the front said.

"No, don't be silly. What have you done to our homeland?　Don't you hexenbiests get carried away. His Majesty the King will come for your heads. Remember who'll be begging for your life then!

　It was a good dare. There aren't many people who can speak so openly while on the verge of death. Or, more accurately, no one has so far.

　Kobold's pupils widened.

"Well. Brave. You have spirit. But even people like that end up crying for help and forgiveness. What about you?

　The cat face bared its small fangs in front of the woman. It's not a threat, just a smile. It's a sneer. It was a mockery. Maybe he was annoyed that she was acting so dignified.

"Let me tell you something. You and the rest of them. You and the others didn't die fighting bravely, you died running. That's what they'll know inside. And as punishment, your families will be humiliated and killed by other people. They'll die cursing you.

　Kobold didn't miss the tightening of the woman's eyes, nor those of the soldiers around her. Even though he was a little bored, Kobold still loved this moment to the point of trembling. The way that his hard-earned resolve was being shaken to the core.

　You understood. He would have been ready. Many of their families are still in King's Landing. If you stand up to them, of course the families you failed to protect will die.

　Killed, raped, or enslaved. That's what usually happens to fallen cities. So you're prepared for that.



　But it is not true that if you are prepared, you will never be shaken. The human spirit is not that strong. Kobold knew that very well.

　The demons around him were chortling and laughing at him.

"If you have a husband, he'll die alive with his intestines eaten. If you have a daughter, she'll be pregnant with a hexenbiest. Do you want a kobold for a grandchild? Or a troll? I'll let you decide.

　Perhaps that was the end of it. The woman growled and waved her arms to drown out the Kobold's voice. She was shackled, but it was still better than nothing.

　He would die for sure. In an inexpressibly cruel way. But still, it was better than being confronted with such a miserable reality. I thought.

　But the woman couldn't die.

　Neither could the soldiers around her. They cut off her legs, devoured her arms, burst her eyes. They treated her like a toy. It was as if she couldn't die. The demons would never allow it. They are commanded to do so by their master.

"You guys should've died in the fight. You should've died in battle. It would've been easier.

"Uh-oh, aaahh!

　No conversation, no response. There was only an overabundance of screaming. Every time the cobolt's sharp fingers pierced his eye socket, it sounded.

　The fairy was shimmering in the dead snow as it watched.


　The fairy swayed in the dead snow as it watched.


"...... Isn't it awful. It's been like this for a while now. I'm not sure what to do.

　The old man said, holding his hands around his temples and showing his tongue. The screams that had been echoing in my ears for a while now finally left my ears.

　Elddis opened her mouth, her expression contorted. It was as if she was about to spit out something nasty.

"Looks like we've got company. It's the specialty of spirits and fairies to carry voices and visions on the wind.

　So... Suddenly, a scream came into my ears, and I couldn't hear anything else. I felt a slight pain in my back teeth, which I had been biting down on unknowingly. I was shaken by the voice, and my vision was blurred.

I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure what to make of that.

　Mattia says with a pained expression, showing a pale face.

　That's probably true. If you keep hearing the screams and exclamations of people being strangled to death, anyone would lose their mind. It's not just the people, it's the soldiers too.

　Especially, I heard that the soldiers in this fort were part of the national army. They belonged to the same organization, received the same training, and may have even talked to each other.

　It's hard to be serious when you keep hearing about people like that dying.

　It's the worst feeling. I haven't felt like this in a long time. Even the depths of the earth would have a better prison. I let out a breath. My mouth was hot.

"So, ...... why are we just standing by? There must be a reason.

　Of course, it would definitely be an invitation to do something like that. I'm not sure what to make of it. It was not this outrageous, but it was a common practice on the battlefield.

　It is much easier to fight a battle on the plains than to fight an opponent holed up in a fort or fortress. That's why it's always a battle of endurance in these situations.

　But as far as I can tell, there are only a few hundred of these demons. If that's the extent of their numbers, then old Richard should have been able to attack without being invited.

　If the enemy were normal. His white beard wavered in the corner of his eye.

You know what I mean. Your men will die for nothing, heraldic saint. When they invaded King's Landing. Of course there was no one in King's Landing when they attacked.

　I'm sure you're not the only one. It's not like there was no one in King's Landing.

　But it still didn't work.

　The old man said with little movement of his mouth. There's a deep, quiet rage in his voice that I've never seen before. I can't see his expression. But right now, he's certainly feeling an emotion that can't be expressed in words.

"- Majin. There's a peculiar one they call it. It's safe to say that the capital fell because of one of them.



　Neymar, the second-in-command who was standing beside the old man, said in a quiet voice. But I can still feel the excitement in his voice. I guess we all feel the same unbearable thing.

　The peculiarity of the demon - that is, the original. What makes a demon or a demoness what they are. It is the proof of their existence, a miracle far beyond magic and military might.

　I'm not sure what to make of it. Valerie, the watcher, is no different. I don't need to ask how much of a threat she is.

The earth distorts before her and soldiers fly apart. I don't know anything about logic or magic theory. ...... I dare say. There was nothing I could do.

　The earth that we should stand on is shaken, and so the soldiers are swept away by an unknown force. Its true nature is unknown.

　Well, I'm getting sick of hearing that. It's not someone I'd want to go toe to toe with in earnest.

　At the very least, if you attack them with a large army, they will have the means to outflank you. But if you go for an endurance battle, you'll get the worst of it.

　A sigh escapes from the depths of my lungs. Emotions are moving around in my chest to an unbearable degree, but I can't find a place to put them. That's how I felt. Unknowingly, I chew the tobacco.

"So, old man.

　I say, letting out a breath. A peculiar smell ran through my nostrils. Richard's old man's deep eyes looked at me. He lifted his cheeks and said.

You're not just going to hunker down until the snow is gone, are you?　If you're an old geezer, so be it.

　The old man adjusts his teeth and moves his throat widely. He even looks like he's smiling.

"You idiot. Who the hell are you to talk to me? You haven't forgotten King's Landing in all these years, have you?

　I wonder who this old man is talking to. Maybe he's an old geezer after all.

　King's Landing is where I grew up, where I ran around the back streets. I know its alleys, its gutters. I know where the sewers are. It's all in my head. The memory of crawling in misery still lives on.

　Yeah, all of it.

　He snapped his teeth and lifted his cheeks wide like that. The old man had the same look on his face as I did.