A cold wind hit me on the cheek and made me thirsty. I regretted that I should have taken another drink of water before leaving the inn. There was no turning back now.

　Jumping over the shadows of the eaves, he led his men down the street. A great deal of noise had begun to sprout around us, and my heart began to beat faster than I knew it should.

　The soldiers probably all felt the same way I did, but none of them said a word. No matter what I thought, all I could do now was to move forward.

　Opportunity is fleeting, after all. And if you miss it even once, it's easy to disappear before your eyes. A soldier understands this from the marrow of his bones.

　The old man's plan to sneak under their feet with fire seemed to have been a success. The streets that should have been under the control of the hexenbiests were now quiet. Everyone is being forced to take some kind of action.

　Now is a good time to make a beeline for the palace. It felt strange that a commoner like me, who was once not allowed to go near the palace, could finally enter the palace under the rule of a demon.

　The only sounds around me were the footsteps of the heraldry and Gazarian soldiers. As soon as he exhaled the air in his lungs, his blue eyes moved beside him.

I think ...... Caria will be very angry. It's like a torrential downpour.

　Elddis says. She sounded fed up, or rather disgusted. It was typical of her, but I knew exactly what she meant.

　As we were marching in small numbers, I glanced behind me and saw that the usual silver and black were nowhere to be seen.

　As for Fialaat, he's just been separated from the rest of us. As for Kalia, she's different. We're forcing her to take some rest.

"You're forcing a seriously wounded man who is recuperating to come to the front line? You've got to be kidding.

　He twisted his cheeks and said in a low voice. I did my best to keep the soldiers from hearing me.

　In the previous battle with the demon, Kalia's arms and legs were gutted and she didn't look like she could move. If she was a mere human, she would not be able to use her limbs forever. In fact, if I hadn't helped him, he wouldn't have been able to eat dinner by himself.

　There's no way I could field such an opponent," Erdis said, his blue eyes flicking outward for a moment, then his mouth rippling.

Of course not. I'd still be angry. If I were in your shoes, I'd be furious and I'd be sad. I've had enough of being left behind by you.

　The words, strangely real, twisted in my chest. His blue eyes were sharp enough to pierce me and send me flying into the sky. Despite the fact that she was in the middle of a march, Erdis had an air of silence about her.

　It occurred to me that this was the second time Erdis had questioned me about Kalia. I wondered if she had said something similar to me when I tried to leave Kalia in Gazalia. Strangely enough, it seemed like a long time ago, and yet it seemed like just last night.

　Remembering such a thing in the edge of my thoughts, I opened my mouth. The great royal castle of old was already starting to come into clear view.

"Trust, no, trust Erdis. There are some things you do only because you trust them.

　Kalia was as intelligent as she was fierce. I'm sure she'll be able to figure out why I've kept her asleep and what I'm doing. And she'll act accordingly. She's that smart.

　Oh, and by the way.

　If all else fails and I die a mere mudbug. Even if I'm just a dirtbag.

　If she's still alive, she can still do something. I had such a faint feeling. That's how I feel about Fialat, and Erdis as well.

　It seems that I still haven't completely gotten over the feelings I had in the past. They are the heroes that I long for, even though I have many different feelings for them.

　I know that all of this is something I have to do. I've already done so much.

　Still, I suppose I can be forgiven for a little dreamy-eyed admiration.

　Erdis replied, "I see. Then she puckered her lips and said.

I'd like to know how much you trust me. I'd love to hear that, Rougis.

　I responded with a shrug of my shoulders, making eye contact with him. The blue eyes shine in the morning sun, making sure of their brilliance.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

　The moment he called out her name. The moment he called out her name, she stopped in her tracks. There was a glow in his vision.

　What came next was a roar and a rain of light.

　Magical arrows rained down on the street from the buildings that covered both sides. Endlessly, as if not a single person would be left alive. It was as if they were a mass of murderous intent.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Stupefying.

　It was no exaggeration to say so. The Verg, a magical beast with the lower body of a horse, slammed its tough lower body into the rock slab. I stared at the silent battlefield. A cloud of dust was rising, but there was no sign of resistance.



　I feel that humans are fragile things.

　They can't stand up to a storm of magic arrows. One rip in the arm and they almost cease to function. Many of them are too slow to move on the spur of the moment.

　His master had said that humans had become stronger, but Verg had no idea what that meant.

　In his experience, humans were only fearsome when they were in packs. No other creature is so easy to hunt when viewed alone. The Verg were not easily defeated by humans, and in fact had the strength and wisdom to do so.

　He raised his thick, muscular arms lightly and signaled to his men who were hiding in the second floor of the building. In the middle of this, something slightly approaching guilt ran through Verg's chest.

　Of course, it was not against the humans. It was for his master.

　--Deal with those who seek to ravage the city. I will not allow you to interfere with the humans on their way to the palace.

　That is his master's command. If we were to follow that order, we shouldn't be dealing with the humans on the road to the palace right now.

　But no matter how insignificant they are. I don't want to cause trouble for my Lord. Especially when it comes to the upcoming battle with the jewel. The Vague neighs its hooves.

　A hexenbiest is not strong enough to take part in a struggle between a hexenbiest and a hexenbiest. She knows that if the ruler and the jewel were to eat each other's flesh and blood, she would be powerless to do anything about it.

　That is why you should do what you can. Do what you can to help the Lord. Even if it means going against your life.

　When the cloud of dust caused by the large number of magic arrows subsided, I looked at the place where the scattered corpses must have fallen. To see if the human was among them.

　The one who had so abominably tried to kill the Lord, and yet had managed to escape. The green-clad swordsman of evil. If anyone would oppose the Lord, it would be him.

　As he peered through the cloud of dust, he realized. Her eyes widened and she whirled around.

　There's no body. No blood, not even a piece of flesh. Not a trace of human death.

　Upset and confusion rage through my brain. But before I could even let it subside, I heard a voice.

"Hold a grudge.

　I don't know if I really heard it, or if it was just an auditory hallucination. It came from behind me, barely even a hint of it. A reverberating sound that cut off the space. The sound of a blade slipping nimbly from the sky.

　I must avoid it. Such an overpowering intuition struck the Verg in the skull.

　No, no. I can't avoid it. But can you take it?

　Biting down on the swirling conflict and frustration, the Verg wriggles his legs. Even in the midst of this, the premonition of death gripped Verg's heart.

　As if Velg had made up his mind, he struck the earth with all four legs. Her huge body jumped and leaped. Shiden followed suit, opening its jaws to devour the flesh.

　A fearsome spray of blood flew through the air.