--Please cut off my head right here and now.

　It wasn't only his father, Mastighios, who was numbly shocked by Fialat's words.

　The second-in-command Hind's face twisted into a grim expression, and above all, even Lugis, who was supposed to be his companion, stiffened his fingertips and his eyes turned grim. I'm not sure what you're talking about, the expression on your face tells me.

　Three different things. Everyone could not take in the words of the Obsidian girl at one time or another, and so they drank it in with astonishment and agitation.

　Surprisingly, the one who seemed the most calm from the side was Mastighios, who received the words head-on. At least, that's what it looked like to Hind.

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not. The first corner of his eyes had a slight spark in it.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure that's not the case.

　The first time I saw him, he was standing in the middle of the street. Mastighios was aware that his brow was creased and his lips were dry.

　Mastighios knew that Fialat was not a foolish man. From the time she was a child, her actions and words had shown that no child of hers was more intelligent than this girl. She must have been the one who understood the words Mastighios spoke the most. There was no doubt that Fialaat was the most brilliant of all my children.

　Except for a fatal flaw in her ability to use magic.

　She had more than enough magic in her body, and she had no deficiencies in her ability to draw magic from the environment. But the final point. In terms of using and igniting magic, Fialaat was not so gifted.

　It is like a jug that holds a lot of water but has too small a mouth. If you can only exhale magic little by little, it doesn't matter how much magic you have stored up. For a sorcerer, this is a fatal flaw, even more than the inability to store magic power.

　Mastighios thought that he would never understand how much this fact tormented his daughter.

　He knew that Fialaert had tried to acquire knowledge far more voraciously than the others, that she had practiced her chanting to the point of exhaustion, that she had worked on new theories of magic.

　How much can others, even my father, say about the fact that all of these efforts failed to bear fruit?

　And so, in the Borghardt dynasty, the great house of magic, those who were magicians but could not use magic well were subject to persecution and ridicule. The Volgograd family was no exception to this rule.

　No, I'm sure it was because they were a famous family that the thorns of pressure clung to Fialaat's shoulders and bit into his skin even more.

　How much of his soul had been wounded, how much blood had been spilled. It's not something others can understand.

　All Mastighios could do was to let Fialat escape from the cage of Borvat. In academia, he is not without talent. A city-state far away would allow him to develop his talents. So I sent him off.

　--And so it was that the Gospel War began.

　The walled city of Galuamaria has fallen. There was even rejoicing in the household when they heard that Fialaert was not only missing, but dead or alive.

　A girl of incompetence is not worthy of Volgograd. Perhaps that is normal for a sorceress.

　But unfortunately, Mastighios, while he was favored by the gods for his magical talent, was not a sorcerer by nature. This was largely due to his innate nature and the influence of his grandfather.

　To Mastighios, Fialat's death was as close as he got to killing him with his own hand on his neck. No, that's the whole truth. His own inadequacies brought his daughter to the brink of death.

　When he heard she was alive, when he saw her in person. The emotions that came to Mastighios' mind were too complicated. Relief and joy that she was alive. But great anxiety and skepticism about the fact that he was on the enemy side.

　Yes, skepticism. That's the biggest feeling in Mastighios right now, and it lives in his heart.

　To Mastighios' question, Fialat paused for a beat before answering.

"Yes, my lord. Yes, my lord. I'm sure you've thought of that. Only a demon would be happy to see us, the new Kingdom of Garryth, and the Bolvaat dynasty cross spears and offer our lives to each other here and now.

　Fialaert inhaled lightly. His dark eyes looked straight at Mastighios, biting back the fear he had once shown.

"In the past, the demons have repeatedly attacked us individually. This is a threat to the nation, but not to humanity. But this time they are definitely working together to turn on us. Demons with demons, demons with demons and demons with demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons and demons If we don't join forces now, humanity will return to the past. It will be a world where demons don't live in the cracks where humanity lives, but where humanity hides in the cracks where demons live, and lives without breathing.

　And so, sooner or later, humanity will become the chattel of demons. Then it makes no difference if we die here, Fialat said smoothly.

　At least there was no falsehood in his eyes, and no agitation in his words. Regardless of the circumstances, there was no doubt that Fialaat was telling the truth in his words.

　Mastighios let out a small exhale, unnoticed by the others. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened and lightning flashed around his body. Beside him, Hind peeled his eyes open.

　I don't think everything Fialaert says is wrong. Both sides have their own agendas, but it's clear that the demons are working on something close to a coalition. No, I should say they know how to lead.

　The demons, who until now have only had a tribal chain of command, are now possessing the will of a group, as if they have gained an absolute. That alone is a threat, but then the demons and demons attack. This is definitely a danger to humanity itself.

　Yes, the messenger sent by Jace Brackenbury, the Protector of the Garlist Kingdom, had said something similar.

　--The time for choosing means and arguments is past, Lord Mastighios.

　Such words were inscribed on the message from Brackenbury, Mastighios remembered.



　That is why Mastighios had anguish running down his spine. What is the right thing to do? Is it enough to fulfill the duties of a general? What should he do now?

　But even more than that was a great deal of doubt. It was crawling around in his chest, and now it was seeping into his eyes.

　The Mastighios' gaze turned from Fialat to Lugis beside him.

"Lord Lugis. I want to make sure there are no misunderstandings.

　It is true that Fialaert is not wrong. The Mastighios understands that the reason he asked for his head to be cut off was to force him to think again.

　But Fialaert's eyes were too blank, too much of one color. It was not a sign of intelligence or determination, but something else.

　I'm sure she wouldn't think twice about having her head chopped off now. Mastighios had a gut feeling that she would accept death and take it for granted.

　That's not normal. It's more than abnormal.

　Mastighios can't understand what happened to his daughter. Should we really call this growth? Or is it warped?

　And if so, who did it?

　It's obvious now. Thunderous fire rumbled through Mastighios' body. He realized that he was not going to be able to stop his emotions from coming out.

　It was too good to be true that his daughter, once dead, had shown herself in this way. That is why I cannot kill her again, much less distort her. In the depths of Mastighios's heart, the emotions he had been holding back for so long rumbled like thunder.

"Was it you who seduced Fialaat?

　The only thing that kept Mastighios calm was the tone of his voice. The only thing that kept Mastighios calm was his tone of voice. His lips were tightly sealed and his emotions were dancing in the air. His body stood up straight, and the lightning fires that naturally arose from his body vibrated in the air, making the air tense.

　The father was upset by the daughter's words, but now it seemed that the daughter was the one being shaken by the father's words. Her dark eyes widened in shame, and her white cheeks flushed as if the sun had just set. I wondered what he was saying, and the details of his expression told me so.

　This made Mastighios sure. He knew that the one who had seduced his daughter was the hero Rougis himself.

　In the eye of the eye, Lugis opened his lips and said in a very unpleasant manner.

I'd like you to take back what you said, General. Fialaat is not a stupid or cheap woman to be seduced by me.

　Lugis said in a voice that sounded like it came from deep within his chest, and stood up to respond to Mastigios. A strange shiver covered the meeting place, and the gazes of the mage general and the hero became massive. Only the second-in-command, who was present, had a pale face.

　And then...

　--A roar of something bursting far above. And then the demonic sound of the demons covered the sky.