When I was gagged with the Borvat soldiers and on the road, the savage voice of a soldier struck my ear. It sounded like a scream, the howl of a beast.

　I can't see it clearly. But just by hearing it, it's easy to imagine what's going on.

　A battlefield. A battlefield that should be over is still breathing and pulsating in Galuamaria. This battlefield music is proof of that.

"Hey, hey, didn't Borvat stop for us?　Or can't they stop?

"...... I'm afraid it's the latter, Commander Lugis. I apologize. There are undisciplined people in every army.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life. The expression on Hind's face, whether it is typical of a soldier or a sorcerer, shows no intention of hiding his emotions. Hind's eyes were bare of emotion.

　From the tone of his words, it seems that this was something that he did not expect.

　Then it's a bad situation, but not the worst. If he had been fundamentally betrayed by Borvat's army, then there was nothing he could do about it.

　If it was just the sub-army rattling their fangs selfishly, then there was nothing I could do about it. The spot between his eyes was hot and his teeth were clicking together.

"Hold on a moment, gentlemen!

　As he galloped along, grasping the reins tightly, the Borvat soldier leading him raised his hands in the air and shouted. The expression on his face was obscured by his helmet, but there was a hint of impatience in his tone.

　It was a clear indication that something was wrong.

　That's not good. Don't tell me you've already received word that Garou Amalia has fallen. I don't think that's going to happen as long as Kalia's around.

　The Bolvaart soldier didn't have time to catch his breath, and said with a slight slowness in his voice.

"There are demons in the streets!　We're fighting back now. Please wait here.

　His expression twisted and his brow wrinkled up at the words.

　Of course, this is the age of snow and death. It's not surprising that monsters and demons are everywhere. In fact, it would be more unusual for humans to appear.

　However, I wish you would choose your time and place a little more carefully. At the same time as I clicked my tongue in my mouth in impatience, I heard the voice.

　A familiar voice, very familiar.

"No, no, no. Who's a demon? I am and always have been a proud Hexenbiest. I don't want to be lumped in with those creeps.

　A bright voice. At the same time, the body of a soldier blows away, grunting. They both bounced off the snow with a clatter. It was a rather shocking sight.

　The soldier's voice indicated that he was still alive, but his bones were probably broken. No, I should say that I was lucky to have it under control.

　After all, if he really wanted to, he could have killed her on the spot.

　He walked slowly out of sight and turned toward me. Then he cocks his shoulders in an exaggerated manner and says.

"What is it, Lugis? You called me here so you could kill me in secret. Humans always take the long way to do things.

　Wide open magic eyes. Two horns that don't match a boy's well-groomed appearance. There's no way you can mistake him.

　Doha Sura. A hexenbiest from Altia who's been tied up in Bela, the Burial Jail.

　He waved his hand in the air to stop the surrounding soldiers and opened his mouth.

"No way. If I really wanted to kill her, I would have done it a long time ago. You're much later than that. I thought you weren't coming.

　Dohasura's eyes widen in dismay as he speaks. It was strange to see a young man with such an adult expression on his face.

　It was my own actions, of course, that had brought him here. Before I left the city of Philos, I had asked Anne to prepare for it.

　After all, in this war, we were no match for Borvat in numbers or quality. I really wish we had the help of a hexenbiest. If Dohasura were to join the war, he would be a sufficient force in his own right.

　However, it was not in time for the war to start at all.

　This was probably not Anne's fault, but Dohasura's own lack of enthusiasm.

I wouldn't have wanted to come either. I wouldn't have wanted to come either, if she hadn't ordered me to.

　She whom Dohasura obeys. There is only one person in the world who would do that, and that is Althea. And so Althea ordered him.

　--to guard the prison until the hero comes, and later to follow the hero with the ring.

　Now one half of the ring is in Elddis' hand and the other in mine. As long as Dohasura is loyal to Althea, he cannot disregard my words, even if they are half-hearted.



　However, I knew that he wouldn't go against Althea head-on, and I even considered the possibility that he wouldn't come out here.

"Commander Lugis. He's .......

　Hind, beside me, looked at me as if to ask what was going on. He gave a small nod and said.

"He's a hexenbiest, sure. But they're not the enemy now. Dohasura, I need you to do something for me right away. Right away.

　Doherty shrugged his shoulders in disgust, but did not say no. As a hexenbiest, he has the same habit of being highly loyal to his chief.

　That may end up choking me. That's it.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　I'm not sure what to make of this. When he saw the battlefield where they met, Dohasura felt not fear or astonishment, but only nostalgia.

　In the past, when he was traveling around the continent with Althea, Oufru, and the rest of his friends, scenes like this had been commonplace.

　Thinking about it, Althea had never been able to calmly engage in anything other than warfare.

　The human condition was so terrible in those days. There were only days when there was no freedom, no dignity, nothing.

　That's probably why she kept fighting. She fought, and fought, and fought. She fought and fought and fought.

　If the result is this war between humans, then what was her justice? Dohasura thought about these things absentmindedly in front of the battlefield.

　Then, she let out a big sigh. He knew immediately that there was no point in thinking about it. No matter how much I thought about it, this world was all in Althea's hands. Then it is foolish to think about it.

　Although Lugis seemed to be resisting, Dohasura could not believe that he could surpass Althea.

　Lugis was the opposite of Althea, but his own soul was human to a fault. It is destined to never be more. He can never match Althea's soul, no matter what.

　Then, for now, it's okay to obey that order. I'm sure this is just another act of Althea's will, anyway.

　After a breath, Dohasura opens his eyes. What you see is the entire battlefield, a mixture of soldiers and beasts.

　The spawn of the desert, the Southern Demon Eye. The twisted evil eye, once abhorred even by his own people, is no longer bound to a prison. The ring is only bound to his soul, no longer a restraint on his power.

　So this is the demonic power of Dohasura, the power that once transformed the south into a desert.

Let's go. Let's go on a journey to the end. I may not be a demon, but I was once the pinnacle of demonic beasts.

　The dead snow beneath my feet melted away. The tropical temperature drifts down and sand flutters in the air.

　No, no. No, no, no, no. As the snow melts and the flowers and grasses wither, they weather and turn to sand. The surrounding area withers into sand, with Doha Sura at the center.

　--The magic eye opens. Earth, earth, wither away.

　Demonic beasts. One of its tops has opened its jaws here and now.