It happened on a day a few days back from the attack.

　Hausar, the leader of the Hausar Mercenaries, had a dream.
　Five years had passed since those days, when he had no choice but to engage in the activities of a burglar.
　He gathered a group of like-minded adventurers and called himself the Mercenary Corps. He repeatedly exterminated bands of thieves and defended villages from monsters, and steadily adjusted his equipment and recruited others.

　And now, as his fame is gradually gaining ground, he suddenly has a huge task.
　The request was brought to me through a number of intermediaries to ensure that the source of the request is not traced back to the main source - the assassination of the Holy Princess.

　It was not without hesitation. Even with this, I've tried to take jobs that would help people as much as possible.
　However, this time I was moved by the amount of compensation.

　Even with just the advance money, he was able to get some pretty top-notch equipment. Another request was apparently being made to another mercenary group, but if he could get ahead of that one, he would get the full amount of his reward. At that time, even competent adventurers and knights will be brought in.
　And as the mercenary corps' abilities improve, they will be able to accept good-paying jobs from high-ranking clients.

　If they build up their achievements in this way, then eventually, they'll be able to negotiate with a city that's about to develop and be officially hired as a knightly guardsman and patrolman! .
　Then you won't have to live a life of exile anymore.
　Instead of a group of dubious drifters, he could live the rest of his life peacefully with his friends as a member of the city.
　Hausar's dream, which might take as long as it takes, and in fact might even come true, was now a reality and within reach.
　Until just a few minutes ago.

　Now - that dream has been crushed.
　In the forest not far from the road leading to the imperial capital, Hausaar watched the end of the scene, feeling the cold sweat dripping down his back.

''Mmm, human warriors are fragile. They are good for eating, but too boring for a contest of strength.

　Mumbling trivially with a blood-stained club in his hand is a reddish-black-skinned demon (ogre) with a physique that far exceeds that of a human.

　Falling in front of him are those who were once Hausaar's companions.
　Some have their heads crushed, their bodies snapped right side up, or their chests caved in to a foot shape....
　Our former comrades are now lying on the ground as corpses that could not have been created by human physical strength.

　There were other corpses that were impossible.
　Some of the companions were now stone statues standing in the forest. It was not a metaphor. Their skin, hair, and even their eyes had hardened to gray, and only their clothes and weapons retained their original colors, as if it were a joke.



　Beyond that, a petite woman curled her body up and floated with dark magic.
　Her fluttery clothes were out of place in the forest, and her long, shimmering, decaying leaf-colored hair. The words that spilled out of his mouth were incoherent and devoid of any meaning. Its eyes are closed and it appears to be asleep.
　However, only the third eye that opened on its forehead - the red evil eye that turned its companions to stone - is wriggling and looking around.
　Even as the Three Eyes (Trier), the people of the Evil Eye, it had an odd appearance and power.

　Some of them still had breath.
　But it was clear that they could not be saved.
　Two shadow wolves were playing with the grunting bodies of their companions, pulling at them.
　These swashbuckling monsters with sharp fangs and the ability to lurk in the shadows. Sitting in the center of the pack, laughing, is a small beastly boy with dark brown fur and long ears.

''Haha, Dee and Tess are both doing well!　...hmmm, can you give me that?　Thank you!　You're a good kid.

　The rabbit boy happily thanks the minotaur beside him as he is offered a human corpse by the minotaur.
　The minotaur is a monster that a fellow trainer (tamer) had been taming.
　He now offers up his former master, whom he had snapped to death.
　The Minotaur's sudden betrayal had left his fellow trainer (the tamer) dead with a surprised expression on his face.
　Even other people's monsters were tamed and subdued in the blink of an eye - the rabbit boy's was a natural talent as a trainer (tamer) that could no longer be called a skill.

　When I looked to my right, I saw my companion breathing fire.
　Orange flames erupted from the burned out eye sockets of his mouth, nose and eyeballs.
　The companion staggered around alive for a while, but eventually fell to his knees as the fire rose from his torso as well, breaking his belly, and he collapsed to his knees.
　The black demon man clicked his tongue abominably near him.

''Tch, he's already dead. It was a terrible miscalculation........the flames were too strong. The position I shifted it to isn't good either........d*mn, my accuracy is still too lax!　I'll never be able to match you like this....!

　A man of the demon tribe with black fur and curled horns like a goat spits out with a distorted expression.
　He transfers magical fire and burns the target from the inside.
　The demon who has turned his friends into burnt corpses one after another with his deviant skills, is simply indignant at his own inexperience.

''Why........''

　Hausaar muttered vacantly.

''Why is the demon race ... in a place like this ... and all these ... freaks ... ...
Are you the head?

　One of the demons standing in front of him asked Hausar.

　And then, oh, it was this man.

　Black hair and black eyes. Although his appearance resembles a human, there are black lines running like tattoos on his skin, which is white like a dead man.

''A divine demon... why is he here...?''
'Answer me. For what purpose did you lay down your men in this forest?

　He is shot into eyes like an abyss.
　Hausar no longer had any choice but to answer honestly.


Hmmm... human politics. So it had nothing to do with us.
It's a waste of time to worry about you, Captain.
It's no use. Anyone would be alarmed if there were soldiers around here mysteriously.
'Munya ... confusing ...'

　The rabbit man, the demon, and the three eyes (Trier) speak to each other.

'Gahahaha!　Unexpectedly, the supply was good!　But you see, Zolmnem.

　The ogre, who had been laughing vigorously, turned around and cried out, "That human man is a warrior too!

The human man is a warrior, too. The human man is a warrior, too. Isn't it too careless to get too close?
'What?　The captain won't lose to a human. He looks like he's getting scared of something, and he's a small fry anyway.
No ... this one is not weak.

　The man of the God and Demon tribe called Zormunem looks at Hausaar with his dark eyes (...).
　Then he mutters to himself in a voice so small that even his companions can't hear him.

''The ability value is high for 【Lv(level)】. In particular, [HP] and [Endurance] are excellent. Most of all, the 【Skills】 of money and incitement are rare. As the head of a mercenary group, they are very useful.......your [status] is not bad.
Ha ... ha ... ha ...

　Hausaar had no idea what this man of the God Demon Race was talking about.
　He sensed that he was being praised for just the butt of his words and gave a drawn-out laugh.

'Oh, thank you...'

　Its head flew off.
　Rolling on the ground, Hausar's vision showed a scene of his body from his own neck downwards being instantly engulfed in flames.

　A completely unchained magic, to the point where he couldn't even see the sword line.

　As his consciousness flowed out along with the blood, the last thing Hausar heard was the cold muttering of Zormunem, who held up his treasure sword.

''But it cannot be compared to me.''