---

---

Once we crossed the Runo forest, we saw a peaceful hill. Since it was late autumn, it was already dark. We are approximately 1 day away from the kukulkan tribe. It is difficult to climb at night. Since we weren’t in a hurry, we camped on the hill.

I took out the potatoes, onions, Curse Charole’s meat and some seasoning from the infinite storage. Today’s meal is meat and potatoes. Let’s try adding the mushrooms from the forest. They aren’t poisonous, so it should work. I don’t have the soy sauce, so I will have to go with salt. Although it’s not a Japanese sake, I have something similar on me, let’s add it too. To finish, I added some salt.

Meanwhile, I prepared the bread and the salad. I don’t have many eggs left, let’s finish them today too. I decided to make an omelet.

「Gugugu aguguga」

「Meat too, meat too, he says」

For the meat lover, I took out the leftover meat from the previous meal. I only added some salt, but it is truly delicious. Does mana make the meat delicious? I need to investigate it.

I, Gon and Lars surrounded the dining table. Lars was the most eager. He is not picky and eats everything. Perhaps, there is only 「like」and「like very much」in his dictionary. He ate the meat and potatoes with great delight and asked for another serving. It is certainly tasty, but he will eat everything at this pace. I brought out the fried potatoes, but they vanished in a second. Gon made a grumpy face. Don’t make such a face, he is your little brother after all.

….Let’s make fried potatoes for Gon when I have the chance.

The dessert is university potatoes. It is a big hit with both Gon and Lars, these past days we always have it for the dessert. I tried to make something like roasted sweet potato, but the two always requested the university potatoes. Lars was especially happy to receive it.

As for me, it is zenzai. It is really the best. The beans are used to feed animals in this world, so it is cheap and accessible. If only I could find some rice.

It seems the other’s food is better. Lars flew towards me. Can’t help it, I will share a little. I wonder how his stomach works.

Once full, it was time to sleep. We gathered around Irimo and I created a barrier. It’s the dragon’s territory after all, we need to stay closer to each other.

Lars climbed Irimo and was playing around. During this trip, the two became quite close to each other. She was a little scared at first, but now she looks like a big sister. She splendidly controls him. Lars held onto the reins and rode her, while she run carefully so he didn’t fall. A small dragon riding a unicorn pegasus. Such a surreal scenery. A person could faint due to the lack of common sense upon seeing it. I wish I had a camera to record this.

When I was about to lie down, I caught a presence on my map. They are coming here with an outrageous speed. Their number is 5.It is probably the dragons. Gon and I tensed up.

The dragons are displayed on the map in yellow color. It is the proof of their wariness towards us. Most likely, it is a scout group. While I was thinking that, the dragons showed themselves.

….Huge. A really huge dragon. It’s at least 15 meters. I could see the red scales on it. It should be a kukulkan.

I stood up and created light from the life magic. I illuminated the surroundings. Dragons descended halfway up the hill. I embraced Lars so everyone could see him.

One dragon moved. At that moment, I heard a tremendous roar. A roar that was able to shake the ground. My ears stung.

「Lars! Or so it says!!!!!!」

Gon sure is reliable for translating even in these circumstances.

It should be his mother. She immediately approached us. She was a dragon with two feathers behind her neck and two more on her back. Let’s try appraising her.

Nakitess (Kukulkan, 304 years old) LV54
HP: 100024
MP: 9654
Wind Magic LV5
Barrier Magic LV3
MP Recovery LV3
Presence Detection LV3
Mana Detection LV3
Body Strengthening LV4
Dragon Magic LV4
Evasion LV4
Liberal Arts LV4
Paralysis Resistance LV3
Poison Resistance LV3
Flight LV4
Weather Ruler

…….As expected of a dragon, strong. All of her skills are high-level. Dragons are rumored to live for 1000 years, so she is still relatively young. In human terms, she is in her thirties.

The dragon named Nakitess lands beside us.

「Gugyagugya」

Lars jumped out from my embrace and dashed to his mother. He flew around her head in circles, he looked very happy.

「Gougougougurururu」

There was a sound like that of a thunder. The mother is probably happy to reunite with Lars too.

Then, she twisted her tail in a shape of a roll. Lars immediately fitted himself in that hole. He was pressing and rubbing his face on his mother’s back.

「Gouuuuu. Gugogegagagaga」

「I’m grateful for saving my child and bringing him home, she says」

Then’ it is good. I’m glad.

「The reward will be presented to you very soon, she says」

「Ah, tell her that I don’t need any」

「She is asking where are going to go from now on」

「If possible…. I want to cross these mountains and arrive at the city of Kushana of the Hideta Empire」

Once you cross the mountains, it will be Kushana. The closest city from here.

「Gogogoguo」

「Understood. Around here, it’s our territory. I will also tell to other clans to let you safely pass」

「It is enough. I appreciate your help」

When I was talking with the mother, Lars flapped his wings and flew to me. When he arrived, he clung to my chest.

「Gurua~, Gurua~」

「I do not want to part, he says」

Lars grasped my hand with a great force. I hugged Lars. I will apologize to the mother later.

「No, it is fine. All kids are like that. Eh, Lars is certainly a crybaby, but he has some strong points too」

While I had such a conversation with the mother dragon, he fell asleep.

However, maybe he was too worried, he opened his eyes again. Once he confirmed it was me, he once again clung to me.

「Ah, it is all right. Lars was great, wasn’t he? He was caught but never surrendered to the enemy. Yes, he didn’t even receive the food and water for the whole week. Not just that, he even tried to desperately escape」

Lars’ eyelids became heavy again. He started snoring soon after. After a while, he awoke once again and looked at my face. He gripped my hand again and I hugged him.

「Yes, when I found him, he had some serious injuries…..I completely healed his wounds and. He wanted to cross the forest alone, but that was, as expected, too dangerous…..No, it was nothing. It was quite educational for us too. On the way, he even hunted a great rat by himself」

Lars relaxed and fell asleep again. After a while, his body became heavier. This time, he is asleep for sure. [¹]

I returned Lars to the mother dragon. He looked very happy. I knew. He always muttered「mama, mama」when asleep. In the end, you reunited with your mother. I’m glad for you, Lars.

Irimo licked his happy sleeping face. He was her playing partner and she was his big sister. Irimo was glad for him.

「Well then, it is about time for us to depart」

Gently holding Lars, the mother dragon carefully flew away. The other dragons followed her.

I’m glad for you Lars. You will definitely become an outstanding dragon. While thinking of living long enough to see Lars’ gallant figure, I put Gon on my back and mounted Irimo.

Today I will cross the mountains and reach the Hideta Empire.

---

---

　

---

---

「All right! Here comes breakfast! 」

I woke up Gon and Lars. Irimo woke up early, so I fed her with carrots and water. She accepted it and rubbed her face on me. What a cute horse.

There were vegetables, baked bread, and an omelet. I had time so I sliced the potatoes making the fried potatoes. I ate that in my university days a lot. I got motivated looking at the beautiful sunrise and made a lot, I stuffed it together with the zenzai in infinite storage.

All right, it is about time for use to depart. Since I can’t detect anyone on my map, it should be okay to let Lars out. Then I used the map and searched for his tribe while concentrating on「kukulkan」. Looking closely…there they are. There are dozens of them in the middle of the Juka Mountain Range.

It should take us about 5 days to cross the forest and reach the mountains. After that, we will need to climb for 1 day more. Using Irimo’s wings we could arrive in a day, but regretfully, two hours of flight is her limit. Yet those idiots forced her to fly for 6 hours.

She should have collapsed long ago, but the demon fox was forcing her. Impossible things are impossible, I don’t plan to force her further. I asked her whether we should wait for her to recover, but she said that she wanted to deliver Lars first. Well, there is no problem with walking. I might be a little soft, but in consideration of Irimo, let’s travel slowly.

We were able to smoothly proceed through the forest. Fortunately, monsters came to attack us. Using my skill, I concealed my LV and set the MP and HP at 100. Everyone who looks at it would think: What’s wrong with this guy? The monsters of C and B rank were successfully deceived and attacked us.

Of course, I instantly dealt with them, but sometimes, the likes of E rank great mouse appeared and Lars hunted them on his own. He ate them with great relish.

Lars was usually flapping behind us, but when he saw something interesting he immediately flew away, we were quite worried because of it. Well, with the map, I can easily find him, but he always goes too far while chasing the pray. Before he is able to notice, he is already alone, so he waits for us to rescue him each time.

Such an airhead, but once he gets tired, he always naps in my embrace. Like that, I was able to see his somewhat smiling sleeping expression.

Fortunately, after several days of travel, we were able to meet a few Curse Charole. When I was about to eat breakfast, they approached the radius of 50 meters from me. I thought of capturing them, but Irimo dashed before I was able to do a thing. One of the cows rushed forward too. I witnessed the battle between a unicorn pegasus and a Curse Charole, between a horse and a cow. It ended with Irimo’s flawless victory. Its head was easily pierced by her horn and it lost its life. Of the rest, 2 became a pray for the horn and 1 ran away like a rabbit. [¹]

When I asked Gon, I learned that the dead ones were male and the one that escaped was female. Apparently, those 3 males were competing for, she even had a child in her belly. There are plenty of idiots in a world of cattle, some of them die to the horned horses trying to show off.

「How regretful. Female Curse Charole is a delicacy」

Gon was regretting by herself.

The cows were unexpectedly professionally dismantled by Gon. She transformed into a human and borrowed an iron sword from me. Then she easily and beautifully dismantled it. As I learned, in her fox days, she lived near the butcher and witnessed the process numerous times. There was also a time when she was freeloading in a fish shop, so she is skilled with fish too. I will leave the meat to you from now on! She is reliable in unexpected places.

However, a naked human with a fox face dismantling a giant cow looked very eerie. If you see this scene at night, you will receive a psychological trauma. Therefore, Gon dismantled the meat only during the day.

After a while, our meat menu increased. Even though it’s a male, it is still a Curse Charole. It was very tasty. The days of the barbecue in the morning and roasted meat in the evening continued. As expected, let’s cut down on meat for now.

At night, we slept under my barrier. With the temperature and the humidity adjusted, everyone had a pleasant sleep. Lars took a liking to sleeping on my arm and requested it every night. I refused once and he cried. Without any other choice, I let him, but he is such a crybaby. I’m worried about his future.

And after exactly 5 days, we crossed the forest and reached the dragon’s territory.

---

---

　

---

---

「Un, it might be impossible for this dragon to return home alone」

「Right. He won’t be able to even cross the forest. Especially at night, it would be suicidal」

I and Gon were of the same opinion. I could understand his feelings, but considering his skills and circumstances, it was close to impossible.

The child dragon is groaning, somehow, I can understand him.

「It’s dark already. Let’s think about this tomorrow. Let’s have dinner. I’m Rinos, the barrier master. If it is okay with you, will you go with us? 」

「Gugagagg….Gyasu」

「Sorry for my previous behavior. My name is Lars, he says」

I hugged Lars, put Gon on my back and left the headquarters. Then, I arrived at the Versam mansion.

I unlocked the barrier around the mansion and let Lars and Gon in. Irimo hesitated and didn’t wish to enter. Having no other choice, I created a simple stable with earth magic right outside the gate. She was delighted when I brought her some water and carrots. Seeing her like that, I got relieved.

I returned inside and headed for the kitchen. It seems that Lars and Gon are talking about something. [¹]

Well then, what should I make? There are plenty of potatoes inside my infinite storage. Let’s use them and make the croquettes.

I put the water and potatoes in the pot, then, and a pinch of salt. I also want to store some for the future, so let’s make a lot. For now, let’s chop the onions. I fried them and added the salt and pepper. With this, the inner part should be ready. [²]

The potatoes are about to be done. I increased the temperature with fire magic. With this temperature, they should be done rather nicely. I crushed them with a big fork and added the salt and pepper.

I used water and wind magic to cool them down. Meanwhile, I put the oil on fire, break the eggs and mold them into the oval shape. One after another. I created the breadcrumbs and bathed them in the eggs, adding the wheat into the mix.

Then, I put them in the oil. Very fragrant smell. While croquettes were frying, I brought up the vegetables intending to make a salad. [³]

After a while, a big amount of croquettes was finally ready. Together with the salad and bread, it should make for a nice dinner.

Gon and Lars were eating with a relish. Lars ate just a while ago, but he didn’t hold back. Apparently, they found it quite delicious. I tried some myself, those are indeed some delicious croquettes. Together with bread, their taste was further amplified.

I used the zenzai as a dessert. With this, it was all gone. I need to make it again.

All right, now, let’s talk about our plans. Lars said that he definitely wants to return to his comrades. I and Gon are in support of his idea. We don’t have anything urgent to do, there is also the boring empty capital. Such are our present circumstances. While hunting on the way, let’s escort Lars home. If it ends up being a bad idea, let’s think about it then. The capital is pretty much destroyed, but there are other cities in the Juka Kingdom. It should be fine going there. Depending on the circumstances, I can also cross the mountains and go to the Hideta Empire. Let’s think about it when we reach the Juka Mountain.

I shared my thoughts with Gon.

「Let’s see. I agree with your proposal. I will tell Lars right away」

Gugugugu and kyukyu, Gon talked with Lars. I wondered if those cries would work, but apparently, they did. Lars nodded. While shedding tears, Lars flapped in my direction. Such a crybaby.

「Gugua~Gurua」

「Make sweet stuff again, he says」

All right, all right. I have a lot of things with me, let’s make something new next time. Wait, when did I become their personal cook?

Before I noticed, Lars was already sleeping. His sleeping face is rather cute. No wonder, he just escaped from the cage, it might be the first time he was able to sleep peacefully.

「Gagua~Gagua~」

…..He is sleep talking. When I asked Gon

「……Mama, mama, he says」

I hugged Lars for a while. I wonder how my mother from the previous life is right now. It is nice to be you, you have a mother. I decided to definitely return this dragon home.

All rooms with proper beds are no more, so we have to sleep in the dining room. I put a sheet on the table and laid on it. I piled up multiple sheets for some comfort. Gon slept on the pillow on the sofa. This is an expensive thing, you know? Such a prodigious fellow.

I slept with Lars in my embrace. Because I didn’t want to get hurt by the scales, I put a barrier around myself and entered the dreamland.

… That night I had a dream.

Versam family, my usual bed. Oh, it seems I overslept a little. I changed into my usual butler clothes.

I need to swiftly wash my face and greet the Master.

I left the room and a maid said「Hurry up, Rinos」while I was passing by. Yes, I understand, sorry. Then, I got downstairs.

When I entered the hall, Elsa-sama and Eril stood there side by side. Master, my lady, good morning. You are pretty early today, my lady. Did something happen?

Following that, the door to the hall opened and Falco showed up. My grumpy teacher was in a good mood for some reason. How rare. To my surprise, his highness and marquis Versam followed after him. Mm? Do we have some kind of party today?

「Rinos」

Suddenly, I heard Elsa-sama’s voice.

「Yes, Master」

「Good work. I thought of saying the words of gratitude. Truly, a good work」

I’m not worthy. I thought that I didn’t deserve it and lowered my head.

「I never expected for you to become this strong. As expected of my disciple」

「He will be fine as he is right now. You have done enough. I’m grateful, Rinos-dono」

「As the head of the Versam family, I’m grateful from the depths of my heart. Thank you」

What’s wrong, everyone? If I remember correctly….Karugi, kingdom’s army, dragon…..? What?

「Rinos, you can live as you want from now on」

It can’t be, Master.

「Rinos」

I heard Eril’s voice.

「Thank you for putting up with my whims. I’m glad I met you」

Eril stood there, full of smiles. Oi, Eril, don’t make such a face. Narrow your eyes and talk to me like usual!

「Time is up. It is about the time for us to depart」

Everyone goes outside. Maids followed after them. Aren’t you going to take me with you?

Suddenly, Eril turned back and

「Do not forget about me. Because I will never forget about you」

Eril disappeared inside the light. When I looked outside, there was no one there. Where did they go? Master! Marquis! Teacher! Your highness! Lady!….Eril!!

I woke up. It was still dark outside.

I got up and wobbled to the kitchen. I prepared a large pot and started making the zenzai. With my whole heart.

Very soon, it was finished. Delicious. Truly delicious. A masterpiece.

As if hugging the whole pot, I went out with it. It seems that Irimo is still sleeping.

The steam rose into the sky. I looked towards it and put my hands together.

「My lady, this is the zenzai you wanted to taste. Please eat your fill. Master, marquis, teacher, your highness, please join. I won’t forget about you. Thank you for everything you did for me. And Eril, I will never forget about you」

A surprisingly beautiful sunrise lit up the surroundings.

---

---

　

---

---

「Gua….Guaa」

Cried the baby dragon in a weak voice. Looking closely, its body was covered in wounds, with some of them even spurting blood. Its situation is pretty bad. If I go away, it will die on its own.

「Is it the「Kukulkan」? You can’t see them often. It is a tribe that is said to be able to manipulate weather and uses wind magic. Its feathers are soft and warm, its meat is a delicacy. This dragon is a wonderful legendary ingredient」

It is a common sense in this world that the dragon’s meat is a delicacy. However, even amongst them, its meat stands out as one of the best. It is said, that it can even heal all sorts of sicknesses.

Its body is covered in green scales, but it will shed them with age. When it sheds its scales, its body becomes red and it grows the soft feathers. It is considered very intelligent amongst the dragon species. A dragon with immense potential. I see, he tried to raise this dragon to become his own power. As expected of the general Karugi, he thought of a frightening thing. Did he get the dragon’s egg from the Juka Mountain Range? I wonder how many soldiers were sacrificed for it to succeed.

「What should we do with this dragon? It is still small, but its meat should still be delicious. It is already good to eat」

As expected, I couldn’t bring myself to just kill and eat it. I do not feel the evil intent from this little dragon. For now, I ill check his status.

Lars (Kukulkan, 6 years old) LV8 Serious Injury
HP: 3/112
MP: 5/81
Wind Magic LV1
Body Strengthening LV1
Flight LV1

He properly has a name. As expected of a child, he didn’t have much in terms of the skills, but it was probably still difficult to obtain him. Still, he barely has any HP and MP. How did he end up in this state?…..While I was thinking that, his HP dropped to 2. He has a serious injury, so his HP will drop with time.

I do not see him as an evil existence, so let’s heal him for now. As a precaution, let’s also create a barrier around me and Gon. With his status, I will be able to instantly kill him if a need arises. I cast the extra heal on the dragon. He was enveloped in the white light and his wounds swiftly recovered.

「Ga….Gaga…..」

「He wants water, he says. He is also starving」

I brought out the water right away. I brought out a big pot from the infinite storage and the dragon plunged his neck inside. The next one is food. Usually, dragons can eat most of the things. For now, I took out some bread, fruits, and zenzai. Eat well.

「Gah, gaaaaaa. Gah, guruaaa」

「I’m saved, I thought I’m gonna die, he says」

He breathed out, and, before we noticed, he flapped his wings and floated in the air.

「Gau, guruaaaa」

「Who are you? I will never listen to your orders, is says」

「No, we are the enemies of your enemies. We defeated the enemies and found you. Because you were seriously injured, I fixed you. We aren’t hostile to you. Just, if you are going to hurt the other unrelated people, I will be forced to deal with you」

After Gon’s translation, he relaxed and landed on the ground. Looking closely he is really small. Baby-sized.

Apparently, the kingdom’s army coincidentally trespassed onto the dragon’s territory. It wouldn’t have been a problem if they left right away, but they kept going deeper. There, they were detected by the dragons, including this one who nearby. The invaders were surprisingly strong and the dragons called for the reinforcements. Using that opening, the army concentrated the attacks on him and shot him down then retreated. Then, he was brought to the army’s headquarters. Still, they invaded the dragon’s territory, caught one and managed to safely retreat. Karugi’s forces are quite something.

He might be a child, but he is still a member of the dragon family. Apparently, he fiercely resisted. Without any food or water, in the state of exhaustion, he stubbornly resisted the orders. By the way, he was ordered to turn around and show his belly. Every day, the soldiers brought a young wyvern to demonstrate the pose. The wyvern received the water and food. They showed it to him for a whole week.

For the last two days, no one came and he was about to reach his limit. Sensing his impending doom, he tried breaking out of the cage. However, he was repelled by the barrier and it wasted all of his power, then, I came.

「You are amazing. I’m impressed. As expected of a dragon」

I honestly praised the dragon. At this point, he cried as if the dam was broken.

I hugged the dragon and went outside, the sun had set already. Irimo is safe. When she saw the dragon, she was scared for a moment, but quickly overcame it. She is a smart horse.

I asked the child dragon about his plans and he said

that he will return to his family in the Juka Mountain Range. [¹]

---

---

　

---

---

I obtained a unicorn pegasus. No, perhaps I should say that we became comrades. Without further ado, let’s check her status. In the process, I checked my own status. My profession changed back to the「Barrier Master」, I’m so glad.

Irimo (Unicorn Pegasus, 4 years old, 12 years old by human standards) LV19
HP: 89
MP: 1003
Barrier Magic LV1
MP Recovery LV1
Presence Detection LV3
Mana Detection LV3
Body Strengthening LV3
Evasion LV1
Liberal Arts LV1
Paralysis Resistance LV3
Poison Resistance LV3
Flight LV2

Ou! MP is nothing to scoff at. She excels in detection abilities, so she is more of a scout. Having no other means of attack, she attacks with her horn, taking advantage of her strong body. If she appears before the opponent, he will probably die. Still, it will be more effective for her to scout the surroundings. Truly a horse for a general.

While I was at it, I also checked Gon’s skills. They were like something like that.

Gon (white fox, 213 years old) LV39
HP: 159
MP: 879
Barrier Magic LV3
Fire Magic LV3
Recovery Magic LV4
Life Magic LV1
Chanting LV3
Appraisal Magic LV4
MP Recovery LV1
Presence Detection LV3
Mana Detection LV3
Liberal Arts LV5
Paralysis Resistance LV2
Poison Resistance LV2
Mental Resistance LV3
Divine Protection LV4
Human Transformation LV2
Covert Action LV5

Did she learn secretly? I guess having covert action is a matter of course in her line of work. Her recovery magic is also high, she would be a nice strategist.

All right, I finally became an ordinary boy from the Great Demon King. There, I decided to return to the capital once. When I brought up this idea, Gon said.

「If we are going to return to the capital, I very much want to visit the army’s headquarters」

Apparently, there is a room in the basement of the headquarters that Karugi used for his hobby, 「monster training」. He seemed to expand the scale recently, and his method of raising them from the hatching could result in a potential disaster. Apparently, if they hatch and escape that place, there might be casualties amongst the people. Having trained a considerable number of wyverns, he succeeded in occupying the royal palace. What if he still had some in store? What is they are even stronger? If you put it this way, it is better to destroy it for good.

For now, I will investigate the map……There it is! One monster reaction. It seems to be still in the basement.

「I investigated, there is one monster in the basement indeed. We should probably deal with it」

「I couldn’t detect it myself. As expected from you」

Ufufu, you are trying to see something you couldn’t possibly see, Gon-kun.

I mounted Irimo. The wings got in the way, but, apparently, they could be folded to the extent that it would be very difficult to discern. I admired their functionality and headed for the capital. Gon was riding on my back with her head on my shoulder. Riding Irimo felt really great. Her body is small, but her speed is impressive. There was also no need to use the reins. If I want her to go right, she goes right, if I want her to go left, she goes left. Truly an excellent horse.

「I want to compliment you on your riding skills. It feels really comfortable」

So that means that the skills taught by Eril aren’t wasted. I was worried whether I was putting the unnecessary burden on Irimo, but it seems that Eril’s teachings weren’t wrong.

I moved for quite some time once I entered the forest, but with Irimo, I got out in about an hour.

I entered the castle through the north gate. The sun was already setting. I need to hurry. The appearance of the Great Demon King yesterday created quite a commotion, so the castle was empty. This is lucky. If Karugi’s monster is strong, we will be able to deal with it without implicating the buildings and the citizens.

We reached the army’s headquarters. The door to the headquarters wasn’t locked, but Karugi’s office was, so I melted it with fire magic. On the other side of the room, there was a hidden staircase leading to the basement. The whole basement was protected by a barrier. It was even enchanted in a way that prevented the detection abilities. The barrier master should be quite skilled, but it should have cost him a lot of mana. Most likely, it is the work of the royal barrier master.

However, it was easy for me to dispel it. Honoring the royal barrier master, I left the concealing function intact and only created a passage inside. Like that, I stepped inside. The monster seems to be on the second level of the basement.

The first level is a space that was supposed to confine the monsters. A lot of cages were lined up in this frighteningly wide space. For some reason, it was bright here, maybe it was an effect of the barrier. Most likely, he kept his wyverns here. Surprisingly, there was another door here that lead to a prison. Those who committed sins or were simply purged were kept here to become the wyvern’s food.

Finally, I reached the second level. This place stored all kinds of eggs. When I thought of all of them hatching, it gave me the creeps. I incinerated them all.

The monster was in the next room. The door wasn’t locked and I was able to easily enter inside.

I saw a giant cage. For some reason, it wasn’t lit. There was even a barrier around the cage, I touched it and felt a strong electric flow. Just how dangerous is this thing? For now, let’s dispel the barrier.

It’s dim, I can’t see far. I tried creating「Light」to brighten the surroundings. Following that, a heard a voice from deep inside the cage.

「Guh….Gua….」

I approached and saw a creature that I never expected to see. A baby dragon.

---

---

---

---

「Hin! Hin! Hin! 」

A sudden cry interrupted our pleasant conversation. It was a pegasus that I slashed with「Onigiri」.

Its eyes were closed and it was trembling all over. Its breathing was rough. It was gradually unable to withstand the suffering and collapsed.

「Hyin……Hyin……Hyin…..」

It was shaking with tears in its eyes. It will die if I let it be.

「So it is a unicorn pegasus. A rare article you have here」 [¹]

Gon raised her voice. Eh? What is that? Is it really rare?

「Pegasus is a rare creature, but there are plenty of unicorns in this world. However, the unicorn pegasus, who has the traits of both of them, is even rarer. I saw it last time about 100 years ago. Although, it died soon after its birth」

「If it’s that rare, shouldn’t some gods use them?」

「I doubt that it works like that. It is just a unicorn and a pegasus. A seed, that shouldn’t have appeared under normal circumstances. The one who rode this horse was, if I remember correctly, a royal from the Hideta Empire. It might have been an imperial treasure」

Oi oi, does that mean that if this horse dies it will be bad? For now, let’s cast some recovery magic….was it its spirit that was cut? Then how should I treat it?

「If it’s an empire’s belonging, it won’t be a bad idea to return it. It will be bothersome in a lot of ways if it dies. However, what kind of magic is able to heal it? 」[²]

「The confusion can be dispelled by using LV4 recover spell Extra Heal. But with your katana, it won’t be of any use. I think that it is impossible unless you use LV5 Ultimate Heal. Ultimate Heal can even revive a person during 1 hour after its death unless some important organs are missing. It wasn’t cut that long ago, you should be able to mend the damage to its spirit」

I see, 「Onigiri」kills the spirit. I must say, I made a terrible weapon. Let’s try it then, 「Ultimate Heal! 」.

The unicorn pegasus was wrapped in the blue light.

「Are you okay?」

Or so I asked. The horse’s eyes opened and it neighed in a small voice.

「It wants some water, so it said」

So you are able to understand this horse, Gon! As expected of the white fox. While admiring, I created plenty of water with water magic. The horse drunk with great vigor.

「Buruburu」

It said something again. Oi, Gon, what did it say?

「It says: Thank you for saving me. I was about to die」

「You are a unicorn pegasus, right? Do you belong to the Hideta Empire? I can return you to the Empire if you want…」

The horse froze for a moment. Then again, it weakly buruburu’ed something.

「It says it doesn’t want to return. It will die if it goes back」

I asked some things, this horse seems to be 4 years old. For some reason, it grows too slow and its body is smaller than it should be. Because it is pony-sized, it can’t be used on the battlefield or displayed in public. So the royal guy from before forced it to be his mount.

This royal’s treatment was very rough, and it failed a lot. Sometimes it was whipped, and in severe cases, slashed at with a sword. Come to think of it, that royal kept calling「Daba, Daba」, but it was just another name for a「horse」. Well, I knew already, but that guy was pretty messed up.

At that time, because of the event in the Juka Kingdom and the appearance of the Great Demon King, all of their contacts were severed. The horse didn’t want to enter the Juka Kingdom, even for the reconnaissance. But the idiotic duo decided to depart on a subjugation mission. They even used a road through the Juka Mountain Range, which is a dragon’s den. This road should have been a certain death for them, but those idiots were able to arrive safely. They were attacked by a dragon once, but Paoran deceived it with her illusions.

The horse continued to run all this time without any food or water until it bumped into me. The three people were eating while riding. Did they want to kill me this much? You need to bring something stronger than just your killing intent to defeat me though. Idiocy that can’t be explained by their youth. Well, Paoran most likely devised this plan.

If I return this horse to the empire, its future would definitely be bleak, I can imagine that. Well then, what should I do…..

「For now, you didn’t eat all this time, right? I have plenty of carrots, you can eat as much as you want. Water can be created at any time too」

I pulled a lot of carrots out of the「Infinite storage」. The horse was hesitating at first but started eating little by little. It wanted to properly taste it. After a while, it stopped eating and slightly trembled. Let’s confirm with Gon.

「It says that it was the first time it ate such delicious thing. It says: This incompetent one is happy to receive your grace」

That is an exaggeration. For it to be that happy only from water and carrots, just how horrible was its life before this?

「There is no way you are incompetent. My barrier shouldn’t be damaged by the normal attacks. However, you scratched it with your horn. You can be proud」

「I was incredibly afraid, but I thought that I will die if I do nothing, so I slammed with all my power…or so it says」

「When you instantly defeated the demon fox, I thought that my death was near, so I bit you. I apologize, so he apologized」

Even while fighting me, the idiot treated the horse quite roughly, while it was suffering the pain I can’t imagine.

「I see. I unknowingly caused you to suffer. I did some horrible attack」

「….I truly thought I was going to die, I saw the hell while still alive, it says」

「But it was more painful when the master abandoned me, it says」

Even though he was an idiot, it accepted him as its master. Isn’t it a nice fellow.

「Isn’t it fine, being abandoned? That idiot just couldn’t see your splendor. In fact, you combat power is strong. Stronger than your master’s. Even more, your hair is beautiful, your eyes are pretty, I think you look really great」 [³]

「…..It says it’s happy, it’s crying」

The horse puts its face in my hand with buruburu. Well then, what should I do with this horse.

「The slave magic wasn’t cast on it, so technically it doesn’t belong to the empire. Its master had abandoned it too, there is no problem with picking it up. If you don’t want it, you can sell it. It will fetch a considerable price」

Selling it will be a pity.

「The horse says that it doesn’t mind you riding on its back」

All right, might as well accept its feelings. This horse’s height is just right for me. Well then, how should I call it? Unicorn pegasus is somewhat long. Let’s ask its name through Gon. [⁴]

「…..Daba, it seems」

There is no way it is a good name. All right, let me bestow you with a new name. It is a unicorn pegasus, so…

「Your name is「Bright」. It is worthy of the one who inherited the noble blood of a pegasus and a unicorn, what do you think? 」

「…..But this unicorn pegasus is a female」

Say this sooner. I retract what I said, etto…..

「I decided, you name is「Irimo」. I will call you「Irimo」」

Buruburu, Irimo said. It seems she liked it. Anyway, was that fine, Gon? You are properly translating, right?

The unicorn pegasus’ growth is slow. This is a misunderstanding caused by the lack of information. Originally, for a normal horse, 4 years old is like 20 years old for humans. However, in a case of a unicorn pegasus, it is closer to 12. Rinos and Irimo are going to grow from now on, but it is a story for another time.

---

---

---

　

---

---

I approached the little fox once again.

「Are you fine? You sure bring disasters」

「I’m saved」

The little fox spoke, what is this little thing?

「Are you able to talk?」

「Even though I’m looking like this, I lived for 200 years already. When a fox reaches 200 years, it is able to become a demon fox and speak. The one who didn’t commit any sins will transform into a white fox, and the one who did, into the demon fox. That Paoran is a famous demon fox, she was chasing our kind」

「Hee~. And why the white fox who didn’t sin is in this forest? 」

「Yes. I was dispatched in the Juka Kingdom as a messenger of a god in the first place. Our job is to gather the fate in our respective countries and become the idols for people. When I tried to gather the fate in a variety of ways, the Great Demon King appeared and I had evacuated into the forest」

「Is it okay for you to leave the country?」

「……There is no way it is. Still, I was so scared. I ran quite far, but I never expected the Great Demon King to come here」

「Well, I apologize」

「I thought I will be killed once discovered. I completely restrained my aura and observed from a tree. But you suddenly got up and screamed, so I was surprised and fell from the tree」

About the puppet? I want you to forget it.

「I was prepared to die, but I never expected for a Great Demon King to present me such a delicious offering. I was fortunate that Paoran found me at that moment. I took away most of her abilities, she won’t be a threat to me」

「Was Paoran that bad of a fox?」

「She is a demon fox that was called a seductress. Deceiving people, bringing calamities. She did things that could ruin a country many times」

…..Seems pretty selfish.

「You gave me an offering and I punished Paoran. You also successfully lowered the power of your curse. If you are willing, I can erase the curse from your status. What are your thoughts? 」

「I’m happy if this is true, but tell me the details about the curse first」

「The curse appears after killing the beings of the same kind as you. Humans, in your case. It depends from the circumstances and the viciousness during the act. It is said that those who didn’t feel any guilt and even had fun in the process gain levels faster. In the first place…..」

Curse
LV1　Murderer (more than 1 killed)
LV2　Slaughterer (more than 10 killed)
LV3　Demon (more than 100 killed)
LV4　Demon King (more than 500 killed)
LV5　Great Demon King (more than 10000 killed)

「A priest can lower the level or completely remove the curse. After the war, you can often see the priest blessing soldier, like that, they are cleansing them from the curses. Also, if you are baptized by the church, the level of the curse will be harder to raise in the future. However, human power could only influence the curse under LV3. The highest priests could only remove up to LV3. Most of them have they hands full with LV2」

「Right now my curse skill is…… LV4. Are you able to erase it? 」

「We, the white foxes, have a divine protection. If it is a LV4, it is possible to erase it」

「Then, I want to ask you. Please do it」

「However, I want to trace your memory once. I never heard of someone becoming a Great Demon King at your age. I can’t remove your curse if you are a wicked person」

「Understood. I’m fine with that」

「Without further ado, let’s do it…….Please dispel the barrier」

Oh, I forgot.

「Hoo~ a slave. Eh? It can’t be! Eh? Ho-ho, this is! Arara, ufufu. Heee~. Uwaaa~. Yes, yes, this is…..What? Eh? Eh? Wait, 80000?? This, eh? Wait….ueeee」

The fox slowly breathed out.

「No wonder the Great Demon King was attached. With your skills, the titles too make sense. I understood everything. And lastly, what are you going to do from now on? What do you want to do from now on? 」

「I want to have some peace. Ideally, surrounded by beauties」

「…..Such an honest person. All right. Let’s commence the removal of the curse」

The removal was concluded in a moment. I couldn’t perceive what exactly changed, but the little fox said that I felt as a completely different person.

「Come to think of it, I didn’t hear your name yet. I’m Rinos」

「Eh, I traced your memory, so I know your name. We, the white foxes, usually do not have a name」

「Then how should I call you? “You” is kind of」

「Usually we are called according to our shrines. Like country’s god or Fox-sama. If it is okay with you, I want to ask you to name me. If I have a name, my position amongst the divine beings will rise ever so slightly」

Name…..A fox, if she is a fox…..

「Then「Gon」」

「…….Won’t you change your mind? 」

「Gon」
「Gontaro」
「Gonhoe」
「Choose any on those」

「…..Gon is fine」

Don’t make such a resigned face, Gon. I will make another offering sometime later. Come to think of it, if Paoran can turn into a human, does that mean that Gon can too?

「I can. No problem」

She turned into a human, but, well, how should I say it.

「You face is still that of a fox! Rejected! 」

It seems that Gon wasn’t that proficient in the art of human transformation. When she just became a white fox in the past, she found the children’s games very interesting and wanted to join them, only to end up in a bag. The reason is simple, she just forgot to transform, she dashed out as a fox. Since this was her dark history, it was a secret from Rinos.

「By the way, you said that you are a messenger of a god. Which god is it? 」

「Our god is the「Nine-tailed fox」」

Thought so! Is it a demon fox who lived for a million years? Does that mean that Gon could someday arrive at this stage too?

「Well, I’m a failure after all. It will take me at least 10000 years even with a shrine」

There is no way I will live long enough to witness that

---

---

---

---

The little fox kept staring at me while trembling. Do you need to be so afraid? I am a nice person, you know? I thought like that, but I am still the Great Demon king in the end. I’m probably very scary.

I didn’t think of eating this fox. I can’t feel the killing intent from it, even if it has, it won’t be able to harm me. Well, if this cute little fox somehow knocks me out, I will be really amused. Still, let me create a barrier for protection.

It will eventually go away if I leave it be. Well, it is that. I am not just a Great Demon King, I also have some considerable skills. I should be fine.

Besides, it is a white fox. Maybe it is some kind of divine being. I tried putting some of the remaining zenzai on a plate a placing it before the fox.

「You may eat if you want. It might not suit your palate though. Go ahead, please grant me some divine favor」

I pushed the plate towards the fox. The fox trembled. It probably won’t eat as long as I am around. I turned around and took some distance. Let’s investigate with the Presence Detection. The fox carefully approached the plate, sniffed around and started eating with great vigor. Was it that hungry?

When I was about to tell it that I still have some more, I detected three presences coming this way with tremendous speed. They seemed to be humans. Their color was red, they were completely hostile.

After a while, two horses appeared. They charged in my direction without any hesitation.

Gakiin!

My barrier stopped the horse. Looking closely, this horse has a horn. A unicorn? Oi oi, you are scratching my barrier! If you hit the same place 200 more times it might break.

While I was thinking about that, another one appeared from my back.

「I got you!」

The rider slashed at me. Slow. It is idiotically slow. I don’t even need to use a barrier. I casually dodged the blow.

「Die!」

Before I noticed, the horse that should have been behind my back disappeared. No, just kidding. It is above.

I looked closely and noticed that the wings appeared on the horse. The young man with his eyes red trusted his sword at me. This one was frighteningly slow too. I easily dodged.

「You are radiating the vile energy, yet you appearance is that of a human. What the hell are you? 」

「He is a Great Demon King, your highness. Demon King, no doubt」

There was a woman, riding behind the man on a pegasus. Her eyes were full of suspicion. She knows that I’m a Great Demon King, is she some kind of appraiser? Let’s check everyone’s status.

Hideta Shua Serias (Royalty, 16 years old) LV14
HP: 102
MP: 47
Sword Arts LV2
Body Strengthening LV1
Evasion LV1
Etiquette LV1
Curse LV2

Visto Zai (Imperial Knight, 16 years old)
HP: 122
MP: 39
Sword Arts LV2
Body Strengthening LV2
Evasion LV2
Curse LV2

Paoran (Demon Fox, 487 year old) LV47
HP: 712
MP: 1054
Illusion Technique LV4
Recovery Magic LV3
Fire Magic LV4
Seduction Technique LV4
Human Transformation Technique LV4
Mind Magic LV3
Appraisal LV4
Curse LV3

Isn’t this person a bit out of line from everyone else? The young masters aren’t anything big, although they have a curse. They do not suit each other, did they specifically invited her to come?

The pegasus slowly landed on the ground.

「He has a number of skills, but hey all pretty low. It should be easy if we work together」

「He is a Great Demon King, but why is he so weak? His aura is so vicious」

「Most likely, it was just birthed. It is still awakening」

「Fufu, fufufufu. That is good, that is good! I’m truly lucky. I never expected to bump into the unawakened Great Demon King! If I take his head back, I will be the next emperor without a doubt! 」

「Haha! That is a cause for celebration!! Let’s kill him! Let’s kill him right now! 」[¹]

I thought I would be able to talk with a person after all that happened, and I got this. Only some idiots. Un? The woman started chanting. She left the talking to the next emperor or whoever he is and wanted to sneakily attack me. As expected of a female fox. It won’t work though.
At that moment something dropped on her shoulder, it was a little fox from earlier.

Maybe because she was chanting, the woman was surprised and slapped the little fox to the ground. And,

「Your highness! Please kill it! 」

「Daba, do it」

The pegasus’ horn stabbed into its belly and the blood flowed. I can’t stand it after all.

「Burst」

With that, I caused a medium scale explosion around the little fox. While the enemies were disorganized, I approached its body and applied the recovery magic. The wound quickly closed. The little foxed eyed its belly with wondering eyes.

I stood before the little fox, I will administer the punishment on its behalf.

「Fufu, fufufufu. Is this the extent of your magic? It is not even a threat. Just obediently die」

The pegasus stabbed at me with its horn and was, of course, stopped by the barrier. Following after that, Serias aimed for my neck, and Paoran released a huge fireball towards my head.

I knocked the sword aside with my left hand, with my right hand I extinguished the fireball with the water magic. At the same time, I released a LV5 fire spell「Scorching Bullet」towards Paoran. The fire was compressed to the limit, its size was about 3 cm. This small fireball flew at super high speed. She couldn’t dodge it from this distance. Because she was leaning from the horse, her left hand and left leg had evaporated. The person in question probably thought that they simply disappeared. At that moment, flames rose from the open wounds. From here, it looked like she was spewing fire from her left leg and left arm.

「Eh? Just when, ugyaaa! 」

The heat and pain soon followed. Paoran fell from the horse.

「Goaaaa!」

The pegasus that wanted to stab me, bit me on the head. I pulled out the「Onigiri」and slashed at its neck. I properly felt the impact. However, the pegasus’ head was still in place.

「Hi, hi, hi, hihihiin!!!」

Or so it cried and started rampaging. Serias tried to regain the control, but it didn’t listen.

「Goua! Goua! Goua! Gouaaaa! 」

The horse raised an unthinkable scream and shook violently. It shook of Serias and he fell on the ground.

「Daba, damn you!」

Serias threw a stone at the pegasus with all his might. Are you a kid?

「I got you! Haha. Die! 」

Zai pounced at me from the back. I’m aware though. Without turning back, I grabbed his sword with my left hand. I crushed it as it was and released a powerful fist towards his nose. Zai immediately retreated.

「You *******. Don’t be so complacent! It seems we need to go all out in order to win. Zai, I authorize the use of that sword」

Serias pulled a sword from Zai’s back. It was an incredibly beautiful sword, I almost leaked out a voice of admiration.

「It is an heirloom, passed down in my Hideta Empire. With this, it will end」

I have no idea what he is going to end, but for now, let’s fire a scorching bullet toward Zai, who was reciting「killkillkill」in a small voice like some kind of spell while creepily laughing at the side. His left arm vaporized and flames appeared from the wound. He raised a scream and rolled on the ground. If the pheasant does not call, it will not be shot.

While my attention was on Zai, Serial came slashing at me. I silently cut him with the「Onigiri」.

「Ugh, uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!」

「Y-your highness!!」

Serias screamed and disappeared into the forest. Behind him, there was a figure of Zai, who managed to steer a horse with only one hand. There are plenty of monsters that way though….. Well, whatever.

I couldn’t see the demon fox. Looking at the map, she seems to be running with all her might towards the Hideta. I decided that it was a nice opportunity to test my new lightning magic. I aimed at the fox and released a lightning bolt. A lightning bolt that will keep chasing her until she is dead. Let’s name it「Guided Lightning」. Judging by the map, she was busy dodging it. She seems to survive, for now. Well, do your best.

---

---

　

---

---

Episode 24 Let’s Make A Zenzai

I’m hungry. I have a lot of things to think about, but let’s fill my stomach first.

Since I have been thinking for a while already, my body craves for sugar. While I’m at it, might as well make a zenzai that Eril wanted to taste.

I took out a pot, that I borrowed from the Versam family’s kitchen, put beans and poured water inside. I used a small fireball to make the water boil. After a while I sucked out the water then, once again, poured the water inside and boiled it. For now, this should be enough.

From here on, it is the most important part. The beans were simmering nicely. I made a stove with earth magic and ignited the firewood with magic. I carefully adjusted the heat….

I have nothing to do for now. What do I do?

I left it as it is and checked my status. I just remembered, I never learned 「Lightning Magic」. The reason is, the teacher never taught me and I am bad around lightning.

Well, I’m the Great Demon King right now. Being unable to summon lightning is unbecoming. If someone says to me「The Great Demon King can’t even use lightning~? Damn, it’s too laughable! 」, I will die from embarrassment.

I have time, let’s practice. The teacher said that the image is important in regards to magic. Let’s imagine the lightning. Pika, gorogorogoro~. Pikapika, baribaribari~.

….I can’t. Nothing comes out. The sky is bright and clear, not a single cloud. That’s too depressing.

How is it appearing in the first place? It needs thunderclouds if I remember correctly.

I created a U-shaped barrier and floated to the sky. It feels rather nice. There I generated the steam by using water and fire magic. I warmed the ground with fire magic. Then, I lowered the temperature on top of the barrier using ice magic. After a while, the black cloud appeared, and after a few more minutes,

「Pika! Paripari~」

I produced a tiny lightning bolt. I somewhat understood the principle. I checked my status and found「Lightning Magic LV3」there. Why is it LV3 all of a sudden?

All right, let’s try it. It is scary if it is close, so let’s drop it as far as possible. Thunderbolt….as far as I can.

「Dosshan, baribari~~~~~」

I was too impatient. My vision turned white for a moment. Did it fall close after all?? The sound was nothing to scoff at, you know?

My body is still fine. I want to check the result, but I need to attend to the pot. The water decreased, so I need to refill it from time to time. [¹]

I checked the status and「Lightning Magic」became LV5.

The Great Demon King is god damn amazing. I summoned the lightning bolt twice and mastered the skill. Maybe that’s why Great Demon Kings are strong?

While I was thinking about that, the beans finally became soft. It’s about time.

While drawing out the water, I put beans into another pot. Sugar incoming! Remembering how my grandma used to do it, I added the sugar by the eye. Then I added a pinch of salt.

I added the water and boiled it. After 10 minutes at the low heat, the zenzai was completed.

….Sweet. Tasty. Of course, I’m hungry, but it was still made rather nicely for someone like me. Tasty. Tasty. Eat. Eat.

…..My stomach is full. A lot was still left, what am I going to do with it?

I overestimated myself and made too much, a lot was left. It shouldn’t be too difficult, let’s put it into the「Infinite storage」. I might obtain a mochi somewhere. At that time, I will enjoy them together!

While enjoying the feeling of fullness, I thought of my future plans. My status had risen, but not being attacked by the monsters feels weird. It seems, they really don’t like me. The humans should be like that too. Then how am I going to live from now on? What will happen when I eat all of the food? I can gather the edible plants, but how long will it last? The answer didn’t come to me.

I’m tired of thinking. I will die from the depression if this continues. I need to relax my brain. Well, since I became the Great Demon King, let’s do that to recover the mood.

I stood up and assumed a pose,

「You too will be turned into one of my puppets! Guhahahahahaha! 」

….Sorry. Please spare me. I just wanted to try it. That was dangerous. I almost fell on the ground depressed again.

Botoh!

I heard a sound behind my back. I turned around and discovered a small white fox. Did it come to become my puppet?

---

---

　

---

---

From deep within the Runo forest, I looked at the blue sky.

It’s a nice weather, great for laundry. It’s autumn. It is neither cold nor hot. A refreshing wind blows in the forest. A pleasant wind indeed. Staying home all the time is good, but going outside is nice too, from time to time. Such a quiet place. So peaceful.

While I was thinking about such things, there were tears in my eyes. I need a little more time to escape from reality.

People suddenly attacked, although I never did anything to them. I thought to wait here until things calmed down, but even monsters were distancing themselves from me. I kept going deeper and the monsters kept running. They even sprinted with all they had.

There are no living beings around me. It is the silence itself. It is pretty scary in such a quiet forest, you know? Like, really. Just what on earth had happened to me? For now, I looked at my status. It became something amazing all of the sudden.

Rinos (Great Demon King, 14 years old) LV ∞
HP: 49859
MP: 62874
Barrier Magic LV5
Fire Magic LV5
Water Magic LV5
Wind Magic LV5
Earth Magic LV4
Recovery Magic LV5
Life Magic LV2
Chanting LV5
Appraisal Magic LV5
Sword Arts LV5
MP Recovery LV5
Presence Detection LV5
Mana Detection LV5
Mana Absorption LV5
Body Strengthening LV5
Evasion LV5
Etiquette LV2
Liberal Arts LV3
Paralysis Resistance LV5
Poison Resistance LV5
Mental Resistance LV5
Dark Magic LV5
Curse LV5

God of War * God of Knowledge * Great Demon God *Iron Man * Iron Arm * Barrier God * Warlord * Sage * Excellent Appraiser

….The hell? 「Slave Barrier Master」became「Great Demon King」. Forget about the ridiculous skills, even more ridiculous titles were attached. Am I some famous baseball player?

I became the Great Demon King, so I immediately checked my body. There was no change in my appearance, judging by the reflection on the water. Still, I was surprised when the status screen appeared right before me. It seems to be an effect of Appraisal LV5. Even more, it displayed everything I wanted it to display. Adding to that, all of the information perceived by my detection skills was present on the「Map」.

Map is able to display all living beings in a 50km radius. It seems that enemies and those who bear hostility against me are marked red. The area 5km around me is pure white, but after that, it is covered in red.

Speaking of the troublesome skills, it is Curse LV5. Let’s appraise it.

「Draws animosity from every living creature. Attracts the evil beings. Status raised by 500%」

It makes you strong but everyone will hate you, or so it seems. Apparently, no one is around me right now because of this skill.

I can hide my skills, in other words, I can resist other’s appraisal. However, I am not able to hide this curse.

Swords, spears, bows or other physical means of attack do not work against me. The same goes for poison and paralysis. Basically, I’m almost invincible.

I looked at the sky while spacing out. For some reason, I couldn’t stop my tears.

After a while of trying to escape reality, I organized my mind. Let’s try to properly think about my circumstances. Yes, let’s do just that.

At this point, I appraised the items from the treasury of the Versam family. These things ended up being quite amazing too.

「Nameless Sword」
By channeling a small amount of mana, the owner can transform its form into the most suitable form for himself. Draws out owner’s most outstanding talent.

「Probe Robe」[¹] Keeps the wearer pure at all times. Absolute defense against the curses, poison, and paralysis. Able to completely recover the wearer’s lost parts and wounds.

With this robe, it might work.

I immediately equipped the robe. The Curse skill is still present. However, once I equipped it, I understood. It is able to clean my clothes and body, thus making me “pure”. In other words, there is no need for bathing and laundry. It also serves as a free hospital, because it is able to recover wounds. It will greatly ease the traveling. The founder is awesome!

While I am at it, I try to hold the「Nameless Sword」. It is said that it can change its form and draw my hidden talent, let’s try putting mana in it.

The description said “small amount”, but it took quite a bit. It is your usual iron sword from the shop, but it shined due to my mana in it. With a flash, it transformed into a Japanese sword.

A japanese sword in a black sheath, right from a historical drama. It is quite light. I tried slowly pulling it out.

What is that? This katana has a red edge and looks vicious. Let’s appraise this katana.

「- – -」
The sword that cuts the spirit instead of the body. The creature that was cut will taste the hellish suffering over the long period of time, eventually leading to its death. Ignores defense.

….This is a dangerous fellow. I ended up creating a cursed sword all of the sudden. Looking closely,

「Can be changed only once. Will be released upon the owner’s death」

uwaaaaa. This is so wrong~. Do not make things with such restrictions~.

For now, let’s name it. Let’s go with: Cut apart the soul…「Onigiri」 (Onigiri). [²]

I thought of a name and became hungry in the process. And I didn’t call it like that because of the hunger. Just a coincidence. Come to think of it, I didn’t eat since yesterday, let’s make something.

---

---

　

---

---

I awoke in the morning. It seems I slept through the whole night.

There is the dragon that I defeated yesterday before me. With its eyes and mouth opened wide, it looked awful.

A creature called「dragon」 is said to be quite the delicacy. However, when I thought who is in its stomach right now, I didn’t feel like eating it. I lay a barrier around it and raise the temperature inside. As I was looking at it, it became bright red and melted. It looks like a puddle right now. I raised the temperature further. It’s probably a few thousand degrees inside already. After a while, its body had evaporated and disappeared.

I looked at the sky and put my hands together.

Well then, what now? Let’s return to the Versam family’s mansion first.

I entered the capital through the north gate. The prided wall, thanks to the dragon’s rampage is a complete mess. Not just that, the damage to the buildings is enormous. There should be a lot of injured people.

I walked towards the area where noble’s mansions should be. Yesterday, I walked on this path together with Eril. While thinking about those things, I headed straight for the Versam mansion.

After the yesterday’s rebellion, there are no soldiers around, there are no people here at all. I tried searching for the presences and found nothing. It seems there is no one here indeed.

The buildings are mostly intact around here, it looks just as usual. However, with no one around, it creates a really weird atmosphere.

I reached the mansion after walking for a while. The gate looked unchanged, I felt that if I waited for a while, the maids will come out and say「Welcome home, Rinos」.

The gate was easily opened and I entered inside.

A few meters from the entrance, there was nothing. Master’s room, teacher’s room, mine and Eril’s rooms on the second floor, there was nothing. Only the entrance hall, the dining room, and the kitchen retained their original form.

I head for the dining room. The room was clean and tidy, you can never believe that there was a rebellion yesterday. I’m glad that this place survived. The reason is, there is the treasury of the Versam family here. When I was still a slave, Elsa-sama told me that if she and the marquis didn’t come home for more than 7 days without any notice, I’m to take everything in the treasury with me. I’m going to fulfill this last order.

The entrance into the treasury is the stove.

Of course, this stove works hard during the winter parties. It also participated in the creation of the roasted beef and provided some warmth during the cold.

There is a small glass ball on the side of this stove. You can’t notice a small glass ball until you look closely. I channeled my mana in it and the stove moved. It is an excellent article; it reacts only to the authorized people’s mana and ignores all others.

And I channeled my mana into this glass ball. Actually, it was the first time I tried to enter the treasury, so I was slightly worried, but the stove moved away without any problem. A corridor wide enough for one person to pass appeared before me.

Once I stepped into the corridor, the entrance closed behind me. The next room should be the treasury. I activated a life magic spell「light」and looked at the surroundings. On the door of the treasury, there is a sculpture of a dragon with its mouth wide open. I aligned my face with it and said the words.

「Door, open「I don’t know」」

I heard a sound and carefully opened the door.

There were two swords and a silver robe inside.

I stored them in my「infinite storage」.

I traversed the corridor once again. There is a small glass ball on the wall. I put my mana in it and return to the dining room.

I suddenly became interested and proceeded to the kitchen. The plates were orderly organized, without any disturbance. The stored food was completely fine too. All of the tableware, food and cooking utensils I put in the「infinite storage」and left the mansion.

Although there were no people there anymore, I still erected a barrier around the mansion. It was my home for 8 years, I didn’t want it to be touched by others.

I walked towards the west gate. The dragon rampaged quite a bit, so everything is in shambles. The residential and the commercial areas suffered the most of the damage. I thought to take a stroll around there and heal some people on the way.

However, there was no one around. I couldn’t sense anyone.

I walked towards the north gate, but there was no one here either. After walking for a while longer, I was able to sense a presence of people outside of the gate. I exited from the gate and headed in its direction.

There were about 50 townspeople there. Some of them were injured. Some of them had weapons. Most likely, they are the people who evacuated from the capital when the rebellion started. First of all, I can treat the wounded.

「Are you all right, everyone? The injured people…..」

「Uwaa!」「Gyaa! 」「Hiiiii!」

When I approached, everyone panicked for some reason. There are some who aren’t able to move from fear. All of them are staring at me. Is there something behind my back?

I turned my head and saw only the usual Runo forest behind me.

An arrow unexpectedly fell beside me. Turning back, I saw people lifting their bows at me aggressively.

「P-please wait!」

「Uaaaaaa! Stay away! Stay awaaaaaay!!!!」

They fired the arrows at me like mad. I was too overwhelmed and ran towards the Runo forest.

---

---

---

---

「Fuh」

I slowly breathed out. I looked at the giant rock that was once a royal palace. I spent quite a bit of MP to erect this barrier but I do not feel it lessening at all. On the opposite, my body and my mind are in the best condition.

「Goruaaaaa!」

Suddenly, I felt a shock from my flank. Looking there, I found the dragon attached to my side. Then it started swinging its long neck. My body danced in the air. Its head movements kept accelerating.

Of course, its head, together with my body, collided with the buildings in the vicinity and the west wall, thus destroying the city. Then it took off from the ground with me in its mouth, destroying the walls of the way. It left the boundaries of the city and collided with the ground again. The dragon wasn’t satisfied and fired a breath upon landing. [¹]

With a big explosion, the area was covered in smoke. The dragon tried to find my figure in the smoke. And I appeared from it completely unscathed.

That is a matter of course. Although thin, I have my hardest barrier cast on me. It’s not so weak to be destroyed by this dragon.

Still, I feel something pressing on my head. Most likely, once the dragon determined that it was unable to bite through my barrier, in addition to his most powerful attack, breath, showing no effect whatsoever, it lifted me by the head to try to swallow me whole. [²]

However, the dragon’s movements stopped.

「Gigigigi, bakih! Bakih! Pakyin!! 」

Once inside, I quickly erected a barrier. Then I just compressed it. It resisted for a while, but it very soon hit its limit. The dragon was slowly getting pulverized together starting from its scales.

「Goruaaaaa!!! Goruaaaaa!! Goruaaaaaaaaa!!!」

It raised a scream of despair. It tried to escape but my barrier didn’t move an inch. Its tail and legs were crushed. [³]

「Masters! Eril! Teacher! His highness! Taste this! I will never forgive you! You destroyed this city! I will kill you! However, your death will be slow and painful!!!」

「Half of your body is crushed. His highness was just like you, enjoy it thoroughly! 」

With the dragon’s voice about to vanish as a sign, I restored its body. Of course, the missing parts were restored too. The dragon was surprised at its wounds and pain disappearing, but hatred soon filled its eyes again.

「Don! Don! Don! Don! 」

The dragon’s limbs exploded and scattered. It raised a tremendous cry. I exploded its eyes, nose, and fangs one after another.

「Kuruaaa! Kuruaaa! Kuruaaa! Kuruaaa! 」

「You can’t see? Can’t you breathe? Can you only feel pain? It’s my teacher’s pain! Enjoy it thoroughly! 」

The dragon stopped moving again. I cast a recovery spell and healed it in an instant.

I’m not satisfied yet. This time, I dispelled a part of the barrier around his head and raised the temperature inside. [⁴]

「Kuruaaa! Kuruaaaaa! Kuruaaaaaaaa! 」

「It is funny seeing you「Kuruaaaa」all of the sudden. Mm? Are you crying? 」

The dragon sheds tears and desperately tries to escape. It no longer looked at me. All of its attention was on escaping.

Its previously black scales are now burning red. And I heal its wounds for the third time.

People say the dragons are very proud creatures. However, the dragon before me looks like a frightened little animal. You can’t call it a dragon anymore.

「Those are Eril’s regrets and pain. How does it feel? Life without pain is a bliss, right? And finally, taste the suffering of my Masters, die! 」

I enveloped its whole body in the barrier and pulled out the air, creating a vacuum.

This kind of dragons lives in water, but it can’t survive without the air after all. It was enduring for a moment, but it finally felt the suffering. It trembled with its eyes opened wide.

「Haaa, haaa, haa. Serves you right! 」

Confirming that the dragon breathed its last, I finally exhaled. As expected, this time I used my MP to the limit. I feel sleepy and tired.

「The enemy was vanquished」

I muttered this, fell on the grass and fell into the deep sleep.

---

---

　

---

---

Shigea Karugi, 68 years old. A general of the Juka Kingdom titled as a「marshal」for his long military service.

「Become like your grandfather. A soldier cannot lose. Defeat is death」

The beloved grandma said so. Defeat is death…..Those words took their roots in the child’s heart.

The Shigea family, in which Karugi was born, was serving as the kingdom’s knights for generations. Karugi’s grandfather led a team of elites and blocked the monsters flooding out of Runo forest, thus becoming a hero.

Karugi really loved his grandfather. With his big body, he held his sword and smiled fiercely, then defeated the opponents like a demon. He loved sitting on his lap and listening to his achievements more than anything.

But even the hero will eventually meet his end. The grandfather got sick, his strong body slimmed before anyone noticed and he spent his days in the bed. In the moment before his death, he smiled and said to Karugi「live strong」, then left this world.

Even his powerful grandfather met his death. Karugi, who was barely 6 years old, became abnormally afraid of「death」from that moment.

What do I need to do to not die? He spent his days constantly thinking about it. And on the day, that was the anniversary of his death, Karugi remembered his final words.

「Live strong」

The grandfather was weak. The grandmother said that defeat is death. He was weak, so he died. That is why I need to be strong. As long as I am strong, I won’t die. Barely 7-year-old Karugi concluded as such.

From the time he entered the royal school, he was always on the top. Swinging his sword, he could defeat his seniors, during the mock monster hunts, he hunted more than everyone else did.

In addition, Karugi had a certain talent. He was good at cultivating people. He was able to determine from the first look whether a person could be useful to him or not. For those who he deemed useful, he lent his help. For those who were better than he was, he strived to catch up, for those who lagged behind he extended his help as long as they needed.

Before everyone noticed, he already became a figure of authority in the royal school.

And such Karugi had a classmate. His surname was Versam, later known as marquis Versam. [¹]

The Versam family, that produced outstanding magicians, and the Shigea family, that produced military experts, were known as「the wings of the kingdom」. However, this particular Versam was neither good at magic nor at swordsmanship. He was a man with bent back and blue slim face, who was always engrossed in books.

Karugi didn’t pay much attention to this guy. He won’t be of any use, or so his instincts told him.

In adulthood, Karugi enrolled in the army and was swiftly promoted. At the age of 15, he received several dozen marriage proposals. On the other hand, the young master Versam had already married at the same age. This woman that he saw from time to time had strong-willed eyes and wasn’t his preference. A pale and frail man together with a strong-willed woman. This became a great topic among his comrades.

He became a father at the age of 17. Following after his promotions, the number of children and concubines kept increasing. On the other hand, the Versam couple finally produced their first child that was suddenly hospitalized. Karugi interpreted it as weak parents producing a weak child.

Once, the Hideta’s army broke through the border and started plundering the border town. Karugi was deployed and he swiftly dealt with the invasion, displaying his leadership abilities.

The neighboring countries came to know of him and his fame further increased.

Once he became the head of the army, he strived to enhance the army. You can’t become strong on your own. A strong army and a strong country should follow suit. A strong country won’t be defeated. Like that you「won’t die」.

Karugi’s training was efficient if you say it lightly, or spartan, if you don’t. Although he couldn’t do it to the whole army, against his direct subordinates he was very strict. They trained harshly with the possibility of dying. Of course, there were those who became the food for the wyverns, but at the same time, there were those who somehow received almost no injuries. [²]

As the result of the severe training, he managed to greatly increase the quality of his soldiers. Just like that, Karugi’s corps was recognized as the strongest corps in the kingdom’s army.

At the same time, monster’s eggs, brought from the forest, became often seen on Karugi family’s dinner table. At one time, he found an organism that resembled a dragon in the river. He defeated it quite easily but its life force was strong and it refused to die. He brought it back and tried training it. The training was simple, if it did what he wanted, he gave it water and food, if it didn’t he almost starved it to death.

Although dragons are considered ferocious, it surprisingly succeeded and it became a loyal best for Karugi. From then on, he showed interest in training monsters and regularly brought back wyvern’s eggs and trained them from infancy to adulthood.

Against the king, who stayed in the royal palace and wasn’t interested in politics, he sent his wife to the royal palace to become the chief executive. The king granted his approval without any doubt.

Using her influence, he was basically the top figure of the army. He received the title of「marshal」and had no doubts in his own future.

Meanwhile, Versam, who became a marquis, secretly expanded his influence in the royal palace. Despite being unable to wield magic and fight, he showed an amazing talent regarding the office work. He rapidly processed the mountains of paper and was able to come up with new ideas. Before everyone noticed, he took over the financial matters of the kingdom and became the prime minister.

Karugi, who aimed for the king, didn’t welcome his rise to power. However, marquis Versam sent his wife as a tutor for the prince and she became responsible for his education.

Few years after that, there was a conflict between them over increasing the size of the army.

「The kingdom should recruit more soldiers. Hideta’s army is twice the size of ours. If Hideta decides to invade, we might get annihilated」

「The Hideta cannot afford an invasion because of the bad harvest」

「That’s more of a reason. We should use this opportunity to invade and take away some of their territory」

「We won’t be able to keep it, our supply lines won’t be able to handle it」

「Don’t spout nonsense! The food could be plundered from the surroundings! 」

「Unless people trust us, we won’t be able to operate. It’s a good idea to work on foundations of our kingdom first」

「….I agree with marquis’ opinion. The army won’t be enlarged」

The prince closed the meeting. The other ministers agreed too. It was the first time for his proposal to be rejected, first time suffering this humiliation.

Once the prince became a regent, he worked to lessen Karugi’s authority. In this world, the strong win. The strong takes away from the weak. Why can’t they understand? His frustrations were piling up. [³]

It seems that the Versam family had a strong barrier master in their ranks. Karugi built a strategy that included him for future invasions. However, it was rejected swiftly.

「It’s reckless to have Rinos create barrier while invading the other countries. It’s over when his MP runs out, you know? Besides, what good it will be to invade? I will bring him into the royal palace to serve as the royal barrier master」

Idiocy. Why shouldn’t we invade if we can? You don’t know the war, stop being selfish…..Karugi’s anger was about to spill out.

One time, he saw his reflection in the mirror. His hair became gray and resembled his grandfather’s. He noticed that he was already older than his grandfather was. How many years was left? This country is in danger. I need to do something. Karugi thought so and came to a decision.

Weak people create a weak country. Then those weak people should be dealt with.

He acted fast. He took the brother of the current king under his wing. And when he heard that Elsa and Falco arrived in the royal palace, his 800 thousand soldiers acted as his limbs and caused a rebellion.

Everything worked out better than he expected. The rebel army was able to capture the nobles and the royal family members one after another. In the end, they found the king still on his bed enjoying the company of the woman. They were captured stark naked and brought as they were.

The greatest obstacle was the great magician Falco. He sent Madoisen for this job. All of a sudden, he cut his arms off before he was able to cast any spells and caught him without casualties.

Every obstacle was erased. I probably need to kill that barrier master too. Losing a great magician and a barrier master is a pain, but it should be all right somehow. I will get stronger. If I’m strong, I won’t die. Myself and the kingdom. He thought as such and started imagining his bright future…only to see the building collapse.

「Rinos, stop! Kneel! Kneel! 」

He heard a scream from Waiton. Why? Soon after, he was swallowed by the wave and lost his consciousness.

---

---

　

---

---

「W-Why are you standing there?」

I couldn’t hide my disappointment. The person that originally shouldn’t be here is standing by the Karugi’s side, wearing the army’s armor.

「Why! How did it come into being! Why are you here! 」

Eril too was quite disturbed.

The one who appeared was Waiton, the butler. The person with gentle manners, the quiet workaholic. I can’t even count how many times I was helped by this person. He worked efficiently and was trusted by everyone. That was why he was dispatched to work under the marquis in the royal palace.

「It has been a while, Rinos-dono, Eril-dono」

「Waiton-san, why….」

「I’m a subordinate of the general Karugi, the head of the kingdom’s intelligence unit, Shen Waiton. I was working in the Versam family for about 10 years already. Well, since I revealed my identity, I won’t be able to remain as the head of the intelligence unit anymore」

「Haha, don’t worry, Waiton. From today, you are especially promoted two ranks」

「I’m grateful, marshal. No, would you prefer to be called your majesty from now on? 」

「No, marshal is fine. This kingdom’s king is Hira-sama. For a while that is」

The two laughed. Is it fine for things to develop that way? My head is spinning.

「Well then, Waiton. Make him talk. Can you do it? 」

「Of course. Rinos, kneel」

All of the sudden, my body kneels. I can’t move a muscle. What did he do?

「I’m also registered as his manager. It was hard, I must say. To earn this much trust. He erected a barrier around the mansion, so I wasn’t able to enter inside anymore, I wasn’t able to work anywhere but the royal palace. However, this was convenient in the end」

So he had ill intent against the Versam family. That’s why he transferred to the royal palace all of the sudden.

「All right, Rinos. Answer. Tell us the keywords to open the underground treasury of the Versam family」

「……Ke, gu, wor……..」

「Answer me, Rinos」

「I, do, not….know….the, key…..words」

「Answer. The keywords to open the Versam’s family treasury」

「I, do, not, know, the, key, words」

「You deceived me! You! Kill! I will kill you! 」

「Rinos, dispel the barrier」

Regardless of my will, all barriers were dispelled. Right after that, the four people before me were stabbed. I can’t move or say anything. Move, please move, I beg you!

「Let me transfer the ownership of this slave. Soon, the power will be in yo」

「Pin」

I hear faint but clear voice, it is Elsa-sama. While spewing blood, but with a smile on her face, she fell on the ground.

In that moment, I heard a「pakin」sound in my head, and my head cleared up. I wonder when was the last time I felt this refreshed. In addition, my body is able to move.

I hurriedly run to Elsa-sama. She had no pulse, I run while casting extra heal on her. Her wounds closed, by the heart was still. I failed. I failed, Master.

「You can be free now」

I have a feeling that was what she said. It’s Elsa-sama. I’m certain, it was Elsa-sama. With her last words, she released me from the slave magic.

Without wiping my own tears, I cast extra heal on the teacher, marquis, and his highness. However, there was no reaction whatsoever. I do not know what to do. I stood in place dumbfounded.

「Aunt’s enemy-y-y-y!」

Something passes beside me at a tremendous speed. It’s Eril. She is running towards the main gate with her best efforts. I returned to the reality. Yes, we need to escape from here. I need to protect Eril.

Eril ran towards the main gate. The moment I tried to cast the ranged spells, a giant shadow covered Eril’s figure. For a moment, her figure vanished.

In front of my eyes, there was Eril caught in the giant dragon’s mouth. Its body exceeded 10 meters. And the giant fangs. There was no light in Eril’s eyes already.

The dragon threw her in its mouth as it is and started chewing. It swallowed with a sound, opened its now red mouth and fired a powerful breath towards me.

I erected the barrier on the reflex. However, its power was tremendous. I was blown away, all the way to the top of the northern gate’s wall. The breath even covered part of the crowd. Nothing could resist the breath, there were charred corpses scattered around.

The dragon ate the bodies of the teacher Falco, his highness and marquis, followed by the most petite of all of them, Elsa-sama.

「Hahaha. Only you didn’t have your fill yet. Sorry. You won’t be satiated with just that. There are 80 thousand soldiers stuffed inside the royal palace. Should we eat them? There won’t be any difference if we eat about 10. Or you can eat that barrier master if you want. However, be careful of upsetting your stomach」

The dragon roared towards the sky.

….Something broke inside of me.

「You *******!!!!!!!」

I wonder when was the last time I felt this way. No, from the beginning of my life, this might be the first time~. Anyway, kill. The ones who killed my precious people, my family, kill every one of them. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!!!!!!

I made a barrier from the main gate to the royal palace. Then, I gradually made it shrink.

The barrier made from all of my MP, my hardest barrier. The main gate crumbled, the wall crumbled, the noble’s mansion crumbled one after another. The wyverns on the roof were all inside it.

The smaller it becomes, the more it crushes, the more my power seems to increase. The power wells up inside of me. I feel like I can do anything. Maybe I already became a devil. But I do not mind, if I can destroy everything I hate, if I can make everything disappear….

The barrier seemed to have reached its limit and stopped shrinking. Once I dispelled the barrier, I saw a mass of rock in the place where there was once the royal palace. Buildings, people, furniture, daily necessities, food….there was everything.

At this day, the Juka Kingdom disappeared to never appear in history again. [¹]

---

---

　

---

---

---

While grasping Eril’s hand, I looked outside the carriage.

At first look, it was your usual noble district, but there was one thing different. The smell of blood.

In front of every mansion, the kingdom’s army, now the rebel army, stationed their troops. Apparently, a lot of supporters of the prince were killed. Despite the fact that the rebel army occupied the capital, the district was wrapped in silence.

It took us an hour to reach the main gate, the sun was already on the west. When we got off from the carriage, we saw a big commotion involving the soldiers and the people. The atmosphere was ready to erupt at any moment.

At that moment, a part of the wyverns flew towards us from the roof of the royal palace. They raised a big roar and landed in front of the gate. The commotion died down like it was never there.

With this as a sign, a few men appeared above the gate and the silver-haired man loudly proclaimed.

「Listen, people! I’m the marshal of the Juka Kingdom, Shigea Karugi! Today, we, the kingdom’s army, decided to abolish the corrupted king and his aides, and establish a new Kingdom! We will destroy this rotten and corrupted regime and establish a new powerful kingdom! For the kingdom to be reborn there is a need to spill blood! The kingdom will change in the spilled blood! First, we will deal with those who caused this kingdom to rot and make one step closer to the powerful kingdom! 」

The soldiers loudly cheered. With this as a sign, a lot of people appeared atop the wall. Apparently, the soldiers dragged them. Men, woman, even children. They wore the expensive clothes, most likely, they were of the royal blood. Some ladies were screaming like crazy, but soldiers beat them up and made them silent. Among them was a man who kept screaming ignoring the soldiers.

「Someone, kill Karugi! Kill him! Right before us!! Kiyo-san! Someone! Shoot! Tosuka! Saio! What are you doing!? Shoot these people! 」

This is probably the king. His body is like that of a pig. His face was void of any traces of royalty. In addition, he was naked. And by his side, there were four girls, with their bodies exposed too. They were probably captured together on a bed and dragged here as they were. They closed their legs, bent their bodies and were staying there quietly.

While looking at the king with disdainful eyes, Karugi lifted his right hand. Then the soldiers expressionlessly dropped the royal family from the wall. Shouts and screams blended in the air. The people collided with the ground, some of them were dead, some of they lost their consciousness, and the unfortunate ones were crippled. The wyvern greedily ate the people then. The wyverns on the roof also landed to partake in it. Truly a picture of Avi hell.

The people were brought atop the wall once again. Most likely, it is the opposing nobility. There were people who couldn’t move on their own. These people, under the sign of Karugi were pushed down too. They too became the wyvern’s prey.

Scattering the blood and pieces of meat around, the wyverns returned to the palace’s roof. Then, the gate opened and the marquis Versam, Mrs. Elsa, Falco, who lost both of his arms, and his highness appeared.

「Is barrier master, Rinos, here? If you are here, then come out! 」

「Rinos-dono, our lord is calling for you. Please return to your master. Please step forward」

Said the grinning Madoisen. Without sparing him a glance, I step forward. Eril follows me from behind.

「Oh, isn’t it Eril! I’m in luck today. You will be mine. M-Marshal, I will take Eril. You don’t mind, right? You truly have a nice body. These boobs, that ***. I will lick all of your body. Hihihihi」

Laughed the slender man next to Karugi. Eril was glaring with a「****** duke….」. Apparently, this man is the brother of the king, duke Hira.

「So you are Rinos. Were you the one who laid the barriers around them? I thought of cutting them down but wasn’t able to make a scratch. Nice skills. I like you. From today, you will be serving me and become my shield」

「Understood, But there is a condition. I want the Master, marquis Versam, lady Eril, the teacher Falco and his highness to be released. If you are willing to accept」

「Know your place!!!!!!!」 [¹]

Karugi shouted loudly.

「You are a slave! You are the captured property. You can either serve me or die, there is no other choice! If you are willing to serve, I can leave you with your life! Nothing more! Those people will be killed! 」

The three people under the barrier are restrained, but there are no visible wounds on them. I’m more worried about Falco. The blood has stopped, but he was twitching unconsciously. His aura is still present, he is still holding up. The recovery magic needs to be applied as soon as possible. First things first, let’s cast the barrier of Falco too.

「I have a thing to ask from you. Tell us the method to unlock the treasury of the Versam family」

「Then, at least, let me treat Falco’s wounds. If he dies, I will never talk」

「It seems you do not understand where you stand, Hey, Shen, do it!」

A man appeared next to Karugi. His appearance was completely unexpected by me.

---

---