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–––Bandit’s viewpoint

“That’s impossible… How could you tell! I made sure no one saw me!”
“Um…um…”

Now it was my turn to flap my mouth, still struggling to understand what Sherpa was saying. He had actually made a deal with demons? Really? I had not expected that at all. I had just been bluffing! I look around nervously and see Annero, my sisters, and even the king and his ministers looking at me with respect.

“That’s incredible, Bandit! When did you notice that?! You should’ve told us beforehand!”
“Bandit… it seems I was underestimating your abilities. I didn’t think you could tell who had ties with demons.”
“Sherpa and demons… since when… And I was listening to everything he said…”
“Barius’ hero is so cool!”

While Sherpa and I were still confused, the noise around us grew louder. This was bad. Ugh..! At this point the best option would be to pretend I knew from the start!

“I um, I actually suspected that from the beginning. But I had no proof so I kept quiet until I could corner him to a point where he had to admit it.”
“”Ohhh!””

It was painful feeling everyone’s attention. I even felt a bit guilty… not like I did anything wrong, I hope.

“So there you have it Sherpa! I’ve seen through your lies! Your time has come!”

I unsheath my sword after I said that. My sisters and the guards also did the same, surrounding Sherpa. Even if he had joined forces with demons, it would be hard for him to get out of this situation. Now, how would he react to get out of this desperate situation?

“Ugh… this is b̲u̲l̲l̲s̲h̲i̲t̲! I’ll just go all out then! I’ll kill all of you!”

The air surrounding Sherpa changed. Large amounts of black mist were exuded by his body as he began to transform. His silver scales turned black, rejecting any and all light. The pressure I felt from him also became much stronger, even more than the demons I had fought before. I guess that was the power he was hiding… it’s even more than I anticipated.

“So you had a demon attached to you… well, you’re still our enemy no matter what the case is.”

I went to Annero’s side, breaking the chains holding him and his party. He watched in a daze as his restraints fell.

“…Bandit?”
“Annero, I’ll let you do the honors. Or are you going to tell me you’re still waiting to be executed after all that just happened?”

Hearing that, Annero silently looks over to the king.

“…Annero, it seems I was mistaken. I realize this is really selfish to ask, but could you fight for me again?”
“…Your wish is my command.”

Annero bowed to the king, then took the spear from one of the guards and stood in front of Sherpa. The rest of his party also followed him, surrounding Sherpa. Meanwhile we stepped back a bit, to give them enough space.

“Are you sure about this, Bandit?”
“Sherpa… or rather that demon looks pretty strong.”
“It’ll be fine. Annero is stronger.”

Before we might have struggled, but after spending time in the Haunted Lands we were strong enough to handle enemies like that. I would rush in to help in the worst case scenario, but it should be fine.

Sherpa’s transformation finished, the black mist… the miasma around him settling a bit. That revealed a reptid with jet black scales. Sherpa’s face had always looked bad, but now it was contorted with anger, looking almost like a monster. And just like how his power grew, his body was also larger. His eyes were glowing red, looking around with a wicked smile.

“Annero… you… you’re the one I want to crush with these hands the most!”
“…Let’s just let our spears do the talking now.”
“Perfect! Die!”

Sherpa shouted as he rushed at Annero at an incredible speed. The ground cracked under the power of his legs, running faster than a regular person’s eyes could follow. Though…

“Hmph!”
“What?!”

Sherpa had thought he could end the fight with the first strike, but Annero had completely blocked his advance. His spear got tangled with Annero’s, before being flicked high into the air.

“Wha-?!”
“You might have speed and strength, but your skills haven’t caught up.”

After blocking Sherpa’s charge, Annero quickly counterattacked. Sherpa tried to block desperately, but anyone could tell who the most skilled one was after a few attacks.

“D-dammit! Why can’t I do anything!”

Sherpa could not hide his anxiety, he had been convinced he would win after getting the power of demons and boosting his strength. I actually felt like their skills were not all too different, but Annero was far more confident about his own skills. It was the difference between someone who had risked his life countless times to become stronger, and someone who merely borrowed some power.

Eventually Sherpa’s defense became too weak. Annero’s spear grazed his shoulder, tore his flesh, and began stabbing his legs to rob Sherpa of his mobility. The fight was slowly heading to its conclusion. Sherpa was painfully aware of that.

“Why! Why are you always so..!”
“It’s just the fruits of your efforts, Sherpa. If you actually dedicated your time to training and diligently polished your skills, you might’ve been stronger…”

Annero’s eyes showed a bit of pity as he said that. I did not know what kind of relationship they had in the past, I just knew they had grown up in the same country. I guess something happened between them before.

“Why are you looking at me like that! D-don’t pity me! I don’t want that from you of all people!”
“…”

Annero’s spear pierced Sherpa’s arm, making him drop his own weapon. He quickly tried to pick it up, but he found the tip of Annero’s spear in front of his eyes.

“This is it. Give up, Sherpa. At least show a bit of self-respect for once in your life.”

Sherpa glared at Annero. If looks could kill, Sherpa would already be a murderer, but Annero remained collected. Sherpa gritted his teeth in frustration, and then heaved a long sigh.

“…Alright, I’ll atone… for nothing!”
“!”

For a moment it seemed like Sherpa was finally starting to think, but he only did that to swat away Annero’s spear before running towards the king. The guards tried to move in and defend the king… but they were too slow! Sherpa was way too fast for them.

“King! At least you’ll go down together with…?!”

Sherpa was stopped before he could reach the king and take him down. Annero had thrown his spear, piercing through Sherpa’s back.

“Gh..hah! Damn… it… I can’t..! Not here…! Not me..!!”

Copious amounts of blood spurted from Sherpa’s mouth as he tried to dislodge the spear, but his movements were quickly becoming slower, eventually stopping completely.