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On top of his horse, Caper grinned.

His skill with the sword, which he had been honing in the countryside since he was a young boy, had at last been recognized and earned him a spot in the guard of the illustrious Aldelight family, a position with which Caper was genuinely satisfied.

Caper had led a life that wasn’t opulent but yet wasn’t poor.

He would toil in the fields from dawn till dusk every day, nourishing himself with far-from-lavish cuisine.

Young Caper had decided that he didn’t want to end up like his tired-looking father.

He’d made up his mind to polish his skills with the sword so that he could one day become a renowned soldier and amass a fortune.

There had been countless who’d made fun of Caper’s dream.

After all, the only work in their rural area had been plowing the fields.

It had been difficult to hear from old, obstinate folks that he wouldn’t succeed.

Caper, however, persevered and continued honing his skills day by day.
　
He practiced using a wooden stick that he had found in the woods and carved it to look like a sword.

He practiced day after day.

Luckily for Caper, he had a talent for the sword.

In no time at all, he honed his skills and became the best swordsman in the village.

When Caper had finally been pleased with his abilities, he left the village without telling his family and went around swinging his sword.

He’d taken a bet. Which he ended up winning.

His skills had eventually been noticed, striking him a position in one of the Kingdom of Elugor’s renowned families.

Caper’s lips curved into a smile once more.

He truly felt content with his current life.

He felt truly relaxed at this moment.

I should start preparing to send money back home sometime soon. He thought to himself.

“Hey! Caper!”

Suddenly a deep voice called out to him from the front.

As the hefty, bearded, middle-aged man riding in front called out to him, shivers ran down Caper’s spine.

“What is it, Captain?”
“You’ve got some guts grinning like that while on duty.”
“I apologize, Captain.”
“You’re one carefree fellow, aren’t you? Look.”

The captain said while pointing his thick finger towards the jet-black carriage they were encircling.

“We’re proud warriors serving the renowned Aldelight family. Do not let down your guard for even a moment. If you so much as allow a single hair from Duke Balged, the duchess, or their kids to fall out, I will personally kill you.”
“U-Understood.”

Caper spoke while suckling his saliva.

“B-But Captain. The vicinity is reasonably safe, and the route that connects the Aldelight territory and the royal capital can be seen clearly. Is it really necessary to be vigilant at all times?”

Fields of young grass stretched as far as the eye could see all around them.

The scene of the spring breeze caressing the green waves was serene.

The Captain let out a short sigh and glared at Caper.

“Caper, have you ever seen a Demon?”
“N-No. I haven’t.”
“Figures. They’re not that common inside the kingdom’s territory. However, they do occasionally show up. And they’re frightening.”
“I see.”

What’s so frightening about them? Caper scorned inwardly.

He could easily take down any large animal.

That, of course, was true for all of the twenty-something men that were guarding the carriage.

These warriors were all well-equipped, and they stood in an imposing formation.

Caper was confident that they had nothing to fear.

“There’s Demons that can dive underground and those that soar through the skies. The thing with them is that you never know where they’ll spring up from.”
“I see. The sky, huh…”

Suddenly, Caper was shrouded by a giant shadow.

What’s going on?

He pondered, a peculiar feeling washing over him

The fortune teller said that the weather would be good today…

He looked up to the sky, thinking nonchalantly.

There’s something there!

Suddenly, Caper’s blood ran cold.

The thing in the sky was black.

Caper couldn’t quite tell what it was because it was blocking the sun, but he could definitely see that something large, black, and with bat wings was flying over them.

“MEN! Ready your weapons!”

The Captain’s shout pierced Caper’s eardrums.

This was the first time Caper had ever seen their fearless but always composed captain’s face tremble with nervousness.

“It’s a flying Demon! Ready yourselves!”

Soon after, the black Demon began to descend.

In the blink of an eye, it landed, or rather, it hit the ground generating a cloud of dust as if something had just exploded. Soon afterwards, Caper laid eyes on the massive beast before him.

“HYAA!”

He shrieked out of sheer impulse.

The thing before him was unsightly.

Its bloated body was so enormous, that even an adult man would have to struggle to look up just to capture it all.

Its massive, bat-like wings were oozing some kind of viscous liquid.

Additionally, its eight legs and four arms were hideously swollen.

Its face resembled that of a gorgeous goddess but was deprived of pupils.

It was black, big and truly unsightly.

Caper only had to glance at it to feel sick to his stomach.

The Demon then suddenly screamed.

The soldiers’ hearts trembled as they heard the scream that sounded like hundreds of women writhing in agony.

Caper experienced a warm, wetting sensation in his crotch.

No one told me there’d be something like this!

Caper thought, his hands shaking as he took an arrow from his quiver.