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As if to answer Baldum’s voice oozing with suspicion, the third person, who has been listening to the two conversations so far silently, lowered the hood from head to the back.

“Imm一…… Impossible!?”

Hidden behind the hood was, as expected, a female一 or to be more precisely, a young girl adorned in scarlet and jet black.

She was a beauty so terrifying that gave rise to goosebumps at glance. She seemed to be about 12-13 year old, her untied silky black hair swept down her back, jade-like scarlet eyes and absolutely flawless facial features.

She wasn’t just simply a mere shell of beauty, but a peerless beautiful maiden with an elegance easily mistaken to be a goddess and an aura of mysteriousness shrouding her.

Nevertheless, the cause behind Baldum’s surprise lies not in the divine beauty of the young girl, but the stark resemblance between her appearance and one other person he has heard in the reports. That is, with the Queen of Imperial Crimson, Hiyuki.

“What preposterity…… Are you saying Aeon has joined hands with Imperial Crimson said to be a demon country……!?!”

The man opposite him flashed a smile like a child who has succeeded in his pranks at Baldum’s flabbergasted appearance.

“It should be a common strategy to show yourself as bitter enemies of each other while in fact, they have joined hands behind the scene, no? While God’s doctrine is important, human life is simply inseparable from bread and water after all.”

I see. That way of thinking is unusually convincing for Baldum.

Hiyuki lightly shrugged her shoulders and nodded when Baldum glanced at her.

“Pretty much, for us, we just want to have a tie with those who have higher chances of winning.”

So answered Hiyuki in a voice more deeper, like an adult woman, than he had imagined.

“So Your Majesty’s wording is you aren’t interested in supporting Cres Kingdom, right?”
“Not at the moment. I have been visiting them because the competition for beast king looks interesting for the time being, but that’s all there is to it.”
“…… I see.”
“What have you decided on? Though I suppose there shouldn’t be any other blockade for you.”

The words of the man who sums up the whole story with a beaming smile was the final nail in the coffin for Baldum which pushed him to make the ultimate decision.

◆◇◆◇

A big and a small shadow walked in the corridor of the federation’s head residence.

The man clad in the resplendent armor, the owner of the big shadow, spoke to the petite young girl walking beside him.

“Man, that was thrilling. It was a relief that everything ended under the time limit of «Mimic Card».”
“All’s well that ends well. ―Rather, what do you think, did I mimic Hiyuki well? I just felt like her tone is usually more polite though.”

A stark contrast from earlier, the young girl seems to have a touch of coquettishness with her hand lightly rubbing the neck and a frank tone.

“No, you gave the same feeling as Hiyuki had when she spoke with her friends…… The words you used also don’t have strangeness, just like how she usually talks.”
“I see. Then I suppose it’s a success.”

So nodded the young girl and gave a grinning smile.

The man asked with a slightly complicated expression, as he looked at the young girl’s appearance.

“Speaking of her, how did Hiyuki look? Were there any changes? I couldn’t meet her at that time… ”

“Hmm~~, how did she look? I myself was trying hard to capture her appearance using «Mimic Card» from a distance, so I didn’t get the chance to look at her from close-up either… U~~n, I think she was cuter than I imagined to say the least. She seemed to have adapted into her role as far as I can tell,” continued the young girl, “That’s foul play if I have to say so.”

“Sigh… I see.”

“Hn? ―You don’t seem to be surprised, could it be, that’s how she was even in the past?”

“Well, I do have the recollection of talking with guild members how charming she is, including the gap of how she doesn’t give the impression of a distinct sex to be begin with…… Maybe, that’s not impossible.”

“Oh?” The young girl tilted her neck in interest and the next moment, grinned as an obscene smile creeped up on her face.

“Then, would you like to try embracing this body?”

The man stared at the obscene face of his partner and his expression turned cold in a blink.

“I have never looked at her as such, and I would like you to cease any of your remarks that may sound insulting to Hiyuki.”

The man’s tone was cold but the young girl simply shrugged it off without showing any bit of remorse.

“Fine, I was wrong there. ―Nevertheless, the boss happily embraced me.”

Though, he did click his tongue seemingly bored after the act was over. Perhaps the follow-up words concern her self-esteem, the young girl didn’t continue speaking. However those words were enough as a grimace of pain appeared on the man’s face, both his hands clenched tightly as if enduring something.

◆◇◆◇

“―Achoo!”

Asmina looked at me with concerned eyes who sneezed suddenly feeling an intense chill.

“Have you caught the cold, Lady Hiyuki?”
“No, I just felt an itch in my nose but that’s settled down already, so don’t worry.”

We are at Demon Wolves’ Feeding Ground, the same preliminary ground as yesterday. The first match of the second round, Revan vs Bearkin Eugene of the ‘Crag,’ is finally going to begin as we’re looking forward to it with great interest.

“Hmm, I heard that the opponent is a giant that weighs 700 kg, I am looking forward to how he’s going to deal with the opponent.”

“It would be all right, because my dear brother Revan can defeat even those demons surpassing 1000 kg in weights barehanded!”

So replied Asmina brimming with confidence.

I see, the weight difference doesn’t really matter that much or rather, I think any of the regular mobs in the game with their huge body can surpass 1 ton in weight. Speaking of it, I almost forget that this is a world where handicaps like that hardly pose any problem.

So, just like yesterday, the contestant from both sides walked up to the center of match venue, but一

“…… What in the world is that bear?”

A befuddle voice unwittingly slips out of my mouth.

“What is what, it’s your usual Bearkin. ―Oh, you must be wondering how the Bearkin looks like a beast completely, right? I guess, this might be a rare sight for those who aren’t familiar with them.”

“No, I am surprised about that too but he’s…… ”

The Bearkin was indeed a gigantic man worthy of the name “Crag”.

Just as Asmina said, he looks completely like a bear standing upright on its two legs and covered in hard, greasy fur from head to toe. With prick ears, sharp gaze, rows of fangs peeking out from his mouth and long, sturdy arms with claws so sharp that it seems like they can even tear even the steels apart.

However, like other beastman, he is clad in a thick white sleeveless vest resembling the karate uniform tied with the help of a leather belt. Together with the trouser he was wearing made of similar material, it gives him the impression of an intelligent being. Nevertheless the pressure he exudes from upfront is just like those of a ferocious beast no matter how you look at it.

But the most eye-catching thing wasn’t that, rather it is the color of his body fur which is completely white saving his ears, eyes, and four limbs that are completely black, causing me to shout “isn’t he a panda!?” reflexively.

“Huhh…? But he’s a bear though?”

Asmina tilts her head, sounding perplexed at my outburst.

―Huh, what? Don’t tell me it’s common sense and I’m the strange one for getting surprised!?

“That’s true but…! Just for once, why can’t the single one of your beastmen not act like they can’t live without being a troll!?”

Asmina tilted her head looking more and more perplexed at my straightforward impression.