Chapter 4

"Beyond this point, I won't let you pass."

When the squad led by Laradi and Sorgloss was being annihilated, there was also movement on the stage from another route leading to the Dark Guild.

In front of this squad, a woman stood blocking the way.

"Are you a member of the Dark Guild 'Army of Salvation'?"

"Yes, I am."

Despite the fact that being a member of the Dark Guild could result in the death penalty, the woman nodded proudly, without any attempt to hide it.

Two impressive horns protruded from her hair, which was tied in twin tails.

"Does the Dark Guild have members from the demon race as well?"

"Yes. In fact, there are more non-humans in our guild."

"...You answer so readily."

The Dark Guild 'Army of Salvation' was an organization from which almost no information could be obtained.

The kingdom and other guilds had sent assassins multiple times to gather information, but due to strict information control, almost no information had ever come back.

Most assassins never returned, and those who did were so badly beaten that they could never return to work.

The location of the guild mentioned in this extermination request was also questionable, but since this woman claimed to be a member of the 'Army of Salvation,' the information must have been correct.

However, the fact that the information was so valuable made it strange that a member would answer so freely.

"Huh? Well..."

The woman smiled wryly, as if the question was absurd.

"What does it matter what I say to those who are going to die here?"

"―――!?"

The woman, who had been dozens of meters away, suddenly appeared right in front of them.

Her face was perfectly symmetrical, and she was more beautiful than anyone they had ever seen, but the extraordinary physical abilities she displayed left no room for such thoughts.

"Uaaaaaaah!!"

The knight standing next to the man raised his sword with a cry that was both a battle cry and a scream.

Aiming a weapon at a woman was not a good behavior for a kingdom knight, but when the opponent was a member of the Dark Guild, it was a different story.

The tip of the sword the knight swung down was aimed at the woman's head.

With the strength of a powerful swing, the sword should have easily deformed her head.

"Whoa"

"What!?"

Such expectations were quickly betrayed.

A dull sound, like the collision of two hard objects, echoed.

The sword the knight swung down was being blocked by the woman's arm.

"The sword...!!"

More incredibly, the sword cracked and then shattered in the next moment.

"Here's payback"

"Kyaa!!"

The woman's sharp kick struck the knight's stomach, who was still in shock from the shattered sword.

The iron armor, which should have been sturdy, was shattered into pieces by that single blow.

The woman, who should have been weaker than the man, easily sent the strong knight flying.

"What's going on!? Why are you unharmed even when your arm is struck by a sword!?"

"I'm tough, racially. Well, thanks to this, I can protect my Master."

The woman smiled proudly.

Her expression was also very beautiful.

"Now, you who are targeting my Master must die here. I'm sorry, but you'll have to accept it."

With that, the woman attacked the kingdom knights and the Grey Guild members.

While the men were heavily armed with swords and armor, the woman was unarmed and had nothing.

It was clear at a glance who had the advantage.

However, the battle was one-sided, with the woman punching and kicking the knights and guild members.

The strong men, who should have been accustomed to rough work, were being overwhelmed by the slender woman's bare hands.

When they were hit, they fell to the ground, spitting blood.

"Damn!!"

"...Are you okay?"

"Ri, Ritter-sama!?"

An emotionless voice reached the cursing knight.

It was the voice of the female knight, Ritter, who should not have been there.

"Why are you here...? No, if Ritter-sama is here, that monster woman won't be a problem!"

It was strange that Ritter was not with the extermination team, but now was not the time to worry about that.

Besides, Ritter's presence was a cause for joy, not a bad thing.

With her high abilities, Ritter might be able to defeat the horned woman who was currently knocking down the extermination team one by one.

Ritter was a woman with an iron mask whose thoughts were impossible to read, but her skills were top-notch among the kingdom knights.

The man, who had been resigned to a grim fate, saw a glimmer of hope.

"...? What are you talking about?"

"Eh... Ritter-sama?"

Ritter, tilting her head in confusion, stared intently at the man's face.

The man, not understanding what was being said, raised a question mark, but...

"―――"

The last thing the man saw was Ritter slashing at him with a sharp sword.

Her sword cleanly severed the man's head, which fell to the ground with a blank expression.

"Hey, good work, Ritter. ...What's wrong?"

"...Yeah. I tried to talk to Rees, but this guy answered and I was surprised."

Ritter, who had wiped out the rest of the extermination team except for the man she had killed, was praised by Rees.

Despite thinking, "I didn't do it for you," Ritter maintained her usual expressionless face.

"Well, Ritter is ruthless. Strictly speaking, they were colleagues, right?"

"No."

When Rees pointed out the man whose head had been severed, Ritter strongly denied it.

It was a strong reaction that was rarely seen from the usually quiet and gentle Ritter.

Ritter, with a suspicious light in her eyes, said:

"Anyone who tries to harm Master is lower than maggots."

"I understand, but..."

"I ended it with one blow, so I was being humane."

Ritter, who killed the man without causing him to suffer, was still being kind.

At this moment, the man who had been captured by Sorgloss was probably experiencing the hell of having his brain stirred.

Ritter picked up the head she had dropped.

"What are you going to do with that? Bury it?"

"No. I'll show it to Master and get praised."

In Ritter's mind, she imagined Master being overjoyed when she brought the head, and then being dragged into the bedroom as a reward.

Her cheeks turned red, and her lower abdomen felt hot.

It was fine. She was always prepared for whenever she was called.

"No, I don't think you'll be praised."

Ritter imagined Master being troubled when presented with the bloody head and laughed.

Well, if she asked for praise, he would probably give it to her.

Rees also entered a fantasy.

Master gently embraced her while caressing her horns.

And then, they went to bed.

...

"Are you going to bring it too, Rees?"

"Y-Yeah, just in case."

The fact that Master screamed in his mind when he received the heads of the men later is a side note.