Vol. 4 Chapter 1

Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr

Moving to a different place, and going back in time a little.

————At the Valzard*, the capital of the Kaiser Empire. (TN: It was Walzerd before, but after looking at it again, Valzard is more appropriate)

At the center of it, as if to reign supreme, was a huge castle…… the Tsezar Castle.

In the king’s chamber of the castle of Tsezar, the current emperor of Kaizer, Sheld Wol Kaizer, and an old man in a robe, Helio Loban, was there. Then there was Zakia Guilford, the strongest knight of the Kaizer Empire.

While both Sheld and Helio looked calm, Zakia’s face was full of mortification.

“……Your majesty, what the hell does this mean”

Zakia’s words, though quiet, were filled with anger. However, Sheld was unconcerned about his state and replied with a playing dumb look.

“What is it?”

“……It’s about the heroes!”

Finally, he was unable to take it anymore, and when Zakia raised his voice, Sheld snickered at him.

“Ah, those slaves. If it’s them, they’re now at the Barbador Magic Academy, and perhaps they’re fighting with monsters? Well, the world those slaves used to live in seemed to be a very foolishly peaceful one…… perhaps some of them might already be dead.”

“What was that……! For them, that’s too early! As Your Majesty said, their world is peaceful! Do you really think that these people, who have lived in such a world, can fight properly without any preparations!?”

“Zakia. I’m sure you’re the only one who doesn’t want the heroes to end up in danger, you know?”

As Zakia appealed to the emperor Sheld, Helio, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth.

“……What’s bad with that.”

“Of course, it’s bad! They are merely discardable pawns of the Kaiser Empire so that we can prosper.”

“Helio, you bastard……”

“That’s why, I’m troubled. You’re the kind of person, who would be on the side of the heroes. The heroes will kill the demons without us getting our hands dirty, you know? If those heroes are weak, then they’ll just be useless……. I’m sure we’ll have to get rid of them soon enough.”

“……Then, what would you do if the heroes gain strength and turn against you?”

Zakia said quietly, while desperately trying to control his anger.

However, Helio says, mocking at Zakia’s state.

“Fuh, we don’t need to worry about that. The reason is because I made the heroes wear the 『Bracelet of Slavery』 when I enrolled them in the Barbador Magic Academy. If a person wearing a 『Bracelet of Slavery』 tries to harm the person who made them wear it, it will cause them excruciating pain, and it can kill them. In other words, there is no way they can resist.”

“Wha!?”

“Of course, the heroes have the 『Appraisal』 skill. If I had given it to them normally, they wouldn’t have put it on straight away. That’s why, I deceived them. Zakia…… you know my alias, don’t you?”

“Don’t tell me……!?”

Zakia understood what Helio meant.

Helio grins at Zakia, who opens his eyes.

“My second name ———— 《Phantom Demon》. Am I not the only great magician in the world who could control the 『Phantom Attributes』? It would be easy enough to fool a beginner’s level of skill.”

The heroes don’t know that the bracelet which was don with Helio’s magic is a dangerous thing that affects their life and death.

This was because they had been deprived of the art of knowing it by such Helio, the most powerful magician in the empire.

“You bastard……!”

It was the moment when Zakia let out a low and sharp word.

“Tuh!?”

Suddenly, a single arrow flew through the window of the king’s chamber, and headed towards Sheld.

It was so abrupt that even Helio couldn’t react, let alone Sheld, to it.

However, Zakia, the empire’s strongest, with his superhuman reflex speed, slashed down the arrow which was aiming towards his sovereign at a tremendous speed.

When he looked out the window, he could see a ray of white smoke rising.

“Wha,what’s going on!?”

The emperor Sheld got greatly distraught when he was sniped.

Helio was equally surprised, but quickly calmed down and told Sheld.

“Your Majesty. Perhaps it’s the work of an assassin aiming for His Majesty’s life ……”

“A,assassin is it!? Wha,what are you doing!? You must protect me quickly!”

Sheld screams behind Zakia’s back.

At his state, Zakia gave him a cold gaze so as not to be noticed, magnified his voice with wind magic, and immediately gave orders to his men.

『This is an emergency. HisisHisHi Majesty has been sniped by an unknown assailant. Fortunately, I cut off the arrow, so there was no damage, but they might try to target him again. Hurry and assemble in His Majesty’s room, and provide full security for him. 』

When he finished saying so, Sheld was once again distraught and screamed at Zakia.

“Oy, Zakia! What are you goofing off for! Go and catch the thief who aimed at me quickly!”

“…… With all due respect, Your Majesty. If I leave this place now ————“

“Shut up, shut up, shut uuuuup! I’ll make him regret having aimed at me. ……! Capture the culprit and bring them to me now! Listen, don’t you ever kill them! If you understand, go!”

“…………Your will. Helio, I’ll leave His Majesty to you”

“Fumu. Don’t tell me what to do, just go.”

“……”

At Sheld’s command, Zakia jumped out of the window at a speed that was almost unbelievable for humans.

Sheld’s room is located in a position equivalent to a five-story apartment building on Earth, and a normal human being wouldn’t be safe if he jumped from it.

However, Zakia landed on the ground without any difficulty, and started to run towards the direction where the arrow came from with tremendous speed again.

In addition, he flew over the roofs to avoid the large number of people.

Immediately after Zakia went looking for the assassin with inhuman movements, Helio and Sheld talked in a heavy atmosphere.

“I didn’t think they’d go after His Majesty……”

“What’s going on with the security around here! Are Zakia’s subordinates doing their job!? Who the hell would …… hah!? No way, was it put up by the demons!? Yeah, that damned race ……!”

Sheld unilaterally decides that the demons are the culprits without any evidence.

Helio gives some information to such Sheld.

“Your Majesty. We don’t know if it’s the work of the demons or not yet.”

“What? What do you mean”

“Recently, a rumor has been circulating in the Kingdom of Welmburg.”

“A rumor?”

“Yes. It seems that the King of Welmburg Kingdom has chosen to coexist with the demons, and will soon form an alliance with them, you know? That’s the rumor…… Perhaps, that kingdom of Welmburg was so disturbed by His Majesty that it commissioned a famous assassin to assassinate him.”

After Helio’s words, Sheld finally became enraged.

“Again, that weak nation stands in my way huh…….! They’re siding with the demons!? Aren’t those guys similar to livestock!? While many other nations are sympathetic to our Kaizer Empire, why does that foolish nation want to go the other way!? Isn’t that the case for a long time! They never yield to the Kaizer Empire! Thanks to that, the little girls of the Valsha Empire, an emerging nation, and the foolish nations like the Eastern country act as they please ……!”

“……Because those guys are stupid. In addition to not being able to understand His Majesty’s noble thoughts, they probably don’t understand the greatness of their own species, the 『human race』. Even the subhuman-like beastmen are foul beings…….”

“Even though they are 『humans』, they do not understand a single thing about their greatness……! I want to crush them right now!”

“……Unfortunately, that would be difficult. The Kingdom of Welmburg is far away from the Kaizer Empire, and is also inhabited by those 【mountain】 and 【sea】. In addition, they have 【Sword Saint War Maiden (Valkyrie) 】, and its leader 【Sword Knight (Knight of Sword) 】. In addition to them, there’s also the 【Black Holy Knight (Black Paradain) 】 which would be our opponent, so we must also be prepared accordingly.”

Sheld was furious, but after Helio’s words, he calmed down a little.

“Indeed, even though they are a weak nation, we don’t have the time to devote our forces to them. The territory there is small and the resources are scarce. Well, they do seem to have somewhat good human resources. However, in the end, that’s about it. As soon as we have the demon territory under our control, let’s immediately ———— crush them.”

“Until then, I wonder if they will be quiet”

“Fuhn. Well, I’m sure they’ll show some futile resistance with their foolish country. But it would be better if we destroy the demon tribe before they could join forces. After we destroy the demon tribe, let’s not only take care of the Kingdom of Welmburg, but also the little girls from the Varsha Empire.”

“…… How about the Eastern country?”

“Let’s leave it alone. I certainly don’t like that they don’t follow us, but they don’t have a lot of resources. And yet, it’s still a hell of a place where civil war still rages. I’ve heard that they are fighting races for a long time, but there’s a sense that those barbarians enjoy fighting. There’s no point in dealing with those battle-crazed people. In any case, they have no intention of leaving their own country and taking over the world. Well, if they come out of their own country, we’ll just destroy them. Some say that there are beautiful women there, but they are only worth that much.”

And you know what? Sheld continues, with a disgusting smile.

“I have already taken steps towards the Kingdom of Welmburg. Of course, without devoting a lot of troops …… right”

“Your Majesty, what do you mean?”

“Oh, it’s simple. They just have to experience what I’ve experienced right now.”

“! That means ————”

Seeing Helio’s astonishment, Sheld told him with amusement and a fierce smile on his face.

“———— I’ve sent the Twilight Assassin to them.”

◇◆◇

“……”

Zakia, sharpened his senses to the maximum, and was running at full speed, looking for the person who had shot his lord.

Even if he was searching for it, Zakia was already running towards one place.

It’s the location where a white smoke was rising, which he saw right after the shot.

As he ran through the city, Zakia was thinking about two things.

One of it, is about Zakia himself.

Zakia, was unsure of what he wanted to be.

He understood that he was not cut out for politics or work using his head. It can be understood to some extent from the fact that since the time of the predecessor emperor, Alf Dia Kaizer, he ran around the battlefield as Alf’s sword and eventually became known as the 《King’s Sword》.

That’s why, Zakia didn’t know what his true purpose were right now.

During the time when Alf was the emperor, he just kept on believing in Alf and wielding his sword.

Of course, there is also the fact that Zakia himself thought that Alf was not wrong.

However, the current emperor …… Zakia could not understand Sheld’s political policy by all means.

They invade foreign countries even though they have enough resources within their territory to enrich their own country.

While claiming to be that it’s for the good of the people, they would invade the territory of the demon tribe, defeat the Demon king, and impose heavy taxes.

It was the exact opposite of Alf’s politics.

Alf himself never tried to expand his territory. He was a pacifist who believed in coexisting with other nations.

Nevertheless, when it came to foreign enemies who threatened his country, he would beat them to a pulp.

Alf wanted to protect his country, even if he was criticized by other countries.

Zakia thought as he jumped from one roof to another.

I wonder if Sheld really feels that way.

Certainly, in the Kaizer Empire, the Knights ……. let alone the leader, are the loyal vassals and swords of the Empire. That will not change, even if the emperor is replaced.

But more than that, shouldn’t I be a knight who should protect the people.

Such thoughts, dominated Zakia’s mind.

In the end, Zakia couldn’t make his own choice.

No, that’s wrong. Even though he thought so, he excused himself by saying he was a sword and avoided making a choice.

He almost got caught in the darkness of deep thought, but he managed to shake it off.

He was just only procrastinating, but Zakia had no choice but to do so, as he unconsciously bit his lip.

Let’s forget about my earlier thoughts, there’s another concern …… let’s ponder about the identity of the sniper.

Zakia speculated that the culprit was a highly skilled assassin, according on his skill with which he had shot his lord without being noticed.

And among the bunch of assassins, there are only a few in the underworld who are capable of killing their opponents by sniping.

And all of them are so good that even if Zakia himself has no connection to the underworld, he has heard of them.

The fact that the assassins who sneak into their target’s room overwhelmingly outnumber the sniper assassins, is probably one of the more prominent factors why the sniper assassins are more unique.

The sniper’s shot this time was also fired from a position that would never be reached if it was released from a normal bow.

Still, there was only one assassin who could reliably fire an arrow with the momentum to kill the other party.

Moreover, with the smoke coming from the likely location of the sniper, he’s almost certain of it.

That assassin’s nickname is ———— 《Death Smoke》.

Not only was it impossible to grasp his existence like a smoke, but he was also named so because when he does his work, smoke always rises somewhere in the city.

Of course, Zakia speculates that the smoke also has some meaning on it.

It should’ve originally disappeared, but Zakia was skeptical that the smoke was still rising.

“…… Is it a trap?”

There’s a small, thin wisp of smoke, which average people wouldn’t see.

But, even such thin smoke was clearly visible to Zakia.

He hurried to the bottom of the smoke, while increasing his vigilance.

Yes, as his name 《Death Smoke》 implies, he’s like a smoke, which isn’t something anyone can even track the existence of, but the thin white smoke still continues to rise.

Is this a trap. Or is it simply a mistake of 《 Death Smoke 》 ……

Zakia instantly dismissed the idea that Death Smoke made a mistake.

It can be said that all human beings make mistakes, but in the world of assassins, a small mistake isn’t allowed because it can lead to not only the death of oneself but also to the death of their client. Especially if it was a very common mistake, like forgetting to put out the smoke.

If so, what on earth is it for?

Is he trying to lure me out?

Zakia continued to make various inferences inside his head and denied them, but he finally reached the bottom of the white smoke without an answer.

He was at the rooftop of the tallest building in the area. Probably, it was a building of some large merchant association.

…… It’s a trap, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll just cut the whole trap down.

Zakia, who realized that he was not good at thinking, abandoned thinking, partly because he was confident in his own strength.

As a result, Zakia jumped to the roof without knowing why the smoke continued to rise.

Then, he saw a man standing in the center of the rooftop, puffing on a cigarette.

“…… Ah? …… Jeez, you’re finally here huh”

The appearance and atmosphere of the man who muttered so, was somewhat dirty and inconsistent.

……As I thought, he was inviting me huh……

Zakia, convinced of the man’s words, observes the man closely.

He wears a tattered, worn black robe. The clothes he was wearing underneath were also plain linen.

In his right hand, he wears a burgundy gauntlet with a mysterious atmosphere.

He has a swept-back deep green hair and ferocious golden eyes, which shine brightly. A stubble had also grown on his face.

Even though he looks dirty, the atmosphere he wears is overwhelming, and his line of sight is sharp, as if he could see through everything.

Zakia quietly sneaks into the man while keeping his distance.

“…… Are you 《Death Smoke》?”

In response to that question, the man held his cigarette in his hand and smiled, with the corners of his mouth smirking.

“You, are an interesting guy, you know that. I didn’t expect you to start with an alias instead of 『Was it you who shot His Majesty! 』 “

“Shut up. Answer the question.”

Zakia told him in a compelling tone, but the man’s attitude and atmosphere did not change.

“Oh, that’s scary. Ah, yes, yes, don’t stare at me like that. Yes, that’s right. I, myself, am the 《Death Smoke》…… Are you satisfied with this?”

His light tone of voice struck people’s nerves in reverse.

Zakia, however, remained unfazed and continued with his questions.

“Why, didn’t you put out the smoke? If it weren’t for the smoke, I would never have found you.”

“Oy, oy, do you want me to stop smoking!? You’re saying terrible things, you know”

“Answer me seriously.”

When Zakia glared at him, suddenly, the man sharpened his face.

“It’s just a simple story ———— 《King Sword》, you’re in my way.”

“……What was that?”

Ignoring Zakia, who couldn’t see what he was talking about, the man continued.

“You are the strongest knight in this empire. I’ll admit to that, too. That’s why, you’re a hindrance when it comes to killing that son of a bitch.”

“Tu!”

The man’s body erupted with a tremendous killing intent.

Even Zakia, who was a fierce warrior, gasped at the pressure of his killing intent.

Ignoring Zakia’s appearance, the man continues.

“Do you understand? The current state of this empire. You don’t know that, do you? Of course, you don’t. You can’t stay away from that fucking bastard. If so, shall I tell you something? About how many people are starving, how much security is deteriorating, and how much discrimination is going on.”

“……”

“Well, you’ll have to see it with your own eyes, not from me. I’ll tell you one thing, though. I wasn’t hired by anyone to kill that son of a bitch. I will kill that fucking guy because I want to.”

“What? Did you target His Majesty for no reason?”

“No, of course I have. Well, from your point of view, it’s probably not much of a reason, but …… to me, she was important. Simply put, it’s a revenge for a friend.”

“…… What? What do you mean?”

Zakia, involuntarily tilts his head for such an excessive common reason.

Seeing Zakia’s condition, the man laughed with self-deprecation.

“I thought that such a thing doesn’t seem to interest you right now. Well, that’s exactly why it’s so common.”

“……”

“Isn’t it? In this country ———— people are dying so much that it’s inexcusable to say that it’s commonplace.”

“Tuh!”

The man’s words, cut deep into Zakia’s heart.

Then the man squinted at the sun, as if he was looking somewhere far away.

“She was a nice fella…… She wasn’t in the underworld business like me, she was a kind girl who ran a flower shop. She was always smiling, as she watered her flowers …… She was smiling everytime, so much so that I couldn’t remember anything else about her.”

“……”

“But you know what…… that son of a bitch ruined it.”

“……Tuh”

“They taxed the shit out of us, and started a stupid war. …… It made it impossible for many of us to make a living, and the women in families where men were drafted for the war had a hard time surviving the day.”

“……”

“And, my friend was ———— a demon. But, she was killed by that alone.”

“!?”

By the man’s cold voice, Zakia shuddered.

With a glance at Zakia, the man continued again.

“It’s not like she did anything wrong. Suddenly, when I and my friend were having a nice conversation at the flower shop, a bunch of Imperial soldiers came in and stabbed my friend without saying a word.”

“……”

“At that time, I was just getting my feet wet into the underground business. …… I was so weak that I couldn’t do anything. I had just watched my friend get killed right in front of me.”

“……”

“My friend, was laughing all the way to the end. She told me to run away, and when she was running out of breath, she laughed and said that it would be fine. …… That’s what all she said. ……!”

The man’s tone intensified as if he was letting out his pent up emotions.

“Why, did she have to be killed for just being a demon!? What did my friend do!? She was simply watering flowers and smiling, where is the reason for her to be killed!!”

“……”

“In the end, the ones who killed such friend of mine …… what do you think they said? 『A demon being a florist? They are no better than livestock, and she did nothing but run a useless flower shop…… She’s a useless piece of trash, that has just gotten even more useless! 』…… That’s what they said and laughed.”

“……”

“What’s wrong with being a demon? What’s so great about being able to fight? The power to protect the people, and the talent to handle weapons are, in the end, 『the power to take lives』. No matter how plain and uncool 『the power to nurture life』 is, it would be hundreds of times greater than that power!”

“……”

“…… I can’t forgive those who laughed at my fellows, and this country that killed my friend———— I won’t forgive it. That’s why, I’m going to destroy it. This country, this ideology, everything. For that reason, I attained power. However————”

When the man broke off his words there, he glared sharply at Zakia.

“You are …… too strong. If you had come with a lot of soldiers, there would be nothing I could do about it. First of all, I’ll take care of you myself. Don’t get me wrong, okay? My goal was that fucking bastard, and you were just in the way of me achieving my goal. You have blocked my shot, so now I’m just going to get rid of you first. Or else, what? Will you let me go?”

The eyes of such a man, were straight and unwavering.

Zakia, who had been silently listening to his talk until now, slowly opened his mouth.

“…… No matter what your circumstances are…… I, as a soldier of the empire, won’t overlook you”

“…… Oh, yeah. That’s …… too bad. You are …… just a puppet.”

The man’s words caused Zakia to explode his emotion all at once.

He then pulls out the sword on his hip and carries it.

The sword aimed at the man has a gorgeous five-colored jewel embedded on its hilt, but it gave off a feeling of intimidation that was far from its outward appearance.

“……I, am not a puppet”

“Hyu~! Scary. So? Is that the rumored 【Magic Sword Fifthia】?”

“……Indeed. And, you’re a sniper. As a knight, there’s no way you can win in close combat against me.”

However, even after receiving Zakia’s sharp words, the man didn’t lose his attitude.

“Surely, in close quarters, we snipers will be inferior to close combat fighters. But…… such sniper has lured you here, didn’t he? Do you think that I haven’t prepared anything?”

“? Wha————!?”

Chills ran down on Zakia’s spine.

At that moment, Zakia crouched down, almost following his instincts.

And then, something crossed the spot where Zakia’s head had been a moment ago at a tremendous speed.

“Oy, oy, seriously. You avoided that? Normally”

The man said so with a voice that included surprise and dismay.

Zakia, however, was having none of it.

The man, made no movement.

And yet, he was able to snipe him without being noticed.

A bead of sweat ran down on Zakia’s forehead as he couldn’t understand why.

……Is there another assassin? But I don’t feel any sign of them……

The man sneered at Zakia as he searched for signs in the surroundings.

“Huh. You look like you don’t understand it? 《King Sword》”

“……”

“It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think I could teach you the trick and let you beat me. Let’s just keep going like this, shall we?”

“!”

The moment the man finished, Zakia twisted his head again according to his instinct, and he felt a sharp pain ran on his cheek.

“You’re a real monster, you know, 《King Sword》. I thought I got you just now……. But, this is the end.”

It was at that moment when the man snapped the fingers of his right hand as he said that.

“Wha!?”

Zakia became speechless.

That’s because, hundreds and thousands of arrows suddenly appeared around Zakia, and the arrowheads were aimed at Zakia.

“It’s an underworld souvenir. Don’t hesitate to take it with you.”

With that word as a signal, the large number of arrows all at once, were fired towards Zakia.

“~~~~~~tsu!!”

Normally, he would have fallen prey to the arrows here, and survival would have been impossible.

However, Zakia was different.

When he held his treasured magic sword Fifthia overhead in an instant, he swung it down with tremendous force.

“『Supreme Heaven Thrust』!”

The sword pressure shook the atmosphere and caused a storm around Zakia.

That storm winds up and crushes the arrow that was heading for Zakia very easily.

The man who had been watching him, broke out in a cold sweat.

“……I already thought you were a monster, but I didn’t think it was this far ……”

“……”

In front of him was the figure of Zakia, who had already released his stance and was standing unharmed.

Looking sharply at the surprised man, Zakia opened his mouth.

“……is that all you’ve got?”

With that one phrase, the man realized he was at a disadvantage.

The man couldn’t die, even if it meant running away. That’s why————

“……There’s no avoiding it”

“Mu?”

“This time, I’ve lost. Apparently, you were more dangerous than I thought.”

“…… If so, be quiet. Let me take you”

The man laughed at Zakia’s line.

“You’re kidding, right? I mean, sure, I lost this time, but…… I didn’t say that I wouldn’t run, you know?”

“! Don’t tell me……”

Zakia realized the man’s intentions, but cigarette smokes had already spread over the man’s body.

“Bye bye, 《King Sword》. The next time I see you, I hope I can face you, not as a puppet, not as the Royal Sword, but as yourself.”

“Wait——!”

Zakia rushed over the man, but the man was covered in smoke all over his body, and disappeared in the cloud of smoke.

Zakia was one step too close to catching up to him, but more than that, the man’s words dominated his heart.

“……Puppet……”

Muttering that word in a small voice, Zakia bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly.

◇◆◇

“……”

After his encounter with 《Death Smoke》, Zakia Guilford was walking around the castle of Tsezar with a grim expression on his face.

Then, from the opposite side, men dressed in more luxurious armor than Zakia came.

Seeing those figures, Zakia frowns further.

Gradually, the distance between Zakia and the men grew closer, and the man walking in the lead noticed Zakia.

The man has well-groomed, dusky blond hair and red eyes. His eyes contained a color of contempt, and although he had a somewhat neat appearance, he exuded a bad personality. And he always had an expression that was looking down on someone somewhere.

“Ohya~? Well, well, if isn’t the strongest Zakia-kun in our country~”

“……”

Zakia tried to pass him by with a light bow, but the men blocked his way and he couldn’t go on.

“How unfriendly, you and me have connection, aren’t we”

“……What is it”

Zakia felt inwardly fed up.

————Aurius Fencer, the leader of the first division of the Kaizer Empire.

That was the man’s name, and he would entwine with Zakia whenever something happened.

“No, no, I don’t have any special business to do with you, but……. hmm~, I heard a rumor. It seems that His Majesty was targeted by that 《Death Smoke》.”

“……”

“Furthermore, you couldn’t catch 《Death Smoke》, and you let it escape……. Oh dear, if that rumor is true, then the King Sword has already fallen to the ground, heh”

“……”

The other men also scoffed at Aurius’ words.

Zakia tried to go on ahead again, ignoring these men, but Aurius put his arm around Zakia’s shoulders and made a whisper in his ear.

“This is what happens when a commoner gets carried away. The second unit, which is a collection of commoners like you, is just a pawn to wear down the opponents so that we can easily crush them.”

“Well, I don’t want to have to clean up your mess if you guys are not good at what you do. At the very least, try not to offend His Majesty. If you guys disappear, it’s going to be hard for us, you know? Fuhaha”

“……”

No matter how much he was ridiculed, Zakia kept his face expressionless without moving an eyebrow.

Aurius, who didn’t like that attitude, clicked his tongue loudly and pushed Zakia away.

“Tsk! What a boring bastard. …… Let’s go, guys“

『Yes』

In the end, Aurius entangled with him as much as he could and left as it was.

Zakia, who was left alone, leans against the wall and mutters quietly.

“……What is my sword meant to protect……?”

He stared at his own hands, but there was no answer written on it.

And the words of 《Death Smoke》 who he let escape came back to him.

“……It was exactly what he said. To be pleased about killing people …… that’s insane. Nurturing life, is incomparably harder than it already is.”

The only thing Zakia could do, was to hold his sword.

As a result of that, many lives have been saved by him.

Consequently, Zakia realized that in the end, he can only save a life by killing the other party.

But it was all Zakia could do.

And now, the value of his existence is shaking.

“———— pawn, huh”

It was not what Aurius had intended, but his words still pierced Zakia’s heart deeply.

◇◆◇

I ———— Takamiya Shouta, was spending days with the guys from the same school at Barbador Magic Academy in order to subdue the Demon King.

While Zakia and the rest of my friends were unaware of it, the other students made a decision on their own, and that old man in robe…… certainly, was that guy’s name Helio? They had negotiated with that man.

Because of that, we came to this magic academy to learn different kinds of magic and to be taught swordsmanship. It’s a dicey point for me, but the other guys seemed to hate Zakia’s basic training a lot, so as if to relieve their stress, they went on a rampage.

And now, with my childhood friends Araki Kenji and Kannazuki Karen-senpai, we were in the middle of a discussion in the academy’s courtyard about our future here at the Barbador Magic Academy.

“…… Do you think it’s okay if it stays like this, Kannazuki-senpai?”

I asked her so, but I could immediately tell it by the expression on Kanazuki-senpai’s face. …… I don’t think it’s good.

The reason, why we are discussing about this…….

“At this rate, we will be completely isolated from this school.”

Currently, our relationship with the students who were originally enrolled in Barbador Magic Academy, was getting worse and worse. The reason for this is, after all, the growth on the side of us heroes.

“…… Who the hell is the cause of this situation ……”

“That’s, it’s because of Aoyama and his friends who were in the same class as Seiichi, right”

Kenji said this as if spitting it out, but Kanazuki-senpai quietly shook her head.

“Certainly, they may be part of the reason, but the main cause is something else. That’s ————”

“Ohya? What are you guys doing in such a place?”

A voice was thrown at us suddenly.

When we all turned our eyes around, there were three men standing there.

“…… Kisaragi Masaya.”

Kannazuki-senpai muttered so hatefully. Just from the way she looked at them, made me realize everything.

…… These three people are probably the main cause of what Kannazuki-senpai was saying.

“Don’t glare at me like that, Kannazuki-san. Your beauty is being ruined, you know?”

This man who can say such a smooth line, is the leader of an idol group who was active not only in Japan but also in the world, and in the same third grade as Kannazuki-senpai.

Kisaragi-senpai, with her silky brown hair and sweet mask, has continued to fascinate many women.

Above all, he was also the former captain of the soccer team. As I recall, the reason why he left the club after handing over the captaincy to Aoyama, which I mentioned earlier, was surely for some joke reason, like because he wouldn’t have time to play.

“So? What the heck were you talking about? I wish we could also be a part of it.”

“……it’s none of your business.”

“Oh woah! Scary~! However, it’s also a good idea to get such a firm woman to submit to you”

The one who smiles fiercely as he stares at Kannazuki-senpai, was Ouyama Tsuyoshi.

He has muscular, tanned, brown skin and red dyed hair in a soft mohawk.

He used to be in the same boxing club as Kenji, but this senpai also quitted club activities for some reason.

He belongs to the same idol group as Kisaragi-senpai, and his wild appearance appears to be very popular with women.

From behind Ouyama-senpai, a man with a host-like hairdo calls out.

“Tsuyoshi, don’t scare the ladies, alright? Look, she’s completely frightened”

The one who spouts out lines as rude as Kisaragi-senpai’s, was Tougo Rento.

His longish blond hair, is set in a flashy, irritating way.

This guy was also in the same idol group as them, and he is also quite handsome.

However, I haven’t heard any good rumors about his relationships with women. …… No, I guess it’s safe to say that all the men in front of me are like that.

In front of these men, Kannazuki-senpai shot them a cold gaze.

However, Kisaragi-senpai didn’t seem to care about that, and spoke.

“Well, well, don’t be so vigilant. I’m just asking out of genuine interest. You see, if you don’t tell me …… we’ll cause problems to you again, right?”

“Tuh!”

If Nojima and the others are the ones rumored to be the evil in the girls’ group, these guys are definitely the evil ones in the boys’ group.

And Seiichi’s classmate, Aoyama, is also under their umbrella.

Nojima and her colleagues had only bad rumors on Earth, but they haven’t been causing any problems since we came to this school, and more than anything, the rumors about them were so good that they seem to be lies.

Kannazuki-senpai had a bitter look on Kisaragi-senpai’s line, but her expression quickly returned and she stated clearly.

“Then, I’ll tell you. We were talking about how we are becoming isolated in this school.”

“Well now, so that’s what it was”

At Kannazuki-senpai’s words, Kisaragi-senpai let out a bored voice.

“It’s decided because it’s us, isn’t it?”

Then, he told us as if it were a matter of course.

“You say that we’re becoming isolated, but that old man …… Helio-san, right? That person had ordered us one more thing besides putting this bracelet on us. I was just doing that.”

“……What was it?”

“As~ I~ said~…… it was to show the power of the heroes ”

“That’s……”

Indeed, that’s what he had told us.

However, unlike with the bracelet, it was not supposed to be an absolute order that we had to obey. Well, I’m not even sure what this bracelet meant, though……

“Moreover, far from just the student at this school, but by the standards of this world, it’s amazing to be able to use two magic attributes. And yet, we can use four, right? Look, at this point, there is a gap between us and the people around us. Even the magic that we were taught in class, we heroes can normally do it with just a little practice.”

“I know, right. I did some mock combat or something like that, but ……. aren’t those guys too small fry? They were seriously hilarious. At this rate, we can really afford to beat the Demon lord.”

“Helio-san also said that. He said that beastmen and subhumans are lower life forms. The demons are under the control of the Demon king, and it’s not worth for them to live.”

“Even so ……! You guys are going too far!”

Kenji, finally snapped at the words of his seniors.

…… Recently, the heroes have tended to overtly look down on those around them, and partly because they have acquired a power that would be unthinkable on Earth, a sense of harsh discrimination has begun to emerge among them.

I didn’t see the seniors doing something directly, but I had seen and stopped a scene where Aoyama and his friends were violently attacking other students.

According to the story I heard, it seems that there was even a guy who used his power to get close to a female student. Fortunately, it didn’t come close than that, but……

The seniors who were snapped at by Kenji had unpleasant looks.

“Hah? What are you talking about? We’re heroes, remember? Whatever we want to do, we can do it. After all, we’re fighting to save the world.”

“Kenji …… if you get too carried away, I’ll crush you.”

“That’s seriously cold…… I mean, that hot-bloodedness is annoying.”

“Ah!?”

The atmosphere is exactly very tense.

However, Kannazuki-senpai intervened.

“……Enough. Kenji, Shouta, let’s go.”

“No, but ……!”

“Since it’s fine”

Kenji reluctantly backs down after being strongly told to do so by Kanazuki-senpai.

And, when we tried to pass in front of Kisaragi-senpai and the others, at that time. Kisaragi-senpai said so as if he wants us to hear him.

“Isn’t it natural for the weak to follow the strong? Even on Earth’s society, it’s all about kicking down others, utilizing, and using them up until they’re smashed in this manner. That’s why we, the strong, are just using that privilege. I don’t know why you don’t understand that part.”

Kannazuki-senpai ignored his voice, and walked with us to the school building.

TN: Follow me on Patreon for support in this link>> <<!!

Read only at Travis Translations