Rouse the Traveling Merchant

'd*mn it, I can't believe this Rouse-sama is going through this: ....... We're almost in the Kingdom of Pthea.

　He was walking along the road to the Kingdom of Pthea to do business when he encountered goblins and ran for his life into the forest.
　I'm tempted to complain about one of them.

'What are the knights of Pthea doing here?

　A knight is supposed to protect the street and other areas outside the city walls. It's dereliction of duty for such a monster to come out.
　But there's nothing you can do to get angry.

"Where are we, I don't think we're that far from the street ......

　The forest was the domain of the demons.
　We could also be attacked by demons like the goblins we saw earlier.
　I have to get back to the road as soon as possible. When night falls, more demons will come out.
　We had to get inside the walled city before then.
　Keep walking.
　But he couldn't go back to the city streets.

'I'm thirsty ......'

　My throat is parched from running as fast as I could while running away from the goblins.

'And yet you suddenly stopped chasing, what's wrong with you?

　The goblins were fast for their short legs, and I didn't think I could get away with it as a small, over-40-year-old fatty.
　But oh well, I suppose it's good. My life had been saved, and now I was thirsty for more than that.

'The song ......?'

　As I was walking, I heard a song.
　As I walked through the forest towards the song, I saw a large spring.
　In the middle of the spring, there was a naked woman with her lower body in the spring.
　The song seemed to be sung by the woman.
　She was a beautiful woman. I couldn't help but admire her.
　As I walked up to her, I stepped on a tree branch and made a sound.

'Is someone there?'

　The beautiful woman looks at me as if she noticed the sound.

'More!　I'm sorry!　I didn't mean to peek!　I just heard a beautiful singing voice: ......

　I excuse myself in a rush.

'No, it's my fault for bathing in such a place. How about you, would you like to join me for a dip?

　A beautiful woman smiles at me without hiding her nakedness.
　When I see her smile, I can't think of anything else, as if a haze has formed in my head.

''No, no, no, bathing in the water with someone as beautiful as you is outrageous!　But I'm thirsty, so if you can just give me some water to drink: ......

　I approach the fountain myself.

'I see. 'I don't own this spring. I think you should feel free to drink from it.
Okay. Then be my guest.

　I guess it's good that the beautiful woman says go ahead.
　And I'm just thirsty. It's not out of a guilty heart that I just want to look closer. I tell myself that.
　The beautiful woman is smiling at me.
　When I get to the edge of the fountain, I crouch down. But I can't take my eyes off her.
　She scoops up some water from the spring with her hand and puts it in her mouth. The water feels very sweet, perhaps because Beauty is immersed in it?
　I try to take another sip. But then I feel something wrong with my body.

'My body is ......'

　My body is numb and I can't move my hands. So I finally look into the fountain.

'Nah......!

　There was a huge beast's face in the fountain. Its eyes are looking at me.
　The moment I look at the eyes of that beast, the haze in my head clears.
　That's right, why is there such a beautiful woman in a place like this? In a forest full of demons like this.
　Why didn't I notice this kind of abnormality?
　I forced myself to sit up and look at her face.
　She was smiling happily.
　The head of the beast comes out of the fountain. The head of the beast opens its mouth wide.

Ah, ......

　I couldn't help it anymore.
　The head of the beast is coming towards me.
　And then it would be enveloped in darkness.






Dark Knight Kroki

'Ha, you didn't get in today after all: ......

　It was the fourth day since we left Nargol.
　The city we stopped in earlier still didn't let us in.
　I'm continuing my journey to the St. Renaria Republic where Rage and the others are.
　It seems to be quite a distance from Nargol to the St. Renaria Republic, but since I in this world can travel faster than a horse, I've already traveled more than two-thirds of the way to my destination in just four days.
　I didn't measure it, but I would have been able to reach more than 200 kilometers per hour with room to spare.
　I am a superhuman in this world.
　They were also moving superhumanly in the video, so if the people from the world I was in came to this world, they would be superhuman.
　I saw how the people of this world live during my travels through the land where humans live.
　People in this world live in terms of points, not surfaces.
　There are countless city-states, just like Greece in the past.
　And outside the cities is not a world of people, it is a demon world overrun with demons.
　Humans build walls and live only in and around the city.
　And the cities are connected to each other by roads.
　City-states can be as small as a village, or as huge as a satellite city.
　The system of government also varies from monarchy to republicanism.
　In short, there is a difference between hereditary and elected mayors.
　In some countries, not only the mayor is hereditary but also the deputy mayor and the section chief are hereditary, while in other countries only the mayor is hereditary. Of course, there are also republican states with aristocrats.
　Religion is still, or rather, the gods of Elios.
　According to Nat, there are people who do not believe in the gods of Elyos in the frontier, but they are called barbarians.
　Incidentally, the city I stopped in is called the Kingdom of Putea, a city-state with a population of about 20,000.
　However, that's only about 20,000 people who have citizenship, and if those who don't have citizenship are included, the population will increase further.
　Those who have citizenship are citizens of the city-state and those who do not have citizenship are foreigners.
　Therefore, those who do not have citizenship will not be easily allowed inside the city walls.
　So what are we going to do about distribution? Sign treaties between nations to free the entry of persons with citizenship in each other's countries. By concluding several such treaties, the traffic of people is made free.
　Of course, I've heard that there are closed nations that are completely self-sufficient economies that have no treaties with anyone at all.
　By the way, as a non-citizen of any city-state, I could not enter any city-state by any official means.
　Then, how have I been able to eat and drink?
　First of all, the forest was rich in food, and fruit such as pomegranates were a great source of food.
　There were many other fruits as well. If only there were no demons, ordinary humans would have been able to live here.
　If you wanted to get something to eat that went through the fire, you had to go inside the city walls.
　I would sneak in with my flight magic and steal one of the meat skewers and eat it while apologizing to the shopkeeper.
　It would have been nice if they had money, but Modes didn't have any money in circulation in the human world.
　Instead, he was given a jewel that could be obtained in Nargol, but he and Nat didn't know how to convert it to cash and ended up not being able to use it, so there was nothing he could do about it.

'Well, what shall we do today, Nat?

　I ask Nat, my companion on the trip.

'Do you want to sneak in with your cloak of shadows, Yasu?'

　It is not possible to enter by proper procedure from the front, but if you use the cloak of shadow that is a tool of magic given by Modes, you can sneak in.
　This cloak of shadows with a hood, called the cloak of shadows, was able to become the same state as using the magic of concealment by wearing a hood to completely hide the face.
　The hidden magic is a spell that eliminates the presence of the person, and once the spell is activated, the person becomes unaware of the person.
　But the hidden magic doesn't work on those who have detecting abilities or those who use detecting magic, and once they are recognized, the hidden magic is broken.
　It was the same even if you used the cloak of shadow.

''No, let's not do it this time, the information from Rage and the others was generally all the same.

　Since the goal is to gather information on Rage and his friends, we're heading to the St. Renaria Republic through the cities that Rage and his friends stopped in as much as possible.
　The stories of Rage and his team were all similar.
　It seems that Rage and his friends are saving people by defeating many demons.
　Of course, many people are grateful to them.
　But some people seem to be afraid of them.
　It's a fear of those who are so powerful that they can't even be considered human.
　Also, there are people who have been harmed by the rage and others.
　That's why I don't think the story of the rage will be any different if you enter the Putea Kingdom, and I can't even stay at the inn because I don't have any money, so there's no point in entering the Putea Kingdom.

''Nat, let's stay in the field near here today.
So why don't we find a place to sleep and some food?
Yes.

　Soon, it will be time to rest as the sun is about to set.
　Fortunately, the forest near here seems to be plentiful, so there will be no shortage of food.
　If you use magic to ward off the demons, they won't come near you unless they are very strong.
　I'm going to walk through the forest in search of food and water.
　It was when I walked for a while.
　A song can be heard from the depths of the forest.

Song ......

　I nodded my head.
　This is in a forest overrun with demons, and it was unusual for someone to be singing in a place like this.

''You have a beautiful voice, Yance. ......''

　Nat said in a rapt voice. He didn't seem to question anything.

'Master Dihardt, would you like to go?'

　Nat says, wanting to go towards the voice.
　From the voice, Nat's condition is strange.
　Apparently, hearing this song has caused this to happen.

'Okay, let's go.'

　I wanted to see the Lord of this song again myself.
　I walked for a while and found a large spring in the middle of an open forest.
　In the middle of the spring, there was what looked like a naked woman with her lower body attached to the spring, the song seemed to be sung by this woman.

'Who's there?'

　A woman looks at us to see if we've noticed them.

'Oh no ......, I'm sorry to interrupt your singing. I was just wondering who was singing.

　I bow to myself. I'm glad I came to see it because I was actually interested in it. Thanks to this, I was able to see something rare.

'No, don't worry about it. What do you think, would you like to take a dip with me?
No, thank you. We'll just go away. Just keep singing.

　I turn to leave.

'Master Dihardt. "Master Dihart, we have clean water, Yance. Why don't you spend the night in here?

　Nat says, as if he wants to stay here.

'Nat, you can't drink the water from this spring. It's poisoned.
What, you're gonna f*ck it up with poison?

　Nat is surprised by the words.
　The water in this spring contains a magical poison. It's probably some kind of paralyzing substance.

I didn't know it was such a poison ....... I suggest you take your time.

　The woman says.
　The words were slightly offensive.
　This woman sees herself as a predator.
　I've become more sensitive to hostility and gazes that harm me since I came to this world.
　Even if they are tens of meters away, I can recognize hostility if it is directed at me. It seems to be an enemy-sensing ability according to Lugas, but being exposed to unpleasant gazes doesn't feel so good.
　Besides, this woman has been using fascination magic on themselves since earlier.
　That's another source of discomfort. Perhaps it had a similar effect on the song earlier, which must have been the reason why Nat went crazy.
　This woman must be a demon, I don't feel anything when I see this woman naked.
　She's a demon who preys on her prey as it approaches, deceiving them with her songs and her human-like appearance.
　Of course I don't intend to be eaten.
　But I didn't feel like fighting this demon either.
　We're going to leave in peace. Let it go.
　I'm trying to intimidate it so it won't turn any more hostile. I was often targeted by demons along the way, but most of them ran away when I threatened them.
　However, the demons in the form of women will turn more hostile to you.

''You!

　The woman's face turns to rage and suddenly a huge beast's head comes out of the spring. The beast has six heads, and it stretches out its neck to attack me.
　I didn't see it coming, it wasn't going to give up eating me. And it's faster than I expected.

'Ha!

　I avoided the heads of the beasts as I drew my sword and slashed off one of them.
''Guuuuuuuu!　You're human!

　The woman has a look of anguish on her face. There is nowhere near the gracefulness on her face as she did earlier.

''Eat this, too!

　The water from the fountain floats in the air in a large mass.

'Water splash!

　The demon shouted and a large chunk of water shattered and came towards him.

''Magic Shield!''

　As soon as he screams, a circular shield of light is created in front of him. The spray of water is blocked by the magical shield.
　The water spray stops and the demon comes up on land.
　The lower half of her body, hidden by the fountain of demons, is exposed to the light of day. The upper half of the body was a human woman, and the lower half of the body was writhing with the heads of six huge beasts and multiple tentacles.
　The figure was very ugly.
　The demon tried to come towards us.
　It wasn't very fast, perhaps it couldn't move fast on land.

'Nat, are you okay?'
'Yes and Yance ....... My eyes are about to roll, Yance managed.

　Nat didn't seem to be able to keep up with the sudden turn of events.

'Nat stayed back,'

　I lower the nut to the ground and the nut drops backwards behind me.

'Yo, how dare you do that to one of your heads!

　The demon is looking at me with eyes filled with rage. Black blood is spilling out onto the ground in a ragged manner from where the sliced off head was. White smoke is coming out of the ground where the black blood flowed. The plants around where the blood fell are dying. The demon's blood must have poison in it.
　Since it didn't seem to be able to move fast, it would be saved if it escaped, but from the demon's appearance, it seemed like it was going to chase me everywhere if I left it alone.
　That was a bit of a hassle. And if we fight it, we can probably win.

''You humans!

　The demon is coming towards us. Its movement is slow.
　The head and tentacles of the beast attack me.
　I turn my body and jump up as I slash off the beast's head, two and tentacles.

''Nonsense!

　The demon's surprised voice.
　I myself jumped straight into the demon's upper body, slashing and ripping and landing behind the demon.

''Ba...... stupid ......!

　The demon falls down as it is.
　The demon looks at you as it turns its head upside down.

You will find that it is a very good idea to have a ...... that you are a god. You're a human being ...... and you're a mistake ......

　The demon said, and then crumpled down with a gulp.

'I'm not of the god race, though: ......

　But I didn't feel like correcting my mistake.
　The demon shrank with a cloud of white smoke. Apparently, I was able to defeat it.

''Dihart-sama~. Are you alright Yans?''

　Nat bypasses the demon and runs towards us.

''I've never seen a demon like that before, and it's a pretty powerful enemy.

　I've seen only ogres and goblins along the way, and I've never seen a monster like this before.

I've never seen a demon like this before," he said.

　I was surprised that even Nat had never seen one before. It seems to be a very rare monster.
　Then it would be better to ask someone else about this demon.
　I look into the forest.
　There was someone watching them, and their gaze showed no hostility. They don't seem to be goblins or orcs, but who are they?

'Is there anyone there?'

　I ask in passing.
　When I call out to her, a girl appears from the shadow of a tree.
　She is a beautiful girl with white skin and blue hair, who is probably the same age or a little younger than me when she was a year old.
　Why is there a girl like this in this place, is this girl a demon like the demon from earlier?
　However, I didn't feel any hostility from the girl, and her gaze wasn't as unpleasant as the demon from earlier.

''Dihardt-sama. It's an elf and yans.
The elf.

　If you look closely, your ears are long and elongated, just as I was taught as a characteristic of the elven race.
　As I recall, from what Lugas told me, the elven race is a far longer-lived race than humans, and there are only women. In addition, all of the elves are users of spirit magic and are far stronger than the average human, and because of this, they are able to live without relying on the walls of the forest, even in a forest full of demons.
　It is said that they also fall in love with human youths and often kidnap them.
　I look at her. The human youths would not feel bad if they were kidnapped by her. It's none of my business.
　I wonder what the elf has to do with me.

'Um ....... Are you guys gods?

　The elven girl asks timidly.

'No, do you think it's human?'

　I answer myself in a questioning way.
　I was actually a little curious. I wondered if the people who are equivalent to the people of this world can be considered the same as the people of my world.
　Because I have far more superhuman powers than the people of this world. The same goes for Rage and the others. They could be a different species, just because they look the same on the outside.

''Lie, how can a human defeat Scylla when even we are no match for those guys. Are you sure you're not a god?

　Apparently, the demon I just defeated is called Scylla.

'No, it's definitely not a god: ......

　I'm not big enough to be called a god.

I am.

　A girl approaches you. And when she comes in front of you, you look at yourself from top to bottom.

'Hmm, who are you, by the way?　How did you end up here: ......?

　A girl's face comes up to me.
　I see myself in the girl's eyes. I can't help but look away. I'm thrilled because I've never been approached like this by a girl other than Shirone in the original world.

I'm ...... no, I'm just a traveler. I'm just looking for a place to sleep.

　I reply sluggishly to myself.

'Oh, you can't go into the human habitat?'

　A human dwelling would be a walled city. I nodded at the elven girl's question.

'Yes ...... for a bit of a reason. ......
"Hmm, so I don't have anywhere to go. Why don't you come over to my house?
What?

　I am surprised. I've heard that elves can fall in love with young humans, but they aren't very friendly with humans.
　I look at the girl. There's nothing hostile about it. Her gaze is itchy, but not unpleasant.
　I think for a moment.

'Um, can I indulge the favor then?

　His curiosity got the better of him. He was curious about the life of an elf.

'Yeah, fine.'

　The elven girl smiled brightly and led the way into the forest.

'You seem to have taken a liking to me, Yance.

　Nat says teasingly.
　I can certainly sense something like goodwill from the girl.
　The girl walks on.
　For a while, as she walks, something strange happened to the landscape around her.
　It looks like a normal forest, but something is different.

'Great, I noticed the wards.'
Warding?
'Yes, there is a spell strung on them that will mess with the senses of those who enter. So follow me.

　The girl walks on.
　Then she reaches a large tree.
　It was a very large tree. The tree has several houses attached to its branches.
　I look at it and think "oh my god". It was a tree house I've seen on TV.
　In fact, I have a bit of a crush on such a house. I thought it was like a secret base.

This is my home.

　The girl says.

'Tess!'

　I hear a voice from above. I look at the direction of the voice and see a woman coming out of the treehouse.
　She looks like a slightly older version of an elf girl. The woman comes down from the house.

'Oh mom!　I'm home!

　The word "mother" surprises me. I thought she was your sister.

'Tess!　I'm not home. Where have you been!　And .......

　The girl's mother looks at me.

'Who the hell is this?'

　The girl's mother stares at you.
　The girl's mother is beautiful, just like the girl. She doesn't feel comfortable being stared at like that.

'Mother!　He's great!　I beat that Scylla!

　The girl clings to her arms and introduces herself.
　The girl's soft body sticks to her own.

'Scylla ....... You're Scylla of that fountain? ......'

　The girl's mother's gaze moves from bottom to top.

'You don't look too ...... strong, do you?

　I almost sneer at the words.

'Mother! That's rude!

　The girl protests to her mother.

'Yes, I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you, human lord. I am Davia of the Hardy Forest. I am Tess's mother there.

　The mother, whose name is Davia, thanks him. Apparently the girl's name is Tess.

'Yes, I am ...... my name is Black. I'm on a journey.

　After some hesitation, I said my fake name. I could have used my real name, but there was a chance that my name would be passed on to Shirone and the others. I didn't want to use my real name as much as possible.

'Mom, Black says he's on a journey. You can let him in, right?

　Tess doesn't even have to get her mother's approval to let her in.

'That Tess: ......'

　I try to tell her that she doesn't have to get her mother's approval.

'It can't be helped. Please come to my home, Mister Black.
　But we let him in easily.

　Is it honestly okay to let a stranger in so easily? Or is that the culture?
　According to Lugas, the elves must not be so friendly to humans. Lugas' knowledge of them could be wrong, too.
　Tess's house is located high in a large tree. There was no ladder or stairs to climb up there.
　How would they get up there? I wondered, but Tess could easily reach it when she flew fluffily. Apparently, for an elf who can use spirit magic, this height is not a problem.

'Come on Black!　You can fly!

　Tess laughs unbendingly.
　Certainly nothing is an obstacle for me at this height.
　I'm also interested in the treehouse, my mother agrees, so let's go in.
　When I fly, I am excited to reach the treehouse.
　Then I look at the tree house and think "wow".
　This treehouse is not built on top of a tree, but it is built on the tree. The tree expands and becomes a house. It was a mysterious house.
　It was quite a solid structure when I went in and looked at it. Inside the room was a lighting using spirits of light instead of fire. Considering that in the world of the people I saw, the lighting was either torches or oil, the life of an elf must be more of a magical one.
　Looking around, the furnishings were stunning, and it was nothing like the human world. It seems that magic is used everywhere else.
　The dwellings of the elves look primitive at first glance, but they are much more comfortable than the dwellings of people in this world.
　Perhaps because of the presence of magic, this world is in some ways more developed than the original one.
　I'm sure that if the original world had been able to use magic, the development of civilization would have been something like this.

Black-dono, please sit here. I'm going to make you some tea. Tess, help me.
Yes, sir.

　Back in the treehouse, Davia and Tess walk towards the kitchen, presumably to the kitchen.
　From the signs, they seem to be the only two people living in the treehouse.
　A few moments later, they return. There was tea and food on a wooden tray.
　They put the tea and food on the table in front of the chair they were sitting on.
　The tea was a clear red color and smelled good. The food consisted of one large flatbread, a soup made from sliced carrots and cooked in an earthenware pot with cabbage like vegetables, and later a cake with dried fruit.

'Here you go, Black-dono.'

　I took a sip of my tea. I've never tasted it before, but it was delicious.
　I take a sip of the vegetables. To be honest, it's a bit thin, but it's very tasty as I haven't had any good food in my life.

'You're welcome.'

　Davia asks herself.

'No, I just haven't had a decent meal before. 'It's very good,'

　The elves are more hospitable to me than the humans. The immigration officer, aka the gatekeeper of the Kingdom of Putea, treated me like a stranger and sent me away. In fact, I may be a suspicious person in this world, but I didn't want to be treated like one.
　I was so happy that Tess and her friends were so welcoming that I was almost in tears.

'I see. Please keep eating.''

　Davia suggests a meal.
　I put the first decent meal I've had in a long time into my mouth.
　Tess looks at herself with a smirk on her face.




Dark Knight Kroki.

Oh, my God, I haven't had a decent bed in years.

　It was late at night and he led me to the bedroom.

"It's a little funny, Yance. ......

　Nat lets out a quizzical voice.

'I don't know much about elves, why do you give me so much hospitality, Yance? It's impossible, Jan.

　Nat's doubts were felt by me, too.
　I had just met him for the first time today. He had stopped in a few human cities and everyone was cold. Why would an elf of another race be so kind to him?
　Besides, I've heard that elves rarely fall in love with human youths, but they are not basically friendly to humans.

'But Nat. I don't get much hostility from her.

　I didn't get a bad vibe from the girl who called herself Tess, more like a good vibe.

'You're not being used for spirit magic, are you Yance?
'No, I don't think so: ......

　Because Nat's condition is normal. Honestly, I think my own anti-magic power is better than Nat's anti-magic power.
　If she was casting a spell, Nat would be as crazy as she was with the demon earlier.
　Unless he's only casting magic on himself, Tess sees Nat talking. She must have noticed that he has as much wisdom as a human. If she's planning something, I don't think she's going to cast a spell just on herself.

'But maybe he has an agenda. Maybe you have something to ask of yourself: ......

　I don't know what that is. But I think we should repay the favor of a house and a meal as much as possible.

Do you want to do me a favor and yank it?
'She sees herself defeating Scylla. Maybe she wants to ask him to slay some other demon.
'I see, so that makes sense to me, Yance: ......'

　Nat nodded yes.
　I get into bed when Nat is satisfied. I'm surprised at how soft and fluffy it is.

'Wow, I've never had a bed this soft, even in the original world.

　I've never slept on a high end duvet, but I imagine it might be more than that.
　Tess had politely provided Nat with a place to sleep as well.

'Goodnight Nat: ......'
Goodnight, Yance.

　It has been a long time since I've had a proper bed. The bed was very comfortable and smelled good.
　I never had a decent sleep on the road. I'm very sleepy, so I guess I'm a little tired.
　I felt my consciousness fall into the darkness.






Tess, the elven girl.

I think Lord Black is asleep, Tess.

　My mother tells me.

'Have you reported it to your father?'

　This is my mother and father's room.
　I had just reported to my father about Black.
　I found my father asleep in the bed I was sitting on. My father has been sleeping in the bed since before I was born.
　I think he's beautiful, just the way my mother fell in love with him. Of course, Black is not to be outdone.
　Ever since I can remember, my father was asleep. I've never seen him wake up.
　My father is human. Elves are only female, and women born of elves become elves, and men born of elves are born of the same race as their fathers.
　Most of them are human because they don't want to be with ugly goblins and ogres.
　In fact, I have an older brother and a younger brother who were left in human habitation as soon as they were born, as is customary, I am told.
　Two of my brothers are probably still living in human habitats.
　Also, the elves who fell in love with him would kidnap human men to mate with him, and they would quarrel with human women all the time.
　When my mother took my father as her companion, she also had a dispute with a human. My mother could not lose to the ugliest and weakest human woman, who could not use magic, and my father became my mother's property.
　But since my father was a short-lived human, he would have died sooner or later if he had done nothing out of the ordinary.
　Using magic that only elven queens can use, a human would have the same lifespan as an elf, but the queen wouldn't use magic on him if he wasn't qualified to be an elf knight.
　So, generally, sleep magic is cast and then stagnation magic is cast to extend the life span of the person.
　My father, who was enchanted, continues to sleep and is still in bed.
　Although he's asleep, my father is not dead, he's alive, and his body's physiology is still intact, so he can have children while he's asleep.
　When I want to have a conversation, I use mind-dive magic to enter my sleeping father's dreams and have a conversation with him. I just reported to my father in my dream that I met Black.

'I saw him sleeping for a bit and he looked comfortable. I touched your heart a little bit and you seem to be a kind person. Your intuition must be as good as mine.

　I nodded at my mother's words.

'Of course, because I chose him. The first time I saw Black for the first time, I knew it was meant to be.'

　When I saw Black at the Fountain, I was freaked out. I decided to make him my mate.
　My mother always told me that intuition is important. I heard that this is how my mother and father met. But my mother had cast a spell and forcefully kidnapped him.
　My mother said she didn't have a problem with it because she was more beautiful than the daughter of an ugly person.
　The same is true for Black. That's why Black would be happier if he stayed here forever. I'm sure you're not too worried about me.
　I'm a lot more beautiful than a human girl, so it's only natural.

Then I'll go to Kuro's place, mother.

　I'm going to leave my mother and father's bedroom to swap places with them.
　I'm going to have a conversation with Black in my dream.
　In my dreams, I'm basically unprotected. I'll be able to hear all kinds of stories about Black.
　I go to my bedroom where Black sleeps.


"Kuroki, the Dark Knight.

Thanks for your help.

　Myself and Nat thank Tess and Davia for their help.
　Tess looks at them with sad eyes.
　I can't see Tess's face properly. In a dream last night, Tess had become her own sweetheart. It was an oddly realistic dream. I feel like I did something pretty embarrassing in the dream.

'You're going to leave, aren't you?

　Davia looks sad too.

'I'm sorry, I have to go somewhere: ......'

　He never asked for anything from Tess or Davia.
　It really seemed to be just a kindness.
　The only thing that bothered me was the morning. When I woke up in the morning, Tess was already awake. But she was acting a little stranger than yesterday. That's what worries me a bit.
　But I think I'll go ahead.

Thank you very much. I hope to return the favor sometime.

　I say to myself and turn to leave the treehouse.

'Kroki!

　When Tess calls her name, she comes over.

"Tess?
I'll see you again at Kroki .......

　There are tears in Tess's eyes.

'Yeah, I'll see you again, Tess.

　I patted Tess on the cheek. This too is an embarrassing act that is unworthy of me, but it's better than in my dream.
　I turned around and waved goodbye to Tess and her friends, waving my hand over and over again.
　Then, after walking for a while, I realized.

By the way, how did Tess know my real name?


Tess, the Elf Girl

You sure that's a good idea, Tess?

　I shake my head at my mother's words.

'Because I can't help it, ....... I didn't think you were from another world ....... It seems like Kuroki must have some role in this world. I can't keep you back .......

　The night I spent with Kuroki in a dream became a treasured memory for me.
　It was in that dream that I learned the true identity of Kuroki.
　Kroki's power was so great, it was like that of the gods. If you're a human, you can use magic to make it yours forever, but my magic won't work on Kroki.
　I'm not going to be able to do anything about it as long as Kuroki is leaving.
　I look away from Kuroki's back.
　Kroki looked back at me several times. At least he wouldn't hate me.
　Maybe he'll come to see me again.

'Come and see me again, my gentle dark knight,'






Dark Knight Kroki

Master Dihardt. That's St. Renarian Republic.

　A large city can be seen from the top of the hill.
　The country was located at the mouth of the river where the sacred river and the sea meet, with Mount Elios as its source.
　Two days after leaving Tess and the others, I finally arrived at my destination.

'Let's go, Nat.