Dark Knight Kroki

　The garden in the Demon King's Castle is also known as the Garden of Rumpus. There are many trees in the garden and many beautiful flowers in bloom.
　This is where I drank tea when I was first summoned.
　The place where we drank tea is part of the garden, and the garden is much larger.
　The Demon King's Castle is also quite large, so the garden is also large. To put it bluntly, it could be called a forest.
　By the way, the people who manage this forest are the Dark (Dark) Elves.
　They are good friends with the spirit of the tree and are excellent gardeners.
　I was called to the rumpus garden.
　There is a table and chairs in one corner of the garden, where you and Modes are seated.

'Here you are, my lord.

　Mentia, Queen of the Dark Elves, makes you a cup of tea.
　Mentia is the mother of Charli, the demon general.
　She is the longest living Dark Elf, yet she looks younger than Charli.
　I'm higher than her, in case you're wondering, but I didn't expect the queen to brew me a cup of tea herself.
　Nargol has many kings (Lords) under Modes, the Upper King (High Lord).
　The seven goblin kings (Lords) and thirteen orc kings (Lords), including Datier, are like that.
　However, Mentia is the only dark elf king (Lord).
　Even the Damon race, the highest-ranking race in Nargol, has three Lords. If you include the fallen angel race, which is considered to be the equivalent of the Damon race, there are four lords.
　It's not a good idea to have a good time.

''Thank you Queen Mentia.

　When I thanked her, Mentia smiled and stepped back with a smile.
　Then, as it is, she stands by the side with the dark (dark) elf maids.
　I face forward and confront Modes.
　In front of you is a cute tea cake that looks like a tart made of raspberries.
　It seems to be Modes' favorite food. I'll have it with him.

"Let's see. You want me to teach His Highness Polen the sword?

　I cut myself off from the business Modes had told me about.

'Yes, Kroki. For some reason Polen wants to learn the sword: ....... I'm not sure why.'

　Polen and I bumped into each other in the hallway the other day.
　When I remember that figure again, he looks so much like Modes.
　And his power was also tremendous.
　I managed to shrug it off, but my hand went numb. As expected of a Modes child.
　I've only met that Polen once. What did he mean by wanting to learn the sword from that self?

I'm sorry, Modes. I'm also a trainee myself. I'm not skilled enough to teach anyone anything: ......

　I shake my head.

'Don't say that, Kroki. You are the best swordsman in Nargol. If not you, who can teach him how to use a sword? Besides, Polen, who has been stuck indoors for so long, is ready to go out. I'm sorry, but will you take the job?

　Modes bows to himself.
　I'm in trouble. It's hard to say no to this.
　I heard about Pollen before I came here.
　Pollen hated his appearance and became a hermit.
　Perhaps the cause is his own genetics, but as Modes, he doesn't know what to do about it and seems to be grieving.
　We also hear that his dislike of his father's appearance has caused him to fall out of love with Morna, who loves Modes.
　As a result, the relationship between parent and child has cooled.
　But even so, to Modes, Pollen is a lovely child.
　It seems that he wants to stop being a hermit somehow.

'But even if you say so ......
"Please, just like that! Kuroki!

　Modes desperately asks himself.
　I am distressed.
　Clearly, he doesn't have the power to instruct others.
　And moreover, she is a princess. I'm not good at dealing with girls.
　Aside from Kuna, I don't recall ever having a discussion with a girl other than Shirone.
　Perhaps it would make her more and more reclusive.
　However, if she asked me to do this much, I'll have to accept it.

''I understand. If it's okay with you, you can go to .......

　I reluctantly agreed to it.




Polen, Princess of the Devil's World

Nice to meet you, please, doctor!
Nice to meet you. Sir.

　I meet with Kuroki-sensei at the training ground near the Demon King's Castle.
　This is the training ground for orc soldiers.
　Originally, there would be many orc soldiers, but right now there are none.
　The reason is that I'm a recluse and I have to practice.
　That's why I made sure the soldiers didn't come near it.
　The training grounds are large. It has no roof. That's why I can see the dark sky of Nargol well.
　I was a little nervous about having Poo-chan with me.
　I wanted to talk to Kuroki-sensei somehow.
　He is your father's fellow divine race, yet he has a look as good as Elyos' divine race. And he seems very kind.
　That's why I wanted to see him again.
　After consulting with Pu-chan on what to do.
　We came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to use learning the sword as an excuse to get to know each other.

''It's nice to meet you too, Your Highness Polen.

　Dr. Kuroki smiles smiling.
　He seems to be very kind as I thought.
　The reason why he calls himself Dihardt was because he didn't want his real name to be known.

''You want to learn the sword yourself, but has your highness ever held a sword before?

　Dr. Kuroki asks and I shake my head.

'No. There isn't one.
Well, let's start with the sword.

　Then he hands me a wooden sword.

''Then try swinging it.

'Ha!　Yes, sir!　Torya: ----!

　I swung the wooden sword as hard as I could with all my strength.
　Because I swung it with so much force, the sword hit the ground.
　Boom!
　A roaring sound rang out.
　When I look, the wooden sword in my hand is shattered and there is a large hole in the ground.

''That ....... Your Highness ....... You put too much force into it.''

　His face clearly retreated.

'I'm sorry. Teacher. I've ruined your sword.''

　I've lost the wooden sword that was prepared for me at the time.

''Oi! No!　Your Highness!　I've brought a replacement wooden sword with me!　Let's use this one.

　Saying that, Kuroki-sensei hands me the wooden sword again.
　Maybe it's because I've been sluggish, but he's somewhat flustered.
　Still, isn't this wooden sword too fragile to be shattered by a single swing?

Now then, Your Highness. Grab the sword.
'Ha! Yes!

　I grip the wooden sword again.

'First, don't grip it too hard. Hold your right and left hands apart.

　Then Dr. Kuroki touches my hand.
　It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close! It's close!
　My heart beats faster as Kuroki-sensei comes closer to my face.

''Buhihihihihihihihihi ----!

　I make a funny noise.

'Um, ......?　What is the matter with your highness?

　Kuroki-sensei leaves with a dubious look on his face.
　Sheesh! I was too excited!

'No!　Not at all!　It's nothing!　Buhi!

　I shake my head.

'Then try shaking it with less effort this time.
'Ha!　Yes, sir!　Ei！！！！

　I swing the sword with no effort.
　Then the wooden sword slips out and flies away.
　The sword flies far away into the sky and becomes invisible.
　We watched it disappear into the sky with a dumbfounded look on our faces.

The wooden sword is gone again. ......

　Poo-chan muttered.

'I'm sorry sir: ......'
'Yes! No!　Don't worry about it!　Your Highness!　I'll have the wooden sword ready for you again!　...... I didn't think you'd be able to shake it lightly, but ...... is indeed the son of a demon king. ......

　Kuroki-sensei waved his hand in a hurry. He seemed to be muttering something at the end, but I didn't hear it.

''Well then, I'll show you an example this time.

　Kuroki-sensei pulls out his sword.
　It's a sword with a black sword barrel and a blood-red pattern. It is probably a powerful magic sword.

'First, the grip is like this. Then, relax your strength and swing the sword. Then, at the moment of the slash, you must put your strength into it. Please watch.

　With that, Dr. Kroki waved his sword.
　Hyun！！！！
　Unlike my time, I can hear the sound of slashing in the sky.
　Even though it looks like it's being wielded lightly, it seems to be able to cut through any object.
　The way he wields his sword is completely lean and beautiful.

''Whoa!
It's so beautiful. ......

　Poo-chan and I can't help but admire it.

''Then, Your Highness. This is the last wooden sword. Please hold it.''

　Kuroki-sensei makes me grab the wooden sword again.
　His face comes close again, but this time he holds back to avoid making a strange sound.

'And then relax your hands and shoulders and raise them.
Yes!

　It takes a lot of strength to be told that.

'Your Highness. You are exerting too much force. Please exhale and relax.
'Yes!　Fuu----!!!

　I exhale and manage to relax.

'Keep it up and shake it slowly. And put some pressure on your hands here.

　Kuroki-sensei touches my hand and instructs me on how to swing the sword.
　I do that a few times.

'Now try and see if you can do it on your own.

　Dr. Kuroki leaves. Tsk!
　He clicks his tongue in his mind.
　But it's such a polite way to teach me. I can't not respond.
　I grip the wooden sword.
　As I recall, I wasn't supposed to put any effort into it at first, was I?
　He exhales and weakens.
　Then, he raises the wooden sword.
　As it is, you should be able to swing the sword and put all your strength into the moment of the slash.

''Ha!!!!''

　Swinging the sword.

　Buh-oh!

　It was time to put some effort into it.
　I'm going to fart profusely.
　It's so ugly.

"Oh, I'm sorry!　It's out!　Hahahahaha.

　I turn around, laughing fretfully.

'What?　No!　Hey!　Poochie!　It's okay!

　Poo-chan, who was right behind me, was foaming at the mouth and falling over.

'His Highness' fart ....... It's strong. ......

　When I mutter that, I stop moving with a gulp.
　Kuroki-sensei at his side also kneels down and presses his mouth.

'I'm supposed to be resistant to poison myself ....... That's ridiculous. ......

　Then he grunts in pain.

'Hey ------!　It's okay. -----!　Somebody please go to ----!!!!!

　A call for my help rang out in the training grounds.




◆Kuna, the white and silver witch.

Lord Kuna! The brave men are on the move~

　Xand, wearing a clown mask, reports to Kuna in a sickening voice.
　Kuna is in the castle of sweets now.
　Kuroki is not here.
　He's teaching the Demon King's children how to use the sword, according to everything.
　I don't know what the Demon King's child is like, but he must look like an ugly pig, just like his parents.
　That's why they are going to the Demon King's castle.
　I'm not happy about Kuroki's absence, but I can return to Nargol's mansion at any time, so there's no problem.
　Besides, I can't let Kuroki see this filthy clown.
　However, this clown is surprisingly useful.
　Thanks to this guy, I was able to get information about the brave man.
　The butterflies of Pushkea can't operate too far away from Kuna. So we need to have another one to keep an eye on them.
　That's why Xand is useful.

'Well, Xand. What is the purpose of the brave men? Are you coming to Nargol?

　Coona says, leaning back against the crystal-clear candy-coated throne.

'No, no, no. No, I think it's different~. Maybe it's here~. What do we do now~. Nihihihihihi~
Oh, so you're after Cunha.
I think so.

　Xand says happily, flying across the throne room.
　What a restless fellow.
　No one looks as good in clowning as this guy.

'My God!　Oh, my God!　Lady Coona!　We have to let Master Kuroki know!

　Tiber, the Dark Fairy, says noisily beside me.
　Tiber is a faerie with seven-colored, shining wings of a lifted winged butterfly.
　He is a noisy fellow who worshipped Coona as a goddess and followed her from the Garden of Aedin.
　Faeries have the appearance of a girl with butterfly wings and are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
　Tiber, however, is a fine adult despite his girl-like appearance.
　Tiber's race has a face as ugly and old as a child's and looks like a caterpillar.

'Shut up, Tiber. "Shut up, Tiberius. "Shut up, Tiber," he said. All we have to do is abandon the castle.

　There's no need to make a big deal out of it.
　All we have to do is abandon this castle and retreat.
　In the first place, there is no reason to stick to this castle.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not. I'm not going to be able to get away with it. Hahahahahahaha.
That's right... that's what I'm talking about.

　Xand and Tiber make a lot of noise. Why is this kind of noise gathering around Kuna?

That's why. Datie, you stay here and keep the heroes company. You stay here and keep your brave men company.
'What?!'

　I say to Datier, who is waiting in the throne room. He sounds surprised.

'Are you unhappy? Datie?

　He turns his stinging gaze to Datier.

'No, Lady Cuna. Not so. The ....... I, too, must withdraw.''

　Datier says timidly.

'No. You stay here. That's why you've been able to turn into a kuna, isn't it?'

　He goes to Datier's side and puts the scythe to his neck.

''Hi!

　When the scythe was placed against his neck, Datier began to tremble as if he was frightened.
　He wondered why this guy wanted Kuna's hair in the first place.
　The reason was to turn into Kuna.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. But in order to use this magic, you need a certain amount of that person's hair.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do that.

''You're really an idiot! It's a good idea to disguise yourself as Kuna to get close to Kuroki-sama. That's why goblins are such a~

　Tiber flies around Datier like a fool.
　Tiber was right, Datier was going to disguise himself as Kuna and get close to Kuroki.
　If he was just going to use the color scheme, he wasn't going to do anything, even if he felt uncomfortable.
　But I can't forgive him for trying to deceive Kuroki by disguising himself as Kuna.
　So I punished this guy.

'That's right. You're right, Datien. You are the Kuna's shadow bearer. If you're successful in driving a brave man back, I'll remove the bugs from your body.

　Datier looks like he's about to cry when he says that.

'Awwww ......'
Then Kuna will go. You can use the bugs we left behind here. Datie. You will do your best to hang on.

　Coona turns his back on Datie.

'Really. Good luck at best. The Goblin Queen. Bye~'
So long. Good luck~. I'm cheering for you. "Hahahahahahahahaha.

　The noisy ones will follow Coona's lead.
　Now let's go back to Nargol's Kroki's Hall.