Dark Knight Kroki

　Near the head of the Aspidokeron we see a sea serpent that has appeared in the sea.
　The sea serpent is about 12 meters long.
　The sea serpent does not seem to have any hostile intent.
　I'm not sure if it came to attack us.

You can find out what's coming for you by visiting ...... kuroki-sensei. There's still something coming.

　Pollen, who is beside me, says to himself.
　Apparently, Polen also sensed the presence of something other than the Great Sea Serpent (Sea Serpent).

'Yes, Your Highness. The Great Sea Serpent (Sea Serpent) seems to have escaped from something.''

　That's when I said it myself. A splash of water rises from around the Great Sea Serpent (Sea Serpent).

'What the hell!　That one!

　Puchina shouts out loud.
　A tentacle of some kind comes out from around the Great Sea Serpent (Sea Serpent).
　That one tentacle is thicker and bigger than the Giant Sea Serpent (Seaserpent).
　The tentacles wrapped around the sea serpent and sank again with a great splash.

'Those are the tentacles of the Kraken. But what a huge ......

　Librum says with a grunt.
　Apparently, those tentacles belong to the Kraken.
　But Librum must have seen a Kraken in the past. Why is he so surprised?
　But there seems to be no time for questions.
　Another tentacle is about to attack Ezasa's ship.
　Suddenly, six tentacles appear and try to wrap around Ezasa's ship and sink it into the sea.
　Even though Ezasa's ship is quite large, the tentacles are long enough to wrap around the hull of the ship.

''Not good!''

　Myself, I call out the Black Blood Demon Sword and fly.

''Hah!

　He swings his sword while spinning, sending slashes flying.
　The slash slices through the tentacles wrapped around Ezasa and the others' ship.

''Oh!

　There are groans all around us.

'General Riburm!　Please hurry up and rescue the occupants of the capsized ship!

　The tentacles have slashed through, but several ships are overturned.
　I can see the orcs being thrown out of that ship.
　We must hurry to help them.

'Yes, my lord. You. Help Lord Ezasa and the others!

　Lizardmen under Librum's command fly through the air to the rescue.
　Normally, lizardmen don't like cold weather.
　However, unlike ordinary lizardmen, the winged high lizardmen seem to have no problem moving outside of the mansion's wards, perhaps due to their resistance to the cold air.
　They pick up the orcs that have fallen into the sea one by one.
　The slashing tentacles undulate and pull back.
　I find myself descending again to Aspidochelon.

'That's great Professor Kroki!　That was so cool~!

　Pollen greets me with applause.
　It's nice to hear a compliment.
　But I'm worried that something is wrong with everyone else except Pollen.
　But now we should rescue the orcs.
　There were two ships that were overturned by tentacles.
　Ezasa's ship, which was sailing in the lead, had also sunk.
　Orcs have a stronger body than humans. They have a lot of fat, so they don't sink in the sea, so they all seem to be safe.
　Ezasa is brought in by Livrum's men.

Are you all right?　Lord Ezasa?
Yes, sir. Sir. Something .......

　As far as Ezasa is concerned, there is no trauma.
　But she looks unfazed. Is she depressed that the ship has sunk?

That said, I didn't realize that it could easily sink a ship with a single tentacle: ....... I've never seen one before, but a Kraken is that huge.

　The orcs who were saved when I said that to them looked at each other.

'No, my lord. They are usually much smaller. A single tentacle is not enough to sink a ship. The Kraken you just described is far too small.

　Ezasa says so and comes over to us.
　Orc women are bigger than the men, and Ezasa is one of them.
　A huge body over two meters tall comes close to me, which is incredibly powerful.

''My lord. That kraken is extraordinary. It's impossible to catch that one. Let's pull back for now.''

　Ezasa comes up to me with a snorting face.
　'A little closer.

'My lord. Lord Ezasa is right. I've never seen a Kraken that huge. Let's move out of the way.

　Librum also says the same thing as Ezasa.

'Wait!　So what will happen to us selkies?　Your people are sacrificing their lives!　Also, that kraken is a big eater, and he's devoured all the fish around here!　We can't live like this, we can't live like this!　Please, please kill the Kraken!

　Inul, who was at his side, shouts out.
　The selkies have their lives on the line. They will be desperate, too.

'What do you mean? 'You're going to put your highness in danger? The selkies seem to be a bunch of people who don't have any sense of propriety.

　Riburum glares at him and Inul looks pale and steps back.
　The selkie is weak. He would be scared if Livrum, the Eight Demon General, stared at him.

'Quite so. Shall I eat you by the skin like a normal seal?

　Ezasa pulled away from himself and headed towards Inul.
　She moved away from herself, which honestly helped, but Inul was in trouble instead.
　Come to think of it, orcs are supposed to eat seals too.
　I can see Inul's expression distort with fear.

'Such ....... Your Highness has promised to exterminate the Kraken .......

　When Inul said this, all eyes turned to Pollen.

''Huh?　Well. Ha-ha. That's for sure. Let's go to .............

　Pollen says, scratching his head.
　I did indeed promise to help in Pollen's name. It's not a good idea to go back on that.
　Besides, Polen is motivated to do it.
　I'm not sure if I should be the one to help here.
　That Kraken we just met sounds pretty dangerous.
　Considering the safety of Pollen, it's probably best to retreat.
　But I want to help the selkies as well. And if that's the case, I'll have no choice but to go myself.

"General Riburm!　Lord Ezasa!　His Highness has promised to exterminate the Kraken!　To retreat from this place would be a disservice to your highness' name!　But we can't risk your highness' safety!　So I'll slay the Kraken myself instead!

　I declare that.
　You can go yourself in Pollen's place. That way, you'll be able to keep Polen's safety and the promise you made to the selkie.

'Um, ....... Dr. Kroki. Are you sure?

　Pollen gives me an apologetic look.

'It's all right. Your Highness. Well, ...... I'll do something about it.

　I have to admit, this is the first time I've fought a Kraken.
　If they're out of the water, but if they're under the water, they look nasty.
　I'm not that confident in underwater combat either.
　Can we win?
　But this is what I had to do.
　It was that time.
　I feel a powerful hostility from across the ocean.

"I feel a tremendous hostility!

　Puchina shouts out as she looks out to sea.
　Apparently, he's not the only one who felt hostility.
　Riburum and Ezasa also look at the sea.
　A huge presence is coming towards us. It's much larger than the great sea serpent (Sea Serpent) that we saw earlier.

Apparently, there's no time to retreat. ......

　Librum mutters.
　A huge wave hits Aspidokeron just as a huge presence approaches.
　A giant body that wouldn't be swayed by a normal wave shakes.
　I can hear the screams of the Inuls.
　But the scary part is yet to come.
　As the wave passes, multiple tentacles emerge from the sea and entangle themselves around the aspidokeron.
　There are dozens of them, from thick to thin.
　Judging from the length of the thickest tentacle, it seems to be bigger than Aspidokeron, which is about the same size as the island.

''Ku!　Kraken!

　An orc under Ezasa's command shouts.
　The Kraken wraps its long tentacles around the Aspidokeron, trying to drag it into the sea.
　Multiple tentacles pounce on those aboard the Aspidokeron.
　I feel a powerful hostility and anger.
　Perhaps they are angry at me for slashing their own tentacles.

'This is bad: ......'

　Apparently, we have no choice but to fight.





Polen, Princess of the Demon World

'Awww, awww, awww, awww!　It's shaking!　It's shaking!　Poochie!　I've never swum before!

　Huge tentacles appear and shake the aspidokeron.
　It is difficult to stand as our feet are wobbling.
　Multiple tentacles emerge from the surface of the sea and attack us.

'It's dangerous!　Your Highness Polen!

　Poo-chan suddenly pushes me away.
　Then one of the tentacles strikes where I was standing and tightens on Poo-chan.

''Nowa -----!!!!!
Poo-cha ----- n!!!

　His tentacles were one of the thinnest of all the tentacles, but they easily caught the powerful Puu-chan.
　At this rate, I would be dragged into the sea.
　You just defended me and now you're doing that!

"Look out, General Pucina!

　Kroki-sensei jumps up and slashes the tentacles that caught Poo-chan.
　Then Sensei slashed several of the tentacles as it was, freeing the others who were grabbed by the tentacles.
　That move was very beautiful.
　Sensei comes down to hug Pu-chan who was thrown into the air and comes down.
　A princess hug! I'm so jealous!

'We were saved. His Excellency ....... Niyohohohohoho.

　Poo-chan smiles happily as he is lowered down and thanks her for her help.
　Poo-chan's cheeks are a little red.
　KUUUUU-----! I want to be held too!
　The slashing of the tentacles stops Aspidokeron's shaking.
　But the hostility hasn't disappeared.
　It will attack again.

'Your Highness!　I'll go into the water and fight the Kraken myself!　Your Highness should hurry up and move to the remaining ships and get away from here!

　Kuroki is trying to get me to safety.
　But that's not going to work!
　I need Dr. Krocki to help me too! I remember what I came here for in the first place.
　If I was in danger, the teacher would hold me up and save me.
　I've never swum in the water, though! It doesn't matter! I want to be given a princess cuddle too!

'No!　Doctor!　I'm going too!

　When I say this, the teacher looks surprised and then happy.

'I understand, Your Highness!　Let's go together!

　The doctor holds out his hand and says emphatically.
　The doctor's eyes are twinkling, a little embarrassed.

'Doh!　What's the matter with you?　Your Highness!　Did you eat something weird?!

　Poo-chan interrupts a good part of the process.

'Shut up Poo-chan, ！！！！！

　It's not fair that I'm the only one in a princess hug! I resist the urge to say it.
　The Kraken extends its tentacles further and shakes the aspidokeron.

'There is not a moment to lose, Your Highness!　Somebody get your highness a weapon!
No, sir. My weapons are fine. Come on, great hammer of roaring thunder!

　I shout and a huge hammer appears in my hand.
　This hammer is the only weapon your father gave me that can withstand my power.
　I may not need it since the teacher is here, but I'll take it with me just in case.

'Come on!　Let's go, doctor!

　The doctor and I run to the edge of the aspidokeron and take a deep breath.
　This will keep us in the sea for a while.
　The doctor and I dive into the sea.
　It is very cold in the water. I manage to endure the attempt to float up.
　When we look closely, we see something huge in the dark sea.
　The giant thing is attacking us with its tentacles.
　Before the tentacles can attack me, the teacher steps forward and slashes at it.
　Oops.
　This doesn't help me, the teacher doesn't help me.
　I flap my hands and head for the Kraken.

'Your Highness!　You're stepping forward too much!　Get back!

　I can hear the doctor's voice, even though we are in the sea.
　Perhaps it's some kind of magic.
　But I can't listen to it.
　It was my first time swimming and I thought I couldn't swim, but I managed to move forward.
　You have to try everything.
　The Kraken's tentacles are coming towards me.
　I can hear the doctor's panicked voice.
　Eventually, the tentacles wrap around me and carry me towards my head.
　It's a little painful.
　I lightly strike the Kraken's head with a great hammer of roaring lightning.
　Then the tentacles loosen their tightness.
　That's good.
　All that's left to do is wait for the doctor to help me.
　Sensei will be able to defeat a Kraken of this magnitude.
　My imagination is progressing.
　The part where Sensei dashes over and saves me from the Kraken and gently holds me in his arms.
　Come on, Kroki-sensei! Come and get me!
　But the teacher who is coming to help stops midway.
　What's going on?
　And something about the tightness seems to have gotten really weak.
　I look at the Kraken.
　For some reason, the hostility has disappeared. And the light has disappeared from my eyes, which were glowing red earlier.
　The Kraken that caught me emerges.
　I go out to the surface of the ocean with the giant kraken.
　The tentacles let go of me.

'Splendid, Your Highness Polen!　I never thought I'd be able to defeat the Kraken in a single blow!

　Dr. Kuroki flies over to me when he comes out of the water.
　I just tapped him a little lightly, and that killed him?
　Are you kidding me?
　Ugh, I shouldn't have brought the big hammer of roaring thunder if this was the case.
　I regret it.

'Err, ......'

　I scratch my head. How is this possible?
　I feel like crying a little bit.

'Guys!　The Kraken has been vanquished by His Highness Polen---!

　The doctor leaves me and flies through the air. I scream and go back to Aspidochelon.
　I want him to at least take me in his arms and bring me back.
　I hear a cheer from Aspidochelon.

'Wow!　That's awesome!　Your Highness Polen!
'Wow!　I've beaten that Kraken!
"His Majesty's son, indeed!　You rivulum!　I'm impressed!
'Ah! Your Highness!　That's what I'm talking about!
'Your Highness!　Your Highness Polen!
'Your Highness!　Hooray!
"Your Highness...!　What the hell you ate up...!　I can't wait for the medicine man to see it: ----!!!

　Everyone talks about how great I am.
　But there is about one very rude person who doesn't listen to me.
　Liburum's men and Ezasa's ship are coming to get me.
　I haven't been rescued by the doctor yet. ......

'Start over!　I demand a redo!

　But my voice was overshadowed by cheers.