There were six enemies.
　Merwin, of course, won't miss the other five as well.

''Don't get too carried away, ...... Amatsuki Iori.

　As Merwyn spat out a flame, the werewolves who had been waiting for it came forward.

''You do whatever you want on the part of the inferior species (Ninin),''
I don't know how you guys do it, but you're not getting too comfortable with yourself just because you took out a bunch of guys in the backroom, are you?
You didn't even get to be an adventurer, you scum.
Unlike those old bastards, you'll be burning every bone in your body.

　Four werewolf species held their weapons at the ready, while the rest stood to protect Merwin.
　It seems that these guys are the last trump card.

　With a roar, the four werewolf species began to move at the same time.
　With their coordinated movements, they quickly closed the distance between them.
　As a race that specializes in hunting, these werewolf species are agile in their movements.

''--"Demon Eyes, Heavy Pressure Crush"

　I even ducked the gravity created by Elfi, even though it was my first time seeing it.
　They are divided into pieces in a large room.

''Hurry up--?

　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.
　With the returning blade, he severed both legs.

''Zu, ahhhhh?!''

　The jade taiji is more comfortable in my hand than I imagined.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

"Humans!

　A second werewolf species approaches, sword at the ready.

"Create sand."

　As soon as the magic stone is used to create sand.

"Whirlwind."

　He creates a wind and blows sand from his palm onto the approaching werewolf species (werewolf).
　When the werewolf species gets hit in the face by the sand, it stops moving by holding its eyes.
　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on it, but I'm going to be able to cut off its legs and make it unable to move.

''Foot, my foot is aaaaah!

　In the meantime, the two werewolf species were approaching towards Elfi.
　Since they were sorcerers, they probably thought they could win if they got close enough.
　But it was sweet.

''Isn't this guy ...... a sorcerer?
''What a move ......!''

　The two werewolf species (werewolves) attacked simultaneously, Elfi ducked easily.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.

"Don't lick it, you bad dogs!

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.
　It's a good thing that you're able to have a great deal of fun with it.

"Kuh,--"Flame Bullet.
"The Stone Bullet."

　The two men took their distance and activated their magic.
　Flames and rock bullets were released at the same time.

　A bad move.
　The exercise of magic stops for a moment.

''--Sit down.

　In that instant, Elfie crushed the two werewolf species with gravity for every magic released.
　In an instant, the two men's bones creaked as they were made to lie on the ground and their bones creaked.

''Gaaaaaah!
''Geeeeeeeee!''

　Several bones seemed to have been broken, and the two werewolf species were unable to move.
　Now all four of them are unable to fight.
　There are only two left.

''Oh, you hold those two back!　I'm getting out of here!
Oh, come on, Merwin!　Oh, me too!

　Merwin is the only one trying to escape, and the werewolf species (werewolf) is afraid of seeing his friends get hit and tries to follow suit.
　They run towards the wall behind them.

　Merwin was the type of sorcerer who supported them in the rear.
　He was not the type to stand in the face of an arrow and fight.
　Apparently, that hasn't changed even now.

　He has abandoned his friends and is about to run away at a glance.

"Do you think I'm an idiot for turning my back on you?

　The legs of the werewolf species that tried to follow Merwin exploded under Elfi's magical eye.
　The werewolf species that lost its legs fell to the ground.

''What, what's going on?　Get him down!

　The werewolf species clutched Merwin's leg, who was running in front of him.

''Huh, I told you to hold back ......!''

　Kicking it away and forcing it to let go, Merwin reached the wall of the room.
　I'm going to be able to touch the wall with magic in my hand.
　Apparently, just like the entrance to the basement, there is a mechanism that opens up a path when magic power is channeled through it.

　There's no way I'm going to let them escape.

''If you're a leader, don't run away without your friends.
Huh?　Whew!

　The spare sword he had thrown was thrust into Merwin's palm as it touched the wall.　
　Merwin exclaims as his hands are sewn to the wall.

'Finally, we've got him,'

　He approached and pulled himself down to the ground.
　To prevent him from escaping, he stepped through one of his legs.
　Thanks to the physical strengthening, Merwin's leg is easily snapped off.

''E......iiah.''

　Tears streaming down his face and bubbles blowing, Merwin passed out.

'Wake up,'

　I snapped his other leg to wake him up.
　We don't need you to be so weak.
　Your revenge has just begun.


The vengeance has not yet begun.

　Six werewolf species (werewolves) who had lost their legs and hands and were unable to move.
　I dragged all of them and gathered them to the center of the room.

''Sorry, Elfi. We'll just take a moment.
No problem. You can do what you want.

　Elfie is keeping an eye on the guys at a little distance to see if they're acting suspiciously.
　I asked him to kill them if they showed any movement.

'As you know, I'm going to kill you guys now.

　Huh, there was a scream from the guys lying on the ground.
　The usual calmness was gone, and Merwin now had a frightened expression on his face.

　That's right.
　Everyone hates to die.
　I didn't want to, either.

　You cheated and betrayed them and killed them, so you can't complain that they killed you.

"But if you do what I tell you to do, I'll think about it.
What do you want me to do?
Tell me!　I'll do anything!

　There's a real bite to it.

First things first. I hope so, Zsoltz, but is the guy who burned that blacksmith shop here?

　The moment I threw that question, the werewolf species that was trying to run away after Merwin was the first to scream.
　He pointed at the werewolf species lying beside him.

It's him!　That's the dude who shot the Flame Bullet into the ground and set it on fire!
d*mn it, Gail!　You gotta be shitting me!
Shut up! Ted, you were the one who sent Mr. Merwin to burn down the store!　You were yelling at the top of your lungs that you were going to burn it down just like that old bastard!

　Apparently, the werewolf species that burned the blacksmith shop was called Ted.
　You will be able to get a good deal more information about the company.
　He wondered what he would have done if he had been among the ambushers Elfi had put away, but luckily he seemed to be alive.

'I see, you did it,'

"Hey, wait, wait!　I'm not the only one who did that!　Hey, hey, Franz!　You were helping me out, too!
What?　I was just checking to see if people were coming through!　You're the one who set it on fire!　You always blame everyone else!　That's enough of that shit!

　Ted points further at his friends and tries to blame them.
　The werewolf species called Franz denies this and calls out Ted.

'I cooperated with you, didn't I!　Oh, yeah, that's right. Oh, it was Mr. Merwin who gave me the order in the first place!　I just went along with it!　So it was Merwin who was wrong, and Merwin was wrong!
Yes!　So let it be Merwin, if you're gonna kill me, let it be Merwin!　It's not our fault!

　Before I knew it, the two of them had pinned the blame on Merwin.
　Merwin, who had been listening to the conversation until then, has a stunned expression on his face.

"You ...... what do you say?
Shut up!　It's your fault!

　This is so ugly.
　I can't listen to this shit.

Yeah, right.
What?
Well, wait a minute!

　Whoever burned down Zsoltz's shop and whoever helped him burn it down.
　I dragged them both to a corner of the room.
　Then he took out a liquid in a pouch.
　He sprays it over their heads.

'This is-'
'Oh, oil ......?'

　I'm also the reason that that blacksmith shop was burned to the ground.
　So I'll avenge the girls for them.

"I burned the shop and harmed the two men inside. "I burned the shop and hurt the two men inside, and they could have died. Merwin may have ordered it, but you did it.

　Create fire with magic.
　It's not as powerful as flaming bullets (Flame Bullet), it's a low grade magic.
　However, this is enough for the two of us who have been anointed.

So... we'll do the same thing to each other, won't we?

''No.''
Wait!

　Ted and Franz.
　He opened fire on the two greased men.

"Giaaaaaaahhhh!
Azuzu, azhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

　In the blink of an eye, their bodies burst into flames.
　A scream echoed through the burning pain.

　The screams lasted for more than a few minutes, and then they fell silent.

◆

　There were still four werewolf species left in the center.
　As soon as he returned after disposing of two of them, the first werewolf species named Gale, who spoke up first, rubbed up against him.

'Oh, I did what you said!　So help me!　Ta, please!
Yeah.

　With a hum, the blade made a sound and Gale's head fell to the ground.
　Without even knowing what happened, Gale died.
　It would be much better than dying from the pain of being burned.

　There are three people left.

''Hii!''
"Geez, Gail ......
Why the hell did you kill him?

　That's because he just said he would think about it, but he never said he wouldn't kill them.
　Merwin screamed and the other two were also trembling all over.

''Hey, why do you guys think you're in this mess in the first place?''

　I throw that question at the remaining two.
　I'm not sure if it's your fault.

'It's Merwin's fault right there,'
What about ......?
What kind of ......?
'Merwin betrayed me before. He owed me a favor and tried to kill me. So this is my revenge for that.

　The two men look at Merwin.
　The anger in their gaze is 'your fault'.

''So it's all his fault that your friends died and that you guys are going through that.

　The pain of a missing limb and the fear of having a fellow human being killed has already made it impossible to make a calm decision.
　So, if you tell him the cause of what he's going through, his anger will easily turn to Merwin.

''What are you saying ......?　Don't look at me like that!

　Merwin yells at him, exposed to the anger of his friends.
　But that would have the opposite effect and would only add to the anger of the two of them.

''So, I'm going to give you two a choice. Either we kill Merwin, or you both die.
Bullshit!　What the hell, gafu!

　He kicks Merwin, who tries to scream, and confronts them with a choice.

"What do we do now?

　Hope dwells in both men's eyes.
　The hope in their eyes, the hope that they might survive.

"As I recall, Merwin is a werewolf hero, right?　But he's also your boss. He's one of us, and are you willing to sacrifice your own life to save him?

　Merwin's anxious gaze turned to the two men.
　If these two men died, wouldn't he be able to save himself?
　He looked at his friends and was betrayed by a quick glance.　

''Kill Merwin!
I'm not ready to die!
Hey, .......

　To the friends who had sold him out, Merwin was furious.

''Who do you think I am!　I'm a hero!　I'm the reason why you can do whatever you want in this town!　Try to kill me!　Your contract with the Demon King's army will expire and the werewolf species will be destroyed!　Do you really want that?
Shut up!　You think you're in charge, huh?
You're the reason we're in this mess!　You're going to die now!

　Merwin Johannes.
　He betrayed me for his own sake.
　He sold humans to the Demon King's army, trying to save his own life.
　And then he gets betrayed by his own people.
　He's going to get what's coming to him.

"Then I want you to kill him yourself. And then... you know what?

　As soon as they heard those words, the two of them jumped at Merwin.
　They crawled like caterpillars to Merwin's bottom and hit him with the arm of the one that was safe.
　Beating and biting, the two werewolf species are trying to kill Merwyn only to save themselves.

''No, stop!　Stop it!

　Merwin also resists to death, but there's nothing he can do about it when dealing with the two of them.
　He doesn't even seem to be able to come up with the option of using magic, so he just struggles on.
　For the next ten minutes or so, I watched Merwin being hurt.

◆

　Then it was some time later.

"Suicide by .......

　Merwyn had one ear shredded, flesh ripped out, and one eye crushed.
　The two of them flailed their arms down toward Merwyn, who was forcefully calling for help.
　In another few minutes, Merwyn would be dead.

It's about time.

　To the two werewolf species, a flash from behind.
　The head falls to the ground with a rumble.
　Bathing in the spurted blood, Merwin cries out.

''Hey ...... Merwin. You and I have fought together for a long time. If it were true, I wouldn't have wanted to do this.

　To him, her tone of voice was a change from the one she had used before.
　I spoke to him in a calming, gentle tone.

"Why did you betray me?

　Merwin replies with a frightened look on his face.

"I was scared. "I was scared that someone would find out that I betrayed ...... If they find out that I'm a traitor, ...... my position would be gone. So ......
So you cheated on me?

　The reason for the betrayal was as expected.
　I wanted to hide the fact that I was going to kill a hero in order to save myself.
　Indeed, if I had accused him, there would have been no place for Merwin.

...... You've been worried about a lot of things, too, haven't you? I didn't recognize your insecurities.
'What ......?'

　I said in a tone of regret.
　I let Merwin out of the blood pool of his friends with a gentle hand.

''You've been called a hero and you can't even realize how your friends feel. I'm not a hero.
Oh, ...... Mr. Amatsu: ......
Merwin. You okay?　Sorry it took me so long to get you out.

　Merwin's eyes widen at those words.
　He lowers his head in a regretful and apologetic tone of voice.
　Merwin looks at me like he clings to me.

"You will forgive me ......?
I told you.　I told you that I didn't want to do this.
Oh, ...... oh.

　I shuddered at his answer, as if he was overcome with emotion.
　And then a polo tears spilled out of his eyes.

''Forgive me, forgive me ...... I was, I was bad ......!''

　In this moment, Merwin apologized to me for the first time.
　He sobbed, rubbed his head against the ground and shuddered, over and over again.

'I was ...... wrong!　I shouldn't have done that ...... thing!

　--from the bottom of his heart, he apologized to me.


◆

Yeah--that's what I wanted to hear.

　I'm satisfied.
　I've been waiting to hear you say that for a long time.

　I made a vow a long time ago.
　I promised myself that I would make you truly sorry that you betrayed me.
　And I will do everything in my power to make them realize that they were wrong.
To make him crawl on the ground, to make him hang his head down, to make him apologize from the bottom of his heart.

　--and then I'll kill you.

　I smiled at Merwin, who was in tears and apologetic.
　And then I sprinkle some oil from my pouch on his face.

'Buh ....... Eh, nah.

　He has a look of confusion on his face, as if he doesn't know what's going on.
　Merwin realizes the liquid he's poured on is oil and asks in a shaky voice, "Amatsu ?

"Amatsu ......?　What ......?
What did I tell you?　I didn't want to do this. Because even though it's an act, apologizing to you is repulsive.
What: ...... Huh?　You'll forgive me, won't you?
"I never said anything about that?

　He creates fire with magic and thrusts it at Merwin.
　Crunching his mouth open and closed, Merwin backs away.
　With both of his legs shattered and one arm useless now, he has no choice but to crawl on the ground like a caterpillar.

"Hey, you know what?　They say the most painful way to die is by burning to death.
Hi...... no.
Burning alive is like hell on earth, isn't it?
Aah!　I don't want to die!

　You know, I didn't want to die like that, either.
　Killed by people I trusted, betrayed by people I cared about.
　I didn't want to die like that.

"You're going to die right here.
'No. ...... No! Oh no!
You can go to hell.

　The flames that were released burned Merwin.
　He lets out a high-pitched scream and writhes in the agony of being burned.
　It's a self-inflicted, hapless figure worthy of a traitor.

　It looks like a dance as he struggles to escape death.
　For the next few minutes, the dance of death continued.

◆

　Merwin stopped moving.
　He lost his life in the agony of hell.

Ha ha ......

　I made him admit it.
　That it was a mistake, that I was wrong.

'Hahahahahaha,'

　And then I killed him.
　I knocked him down to despair, giving him hope that he would forgive me.

　I did it, I did it.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

　In a snarky voice, I sneer.

'...... Iori,'

　It was funny.
　It was so funny, I couldn't help it.
　So I laughed.

"Finally, the first one.

　There are still a number of people who have betrayed me.
　I'm going to make every single one of them follow Merwin.

'Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!'

　A snarky laugh echoed through the basement.