The day after he returned from the orphanage.
　I was lying in bed and remembering the scene at the orphanage.

　Children who had lost their families and places to live in the war.
　Even when they had fought as heroes, he had seen beings like them on many occasions.
　I've seen children crying over the loss of their loved ones, the loss of their villages and towns.

　--I've been thinking about this for a long time - how much better it would be if I could turn those crying faces into smiles.

　That's what I thought when I was a hero.
　That hasn't changed. I don't want to help them at all.
　I shake off words like "beautiful" and "hypocrisy" and hold on to them as my firm will.

　However.

　I remember the pain of having my arm cut off and having my chest pierced.
　He remembers the faces of those guys who sneered at him for being useless.
　I remember the faces I saw in Liuza's memory of those men and women who wanted to betray me for their own personal gain, burned into my mind.

I can't forgive them for that. ......

　I hate them.
　I can't let them get away with it.

　Am I right?
　I don't give a shit.
　No matter how many times I apologize, my foul water won't be returned to the tray.
　I can't change the fact that he betrayed me.

　He sliced off my limbs, burned my wounds, gouged out my eyeballs, shaved off my nose and lips, and beat me down to the ground in unending pain and despair.
　I want to make him regret his mistake in betraying me, make him apologize, and then I want to kill him for it.

　The smiles of the children in that orphanage freeze my thoughts coated with such hatred.

They were laughing at .......

　Yes. The children were laughing.
　Some of the little ones were only five or six years old. Some were sub-humans who would have been shrugged off in the land of the teachings.
　Each of them had lost their family, their friends, their place of residence, and yet they were laughing.

　It was George and Lily who made them smile.
　If I kill them both, I'll be the one to take their smiles away.
　Will you prioritize revenge or the mental image?

...... warm.

　--I'm the one who laughs at myself for being warm and fuzzy, putting others first.

　I've made up my mind that I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my revenge.
　I've decided that I'll do whatever it takes to get revenge on those guys, no matter what it takes.
　What's the point of hesitation when there's a target in front of you?

I'm ----


"Demon King Kiiq!
''Buhah?!''

　I was knocked off the bed with a shock to my side.
　He fell from his face to the floor and rolled around in a rumble.

''...... Ow!''

　There was a mortified Elfie standing on my bed.
　It was also in a kicking position, with his right leg outstretched.

"...... What the hell are you doing, Elfie!

　When I raised my body and glared at him, Elfie sniffed, "Hmph.

'You've been worrying about it too much earlier.'
'Hey ....... You said you'd respect whatever choice I make.
"Hmm. That's true. I respect Iori's choice and I'll accept it.

　But, you know," he says, jabbing his finger at me.

'You've been mumbling alone for a while now: ......!　It's pungent and a bit creepy!　It's going to make your apple pie taste bad!
"You know what? ......!　I'm a bum.

　The moment I opened my mouth, I was shoved an apple pie into it.

I can't watch. It's only going to get darker if you stay in your room. We're going outside, outside.

　Today would be the day the shoes I'd ordered would be finished, and Elfie began to prepare to walk out.
　I chewed the pie in my mouth, exasperated by its insolence.

　...... Sure enough, he said the shoes would be ready in about three days.
　Today is just the third day since I ordered them.

...... Here we go.

　Elfie reaches out a hand to me as I'm falling.

'...... ah.'

　I took his hand and decided to go get my shoes for a change of pace.

◆

Good to see you, man. We got a hell of a workman.

　What the excited-looking shopkeeper handed me was a shoe-shaped magic power-granting item (magic item).
　A boot made of demon skin that emphasized mobility and sturdiness, just like adventurers like to wear.
　The magic core of the divided High King Bandit (Kraken) was embedded in them.

I'm sure the guy who made it told me that he tried to match the effects of the magic nucleus he received with a little bit of appropriate magic.

　The shoes have two effects.
　The first is an acceleration (boost) that is activated by flowing magic power.
　By releasing the magic power of water from the shoe, it seems that instantaneous acceleration is possible.

　I nodded at the shopkeeper's words of caution, since I can only move in a straight line.

　And second.
　This is an effect of the High King Bandit's (Kraken) magical core properties.
　It is said that if you channel magic power into these shoes, you will be able to move regardless of the situation under your feet.
　With these, you can fight even in places where the foothold is unstable, such as Mt.
　Moreover, it seems to be able to move by sliding on water.

　I got a pretty good one.
　Pay more money and leave the store with a hokey feeling.

The sword, the armor, you've got another great piece of equipment.
"Ah, nice shoes." Let's call them "blue-blue shoes".

　As soon as we get back, we'll change into these shoes to see how they work.

''Speaking of which, does Elfie need to buy any equipment?

　Ever since we met, Elfie has been wearing the same clothes since we met.
　It's a jet black dress.
　I've never seen it washed.

"............
"You're being rude. Can I kick the demon king?
I'm not thinking about it.

　'Oh well,' said Elfie, picking at his dress.

I'm sure you'll agree that this one is made up of my magical power. It's a great deal more defensive than full plate armor. ...... You don't have to wash it, do you?
Yeah. That's great. If you can make it with magic, then make something for me to equip too.
''It's fine, but ...... you're going to continue to wear my powerful magic directly, so maybe the current Iori won't be able to withstand the magic.
You can't stand it?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, all that blood is going to come out of these holes. Do you want me to make you a hole?
I don't want it.

　At first glance, it doesn't look like it has a high level of defense, but it seems to be quite hard.
　Then I certainly don't need the equipment.

''If Iori buys you something, you can take it.
You've got plenty of money.
Gifts come at a price.

　Then wandered around in the Holy City.
　Compared to hot spring cities and the like, the city is relatively clean and the city is relatively clean.
　I'm sure you'll be impressed.

But there are a lot of monstrous people.

　Elfie muttered as he looked at the Cathedral Knights who were all over the city.

'It seems there's been a smattering of people going missing lately. Maybe that's what they're wary of.''

　Well, even without that, the Cathedral Knights would still be keeping an eye out for any demon tribe entering the city.

　While talking about such things, Elfi pulled me along and we walked through the city while eating and walking.
　By the time we got back to the inn, the sun had completely set.
　Apparently we had been walking around for quite some time without knowing it.

　When I finished dinner and settled in my room.
　I had an answer for myself.

'Elfi, I'm ----'



You're not going to be able to do that.


　Early the next morning after the orphanage had a visitor.

'Uma-kun!　Bye-bye!
Take care!

　At the entrance of the orphanage, the children see Yuma off with tears in their eyes.
　Youma is an elf who was separated from his family after his village was burned to the ground by the demon king's army.
　Last year, she came to the orphanage with George and Lily.

'Minnaa......!　I'll come back to see you again. ......!

　Uma crumples up and waves to the children as she is sent off.
　There are many sub-humans in the orphanage.
　There is no discrimination in the orphanage, as George and his friends treat both humans and subhumans without distinction.
　They are all family, human and subhuman.

He's gone: ......

　George and Lily took Uma on a walk towards the forest.
　George said that Uma's family was just around the corner and that they were going to meet again in the Holy City.

'I like ......,'

　Michelle, one of the children waving to Yuma, muttered in a small voice.
　From now on, Uma would live happily with her family.
　She wouldn't miss them because they were all in the orphanage, but she still envied them for being able to see her real family.

'Sheena-chan also went to see her family. ......

　Michelle thought that way as she looked at Yuma, who had disappeared into the forest.

◆

　Michelle lived in an idyllic village southwest of the Holy City of Schmelz.
　She wasn't wealthy, but she was happy to spend her days with her father, mother and sister.

　My father would say silly things, Michelle and my sister would give me cold looks, and only my mother would laugh out loud.
　My sister and I would help her work in the fields with my sister, and my father and mother would praise her.
　Once a month, we all look forward to the fruit pies that my father buys in town.
　Michelle loved that kind of ordinary life.

　But it didn't last long.
　Two years ago, there was a massive outbreak of demons near the village.
　The village was filled with demons, and that's when Michelle was separated from her family.

'Dad, mom ...... sister. Where......

　I couldn't find my family, I was hungry and didn't know what to do.
　That's when I happened to be picked up by the Cathedral Knights.

　And they brought me to this orphanage.

'Michelle. This is your home until your family is found.
Don't hesitate to tell me what to do.

　Michelle, who was anxious, was greeted by a kind couple.
　George and Lily.
　They offered to take care of Michelle until a family was found.

　The orphanage was located a short distance from the holy city of Schmelz, surrounded by woods.
　The building was beautiful and inside there were many toys and books for the children.
　There was also a playground in the garden.

I have a new friend today. I'm Michelle," she said, "and I hope you all get along with her. I want you all to get along with me.

　There were many children waiting for her at the orphanage.
　Some were separated from their families, like Michelle, and others had lost their families.
　There were also children of the cat race (warcats) and the fairy race (elves).

'It's a little scary that there are sub-humans: ......

　Michelle had thought of it that way at first.
　There wasn't a single sub-human in the village, and some people say that sub-humans are beings that disobey the teachings of Melt-sama.
　Sub-humans might be a bad thing.
　Lily said to Michelle, who was worried about that.

People and sub-humans are no different. They all have their own good qualities.

　Michelle was skeptical, but she soon realized that Lily was right.
　All of the children at the orphanage treated Michelle well and without discrimination.　

　Still, it was hard for Michelle to be separated from her family.
　Besides, Michelle had never been a good talker by nature and wasn't very good at talking to others.
　Even though they treated her differently, she couldn't respond well and didn't really fit in.

　Sheena was the one who cheered Michelle up.

I'm Sheena, and my name is Sheena. I'm Sheena, and it's nice to meet you, Michelle!

　She has short, lively-looking brown hair and two cat ears sprouting from her head.
　Sheena is a girl of the cat race (warcat) with a bright smile like the sun.

　Sheena was with Michelle so much that she didn't have time to feel lonely.
　It was more like sticking together.

'NeNe!　Michelle's hair is beautiful, isn't it?　What are you doing?

Hey!　Wanna play!　Are you sleepy?　No, no, no!　Don't say that when you're a little girl!　Come on, let's go!

Let's go! - Ta-da!　Hey, Michelle, it's your birthday, isn't it?　It's your birthday, right?　It's made out of flowers!

　I have to admit, I was a little annoyed at first.
　Sheena's voice was loud and forceful.
　But as I was exposed to Sheena's cheerfulness, I felt foolish for feeling depressed.
　I wondered what I was goofing off about when a girl in the same situation as me was in such good spirits.

　As soon as I thought that, we became what I would call best friends with each other.

　Thanks to Sheena's help, Michelle was able to adjust to the orphanage by the time two months had passed.
　There were some troublesome things like having to study Melt-sama's teachings, not being allowed to go out without permission, and not being allowed to go out at night, but she was enjoying her life at the orphanage.

　I made a lot of friends, and George and Lily were very kind to me.
　It was sad that sometimes her friends would find their families and leave, and it was hard not to see them, but Michelle was still happy.

'Michelle!　One day when you find your family, you can introduce me to them.
Why do you go to ......?
Because I'm going to tell my family about you!　Then we can go on a trip to a spa city or something with our families.
I'd like to go on a ...... trip. I'd love to.
Right!

　We could have a cookout for each other's families or a sleepover.
　Sheena and I even made a promise to each other that we would have a sleepover.

　This life went on for two years .......
　George and Lily sent word that they had found Sheena's family.

'I see ....... We're going to meet your mothers ......'

　Sheena was happy, spilling tears.
　Sheena, who was usually so cheerful and flirtatious, was happy with tears.
　Seeing that, Michelle thought from the bottom of her heart, "That's good.

　But it was terribly sad to be separated from Sheena.
　Michelle was a little depressed, but Sheena wiped her tears away and said, "Michelle.

'Michelle, don't look at me like that! Don't look at me like that!　We'll find Michelle's family soon enough.
Also at .......
It's okay. Besides, I'll come back to see you. You promised me a trip.
...... Yeah. Promise.

　He took the promise to heart.
　And so, two days ago, Sheena left the orphanage.

Hmm ......

　A flick on the cheek and Michelle regained her composure.
　Sheena would laugh at her if she was depressed like this.
　Besides, at twelve years old, Michelle is a relatively large person in the orphanage.
　If I'm depressed, the younger kids will be worried too.

...... good.

　James and the others left to send Yuma away.
　They asked me to take care of the rest, and they told me to take care of the rest.

'We'll all go back inside,'

　I'm going to grow up and surprise you as much as I can before I see Sheena and her family again.
　Michelle was determined to do so as she gave instructions to the other children.