"'Brave' ......!"

　"As soon as the "distortion" was lost to the corner of my eye, tensions were felt in the room.
　The first thing I noticed was that Verdia was poised low on her haunches and Idler had jumped behind the sofa with his head in his hands.
　I reach for the scabbard as well so that I can pull out my sword.

'Warrior chief, is there something wrong?'
...... I can feel it killing me.

　At that moment, the door was opened and two men walked in.
　One was a slender, pale skinned half demon (an impostor).
　The other is a human breed (Wardock) with dog ears sprouting from his head.
　From the way they look, they must be Distortion's men.

You have a benefactor: ......?
Bullshit, you're a great guy: ......?

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.
　I'm not sure if they were on the battlefield of the Church State or not, but they seem to know my face.　

'Yeah ......?　Warchief, Lord Iori: ......?

　Only Tyra is tilting her head in confusion, unable to keep up with the situation.
　There are three of us here and four opponents.
　Considering the fact that the idlers are not a force to be reckoned with, is it difficult for them to get through this place without mind-image magic?

''The Four Heavenly Kings would have wiped them out without a trace, so why are they still alive!
''Grrrl ......!

　The two men held up their weapons.
　I'm not sure if a battle is inevitable, but I was about to draw my sword.

''--Don't.''

　"Distortions" controlled them with their hands.
　They were about to jump at him, but stopped moving with a snap.

'Tyra. Are you sure that these are the ones who killed the demon that was attacking the village?
Yes. This is Lady Iori and Lady Verdia, of course.
"...... All right. Hey, you heard that." I don't care if you're a brave man, you're still a benefactor. You are not to be harmed in any way while you are in this village.

　The two subordinates nodded with a coy smile and easily put their weapons away.
　The air that had been spreading in the room instantly relaxed.

'............'

　The two guys in the back, but they're not willing to fight the "distortions".

"......?　No fight ......?
Yeah. You look fine.

　A scowling Verdia released her stance.
　Idler, who had been hiding behind the couch, also came out in the front, fearfully.

'It's my men's fault. He seems to be on edge when he hears the village has been attacked.'
...... I don't care. You're not going to do it, are you?
Yeah. Unless you mess with my people, we're not gonna fight you. Sit down at .......

　Volk urges me to sit on the couch again.
　Volk sits at the front, while Tyra and the others remain standing instead of sitting down.

'...... Again, I thank you. Thanks to you guys, none of our friends lost their lives. We thank you.

　"The distortions are deep and heady.

"............

　He looked down at the head that was offered to him defenselessly.
　Now, he would be able to drop this man's head in an instant.
　It would be easy to block him from moving without killing him.
　A blow to the back of the head, which is full of gaps, would knock him unconscious.
　Then I'd use him as a hostage, which would make it a little easier to save Elfie and a little easier to get our revenge.
　Now that he knows I'm alive, it's too much trouble to keep this man alive.

'Keep your head up. As I told Tyra, we only defeated the demons to get rid of the wards that were in our way. As a result, we only saved your people.

　I thought that much and dismissed the thought.
　Quicksilver, the three men behind him would be able to stop him.
　If he couldn't finish them off with a single blow, there would be a commotion.
　As long as there was no hostility in this man, he should avoid a needless fight.

'But that doesn't change the fact that you saved my people. I will repay you for it." I swear on my Warrior-in-Chief's name."
............

　Returning the favor, huh?
　That's a very rigid thing to say to an enemy.
　From what you say and do, it seems unlikely that he's going to reverse his statement and take you by surprise: .......
　He is not a trustworthy opponent. Let's just be prepared to kill him at any time.

.............

　Berdia glares at the "distortions" in a scowl.
　It's not just the people who kidnapped Elfie, it's the people who kidnapped him, so it's not surprising that they can't make their hostility disappear.

...... cautious Boku is distracted by the presence of the cautious.

　The idler is extremely shadowed by some kind of magic.

The two of you don't need to be so cautious. It's not like we're trying to take anything for granted. We are not trying to take anything from you. That's the rule in this village.

　Volk approached them, but

...... master's enemy. I want to destroy them.
They've been noticed ......!

　The two men do not let their guard down.
'Well, it's no use,' chuckles Volk.

"I'm Volk Granberia. I'm Volk Granberia, the village's warrior leader. I'm the warrior leader of this village, and it is my pleasure to serve you.
It's Iori.
...... Verdia.
I'm an idler. I'm a frail little girl.

　Then, "Distortion" - Volk has the two people behind him to say their names as well.

　The pale skinned half demon is Krug.
　The dog race (Wardok) is called Bedrut, apparently.
　Together with Tyra, these three seem to report directly to Volk.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

It's a good thing that you've got a good idea of what you're doing.
...... apologies, and thanks.

　The hostility has completely disappeared from the two of them.
　However, they seem to be on guard.
　　From the way they were poised earlier, these two are also quite strong.
　If the three vice chiefs fought at the same time, I'm of the opinion that they would be able to compete evenly with the demon general .......

''From earlier, I can't see what you are talking about ....... What do you mean by Iori-dono being a hero?
That's exactly what happened. The reason why you were sent to the country of origin was to defeat a brave man and the former demon king. And that brave man is this person.
'What a great ......'
...... Tyra. Didn't you realize that ......

　Tyra looks at me with a stunned expression on her face.
　'You tricked me,' he wants to say, but it's not like he's asking me.

''...... But I had a good response that I definitely got it done. The fact that the Four Heavenly Kings are all deceived by the same person means that the name of the brave man is not just a name.

　It was Idler who did that, though.

But I have a more important question for you.
What?
''If the Four Heavenly Kings are living here, then this village should be under the protection of the Demon King's army. Why would it be attacked by the same Four Heavenly Kings?

　With a snap, Volk stopped moving.
　A sharp trifecta is turned on him.

''What do you mean by ...... the same Four Heavenly Kings?''
The warding that covered this village. It was Lucifina who did it, wasn't it?
----

　Volk's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth.

'Don't tell me you're going to make a mistake in your contract ......?'
...... deal?
The contract the warrior chief has with the Demon King's army.

　Tyra explained on behalf of Volk, who had fallen silent.

　There are multiple races living in this village.　
　That's why they are sometimes seen as enemies by various nations and organizations.
　It seems that Volk and other warriors have been protecting this village from such foreign enemies.
　It seems that they have been attacked by the Demon King's army more than once.

　While fighting off several attacks, the demon king's army has noticed Volk's ability.
　On the condition that this village would be placed under their protection, the Demon King's Army recruited Volk.
　It is said that Volk became the Four Heavenly Kings.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have the right information. Iori-dono, are you certain that the wards belonged to the Four Heavenly Kings?
There's no doubt about it. You can check out the body of the Hundred-Footed Dragon and see if you can find out where the wards were set up.

　From the story that Lucifina was the one who sealed Elfi, we know that that guy can use the wards.
　There were a few things that bothered me, but that was definitely Lucifina's magic power.

'...... Krug, Bedrut. Go check it out.

　Volk, who had been silent, looks up and flies his instructions to his men.

'Aye.'
Yes, sir.

　He nodded and they left the room quickly.

'Well, ...... the Lucifina thing is on hold. You'll be clearer once you've done your research. With Dionis and Lucifina, those guys keep bringing us all kinds of trouble.

　Volk exhales, as if tired.

'...... Ah. Was it you who killed Dionysus?
Yes.
You're the man. I had a real fight with that guy and I couldn't kill him.

　Abominably, Volk muttered.
　It seems that once, Dionis led a demon and came to this village.
　It seems that Volk and the other warriors intercepted him and managed to drive Dionis back.

It's a good thing that we're not the only ones who have a problem with that.
He doesn't like it when things don't go his way, you know?
Yeah. When I became the Fourth Heavenly King, I got a lot of complaints about that.

　I heard that Dionis was doing whatever he wanted in the Demon King's army.

Still, ...... that bastard was one of us, at least.

　Swooping, Volk narrows his eyes.
　For a moment, hostility is unleashed.
　But it quickly disappears.

　...... How can you call those people your friends?
　They must have a strong sense of camaraderie.

I'm not going to be able to get my revenge. At least for now.
............

　Volk got up from the couch.

'Good. I'll go check on the village. Tyra, take care of Iori and the others.
Ha!
I'll be back in person.

　With that, Volk left the room.
　Tyra and I are left alone in the room.

I know you have your own complicated problems, but we can treat them politely while we are in this village. The sun will be setting in a few hours. You'd better spend the night in the village.
Give me a minute.

　He pauses to reply and calls out to Verdia and the others.

'How long will it take you to get to your destination from here?'
Hmm, I won't be gone half a day. If we leave early in the morning, we'll be there before noon. That's far enough to fly without a break.

　If I could, I would hurry to get to Elfie.
　At that distance, if we leave now, we'll be there by midnight.

'How are you feeling, Verdia?'
...... now, it's a bit tight. I think we'll need a break along the way.
...... Right.

　If we're going to take a break in the middle of the road, there's no point in leaving now.
　Even though it's unavoidable, I'm itching.
　I'd like to head for that guy as soon as possible.

　In the end, it was decided that we would stay in this village today and leave early in the morning.
　I asked Tyra to show me to my room for lodging.

'There's plenty of room. Use it as you please.
Wow. So, I'll be sharing a room with Verdia then?

　I glanced at the idler and he used his sink eye on me.

Haha. If you don't mind, would you like to share a room with us, Iori-kun?

　He asks deliberately.

'No, thank you,'
...... I don't want to be with you either.
Why do you guys hate me so much?　Isn't that too much?　You're about to be punished!

　...... He's a noisy guy.
　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

"Hmmm. You guys are so close.

　Giggling, Tyra let out a smile.

'Do I look like that ......?'
...... not good at all. Me and Iori, though.
"Why am I the odd man out?　I haven't known you for quite some time!

　...... This guy is really noisy.

　In the end, it was decided to rent a room for me and Verdia Idler.
　Although friendly, this is hostile territory.
　It's not a good idea to split up.

　Berdia made a rather uncomfortable face when she heard that Idler was sharing a room with us.
　And by and large, Idler is protesting with tears in his eyes.
　I'm not sure if they're on good terms or bad.


　Afterwards, Tyra suggested that we take a look around the village.
　Perhaps to tell Elfi about the village, Verdia is the first to follow Tyra.
　Me and Idler followed a little later.

　The part of the village that caught my attention was still the number of races.
　Humans, sub-humans, demons, and many other races live here.
　Maybe that's why there are not a few halflings of various races.

　On the way, I saw a number of half-elf women.
　They all have a uniformly gloomy expression.
　Idler was looking at them with a somewhat grim expression.

''What's wrong?''

　When I called out to him, the idler returned to his usual expression.

'No thanks,'

　It bothered me a bit, but not enough to pursue it.

　We spent an hour or so slowly making our way around the village.
　Many of them had heard about us, and many of them came to talk to us.
　This may be the first time I've been in friendly contact with anyone other than Elfi and the demon race.
　Basically, I only met the demon race on the battlefield.

'...... coexisting with the demon race?'
Hmm?　What did you say?
No.

　Remnants of an ideal held.
　They have been trampled on and ridiculed too much.
　It doesn't matter to me anymore.
　I don't care.

　When the sun began to set, we rounded the village and returned to the guest house.


◆

　The time passed unhindered when we entered the guest house.
　We weren't attacked, nor were we poisoned for dinner.
　Perhaps it was because it was the same inn, but it reminded me of an inn I stayed at in some spa city.

　Idler and Verdia are in a room right next to each other.
　The reason is that they chose the room next to each other so that they could join each other if they met in any way.
　The drawback of being so close, though, is that I can hear Idler's voice.

............

　Alone in the room, he adjusted his magic and checked his weapons.
　Even though I know the conditions for activating it, I can't say that I'm completely proficient in mind-image magic.
　It would be better to be prepared in case of a shortage.

Distortion and disappearance.

　The Four Heavenly Kings would be given titles that matched their abilities.
　The Four Heavenly Kings who fought in the past were also given titles such as "Freeze" and "Revolutionary" that matched their abilities.
　Volk's "distortion" must have come from the mind magic.

　Gracia's title for holding Elfie captive is "Disappearance".
　I'm sure it comes from the instantaneous movement-like ability I showed in the Teaching Country.
　I've seen many times the magic of movement such as "summoning" and "transference" using magicians.
　But I'm not sure I've ever seen anything as useful as what that woman used.

　I've already examined what kind of magic it is.
　If my expectations are correct, it shouldn't be so complicated.
　I've already thought of some countermeasures.

　Perhaps we should consult with the idlers later.
　Maybe he'll know something about it.

Let's go to ...... and take a bath.

　I was told there was a bathhouse for guests.
　I remembered Tyra's guide and headed to the bathhouse.
　Thanks to the hot spring city, I feel like the culture of 'soaking in hot water' is more widespread than it was thirty years ago.

　The bathhouse was reasonably spacious.
　I'm not sure if I'm using a magic grant or not, but the water in the bathtub is still warm.
　It's just a little bit hot.

　After rinsing off your body, soak in the water.

"............

　It's not going to be as relaxing as a spa city.
　A sense of frustration is always smoldering in my chest from the teaching country.
　There are two reasons.

　The fact that revenge is being postponed.　
　And most importantly, Elfi is gone.

　What the hell am I doing in this hot water?
　I can't help but think so.

　That woman who betrayed me is alive and well at this moment.
　Just thinking about it is enough to make my head spin.

　And there's no guarantee that Elfi is safe now.
　A minute later, he could be slashed off a limb and sealed away.

...... shit.

　I understand that there's no point in rushing it now.

............

　Chill out.
　If you slow down your thinking, you won't be able to do what you can do.
　Just do what you have to do to accomplish what you have to do.

　I was just about to get out of the tub to wash up when I came to terms with my emotions.

'Hmmm,'

　With a hum, the door to the bathhouse opened with a rattle.
　Before he could call out, an idler walked in.
　Naturally, he wasn't wearing any clothes.

'Fufu ............ hmm?'

　I locked eyes with the idler who came in on the skip.

'----'
............

　There was silence for a while.

............

　The idler flushed himself with hot water.

'...... don't try to come in without a fight.
'People can't complain about seeing my divine skin, even if their eyes are glazed over if they're normal!　Yeah, for you, it's okay.
It's not good.
"I will give you the honor of an audience.

　...... This woman ain't listening to me.
　Ignore her, and the idler comes into the tub.
　She doesn't even pretend to hide it.

...... Get out.
I'm already soaked.
Okay, I'll get it.

　I was about to leave when the idler grabbed my arm.

Don't say I wasn't a good companion. I just wanted to talk to you for once. Now's your chance.
Let's wait till we get out.
You see, you can't talk about things you can't do much out there.
If you're ......, at least cover your body.
There's not a single part of me that's ashamed of my skin. ......

　Letting out a sigh, the idler turns back.

'............'

　That's when I caught a glimpse of it.
　A cut, deeply etched into the idler's back.

"Oh, do you mind if I have a great back?

　The idler noticed my gaze and laughed nonchalantly.

"I got bashed in the back a long time ago. Well, it's called a badge of honor.
...... Right.
Don't worry about it.

　Then they turned their backs to each other.

'Is that all right?'
...... Yeah. So, what's the story?

　A muffled voice echoes in the bathroom.

'I thought you weren't going to do anything,'
What do you mean?
''This is enemy territory, and the Four Heavenly Kings are the enemy. "This is enemy territory and the Four Heavenly Kings are the enemy, and they don't want to attack us. That means they can turn around and do whatever they want to us.

　It was a lower, colder voice than usual.

'You were wise not to mess with me right there. Aside from Tyra, the two men who were standing back were keeping a close eye on you. Even now, I don't think they've let their guard down.

　The idler continued on with his words.
　His unusual appearance made me a little more wary.

'But you should be able to move freely now.
...... what's the point?
What I'm saying is that you can do whatever you want with your enemy in this hostile territory now. Since you don't have much of a lookout, you can do anything you want, right?
'Of course. But the priority now is to rescue Elfiszak.

　If we fight here, we'll have to go through a lot of trouble.
　Even if we can kill the 'distortion', we'll still be called to the Demon King's Castle for help.

I'm not going to risk anything by wasting my time.
...... Hmmm. Well, if that's how you feel about it, then I guess you're right.

　Idler affirms curtly.

'Well, how about we try not to call for help?
...... what?

　Smiling, Idler said.

'--Let's kill them all (・・・・・・・).

　His voice sounded frosty with emotion, nonchalant.

'Let's not give them time to call for help, let's kill them all without leaving anyone behind. That way, the Demon King's Castle won't hear about us.
----
Yeah, a couple of hostages might be a good idea. I don't think they'd want to mess with us if they were concerned about their own safety. Yeah. You don't want to be a problem for the Four Heavenly Kings, and you don't want to be a problem for my men, so best of luck.

　--------.

'Idler'
What is it?

Are you serious?

　Silence.

'...... Don't sound so scary, right?'
............
I don't like it. I'm just giving you a choice. I can't do that. It's your choice.

　A little flustered, Idler excused himself.

'...... I'm not going to take such roundabout measures. I'm going to avoid as much wear and tear as possible until I get to Elfie.
'Hmm. ...... That's so sweet of you, too.

　A splash, a shake in the water.

You have to have a good reason for this and that, otherwise you won't be able to move. This must be very difficult for you.
...... I guess it's better than living in the stream and not thinking about why.
I doubt it. Wouldn't it be easier to just go with the flow?
There's no point in making it easy and there's no need.

　It doesn't matter if it's easy or hard.
　I've decided to move on, and I've decided to move on.

...... You've stepped in quite a bit, haven't you? You're usually such a tease.
Mmm, that's rude to play around with. I'm a smart guy and I'm always serious.

　'Just,' said Idler.

That was my kindness to you. It's my kindness to you, the bearer of that 'sigil'.
............
Well, if that's your choice, then go ahead and live your life. --Until the day you rot in hell.

　Thawing, sweetly.
　Idler said in my ear.
　I'm scared.

"...... What do you mean,
............

　I haven't heard back from him in a long time.

"Hey,

　I looked back in disbelief.

...... oooh.

　Red in the face, Idler was floating in hot water on his back.

"I had a cool ...... feeling, so I had to resist ...... but I can't even ...... it.
............
...... eye rolls... ......

　He's leaking.

"Iori-kun ...... help me.

　I was ripe too, or maybe my head hurt.


　After carrying the idler and letting it out.
　The night breeze would cool him down.

"Till I catch hell.

　It's too late.
　Hell, I've seen it all before.
　So, it's my turn to burn.

　We took a vengeance together, along with a few of my accomplices.