There was a sword fighting competition in the village square today.
　Kids and adults alike were competing against each other.
　I had some work to do, so I joined the tournament as a spectator. There were children and adults in the tournament, and the winner was Elsa.
　She beat the other contestants to the punch.
　Even the most experienced swordsman looked like a child before Elsa's sword. A hundred rounds wouldn't change the outcome.

Oh no. Kaiser. That was awesome, that girl of yours!　That was a genius. He's going to be a famous swordsman one day.
Maybe he's a good teacher. A hawk's child becomes a hawk. It was like watching Kaiser's sword when he was young.

　The crowd at the side of the stage was full of compliments.

"It's not me. It's what he can do.
Father!　Did you see that!

　After the game, Elsa comes running up to you, looking happy.
　She has a trophy in her hand.
　Her face is filled with joy and excitement at having won.

Yeah. Yeah. I saw that. Congratulations to the winner. Nice fencing skills. Just goes to show that Elsa works hard on a regular basis.
But I'm still far from your father's sword skills. You need to work harder. You'll never be able to strike a blow against my father.
Ha, ha. I look forward to that day.

　I smiled at Elsa.

'Do you remember that ...... promise?'
Of course. . if you could just give me a shot, you know, the one thing Elsa would ask of me?
...... Yes.
By the way, what is Elsa going to ask for?
Oh, don't tell anyone.

　When Elsa said that, her cheeks flushed and she turned her face away .
　...... Is she trying to ask for something embarrassing? Do you want me to buy you a stuffed animal or something like that?
　Well, let's not pursue it too deep.
　I reached out and gently stroked Elsa's head.

"Whew! ......

　A carefree voice leaked out.
　Elsa usually has a dignified face, but this time her cheeks were slack.
　She was just like that.

Shall we have rabbit stew for dinner tonight?
Really?
Yeah. Celebrate your win. I put my skills to work on that.
Hey, can I get another one?
Of course. Eat to your heart's content.

　I smile at Elsa.

"Yay.

　Elsa was happily clasping her hands in front of her chest in a small way.

''Heh. I wish there would be a swordfighting competition every day. Then we would win every day and have stew.
That's going to cause a huge drop in participation.

　If we had a sword fight every day, my body wouldn't last.
　That's when I was laughing at him.

"Oh my God!　There's a demon out there!

　We heard them screaming.
　Both Erza and I were astonished and our eyes widened.
　--There's a monster out there!

'The voice was from the other side. ....... Elsa's going to stay right here. Don't move until I get back.
I'm coming with you.
What?
I won the sword fighting competition. I'm ready to fight with my father!　So let me accompany your father!

　The way Elsa was looking at me, she was stubborn.
　She wouldn't listen to me, no matter what I said.


　I don't have much time to convince them to do anything about it: ....... I don't have a choice.

Okay. You can follow me.
Yes, sir!

　Elsa is following behind me as I run toward the sound of my scream.
　We've captured the demon.
　It's ready to go to war against the hunchbacked villagers.
　It was a boar.
　It was a boar demon with ferocious tusks and thick fur covering its body.

"Hi!
I'll be fine!　Help now!
I'm going to fight!

　Elsa took the lead in the fight.
　She held her sword up valiantly.
　Then the boar's consciousness turned from the villagers to us.

What?

　That hostile gaze shot through her and she cowered.
　The demon boar, baring its fangs, comes running at you. --You're going to be able to have a great deal of fun with this.

''Oh.........oh.........''

　It was like she was completely swallowed up.
　Oh no-- .
　I kicked the ground as quickly as I could and stood in front of Erza.
　I met the demon boar's rush head-on. It was such an impact that it felt as if every bone in my body was going to shatter. A sharp tusk cut into his right shoulder.

d*mn it!

　A sharp pain shot through me.
　But we can't...
　We can't leave here. Elsa's behind me.
　I gathered my strength and squeezed the demon boar's fangs. I lift the massive body, weighing nearly a hundred kilograms, and slam into the ground as hard as I can.

"Hmph!

　When the boar stopped moving, he cut off his neck.
　He spurted out a lot of blood and then stopped moving.
　It was like he'd given up.

"Elsa. Are you hurt?
Yes. But your father is at .......

　Elsa's gaze was fixed on my right shoulder.

'I'm sorry . I couldn't do anything about it. ....... I won the swordfighting tournament, so I thought I could fight as well as your father. ......
Haha. Don't worry about it. Everyone's first battle is like that for the first time. You'll learn from this experience, little by little.

　I smiled and patted Elsa's head.

'Father,'
Hmm?
Aren't you afraid of demons, Father?
That's scary. Sometimes you think you're gonna get hurt. But I have people to protect.
The people we need to protect: ......?
Oh . It could be Elsa, Anna, or Meryl: ....... Of course the people of this village are the same. I don't fight for myself, I fight for the people I care about--that's what gives me courage.
I've got it.

　Elsa held her voice together and said.

'I have people I care about too. My friends, Meena and Illeza. Anna and Meryl. And of course my dad.
Then swing a sword for them. Then you will find the courage to conquer your fears.
...... (country)

　Elsa nodded deeply at my words.
　I'm sure today's defeat will be an important part of her life. And I'm sure she'll be even stronger from now on.