The Demonslayer Lasse has two kinds of servants.

　One of them is a showpiece for Lasse to show off his strength.
　Dragons and lamia fall into this category.
　Others, such as Trent and the dryads, serve to prove themselves useful by demonstrating their abilities.

　What about the other servant?
　It was demons fighting for Lasse in the shadows.
　Demons with abilities that they don't want to be seen using, such as Ketsey, who doesn't have the ability to fight but obtains valuable information, and Arakune, who is excellent at guerrilla warfare and capturing the enemy.
　And as a last resort, the demons who do not want to reveal their abilities are assigned to the army of the shadow.
　Only some of the people in the order know the true identity of the demons, and for some of them, only Lasse knows about their existence.

And now, with Lasse's orders, the demons of the shadows are on the move.
Receiving the Lord's order, they descended to the stage where they can play their best role.

　.

　This is the Great Demon Forest.
　A demon realm where demons roam and reject humans.
　And there they were.

I guess they got Sam.

　When the man in all black utters his voice, the shades of similar outfits that were around you tremble.
　The voice has been altered in some way or another, and it's impossible to tell if it's a man or a woman, your bad voice.

"We've been captured by the male demon.

You are the kind of person the top brass want. Trained to not only detect us, but to capture us.

"What do you want him to do, captain?

Get rid of it. We don't want the people of Tend to find out that our country is involved.

　The so-called "captain" ordered the disposal of his comrades without showing any sign of thinking.

But Sam has been taken away by the knights of Tendo. There's a good chance they'll be aware of it even if you try to do it.

Then ask them all to leave. The witnesses would be gone and the information would stay hidden. We just bring that man home and there will be no one left to find out what happened.

　Five of the black-clad men head into town without saying a word.

　This group of black-robed men were special forces of the Serga Kingdom who came to scout Lasse.
　Their goal was to recruit Lasse to follow a powerful demon, but they were also tasked with taking care of Lasse in secret if he didn't follow them.
　That's why it's special forces.

"Is that man open to our recruitment?　Even if we are former enemies, right?

"Well, but that man fought for his country and was called a hero, and yet he was thrown out by the incompetent military. A grudge, but not an obligation.

　The respect with which Lasse was expelled from the army was known to the military wing of their Serga kingdom.
　The Kingdom of Tendo did not make it public. The Serga Kingdom's intelligence was superior.

But the main reason for our defeat was scouting: ......

　A smiling black-clad man grumbles unconvincingly: "You're a soldier, a creature that has to live with orders from above.

"A soldier is a creature that has to follow orders from above. I would bring the enemy into the fold if I could.

But do you want to take sides with a defeated country?　There is no benefit to be gained in general. Our troops are worn out. We can't expect you to change your mind by paying a little money: ......

That's up to you to figure out. We'll tell them the conditions they gave us and take care of them if they refuse. That's all.

　That word was the signal.
　The conversation was interrupted and the black-clad men remained silent, but one of them noticed something was wrong.

......

　One of the black-robed men, seeing his friends creeping about, tries to talk to them.

......!

　But no one could speak.
　He's supposed to be talking, but his voice wouldn't come out.

　The other black-robed men also felt uncomfortable talking to you, and noticed that you couldn't say a word.
　No, I've noticed that the sounds around me have disappeared.
　There was no buzzing of insects, no screaming of beasts, no rustling of leaves.
　A silent world.
　Immediately everyone formed a circle and prepared for the enemy attack from the outside.
　The man who appears to be the leader waits in the center, while the rest of the men form a circle and look out.
　Normally, everyone would move under the leader's direction, but since they can't talk, they all move their eyes to look for the enemy in their line of sight.

　But then a further shock hit them.
　Suddenly they were blinded.
　Tonight is the crescent moon, and though it is not as bright as the full moon, the moonlight allows you to see more or less of your surroundings.
　And if they are trained, they can see their surroundings even with a little moonlight.
　But they are blinded as if they were blindfolded.

......!

　With no sound and no eyesight, the black-clad men show signs of agitation.
　Although they were trained as special forces, they were not prepared for this kind of situation.

　The black-clad men are confused, not knowing what's going on around them, or what's happening to their comrades.
　But still, they are strictly trained special forces, they do not move about, but explore their surroundings by relying on their remaining senses of touch and smell, as well as their presence.

　And then, the black-clad men noticed a sweet smell coming from there.
　You try to remember what it was, but suddenly your legs can't support you anymore and you slump to the ground.
　More panic sets in as you wonder what's going on.
　Some of the black-clad men realize that this is due to some kind of drug, but his voice is drowned out and his surroundings are not reached.
　He tries to take the antidote into his mouth, but his arm suddenly becomes immobile, making it impossible to remove the drug.


　As a result, his body could not move a single finger, and the black-clad figures were all unconscious.

　.

　After the black-clad figures all lost consciousness, the darkness that covered the forest dissipated.
　This darkness is the true nature of the blindfold that had blinded the black-clad figures.

All clear.

　And then some demons come out of the forest.

Good night.

It worked!

　The demons take it easy and admire each other's achievements.
　A half-man, half-spider, a giant mushroom with arms and legs, a tiny feathered human, and an all-black beast that looked as if it was covered in ink.
　They were the hidden army of shadows hidden by Lasse.

What are you going to do with them?

　A pixie, a little feathered human, rests on the head of a black-robed man bound by the strings of Arachne.
　The pixie is also known as the prankster fairy, but she is also an excellent wind maid.
　The pixie uses this power to block the transmission of sound around her.

Can I grow mushrooms?

　is the giant mushroom monster Matango.
　This demon is literally a giant mushroom, unable to move with agility, but capable of paralyzing any creature that sucked the spores emitted from its own umbrella.

"Gasp!

　The black beast barked as it remonstrated with Matango.

"Oh, okay, I'll follow my boss's orders.

　The black beast's name is Kuro Dog, a fearsome dog-shaped demon that appears in the graveyard.
　He can use his shadow-related powers to fill the forest with shadows, blocking the black-suited men's vision.

Then I'll take them away and you can take the ones you captured to the Lord.

It's all yours. My body can't handle it.

　The tiny pixie easily left Matango and his friends to their own devices and quickly flew back home.

All right, we'll carry it.

Gow.

　Matango tried to carry the blackface as if he had given up

　Kuro Dog hissed.

Oh, will you carry me?

　The Kuro Dog nodded in affirmation to Matango's question and extended the shadow at his feet to the blackguards.
　Then the shadows spread out underneath them, and the black-suited men sank to the ground, or rather into the shadows, as they were surrounded by the shadows.

Then we're out!

　Under the command of Arachne, the Shadow Army will return to their Lord, Lasse.
　To earn their precious reward, the praise of the Lord.