--Midnight .

　The frontier town of "Alfilo".

　In the dark night, as if the moon hadn't even come out, two men stand in an alleyway.

　One is a man with a hood over his eyes, and the other is a man with a swollen (・・・・・・・) face against the back alley wall.

So, let me tell you a story.

　At the words of the beastman who hides his dog ears in a hood - Bergillus-Girol, the other man's swollen face twitches and cracks up.

"I don't know anything about it! All I know is that the organization that used to run these territories has been slaughtered by the demon king and his minions!

"How?　What does a demon king want to do in this city?

Rumor has it that the organization kidnapped your daughter. They were so enraged that they came to attack the dragons living in the forest with their men. ......

　--You're going to be able to find out the best way to get the most out of your work.

　You will find that the human race is also a good match for the demon king in terms of greed.

　You'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

"Well, next. This city must be full of beastmen - or rather, slaves of non-human girls. War slaves and daughters held by outlaws. What happened to them?

Well, the Witch King has taken them all, along with his own daughter. I'm sure of this, I'm sure of it, I've seen him take several people!

　...... I see, so it was considered by the humans to be an offering to the Demon King instead of a sacrifice.

　So your daughter, Liuin-Girol, is now under the demon king.

Where does this demon king live?

Well, I don't know the details. But they came to a magical forest that stretches north of the city.

　--The magical forest, you say.

　I've heard of it.
　You'll need to be well-equipped if you want to go there.

　...... This may be a bit of a patronage thing, but Liu Yin is a very good-looking and beautiful girl.

　And the demon king is one who is loyal to his desires.

　You have a pretty good idea of what has been done to them.

　At the thought, Bergdahl unknowingly gritted his teeth, sharper than a human's, into a bloody fist.

That's enough! Quickly let go of the gu...

　After punching the noisy man in the face and letting his consciousness fly, Bergdahl turned on his heel.

　I know where she is.

　Then we don't need to stay here any longer.

　The war wolf species is more night-visioned than humans, so they take advantage of the shades of night to sneak into town, but this is just a human city.
　If you stay here too long, you'll put your friends in unnecessary danger.

　The next destination is already decided, so it's best to leave quickly.

At last ...... Finally, at last ......

　Clenching his fists tightly, he rushed to where his friends were waiting.


　　　* * * *


Never stick out! Trust your allies, you're not fighting alone!

　As he instructs his companions, he too wields a fang-shaped sword and slays the attacking demons.

　The name of the weapon is the Wolf Fang.
　It's a hidden gem of a sword passed down from generation to generation that only the head of a war wolf is allowed to possess.

　Normally, they would only use it in emergencies such as wartime, but this forest is still a harsher place than I imagined.

　I heard from the city's raggedy door that this is the "forest of the magical world".

　As the dwelling place of the legendary dragons, even those of us who live in faraway places know this unexplored region.

　I knew for a long time that it was a very dangerous area, but when I actually went inside, I realized that the threat was far beyond my imagination.

　The demons are unusually strong.

　In other lands, they could be handled by the local nushies, but here they appear as if it were commonplace, and the number of them is extremely large.

　It's not even half a day since we entered the forest, and a third of the companions who followed us are already injured, and some of them are so seriously injured that they can't move.

　--KUH ......! It's so awesome so far: ......!

　If this is the case, the future will not be far off and annihilation will be waiting for us.

　...... For some reason, the appearance of the demons has stopped for a while now, but should I give the order to retreat at this time?

　But as a father, I am also sure that I want to save my daughter as soon as possible.

　...... is nothing to compare.

　I can't risk my friends who are alive today for my daughter, who may be dead already.

　But I am the head of the pack.

　Then the first thing you have to think about is the survival of the flock.

　You're going to be able to find out what you can do with it.

　Having made this decision, Bergdahl opened his mouth to inform you of his intentions.



"Hey, this way!



　Suddenly, at the sound of the voice, all the clansmen turned their heads in that direction.

　Before you know it, there was a young man, lightly dressed and unsuitable for this forest.

　With unusual black hair, one eye is red, as if he were of the demon tribe, and the other eye is as black as his hair.

　He is dressed as if he were wearing everyday clothes, he does not wear any protective gear, he does not appear to be invoking any magic, and his magic power is not increasing.

　To top it all off, you are completely empty-handed (・・・・・・) in this horrible forest, without even a weapon.

　In this unexplored region where demons constantly appear and attack, not wearing any armor is a suicidal act.
　Is that what he is capable of?

　However, there is no doubt that he is such a suspicious opponent - but there is no hostility at all.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find the same kind of suspicious subordinate that I was, and I'm sure you'll be able to find the same kind of hostility from the young man .......

　You will be able to get a great deal more out of them.

　They can sense the odor, sweat, facial expressions, and muscle tension of an opponent and can tell if he or she has hostile intentions toward you.

　From the conversations I've heard with my subordinates, it seems that they can't wait to see how you're doing and have contacted you. ...... I wonder if we can trust them.

　Incredibly, this young man claims to know what the safe zone is here in the magical forest.

　From the looks of it, it looks like ...... is where the young man is based.

　It's hard to believe.


　I've just now come to a painful realization of the horror of this forest.

　A man of warrior-like appearance would have been more convincing, but the man in front of me is just a young man.

　I understand very well the folly of judging by appearances alone.
　I also know that I'm dealing with a demon race, a race whose appearance is not to be relied upon.

　But ...... knowing that, whether or not you can trust them is another matter entirely.

　--What's best.

　Do you distrust this young man and retreat from this forest, causing damage?

　Do you trust this young man, who is not hostile, and minimize the damage?

　...... If you live in this forest, you might know more about our target demon king.

　After being silent for a moment, Bergdahl eventually comes to a conclusion.

　Dismissing the subordinates who began to talk about what to do, he steps in front of Zui and the young man.

"...... am I to believe your word?

For me, all I can say is, trust me. Well, I won't hurt you.

　You will be able to find out the best way to get the most out of your work.

　I'm sure that's what this young man would say.

　Well, I don't feel any hostility to begin with.
　Maybe the other person is just very good at disguising it, but if you think that far out, you won't get anywhere.

...... All right, I'll trust you. You guys, put your weapons down.

　And, nodding at the young man's words, one of his subordinates shoots at him, "But boss!

But boss!　We can still do it!　We can't stop here: ......!

　--Truly, thank you very much.

I appreciate your loyalty. But the damage has been far greater than we anticipated. We had better regroup for the future.

"...... got it!

　At the words of Bergillus, his men begin to act en masse and prepare to move.

　While watching them, the young man seems to have come to a conclusion and says to Bergdahl.

...... Oh, so you're the Chief of the War Wolves?

That's right. Chief of the Guillor clan, Bergirce-Girol. Thank you for this help.

　--Then, with a small bow to Bergdahl, the young man opens his mouth as if it were nothing.

　The young man opens his mouth as if it were nothing.

"So you're Liu's parent (・・・・・・・・・)?" (・・・・)?

"......! No, my daughter?

　--This young man is skilled enough to walk through the dreaded forest, the High Dragon's territory, without any equipment.

　And he knows the name of the girl the demon king kidnapped.

　Then there's only one answer you can come up with.

In that case, you're the demon king!

"Huh?　Yeah, I know.

　The young man who looks slightly puzzled, replies back - the demon king (...).

　He is the hateful enemy who kidnapped his daughter.

You demon king! You conspired! I'm going to stab you in the back and I'm going to stab you in the back!

　At that moment, everything he was thinking about was blown out of his head in a fury, and he was yelling at the hated demon king in front of him, unaware that the young man was calling his daughter's name in a friendly manner.