It's not just a good idea to have a good time, but it's also a good idea to have a good time.

　You can understand how powerful the attack was by looking at the gouge, but at the same time, you also understand that the attack was not directed at you, but at the ground.
　And considering what has happened so far, there is no way he missed by mistake.
　He must have missed on purpose and hurt us.

Aaaaaaahhhh, I'm off. Jeez, this is really no use. It's just like we're taunting you.
"...... as if you're actually hurting me," he said.
"Oh, come on, don't be such a sucker. I'm not going to be a bully for a weak thing like that.

　Even as he said this, a disgusting smile was plastered on the man's face.
　I don't need to go to the trouble of confirming what his true intentions are.

I don't want to do this in the first place.　As I said before, you didn't hand over the kids behind you - the demons - and that's why you're in this mess.
...... I've already told you about that. You're mistaken (...). There are no demons here (・・・・・・・・).

　Of course, that's a lie.
　Surely they are children of the devil.
　That's a certainty.

　But--

In the first place, on what basis is that word based? Would you kindly refrain from further indulging in our land?

　That word was not exactly said without any basis.

　And, incidentally, it is not for the purpose of protecting the children.
　The reason why you are protecting them now is only a consequence, not for the purpose of protecting them.
　If anything, it's for our own sake.

　If you think about it for a moment, you'll understand.
　If we admit that they are the devil, then we were hiding the devil.
　Although this is true in fact ......, it goes without saying that this would not be a good position for us to be in.

　In an empire that has been fighting demons for years, harboring demons is a felony.
　Beheading and other forms of death are still less serious, and depending on the degree it can extend to your family.
　Even though they're all devil-mindless children, they're still going to get into trouble.

　Of course, I was aware that such a thing could happen if I hid them from you.
　Henriette had told me about it beforehand, and we all agreed to do it on that basis.
　I'm not going to say anything about it now.

　But whether or not you will accept the order without resistance is another story.
　I'll resist to the maximum extent possible as a matter of course.

　Particularly if it was in the form of a false accusation.

"Huh?　Rationale?　--You think I need this?

　It's a mocking look and words, but it's also correct in a way.
　Because Percival knew what the man was.

　And that is the source of the reason why the man doesn't know the children are demons, and the source of the conviction that this is only a false charge.
　The man ...... no, the men have that much power.

You know who they think I am?　I'm a member of the Kuro Wolf Order, you know?　If it's my decision, it's bound to be true.

　It was a ridiculous argument, but it was also true.
　The man has the power to make ...... the Kuro Wolf Order possible.

　--The Kuro Wolf Knights.
　The name was heard from Henriette.
　As one of the most alarming.
　And because the name came from the man's mouth, Percival had allowed the man to trample the land.

　Yes, this man was not the one they gave permission to beforehand.
　But he happened to see Philip coming back to us and somehow got in here by mistake.

　Of course, he would normally only be shot, but perhaps he somehow had the right to enter the land.
　If the story of the Kuro Wolf Knights is true, that much is possible.

　But when the man mentioned that he belonged to the Kuro Wolf Order, I had no choice but to admit it.
　It's a decision that was made because Henriette had told him that he shouldn't antagonize her unnecessarily.
　You will be able to get a good deal more than just a few hours of sleep when you're ready to go.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.
　It's just that Henriette was right after all.

　It is said that nothing is impossible for these men and women to carry out their mission, no matter how difficult it may be.
　Moreover, they are the best of the best in the empire, with zero deaths in the line of duty.

　But if that's all there is to it, there is no need to be alarmed.
　We need to be vigilant because they have been given special authority.

　They are essentially always sent into difficult situations.
　But, of course, that's a situation that needs to be resolved.

　That's what the authority is for--

...... We are permitted by the Emperor to live freely in this land. Even the Emperor himself cannot force us to do so.
"What, I'm telling you?　That's none of my business. I'm sure you don't know that you're holed up in a place like this: ...... or do you want to appeal directly to them?　I don't mind, okay?　My word will carry more weight than yours anyway.

　Percival resisted the urge to click his tongue at the man who assured him that he would not waver.
　Because of course he knew that too.
　It is because you know this that you have to send the man away somehow.



　The special powers granted to them are, shall we say, punitive powers.
　It is extrajudicial.
　With it, even the emperor can be punished.

　Of course, just because it is possible does not mean it can be done.
　It must have its own reasons and consequences, and is not so freely enforceable that their heads are immediately flung off if it is not accompanied by consequences, even if it is provided with grounds.

　But conversely, if you can provide a reasonable reason and result, most things are acceptable.
　And the result of dragging out the demon in hiding is more than enough to tolerate the rampage in this land.
　Even if you don't know the children as demons.

　So, in the end, it's just a matter of whether it makes sense or not.
　That's the situation they're in.

　Because they are sinners.

　I'm not going to lie when I say that the Kuro Wolf Knights are elite.
　It's also true that they've never died on a mission.

　No matter how dangerous and difficult the task, no official damage has been done.
　Because they are not on paper, no matter how many fatalities occur in the course of a mission, they are not counted.

　They are allowed to do so because they are sinners, especially those who have committed crimes that cannot be redeemed by normal means.
　The Kuro Wolf Knights are in reality a punishment unit and are in reality just a disposable unit.
　They are not an elite unit that can survive no matter how difficult the situation is, but only the elite can survive and are not counted when they die.

　But that is why they are willing to use their authority.
　They are in a situation that could not be resolved without using it, otherwise they would just wait for death.

　And that is always only under circumstances where they can be sure that it will be allowed.
　Otherwise, you will still die in the end.

　And that meant that in this situation, the man's argument would be taken for granted.
　Such is the situation the empire is in now.

　Percival had heard that much from Henriette.
　You will be able to find out the best way to get the best out of it.

I'm not going to be able to get it right.　The eyes are finally ready, aren't they?　--You still don't know what happens when you act like that to me, do you?
Don't condescend to ....... I am still the King's deputy. I will not fall behind your level...
"--Huh?　Isn't that what you think it is?　If you take it a little easy on yourself, you can go to ...... and get your ass in gear. ......!

　As I said it, the man thrust his right hand out in front of him.
　It's a preliminary motion I've seen many times before, when the man attacks.

　But even in the face of it, Percival can only put a little pressure on his arm.
　The magic of the barrier is still unfolding and has never been broken through from earlier.
　Even if the man's words were true, it didn't feel like it was going to break through.

　Elves are not naturally good at fighting, but that is mainly in the personality sense.
　Magic is the best user of humanity and moreover, this is the elven forest that is most compatible with elves.
　I am confident that we can prevent any attack here.

　If I can kill it completely and then move on to attack, the man will indeed give up.
　But we can't spend too much time on this.

　The man's attack is strangely loud, and a roaring sound has been echoing around you since a while ago.
　Perhaps the king has heard it.
　We can't afford to bother the king by bothering him.

　Before that, you must do whatever you can to...

"'Bombing'

　The man's movements were still the same as before.
　The fingers of his outstretched right hand snapped and, as if on cue, there was an explosion.

　But it is completely blocked by the barrier and not even the impact reaches you--as it should have.

　The roar and the impact.
　Percival felt those two things at that moment, and realized that he had been attacked and blown away because the children, who should have been behind him, were out of his line of sight.
　A late arrival of pain in the abdomen clearly indicated what had happened.

　A reddish-black liquid is spat out of his mouth in response to the nausea rising in his throat.

"Phew, you idiot, ...... why is the barrier ......?

　The barrier was not broken.
　It's still deployed, after all.

　So why did the attack--

"Huh?　Of course it's because they blew up your body directly, right?　That's about as easy as it gets in my hands.

　Your eyes widen in disbelief at the man's words, and immediately afterwards, you spit out what came up again in a rush.
　Mutter again, stupid, but the fact remains the fact.

　Percival wasn't concentrating on anything but the barrier.
　He was alert for the signs of an attack, ready to respond to any attack, no matter where it came from.

　And then, without knowing what to expect, you just took the hit.
　There was no way I could believe it.

　I've already told you that elves are not by nature suited for battle.
　That is why they did not fight the war with the Empire.
　They surrendered instead of fighting because they knew that if they resisted, they would cause more damage.

　But it was not an admission of defeat.
　You didn't feel like you could lose if you fought, but you just didn't want to cause any harm to your fellow countrymen.

　And it was not so easily beaten--

"Oooh, I can't believe it. Well, I thought you were on the right track, though.　If it hadn't been me or him, our unit would have fallen behind. I was going to beat them to pieces. I'm proud enough to be in one piece, okay?



　As he listened to those words, Percival was reminded of Henriette's words.
　It's not only the word to be vigilant, but also to follow quietly if you were to be trampled here.
　I thought it was meant to be a power thing: ...... I see, it seems to have meant something like this.

　But now that I regret it, it's too late.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier and more fun.　Then I was curious. I was curious because the guy was trying to move quietly by himself, and I had heard that he had something interesting to offer: ...... I never thought he'd go this far. I'm sure you'll be able to find something else to do with it.

　Then the man turns to the children.
　The children shake with fear, but they can do nothing but listen to the man's words.

Well, thank you for waiting, kids. So you've heard the story, right?　I want to hear that you are the devil: ...... Well, I don't expect you to answer me straight away either. It's a good thing that I'm not the only one who can do that.　Fortunately, there are three of them.

　The children tremble at the words, but still there's nothing we can do.
　That's natural.
　Even though they are children of the devil, they are still just children.

　But they are not compatriots.
　They are not yet recognized as one of us.
　Even if one of them is killed, it's none of my business.

　But they were the ones who were entrusted to me by Henriette.
　They were important to me, entrusted to me by a man I owed a debt of gratitude to.
　Then I couldn't let them hurt you at .......

Then you can use any of them at random at .......　Oh, come on, really? You can't stand up for a direct hit?　Haha ...... this is really interesting. Well, okay, I'll take this one. I don't know how many shots you'd have to hit to break it into pieces, but if you do ...... it'll make those kids talk a lot less.
...... If you can do it, go ahead and do it. But don't think you can do it for free.

　Honestly, it was a total bluster.
　Blood kept flowing from his abdomen, and he was completely out of blood.
　The next attack would probably kill me, not just a few more shots, but probably just the next one.

　But still, I couldn't pull back.
　This is still the king's deputy.

　And therefore I must defend everything within my power.
　Even if it will be in vain.

"Haha ...... not bad, you. So I'm going to make a special effort to kill you.

　The man's right hand is thrust forward.
　It was clear that in less than a second he would be dead ...... and yet for some reason Percival turned his face towards the children.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.
　It's not that I was trying to reassure you.

"'Explode'.

　At the same time as the man's words, the sound of fingers snapping sounded--

I don't even have time to worry about it. I wanted to have a little time to worry about ......, but I guess that was just as well.　It would be best if nothing happened. ...... Oh dear, where is the peace that I really want?

　The explosion didn't happen.

　Instead, the back of the boy in front of him let out a single sigh.