We shouldn't have called it a battle.
　If anything, it was a hunt.
　It was not the kind of hunt where the hunter risked his life to go into the mountains to earn his living. It was more like a hunt conducted by the nobility, where everything was arranged from the start, and they just enjoyed torturing their prey.

"Haha ...... haha ......!
"Geez, ......, ......!
Oh no, ...... oh no, ......!

　Herminio, Loretta, and Edgar.
　The three of them were simply fleeing across the unobstructed silvery plains.
　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time with your family.

"d*mn ......!

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

I'm not sure what to do.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　As arrows rained down, spears were thrown, and miasma breath kicked up snow, the three of them somehow managed to avoid the attacks and fled. The three of them managed to avoid the attacks as they fled. Their stubbornness was probably due to the fact that they were adventurers belonging to the second largest party in the country.
　However, it was obvious to even the casual observer that they would not last long.
　The last thing you want is for your movements to slow down due to fatigue.

"...... Yeah?　You are the only one wearing anything, Loretta!

　Erminio shouted angrily.
　Loretta was wearing a fluttery cloak that completely covered her body. For some reason, the arrows aimed at Loretta had been repelled. Perhaps it was the effect of this magic item.

"Give it to me!　It's mine!

　Erminio was running, trying to force her to take off her cloak.

"No!　It's mine!

　It was only for a brief moment that they lost their footing.
　The skeleton rider did not miss the opportunity. The spear that carried the momentum of the dive pierced Loretta's back, tearing through her cloak of arrow deflectors and piercing her. Underneath the plummeting rider rising again on a trajectory like a graph of squares, Loretta stumbled and fell.

　Erminio immediately jumped away from Loretta, clucked his tongue viciously, and fled without looking back.

"No, no, no. ......

　René landed in front of Loretta, who was foaming for blood.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.

No, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't!

　And then, as easily as if she were a wet piece of paper, she tore Loretta in two.
　Loretta let out a short scream and died, spewing guts and blood from her torn torso.

"Miss ......!　Oh, crap!

　The skeletal riders gathered around Erminio and Edgar like crows after their prey.
　With Loretta down, there were fewer moves to block the attacks, and the attacks concentrated.
　The two were already stopped in their tracks.

　Edgar held up a fist-sized pearl to the encircling hippogriff zombies.

"You've got to be kidding me.

　No one heard him.

　The item Edgar brought out seemed to be a ranged attack that projected holy air around the area. It seems that he was trying to take advantage of the fact that he was surrounded by people who had stopped to fight back.
　But what does stopping mean?

　The miasma breath spat out by Rene gouged out the snow and blew it away as he pushed forward in a straight line, swallowing Edgar.
　The pearl he had tried to hold up rolled away, scattering holy air, leaving behind a human-shaped object that looked as if it had been burned black.

　Finally, there was only one person left.
　While the skeleton riders stayed in the air, readying their bows and spears, Rene stomped through the snow and closed in on Erminio.

"Oh, hey, ......!
　You know who you're trying to kill, don't you?

　Erminio raised his voice threateningly, pointing his sword in all directions.
　It was more of a protest against unfair treatment than a threat.
　His face, which would have been handsome if he hadn't said anything, was drawn and wet with sweat, as if he had been drenched, either from running to escape or from cold sweat.

　Rene doesn't stop. He presses on.

I am Erminio Drouette!　I am Erminio Drouet of the great Drouet family!
　Well, you don't know the Droets, do you?
　The Drouette family has been around since the founding of the Holy Kingdom of Diretta!　And the current head of the family, your father, is a cardinal and has a great deal of influence in the temple.
　And yes, his position in the court is also high!　In fact, he is the equivalent of a vizier. ...... No, we don't call him a vizier here, do we? I'm sure you'll agree.　I've got a lot of territory!

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　Rene doesn't stop. He's closing in.

"Do you understand?　My father is in a position to move the Temple and the Holy Kingdom!
　Kill me here and incur my father's wrath!　An undead like you is just a twist!
　The Templar Knights and the Moon Eaters!　The Templar Knights and the Moon Eaters are coming to destroy you!

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.


　Not as a fear or threat, but as a scar that hurt when touched, stimulating memories.

　Whatever he thought of it, Herminio was sensitive to Rene's reaction.

"If I die, you'll know it soon enough.
　If I die, you'll know it. I'll know it's your fault because I called your father to tell him we're going to King's Landing.
　Listen, you have to let me go. Don't you lay a finger on me. Not a finger, not an arrow, not a spear.
　And I will never touch you again. Not a bad deal. What do you say?

　Erminio said with arrogance rather than sneer.

　But Rene knew that was a big lie. He had read them with the power of Emotional Intelligence.
　If he escaped unharmed, he would go to his father and ask him to send men and items to kill the Rose Princess of Hell, or else he would ask for an army.
　Whether Erminio's father will listen to him or not is another story.

　What if the Holy Kingdom of Diretta and the power of the Temple were to act on Erminio's murder?
　Who cares? It didn't matter to Rene.

Hey, get away from me!　Didn't you hear me?
　Do you understand the language of the humans?　All right, all right, I'll say it again!
　I am Erminio Drouette. Erminio Drouette, of the House of Drouette!

　Rene knows it.
　He's a big shot in the Holy Kingdom. Of course he's protecting souls.
　Then killing him would be a temporary affliction. The only way to make him suffer as much as possible is to torture him while he's still alive.

　But...
　But Rene was in no condition to maintain such "calm anger".

"Aaaaaaaaah!

　Rene bellowed, jumped on Erminio, and struck him with his wings like a lariat.

"BUGO!

　Rene swung his clawed leg down on Erminio, who fell to the ground with an awkward scream.
　The over-decorated armor was surprisingly hard and only cracked. The holy air he wore made Rene's leg burn and ache.

　But Rene was not intimidated, and clamped down on Erminio's leg.
　The legs of the armor seemed to be sanctified as well, and now his mouth hurt as if a burning iron bar had been shoved into it, but it was better than the pain of actually having a burning iron bar shoved into his mouth.

　Rene swung his head around with all his might, like a predator biting off the flesh of its prey.
　Erminio was too light for Rene now that he had the body of a wyvern.
　He was swung around and Erminio was knocked to the ground.

I'm not sure what to say.

　There was a scream that was no longer a word, but just a puff of air that was stuck in his chest. The snow was turning red.
　Rene slammed Erminio again and again. Erminio's arms swam in the air like laundry sleeves in the wind.

　Whether or not the armor was still intact, it would not come off.
　So Rene fished out Erminio's legs with his bite and unleashed a breath of miasma.
　The miasma that came out from between his fangs licked Erminio's body.
　At the same time, Rene twisted the claws of his legs into the joints of his body armor. The energy of the miasma and the holy air was killing each other, and the repulsion was weakening.

　The energy of the sanctuary and the miasma were killing each other, and the rebound was weakening. As he gradually inserted the claws, Rene used them as support to bite off Erminio's legs.
　Erminio fell to the ground, suspended by his leg.
　Then Rene ripped off the armor, flesh and all.

　This time Rene bit into Erminio's head.
　Swallowing the half-rotten head, Rene slammed Erminio's body into the ground again.

　The chainmail he wore under his armor was not enough to protect him.
　The blow had shattered his ribs and broken his neck as well.
　After two or three more strikes, Erminio's head finally snapped and only his body was thrown out.

　Rene spat out Erminio's head and sprayed it with miasma as long as he could breathe.
　Not only the snow, but also the ground was cut into craters by the miasma, and all that remained was a cracked and crumbling skull that had been affected by the miasma. All that was left was a mangled and crumbling skull, and the rotting remains of the circlet he wore instead of a helmet.