"GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

　Lisette's sword pierced the black monster's throat.
　A small black goblin literally bleeds out and falls to the ground.
　There are only ten left.

"Lysette!

　I heard a child's voice from beyond the crowd of demons.
　Just as I thought. The children of the village are surrounded by the Kuro Goblin.

　Lisette was at a rocky place on the edge of the forest.

　It's at the foot of a tall rocky hill with a waterfall nearby.
　The area around the waterfall is a good place to catch big fish. The children probably came here to catch fish for their families. This is an important time of the year, and I can understand why they would want to feed their families something delicious.

　But...

I'm telling you, you shouldn't go near the waterfall alone!

　This is a different story.
　When you have to scold, you have to scold.

Lysette is the guardian of the children when the adults are not around!　I'll give you a good scolding later. Are you ready?　What's your answer?

　Lysette threw back her chest and shouted.

"'I'm sorry!
"'Good answer!
"Good answer!

　At the same time as the children apologized in unison, Lisette jumped from the demon's body to a foothold.
　She lands in front of the children.

I'm sure you're not hurt, are you?　You're safe, aren't you?
""Yes, Miss Lisette!
Good.

　Nodding to the children, Lisette raised her sword.
　She smiled so as not to worry the children.
　But her forehead was covered with sweat.

　Lysette jumped over the circle of demons and joined the children.
　Naturally, she was now surrounded by demons.

(We need to bide our time until the villagers arrive...)

　There are nine more of them.
　One of them I cut off its ear when I used it as a foothold. It's lying on the ground, squirming in pain. I've reduced its fighting power.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　It's big for a goblin. I'm not sure what to make of it. And its presence is different. It's stronger than the other demons, and it has a jet-black...dark hue to it. You can tell just by looking at it. It's a very powerful demon.

　Only, that demon didn't have a left arm.

That's Lord Kuro Goblin. Who's skilled enough to cut off his arm?

　This is an emergency. Most of the men in the village are out.
Lysette is the only one strong enough to cut off the Kuro Goblin Lord's arm. She prefers blunt weapons, so in this case she can be left out. And then there's...

"...... are you ...... Shoma-sama?

　The image of the man she had just met popped into Lysette's head.
　It was a strange man.

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.
　It is said that the Dragon Emperor had the same silver hair and purple eyes as Lisette. He should look nothing like Shoma. .......

　I'm not sure why I felt that he was the second coming of the Dragon Emperor.
　Is it because Shoma came out of the Dragon Emperor's Temple?
　I'm not sure if it's because I'm not a fan of his or not.

Don't deprive us of our ...... fun.

The Lord of the Kuro Goblins opened his mouth.
　In a raspy voice, he spat out some annoying words.

"This is my lord's territory. Those who trespass will be eaten.
This is the territory of Hazama Village, where Lisette and the others live!
"Subhumans!　"The words of those who are beneath humans!
"Gogah!

　At the same time the Lord is shouting, the Kuro Goblin is slashing at him.

"Wake up, ...... dragon's blood.

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

"Pass it on!　I'm not sure what to do.
I'm not sure what to do.



　The demon shouted in horror.
　It's because Lysette had just held up her palm and it had caught the demon's sword.

　There was a clear, ringy sound.

　A pearly scale appeared on Lysette's palm. Dragon scales.
　It had caught the Kuro Goblin's sword.

　The dragon's scales were unharmed even though they were cut by the rusty sword.
　Lysette was able to catch the monster's sword.
　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

　The Kuro Goblin fell to the ground.

The Kuro Goblin rolls on the ground and falls into the waterfall. There's no time to check if it's alive or dead. Lysette returns the blade and heads for the next enemy. She looks to her side to make sure the children are safe. They're children of a turbulent world. They're all huddled together, weapons at the ready for the goblins.

"I said get out of the way!　Little girl!

　The Lord jumped out and swung his greatsword.
　Lysette steps back and dodges it.
　It's not powerful enough. The distance between us is too far. The enemy probably isn't used to fighting with one arm yet.
　It would have been dangerous with both arms. Lisette can't catch Lord's attack.

"Purifying fire to cleanse the demons... here.

　Lysette chanted a spell.
　A sphere of pale flame is created in her magic-filled hand.

"Take it!　I'm not sure what to do.

　She slammed it into the Lord's face.

I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm not sure what to do.
　It is a weak flame that is normally used to purify items.
　The flames only scorched Lord's skin, and quickly disappeared.
　But I was able to get away from it for a little while.

Lysette will open a blood channel. Run in the meantime. Straight to the village.
"Dear Lysette. ......
There's no time to lose, hurry!

　Lysette shouted to the children.
　The next time the enemy makes a move is our chance. The Lord, the one we need to watch out for, doesn't have perfect vision yet. We'll use that time to make a breakthrough and let the children escape.

"...... can do it. I can do it. I have to do it.

　Lysette clutched her sword with both hands.

"Once, Kakare!　Don't let him get away!
"'Gob!

　The Lord's voice shouted, and all the goblins started to move.
　Lysette pushed the children back with her hand.

"Let's go, boys.
"But, Master Lisette...
It's okay. Trust the dragon's blood in Lysette.
That's not it. ......
Uh, ......
It's ......

　The children pointed behind Lysette.
　Or, more precisely, the narrow beastly path that led from here to the village.

"'Um, Miss Lisette. Who is that person, ......?

　And then she saw a dark-haired man running down the path at full speed.



"Sorry... I'm late.



　Gosh.

"Gov?

　I hit him without question.
　The person with the blue dragon scales on his bare arms blew away the two goblins at once.

"............ ggaaaaaaaaah!

　The goblins that were blown away fell into the waterfall and were swept away.

The goblins fell into the waterfall and were swept away. "I'm not used to using power, so I couldn't run properly. The animal path around here is very uneven. ...... If you run at full speed, you won't be able to make the turns, and you'll hit the trees with your momentum. ......

　The man comes in front of Lisette, mumbling.
　And then... out of nowhere, he pulls out a sword and swings it.

　The goblin is struck in the arm, blows up, and stops moving. He doesn't know how to use a sword. He treats the spilt blade like a blunt instrument. He's using too much force. He is smiling at Lisette and the children, as if he knows this.


　And yet, to Lisette, he seemed so dependable that she almost wept.

"Anyway, ......, um. I'm here to help.
Dear Shoma .......

　Lysette stared at the glow on his arm.
　That's the same "dragon scale" that's on her palm. And his scales cover his entire arm. Lisette can't deploy them that far. Besides, his movements are equal to or better than Lisette's. This means that he has an instantaneous power comparable to dragon's blood.

"......I knew you were Lysette's kindred, Shoma-sama. ......
I'm sorry. Not exactly. But I'll explain later.

　Shoma scratched his head in annoyance.

Also, I'm not used to fighting, so if you could teach me how to fight, that would be great. I don't know if I can do it well, but I think I can help.
"Yes!

　Lysette wiped away the tears that had somehow appeared on her face and grabbed her sword.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

"This Lisette-Louge. I obey you, Shoma Kiryu-sama!