It was a little while after the Arks had begun their assault.
　Charlotte Cremeria, who was being held captive in the guest room of the Marquess's mansion, had also begun to notice the commotion outside.


"...... What the hell is this?


　It has already been a few hours since the Marquis gave the word that he was going to take care of her.
　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the following web site: ...... The reason why you haven't been killed yet is probably because the Marquis is wary of the movements of Clemelia and Raytheft.


　If the two families have already obtained information through some means that they are being held by the Marquesses, killing them now would be irreversible for the Marquesses.
　No matter how high-ranking the financial officials are, there is nothing they can do if the military family really turns on them.
　That's why they can't kill themselves until they can confirm that the two families really don't know about it.
　In other words, our lives until then.
　Tomorrow night would be a long time at the most.


　While I was thinking about this, the house suddenly became very busy.
　The corridors echoed with wild footsteps and shouting, which calmed down after a while, but now the outside of the house became noisy.
　And unlike inside the mansion, it was not only shouting that could be heard, but also screams and loud noises as if something was being destroyed.


　The Marquis' mansion is located in a section of the city where the aristocracy lives, so it is unlikely that there will be any commotion.
　The whole area is patrolled by guards, and the nobles have their own private soldiers, so there is no chance of trouble.


　It's a good idea to have someone with you to help you figure out what's going on. ...... However, Lisha, who is also being held captive, is gagged so that she can't use magic, making it impossible to consult with her.
　Moreover, since the incident seems to be taking place in the back of the mansion, we can't even look out the window to see what's going on outside.
　As I was feeling frustrated because I could not grasp the situation, the door of the guest room suddenly opened.
　What appeared was a mercenary head with the appearance and physique of a giant ape.


　As soon as he entered the room, he said


"Princesses, we're under attack.

"Shh, a raid ......?


　Lisha and I looked at each other when we heard his words.
　The Marquis's mansion is heavily guarded with mercenaries in the garden.
　I'm not sure who the people are that are attacking it.


　I'm not sure if it's my father, Perce Clemmelia, or Lisha's father, Joshua, who noticed something was wrong and sent help.


It seems that your daughter's soft brother has brought his friends with him. You're incompetent, but you're a daredevil, aren't you?

"Oh, Mr. Arx?


　Risha's brother, Arx Raytheft.
　According to the Marquis, he was sent to the sealing tower.
　The seal tower is known to be one of the most heavily guarded prisons in the kingdom, and I've heard that it's impossible for even mages to escape.


　Then how did he escape from his predicament?
　And what were their intentions in attacking this place?


　As I was wondering these things, the guest room door opened again.
　The one who appeared was the owner of this house, the Marquis of Carew Gaston.
　He was dressed in a bathrobe, and there was a hint of steam rising from his body, as if he had been bathing just before.


　The Marquis asked the head mercenary first.


Head. What's the situation?　Is there a problem?

"Well, well, my lord. There's no problem at all, is there?　My men are taking care of it now. Everything's fine, sir.

You said there was an intruder. Who was it?　The Inspector General's office?　Or Clemellia, ...... of Raytheft?

No, it seems to be that kid we caught a while back and sent to the sealing tower.

Nonsense!　The eldest son of Raytheft?

Yes, it appears so. My men tell me he's the one.

What the hell is going on?　Was there a mistake and he was let go? ...... No, but the letter definitely went to someone who had his nose in it. ......


　When the Marquis heard that the intruder was an Arx, he was surprised and looked suspicious.
　He probably never dreamed that they would come out of the sealing tower.
　In a way, it was natural. In a sense, it was natural, because no one would have thought that he could escape from the tower.
　I still think that it was a mistake.


But that's not good. ......

"There's nothing to worry about. A kid like that is nothing to worry about.

No, it's not. If he's escaped and is free, there's a chance that word has gotten back to the head of Raytheft.


　If Arx, who knows what happened, is now free, it is reasonable to assume so.
　He would have told his parents about what happened and they would have told his father, Perth.
　But for some reason, the mercenary head remained in a relaxed attitude.


No, I don't think so.

What makes you say that?

Sir. It seems there were only three of them, including the kid.

What?

There's no doubt about it. If the master has been informed, he can be reached at .......

You're sure they'll have enough men to carry out the attack?

Yeah.


　That's true. If they are coming to rescue you after informing you that you are being held, they will send more people.
　They are dealing with a high class nobleman and his mansion. We can't break through that with anything halfway decent.


　And yet, there were only three of them.
　The number is too small to launch an attack on the Marquis' residence.
　It's also unlikely that the head of the family was informed, but was unable to get the manpower .......
　If that were the case, they would have refrained from attacking until they were ready.


　In other words.


"Was she in a hurry because she thought her sister would be killed soon?

That's probably it.


　Just as the Marquis and the head mercenary were settling their differences, they suddenly heard urgent footsteps echoing from the hallway.
　Then, without knocking, the door was opened and a servant came running in.


"Sir!　Sir!

What the hell is going on?

There's a bandit ......, no, a child has broken into the house!

A child?　The eldest son of Raytheft, alone?

Yes!

Then seize him quickly!　That shouldn't be too difficult!

But the servants are no match for him. ...... We're holding him off for now.

You can't do anything about it. It's only a child of ten or so.　There is nothing you can do about it!


　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　The head mercenary suddenly spoke up in a low voice.


"...... Hey, servant. What happened to the people outside?　You have my men, right?

"Yes, sir. ...... It seems they've been wiped out. ......

What do you mean, "wiped out"?　What the hell is that?

I'm sure. I just peeked out the window, but from the looks of it, ......


　--I think they're all dead.


　The servants' pale faces echoed with a weak voice.
　The expression of the Marquis and the head mercenary was this time laced with fear.
　The Marquis must have prepared a large number of mercenaries.
　Even though they had been assigned to different parts of the city for security--


"There's only three of them.　And two of them are still kids. ......

It seems that the mercenaries on guard duty were defeated by magic, and the entire backyard has been iced over.

So, you've prepared a good mage. ......


　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.


I'm sure you'll agree.　I've got a bad feeling about this. ......

In the event that you've got a lot of money to spend, you'll be able to take advantage of it.


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


Head, be on your guard. Perhaps the child is a monster in the skin of incompetence.

Monster. Then I'll peel off his skin.


　While the Marquis and the mercenary head were talking, the shouts of the servants echoed with the sound of violent footsteps.
　Are they shooting at us with swords? But they don't seem to be hitting each other twice or three times, and soon I can't hear them anymore.
　As the sound of clashing hardware subsides, the door to the guest room blows open with a mighty bang.
　But then a small shadow emerges from the door.
　It was a silver-haired, red-eyed boy who looked like Lisha dressed as a boy.
　So he's Arx Raytheft.
　He was dressed in the fancy clothes that noblemen wear and held a sword in his right hand.


　As soon as he walked in, he looked around the room and said.


"Lisha!　Are you okay?


　Lisha, who was standing next to him, gave a big nod.
　When Arx found her, he felt a pang of relief and immediately turned a dignified expression to the Marquises.
　For a boy of about ten years old, he has a very firm stance.
　He had a gaze that was different from any other noble boy of his age that I had ever seen.


　The Marquis opens his mouth to Arx.


How on earth did you escape from the seal tower?

"I don't have to answer that. It's a trade secret.


　I don't have to answer that question.


"I want my sister back, Marquis.

You little brat, you can't talk to me like that. ......


　While the Marquis was annoyed by Arx's language, the mercenary head intervened.


I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.

You don't know that until you try it, do you?

You don't know what you're talking about. You'll regret it when you're dead.


　The mercenary head pulls out the flat of his back.


Head, take the hostage!

I don't need that. There's no need to take hostages from a kid who can't use a sword or magic.


　In the meantime, Arx returned the point of the cut that he had pointed at the ...... Marquis and held his sword in both hands.


　This is not the Kingdom style of fine sword fighting that I am familiar with. It may be because the sword itself is a shortsword, but it is rare to see nobles and children of nobles holding swords in this stance.
　But why does it look like that?
　Do they know how to use such a sword?
　The mercenary head also said with interest, "Oh ......".


The mercenary head also said with interest, "Wow. You're taking a stance, aren't you?

"Of course it was. My uncle would kill me if I took that stance.

Then I'll do it!

!


　The mercenary head quickly closed the distance to Arx and slashed at him.
　The mercenary head closed the distance to Arx and slashed at him. Arx was surprised by the speed of the attack, but tilted his sword to catch him.


"Guh!

"Heck, that's not all!


　............ A huge sword slash from a huge body. I'm not sure how many children are capable of calmly accepting that kind of pressure in front of them,......, or even how many adults are capable of doing so.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.


It's amazing .......


　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.
　Arx doesn't like to stop where he is and starts moving around the room.
　Despite the presence of chairs, sofas, tables, and other furnishings, he dodged, climbed on, and moved in all directions. He dodges and climbs on chairs, couches, tables, and other furnishings. Even when standing on one leg or stooping down, he never loses his stance.


　It must be the result of his unremitting training.


　As for the mercenary head, his movements are restricted because Arx is deliberately running away to the direction of the furniture.
　However, there was still a clear difference between the adult and the child.
　The length of their arms, the reach of their weapons, their physical abilities.
　No matter how good their defenses were, these factors prevented Arx from going on the offensive.
　In fact, he could visibly see that he was being overpowered.


"Hey, hey!

d*mn ...... this ......

Your defense may be weak, but you can't beat them if you don't attack!　Come on!

d*mn ......!


　The mercenary head takes advantage of the opening that Arx showed and kicks out.
　Although he was able to defend himself with his sword in time, he was unable to parry the blow well enough to take the full impact and roll across the room.
　However, Arx quickly stood up and readied his sword.
　The mercenary head attacked him with his sword.


You're just a little kid and you've been fooling around!　This is how it ends up!　Oh!

d*mn it. ......

Small fry like you!　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.

Gu, ......

You incompetent kid!

"Gah ......?


　Arx was struck with a fist and rolled on the floor, but he got up again in the same way .
　Seeing him like that, I suddenly thought.
　"Why ?


"Why ......?


　How can he get back up?


Why ......?


　How can he hold his sword?
　I gave up as soon as I found out that I was not as good as the mercenaries.


　Yes, because the tip of the iceberg, which I believe in, showed me the answer to the battle.


　And because I believed it without question.


　...... It is obvious that if you are inferior in arm strength, physical strength, and sword ability, you cannot beat your opponent.


　And yet, he stood up.


　Even though it hurts like hell.


　Even though he's wounded.


　As Arx's defenses lag, the mercenary head delivers a huge swinging blow. The defense was just in time, but instead, Arx was sent flying.
　He rolled across the floor of the large guest room and into the wall.


"Ha, ha......


　His body was covered with wounds and he was looking at them.
　Your body is covered with scars, and it's hard to watch.


　So I couldn't take it anymore and screamed.


Stop it!


　Just give up, like that.


　It's okay to give up now.


　Arx gives me a questioning look.


"......?

I'm sure you know that you're no match for me, if you're as good as you are!　Stop it!

I appreciate your concern, but you can't stop here, can you ......?


　Then Arx smiles at me.
　How can he be so insistent?
　He's been given an answer that he's no match for, and still...
　Why? Why? Why? Why?


　I don't know if I can get up like that.


"I'm not giving up. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to give up, even if people say I don't have much magic, even if people say I'm incompetent.


"Oh ............


　When I heard his words, I suddenly remembered my father's words that he told me one day.
　He said that even if you can see the destination, it doesn't mean that it is absolute.
　Even if what you see is your defeat, you can change the outcome as long as you don't give up.


　Never forget that.


Ha-ha-ha!　You're making me laugh!　That's a great way to play the kid!　But it's time you gave up.　You know you're no match for me.　That's what the princess says.

But you can't give up so easily. ......

Then you'll die first.


　The mercenary head, with his sword at the ready, is slowly approaching the Arks.


You're giving me a hard time, ...... head.

Hey. Roger that.


　The Marquis took one look at him and gave him a cruel smile.
　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.


"Ah ......


　At this sight, a voice leaked out.
　There was no need to stop him now.


...... You're right, we're no match for them head on. I knew that from the beginning.

You're right.

That's why I kept it a secret until the end.


　Arx said and pointed at the mercenary head.
　It's not like a normal forefinger, it's a thumbs up.


"Huh?　What's that?

"This?　It's called a ■.

What?

Thank you for blowing me all the way to the edge.


　Arx grins wryly and mutters something.


"--■■■■. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

"Maho--?　I'm not sure what to make of this.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ -- Shut up and blow your brains out!


　I'm sorry.
　I'm not sure what to do.
　The mercenary head, however, could not react to the magic of the arks.
　No, no one would be able to react to that blow.
　Even I, who had seen the pointy end, did not understand why the mercenary head had been defeated.
　He held the tip of his index finger up to his mouth and blew out the smoke that was smoldering around his fingertip.


This magic is really useful. I'll have to thank Suu later.


　I'll have to thank Suu later," he said, and stood up, replacing the crumpled body of the mercenary head.