Game over!　Winner Kurt ......

　As the umpire approached to raise my hand.

"Wait, it's not over yet.

　"Wait, it's not over yet." I stopped him with my voice and my hand.

"Aaahhhh!

　Horace's voice rang out.
　An evil black air rushed from it.
　Horace stopped screaming and fell face first to the ground again.

"Kurt, what the hell is ......
Lara, don't come any closer.

　Lara, don't come any closer." He stopped Lara from entering the stage.

"The axe ......?

　Horace fell to the ground and didn't move, but the axe spilled out of his hand and floated out by itself.

　The axe was cloaked in a black vapor.
　The axe wobbled as if searching for its prey.

　And then it found me. .......

"Kurt, look out!

　Lara's voice echoed through the hall.

　Lara's voice echoed through the hall. The axe that had left Horace's hand moved like a demon and attacked me.

You've got a funny way of doing that.

　I catch the axe with my wooden sword.
　A sparring match ensues, and the axe pushes towards me.
　The axe pushes towards me, though the force itself is not that great. I'm too lazy to use my wooden sword, and it's not worth it.

　I retreated and brought the wooden sword down to the ground.

"Come to my hand. Come to me, demon sword.

　I said, "Come to me.

It's quite powerful, by the way. Either way, it's no match for me.

　The axe is moving against Horace's will.
　The axe is moving against Horace's will. He could have been manipulating it with magic, but Horace is definitely unconscious and the axe seems to be moving with its own independent will.
　As I was calmly observing, the giant axe was not intimidated and moved straight ahead once again.
　I fought off the axe's onslaught with my magic sword, being careful not to slash it.

　His movements were more refined and faster than when Horace had been controlling him.
　One swing of the axe sliced through the air, creating a faint shockwave around me.
　I deployed a warding spell to prevent damage to my surroundings, and went around the ...... stage, dodging the axe's attacks.


"Oh, that boy!　He's being pushed!
I don't know what's going on, but if that boy gets hit, we're in big trouble, aren't we?
Run, run, run!


　I looked at the crowd, and the confusion slowly spread.

And that's just the way it is.

　It's a good thing that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.


I can't believe you think I'm struggling with this.


　Enough.
　I've analyzed the evil spirit of the axe.
　Let's end this.

　The axe swung wide and flashed at me as if to finish me off.
　As it did, a shockwave of wind pressure spread around me.

　But...

I'm not going to let that happen.

　He flashed at the incoming axe.
　The giant axe was snapped in half by the magic sword, and the chi it was wearing was also cut in half.
　The axe fell to the ground and became motionless.

The axe fell to the ground and stopped moving.
"Kurt!

　When the battle was over.
　As soon as the fight was over, Lara came up on stage and approached me.

Kurt, what the hell was that?　This Horace guy's magic?　Did he control the axe with his magic or something?　But I don't feel any magic from this Horace guy.
I don't think so. The axe ......, no, Horace himself had magical thoughts.
"A 'magical thought'?

　Lara nodded her head adorably.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I continue looking at Horace as he collapses.

"A demonic thought is a strong emotion such as hatred or jealousy that mixes with magical power and remains even when time and place change. Demonic thoughts can take the form of demons themselves and move around, or they can take over people and things and run amok. Horace was initially possessed by a demonic thought.

　From the beginning, Horace was too belligerent. Even after the fight was over, he tried to attack Lara.
　He was always like that,......, but even so, Horace's behavior was abnormal.
　The reason for this is that Horace's negative emotions were amplified by the fact that the demon had taken over.

Horace, the host, was killed, and the demon thought must have gotten into the axe. And it attacked me.
"Oh, yeah, .......

　Lara is surprised.



　In the meantime, the surrounding area is in turmoil, and the management of the magic sword tournament seems to be at a loss as to how to deal with the situation.

But this is a relief, right? I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
No, ...... I read that the demons are still there.
What the hell?

　When Lara heard this, she was alarmed and immediately tried to deploy her magic.

Don't worry, they're not around. But ...... it seems that the whole royal city is swirling with magical thoughts.
That's a big deal!　If the demons get into something, or materialize, ......
If the demons get into something or materialize, it will be too late for the cultural festival.

　Even a thousand years ago, there were no demons this strong.
　It seems that this demonic thought is filled with a great deal of negative emotions.
　According to my analysis, the demonic thoughts contain 'jealousy' and 'destructive impulses'. And they must have been mixed and matured for a long time to become powerful.

　As I continued.

Hmm?　But are you saying that these magical thoughts are someone's feelings?　Is it because someone was extremely jealous that it became a demonic thought and was generated by ......?

　Lara wonders.
　Lara is very perceptive in these situations.

Lara, you're right. You're probably right.
"But what kind of magical thought is that strong?　Who's 'thought' is it?
I can't be sure.

　The evil thought occurred on Culture Day. You didn't feel anything until yesterday.
　Moreover, an old and strong thought ...... had led me to a possibility.

　As I looked up at the sky, I continued to speak.

"It's Aurelian the Fool's spell.