A few hours had passed since the battle began.
　The sun was setting, and the Valley of Vengeance was glowing red as if on fire. The corpses of a great many demons lying on the ground were illuminated.

Checkmate.

　I thrust the tip of my sword at the neck of the kneeling demon man.
　The wounded demon man's eyes widened to the point of spilling out. He looked stunned, as if his soul had been drained.

"It's impossible. ......!　It's impossible for a single person to kick the crap out of that many troops. ......!　This is all just a bad dream. ......!
"I'm sorry, but this isn't a dream. It's real. This pain is proof of that.

　He ran the tip of his sword quickly and quietly down the demon man's neck.

"Ugh. ......!

　The demon man was brought back to reality by the pain.
　The demon man was brought back to reality by the pain, his heart broken by the annihilation of the demon army.
　He glared at me viciously, but his will to fight was completely gone.

"I wasn't listening. I didn't know there was such a monster of a man among the guards. ....... It wasn't in his report, was it?
"Him?

　That's when I felt something strange.

"What did you just say?　What's his report? Where did he get the inside scoop on us?

　I asked, and the demon man twisted his mouth in amusement.

"-Huh. It's simple. We have an informant among you. He's the one who's been leaking information to the demons.


"What?

　There's a demon insider among us.
　I knew it.
　No wonder they knew everything about us.

Then I guess we can't let you die. Let's hear more about the inside man.
"I'm sorry, but your time is up.

　The demon laughed and coughed up a lot of blood. He collapsed on the floor like a puppet with a broken string.
　The life was gone from his eyes.
　He was completely out of breath.

"d*mn. Did you miss that?

　The identity of the informant remained unknown.
　But at least we got some testimony. We can discuss how to deal with them later when we meet up with the others.

"Is everyone okay?

　As it turned out, not a single demon made it through.
　At the top of this hill, we're already in the grounds of the Sacred Spring. No demons can enter. So I'm sure we got there no problem.
　I have to get to my friends.
　But I can't make it up this long hill with my injured body.
　That's what I thought.
　I heard a running sound behind me. Could it be the ...... wheels?

　--Or was it the enemy?

　When I turned around, I saw a carriage coming towards me. Pulling on the reins of the horse was a familiar figure.

"Zeke!

　The vice-chief of the Order, she stopped the carriage at my side.



"Eleanor. Aren't you supposed to be heading for the Coral Plains?
Yes. But there was no sign of any demons. I was worried, so I sent my men to the Sacred Spring and then came to check on you.

　There were no demons gathering in the Coral Plains.
　Their forces had been concentrated in the Valley of Sorrows.
　The words of the demon man from earlier came to mind.

"But Zeke... What about these demons?　What the hell happened to them?
"They were waiting for us with an army of demons. They chased me, so I stayed behind to help my friends escape.
You stayed behind at .......? You're on your own?
Yeah.
I can't believe you managed to wipe out this many demons with one ....... Zeke. That's the one and only man I recognize.
But I've worn myself out.
That's just as well. Why don't you take my carriage? It's a bit bumpy, but you can rest in the back.
I'll do that," I said. "Eleanor. Thank you.
"......?

　Eleanor's face filled with red as she heard my words.

"What?　What's wrong?
No, no. I just had a crush on you. I'm just a little flattered. You're so quiet, but you're thanking me so nicely.



　Eleanor put her hand on the breastplate of her armor.

Eleanor put her hand on her armor breastplate and said, "Aren't I doing the moves of a proper wife right now ......?　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

　I'm not sure what to do.

It's just the two of us on the road, so this could be something. I'm pulling on the reins of my horse and he's touching me from behind. ....... That's so slutty. ......!　But I can't resist because I can't let go of the reins. ....... Well, it's not that I don't like it. Hmm.

　It's true that Eleanor's help may have boosted my favorability, but it's not the kind of move I'd do to a new wife in the middle of cooking.
　First of all, it's too dangerous to play with each other while driving.
　It's not something a sensible person would do.

Eleanor. Get the carriage. We've got to get to the others. There's something I need to talk to you about.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. Let's hurry.

　Eleanor wiped the drool from her mouth and regained her senses, making sure I was on the back of the carriage.
　We headed for the sacred spring on the other side of the hill.