The traps were all removed.

With all the traps removed, we made our way to the elf village.
There were no guards at the gate.

Instead, there were a lot of surprise balls that we had broken earlier.
There were about a hundred of them, piled up in several places.

'There are so many ......, will demons come out of all of them?'

'If it's the same specs as before, it should be broken and not come out. I'll check to make sure, though.'

I picked up a pebble and threw it towards the pile of balls.
No response. It looks okay.

'Wow! It's all broken.'

'I think it's better to break them properly just in case, but let's move on. With this many demons, I'm worried.

Fortunately, there were no large numbers of dead bodies lying around.
You can't feel safe just because of this, so you have to hurry to confirm the facts.

Hiding behind a building, we crept towards the center of the village.
Surprise balls were set up everywhere except at the entrance.

In the center of the village, a group of skinny, pale elves are surrounded by 15 demons. Their complexion was quite pale.
There were less than a thousand of them.

Fourteen of the demons are kneeling and holding out their hands in a circle around the inhabitants. The remaining one is watching over them with a pompous attitude. Is that a Kerkass?

On closer inspection, there were not only elves but also human men among the captives.
So that's the bandit who ran the elven village.

I check the status of the demons and the trapped inhabitants.

'This isn't good. We'll attack them from here. I need you two to deal with the leaked enemies!

I instructed them quickly.

'Aren't you in a hurry, Yuki?

'I think it's an emergency too, but I think it's better to wait and see. Yuki said earlier that the more you hurry, the better. ......'

'Okay? The elves' magic power is dwindling. The demons are sucking it up with their magic. They've long run out of magic and are using their life force instead. We're already dying. ...... At this rate, we'll die.

'Is that true ......?

'Definitely. Judging by her demon skills, she's going to use it as a sacrifice for her summoning magic.''

Aina's body trembled.

'But we'll still meet in time. Then let's go.

The slash of the magic sword is an effective means of attacking enemies at a distance, but it cannot be used in a situation where there are trapped non-combatants.
They're too weak for that. If even a single blow hits anywhere, you will die instantly.

That's why I decided to use a new skill I had just learned: flare.
I fire a non-attribute flare at the three demons at a distance.

'Evil Dragon, please accept this--Ugaaahhhh！！！！'

Just as the demons were about to shout, the three demons all burst into flames at the same time.
In addition, two of the demons were hit by arrows flying from somewhere and lost their stance.

A moment of fright, less than a second. But this was enough.
Me and Aleria cut down the demons that surrounded the inhabitants one by one.

In the space of a second, the fourteen demons had been reduced to four.
Although it was an attack that took advantage of an opening, it was good that he was able to take advantage of a situation where he was outnumbered.

'Get the elves to safety. Also, make sure they drink this potion.

I asked Aleria and Aina to protect the weakened inhabitants, and I faced the remaining demons.
I can handle them on my own as far as their status is concerned.

If you don't need to protect the people, there are many ways you can use.

The fifteenth demon, Kerkas, who had been watching the multitude of demons, shouted.

'It's a surprise attack by the heroes! Don't panic. Use the thing!

'''' squeak! ''''

'Brave men? Where are the heroes?
There are no heroes around. It's no wonder all the brave men have been banished to other countries.
There is no way they could just pop up here.

But that's not the point.

'Why aren't there any demons! I don't get it!

'Oh, are you talking about the strange ball?

'Yes! Surprise, surprise, there's a thousand times more demons than you've ever dealt with before you got here! So why can't you find it at ......?

The demon tribe panicked.
I feel sorry for them, so I'll tell them.

'I've destroyed all of them. You can make it a little stronger next time, if there's a next time.

'What ...... is not possible ....... You can't let the wisdom of the demon race be easily destroyed! And the number of them I've placed is so many that I don't even know how many I've got!

No, of course you should know.
Isn't that the kind of sloppy management that results in shoddy products that break easily?

Five seconds later, the demon did not appear.

It seems that I underestimated the ...... heroes. But even if there are no demons, they are no match for me! You can't expect to make it out alive if you humiliate me! Of course, I have no intention of letting you go home alive!

Well, you're a pain in the ass. .......
I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

The difference in status is absolute. I know he can't do much.
But I'm not going to let my guard down.


俺は魔剣をしっかりと握って,ケルカスの出方をうかがうことにした.