This is not good.

Ah, a thousand flame knights who will take down a mere five demons. If they attack, won't there be no more Alheimers?

''I think the old demon king had 20 demons under his command, right?　That means we have the strength of ten Demon King's armies over there. It's not just the end of Alheim, it's the end of the world.

Really?

　Luke and Ryushin were hiding in the forest about three kilometers away from where the private army of the Fifth Prince of Apristos had set up camp, and were spying on them.

　The two of them had heard Rifa's story that Hurt had been brainwashed and taken away, and had followed Hurt's magic to this point. Then, they saw that Hurt was going to make the flame knight appear.

''What do we do now?　Do you want to punch Hurt a little and see if he comes to his senses or not?

"Through the defense of a thousand of those flaming knights? You can't. I've seen that knight throw a spear once, but I couldn't even follow it with my eyes.

''That's right. I saw those knights work together to take down a demon, but there was no gap, and their offensive and defensive coordination was perfect.

Bye.

Yeah.

It's over.

　Luke and Ryushin started laughing on the spot.

'Haha, hey, that's bad. Do people laugh when they're in a pinch this much?''

No, you can't help but laugh at this. The enemy has the strength of ten Demon King's armies.　It's not possible.

Definitely.

You're too strong. You're a demon king.

Yeah.

I guess we'll just have to keep running to a country where Hurt isn't around, won't we?

What about that guy, does he know how to transfer?

Oh.

Pfft.
"Huh-ha-ha-ha-ha.

　The two continued to laugh for a while.


''Hmph, let's just tell the king's capital about this situation for now.

Yeah, I'll do that.

　Luke and Ryushin left the scene.
　Hurt watched them for a long time.

　The former general's orders were to keep the enemy in check.
　So even though Hurt noticed the two of them, he did not move from the spot.


　─ ─ ─ ─ ********.

Is that true? That Halt has become the enemy.

Yes.

　Luke and Ryushin returned to the King's Castle and explained to the Elf King and his ministers in the conference room the situation they had seen. Tina, Rifa and the others are waiting in another room.

''Tch, that's why we can't trust the human race!　I'm not going to be brainwashed so easily!

Shut up!　It was my elven tribe that put the armband of servitude on Halt. Do not override the shame any longer!

　The ministers were quieted by a single voice from the Elf King.

'Look, Rifa says that Master Sylph has been forced to return to Halt. Do you understand what this means?

Forced return of Master Sylph?
Oh, no.
You're saying Master Sylph is hostile to my country?

Yes. If they are forced to return, the reverse is also possible. In other words, the sylphs who are forcibly summoned by Hult could attack our country without a care in the world.

　The words of this Elf King brought a look of impatience to the ministers.

　But that's not the only problem.

''The matter of Sylph-sama is a problem, but there's another problem.......Halt has caused quite a few flame knights to appear.

"The Flame Knight, that magic that defeated the Lord Commander at the Armed Forces Tournament?
How many is "quite a few"?　Ten?　Twenty?
Don't be a fool. This is the magic that caused the army general to lose so easily!　If there are 20 of those things, we won't have a chance against them!

It's a thousand.
What...?

''We've seen the three thousand private armies of the fifth prince, plus the thousand flaming knights that Hurt made appear.

　With a slamming sound, the minister responsible for national defense collapsed.

　He seemed to have fainted, unable to bear the pressure of having to fight that overwhelmingly powerful enemy from now on.

'Everyone, listen up.'

　The Elf King speaks to his ministers.

'First of all, we must get Hurt away from the former general. If not ordered, Hurt should do nothing.

Oh, is that possible?

If you can't do it, this country is doomed. We must do it at all costs. And we will now get all non-combatants out of the country in case that fails.

'You want to let the people go?　Wouldn't it be safer to barricade yourself in King's Landing?　The walls of King's Landing also have a magical barrier that should be able to hold up.

That's not possible. Halt broke the magical barriers on the fighting table in the martial arts tournament with ease.

　The strength of the magic barrier on the walls of the King's Capital and the magic barrier on the fighting table were equal in strength. In other words, the magic barrier in King's Landing was meaningless in front of Hurt.

''Sarion,''
My Lord, what is it?

　The Elf King called out, and out of nowhere, Sarion, the steward, appeared.

'You, Tina, and Luke and the others here, will help me figure out a way to get Hurt away from the former general. My army will only be used as a decoy. You guys are the only ones we can count on.

Awe. Master Luke, Lady Lyushin, and Tina and the others are waiting for you in the other room. Let's go over there.

Yeah.

Okay. Now, if you'll excuse me.

　In the conference room where Sarion, Luke and Ryushin had left, there was a discussion of where and how to get the people away.