Christophia, the royal capital.

　The night is deep and the city is filled with silence.
　There are no people in the alleyway off the main street.
　The light from a crystal lamp faintly illuminates the cobblestones.

　In that alleyway, a man was walking.

　The man's name is Hibigami.

　Just four letters.
　That's his name.

　Hibigami bends and bends and bends further down the road.
　Gradually, you can see that the signs of people are becoming more and more scarce.
　Even the signs of those who are sleeping are now distant.

　And then I arrive at a corner.
　The air is deserted.
　There was no longer any light from the crystal lights around, only the bright moonlight shining into the corner.

　The "darkness" exists even in this beautiful little royal capital.
　You could call it a cesspool.
　It's a place that not many city dwellers come near.

　So--.

A good way to hide in plain sight, eh?

　Grinning, Hibigami twists the corners of his mouth.

　--I found it.

'....That one?

　A scrutinized gaze.
　One of the men is sitting down.

'So I told you to get me some better wound medicine!

　A big man yells at the skinny guy.

"Hi, suh, excuse me, my brother!

　A man who appears to be the big man's henchman is sneaking around, stumbling, and disappearing into the night.

The others aren't coming back either........those useless scum.......d*mn, but that hurts.... That Arkwright girl is a joke but one day you will come to know that I will hurt you and I will have to do something about it. That kid and that sub-racial girl, too...

　The swearing big man had bandages all over his body.
　But the treatment was crude.
　The bandages were untied in some places.

　--Huh.

　And the wounds that peeked out from the bandages attracted Hibigami's attention.
　The wound is still fresh, a wound caused by the blade.
　The wound was worthy of admiration, even from Hibigami's point of view.

　Almost without missing a beat, he traced the wound - and the wound was traced.

　How skilled was the person who inflicted that wound?
　Suddenly, Hibigami became curious.
　But now, before that--.

It's you... and who are you from the Sixth House?

　The big man showed his dismay at the hibigami that suddenly appeared out of the darkness.

'What the hell are you?　Where the hell did you come from?
Your wound... who gave you that?
"...what?　You wanna get yourself killed, eh?

　It was probably a topic he didn't want to be touched on, and the big man stared at Hibigami with hatred.
　But, as if unafraid, Hibigami let out a dry laugh, cackling.

'I see........hurry to death?'
...Huh?

　Nii, and Hibigami's mouth relaxes.

''The one who will be killed--maybe it's you?
W--

　From what he said earlier, it was easy to surmise that the person who inflicted those wounds was probably the 'Arkwright Family's Daughter'.
　With that much information, it was enough.
　In the meantime, I only asked him about it.

　Hibigami put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
　The big man reached for the maul that was propped up.

'You're going to do it?　You, it seems you know I'm from the Sixth House and you're going to do it?　Ah!
Kaka that's all right. I'm after someone from the Sixth House.
Wha... what?
But hey, I don't know if the topic of the Sixth House itself is so unpopular that it took me some time to get my story out of you.
That's not important. You know what you're doing?　What the hell does it mean to have someone from the Sixth House against you--
Are you an idiot?
Wha...

　The sword's blade, which was slightly on its face, glowed dully in the moonlight.

''It's good for you to make an enemy of that sixth house, though.

　Impatience flashed across the big man's face.
　He didn't know anything, Hibigami thought piteously.
　To call himself a native of the Sixth House - even though it means that he's going to draw himself in.

''Well ... let's do it.''
d*mn it...!

　The big man holds up his maul with a compelling look on his face.

　--It's not bad.

　It's not bad. The muscles are built for battle.
　And not too shabby, either.
　But

　There, Hibigami sheathed the sword he was about to pull out.

　The sword that Hibigami was just about to use in battle is his beloved "Mu-Kiri" sword.
　It is a blade that has been pulled back and its killing power has been significantly reduced.

　It's the only time Hibigami uses the Mukatsu when he's in a serious fight.
　However, it can be used against other opponents.

I'm good with this.

　The other sword is pulled out with a swooping motion.
　The jet-black blade appears under the moonlight.
　As soon as the blade is pulled out, it begins to emit a blue-white light.

"Pity your misfortune in meeting me I have two words of advice for you.

　Hibigami pointed the sword's cutting edge at the big man.

This is a very difficult sword that eats not only the magic around it, but also the magic that is taken in by anyone who touches it. Or did you call it a holy element... well, it doesn't matter which one.

　A sword that is both a holy sword and a demon sword.
　You can't just use it.

You can't rely on that if you are a magician of magic and spells. It's not a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.

　This "demon eater" continues to eat the magic element around it even though it is very weak, even if it is sheathed.
　And the person who wears it on his or her hip is the most strongly affected by the absorption of the element.
　That's why it's almost impossible for its owner to rely on the magic element.

　And the Hibigami - to begin with, it can't handle magical elements.

　Therefore, there is no disadvantage to using 'demon eaters' as if it were a disadvantage.

"So, one more thing--

　With a swoosh, a black shadow - Hibigami ran.

'Ah?'

　By the time the big man's eyeballs caught Hibigami, he was already standing behind the man.

''You shouldn't feel comfortable calling yourself a native of the Sixth House or anything like that, right?　...because I'm going to be there.
d*mn!

　The big man makes a sharp turn of his body.
　The maul lets out a heavy roar and cuts through the atmosphere.
　Then the big man's maul strike catches Hibigami--

What?　Huh?　--Huh?

　A great sense of discomfort comes over the big man's face.
　The next moment--

　The big man made a grand splash of blood from his chest.

　And then, as he thrusts his knee out, the big man falls to his front as if a thread has broken.
　Blood spreads on the ground.

''Ka-''

　Hibigami laughs briefly.
　Then, looking down at what was a big man, he carefully wipes away the blood with the cloth he took out of his chest.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one. I'm not going to be able to get rid of it. But--

　Sheathing his sword, Hibigami stroked the stubble on his chin.

''Rumors of someone from the Sixth House have apparently been mixed up in this royal capital since yesterday and today... I wonder what's going on with this guy, huh?

　Hibigami wavers back through the gloom, where an extinct, bloodied corpse lies prostrate.
　And there, Hibigami turns around.
　From the tip of his gaze, there was the corpse of a large man who had turned into a lump of flesh.

''.........You are from the Sixth House?

　With a dry laugh, Hibigami said to the silent corpse, "If I remember correctly, I wasn't there.

"If I remember correctly - I wasn't there, was I?

　Kaka Kaka Kaka Kaka, with a high-pitched laugh, Hibigami began to walk through the darkness again.

　　　　　　　　　　*.

　As he walked through the back alleys of the sleeping royal capital, Hibigami thought to himself, "Nevertheless.

　The big man who was alive just now had met his 'death'.

''.........''

　Nonsense, thinks Hibigami.

"Death or death, I will kill you someday. If it were possible, I'd fight you first.

　Even now, I feel that "Death" is a trivial thing.
　That's why Hibigami thinks "death" is an evil that should be killed someday.

　His sword should be used to keep people alive.

　Death is just the end.
　Now, I don't even feel it's worth fighting with.
　If there is a way, I will 'kill' one day if there is a way, but even now, I don't know how.
　Hence - neglect.

　On the other hand, 'life' is wonderful.
　It always gives me a fight.
　It gives me - it gives me a nemesis.

　So.
　For the hibigami.

　Keeping your opponent alive and using him as a good nemesis is a hell of pleasure.

　Haggle, haggle, haggle, haggle, and when you get tired of it, you kill them.

　But if we can't expect them to be our nemesis, we kill them at once.
　I'll kill the lesser scum of the earth at random.

　But I have no interest in killing those who cannot fight.
　Hibigami has no taste for killing innocent good men who cannot fight, though he will repel the sparks of the fire that fall upon them.
　After all, Hibigami even respects those who live and work well.

"..........

　I put my hand on the hilt of the "no-kill" that is stuck in my waist.

　Lately - I haven't wielded my beloved sword "Mu-Kill".

　

It's a good thing that I'm not a fan of those guys either.

　My dearest brothers and sisters who should be kept alive, not killed.

And yet I love you all so much!

　Hibigami's laughter, full of hope for the future, echoed like an echo in a corner of the royal city.