'Shit!　It's useless, a pawn!

　Volfot trampled on the shattered jewels.
　He revealed his anger and cursed his companion for calling for help.

'You're pathetic, Volfot,'

'Pity me?　Oh, that's right. I didn't think you were such a useless piece of work. That's what makes you so great, isn't it? You are blessed with a slave.

That's for sure. I could be in good company.

　However, it wasn't like that from the beginning.

　Most of the people in the school looked down on me, a [villager], at first.
　But even I had a person who trusted me like that.
　That was my party, the president, the community association members, and Meira and the others.

　Still, they were few and far between.
　I declared that day that I would win it all and told them to believe in me.
　But I think I was the one who had the least faith in myself at the time.

　But the students still followed me, and they didn't necessarily follow me.

　It may not have been a case of them following me.
　I'm sure that each of them had their own ideas and were here now.
　Still, the results are coming to fruition.
　At the very least, my friends were working hard to achieve my goal of winning it all.

　It's not something I could have accomplished on my own.
　No matter how powerful they were.

　I suddenly realized that this was one of the things that made me strong.

　This is a part of strength.

　It is also strength to master oneself.
　But it is also a form of strength when a man becomes one and achieves one goal.
　I think this is also a form of strength.

　I said to Volfot.

"Volfot, you're much like me,

'What?　You and me?　Other than being the same [villager], what else is there in the similarity?

You're the only one who needs to be strong.

What?

　I'm in agreement with that idea.
　I'm not even going to deny it now.
　I am and will continue to be strong, and I will try to be strong.
　I will be stronger than anyone else.
　Because that means being lonely, too.

'But there's a definite difference between you and me. Do you know what that is?

What, are you preaching to me?

It's about acknowledging the weaknesses of those around you.

What?

'Hmm..... I don't get it either, saying it myself. But, well.......... I can hear my friends' voices with my eyelids closed. Cherish that sense of togetherness. Maybe that's what it's all about.

　Oh dear....

　This is not good.
　Ever since the Kowloon Cup started, I've been feeling strange.
　I feel like I'm getting too sentimental.

　But this is one thing I can do.

　I must be.....
　I'm trying to change, to be strong.
　I feel like I'm getting over one thing.

"That's what you are, Volfot.

　I have a feeling that if I defeat this guy, I'll see it.

　You, a [villager] just like me........

''Ha!

　Volfot spat.
　He stuck his pinky finger in his ear.
　He scratched out the earwax and huffed it away.
　It was like a cleansing process, as if the foul language was being purged.

'It stinks!　Dirty!　Tight!　It's 3K, Lacelle. Yeah, I thought so, too. I felt the same way. We're both villagers, you know. We're both [villagers], and we have something in common. That's what I thought.


　But it's not good.


"Friendship..... Effort..... Victory..... Or courage, or love.... It stinks!　I don't care. Let that thing sink into a manure dump.


　Oh. Okay, that's enough. I can't stand it.


"Forget the Kowloon Cup!　I will crush the students here. Lacelle, I will crush you and your entire pack like a fly.

I'm looking forward to it. I'm not sure you can.

You can do it. You're all small fry.

　Then, what I heard was a strange sound.


　Gee.......... Gii.......... Gii..........


　It was not a sound that emanated from a person approximately.
　A sound like rusty gears could be heard from Volfot.
　It's not just the grating sound that's odd.
　[Villager] Volfot was also changing.

　His jaw gates open wide, and his shoulder blades rise up like locust legs.
　His body, which had been large enough to look up, expanded even more, and the muscles in his legs swelled to double in size.
　His appearance is also out of line with that of a man.
　The entire body became longer, and it even seemed to have become more insect-like.

　So--.
　Volfot was no longer a person.
　A single animal.
　It also had the appearance of a monster beast.

''Aaaaaaaaah!

　Screams came from all over the place.
　Students from both the main school and the 4th branch ran for cover.
　Marmaria, who noticed, retreated with Canal, who was still unconscious.

　The one that was Volfot narrowed his eyes as he looked at the fleeing students.

　He thrusts out his open palms.
　As it metamorphosed, it became a single blade.
　It waved it carelessly.
　It popped the air around it.

　Zuzang!

　A tremendous gust of wind rolled in.
　It struck the hinterland of the fleeing students.
　It's not magic. A mere slash.
　However, the adventurer's eggs were blown away without any way to do so.

''Kukikki kukikki!　Fishy!　You're too small fry!　Come on, grovel!　You'll be my slaves!

Stop!

　It was me who stood there.

　Volfot narrowed his eyes.

'You're still here. You're still here, small fry. You aren't afraid?　Look at me like this...

　The figure of Volfot was no longer a person, nor was it even a [villager].

　One monster.........
　But I return it with a generous smile.

''I'm not afraid of you. I've seen plenty of small fry like you (I wish I hadn't). Besides, I knew what you were.

　Yes, I knew.
　I knew who the Volfot were.
　I had a hint of knowing better.

"You're a half-devil, Volfot.

　A hybrid of human and demon race.
　A pathetic synthetic creature.