I heard Filia and Clarice gasp.
　It must have been the first time the two of them had ever seen a demon race.

　I stepped forward and stood in defense of the two of them and the unconscious Saint Sophia.

　The enemy in front of me seemed to be a demon tribe with a decent amount of strength, and they also seemed to be a vicious class of people.
　Its spider-like, six-legged body had an unpleasant appearance that sent a chill down her spine.
　Its center was black and murky, crumbling into a sludge.

　This demon race was the true identity of the ghosts in this mansion.
　They call the inhabitants into the basement with sound, poisoning them and preying on them while hiding their appearance.
　Perhaps that's how this demon tribe has survived.

　Ordinary demons don't understand human language.
　This demon tribe doesn't seem to have much intelligence, but the fact that they wrote blood letters on the wall is probably a kind of mimicry.
　If it was not the fault of the demon tribe, but the fault of the ghosts, the fear of being found out in this basement would be low.
　This demon tribe had learned that through experience. Originally, they were probably in a different mansion somewhere else.

　In any case, for the imperial princess Filia and maid Clarice, who have no experience in combat, this demon race is quite dangerous.
　But I'm not.

　When I was the deputy head of the knightly order, I, along with the holy knight Creon and the others, defeated countless demonic tribes.
　They include legendary beings such as ancient dark dragons and spirits that lived for a thousand years.

　So, with a demon race of this level, they weren't much of a threat.
　........If it were true, it should be an easy enemy for Saint Sophia to defeat, but Sophia mistook it for a ghost and fainted.

　I held my treasure sword at the upper level.
　I glanced at Filia and the others behind me.

''Filia-sama, and Clarice-san, please never move from there.

Uh-huh.

　Filia nodded with a frightened look on her face.
　She must be anxious, I think.
　For Filia, this is the first time she's seen the demon race.

　I was scared when I first fought them, too.
　I smiled at Filia.

''Don't worry. I won't let Filia-sama and the others get even a scratch on you.

Well you're right. Solon will protect me. And he will get rid of the enemies who threaten our place in the world.

You're right. I'm sure we'll defeat this demon and see it for what it is.

Yes. ...Solon, give me the victory!

　I nodded and held up my treasure sword and moved forward in a straight line.
　Almost at the same time, four of the demon tribe's legs quickly extended and attacked us.

　I used my fire magic and strengthened it with the power of my treasure sword.
　The flames shot at the demon tribe instantly burned away the demon tribe's legs.

　The demon tribe let out a strange cry of pain, perhaps because of the pain.
　When the enemy's actions stopped, I swung the treasure sword tetracord straight into the center of the tribe.

　The dark body of the demon tribe was cut in half.

　But you must not be caught off guard.
　The demon tribe began to move again. Even if their bodies are torn apart, they still have enough life force to continue moving for a while.

　The demons are about to make their final counterattack, as they are about to die.

　I held up my tetracord and chanted a short spell.
　A circular magic circle unfolded on the basement floor, and in the next moment, the demon tribe was sucked into it.

　There was nothing left to do.

''You won...?''

　Filia questions me with a look of trepidation.
　I'm sure she's still unsure about the demon race being defeated, not realizing it.

　I laughed and nodded and patted Filia on the head.
　With a jolt, Filia trembled and her cheeks turned red.

''I'm sorry. I was trying to reassure you, but I hope I was not too familiar.''

　I said in a hurry.
　Normally, stroking the head against an imperial princess is not an acceptable behavior to do.
　But Filia shook her head with a shake.
　Filia lowered her eyes in embarrassment and said in a whisper.

'Nope. 'You know, I thought it was the first time I'd ever had Solon pat me on the head. And he also touched me.

Well, you didn't like it?

'No, it's not!　I was so ... happy.

　Filia was depressed and blushing more and more.
　It's a strange atmosphere.

　I was troubled and changed the subject.

''That demon race was called the 'Children of Bael', a poisonous kind of demon race. That's why they ended up absorbing it into the magic circle and making it disappear. It would be dangerous for Filia-sama and Clarice-san if they spread the poison inside the crypt when they die.

Yeah. Thanks, Solon.

''No, this time it was my mistake, to say the least. I shouldn't have picked a ghost property.

　I blurted out.
　Normally, demons are only found in the ruins.
　This is because the demons are by their nature vulnerable to the sun and the clean air, and it is difficult for them to live on earth.

　However, as the liberation of the ruins progresses, the demons that the adventurers failed to kill are often escaping from the ruins and appearing on the ground.
　The demons I just defeated must have moved from the ruins to the mansion and preyed on people to survive.

　So I bought the mansion where such demons live.
　Clarice looked into my eyes and smiled at me.

''But Master Solon protected us, didn't he?

Well, that's certainly an end in itself, but...

　Even though it was only a few, I had put Filia and the others in danger.
　And even though I didn't have that much trouble defeating them, I was still a little tired after fighting the demon race for a long time.

　I feel a little hungry too.
　As if she could see through my heart, Clarice said in a bouncy voice.

''Well, there's one thing we have to do next. We have to cook!''