Deep in the forest, an open cave in a sheer cliff.
　There was an unnatural concentration of light sources there. By nature, a cave is not an environment where people can live. There is no light, the floor is difficult to even sleep on, and lizards, centipedes, and even demons can live there. That's why a lot of work had been done to it. The proof of the existence of the group's living environment was after human intervention.
　The cave, which was filled with the stench of daily life, gave off a strange stench of food remnants, blood, and even a peculiar lewdness mixed with the smell of food that had been devoured.
　But it was still a little better at the far end.
　There were only two people who could enter there without permission.

''Haha, thanks to Duran-dono, we were able to get our prey safely this time as well. We have suffered a lot of losses as well, but as expected of you, Mr. Duran, to capture the Ice Emperor, a class-A adventurer - how about it, I'm willing to pay a lower price, but if you're willing, you can rape that cold, unparalleled beauty.

　The man who proposed to Duran with flirtatious eyes was the head of the Black Wolf Fang, the head of the Black Wolf Fang, the most huge bandit group near the Free Trade City, Aizen.
　As long as he was the head of the rough-and-tumble, he was a man of great strength.
　Eisen was a former knight in the service of a fallen nobleman, and after the fall of his family, he ate his meals as a mercenary earner, and now he was a bandit, using his handlers to take advantage of that time. In the first place, there was no great difference between mercenaries and bandits, that was Eisen's idea. They just fight in different places, but the job of killing and stealing was the same.
　Not a single one of his minions could beat Eisen. Even ten to one, a lowly amateur with a hair's breadth of experience could be eradicated with room to spare.
　It would not be an exaggeration to say that his long history of warfare makes him a professional in battle.

　However, even such an Eisen is just a small fry in front of him.
　The legendary mercenary Duran, hired as a swordsman.

''I don't want it!　He was strong...
　--Yes, to the point of envy.
　Duran muttered such words only in his mind.
　Eisen nodded at Duran's words.
　Of course, even though he was young, an A-ranked adventurer with two names couldn't be weak. Adventurer rank is also just a measure of a person, and there is often a gap in the difference in ability between the same rank, but those that have crossed B and reached A have stopped people. It is a realm that no one but those with chosen talent can reach.
　If Eisen fights, two minutes is the limit.
　It was painfully obvious from the two battles that if they were taken seriously, they wouldn't last even a minute. If not for Duran, the only option would have been to retreat.

　But Eisen didn't understand Duran's words.
　Yes, he was indeed strong. The mood danced. It was uplifting. And yet, it wasn't fulfilled like this.
　In the back of his mind, the blessing of a mad warrior whispers to him, "Then ask for more.
　Then ask for more.

　Duran the Thousand Slayer, Duran the Fresh Blood Duran, Duran the Legendary Mercenary Duran, Duran the War Demon Duran.
　It wasn't the fame Duran wanted and earned.
　He was just called that on his own while fighting, that's all.
　It was only the fame he gained because he escaped from his daily life and escaped into battle.

　Sometimes he mingled with rebel coups and cut down knights, sometimes he challenged and cut down disaster-class demonic beasts by himself, sometimes he stood on the battlefield as a mercenary and returned without a single sword wound, and he was called a demon who walked the battlefield. He fought as he followed his blessing, that's all, and yet he was given such an exaggerated name.

　How long has it been?
　When did I start escaping into battle?

　When did we start escaping into battle?
　When did we start to make the battlefield our daily life?

　When did it happen?
　When did I lose my mind, unable to control my own power?

"Ha, ha--
　A smile of self-mockery escaped his lips.
　Each time he followed someone's orders and walked across the battlefield, the void he believed would be filled grew larger and larger, eating away at Duran.

　He slays people, someone gossips about him, and he is feared. He doesn't yet realize that this is eating away at Duran. No, he's just pretending not to notice it.
　It started out as a tiny little expectation.
　It was an innocent expectation.
　Now it's a demon walking the battlefield, ironic, Duran laughs.

'Where do I go?'
　The oversized blank in his chest erased the light from Duran's eyes.
　At least, there was no one here who could understand Duran's lamentations like that.

''Master!　Oyaboo!　Tee-hee!
　Through the thin fabric walls, you can hear shouting.
　A subordinate of the orderly rushes in and announces his business.
　Eisen is a pragmatist and has strict orders to report any abnormality immediately without a single thought of decorum.
　However, that is just the case with Eisen alone here, and with Duran, who should be prioritized above all else, the subordinate's lack of civility is frustrating.

''What's going on here, all the noise!
　Eisen glared at his subordinates as he listened to Duran's mood.

'I, no, that's one of the platoons that was out on patrol and hasn't come back!

'What?　Whose squad is this?

Guillermo!
　Eisen has a three-man platoon (three-man cell) to stand guard and patrol the area. This has another aim, based on the basic premise of maintaining a numerical advantage. It was to increase the likelihood that one of them would be able to retreat and report back while the other two were engaged in battle.
　On the battlefield, information was vital, and that was why scouts were released in large numbers even in peacetime.

''No one has left?''

Yes, no one...
　The biggest possibility would be that he was attacked by a demon and wiped out. But there aren't many high-ranking demons in the vicinity.
　Betrayal is also unlikely. If you want to talk about being tricked, there is a chance, but the bandits are basically a group of insects who have no place to live. Even so, since they get a tasty treat, there should be little advantage to betraying them.

　If so, were they captured by the knights and adventurers?
　It's not without possibility, but it's also difficult to believe that they were caught by greed on patrol and invaded the danger. Even if you don't do that, it's a prey that can certainly be hunted if you report it. It's always been taught that you don't get ahead of yourself.
　Besides, according to the collaborators who have infiltrated the trading city, there is no information about a large-scale sweeping operation other than an attack by the A-ranked adventurer ice emperor, and that was just recently repelled.

''That's--that's strange--Okay, I'll release the scouts from my men. You can go down now.

Hey!
　Information is the most important factor in survival.
　A little discomfort, and Eisen doesn't miss it.

'Hebrew, Glad, Southern--go check it out!
　The two have been friends of Eisen's since his mercenary days.
　Both are skilled as scouts and have acquired a martial art (arts) that is good at detecting signs.
　Unlike the underlings, they were trusted subordinates of Eisen.

''Hmm, yeah, got it.''

'This is so annoying!　I was just about to have those b*tc*es in my arms!

"Oh, come on, Glad, if you're not a virgin, you're not worth it!　And don't remove the Ice Emperor's magical locks!　They'll kill you if you don't have any hands. I know what you're thinking, but you'll have to be a little more patient, and when the money comes in, you can buy whores, slaves, or whoever you want.

Oh, okay. I'll go see what I can do.
　Eisen was calm.
　He didn't miss the small wounds, cutting a hand that could be said to be a sure thing and eliminating the uncertainty.
　That was the trick to living longer.
　But - that response was never going to bear fruit.
　What went wrong, Eisen couldn't give an answer, but if I had to say anything, I'd say--.

　--It's a bad influence, that's all.

It's all right.
　There was no one to respond to Duran's quiet voice.



◇


"Hey, Aisha, come on, don't be in a bad mood...

Poof!
　No, poof.
　For all intents and purposes, the villain should be Alhazard, not Nahat.
　Besides, Aisha was still a child.
　If a hostile dragon stared at her in front of her, whoever it was, fear would take over and loosen up where it could.
　There is no one to blame for that.

'See, then - I'll give you the fruits of the heavens, okay?
　Saying this, Nacht took out a fruit that resembled a green apple from storage.
　This was a fruit that could be obtained in the heavenly realm, where level one hundred to one hundred and twenty zone monsters spring up. It was also a food that was valued by all the players because when eaten, it restored FP (Food Points) for a certain amount of time.
　If it falls below a certain amount, your stats drop, and if it falls below a certain amount, you will lose your hit judgment, suffer from bad stats such as dizziness, and eventually die of starvation, which is an important value.

　I couldn't taste it when I was in the game, but I'm sure it would be delicious.
　Grocery items have a rarity level that manifests taste quality and scarcity, and considering that the fruit of the heavenly realm is six and the best is ten, it should be a good one.
　Lush water droplets softly seeped through to the outside of the skin, giving it a taut glow that seemed to be high in sugar content.

''Juri............Ha!　No, you can't, I mean, with food--with food--what, I won't be fooled by...

Ha, you may be stubborn upstairs, but you're honest in your body - you see, Aisha, this is what you want, isn't it?

"Ha, ha--no, no, no, no....

So you don't want this--a shame--
　Then he pretended to store the fruit he took out in the subspace.
　Then--.

I am.
　With the dragon's hearing, the tone of his voice is audible enough.
　However, the sight of Aisha's embarrassment caused a lewdness to surge through Nacht's mind.

''Hmm?　What did you just say?



Ha, well said. Well, here's your prize-- you can savor it.

Yes, thank you!　Oh, c'mon, c'mon, oh, my God!　Awesome, ah, hmmm, hmmm--
　Completely giving the fruit to Aisha, who has turned into a debauched face, Nacht also took the same thing out of storage and bit into it.
　The enormous amount of water that exploded in his mouth. It spread an indescribably elegant sweetness.
　The crunchy, chewy texture was a joy to chew, as well as pleasant to the tongue.
　The unraveling fiber gradually changed the taste and had a clean aftertaste.

"Hmm, it's pretty good--it's good--

Hmm, that's a first for me.

Ha, Aisha's overreacting.
　After all, you can collect as many of these fruits as you want at higher levels, although it takes time.
　They were sold cheaply on the players' free market as an extra pocket money for low-level characters. They were useful, but not expensive.

'Not really!　I've never had anything so good in my life!
　Nacht was a little pressured by Aisha's blossoming smile.
　But as long as she was happy, that was fine.
''--Well, then, I'll have to feed you more and more good food.


　Aisha mutters in a small voice.
　Nacht hears this and slowly shakes his head.

''That's not true, Aisha is already my squire, my friend, my precious one.
　Aisha cupped her cheeks with both hands as she was overcome with emotion.
　It's as if she's trying to force her distorted face to stay in place.
　Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be that effective.

''Ha, yes!　All of Aisha's belongs to Lord Nacht!

...)
　Nacht is enjoying a rambling conversation with Aisha.
　From the side, he is a fool walking through a dangerous forest with no vigilance or anything going on.
　So they approached Nacht.
　They were reckless, reckless, and easily caught in Nacht's trap of posing as a weakling who was only a prey.

(Yo, u, ko, so.)

　Nacht was quiet, and the smile on his mouth deepened.