The polished white porcelain corridor was raped by black.
　The stone, which should be inorganic, smoked with an alien stench, as if it had decayed. If you look at the ground, which was cracked so deeply that it would crumble if you stepped a step into it - there was a sword thrust out of it.

　That sword was the boundary.

　The erosion that had been dyed black to the point that even a high-ranking priest would spoon it, ended before Duran's eyes, and a normal corridor that was unaffected existed in front of the boundary line.

''Guh........''

　With a low moan, a light shone into the blackened world.
　The curse that overflowed as it erupted from his entire body and attacked Duran was rejected by the wildly shining wall of light.

''Magic Arts--Magic Wall.''

　A quiet voice reveals the seed.
　Duran has never been bright about magic. However, he can somehow understand just how powerful and threatening the incoming magic is by sense.
　The spreading spell that the alien being unleashed in all directions was not far from the abominable monster's magic, but it was enough to make Duran feel a sense of danger that was comparable to the Ice Emperor's magic.

(It would have been dangerous if he'd taken it properly...)

　The floor, which seemed to have decayed over the years, showed that Duran's prediction had been correct. If he hadn't reacted quickly and used a magic technique (magic arts), it would have been Duran's body that was decomposing.　　
　The magic arts were created by a warrior who was unskilled in magic, but still had the ability to counter powerful magic.

　A clash of magic and magic power.
　It is a simple technique that pursues the truth that attacks bearing magical power can also be countered with magical power, and the substance of the magical barrier is a simple technique that releases magical power at will through the sword.

　That's why there was a difference in talent that could override the advantageous disadvantage.
　Just as the profession of a magician exists, even within the scope of common sense, the magic power that changed its traits is a powerful and matchless attack in a thousand different ways. They try to counter such attacks with pure magic power without any kind of contrivance, even if it is put on a technique.
　It is a powerful technique that is possible only because Duran, who has magic power far beyond ordinary people, has broken the ice emperor's magic and has shown that even Nacht's magic was reduced.

''So........that's how it is.......''
　I saw the shadow of a small back.
　As the darkness cleared and the robes he wore peeled off, a child not much older than his age stood unsteadily in front of him.
　A small body emerged from the deep darkness, with a black pattern floating all over its body. It looks like a carved, will-less doll.
　However, the boys standing in front of you now are not lifeless things, but rather full-fledged human beings.



　It was a fraction of a second, less than a moment. Duran intended, meditated, and then opened his eyes.
　A moment.
　Even faster than words could be spun, Duran was instantly fleshed out.
　It wasn't a small technique like the previous ones. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

　--Martial Arts (Arts) -- Flash Sword --.

　From the shoulder mouth to the heart, it sliced through the black body that was hardened like armor.
　At that moment, Duran's sword, which had been pushed too far, shattered with a painful sound.

　What was left in his hand was the feel of flesh.
　In the back of my mind, I felt the sentiment of having a child as big as Nero on my hands. However, there is no time for such indescribable self to care about the heart.

"....Meirei.......Hi Jo--

　Duran opened his mouth to the pitiful boy, who didn't even look at his fallen comrades and pointed his blackened sword at him.

''-- Enough, sleep.''

　Duran doesn't hesitate to throw away the broken sword.
　It's not just that he's a swordsman, he's also a swordsman, which is probably because he uses the most common weapon, the sword, but he was born in a hapless farming village, so there's no reason for him to be concerned about what he can get. It's a good thing that Duran has the confidence to use it as a weapon, whether it's a roadside stone or farming tools.

　And I don't need to tell you that I am my body.
　The fist is clenched.
　I kicked out the ground to put power into my fist, strong, strong, and clenched fist, and then I simultaneously kneaded and released the magic power to pierce the curse and the power generated by the flow of my whole body from my fist.

"Earth Splitting Fist.

　Duran's fist slipped through the blade and accurately pierced his heart, reducing it to a small body.
　In terms of time, it was only a few moments.
　However, he could certainly feel flesh and bone cracking through the magic.
　As if time had stopped, the small body, which had been raised into the air, collapsed without power and its life was exhausted.

''..........Toussaint.......''

　Duran reached out without hesitation to the outstretched hand as if to cling to it, and misted the magic of his own hand - just a little bit, overlapping it.

'Oh, good night.'

　For a moment, an expression appeared on the inorganic face, like a mechanical contraption, and soon its eyes were quietly closed as it quickly lost its strength.



　He spat out, as if to cover up the pain of his direct touch.
　They were both human children.
　Nevertheless, their bodies were filled with imprinting and curses embedded in their bodies.
　A curse is basically something that is inscribed on a weapon. The sap of the forbidden tree and other deleterious substances that are the source of spells tend to affect other things before they can be carved into a magic formula. Anyone should know that if you use such a thing to give a juju to a flesh and blood person, it is easy to break them.

　After using a child as a test subject, he uses them as a soldier.
　It's tempting to curse them out, but there's nothing Duran can do in the current situation.
　Due to the fact that he has gone too far out of control, I can hear a few human voices here and there around him.
　I am nothing more than an intruder, and I should get away from this place that has caused an excessive amount of commotion as soon as possible.

'Good work, that's right, Duranshama.

　Just as Duran was about to make his move, a voice came from behind him.

'If you've been watching, help--or better yet--'

Yes, sir, that's all right. And I've just arrived.

　A smiling Lesia can't get the real story from her smiling face.

'Kidnapping, I was told, but no one is here, is that okay?'

Your mission is complete. The rest is under control and you must leave as soon as possible.

　Duran nodded one nod and immediately left the noble guesthouse.



◇



What the hell are they doing here?

　On the way, I couldn't help but ask Lesia aloud.

It's the Sacred Knights, right?　The Black Knights, the terminus of the Black Knights, which was established only about ten years ago, is theirs.

　Duran frowned at the words.

'Is that it?'

　At least the traces of the experiment Duran had glimpsed were too far removed from the word sacred.

'That's what it is. But the 'black' is the other side - the legacy of the demon (Mephis) that the emperor himself has erased from history today, and the failure of that legacy is the poor children Duran Shama fought against.

　The Great Sinner - Mephis Ray Strath.
　The only major sinner that the Pope himself had judged by the Inquisition for deceiving God.
　Even a rootless mercenary like Duran knew that name alone.

''That was the end result of the experiment he conducted. Most of all, as Duran Shama, who fought him, felt, his strength alone surpasses an ordinary B-class, and his battle power is close to an A-class because of the curse. The official announcement by the Holy Land regarding the Black Sacrament is that their many journeys have not been made public, and some of them have been used directly as Sacred Knights as examples of success, and that there were no illegal journeys. Don't worry, it may not be true, but the Electorate is extremely protective of human rights, at least as far as human rights are concerned. I don't think that this will ever happen again," he said.

　Duran has taken hundreds or thousands of lives with his own hands to get to this point.
　So I'm not going to get all sentimental that I've put a child in his hands now. I was the one who was asked to do it, and I proceeded to do it because I thought it was the best thing to do, so there is not the slightest bit of regret in existence.
　But I also don't intend to stop being a person to the extent that I can say that I have nothing to feel.

''I see..........''

　Duran muttered heavily, and no words were exchanged until they slipped out of the Rhine Cathedral.
　If it was late at night, there was no sign of anyone else in the city.
　As he walked quietly, Duran realized now that there was nothing more for him to do.
　That's why he threw those words at Lesia.

''-- You, what are you fighting for?''

　When was it, the hateful monster asked him that.
　Duran, who was in this place, tracing the way he used to live at the end of the day, asked.

'It was decided for the Princess Shama.　

　Lethia answered the conundrum that was still unanswerable, refreshingly fast.
　Duran held his tongue at Lesia's words, which didn't seem to be helpful at all.
　Then - just," Lethia continued to speak.

It's just that it's also for the sake of dreams. It is for the realization of the ideals that the demon king wished for and the queen aspired to in the past, and that is why Lesia fights for it.

　Lethia dexterously turns back and looks at Duran as he walks without slowing down.

'The mysterious demon who fights for no reason. What do you fight for?　For yourself?　For someone else?　If you don't know whether you want strength, or something to be proud of, or something to protect, or a place to run away from, or a place to go back to, or a weakness to protect, it's depressing to watch. It is the prerogative of the young to be worried, but don't stay in a hurry.

　Lesia's words, which are not short in terms of association, were undoubtedly a concern for Duran.
　That's why, as Duran's face contorts in an awkward manner, Lesia continues.

''The request has been successfully completed. So this is the end of it. I'm going to pay the rewards and I can't necessarily keep you safe, but I promise to properly protect the sisters that Duran shamans want to protect - but...
　Lesia told Duran slowly.
　As if seeking an answer to a conundrum that Duran had been obscuring and eluding to reason.

'--But are you sure that's what you want, Duran-sama?









◇








　The clock tower ticked its hands.

　Signaling the end and the beginning, the clock ticked away　　

　Then a sound echoes through the world.

　A dull sound that seems to twist the world that was supposed to be normal.

　Regardless of distance, place, or even consciousness, everyone is told the sound.

　Slowly.

　But heavily.

　The sound of change resounds and its voice reaches the world.

"I'm telling the whole world--

　Now, at this moment, the fire of the beginning burns.