"Let's get fancy and hit the Devil's Continent!

　Hearing Nacht's words, the one who was most distraught was Filnelia.

'Wait, wait, wait, wait!　Please wait!　We have no desire to antagonize you!　I don't want to, I don't want to!　What do you want?　Compensation?　I'll pay you, just give me a fair price!

　A desperate form, that's exactly what Firnelia is talking about right now.
　So much so that a distraught Filnelia rushes to Nacht.
　It's not unreasonable. It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
　When it comes to someone who can oppose him, the only person who comes to mind is the Demon Lord. Nowadays, he is a figure in the legends, a monster that makes me think of the Demon King of Calamity and the first brave man. That is Nacht from Firnelia's point of view.　

　Besides, the demon race are all short-tempered and belligerent.
　If Nacht, a stranger, has a big face, there will definitely be idiots to fight with.
　If that happened, how much damage would be caused? And the one who would be responsible for that would be Filnelia.

...Gusu... hey, I'll do anything... really, anything... It's a succubus....　

　Filnelia says, even with tears in her eyes.
　Nacht laughs at her desperate plea.

'Don't worry so much. 'Don't worry, I'm not looking for a fight. I'm just going to have a normal conversation with him, because I want to meet his child.

(That's what I'm talking about!)

　However, Nacht's tone seems to speak of a decision at the earliest.
　He tries to offer a compromise to Filnelia to somehow overturn the current situation, but Nacht's eyes remain twinkling.
　Eventually, an arrangement was made with the elves, and it had almost been decided that Nacht would cross over to the Demon Continent.

　The arrangements with the elves were generally as follows.
　The demon tribe will leave the elven village within half a year.
　150 demon prisoners will be paid a fair price for their capture.
　Third, the elves will support the demons for the time it takes for them to leave.
　Fourth, except for some of the leftovers, the supplies of the demon army will belong to the elves.

　After the discussion was settled, it was time to dismiss the group. Djinn, who had been silent throughout the negotiations, opened his mouth.

''There is one thing I need to ask of you.

What is it, Mr. Deputy?

　At Grace's words, Jin bowed his head.

'I want you to give me the general's horn.

　The great demon, Gailzark von Crimson, was the general of the Demon King's army. Exposed to the gravity magic of the masked mage, his body was severely damaged, and Nacht quickly buried it with magic to mourn him, but the horn, the root of the demon's power, was still with a fierce glow even after Gailzark's life had been lost.

　Now it is in the hands of the elves as one of their spoils of war.
　As a material, there is no doubt that it is a super first-class product. The horn of Gailsaak, which had evolved from a demon to a demon race and rose to the top as a demon. If it could be used as a weapon, Firnelia couldn't imagine how much it would be.

　The number one reason why humans would target demons and demonkind was that their bodies would be used as material. That's why people regard demons and demonkind as enemies like avengers of their parents, while at the same time clinging to them as prey that can be profitable if defeated.

''Wait, wait--''

　That's why those things that died in battle and turned into material are not among the things to be returned. Because that would be tantamount to taking the loot away from people. Asking for the horns of Gailsaak to return the leftovers is tantamount to saying so, that the biggest loot should be returned unconditionally.

'I know. I know that's an insane thing to say. But there are people who want to give that man a living, breathing testimony. Someone who deserves it. So...

　--please.

　And Jin dropped to the ground and lowered his head.

''Hmm. I understand what you are saying, Jin-dono. I believe that the items that are likely to cause problems in the future should be returned to you.

　The elven village that benefits from the World Tree is complete with that one thing. If you ask if they need money or valuable minerals, they'll nod their heads, and if you ask if they desperately need demonic materials, they'll say not so much.

　After taking a breath, Grace continues.

''But it's also true that giving up that much material unconditionally is a bad way to face your own people who risked their lives to fight.

　There is no reason to cling to the horns of Gailzak. But that has remained as a battle result for everyone to see.
　Hearing Grace's words, Jin still bowed his head violently.

''Do something about that, please!　Anything I can do to help, I will do!　If you want the materials, I can go to the other continent and hunt for dangerous species and disaster species. So--

Ho-ho-ho. Ho-ho-ho, hear me out--I'm just saying that handing it over is not a good idea.

　With that, Grace looked at Nacht.
　With that alone, Nacht was able to guess Grace's intentions.

''.........?''

　But it's not as if Jin, a brainiac to the core, has any idea what it means.

''Then I'll take that horn.

　Nacht said.
　He said, "Everyone is satisfied with what Nacht brought to the table in the last battle.
　I'm sure no one would complain about Nacht's receiving a horn as a reward.

"Whoa!　Wait, wait a minute--!

　Nacht laughed at the panicked Jin.

'But I have no use for these things as if they were given to me. If you want it, I'll give it to you, djinn.'

What?　What do you mean by that?

　Filnelia gave a single sigh to Jin, who was confused by the situation that was beyond her understanding.

"Forget it, you can just take it... haha... but don't show it in public. But are you sure you want to...?

'No problem. I've already been paid, and the biggest reward is with me.

　Nacht laughed with certainty.
　Filnelia couldn't plan the meaning of Nacht's words, but there was no need to deeply pursue the meaning of such Nacht's words.

''Yes--then it's time for us to go............''

　And with that, Filnelia and Jin left.
　Grace sipped her tea in the now silent room.
　It's a good thing that you're a good friend.

"Is that the best reward--

　Nacht nodded, holding her daughter gently as she leaned against her.

'Yeah, whoever, whatever you say, this is a done deal.

Perhaps we've depended on the Chief for so much time that we've decided it's time to decide on the next generation. --

　Grace's eyes were lonely and fragile as she said this.

'Don't look so lonely, Grace. This is an important place for Shtel and Aisha, and nothing will ever change that. I'll be back again soon - this time with Aisha's mother.

　Grace laughed at Nacht's words.

It's a good thing that you're here," he said. Your visit here seems to have brightened up the village that has been in the shadows for so long, Nacht.

　Grace bowed her head quietly.

'--thanks.

　At the old man's acknowledgement, Nacht gave a pleasant smile.






◇





　When one leaves the Elven home, it is natural to say goodbye.
　One of the most important animals in the house, our beloved pet, was thirsty by the fireplace.
　Nacht's pure white coat, which he always kept trimmed daily, was fluffy and silky to the touch.
　As he leaned against such balls, Shtel was breathing softly in his sleep.
　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say goodbye to him, but it was the result of playing with him more than usual.

'You've grown quite accustomed to it, too.

　Nacht says with a bitter smile.
　The beast that was only disciplined by Nacht's magical power and was absolutely obedient to Aisha and Stel was not a ferocious tiger at the earliest, but just an adorable cat.
　Tama was so integrated into the lives of Nacht and the others that such a cat didn't feel uncomfortable being with Stel and Aisha in this way.

'Tomorrow, we'll be saying goodbye to Tama.......I'm a little sad.......'

Nyaon.

　Tama squealed in response to Aisha's muttering.
　Whether or not to take Tama on Nacht's journey, Nacht left the final decision to Tama's will.
　In fact, there would be all sorts of problems if he wanted to take her with him, but the method itself existed. It's quite possible to work with Tama as long as he's usually with her and kept in a moving house (sub-home) while she's in the city or elsewhere.

　However, the completely cat-like Tama is just a wild beast, usually running around in the forest to hunt.
　You may find yourself holed up in the woods for days at a time, but Tama is not yet an adult. There will probably be a time when they will return to their parents.
　That's why it would be stressful for him to leave the forest he'd grown so accustomed to, and why he didn't want to leave this place.

　Plus, there was the benefit of leaving Tama behind.
　Tama would be a good enough asset in defending the elven village, which was stretched thin.

'Don't look so lonely, Aisha--we'll see you again soon.

　Even if it was Aisha's desire to take her balls with her, there was no way that Aisha herself would want that choice if it was impossible.
　The best choice would be to find Aisha's mother and come back here again.

　The fire in the fireplace flickers faintly in the fresh air.
　Nacht held out a hand to Tama, who sat down.

'Nyaon?'

　Nacht says to Tama, who has a question mark on his face.

'We'll be back here again - so it's your job to protect this place, Tama.

　The twin eyes with deep intelligence look back at Nacht.

You're not sure if you can rely on the no-good girl elves to protect your village, though they've become more dependable in their own way, so you'll have to protect the village as well. That much would be easy with our pets, wouldn't it?

Oh, my God, Master Nacht again-- no need to push yourself, Tama.

　Aisha and Nacht's words, to which I'm not sure which of them I answered

Meow!

　The balls chirped emphatically.

'I'll have to give you a testimony of your family--'

　Saying that, Nacht poured out a faint amount of black magic power from the hand he held out to his balls.
　Hidden by the pure white fur, the black stripes became a little stronger.
　At the same time, a black pattern was engraved on the back of the hand holding the lovely pawpaw. A stripe of darkness that embodied the deep night. It looked like the scales of a dragon, depending on how one looked at it.

　He didn't use any special skills (skills) like Aisha and the others. I just carved a little magic power into it. So it doesn't have any special effects.
　But at this very moment, Tama has become a member of the Nacht family.

'--I'm looking forward to seeing you grow up, and I look forward to seeing you next time.

　A beast has settled in the village of the elves.
　A ferocious beast that is not dominated by anyone, a white tiger clothed in magic.
　For some reason, the tiger makes a cat-like noise and wanders around the village as if it were watching over the village every day.
　At some point in time, the elves in the village began to call him their guardian beast.