Dekken, the platoon leader, who was in direct command of one of the squads and was advancing through the meadow in search of the grinder, saw the shadow of a large bird passing overhead.
　Shortly thereafter, a wolfsbane (smoke signal) raised, and he realized that the shadow he had just seen was the grinder, and he turned his horse's head.

　There are ten soldiers under his command.
　For a moment you are unsure if you should join the other squads that are searching nearby, but since the grinder flew in the direction of the main squad, you immediately start moving.

　There are three squads and thirty soldiers in the main unit.
　They would probably not be defeated.
　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to be defeated.

　This is a valuable opportunity for Dekken to redeem his reputation.
　You can't get away with this, but you can't get away with it because of the fact that you've been called the best wielder in the army, and yet you were lightly treated by a female mercenary with no idea what kind of a horse's bones you're talking about.

　If we can show that we have done a good job in defeating the grinder this time to the satisfaction of everyone, we will no longer be accused of being a "paper mache tiger defeated by a woman".
　That's why it was necessary to meet up with them as soon as possible before the main unit defeated the grinder.

''Captain Deken!　There's something flying in the direction of the main force!

　One of the archers noticed the approaching shadows and reported to me.
　He stopped walking and looked over his horse to see a shadow flying overhead.

　The shadow was bigger and faster than a bird, and it was getting closer and closer.
　It was the same silhouette as the shadow that had just passed overhead.
　I didn't know why, but the grinder was flying from the direction of the main unit.

'A grinder!　All hands on deck!

　The soldiers formed up according to Dekken's command.

'Heavy armor, forward!　Archers ready!

　While they were doing so, the shadow came in a straight line towards Dekken and his friends.
　Little by little the size of the shadow became more apparent as it approached.
　Eventually, the shadow came to a stop in the sky above Dekken and his friends, where it stopped moving and looked down at the meadow as if to observe.

'Archers, fire!'

　At the command, three arrows were shot at the shadow, but all the arrows fell in a parabolic line before they could reach the opponent.

　The shadow cries in a deafening voice.

''Keeeeeeeeeeeee!''

　A blade of wind attacks Deken and his men.
　The storm, which is comparable to advanced magic, bared its fangs and tore through the lightly armed soldiers.

''Gyaaah!''

　The screams of the soldiers echoed across the meadow.
　Deken was better equipped than the soldiers, so he barely received a fatal wound, but the involved horse was cut off and collapsed, bleeding from cuts all over his body.

　Where the green earth is stained red with blood, a shadow descends with a flap of wings with a basari-basari.

''And it's huge .......''

　The territorial guards were upset by the unexpected size of the shadow that descended in front of them.

''This is ......, Grinder .......''

　An overwhelming presence.
　My biological instincts warn me to run away immediately.

　Already less than half of their strength, all that's left are five heavily armed soldiers with shields and Dekken.
　But we can't run away from them here.
　This is the perfect opportunity to clear your name.
　If we turn our backs on them now, even if we save our lives, we'll be fingered for the rest of our lives.

　Clenching his teeth, Dekken raised his sword as if to force himself out of his trembling, and instructed the remaining heavily armed soldiers.

''Do not be afraid!　Behold!　He's already wounded!　If you surround them, they are no match for you!

　Deken's eyes reflected the dagger stuck in his paw, the blood flowing from it, and the feathers on his upper body that had been scorched by the flames.

　It had probably attacked the main unit, but had been returned and flowed over here.
　If that's the case, the grinder should have already been drained of its power.
　Although I was caught unawares earlier, it's not an unwinnable situation.

''Oh!''

　Inspired by Dekken's voice, the heavily armed soldiers all attack the grinder at once.

　But their swords are dodged, and the blows they strike are flung back by some force.
　In the meantime, the grinder's claws are wielded with a sound that cuts through the air and cuts through the armor of one of the heavily armed soldiers.

''Gua......!''

　The next heavy armored soldier next to him also fell down after being pierced through the brain by a sharp beak.
　It was as if he was no match for it.

''Na......!''

　Deken is speechless.
　I can't win. The unspoken words went through his head.

'Platoon Leader Dekken!　Thirty-twoth squad, we're here to cover you!

　The voice of an ally comes from behind Deken, who was in a state of exasperation.
　Followed by the sound of multiple heavy footsteps rushing up.
　They were west of Dekken's squad, another squad.

　In terms of numbers, this is thirteen men.
　However, after seeing the strength of the grinders, Dekken could understand that this was not an opponent that could hope to win very much.

　The spearmen and heavy armor ran past Dekken's side and rushed towards the grinder.

'Wait!　Don't go into it!

　The grinder swings its sharp claws at the soldiers who charged with the momentum in vain to stop Dekken.

　A spearman's chest is slashed open.
　Another soldier's arm is sliced off.
　A heavily armed soldier is pierced through his shield with his beak and punctured through his neck.

　Every time the grinder acted, the lives of the soldiers were reaped one by one.

　If they didn't retreat, they would be wiped out.
　Such thoughts crossed Deken's mind.

　But will the grinders really be able to follow their escape?
　Unlike ourselves, they can fly.
　It would be easy for them to catch up with the human legs.

　What saved the hesitant and reluctant Deken was a single arrow that suddenly pierced the grinder's lower body.

　The arrow, which shot out of nowhere, wounded the unsuspecting grinder.
　Next, a crush of ice appeared above his head and slammed towards the grinder's wing.

''Uh-oh!''

　The one who slashed at the grinder with a roar is a swordsman with a sturdy body clad in tearing muscles.

　The swordsman shook his ebony-colored hair and thrust his bastard sword into the air.
　The tip of the cut wounded the grinder's side.

''Kewn!''

　The grinder wriggled away.

'Ted, get away from me!'

　As the woman's voice flew, the swordsman with the bastard sword immediately took the distance.
　As if he was waiting for it, a sharp arrow was shot at the grinder's head.
　However, the demon also seemed to have expected the attack and bent down slightly to dodge it.

''Orphelia!''

The shining blue is the color of the land where the color is lost, the time and the silence of eternity. ---- The storm of the far north, Troa Süss Follote!

　The voice of a man firing an arrow coincides with the chanting of a robed woman.

　As the chanting is completed, a blizzard of alare-infused blizzards attacks the grinder and tries to cover its body with ice.
　However, the attack is blocked by what appears to be an invisible barrier and is largely offset by the attack.
　The grinder trembles, brushing away the ice that clings to his body, and then slams his four horse-legged feet to the ground on the spot, stamping his feet.

'Ach, it doesn't look like it's working very well, does it?

　The steel-haired archer said in a light tone.

''I know!　If you have time to talk for nothing, shoot even one arrow!

I know what you mean, by the way.

　The arrows are released into the grinder again, but they are probably already alerted. A gust of wind arises and the trajectory of the arrow is deflected.

　Then a swordsman with a bastard sword slashes at it.
　The grinder blocked it with his claw and struck down the swordsman's beak from above his head.
　The swordsman used the round shield fixed to his arm to deftly parry the attack.

　From Deken's perspective, the fight appears to be shifting at five minutes.
　The swordsman standing in front of the grinder was focused on dodging and passing off the heavy attacks rather than catching them, inflicting hand wounds whenever he saw fit.
　The attacks of the archers and mages weren't decisive blows either, but they were effective in keeping the grinders in check and limiting their freedom of action.

　We can win, and just as such hope was about to appear in Deken's mind, the swordsman's round shield was cruelly torn apart after he failed to catch the crochet claw attack.

''d*mn!''

　Foul-mouthed words spill out of the swordsman's mouth.

　It is not an easy skill to parry an attack with a shield.
　This is a very important step in the process of adjusting the position of your body and shield by instantly calculating the direction and strength of the force, speed and timing.

　If the calculations were even slightly off, even a momentary lapse in timing would cause the attacker to fail to parry the attack and take a decent load.
　The reason why the swordsman with the Bastard Sword had been able to parry and dodge every attack from the grinder so far was because of the high skill of the swordsman with the Bastard Sword.

　However, that can't continue forever.
　If that was the case, it would be enough to take away the enemy's fighting ability before that, but the truth was that they lacked the decisive factor to do so.

''Where is Ardis walking all over the place!

　A woman in a hysterical dark green robe shouts out.

'Shut up. I wasn't playing around either, you know?

　There was a voice that responded to the woman's voice, which seemed to have no one to answer it.

'Aldis!

　The voices of an archer, a mage, and a swordsman overlapped.
　Then Dekken saw a dark-haired boy holding a broadsword behind the grinder.

''Kyukyuun!''

　The grinder, who turned around and perceived the presence behind him, shrugged and looked frightened.

　The grinder immediately flapped his wings and tried to escape into the air, and the shadow of a person descended from further up in the sky.

'You won't get away this time,'

　A woman in white robes, with her long Alice blue hair fluttering, takes a dagger shot to one wing of the grinder.

　An overflowing spray of blood.
　The grinder, which has lost its balance, is attacked by a broadsword wielded by a dark-haired boy.

　A flash.

　The other wing, which was unharmed, was cut off from the root with ease.
　With one wing injured and the other lost, the grinder has no way of escaping into the sky.

''Don't be too hard on me.

　As he spoke softly, the boy reaved his broadsword to the side and the grinder's head and body were cut off in a blink of an eye.
　This is the moment when the grinder, which had rebounded from every attack of the territorial army until then, was twisted down with even more overwhelming force.

''You've been saved: ......

　Deken was finally able to take a deep breath as he watched the grinder's massive body fall to the ground.
　But that was only a short time before he turned his attention to the damage around him.

　The damage to the territorial army was severe.
　In the squad that Dekken had originally led, only three people, including him, were still alive.
　The squad that came to support him on the way, there were only six remaining.
　Of the twenty men in the squad, eleven were killed in action. It was a heavy defeat.

　Furthermore, Dekken and his men, who were unable to get to the grinder, were rescued by the more despicable mercenaries.
　For Dekken, everything is not good and unacceptable. A voice seemed to come from inside telling him that this was a bad dream.

'My Lord. Are you going to bring home the body as well as the head?'

Throw it away. It's not worth the money.

Yes, my Lord.

　A woman's voice talking to the boy draws Dekken's attention to a familiar voice.

　There was a woman in a robe with long Alice blue hair and sky-blue eyes.

　Dekken's eyes widened.
　An unexpected encounter with an unforgettable partner.

　The woman who treated herself in front of marquises and generals, causing them to ridicule her.
　She is a despicable mercenary with no sense of civility, who pursues only power.
　The very woman who has now robbed Dekken of the opportunity to redeem her honor and inflict a new disgrace on him.

　A hint of dark emotion invades Dekken's mind.
　As the soldiers of the territorial army surrounded the boy and the woman with jubilation and admiration, Dekken left the circle alone and muttered with hatred.

'That woman ......!