"Hey, swordsman!　Do you need backup?!

Please!

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
　It's a good idea to be sure, the green-haired swordsman answered immediately without even turning around.

The wind that rips through is a white lady playing a tune ---- wind cutter!

　As soon as he heard the reply, Ardis unleashed the wind, simultaneously unleashing the "Tokiharugasumi" and "Tsukishiro Blizzard" at the demons.
　The wind that imitates offensive magic instantly neutralizes one of the dispairs. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

''I?

　He must have assumed that the wind cutter's magic was only a check and balance. The green-haired swordsman looks back at Ardis in surprise.

　The two Whips attacked him, taking advantage of the gap.
　But without pause, the 'Kikuharukasumi' and 'Tsukidai Fubuki' slash its head from the side.

''Nah......!''

　Beside the exasperated swordsman, Ardis rushed to the remaining whips with the 'Soutian Saika' in hand.

''I'll leave that dispenser to you!

'What?　Oh, ...... Oh!

　Pushing the remaining disperser to the green-haired swordsman, he quickly entered the bosom of the Whips and cleaved his torso right beside it.

''Buaaaah!

　The Whips fall to the ground, leaving behind a decapitated voice.
　The remaining Whips must have seen this and instinctively understood that Aldis was an unwary opponent.

''Four-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

　He has been trying to reap the consciousness of Aldis by playing his special ability 'Song of Silence'.
　However, the song, which is extremely dangerous to ordinary mercenaries, is no different from a mere squeal to Ardis.
　I'm not sure if the green-haired swordsman has been hit by the song, but he seems to be keeping his consciousness clear as well.

"If you want to sing so badly, then sing until you die.

　After confirming the swordsman's safety, Aldis mercilessly beheaded Whips as he spoke the words of temu-tai.

''Fo--''

　With no time to dodge the sharp blow, Whips died as he sang.

　Looking at the swordsman, it seemed that he had finished defeating the disperser as well.
　He approached his defeated prey and affixed the mark, the proof of defeat, to his head.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it, but I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

　This is a magical tool used by mercenaries and soldiers who can't afford to fight with their bags on the battlefield to prove their own merit.
　They record who has attached them and who has removed them, and can be checked by taking certain steps.
　It is also a reminder that if you tear and burn it, the person who did it will be marked with a spell.

　It was commonly used on the battlefield to eliminate undesirables who tried to take credit for other people's work and to give credit where credit was due.
　At first, it was used only by mercenaries, but as its effectiveness was proven, it was adopted by the regular army as well.

　When I finished putting up the tag in a flash, a green-haired swordsman approached Ardis.


''---- crack.


'Oh no, thank God! I thought I'd have to run away, but ......, huh?　You ......, I believe we met at your daughter's place ......?

　The swordsman opened his mouth in such a light tone that it was hard to believe that his life was in danger, and he looked at Aldis' face to confirm that.

　The swordsman's face was familiar to Ardis as well.
　He was a little past his mid-twenties in age. Despite his frivolous appearance, his demeanor gave a sense of solid competence.
　Even though his face was turned to Ardis, his eyes, which were the same color as his hair, moved from time to time as he tried to understand the war situation around him.

　It was the face of the man who came into the parlor as his escort on the day he first met Marida of the Litte Trading Company.

''You're ......, the guy who was guarding Marida?　I believe the name is ......

It's Nicole. Well, I got kicked out of my room pretty quickly when I was your escort.

　Ha-ha-ha," Nicole laughs, "in a battlefield where life and death are in a state of flux.
　In a battlefield where life and death are at a whirlwind pace, you are very resolute. Aldis is more impressed by the brazenness than the dismay.

I'm going to be able to buy you a drink if you survive to repay you for your help.

It's a pretty cheap life, isn't it? You can get more for it, right?

　Aldis also has no intention of getting together after helping once.
　I'm not saying this in earnest, but the urge to chill out on Nicole, who does not lose her composure even in this situation, came out as a joke.

''Oh no,'' she said, ''my life is better when it's cheap. At best, I'd rather drink myself to death with a night of cheap alcohol.

　For some reason, Nicole gave a self-mocking smile.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

　This time, the reward for defeating a demon will be three gold coins. It's a different situation than regular soldiers who only receive a salary even if they risk their lives.
　A mercenary who was dirty with money couldn't live very long.
　Even though the mercenaries are fighting for money, they are not fighting for money alone.

　A mercenary who sells his comrades for money, or betrays them at the price of money, is of course an act of betrayal, but a mercenary who clings so tightly to money that he neglects his comrades will also be disliked by those around him.
　The mercenary lives by his own strength, but not many people are strong enough to live their lives by turning everyone around.
　Nicole's words, which could be taken as being stingy with money, could cause friction with others and even endanger lives.

　But we're in the middle of a battlefield.
　There was no time to carry on a conversation that leisurely.

"For the time being, our priority is to beat that group of people coming at us.

'Hmmm ...... that's a lot. I know you're strong, though. Isn't that a little too much?

　The two of them are looking ahead to a swarm of demons of all sizes.
　It seems that there are almost no mercenaries in this area, and it seems that this area has become a vacuum zone on the front lines.

　So far, Nicole had shown the work of five mercenaries and managed to get by, but as expected, it must be hard to deal with more than five demons.
　While directing his deep green eyes to the crowd, he asks Ardis with the implication of the option of retreating.

''As long as it doesn't exceed a hundred, I can handle it.

''Wow. I knew you were someone you shouldn't have made enemies with.

　Nicole smiled dryly at Aldis, who said it flatly.
　The swarm of demons coming at you is, at a rough count, between fifteen and twenty. This is the number that an ordinary mercenary would immediately return the spikes and run away.

I'm sure you'll find that if you take out the fastest ones first, you won't need to take out all of them at the same time. You can take out two or three of them too, right?　Anyone I know could do that, right?

...... We'll be gone as soon as the shit hits the fan, okay?

Yeah, that's fine. If things go south.

　As if in resignation, Nicole pulls her sword from its scabbard.
　Ardis again floats the ''Kiku Spring Haze'' and ''Moonlight Blizzard'' and runs out in the direction of the demon's direction with ''Aoten Saika'' in hand.


''---- pikki pikki.''


　First of all, he used his sword to taunt the disperser who rushed at him at the head of the pack, and then hit the ice block magic from behind the broken regime.
　By the side, Nicole was facing the Hound and slashing it down with seamless swordwork. It's a way of fighting that is not dangerous to watch and gives a sense of competence.

''But I thought you were an escort?　Shouldn't you be by Marida's side?

　Ardis asks as she catches the demon's attack with her sword.

'That young lady has given me instructions. She told me to give priority to defeating the demons, not to escort them.''

　Nicole replied as she launched a thrust at the second hound.

It seems that as the situation became more and more clear, this is not the time to be concerned about the profits of the Chamber of Commerce," she said. Business and profit are important, but there's no point in dying.　Rather than hold the packs and escort me around, Nicole, join the vanishing army and hunt more and more demons!　If you can, it would be great if you could hunt a lot of demons whose materials can be sold at a high price! It is.

　Nicole reproduces Marida's unique tone of voice.

'If I was as good as you, I could have protected Marida and escaped from Leytin.

　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

'That's not something you can't do, but ....... It's just a matter of if the young lady wants to do it either way.

　That's what it means to have yourself here. And Nicole shrugs dexterously as she fights.

'Hmm. That Marida is hey .......

You may be a grumpy little girl, but you have a perfectly decent heart, don't you?　I wouldn't take on a bodyguard, either, if I was a selfish girl who only cared about herself.

　While exchanging words, the two slaughtered the demons one after another.

　It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends.

''But you. I don't know if you're a sorcerer or a swordsman, by the way you fight.

　She may or may not have realized that she was using magic without chanting. Nicole glanced at Aldis, who was fighting in an unfamiliar way, and expressed her thoughts.

'I'm not playing a match against ...... humans. We don't need to stick to the general image of a sorcerer, do we?

　I've been told that when you are as good a user as Nicole is, you can see that Ardis's swordsmanship is not a take-no-prisoners imitation.

　It's not that I'm troubled by the fact that fighting with a sword is the original style, but there's no need to reveal our hand more than necessary to anyone who might turn against us in the future.
　If the other party has mistakenly thought of Ardis as a sorcerer and has let their guard down, it is because it is a big advantage in the battle against people.

　That's why Aldis replies with words that can't be taken as either affirmation or denial while slicing through the demon.


''---- peck.''


　Fighting, lightly exchanging words with each other, not much more than enough.
　As expected, Nicole's shoulders rose and fell with fatigue, and she looked at the situation around her and murmured sincerely.

''Oh no, great hunting. I think we've killed all the demons around here.　Do you have enough tags for a kill certificate?　If you don't have enough, I can share mine with you.

No problem. I've got a hundred sheets.

'Right. If you're bringing that many, does that mean you don't have enough numbers ............?　Hey, don't tell me that's what you were talking about earlier when you said 'I have to be over a hundred'?

　Nicole looks at Ardis with a mixture of surprise, admiration and dismay.

''As expected, it's a waste of time to throw away three gold coins of prey.

　It was Ardis, who answered quickly and put the tag on the demon he had defeated.