A corner of the meadow in the evening.
　The sword, which received a sharp blow in a flash, is flicked off with a high-pitched sound.

''Kukk!''

　The sword that the defensive young man wielded in distress was coolly judged by a middle-aged man with his hair cut short.
　While being distracted from his stance, the dark-haired young man was about to strike the floating flying sword from both sides--.

''Too late!''

　He is struck down with a blackmail.

　There are more than ten swords of various sizes floating around the middle-aged man.
　In contrast, the young man's side has four swords. It's obvious that he's simply losing with his hands.

　It would be nice if he could increase the number of swords like his opponent, but four swords is the limit for the current young man.
　In that case, there is no choice but to win with the strength you have.

　Knowing the disadvantage, the young man stepped in with both swords in his hands.
　He stopped his opponent with his right hand sword in a sideways nudge and immediately thrust it out from underneath him, aiming at his throat with his left hand sword.
　At the same time, he left only one defensive flying sword and sent three of them around behind him.

　The middle-aged man lightly retreated to avoid the attack of the sideways nagi, and for the next thrust, he combined three flying swords to create an improvised shield.
　The flying swords combined like a triangular pyramid, catching the young man's strike to its center, while the next moment it spun around and entangled its blade tips.
　When the five flying swords were intercepted by the attacker from the back, it was our turn to go on the offensive.

　The middle-aged man grinned at the young man, who lightly flipped off the flying swords he had put on defense and tried his best to withstand the attack by holding the only remaining sword in both hands.

　While continuing to attack seamlessly with the sword in his hand, he thrusts one of his flying swords at the young man's feet.
　The moment the young man's attention was drawn to his feet due to the inexplicable behavior, the flying sword that had stabbed into the ground jumped up and sprayed the young man's face with a mixture of pebbles and dirt.

''Whoa!''

　The middle-aged man didn't see an opening in the young man's face as he shielded his face in a flash.

　With a full-bodied blow, the young man finally drops the sword in his hand.
　The young man fell to the swiftly delivered foot sweep and tried to regain his position in a hurry, but he stopped moving when he felt the cold tip of the blade against his neck.

　In contrast to the young man who continues to stare in frustration, the middle-aged man shed the aggressive atmosphere he had been wearing and began his assessment in a leisurely tone.

''You're still sweet, Aldis.''

　As he said this, the middle-aged man popped the young man's head with the belly of his sword.

''You're trying to rely too much on your hands. Holding a sword in both hands will only weaken the power of the blow.

''It can't be helped. We're outnumbered by flying swords.

　With his mouth agape, Aldis countered.
　The middle-aged man sighed lightly and crouched in front of Aldis, sheathing his sword.

''Aldis. How long have you been in our home?'

...... seven or eight years or so.

What have you seen in the meantime?　I don't know why you're so d*mn big.

　The middle-aged man sits down on the ground with a relieved expression on his face.

It's not at all scary for the people who are facing off against a half-hearted attacker to have an extra move or two. The only thing that makes it easier to fight is that it creates more openings.

But .......

But what?

'I can't use strong magic like everyone else, and I'm not even good with a bow, so I'm ......

You know what? Not everyone has to be able to use strong magic, right?　What do you think a bunch of people are fighting for?　You're just trying to follow each other's lead in the areas that are lacking. If you can't use it at all in the first place, well, I understand magic, so that's good enough for me, isn't it?

'And you only have four flying swords that you can control, I'm so miserable and disgusting.

"It's enough to control four swords. Even flying swords aren't good enough. If you focus so much on control, you may lose control. Now, don't just focus on the small tricks, but also improve your swordsmanship properly. I've been telling you for a while now. You're better at swordsmanship.

　When the middle-aged man was about to open his mouth further to Aldis, who looked unconvinced, a shout interrupts from a group of people surrounding the campfire a short distance away.

'Hey Grace!　Don't use someone's sword without permission!

Oh, shit!　You're using mine, too!

If the cutting edge is chipped, you'll have to pay for sharpening!

　As if to bounce back the accusations, the middle-aged man shouted back, only turning his head back.

''Shut up!　If you don't want to be used without permission, you'd better make sure you wear it!　One of these days you'll be scratched in your sleep by your own sword, I don't care!

　Looking at the back of his head with such a mixture of gray hair, Aldis was struck by a sense of helplessness.
　As soon as they met, the opponent who was copped out by saying, "It's ten years too early to try to beat me". That was the man in front of him.

　He had struggled to catch up with him, begging him to teach him, stealing and imitating his skills, but how close had he come to catching him? Would he ever be able to defeat this man in two or three short years? I can't help but wonder if there will ever be a day when I can beat this man in two or three years.

'Well,'

　Grace, who had regained her composure and turned to Aldis, opened her mouth.

'Later, Aldis. Don't try to fight in style.'

What's that? You want me to play the cowardly game like you did before?

　Ardis asks in a reproachful tone.
　He's referring to the fact that he used the flying sword earlier to roll up dirt and use it to blind them.

That's not the most cowardly thing to do. "That doesn't count as cowardice," he said, "but it's even worse than that. It is only a matter of time before you find dirt or sand under your feet and you know what will happen if you get your face splashed with it. It's called letting your guard down when you're not careful.

　Grace pulls her own flying sword into her hand.

''Don't let him plunge his flying sword into you stupidly. Hide your numbers. Keep them hidden in their blind spots. If you want, you can paint it and disguise it as a simple piece of wood. You can use an invisible needle instead of a sword, or you can hide a small sword in your clothes sleeve.

　He goes on to give specific examples with gestures, but Aldis remains unconvinced.

'Aldis,'

　It's not a good idea to have a slightly unhappy color in your eyes, and Grace blames you for it.

It's a good thing that you're not a member of any of these groups. The battlefield of a mercenary is not so sweet that you can survive by fighting legitimately. My men don't need to die because of the way they fight. The only people I need are the ones who choose to struggle to survive, no matter how clumsy or badly dressed, no matter how dirty their mouths are or how bad their habits are.

　Grace asks, her expression softening slightly.

'What happens to Lou when you're dead?　At least you know that he needs you, right?

When I die, you're going to be the one who dies.

Of course we'll take care of it. But you know, Aldis. To me, Lou is just one of my men. But that's not what Lou is to you, is it?　And you to Lou.

......

　A dark-haired young man is silent without a word in reply.

'Aldis. Fight meaner and meaner. Don't let your own hands limit the means to victory. Don't let your pride truncate your chances of survival. How can a man who can't even defend his own life properly protect the woman he's in love with?

...... I'm not convinced, but I'll remember ......

　Bitterly, Aldis squeezes out an answer.

　Hearing this, Grace nods in satisfaction and stands up.

'Okay, end of the sermon!　Tomorrow we're moving on to the next battlefield again. I'm going to get a quick meal and go to bed!

　Grace was about to declare and walk away when she turned around unexpectedly and started to say something that made Aldis nod his head.

'Well, yes, Ardis. You had something to do with you, didn't you?　Huh?　What are you talking about? Now get up and do what you have to do. I'm not in the morning.

　Grace raised her sword, which was still in its sheath, and swung it vigorously towards Ardis.

''-- right!''





　After dodging Grace's blow, Ardis is awakened by the killing spirit that passes by her body.

''Ouch!　You're awake!

　A man's voice sounded out of the darkness, swearing.

　Aldis instantly took stock of the situation.
　The place was inside a tent for camping.
　Only Aldis and two figures were inside it.

'It's just a fluke!'

　I couldn't see their faces, but their voices were familiar.
　They were the mercenaries who had accompanied Solte as his bodyguards for the past few days.

''Let's get this over with and join the other side!　We'll be late for the fun!

　After visiting all of the pioneer villages in the northern part of the King's City on church service, Aldis and his friends had been on their way home since yesterday.

　It was the second night after leaving the last village.
　They should have been camping as usual.

　In the darkness, Ardis quickly grasped the situation as he searched for magic power while facing the two mercenaries.

　The magic reaction that should normally be around the two tents and the campfire could not be confirmed.
　The only people in this vicinity are Aldis himself and the two mercenaries in front of him.
　The remaining three mercenaries and Sorte's magic power are at a distance.

''You have finally revealed your true nature.

　A provocative Aldis' voice echoed into the silence and darkness of the tent.

'You attacked someone's sleep. You're at least prepared to take the fall for it, aren't you?

'Ha!　You're a load-carrying maniac, showing off!

'Do you think you can beat the mercenaries?

　Ardis tells me in a heartbreaking voice.

''Don't call yourself a mercenary if you can't even read your opponent's strength.

What?

　Before the furious mercenaries could pounce on him, Aldis slammed a blade of wind into the ropes supporting the tent.
　The rope tore off and the tent, which had lost its support, crumbled softly, spluttering air.

　With the tent draped over the mercenaries, Aldis quickly moved outside.

''What, what!?''

'Shit!　This tent!

　In front of Aldis, only the two outlines of their bodies wrapped in the collapsed tent continued to struggle comically.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you're going to be able to get your hands on a new one.

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

Gah!

　As the blood pools spread out from the hem of the tent, Aldis probed the magic around him again.

''Not good.''

　Amidst several beasts, four human-sized magical forces could be seen, just like before.
　Away from the improvised roadway that had been hastily maintained over the past few months, and about two hundred meters deep into the forest. That's where Solte and the three mercenaries seem to be located.

　It's not much of a distance.
　But the problem is the other magic power that has been identified nearby.
　The magic power that hadn't responded in the previous exploration had increased in the second exploration.

　It was one human-sized one, but it was clearly exhibiting magic power that was an order of magnitude different from that of Sorte and the mercenaries.
　Moreover, its presence seemed to be creeping closer to Solte and the others even at this moment.

''Demon--?''