Jean, the face of the company, brought a job offer to Aldis.
　What came out of his mouth was the name of the demon 'Four Feathers' that Aldis had defeated in the past.

'What do you want on that island now?　From what Cesare tells me, it's a nondescript island in and of itself, right?

　Ardis frankly put the question he felt into his mouth.

'Yes, that's right. There is no need for the island itself. The problem is that the story of a large demon sighting on the island has come up again. Despite the fact that Aldis defeated the Four Feathers.

'I don't think so, but ....... I don't suppose you're suspicious that I've taken down the Four Feathers, do you?

Don't worry. There seems to be a small percentage of people who say that, but the majority do not. The majority of people think that a large demon came from another place and settled on the island where the nushies disappeared. However, we'll have to find out what's actually going on, won't we?

Is that what you want me to do?

''There's that. Originally, we could send the Royal Army's soldiers to investigate, but it's an island like the one the Four Feathers were on, after all. If there was a demon that rivaled that one, it would only cause the soldiers to die for nothing.

　Even so, fifty gold coins is an unbeatable reward for an investigation request.

''It's not a request with some sort of backstory, is it?

'It would be rare for a request to be sent out by the state to a mercenary without a backstory. First of all, Aldis isn't the type of person who cares about such things, is he?

　Jean shrugs his shoulders and states.

'Well, as far as the officer in charge is concerned, he seems to assume that if you go to investigate, there's a pretty good chance of a battle. It's just a matter of defeating them on the side, isn't it?　Considering it's fifty gold coins, including the strike, it doesn't seem particularly expensive, does it?

　Indeed, Jean was right, if you encounter a demon, it will be a battle out of ten.
　Whether it was to defeat them or run away, the difficulty level would jump dramatically in an isolated island where there was no support or anything to expect. Unlike Ardis, who could fly, ordinary mercenaries would have to go by boat.
　The fifty gold coins might be the amount of money that was factored in.

''If it's fifty gold coins including the defeat, ......, well, it's not an unknown amount.

'Right?　That said, of all the mercenaries in King's Landing right now, Aldis is the only one who seems to be able to do this job. It's a bit of a burden for the rest of them.

　Indeed, it would be difficult for an ordinary mercenary to arrange a ship to go to the island, determine the identity of the demon and return.

　It's unlikely that they would be able to find a ship owner who would give them a ship in the first place.
　This is because even though it is known that they have been defeated, the horror of the Four Feathers is not something that is easily forgotten by those who make their living at sea.

　In that regard, Aldis wouldn't need to arrange a ship, and if the situation arose, he could escape on his own.

'All right. I've been thinking about earning money from some sort of vengeance anyway. I'll take that offer.

　After a few seconds of thoughtful gestures, Aldis decides to take the request.

　Then, while working on the meal that was brought to her, she heard the details of the request from Jean. After finishing the details, Jean left the inn, raising his hand lightly, "Well, don't forget," he said.

It's a request to take out the guy you want, Rona. I don't know if you're strong or not, but at least the reward seems to be generous.

I hope he's a bit of a skilled opponent. How strong were the four wings?

'I don't know.　I'm not too impressed. I think it was weaker than ...... neduro.

What, is that all you got?　I wish there were a hundred of them anyway.

　Rona went back to continuing with the meal, while talking about something briefly annoying.
　More than half of the meal that was for five people had already disappeared.

''You, you ....... If the country is destroyed, there's no reward or anything else, right?　And if you're trying to shop at a stall, you're not going to have any money to spend when the people selling it are gone.

It's okay. I can get through a hundred of them in a couple of minutes.

That's not the point: "That's not the point: ......

　It was Aldis who sighed.



　The next morning, Aldis and Rona had breakfast at the Sesshoura Pavilion and then walked to the shore, where there was no one to be seen.
　From there they lifted themselves up and gained altitude and flew south, watching the fishing boats returning from their fishing trip below them.

　Eventually, we passed the wind for a few minutes. They arrived at a small island to the south, where Yotsubane had once lived.

'This is that island?'

Yes.

　Rona looks down on an island that Aldis had visited in the past to defeat the Four Feathers.
　It's only a small piece of land, less than half a day's walk along the coastline, but the entire island is covered in green trees and brimming with signs of life.

　From the outside, it looks exactly the same as it did back then. The absence of the demon known as Nushi does not mean that the appearance of the island is going to change anytime soon.

"Hey Al, have you noticed?

Yeah, this was a bit unexpected.

　The request itself is to investigate the island.
　If a new monster is living on the island, you are asked to find out what it is and how dangerous it is and report it to the country.
　If it's a dangerous demon, you can defeat it while you're at it. Ardis came with such a light hearted attitude.

　However, it seems that the other party was not an entity that could be easily dealt with.

'Where did they come from?　Someone with such strong magical powers.

　Even from far up in the sky, you can feel the magic power that is incomparably stronger than four wings.

"Hey, hey. Can I set it up now?

　Rona is urging me as if she can't wait.
　It's not because of the wind that Fluffy's tail is wagging.

I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do. The request you received is an investigation. If you don't have to fight, that's fine.''

Yeah, it's boring.

　While suppressing the disgruntled Rona, Ardis approached the source of the magic power.

　If it was a demon of about four blades, it would have been fine to put it away while investigating, but the magic power that is being felt right now is not something that can be managed 'incidentally'.
　In order to carefully look into the situation first, Ardis and Rona landed on the island's shore and began to shorten the distance on foot from there.
　It's not a very wide island. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's not.

　However, an hour has passed since then.

'That's strange.'

　Ardis, who was walking, tilted her head.
　Despite walking straight toward the target's magic power since he landed on the island, he still hadn't been able to reach the source of the magic power.

　It's not that the other party is moving at a high speed, but they can't close the distance in any way.
　If Aldis and the others try to go around from the right side, they will go to the left side, and if they try to go around from the left side, they will go to the right, so they won't let them get close from a certain distance.
　The target's magic power responds to Ardis's movements and keeps its distance, moving around the island as if it were trying to avoid being captured.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of where you are ......?

　As expected, if such a thing continues over and over again, Ardis can't help but think about it.
　Like Ardis, the other side also has a magic detection technique, and with that power, they may be able to avoid dangerous enemies - in this case, Ardis and Rona - with that power.
　The fact that they are walking slowly so as not to provoke the target is another reason why the distance between them is not shortened.

　If there were many of us, we could set up a net and slowly narrow the encirclement, but unfortunately, Ardis and Rona were the only two present here.
　If this is the case, time will be wasted.
　Should I try to approach it, even if somewhat forcefully? That's what Aldis began to ponder and Rona's patience reached its limit almost at the same time.

''Oh, God!　This is so annoying!　Don't sneak around forever!

　As soon as he shouted that, he rushed towards the target's magic power and went.

''Ah, Kora!　Hey, wait, Rona!

　Ardis chases after it in a hurry.
　The magic power, which seems to be a demon, seems to be startled by Rona's sudden approach, and it suddenly accelerates and begins to flee.

　But that speed is slower than the serious Rona.
　Moreover, even though it's a fairly large area, this is an isolated island separated by the sea. There was no way to escape to any extent.
　Even if you try to hide somewhere, there will be no way to escape from Rona, who can sense your whereabouts with her magical power.

　While chasing Rona's back, Ardis also approaches the demon.

''f*ck this one, too!

　With a twitch of her golden-fur-covered ears, Rona forms a colorless blade with magical power.

　Two of them, formed with an emphasis on power. They flew straight through the forest with a stormy wind.
　While uprooting the trees standing in the middle of the road, the blades still head to the place where the demons are, with little or no attenuation of power.

　It's not something that an ordinary demon can prevent.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can turn a four-winged blade into a piece of meat without leaving a trace.

The only thing you can do with it is to make sure that it's a good choice.　It's an investigation!

　This job is only an investigation.
　If the result is to defeat them, that's fine, but it would be a problem if they were to disappear without a trace before you even saw them.
　I'm sure the client's country won't be satisfied with "we defeated him, but we don't know who he is.

　At the very least, the head should remain intact. Such a wish of Ardis came to pass in a different way.

　Just before the slash of magic released by Rona collided. As if the magic power released by the demon expanded rapidly, a strong magic barrier is formed around it.
　And Rona's blade, which boasts of its vicious power, collided with the barrier and scattered into four pieces.

''Eh?　Really?

　Rona's voice, full of confusion, was heard by Aldis.

　Perhaps Rona wasn't at her full strength either.
　But even so, the blow that Rona fired was insanely powerful.
　If you have the technology to receive it with a barrier like Nere, you probably didn't expect to be prevented by a head-on power contest.

　Instantly, Ardis raised his alert level.
　The magic power possessed by the demon didn't appear to be that great, but it seems to be an opponent that is not a simple matter.
　Judging by the apparent magic power alone, it would be a painful spanking.

''Mm. In that case, how about this!

　Rona, whose initial attack was blocked, unleashes a series of attacks.
　A swarm of blades that could be described as a barrage of bullets was poured toward the point where the demon was located.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
　The attack, which I don't think the extent of the demon could prevent, evoked an unexpected reaction after cutting down the surrounding trees by the roots.

''Ya, stop it!　I don't want to be in pain!

　A feeble voice came from the center point of the damage.
　This was followed by the sound of a blade bouncing off a magical barrier in rapid succession.

''Heh?''

　Even Rona herself, who launched the attack, rolls her eyes at the unexpected reaction.

　Eventually, as your vision, which had been blurred by dust and scattered leaves, recovers with time, the owner of the voice finally appears.

　There was a four-legged beast whose body was covered with black fur. The carnivorous face and body frame gives the impression of a wolf, but its size is clearly different.
　It is about seven meters long. Its jaws were also so large that it could almost bite a human whole.

''Oh, please ....... Please don't kill me ....... Please help me .......''

　Weak words with a trembling voice emanated from its mouth with sharp fangs.
　Contrary to the signs of a strong man that his great magical power made him feel, the way he was begging for his life with his tail between his legs was extremely pathetic.