Ankoku Kishi Monogatari (WN)

◆Dark Knight Kuroki

「I hope you enjoyed your last night to the fullest」

That was the first thing that was mentioned when I left the separate room to Gallios’ house.

To be honest, I couldn’t answer anything since I can't recall anything that happened last night.

I wonder what had happened last night?

I don't know about Rena’s goal.

In fact, she must have some sort of emergency event, since she left in hurry.

… Or so was supposed to be.

… For some reason, I believe it should be fine.

Because Reiji’s movements have nothing to do against me. Absolutely not.

I got up in the morning and remained bewildered for a long time.

I tidied my messy room up as though I wanted to escape right away.

After that, I noticed that a few hours have passed, and it'll be bad if I didn’t escape immediately.

When I realized it, my room had become sparkling clean.

It seems I overdid it. Though I didn’t use any softening agent, the sheets have become fluffy and comfy. Good grief, what should I do….

I could determine nothing no matter how much the time passed. I didn't find any traces of battle in this room.

Could it be that Rena had no intention to have a go with me?

So, she didn’t report about me to Reiji?

Or, did she report to Reiji but gave an evaluation that I'm a worthless existence compared to him?

The last one is the most plausible explanation.

Though I would be angry if that's the case, as a matter of fact, I don't know what should I do if that was really the case.

「Kuro, is that girl in there?」

He might be referring to Rena. Gallios is grinning as he asked that question.

「She's gone when I woke up….」

I reply honestly. I would also like to know the whereabouts of Rena.

Gallios is showing a surprised face after hearing my reply.

「That's strange, I should know if someone really passes by….」

Maybe she left with flight magic.

Did she go to Reiji’s place?

Gallos is tilting his head while showing a surprised face. But there's nothing he can do since he doesn't know about it.

「If you have time after this, Kuro, I suggest you look at your reflection on the mirror. That's an amazing face you got there」

Gallios is saying so while laughing heartily.

「？」

Following Gallios advice, I went to the washroom that has a mirror inside.

The mirrors of this world are made of polished metal. Though it's rather hard to see my reflection, it's already sufficient enough.

There's a trace of assault on my face. And then, there was a lot of something in red color.

「This is…. What kind of red mark is this?」

But, it seems I can wash it.

I pour water from the jug where they kept water to wash my face.

「It won't disappear that easily….」

Could it be that this red mark is cursed so that it won't come off that easily?

Abandoning this action, it looks like it's better to just hide my face for today.

「Gallios-senpai, is Kuro-dono in there!?」

A loud voice suddenly resounded. It was Rember’s voice. What happened?

When I arrived at the living room, Rember is there.

「Senpai!! Kuro-dono!! Please lend me your power!」

Rember bows his head toward Gallios and me out of nowhere.

Unfortunately, it's cloudy today.

It doesn't seem like an enjoyable weather to stroll outside the rampart.

But well, I won't be asking for more luxury today since I'm not wearing that embarrassing armor anymore.

Today, everyone but me is searching for that pervert.

It's good if we find a way to go back, but….

To be honest, except for Chiyuki-san, everyone isn't that keen to go back.

Reiji-kun, Rino-chan, and Nao-chan seem to have no problem with not being able to return.

Sahoko-san is okay as long as she can remain beside Reiji-kun side; Kyouka-san and Kaya-san don't seem to have intentions to return, either.

Then, what about me?

To be honest, I don't know.

I'm having fun with everyone. Some parts of me feel relieved that we lost the way to go back.

I'm happy and I still want to be together with everyone.

But, it doesn't mean that I don't want to go back at all.

What Chiyuki-san said is correct, there's someone I want to meet in our world.

I won't forgive that Diehart, the one responsible for why we lost the way to go back.

I was really annoyed when I lost to that guy.

Maybe I wish for a rematch with that Diehart.

I want to stretch my body a little before the rematch.

That's why I wanted to go to the tower to blow off some steam.

I stretch myself and then readjust my breathing.

Someone is coming to my side. His name is Rember, a knight of this kingdom. He'll be my assistant today.

「Shirone-sama, I have gathered all of them」

I turn around after hearing Rember’s report.

There's a group of men with various kind of weapons gathered near the gate outside the rampart.

They're the people from the Rox Kingdom who will be coming along with me to investigate the tower.

Since I have no detection skill, Chiyuki-san had appealed to the Rox Kingdom to dispatch manpower.

Naturally, the king agreed to dispatch the kingdom’s personnel.

Well, that's natural since they're the ones who were harmed by the Striges.

The number of dispatched personnel is 12. Since Nao-chan isn't coming with me, we have no choice but to fill the gap with numbers.

The problem is the fact that I don't know whether they can deal with the demons inside the tower.

Since there should be some demons left inside the tower, even if I'm alright, it might be not the same for them.

Though I won't say that I'm as strong as Reiji-kun, I want them to be at least strong enough to protect their own self.

Though I know that it's too pitiful to compare them with the powerful Reiji-kun, it's just a comparison.

Not good, I haven’t fixed this bad habit of mine.

It's as Chiyuki-san said, I shouldn't compare another man with Reiji-kun as the standard.

I bow lightly toward them after looking at them.

「I'm looking forward to working with you today, everyone」

When I bow to them, they also bow.

A look at the members.

First is the leader of this party, Rember. The person is a knight from a family that has served as knights of the Rox Kingdom for generations. He has considerable status in this kingdom due to his betrothal with the princess.

Next is the one who feels like the true-leader, Gallios. Though he seems like a former knight, he is currently working as a freedom fighter. He managed to gather this much personnel in this short amount of time showing his considerable capability.

Next is the ranger, Stor. It seems he is this kingdom’s best ranger and the one who exterminated the demons in the forest together with Gallios.

The magician, Nimri. The person who is working as the staff officer of this party and the magician of Rox Kingdom. He appears like how a normal magician would usually be.

After that, as expected, I can't remember the names of the other 8 freedom fighters. By the way, I can only remember 4 people amongst them.

These 12 and I combined to form the 13-person party for tower investigation.

「Well, shall we go then, everyone?」

When I say so, a little commotion happened amongst them.

「Uhm Shirone-sama…. Can I have a minute with you? 」

One person comes toward me. It's the ranger Stor.

「What's the matter?」

「It'll take us half a day to arrive at the tower from our position. So, do you want to camp near the tower? We haven’t made any preparations….」

Stor asks so with concern.

「Ah, it's okay. We will make use of movement type magic」

When I say so, the members blankly stare at each other.

Though not as skillful as Rino, I can use wind spirit magic.

It's a magic to make the people following behind the user of that wind spirit magic to move at the same speed as the user of the spirit magic with the user as the vanguard.

If I go as the vanguard, I should be able to arrive at the tower within 30 minutes, along with everyone.

Everyone is exchanging looks with each other when I explained it to them.

But, explaining more than this was more troublesome.

「Well then, let's go!!」

We arrived at the tower of Striges.

「Eh, did our headcount decrease?」

When I look behind, the number of the freedom fighters is lesser than when I met them at the rampart’s gate.

「I…. It seems, s-some of us…. dropped out along the way」

Rember is saying so between his panting breaths.

「I … it seems … t-this speed … is … too much … for them」

I feel disheartened after hearing those words.

I actually lowered my movement speed as much as possible, but it seems that my reduced speed is still too much for them.

Four of the freedom fighters had dropped out. It didn't take half of them.

The four freedom fighters whose name I remembered, including Rember, were present, too. With a total of 9 members including me, it seems it isn’t possible to search the whole tower. However, when I take a glance at the remaining freedom fighters, all of them save for one have fallen flat on the ground while gasping for breath. To be honest, it seems they're totally useless in this case.

The sole remaining freedom fighter was the one of those whose name I couldn't remember. This person is wrapping a cloth around his face to hide it and was calmly nursing Nimri beside him.

Maybe he is the only one available amongst the freedom fighters. Let's ask for his name again later.

I leave the other freedom fighters under his care and then head toward the tower’s gate.

「That？」

I noticed an unusual phenomenon.

「Could it be … a barrier」

Somehow, I can feel a different magic barrier than the last time.

It seems there’s a detection inhibition barrier present within the tower.

Though Chiyuki-san might be able to unearth more information, I, of all people, is the worst choice in this area.

Moreover, it seems that the one who sets this power has quite the powerful darkness power.

「Don't tell me it really is in this place?」

If that was the case, it's way too easy. But, I couldn't feel any Striges with such powerful magical power previously.

「What's the matter, Shirone-sama? 」

Rember approaches with an unsteady gait.

「To go, of course. We entered from the sky last time, and since you guys are with me this time, we are entering from the front」

In fact, the top floor of this tower is the residential area of the Striges.

We thought we had beaten all of those Striges since there was nothing but signs of undead even with Nao-chan’s detection ability, so we left it as it was.

There should be some remnants of traps, for repelling the intruders, and undead inside the tower.

But, seeing that we have already arrived all the way here, I might as well search from the residential area, which I am yet to see, all the way toward the lowest floor. I'm thinking of breaking from the front gate since none of the other members can fly in the sky.

Moreover, I don't know what is waiting in there.

However, once I enter this tower, I will know about it immediately.

「Since it’s better if I work alone, do your best to protect your life, everyone. If you think that the situation is dangerous, escape immediately」

I mention the same things that Chiyuki-san said to me as a protective measures. To be honest, I wish they do not force themselves too much. I'll be troubled if they die.

Thus, we start the tower invasion.

It is an extremely dangerous situation.

Just how many times have I felt like this today?

Glorious is inside that tower.

It all began when Rember came to Gallios’ house in a hurry.

It thought that this will expose my identity.

But, it seems I'm completely wrong.

The one who raised the request to Rember was Shirone.

Though I never expected that Shirone will be there, I'm glad that I hid my face with a cloth to hide the red marks on my face.

After that, I understood from Shirone’s reaction that nothing was reported to Reiji-tachi.

But then, a completely different problem surfaced.

At this rate, Shirone will meet Glorious. One way or another, Glorious will be defeated by Shirone.

We arrived at the tower without me being able to devise any good idea.

「I'm sorry…. Kuro-dono….」

Nimri’s apologizing to me.

I was the one who hauled the seemingly-about-to-collapse Nimri by the time we arrived at this tower.

Though Nimri barely made it to the tower, some of the freedom fighters were left stranded inside the forest. I pray for their safe return.

Though we've subjugated demons in the forest, it doesn't mean there's none left anymore. Danger could be lurking everywhere.

Are they going to be alright? The humans of this world are weaker compared to summoned people like us, after all.

Moreover, people who managed to arrive until this place are gasping for their breath, unable to move their body.

However, Shirone hurriedly jumped into the tower, leaving the other immobile people behind.

I wish she'll at least pity these people but that's impossible according to Shirone’s personality.

Shirone is strict toward men.

To be exact, it’s toward the men weaker than her. I can somehow guess the reason for that.

There wasn't a male kid born in Akamine house, Shirone’s family.

Though he never said it loudly, uncle Akamine might have wished for a boy child to inherit the dojo.

And I think those wishes of his unknowingly came out in his attitude.

Maybe Shirone had also guessed her father wish for a boy. That's why she does her best to not lose to men.

Thus, Shirone became far more powerful than men around her age. Consequently, Shirone hated men far weaker than herself.

Thinking that girls are weaker, Shirone saved those weak girls from brutish men. For that reason, Shirone was extremely popular amongst the females.

I noticed that the reason Shirone rampaged to exterminate the evil guys is also due to the influence of manga and novels that she liked.

I recall the memories of my past when I role-played as the villain while playing with Shirone.

I happily took up the role of the villain since Shirone loved to be the protagonist.

Lately, I have come to realize that I might have been hated by Shirone since I was exactly that kind of villain.

Also, Shirone definitely loved the kind of man who saved girls and fought against evil like the ones in the story. And I know that man is Reiji.

Maybe Reiji is that kind of existence for Shirone.

Moreover, against myself, I mean a villain, I am even hiding my identity from Shirone.

But, I won't let Shirone become a dragon slayer hero this time around.

When I look at the status of the group, it seems that Rember and Gallios have recovered enough to be able to move. Then, we chase after Shirone in the order of the recovery.

Naturally, it includes me too.

Well then, what should I do. I have to do something about this situation. I tightly gripped the necklace in my bosom pocket while trying to sketch a plan.

Since Striges are a winged race, the entrance to their residence doesn't have to be on the first floor.

That entrance is there for the sake of letting their prey, humans, to enter the tower.

According to Rember, despite the surrounding countries’, including the Rox Kingdom’s, attempts to subjugate the tower via subjugation parties, none of those who entered the tower returned. Maybe their blood was sucked by the Striges until they died and were then turned into undead.

There are still numerous traps and demons to capture the intruders of the tower even now.

It'll be okay, though. After all, Shirone and I are going along with them.

「Come to think of it Kuro-dono, why are you covering your face with that cloth?」

Rember’s question hit my sore spot perfectly.

Though I do have many reasons to hide my face, the most urgent reason, for now, is to hide my identity from Shirone. However, to be honest, there's no way I would say that. What should I do? Deceive him?

「Well, you see, Rember」

Gallios approaches Rember while beaming and then whispers something to him.

「I see, so that's the reason. Even Kuro-dono unexpectedly does that, huh」

Rember smiled while speaking those words.

「Hey?! What did you tell him?!!」

I protest against Gallios’s action.

It seems he won't accept my reason for hiding my face since I have no idea of what happened last night.

「Oops, my bad. Let's get going then」

「Yeah, Kuro-dono. We'll be left behind by Shirone-sama」

The duo moves ahead with those weird smiles on their faces.

Though it's vexing, I have nothing to comment on this matter either; I enter the tower after them.

The tower’s interior is gloomy and spacious; I'm fine since I have night vision, but Gallios couldn't see anything.

Though the magician Nimri can illuminate the space with magic, it isn't to the point of being able to illuminate this ginormous tower completely.

Shirone won't even care about things like her comrade’s pace inside such a gloomy tower. She will advance at her own pace.

「Rember, I think this tower is still dangerous even without those Striges. Is it okay to let that little miss go ahead of us?」

Gallios said that while looking at Shirone who’s walking ahead of us.

「No need to worry about that. Shirone-sama is far stronger than any of us」

Shirone’s appearance is that of a lovely girl. She doesn't seem to be that powerful from Gallios’ perspective.

「Shirone-sama is a skilled swordswoman. Even more, though not that skilled in it, she’s a magic warrior who can use sunlight magic, recovery magic, and spirit magic. We won't be able to beat her even if we ganged up on her. That's why we have to do our best to protect our lives to make sure we don't become a hindrance to her」

Rember issues such instructions to the other freedom fighters.

「Nimri-sensei, please illuminate our surroundings with magic; Stor, please heighten your vigilance to detect anything unusual. The people behind, go forward to protect Nimri and Stor」

The vanguard is the same as yesterday, Steros, with me being the rear guard.

It seems that Steros himself wished to be the vanguard.

It seems he possesses some sort of impure thoughts toward Shirone and might be wanting to see Shirone’s back by acting as the vanguard.

It's not like I don’t understand his feelings after seeing her wearing that kind of costume in yesterday’s parade. However, she’s wearing her normal combat attire today.

Naturally, I'll stop him at all costs if he's trying to do something to her.

Shirone suddenly comes to a halt.

「Something is there」

Stor, walking right behind her, suddenly points forward as he noticed something.

Though Gallios might not be able to see it, my eyes can see what’s ahead of us.

It’s zombie. Moreover, it seems like a former human too since they're armed.

It may be members of one of the previous subjugation teams. There are five of them slowly coming toward us.

「SUNSHINE!!」

After she loudly uttered that, a dazzling light comes out from Shirone’s hand and shines over the zombies.

Sunshine magic could only be used by high ranking priests.

The body parts of zombies coming into contact with the light start evaporating. They disappeared a few minutes later, leaving behind their clothes and equipment.

「Amazing, to insta-kill them….」

Nimri is admiring Shirone’s skill.

Undead is an extremely troublesome opponent as normal attacks won't work on them.

Moreover, those zombies were skilled persons when they're alive. The sword-wielding zombie from before also showed signs of having wielded a shield.

It might turn into a drawn-out battle with just Gallios alone.

This is undoubtedly the kind of magic to counter undead.

「Defeating them with magic isn't that amusing, right?」

But, Shirone seems to be dissatisfied with that.

「Another one is coming!!」

Stor warns us.

Dozens of zombies approach us.

We continue to meet hordes of zombies as soon as we go further into the tower.

However, it's possible to exterminate them in an instant as long as we have that Sunlight magic.

But, Shirone is unsheathing her sword and then facing against those armies of zombies.

「EH, WHAT ABOUT SUNLIGHT MAGIC!!」

I said such words with a troubled tone.

「FLAME BLADE!!」

A blazing flame coils around Shirone’s sword as soon as she let out that cry.

「FLAME DECAPITATION!!」

And thus, she began her killing spree in the midst of the zombie army.

「W…. WOOOOW….」

Gallios unconsciously exclaims with awe visible in his tone.

「Any kind of attack shouldn't be that effective against undead, yet….」

It seems Nimri is also entranced by that scene.

Undeads are always a troublesome opponent since, for example, take a zombie: they'll become a skeleton after they are burnt with fire and then converted into a vengeful spirit without a corporeal body after their skeletal frame is smashed apart.

Especially the ethereal body, the kind of body that can't be attacked by normal weapons. Normal weapons won't hurt them unless you attack them with an enchanted sword.

Shirone’s pale blue light sword is a magic sword. The fire element within that sword, aside from causing damage to the corporeal body, is also cleaving the ethereal body, bone, and flesh of the zombies.

Shirone’s assault is terrifying; those armies of zombies are annihilated in a flash.

Everyone is shocked by watching her assault.

"I'm going to defeat them with only my sword while remaining inside their formation." I want to retort like that.

「Well, let's get going」

Shirone turns toward us with a refreshing expression and marches forward.

We silently gaze at her back.

「That's too amazing, right Rember…. The hero’s wife is so powerful」

Gallios muttered in awe.

We could advance safely till the halfway point in the tower, thanks to Shirone.

Naturally, whether it's undead, giant spiders, or vampire bats, none of them are Shirone’s opponents.

Almost all of the demon attacking us was defeated by Shirone.

Despite sporadic traps present here and there, Shirone just broke through them with her raw power.

Arrows trap fell down even before hitting the target, she flew in the air without falling into pitfalls, even the falling ceiling traps were pushed back by her with a single hand.

To be honest, are we even needed in the first place?

「I'm also astonished. Though I witnessed hero-sama’s power before, I never thought that even his wives are extremely powerful」

Nimri and Gallios are also praising her without any restraint.

I can do this kind of feat too, you know. But, it seems this is already an amazing feat for them.

Moreover, I just can't stomach it when they say that Shirone is Reiji’s wife.

She was labeled as Reiji’s woman back in our world, too. It seems that label isn't that much different even in this world.

When I think about that, I feel like a fool for protecting them.

Should I go to cut the horn of the dragon right now?

It might be a good thing to get a beautiful woman similar to Rena, too.

For some reason, my heart is beating faster when I remember Rena’s face.

I'm also worried about Rena.

What the hell is Rena thinking about now?

While I was pondering as such, Shirone suddenly stopped walking.

「What's the matter, Shirone-sama? 」

Rember inquires Shirone as to why she stopped walking.

I see a door in front of Shirone. The room’s door is different from the one so far.

「There's something in there」

It's as Stor just said, there's something behind that door.

「Let's go」

Shirone opens the door and enters inside.

「Light?」

Someone utters that word.

The light in this room is notably different from the other rooms. It can't be compared with the illumination magic of Nimri.

But, that wasn't the only thing different.

Someone is standing in the middle of that room. A living human who’s obviously not a zombie.

He possessed a pale face, golden-colored hair, and wearing a black mantle. His cloth quality’s splendid, far from the clothes of those zombies and undead.

「Oh, just when I thought that master has returned, it turned out to be a human. You’ve come till this far, huh」

The man is laughing while looking at us.

「LOOK AT HIS EYES! HE ISN'T A HUMAN!!!」

Stor warns us.

His eyes are shining in blood red color. A pair of fangs peeks through his lips.

「A VAMPIRE!」

Shouted Nimri.

Different from the zombies that came until now, a vampire is a high-level undead possessing intelligence and can use magic.

「To think that the Striges went as far as using a vampire….」

Rember said that with a dumbfounded face.

「SUNLIGHT!」

「NIGHT ROBE!」

Shirone and the vampire invoke their respective magic skills.

The dazzling light that came from Shirone’s hand is thwarted by a dark mist that’s covering the vampire’s body.

「It might be possible if it's real sunlight. You can't beat me with this level of magic」

The vampire is laughing.

「Hee, not bad」

Shirone seems to be enjoying this situation.

「Fufu, back to you. Despite your lady-like appearance, it seems you're a high ranking priest. This Elkitos praises thee. Are you interested in becoming my bride?」

The vampire called Elkitos says so while smacking his lips. The fangs peeking out from his mouth are flashing.

In this case, becoming his bride means that she'll become his retainer for sucking her blood.

I won't let him achieve that.

「My bad, but I'm not interested in a man weaker than myself」

Shirone points her sword toward Elkitos.

「Is that so? So does it mean you'll become my bride if I'm stronger than you?」

Pair of bat wings springs forth from Elkitos’s back.

It seems the battle is going to start immediately.

「W-Wait a minute, Shirone-sama!!!」

Suddenly, Nimri shouted her name.

「N? What's matter？」

She's looking at Nimri with a pouting face since he hindered her fight.

「There’s something that I need to confirm….」

After saying those words, Nimri hesitantly looking toward Elkitos.

「Disturbing my time with her, what a boorish man」

The vampire’s also annoyed.

「Are you the one who made those dead demons into zombies over these few days?」

Nimri asked the vampire.

In the first place, the reason why we came to this tower is to search for the Striges, the source of the zombie incident.

Apart from the Striges, a vampire can also use necromancy. So, it's not that strange if this vampire is the culprit of the recent incident.

It seems Nimri is trying to confirm that.

「Ah, that's right!! We have to investigate that too!! Nice!!」

Shirone is praising Nimri. To be honest, that’s why we came here.

Did we really come for demon extermination? That’s also one of the outcomes from our action until now. Well, if that's the case, it's better if the number of demons decreases.

「N…. No, even if you praise me」

Nimri muttered so with a troubled face.

Nevertheless, I thought it's okay to let Shirone go alone, maybe it's a good thing that Rember came along, too.

Shirone will end up rampaging alone in the tower if we let her go alone. Consequently, we might lose our chance to get information about the culprit.

「Uhm, I don't know what are you talking about since I awakened just 3 days ago」

Elkitos is saying so with a sullen face.

I don't think that he’s lying. I never expected him to be the culprit, after all.

But, speaking of 3 days ago, doesn’t that coincide with my arrival to this tower?

「You just awakened 3 days ago? Then, does that mean you were not in this tower before, right? Could it be that you were sleeping in this tower?」

「Fufu, I was in a sealed state you know. Those women don’t possess enough power to employ me」

Elkitos has a happy expression on his face while announcing that fact.

It was in sharp contrast to Nimri’s and Shirone’s expression. He's a little annoying.

「Then, why did you awaken?」

「It was 3 days ago. Though I don't know the whereabouts of that personage, he/she was the one who used dark magic in this tower. I was unsealed due to the magic wave of that personage. Fufu, that personage should be an amazing person to possess that kind of power」

Elkitos is speaking as if he was entranced.

That was strange. I couldn't feel any signs of this vampire when I came to this tower 3 days ago.

Nevertheless, it's a fact that I applied barrier magic to this tower 3 days ago. It's a powerful magic to hide this tower entirely. I should be able to feel something in case this guy’s power reached a certain level.

Or else, the owner of that power might not be that personage he’s referring to.

「That personage is…. Hey, is that personage in this tower right now? 」

Shirone is happy upon hearing those words. Does she want to fight against that Personage?

But, Elkitos shakes his head in denial.

「No, that personage left for somewhere else while leaving his familiar」

「Uhm, I see~. That's unfortunate. Then that familiar is in this tower. What familiar is it?」

「A dragon. I don't know where it came from, though」

「「「WHA!!! 」」」

Everyone’s voices overlap in shock.

「A… dragon. No way….」

「Moreover, as a familiar」

「There's no way we can win against a dragon…. Right? 」

It seems everyone is shocked by the fact that there's a dragon in this tower.

But, I'm surprised for a different reason.

Could it be that I'm the one who awakened this vampire?

「Dragon huh…. What about it, there are many kinds of dragon after all. However, this will be fun for sure」

Shirone responds as such with a happy face.

「My apologies then, you have to beat me if you're going to point your blade toward that esteemed individual’s familiar」

Elkitos takes his stance, ready to battle with Shirone.

Shirone also draws her sword followed by Gallios.

「The guys behind, you are a hindrance. Let's take this outside. Illusion Demon Eye!!」

Elkitos eyes are flashing with a red light.

「GUWAAA!」

「GEH!」

「GUWAAA!」

Everyone exposed to that light, save for me and Shirone, fall down while screaming.

It seems it was a mistake on my part for resisting the magic.

「I snatched the freedom of your body. Fufufu, I've no intention to kill you. You're delicious only when you're still alive. Now, please become the witnesses for our marriage from that place」

Elkitos laughs disgustingly.

Gallios and the rest are still groaning on the floor.

I can't do anything and don't know what to do further since I don’t know recovery magic.

Though Shirone seems to be able to use recovery magic to some extent, it seems she has no intention to cure Gallios.

「Fufufu, with this, you and me are the only ones who remain sta-…. Eh, there's still another one left?」

Elkitos stares at me. It seems he noticed that I'm still standing.

「GUWAAA!」

While thinking "Oh, crap", I quickly pretend to fall on the ground.

「It seems it was just my imagination. Well then, let's enjoy our date」

It seems he was deceived despite my obviously unnatural and bad acting.

Or it might be the case that he simply has no interest in me.

「That's right, I've been tired of waiting」

Shirone’s also completely oblivious of my poor acting.

Please pay more attention to the people behind you.

The two face against each other.

It seems we're no longer in their line of sight.

It was my chance. I'll use this chance to go to the place where Glorious is present.

Thanks to my last position on the line, Gallios won't be able to see me.

Moreover, it seems Shirone doesn't need my assistance if her opponent is only at this level.

I slowly crawl along the floor to leave this place so that no one will notice my disappearance.

I think that my current movements resemble a cockroach.

I stare at the vampire before my eyes.

He might be stronger than the Striges who used to rule this place.

But, I won't be defeated.

I won't underestimate my opponent, either.

In fact, it might be better to call Reiji-kun. This vampire seems really strong after all.

But I won't call him. Chiyuki-san might get angry later.

Moreover, I want to get rid of my frustration accumulated due to my defeat in the hands of Diehart in this place.

I point my sword.

My sword blade is emanating a faint azure-colored light.

Souten Tsubasa Tsurugi [Azure Sky Winged Sword]. [TL: The name is so la~me and hard to translate]

It's my beloved sword with ornamental wings on its hilt.

「Well then, here I go. ULTRASONIC WAVE!」

Elkitos yells out the name of his magic.

「WIND WALL!」

I quickly chant defensive magic.

Despite shaving the floor, my defensive magic blocks the shockwave from Elkitos’s spell.

「Hou. Not bad」

Elkitos displays a carefree smile.

But, that will be on his face only for now, though.

「FLAME BLADE!」

I slash toward Elkitos with the flame residing in my sword.

「WING BLADE!」

Elkitos receives my slash with those huge wings that sprouted from his back, along with his scream.

「Quite fast, aren't you? But I'm stil-…. WHAT THE!!」

Elkitos lost his composure.

Because the slash imbued with my power has severed his wings.

Do you think that will be enough to stop my sword?

「WHAAAAAT!」

I sever the body of Elkitos along with his wings.

「GUUUH!!」

Elkitos retreats while wailing severely.

He's healing the severed place in his body. His body and wings restore as if nothing happened.

If it were a normal human, they won't be able to kill a vampire even if they cause a fatal wound.

Though it seems like that there's some damage inflicted on him, it's hard to beat him without sunshine.

「You basta――――AAAARD!! HOW DARE YOU, A LOWLY HUMA~N!」

Elkitos’s face portrays an enraged expression.

「Huh, it seems I’ve wounded your pride」

His gentlemanly behavior from before has completely vanished.

「I WON'T PLAY AROUND WITH YOU ANYMORE, I WILL KILL YOU!!」

Elkitos draws his rapier-like sword from the scabbard hanging on his waist.

The rapier blade shines in a sinister, red-colored light.

「NOW, PREPARE YOURSELF FOR MY TRUE POWER, YOU FILTHY HUMA~N!」

Elkitos enters into his attack stance with his sword.

「SONIC MOVE!」

Elkitos approaches me at a rapid pace.

「Huhm!」

Elkitos, who approached me at high speed, thrusts his rapier an innumerable number of times.

「EI!」

Along with that shout, I maneuver my sword and successfully repel every single one of his thrust.

「DAAAMN IIIT!」

Elkitos bends his body forward, aiming for my legs.

I jump in the air to avoid his attack and then land behind his back.

「WHAT!!!」

Elkitos turns around immediately.

He tries to turn around in a hurry, but it's too late.

「STRIKE!」

I swing my sword toward Elkitos who had not yet turned around successfully. I managed to sever his sword-wielding arm, the right arm.

「NO WAY! A HUMAN IS MOVING FASTER THAN ME!!!」

Elkitos screams while holding onto his severed arm.

It seems he's angry, but I don't care about that.

「Pick your sword. Let's continue our fight」

I urge him to pick his sword that has fallen down a little farther from him.

Elkitos slowly approaches his sword and picks it up.

「It seems that you … are not a normal human, am I right?」

Elkitos stares at Rember from the corner of his eyes while saying so.

「EXPLOSION!」

Elkitos suddenly casts his magic toward Rember.

「TSUKUCHI!」[TL : Ground Shrink]

I immediately activate my movement magic as soon as I realized his intentions.

「WATER WALL!」

The explosion happens after I cover Rember with a wall of water.

The water wall completely evaporates due to the might of the explosion, filling our surroundings with vapor.

「HEY! Didn't you say that you're not going to kill them!!」

I protest against Elkitos’s action.

But, I don’t hear any response from him.

When the vapor vanishes, I can't find the figure of Elkitos.

And then, there's a huge hole on the ceiling.

The hole keeps going upward till I can see the cloudy sky outside the tower.

「ARRRGH! HE ESCAPE~D!!!」

I scream exasperatedly.

「He's running away!」

I focus my attention on my back.

「Oh My Seraph Wings!!!」

A pair of wings grows from my back upon hollering those words.

Though I can't use flight magic like Chiyuki-san and Reiji-kun, I can fly by using these Seraph Wings on my back.

In fact, I have no armor on my back – only naked skin, so I have no choice but to hide it with a short mantle. I don’t wear armor so that can I release my wings immediately.

This pair of wings is my pride; it’s growing only on me. I could see those envious gazes from Rino-chan and Chiyuki-san when I show my wings to them.

I flap my wings hard and leave the tower through that hole.

I can fly even faster that Nao-chan in a straight line, thanks to this pair of wings.

「Do you really think that I'll let you escape!」

I fly at my full speed and instantly overtake Elkitos who’s flying with his bat wings.

His face shows a surprised expression after seeing me standing on his way.

「THOSE WINGS!? I see, so you are a member of the angel race! No wonder you're so powerful!」

「Well, I'm not an angel, but still….」

Denying that remark is also troublesome.

What am I? Owning angel wings despite not being from the angel race. I asked Nier-san about this matter in the past.

But well, that kind of thing is immaterial now.

「Prepare yourself, Elkitos! SUNLIGHT BLADE!」

My sword blade glimmers brilliantly upon imbuing it with sunlight magic.

In fact, I could have taken him down easily if I had used this technique right at the start of our fight.

「If the sunlight can't pierce through your night robe, I just need to make it pierce your body!」

I raise my sword overhead.

「W-WAAAIIIIIT! ! 」

Elkitos is panic-stricken.

Naturally, I don't care for his plea.

「ITTOURYOUDAN! [TL : basically "sever"]」

「GYAAA!!!」

When I swing my sword against Elkitos’s body, black smoke starts rising from the slashed parts and eventually gets extinguished.

「What the hell … is that….」

I couldn't grasp the last words said by that El-something.

「He's not that powerful huh…. Is that familiar stronger than him?」

To be honest, I was deceived by his appearance. He couldn't even be compared with Reiji-kun.

I flap my wings and return to the tower.

When I returned to the tower, maybe because I defeated Elkitos, everyone had already recovered.

「Wings….」

「A-Angel」

「How beautiful!」

The freedom fighters behind Rember are surprised due to my wings.

It seems that humans are also charmed by my wings. Well, it doesn't feel bad when they're praising my wings.

Though I want to showcase my wings even longer, I still retract it in the end.

The Seraph Wings will become quite an annoying hindrance in a closed room like this. That's why I didn't use these wings in my fight against Diehart.

「It seems everyone is safe and sound. Well, let's get going」

We go up for another few floors until we arrive at the room that used to be the nest of the Striges.

When I look up, I can see the sky due to the huge circular hole at the roof of this room.

「It seems there's nothing in here….」

Stor the ranger is reporting the results of his investigation.

I was also unable to feel anything when I scoured the room.

「Shirone-sama. That vampire shouldn't have lied to us, right?」

Rember questions the vampire’s claims.

「Uhm, I couldn't feel that he is lying to us but still….」

I don't think that El-something lied to us.

But, there's nothing above this residential area. No need to investigate further, then.

「Though there are traces of something having been present at this place previously, it is no longer in this place now」

Few people nod upon hearing Stor words.

Could it be that it is in hiding?

「We will be able to get more information if Nao-chan was with us right now, but….」

Searching any further is futile.

「Shirone-sama, it seems we have no way to investigate further. Let's go back to Rox」

It's as Rember says, we have no reason to stay in this place anymore.

「It can't be helped then….」

I muttered so in a low voice. We decided to head back.

「Sorry, Glorious」

Glorious was hiding inside the forest near the tower.

When I approach Glorious, he brings his nose closer to me.

「I'm sorry for robbing your freedom….」

Glorious purrs happily when upon brushing his nose.

「But, it's amazing, right?」

I glance at the necklace attached to Glorious’s right horn.

The fat and huge trees inside the forest aren't enough to hide Glorious.

Nevertheless, no one will be able to notice Glorious thanks to the necklace on his right horn.

When I examined the necklace left behind by Rena, I found out that it has the power to inhibit detection magic.

Glorious is so powerful that it's easy to notice him in a normal situation, but he couldn't be detected thanks to the power of the necklace.

「It'll become a deadly weapon in skilled hands」

The fault of this necklace lies in the fact that it inhibits the detection skills of the user too.

There's a possibility that I could end up causing a deadly blunder if I make a mistake while using it.

For what reason Rena did leave behind this kind of necklace?

Maybe I ought to investigate that.