The Targeted Princess

「……Treat……」

After confirming Grave’s death, I left the room that was filled with corrosive poison and immediately detoxified myself.

Originally it was a poison with liquid form. It lost its instant lethality in its gas form, but I had inhaled too much of it into my lungs in order to finish the battle quickly. I leaned on the corridor’s wall and healed my lungs with Cure. Then I wiped the blood on my mouth and ran through the dark corridor.

Grave was an opponent that I had a deep tie with. Originally I wanted to settle things with him through a proper battle but……that guy’s way of life was just too awkward…….

Grave surely had his own thinking but, his feeling couldn’t reach me anymore because he started something unnecessary.

I ran while drinking healing potion and mana recovery potion of my own creation. My mana and stamina had decreased greatly. I was aware that I had been reckless, even so there was something that I obtained from it.

Iron Rose that was specialized for speed. From previously I had been persisting with fighting style that focused on speed which was my defining trait, but after going through many battles where I put my body through the wringer, I was able to obtain a new trump card though it put a great burden on my body and consumed a lot of mana.

Perhaps it was thanks to all those times overdoing it. My <Magic Power Control> skill had reached level 5. It was the limit of human race, a domain that could only be attained by the chosen people. It was just a single step, but I had stepped into such domain.

I used that magic power control to focus the strengthening on my muscle strength and smashed the boards blocking the window at the height of around the fourth floor with my kick. The sun had already set and the sky was becoming dark. I leaped out.

「Nero!!」

I yelled toward the night sky.

『GAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!』

A black gale responded and cut through the night. With a roar it ran up the castle wall and picked me who was fluttering through the sky on its back.

My eyes that had night vision could see the corpses of hundreds of defectives scattered throughout the forest. I patted the back of Nero who had drawn away that many enemies for me. Then I turned my gaze toward the direction where Nero’s whisker was pointing at. There a vampire was dying after Nero ripped him up.

If I remembered correctly, that vampire was one of the vampires that Gostoura was leading. Most likely he stayed behind to fight Nero so Gostoura and the others could go ahead.

It didn’t matter that he was an evil race and a vampire. I felt his resolve in risking his life for the sake of his comrade. I braced myself because I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the opponent’s arrogance this time like all the times before.

「Nero. We’re chasing the vampires.」

『GAAAAAAAAAAAA!』

***

Normally it would take around three weeks until one month to travel from Marquis Kendra’s territory until the capital. But that was in case the traveler went through territory where humans lived and the safety was guaranteed to a degree, by carriage or on foot. That travel period could be shortened to around one week by using abnormal route of deep forest where wild animals and monsters were living.

That day, in the noble mansion inside the sorcery academy near the capital’s outskirt, the servants were shocked and flustered by the sudden return of the noble daughter who was their master.

「Carla-sama!?」

「You have returned!?」

「Weren’t you heading to Kendras-?」

「That look……」

「I returned just now.」

Carla suddenly appeared at the entrance hall inside the mansion. Her sickly white skin was still entwined by black thorn. She didn’t reply any further to the flustered servants and only told them her demand.

「Rather than that, I want to drink tea with honey. After that I also want to soak in hot water, so can you all prepare them immediately?」

「Y-yes-」

「We shall prepare them right away!」

The mansion’s servants recalled their role and started moving in a hurry. The house of Count Lester was a house that was famous in sorcery and it had produced a lot of royal court sorcerer, but it had few dependents for a high ranked noble house and the number of servant was also few because of their strong paranoia.

Many of the servants also doubled as disciples of the current head of the house who was the head of the royal court sorcerers, but the young Carla once killed more than half of the sorcery disciples.

There was no servant who wanted to follow Carla who was being feared in Lester House. The servants here were outsiders who got brought in by an old butler who was the only person who had ever felt concern for Carla ever since she was little.

People who were sold by their parents because of debt, people who committed crime because they had no choice, people who couldn’t find proper work. The majority of the servants here were people like that, but because of that the position as Carla’s servant became a support for these people who had no other place to run away to because Carla never mistreated anyone as long they weren’t hostile.

「How rushed.」

Carla chuckled cynically seeing her own servants fearing her and went away without even helping her, their master to change her clothes. Carla went to her room at the second floor on her own feet, and there she finally dispelled her Gift, the Soul Thorn.

「……cough」

She coughed a little and a trickle of blood slipped out from the corner of her lips.

Carla was able to return from a place that should be several days away from here because she used the infinite mana of Soul Thorn to cast level 6 darkness magic Teleport.

She didn’t use it to go there because she could only use it to a place that she had visited herself. But that wasn’t all, Carla herself also simply wished to act together with Aria.

「Fufu……」

Carla sat down on a single-seat sofa inside her dark room and smiled in remembrance.

She couldn’t see what happen inside the castle, but she had seen from afar the vampires coming out of the castle and fighting the mythical beast Coeurl. From the several available options, they had chosen to attack the royal family……furthermore she guessed that they would target the princess who didn’t have Aria at her side.

The current crown prince Ervan wasn’t an incompetent, but he didn’t have the resolve like her little sister Elena who could be entrusted with the live of the twelve million populaces and cut them off if necessary.

Elena already had such resolve when she was seven years old. Aria and Carla were also able to understand and accept such thing at that age. It wasn’t refutable that the three of them were out of the norm, but it didn’t change the fact that Ervan was clearly inferior compared to them.

If this was a peaceful era then he would still become an ordinary king despite that, but in this situation, if Carla was in the position of the vampires who had the mission of diminishing the national strength of Claydale Kingdom, she would also think that the princess was in the way.

Was Aria able to win against that man? Would Aria be able to protect the princess?

Even though Aria had the strength of an upper rank 4 and could fight evenly even against rank 5 enemy, it should be difficult to accomplish either of those. The possibility of accomplished either of them would jump up if Carla lend a hand, but she had no intention of interfering with Aria’s battle.

「……Because, you will definitely win.」

It would be difficult for Aria to win. Even so Carla didn’t have even the slightest doubt of Aria’s victory.

Aria would become even stronger when this battle ended. Carla’s only interest was in her future fight with Aria. She had no interest in the life of anyone else.

Carla had overworked herself in this battle and she would fall into comatose state for several days after this. Even knowing that a cheerful smile like a little child formed on her sickly face.

「I wonder who will have died when I wake up……」

***

The evil race vampires were sprinting through the dark forest like ghosts. Although they were undead who didn’t need rest, their life force and mana were still limited as long as they existed in this material world. They required “sleep” during noon in order to maintain their regenerative power and high physical parameters.

In vampire’s case, they were maintaining their immortality by absorbing other people’s soul through the intermediary of blood, and obtaining darkness and earth magic particles by sleeping at graveyard, but right now that wasn’t an option for them.

「Gostoura-sama……」

「As expected, with that body」

「……Don’t worry, Restes, Garrey. I won’t perish from just this much. Besides we can’t let our guard down against them. You two just focus on what you have to do.」

「「……Yes-」」

Gostoura’s subordinates could only nod even though they couldn’t accept his words.

A vampire’s body could regenerate from any wound as long as they had time and mana. But, Gostoura’s right arm that was torn off by Carla was still not regenerating. His face that shouldn’t feel any pain was grimacing.

Spirit that had no flesh body in the material world still received around ten percent of damage even from normal weapon because of the power of will like hostility or malice from the attacker. It was said that willpower reacted with mana and left behind some effect.

An undead who couldn’t feel physical pain easily was now feeling agony because the “malice” of Carla who did it was polluting his body and even his soul.

That Carla would pursue them after time passed. The black beast that had massacred the defectives that they created to be their vanguards would also pursue after them sooner or later even though one of them had stayed behind to hold it back.

And then there was also that “Ash Crowned Princess” who possessed such abnormal strength. Grave was a strong warrior even in Gostoura’s eyes, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to stop her.

It was unthinkable that Carla and the ash crowned girl appeared at the same time by coincidence. Even if the two of them were dispatched by the country, there should be someone else who leaked the information about them.

As he thought human couldn’t be trusted. There was Carla from the beginning, and even the nobles who were the employer of Grave and Tabatha, anyone of them could possibly betray Gostoura and his men after making use of them.

(Absolutely unforgivable!)

Gostoura fanned up his hatred toward human race once more.

Even the evil race wasn’t a monolith. It was in a situation where the human extermination faction and the peaceful faction were constantly in quarrel against each other since a long time ago.

But vampire clan was a clan that wasn’t fully trusted because they were monsters despite being a member of the evil race. If the peaceful faction won, there was a fear that one day the vampire clan would be driven out from the evil race.

They would kidnap the princess, then made use of her to deal a blow to the human nations, triggering a new war.

They would fan up the conflict within the evil race using the princess as bait, then they would display the usefulness of vampire race in the war that started against the human race.

(Chief……I’ll definitely play my part in creating a place for our clan to belong.)

In order to not waste the lives of their comrades who had been sacrificed, Gostoura and his men were reluctant to spend time even for regenerating their wounds and kept running through the dark forest day and night. Their only remaining path was to advance while literally shaving off their life for that.

***

Even the sorcery academy had security. It was the alma mater of almost all of the nobles in Claydale Kingdom. This academy that was attended by their own children and relatives drew a lot of donations which were used to form its own private knight order that numbered 200 people.

Of course it was impossible to patrol the whole academy that had the same size like the capital with just that number, but the academy was surrounded by a primeval forest, turning it into a natural forest that prevented any horsed or armored troops from approaching.

Other than that, any high ranked noble house would naturally send several guards to come with their children. There were also several hundred guards in addition. So it was thought that the academy had adequate security as long as there was no situation like before where a part of the knight order turned traitor.

But such thinking also caused carelessness. In the princess’s case, the number of noble houses that could be trusted was few, so she could only bring a platoon of royal guard with her. Originally that would be enough, because normally black ops knights and the adventurer girl who was a member of Rainbow Sword would also be guarding the princess, so mere assassin wouldn’t even become a problem.

But now……the figure of the girl who was called “Ash Crowned Princess” and feared by the people of the underworld wasn’t at the side of Princess Elena.

「Aria……please, come back safely.」

Elena appeared on the terrace of her room while still wearing nightclothes. She looked up to the moon floating at the night sky and quietly linked her fingers together and offered a prayer for the girl who was the only one in this world she had bared her heart to.

Without even noticing that the greatest danger was approaching herself…….

***

A black beast and a girl on its back was rushing through a thick forest that was filled with huge trees. It was dark there even during noon.

There was no flat road or clear sight anywhere. Even so the two jumped over a huge stone that spanned several meters without even slowing down at all and rushed through the trees that were grouped in complicated pattern like a labyrinth with zigzagging movement.

The trees that they had passed until this point had the traces of animal claws left on them. The corpses of monsters that were cut down or ripped up at various points were rolling on the ground as though they were guidepost.

『GIGYAAAAAH!』

From above the trees, several things with human silhouette that had wings growing on their body attacked that beast and girl.

They were rank 3 monsters that were called harpy. They had the wings and claws of bird of prey, with upper body that looked like human female. They thought they had overwhelming advantage deep inside the forest and attacked with warped smiles, imagining the pitiful prey that they were going to rip apart after this.

「Annoying.」

The girl’s voice flowed inside the dark forest. A slashing pendulum flew in that moment and cut the neck of one harpy. While blood sprayed up in the air, a scythe pendulum tore the wings of the harpies and they fell down where the claws of the black beast immediately ripped them up. The girl and beast continued running through the dark forest without slowing down for even a moment.

***

「……It’s cold today.」

The season was spring but sometimes the night would still feel chilly. The dusk had passed and the sky of the sorcery academy was starting to become dark. A man wearing the janitor overall slovenly was looking up to the sky while opening the lid of a copper flask and took just a sip from it.

The content of the flask was distilled fruit wine. He was still in the middle of work so it seemed frivolous of him to carry such thing but, distilled alcohol could also be used to sterilize wound and also as restorative. It could also warm the body if it was drunk slightly like this. It could be said as an essential for adventurer who worked solo.

「……Let’s stop.」

He wanted to take another sip because of this out-of-season coldness, even so drinking anymore than this would cause hindrance to his work so Viro held back with a frown.

Viro was a member of adventurer party “Rainbow Sword” that was distinguished through the whole country. He was infiltrating the academy as a janitor because he got assignment to guard the princess who became a student here.

The members of Rainbow Sword who received the assignment this time was only the scout Viro who could blend into anywhere naturally and Aria who wouldn’t be suspected even if she was inside the academy.

Aria was in charge of protecting the princess from nearby seeing that she had the same gender and age with the princess, while Viro was in charge of standing guard at the surrounding and gathering information. Even so the royal guards took over the guard duty after the princess returned to her mansion, but this time Aria was absent from the academy in order to subjugate Grave, so Viro also continued to patrol the surrounding when night came.

Attacker that was hired by middle ranked noble could be taken care of by the royal guard, no problem. In the first place, attacking the academy that was located close to the capital would also bring a lot of political risk to the attacker, so it was something that rarely happened.

Even so, sometimes there were also people who couldn’t read the situation or people who held unjustified resentment who would send their skilled subordinate as assassin. That kind of people had gotten dealt with by Viro and the black ops without ever being able to reach the princess who was guarded by Aria.

(……Something’s odd.)

Viro stored his flask in his pocket and touched his mythril short sword with his finger in exchange. He was grumbling in his heart. This coldness wasn’t because of the weather. Viro’s instinct that he had cultivated in the border of life and death for many years had sensed something out of place in the air. He switched mood from acting as security to preparing for a fight.

The number of personnel from the black ops had also been increased because of the insurrection of the second knight order before. Right now it was still nothing more than a vague warning from Viro’s instinct, but just in case something really happened, Viro left behind instruction to the black ops’ contact network to increase the vigilance while he ran toward the princess’s mansion by himself.

***

「……What’s wrong?」

Two academy knights were patrolling near the forest at the northern side of the academy on horse. One of them stopped his horse and turned toward his colleague.

「No, something……」

The thick forest that was surrounding the academy was like a barrier that refused entry. But the tree grouping at the northern side was especially thick, so it was dark even at noon. It was really rare but sometimes wolf or stray dog could also appear from there, so the academy knights often patrolled this area. The knight who stopped his horse was feeling something like a chill from inside that forest.

He turned his face toward his colleague who was asking him question in order to tell him about that feeling, but right in that instant, that colleague got assaulted by a black shadow that shot out from the forest.

「What-!?」

The knight raised a shocked voice. In front of him, his comrade got his neck bitten without him being able to even make a voice. Then his comrade’s body crumbled down like a withered tree while he was looking. The attacking black shadow showed crimson eyes and fangs that glistened from blood inside the thin darkness. The moment the knight realized the attacker’s true identity, two shadows shot out once more from the dark forest and bit him. He lost his life in an instant.

「Let’s go.」

One of the shadows raised his voice. The other two who were slurping blood greedily raised their faces.

They knew the location where their target was staying. They had even postponed sucking blood until they arrived here but, there should be nobody who could stop them after coming this far.

The vampires were sure of that and started moving like ghosts into the academy that had gotten dark after the sun set.

.

「Gyah!?」

The evil race vampires, Gostoura and his subordinates ran into an academy knight on the way. They didn’t hide and killed him as they passed by.

Their parameters had gone down somewhat because of their forced march until here, but rank 2 knight still wouldn’t even be a hindrance against them. And more than that, the information that they obtained from Tabatha’s master also included the academy’s security which was useful to shorten their traveling time.

That master……Clara didn’t have the intention of leaking that much information, but Tabatha felt humiliation from getting [pitied] by her as a fellow woman and did this as revenge.

Like that the vampires sprinted through the academy. In that short time they had bared their fangs on six academy knights and several unfortunate students with bad behavior who were still out at this hour. Then they finally arrived at the princess’s mansion.

The princess was guarded by a platoon of royal guards, ten knights and several soldiers who served as their attendants. Other than them there were only the black ops’ bodyguard maid and butler at the princess’s side. This number wasn’t even half of the crown prince’s guard, but that was just how few people that the princess could trust because so many were trying to make use of her.

But, there was no point in number that was just for appearance. After all the girl who was called the “Ash Crowned Princess” and be thought as the most troublesome factor inside this academy other than also being the princess’s bodyguard was currently absent.

At this time, there were only two knights and two soldiers of the royal guards standing guard outside the mansion.

The fence surrounding the mansion had magical protection and breaking through to jump over it would take time, so Gostoura and his men decided to make use of their ability to “bulldoze” through.

「Gah!?」

The chakram that was thrown by a vampire who looked like someone around the age of thirty split the head of one soldier, killing him instantly.

「Wha-」

「E-enemy attack-!」

The remaining soldier ran into the mansion to call for reinforcement. The knights immediately readied their shield and blocked the chakram that was thrown to that soldier’s back.

「You bastards!」

「Black skin……no way, evil race-!」

Gostoura bared his fangs in a grin at the knights’ reaction.

「I won’t tell you two to move aside. Go ahead to that world from your effort in protecting the princess.」

「Screw you! You won’t reach her highness!」

「Wait!」

The young knight ran toward Gostoura with his sword and shield at the ready. The other knight couldn’t stop him in time. A female vampire holding two kukuri knives that looked like hatchet slipped beside the shield and slashed open the young knight’s side.

「Guah」

「What a sweet smell……it’s too bad that we have no time to suck your blood.」

「Those fangs, don’t tell me!?」

The vampires here were specially chosen from among the vampire clan. Every one of them had rank 4 strength even before becoming vampire. Their combat strength then got doubled from becoming vampire.

「Now, die. We will also follow behind you sooner or later.」

The knights felt extraordinary resolve from the female vampire’s words.

She raised her kukuri knife without the other knight unable to even approach closer, but Gostoura suddenly moved and swung his sword.

*Clang!*

A throwing knife got deflected and stabbed into the ground. A man appeared from the darkness at the other side.

「Are you alright guys!?」

「Sir Viro!」

The expressions of the knights were lit up with hope seeing a high ranked adventurer like Viro showing up. At the same time several other knights also appeared from the mansion. The female vampire clicked her tongue in annoyance seeing the situation changed drastically.

「Gostoura-sama, Garrey. Leave this place to me and go ahead.」

「……Take care.」

Gostoura spoke briefly to the female vampire, then the other vampire called Garrey nodded deeply and the two of them jumped over the head of the approaching knights to head toward the mansion.

「What’s with that physical ability!?」

「Sir Viro, they might be vampire!」

「Tsk!」

*Clang!*

Viro tried to chase after them when he heard that, but the female vampire’s kukuri knife stopped him. Viro blocked it with his short sword.

「They’re entrusting this place to me. I won’t let you leave.」

「Shit, you guys go after them! Don’t let them get near her highness!」

The knights who were flustered for a moment from seeing the vampires’ impossible physical ability immediately came to their senses from Viro’s scolding. The knight captain Mash nodded at Viro.

「Sir Viro, take care of this place!」

「Ou!」

「I also won’t let you guys──」

The female vampire tried to throw her kukuri knife toward those knights, but this time it was Viro’s throwing knife that stopped it.

「It’s the opposite this time. There’s no way I can let you leave right?」

「You lowly human……」

The moment the female vampire bared her fangs, light was lit up to illuminate the surrounding darkness.

Viro checked with only his gaze. The knight whose side got cut was using Light despite his serious wound.

There would be no problem if Viro was alone but, if the opponent was a vampire who lived in darkness, it would be pointless for the humans here to fight in the darkness too. But, the knights held their breath when they saw the figure of the female vampire that appeared under the light. Viro sighed and spat out his words.

「Tsk, how unlucky I can be that I have to face this kind of beauty. I’m not good at all when facing woman.」

「……Even though I look like this?」

The vampire looked like a young woman with black skin and silver hair. But, that skin that should look beautiful had been burned hideously. It exposed a horrible appearance that even a vampire was unable to regenerate fully.

Most likely it was the after-effect of moving even during noon. They were choosing to move through dark forest, but even the slight sunlight that was filtering through trees should mercilessly bring ruin for vampire. Even so they were able to arrive until this far thanks to the regenerative power of high ranked vampire and their tenacity that overcame even their physical pain.

Her rank 4 skill and physical ability hadn’t vanished even with her body in such ragged state. It was clear that he would be at disadvantage if he faced this opponent head-on, even so Viro cracked a joke to fire up himself.

「True beauty can’t be hidden with just scar y’know?」

「……What an amusing man. Can you tell me your name?」

The female vampire smiled slightly with just her lips. Viro too grinned and made a manly smile.

「I’m Viro.」

Viro raised his knife. The woman also readied her two kukuri knives and faced him from the front.

「My name is Restes. Viro……I’ll face you seriously.」

***

「Don’t let them reach her highness!」

The royal guards were desperately holding back the two vampires from approaching Princess Elena’s location.

If the attack was carried by normal human, normally they would hold back the attackers so the royalty could run away, but it was night right now and the opponents were vampires, so the standard practice was for the royalty to hide away inside the mansion.

「Guaah!」

A knight was blown away together with his shield by Gostoura’s one-handed sword. The chakram that Garrey threw was cutting the soldiers.

There were some who died and some who were still alive. But Gostoura and Garrey didn’t waste time to finish off the wounded people and prioritized going further ahead to secure the princess.

「You won’t pass!」

「Then show your loyalty by giving your life.」

The number of knights who were still standing on their feet in this place had been reduced to only the six who once also protected Elena inside the dungeon. They had the experience of fighting rank 5 Minotaurus Brute and endured even the fierce attacks of Gostoura and his subordinate who had similar combat strength, but it was clear to see that it was just a matter of time until their defense crumbled.

「UOOOOOOOOOH!」

「HAAAAH!」

The knight captain Mash who was once saved by Aria and Gostoura clashed. Sparks scattered from their weapons.

The knights were upper rank 3 with combat strength of nearly 500, but Gostoura’s combat strength was nearly 2000 even though he only had one arm now. Mash who was holding a shield was unable to block his attack and got sent flying until he hit the knight behind him.

「……Guh」

「Gostoura-sama!?」

But, Gostoura was also wounded and had gone through an unreasonable forced march to reach this place. He fell on his knee and Garrey who was defeating the soldiers rushed toward him.

「……No problem. Let’s go.」

「Yes-」

「……W-wait」

Mash who was still unconscious reached out with his hand from the floor. Garrey kicked him away and destroyed the door of the last and most protected room. Inside the room there was Elena holding a knife, the butler Joseph holding a sword to protect her, and the knight type bodyguard maid Chloe holding a large shield while glaring at Gostoura.

Elena’s knife wasn’t for fighting. It was to kill herself as the last resort. As a princess she had been raised to choose death rather than allowing the enemy to take advantage of her.

「……Hoo」

Even then Elena’s eyes were still alive. It caused Gostoura to reflexively sigh in admiration.

The strength of those eyes showed the strength of her will. That strength of heart to keep struggling until the very end assured him that his thinking of taking her away to weaken this country and the lives he spent to carry out that plan weren’t a mistake.

It wasn’t just Joseph and Chloe who were protecting Elena. Even the common maids who clearly hadn’t received any combat training were surrounding the princess on their own will even while trembling in order to protect her.

「Princess. We shall spare the lives of these people if you obediently surrender yourself to us.」

「Nonsense. I won’t allow you to ridicule the resolve of these people.」

「……That was rude of me.」

Gostoura narrowed his eyes as though he had just seen something dazzling. He raised his sword. Garrey wordlessly took out his chakram. Seeing that caused the common maids to raise muffled screams.

Elena thought of the girl who once promised her to [not give up]……, suddenly she felt something and turned her gaze toward the window.

Outside that window──.

There was the figure of a black beast rushing through the darkness. The black beast cut through the wind and darkness, running like a fired arrow, and then it suddenly put a brake while leaving behind furrows on its wake. The silhouette that was holding the beast’s tail on its back made use of that recoil and got sent flying, breaking through the large window at the second floor and entered inside the room.

*Gashaaan!*

Pinkish blond hair fluttered amidst the scattering glass fragments. Elena yelled the name of the girl who swept aside her skirt and threw knives at Gostoura and Garrey to hold them back.

.

「Aria-!」

「Sorry to make you wait, Elena.」

The pink haired girl──”Ash Crowned Princess” Aria.

She was one of the prominent adventurers in this country. Her reputation wasn’t limited to just inside this academy. Even their new collaborators regarded her as dangerous enemy that would pose the greatest difficulty for them. And she had caught up to them just when they were a step away from completing their mission.

She had a fierce yet lovely appearance. She looked haggard and slightly dirty all over, with dried blood of her enemies clinging on her whole body. But there was still beauty in such look. Most likely it was her way of living itself that made the people looking at her felt such impression. The princess’s expression brightened just from her entrance, while the eyes of the people around her light up with hope. Gostoura’s eyes narrowed slightly seeing that.

「Gostoura-sama, leave this to me.」

The adult looking vampire Garrey pulled out Aria’s knife that pierced his arm with irritation and threw it violently on the floor. Then he struck the two chakrams in his hands to make a distorted sound menacingly.

「It looks like your combat strength has gone down. Don’t think you can win against me like htat.」

The combat strength of Garrey and the others had also decreased from their forced march, but Aria’s combat strength had also decreased considerably compared to when they saw her in the castle. Gostoura also decided to leave her to Garrey after seeing that and turned his focus slightly toward Elena. Right in that moment──

「Guooooh!?」

「Tsu!」

A disk shaped blade flew through the air and tore Garrey’s face from the side. In that instant, Aria jumped ahead with abnormal speed.

*Clang!*

Sparks scattered when Aria’s black dagger clashed with Gostoura’s sword. Her jade green eyes had no fear or anxiety, only fighting spirit in them. Gostoura felt a chill from that and couldn’t stop himself from taking a distance.

「Uoooooooooooh!」

From behind him, Garrey who got one eye destroyed threw his chakram. Aria somersaulted backward to dodge that attack lithely. Gostoura attacked in that timing, but Aria kicked his arm to open even more distance. Aria then confronted the vampires with her distance from Elena and her distance from the vampires being equal to each other.

Gostoura and Garrey, the moment any one of them went toward Elena, Aria would attack them from the side.

She had no mercy. No hesitation. And also no fear or any other mental weakness. Where did a girl who was still this young obtain such battle sense?

(What in the world is this girl……)

Her combat level wasn’t any different from Gostoura and others. And they the vampires should have superior physical ability and battle experience considering the long time they had lived.

And yet they couldn’t kill her. That fighting style and eerie presence reminded him greatly of the female evil race called [War Demon] who was said to die in the war against the human race decades ago.

「A human little girl……want to take on the two of us at the same time-」

Garrey seemed to feel that eeriness too. A veteran warrior like him was using an unusually strong wording. Gostoura stopped him.

「Don’t get emotional Garrey. Think of that girl as the same like that black haired sorcerer. Restes will defeat that man and catch up to us if we wait for a bit. We’ll take her down then.」

「……Yes-」

Garrey reluctantly drew back his weapon to tighten his defense. Then Aria who was listening to their conversation silently opened her mouth while holding her knife and dagger away from each other.

「Your friend won’t come. If the man that you referred to is “him”……despite his look, he’s still one of my teachers.」

***

「I won’t be able to keep you company for long you know?」

「That’s my line.」

The female evil race vampire Restes said those words under the sorcery light that was faintly illuminating the night. Viro replied back lightly to that.

But, unlike the lightness of his tone, the air between the two was painfully tense.

Restes had a reason to risk her life for the sake of her comrades. Viro too had something that he had to protect no matter what. Both sides couldn’t allow their opponent to go ahead. Only the winner of this fight would be able to rush to their comrades’ defense.

.

▼Restes Race：Dark Elf♀（Vampire）・Assumed Rank ４

【Magic Power：２１８／２４５】【Stamina：２２１／３４７】

【Overall Combat Strength：９４８×１・５（１４２２）】

.

(Craaap……)

Viro secretly got cold sweat when he saw Restes’s combat strength.

Viro’s overall combat strength with physical reinforcement added was 1281. Technique wise, the opponent was also rank 4 like him. Furthermore she was a vampire whose status received strengthening the higher their rank was.

But there was opening that he could take advantage of. A vampire’s combat strength got calculated as double because of their regeneration ability, but Restes’s combat strength was lower than the maximum value. It was clear from looking at her stamina that her vampiric regeneration had degraded from travelling even during noon.

He still had a chance like this. But death would be waiting for him if he lowered his guard. An undead like Restes wouldn’t die from normal method. Short sword that relied on attack speed also wouldn’t be able to inflict satisfactory damage.

「Can’t be helped! Let’s do this!」

Viro spoke out to fire up himself and he lowered his stance. Restes looked somewhat exasperated seeing that while in front of him, Viro’s mythril short sword swept over the ground to throw dust at Restes’s face.

「Cheap trick!」

Restes swung around her kukuri knives to sweep away the dust with the wind pressure and she stepped forward. But her leg stopped for a moment. Restes’s knee bent slightly and then she bent backward while pulling back her neck. A moment later a mythril knife flew past from the side and grazed her black throat.

She continued to somersault backward and opened the distance. Then she pulled out the throwing knife that had stabbed her right knee before she knew it and threw it to the darkness.

「What a crafty man……」

「Thanks for the praise!」

Viro grinned at the sarcastic praise and leaped forward.

A throwing knife wouldn’t deal a serious damage even if it hit. That was why Viro threw the knife under the cover of the dust and used the undead’s tendency to not mind small wound to kill her knee. He tried to decide the battle in an instant with that.

But, the same trick wouldn’t work again. Viro didn’t miss this chance and attacked like surging waves. Restes too used her high physical ability to parry Viro’s attacks with her two kukuri knives even while her posture was unbalanced.

「……This is rank 4」

The two royal guards who remained behind in this place gulped seeing the battle between rank 4. They should be giving backup to Viro, but they couldn’t even do anything to interfere.

In the eyes of ordinary people, rank 3 knights were experts who had walked far in their path.

But, to go further than that required special talent and mental strength to cut off anything unnecessary for their path. Even though the fight before them was a fight of two knife users that were generally regarded as weak, the knights would need a lot of courage to interfere with that fight.

「HAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

Restes got impatient and used her vampiric strength. Her muscles were getting ripped from her forceful movement as she pushed back Viro’s knife.

「Kuh」

Viro had muscle strength that was far higher than ordinary people thanks to his level 4 combat skill, but he was getting pushed back by the attack that came from below.

Viro wasn’t using two weapons. That was because two sword style had certain weaknesses in contrast to its high attack strength. One of them was the lack of weight in its attack, but Aria overcame that weakness by using two different types of weapons, while Restes compensated for it with her vampiric strength.

In contrast the weakness of using one sword was in its low defensive capability. Fundamentally short sword wasn’t suited for exchanging blow head on.

The offense and defense got reversed. Viro was parrying the fierce attack of Restes’s two swords style with his one sword. Even though their technique was at the same level, the difference in their attack speed and physical ability was making Viro gradually getting pushed back.

「Tsk!」

Viro glanced around and jumped back while kicking up the ground’s dirt. At the same time his left hand pulled out a knife and threw it. This was a strong point of one sword style. The user had one free hand that enabled them to use various attacks but──.

「I knew you will do that!」

Restes had predicted that this man would definitely try something when he got cornered. She didn’t even dodge Viro’s attack and threw the kukuri knife in her left hand.

「Tsu!」

The kukuri knife pierced Viro’s thigh. Viro’s throwing knife also hit Restes’s leg.

Restes stepped forward even though one of her eyes got blinded by the dust. She aimed at Viro’s heart, but Viro was able to barely deflect that blade. However the deflected blade sank deeply into his stomach.

「Guoooh!」

「You gave me some trouble but……it was fun, Viro.」

She was unable to kill him in one hit, but a human would be rendered unable to fight if their stomach got seriously injured.

But it was also because she was unable to kill him that she could have a talk with this amusing human. A smile broke out on her burnt face. Viro too sighed which turned into a cough that let out blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

「As I thought, two swords user is strong……. But, it doesn’t suit me though.」

「How about giving it a try in the future? If you want I’ll even turn you into my retainer you know……?」

Restes showed her fangs from her lips slightly. Her eyes glinted eerily. Viro slowly shook his head at her offer.

「It’s a honor to receive invitation from a beauty like you, but nope.」

「Then die already.」

Restes smiled because she knew that he would answer like that. She strengthened her grip on her knife, but Viro suddenly opened his mouth.

「You see, I’m a teacher despite my look. And I kept telling that girl who is using two swords. Don’t let your “guard” down, especially when giving the finishing blow.」

「Eh……」

*Dosu……!*

Restes’s eyes opened wide at the steel blade that stabbed through her chest.

The one who attacked her from behind was one of the knights who remained in this place. Two swords style was powerful but the user needed a lot of concentration when attacking and they became slack with paying attention to the surrounding. That was why Viro was fixated with using one sword and also taught his disciple(Aria) about that weakness. Aria who followed his teaching was able to deal a serious wound to Gilgan of assassin guild.

Also Viro pretended to fall back while subtly changing their positioning to set the table so that the knights could attack from behind. The wounded knight also got encouraged and stood up while pressing his hand on the wound on his side.

「……You damn humaaann!」

Restes’s face warped like an animal and punched the knight who attacked her flying with one hand.

Even though her heart was pierced, the blade slightly missed her magic stone, so Restes still hadn’t died.

Viro held up his knife even while his stomach was stabbed. Restes let go of her knife and took a distance from him. She bared her sharp claws and fangs together with her true nature as vampire. Viro grinned seeing that.

「That’s why, I told you to look around right?」

.

<──Duck──>

.

The knights reflexively got down when a [voice] suddenly reverberated inside their head. Then a black gale tore Restes’s back and passed her by, leaving behind a mist of black blood sprayed behind it.

「Coeurl!? Don’t tell me, that girl has already caught up!」

The appearance of the black mythical beast Coeurl most likely meant that the dangerous girl who was accompanying it had defeated Grave and chased after them.

Restes had forgotten the damage that she received and turned her focus toward the new threat, but behind her Viro pulled out the kukuri knife from his stomach and raised his mythril knife high above his head.

「──Critical Edge──!」

「Wha-」

The critical attack came from behind her unprotected back. Restes turned around with an astonished look and found the blade cutting through her neck. Her head flew in the air.

Light died out from her eyes. Viro felt like there was a slight smile on her lisp toward him at the end there.

「……See ya, Restes.」

Viro said his farewell to Restes at the end. Then he ran out of strength and fell on his back. He turned his gaze toward Nero who was approaching him.

「Ouch ouch……but, if you’re here that mean that girl has also come back right?」

『Gaa……』

Nero growled to answer Viro on the ground. Viro then closed his eyes in relief.

「Hehe……I leave the rest to you, Aria.」

***

A strange three-way deadlock was forming.

Gostoura and his subordinate would get attacked by me if they tried to attack Elena, and if I made my move first then one of them would attack Elena.

But it wasn’t like Elena and others were helpless and could only wait to be protected. Elena could use magic. Her aides Joseph and Chloe were also rank 3. They couldn’t fight against Gostoura who had the combat strength of rank 5 although he had been weakened, but they should be able to but a little time at least.

.

▼Aria （Alicia） 　Race：Human ♀・Rank ４

【Magic Power：105／３20】【Stamina：153／２５０】

【Overall Combat Strength：１３３９（With Special Body Strengthening：２５２０）】

【State：Fatigue】

.

But even before that, I myself had been unable to recover because of getting poisoned and not sleeping for several days. Even using Iron Rose would be difficult for me if I still wanted to use Battle Skill and body strengthening.

Morning would come in several more hours. The situation would change then, but Gostoura and his subordinate was surely aware of that too.

But they were prioritizing to attack Elena even if they had to sacrifice their comrade for it. It was as though everything would be over if they managed to capture Elena. ……Their action was unnatural. Something was strange.

But, it didn’t change what I had to do at all. Nero and Viro had used their own body to buy me time and bring me till this far. I’d definitely protect Elena using my all so that their effort too wouldn’t be wasted.

「You little girl……」

The adult vampire called Garrey finally lost patience and charged toward me with chakrams in both hands. At the same time the one-armed Gostoura went toward Elena. My knife flew toward him at the same time but Garrey’s chakram hit it.

*Clang!*

I clashed against Garrey while using my left hand to control the weight pendulum I threw. It targeted the back of the head of Gostoura who had his back turned at me.

「Kuh!」

「──Air Bullet──!」

Gostoura dodged the pendulum that came from behind him just barely. Elena took advantage of that opening and shot a wind sorcery at him. It obstructed him and retreated back until his original position. Meanwhile I tried to change position toward Elena’s direction, but Garrey’s chakram flew in front of me and directed me back at my original position.

「Tsk……」

Gostoura looked at Elena and me with irritation, but the feeling was the same.

Also you were underestimating Elena too much. She wasn’t that weak of a woman.

「Nuooooooooh!」

*GIN!*

Garrey threw his chakram. I immediately drew back my weight pendulum in high speed and struck it down in the air.

It would be impossible for me to do something like that just a little while ago. But my experience in seeing through Grave’s invisible string during my fight against him made this possible.

I was getting stronger bit by bit. I was better today than yesterday. And I would be better tomorrow than today.

Master and Viro also taught me that the combat strength’s number was nothing than rough estimate. Cmbat strength was nothing more than status and skill being converted into simple number. In a battle between two high ranked fighters, they needed to willpower to face the battle and experience……things that weren’t represented in combat strength.

*Clang!*

I dodged the chakram that Garrey swung powerfully without averting my gaze until it passed several centimeters in front of my eyes. Then I immediately rotated my whole body and struck with my black dagger on Garrey’s forehead.

「Guoooo!?」

「Garrey!」

Even so Galley still hadn’t perished. In that moment, Gostoura swung his sword at me from the side after seeing his comrade in danger. A fellow rank 4 would be able to block or dodge that attack. But, if you were able to do that, there was even more thing that you could also do.

「What-!?」

I deflected the sword that was swinging horizontally at my neck by hitting its flat side with my hand chop. It would be me who died if hesitated for even just a little. But I had no hesitation.

「Damn you!」

Garrey swung his chakram from the opposite direction, but I struck it down from above with my hand that was holding my dagger while also moving my body to jump over him. I kicked up midair and used the recoil from that movement to switch posture. Garrey’s eyes opened wide seeing that move.

「You bastard, that “technique”-!?」

「──Cyclone──!」

I unleashed the wide area attack Battle Skill that was accompanied with elemental attribute. It cut up Gostoura and Garrey devastatingly.

My perception changed. The world I was seeing changed. I was taking a step deeper into the world of the “strong” that I had just recently started walking into. It focused my mind even deeper.

***

(This girl, she’s a monster-)

Aria’s combat strength was not that different from them. She also had the appearance of a little girl who had only lived for ten-odd years. And yet, powerful vampires like them couldn’t kill her even while outnumbering her.

He didn’t understand the reason. Gostoura and Garrey were losing their regenerative power because they didn’t rest during noon, but this girl should be weakened too like them.

(Is this the possibility of human growth……)

Gostoura and the other vampires obtained tough body and strength from stopping being human. But they also lost their growth capacity as human at the same time.

But this girl was different. Effort? Talent? This wasn’t because of that kind of things. Just like how that princess didn’t give up even amidst despair, the human possibility──that “light” of life was something that any human had inside them though many of them were unable to obtain it due to their weakness. It was light he had such thing flaunted in front of him.

「……Gostoura-sama」

The voice of Garrey who had one eye crushed and his forehead stabbed made Gostoura returned to his senses.

The Cyclone just now was a wide area attack technique that had low strength. It wasn’t a technique to be used in one-on-one fight. But that attack managed to shave down the mana of the vampires that was their life force. Even Garrey’s small wounds weren’t regenerating and his life force was steadily decreasing until a dangerous level.

Aria wasn’t doing anything passive like buying time or the like. She was coming at them to hunt their life without fail. Most likely she instinctually knew that ceding the initiative in front of a powerful enemy was the same like losing mentally. Garrey must have noticed that too. He stared at Gostoura with his remaining eye that was starting to turn murky like corpse and questioned his resolve once more.

They were able to come this far thanks to their comrades’ sacrifice and devotion. Their comrades that numbered more than ten had fought in the land of foreign country where they couldn’t rely on anyone for the sake of their clan’s existence.

Perhaps they would be able to accomplish their objective if they had resolved themselves to sacrifice everything from the start. But, Gostoura who was unable to abandon his comrade at this very last moment nodded strongly at the feeling of his last remaining comrade Garrey.

「……Die for me here, Garrey.」

「As you command. ……Please, survive even if it’s just you alone, for the clan’s survival!!」

Garrey’s body warped drastically like an animal. He manifested the true nature of vampire instead of staying a warrior, unleashing all the power in his possession.

He shouldn’t be able to last for long if he did something like that in his body’s current state. But Garrey had decided to abandon everything for the sake of his clan, for the sake of his dead comrades, and for the sake of future.

Aria changed position to shield Elena after seeing Garrey’s state. Garrey discarded his chakram and attacked her like a beast to prevent her from doing so.

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

「…………」

Aria fixed his gaze on him who was doing such thing and engaged him. She judged the distance so Garrey’s claws would just barely miss her while diverting his arm away. Then she forced herself into the slight opening that was made from that and her knee struck Garrey’s face.

「Guooooh!」

Black blood sprayed up. A broken fang twirled in the air.

The extreme focus made even the time in this battlefield flowed slowly. While Garrey was making Aria completely focused on her, Gostoura took advantage of that single moment to leap toward Elena and the others.

Aria immediately moved toward him, but in that moment, the knocked back Garrey spread out his arms and jumped on her way without putting up any defense.

「You won’t pass me-!!」

Garrey let out a yell of his tenacity with a crushed face that was soaked with blood.

「──Wind Cutter──!」

「──Fire Arrow──!」

Elena and Joseph fired attack sorcery. But Gostoura didn’t even dodge and closed the distance despite the wind cutting his neck and the flame burning his face. He tackled Chloe who was on his way with her shield and blew her away together with Joseph and the surrounding maids. And so he arrived at Elena’s location even though his life force was whittled down until the limit.

「Elena-!」

In that moment, the throwing knife that Aria threw pierced the back of Gostoura’s head. Even so Gostoura didn’t stop and immediately kicked Elena who was about to use sorcery. He stepped down on her while taking out a fist sized “sphere” from his pocket.

「Too late──」

*Pakin……!*

Gostoura crushed that sphere in his grasp. Then magic particles flooded out explosively. It blew away Chloe and Joseph who were trying to stand up.

「……FUHAHA……I did it, Garrey……Rester……my comrades-!」

Gostoura muttered while tears of blood flowed down from his eyes. He glared at Aria who had her dagger planted into Garrey’s heart from his back.

「You’re too late. Do you know what I just used……humans」

It was the same thing like what Grave once used to drive away Coeurl, what Viro used at the dungeon, the secret treasure of dungeon that contained sorcery in it──a [Jewel].

「That sphere, was filled with the sorcery of [Teleport].」

Gostoura’s friend, the chief who was leading the vampire clan entrusted the “Dungeon’s Jewel” which was a treasure of their clan for the sake of his comrades who were going to a rigorous mission.

Even in this whole continent, only ten-odd Jewels had been confirmed having level 6 sorcery sealed inside them throughout history. Such things were genuine hidden treasure. Gostoura thanked his friend who entrusted such thing to him, even so he planned to not use it if possible. But, after obtaining information from Grave and the new collaborator, Gostoura and his men thought up a plan to kidnap the princess using that.

Even in Gostoura’s opinion, Princess Elena had great qualities to be queen.

At first they planned to kidnap or kill the crown prince to whittle down this country’s national power itself. But, that crown prince didn’t show any sign of growth. In contrast the princess who should have weak body was showing her healthy figure, and her evaluation was starting to surpass the crown prince.

The vampires changed their plan after that.

They would kidnap the capable princess while the still incompetent prince would succeed the throne.

In order to bring chaos to Claydale Kingdom, they had to disappear the princess while keeping her alive.

If the incompetent prince succeeded the throne, the people who knew about the competence of the princess would surely feel dissatisfied. Those people would give up if the princess wasn’t alive anymore, but if she was still alive, the dissatisfaction would become friction inside the kingdom. The kingdom would split into two under the crown prince who didn’t have the ability to govern a chaotic country.

Would the crown prince be able to govern the country properly amidst the nobles who were looking for the disappeared princess? Could the crown prince who felt discontent about that become a proper king?

The kingdom’s strength would decline if the evil race simply stir up the friction from behind the scene. Even without the evil race making any move, the surrounding countries would move on their own.

It was a very long term plan that could only be adopted by dark elf that had long lifespan. In the process multiple intentions overlapped that some people even tried to kill the crown prince, but in the end the vampires were able to accomplish their plan like this.

「──kuh」

Elena realized that intention of the evil race from the little information that she was able to glean. Her hand reached toward her knife to kill herself, but Gostoura stepped on her hand.

「Your highness……!」

Nobody could move with the princess taken hostage. Chloe who was collapsed on the floor desperately stretched out her hand. But as though to ridicule her effort, magic particles of darkness started to envelope Gostoura and Elena’s bodies in a circle.

「It’s pointless no matter how you struggle. This sorcery won’t stop activating even if I die. Princess, you can watch your country perish from the evil race count──」

.

「──Iron Rose──」

.

A voice flowed like a wind at that time.

One girl’s hair changed color from pink to ashen iron blue like a burning steel, with light residues trailing behind her like flapping wings. She leaped over everything like a comet and pierced the heart of Gostoura who took off his eyes from her for “an instant” with her black dagger.

「There’s no way I’ll let you go home alive.」

***

Gostoura whose magic stone in his heart was pierced opened his eyes in disbelief. His eyes wavered slightly before losing their light.

I misjudged the tenacity of the dark elves. I quickly tried to lift up Elena and get out of the magic circle, but it was just as Gostoura said, the sorcery’s activation didn’t stop and the dark magic particles were enveloping us.

Chloe and Joseph and the others were yelling something from outside, but their voices couldn’t reach us anymore.

At the end I mouthed [Leave this to me] to outside and waved my hand lightly at them. Then I embraced Elena’s body to protect her.

「Aria……」

「It’s fine Elena. I’ll be with you.」

The darkness enveloped us completely and we could only see each other inside the darkness. The worried looking Elena smiled after hearing my words and she clung on me.

Gostoura’s corpse vanished to a space somewhere else. The two of us also got moved to somewhere else.

It felt like several minutes or several hours had passed……even my own senses became hazy during the teleportation. Then the scenery of night sky and moon suddenly expanded before my eyes.

I looked at the sky and the ground to confirm the up and down. Then I kept holding Elena in my arms while landing on the ground several meters below while softening the impact.

There were few greeneries and the smell of the soil was dry……. I decided that this place wasn’t Claydale based on the low temperature and the air’s dryness. I lowered the anxious Elena on the ground and gently helped her to stand up on her own feet.

「You alright?」

「Yes. But……this place?」

「Still unknown.」

There was also no sign of any ambush that I had expected. There wasn’t any sign of living thing nearby, far less a settlement of the evil race. We were in the middle of a dry forest. Elena was only wearing slippers and a thin nightgown. I took out a cloak and the academy’s loafers from my Storage for her to wear, then we started walking inside the forest.

The night sky was brightening into light ultramarine color. Morning was coming. When we got out of the unfamiliar forest, the scenery that was visible from the top of that hill caused Elena to press her hands over her mouth while her blue eyes widened in shock.

「……Do you recognize the place?」

「……Yes, Aria. This place──」

Bluish white sky with not a single cloud in sight, and a vast desert that seemed to continue forever…….

At the middle of that, there was the ruins of an enormous city, covered in the veil of sand that had the same color like the desert around it.

Elena gulped and muttered softly while grabbing my arm.

.

「……The ancient ruins of the desert……[Resvel]……」