Chapter 154: Participation of the Devil ③

The sudden march of the demon race to the Kingdom’s capital.

While the Kingdom’s hero, Otonashi Hibiki, held strong agitation and uneasiness, she still conducted herself.

Against the march of the demon race, Hibiki suggested for the Limia capital to change their functions to another place because their forces were in a disadvantageous position.

But there was strong opposition from the nobles, the history in it being one of the reasons. The suggestion was not heard, and in the end, they ended up facing this day.

At the Stella Fort capture operation, the capital was close to receiving the flames of war, and yet, they still acted this way.

Their lack of contemplation irritated her.

(We are doing war, you know? If we lose, this town, this castle will be brought down. The historical value itself would lose all meaning) (Hibiki)

Talking about the knowledge of Hibiki in war, she doesn’t hold that much experience.

She was just summoned from the peaceful Japan as a hero. And in terms of war experience, the soldiers and nobles of this world have more than her.

But after being forced these many close battles, their tendency of looking at the demon race as lower beings still persists.

Especially the nobles of higher power and the upper stratum department of the country; they were looking at the threat of the demon race in a somewhat positive manner.

There’s no basis. It’s just an optimism stemming from their view of the demons as an inferior race.

That irritated Hibiki.

The King and a part of the nobles have begun criticizing this optimistic view of the demon race threat, but it is hasn’t reached the point where it can change the country.

No matter how much the country’s thoughts change to a favorable direction for Hibiki, it will be pointless if it doesn’t change in time.

“Hibiki! The castle gates have been grappled! Those guys, with these numbers, they are seriously trying to bring down the castle!” (Bredda)

The words of her party companion, the knight Bredda, pointed out at the deteriorating situation.

Right now, the King who can give absolute orders, was not in the capital.

Because he was participating in the event of Academy Town, Rotsgard.

The school festival that comes once a year.

In this time when they are planning on attacking Stella Fort again in the frontlines, this wasn’t something that would normally merit the King himself to participate.

In the past years, the King rarely participated.

However, there was information that this year the person who has the most influential power over the Empire’s hero, Princess Lily, would be participating in the school festival.

Being allied countries that are fighting together against the demon race in the frontlines, at the same time, both the Kingdom and the Empire are rivals as well.

Unable to understand the reason why the other party has taken an action they didn’t take in the past years, the King ended up heading there himself.

It would have been fine to have Hibiki do that, but she is also a direct fighting potential in the attack to Stella, so it was judged that there was no need for her to head there herself.

Also, they are the ones attacking the Stella Fortress.

The hyumans will be attacking the fortress that the demon race is protecting heavily, with their objective being recapture.

The timing of the attack was decided by the hyumans, in other words, it was thought that it would be decided by the Kingdom and the Empire.

That’s why it was decided that it would be fine to just attack after the school festival was over.

(And this is the result. A march from the demon race. I didn’t expect it either, but the sequence of events was the total worst. This happened because the hyumans showed an opening by pulling their legs mutually after all) (Hibiki)

Just what kind of method did the demon race utilize to get pass the Limia Kingdom’s army that were posted at the frontlines and were able to suddenly appear at the vicinity of Seiko?

What a ridiculous thing.

Seiko is in a place not that far from the capital. It’s the lake that was recently created by the mysterious being called Devil.

It was an incident that mercilessly dragged a great amount of troops from the hyumans and the demons, but because of this, they were able to prevent the surprise attack to the capital.

It is also an existence that reminds them of a harsh lesson.

Depending on the speed of the march, from Seiko to the capital, it would take around several hours.

If it’s mostly composed of foot soldiers, it would take even more. In normal circumstances, the defense unit would deal with it immediately.

However, it is close.

It’s fine to even call it point blank range.

This kind of surprise attack was not done towards a town close to the regional borders, but at the capital, which left Hibiki in shock.

At least, it was unthinkable that this was brought upon by the looseness of the current Kingdom’s army.

They were ready to attack Stella Fort within these few days, in other words, they were close to a battle-ready state.

They should have been putting force in their alertness as well.

And yet, they easily let their forces invade.

In the past, they were surprised by their advanced technique in thought transmission, but with this time’s events, Hibiki was thinking that maybe the techniques of the demon race greatly surpassed that of the hyumans.

And in truth, there have been orders to improve the thought transmission, but there has been no real progress in sight.

(Even if we surpass them in numbers and individual talent, if there’s this much difference in technique…) (Hibiki)

“The adventurer unit is securing the retreat path. Hibiki-sama, Bredda-dono, and Chiya, please head there with haste”

When the thoughts of Hibiki were heading to the harsh state of the war, the voice of a male other than Bredda reaches the ears of Hibiki.

Wudi.

A royal court magician and, among the magicians of Limia, there’s no one with more ability than him.

In ability and knowledge, and also as a researcher, he is an existence whose name is known around the world.

“Escape? We are going to escape… in this situation?” (Hibiki)

“Hibiki-sama, please understand. The movement of the enemy is way too fast. We should retreat from the capital, and after gathering the troops that are around the towns in the vicinity and in Stella, we can siege the capital again. I think that this is the ideal move in order recover” (Wudi)

“… Heh~. Wudi, are you saying that we should let the demon race have the history-filled capital, even if temporarily?” (Hibiki)

“… Hibiki-sama, please stop the sarcasm. Right now the King is not here, and the idiots that cry about history and tradition have already ran away. We are currently the ones who hold the highest authority in this castle. At this occasion, I think it would be good to show them results and have them shut up. Doing a defensive battle in this place is already reckless” (Wudi)

“That’s why I told them to move at least the functions of the capital to a place around the Hopelace household. There’s leg pulling even between the high nobles. How unbearable” (Hibiki)

“Ilumgand-dono was quite in favor of this proposal though” (Wudi)

“Ilum huh. Something is happening at the Academy Town he is in as well. It seems like this situation has been relayed to the King-sama already, but the information relay is so slow it is displeasing. In this kind of times, I really can feel the inconvenience of thought transmission. Cell-phones were pretty impressive huh” (Hibiki)

“Portable phones, was it? Our technology has not developed as far as Hibiki-sama’s country, so something like that is just… We have no choice but to pray for their safety” (Bredda)

The information sharing between Academy Town and the Kingdom can be considered quite deficient.

‘If there were cellphones’, is what Hibiki complained about. Based on her own customs, it couldn’t be helped.

Hearing the words of the magician, Hibiki falls into thought.

The person himself is probably still in the thought that it hasn’t been revealed yet, but Hibiki is already aware that Bredda is the prince of this country.

It is originally something that can’t be hidden anyways, so it is obvious.

But she didn’t really make any allusions to it.

Bredda is a competent companion, and more importantly, because he is accompanying them, the discretion towards them increases.

She easily judged that there was no merit in pursuing the subject.

“Right, sorry. And then, Wudi, what are the chances of success?” (Hibiki)

“Plenty enough. Don’t know if it’s because it’s a surprise attack, or because they have already reached the limit amount of troops they could conceal; they don’t have the actual numbers to bring down the capital. Adding to that, the capital is our garden. We are familiar with the hidden passages and the methods of infiltration. I think we can definitely wipe them out” (Wudi)

“That’s true. It looks like they are plunging onto the castle as if they were impatient. Evading and surrounding them would have less casualties huh. To go through the trouble of playing along would be stupid” (Bredda)

“That’s how it is, Bredda-dono. Those guys shouldn’t be able to keep that same speed against the castle. In this situation, it’s actually convenient that the King was absent. Now, if we and Hibiki-sama manage to escape—” (Wudi)

“Hey, hey~”

In the conversation between Bredda and Wudi, the youngest girl among the group intrudes into the conversation with reserve.

Lorel Union’s Priestess, Chiya.

Adoring Hibiki, she is accompanying her.

Her travelling together with the hero party is causing diplomatic problems between Limia and the Lorel Union, but her abilities as a priestess are high.

The healing and support she provides, and depending on the situation she also cooperates in adding firepower; she has already become an existence that is indispensable in their group.

“Chiya-chan, what happened?” (Hibiki)

Hibiki prompts Chiya to continue.

“Yeah. If we run, what will happen to the people here?” (Chiya)

“…”

“…”

“…”

There was no one who could immediately answer Chiya’s question.

No, they couldn’t say it, is more accurate.

What would happen?

The fate of the people that couldn’t escape in time… there was no need to think about it.

“Chiya-chan, listen well” (Hibiki)

“Y-Yeah” (Chiya)

“This town, and this country, I will definitely not let the demon race have it. For that sake, there have been many lives lost in the process. We have to shoulder the feelings of those people, and we can’t escape from it” (Hibiki)

“…”

“We will win this war. We will stop the march of the demon race and obtain peace. We will survive. We have to accomplish this. No matter how painful it is, we have to endure” (Hibiki)

“… Are you talking about Naval-oneechan?” (Chiya)

“… Yeah, that’s also… part of it. That’s why…” (Hibiki)

“Hibiki, are you still here?! So you were! Great!”

While Hibiki was persuading Chiya, a new voice calls her.

The leader of the adventurer group that decided to fight alongside her against the demon race and went with her to Limia in the time she stayed at Tsige in summer.

“Sorry, Wudi-san. Securing the escape path might have turned a bit bad. The contact with the people that headed there has ceased. And that’s why I am here, but I am glad you are fine”

“… The evacuation of the citizens that I asked of you, how far has it progressed?” (Wudi)

Wudi asks him about the progress of the job he asked of them.

He just told them the request from Hibiki, but Wudi was also worried about it.

It is also because his family is also in the people that are evacuating.

It seems he had self-control to not ask directly about his wife and child.

“It’s difficult. At best, I would say around 30%. There’s fires happening here and there, and it is causing a panic state. It is taking us our all. We do have several people guiding the citizens, but it will probably not reach the 50%. If it reaches that number it would be great, is how it would be. The sole relief is the distribution of demons”

“The demons’ distribution is a relief?” (Hibiki)

Hibiki felt like those words were contradictory and asks the man that is explaining.

“… In the group that is attacking this place, there’s orcs and goblins as well”

The names Orc and Goblin come out from the man’s mouth, and in that tone, there’s scorn mixed in.

It is a matter of course.

At times, they have been employed to defeat high-ranking mamonos and demi-humans with special abilities. But the Orcs and Goblins are loyal to their instincts and their conduct is ugly.

Even in the people that have opposition to killing mamonos, Orcs and Goblins are existences that are hated enough to kill.

“Yeah, that’s obvious” (Hibiki)

Hibiki has already seen with her eyes their loyalty towards their own greed, and she has cut down an innumerable amount of them.

“But in this capital, the places that have been plundered and the women that have been violated, from what I have seen… there’s none”

“None?!”

“That’s right. Even those guys are being precisely commanded, and aside from the defense unit and targeted citizens, they don’t waste time in other things. They are aiming for the castle and charging at it”

“…”

“I was honestly surprised. For our side that is working at evacuating, it makes it easier, but as an army to fight against, I think they are several times more troublesome”

“Then, the citizens are somewhat safe, right?”

“No. They don’t steal or violate, but the people that catch their eyes will be thoroughly killed by them. If the people hide it is easier to be saved, but if they find you, it would be a lot harder to escape from than how it would usually be”

‘’…’

“Anyways, to break down this situation, I think that encirclement is the only method. We should leave to the outsides of the capital”

“But the escape route…”

“That’s why I came to ask Wudi-san. Hey, instead of going from the capital to the outside, isn’t there a path that we can use to stealthily escape from the castle to the town? In this occasion, it would be easier to use the chaos to run through the town in one breath. And so, that’s how I want you guys to escape”

“… I see. The method that has the less insecure factor huh. Certainly, if it’s to run through in one breath, me and Chiya are here, so it is more advantageous for us than the bunch rampaging at the capital” (Wudi)

Wudi answers the man that turns the conversation to him.

Communication ceasing doesn’t equal to emergency situation.

But they have experience in a previous battle.

If they consider the possibility of the thought transmission being jammed, it would be better to think that some kind of problem occurred in the escape path they were trying to secure.

“Yeah. When I leave the capital, I will send thought transmissions to the defensive units that are around the area and will deploy them at once. I would like to hurry as much as possible”

“Understood. I will guide you. Also, it is okay to have the units currently fighting to steadily fall back. I will contact the other units myself. It is okay to fall back until this audience room. This place won’t be destroyed by anything normal, and there’s also a strong support barrier. They should be able to endure for a while” (Wudi)

“That would be helpful. I will tell them immediately”

The man and Wudi begin their thought transmissions.

Hibiki was thinking about the high-leveled forces that were charging at the castle without looking aside, while she places a hand on the shoulder of the slightly nervous Chiya and waits for the moment to escape.

“… What? Hibiki, be careful. I feel some kind of vibration” (Bredda)

Bredda takes a battle stance and prepared for the abnormality he felt.

The small vibration that resounded from the floor, steadily got stronger.

Hibiki unsheathes her sword as if covering Chiya and prepared herself by facing a different direction from Bredda.

“Could it be… no way” (Wudi)

Wudi finishes the thought transmission and it seems he has noticed the abnormality as well.

He probably had something in mind. He looked at the King’s throne, around the area where the stairs are.

And then…

Exactly in the place where he was looking at, a thunderous sound reverberated along with an explosion.

Several fragments reached where Hibiki and the others were and it was all intercepted.

The shadow that was slowly shaping at the rising smoke, Hibiki knew it.

She could feel her body stiffening.

“If you secured the escape route from the beginning, the people being chased would normally rely on that place. In this case, it would be better to consider that, from the very beginning, you were planning on intercepting us here, is that right, hero Hibiki?”

“Io… so you left Stella empty and came here?” (Hibiki)

With a face as if hearing a bad joke, Hibiki responds to the familiar voice.

A large builded body of 4 arms appeared, and it instilled tension to the people that confirmed this.

“The attack and defence is in constant fluctuation. Even if we are the side that is protecting the fortress, it isn’t like we promised not to attack, right?” (Io)

“If we were to attack the fortress right now, you would lose that location. Is that really okay? (Hibiki)

“Is that supposed to be a bluff? Because it seems that your side has already begun moving to return here though” (Io)

The overwhelming difference in the knowledge of the current state of the war.

Hibiki bites her lips.

She can’t even use the units that are stationed far away as bluff, so it is obvious why she had a bitter expression.

“… And? What reason you had to come out from that place like a mole?” (Hibiki)

“Hibiki-sama, that place is the escape route we were planning on using” (Wudi)

“!!”

The hesitant words of Wudi.

“It seems that way. I waited for a while and you guys showed no signs of coming you see. So I came here instead” (Io)

“… Our soldiers should have been there though” (Hibiki)

“Yeah, they were” (Io)

“Where are they?” (Hibiki)

“Do you even need to ask?” (Io)

The demon general asks as if amazed.

“Io, again… my comrades…” (Hibiki)

“That’s a difference in inclination, hero. Those people were originally adventurers from Tsige, weren’t they? The one who dragged them to this fight was no other than you. The man over there as well, if I remember correctly, he is also an adventurer from Tsige, right? Our side didn’t pay much mind to your exploration at the borders” (Io)

Io’s words were correct.

If Hibiki didn’t bring them here, the adventurers of Tsige wouldn’t have died.

It is also true that this isn’t something the killer himself should be saying though.

“Hoh~ For a demon general, you are quite generous towards the Tsige adventurers”

Being glanced by Io, the man responds with an exaggerated gesture while sweating from his forehead.

The moment he matched Io’s eyes to confront him, he understood the difference in powers.

It’s the class of enemy that he would have to escape with all his might when sighted from afar.

If he were to move as an adventurer, there’s no other option aside from running away.

The demon general Io is that level of existence.

“… The adventurers of Tsige are the people that traverse the harsh wastelands. Our Lord respects you adventurers who put your base at those lands. He has ordered us to not lay our hands on you guys unless you point your sword at us” (Io)

“That’s… thanks?”

“There’s demons and demi-humans in that place, and there’s also people who don’t hold prejudice towards mamonos. From our view, that is something worth of respect. If you didn’t come to Limia, you guys wouldn’t have died. How regrettable” (Io)

“At the place you came from, there were some pretty strong guys though?”

“They were strong. What stood out was their fighting style that used coordination as their core. In the middle of winter, the things I have to teach my subordinates has increased. I can’t mourn for them in this time of battle, but I am grateful” (Io)

This is out of his reach.

That was the conclusion the man arrived to.

He was in complete agreement that this man is a demon general.

Ridiculous ability and composure.

And yet, he shows no openings.

Even in the middle of the conversation, he didn’t give any chances to move.

“Hibiki, the match is too bad. Even if we are inside the support barrier, we shouldn’t have a proper fight with him”

“Hey there, that would be troublesome. Hibiki, I will have you fight me here… and die. I will think of this support barrier as advantage in location” (Io)

Io’s body dyes in black.

The memories of losing Naval in Stella Fort revive in her mind.

A heavy and bitter memory.

At the same time, anger welled up as well, but without being controlled by it, she silently exhaled.

“… Sorry but, I have no intentions of fighting you here” (Hibiki)

“But you don’t have that option. If you escape from this place, I don’t think I will be able to hold back my subordinates that came with the resolve to die. The moment you guys abandon this place, there won’t be a single resident here alive. After killing them all, if we end up encircled, we would have no choice but to chase the ones that escaped as well” (Io)

“That’s dirty. As expected of a demon. Don’t you know of cowardice?” (Hibiki)

The desperate provocation.

Leaving aside if this will actually work on the man called Io, she couldn’t leave it unsaid.

“Of course I know this is not a moral thing to do… as a military man. However, right now I am the general leading the demon race. I am here as a soldier” (Io)

“Killing innocent people is a soldier?!” (Hibiki)

“This is not a war between countries. This is a war between races. And that ending will lead to the downfall of one side or endless slavery. You should have vaguely felt this too, right? Or don’t tell me, the times you went destroying the settlements of mamonos, you were minding if the opponent was a soldier or a resident?” (Io)

“…”

“Our side is also desperate. Now then, what will you do? Will you still run away even when I pursue you, or will you bet on the small chance of defeating me here? Choose whichever you want. Of course, I will be beginning this by my own volition!”

The black body charges towards Hibiki and the others.

And in those four arms, there’s gauntlets with devoted design equipped on them.

Hibiki was pressed for a decision.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Mio was on her knees.

The one she is against is the demon general Reft who has his lower half in the shape of a serpent.

The kimono that Mio is wearing was greatly damaged and her skin was showing.

Even so, the person in question, Mio, was not showing agitation nor anger.

Licking her lips, she stands up.

In that face, happiness could be felt.

“I don’t understand. Your attacks don’t work on me anymore. Or are you saying that you still have some sort of method against my ‘reflection’” (Reft)

“I don’t-desu wa ne. At first, you were being easily beaten up and I was disappointed thinking that you were a weakling with only his body as a trait. I am surprised that you were analyzing my attacks. I will praise you for that” (Mio)

“… I can’t understand. You don’t have other methods of attacks aside from shooting, cutting, or punching. Why can you still stand up when everything has been sealed? And that regenerating ability is clearly abnormal” (Reft)

Reft used his own body to analyze the attacks of Mio.

He grasped all the attacks she used, coped with them, and with his special ability ‘reflection’, he closed it.

She continuously repeated attacks that would be reflected.

It looked like a child throwing a tantrum, but there was no visible agitation from her.

Finally, Reft threw words to Mio.

He wanted to know the reason for her strange behavior.

“Don’t have a choice-desu wa. Because the revolver and walther are guns and the only thing I have that can cut is the one that can only cut konnyaku. Other than that, I only have my bare-hands” (Mio)

“… I don’t understand at all what you are saying” (Reft)

“The number of bullets is only 6 and 8, so in total there’s 14. The sword is limitless yes, but…” (Mio)

Mio is counting something with her fingers.

“Is it related to the reason why you aren’t giving up?” (Reft)

“Ara, walther still had one more shot?” (Mio)

“It was a mistake to try understanding huh. It’s fine already. I will let you continue until you die” (Reft)

“Hm, if I’m not mistaken, it still has for one more shot. Let’s shoot it this time” (Mio)

Mio points her left hand’s index finger and middle finger towards Reft.

“That again? For darkness element, it does have quite the power, but it already doesn’t work on—” (Reft)

The darkness bullet is shot from her hand and with a spiral rotation, it hits straight at Reft.

It certainly did hit.

But at that moment, the one who was send flying was Mio.

The attack that should have hit the left side of Reft’s chest, for some reason, made a hole in Mio’s chest.

“… No matter how many times I do it, it is amusing. It feels like it is something I wouldn’t be able to copy at all-desu wa. Its weak point is that you have to do some incredibly complicated calculations before using it though” (Mio)

Mio stands up as if nothing happened.

The hole at her chest closed in an instant.

Reft’s eyes open wide in surprise for who knows how many times already.

No, it seems he also reacted at the words of that girl.

“Seen through huh. Even so, what a frightening regenerating speed. You are without doubts not a hyuman. But if that’s the case, why are you rebelling against Demon Lord-sama?” (Reft)

“I have shot them all, so if I just reload it, it will return to how it was before, right? Now then, the next 15 shots, will you be able to reflect them?” (Mio)

“It’s useless. No matter how many times you do it—” (Reft)

“This is the only thing I will do-desu wa. As respect to you, I will not do anything aside from this. ‘No matter how many times you do it’, is what you said, but… no matter how many times-desu wa. In this fight, you still don’t notice that this isn’t something that places you in a superior position?” (Mio)

Mio giggles.

She does have more varied methods of battle.

But the three types of attacks that Reft dealt with, can be said to be the most easy to comprehend states within the things Mio has learned in summer.

From the concept of guns she heard of Makoto, Mio has produced two famous guns with darkness bullets.

And then, the spell she used in the beginning that emits ki.

These were ideas that came from memories of Makoto from a certain anime which Mio likes.

She created her own type of rules and was having fun by bringing out these spells.

If the situation of the battle in Kaleneon were worse, Mio would have killed Reft without minding her methods.

But the situation in Kaleneon was overwhelming.

The one hundred of Asora were easily dominating the two thousand of the demon race.

The small reinforcements that were coming in succession from the vicinity were being scattered away.

In that case, Mio thought about grasping this mysterious art-like strategy if even for a bit.

That’s right.

Just like how Reft analyzed Mio, Mio was also analyzing him.

And also, it wasn’t as if Mio was standing up without giving up.

It’s Reft who has no ‘after’.

“What did you say?” (Reft)

“You continue your artistic-like reflection. The moment you are unable to continue doing it, that will be the moment of your defeat. The result outside has already been determined after all” (Mio)

“Impossible, there’s no way we would lose in such a short amount of time. You are spouting nonsense” (Reft)

“And you won’t be able to see its state. Well then, here I go” (Mio)

“Kugh… in that case, even if it’s only you, I will bring you down! Even you shouldn’t be able to infinitely regenerate! I will show you that I can return tens, hundreds of your attacks!” (Reft)

“If you stop defending them, you will die at that moment, you know? Do your best. If you continue for several thousand times more, you may have a chance of winning” (Mio)

The darkness bullet and the ki travel through a vaster area. Each time, a hole opens up in Mio’s body and she is smashed to the walls.

And yet, the attacks didn’t stop.

In the midst of this strange spectacle, the fight continues.

“Yareyare. Even so, it is rare to see Mio enjoying a fight. Is she intending to learn that reflecting ability? At my side there were only guys who showed no opposition” (Tomoe)

Peeping at Mio’s situation, Tomoe shrugs her shoulders at the summit of a hill.

The Highland Orc and Mist Lizard units were trampling down the enemy without mercy.

Thanks to that, Tomoe had nothing specially important to do.

There’s the choice of joining Mio’s fight, but from what Tomoe has seen, not only does she not need her help, she may even hate her for it, is what Tomoe thought.

“Fumu… there’s the option of going to where Waka is but… at this occasion…  Let’s just do some miscellaneous work. If I just randomly split the land around the national border, it should decrease the trouble in the future. Putting a bridge won’t take that much trouble, so it would be better to have an easy to understand boundary. Umu, let’s do that” (Tomoe)

Tomoe’s figure disappears from the hill.

At the place she disappeared from, there were heaps of corpses piled up.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Something that can hide your figure, is it?”

“Yeah. Because you know, if I go to Limia in this appearance, they would soon know that I am the merchant Raidou, right?” (Makoto)

“True” (Shiki)

“If that happens, all the effort Tomoe and everyone else did in Rotsgard will probably go poof. I don’t think that Goddess will take into consideration those points after all” (Makoto)

“Since it has already come to this, I think it would be difficult” (Shiki)

“Shiki, you can just wear your previous form, right? You have done so before after all. Even though Tomoe and Mio said they were unable to. Shiki is truly skillful” (Makoto)

“… Yeah, you are right. I can manage with that but, what about Waka-sama?” (Shiki)

A mass of darkness that plunged into the capital.

Inside of it, I was consulting with Shiki.

Regarding the matter of hiding our appearance.

I didn’t bring my mask, and going bare-faced would be bad.

But if I don’t go out fast, I won’t understand the situation.

I am greatly troubled by the fact that the Goddess didn’t give me any time to prepare.

“Isn’t there something?” (Makoto)

“If anything goes, I do have something though” (Shiki)

“In this occasion, anything is okay” (Makoto)

“Then, this” (Shiki)

“?!!! Why do you have something like that?!” (Makoto)

“Well I thought that throwing it away would be sad, so when Waka-sama threw it away, I picked it up” (Shiki)

“So unnecessary… No, in this case, should I call it: fine play?” (Makoto)

“It isn’t something bad after all” (Shiki)

What Shiki handed me is a long slender cylindrical-shaped thing.

The size is enough to fit in my palm.

It is something that Mio gave me in the past in moments of danger… a transformation item.

That’s right, a transformation item.

A crazy item that instantly equips you with a full-body suit like the ones from special effects heroes.

If this were sold in Japan, it might have been super popular.

In terms of power, it doesn’t match me so, in the end, I didn’t use it.

Or more like, after I pushed the button like they told me in Asora, I threw it away half in embarrassment and half in anger.

To think that Shiki picked it up.

… I have no choice but to use it huh.

If the hero is here, it would multiply my embarrassment though.

It’s a lot better than having my identity discovered.

I resolved myself and press the switch.

“Waka-sama, the wall will be released. Are you ready?” (Shiki)

“Okay… eh? The color is…” (Makoto)

“In the past it was blue, but this time is white huh. It looks like it doesn’t change the power that much though” (Shiki)

“White is… white is…” (Makoto)

White is kind of more embarrassing than the time it was blue.

That I can’t tell its power must mean that it is decreasing my defense and increasing my attack huh.

If it were the other way it would have been better.

In the first place, who the hell would do a transformation that decreases their defense?

Not that long after, just like how Shiki said, a big crack appears in the wall and breaks.

“Let’s go then” (Makoto)

“Yes, Waka-sama. I will do my all to protect you!” (Shiki)

Giving a side glance at Shiki who was showing quite the motivation, I do one step outside.

Not only Shiki, this time I am also here with the intention to fight.

In that sense, this might be my first battlefield.

Me in white clothes like a special effects bastard, and a skeleton wearing a black robe with golden embroidery drawn around it; both of us stepped into what is supposed to be a battlefield.

If there’s someone that saw us right now appearing in the battlefield, their eyes would be wide open.

Yeah, no doubt.

“…”

And just as I thought, several people were staring at us speechless.

The 4 armed giant that looks like he is from the giant race, is the one who is showing the most vigilance towards us.

Hm, is that someone from the demon race army?

There’s several people around that seem to be related to the demon race as well.

And also, there were a few hyumans only. It looks like they are fighting in a quite bad situation.

…

Hmph.

Even when just looking like this, I feel like supporting the demon side.

The so called Demon Lord-sama is quite the popular and has people that sympathize with him.

I silently felt respect towards the Lord of the demons that I haven’t met yet.

A so called Centaurus with half-hyuman, half-horse; a so called Minotaurus with half hyuman, half ox.

And also, a giant with 4 arms.

That giant is probably the boss.

In other words, the demon’s side is composed of demi-humans and mamonos, and its general is not a demon but a giant. Meaning that they are sorted out by demi-humans and mamonos.

Even if the demon race is also a category of demi-human, this is impressive.

In the hyuman armies, the demi-humans are only used as disposable vanguards.

I also thought that their way of thinking is quite advanced.

As long as I am here fulfilling the promise, I have to take the side of the hero though.

Hah…

“The hero is… there huh” (Makoto)

From the positioning, I estimate the person that is supposed to be the hero.

…

What impressive attire.

The exposure rate is crazy.

It’s like I am looking at an extreme cosplay.

Hm?

… Eh?

“Could it be… no way” (Makoto)

“Waka-sama?” (Shiki)

“President Otonashi? Is it you, senpai?” (Makoto)

An injured girl that is looking at us.

That person who is probably the hero, has an attire that even in this world it is not normally seen, and holding a sword. That appearance is…

No, even if I say it looks exactly the same, if she is a hero, then she is from the same world as mine.

Tsukuyomi-sama also said it, that one of them was quite close.

She is a senpai from high school at my previous world. A famous person in my hometown.

In terms of connection with her, I have only talked a few times with her regarding the budget of the club. She looks like the student council president.

Senpai is… the hero?

I unintentionally mutter her name in a low tone.

Forgetting that I was currently in a battlefield, I motionlessly watch that figure of hers.

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