Assassins Pride - Volume 3 - Chapter 8

Assassin Pride Volume 3 Chapter 8
LESSON: VIII　～The Dancing Villain～

(Unedited)

When it came to the 《Dragon Knight (Dragoon)》 of the Shicksal family, one can think of a warrior who can skillfully use the spear, which was difficult to use, and even more flexible than his hands and feet. A blow that gathers centrifugal force and inertia at the tip, in the sense of the great disruptive force, was considered by most to be the most powerful of all.

What’s more, that’s even above the Samurai level of agility. It did not even give the enemy time to draw his weapon, and the posture that dominates the world was fitting to be called a 《conqueror》.

Merida was forced to feel clearly and practically the basic knowledge of Dragoon that she had learned from her governess. The spearhead in front intimidate her action, while the use of sharp and flexible feint, and then vigorously stepped forward. Before the two sides were about to collide, the knife bounced, the metal sound and the spark exploded in the cheek nearby, the spear vigorously up warded.

Merida stepped forward, thinking this was a good opportunity, and saw her spinning as if she were dancing. With a hollow crack from the swinging shaft and aimed at her flanks, Merida managed with an effort to fend off the attack and was catapulted to the rear.

「Ku……!」

Merida used a protective fall, turning her upper body over and lunging forward as if holding the tip of a knife.

Salacha leisurely used the weapon that was far longer than the other`s and asserted with keeping a straight face:

“That’s a good response. But, Merida-san, please don’t put up such a fight. I don’t want to see you bleed… even a simulated sword cannot survive a Dragoon blow. “

“You’re so sweet. But don’t underestimate the Samurai.”

Merida grasped the hilt again with a swift stroke of the sword and flung it boldly off the ground. At an unprecedented rate for a first year. But as soon as she stepped within range of the spear tip, Salacha muttered:

“What a waste of effort.”

Both arms became blurred. Salacha’s outstretched hands swung the handle at breakneck speed, and the tip of the blade, which concealed the lethal cutting force, danced with the afterimage. Merida’s blade pulled out a meteor like trajectory, and magnificent fencing blooms like a flower repel all attacks. The never-ending metallic sound cut through the air, and the sparks that almost burned the space danced.

Merida immediately rolled backward, her brow furrowed.

“The attack range is so wide…! “

Since the battle began, Merida had only been able to hold out within range of her attack. In any case, she couldn’t get close enough to get the range of knife in hand.

In this case, Merida put the knife down and attacked again. Salacha bounced off the attack.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you repeat it!”

Salacha calculated the speed of the enemy and the range of her attack, cutting edge at exactly the right moment. Melida did not stop the attack with her knife. She steadied herself firmly on the outside, very close to the spear’s range, then flexed her entire body and tilted her upper body back.

The sole picked up the ground and the blade cut a few centimetres in front of the nose. What was more surprising was that she had turned her body from a very forced position into a forward position. And immediately hit the ground. Salacha’s eyes widened in surprise at the softness of her feet and the way her blond hair danced.

“Wha…! “

She did not have time to freeze in amazement, but struck the flashing sword aimed at her neck with a long handle. Salacha used the rebound, and this time she jumped back. The merciless force of the attack made her fingers tingle.

Salacha turned the spear, keeping a wary check, while a cold sweat broke out on her cheeks.

“… is incredible. So is the fact that the attack was dodged, and I’m surprised you were able to get close from that position. “

“Because I was forced by my teacher to practice flexibility every day. “

Melida replied nonchalantly, holding the hilt in her right hand and resting her left hand on its head.

“Indeed, if I didn’t exercise, I might have broken my body. The teacher’s lessons are really practical, or should I say he focuses on teaching…”

“…………”

“Anyway, I saw right through the range of your attack. You can’t take it easy anymore.”

Melida changed her body and slowly drew closer. The shadowy footwork was like sliding on the ground. Salacha had the impression that she was confronting death. She pressed her lips tightly.

As if she could see the spear’s range as a circle, Melida stopped precisely on the outside. She followed Salacha’s stride without the slightest error, ignoring the feint. And in such a state, it continued to be a beautiful place to tempt the attacker to attack

「Ku……!」

Salacha gnashed the teeth in anger. She had to admit that Melida is a formidable opponent. However, she didn’t want to prove it. The purpose of the 《Operación》 Reformist was to degrade the Angel family, to drag Melida from the conspiracy until, in the end, she would be safe.

Salacha squeezed as hard as she could into the shrinking weakness of her heart and roared:

“He-ya! “

Like thunderous treads, like a continuous burst of wind and rain, playing with a ferocity reminiscent of the storm, Salacha danced. In the midst of the millimetre’s sense of distance that seemed to dissipate in a chaotic dance, Melida actually kept her eyes open, watching her enemies’ every move.

“……Fuuu”

At the same time, Melida exhaled slightly and sharply, then stepped forward. She evaded with minimal movement the blow that would have skewered her skull. Boo! Air was stabbed in the side of her face. Melida fell and leaned, erupting from a position very close to the ground.

Salacha used a dance like spin to ward off the many sword strokes that seemed to rise from the ground like a bamboo forest. She instantly took aim at the enemy, who was moving nimbly about her feet, and then hesitated to make a lunge. because she perceived that it was the purpose of the enemy to tempt her to thrust the point to the ground.

As Salacha thought this way, a heavy blow struck her flank. It’s a foot blade from an enemy jumping from the ground. Salacha was only concerned about the knife that was difficult to deal with, and her reaction was half a beat. Melida’s feet, encased in Panties, kept kicking and kicking, and the long skirt fluttered in Salacha’s field of vision.

“Close combat…! “

“Don’t assume that just because they’re armed, they’re going to attack with weapons.”

The final roundhouse kick was aimed at the crus, and Salacha kicked the ground based on her desperate judgment. Knock! As she kicked the clods off, she flew high into the air. Melida took advantage of an opportunity and took a gesture of drawing her sword. She scooped up the ground with her swinging ankles and playfully cut off the remaining images of the enemy.

Even as the tip of the sword was raised ── the assault from the head, always on alert, never came.

Melida looked for Salacha and was surprised.

Dragoon, who jumped 20 meters, didn’t fall out of the sky no matter how long it took. She glided as if surfing, tracing a circular path like a bird.

Looking down on the jade eyes from a distance, they exuded a sharp hostility.

Like an arrow fired, Salacha sprinted to the ground at top speed. Melida sensed an instinctive crisis, spinning and leaping to avoid it. As if to penetrate the remnant images, a blow from heaven pierced the Earth. There was a loud crash, and chunks of Earth were blown away.

Despite being pushed back just because of the impact, Melida was still on the ground and stepping bravely forward. She aimed her enemy into a fully extended, broken arm, as if absorbed back into the spear. That was, Salacha’s body jumped up with the spear that had just been thrust into the ground. “WHA… ! ” Melida was greatly surprised.

On the other hand, Salacha, who kept repeating her light jumps, “thunk” the ground again. She jumped from only a few tens of centimetres, one breath to strengthen momentum, flying to the distant sky. For a moment, Melida gaped as she watched her leap.

“That’s the Dragoon’s《flying》 ability… ! “

That absurd aerial manoeuvre totally ignored the human common action that Melida had learned from her teacher. It was not so much the back as the impression of wings on the feet. The source of the energy was on her feet. But she had wings that could subtly steer, allowing for explosive increases in pressure.

Like a bird of prey, Salacha watched the moment and muttered in the wind:

“I can’t believe I have to go all out on you… you’re really good, Melida. “

But as Salacha went on to say, she held a huge spear over her slender shoulder.

The cherry blossom mana burst from the top, and several arrows twined around it.

“Now that I’m using it, you don’t stand a chance! 《Sprengeri Rain 》!!”

Invisible bows and arrows shot out of Salacha’s body, while Mana Arrows shot out in succession. In the face of a shower of cherry blossoms falling from the sky, Melida desperately pushed off the ground.

Then she flew intently through the rain of spears that ravage the earth by Dragoon.

Black and white lightning stroke the opposite corners of the garden as the blast reverberated around. On the other side, the pair engaged in high-speed combat that was invisible to the naked eye, while on the other side, each attack was so heavy that the moment when the swords overlapped with each other it was seared into the viewer’s consciousness like a solemn painting.

Mule was toying with Elise, circling her with steps reminiscent of a fairy dance. Elise, on the other hand, was observing her movements without moving, and she raised the point of her sword at the moment when the enemy’s back was turned to her. As if anticipating this, Mule swung her flashing right hand across the room without looking back.

As the Mana clash, Mule spanned around and bounced off the sword, stepping into the dance again. It looked defenceless, but it wasn’t vulnerable actually. Elise grasped the hilt with both hands, ready to take the initiative to strike boldly and boldly. In an instant, the tip of Mule’s shoe stopped dancing.

As if frozen in silence──

Then, the crazy sword slashes danced madly between the two. The standing position had not changed. They were just waving the weapons around very fast. The arms of both sides pulled out the remnant images, tracing the path of the sword in mid-air leaving several lines. Each attack was accompanied by a tremendous amount of damage, the spark of the explosion for the young beauty added colour.

The final sword attack rang “Clang！”With a loud explosion, the Holy Knight (Paladin) and the Demon Knight (Diabolos) were pushed back a few meters. Elise tried desperately to muffle the numbness in her fingertips, while frowning gravely.

Of course Elise was serious, and so was Mule. They were evenly matched… but what was even more remarkable was the feeling of fighting Melida, her classmates at academy and Rosetti, as if she had never felt it before

As if she had seen through Elise’s mind, Mule smiled and stood still without any flaws.

“Did you notice? Elise-chan. We can’t win no matter how long we fight. You’ll recover Mana and I’ll absorb Mana. The best defensive Paladin and the best offensive Diabolos… we really hit it off. “

“You’re putting it too poorly ──Knowing that, your aim is….”

To buy time… Mule nodded seductively in agreement with Elise’s unspoken words.

“The stage is ultimately set for these two girls……Look, Sala-chan had finally unleashed her powers and flight ability. Melida’s at the end of her rope. But of course, the Holy Knight (Paladin), the Dragon Knight (Dragoon), the Demon Knight (Diabolos)… this three great knight’s battlefield is not the entry of the Samurai of the lower ranks. “

Mule twisted her lips and only looked away for a moment. Ahead of her, which she was only slightly concerned about, was the continued effectiveness of 《Manuscripts of Anders》in the prosecutor’s box. The opened book flipped itself open and wrote its story on a blank page.

“Let the nation know of Melida’s defeat, and no one will ever believe that she has the Angel blood. She`s not a Paladin, and if she`s overwhelmingly lost to a Duke’s daughter of the same age… in order to overcome this impasse, Melida will have to win. But — oh, my God, it’s so cruel! “

Mule’s hands were outstretched. It seemed to be full of flaws, but as expected, the impression of an effective attack couldn’t emerge. Elise remained frozen like an ice sculpture, while listening to Mule’s words.

“Melida has no chance of winning! Do you know why? Elise, I assume you’ve seen the enhanced qualifications of our superiors? The qualifications for the Dragoon rank are ‘attack: A’, ‘defence: B’, ‘agility: S’ … That is to say, Sala-chan suppressed the advantage of the Samurai Melida from beginning to end! “

She swung her sword carelessly, and Elise saw the heavy tip of it in front. Silver banged in the crackling wind. The sight of the blades colliding and the sparks flying.

“Your actions will be suppressed by me. I won’t let you stand in the way of that duel… . I’m sorry, The Angel Sisters. Ever since we met in this Bibliagoth… no, ever since she gave me that medal six months ago at the Luna Lumiere! The end of the day has already been written! “

The black quartz fairy brightened and said in a loud voice.

Her hair absorbed light and looked a little translucent.

Glimpsing at the end of the pitch black, without a trace of filthy whiteness

Elise lowered the point of her sword slightly and muttered:

“… you smell like a liar.”

“What? “

“During the try-outs, Lita used to brag to me that she met a really beautiful girl. She said the girl’s atmosphere felt different from that of her classmates, as if she could be a special friend. “

Mule smiled, then frowned. Low, wispy eyelashes cast shadows on her eyes.

“… I see. Well, I’m already hated.”

“I didn’t like you from then on, but after a face-to-face like this, I could vaguely see why Lita was attracted to you. You didn’t lie to us, but you put yourself off — you really liked Melida, didn’t you? Why would you do something like that? Do you swear allegiance to the scarecrow? “

As if the black crystal maiden laughed a little.

So who was the taunt directed at?

“That goes without saying… because I like my friends best. “

“… never mind, you don’t have to say it. But you’re wrong about one thing. “

It was Elise’s turn to raise the sword and thrust the point in Mule’s face. Demon Knight (Diabolos) was confused.

“You think I’m wrong? “

“Let me ask you something. Who’s better, you or Salacha? “

“Well, let’s see… we haven’t really been in a fight, but I think it’s about the same. “

“That’s a relief. “

Alice swished her sword and tightened the point down. As if the force of an avalanche was Mana from the frame, Mule immediately swung her sword and took up the attack position.

“If she’s as good as you, Lita won’t lose. Because Lita is the strongest of us all. “

“That’s a lot of trust. There’s no secret plan from that teacher this time”

“Even in the absence of battle, the teacher was always by Lita’s side. If you degrade her for Lita’s sake, I will support her. That is my pride. “

The Mana of ice and snow were released in silence. The absolute zero Princess went on to declare.

“Don’t think you can buy time. From now on, I will go all out for. “

The tip of the sword was raised slowly. While the black flame was swelling, the fairy sneered.

“That’s great… ! “

Then, the white sword confronted the black blade, and the thunderclap broke through the sky.

†††

Watching from above the battle between the daughters of the Duke’s family was a dozen or so Reformist assembled by Serge Shicksal. Voluntarily imprisoned by the 《Volta’s fantasy Tale》, they felt as if they were in what Mule-jou once called a 《show》. In a world where distorted subjectivity made everything seemed less real, they commented on each other under a mask.

“Get the upper hand. “

One person said it with apparent satisfaction, and the others nodded their heads. The 《program》 presented here is even more splendid and splendid than the opera performed in the court. The Silver Paladin and the Black Diabolos. On the other side was the light and swift Dragon who was like the thunder of God, who forced the helpless lower ranks into a desperate situation.

Because adults’ minds were also distorted, the Angel sisters appeared to them as 《porcelain dolls with glass eyes. 》. Of the two identical looking dolls, the silver haired one was Elise, and the one with blond hair flapping in the wind was Melida.

The sight of the golden-haired doll falling unsightly and then jumping up without giving up made someone snort contemptuously.

“It’s totally inappropriate. How dare she say she’s the daughter of a knight-duke. “

“Did you see that, from that moment on, she couldn’t even swing a sword. It would be better to get rid of that burden and Beg Miss Salacha’s forgiveness…”

“Come on, guys, don’t say that. It’s a kid! It’s a kid! Tough as nails, I’m sure. “

“That’s right. Let’s be wise and warm and caring. Think how much more fun it would be to hunt with the prey always on the run? “

“GA-HA-HA! That’s so funny! “

Ladies and gentlemen in masks looked cheerful at best and laughed lewdly together at worst.

Serge, who acted as the king of hearts on the presiding judge’s bench, listened to their commentary while watching the battle without smiling.

“To the putrid eye, does that look like an advantage… ? “

The low murmur beneath the crossed palms reached no one but him.

As the young head of the Shicksal family and the foremost warrior of the Flandre, he coolly analysed his sister’s duel with the incompetent gifted girl. Indeed, it seemed to the audience that Salacha was on one side of the offensive. But as Salacha’s older brother, Serge, who had mastered her powers, knew what was going on inside Salacha, who looked like she was frowning in pain.

Unassailable?

The same consternation with sister was in Serge’s brain. Salacha was undoubtedly pulling out all the stops. It was, but it did not give the enemy an effective attack. Whether she lunged like rain at top speed or stroke several times, Melida managed to avoid all attacks beautifully.

Bottemless Stamina… but what’s even more amazing was her spiritual side. Generally speaking, Melida should be frustrated, because she was overwhelmed from beginning to end. The cogs of the body would be misaligned, creating a fatal flaw.

Melida Angel was not in that position at all. In spite of the dirt on her cheeks, she did stare at the enemy in the air, with eyes as keen as one might expect to see the moment of a counterattack. Which way was it being hunted? That was one of the things that worried Salacha.

Duke Shicksal put his finger to his chin and analysed the blonde ceramic doll’s every move.

It’s true that the Dragoon Salacha had the upper hand. But Melida’s strength is not onlyher ability. Situation judgment, thinking power, application power, the skill of destroying one’s own flaws and revealing the other’s flaws… these 《powers not shown on the status》 were outstanding.

More than the average student. However, it doesn’t come across as a knight with combat experience.

Have to say ── it’s close to the killer’s fighting style.

Duke Shicksal leaned back in his chair and stroked his lips with the tips of his fingers.

That couldn’t be the St. Frideswide Academy. Someone else.

Who was it? Who educated the maiden?

The hollow sound of the spear then broke the question that had first arisen in Serge’s mind. Running across the floor, Melida for a moment looked as if she had stumbled, and Salacha wanted a chance to settle the score.

Salacha swooped down from the sky with an even more powerful explosion, aiming the point of her spear straight through the wind at the top of Melida’s head. With only a few seconds to go before impact

Lord Shicksal kicked the chair and stood up.

“No, Salacha! She’s aiming at your gap──! “

†††

Just when Salacha thought her brother’s voice was slightly in her ear, her consciousness was blown away by something even more astonishing. As the point of the spear did seem to pierce the target’s shoulder, Melida pivoted her body on one foot, avoiding a direct attack at a critical moment ── a wonderful opportunity.

(Illu)

Salacha’s eyes widened in surprise, and she saw Melida’s right elbow clenched as she dodged. The Lips, very close to the ear, moved.

“Finally got you.“

Bang! Elbowing all over, hitting Salacha in the jaw. It was like a counterpunch, causing the Dragoon to let go of the spear and roll on to the grass.

Before she could moan, Melida drew closer as if an opportunity were at hand.

“I won’t let you──”

As soon as she came running, she kicked Salacha’s left foot, which she was about to get up

“Escape into the air again! “

A smooth flash of the simulated blade hit the right foot. As if lifted from her feet, Salacha was shot into the air, spun around magnificently, and then, “Bang! ” fell to the ground with a crash.

「Kuu… uuu……」

Salacha pressed her hands to the floor and struggled to lift her upper body. The critical foot of the ability to “fly” is destroyed. She even can’t fight on the ground in this state. There’s no chance of winning…

Salacha now had to move toward the end of her thinking.

As a Dragoon, she couldn’t get the upper hand on the ground.

In the end, the ace’s ability to 《fly》 was breached from the front.

In other words, Melida, despite her Samurai rank, was better than she who inherited Knight Duke’s blood.

It didn’t seem to be Melida’s intention to continue torturing her friend, and she slowly lowered the knife.

“… Salacha, and Mule. I know it’s because I was born into a knighthood, but I have no Paladin to do it, and that’s why I get so many people into trouble, into confusion, or into uneasiness — but I’m proud to be a Samurai! Because with 《that person》 is the same Samurai, I can pull myself together, because I want to chase the figure of “that person”, I can muster up the courage to move forward! “

“……”

Salacha just looked up, unable to respond. Melida pressed her hands to her chest.

“Even if someone were to『help me change my rank』, I’d beg to be excused. I am who I am, and I want to be recognized for who I am. It doesn’t matter if they call me an 《incompetent gifted girl》, if my lineage is suspect… I’m still an Angel’s Holy Knight (Paladin)!”

That voice resounded loud and cleared through the Court of Hypocrisy, clearly waving the fog of fiction. Salacha’s eyes narrowed as if burned by the light, Elise’s smile shallowly, and Mule raised the corners of her mouth in a sad way.

Then, among the speechless spectators in the gallery, there was a slow murmur of voices.

“… that, that, I have a slight idea.”

Everyone in the gallery turned to the man who had spoken like this. The pressure stiffens the man’s voice.

“Is it possible that the incompetent gifted girl, no, no, Miss Melida, was really the daughter of the Duke Felgus…? ” ? What if, as she puts it, Mana was slow to awaken, and the differences in rank was simply bad luck? Is, is it in this case that we are now engaged in a very serious rebellion against Flandre…? “

It was like a wave, filtering into the silence of the crowd

It was as if the endless phenomenon of echoing, Howling, conjures up panic…

“So, so I’ve been thinking it ever since! Should have waited until the facts were clearer before taking action! “

“Do you want me to cut out your self-contradictory tongue, you bastard! ”

“Well, well, well. It looks like we’re in a very bad way… “

“I, I remembered I had some business to attend to, and I should be going now… “

One of them got up and left the table in a hurry. The rest of them were not willing to be left behind. They kicked the chairs away. They wandered up and down the tall hedge in panic, and then found there was no stairs to go down.

“Shick… no, the King of hearts! We should probably get going! “

“It was a very enjoyable show! Please… please contact us again next time! Well, please do contact…”

“Please… please tell us where the exit is! I have to hail a ride or I’ll miss dinner!”

Serge Shicksal listened to the whoosh of a goose overhead, but his face remained unchanged. He mumbled to himself from the Chief Judge’s bench.

“… This will not do. They can’t do it like this. Once you’re cornered, it’s useless. I wish they could be a little more like the golden girl who radiates so intensely, even when she is forced to be at a disadvantage. “

Yes, as if it suddenly occurred to him, lifting one eyebrow.

He didn’t move his eyes. His sister’s wounded body was reflected in his eyes.

“Take what’s happening here as ‘not happening’. Yeah, it’s for the best. Yeah, well, that’s what plans are supposed to do. Oh, I’m so glad I forearmed myself──”

He rapped the gavel with his hand.

As a precaution.

For some reason, what she had heard her brother say had suddenly come to life in Salacha’s ears. As if it were an opportunity, something slipped out of her breast pocket.

It’s a fountain pen with a unique design and a long history. It was given to Salacha by her brother as a talisman on the day of the Reformist meeting at which today’s battle was proposed. Salacha remembered it was valuable and reached for it, but the pen slipped from her fingers and fled.

The pen fell as it span, as it touched the ground in a moment.

The endless black mud overflowed and covered the whole garden in an instant.

†††

“Wha…”

It was Mule La Moore who first grasped the situation in the garden. Several large black dragons flew out from under Salacha’s feet and ravaged the area.

The dragons blew their way across the court-table to hide the cream-colored sky, thinking they had pounced on the high hedge and were about to make a big hole. The green platform swayed unsteadily, crashing to the ground with the Lady’s Shrill Wail. Members of the Reformist stumble and fall.

The Sky was blackened with flashes of lightning. The articles, embellished in cream color, were eroded in the blink of an eye. Mule looked up at the scene and whispered in a serious voice:

“This is the《Alternate’s fountain pen》…! Why would Sala-chan have something like this…?”

“What’s that? What’s the effect? “

This was no longer the thrill of a duel. Elise put down her sword and inquired hastily.

“This can《rewrite the spell book effect》. It’s a very rare and unusual item! Even in my mother’s lab, I’ve only seen it a handful of times. How did she ever have this…”

The louder booms overlapped the trembling words.

Even Mule, who knew the system, looked like this. Forced to stand in the eye of a typhoon, Salacha was the most chaotic. The pen plunged vertically into the ground as if to dig out a clod, and spewed out endless black ribbons from its NIB. The strings swung like whips, lacerating the lawn and damaging the garden. They were trying to rewrite the story of the world.

In an instant, someone jumped from the front. It’s Merida with blond hair blowing in the wind. The two girls hugged each other for a few turns on the ground, the ink colour solid immediately accompanied by a more intense explosion jumped to the sky. It must have been an unlucky hole where the pen had just penetrated.

It wasn’t dirt under the cave. It was a series of pages. Something strange crawled out of the torn pile of pages. Salacha and Merida were also aware of the things that were constantly spilling out and strumming on paper.

“Moth…! “

Huge Moths, folded out of yellowed and broken pages, bared their tusks to the sky and made strange noises. A voice rose from the Chief Judge’s bench, as though he had seen the moment.

“Oh, my God, how did this happen! 《Volta’s fantasy Tale》is starting to get out of control! Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I’m going to buy some time! Please leave as soon as possible! “

The throbbing scarecrow of the King’s mantle ── or, to be more precise, Serge Shicksal. Mule was the only one who understood the relationship behind his exaggerated and flamboyant performance.

“It was onii-sama… he’s really bold…! “!

Her murmurs were effaced by the overlapping wails. The Operación’s people were in a panic. Moths from the ground began to attack them.

Merida immediately tried to get up, and Salacha reflexively grabbed her collar. Salacha wondered if she should let Merida go. So the girl’s red eyes went straight through her.

“──Get a grip! What’s the right thing to do now? We`re mana capable ones! “

“……!”

As Salacha’s eyes widened in surprise, four hands reached out from beside them. It was the Paladin and the Diabolos that broke off the fight, and they pulled their best friends together.

Mule patted the dirt off Salacha’s soldier’s clothes and said.

“Melida was right. The game is over. Please take refuge in peace…. As Elise and I search for an escape route. Melida and Sala, please buy time to find an escape route.”

Melida nodded candidly and was about to bolt out when she suddenly stopped and thrust out her index finger.

“Don’t tell me what to do! “

“Oh, that is a《request》? “

Mule smiled in her usual inscrutable manner. Although felt a little reluctant. Melida and the others looked at each other and nodded.

Melida tightened the knife down and called out the Dragoon running side by side.

“Salacha-san, how’s your foot? I am sorry about that”

“No problem! Should be able to hold out for another fight…! “

The Cherry Coloured Dragon Knight (Dragoon) galloped across the ground with the agility, as if not to take the injury seriously, flying over the enemy like the wind and thrusting out spears. A refined spearhead skewers two moths in a straight line.

Melida, too, brandished a knife. The tricky thing was the sheer number of enemies. She immediately removed the scabbard from her belt and switched to a Double-Katana style. She moved through the enemy’s ranks, spinning her body like a dance, and the moths that had spiralled out played a lilting melody.

At that moment, a wailing like a chicken being strangled rang out all around.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Help, heeeeeeeeelp!!”

A mannequin in a mourning dress was scared stiff. Judging by her voice, maybe she was female, too.

Melida immediately ran out and swept the lawless pieces of paper from behind. The shredded pages of the book flew into the air. Just as Melida was looking for her next target, a husky voice came into his ear.

“Me, Melida-sama…!”

Dummies in mourning still slumped to the ground, looking up at this side. Her outline twisted and she became a familiar old woman. The subjective filter was removed, and Melida blinked at the naked mannequin.

“Othello-sam?”

“I, I am… “

The other side should also be able to see their own original appearance. Her eyes met Melida’s, and her lips trembled.

“It was for the prosperity of the Angel Family that I decided that the blood of the Paladin must not be cut off…”

In the middle of her sentence, Melida took her arm like a twig and pushed her behind.

Please run away. If Ms Othello does not return to the house, Eli will be troubled. “

“……”

Ms Othello took refuge in the shade of the hedge, biting her wrinkled lips.

By this time, Mule and Elise had reached the corner of the garden that 《Volta’s fantasy Tale》had created. There was also a hedge high enough to look up, and there was no way out, no matter which way looked.

The hedge was abloom with scarlet roses. Mule identified each rose one by one, calling her partner:

“Find the impostor! It should be mixed into a white rose is only painted on the fake red paint!”

“I got one. Is this? “

Mule turned to see the silver haired Angel, still impassive, pressing her hand against a rose. She had red paint on her fingertips, and it was dripping from the petals before it had completely dried.

Mule, wondering whether to be surprised or impressed, gave a theatrical shrug.

“In the reading room, I had thought, you Angel sisters are really on a roll. ”

In short, Mule stood at once before the false rose, drawing her sword.

“Together! ── 《Iblis Fang》!! “

“《Divine Streak》!!”

The Holy Knight (Paladin) and the Demon Knight (Diabolos) burst at the same time, flooding the hedge with the destructive power of the Holy Cross. To the false rose as a starting point, showing a radial crack in an instant burst open.

As the dust cleared, the empty ruins could be seen on the other side of the gaping hole. On the other side of Flandre is the remnants of the courthouse built on the outskirts of Bader Bassel. It was the《door》to the Bibliagoth, administered by the Shicksal Familly, and the launching pad for the magical book, the 《Volta’s fantasy Tale》.

As the escape route opened, Mule called in an actress like voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this way home, please! Don’t forget the masks!”

The Reformist, who trembled in the shadow, rolled over at the sound. Once again, they used masks to hide their identities, while one by one, they burrowed through the cave.

The total number was seventeen. After confirming that the last man had escaped, Mule turned to signal Melida and Salacha.

The ground exploded in a straight line, and thorns shot up from the cracks to obscure the escape route.

“”Eh……? “”

Elise backed away, and then, in another sense, Mule was stunned.

Because she knew exactly about this thorns. In the fictional world reproduced in 《Volta’s fantasy Tale》, the cradle of the sleeping beauty was held for a century as a cursed prison……

As soon as they realized they were shut up again, a brisk step rang out.

“Well, well, well, my master really enjoys ordering me around. Please don’t commission a Multiple Performance Request (Double Booking).”

The tuxedo was swinging in the wind, and it was a tall, thin man who had somehow landed on the presiding judge’s bench. With the cane in his hand, he hit his shoulder, turned the pierrot mask, which hid his face, and asked.

“… Then, master. It’s going to be All Villains (The Completely Pure Evil) , isn’t it? “

“Mhm, I’m leaving the stage now. “

Replying briefly the scarecrow King, got up and left the table. The king, who had been swept away by the wind in his clown mask instead of a cloak, leaped from the chief judge’s chair and landed lightly in the garden.

Guarding the other Duke’s four daughters, the Blonde Melida, “Ah!” remembered the man’s mask.

“You… you were… the one who was at the rally…!”

“I see you again, my daughter! Although I’d like to say it, that show is over. “

The clown raised his hand under the crutches, and compared the front end to the side as if by a sword.

“My role at this moment was not 《Melida Angel’s fake father》 , but 《All Villains(The Completely Pure Evil) 》. All right, princesses. Let’s play the last scene of the fairy tale!”

“You’re a fake! How dare you do that to Lita! “

The first to hit the ground was Paladin Elise. She could move as fast as she could, but the crutch of the clown jumped over her with pinpoint accuracy.

“《Trident》!!”

In the blink of an eye, staged to make people suspicious of their own eyes. the cane in a man’s hand changed shape in an instant. The front end of the cane turned into a trident, and purple electricity was emitted.

Elise froze in amazement at the actual shock of the electric shock that danced before her eyes. Violet whipped at her feet, and the cracking shock waved blow silver-haired angels away from their forward direction.

“……Ah!”

Dancing in the air, the maiden was so beautiful and twisted that she fell onto the grass when she could not even take the protective measures. “Eli!” So Melida wailed, and flew to Elise’s side, and the Demon Knight (Diabolos) and the Dragon Knight (Dragoon) were at once hostile.

“… I’ve never heard of such a plot. Please leave the stage! “

Boom! The ground exploded in two places, and Salacha and Mule disappeared without a trace. They used their childhood chemistry to approach their enemies from both directions, Mule thought at a high speed.

──A lightning strike is the power of the 《Sea Witch》 in the story of 《The Little Mermaid》! In that case……..

Mule leaned forward, galloping very close to the ground, and as soon as she crossed the enemy, she swung her sword. The thick, heavy tip that traced the smooth trajectory cuts off the man’s wrist and blew it into the air with the Trident.

The Diabolos dug up the ground with clever footwork, tightening the second blow with a seductive smile.

“《Sea Witch》 is doomed by the Trident! Harvard, isn’t it? “

“You know very well, La Moore-jou. In that case, do you know the story《Captain Hook》? “

“──!?”

It was only natural that Mule would pause in amazement. Because there was a metal line of attack coming through the man’s cut left wrist. Mule blocked it out. It was a silver hook.

“How that come, Captain Hook…? You’re supposed to be the Sea Witch…!”

“Mue-chan, hold it right there! “

Through the Cherry coloured whirlwind behind the clown mask, unleashed the fierce rain of spears. The Tall, thin man was blasted into a Hornet’s nest, but then he collapsed and disintegrated into a black liquid.

“Considering your age, is the《story shadow man》a bit of a surprise? “

And he calmly grasped the crutch that had fallen from his head, attacking Salacha’s whole body in succession. After a five-punch punch that was too fast to be seen, the man’s long legs kicked the defenceless flanks. Beaten to a pulp, the young Dragon Knight (Dragoon) rolled on the grass.

“uuu…Ku……!”

“Yare yare. How can I explain this to my master? “

“Who the hell are you? “

The smile of the clown mask looked down on the trembling lips of the Black Quartz Maiden.

“Didn’t I tell you? Right now my character is All Villains!(The Completely Pure Evil) That is, I have the power from Villain of all the stories in me. I owe it all to that secret treasure. “

“I never thought I’d be able to do something like this with an《Alternate’s fountain pen》… “

“Incidentally, my next role will be as 《Beyond People from afar》, an expert in combat.”

The man’s hands are gone. Mule was hit four times on the shoulders and knees, almost simultaneously sending Mule “ghu~! ” ! “with a Groan, and at the same time, as if to pick up the body of the heavy fist plane into the pit of the heart.

“Gah…ha……!”

The claymore slipped from her fingertips and the girl’s swaying, leaning body crumpled and slumped on the grass.

“Salacha-san! Mule-san!”

“Freeze, Melida Angel!”

The clown impaled the cane at random on the girl who fell at her feet. It didn’t have a blade, but if the throat was crushed by the front end of the cane, it’d probably kill her.

Princess Blonde gasped nervously, and clown’s smile told her immovably.

“As you may well know, my only goal is you. As long as you do the right thing… you know?”

“… I, I see. Don`t hurt anyone. ”

The man in the mask nodded up and down, contentedly, raising his hand in the opposite direction and snapping his fingers.

The ground next to Melida heaved and something grew out of it like a vegetable. It’s a loom. This wooden appliance felt very suitable for a warm stove, but at the scene could only be said to be an unusual presence.

The knitting needle seemed to tempt the eye toward Melida.

“Touch the needle with your finger. ── Oh, don’t be afraid. Just touch it a little bit.”

“… just, just do this and you’ll leave us alone? “

“Of course. I made a deal with you, including you, that I would never lay a hand on you again. “

The man’s voice was muffled. Needless to say, the mask of clown, fixed as a smile, did not reveal any of his true intentions. Melida held out his finger nervously.

She touched the needle with her index finger and exerted herself a little. Sharp pain coursed through the nerves and blood dripped from the fingertips. Did an injury like that qualify as punishment?

“Look, I touched it! You can go back to──……..”

By the end of the sentence, Melida’s vision was shaky.

Cotton-padded mind, thinking became uncontrollable. Her hands and feet suddenly became heavy and she fell to the ground before she could stand still. The head, like the fruit of a flower, fell with a thud from the neck.

After closing her eyelids, Melida never got up.

“Lita!” “Melida-san!” “Melida-chan!”

The friends wailed and the clown masks raise their heads in a theatrical manner to look up at the sky.

“My master is merciful. He does not seem to want to take your life! It just can’t keep you alive. Please live in the dream of happiness forever.”

Elise urged her paralyzed feet. From the depths of the ice a flame of enmity.

“What did you do to Lita…! Get Lita back! “

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. In any era, villains will only spread curses and tragedies.”

Elise bit her lip hard and kicked the ground. The Long Sword, which was drawn downward, leaped upward at an indescribable moment. The cane easily stopped the sword in the approaching mask.

“It’s almost curtain time. Don’t give me any more trouble, okay? “

The man didn’t even use his 《All Villains (The Completely Pure Evil)》. He threw off the whole body of Paladin as if he were putting on a needle and thread. The slender shoulders were beaten, and Elise “Ghu! ” ! “A sound, fall to the rear.

“Forgive me for making the slightest attempt at intimidation.”

The clown said it to no one in particular, raised his head to the sky and slowly 《roared》.

The only word for that was roar. No matter how he heard it, he shook the space with a thunderous roar of a voice that was not human.

The loud voice seemed to ripple out, changing the landscape in the blink of an eye. From a Green Labyrinth Garden to a barren wilderness without a single weed.

Something was gathering dust on the horizon. It’s a pack of carnivores. At least a few dozens bared their teeth and rushed at a petite maiden.

“Eh……!”

Elise immediately grabbed her sword, but she could not use her feet. Her body was shackled by a succession of injuries and horrors. The clown mask opened its hands like an actor

“It’s a shame you’re not as good as me, as a Mana capable ones, as a supporting character. The princess and the villain… the stage sadly lacks the final character! “

In front of the running beast, there was a roar of thirst for blood. The dust became more intense.

“At the end of a tragedy, one must pursue the same thing — a maiden’s cry of despair! Come on, Elise Angel, pull down the curtain on this stage with your Angel Voice!”

The beast kicked the ground in a fury. They showed their claws and fangs, and together they pounced upon the maiden.

Elise’s eyes widened in surprise and the two friends held their breath. There was the illusion that the corners of the mouth of the clown mask were raised unsightly.

At this time, a pale blue flame ran straight across space.

Something swooped in, with a deafening clatter, through the opening that was covered with thorns. Extend the escape route to twice the width of the entrance, the clown mask to reflexively turn his head. Only the black-clad remains straddled his field of vision.

“《Phantom Sword Ninth Head──…………”

The head of the beast was cut off smoothly. Inserting dozens of wild animals to pounce on him, he moved as if he were the only one who had time to flow differently from others. He hacked the nearby targets one by one, and then put the blue flame of Mana ran spurting out into the scabbard with the body of the sword.

“《Void Fang》!”

The shockwaves, which flied out at the same time as drawing the knives, vertically ravaged beast group.

“《Rashomon Flash》!”

Storm accompanied by knife attacked wreak havoc, to this side of the time finally catching up with general, dozens of herds of wild animals were left to be blown in the opposite direction. Not even a death rattle. Just as blood foam flying.

“Wha….”

Unable to speak, the only one of the knight duke’s daughters, who could only gaze at the scene, was Elise, who raised her head in fear at the end, and saw the familiar figure viewed from behind, her face lit up.

“Kufa-sensei”

At a glance, he changed his appearance as well as the girl’s. He wore a long coat and boots, and a smart dress shirt and top hat. The only parts that are the same as usual are the scabbard and the black knife at the waist. The young man kept his eyes peeled for confirmation, and Elise grabbed him from behind.

Seeing the silver haired angel’s precious tears, Kufa thought things were unusual and took them more seriously.

“I’m late, Elise-sama. What exactly is the situation…?”

Kufa put his hand on the girl’s shoulder and looked around. The daughters of the Shicksal and La Moore fell to the ground in a most appalling position. Elise was in tears, surrounded by the motionless blond angel.

Then, standing a dozen meters apart, were the tall, thin masks of the clown

Kufa knelt on one knee and fingered his owner’s cheek, checking her pulse and breathing. The Cherry blossom colour of her cheeks and a steady breath of air reassured Kufa, who handed the girl over to Elise and rose to his feet.

“Ojou-samas, leave it to me now. “

Kufa said to everyone in the room, putting his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist and sliding his foot aside. It did not seem to have been the intention of him to involve the daughter of the Duke, but the mask of the clown, with its long legs stretched out, remained in opposition to it, and moved over the Moor.

The slowly rising pressure of the Mana on both sides made deep cracks in the cracked earth.

“I thought you might come, Melida Angel’s tutor. I had to play clown the other day, so let me pay you back what I owe you. “

“I’m not interested. Go away. “

Each side kicked off the ground from two separate points. What followed, though, cannot be completely captured by the dynamic eyesight of the three daughters of the duke.

The metallic sound rang out from the exact middle of where they had been standing. The black knife and the cane intertwine, and before the spark was even a few centimetres off, it collided with the next blow. The clatter and flash of light filled the field of vision, and at the other end the clown mask of his arm flew wildly and joyously about at an indecipherable rate.

“That’s great! You can keep up with my best!”

The middle part of the cane “snaps”. At the same time, the man pulled back quickly before the mask was almost snapped in half. Kufa maintained a casual, vigorous swing of the knife, glancing coldly under his top hat.

“Was that all you could do? “

“… Humph!”

The clown mask snorted, not like acting, and raised one hand slowly.

“In that case, how about this? Enjoy the 《All Villains(The Completely Pure Evil)》 show! “

Crack! The man snapped his fingers and the landscape changed. Kufa’s vision was enlivened by a gaudy flame, wet walls, a giant playground designed to look as if it were a playground for giants, and a multitude of terrifying torture devices linked to them.

In a Gambler’s style, the clown pulled down the lever at hand.

“Game Start!”

The conveyor belt spun too fast under Kufa’s shoes. Before he could even get his feet on the ground, he was catapulted into the air, his long overcoat swaying in the wind and falling to his eyes. The playground was surrounded by round walls and deep trenches, except for the huge wheel in the middle.

At the bottom of the trench, thousands of《armies of the dead》were waiting to the live sacrifice.

It’s a corpse dummy that people can’t look at. Suturing the bodies of men, women and children with thread, designed as armies without Egos and without fear. They were unarmed, but they were in large numbers. Kufa, who had retracted the knife, was dragged into the whirlpool as soon as he fell into the wave of the corpse and had no time to breathe.

“Kufa-sensei!”

Sucked into the same world of maidens, the black quartz fairy hovered over the cliff.

“That army is the power of the villain, 《the enchantress of the badlands》, the way to defeat it is──!”

Before Mule had finished speaking, dozens of body sized figures had been hacked to the outside. Brandishing a knife in the middle, Kufa, with blood streaming from his forehead, declared as if nothing had happened.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mule-jou. I haven’t been familiar with fairy tales since I was a child…”

I shall beat them one by one, as the youth silently added, more smoothly wields the black knife than the running water.

At the same time, countless tiny blades made from Mana blades dance in midair as if following the sword. It was like the petals of a flower, or rather the glass. The young man, haunted by innumerable murders, spoke.

“《Art of a Thousand Blades……Extreme Blossom》!! “

Then he stepped forward and Blitz Fencing, just like the storm itself. After the sweep of the black knife, the wind of the tiny blade blew wildly with a slow beat. The tiny Pale blue flames ravaged the bodies of hordes of human figures, shredding and blowing their way through the bodies of their enmeshed foes. With a wide range of high-density destruction.

“Hou… “

The clown mask jumped from the dealer’s position onto the roulette wheel. He left behind the three girls of Duke, who had no room for intervention, and looked down into the never-ending struggle.

According to the orders of the master, the body dolls pounced on the target from all sides without a break. The young man in the top hat opened a big hole, as if the centre of the air hole, letting the knife dance without any flaws. Dotted around him were waves of Pale flame, with space cut by mass. It’s a combination of offense and defence.

“So, by spraying a large amount of Mana out of the body onto a tiny blade, it becomes capable of following its own blade? If anyone get caught up in that, he will be killed immediately. “

But as the clown murmured, Kufa, fighting off the body snatchers, kicked the floor in a flash. He reached the narrow treading with jaw-dropping motor power, aiming for the cliffs.

The cadaver dolls pursued Kufa with astonishing tenacity. They galloped with all their might, chasing opponents impossible to reach at altitude, and jostling with their companions as they approach from opposite sides. The next dummy pushed them flat. Just as they hit the carrion one after another, turning it into a big chunk, the later figures galloped up on the treads. As if to reverse the time of disintegration, the towers of corpses piled up in the blink of an eye.

As Kufa was hesitating where to put his foot next, the hundreds of corpses finally arrived behind him. The doll covered Kufa’s back, and when it was struck by an elbow, the second one swooped in, and while the second was kicked out, the third and fourth chased after it.

“A well-designed attack technique, indeed. But there are two major downsides to this. “

The clown mask was like a bird, waiting for the moment.

Kufa even used the body as a stepping stone and flew higher up. Kicking and chopping, rhythmic flying blood foam. Immediately after the face was trampled, the dummy grabbed the foot, and the next one swooped in when the centre of gravity of the youth’s posture was unstable. They grasped the black knife,regardless of whether the blade gets stuck in the skin. The second and third inserted their hands behind their back into the armpits of their opponents who were resistant to instant dullness, locking the opponent’s action.

In an instant, the clown hit the ground and shot through like an arrow.

“The first disadvantage point! It consumes a lot of MP! “

A fist like a bullet hit the young man’s defenceless chest. The impact of the passage with a loud bang. The man in the clown had an ugly smile on his face as he watched the corners of youth`s beautiful mouth tightened.

“Shooting out that much Mana, and the MP will become more intense! And the second one! “

The second and third blows, while leaving the remain images, were sucked into the young man’s body. The intermittent blows rang out.

“It’s a《double-edged sword》! It’s true that attack will improve by leaps and bounds, but at the same time, the Protective Mana will continue to thin out! See? How’s that? It hurts when I attack! It hurts, doesn’t it?”

An endless series of shots into Kufa’s body. The Iron Fist of the《Beyond-People-from-afar》… was wrapped around a high-pressure Mana… and it exploded without a break. A sudden, crushing blow.

The final blow went deep into the centre of the chest, and the young man’s lips gushed with blood as he felt the impact of the hit.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Your internal organs have been destroyed! “

At the same time, the right hand of the clown was in excruciating pain.

The arm, which had just been fully extended, was contorted wonderfully in two places. Youth, with his left hand and the right hand which had given up the weapon, wielded a swift knife at the mask of the clown. Through the pain of the nerves, leaving the clown unable to speak.

“Don’t hesitate and drop your weapon…! “

Before he could moan, two《snakes》came down his throat. They were the smooth outstretched hands of the youth. In front of crossed palms, claws rose like fangs into the air

Crack! The clown pulled back just above the skin before it was nearly bitten. Instinctively, he kicked the shoulder of the corpse doll and took refuge in the roulette wheel.

“You didn’t hesitate to kill me…! “

Aware of the《death》that passed in front of him, a breath of ice rushed behind the man.

The man’s eyes widened in amazement under the clown mask. Because of the speed of the enemy immediately pursued over. He was followed by hordes of corpses, and still did not retrieve the black knife.

“Unarmed, what can you──”

The figure of the youth quickly pasted the man in the clown mask before he had finished his words. The young man used his right hand, which held nothing, as a knife, and continued to swing as hard as he could, murmuring with his lips wet with blood:

“Don’t underestimate the Samurai.”

Then a tidal wave of flames rushed forward as if chasing the footsteps of youth. It came in all shapes and sizes, thousands and hundreds of tiny blades turning into a thick stream of water that swallowed the man in the clown’s tuxedo straight ahead.

“Gee……. Ah ah ahahahah──────────!”

In terms of time, it’s a fraction of a second. But a swarm of tiny blades ravaged the clown man’s entire body during this time. Each blade, with hidden destructive power, cut into the enemy’s body from the tip of head to the tip of toes, leaving his tuxedo in pieces and flying through the air.

The blades cut through the enemy, glinting in mid-air as they converged on Kufa.

The man in the clown was torn to shreds, his feet trembling like a puppet whose gears wouldn’t snap. As his convulsive chin toward the ceiling, he was ── suddenly blown apart.

It made Kufa look at in amazement. Enemy’s one arm flew to his feet ── dropping from profile into something like a corpse of a pitch-black worm.

“Stand in……?”

“No, it’s no doubt that you won.”

So assured was the dark crystal maiden who approached with clumsy steps. The carcass of a worm that had fallen from the arm of the clown turned to black mud and seeped into the ground.

“The man who greets his death as a villain in this storybook world is banished from the books. He must have sustained some pretty serious injuries.”

As if to prove the maiden’s words, the scene changed again. The bloodstained fairground faded into the mist with the tasteless corpse figures, and Kufa tried to blink a few times before he saw that it was already inside an unmanned courthouse surrounded by a rose-hedge.

“It seems to have been restored to the court of the King of Hearts…”

The Dark Crystal Leprechaun bent her knees, and Kufa quickly and tenderly embraced her body.

“Are you alright, La Moore-sama?”

Mule gripped the young man’s chest and blushed in a rare way.

“I never thought that I would be worried about one day…”

At that moment the quiet Garden rang with the cry of grief. ‘Lita!’ The call made Kufa and Mule raise their heads and hurry to the sound’s owner.

Kufa and the Duke’s four daughters seemed to be the only ones left in the world. The youth in the top hat and the girl in the cat costume ran to the playing card soldier and the girl with the white rabbit. The girl in blue aprons fell asleep in their arms.

As Kufa darted closer, he got down on one knee and gazed gently at the sleeping face of his beloved master.

“What is… what is the matter with Melida-sama?”

All eyes were on Mule, who was sitting in the opposite direction. She answered as if singing:

“She was cursed by a villain. It is a powerful curse that must be inflicted on you of your own volition. The effect is said to be a deep sleep that lasts forever…”

“How come… is there anyway to break the curse?”

“Relax. No need to panic. The story should have a happy ending. There’s only one way to wake up sleeping beauty. It is a magic that has endured since time immemorial ──《the kiss of true love》.”

Everyone swallowed nervously. Mule smiled flirtatiously, as if she were back to normal.

“By kissing someone who loves her from the bottom of his heart, she will be free from eternal damnation.”

Elise nodded knowingly and slowly took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her lips. She moistened her lovely peach lips with her tongue and flushed her cheeks at the same time.

“It’s time for my first kiss. Lita, accept my love…!”

“Hmmm-choo…” Elise quickly tried to pucker her lips out, but Mule, of course, blocked her forehead. Staring into the eyes of the discontented ice, Mule smiled cheerfully.

“A-ra, you can’t. Such things are destined to be the task of His Royal Highness throughout history and throughout the world.”

“You… you mean me…?”

The dark crystal maiden took tentative aim at Kufa, who looked uncharacteristically awkward.

“Eh? Is there a man in the world considerates of her more than you?”

“But…….”

Kufa looked around as if calling for help, and his eyes met the Cherry Blossom girl. Salacha covered her eyes with both hands, but stared at the decisive scene from between steadily spreading fingers.

“I, I, anou, will keep a secret from the knight duke house… !”

“……”

It seemed to be no choice, Kufa’s mood was one of being pushed from behind and forced into the spotlight. Even Elise murmured to herself, “Alright… I can use indirect kissing later”, giving Kufa the sleeping beauty.

Melida, caught off guard and asleep, was entrusted to his arms, with a look of eager expectation projected from three directions.

That’s why it’s called a girl──a creature that gathered more than two people into himself, Kufa, with this thought of giving up, closed his eyes.

It’s a relief to be invisible, to feel like I’m not being seen──

Kufa picked Melida up and brought his face closer to hers as if she were fragile.

“I wish my lips could melt the ice of eternity…”

The voice of youth so low itched the lips of a maiden, and then overlapped with the lips of youth──

Yaaaah! young ladies’ vivacity rang like a bell of blessing.

(Illu)

†  †  †

No one would have to visit the ruins, there was a torn silk-like voice echoed.

It was the screams of a man full of anguish and resentment. The source was one of several doors that lined the long corridor. In a mediation room strewn with broken tables and documents, a man in a tuxedo rolled on the floor.

“Son of a bitch! Damn it! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”

He scratched his hair as if he couldn’t stand it and banged the back of his head against the floor. As he tumbled to the floor, his clown mask, snapped in half, fell from his face.

The ugly face of the young man who combed his long hair with pomade came out from under the mask.

While serving as knight to Felgus Angel in the Academy of the St. Frideswide. ── The man was known as the elite of the Imperial Guard (Crest Legion), Vigil.

Now he was reduced beyond recognition, waving his arms and legs on the floor, high-end tuxedo covered with dust.

“My, my arm is broken…! Blood is coming out of my body…!”

“It’s all right. You’re not hurt.”

It was the pretty, elegant young man in the old chair who accosted Vigil as if admonishing him. With his springy air and fancy coat, he was Serge Shicksal.

“Because of a near-death situation, of course it hurts. You’re lucky that’s what happened in 《Volta’s fantasy Tale》, though. That could be solved with the phrase ‘all fiction’.”

The soothing sounds did not reach Vigil’s ears. He bounded about the floor like a grasshopper, and at the same time roared as though he would tear his throat out, as if trying to conceal a deadly pain.

“I’m an Imperial Guard (Crest Legion)! And even lodged with the All Villains (The Completely Pure Evil)! There’s no reason to lose to a lowly Knight of the Lesser Cavalry! Who the hell is that guy!”

“White Night of Death God, I suppose.”

“The… the dark Calvary Regiment (Guild) of Legend… ?”

Vigil’s voice dripped with dread, his bloodshot eyes darting upward. As if disgusted by the sight, Serge rose from his chair. Vigil, leaping reflexively, chased his master from behind.

“Why would a White Knight Calvary Regiment (Guild Jack Raven)’s assassin be a governess to the incompetent gifted girl…?”

“Well… there’s a lot to be interested in. The incompetent gifted girl’s unexpected strength and determination. The tutor’s skills and hidden background… the battle was a failure, but it was a gain. There seems to be a lot more to figure out before the next move…”

Duke Shicksal murmured to himself as if in a fit of grumbling, and Vigil gasped around to his master.

“Shicksal-sama, make sure I get the next job, too. If it’s to degrade the Paladin, yes, even if I have to leave the Crest Legion! I would lay my life on the Operación!”

Only then did the Duke Shicksal finally took notice, and looked up at his oily face.

“Oh, really? Actually, there’s a task that needs someone to do anyway.”

Anything!

However, Bigiu couldn’t even answer it happily. Before that, all the air in the lungs leaked out, and something counter current in the trachea was expelled from the lips. “Cough,cough”

“Uh-eh…?”

A dull voice dripped from his bloodied mouth. Gazing vacantly into the Duke’s smiling eyes, Vigil staggered over his body, then saw……

The handle of the beautiful and cold spear pierced his belly.

“Ah…….? Ah?”

His repeatedly groaning lips coughed up a solid red and black. The duke easily drew out the long handle which he had thrust in with one hand, and swept the edge of subordinate’s feet.

He aimed at Vigil, plunging to the ground on his left back.

A low noise echoed down the corridor, and a few drops of blood splattered on the peeling walls.

Vigil groaned intermittently as he watched the liquid from his body stain the floor red

“… Ma, Master…? It hurts… why… me… cough,cough!”

“Oh, Bigiu. There won’t be a friend as godly as you. It’s so lonely knowing this is the last time I’d ever see you again.”

The handsome duke still nailed the young man’s body to the floor and slowly covered his back.

He pressed his lips to his quivering ear and whispered in a sweet voice.

“But, as I was saying, the Operación has failed in this battle. So someone has to take that risk. But there still have things must I to do…. So I hope, Vigil, that you will take my place. Your presumptuous claim to be the father of Melida Angel has seriously alarmed the public. Can we assume that’s what happened?”

“… ah… Wha… ah… !… All… legion… I…”

“Oh, great! You’re so kind, Bigiu.”

The noble hand that held the spear spins like a razor——

The faint groan that echoed down the corridor of the ruins vanished.