I hate being wed in a fantasy world!

KK (Katsuragi Kenta): “Wait, we weren’t in the Epilogue? So the answer is postponed to the next volume!?”

AA (Ara’ainn): “Seems so.”

KK: “WHAT THE FUCK! I say something like that and I don’t get an answer!? That’s inhuman.”

krpg (Author): “Well, I’m a hamster, after all.”

AA: “You were sitting on that joke for a while, suppressing the desire to put it into the author’s note, right?`I can respect that.”

RN (Rine aka Katarine von Stolzherz): “Ah! I can’t wait for the answer! What could it be!?”

KK: “You‘re the one who is supposed to give it!”

RN: “Ah, right!”

GK (Grekk): “Kakakaka!”

KK: “Shut up, J– what are you doing here!?”

krpg: “Of course he’s here, as he’s a party member for now.”

GK: “Glad to be part of… whatever this is.”

RN: “We’re just having some conversation in this room… is it me or did it stop being cramped?`”

krpg: “Yeah, I moved. So I got a bigger one for this, will help in the future.”

KK: “No.”

RN: “What no?”

KK: “No, no, no! No one more, I’m done, I’m sick of it! This has to stop! I’m finally used to have these three annoyances around-”

RN: “But Kenta… you were just-”

KK: “Ah, stop! Too much, just leave me alone!”

AA: “Kenta-kun was just using us and now he wants to get rid of us…”

RN: “Kenta, that’s mean!”

GK: “Was it a lie when you said you loved me!”

KK: “I was never saying anything like that and you all know what I mean, so just—“

MK (Momokawa Kyou): “Hamster, we should move on to the extras, before Ken starts smashing his head against a wall.”

KK: “You know, that’s a good idea: Smashing my head against a wall. That’s still less painful than falling down a fucking cliff!”

RN: “Ah, I haven’t noticed! Kenta is healthy again!”

KK: “No, I’m not! Only four-wall breaking allows me to not suffer every single fraction of every second I live.”

krpg: “Come on, what would an injury be without a consequence. Even Rine’s broken arm took a while to heal.”

KK: “…I’m gonna murder you!”

MK: “Guys, the extras. I want this to be over with.”

GK: “But I couldn’t even properly introduce myself!”

krpg: “No problem, that’s what the first extra is for: Love is gold episode 4!”

KK: “You gotta be shitting me! WHY!? We are not married! I don’t care about guys!”

GK: “Lad, be a bit open-minded. I will be gentle.”

AA: “Momo, Kenta-kun needs some medicine for his behind soon.”

MK: *ignores Ara’ainn* “What is the next extra?”

AA: “Momo is bullying me!”

krpg: “The next extra is the final installment of Gottfried vs. for a while, as this will be replaced by a similar series starting next volume. Details will be announced then!”

KK: “Does anyone even care?”

RN: “I do.”

krpg: “Thank you, Rine. Then we finally get a small continuation some of Kenta’s and Kyou’s classmates, the girl party, which we haven’t seen for a while. Remember, they were picked up by Wiho, the Bandit King.”

KK: “Does anyone even care?”

RN: “I do.”

krpg: “I won’t act like it’s super important, but after looking into what I already included in the Epilogue—which covers the important stuff to know about how the war of Feuerberg plays out while our main characters are away—and what may not be important but plays into it, I decided that this would be the best place to visit this time.”

KK: “Again: Does anyone even care?”

RN: “I do.”

MM: “You sound like broken records. Let’s hope that this is worth the while.”

GK: “I’m so excited, my first outing in the world of… what are they called again?”

krpg: “Extras.”

KK: “Stands for: extra unnecessary.”

AA: “Does the author even care?”

Extra 1 – Love is Gold Episode 4

Announcer (A): “Welcome to ‘Love is Gold’, the show which shows the true colors of each relationship. Today we’re welcoming a young… wait, one of them is rather old. And the other is… Oh god, please not again! Hey director, didn’t we—come on! Well, time to be professional about it. Well… Today we have once again Katsuragi Kenta, even though I’m positive that he got banned from the studio. He’s together with Grekk… no surname. Let’s welcome them.”

GK: “We’re here lad.”

KK: “Why am I sitting way over here?”

A: “Because of the restraining order. Please remain there so that the minimal distance of twenty meters can be guaranteed.”

KK: “Fuck you!”

A: “I would tell you to mind your language or you’d be otherwise asked to leave the studio, but since we both know that you would then try your best to get banned once more, I refrain from that and tell you that, if you keep your curses to a minimum, we both can finish this quickly.”

KK: “Phew, if you hate your job, just quit it.”

A: “Grekk, you are what to Kenta? A boyfriend? You know that he’s married to three girls already?”

GK: “Oh, his boyfriend? You’re making me blush! I wish I was in this position-”

KK: “Fuck, it’s Ara-san all over again!”

GK: “What do you mean?”

KK: “You were about to say, that you’re just a mere sex toy or the like.”

GK: “…I have another regret in life. I should have aimed for that.”

KK: “What were you-”

A: “Well, let’s just say that the two of you have a very special relationship, which we will now explore with our next few questions! How did you meet?”

GK: “It was in the slums of Goldbrunn, Kenta-kun was asking for a whore, and I had some time.”

KK: “That’s the worst way of putting it, and omits some very important details!”

GK: “And here I thought you like it, when Ara-kun does that.”

KK: “No way!”

GK: “Oh well, trying something else then. We still haven’t been with each other for long, after all.”

KK: “Could you stop sounding like we’re a thing?”

GK: “But… but back then at the inn, you asked me to be with you, and-”

KK: “STOP THAT! I have enough of that with Ara-san, please, for fuck’s sake!”

GK: “Yeah, you’re right. I’m overstepping my boundaries here, she would be pissed if she finds out, and that’s also something I can go without. Hm… so I’m not your boyfriend, I’m not your sex toy, so… are we friends?”

KK: “No. We’re just freaking temporary party members.”

GK: “And you don’t like me at least a bit?”

KK: “I got no fucking clue.”

A: “Erm… that would be already the next question, so let’s delve deeper into that. Kenta, is there anything that you like about Grekk?”

KK: “I barely know him!”

A: “At least something he did?”

KK: “Well… yeah, he helped me when I was desperate and I think he may be kinda strong, which is also helpful?”

GK: “Aw, you do care!”

KK: “Phew… whatever.”

A: “What’s with you, Grekk? Anything you like about Kenta?”

GK: “For sure. He got an attitude and despite appearing a bit shitty outside, he certainly has some actual character strength if you look deeper.”

A: “Oh? Is Kenta blushing here?”

KK: “Shut up!”

GK: “Also, he reminds me of myself when I was younger. Just smaller. Less muscular. Also with darker hair, eyes, and somewhat skin? Well, less pink skin at least. In a sense, you really do look strange.”

KK: “That’s just how we Japanese look like!”

GK: “Haha. Jappanies. That sounds funny.”

KK: “Shut up!”

A: “…ah, well… let’s just say that you have a lot to sort of, which is why we should come to something even you may be able to answer. What is your favorite activity as a couple?”

KK: “…we never did anything together.”

GK: “We did have drinks.”

KK: “You just invited yourself.”

GK: “We also went into battle. It may have been two different battles, but the same conflict.”

A: “Ah, so a warrior spirit you two share? What kind of battle was it?”

GK: “I was shot with arrows.”

A: “Eh…”

KK: “There were a lot of swords involved. Fire as well.”

A: “What are-”

GK: “I saw some of it. Also, the blades clashing were so loud.”

KK: “You must have been there to believe it.”

GK: “Nah, I saw a lot of battles in my life. So I can imagine.”

A: “Erm… you mean, actual battle? Violence and such? I get the worst kinds of flashback… but I guess, if you two enjoy it, then we can wish you the best of luck, just do it somewhere else. What a wonderful couple you could be a couple of miles away!”

KK: “Phew… as annoying as ever.”

GK: “I like him. Had bad experiences with him?”

KK: “Every fucking time.”

GK: “Then let’s do this: You grab your spear, I take this chair, then we go on a rampage here, so that there will be nothing left. I used to impale my enemies… and many other people. I may not feel like it anymore, but I can show you how.”

A: “Imp-”

GK: “Another good way to make sure that they stop bothering you is to burn their houses. I have a flint, there is a lot of metal here, we just need some oil and then we can get things going.”

A: “Burn!?”

KK: “You know what, Jii-san? I may actually like that.”

A: “EVACUATE!”

Extra 2 – Gottfried vs. Grekk

This story is several decades old, and even the ones involved would usually need some time to count the exact number of years that passed by then.

The place is the kingdom of Feuerberg. It’s in a time of another war with Parlaar, a neighboring country. As in most wars between these two countries, it’s once again the Parlaarians trying to conquer some of the very fertile lands of the country the country Founder Hagen has cultivated himself after sundering the Empire to the south.

Feuerberg is surrounded by mountains, making conquering it a rather tedious task, but with the farmlands in the center and the minerals in the mountains it has been always considered wealthy and desirable.

Why Parlaar didn’t claim this land before Hagen is unknown, but historians thought that he has slain several powerful monsters that inhabited it, a feat so great that only a god-slaying hero was able to perform it. He then ground the monster corpses to fertilizer, making a land once uninhabitable into the fertile ground of today.

This idea holds some merit. Western to Feuerberg are the Wildlands, a large landscape with only little fertile land in between, and one of the southern borders harbors the Demon Realm, a land so wasted that only demons could survive there, who had no need for food or drink and were immune to most poisons. Therefore, it stands to reason that also this landscape used to be infertile.

Gottfried is a young knight, who worked up his ways through the ranks from soldier to leader. He is seen as a very gifted individual, especially since becoming old enough to graduate from basic physical training to skills.

Battle after battle he proved himself and Parlaar already set a bounty on his head, promising the soldier who would take him down a plot of land and a peerage. This of course was enough to strike the ego of a young, accomplishing man.

Which will lead to the moment which will stay with him for the rest of his life.

―○●○―

It’s noon and Gottfried looks down from the watchpost. Next to him was his friend, Meinold. He’s a lesser noble, those kinds that need to plow the fields next to their subjects during harvest season. Trying to make a name for himself, he entered the army as inheriting his house is out of the question as the fifth child. “They are quiet,” Meinold says as he looks at the Parlaarian camp in the far distance.

Building a camp is a very finicky process as there is a lot to consider. As long as i’ss at the horizon, a well-trained sharpshooter can hit the watchposts, having too many fortifications would make it a deathtrap against battle-proven wizards—especially with Feuerberg as the enemy and their pyrocasters. The less combustible materials are used the better, but fortifying too heavily brought its own concerns.

However, the great distance makes launching an attack a rather tedious attempt for both sides and the leaders make sure to never show themselves, so it’s basically a waiting game. One that Feuerberg will ultimately win, because it’s their home turf and it would be easy to crush that force the moment reinforcement arrives.

Not that Gottfried cared: “Seriously, either launch an attack or retreat.”

“Do you mean us?”

“Them, because there is no way we would leave a single speck of land to them without a fight.”

Meinold nods to Gottfried’s words, well-knowing that this is how their country thinks. “I guess, they are satisfied to keep you in check.”

Gottfried rolls his eyes, as he heard this before. Yes, he was tremendously strong, fake humbleness would shame his accomplishments, but fighting as an individual and fighting in an army are very different.

In their mid-twenties, soldiers begin to learn skills, something which has been passed down from the Age of Heroes. However, most people can only learn one to three, so every single one counts. With footsoldiers, they learn skills which become stronger the more of them are in a formation.

Which means, that Gottfried would be fine with fighting ten, maybe twenty at the same time, but with thirty well-trained—though unremarkable—soldiers, there will come some struggle, which in returns leaves him open for other attacks.

It’s Meinold who knows more about strategy between the two of them, but even Gottfried was schooled thoroughly for knighthood. He knows attacking their fort would be a risk, as they only have minimal forces required here so that the rest can be put at other fronts.

It’s just boring. “Meinold, tell me something fun.”

“Don’t bother me, I’m looking what they’re doing.” So he uses [Farsight] of the sharpshooters. When Gottfried asked why he bothered with that skill, Meinold answered that it would be useful even when he has to return home.

Thoughts of returning are for losers. There is just the way ahead and to walk it needs strength in mind and body. “Wouldn’t it be the same as always? A huge pile of nothing?”

“If we start thinking it, it would be their time to strike. Also, usually someone would stare back at me… the watchposts are looking in our direction, but nobody seems to use [Farsight], which means that they either want to conserve strength or they’re losing focus.”

“So they either want to attack or become lazy?”

“Attacking would make no sense, unless they know there are reinforcements on the way and even then, we’re in a good spot as long as we let them come to us. My next best guess would be that Parlaar is facing some trouble elsewhere and now they’re waiting for orders to retreat and join their main force.”

“Then we could attack them from behind.”

“Unless they get reinforcements for the retreat, which would make little sense. Well, maybe it’s something else entirely, it’s just my educated guess. The scouts will be able to tell more, and it’s not our decision to make.”

“Yeah, let’s make the old ones make the calls. I’ll just enjoy the fights for now. If they ever come.” In the end, he’s just a youngster who lacks the experience to make solid decisions in something as grand as a war, though it doesn’t mean that he can’t complain at times about what their superiors do.

“Sir Gottfried?” A recruit just old enough to join the army approaches the two knights. “Sir Meinold? Sir Herbert is calling for all knights.” It seems like there are some new orders on the way.

Meinold and Gottfried look at each other, as this comes unexpected and the recruit sweats profusely. To be fair, recruits sweat a lot due to their lack of experience. Like when a grand offensive is starting. Or an enemy scout has been detected.

Yet calling all knights? This has to be because some new orders and the recruit may have picked up that these aren’t because of good news.

Gottfried nods to the recruit, it’s easier to ask Sir Herbert directly than to squeeze whatever that messenger knows out of him.

Quickly after that, all of the knights of the camp have gathered around the seasoned Sir Herbert of Wulfenstein, whose career has been to take over the leftovers in any stratagem which is exactly why they were stationed here. Yet this doesn’t mean that Sir Herbert is a bad knight, just someone who never earned glory yet proved himself by his flexibility and diligence.

Over the time, he adapted a dry and nonchalant demeanor which made his words hit even harder: “Bad news for everyone: Barbarians are coming. They cleaved their way through Parlaar, that’s why they asked for a ceasefire and Feuerberg accepted. Bad news to us, they’re heading our way and we were ordered to guard the village of Sommerfeld.”

Sommerfeld is a big village that serves as the center of several farming communities, one of the main reasons this company is here in the first place. Yet while staying in front of it in a good distance made a lot of sense against an army, they would need to fall back to the village itself for those raiders.

An army wants to seize and occupy. Barbarians want to plunder.

They are a plague. Each of them is individually strong, which makes them very different from civilized armies. The best way to deal with them is to gather people and goods at one point, station soldiers there and wait them out, as barbarians are great at skirmishes and surprise attacks, but will fall flat in terms of sieges and dealing with whole military units.

They are roughly two hundred combatants here, half of them are phalanxers—an offhand term for those who uses teamwork skills. Combined with knights like Gottfried and the wizards and pyromancers, this should be enough to repel these savages. The Parlaarians were simply too occupied with their futile invasion attempts to do so themselves.

In a sense, Gottfried is almost disappointed despite heading to battle, as he won’t be the deciding factor in this one.

―○●○―

After that, the company retreated to Sommerfeld, helped the farmers to evacuate themselves and their goods to the village, built a small palisade there to serve for the wizards and their magic for easier safekeeping and sent their scouts out to look for the savages.

Being surrounded by mountains is very handy if you look for large forces. Just send scouts to the mountain-tops accompanied by a knight for protection against the monsters and then let them just look over wide distances.

Maybe it’s more complicated, but Gottfried doesn’t really care.

What he cares about is that the barbarians are about to arrive. His order is easy: Attack their first attackers. Gottfried has never fought barbarians himself, but he learned that they adapted to the use of phalanxers and therefore tend to send formation breakers first—a job usually reserved to magic-users. Lacking those, barbarians just use skills for that task, meaning that they will send their strongest ones ahead to break the formations and therefore a counter-attack is the most sensible choice.

Therefore Gottfried stands among the footsoldiers, using them to hide in plain sight so he can ambush their formation breakers. Some may call it cowardly, but that’s how real combat works. Duels are supposed to be fancy, but honor in war is earned by surviving while killing as many enemies as possible.

There is a faint sound of drum-beats. No, not drums. People hitting their shields with their weapons. Barbarians want to be noticed, after all.

First arrows fly from Feuerberg’s side, as the sharpshooters can hit their targets even if they are as small as ants on the horizon. Not that this will be enough to stop the savages, if it damages them even in the first place at this range.

It would make sense to target their young ones first though, as they may be hardy, but shouldn’t have learned skills yet.

The savages hurl things back, but lack the precision. The few spears and stones that would hit the houses are bounced off by the wizards, while the phalanxers deflect the ones that would hit them with their shields.

The drumming picks up and a small cloud of dirt appears at the horizon as the barbarians pick up the pace. Yup, as fast as horses, for people that attack, plunder, and run this is to be expected. Another salve of arrows flies over the frontline, but Gottfried sees the arrows bouncing from naked chests without any effect.

So barbarians really are half-naked all the time. Even most women, though some of them do have their bust bound, probably because they are swaying too much otherwise.

Here they are! People start running even quicker, picking up the pace so fast, that only skills could explain this. Are these their formation-breakers or just some very stupid savages that underestimate the composure of actual solders?

A particular powerful arrow tries to bury itself in the barbarian that’s closest to Gottfried, but the man doesn’t even flinch, showing that this one knows what he’s doing.

Gottfried uses a skill himself, rushing towards that man who notices it and swings an axe, creating a flying cut that would break an unattended castle wall.

Seriously?

With a flick of his blade, Gottfried cuts through this attack, the barbarian laughs as he hardens his muscles, but it’s not like the knight intended to bludgeon the man to death, it just needs a proper cut.

The one-head-shorter barbarian is kicked back into his people, Gottfried makes another step forward, concentrating his thoughts into his next skill. It’s [Crescent Moon], which is enough to cut deep into their first line and shallow into the next one, but instead of following through it, Gottfried dashes back behind the phalanxers, as he’s exposed like this from the sides.

Also, he will be needed elsewhere, as the barbarians were able to break one part of the formation. That’s where individual strength will matter the most now!

He steps light-footedly through the mass of his landsmen without being slowed at all, another useful skill to have. It’s like he can change direction without a pause or delay, his balance fluid and swift. He joins the left wing, where the phalanxers try their best to get back to formation, but the ground there is brittle and crumbling, probably due to a barbarian’s skill.

One swing, one dead. Two swings, three dead. Gottfried notices that most of those he cuts down has the talent to be frightening combatants, but against him such talent stands no chance.

The task is simple: Kill every barbarian until the phalanxers are back in formation, even though the barbarians seem to concentrate their attacks there now.

Then Gottfried finds something he couldn’t cut immediately. While most barbarians tried to harden their skins enough to deflect his sword, most were still too soft. This one seemed to be tougher, grins at the young knight, who just raises his eyebrow before kicking the bastard so hard, that he flies above the battlefield.

That’s not enough to cause real damage, but this should delay him for some seconds, enough to cleave some heads before taking him seriously.

Or not. The airborne barbarians throws his weapon, a club, at Gottfried, if this would hit the ground, it would be terrifying. However, Gottfried jumps at the club, spins around while picking up the club with his blade and then he deflects it back to its owner.

He catches it with both hands, but it’s still full of its original power, so he’s pushed back by it. Not enough to kill him though… too bad, he’s kinda capable but all of that is just wasting Gottfried’s time without giving him a proper fight!

While it’s risky, Gottfried jumps in the air. He concentrates his power and will into his blade, which begins to radiate, then he unleashes everything into several cuts, a moment of mental void, and a dismembered body falling to the ground, accompanied by rain.

“Ard!” Some of the barbarians seem to be shocked, some others unleashes their flying cuts and blows at Gottfried, who instinctively reacts to every single one of them, cutting through some, evading others while shifting his center of gravity midair, it looks like he’s dancing a deadly waltz through the air.

A sharp whistle sounds off from further away and the barbarians start to retreat. Gottfried frees his sword from blood with a quick flick of his sword while considering whether to chase them and cut down a dozen more for good measure, but decides to stay, as the formation is up again and there aren’t too many actual casualties of the barbarians aside the ones he caused himself.

A bit of respect for these savages rises up inside the knight, as they actually put a dent into the kingdom’s finest, but this should teach them to not underestimate them.

Wait, why is that barbarian standing there as his tribesmen pass him? It’s a large one, wild light-brown hair and a beard, maybe in his forties, the body full of body-paint. Gottfried instantly takes a stance, as he makes eye-contact with this one and feels an immense pressure.

That smile… a sign of respect and hunger, the look someone gives to the one they hope to kill themselves. Yet instead of charging, the man funnels his hands and shouts through them: “ARE YOU READY?”

What happens next would be talked about even decades later. The man kicks the ground, the earth beneath his foot waves up higher and higher, creating a massive earthslide that breaks open the ground under it to feet itself while eating its way towards the defensive lines.

Gottfried puts all his power into a single cut, a skill he currently hones by trying to cut the ocean. It works… somewhat. While the knight’s skill is able to create a path in the barbarian’s skill, the formation is obliterated, as most of the phalanxers are swallowed by the earthslide, buried under the earth, maybe even crushed by the sheer weight.

Yet this is just the start. Gottfried has no time to listen to the groans of pain, to cough because of the dust and dirt in the air, to feel the unsteadiness of the ground as it’s about to crumble away, as a clear killing intend is approaching.

The barbarian kicks the ground to use his unreasonable strength to propel himself forward, but Gottfried instinctively knows the line of attack and parries the fist, intending to cut it along the way at first, but the moment his blade touches the skin, he instantly realized that he won’t be able to damage it with such an halfheartedly attempt, so he redirects the attack to the side, and as the forces of weapon and fist are unleashed they create an air blast which was akin to an explosion, dispersing dust, earth, and people.

Gottfried knows who he’s facing, as he heard the stories years ago about the living legend, of someone who reached the pinnacle of strength which could only be surpassed by the strongest of heroes: Grekk, the Barbarian.

Without missing a beat, Gottfried launches his counter, using the opening he created by deflecting the attack. The edge hits directly on Grekk’s upper chest, almost at his neck. This attack—which would slice through thick steel without even slowing down—is absolutely absorbed by the muscles that only dents a bit as if Gottfried was using a toysword.

Danger from below.

Gottfried steps aside and behind Grekk, as the barbarian lifts his foot and as he kicks the air. The air is hurled into every direction, which forces the knight to step back more to not be caught up in the attack, losing his advantage in position in the process.

This will be hard. While the young knight doesn’t allow any doubt of his victory slow down his movements, he acknowledges the amount of work it will need.

At least Grekk’s also acknowledges that Gottfried won’t be an easy opponent, as he throws himself to the side to pick up a sword from the ground. He throws it with brutal might, but no matter how much power it packs, as long as it’s a projectile, Gottfried can easily deflect it back.

As the blade flies back to its thrower, Gottfried swiftly follow it so he can use it to start another attack series. He already sees how the barbarian would need a defensive skill to deal with his own unreasonable power, therefore the knight can seize an opportunity to find a weakness in the defense.

Danger from the front. As Grekk claps his hands together, unleashing a skill that’s based on wind pressure and sound, Gottfried quickly uses [Half Moon] to cut it and protect himself, while the still airborne sword is first bent then shattered by the clap.

Using offense as a defense, how fitting for a savage!

Without missing a beat, Grekk steps forward to throw a straight at Gottfried, but that means entering the young knight’s reach. A lesser fighter would have decided to attack the barbarian before he could throw his punch, but Gottfried acted on instinct which proved to have better judgment.

Nebelschnitter is a magic weapon which can cut through everything, but barbarians are renowned for their toughness and self-healing capabilities, meaning that death by a thousand cuts would be inefficient, and any attack without full force will be reduced to a mere shallow cut by the strongest barbarian that has ever lived.

Therefore the strategy is not to land every possible attack, but to land the one that will kill. Gottfried isn’t that analytical, his keen instinct just has figured it out for him and moved his body, it’s as if the weapon he wields has a will of its own.

*TK*

Before Grekk could finish his straight punch, Nebelschnitter’s tip thrusts against the fist, Grekk hardened his skin in time to avoid losing a finger, but the power in his arm disperses before it all connected to an attack and as someone who never needed to worry about his defense, he ends up very vulnerable the moment his attack is disrupted.

Gottfried spins his wrist to slice open Grekk’s throat, but sadly the barbarian also has incredible instincts and has already turned his body enough to meet the blade with his neck muscles. As blood spills, the attack from the wrist lacks the power to cut through those immensely strong fibers that hardened not due to a skill but sheer, brutal force and will.

Instead of putting even more strength into it, Gottfried backs off before his weapon is caught in the muscles or he receives a counter. Quickness and finesse can land the killing blow under the right circumstances and this means that the best of Feuerberg has more tools than he originally thought.

The cut on Grekk’s neck heals almost instantaneously, only the fresh blood remains witness of the wound. “Impressive,” that force of nature says with a wide grin. “Too bad that I don’t like fair fights.” He lifts his hand and catches a big axe that has been thrown from the midst of the barbarians. That crude axe had a single blade with a thorn on the other side. It’s a single thick and robust piece of metal, almost reminding of an orc weapon, but as it Grekk holds it, runes flicker on it which is a dari craft.

However, runes are tied to magic, so unless Grekk is also a magic-user, this has to be a magic weapon and the aura of grudge and hatred oozing from the axe underlines that notion. Gottfried has never felt something like this from a weapon before. He also never heard from a magic axe like this one.

Not that not knowing what it can do will make Gottfried hesitate, as he already knows what to do: Kill that one man.

A groan of pain makes the knight aware of the people around him, his fellow soldiers who were first buried only to huddle in small formations in hope to withstand the shockwaves of Grekk’s missing attacks.

No, killing that one man is not enough. Gottfried has to kill him and make sure that neither the village nor its inhabitants and protectors falls.

So far, Gottfried has held his offense back, as he aimed for a single killing blow while not wasting his stamina, something he probably has less of than his opponent, but now is the time for an assault!

With his first skill is a rushing attack, which the barbarian easily blocks by turning his axe upside down, but that’s within Gottfried’s expectations, which is why he leans his upper body forward to dive under the axeblade while turning to his left side, smashing his shield arm against the ground to get even more force into an upside down kick against Grekk’s groin.

While the legendary warrior could even harden that—though his grunt betrays his annoyance—the primary focus is not inflicting pain, but to lift the bastard, as this way Gottfried only needed to work against gravity.

Grekk soars to the sky with dirt and dust between his toes, as he himself loosened the earth up enough to make it impossible to him to find even the resemblance of hold on it, Gottfried unleashes a [Crescent Moon], then he wind up his body for a [Reverse Falcon], a cut which is like a nosedive from ground to sky, following his flying cut.

Grekk swings his axe, creating enough pressure to send a flying cut on his own, much stronger than Gottfried’s [Crescent Moon], powerful enough to even cut through the incoming swordmaster, but—taking a page out of Grekk’s book—Gottfried answers that with canceling his skill to meet it with more offense.

A deep breath in focuses the mind to a single thought, no, it forged it into less than a thought, as it melded with the body for the next attack, an attack that would take it all to overcome and destroy the barbarian. As the tip of the blade moves forward—not much of a thrust in its explosive power, but much firmer in its calmness and concentration—the [Full Moon] is unleashed.

It’s like a sphere on the tip, a sphere of the essence of cutting. It doesn’t care how strong Grekk’s attack is, as it lacks the sharpness, and the [Full Moon] barely loses any strength, as it closes in on the barbarian.

A fist meets the sphere, but it seems that the aging man is only acting on instinct, an instinct to save himself. A ripping sound of air echoes, as it’s bursting, and the barbarian’s own attack pushes him back, followed by a trail of bloody mist that comes from his arm which has wounds so deep, that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the bones of it under the ribbons of flesh.

Sadly, the flesh already start growing back. Gottfried focus loosens a bit, his [Full Moon] runs its course, but he affirms his chances anew, as he could even cut through the barbarian’s hardening skill as long as he puts his everything into it.

Next time, he will aim for the head.

The moment Gottfried’s feet touches the ground, he starts to dash after his target, who swings his axe recklessly, not caring who he will hit with his extended cuts while running backwards. While Grekk’s own power lives up to the legends, it looks like his handling with weapons isn’t up to par. The axe doesn’t make him weaker, but he can’t leverage the advantage of a weapon and ends up relying on his body more.

Gottfried pushes his shield forward, a small one that’s on his forearm, as he blocks only the attack that would throw his own people into chaos, chasing down Grekk who seems to retreat.

Not that Gottfried believed that for a second.

Here it comes. Another attempt to use the earth itself as a weapon. Another dirt avalanche, Gottfried cuts through it once more, and as the cloud isn’t able to even emerge due to it, he notices that Grekk has vanished.

Danger from below, Gottfried jumps back, as the barbarian’s axe breaks through the ground, and the moment the head follows, its mouth spits out a stone with enough power to break through trees, yet for Gottfried it means only another projectile to deflect back, so–

While Gottfried’s instinct tell him about the danger from the front, him picking up the stone with his blade catches him in a very compromising position, as Grekk punches the air to cause another burst, big enough to make it hard to evade in the knight’s current stance.

Aborting the deflection of the stone, Gottfried brings his shield to make a [Shockblock]. This way, he avoids injuries, but his hurled back nonetheless and then Grekk kicks the ground again, causing the next avalanche.

Reacting without wasting the time on a thought, Gottfried just barely touches the ground to jump into the wave of dirt and stone to let it carry him above it, as the moment he’d be trapped in the ground would be his end.

However, it only delayed that fate. Riding his own wave, Grekk jumps above the propelled Gottfried and swings his axe. Gottfried could only opt for damage control, he blocks the weapon with his own, but the sheer force shoots him downwards, as he hears his arm and several rips shatter. As he uses his [Shockblock] to soften the impact, it’s just enough to not break his skull and he ends up lying in a crater.

It took just one attack that he couldn’t properly block. While he may have been close, the difference between the two just showed in less than a second.

Gottfried steels his mind as he doesn’t intend to give that savage his life without fighting until his final moments…

―○●○―

I’m standing at the edge of the crater and wipe my sweat from my forehead, as it’s been a while since I had to work so hard for a win. I notice the fresh blood that now runs down my face, as I totally forgot that it’s still not fully healed.

Oh well, it was enough, after all. Time to go for the kill.

No, I have a bad feeling about it. I’m not really smart, but I know that I can trust my instincts, and they tell me to leave him alone now. Maybe a cornered beast can be dangerous, after all? Would he be able to lop off an arm or leg?

Uh, that would sting. I don’t really feel pain, but imagining to live my life without one of those is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, this has been a whole mess. It’s not even like these kingdomers were even prepared, but here I am, wounded after fighting a knight that happened to be there. Even if he’s the strongest of their whole kingdom, having more almost as strong people around…

I shoulder my axe and move back to my tribe. Ah, they’re also being repelled, seems like the kingdomers were led by someone who brought back the whole formation and now it’s time to retreat for now, considering whether we will change course or try again.

Seriously, this might not be worth it. A barbarian may like to fight, but why pick up battles that we may not win? That’s not the way.

Parlaar wasn’t a problem, but Feuerberg may be too much for comfort. I surely hope to never face that knight again. What was his name? Oh well, as long as his spine isn’t broken, it’s bound to echo throughout the lands as the people will ask themselves if he could defeat me.

Today, he wasn’t able to, and I don’t intend to give him another chance. After all, being undefeated does sound like a great accomplishment.

―○●○―

In the end, the barbarians retreated and Gottfried lies in a bed, the treatment for his bones left him weak, and it pains him so much. Not only the bones, which need several sessions to properly mend, but his pride. “Argh!”

“You were pulverized. Demolished.” Of course, Meinold doesn’t hesitate to rub this defeat into Gottfried’s face. “At least you weren’t even worth the kill.”

“Quiet!” That’s exactly the feeling Gottfried now has, he was ready to face death and it never came! He wasn’t even worth the effort! “Why are you even here!”

“Because I’m tired of being celebrated.” Indeed, Meinold jumped in to take over the command of the troops after Grekk’s avalanche, which may have saved all of them. This will surely give him a medal. “Also, you did the heavy lifting. Are you happy now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you dissatisfied with being on border guard? Wasting your talents?”

“Hah, that came back, didn’t it?” Gottfried thinks about it for a moment: “Yes, I’m happy. I’m also keen to get out of the bed and start training. As long as he’s out there, I have a goal to reach. Next time, I’ll be so strong that he has to take me seriously, and then the fight will only last a second!”

“You’re that confident?”

“No, just realistic. If I get as strong as him and he brings out his full power, whatever one of us will do will probably end the other one in a moment. For now, I need to develop a skill that will allow me to cut through him even if he hardens his muscles and skin to be stronger than steel. Something that can cut everything, even if it’s not even able to be cut at all!”

“You make no sense.”

This is not the end, only a start, for both of them. Yet Gottfried doesn’t know that the rematch will take decades and Meinold doesn’t know that his future granddaughter would join forces with Grekk.

Extra 3 – Led Astray

Alhein from the Crusaders stares at the rocky slopes around him. He did it a lot since they entered the Mauerfelsen with their supply carts. These mountains were a natural wall that protects the kingdom of Feuerberg. There were only few ways to pass them with a larger group, there were many monsters, and it was one of the spots bandits liked to hide, but these days he had also to worry about demons using them to ambush any participants of the war.

But so far nothing happened and he’s glad to be out of the Wildlands, where a company was eradicated by the evil, vengeful rangers. As it was supposed to bring supplies to the war efforts against the demons and now Alhein’s platoon took over that mission, he was very concerned whether they would face the rangers themselves or not, but in the end, there were no ambushes or accidents.

However, these slopes sure look ideal for an attack. Being surrounded by mountains like these was an unfair militaristic advantage for the kingdom of Feuerberg and probably the reason why it never lost a war as far as Alhein knows. Yet this war would be different from everything that secluded country ever faced.

Demons are different, as a Crusader it was just natural for Alhein to know everything needed to face those wicked creatures—fighting demons and other profane beings was the whole backbone of the Crusaders’ mission.

Aside from the demon’s exterior, which was full of natural weapons like claws, horns, and spikes there were three major traits they had, which made them not only dangerous, but also terrifying for everyone who isn’t as brave and just as a Crusader.

First, their whole existence. They don’t eat. They don’t sleep. While they do rest sometimes, it’s erratic and follow no rule, they just defy every bit of common sense, they are an affront to the natural order.

Second, their thirst for violence. Demons always need to destroy, if they don’t destroy well-mannered and innocent people, they even turn against each other. A demon not able to destroy anything begins to wither and die, it’s like what they don’t need in food, they need in violence, and objects alone won’t suffice for long, which makes taking demons prisoner almost nonsensical, as they only have little time until they die.

Third, their infectious nature. Monsters are different from demons, but demons somehow can infect monsters with their unhallow powers, making the monsters take on traits of them and their destructive nature. For a Crusader, a monster was usually more of a nuisance, and most won’t even know the difference between a feral and powerful beast and a monster, but the moment the demons infect the monsters, those become much harder to deal with, as spells designed to kill demons only work partly on these spawns.

As the Daemonicus, the Demon Realm, was inhabitable and demons didn’t need food and revel in violence, this wasn’t a usual war and the armies of the light couldn’t just do it defensively. In fact, these blighted creatures would just fester more and more until they would endlessly spread out, just like any demon community of the past that was just left alone.

That’s why there was a need for a crusade, and the prudent Feuerberg were the ones that called it out, even though they would use such a banal word like ‘war’ for it. And wherever a crusade is, the Crusaders would come to support it.

Yet it needs supplies to work, and while the Crusaders would eventually be supplied by Feuerberg, a supply chain for almost a thousand soldiers isn’t established within a week, so they had to do with their own gear and provisions for the time being.

Alhein only saw a glimmer, but he instinctively reacted, same as the rest of the Crusaders: “““[Resistance]!””” A wave of freezing cold shoots through the platoon, but they shrug it off, though their carts started freezing to the ground.

Several demons with metallic skin appeared, their horns, teeth, and claws were like ice shards, and their bodies resembled wolves, even though they were bipedal and hunched over. Canine ice devils! “To arms!” Alhein yelled as he quickly decided to go with his hammer, as their skin is hard yet would eventually break.

It wasn’t much of a battle, as half of the platoon could use [Exorcise] to make the eighteen devils cower in pain so that the rest would be able to take them down. It just took some time and effort, but Crusaders are an elite force, after all.

However, demons attacking supply lines… the appearance of the demon king certainly is dangerous. Only a strong demon could hope to gather other demons for a common goal, as their chaotic nature just made it hard for them to work with each other, and only those who were smart and strong would be able to use demons strategically.

It also made sense to send ice devils to attack the allies of Feuerberg, as Feuerberg holds fire magic in high regard, which renders ice demons nigh useless. It may have not be enough to stop the Crusaders, but the demons had to be stopped before they would figure out how to use their resources best.

Alhein looks back at his men: “Let’s resu-” Then he suddenly had to stop, as he saw something. Or rather nothing. Nothing on the carts…

The supply crates have been stolen!

―○●○―

“Ha! They didn’t notice at all!” Shinohara Mari carries two crates of weapons—one on each shoulder—with ease, but that makes it not easy to look behind her.

“Nope,” Hannes laughed, as he held a stack of eight crates in his arms, he certainly had a skill that allowed him to do that. “That’s why the Crusaders are among the strongest good-for-nothings: They may excel at fighting, but never ask them to take care of your stuff!”

“Don’t be so loud,” Yuri—Kumagai Yuria—loudly whispers, as she’s still afraid that the Crusaders can hear them. She’s also carrying two crates.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Nao—Endou Naomi—smiles as she’s hauling two crates herself. Other than the bandits though, the three Japanese girls made it work with a [Phalanx]-skill called [Supply Carrier], which increases how much they can lift while also making it much easier to move around while carrying heavy burdens. Most likely to lessen the burden of forced marshes with supplies, as the [Phalanx]-ability was all about working better together as an army.

Aside from these four, there were five other members in their raiding party, all of them carrying more of the crates they stole from the Crusaders while they were distracted. Of course, these demons were part of the whole haul, as the leader of the Resistance made a deal with them.

Mari isn’t sure whether these demons were just willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause or genuinely thought they would stand a chance. Don’t get her wrong, she has little empathy as the little she saw from demons so far was creepy and unnatural. It’s just strange to see anything walk into certain death so willingly.

Ah, it doesn’t matter, right? The enemy of their enemy may be an ally for a time, but certainly not a friend. This way, they could weaken the tyrants of Feuerberg more, while also getting some gear of hopefully high quality. Looking at how heavily armored the Crusaders were, maybe there is even something for Mari, who really starts to think to gear up much heavier by now.

It seems like Hannes was right, the Crusaders don’t follow them, they probably have no skills to follow them through this rocky terrain. They seriously lack in the survival-department, which may be fine and dandy on a battlefield, but Mari seriously questions if the Crusader aren’t just a bunch of weirdos that can’t do anything but brute force.

Mari and her party don’t stop until they came back to the camp of the Resistance. It’s a group of people that may come across as bandits, but there is more to them.

The leader was Wiho, the one who is called the Bandit King and he started to wear that name like a gown. He’s basically an Ishikawa Goemon, a noble thief who would steal from the rich and give it to the poor, someone who resisted the tyranny of the noble family of Feuerberg, who has no qualms of kidnapping innocent high school girls to make them fight their battles.

Wiho-oyabun saved Mari, Yuri, and Nao from a dangerous monster and brought them in, showed them how vile and deceptive the kingdom of Feuerberg truly was, and offered them a place in the Resistance. To return that favor, the three of them worked hard to become stronger, as they are heroes and therefore training will always yield results.

Needless to say that their resolve of fighting and winning against the demon king has deteriorated completely by this point, as they had lost hope to return home and just want to make most of the situation. Unbeknownst to them, this form of coping is just another facet of the hero-system, which strengthen their mental fortitude so that they won’t fall into despair.

So what to do, when your lost the one purpose you had for a while? Look for another one. After getting rid of that mental load, there is a boundless freedom to choose the next set of goals and ethics. Like working with the demons who are supposedly the enemy.

“We’re back,” Mari says to the guards, who nod at her with a mixture of tenseness and friendliness, but she doesn’t think much of it, as they don’t interact much with each other. Aside from Hannes and Wiho-oyabun, there is only Gretchen, Monika, and Hilde. The heroes don’t have much contact with the other resistance-fighters as they’re usually away to increase their level to prepare for the time to act against the evil kingdom.

There will be no action before the next spring though, as the Resistance needs to prepare for the winter, as it’s already late Deepstorm and the number of rainy days make it too dangerous to wander around the mountains already.

After Deepstorm comes Icenight, after that Vale and then the next year will begin. There is a whole myth how a year is playing out, which leads to the birth of a new star, and Mari is looking forward the festivities.

“Ah, welcome back!” It’s Gretchen, who is like a mother to the highschool girls. She’s a woman in her forties with thick arms and a broad back, she looks like she could lift a man with a single arm, though her shoulder-long blonde curls almost give her an innocent look: “I knew you could do it!” She puts her hands on Yuri’s shoulder, throws a smile at Nao, and then pats Mari on the head.

Hannes makes his presence known by wiggling with his head: “Could you be quick? These are heavy.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Just drop them before the armory.”

The camp is a combination of tents and caves, with many of the provisions being inside caves that are guarded. Gretchen accompanies them and right before the arsenal, the Bandit King himself waited for them already: “There you are. Just drop them here.” He quickly opens the first of the crates, taking a sword out from within: “Quality blades! Well, this one already saw its use, look at the handle, but the blade is immaculate.”

His excitement jumps over to Mari: “The Crusaders weren’t paying attention at all! It was really easy, oyabun (boss)!”

“Of course they weren’t. That’s why we worked with the demons, after all. Speaking of them, Lord Ramma will pay us a visit later, so rest a bit and be on standby please. I’ll call for you, when we got everything of these goods sorted out, so we can give you the best picks. You are our future, after all.”

“Yes, oyabun!” Mari tries something like a salute, while Yuri makes a small bow. Nao gives a seductive wink while eyeing the crates, probably thinking about what gear she may waste next.

“Let’s go, girls,” Gretchen says with a motherly tone, pushing the three heroes gently towards their tent, as she throws Wiho-oyabun a meaningful look over her shoulder.

―○●○―

Wiho—the Bandit King—sighs as he sees the heroes off, his smile slowly devolving into a grimace, as putting on the act becomes increasingly tiring. He turns to Hannes: “They still didn’t caught on so far?”

“No. They’re really dense. But powerful.” That’s the number one reason why Wiho took care of the three girls that fell from the sky in the first place: They are heroes, and therefore have an unlimited potential, which is very useful in these times.

The Bandit King was the boss of a large bandit group, which more or less walked a very tight rope by hiding in the mountains that separates the Wildlands and Feuerberg. While the kingdom is very wealthy and rich in harvest, it also got the scariest military Wiho ever heard of, so the key was to only seldom do a raid on them directly and only when one of their many enemies would surface.

A sudden shudder runs through Wiho, as he remembers how a few months ago several bandit camps were raided, their denizens either caught or killed, and the trackers all agreed that it was the work of a single person, probably female, who was about to easily end banditry once again in these lands, despite a war going on in the southeast.

On the other hand, the Wildlands were poor in resources, but attractive for traveling traders. So Wiho decided to attack them, but again in moderation, as otherwise Feuerberg would send out people again so that their trading routes become save once again.

Yeah, it was a bit shitty here, but the war was supposed to be a big, fat chance to make it as a bandit. Not that there was much to make in this career, but before Wiho arrived here, he was quite successful. Smart, able to use several [Skills], and with a lot of people to boot.

In a sense, he’s still successful. His dirty hands opens the next crate, his eyes look at the armor pieces inside there. This is a dream, with equipment like these, he could bring his whole band to another level. He just needs to recruit several deserters, which will show up soon enough, as the more battles are there, the more people would want to flee from them. That will bring some capable militarymen into his band, which would make his band the strongest bandits of the world, with him as a leader!

He was strong, after all. Maybe not a Gottfried, but he doesn’t need to shy away from most opponents. “We gonna need to train up these girls more.” While it doesn’t please him to make them stronger than himself, he knows that he won’t have much of a choice if he wants to ride the waves into the future.

“Maybe it’s better to get rid of them now. It’s scary how much they have improved already.” Hannes has more contact with them than Wiho at this point, so his opinion means a lot.

The self-proclaimed Bandit King takes a moment to consider it: “Stronger than you?”

“Not yet. Give them a year, and then they may get there. Another year, and then they may challenge you.” That’s indeed a frightening growth-rate, especially considering their youth, and how easily they learn [Skills], which will also give them a lot of options in a fight.

“Hm… we may have picked up some trouble. Should have thought this thorough, but now they’re here and it would be a waste to not use them. Let’s put them up for more work.”

“If you use them to raid a farmstead, then they will realize that you’re tricking them.”

“Ah yes…We should attack one soon though, we need more food. Hm… ah, if they ask where we got the goods, it’s from our ‘supporters’, which will explain away that one. But how to use them… Let’s stick to the original plan: We keep them around in case someone attacks us. We should ask Lord Ramma if he wants to attack a fort as well, this way we could send them as support against the evil, evil soldiers of Feuerberg, who are about to sacrifice some of their children to their dark gods to bring them fortune in their war.”

“Boss, even they aren’t so dumb to believe that.”

―○●○―

Mari, Yuri, and Nao sits around a fire, while they eat some soup which is more or less just leftover cooked in a pot. Even after several months in this world, Mari’s palate resist to adept to food like this, which is bland and feels unpleasant in her mouth.

Well, it’s not like the food in the castle was so much better. It was greasy and over-spiced, which may be better than this soup, but only slightly. Mari wouldn’t admit it openly, but she missed good food more than her family, and she feels kinda bad for it. She still hasn’t realized how the hero-system shuns down homesickness, leaving the regret for the food situation bigger than the otherwise soul-crushing longing for the people she cares for.

As she also doesn’t discuss her deepest worries and emotions with her friends, she could only come to the conclusion that she’s not right in the head. Otherwise, she may have learned that Yuri and Nao feel similar and therefore there had to be something else at work here.

Instead, she just banters: “What was that, Nao? Are you into Oyabun?” She refers to the wink she gave when saying goodbye.

“He’s kinda cute, isn’t he?” Nao isn’t even embarrassed, which makes Mari feel that way instead. “Definitely the best guy here.”

Mari does respect Oyabun, but seeing him as a man? “He’s way too old for you.”

“What does it matter? I pick him over the guys of our class any day!”

“What about Inoue-kun.”

“Except Inoue-kun. He’s special.” Mari nods in agreement, as like most girls in the class, she has a crush on Inoue-kun. He’s just handsome, kind, athletic, charismatic, and everything else a girl looks in a man.

“Do you remember when we ranked the boys?”

“Hihi, that was fun. Wanna do it again with the guys here?”

Mari thinks about it for a second, but considering how hard it has been to rank the sixteen boys of her class beyond ‘great’, ‘good enough’, ‘miserable’, and ‘Katsuragi Kenta’, she’s rather reluctant to do the same with the many, many men in this camp: “Won’t it be far too many?”

“It will be fun!” As always, Nao is rather free-spirited and not really thinking things through, which does rub off Mari the wrong way time and time again.

As her emotions rile up a bit, she’s held back by Gretchen, who listened to their conversation silently until now: “That’s a boring ranking.”

“Oh, what are you suggesting, Nee-san?” Nao’s excitement shines through her whole face. Is she that bored?

Yet Gretchen delivers even more than Nao could account for: “Of course, who’s the best in bed.”

Mari chokes on her soup, Nao laughs agitated, and Yuri blushes as she tries to hide her face behind the bowl. This just has become adult!

Of course, these reactions make Gretchen come to the right conclusion: “Wait… you are still virgins at your age?” Why is she fixating Mari with her eyes?

The highschool girl can’t help but giggle nervously, which earns her a somewhat disgusted look from Gretchen, so she quickly adds: “At home, it’s normal…” Maybe… probably!

“Ah right, heroes and other worlds… Still strange.” To be fair, the girls never told Gretchen much about Japan, so this amount of ignorance is just part of the course. Or was it Mari who was ignorant in this case? “Oh well, let’s rather talk about who of them would be fit to deflower you. I can say, that most of them know only hard, so not that pleasant unless you’re used to it.”

Starting from there, Gretchen talks about her escapades within the Resistance. She’s very open, almost as open as the eyes and ears of Mari, Nao, and Yuri, who take all the information in with curiosity, though Mari and Yuri are rather uncomfortable at the same time.

It seems that all the women here are rather free with their sexuality, which may come from the fact that there are so few of them and they get to pick who to be with at any given time, and the men seem to be OK with it. Even oyabun!

Mari reconsiders her standing more and more, as this reality check gives her the impression, that being a virgin at sixteen may work in Japan, but appears to be abnormal in this world and she definitely doesn’t want to be abnormal.

After a long time of listening, some shouts announce the arrival of Ramma, one of the demon lords of the demon realm, someone whose authority within the demons is only surpassed by the demon king. This is also a sign, that Mari and the other heroes should hurry to Oyabun, to make sure that everything will be peaceful.

Lord Ramma is more of a beast than anything else. Four arms and six legs grow from his grotesque body, which also doubles as his head, as the eyes and two fanged mouths are where the chest would be on any other being, though the eyes were under the mouths. The arms look somewhat human, but the legs come from different animals: Insect, lion, and bird.

However, there was something like a scar wandering from the top of its body right into its upper mouth.

Wiho-oyabun steps up to that creature, whose presence alone is enough for Mari to make sure to have her shield between it and her: “Welcome!”

Both mouths speak at the same time: ““Were you able to secure their supplies?””

“Yes, it was easy. If you ever catch wind of another convoy, we could be interested again.”

““You may be eager to serve.””

“We’re free by nature. But we can help each other again.” Oyabun and Ramma stare at each other, and while it was clear that the leader of the Resistance does feel nervous, he sticks to his guns.

After a suspenseful minute: ““You aren’t worth the effort to subdue, after all.””

“Thank you.”

““The ice devils died?””

“Yes, as you expected.” Just why would the demon sacrifice its own people?

““Good. I want your knowledge of these mountains in return.””

“Let’s talk about that in privacy. Because I think I just got the people to help you in your endeavors.”

―○●○―

“Guehehehe…” Why are horns growing out of that one’s mouth?

“Papapapa,” Is that slobber toxic? It almost smells like almond!

“Why are we here, anyway?” Yuri speaks out Mari’s exact thought, as they walk among demons which can be described, but lacks any distinguished features, most of them vaguely resembling a human-beast hybrid with an abundance of spikes, fangs, and horns, even if the places they grow them aren’t visually pleasing nor logical. That one has another maw at its elbow!

“Hi, I’m Endo Naomi.” Nao takes the initiative and speaks to one of them, which has the face of a ferret, reptilian legs. “What’s your name?” That girl always tended to be careless, but she’s aiming for new heights!

“Newborn #2660.”

“Then you’re Nirokumaru!” Nao, don’t give them nicknames, especially based on their numbers!

“Kikiki, wanna hold still? I really feel like breaking your spine.” It swings its arm, Nao jumps back, but barely in time. “Come to me, Nao!”

Nao reaches to her belt to draw her sword, but before she’s able to fight back, an shadow appears behind the demon and with a tearing sound, it convulses and drops to the ground, a big hole in its back and Mari can see the broken parts of its spine…

The one responsible for it is another demon, this one is purple has a lot of metallic needles sprouting from its back and elbows, while several tentacles growths on its head, each of them ending into a small cluster of claws: “These aren’t for fun.”

“Ahhhhhh…” The broken-spine demon sighs as if it’s in ecstasy. What is wrong with it?

“Continue,” shouts the demon to the others and the marsh continues: “Get your urges under control, until we arrive at the fort, or I will hurt you in all the wrong ways.” It turns to the heroes: “Take over the lead already. That’s what you are here for!”

Oyabun, just what is your plan in this!?

It made some sense for Mari, but there was a clear difference between working together with demons and being in the midst of them! However, aiding them with the destruction of a watchtower seems to be the next step of their training and an important task to complete before winter comes, as rebuilding it would be nigh impossible the moment it starts to snow, which would open a blind spot… for what exactly again? Mari wasn’t a tactical genius which could make much sense of what Oyabun told them!

In the end, it was all a matter of trust. Was Mari brave enough to trust Oyabun’s judgment?

The answer was… maybe?