Ankoku Kishi Monogatari (WN)

We're flying above Akeron mountain range on Glorious. There's a huge cave in the place where the mountains become slightly rugged.

Inside this cave is a den of goblins. Though not nocturnal, goblins inhabit in darkness. For this reason, many of them choose to live in a cave where light does not enter.

I'll be leaving Glorious at the entrance of this goblin den.

Descending right after me is Kuna who was behind me on Glorious.

「Kuroki, is this Karon kingdom?」

Kuna is saying so while looking at the cave. I nod at her.

「Yeah, no doubt about it, but… This is also the first time I have come to this place」

Karon kingdom is located in the northern part of Akeron mountain range. In short, this goblin kingdom is just right before Nargol.

Thus, the goblin kingdom is also under Modes’s governance. This den of goblins is otherwise known as Karon kingdom. I don't know how many goblins reside in this kingdom, but it seems their number is the largest among the goblin tribes in Nargol.

We approach the five goblins who are standing at the entrance.

My eyes are drawn to the goblin that is standing in the middle of their formation. An adult goblin’s height isn't that much different from the height of a 10~12 years old kid human. But, the goblin in the middle is at least one size larger than the other goblins.

「Gob has been waiting for you, your Excellency Diehart. Gob’s name is Keneo」

The goblin in the middle is bowing to me.

「Gob?」

Though most words of this goblin called Keneo were hard to understand, I heard it loud and clear. However, the strange title I heard just now was just my imagination, right?

After that big goblin bowed to me, it then glanced at my side. Naturally, it's looking at Kuna.

「Welgob to your Excellency’s honored wife, too」

It then bowed to Kuna. It seems that strange punctuation wasn't just my imagination.

「Wife… Quite sharp eyes you have there」

Kuna muttered so. I wonder why. However, Kuna seems to be happy.

「Gob way please, our queen has been waiting for you」

Keneo told us to follow him.

He is guiding us into the den of goblins. Inside the dark nest of the goblins, the only source of light is just the lantern with light bugs inside. [TL: Not firefly but, light bug] Though I'm fine in the darkness due to my night vision, that lantern might be of great help for Kuna.

We were passing by many different goblins along the way.

Though they're in similar size to that of 10~12-year-old human kids, their power rivals that of a human adult. Their head is as tough as a stone blade, so your usual weapon can't crack those tough nuts. If one were to fight a goblin, one needs to aim for another place. But a good song is the best way to avoid a fight with them. They simply can't stand a beautiful singing voice.

Normal goblins fundamentally live in a forest or a cave. The level of civilization is similar to the primitive man in the textbook.

That is the ecology of goblins taught by Ruugas. In fact, the goblins that I saw until now are textbook examples of that lesson.

But, it seems the goblins of this Karon kingdom are different from normal goblins. Their standard of living is higher, even the clothes they are wearing isn't inferior to the ones I saw in Rox kingdom. The walls of the cave were also not just crudely dug; they had flattened the surface and maintained it well.

The pieces of equipment on Keneo, walking in front of me, aren't inferior to a human knight’s.

Soon, we arrived at a wide space. This room is bright since it's illuminated with several lanterns of light bug all over the place.

A gigantic goblin is sitting in the inner part of that room. Its size is around the same as me, but it might have a hard time to move due to its heavy weight. In contrast to the other bald goblins, this goblin has long hair. And then, I can feel a tremendous surge of magical power from this goblin. This magical power rivals the demon tribe’s magical power.

「Huge….」

Kuna is muttering so. I don't know if it's okay to say such things to this goblin, but this must be the queen of Karon kingdom, isn't she?

「Gob excellency, over there is our queen, Datie-sama」

Keneo said as he points at the gigantic goblin. Yup, she really is their queen. To be honest, she doesn't look like a goblin nor a woman, but I won't say that out loud.

「Welcome to Karon kingdom, your excellency Diehart」

Datie is bowing at me.

I remove my helmet and then place it under my armpit. Though I'm more or less on a higher standing than her, it's impolite to talk to someone with your helmet on.

「I'm Diehart. I heard that there's some sort of a problem, but what happened really? 」

But, Datie is looking at me without saying anything. For some reason, chills run down my spine when I'm exposed to that gaze.

「Even though Kuroki is asking you a question, why are you not answering him? Kuna absolutely won't forgive a silly reason!!」

Waves of magical power were being released from Kuna’s body.

「WHAT THE! Kuna!!」

I got flustered.

The goblins in this room including Keneo and Datie are frightened by Kuna’s threat.

It seems she wasn't even considering Datie’s status at all.

「My apologies, your excellency」

Datie is apologizing to me.

「I-It doesn't matter. Calm down, Kuna. So, what had actually happened?」

After soothing Kuna, I asked the same question to Datie.

「Yes, the truth is… Some humans have been trying to invade Akeron mountain these days」

「EH….」

I let out a dumbfounded voice after Datie’s answer. That is a big deal.

「C… Could it be Reiji-tachi, but…」

Just in case, I put Nut to spy on Reiji’s movements. I heard that he's going toward the western side of the continent right now. When did he come here?

「You're wrong, your Excellency. The one who came isn't the hero. Though their arrival is, in fact, insignificant and not worthy of reporting it to you… I just want to make sure of some things….」

So that means you called us since you can't make a decision about it.

If Reiji-tachi is coming to attack, this Karon kingdom will be their first opponent. It seems that they had passed through this kingdom without notable resistance last time.

The Nargol of that time had no communication network, so it had taken a while for them to notice Reiji-tachi’s invasion.

Due to this experience, the Nargol side decided to install magical warning devices. Even if it's not an urgent matter, any abnormalities will be known on time.

And then, the warning device wasn't used this time. It might be an urgent matter, but this is definitely not an emergency situation.

「It began with a few tribes who were dwelling in the southern side, but they started crossing the ridge and came to Karon. At first, I thought they came here due to an internal dispute between the clans, but… According to the messenger I sent to the south, it was a completely different scenario」

「Thus, you became aware that the humans are coming to attack you?」

Datie is nodding at my words.

「They're still crossing the ridge and won't arrive in a while, but it seems the southern side has been raided by them so many times already. I neither know what they want nor their goals…. They're really scary, your excellency」

Datie arms are wriggling around and her body is trembling in fear. Such a weird scene.

It is possible for those humans to have some sort of a goal. Or is it just a goblin subjugation?

「You said it before that they're not Reiji and his group, but do you know about their origin?」

Though I don't know whether goblins can differentiate the women, let's ask her just in case.

「I'll recognize them at once if they're a hottie like the hero of light, your Excellency. And if the heroes ever came again, this time I'll even use my body so that they can't set their foot on Nargol….」

Upon hearing Datie’s remark, my thought is "Uwaaa". I forgot that the humanoid races of this world, for some mysterious reason, have similar aesthetic senses as humans.

Poor Reiji.

「According to our information, the one who came to attack is a man called Parish, the hero of Algore. I made someone skilled in painting to draw his picture. He is definitely not the hero of light. Even if Parish is a hottie, he's not at the level of the hero of light」

Datie said so while wriggling her eerie body.

Ever since I heard Datie spoke a while ago, there's a noun that I can't ignore.

「Algore… That was Regena’s home」

I remember Kuna’s words.

「Yes, it was Regena’s home」

Algore kingdom should be the country that was ruled by Regena’s father.

I forgot about that since Regena never talked about herself before she came to Nargol.

But then, since it's about that hero of Algore, what was the reason for the hero of Algore to attack the goblins at the southern mountain range?

I might be able to know the reason if I asked Regena, but I didn’t ask her in the end. Regena’s family was also murdered by the people who took over Algore right now. I don’t wish to ask something that will make her remember about those painful memories.

Moreover, there's also the possibility for the hero to have conspired with the current government to exile Regena’s family. There's still more to ask.

Does Regena want to exact her revenge against those people? Since Regena had never said anything, I don’t know of it since I never asked her about that, too.

Though she never told me whether she possessed any grudges against them, I never had any intention to help her in that matter, either.

I don't know which way is the best for her. I don't think it's a good thing for her, a female human, to spend a long time living in Nargol, the Kingdom of Demons. She has no choice but to look for a nice country somewhere to settle herself.

I'm also pondering about that matter.

Suddenly, I feel a certain gaze toward me. When I raise my face, Datie is looking at my direction.

「What's the matter?」

「It's nothing, I just feel that your excellency is a hottie on the same level as the hero of light. GUFUFUFU」

Datie is laughing while smacking her lips. It's as if her gaze won't leave my body.

Suddenly, I feel chills running across my spine, again.

「Stop looking at Kuroki with those murky eyes of yours! Queen of goblins! Kuroki is MINE! 」

Kuna got angry when she realized that Datie’s gaze won't leave me anytime.

「AH! It's okay, Kuna. I know your feeling. Please leave the matter about this hero of Algore to us! Let's go, Kuna!」

After soothing Kuna’s anger, I quickly leave this place.

I ignore Datie who was trying to keep me there.

This place will be in danger if I do not leave immediately.

I left Karon kingdom in a hurry.

「FLASH!!」

「GUGYAAA!」

「GUAAAA!」

The flash magic fired by Parish exploded.

The goblins exposed to that flash of light are wailing as they squint their eyes. Goblin, a creature who lives in the darkness is weak to light. They won't be able to see anything for a while.

「NOW! KILL THEM BEFORE THEIR SIGHT RESTORED!」

There are seven people on our side while it’s fifty on the goblin side. We'll be in trouble if their eyesight recovered.

So, at the same time I sent my order, I also rush toward the goblins with my sword unsheathed.

「DO NOT AIM FOR THEIR HARD SKULL! AIM FOR THEIR BODY!」

「I KNOW THAT!」

Few answers, in the form of retorts, return as responses while I cross swords with the goblins. The goblins are rampaging as they try to dodge my assault.

Due to the hard skull of the goblins, using sword alone would be insufficient to cut them. Thus, we must aim below the neck. It'll be difficult for a normal human to do so since their height is much taller than a goblin, but it's not that much of a problem for skilled warriors.

And we're the warriors of Algore. Thus, this goblin count isn't that much of a threat for us.

In Algore, which is always exposed to the threat of demons due to it being right next to Nargol, power is highly valued. The men of Algore are fated to become warriors the moment they were born.

All men in Algore are powerful warriors. They're the best in this region.

That's why they won't lose even against this large number of goblins.

The situation is advancing to our advantage. But, as expected, we can't wipe them out in such a short interval since many of them are still attacking violently.

「GAAAAAAA!」

Having recovered their sense of sight, the goblins raised their club and resumed their attack.

After protecting myself from the goblin club with my shield, I turn around to cleave the body of the attacking goblin.

Then, I kicked the fresh corpse of that goblin toward another goblin who came from my side and finished him off with a stab.

「Not bad, Prince Omiros」

Parish is saying so while smiling at me.

That's enough, I think. This man has killed far more goblins than me.

Parish isn't an Algore born. He's a foreigner who was welcomed by my father due to his skill.

His skill is amazing, no one can beat him one-on-one.

Lately, his fame kept raising in this region and eventually came to be hailed as the brave of Algore.

I couldn't bring myself to like this man. He's the worst of the womanizers. Not just the women of our kingdom, his hands won't spare foreign women, too.

Different from the previous king, I visited the surrounding country since it's my father’s policy to build a good relationship with our neighboring country. This man had also tagged along with me. It seems his evil hands had even reached the foreign noblewomen during that time.

Parish himself is an extremely beautiful man. There's no way women will leave him alone.

「Well then, it seems this Parish can't let himself be defeated by your highness. So, here I come!」

After saying so, Parish rushes toward the flock of goblins. He then cleaves those goblins one after another.

He moved like a gale.

「Amazing….」

「As expected of Parish-sama!」

Everyone is unanimously praising Parish.

As one would expect of a brave, Parish is really powerful. According to the rumors, it seems he can fight against a weak ogre 1 on 1.

I'm astonished by such a display of power. His face is handsome, too. His face might rival that hero of light.

Soon, goblin corpses are scattered around with the majority of them being Parish’s victims.

「We won, but… Are we going to advance even further, prince Omiros?」

Parish is turning around and asking me.

「Yeah, let's advance a bit more」

I'm saying so with an anxious voice.

「Let's head back… Young master. We're bound to die if we advance any further beyond this point」

Balzaza who came along with our group suggests the option of retreat. He's a subordinate of my father and was assigned as my bodyguard.

「Sorry Balzaza. Let's advance a bit more」

「Haven't we entered far enough already, Omiros? The result is already as bright as a day. The princess of Qupius obviously has been killed and is probably being ravaged by goblins」

「MacGius!」

I grab MacGius by his collar. He travelled all the way here with me, and he’s my cousin.

「Goblin don’t always opt to kill humans! Leaving her alive would be more useful!」

「Oi, that life would be worse than death… She'll become a plaything for those goblins….」

Goblins had no more than one reason to keep a female human alive. And that is what MacGius trying to tell me.

「Even so… Regena will….」

I can't bring myself to finish my words.

「MacGius-dono. You shouldn't tease our prince like that, you know」

After Parish saying so, MacGius sighs deeply.

「Sorry, Omiros. I went too far」

MacGius is apologizing to me.

「There was another hole on the way here. Let's take a break in there」

Everyone agrees to Parish’s proposal. We had come all the way to this place predominantly due to my insistence, after all.

We traced our way back.

We finally arrived at the hole. I can see the cloudy sky from another hole present in there.

Everyone then turned off our handheld lantern.

「Prince Omiros. I won't say the same as MacGius, but how far we should advance forward? 」

I'm racking my brain upon hearing those words from Parish.

「My apologies, Parish-dono… At the very least, I want to know what happened to Regena….」

When I say so, silence descended upon our group.

I know what this silence means even without anyone telling me. They might currently be imagining the worst fate that could befall a woman captured by goblins.

「Nevertheless, we should have exterminated the goblins in this area」

I agree with MacGius’s words.

「Yeah, let's advance a bit more」

When I say so, the warriors display their opposition.

「We must not advance any further! At this rate, we're going to enter the northern part of the mountain range!」

「Please do forgive him your highness, but the northern goblins are far stronger than the southern goblins! Going there is an act of suicide!」

What they said was reasonable.

The northern goblins are strong. Even in terms of equipment, the southern goblins use nothing but clubs as their weapon, but the northern goblins are capable of manufacturing iron weapons and armors. Everyone but Parish will die if we go there.

Several of my subordinates are complaining. It seems there are no complaints coming from Parish and MacGius.

Parish is just silently looking at the situation.

「Guys, you shouldn't complain like that. I can understand the feeling of our prince. Princess Regena, is it? She is definitely a beauty. I know why he is being persistent」

Parish is rebuking everyone.

But, I almost spurted my blood after hearing his words.

「Parish-dono! If you can say so, why aren't you the one saving Regena! Instead of doing so, you…」

「The one who made that decision was the king, your father. What could I do about that?」

I became silent after his response.

It was as he said. The one who exiled Regena to the goblin nest was none other than my own father.

In the first place, there was an internal conflict in Algore.

And the origin for that conflict can be traced back all the way to the inception of Algore.

The beginning of Algore dates back to 400 years ago – a fortress in which various forces on the eastern side of the continent gathered to subjugate the demon king.

At first, it was a stronghold until the fall of Nargol, and then it became a country with its own authority.

And before one knew, the general became a king, the soldiers and various chivalric orders became the clans.

In the beginning, Holy Republic Lenaria’s born would become the king, but it led to the dissatisfaction of other clans. As a result of the meeting, it was then decided that every patriarch of the clan will be taking turns to become the king every 10 years.

But, this decision of taking turns for the kingship wasn't being protected, especially when a certain powerful clan was monopolizing the kingship. That was the Regena clan.

Though many clans were enraged by their action, Regena clan was powerful. Thus, civil strife had never happened.

But then, a certain incident happened.

Qupis, the king at that time had fallen in love with the fiancee of the prince of Velos, a major power of this region during his stay. The last strand was when they eloped to Algore.

Naturally, the enraged Velos kingdom demanded him to return the fiancee of the king.

But, Qupis-tachi didn't heed them.

His action enraged the other clans, too. It was like adding fuel to their original hatred toward the royal family.

The other clans didn't persuade Qupis to return the fiancee, either.

As a result, Algore became the enemy of Velos empire; other kingdoms were also starting to isolate Algore.

And for that reason, almost no merchant wanted to trade in Algore, resulting in the alienation of the kingdom. As a result, the other clans were even more infuriated by the royal family.

Everyone with the same kind of grudge was gathering under the wings of my father, Montas, a patriarch of a powerful clan that was opposing the royal family, who wanted to abdicate Qupis and become the king.

Naturally, Qupis didn't lend his ears to such a request.

The royal family was powerful; no other clan could fight against their power from the front. The royal family also didn’t possess enough wherewithal to destroy the other family, so a civil war never happened. But, the angst toward the king kept piling up.

Soon time flowed by, and the fiancee who disappeared without a trace then gave birth to a princess for Qupis. That princess was Regena.

I met Regena when we were 5 years old. It happened when my father came to a long clan meeting at the royal palace.

It was the first time I came to the royal palace, so I wandered around, full of excitement. That was when I met Regena who was strolling around the royal palace by chance.

We immediately became good friends since there was no child of similar age around Regena.

Though the adults were having their internal disputes, it had nothing to do with me and Regena who was just a child at that time.

We secretly went out to play sometimes behind our fathers’ backs.

Thus, we grew together.

The grown-up Regena turned up to be a beautiful woman. Though I couldn't say this in front of her, I wanted to protect her.

That was why I left Algore along with MacGius and Belzaza on a journey to polish our skills.

But, that was my biggest mistake.

And then, the greatest shock in my life welcomed me when I returned to Algore. My father, who for some reason became the new king, banished Regena.

It seemed that king Qupis tried to do something during my absence which caused our clan to get almost annihilated.

My father struck back, won the battle, and became the king.

I couldn't believe my ears after hearing that for the first time. Even with the internal dispute, I didn't think that king Qupis was the kind of man who would act recklessly.

But, he betrayed my expectations.

Though it might be true that king Qupis had to pay for his own mistake, there's no need to go as far as to banish Regena too, right?

But then, I couldn't condemn my father for doing so.

At the least, I want to know what happened to Regena. Thus, I asked my father to lend me the hero, Parish to look for her in the Akeron mountain range.

I am yet to know of Regena’s fate. I want to save her if possible or bring back her remnants if she’s dead. Being imprisoned inside the gloomy den of the goblins is just too cruel.

「My prince. Though I understand your heartache, we have to go back by night. We should stop the search today」

I agree to his request. I shouldn't bring Belzaza and MacGius to their own to their death due to my own selfishness.

Thus, I stand up from my sitting place.

「Done with your rest?」

A voice suddenly reverberated. A female voice.

All the members of our party turn around toward the owner of that voice.

What we saw over there was an extremely beautiful girl.

Her silver-colored hair and snow white near-transparent skin enhanced her beauty even further.

She's wearing something that resembled a black dress, and in her hand is a huge scythe.

It is my first time meeting this kind of beauty. Her beauty seems to be something that shouldn't be in the mortal world.

Everyone is charmed by her.

「Miss, may I ask about your business? You don't seem like an ordinary person to me」

When all of us were stunned, Parish is the only one who can move among us.

Just as he said, there's no way for her to be an ordinary girl.

「You're the people who came from Algore, right?」

She is asking us.

「Yes, it's as you say, but then….」

I nod at him.

「I see… Then, who is this Herpes?」

We were exchanging glances after hearing her question. There's no Herpes amongst us.

「No one? I heard he is the Brave of Algore…」

I finally understand what she meant.

「If you're asking for the brave of Algore, then it's not Herpes, it's Parish, young lady」

MacGius corrects her.

「I see… Then who's that Parish chap?」

It seems that she couldn't even remember Parish.

「I'm Parish, young lady」

Parish introduced his name while acting pretentious with his long hair.

「Goblin face… You're that… Parish? 」

Though it's troublesome to introduce his name again, in the end, he nodded at her.

Moreover, she's saying strange things, goblin face she said. Parish is a beautiful guy even seeing from my perspective as a man. He shouldn't be resembling those ugly goblins.

「Then, fight Kuna. I want to see the fruits of my training」

After saying so, the girl set her stance with her scythe. Everyone amongst us is surprised by her attitude. Does this girl want to fight us?

「Why do you want to fight us? 」

「Kuna just wants to see the fruits of her training」

What kind of reason is that? She's just a battle maniac.

「You don't understand huh… Are you a Nargol dweller? 」

The girl is nodding in affirmation to Parish’s words.

「Yes indeed, Kuna is living in Nargol」

We are shocked by her response.

「Living in Nargol… You're not a human, then?」

Nargol is the kingdom where the demons live. It’s definitely not a place for humans to reside. It seems this girl isn't a human. Yeah, she possesses inhuman beauty, after all.

「Could it be… You're that legendary demon race. A witch?」

「I heard that the females of demon race have terrifying appearances. But she's way too beautiful…」

People around me are praising the girl. If she really is the inhabitant of Nargol, she is the enemy of humanity. Is that why she has come to attack us?

「Strange, the females of demon race should be more… Are you really a demon race?」

An idea suddenly flashed inside my head after hearing those words from Parish. Did Parish see demon race before?

「Kuna isn't a demon race. Kuna is Kuna」

The girl answers to it nonchalantly. It seems she's quite impatient herself.

「Enough with chit-chat, draw your sword. If you just want to stand there, then I'll be the one who comes at you」

It seems she's going to attack us anytime.

「I don't want to fight a girl if possible, but…. I have no choice I guess」

Parish draws his sword and sets his shield.

「My apologies, I'm powerful, you know」

Parish is strong. But, the girl in front of us isn't an ordinary person, either.

「HERE I COME!」

The girl then swings her scythe.

「Fufufu, that posture」

Parish is receiving the girl’s scythe with his shield while showing a face brimming with a smile…

「GOBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!」

…. He's thrown back.

Parish, thrown back while raising such a strange scream, crashes on the rock wall behind him.

Everyone is shocked by the events that unfolded before them.

「Parish-sama!」

「Parish-dono!」

We snap back after a while and then rush toward Parish.

「Gobu… Such a power….」

After crashing against the rocks, Parish still seems to be alive and well.

「No way… That Parish-sama is….」

「With such small body….」

In spite of her slender arms, the girl has monstrous strength. No matter how many Algore soldiers fought Parish, none of them could beat him.

「What had happened just now? Kuna just swung her scythe lightly」

Everyone feels dread upon hearing her words.

That swing just now isn't her full power.

「Her appearance is different, but it seems she's quite powerful… But, this isn't the end」

Parish’s feet are staggering. He set his sword and shield for the second time.

「You're powerful indeed, but how about this! Fireball!!」

A fireball in the form of a bullet shot forth from Parish’s hand.

The fired fireball hits the ground in front of the girl, raising a dust cloud. It seems his aim is to create a blind area on the other party’s field of vision.

「Acceleration(Haste)! ! ! 」

After raising that cloud of dust, Parish started moving while letting out that scream. Parish’s movements became faster. He’s approaching her like a gust of wind.

After accelerating, Parish circles behind the girl and finally stabs toward her unprotected back.

「It's my win. I'll spare your life if you surrender」

Parish is saying so while smiling at the girl.

「What are you talking about. Is that all you have?」

When she said so, her figure suddenly vanished.

「EH!」

Parish is shocked.

The vanished girl is standing right behind Parish.

「S-Since when did you!」

Parish is turning around with a shocked face.

「Now is my turn to atack」

She swings her scythe.

「WHAAAT!」

It's not just Parish, everyone is shocked by the sudden turn of events.

The scythe-wielding girl is rushing toward Parish and then splits into many.

「UWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

Parish can do nothing but scream. The number of scythes slashing toward Parish is already too many to count.

A few seconds later. The scythe vanished.

「Eh?」

Parish showed a surprised face. He didn't seem to have died even though innumerable scythes slashed on him.

「Don't worry, I don't want your life. I just cut your armor」

After the girl said so, Parish’s armor began to crumble to the ground.

The scythe of the girl didn't touch Parish’s body at all. She had accurately aimed for his armor. Parish’s armor crumbles in the next moment.

But, it's not just his armor that crumbled. Even the clothes below his armor are cut.

「It's a failure, huh… My aim is still 1 mm off. I have no choice but to start training again」

The moment the girl said so, Parish trouser slips down.

Parish’s ass is visible to us in its full glory.

「How small… Is yours tiny sized?」

The girl mutters so as she looked down.

That attack is too devious. I feel bad for Parish.

「Uuuh…. RETREAT! FOLLOW ME!! EVERYONE!!!」

Parish is running away while desperately covering his nether region. That's wa~y too uncool of him.

「MONSTER!」

「WITCH! SILVER WITCH!!」

「RUN AWAY!」

My subordinates are also running away from this place.

「OMIROS! LET'S FOLLOW THEM!」

MacGius is urging me to run.

「Understood!」

I turn around and run away with the rest.

When I turn around while escaping from that place, I can see that the girl isn't coming after us. Then, I noticed that there's another person besides that girl.

◆Dark Knight, Kuroki

「Too weak. I don't even know whether my skill is improving or not」

Kuna is pouting as she said so.

「It can't be helped. Kuna is too strong after all….」

I gently brush Kuna’s hair. Thereupon, Kuna’s expression softened a little.

「They escaped. What shall we do then, Kuroki? 」

Kuna is asking me.

「To be honest… I'm also wondering about that….」

We just accidentally saw those people coming out from the goblin nest when we were riding on Glorious.

I'm sure that whoever they are, they must have some sort of contact with Parish the brave.

Since they might escape if they see Glorious approaching the goblin nest, I made Glorious to land at a slightly separated place and approached them while erasing my presence.

Well then, what should we do now I wonder? Why are they coming to this kind of place? Should I ask for the reason?

But then, they might be the one who banished Regena into the goblin nest. Those guys might have no decent reason. So, it might be better if I don't ask them.

Thus, I wanted to give them the taste of a slightly bitter experience so that they will never come again.

And then, when I was about to contact them while thinking of such things, Kuna, currently accompanying me, said she wanted to see the results of her training with her giant scythe.

By the appearance, the scythe is a weapon that is hard to handle. Thus, real combat is definitely the best way to see the result of her training.

But, I was reluctant to let Kuna fight. But at the end of the day, I just couldn't bring myself to say no to Kuna.

Though inaccurate, I can measure the power of my opponent to some extent. Thus, I know that those guys are weak. They shouldn't pose much of a threat to Kuna.

That's why I agreed to Kuna’s request.

Thus, Kuna approached them by herself.

Naturally, I was in hiding so that I could move as soon as the situation turned dangerous. But, they're much too weak to be considered as a problem. They easily escaped just like that.

In the end, it seems we can't make them promise to not return to this place.

Should I go after them?

「Come to think of it, did you hear what they were talking about previously? 」

My ears had become much sharper ever since I came to this world. But, I couldn't hear their voices from my hiding place.

「If I'm not wrong it's about… Re-….」

「Re? 」

Kuna stopped what she was about to say. And then, it's as if she was deep in thought.

「Uhn, it's not an important matter anyway. Sorry, Kuroki. Kuna couldn't hear their voices」

Kuna is replying so.

「Well it can't be helped, Kuna. You couldn't hear their conversation, after all」

Moreover, I don't think I'm eager to hear that either.

I would rather ask for their reason. I don't think that they're going to be a good child, but Kuna is good at using charm magic, domination magic, and magic to detect deceptions.

They won't be able to resist her magic with their low magical power, and we might be able to make them confess their reason immediately.

「Well, shall we go back to the demon king castle?」

I brush Kuna’s hair. Kuna seems to be happy with such a gesture.

「Understood, Kuroki」

Thus, we went together to the place where we left Glorious.

「Kuroki….」

Kuna who’s walking right behind me is calling my name.

「What's the matter, Kuna? 」

「Kuroki's huge, after all….」

「I see….」

Did she mean that my back is big? [TL: No, it's your D1ck]

Thus, we returned to the demon king castle while having such banter.