48-I feel like I won the game and lost the game.

Demons are shocked.

There are two actions you can take as a demon in this situation.

Surrender quietly and beg for your life. Or--

'I'll kill you and bring back your head!

It was a decision typical of a single-minded demon.

The demon tribe lunged at me with their longswords.

There's no need to use a demon sword against someone like this.

I'll admit that I've got spirit and guts, but that won't be enough to overcome the difference in status.

If you have a special skill, or if you are superior in technique, your chances of winning will increase. But just as you can't beat a higher-ranked player in a level-based MMORPG, you can't beat a much higher-ranked player in a different world, even if you stand on your head.

Yeeeeeee!

The demon tribe shouted and swung their longswords sideways.

I dare to dodge with a paper-thin edge and move behind the demon.

'Instant movement?

'No, I just went around it at a speed you can't catch. Rather than that, shouldn't you be more concerned about something else?

'What--what the hell?

He's finally noticed.

In my hand, I'm holding the longsword the demon tribe used to have.

This means that the demon tribe has lost their weapons.

'What magic! You could've used Steel!

'Steel? This is just a technique. Haven't you ever heard of Muto-dori?'

'The Swordless Catcher: ......?

'You don't seem to know that face. Muto-dori is the art of defeating the sword without holding it. Well, it only works against lower-ranked opponents. More importantly - how are you going to fight without a weapon?''

''Ah!''

The demon's face twisted.

He seemed to be in a great hurry, and sweat was on his forehead.

''Now, why are you here, what are you doing, and what are you going to do in the future? ...... I want you to tell me everything.

'I will not give in to the warmth of humanity!

'Then what do we do? You can either tell me after you've been hurt, or you can tell me as you are now.

I'm not going to lie.

I'll keep my promise as long as this demon answers my questions.

I can use it for research and experiments.

If we can find their biological weaknesses, they might not be a threat.

I'll take out the rope from the item slot.

I tied the demon's hands and feet with the rope.

'Oh, I'm proud to be a demon too! No matter what I do, I will not throw up!

'I see. But you're not the only demon. If you don't spit, someone else will. Not all of us are proud. It's the same for humans and demons, right?

'...... If only I didn't talk, you'd be beaten to a pulp by Lord Kerkass!

Kerkass ......? I've heard that name before.

I think the demon tribe I fought before said something like that.

''Just to make sure, it's not a demon tribe that respects Kerkass or something like that, is it?

'Of course not! I will not allow you to insult Kerkass-sama!

It seems that the demon tribe of Kerkas, who has a lot of trust in him, is in control of the elf village.

He said something about the Four Heavenly Kings, so he must be strong.

But the unity of the demon tribe is quite troublesome.

Let's break it down from here.

'But this respected Kerkass doesn't even notice when his friends are in trouble and leaves them alone, does he?

'...... Lord Kerkass is a busy man.'

'I hope you're right. In fact, he's probably aware of your news and is working hard to prepare a giant magic right now.

'If he's making such preparations, he'll help me.

'No? He might just throw a spell at you.

'No, that's not possible. ......'

The denial was as quiet as a buzzing mosquito.

Maybe he's not sure he's saying it right.

'...... human, untie me. Untie me and I'll talk.'

'You don't have to untie me to talk. Talk to me and I'll untie you.'

'I don't feel like being tied up and talking. I want to speak from my will. You can do whatever you want no matter how violent I get, right?'

I don't know what you're after, but you have a point.

You can't attack me or escape, even if you untie the rope. Aleria and Aina aren't weak enough to be taken hostage.

'All right. But don't do anything crazy.

I untied the ropes that bound the demons.

The demon staggered to his feet.

'Thank you. Now, I'll tell you what I really think...'

The demon reached into his pocket.

Because I didn't expect it, my reaction was delayed for a moment.

What he pulled out of his pocket was a short knife.

He still had a weapon in his pocket?

But what are you going to do with such a short knife?

I wondered,

'Die, die, die！！！！ Squeaky！！！！'

The demon stabbed his arms and legs with knives one after another, repeatedly pulling them out and stabbing them back in.

The demon tribe repeatedly stabbed knives into their arms and legs, pulling them out and stabbing them again.

'Yuki, it's dangerous! Please run away!

Aleria, who had been watching over me and the demon tribe, called out in a panicked voice.

'What's dangerous?

'The demon tribe might self-destruct! I've heard that the demon race has a habit of doing strange things to hurt themselves before they blow themselves up.

''How did you know that! Humans . But it's too late! The more it hurts, the more powerful the explosion will be. --Banzai, our Lord Kerkass!

'Thank you Aelyria. I can't seem to do anything about the self-destruct, but I'll try to limit the damage as much as possible.

After I got my warding magic Lv2, I could build wards not only around me but anywhere I wanted.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

When the demon stabs the last one in the chest, a huge explosion occurs.

There was a flash of white light and a shock that caused the wards to vibrate. It seems that it was powerful enough to almost destroy the ward.

As expected, there was a little sound leaking out.

After the smoke settled, I checked the inside of the wards and found no corpses of demons.

They hadn't escaped because of the warding magic. Their bones were shattered and they disappeared.

'I wanted to gather as much information as possible, but ...... I guess I had no choice.

To be honest, I feel like I've won the game and lost the match.

Whether I untied the rope or not, the demons probably wouldn't have answered my question.

''You don't need to be depressed, Yuki! It's a miracle that all of us were unharmed when we took on the demons and they blew themselves up nearby!

'Just the fact that you defeated a demon tribe is amazing. ......'

'Well, that's true. Let's change our minds and move on.