Book 4: Chapter 6

In the Grand Library in the Demon King Castle’s underground, Rokuna struck her fist on the wall.

「Kuh……Ugh!」

Remembering her own failure, she gritted her teeth.

Yielding to fear, she neglected her investigation of the truth. It was an unbelievable failure.

However……This was a however.

If she were to face that thing once more, would she be able to maintain her sanity?

No, to begin with──

「Are you saying that is the God of the Mazoku……!?」

Just from remembering her, her fear was resurrected.

She was something that made her have a premonition of her own death just by looking at her.

Or could it be that all of the Gods were that sort of thing?

After returning to the Lulugal Forest, Vermudol only said to Rokuna that he would take over the matter of the Summon Magic, and secluded himself in his room.

Most likely, Vermudol had understood something.

However, on the other hand, what about Rokuna?

Just what did Rokuna obtain in that place?

What was she able to do for Vermudol’s sake?

Nothing at all.

That fact was so vexing that she couldn’t take it.

「……What are you doing?」

Hearing the voice that called out to her from behind, Rokuna turned around.

The one that was there was the Maid Knight who was expressionless as always, Ichika.

Glaring at her, Rokuna silently lowered her fist.

「That’s my line, Ichika. What do you want? Did you come to laugh at my pathetic figure?」

「I do not have the spare time for that.」

Ichika breathed a small sigh, and approached the wall that Rokuna hit her fist on.

Discovering a spot that was slightly dented, she lightly clicked her tongue.

「Show me your hand.」

「Don’t touch me.」

After grabbing Rokuna’s arm, who had pulled her hand away, and forcibly pulling her hand out, Ichika healed the injury with magic.

Healing Magic corresponded with the Life Element, but Ichika was an expert at it despite that.

While looking at her own hand that had lost any injuries, Rokuna muttered.

「……We met with the Demon God.」

「Is that so.」

As expected, Ichika didn’t change her expression.

「……You, you knew about that thing, didn’t you.」

「Yes.」

Ichika quietly……but clearly affirmed Rokuna’s words.

「Why didn’t you say anything about it?」

「It was because I was forbidden to speak of it.」

There was no need to ask about who it was that forbade her from speaking.

After making a powerless laugh, Rokuna quietly sank to the floor right at that spot.

She was completely dancing in the palm of her hand……she was attacked by that sort of sense of helplessness.

「You seem to have a misunderstanding. I believe that your existence and the execution of the Summon Magic were considerably unforeseen to that Person, you know?」

「……What would you know.」

「I can tell. I have spent time together with that Person after all.」

Hearing those words, Rokuna turned suspicious eyes towards her.

In a place like that that she couldn’t understand and felt like she would go crazy in, she found it hard to believe that anyone could spend time with that thing that made her feel such overwhelming fear. However, if she were to say that that was the truth──

「Ichika. Just what are you?」

Rokuna knew almost nothing about Ichika.

The Majin Ichika.

A Maid Knight who was Demon King Vermudol’s subordinate from the beginning.

Most likely, she possessed abilities of the highest level as a Majin. Her method of attack was an ever-changing style that made use of a sword and shield. She was said to possess 【Magic Eyes of Coercion】, which would pin down the opponent. She excelled not just in battle ability, but in everything, and she had something to do with almost all of the Demon King Castle’s operations.

「I am one who nestles close to the path Demon King-sama goes down. Nothing more, nothing less.」

Like hell that’s the case, is what Rokuna spit out in her mind.

In the current Zadark Kingdom, there were various kinds of Mazoku.

Mazoku that were in the Dark Continent from the start, and Mazoku that Vermudol had newly created.

However, Ichika was neither one of those.

She could take a guess.

A Mazoku created by the Demon God──That was what Ichika was.

But, Ichika’s own line indicated that that wasn’t all there was to it.

The fact that she had spent time together with the Demon God meant, in other words, that Ichika was created by the Demon God long before Vermudol.

「……Ichika. I will ask you this one more time.」

Rokuna slowly stood up, and continued to glare at Ichika.

Readying her staff in her hand, she took a bit of distance from Ichika.

「Just what, are you?」

Ever since the time Rokuna first met Ichika, she felt that she had a bottomless part to her.

She was bothered by it, but not to the point of purposely questioning her about it.

But, Rokuna had met with the Demon God.

She didn’t think that that Demon God was a normal God.

Then wouldn’t that mean that Ichika, who said that she had spent time together with that sort of thing, was a variety of being different from the Demon God?

「……You, you’re too similar to that Demon God. A sister or something……I can’t help but think of something like that!」

When Rokuna hit the floor with her staff, a magic formation was deployed in an instant.

Transfer Magic was invoked, and Rokuna and Ichika were thrown into the Lulugal Forest.

「Am I that similar to how that Person is right now?」

「Let’s see, although your atmosphere, height, and physique are completely different, something is exactly the same. Honestly, I don’t think that’s a coincidence.」

「I am sure it is just a coincidence. So, what is the meaning of all of this?」

「It goes without saying. Think about what we are.」

Mazoku.

They were a muscle-brained race whose motto was 「fist fight」 when problems would occur.

For the background of it, it was the Mazoku’s obsession towards strength, and the theory that the strong ones were in the right, and for those reasons, fist fights were loved as a quick way of solving problems.

Ever since they came under Vermudol’s rule, the number of fist fights had been reduced for the most part, but it wasn’t like they had vanished completely.

「Do you intend on fighting it out in a place like this?」

「Since it’s a time like this that we would obviously fight it out.」

When she said that, Rokuna turned her staff towards Ichika.

「Rather, I should have done this from the start. Though, I don’t know exactly just how much you know. Probably, if you had just talked all about it, there would have been a mountain of things that could have been avoided up until now.」

Countless clumps of ice appeared in front of Rokuna.

Aubade (Multiplex Successive Deployment)・Ice Shoot

This was magic that Rokuna composed under the assumption of fighting against an opponent whose movements were quick.

Deploying that, Rokuna made a declaration.

「I’ll have you speak about everything, Ichika. The things that you know, and what you are thinking. Everything.」

「I decline.」

「Ah, is that so. Well then, I’ll just have to……force it out of you.」

And then, the countless clumps of ice were fired towards Ichika.

The clumps of ice assaulted Ichika from multiple directions as if to cover her, however──

「……O fire.」

Due to the sword that Ichika had pulled out of nowhere, all of them were shot down.

In Ichika’s hands, she was clutching a sword and shield before anyone knew it.

And then, what Ichika’s sword was clad in was fire.

Unleashing a high-speed continuous attack with the Fire Magic Sword, she erased the clumps of ice that came flying in from every direction.

That was simply all there was to what Ichika had carried out.

But, having predicted that, Rokuna had composed her next magic.

What Rokuna fired was the large magic that Fainell was said to have once used to blow away the Lulugal Forest, Voltenix (Electric Shock Cannon).

The ultrafast storm of destruction enveloped the place that Ichika was at, and Rokuna went further by sending a very thick beam of destruction from the sky with Sol Blade (Intense Light Sword).

She was clearly overdoing it, but Rokuna went further from there by composing her next magic──

「……That is far enough.」

Receiving an intense knee strike from Ichika, who had made a frontal breakthrough, Rokuna was sent flying.

Ichika then thrusted her sword at Rokuna, who had crashed into a tree and raised a groan, and breathed a sigh.

「……Honestly. Do you intend on destroying the forest? It is not like you do not know the practical use plan for the Lulugal Forest.」

There wasn’t a single injury on Ichika.

Seeing that fact, Rokuna clicked her tongue.

「To be uninjured after doing all of that, what kind of monster are you……」

「That is my line. I am sure that this was an attack configuration that went with the premise that an opening would be made on me with the first attack……but even so, for you to rapidly fire that much large magic at me with Chant Disposal, it is worthy of shock.」

「……Don’t go saying insincere things.」

Rokuna muttered, and realized her own loss.

If it were continue on from here, it would become a death match.

Even if Rokuna were to win in the death match……Ichika would undoubtedly die without saying anything.

In that case, there was no meaning to it.

To begin with, Rokuna had no positive proof that she could win against a monster that could nonchalantly break through the front of large magic.

「……Dammit.」

Ignoring Rokuna who was trembling in bitterness, Ichika sheathed her sword into her scabbard and carried her shield on her back.

And then, turning her back to Rokuna just like that, Ichika started up a Transfer Magic formation.

「……Are you going back to work again?」

Ichika answered Rokuna’s sarcasm-mixed question with an indifferent voice.

「……I may be a knight, but I am also a maid. That is just how it is.」

Saying that, Ichika invoked the Transfer Magic and erased her figure.

Being left behind, Rokuna thought about the meaning of Ichika’s words……And before long, she gave up on thinking.

Breathing a large sigh, Rokuna called out to the presence that was loitering behind her.

「……Hey, isn’t it about time that you lend me a hand?」

「I thought that you wanted to be alone though.」

「Shuddapー, stupid.」

Revealing his figure, Sancreed held Rokuna in his arms in a princess carry.

「Oi, hey. Who said that you could carry me in your arms.」

「Don’t push yourself. You can’t stand, right?」

「Ver-cchi is the only one allowed to carry me in their arms.」

「Is that so. Well, this is an emergency situation after all.」

「There isn’t anything like an emergency anywhere to be found here.」

Going “that’s true”, Sancreed nodded then deployed a Transfer Magic formation.

「Wait, hey! Where are you about to go!」

「To Fainell’s office. It shouldn’t be a problem if it’s between fellow women.」

Just like that and without waiting for Rokuna’s response, Sancreed invoked the Transfer Magic.

And then, their figures appeared on top of the desk in front of Fainell who was humming in a good mood in her office.

Together with their landing, *bokin*, *gariboki*, destructive sounds resounded from Sancreed’s feet.

Sitting in her chair, Fainell’s smiling face changed into an expression of shock.

「……Mu? Were the coordinates subtly mistaken?」

「Don’t go saying something so terrifying.」

「Well, don’t worry about it.」

After jumping down from the desk, Sancreed laid Rokuna down on a nearby sofa.

Turning around just like that, he caught Fainell’s flying kick with the palm of his hand.

Having landed on the floor, Fainell grabbed Sancreed with tears amassed at the corners of her eyes.

「Sancreedddd……Did I do something, to receive such poor treatment from you? If I did, then by all means, I would like for you to tell me what it was.」

「Sorry. I messed up in the Transfer and I understand that something was broken, but an injured person takes priority. I would like to apologize.」

「Hou, an injured person, an injured person huh. In that case, it can’t be helped. So, why did you come to my office! Why did you completely step on and break the colored version of my game piece! Look at it! It’s been completely turned into dust! You, do you know just how much it took me to obtain that……just how much it took meee……」

Placing his hand on Fainell’s shoulder as she broke down crying, Sancreed made an apologetic looking face.

「In regards to that, I really do feel sorry. But you were the only one I could rely on.」

「……*gusu*. You, aren’t you mistaking me for, *ugu*, a doctor or something?」

「No, that isn’t it. Rokuna said that she didn’t want to be carried by me. And since she had some kind of quarrel with Ichika, in that case, there was no one left but you to……」

Fainell interrupted Sancreed’s words, and stood up while wiping her tears.

「……So if you were just going to carry her to me, then you should have just carried her to the medical office from the start!」

And then, in the sky of the Zadark Kingdom’s eastern region, several shots of Voltenix were fired.

It is said that right at the exact same time that day, several Nilgiri that were flying high in the sky in the Zadark Kingdom’s eastern region were completely annihilated.