Chapter 120

Watching from a distance from the gambling den, there were some guys running away from a distant building .

The buildings weren’t connected though .

「It’s probably them」

「Their movements are too easy to tell . Another underground path huh」

「I’ll leave it to you, Kakeru」

I followed them with Iris .

I followed them relying on my ears and reached a building on the outskirts of the town .

It was quite a good mansion, and there were also rough-looking gate guards in the front .

「Is it there?」

「I’m sure that they entered there . It’s also noisy inside . Also」

「Also?」

「I smell violence」

「It’s not……your nose huh」

I silently nodded . It would be more of how the atmosphere feels .

「What do you think?」

I asked Iris .

「……let’s charge in . While they haven’t destroyed the evidence yet」

「Yosh」

「I’ll leave the front to Kakeru . I’ll go from the back」

「I got it . Are you alright by yourself?」

「It’s fine . ……I’m not a woman who is just protected」

「I see」

She’s still as stubborn as usual .

After confirming that Iris took a long, roundabout path, I also went from the front .

「Stop! Who are you!」

The tough-looking gate guard asked what and who .

I drew Eleanor and Hikari, and divided the man into four .

Guys swarmed out of the mansion .

『Well then, let’s do it』

『Hikari will do her best too!』

Eleanor who laughed with pleasure and Hikari who completely grew up like a Demon Sword .

I clad myself with the dark cloak aura and slashed forward with the two .

「E-Enemy attack!」

「Wait, this guy’s……」

「The Abysmal Twin Swords……the Demon Sword Wielder?」

「H-Hiiiiiiiiii!!!」

There were those who were courageous to step forward, but there were also those who crawled away with weak knees .

I slashed those guys without mercy .

『Look how overprotective you are』

「What are you talking about?」

『Kukuku』

Eleanor continued to laugh in pleasure .

I greatly appealed myself as the Demon Sword Wielder, lured the enemy, and slashed forward .

I walked through the garden of corpses and entered the mansion .

『Well, what would you do?』

「There’s a sound coming from there」

I heightened my hearing and advanced deeper into the mansion .

What came was

『A-re〜, it’s a dead end?』

『What useless ears those are』

「No, it’s under this」

I stabbed Eleanor to the ground .

A hollow sound without substance was made .

I pulled the sword and touched it as if to search around .

There was a lever . I pulled it at once .

『A hidden staircase huh . From how it looks, an underground prison huh』

「Let’s go」

I walked down the stairs .

There was a room there when I got down .

Inside the room lit by a magic light, there was one boy .

The boy was using magic on the things that seem to be Mercouri’s paper notes .

He’s in the middle of engraving crests .

「I see, this is the site of the forgery huh」

『There should be no mistaking it . The problem is, why is that boy able to use that magic』

「Hey, you, why are youーー」

「Don’t come!」

Only one step and it was stopped by the boy’s call .

It was a voice of desperation, at one’s wits’ end .

「Don’t be scared」

Hikari returned to her human form and kindly talked to him .

「Otou-san is not a bad person」

「It’s not that, I didn’t mean that . This!」

The boy pointed at his neck . There was a collar .

A suspicious light is flashing repeatedly in the center of the collar .

「This, they said it’s a magic that would explode if a person I don’t know gets near!」

「Something like that exists?」

『Yes it does』

Eleanor answered promptly .

「That’s why, don’t come here」

Hikari looked up to me with a troubled face .

「Return to a sword, Hikari . I’ll do something about it」

「Un!」

Hikari returned to her Demon Sword form .

Well then, what should I do?

「It’s useless even if you think of it」

I heard a man’s voice from behind .

I turned around, and saw a middle-aged man wearing a merchant’s outfit walking down the stairs .

He is showing a smile, but the blade scar that cut across his left eye emphasizes that he’s not a person like his smile shows .

「You’re the mastermind?」

「That is right . I’m Galassimos Cichi」

「Where did this boy came from?」

「Which answer would you like to receive? Is it whether he is a small hammer that we forged, or a secret child of the King?」

Galassimos grinned .

「The King’s secret child? ……I see, that’s why he’s able to use the royal family’s magic」

『Kukuku . No wonder that little girl didn’t know』

Eleanor laughed in glee .

「That’s right」

「Immediately remove the collar’s magic」

A voice sounded from behind Galassimos, and at the same time, a sword was pointed to his neck .

The one who appeared was Iris .

She was unusually showing a face of anger and glared at the man from behind . She was listening huh .

「Remove?」

「Hurry up, if you still care for your life」

「Alright」

Galassimos reached out his hand while grinning .

「Don’t do anything weird?」

「I only need to remove it right?」

After saying that, Galassimos used magic .

The next instant, the collar in the boy’s neck started to brighten .

……its flashing light got faster, and the light became more wicked .

It was a phenomenon that was far away from the image of “remove” .

「What did you do?」

Iris seemed to have noticed as well . She questioned the man with a strong tone .

「You told me to remove it after all . That is something that would absolutely explode when worn . It has only two effects, it would either explode when a person not in the settings approached, or explode after being activated」

「Y-You meant by removing it is……」

「I removed the stopper that stops the explosion」

「Stop it right away!」

「It’s useless, I told you that . It’s a magic that only results into explosions」

「You bastard! You placed such thing on a child!」

「Of course . That would be the greatest evidence . It is natural to erase it when time comes right?」

「Ku!」

Iris groaned .

Galassimos looked at me with a hideous smile and said with a friendly tone .

「It would be better if you go away you know, Demon Sword Wielder . It is a magic that would explode from the center of the flashing collar . You’ll get caught in it if you stand there」

「The place you’re standing in is the safety zone huh」

The man crooked the corner of his mouth .

「Well, if you wish to bond with him for the last time, I won’t stop you . It won’t explode since it’s near the countdown」

「I see」

I approached the boy .

The boy was terrified, sat on the ground, and peed .

He did not even react even though I approached him . He was that scared .

「I’ll just say this . It will instantly explode if you destroy it」

「Instantly, huh」

『Are you going to do it?』

「Do you think I can?」

『If it is you』

『Otou-san, do your best!』

The mother and daughter sent cheers from my head .

I placed a hand on the collar and pointed Hikari on her Demon Sword form on it .

「……one-two!」

I used the warp feather the instant I cut the collar .

I warped to Orycuto’s valley .

The master of the valley, Orycuto, was startled seeing me .

「Ahh〜, sorry . Well, you won’t die if it’s you」

The next instant after I said that, the collar I’m holding exploded .

It was a condensed explosion .

Explosive flames and impact whirled within a radius of 2 meters, but nothing happened outside of that .

The explosion stopped .

「Geho, geho」

The sand whirled by the explosion entered my mouth, and I coughed .

That was all .

『Unscathed huh』

「All thanks to you」

The instant it exploded, I clad myself with the dark cloak aura .

I completely used the aura from the two for defense .

I focused only for that, so I was unscathed .

On the other hand, Orycuto was crushed and destroyed into pieces .

Although he’s regenerating, he was shattered .

「Sorry for getting you involved」

I apologized with a few words and returned to the mansion using the warp feather .

「W-What……」

The man was stunned .

He seems like he could not understand what just happened .

「Kakeru! Are you alright?」

「It was quite strong . It would’ve been instant death if it wasn’t me」

Iris was relieved in a moment, then glared at Galassimos .

「You, you put such thing on an innocent child!」

She got furious and sent out her back fist . Galassimos was hit by it directly and was blown away, crashing into the wall .

「I-Impossible . If it comes to thisーー」

Galassimos reached out his hand towards the boy again .

He tried to do something, something to erase the evidence .

I expected it and quickly got in between them .

I clad myself with the mother and daughter aura, and emphasized without words that I won’t let him do anything anymore .

「……ku! Damn it!」

Galassimos cursed . On his side, Iris looked down at him with cold eyes .

「Prepare yourself, you shall be executed without a doubt」

「You’ll put him to trial?」

「Umu」

Iris nodded .

Iris said that he would be executed without a doubt, but there would still be a trial huh . What a tedious thing to do .

『Isn’t that very like her . As a person engaged in national affairs, she must take procedural justice』

Hmm .

I see, engaged in national affairs huh .

I looked at Iris . She was so enraged that she looked like she would spit out fire from her eyes .

「Iris」

「What?」

I chopped Galassimos’ head .

His head was severed from his neck and blood spurts like a fountain .

The boy screamed and fainted . Iris stared at me with narrowed eyebrows .

「What are you doing?」

「It’s my motto to kill bastards when I see them」

When I said that, although Iris seemed complicated, she somewhat, showed a satisfied expression .

☆

I went outside with Iris .

I put down the boy who still hasn’t gained his consciousness to the ground .

Iris stood in front of me and looked straight at me .

「Thank you, Kakeru . The case was solved thanks to you」

「It’s solved with this?」

「Yes」

Iris turned around . Her subordinates that finally came swarmed inside .

I thought, I can leave the rest to her .

「Really, thank you so much」

「Don’t mind it」

「Also……thank you」

「Un?」

She told me thanks with a somewhat different tone .

Her expression changed .

There existed not Princess Iris, but just Iris .

A girl who flushed her cheeks .

Her tone became very soft .

「Can I ask, one more thing?」

「Yeah」

I guessed what she would tell me .

「Please……break my engagement」

Iris who relied on me looked very cute .

I pulled her into an embrace and kissed her lips .

「Leave it to me」

I planned to do that from the start .