Before everything, I returned to the mansion for once .
I walked back to the mansion and entered through the front entrance . And suddenly, I heard someone running from inside .
It was the beast-kin maid Miu who appeared . She is managing all the work in this mansion alone as a slave maid .
Just as usual, Miu welcomed me with a bright smile .
「Welcome back, Master」
「I’m back, Miu . Where’s Hikari?」
I pulled her to me and asked Hikari’s whereabouts while lightly *MofuMofu*-ing her .
「If it is Hikari-sama, then she should be in her room right now . Should I call her?」
「No, it’s fine . I’ll go there personally . I’m going to bring Hikari with me after all」
I told Miu just in case . I’m going to use warp after this, so I told her so that there wouldn’t be a commotion that Hikari disappeared .
「……understood . Please take care」
「n」
I Mofu-d her once for last and went to Hikari’s room .
I quickly arrived at her room and knocked lightly at the door .
「Hikari, are you there?」
「Otou-san?」
「That’s right . I’m entering」
I said and entered .
Hikari and Chibi Dragon are playing inside the wide room .
They’re holding hands and is doing something like a dance .
They look like they’re having fun, and it’s cute enough that I would’ve left them like that and watched them if nothing is scheduled after this .
It’s cute, but it’s not the time for that .
Hikari runs up to me after embracing Chibi Dragon .
「Welcome back, Otou-san?」
「I’m back . Sorry for being sudden, but . Let’s go, we’re going to battle」
「Un, I got it!」
It’s not something that a father would normally tell his daughter, but Hikari did not have any doubts and nodded with an innocent smile .
She placed down Chibi Dragon that she is embracing and patted its head .
「Myu〜?」
「I’m going now, O-chan . Let’s play again when I’m back okay」
「Myu!」
Just as usual, it seems like they could understand each other, and Chibi Dragon cried out once with a smile .
Hikari patted her lastly for once and turned towards me .
「Sorry to keep you waiting, Otou-san」
She had an excited expression the instant she faced towards me . Her smile is like that a child who is about to visit an amusement park .
「Yeah . Let’s go」
「Un!」
Hikari closed her eyes and put her hands together above her chest . From a lovely beautiful girl, she turned into her dreadful looking Demon Sword form .
I grabbed that . As usual, it feels like it fits my hand .
It feels like she had turned into a part of me .
「Let’s go」
『Umu』
『Un!』
The mother and daughter Demon Swords replied and we returned to the training grounds using the Warp Feather .
In there were most of the slave soldiers . They are surrounding the Malonei residents, those who are possessed, and are currently detaining them .
They are resisting, but they are powerless in front of the trained slave soldiers .
They would struggle and attack, but would get beaten instead every time .
By the way, while the slave soldiers are working, the commander Nana is just looking .
She placed her hands on her sword that she placed in front of her like a cane, and glared over those who were surrounded .
『She has quite a presence now』
「She had that in the first place」
『Is that so? When we first met her, she was only a strong woman』
「Really?」
Hearing Eleanor say that, I tried to remember the time I met Nana for the first time .
The War Princess of the barbarians that resisted against Mercouri, Nana Kanou .
At that time, I had already felt that she has a strong presence, but is it different from Eleanor’s eyes?
『She has become a good woman with a firm will and dignity . If you were not around, I would be probably making her my wielder and hand her over the world』
「Just like you did with those heroes and overlord?」
『Umu』
「That sounds interesting, but, I won’t give her to you . Nana is my woman after all」
『……can’t you say “you too”』
I felt that Eleanor whispered something .
Eleanor’s voice echoes in my head, so it’s outside of my 777x hearing, so there are times when I can’t hear her clearly .
「Did you say something?」
『I-It’s nothing! ……I just said that I can’t make her my wielder because you’d only be on the way!』
Eleanor said somewhat angrily .
Ahh, I see . Un, that’s true . I’d be on her way .
After that incident with Marie, so that there would be no more victims, I am managing Eleanor since she can’t possess me .
She’s probably dissatisfied about that .
「Sorry, but I’m not planning on letting you get away」
『I knowーー』
「For good or for bad, you’re a good woman after all」
『……fue?』
n? Did Eleanor just sound funny right now?
『W-What did you just say?』
「I just said that you’re also a good woman? Look」
I passed my consciousness through Eleanor . I pulled out the Demon Sword’s power and released it outside of my body .
The dark aura enveloped my body, turned to a dark coat, and became an arm .
「I wasn’t able to do this when we first met, but I’m now able to do so right now . This is just how good of a woman you are」
『……』
Eleanor became silent .
「What is it, Eleanor?」
『I-It’s nothing!』
Eleanor repeated her words from earlier . Though, I feel like its nuance is a bit different .
This girl, her tension’s undulation is too sharp . Did something happen?
Well, whatever . I should think about that later .
「Your Excellency!」
Noticing me releasing my aura, the slave soldiers’ first platoon captain Nikki came running towards me .
Nana also noticed me from afar, but she only took a glance, and returned to monitoring the men .
While remembering the word “professional”, I told Nikki .
「Good job . Is there any problem?」
「Sir! There is none, sir!」
「I see, good job . I’ll put an end to it right now . Make everyone move back」
「Sir yes sir!」
Nikki saluted to me and ran back to her original place .
The order was immediately transmitted and the slave soldiers started to fall back while maintaining their formation .
In their stead, I moved forward .
「Let’s do it, Eleanor, Hikari」
『……hmph』
『Hikari will do her best!』
I released my aura and approached the possessed men .
It’s a simple work of grabbing that thing that possessed them with my aura arm and crushing it .
There were many of it, but it did not take 10 minutes to finish everything .
☆
Malonei’s outskirts . I watched the Aegina Army withdraw from afar .
Rather than people, the Aegina Army looked like a huge lump from kilometers away .
「I couldn’t feel a man’s ambitious spirit from them at all」
『It’s good that they came rushing, but all they could catch are clouds . It can’t be helped . Also……』
「Also?」
『Delfina probably took everything that she could from them . That woman, when she’s negotiatingーーno, when she’s threatening someone while in advantage, I could tell that she’s quite heartless』
「……I can somewhat understand」
I felt shivers just from imagining it .
Delfina’s negotiation .
It somewhat sounds like an amazing power word .
『And so, what are you going to do? Are you going to take care of that too while you’re at it?』
「Let me see……let’s decide after asking Delfina」
『I got it』
「Well then, let’s go to Malonei firstーー」
I turned back to return for once, but I felt something and looked back at the Aegina Army .
『What happened?』
「That thing」
『That thing?』
「Can’t you see it? That thing in the middle, at the side of the horse of that commander-looking guy」
『Don’t treat my vision like it’s the same with yours . How could I see from that far』
『Hikari could see it〜 . It’s a blue person flying』
Hikari answered with an innocent voice .
Hikari is my daughter, and she had inherited a part of my ability . That’s why she could see it .
『Blue?』
「His skin is blue, has horns, and has sharp fangs . That guy, he’s not human」
『I see . That really sounds like a mastermind』
「I changed my mind . I’m going to go and catch that」
『I agree . That should be for the best since it’s already in front of us』
「Let’s go, Eleanor, Hikari」
『Yeah』
『I’ll do my best!』
I gripped the mother and daughter Demon Swords, and went towards the 2000-men Aegina Army .