episode_0224

In front of the old Count of Albatea’s castle.

“Wow!!”

“Hero!!”

“Please liberate Albatea!!”

Residents of the former County of Albatea, who appear to be refugees standing on either side of the avenue, cheer enthusiastically towards a party walking down the middle of the avenue.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry!”

The man in the lead, a warrior with blond hair and bronze skin, waved his hands left and right in response while holding a pure white holy sword on his back.

“The warrior is here!”

“That’s great, warrior…!”

The blonde, blue-eyed woman wearing the priestess’s garb of the goddess cult who followed the warrior, the saint, looked at the warrior with ecstatic eyes and sparkled.

Following calmly behind is a female warrior with a spear on her back, and an elegant woman with short gray hair and glasses who keeps smiling brightly as if she is having so much fun.

“Wise man. What is so enjoyable?”

“Haha, it’s nothing. More than that….”

The wise man approached the sorcerer and whispered softly in his ear.

“You know…the promise, right?”

“Ugh.”

The spearman blushed and distanced himself from the sage who was approaching too closely.

“That’s…for later. For now, let’s focus on attacking the Vampire Legion.”

“Okay. But you can look forward to it. My predictions… are never wrong, right?”

The wise man smiled faintly and pointed to the warrior and saintess walking far ahead.

“Follow me. The warrior must be a little excited. He walks faster than I thought.”

“Hmm.”

One party was walking apart in pairs, but the people filling the street were completely oblivious to the distance.

Either they just let it be, or there is a glimmer of hope in the eyes looking at them.

“The liberation of Albatea.”

“Is this the curtain of blood!”

The warrior arrived in front of the main gate of the Count of Albatea’s castle.

“A curtain that no one can open! Hehe, there is no curtain that cannot be opened before this warrior’s holy sword! ”

A word that might make someone frown and say it immediately, finding it unpleasant.

However, when the refugees saw the warrior raise the holy sword and the divine power shining from it, they couldn’t help but clench their fists in anticipation.

“Oh, ohhhh…!”

No one has ever been able to pass through the curtain of blood.

None of those who entered through the only passage, the underground sewer, came out alive.

If even the warriors fail to cut down the curtain of blood, the refugees here will in fact have to live penniless forever, abandoning their homes, buildings, and everything else they have left behind within the castle walls.

“With my big and mighty holy sword-”

The moment the warrior raised the holy sword high above.

Tzuyuuk.

The curtain of blood began to open at the entrance to the Count’s castle gate, as if a curtain was being drawn.

“Hey, over there, over there!!”

The interior, which had been filled with darkness, slowly began to become visible.

Although it was only an entrance, the interior of the Albatea Count’s Castle was dark, like the entrance to an abyss.

The only thing left was some sunlight shining towards the entrance.

“Haha. Are you welcoming us? That would be fun.”

The warrior walked forward slowly, holding the holy sword in his hand.

“There’s no reason to avoid a challenge if you have to! Follow me!”

“Yes, warrior!”

The saint follows her, carrying a staff taller than her, and the magician and the wise man slowly follow her into the open curtain.

Chorus.

As soon as your party members enter, the blood curtain closes.

“Huh, huh?!”

The refugees ran towards the tent in a hurry, but the tent became a physical barrier as before, as if it would not allow the refugees to enter.

“…Huh?”

“Why are you like that, warrior?”

“Oh, no.”

The warrior is confused.

“I feel like I’ve seen this before…?”

“It must be a strange feeling.”

The wise man shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“The body is….”

“It seems like there’s nothing, huh?”

Hwaruk.

An empty street with flames shooting up on both sides.

“This is….”

“Be careful, warrior. I sense an evil aura.”

The saint stretched out her staff forward and aimed it at the fire, but the warrior tilted his head at the sight of the fire appearing somewhat symmetrical.

“Wise man. What is this?”

“How about going a little further?”

The wise man smiled broadly and pointed ahead.

He was usually a smiling face, but today he was smiling even more brightly, which was quite unfamiliar.

“…….”

The warrior walked slowly, aiming the holy sword forward.

And after walking about ten steps, the next flame burst into flames, illuminating the surroundings.

“Ha. Are you welcoming us?”

“…Let’s keep going forward. There doesn’t seem to be any particular traps.”

The wizard looked left and right and pointed ahead to the warrior.

“…um.”

The warrior glanced at the two with a somewhat suspicious expression, but he gripped the holy sword even tighter and began to walk slowly forward.

Boom, boom.

Fireworks, as if welcoming a party of warriors, brightly light up the road leading to the count’s castle.

“On the street….”

“There’s no one. I can’t even feel any signs of life.”

“Did you leave it empty…? I heard there are quite a few people left.”

“Well, maybe they’re all inside the castle~”

The further I walk, the more I feel like there are only fireworks and no sign of life.

Although it may seem like a ghost town, the streets lit up by fireworks still show some traces of where ‘people’ lived until recently.

“Did they all disappear after learning of our entry…?”

“Hey, warrior!”

Squeak.

The innermost part of the Count’s Castle, the door to the Count’s Castle opens by itself.

The path leading into the castle continued to burn with flames as if indicating the direction, and the warrior party gathered their weapons again and entered the castle.

Thud, thud.

The end of the corridor that leads down to the Count’s Castle.

“Here is….”

“This is the banquet hall of Count Albatea!”

“Be careful. There’s a noise inside.”

“Magic…I don’t think there are any traps?”

The tightly closed banquet hall door was waiting, and the warrior slowly opened the banquet hall door with his foot while holding the holy sword with both hands.

Squeak.

The moment the door opened.

“How rude.”

A long, stretched-out dining table with a man in a red suit sitting at the head of it.

“Don’t humans have the courtesy to knock or open a doorknob with their hands?”

“…mine?”

“Cho, be careful! That guy… I feel a strange aura coming from him!”

The warrior glanced at the young man.

It’s too human-like to be called a mine, but the Demon King’s Army’s seal that reacted to the holy sword is faintly shining on its face.

“Who are you?”

“Still rude. Don’t you know that it’s polite to introduce yourself first when introducing yourself to someone else?”

“This is…!”

“But there is no need to introduce yourself. I already know you. Let me introduce myself.”

Mine is sitting and paying homage.

“I am Mine, Azazel Dandelion.”

“…….”

The warrior frowned.

It’s a name I don’t remember, but I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere.

“You must have had a hard time coming this far. Why don’t you sit down and eat? ”

Mine leisurely pointed to the empty seat in front of him.

There were all kinds of food placed in bowls.

“Don’t worry, it hasn’t cooled down. The bowl has a heat retention magic, so the food will stay at the most delicious temperature.”

“What are you planning…?”

“What are you trying to say? It may be rude, but you shouldn’t be careless when welcoming guests.”

“Customer? Ha!”

The warrior raises the holy sword high.

“You sound like a guest!”

Crunch!

He slashes down with the holy sword and splits the table.

The violent attack split the table in half in an instant, and the food and dishes fell to the floor in a heap.

“That’s extreme.”

However, Mine seemed to have expected it, as she held the teacup and saucer in her hands and took a leisurely sip of the tea.

“The dinner I prepared with great care was all trash. Didn’t your parents teach you to cherish food?”

“This little shit!!”

“That’s okay. After all, you are a warrior of the Holy Sword….”

Mine stands up from his chair and spreads his arms.

“Because we have a ‘common enemy’.”

“What?”

“To be honest, we have rebelled against the Demon King. We are no longer the Demon King’s Army.”

Mine smiled, covering his cheek with the teapot.

“And we have no intention of fighting against humanity. We just want to live quietly using this Albatea Castle as our territory.”

“What nonsense. Who would dare take away the human land!”

“As we please. Humanity should be grateful. That we are content with this one land called Albatea and do not spread the curtain of blood elsewhere.”

“Ha…!”

The warrior threw the holy sword back sharply.

“It looks like I’ll have to die to come to my senses.”

“Warrior! There is a strange aura surrounding the author!”

“It’s okay! This is the warrior of the holy sword!”

The warrior ran forward.

He steps lightly on the broken table and moves forward, scattering the light of the holy sword.

Chorus!

White-haired vampires appeared from all sides to block the hero, but the hero had already swung his sword at Mine before the beautiful vampires could even step forward.

“Die!!”

The moment my eyes met with yours.

“……!!”

The warrior got goosebumps.

Because Mine was already standing still, as if he was prepared to die, as if he was not afraid of death.

Because you are confident?

no.

Even the red-haired succubus who suddenly appeared to protect the mine, you can tell just by looking at their eyes that they are running towards the mine.

That mine is weak and will be beheaded by his own holy sword.

But what kind of confidence does that mine have to come out like that?

first.

You’ll know once you kill it.

“Wow!”

The warrior swung his holy sword straight at Mine’s neck.

and.

“…….”

“…….”

banquet hall.

Silence fell.

“What, what is it?”

“……What.”

Even the warriors are confused, and even the mines are confused.

“What is this…?”

“Hey, wait! You… No, what are you…?!”

A moment of confusion for both the vampires who suddenly appeared and the members of the warrior party.

“…uh.”

Mine reached out to the holy sword placed right in front of his neck.

“If you want to live, you will die, and if you want to die, you will live.”

“Wh, what the…!”

“It is not my power that protects me.”

Mine threw down the glass.

“His great protection.”

Clang.

The holy sword did not inflict any damage on Mine.