The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Ghh!?"
Even as he was swallowed by the torrent of light, the demon survived.
However, he was far from unscathed. Wounds had opened up all over his body.
"W-What... is this...?!"
As the panicked demon reeled—
"Come forth, Lamenting Ice Bullets."
Another attack followed immediately.
Countless blades of ice streaked through the air, raging like a violent storm as they engulfed the demon.
"GAAAAAH!?"
The demon spread his demonic power like a shield in an attempt to defend himself.
But it wasn't enough.
The caster's magical power was overwhelming. Every time another ice blade danced through the air, the shield was chipped away, until the attacks began tearing directly into the demon's flesh.
"...?"
The sudden assault left Chocolat and Millefeuille staring blankly.
Were these reinforcements?
Or had the enemy turned on one of their own?
Unable to make sense of what had just happened, they froze for a moment.
"Chocolat! Millefeuille!"
A sharp voice rang out, snapping them back to reality.
"Combination C! Let's go!"
"Okay!"
"Right!"
The two immediately regained their composure and sprang into action.
As expected of them.
Chocolat raised her enormous shield high into the sky.
The shield then split into eight separate pieces, each flying through the air as though it possessed a will of its own.
The fragments surrounded the demon, who was still unable to move after enduring the relentless attacks...
"Holy Arrow!"
"Mega Volt!"
The instant the two spells were unleashed, the eight shields sealed the demon completely inside.
With the space perfectly enclosed, the magic exploded.
The tremendous destructive force raged within the tiny sealed chamber, multiplying its power many times over.
And then...
"Alright. It's over."
When Chocolat released the shield prison, the demon was gone.
More accurately, he had lost his life, turned to ash, and scattered into the air.
"That got a little tense."
"It happened so suddenly."
"Yeah. But..."
Chocolat and Millefeuille turned around.
"You're late, Chiffon."
"We've been waiting forever."
"Haha... sorry."
Putting her hands together apologetically, Chiffon smiled sheepishly at her teammates, who were pouting just a little.
"Shake."
"Woof!"
"Other paw."
"Arf!"
"...Tch."
"What are you doing?!"
"Ow!"
Afterward, they returned to the Adventurers' Guild.
There were plenty of important things they needed to discuss, but Chocolat completely ignored that and started playing with Sakura instead.
Seeing this, Chiffon promptly rewarded her with a firm fist on the head.
"Honestly... Sakura is adorable, but this isn't the time to be playing, is it? We need to talk about the demons and what we're going to do from here."
"And yet, aren't you the one who wants to play with Sakura too, Chiffon? Look, look—soft little paw pads!"
"Woof?"
"Ugh... d-don't look at me with those big, innocent eyes... It really makes me feel like maybe just a little..."
"Uh... Chiffon?"
"Huh!?"
When I called out to her, she seemed to snap back to her senses.
Her face immediately flushed bright red with embarrassment.
"S-Sorry... I got carried away by Chocolat's pace."
"It's fine. Being around Sakura makes you want to forget everything else and just play."
That was one of Sakura's greatest charms.
"Still, let's put the discussion first."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Then... could you tell us what happened?"
The one I addressed was—
"Of course."
Stella.
As captain of the local branch of the knight order, she had taken charge of all the aftermath.
At the same time, she had gathered as much information as possible, making her the best person to brief us.
"There are several matters of concern... but first, allow me to express my gratitude. Horizon was once again targeted by a demonic attack, yet thanks to you, Rain, and the Hero's party, the demons were defeated before any serious damage could occur. You have my deepest thanks."
"You're welcome. But you don't have to be so formal. Demons are the enemies of us Heroes. Defeating them is simply our duty."
"This is our home, after all. It's only natural that we'd help when something happens."
"Even so... you have my sincere gratitude."
Stella repeated her thanks before bowing deeply.
It had been a while since we'd last met, but she really hadn't changed.
She was every bit as earnest as ever.
There was no need for her to be so formal, but she simply couldn't help herself.
That was just part of who she was.
"Now then... onto the main issue."
A troubled expression crossed Stella's face before she continued.
"This hasn't been fully confirmed yet, so I ask that you keep it confidential."
"Understood."
"It seems that Mina Lesage, a former member of the Hero's party, was spotted near Horizon."
"Mina? Are you sure?"
"Forgive me for saying so, but... you don't seem particularly surprised."
"Well..."
I looked at Chiffon.
She nodded as if to say, It's okay. You can tell her.
"I'd like you to keep this confidential as well, but actually..."
I explained our—more accurately, Chiffon and her companions'—mission.
Even Stella, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't hide the grim look that spread across her face.
"...I see. So your mission is to eliminate the former Hero's party."
"We came to Horizon after hearing that Ms. Mina might be somewhere nearby."
"We were told it wasn't confirmed information, but now that you've reported the same thing too, Stella, its credibility has increased considerably."
Millefeuille said this in her usual relaxed tone, sounding surprisingly unconcerned given the situation.
"And then there's the demon we just fought... Calling that a coincidence would be a little too convenient."
What exactly was Mina planning?
Why had she joined forces with the demons?
What was she trying to accomplish?
There were still far too many unanswered questions.
But one thing was certain.
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