The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
It was nothing more than sheer luck that I noticed it.
"Chiffon!"
"Huh? ...Eek!?"
I pulled Chiffon into my arms and leaped backward.
"Huh? Huh? Rain...?"
Whatever misunderstanding she had, Chiffon's face turned bright red...
But when she saw the spot where she had been standing just moments ago pierced by something resembling a black spear, her face immediately turned pale.
Eris and Stella realized what had happened a moment later and hurriedly reacted.
"Are you two okay!?"
"What just happened...?"
"I don't know. But Eris, Stella, stay on your guard. Above all else, watch the shadows."
I had managed to sense it in advance because Rifa once used a similar technique—moving through shadows.
Most likely, just as Rifa did, the attacker was launching attacks from within the shadows.
And the one responsible was...
"What are you trying to pull?"
Drawing Kamui, I pointed its tip at Verg.
"The hell do you mean, 'what am I trying to pull?'"
"That's my line. You just attacked Chiffon, didn't you?"
"Hah? Why the hell would I do something like that?"
"Process of elimination. I've never heard of magic that attacks from the shadows. If anyone here could use something like that, it'd only be you—a demon."
"Whoa there, you're jumping to conclusions. Got any proof? For all you know, it could've just been a monster attacking from a distance."
Verg spoke with obvious irritation...
Yet somehow, he also seemed to be enjoying himself.
Was he actually welcoming this turn of events?
By deliberately using a rough tone and acting crudely, it almost felt like he was intentionally making himself look more suspicious...
But why would he do that?
If he truly was Mina's ally, then the smartest thing would be to behave sincerely and prove his innocence.
I knew there were demons with honest and upright hearts.
Which only made Verg's behavior bother me even more.
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, I sheathed Kamui.
"I'm not convinced, but it's true—I don't have any proof."
"Oh? So you're willing to believe me?"
"No. Not at all."
Verg was suspicious beyond belief, but I didn't want to force the issue and provoke a battle.
Keeping a wary eye on him, I addressed Mina.
"Mina, can you separate from him?"
"Huh?"
"Honestly, I have no idea what he's thinking. If you stay with him, you could end up getting attacked again like Chiffon just did."
"That... But he would never do something like that..."
"From my perspective, it's not unreasonable to suspect he's looking for an opportunity to kill Chiffon."
"..."
"If you're willing to separate from him, we can continue this conversation. If not... then I'm sorry, but negotiations are over. We'll have no choice but to take you into custody."
I glanced back at Chiffon and the others.
I'd made the decision on my own...
But they simply nodded, silently entrusting the matter to me.
"Well?"
"..."
Mina closed her eyes in hesitation.
She remained deep in thought for a short while before opening them again and giving a small nod.
"Understood. First, I need to prove that I have no hostility toward you. I do have my reservations, but... I'll accept your proposal."
It might have been rude to call it surprising, but Mina accepted my demand.
Knowing her, I had expected her to flatly refuse with something like, "Such an insulting request is absolutely unacceptable."
Had losing her place in the Hero's Party, along with Lin and Aggas leaving, changed the way she thought?
Mina obediently started walking toward us...
But Verg stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"...Mr. Verg..."
"Whoa there. I can't let you do that. I'm accompanying you to help you, remember? If I let you go off alone and something happens, it'll make me look bad. Besides, who's to say that attack earlier wasn't just a setup?"
"Huh?"
"Get rid of the inconvenient guy with some made-up excuse, then capture you... or kill you... nice and easy. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, doesn't it?"
"Don't be ridiculous! That attack was..."
"...As expected of lowborn people."
Mina glared at us before retreating behind Verg.
It seemed she'd believed his words.
"And with that, negotiations are over. Time for you to die. Dragoon Howling!"
"What!?"
The instant he judged that negotiations had crossed the point of no return, Verg launched his attack.
"Fireball!"
"Mega Volt!"
Chiffon and I instinctively countered with our own spells.
They canceled each other out perfectly, but the collision kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring our vision.
"Stella! Eris!"
"Yeah, I know!"
"Be careful over there as well!"
Stella and Eris stood back-to-back, covering the now-limited field of vision.
Following their example, Chiffon and I watched each other's backs as well.
Where was he?
Where would he come from?
I focused with every ounce of concentration, ready to respond no matter when or how the next attack came.
"...?"
About a minute passed.
Nothing happened.
The dust cloud gradually began to settle.
There was no reason for him to deliberately drag things out at this point.
Which meant...
"Did they run away!?"
When the dust finally cleared, both Mina and Verg were gone.
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