The Branded Female Fencer

e Great Archfiend.
Don’t leave even a trace of their existence.
You guys haven’t been going all out lately, have you? I’ll give you a place to run amok.
I forgive you, go all out.
It’s not like this with humans.
It’s a Blackhawk’s all-out hunt.
Devour their flesh and their screams!」

 

Everyone was silent at first, but soon began to draw their swords and cheers.
It’s rare that Valthus gives permission and says to「go wild.」 It is true that in the wars between humans, there were many restrictions, and it was not always possible to fight to the fullest.

Some residents looked up at the cheers coming from the store, but no one had the chest to come in for a very quick peek, as they had just seen a group of strong men enter.

And after a while, an economic feast began.
Zeldes and Valthus talk to each other at the counter.

 

「But hey, Valthus, are these guys really that useless? How does it compare to the old days?」

「Don’t worry, they’re a lot better than we were then in terms of strength.」

「You’re serious, huh? With that bunny girl, though, I’m still worried about something.」

「Is that kind of old man the one who’s really capable~? Age and blanks are not excuses.」

 

Mireille joins the conversation from the next table.
Mireille looks at them with a mug of beer in her hand.
Zeldes turned to Mireille and spoke to her, but Valthus stayed put.

 

「How about this then?」

 

Zeldes puts out a small palm toward the mug Mireille is holding.
Then the mug Mireille was holding cracked open, even though she hadn’t done anything with it.
The people around her let out a sigh.

 

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「You’re a long shot from no pre-movement.
Pops, you’re good.」

「If I give it my all, I’ll choke the life out of people fifty steps ahead of you.
Your turn, little girl.」

「It’s fine~」

 

A moment after Mireille placed the nearly broken mug on the table, Mireille’s figure suddenly disappeared.
And before they knew it, she was sitting cross-legged on the counter where Zeldes was sitting.

 

「Hi—fu—mi— … You’re just an old man.」

「My wallet… when was it?」

 

Zeldes pulled out a wallet from his pocket and Mireille counted its contents.
It was a new experience for Zeldes to find himself completely unable to react, no matter how hostile or deadly he might have been.
The signboard girl tripped over the floor as she tried to pass by it with multiple mugs of beer.
Mireille catches the jock that is about to fly into the sky with just her legs and even her daughter.
Her allies cheered for Mireille.

 

「Nice work, girl.
You’ve got some serious footwork.」

「The old man is the one.
If the old man didn’t have a drink in him, I wouldn’t be able to do this trick.
I was also famous for being a violent person in Gruzald, but I wouldn’t have been able to be violent if I had someone like you as my superior officer.」

「They say that a lot.
You’re a military personnel, why did you join this troupe?」

「I kicked the pissed off sentiment to the curb and quit.」

「I’m kind of the same way.
The military pisses me off, doesn’t it?」

 

They look at each other and grin.
Apparently, they recognized each other’s abilities.
The little entertainment seemed to get everyone even more excited, and Mireille, feeling better, went back into the circle of people.
Once again, Zeldes turned to Valthus and asked the question that had been bothering him.

 

「So, Valthus.
Where’s the bottom line?」

「Ahh.」

「I feel weird asking you this, but… you, what are you worried about?」

 

In response to Zeldes’ serious question, Valthus spoke quietly.

 

「Betts, Kanaat and Großfeld know this.
Actually, I’ve been on my own for the past three months.
During that time, I have defeated a total of seven fiends that I thought were Archfiends.」

「Seven… That’s a bit much.
You haven’t reported this to the guild, have you?」

「I haven’t.
I was going to report it at first, but the truth is that I’ve been hunting Archfiends with unusual frequency over the past few years.
Moreover, most of the cases are not reported to the guild and are encountered during completely unrelated requests.
I’m sure of it because I checked with the heroes and other mercenary groups.
I was sure that it was an Archfiend, just not certified because it was not accompanied by a level checker.
Moreover, from what I’ve heard, it’s assumed that there are cases where the characteristics are completely different and cases where the exact same Archfiend appears.」

「How is that possible when the guilds and Arnelia have their units patrolling various lands on a regular basis? No matter how many skirmishes there are in the western countries and how easy it is for an Archfiend to arise.」

 

Forgetting to ask Zeldes to replace the empty drink, he was about to drink more when he finally realized that his mug was empty.
He must have been that upset.

 

「But it’s real.
But can’t you think of it this way? What if the Archfiend is not being generated, but is being intentionally manufactured?」

 

Zeldes’ eyes widen at Valthus’ words.

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「That’s exactly what’s stupid.
What’s the point of creating an Archfiend by human hands? How?」

「I don’t know that much.
However, there are no similar species found in book of fiends, and the situation is certainly different from what it has been in the past.
That many of them look ugly, as if they’ve brought the dark side of humanity to the forefront.」

「…Well, some mercenaries who were having a drink at my place the other day were talking about how they had hunted an Archfiend, and from what I heard, it was a pretty creepy being.
I should have listened a little more.」

「Even in Mysia? Then my guess might be right.」

 

Valthus gulps down a gulp of fire wine.

 

「What kind of guess?」

「This is just the beginning.
If the same thing is going to happen in the midlands as well as in the west, it will eventually happen in the south, east, and north.
No.
Unlike the south and east, where the human traffic is more active, some changes may already be happening in the north.
This would once again lead to a war involving the entire continent.
This time it’s not a war against themselves, it would be a war of humans against fiends.
It’s the Great War period all over again.」

「…Stop that, you bastard.
I had planned to spend my retirement peacefully with the money I had saved.
Then why didn’t you call Arnelia or the guild?」

「You know how I hate power and the establishment, right? I don’t dislike the Master Bishop of Arnelia, but I don’t trust the organization.
Neither does the Guild.」

 

Valthus is staring at the air.
Zeldes wasn’t quite sure what to do, but he just knew that Valthus’ hunch would come true well.

 

「Can’t you alert the country and guilds in your name?」

「I may have a reputation as a warrior, but I’m not in a position to lead others.
Because I kept refusing to be recognized as a hero, unfortunately, the dignitaries of the countries didn’t hate me, but they didn’t like my presence.
Now it has become a vengeance.」

「…Shall I call on Dorian in Gruzald?」

「I thought about that, but wouldn’t I get into a fight with the generals before I met with Dorian? Former Supreme Military Advisor of Gruzald.」

「That’s kind of true.
I’m sure those guys and Dorian would hate me.」

 

Zeldes laughs with gusto, Valthus with a small smile.

 

「What are you going to do then?」

「First, retaliation.
We’ll get more confirmation on what kind of people will come out then.
It depends on that, but for now, I would like to work as solidly as possible in units of corps, and focus on large requests from national units.
I want to have connections with high-level officials in various countries in case of emergency.」

「I see, that would be appropriate.
」

「I still have access to the military in Gruzald, so I’ll make sure to have them look into it.」

「That’s a great help.」

Seeing that Valthus was seriously distressed, Zeldes poked him in the shoulder with his fist.

 

「Let’s not talk about the sick stuff now, shall we? For now, let’s just enjoy our reunion after all these years!」

「Fufu, you’re right.
Speaking of which, is it true what Betts said earlier?」

「Ohh, attaboy!! When he was still a little guy, you know.
There’s another funny story…」

 

And so the night of Blackhawk goes on.
After this, their names of valor will ring out as Valthus said.
The number of Archfiends they hunted, eight in seven days.
One of them was almost as strong as a Great Archfiend.

But the appearance of the Archfiend in the west was frequently heard after Blackhawk’s success, and Valthus’ concerns were about to be realized in the wrong direction in a single step.