――Clang――Clang.
The steady ring of hammer on metal echoed through the workshop.
「Oho! Nice one, kid!」
「I’m shocked… You managed this in just two days…」
「Quiet down, you three! He’s trying to concentrate!!」
「「You’re the loudest one here!!」」
The three dwarves kept up their noisy banter.
Honestly, the racket was easier to work with than silence.
「Fuu… Is this good enough?」
I held up the finished blade for them to see.
Their excitement exploded even louder.
「Yeah! I’ll handle the sharpening!」
「I’ll make the scabbard!」
「And I’ll take care of the hilt!」
The trio snatched the sword away and bustled off with it.
「Amazing…」
「Ahaha… They really are something else.」
「Yuuki, you must be exhausted.」
Amilia approached with a towel in hand.
「Thanks… yeah, my hands are killing me.」
I hadn’t used these muscles in a while, slight muscle soreness had already set in.
「Well then… time for one more job〜」
I stowed the sweat-soaked towel in my Item Box and stretched.
「You work so hard every day…」
「Well, tomorrow’s the last day.」
「Hey… are you really going through with it tomorrow?」
Amilia looked up at me with worried eyes.
I gently stroked her head as I answered.
「Yeah… I’m still pretty pissed about how they’re treating you.」
「I don’t really mind…」
「No, I mind. And besides, leaving someone like that unchecked won’t be good for the kingdom in the long run. It’ll be a hassle, but it’s not that big a deal.」
「…Understood.」
Amilia’s expression hardened with resolve.
「Then I’ll head out for a bit.」
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
「Alright… time to change and put on the mask…」
I slipped into tattered robes, pulled a cracked mask over my face, and let faint light glow from the eye slits.
In my hand, I held a battered, worn-looking sword.
「『——Flight』」
I took to the sky and headed straight for the noble encampment.
A sentry spotted me and immediately raised the alarm.
「Enemy attack!! The Demon King has appeared!!」
Bells clanged wildly.
The camp erupted into chaos.
(Tonight… let’s go with wind blades to shred the tents.)
I swung my hand.
Razor-sharp blades of wind tore through canvas, slicing tents apart.
A few soldiers got caught in the gusts and were knocked down, injured but alive.
(Sorry〜 I’ll heal you later, so bear with me…)
After thoroughly wrecking the place, I flew off toward the first fortress, shed the disguise, and returned.
「Alright… tomorrow’s the finale.」
I transferred back to Amilia’s side.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
「Alright… I’ll be off now!」
At the entrance of the fortress we’d built earlier, Amilia sat astride her horse, clad in light armor overlaid with my magical armor.
At her hip hung the holy sword I’d forged, its hilt and scabbard adorned with glowing magic power stones.
「When you reach the first fortress, make sure to drink the potion. And at the very end, use the magic tool I gave you.」
「Got it! Let’s go!」
Amilia gave her horse’s neck a gentle pat, then kicked its flanks and galloped off.
「Now then… time for me to move too.」
I returned to the borrowed workshop and locked the door behind me.
「Three more hours, huh…」
Might as well scout deeper into the first fortress ahead of time.
I donned the full “Demon King” set and transferred.
「Yotto… 『——Flight』」
I rose into the sky and soared.
Below me, ruined villages and clusters of houses dotted the landscape, remnants of what must once have been lively settlements.
「Oh, there’s the castle.」
It was smaller than the one in the future, but the walls stood tall and imposing.
The castle town below was a tangled maze of streets.
「Should I soften it up in advance…? The castle town’s already so decayed, might be better to tear it down and rebuild anyway.」
Next stop: the castle itself.
「Right… 『Wide-Area Search & Appraisal』」
As expected, it displayed “Evil God”.
Level just over 1,000, surprisingly low.
「Where is it drawing power from…? The enemies themselves aren’t that strong, and they’re not even making their own kind fight each other…」
From above, I could see the larger monsters lounging lazily.
「Hmm… can’t tell from out here…」
As I watched, the Evil God’s magic power suddenly surged downward, toward the underground.
「Something underground…? Wait!?」
The moment I followed the flow below, the level spiked by about 100.
「Jackpot. There’s definitely something down there.」
――――Pipipipipi――pipipipipi.
「Time’s up. Gotta head back…」
I turned on my heel and flew back.
As I drew near, the siege had already begun.
「That old man… He really is commanding, huh. Just as expected.」
He barked furious, unreasonable orders.
Meanwhile, the larger monsters tore through the soldiers like paper.
「!? The Demon King!! The Demon King has appeared!!」
「Damn it! Damn it!! We’re already being pushed back, now this thing shows up and it’s over!!」
He savagely kicked one of his messengers to the ground.
What a disgusting sight…
(For now… 『Wide-Area Search』)
Amilia, on horseback, was carving straight through the enemy ranks like a crimson arrow.
(Alright… time to begin!)
I dove sharply and landed right in front of the old noble.
He collapsed on the spot, legs giving out beneath him.
「Hyaaaaah! H-Help me!!」
「……」
Silently, I drew the sword from my back.
「K-Kill him!! Whoever takes him down gets a reward!!」
The surrounding soldiers raised their weapons and began to close in cautiously.
「……!!」
「Uwaaaah!?」
「Gyaaah!?」
「Higuh!?」
I leaped forward, cutting down several soldiers, swords and all, in a single sweep.
「……」
「Hiii…!」
I raised my blade again to strike but right before it fell, a flash of deep crimson hair darted in front of me.
「Not so fast!!」
My sword clashed against another with a resounding clang.
There stood Amilia, fully armored, eyes blazing, blocking my path.
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