Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Ota and the others stared at Alyssa in silence.

As a queen and as a young girl, Ari shouted out the words she hadn't yet uttered to them.

"Brave warriors! Please save my country!"

It displays the grandeur of a "monarch".

At that moment—Hedin seemed to raise the corners of his mouth slightly and reveal a smile.

"Very good, let's get started."

Hedin then got back to the point, looking exactly the same as before; perhaps Alyssa had simply misjudged him.

However, as if following Alyssa's orders, he swiftly increased his movements and gave instructions.

"The first to engage were Hegny and Alfred, among others. The latter four remembered to split up."

The dark elf and the dwarf quadruplets who were called out all raised their heads.

At the command of the elven strategist, the preliminary battle began.

"Expel all Valsha forces that have invaded within a 5-kilometer radius of this town."

*

That night, a thin layer of clouds covered the crescent moon in the sky.

The desert, devoid of moonlight, was darker than usual, stirring up the most primal fears in all things. The outline of a stretch of black sand dunes resembled an endless mountain range, and monsters with eyes that gleamed like eerie will-o'-the-wisps darted among them.

Countless stars replaced the bright moon, looking down upon a ruin.

Stone pillars representing the civilization of that time and destroyed walls are scattered across the sea of ​​sand.

The half-collapsed ceiling barely provides shelter from the cold night wind, making it a suitable temporary haven for humans or monsters.

The ancient ruins are now constantly emitting mournful cries.

"Wa ...

Screams hidden in the darkness echoed under the desert night sky.

Blood splattered like clusters of red flowers. The blood gushing from the neck stained the walls of the ruins red. Countless footsteps echoed inside, but were followed by terrified screams that gradually faded away.

Valsha's army was thrown into complete chaos.

Having invaded the territory of the Commercial State (Islamic Domain), they were preparing to head to "Lyod City." The reason was that the advance force led by the warrior (Marsana) had suddenly lost contact, so they decided to go and check. To avoid suspicion, they chose to camp at this ruin, and just as they were preparing to rest—they were suddenly ambushed.

"Quickly, report the situation!! What happened—ugh!"

The captain was mercilessly beheaded. The soldiers, now even more disoriented, descended into utter chaos.

A shadow of an attacker danced across the wall.

Like a shadow play, many soldiers were killed, turning into a series of deaths.

After the magic stone lamps that provided illumination were kicked over, the ruins were plunged into complete darkness, but the slaughter did not stop.

"Ahhh!"

The desperate soldiers all saw the same thing before they died.

Those were simply dark elves spreading death.

"Ah, the night is so nice, perfect for a night raid."

He vanished into the darkness and wielded his sword to kill.

And so it keeps repeating.

This was a fairly easy job for Hegney, allowing him to escape the tension of his daily life.

"This way, you don't have to be afraid of other people's opinions, and you don't have to worry about how you look in other people's eyes."

Because darkness will conceal everything.

With that murmur, flashes of swords and blood danced in the air.

Before Valsha's soldiers could even understand what was happening, they were already dying one after another.

"Actually, I didn't really want to kill anyone, but you've committed far worse acts against innocent civilians, haven't you? Then you have no choice but to atone for your sins, and the best way to do that is to die here."

The only response was screams of agony.

But the dark elf swordsman paid no attention, muttering to himself along with the rhythm of his slashes.

"Otherwise, you'll end up like me, where even living in this world is a disgrace."

Those tender, bud-colored eyes held a variety of emotions, and they were slightly narrowed as if reluctant to part.

"I envy you who can die like this. Although I could also commit suicide, I haven't made peace with Hedin yet, and more importantly, I already have someone I love. I cannot die until I have devoted myself to that man to the very end."

The elf's monologue grew faster and faster.

Even as these words, which sound like a poet's lament about the world, were woven together, Black Sword's performance never stopped.

The moment the black cloak was flipped up, five more soldiers coughed up blood and died.

"So prepare to die. Our goddess is eagerly anticipating the future development of a certain girl. For the sake of that anticipation, you'd better obediently accept your fate. Even I'm starting to become curious about her. Sorry, I apologize, it's truly regrettable. But I heard..."

The heavens are not a dangerous place, so do not be afraid. Believe that you will be able to return to the lower realm (here) in the future.”

To the enemy soldiers, this sound was probably the most terrifying lullaby of death in the world.

In their eyes, the dark elf who stirred up the blood-red whirlwind was the "desert demon".

"Ah~ I feel like I've become the person I used to be. I hate war, I really don't want to kill anyone."

Until the screams stopped—

In this desert graveyard stained red and black with blood, the only person still standing is Hegni.

Countless skeletal hands reached towards the sky through the hole in the ruins' ceiling. The dark elf, completely untouched by blood, glanced indifferently at the scene before turning and disappearing back into the darkness to hunt down other enemy soldiers.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?"

The soldiers of Valshah screamed and scattered in all directions.

The quadruplets blended into the night, making a great show of fighting, accurately capturing each fleeing figure.

"As instructed by Hedin, let two groups of men pass through here."

The one who spoke was the eldest son, Alfred, who was leading the charge with a gun.

Because of the yellowish-brown helmet he was wearing, his expression was not clearly visible. Upon hearing this, the remaining three younger brothers spoke up one after another.

"Full of petty cleverness."

"That self-proclaimed strategist, that cunning little devil."

"That pathetic elf who thinks he can increase his intelligence index by simply pushing up his glasses, why doesn't he just die?"

"Hey, stop talking, or you'll make Hedin look too pitiful... He's at least much better than Allen."

Faced with his younger brothers' unrestrained remarks, the unfortunate eldest son inexplicably defended the elven magic swordsman.

Two units happened to be among those who were attacked by the four Jaliba brothers and desperately tried to escape.

Alfred looked at the Valshay army preparing to march south, and after a moment's thought, gave the order:

"Let's split up. Du Hualin and Beierlin, drive them to 'Leod City.' When you strike, remember to provoke them like wild beasts, forcing them to desperately try to devour the bait."

"This time it's not a monster, but a soldier's parade."

"It's harder to control the force than to kill them, because they're so fragile."

The two dwarfs, wielding a large hammer and a giant axe, vanished in a gust of wind.

The youngest son, wielding a greatsword, checked with his eldest son, who had remained with him.

"Alfred, is it really necessary to go through all this trouble anymore?"

"Yes, there's no need to let the enemy get past the defenses. You and I will split up and take charge of surveillance."

This is a desert area five kilometers away from "Leod City".

In this vast, unobstructed sea of ​​sand, the little people, who are born with excellent eyesight, have enhanced their five senses to an extraordinary level after multiple rank-ups, so that no matter how far away they are, they will never miss the figure of an enemy.

"Anyone who invades this place will be annihilated."

Allen was in an extremely bad mood at this moment.

"Varshah's soldiers are attacking again—!!"

"But against the incredibly powerful cat-men and boar-men, they were utterly slaughtered like ants—!!"

"Who exactly is this powerful figure who can command them?!"

The reason was that he was forced to "act" in front of the cheering crowd.

As if timed perfectly to arrive at the exact moment the people were waking up, the Valsha army swarmed toward Riod City. The people screamed in terror, as if their fear of the town's destruction had been evoked, and then, as if timed perfectly, Eren, Otto, and Ari made their dashing entrance.

"My mighty 'Kabir' warriors... no, my 'Batard' warriors! Protect the people from those beasts of Valsha!"

The citizens of Leode were plunged into despair as the nightmare recurred.

But a group of mysterious figures came to their rescue.

The local residents and many merchants would be very grateful to these brave warriors, and at the same time, they would feel grateful and respectful to the "king" who led them—this was Hedin's plan.

No one in Riod City had ever seen Allen and his companions secretly protecting the goddess (Freya). As for the prince (Aram), dressed in magnificent attire, no one would recognize her as the former female slave. Riding a camel and issuing commands, she exuded a regal air, enough to even deceive the slave traders.

Pretending to be Allen and his companions who happened to be passing by, they looked like righteous heroes who suddenly appeared in a superhero story to help eliminate evil.

"That's amazing! They defeated those Valsha soldiers so easily!"

"Just who are those esteemed individuals...?"

"Please, please save this city!"

After witnessing Allen and his companions fight with extraordinary strength in the ruined market, the residents began to offer their strong support.

Having endured the despair of the town's destruction, the people, as Hedin had predicted, were deeply grateful to them—incidentally, the initial, seemingly prepared words of support were actually spies sent by the Fazl Merchant Guild—

—How dare you ask me to participate in this "farce"? Go eat shit!

Allen's anger level is skyrocketing.

Therefore, it's no wonder that he was more brutal and ruthless than before when dealing with Valsha's soldiers.

"Stop! Allen! Don't kill indiscriminately!"

—Stop making so much noise, or I'll kill you.

Upon hearing the girl, who thought she was the master, shouting from behind, Allen's anger and murderous intent surged instantly.

"……snort!"

"Gahh ...

Upon closer inspection, Oo also subtly revealed a displeased expression, sending the enemy soldier flying into the air. The Valsha soldiers, who had been driven here by Duvalin and Bellin, were already covered in wounds before the battle even began.

"That's why I hate playing house."

As Allen muttered a complaint, he swept the crying Valsha soldier down with a single, powerful shot.

*

"I'm so tired, so exhausted..."

After successfully escaping the enthusiastic welcome from the crowd, Ari finally returned to the "Oasis Mansion".

They claimed that the mistress (Freya) readily agreed to let the desert warriors borrow the house.

"If you complain about being tired at this level, it will give me a real headache."

"I'm not referring to the physical aspect, but the mental one... Allen clearly harbors murderous intent towards me; there's no guarantee he won't come and smear my head tonight..."

"I will offer incense for you then."

Ari removed her magnificent armor and walked down the corridor, with Hedin following beside her.

Even when Alyssa glared at Hedin with a resentful look, he remained calm and unperturbed.

"After this morning's activity, you are now a hero here, and I believe many people will be willing to listen to your advice as their savior. This will make our plan easier to implement."

"This is completely staged...it's just a way to deceive the unsuspecting public..."

"Since no civilians were injured or killed, it's not a problem. It's like politics; you can't get by on ideals alone."