A Devil?

"Goddamn it! Who the hell are you!?"

"J-just a passing adventurer."

I only entered the forest to retrieve a child's toy, but I never expected that I would get into this trouble. Brother Greo might be searching for me now, so I just need to protect the girl behind me and hold out until they arrive. I'm also concerned about that ominous bird flying above us.

So, this is where the vice mayor ran off. This unconscious elf girl must be Mist.

"Don't screw with me!"

The man in front of me thrust his golden spear at me at an astonishing speed. He enhanced his body's strength and speed and imbued his golden spear with fire magic. Its force would be enough to easily penetrate an Iron Golem that attacked the Central Plaza.

Normally, my barrier would break with this kind of attack, but because of master's training, I was able to strengthen both my physical and magic barrier. Master's bombardment of tier four magic…

I don't even wanna remember it…

Before the spear could reach me, it stopped with a resounding KLANG!

"Tsk! What an annoying barrier!" Virtuo complained as he stepped back. "Magic, physical, and even a combination of both doesn't even faze it. This is going nowhere!"

I do have some spells for offense, but I feel like I would get sliced in half the moment I remove my barrier. If only I could attack while my barrier is activated.

Ugh…! It seems like I will need master's guidance again.

While I was thinking of the nightmare I would enter once again, two girls appeared from behind a tree. One of them is an elf girl with long blonde hair, and the other is a human girl with long black hair. Both of them are wearing ragged dresses.

Don't tell me—!

"Huh? Who are you people!?"

Eh?

"I'm sorry to bother you, but we would like to ask where's…. Is that…?" Before the girl with black hair finished her question, she glanced towards my direction, to be precise, at Mist.

"Hmm? Miss Mist…? I see. Raela," said the blond girl as she briefly looked at me and vice mayor Virtuo.

As the girl called Raela nodded, a thick fog suddenly appeared. She then cast— "Ice Sword"—soon after, she dashed at vice mayor Virtuo, swinging her sword horizontally.

"What the hell are you doing!?" he yelled.

Vice Mayor Virtuo blocked Raela's sword. He then took a step back and immediately thrust his spear. Raela easily parried the spear by swinging her sword upward. With her hands still in the air, she cast— "Icicle Lance." Numerous numbers of long, sharp ice shards flew in vice mayor Virtuo's direction.

"For fu—! Fire Wall!" Vice mayor Virtuo cast a fire wall, trying to block Raela's ice. But to his surprise, his wall of fire didn't melt the ice and continued to make its way towards him.

The land where the Fire Wall was had melted, and yet her ice…

Although surprised, vice mayor Virtuo was still able to parry the onslaught of the Icicle Lances. Smoothly slicing the ice with his spear and twisting his body to evade those that he wasn't able to cut. Vice Mayor Virtuo has great spearmanship.

As expected of the hero's bloodline.

As vice mayor Virtuo and Raela continued on exchanging blows, the blonde elf girl approached us.

"Let us escape while he's busy. Please carry Miss Mist."

"Eh? Is it alright to just leave your companion here?"

"It is quite alright. Let us leave while it's still active."

"While it's still active"? It seems like they have a plan. I'll just have to trust them here for now.

"I understand."

After carrying Miss Mist on my back, we ran following the path that leads to the village.

That bird is still following us.

While we were running, I asked her a question.

"By the way, um…"

"Klare."

"Miss Klare. Is Miss Mist someone you know?"

"Yes. We were former classmates back at Royal Magic Academy. A year after we graduated, Miss Mist went missing. We helped her family to search for her, but after five years, everyone except her mother gave up. I would never have thought that I'd encounter her here."

"I see… That's quite…"

Hm? Royal Magic Academy? Klare… Raela… I feel like I've already seen them somewhere before…

Let's think about it later.

At the distance, I saw three figures running in our direction.

"That's—! Brother Greo!"

"Jiuru!"

*****

"Jiuru, are you hurt?" asked brother Greo.

"Ah, I'm fine. But Miss Mist is badly hurt."

"Greo, blanket. I'll treat her. Lay her down, Jiuru," urged Miss Aelee.

After I laid down Miss Mist on the blanket, Miss Aelee immediately started healing her wounds caused by Vice Mayor Virtuo's spear and foot. I explained to them how I found vice mayor Virtuo physically and verbally abusing her in the forest while I was looking for the child's toy.

"Hmph. What a distasteful hobby," master spat. "So, who are the other two behind you?"

"Two?" I asked.

When I looked back, the view beside Miss Klare became obscured, and a voice echoed. "As expected of an Arch Mage," the view slowly became comprehensible, and Raela appeared.

"What!? Weren't you fighting vice mayor Virtuo earlier?"

Klare then explained what happened. "The one the man was fighting earlier was just an illusion but with a physical property. When the thick fog appeared, Raela made a humanoid ice that could move on its own. After that, I quickly placed a spell on the humanoid ice that Raela made and Raela herself. [Mirage]. It's a spell that creates an illusion. That's about it."

"Then what about the spell the humanoid ice cast?" I asked.

"That was mine. I just timed it with the humanoid ice's movement. It does have a small amount of mana to use magic on its own but, it wouldn't be as powerful as the one I did. The humanoid ice will eventually lose as its power will gradually diminish," Raela explained.

"Hoo. So, you're both an advanced class of Mage. You're a Hydral, and the elf girl is a Combuster?" asked master.

"Yes."

"In any case," said Miss Klare. "We should move now. It seems like Miss Mist isn't suffering as much as she did earlier."

"Yes… I was able to restore her physical condition, but I cannot do anything about her mental condition," Miss Aelee said, heartbroken.

"Aelee…"

"Mage boy, you did find an inn before you went in here, right?"

"Ah, yes. But I only reserved two rooms with two beds for us."

"That's fine. Take the girl that the light girl healed and the other two to the village. Me, the light girl, and the summoner boy will take care of the devil."

"Devil?" asked brother Greo, confused.

"Well, you'll see later. Let's go."

*****

"Goddammit it! The nerve to use cheap tricks like this!" I yelled as I stabbed the humanoid ice in front of me. After I removed my spear from its body, it crumbled and faded away.

This is annoying. Not only they took my toy, but they also let my meal escape!

This will not stand!

Hm? Three… people?

No. Only one of them is a human.

Kehehe…! Good timing. Let's greet them and give them a very warm welcome.

*****

We parted ways with Jiuru and the rest and went deep into the forest.

"Mm?"

"What is it, Zelentriya?"

"Looks like he's come to greet us himself."

A man who looked like he was in his late twenties appeared from behind a large tree. His slicked-back silver hair and golden spear on his right hand seem to be both shining. This must be vice mayor Virtuo.

"My, my, my! I, Virtuo von Puerte, thank you for coming all the way here to meet me," he greeted with an exaggerated bow.

"Aw what? It wasn't from you, but from that spear. What a disappointment," Zelentriya sighed, hanging her head low.

"Ha!? What are you talking about!?"

He looks pissed off.

"I think you somehow pissed him off."

"Not that I care. Alright, summoner boy. Fight him."

"No, no, no. I don't mind being in front, but I'll need help. He's the vice mayor, know?"

"What of it?" Zelentriya asked, obviously oblivious.

"Zel, in the human realm, on top of having political power, those who aim to be leaders of a town, village, or country have to be at least rank Diamond-I and level thirty or above. In the past, before the appearance of the "Terrestrial Virus," it's the same rank but level one hundred. That is to prove that they have the power to protect the people they will govern," Aelee explained.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's why—"

"Then there's no problem. Trust me. Go," Zelentriya insisted.

I sighed. "Alright, alright…"

I slowly walked and unsheathed the daggers from my waist. I held the dagger on my right hand normally while I held the dagger on my left hand in reverse grip with the edge outside.

"Done with your little chat?" Virtuo asked, with his spear on his shoulder.

"So kind of you to wait."

"Not really. That's your last chat with them, after all. After I kill you, I will kill them next and devour each and every one of you. Oh, maybe I will have fun with their bodies first. Kehehe…" As he said those repulsive words, he maliciously licked his lips.

Hmm…

The bloodlust he emits is so powerful. If I let my guard down even for a second, I'll be swallowed. Literally.

I tighten my grip on my daggers and—

A loud clashing of metals echoed, disturbing the nearby birds.

Using his right hand, Virtuo blocked my incoming downward slash with his spear above his head.

"Kehehe… You seem angry."

"Do I?"

Seeing that his neck is wide open, I took the chance and swung my left dagger. As my dagger was approaching, he pushed my right dagger upwards. He then bent backwards, evading my attack while successfully landing a kick on my chin that sent me back for a few meters.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

"A little bit," I said, rubbing my chin.

"Now then, I should quickly settle this. I'm getting quite famished, you see."

He patted his stomach and quickly got into stance. He put his left foot forward and bent his knees, pointing his gold spear's tip in my direction. At the tip of Virtuo's spear, a large amount of mana is gathering.

He is covering his entire body with both anti-physical and anti-magic barriers…

"I'd like to devour you whole, but I guess a little hole is also fine."

"…"

"Very good, very good. Accepting one's inevitable fate is admirable."

Virtuo continued charging mana on his spear.

"Greo!" screamed Aelee.

I looked back and gave her a smile. "I'll be fine."

"Enchanted Double Barrier."

"Zel?"

"Just in case."

"Tsk. Still stuck at seventy percent, huh. Whatever. Brace yourself!" Virtuo tightened his grip on his spear and lowered his knees furthermore. "Golden Dragon Flash!"

"Synchro Summon Magic…"

"!?"

*****

In the blink of an eye, Virtuo's figure disappeared, leaving only a streak of golden lighting behind.

The ground trembled, the trees fell down, and a small crater was made.

The golden streak of lighting was met with a dark and ominous wind, and a loud explosion occurred, blowing up a small portion of the forest.

The two girls nearby who were unaffected by the explosion hurriedly approached the crater.

There, behind the dust and smoke, they spotted a silhouette of a man standing, holding two daggers, panting heavily, his body emitting a dark and sinister aura. Behind him is a body that has its head disconnected from its shoulders, lying on the ground.

"Greo…"

"Look behind him."

The body lying on the ground started to dissipate, leaving a large magic stone behind. At the same time, Greo collapsed.