Kuro no Maou

「What happened Nero, you still bothered by that?」

Apparently I’m making a really displeased expression that even this sword fight loving idiot, Kai, can also see through my thoughts.

「Well yeah」

「Wasn’t Nell saying it was all a misunderstanding」

「Idiot, to her even a criminal is a virtuous person」

Nell is just too much kind, to a really bad extent; she is completely insensitive of others’ evil intentions.

However that is nothing to deprecate, as her brother I just have to protect her, it has always been like that, and I will see it to the end.

「You’re right in one sense」

Even this idiot understands Nell’s too-good-of-a-kind-person attitude.

「More than anything, I sensed something really unpleasant from that man」

「Eh, was he that gross?」

No, I’m not saying dat, if you exclude the scariness of his face, it is quite handsome.

The problem isn’t something like his outside appearance.

「At that time, he didn’t feel anything」

Even after embracing the peerless beauty like Nell, attacking Charl with tentacles, and more than anything, even while facing my bloodlust, there was no wavering in those black and red eyes of that man.

A man would show his vulgar lewd side upon laying hands on two beauties, but he didn’t had any of that, but rather an expressionless face as if saying he just saved Nell from falling down, and took legitimate self-defense measures against Charl.

When I showed my bloodlust, that bastard didn’t even seem to have his guard up knowing that I won’t come attacking him because Nell was standing in front of him.

More than the fact that he can use tentacles, it’s just that aura he gives out is truly eerie and disgusting.

「Hmm, so is he that strong?」

「He’s not weak that I know, maybe he could have power enough to fight against us at equals」

「Whoah, dats’ great!」

I’m not a battle maniac like Kai, so I’ve got no interest in stuff like that.

Though I’m not interested, but because it bothered me, so I searched into that man called Kurono.

「Hey Kai, do you know a Rank 3 Party named as『Element Master』?」

「Rank 3? I don’t have to waste my brains to remember the names of small fries」

You’re right, the ones who are at Rank 4 can only be the ones who can fight against him.

「Kurono is a adventurer in this party」

「KURONO?」

「It’s that man’s name, aren’t I saying that from before」

「Ah, yeah, Kurono, right, hmm, I see, so that’s his name」

He’s truly bad at remembering other peoples name, but I just said「maybe he could have power enough to fight against us at equals」、so no wonder he might have gotten interested in him, now he won’t forget his name.

「This『Element Master』was just a Rank 1 party the last month」

And now in just one month, they are Rank 3, meaning they have raised their ranks about 2 ranks.

「Seriously!, isn’t that a high-pace same as us!」

「You’re right, they obviously have ability above Rank 4, still those bastards are starting from Rank 1」

The story like “a rookie came out from countryside and has truly great potential and is increasing rank at a high-pace” is something that is, though rare, but truth, however there’s always some sort of circumstances attached to that person.

Most probably, his comrades, the fairy and witch might also be the same.

I don’t know what circumstances Kurono has got, but there no doubt that he’s got some secret up his sleeve, my intuitions like these are always right.

No, maybe he will do something in future......

「The whatever Berserker Wil has been so prideful recently, apparently is that Kurono」

When the school was getting heated up after we subjugated Wrath-Pun, only Wil had a unhappy face.

I had no interest in him, so neither I wanted to hear about the circumstances neither try to search it, but one day abruptly,

「You people were only able to kill that frightening Wrath-Pun because of that gallant work of Nightmare Berserker, you people have only killstealed from him, don’t forget this thing ever, Fuahahahaha!」

He had a smug look on his face, apparently that Kurono fought with Wrath-Pun and inflicted serious wounds to it.

At that time I didn’t thought much while I saw him getting kicked by Charl, but now I understand that, Kurono might have the power to cut a whole single arm of that Wrath-Pun.

「Well I don’t know how strong he is, but there is no doubt that he is an disgusting guy」

「You’re right, I want to fight him once」

Ah shit, that Kurono is surely going to be challenged by this idiot in near future.

Well it’s fine, at that time this Kai needs to beat the hell out of him, that way even I will be satisfied

「Even so, that Charl, she called us out and now is stumping herself——」

「Sorry for the wait, I found a new quest!」

Speak of the devil, the main person who called out every party member today, Charl, appeared finally.

Nell was behind her; most probably she accompanied Charl to guild for searching a new quest.

Like that, we 4 are meeting in our usual meet-up place, but Safi is still secluded in the lab for trying to make a new servant using the materials of Wrath-Pun.

「So, what did you found out?」

While looking at Charl in good mood, I got depressed that it’s again going to be some sort of bothersome quest, still I asked her.

「This was the best for us, so I took it with a prompt decision!」

「So no discussions eh」

「Umm, sorry Onii-sama, even I want to take on this quest no matter what」

「Oho, so rare things do happen」

Kai and I have the same opinion.

I can somewhat guess a vague reason for Nell to be so motivated, but I still asked for the explanation.

「Have you heard about the talks of bandits disturbing areas near Fauren?」

It’s not been much since the publicly fights between each countries have stopped, but even this somewhat peaceful age, the bandits or robbers have not been exterminated.

Bastards like that run wild here and there, something like this occurs once or twice at intervals in any country, just think of it as the appearance of monsters.

But, I’ve not heard any special info about bandits of Spada’s neighboring country, Fauren.

「I haven’t heard about bandits who are famous」

「Yeah, even these guys from Fauren aren’t big enough to make a big name for them」

The bandits is a group of conspirators, if they make an organization of that sort of people then it’s natural to get a name for themselves, let it be by others or self-proclaimed one.

But the more their name is famous equates to the same amount of destruction they have caused.

Even if they call themselves with an exaggerated group name, but it won’t rise up to become rumors if they are killed fast.

Of course, if they have mind to think they would know if they make a name for themselves then they would be attacked by other countries, adventurers and even bounty hunters, and so if they don’t plunder on large-scale there is no need for them to name themselves.

In short, the『Bandits of Fauren』Charl is saying are a group which hasn’t named itself, neither has done works enough to get a name from others.

「But, just recently some girl of a noble from Fauren was abducted by these bandits, and with that as the trigger the rumors are growing」

「But, if that has happened, then the Chivalric Order won’t be quiet, right?」

Fauren is one of the city-states present near the centre of continent, though it doesn’t has mighty military force like Spada or Avalon, but as a good city-state it has good public order and can be said to be a stable country.

Its specialty can be said to be that they have peculiar and original magic and pharmaceutics knowledge thanks to the various Dark Elves who have flowed there from Western direction.

「They can’t do the work, hence it’s our chance」

「Well, you’re right......so is it like those bandits are doing work by illegally crossing the country border?」

「Yeah truly」

Well, that was the only reason I can think of if the Chivalric Order cannot lay hands on them, and I’ve never heard Fauren having civil fights.

There’s no way they are too strong that even Chivalric Order can’t fight, if that was the case, wars would’ve already started.

「These bandits plunder stuff from Fauren, but apparently they are within Spada」

A stereotypical example of running away from Chivalric Order.

No matter how powerful a Chivalric Order is, it would still create troubles by entering the lands of other country, in the first place it’s more common for them to be refused entry.

No matter what they do in their own country, but if bandits run off to some other country then they can’t do a shit about it.

Like that, they get their hands off by asking the adventurers, who have got no problems in crossing national borders at all, and so they send the subjugation quests in Guilds, well that’s the process.

Of course, there might be some slow-headed bandits who only work in their own country, and the final outcome is their annihilation.

「So we got dumped on the job to destroy their hideout, eh. So, the reason Nell is getting to desperate for bandit subjugation must be that some acquaintance of your was attacked, right?」

「Onii-sama is sharp as usual......it’s not like they are some direct acquaintance of mine, but some students from Knight Course were attacked by this Bandit group」

Two parties of certain Knight Course students challenged at quest, this is quite a common occurrence as based on Knight Course’s real fight curriculum.

On the way back that party got attacked by these bandits and was exterminated, one of the survivors who somehow made it back, explained the details, or something like that.

「It was bad luck that the other party was of girls」

If it was just boys, then they would be killed on the stop, the end.

But, the same doesn’t go with girls, the possibility of their survival is high.

Of course, though alive they would have been subjected to stuff that would make them wish for death.

「As a student from same Academy, I just can’t leave those girls alone like that!」

「It’s natural to be prepared for that if they are Knights, but now that we known about this, there’s no way we won’t save them」

Nell and Charl seem quite serious, if I said NO as the answer, there’s no doubt that these two would go on the quest with each other.

But, it’s not like I have some reason to refuse.

「You’re right, now that they have laid hands on our Academy’s students, we can’t just be quiet about it」

「Oorah, we will just cut them bandits down easily!」

Well then, the first quest of『Wing Road』after reaching Rank 5 is bandit subjugation, but

「By the way Charl, though I haven’t heard rumors about the bandits of Fauren, but I do have heard rumors about some seriously influential Slave Traders in Spada」

「Eh?」

「Maybe this case has some sort of backside to it」