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54. Encounter (2)

「M-My right arm agaaaaaaaaaaaaaain?!!」

「Stop crying! Don’t make a fuss just because you lost an arm or two!」

Blood gushed out from Guran’s right arm. Rinono glared at the knight while tying Guran’s upper arm with the band that tied her hair.

「Sir Knight, it’s very nice of you to clean up the trash, but don’t you think it’s a bit disrespectful to not even give a greeting?」

「We and demi-humans are different creatures. Demi-humans have no hesitation in killing humans, and all of their behavioral principles are harmful to humans. History has proven this, and therefore the law also separates humans and demi-humans.」

「…Huh?」

An answer that was not an answer. Shaking off the blood from the drawn sword, the knight continued speaking as if his anger was seeping out.

「Despite this, there are people who treat demi-humans as humans. They cannot distinguish between humans and non-humans. They may not even be able to tell the difference between humans and monsters. They are as ignorant and foolish as infants. I absolutely cannot understand such people, but even so they must be saved.」

「W-What are you talking about? We can’t tell the difference between humans and monsters? Because we treat demi-humans like humans? You’re not making sense!」

Without responding to the flustered Rinono, the man signaled with his hand. The knights behind him all drew their swords out as well.

「We are the Thirty-Six Horsemen. We will “normalize” this place so that you will not open your heart to something that is not human and bring about a great tragedy…」

「Run!! These guys are bad news!!」

With Rinono’s scream as a signal, the residents started running away. They scattered in every direction, but… they are only human after all. The speed difference between them and a mounted knight was indescribable.

Naturally, the first to be caught were those who were already injured.

「Eeek! W-Why does this keep happening to me?」

「…I know right! But if I abandon this scum and run away, I won’t be able to get a good sleep!」

Rinono lent her shoulder to Guran, but there was no way they could escape that fast. The man at the front, the one who appeared to be the captain, slowly approached them from behind.

「Next time, I pray that at least you will be born with a mind that can distinguish between humans and non-humans.」

The man raised his straight sword. It reflected the sunlight and emitted a white glow as it swung straight down…

「Ha!?」

It was flicked away by something and crashed into the wall of a nearby house.

「――[Garou]!」

[Mana activity: 81,937]

A golden claw parried the white blade. Shizuku intervened by reaching maximum speed without accelerating. She was out of breath, but she was still staring down the knight.

「Shizuku-chan!?」

「Oh, Shizuku! Did you come to save me?」

Guran instinctively ran up to Shizuku, but she kicked him in the face and sent him flying into a nearby liquor store.

「gefu!!」

「If you’re hurt and can’t run away, at least stay put and don’t get in the way.」

「Shizuku-chan, I appreciate you helping us, but please run! These guys are the Knight’s Order!」

「They’re the ones who are here to kill demi-humans, right? I’ve heard a lot about them from Bellman. And it seemed like they were trying to kill all the residents too. Are they unable to differentiate humans as well?」

「If you already know, then why are you here?」

「I guess it’s for the person we crowned king.」

Shizuku confronted the knight while protecting Rinono who was behind her. The knight changed his weapon to a short spear he had on his horse and pointed the tip straight at Shizuku.

「So there was a demi-human in this town after all. It’s a little disappointing that there’s only one, though…」

「Then rejoice. I’m not alone.」

As if surrounding the knight, armed werewolves appeared from the shadow of the houses. Seventeen warriors caught up to Shizuku, who arrived ahead of them.

「I can’t believe there was a town so polluted. We need to normalize. We need to normalize these pitiable people who treat demi-humans as humans.」

「Try it. We’re tired of humans like you.」

[Mana activity: 367,895]

This number was something that no one other than Shizuku herself who holds the claws knows about.

The golden mana surrounding Shizuku was reaching a level of activity that it could not have reached a few months ago.

◆◆◆

「…The initial response has been curbed.」

The world around me was clearly depicted behind my closed eyelids. Angelina’s encounter with the lord’s army and Shizuku’s encounter with the knight’s order was reflected in my mind.

While enduring the large amount of information pouring in, I nodded slightly as I grasped the whole thing.

「I thought it was just a rumor that the Knight’s Order killed humans who give demi-humans even a piece of bread, but…it doesn’t seem like it’s a lie.」

The worst possible scenario is the total extinction of werewolves. It’s not just death in battle. Since there is no place for them outside of the village, having the village overrun is the same as annihilation.

If that’s the case, should we confine ourselves to the village? No, I can think of the second worst situation.

Since demi-humans were involved, it was expected that the Knight’s Order would appear. The possibility that they would burn down Kinui before the village could not be ignored. Above all, it turned out to be true.

Normally, I should have headed to Kinui.

However, Shizuku and Koe-san stopped me.

「There’s bound to be a battle that only you can take care of, Marge. Please let us take care of this.」

「Asagi-sama and I will take care of the command post. Please move as you wish, master.」

Those two took responsibility for Kinui and the village. Angelina was also holding back the lord’s army until the matter at Kinui was settled.

「Accepting the concerns of his retainers is also a king’s job, huh…」

I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile, thinking it was just my luck that I had caught his presence.

The village was still in the midst of a crisis, and even the smallest thing would turn into a tragedy. In order to escape from that, I need to overcome the one thing which is currently in this meadow.

「How were we discovered? All I want to do is sit back and think about it, but…」

As I opened my eyes and turned my gaze, I saw a flash of something that I couldn’t yet see with the naked eye.

「I will review how we were discovered later.」

As soon as I finished talking to myself, a shock ran beside me.

My ears went numb with the sound of hard objects colliding with each other. The ”something” which came for me at super speed, was blocked by two golems protecting me, and rolled onto the grassland.

It was not an arrow or a cannonball, but a human with a silver sword in his hand. As the grass swayed in the wind, the man slowly stood up.

「I found you, Maargeeeeeeeeee!!!」