Forgive? Nope. Mercy? None.
"Where are you going now, miss."
Guildmast spoke to a hooded woman who was briskly walking into an alleyway.
She was glaring hard at the woman despite her carefree tone.
...I probably have the same expression.
"W-who are you people. We'll get eaten by that monster if we don't hurry up and leave."
"That's right. We might get eaten if we don't leave, so why did you shoot fireball at him earlier?"
Guildmast reproved the lady with half-open eyes.
The woman were wide eyed for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
"...What is this about? You must have got the wrong person. If we don't hurry up and-"
"Quit playing dumb or you're dead."
She pointed her wand with a freezing cold voice.
I can tell she's not bluffing.
"P-please stop! Just what have I done to you two! Please, I beg of you!"
The woman shouted tearfully.
From the sideline, it must look like the guildmast is randomly threatening a woman...
"Is that your last word? Demon, Fulbatam-san."
The woman's crying face turned into a wicked smile once guildmast said that.
"...My, where did you hear my name from I wonder?"
"Are you familiar with Spirit Magic? You'd better not make light of information network shared by Spirits. I know full well how you've been making attempts to obstruct the resealing effort alongside that male demon, Ranauguru."
"Spirit Magic, is it. Only a few rare magic beasts and elven mages should be able to deploy them, no wonder you can use it."
...Hikaru made the Spirits, employed by that magic beast we found in a dungeon, enter a contract with me, so that thing was rare.
I think mom can use Spirit Magic too, but it's not really her forte or something.
"Ordinarily, I should have gone straight to elimination against a demon, but you're a precious sample and all, see? It wouldn't be a bad idea to capture you alive here, surrender and I'll let you keep your life, how about it?"
"My my, everything about you is small, but I suppose that doesn't extend to what's inside your head, it must be empty."
"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"
"There's no way you can capture me, you damn brat... Oh wait, seeing as you're an elf, maybe I should call you a hag, I mean, grandma instead."
"Yup yup, I'm actually pretty long in the tooth despite my looks. That despite how smooth my skin is. By the way, I see wrinkles around your eyes even though you're decades younger than me. Anyone ever told you you got an old-lady face?"
It's not weird for them to be in bad terms being mutual enemies and all, but there seems to be a bad blood brewing between them in an entirely different direction.
I don't want to stay here...
"...Go die, old hag."
"No you, aunty."
They shot magic while verbally abusing each other.
The demon shot an ice ball while guildmast a flame spear, offsetting one another.
The demon dashed toward guildmast behind the water vapor.
She has a dagger in her hand. Thrusting right at guildmast's chest.
"! 『Sylph』!"
Right after guildmast shouted that, a gale suddenly blew ahead of her stopping the demon.
I think that's a Spirit Magic spell too.
"...Using both dagger and magic, are you. Must be Skill-enchanted equipment."
"Haa? Who needs that. Of course I can wield both magic and weapons just fine. Unlike your incompetent kind who have to pick either!"
She threw a dagger at the guildmast and shot icicle spears spread out forward with her left hand, erasing guildmast's path of retreat.
"『Gnome』!"
Guildmast cast magic at the ground, raising a thick wall of rock.
Looks like that's intended to block both the dagger and icicles, but obstructing your view like that is a risky move.
The demon rushed at guildmast from the flank with a dagger in her hand.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"That again? How artless."
"...Watch your head, grandma."
"!?"
A huge icicle flew over the rock wall, flying straight at guildmast.
The demon must have shot that the moment that wall blocked guildmast's view.
"Kuh!? ...Huh?"
"!?"
"...Too close for comfort."
Right before guildmast was stabbed by both the icicle and the dagger, I rescued her with energy control-powered Quick Step... This person is really light.
Both guildmast and the demon looked bewildered, unable to process what just happened.
"...Oh right, there was another one of you. You have such a thin presence it slipped my mind, little miss. Was that [Ground Shrink]. You're pretty skilled."
"Sorry, I owe you one, Alma-chan."
"...Could it be that you're not used to fighting?"
"Yup, I'm mainly in charge of information gathering with Spirit Magic so while I'm not completely hopeless in combat, I don't get a lot of opportunity to practice."
"Then why did you provoke her and got yourself in combat...?"
"Uh, well it just happened. That aunty just pushed the wrong button."
...Please stop endangering yourself just because.
As I was astonished inwardly, the female demon smiled devilishly.
"You must be quite an adept if you can use Ground Shrink unlike that hag. Allow me to show you my true form."
Her skin gradually turned blue and the whites in her eyes turned black, revealing her true figure as a demon.
Her stats have probably gone up a lot too.
"Now then, come missy. That is if you have the courage."
"...Alma-chan, you should think that as an entirely different opponent. She's clearly gotten much stronger."
"Yes, it's obvious... But what of it."
Yep, what of it.
"I was never going to forgive her for hurting Hikaru."
"!? Eh, fast."
I closed in on the distance between us using powered up Storm Sword and Quick Step and slashed at the demon.
The sensation of cutting flesh was transmitted from my sword.
"Aguiiaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!?"
The sliced demon shouted as her face warped in pain.
"Y,you, brat...!?"
I kept slashing without pausing.
Slashing at this demon who hurt Hikaru, with Magic Sword, Hikaru taught me, slash, slash, slash!
Slice Slash Dice
"Uaaaaaaa!!"
"!"
Under the barrage of slashes, the demon let out a shriek and cast an explosion of cold air centered around her.
However, I dodged that with Quick Step no problem.
"Fu, fufufu, I see, someone's, strong."
The demon smiled despite all the blood she shed.
Does she still have a plan?
"But, I am the victor here."
Right after, dozens, no, hundreds of icicles got generated all around the demon.
Dodging this would be difficult.
Maybe High Jumping above, no, that'd make me an ideal target instead.
Can guildmast's Spirit Magic block this? ...Probably not, its firepower seems way above the magic she cast previously.
Hm, Spirit Magic?
"Get turned into a minced meat and dieee! You brat!!"
The barrage of icicles assaulted me and guildmast.
If we can't escape above or sideways, then.
ZUGAGAGAGAGA!!
Buildings the icicles crashed into broke into pieces like they were biscuits.
We would have turned into minced meat if we took that alright.
Nothing like that remained on where we were however.
"...Wha? Where, have they!? ....Kyaaaa!!?"
The ground the demon was on suddenly disappeared.
It's the usual pitfall I created with Spirit Magic. It may be one pattern, but it's highly effective.
This move stops the enemy while providing an escape path ordinarily unthinkable for allies, it's very handy.
"...Huh? Aren't you better than me at Spirit Magic? Wait, are Little Gnomes even capable of this?"
<We are, just give us lots and lots of mana. Can't do that with just Skill tho'.>
<But it's suuuper tiring, don't make us do this often!〉
<It's a breach of Labor Act!>
"...Problem?"
<<<Ma'am, no, ma'am!>>>
"...What are you, an army? She's got you guys on the leash."
Guildmast smiled wryly as she muttered. I wonder if I made that face too whenever Hikaru did something crazy.
I don't know what to feel since I'm halfway there myself... I'm still not as bad as Hikaru though. I think.
"You! Get me out of here!"
"...Good bye."
"Eh, wait, what is that, noooooooooo!!?"
I unleashed a fireball created from compressed mana inside the pitfall.
Its size isn't that different from an ordinary fireball, but its power is on another level.
After all, I've put around 30% of my mana into it, tremendously raising its destructiveness.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A pillar of flame rose into the sky from inside the pitfall. That's no fireball no matter how you look a it.
I think I put a bit too much mana. Half would have been enough.
"U-uwaaa.... Wasn't that a bit overboard...?"
"Might be. I wanted a surefire kill."
"I don't think there's even a bone left in there... Alma-chan, are you maybe, really mad?"
"Un. No mercy to those who hurt Hikaru."
"...Scary. She's gonna kept him on a tight leash..."
That went easier than I thought.
...Perhaps this demon was just an underling, and there's still other demons lurking nearby.
I asked guildmast to look for anyone acting suspiciously around with Spirit Magic.
I wonder how are Hikaru and Reina doing.
Please, don't overdo it and stay safe.