「Before that, show me your face, Kuroki! ! 」


  I removed the Dark Knight helmet.

  When she’s looked at my face she basically glared at me.

  「Good…… I understand. Now you won’t be able to run away, Kuroki.」


  After saying so, Shirone demolished the castle wall as she unfeld her wings, and flew outside the castle.

  I invoked my own flight magic and chased after her.

  After we left the confectionary castle, it started to move. It seemed Kuna already gave her order to the Myulmidons.

  You’re a good girl, Kuna.

  I stood facing Shirone in the middle of air.

  「THIS IDIOOOOOT! ! 」


  She suddenly threw a tanthrum at me.

  「BU BEH! ? 」


  For some reason I couldn’t dodge her fist which resulted in me receiving it from the front.

  「W—- WHat are you doing……」


  I questioned as I pinned my nose……

  「YOUIDIOTIDIOTIDIOT! ! KUROKIYOUIDIO―――OOT! ! 」


  But she didn’t stop throwing her tanthrum.

  「Shirone…… WA…… OI STOP IT!」


  I said so and stopped her hand from hitting me.

  「Just how much do you think I was worried for you? ! ! 」


  She looked at me with an angry expression on her face.

  「Eh…… You were worrying about me? 」


  「That’s obvious! ! What in the word were you thinking about? ! 」


  「I mean, I thought that I was the only one always worrying about you……」


  Yes, the one who was always worrying about her was me. The opposite never happened before. Shirone was prone to plunging herself into unknown and dangerous situations thanks to her strong sense of justice. She usually fought against people way bigger than her.

  I couldn’t help but feel anxious about the possibility that she might encounter a dangerous situation someday.

  「Why, why were you worrying about me? ! 」


  She asked, still in an angry voice.

  「I mean…… You’re always thoughtlessly poking your nose into dangerous situations…… You might do so to save others but, it’s me who always worried about your safety whenever you did that kind of dangerous stunt……」


  Shirone made a dumbfounded face in hearing me saying those words.

  「Eh? Really? You were worrying about me? 」


  I nodded.

  「I told you so many times before to stop doing such dangerous things…… alas……」


  Nevertheless, she always ignored my words……

  「Come to think of it, you did say that to me. Uhm, but it’s okay. Reiji-kun will save me even if I fall in a dangerous situation. You don’t need to worry about me.」


  Placing her hands on her waist, Shirone replied as if it was the most natural matter in the world.

  What the hell was this girl talking about.

  Reiji is undoubtedly powerful. And for some reason he’s always running to save a damsel in distress. Meanwhile Shirone is a beauty, even in my opinion as her childhood friend. He might really save her if things turned dangerous.

  And he might be able to do something in the matter of the Rox kingdom even without my intervention.

  That’s why there was really no need for me to worry about Shirone.

  But……

  「If that was the case, then you can forget about worrying about my situation…… You can feel at ease.」


  In the first place, what in the world was she worrying about? Modes is a nice guy and I had a companion called Kuna. So there was no need for her to worry about me.

  「What the heck is that! ! Like hell I’m not worrying about you when you’re standing on the Demon King’s side ! ! 」


  Shirone shouted those words at me.

  Yeah, that may be true in normal circumstances but…… How should I explain this matter so that she could understand.

  「Come with me to Reiji-kun’s side, Kuroki! ! You must not stay in Nargol! ! 」


  I shook my head, denying Shirone’s outstretched hand.

  「I…… Can’t go with you. My place is in Nargol.」


  I made a promise with Kuna that I’ll return to her side. I had to go back.

  In the first place, there was no way Reiji was going to accept me. It only took a glance to realize that despite taking in woman, Reiji never willingly accepted any man. Shirone wasn’t noticing that fact because she was a woman.

  Moreover, I was also unwilling to go to their side, so I won’t.

  「WHY? ! IS IT BECAUSE OF THAT GIRL CALLED KUNA?! ! 」


  「.…… Yes」


  As soon as I said that, Shirone started trembling furiously.

  「ISeENoW! ! SO It REaLlY wAS As CHIyUKI-SaN PreDIcTEd! ! YOU ArE A ClOSeD PeRVErt sO TheRe’S No WaY You CaN ReFuSe ThE WiSh oF SuCh a CuTE GirL! ! WHy DiD YoU TaKe ThE SiDe of ThAt SiLvEr WitCH And tHe DeMOn KinG Who CAuSed sO MaNY PeOPle To SUFFEr? ! 」


  Shirone screamed at me with such a scary tone. [TL : Yandere Mode]

  「Modes isn’t a bad guy you now……」


  Shirone was misunderstand that fact. That was why I couldn’t let this misunderstanding persist.

  「Like hell I’m going to believe that! ! As I thought, Kuroki became strange, strange, STRANGE! ! 」


  But my attempt failed immediately.

  Should I tell her again?

  She basically wasn’t even listening to me. For some reason, it was as if she didn’t want to believe me from the very beginning.

  Yup, it might be because of my lacking virtues.

  Someone told me before, that what she did to me might have been due to my lack of self esteem. That was why there was this side of me who still thought that I was in the wrong.

  The bad side must be fixed, but the problem was I couldn’t tell which one that was. That was why I always ended up getting the end of the stick.

  「Now draw your sword, Kuroki! ! I’LL Crack open those eyes of yours! ! 」


  Saying so, Shirone drew her sword.

  Heaving a sigh I thought to myself that it really developed into this kind of situation that I predicted in the end.

  「My bad Shirone but…… You can’t defeat me.」


  Wearing my helmet, I drew my sword. Now then, there was nothing left to talk about.

  「Here I come, Kuroki! ! Aerial battle is my forte! ! Prepare yourself for one or two broken bones! ! 」


  Shirone raised higher and higher at a breakneck speed and then moved as if to suround my position.

  I set up my sword to receive her attack.

  Shirone came from behind as she swung her sword towards me. I turned around and parried her slashing attack.

  Withdrawing at a high speed, she then came at me again. And once again, I dodged her attack by a paper thin margin.

  Thus, she kept repeating the series of hit and run attacks at high speed and I somehow dodged all of them.

  It was really hard to deal with Shirone’s attacks suspended in midair where there were no obstacles. Yup, she did say that aerial battles were her forte. But this battle is mine…… Maybe.

  「Black Hole! ! 」


  I used my magic to create 2 black holes.

  「WAAAH! ! 」


  The trajectory of Shirone’s movements was changed when she was caught by the gravitational pull of the black holes.

  I guided her attacks to the place I wanted her to attack by narrowing her possible attack range with the black holes,making it easier for me to deal with her attacks.

  She still charged at me again regardless.

  Turning my body, I swung my sword towards her.

  GAKIN! ! Such dry sounds resounded when my sword clashed against hers.

  「KYAAAAAAAAAAA! ! 」


  Unable to bear the brunt of my attack, Shirone was blown back.

  「Glorious! ! 」


  I then called Glorious.

  Thereupon, the giant dragon came out from the forest and then caught the falling Shirone.

  After catching the falling Shirone, Glorious then lowered her to the ground.

  I then followed them, descending to their landing place.

  「Are you okay? Shirone? 」


  I carried Shirone down from Glorious’s back.

  Due to the power of my swing, Shirone fell down towards the ground, head first.

  「Why did you save me? 」


  「Because I have no reason to become your enemy.」


  「Then, why are you choosing Nargol? 」


  「I have no intention to fight you guys as long as you are not invading Nargol.」


  「So you will protect the Demon King? 」


  I nodded at her.

  「Yes, if the hero comes to defeat the Demon King, then I will stand in his way as the Dark Knight.」


  I said, while looking straight into her eyes.

  「Why…… Whyyyyy……」


  Shirone was almost crying now. But she wouldn’t listen to me unless I did this much.

  「Now go…… I’ve got to go to meet Regena.」


  She pulled my mantle as I was about to mount on Glorious.

  When I turned around to see her, Shirone was glaring at me with an angry face.

  「WHY! ! YOU ALWAYS LISTENED TO ME BEFORE WHENEVER I CRIED IN FRONT OF YOU! ! 」


  「WA! ! STOP WITH THOSE CROCODILE TEARS OF YOURS! ! 」


  Which reminded me, Shirone always cried whenever I had something that she really wanted.

  Being weak to her tears I ended up doing what she wished even if I knew that she was crying with crocodile tears. Thanks to that almost all of my snacks were taken by her. [ED: unforgivable! > ]

  「As expected, you won’t listen to me with just this much.」


  「NO, DON’T GO BACK TO NARGOL! ! You should return to Reiji-kun and me! ! 」


  Shirone wouldn’t let go of my mantle.

  「Listen to me, I can’t go to your place.」


  I tried to yank the mantle that she pulled but she grasped it so tightly and wouldn’t let go of it.

  「Bu~~! ! Kukori is stingy~! ! 」


  And she was sulking now.

  We were in the tug of war to pull my mantle. And when we did so.

  「GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 」


  I suddenly heard an overwhelmingly loud cry from the heavens.

  Shirone and I both looked in the direction of Algore.

  「What…… Is that? 」


  Shirone asked with an exasperated voice.

  What we saw was a pair of gigantic hands.

  The lumps of the gigantic hands which heights were taller than the Algore fortress were separated by quite some distance from us, and yet we could still see them so clearly from our place.

  The gigantic hands were about to attack Algore.