Kuro no Maou

The great feeling of veering『Diablos Embrace』that looked like black coat, still continued to deeply move Kurono.

Rather after walking while wearing it, it felt like a load had been taken of him, his body felt light. Kurono, unintentionally, smirked due to that exceptional sense of unity.

However, the scene of a scary faced man smirking while wearing a thick leather black coat under the clear sky of later summer, it surely looked all too suspicious.

Kurono didn’t notice that students walking on the road were avoiding him.

「U-Um, Kurono-san!」

Nevertheless, there was person existing to call out to this perfect suspicious Kurono.

The first person who would call him as「Kurono-san」was a witch who might be rampaging in the school cafeteria or some store, however they both have associated enough to know the other person with just voice.

So he suddenly understood that it wasn’t her who called out to him, “well then who might it be”, the moment he turned back, he got the answer.

「Ah, isn’t it Nell-san」

There stood the peculiar princess of Avalon, with black hair blue eyes, and a pair of wings growing out from her back.

「It’s been a while」

「Ah, Yes, it had been a while」

He hadn’t seen Nell, who was right now bowing while looking like she was on her wits end, since the problem in cafeteria the last month.

Although being students from same school, if their Courses were different, they wouldn’t meet each other so easily, and they both went on their quests as adventurers, so it was quite normal to not meet for near a month.

Even so, Kurono honestly was happy on this abrupt coincidental reunion.

「Um, I have to apologize to Kurono-san......」

「Huh, what is it?」

Kurono could only raise a question mark above his because he couldn’t find out the reason for her apology.

「Um, err......after the incident in cafeteria, really cruel rumours about Kurono-san had been going around, so, umm, I’m truly sorry」

「Ah」

“Ah there was something like that”, although it didn’t come to level of being forgotten, no, rather he pinned hopes on Eddie’s work on improving the rumours, and hence hadn’t been concerned about it.

However, towards this rumour of「a tentacle man assaulting the Avalon’s Princess in broad day」, Kurono had a clear vision that it was because of unlucky course of event and people’s fault, but he didn’t think anything against the origin of this strife, Nell.

「Ah, no, well it will be a lie if I say it didn’t bother me, but it isn’t something Nell-san has to apologize for」

「Ugh, but, that......」

Seeing the truly apologetic face of Nell made him think himself as the bad guy, all the more.

In fact, Kurono realized at this point that others students in the surroundings were sending suspicious stare at him.

「It is not like I was harmed in any way, and it is already the talk of one month past, so don’t worry about it. Moreover, the current hot topic is the rumour about『Wing Road』punished the evil Slave Dealer, they have already forgotten about me」

That’s right, unless a new suspicion of violating Princess Nell appears, the students would cleanly forget about Kurono.

「Ah right, this rumour had somewhat relation with the quest I took on before, so I wanted to say my thanks to Nell-san」

「Eh, Ah, Yes, I see? Ah, but then the quest Kurono-san took was——」

Kurono took a breath of relief after accomplishing the task of changing topics.

However, Nell who guessed the circumstances with just the words『related to quest』 started thinking fast, going contrary to Kurono’s expectation.

「The Subjugation of Bandits of Fauren?」

「Yeah, although I didn’t take it officially, but end up subjugating due to course of events」

「Um, if it’s fine, can you tell me in details?」

This time alone, compared to the time of Alsace Battle, there was no content in talks that would prick him.

The bandit group Kurono encountered was annihilated; the captured girls were rescued both mentally and physically by Lily. There was nothing that he would hesitate to tell, rather he might even boast about it.

For the time being, because this was an end not because of Kurono but the whole『Element Master』party, so without exaggerating anything, he indifferently talked about the situation of incident.

However, he didn’t leak anything about the girls’ “true memories” for not making her worried, and hence he dodged that area.

「——Well, then the one who saved the students of our school was truly Kurono-san!?」

Kurono was only fighting with one of the bodyguards, so the ones who truly rescued them was the female-party of Lily and Fiona.

However, in front of Nell, who seemed to say forget about minor details,

「W-Well, indeed it is like that」

Kurono let out the unexpected affirmation words.

「Ahh, truly great, I was worried about those girls——」

Apparently, Nell, without going against her angel-like appearance, was related in this quest to rescue fellow female students.

However, though they defeated the wirepuller, the girls from before were still in the hands of bandits and weren’t transported to the mansion in Spada.

Hence, her wish to save those girls didn’t come true with the members of Wing Road.

Even so, in the sense of increasing their fame, they surely succeeded in that after rescuing the beautiful girls from the mansion, including the most-important commodity, the daughter of Fauren’s noble.

「I truly thank you very much! Ah, if it’s fine, how about eating lunch together? It isn’t something great as thanks, though——And I want to introduce Kurono-san to Onii-sama and others」

「Ah, no, that is......」

A tinge of anxiety ran through in Kurono’s chest.

He didn’t knew if Nell knew about it or not, but Kurono truly knew that the two, Avalon’s Prince Nero and Sapda’s Princess Charlotte, were showing killing intent seriously.

He won’t be shaken even if he met face-to-face with them, but becoming friends while facing each other was just pure impossible.

At least Kurono didn’t excel in expressing himself with gestures; the other side also wouldn’t want a friendship relation with him.

The first impression between them was the worst on the level that it couldn’t be overturned; hence Kurono wouldn’t want to meet them.

It wasn’t on the level of feeling awkward after fighting a classmate, after all the other party was from the royalty, god knows what would happen if he took on their bad side.

Moreover if in the worst case scenario, anything happened to Kurono then Lily and Fiona wouldn’t keep quiet.

It wasn’t Kurono being conceited, but in the incident of cafeteria, after he left the cafeteria, the two were having sour stomach and showed hostility. This was something Kurono understood through experience.

If these two were to truly feel anger then a set of stars and suns would fall down on the private dorms of Elite Cadets.

「Sorry, I have some other errands today」

He immediately judged to refuse her. Kurono was truly being a wise man who keeps away from danger.

Moreover, having other errands wasn’t completely a lie.

「Oh, I see, it is unfortunate」

No matter how much of a depressed face Nell made, Kurono’s decision wouldn’t change.

「Well then, I will excuse myself」

Kurono felt an impending crisis, and finished the talk quickly.

He sometimes forgets about the dangers of existence called royal families because of Wilhart, who could now be called as his friend. However, he realized anew the danger that comes if he said even a single wrong thing towards these people.

Japanese like Kurono didn’t have any class status and so didn’t have the confidence to deal with the problems that comes later with unreasonable methods. It was like living in fear of when he would step on a land mine.

In that case, it was just great to avoid the minefield.

「Ah, err, but......Yes, then later, Kurono-san」

To Nell’s sad face, Kurono felt like having his hair pulled fiercely from behind, but without stopping he left from there.

.

.

.

Today Simon visited his favourite Stratos Smithing Workshop.

Although,

「Then uncle, I will come back fast after the trial shoot!」

He was almost leaving the shop.

Carrying two long pipes, no, rifles on his back, Simon dashed out of the aged door.

「Got it, take care」

The blacksmith Regin Stratos send off Simon, who was in high spirits just like a child, while smiling amiably.

And his smile increased more and more when he thought that Simon would go to the manoeuvring grounds of the Academy to try out the ‘new work’.

Regin, who was filled with warm feeling as if he just had a grandchild, tried to return to his work area, but at that time.

「Excuse me, Mr Regin——uh-oh, I’m lucky that you were outside」

From the again opened door, a solemn voice and a big black shadow appeared.

「Oh, isn’t it Chairman Mordred, for someone like you to come to my insignificant workshop」

The owner of that voice was, a big framed skeleton clad in jet-black robe and gaudy gold ornaments. The moment Regin saw him, Vein Wortz Mordred; he said those words in an easygoing manner.

Spada’s biggest Mordred Weapon Company’s current Chairman was a truly big shot, almost all the blacksmith workers knew about it.

Even more so, he was big-mouthed client who would request for weapon productions to people below him.

However, seeing Regin showing no surprised expression meant that these two have interacted with each other before too.

On the other hand Mordred moderately completed the introductions and sat on the chair on which Simon’s small buttocks were placed before. It showed how arrogant this person was in truth.

「I have brought the invitation ticket, so how is it this year, Mr. Regin」

Mordred put a single ticket on the counter with his bony hands.

「Ah, is it that time already?」

Behind the thick circle-shaped spectacles, Regin’s eyes squinted.

His vision went on the ticket placed on counter, and traced the words written on it: 『Curse Carnival』.

「That is indeed right. This year I will also cooperate」

To those words, the purple light in his eyes wavered.

「Oh, to hear such a favourable reply, looks like it was worth it to keep inviting you every year——」

「Yeah, as you have guessed, it is a change of heart. After seeing a young man with promising future nearby me, the fire in my heart again started burning」

Regin straightforwardly kept on watching the eye sockets of Mordred which were flickering joyfully.

His eyes too had a sharp glint that didn’t fall any behind the terrifying appearance of this skeleton.

「Oh, wonderful! Should I expect new stuff again, that you, Mr. Regin are going to ‘again’ hammer Cursed Weapons? 」

「It had been a gap for a long time, but well, I can do adjustments and all」

「No, that is more than enough. By the way, who is that ‘young man with promising future’ you said of? 」

Regin pushed his black-rimmed glasses with index finger, and said with an expression as if he was speaking about his grandson.

「I have a duty of confidentiality, so I can’t tell the name, but, *chuckle*, that child is great. After all he is trying to ‘create’ more deaths compared to me. By the way, does Chairman Mordred know about a weapon called『Gun』? 」