Diablo’s group moved to a place within the estate.
It was the room with a sunken hearth that they ate soba in before.
Ten years ago──
Sasala, brought along by her father who was a merchant, came to 《Sodmas》.
However, her father was done in by a Demonic Beast of the Heavenly Mountain.
Right when she was nearly eaten as well, a Master Swordsman that just happened to be passing by──Graham saved her.
He was an old master that held the Japanese sword that had the crest of a crescent moon on its pommel, the 《Dark Moon》, in his hand.
Maybe feeling pity for Sasala whose parent had just died and who had no other relatives, he taught her the sword as a means of living.
Sasala had a natural talent for it.
Sounding like she found it really painful, she spoke.
「……At around the fifth year……probably……I had become the stronger one.」
It was something really dreadful.
Graham was the one that kindly taught her, hoping that she would succeed the name of Master Swordsman someday, but……
Half a year ago──
Graham held the suspicion of “Wasn’t his daughter holding back on him during practice?”
He slashed at her with the intent to kill.
It was not practice.
It was an attack on her.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Sasala repelled Graham. She was too favored by talent. Enough to drive the kind old master mad with jealousy……
The Master Swordsman fell into darkness.
「Abandoning the shell known as being a person of the Races, and becoming an existence that only wields the sword……That sort of thing, happens.」
「……Could it be a 《Martial Art》?」
Sasala shook her head sideways to Rem’s question.
「That, is no longer anything like sword techniques or skills. In the words that the ancestor left behind, he is a mere 《Oni》.」
「……Oni.」
「Even though it is a taboo……Because of me, my dear foster father (tou-sama) who was so kind was……」
She had a tearful voice.
Shera hugged her shoulders.
「That is so sad.」
「Right……That is, right……Sad.」
*Boro boro* Sasala shed tears.
Raising her voice, she cried.
After waiting for Sasala to calm down, Rem asked her a question.
「……According to that story, would that mean that the Evil Monkey’s target is you?」
「Tou-sama who had turned into an Oni, no longer, remembers the past. It looks like, he doesn’t even recognize me.」
「……So there is no meaning to it.」
A person vanished, and turned into a single Oni.
In other words, it was that kind of story.
「The current Tou-sama……If he finds a strong person, he would only slash at them……But, I, can no longer fight against Tou-sama……」
「Nn? What do you mean by that?」
「Erm……If the opponent is someone that doesn’t have an intent to kill or fighting spirit, then Tou-sama won’t fight them. Also, he won’t fight anyone other than Warriors.」
「……So the ones attacked, are strong Warrior-types?」
「Yes.」
「……And then, since you don’t have the will to fight against your predecessor, you won’t be targeted.」
「Probably, desu.」
Rem knitted her brows.
「……This is going to sound harsh but, is that really the correct thing to do?」
「Correct?」
「You feel obligation towards your predecessor, and you feel that you don’t want to fight that person, right?」
「O, of course.」
「……But, that predecessor of yours, didn’t he want to win against you so badly that he fell into becoming an Oni?」
Sasala was at a loss for words.
She gazed at her own hands.
「Th, that way of putting it……I hadn’t thought of it, at all. I only thought, that he had no other options, and got mad at me.」
Rem spoke slowly.
「……I do not know, what was in his mind. It’s possible even the person himself had misunderstood. But, ways of killing a person, there are countless ways of doing it. But for him to not go with any of those, and changing into an Oni that only wields the sword, there should be a meaning to it. Don’t you feel that way?」
「Uuu……」
「I have not met with your predecessor. Sasala, there could be something that you, who was the closest one to him, might know.」
「Yes.」
「Please try to think deeply about what needs to be done.」
「…………」
Sasala said nothing and nodded.
Rem purposely spoke to her with an impersonal tone.
「Depending on the result of your thoughts──If you say that you will not fight him, I will take action as an Adventurer. A monster that possesses as much strength as a Master Swordsman cannot be left on the loose after all.」
For the time being, things became like that in regards to the Evil Monkey.
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