“I’ll release the magic with the signal.”
“Yes! Yes! Hurry up! Hurry up!”
Pastel fidgeted at the entrance of the arena.
The entrance was blocked by a wind magic barrier, preventing the purple poisonous gas from seeping out into the arena.
“You may enter at the timing of switching to the new magic, Your Excellency.”
“Yes! Yes! I know! Hurry up!”
Pastel was bouncing her feet.
She needed to help Elshire quickly!
She spent too much time rescuing Melissa!
While it was concerning that the chatterbox terrorist Trimaut might be scheming to frame Pastel as a mastermind, she was more worried about Elshire’s condition being trapped in a siege.
The Demon Lord said that semi-knights have good gas resistance, but that’s quite an ignorant view!
Pastel was flustering here and there.
『Instead of this, ride a broom. It may be slow due to being broken, but it won’t make any noise, making surprise attacks excellent.』
Oh, right!
She hopped onto a white broom. It was too messed up from her hitting it for being slow, so high-flying was difficult, but low-flying was possible.
Broom friend, I’m sorry for hitting you earlier!
But it was true that you were quite slow, right?
What if flying together with Melissa caused the speed to drop like that? That broom is disqualified!
Oh wait! This isn’t right!
Pastel petted the broom.
Broom friend, let’s forget the past and do our best together!
Fighting!
The professor maintaining the magic looked back.
“I’m switching the magic!”
“Yes! Hurry up! Hurry up!”
When the professor signaled, the wind barrier vanished. As the gas was about to explode outward, the waiting mages deployed a new magical barrier.
“Pastel, launch…!”
Pastel darted into the gap, flying with her pink hair flowing like a tail.
The purple gas engulfed her vision. If she hadn’t become immune thanks to the gem yum-yums, she would have collapsed immediately upon entry.
『That semi-knight, Trimaut, must be the leader. Use the gunshots to locate him and ambush him. You may not kill him in one go, but you can secure favorable ground.』
Pastel gripped the broomstick tightly.
A life-and-death struggle with a semi-knight?
Ugh.
That doesn’t seem right.
While the Demon Lord spoke casually about combat, Pastel felt differently.
Well, of course…
That’s frightening.
Right, right.
The Demon Lord must have forgotten that I’m not a semi-knight!
At this rate, it’s a gap where even Hormone Friend could escape in case of a fight!
What’s needed now isn’t a brute force struggle but Pastel’s clever intelligence.
“I don’t have to fight! I’m knowledgeable! I have a plan!”
As she flew rapidly, Trimaut’s voice echoed through the gas. He was hard at work framing Pastel.
He even dug into the Craft Family’s wicked past while framing the girl, who was just a pink cherry blossom, as a brutal and heinous mastermind.
How rude…!
It’s also rude for Elshire to silently listen without making any big rebuttals!
It’s too obvious that he intends to hear precious words from the victim controlled by the mastermind Craft!
However, smart Pastel could set aside her feelings enough to use this situation.
Because she’s clever!
“This isn’t all. The Craft Family maintained a succession tradition where one must kill all siblings to become the family head. Research from the Demon Realm shows that such traditions greatly affect personality development, leading to a dual personality. One must even maintain a false mask even to relatives.”
“Pastel Lovecraft became family head without siblings, right? No family murders there.”
“The current family head also was born after killing my mother, so it’s no different!”
Pastel tilted her head. Then, she stopped the broom flight behind Trimaut and spoke.
“Trimaut.”
He seemed startled.
“Who’s there?!”
Trimaut turned the gun toward this direction, evident from the rustling of clothes and footsteps.
“How could someone sneak up from behind?!”
Ahh!
Don’t shoot, please!
I’m just riding a broom…!
Pastel hastily spoke.
“Don’t be surprised. It’s me.”
“Craft!”
Whoa! He figured it out just from my voice!
It’s the life of a popular person, but it feels like a rather obsessed stalker.
So scary!
“It’s a bit troubling to say whatever you want against a naive girl. You should take your leave now that you’ve completed your role.”
“Kuhehe!”
Trimaut suddenly laughed.
“I’ve been waiting! I’ve been sharpening my teeth to repay that day’s humiliation!”
Trimaut changed his posture as if he’d fight us. Then he threw his existing gun to the ground. The sound of new weapons being drawn was heard.
“Unlike back then, your level has already been grasped by a spy! It’s meaningless for a non-semi-knight like you to act composed!”
Whoa!
Nothing’s been done, and the aggro is drawn here!
What wrong thing did I do…?!
But despite trembling, it was good for Pastel to provoke the opponent to give Elshire a chance to escape the encirclement.
Pastel felt relieved by the purple gas mist, knowing her silly appearance was concealed.
“Hahaha!”
She laughed as best as she could.
“Is that all?”
Trimaut hesitated.
“What?”
“You’ve confidently prepared a new gun, feeling all proud about understanding my capabilities, good job.”
She lightly clapped.
Only the applause echoed in the gas mist.
“But is that really all?”
Trimaut’s voice lowered.
“Why are you so calm? How do you know I’ve prepared my weapons properly this time?”
Well, I noticed the sound of clothes when you switched guns just now.
『Your hearing is so beyond humans that it’s hard to tell someone is changing firearms at this distance through the gas mist.』
Ah, I see.
“Trimaut, use your imagination.”
I had some gem yum-yums and escaped humanity.
Wow.
“Is it another one?!”
Trimaut suddenly became furious.
“Are you saying that my escaping the knighthood’s execution, this terrorist attack happening, and having this conversation in front of Bellamont are all part of your plan?!”
This person has too much imagination…
Pastel was bewildered.
She looked in the direction Elshire was likely in.
Elshire!
Hurry and escape the siege!
Why are you just sitting there, listening?!
“It’s all clear now! You want to show your backside in front of Bellamont while being threatened with death by the duke’s firstborn, to earn the position of a supporter and protector and interfere in the succession battle!”
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
Is that so?!
“If you’re with me, you can live! If you don’t take my hand, you’ll have to pay the price for crossing me! Even without verbal threats, I’ll make you feel it!”
Pastel couldn’t close her mouth.
If you speak like that, you misinterpret that you approached to be friends for sinister purposes!
I just wanted to have a duel because I heard Elshire was a semi-knight!
Oh, wait.
Pastel paused.
She approached to check the combat skills.
And then.
She approached based on the qualifications for succession.
What’s the difference?
Gasp.
There isn’t much difference.
Moreover, moreover!
The number of characters is exactly the same!
Ahhh!
The number of characters is the same too…!
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
She clutched her pink hair, astonished.
So, Pastel was actually a bad person?!
Not good, not good Pastel, but bad, bad Pastel?!
Ahhh!
They’re saying bad, bad Pastel!
Please say it’s not true, friends!
She looked in Elshire’s direction.
Elshire spoke up.
“I see….”
Don’t agree right away!
Is our friendship only worth that much?
Is it okay to betray friendship like that?!
Honestly, we weren’t really that close!
But still, still, we can’t allow the moment our friendship turns into a superior-subordinate relationship!
Imagining it made her feel somewhat good, but good, good Pastel wouldn’t allow that kind of relationship!
Right, right!
Trimaut opened his mouth.
“But it’s obvious that Craft, you’re not a semi-knight! No matter how intricate your scheme is and how composed you act, I can crush it with my strength!”
The sound of a gun pointing was heard.
Whoa!
The sound of the trigger operation, the explosion of gunpowder.
Pastel, holding the broom, performed evasive maneuvers.
A loud bang echoed.
Though it was just one gunshot, the massive bullets radiated outward, shattering the area.
The barrage of a semi-knight pushed the gas smoke explosively back, expanding visibility.
The mercenary leader Trimaut, wearing a gas mask, had already discarded the gun he’d shot. A new gun, ready to fire, was strapped to his back.
The strongest close-combat fighter capable of radiating shots.
A shotgun…?
Pastel understood Trimaut’s confidence right away.
Whoa!
Don’t use a shotgun in a sword fight…!
She clung to her broom, trying to escape.
The purple gas mist covered her vision. Just for a moment of securing visibility, Trimaut held a new shotgun in his hand.
The gas obscured her sight.
A thrilling sensation enveloped her skin. Adrenaline pushed her consciousness away. One thought arose.
This seems doable?
The instinct that swallowed her consciousness went crazy, breaking the broom, as she hid her body into the gas mist.
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