Melissa had waited for an opportunity like this for a long time.

She didn’t dare to make a move before the whole ordeal was over. On their way back, however, she went all out.

“Le~on, say A~h.”

“...”

“You won’t get your food if you won’t do i~t.”

Leon was highly embarrassed doing it in front of Lance and Terra, moreover, general Faheem and his subordinates were nearby too.

Melissa was the one who made all the food for them, so she was in charge of it too.

Leon struggled and resisted as much as he could… but hunger won in the end.

“F-Fine. A…A~h.”

“Good boy! He~re.”

“Pffft.”

Lance tried to hold it in as much as he could.

From the side, Melissa and Leon looked like a cute couple. It was a pleasant sight for everyone there… except for one person.

“Damn you, Leon!”

The wind cursed at Leon, who was spoon-fed by a beautiful girl.

“Meow.”

“What?”

Whitey looked at Leon as if signifying something.

“...You hungry?”

“Meow!”

“Yeah, it’s about time I had a snack too.”

Mixen took out some ready-to-eat food for both him and Whitey.

Whitey immediately started devouring the contents of the can… and looked happy while doing so.

The noises made by her while eating calmed Mixen down and forced him to forget just how irritated he was just moments ago.

He chuckled.

“No need to rush, the food won’t disappear.”

“Mrlnya.”

“Pffft, st- Oh, sorry Whitey, I need to listen to this.”

General Faheem approached Leon with a serious face.

Mixen flew a bit closer, leaving Whitey behind.

Whitey too wanted to listen, so she finished her meal and followed after Mixen on her four.

“Leon.”

“*Gulp* Yes, General Faheem?”

Leon stood up and gently pushed Melissa to the side.

She did not like that.

“Oh? Look at her, she held it in… Though… Clenching your fist behind your back, are we? Minus 5 points.”

“Leon, can I ask you for a favour?”

“Of course, anything.”

“My scouts were injured during the mission, and now they can’t properly do their job. Can I ask you four to do it instead of them? We are near the city, so I doubt anything will happen… but still.”

“Oh, no problem! Timothy and I are used to this kind of stuff!”

“Oh, you can’t go just the two of you. I’m sure you are as tired as I am, better to go in groups of three… and two.”

Melissa stood behind Leon looking at Faheem with a chilling smile.

For a moment, Faheem glanced at Melissa and smiled at her.

She got the meaning, and her smile changed into a proper, ear-to-ear one.

“Yes! Leon, you can’t go alone! I’m coming with you! Let’s go!”

Melissa forcibly dragged Leon away, without giving him any time to complain.

“...I’m fine by myself.”

Timothy did not need any help. He was too used to doing it alone.

“Hey! I have no idea how to scout properly! Terra! Do you know how to do it?”

“I-I do…”

“Oh, then lead the way.”

Like that they split into three.

Mixen smelled something fishy.

.

.

“...Was that fish you were eating, Whitey?”

“Meow.”

“Oh, okay… General Faheem did avoid a death flag just now… Man, even I wouldn’t want to stand between her and Leon.”

The kind of smile Melissa could make anyone shiver.

‘I don’t think I can imitate that… A shame…’

.

.

.

“...What kind of a scout picks flowers while doing their job!? This looks more like a fricking date to me!”

“Meow.”

“I know they look cute! That is exactly the reason why I’m like this!”

After picking a few purple flowers Mel put them on her hair.

“He~y, does it fit me?”

She made a spin to show Leon various angles.

“It does… What kind of flower is it?”

“Clematis. They are quite rare in the wild, so we are lucky… Or maybe you should call it… fate?”

‘Clematis? Hell no, it doesn’t fit you. Not at all… This reminds me that I ought to check my “mail” in case AL sent a message.’

While Melissa was trying to flirt with Leon, Mixen barely found the letter that corresponds to AL.

‘I should label them… Oh, he did write something… I hope he wants me to come.’

On the letter was a simple sentence

『Are you really checking it?』

‘Pfft’

Mixen took out a pen and replied.

『Yeah, did you think I wouldn’t keep my word? <`～´>』

AL answered before Mixen finished drawing an emoji.

『Suprising, anyway, we located one person you were talking about. Koma Anamo fits the description perfectly. The letter was already sent.』

『Great! Notify me when there will be a reply.』

'I should probably visit him myself before going there with Lara. The Kingdom of Silver is far away, so I'll have to pick the right timing… what the hell!?'

"Whitey! Get back!"

""GRAAAAH""

From seemingly nowhere a massive horde of demons appeared. All lesser demons, but their size was formidable. 

The ground shook under their march. Like an unstoppable force, they rushed in one direction. With their numbers, they were able to destroy everything in their path. Trees, rocks, maybe even mountains if there were any… Whitey was in the way of their barrage. 

Invisible or not, she would be trampled to death.

"You dare!?"

Mixen was quick enough to move Whitey out of their way… yet he didn't.

He stood between her and the horde.

It was too sudden, he wasn't good at thinking quick and nor was he prepared for such an event… emotionally.

They got the best of him.

"You dare scare my little Whitey? You dare threaten her life!?"

Demons could hear or even see Mixen… But they felt something.

It didn't stop them. The look in their eyes said it all. Nothing will stop them… They received an order.

Mixen knew a lot about brainwashing. He could tell even from a distance.

'What is the point in killing them? They won't pay for scarring Whitey that way… They won't suffer.'

*Rumble* *Rumble*

Too close. Demons were simply too close to think of a way to punish them.

That's why Mixen did the first thing that came to his mind… The thing that would make them regret.

He showed them fear.

Discarding his invisibility and taking off his mask, he gave them a glance.

A single glance that was filled with enough hatred to scare a person with no additional powers, and with abilities Mixen possesses… Using Killing Intent on top of that was overkill.

Brainwashing is not perfect. It can make one obey while ignoring feelings like love or hatred. Even pain could be disregarded with proper brainwashing.

But you could not get rid of fear.

Not the fear of losing one's life.

.

The fear in front of a stronger being… a hostile entity.

.

.

And he was right in front of them.

*Thud*

The demons in the first row took the heaviest blow.

It is hard to say whether they were scared or not.

They died the moment they saw his image… when they looked into his eyes.

*Thud*

Those in the second row did not die… only pass out.

*Thud*

The third row withstood that horror. However, after witnessing his wrath, they tried to run. 

It was not possible. The brainwashing had a failsafe mechanism. Those who ran… self-destructed.

Other rows only experienced a fraction of what their brothers did… only a fraction of their suffering.

Some simply stopped, others just slowed down. But they were soon trampled over by those who were out of range, just like hundreds of corpses ahead of them.

"Leon! Stop! We can't handle that many!"

A young girl was trying to hold back an even younger boy, who was about to jump into the middle of the horde.

Mixen was already high in the air with Loki's Gift on, tightly holding Whitey.

'They didn't see me, right?'

After worrying a little about a smaller problem, he switched to a bigger one.

"Whitey! Are you okay?! Are there any injuries!?"

Mixen frantically examined every inch of her body, but could not find any injuries.

"Thank God… I'm sorry, If only I paid more attention… You wouldn't have to go through that… It must've been scary, right?"

He showed her a smile. Turning off his gift in mid-air was risky… but wanted to console her.

"...Meow?"

Her voice was filled with confusion. She wasn't scared. 

How could she be? 

One moment she's chasing butterflies, and the ground starts slowly shaking, seemingly a small earthquake. Another, she hears roars behind her. The instant she turned around and saw a huge horde of demons, he appeared. Obstructing the view with his wide shoulders… and beautiful clouds right before Mixen started questioning her. 

So how could she be scared?

It all went by so quickly that she could barely understand what happened.

All of Mixen's worries came from his assumptions.

"Are you… okay?"

"Meow!"

A cheerful response made Mixen sigh with relief.

"...I was anxious for nothing, was I?"

"Meow."

"Haha, yeah. Let's go now, it seems something interesting is happening."

.

.

.

In the temporary base where peace, quiet and laughter were present just a few hours ago, was now an uproar.

Lance just came back and barged into the General's tent.

"General Faheem! I have urgent new- Leon! Thank Goddess you're alright! There is a huge amount of demons that appeared out of nowhere! We need to-"

Timothy arrived and interrupted Lance.

"I have confirmed the existence of three more waves. Their forces are close or the same as the rest."

He was talking quickly with a sense of urgency, signifying that time was of the essence.

"T-Three more?! There are even more demons?!"

"No time to be shocked, Lance. You're here now. Let's start discussing our next step."

Without having any time to think, Lance was forced to participate in the meeting.

General Faheem started.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this. The situation is dire. We have no means to warn the King and prepare a proper defence of the capital. I'm sure they'll regroup quickly, but the first blow will be big… That's why I called you here. We can't fight them. We need to pass all the information we have to the capital, if you found something out or know a way to deliver this information fast, say it now."

*Thump*

"What do you mean we can't fight them!? Those are lesser demons! No matter how many there are I'm sure we-"

"General Faheem is right. There are thousands of them, Lance. You saw it yourself, didn't you? A horde that tramples over its own, just to get to its destination… We can't stop them."

Lance didn't know how to reply. He wanted to go there and fight. He would be doing that already if not for Terra stopping him.

"Stop with useless chatter! We need information! We already know that this is a mass summoning and that they are going to siege the capital! Anything new!? Anyone!?"

Faheem was getting emotional due to the situation they were in.

Everyone was shaken, except for Leon, who was visibly unfazed by this.

"There must be a leader to such a huge amount of demons… Maybe even one of the Four Heavenly Lords. Did anyone see someone that stood out?"

Leon made a cold judgement from his past experiences.

Melissa was the one who answered.

"I think I did… Right when we saw the horde… I saw a figure. He wasn't very high or broad, but was in all black."

Leon furrowed his eyebrows after hearing that.

He opened his mouth to ask a question, but Faheem was faster.

"What was he doing?" 

"Just… standing there, menacingly… Even though it was just for a moment, I felt that he was up to no good."

"Melissa, was he… did he resemble Jack by any chance?"

"...Now that you mentioned it… Yeah, he did… But he had no mask on."

"What?! Did you see his face?!"

"N-No… Sadly… It ended too quickly."

"...I see."

'Him again…It's always near him… where is a change… This shouldn't have happened. Not now… he is to blame. '

“I don’t think that Jack is their leader.”

General spoke confidently, with no doubt in his mind.

“Why not? After all, he was the one that…”

“I know. That’s exactly the reason I’m sure of it. I spent all my time and resources to try and find my friend’s killer… And though I couldn’t locate him, I’m certain that Invisible Jack is not the type to command others… he acts alone. ”

Leon seemed down after hearing this, but General continued.

“I think I have a clue as to who that person might’ve been.”

“Who? Jack?!”

“No, no. That wasn’t Jack at all. That was the summoner who brought those demons here… Though I think there might be more of them. It’s impossible to summon this many demons with just one person…”

“Then… Who is their leader, do we have no clue?”

The situation they were in was depressing. The leader that can lead this amount of demons could only be one of the Four Heavenly Lords.

Everyone’s mood was down. The most crucial piece of information they can give to those in the capital is about the enemy’s leader. Without it,  it would be almost useless to go there. 

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

Faheem tapped a few times on the table to gather attention.

“...What if they don’t have a leader?”

“...That would be a stupid move. They won’t make such a mistake.”

“I know… But what if we dealt with the leader already?”

“...The three demons? They were strong, sure… However, they wouldn't be able to lead anyone.”
“I’m not implying that they were their leaders… My scouts found some drawings in a cave that those three came from… That must be a summoning circle.”

“Then… Were they just the guard… Yes! That makes sense! Then we just prevented them from summoning their leader! I’m astonished by your insight, General Faheem!”

“Ha! Did you think I got my title for looks? Timothy, I think you should be the one to go.”

Timothy was about to answer, but Leon butted in.

“I will go. I am faster than him.”

“...But with Timothy’s stealth, he can do it safely.”

“I know a bit of stealth too. It should be enough to avoid mindless demons.”

“Hm… Faster than Timothy, stronger than Lance… You are quite a man, aren’t you Leon?”

“Who said he was stronger than me?!”

“He is.”

“S-Shut up, Melissa… Hmpf.”

“...Anyway. I will go. I have remembered everything, so don’t worry.”

Without listening to anyone, Leon left.

.

.

-Leon’s PoV-

I need to hurry! 

The same thing happened before…But not at this time!

Then… then the army was stronger… We were stronger!

General Torum was the one who stopped the invasion… Though many died… And I couldn’t help in any way…

But how could I help? How could I be there when… they kidnapped Naty.

I still don’t know why they decided to kidnap her this time around… but I’m glad she lived.

When all soldiers and guards are focusing on the outside… the inside is unprotected.

I didn’t hesitate to go after Naty… We saved her, but…

So many… so many died… 

And because of what? Because I wasn’t strong enough.

I couldn’t just go past all enemies straight to Naty… It took too much time.

Now, however, it’s different.

I will secure Naty, and deal with the demons… with minimal casualties.

Fortunately, I left Agness with her this time around. She will win me enough time… And Mixen… I hope he will be of help.

.

.

Jack… Damn you… This happened now because of you… I’m sure…

Maybe… what if he was the one who orchestrated it?

…What if I am not the only one who went back in time?

After all, I know nothing of how or why it happened… And all clues I have point to one person… Black Shadow…

I am not too sure, but he is the only candidate that I can think of… There weren’t many people with a personal grudge against me…

And that ability of his… that artefact… It is just too convenient for him.

He can spy on us without any problems… Even assassination might be possible…

But why hasn’t he done it already? 

There must be limitations to that power…

.

The city is close… I’m coming, Naty.

.

.

.

-Agness’s PoV-

Ha~ it’s so boring… I read all the good books in the capital’s library already.

I’d prefer to go cleaning the streets, but I need to babysit Naty… Why do I even have to do that in the city?... It’s too bright outside, so I can’t do it anyway…

When was the last time I did it?

Right, with Mixen… It was refreshing doing it with someone… though… I rather not do it with him anymore.

Where is he by the way? I didn’t see him in the past few days.

“Hey! Naty!”

“Yeah?”

“Did you see Mixen recently?”

“Ha? No. Why would I care about him, anyway?”

Huh? What’s with the tone?

“...Did you two have a fight?”

“Why would I have a fight with a big child?”

…A lying Saint. How rare.

“...You definitely did.”

“Why do you even care?”

“I didn’t see him for a few days, that’s it.”

“...Really?”

*Thump*

Did she close her book?

…And what’s with the expression?

“Naty?”

“Agness… When did you become so close with Mixen?”

“Huh?”

“Back in the Ganesh, you would do everything just to avoid him.-”

Is she…

“And now, you’re searching for him?... What happened between you two?”

Jealous. She’s jealous… How cute.

…Though I can’t tell her that I beat my fear of him.

“...You could say I just became a bit more confident. And we spent some time together by chance.”

“W-What!? Did you go on a d-d-date!?”

“Huh? No! Why would I!? He just helped me with my hobby! You know! Cleaning the streets!”

I would never cheat on Leon!

“... He helped you with volunteer work? Never knew he was interested in it…”

“Y-Yeah… Quite entusiastic too… Had a big smile…”

It was unsettling seeing him beat people up with his kind smile.

“Well… That does sound like him… When did it happen, you say?”

“He said you two would have an appointment right after.”

“Oh… So he hasn’t appeared after that…Is it because of me?”

…Do I look the same with Leon?

“He’s probably busy somewhere… Maybe found himself a job? He’s not like us after all… I heard he’s adventuring, but how does he earn a living?”

He spent quite a lot when they had a date with Naty.

“...Steals from his father.”

“Pfft, I don’t think his father is rich though, wasn’t he just a hunter?”

“...That’s true… I wonder… Can I make him spill something out with that? Hehe, thanks for the idea Agness.”

…Sorry Mixen.

“...He has many secrets, does he?”

“You can’t even imagine… From where he was, what his father did… to even his name and ori-”

“His name?”

“Eek! I-I mean, he used to call himself Darling. Quite a weird name, r-right? He still won’t say what it means. And only when we started attending the academy did he say his real name. Yeah!”

“...I won’t bite it.”

“...Please?”

“No.”

“That…*Sigh* He doesn’t know that I know… He has a last name.”

“What!? He’s a noble!? That Mixen is a noble!?”

“I was surprised too… After all, I grew up with him.”

“Wow… Do you know what his family name is?”

“No… Can’t figure that out with just a lie detector.”

“...Do you want to?”

“Hm?”

“I can help. I am guessing he’s either a fallen noble or the one who was kicked out of the family. I know his father’s name, and it should be recorded somewhere.”

“C-Can you do that for me?”

“Of course, I am quite curious too.”

“Thank you!”

A noble… Come to think of it, Master Valeria seemed to know Michael… Maybe they were acquainted?

Who in the world lies about his name?

And why would he do it…

Wait… name…

“...But isn’t it strange?”

“What is?”

“If he lied about his name… Then is his name not Mixen?”

“Ah, that… It is weird… Sometimes, when he says his name is Mixen… I can tell it’s a lie… But other times, like when he says his father named him as such… it’s the truth… The only reasonable explanation is that he lies about his full name.”

“...You know better.”

*Boom*

“Naty!”

“Hm!?”

“Who-? Leon! You came back already?”

“Naty, thank Goddess you’re here…”

…He came to Naty first… how typical.

“Leon, what is happening?”

Yeah, he’s so nervous that he hasn’t even looked at me…

“There is no time to explain! Follow me! We need to get you to a safe place!”

…Why is he… ignoring me?

“Why is this not a safe place!? I don’t understand!”

“There’s no time! You might be in danger! Please!”

…and me? What about me?

“O-Okay.“

…It’s never me…

“No, you’re too slow for this.”

It’s always Mel or Naty…

“W-What!? L-Leon, what are you doing, let me go!”

…You show them your affection, and I…

“Agness! Follow us!”

…just get the leftovers…

Should I be happy he didn’t forget about me?

*Sniff*

I should follow them, they’re getting ahead.

.

.

.

The wind would find this small event exciting… except he wasn’t here.

.

.

.

-Mixen’s PoV-

“My God, Leon’s slow. I used to think he was fast. And how can so many demons move so fast? There is no way the city can react in time… This might be bad for guards at the entrance.”

Leon was almost in the city, and the horde was about 30 minutes away from arriving.

“Meow?”

“Hm? Why would I? It’s bothersome.”

“Meow!”

“Oh, cmon, I’m not that strong. Wind magic is good and all, but I have enough mana for only a few 6th circled spells. That’s not even nearly enough to exterminate only this side. And how would I fight the rest with mana exhaustion?”

“...Meow.”

“Guards? What about them?”

“Meow!”

“That’s their job! They would be glad to die for their city!”

“Meow!!!”

The last argument got the better of Mixen… He thought of something he shouldn’t think… and stopped.

“...You’re right… They are… just people… regular people… with families… friends… And in the end… Saving people doesn’t feel all that bad.”

“Meow.”

“Haha, thank you Whitey. I’ll keep you in the air while I fight.”

Leon went further ahead… and Mixen turned around.

“Ha~, I already tested it, but they won’t stop if some of them start dying. I could kill them bit by bit without worrying that I’ll get attacked, but… There is no way I’m killing all of them before they get to the city… So I need to make them focus on me… Make them see me. And though the Zyckor ability is quite useful… I’m not risking taking my mask off. I still need to check if that elf didn’t lie. Oh, here they are. I need to be quick.”

““GRAAAAH””

Yet again Mixen stood in front of countless demons. So many, that no end could be seen from where Mixen was.

Holding Dragon’s Pride in hand, Mixen had a sad smile.

“They are under mind control… So I’m saving them… right?”

Mixen didn’t need a stance. He understood long ago that you don’t need any fancy moves when you are killing someone.

“... All you need is one well-timed strike… So it’s painless… Ha~ I’m glad it’s still a full moon… I can’t see it in the day.”

Demons were right in front of him… Mixen closed his eyes… Moments later he forced a wide smile.

“Hahaha! I wonder how many can I kill in one move!”

…And the rampage has begun.

After killing the first 3 demons with one movement, those near immediately went after him… but it was a different story for the ones further to the sides. To not let even one demon past him, Mixen let out a bit of his Killing Intent, to gather the attention of the whole horde.

Soon, there was no place for Mixen to back away… Demons encircled him.

Mixen used spells to keep Whitey safe and protect his back, while slicing the necks of those in front of him, and avoiding any projectiles, receiving only flesh wounds.

“It’s been some time since the last time I fought so many at once!”

If someone saw him from the side, he’d think that Mixen was enjoying himself.

Laughing, smiling… There was truth to it... Mixen did it to fool himself… To not think about anything… However, in the end, he didn’t like it.

Not because he didn’t like killing or fighting… But because it reminded him of the only thing he wants to forget… the only time he… breached the “Promise”.

“Hahahaha! This is so fun! Why wouldn’t I want this!?”

Yet again there was truth to his words… Just that it was more of an attempt to distract himself from thinking.

A maniacal laugh could be heard along with the death rattles of demons.
“Die!”

Mixen was speeding up.

“Die! Die! Die!”

With each shout, heads flew.

“Die! Die! DIE! DIE! DIE!”

His voice was becoming more twisted, be it because of pain in his throat… or something else entirely.

Mixen continued screaming and killing. Someone was calling out to him, but he was too focused to notice it.

After about 15 minutes of non-stop screams, laughter and slaughter, Mixen created a wind bubble that could protect him for a bit.

For the time being, Mixen dropped his smile.

“...repeating one word… this brings back memories… You’ve become weak *****... I spent too much time without training… Even two years are too much for me… Pathetic.”

The wind bubble couldn’t hold any longer, but it was enough for Mixen to take a breather. 

There was left less than half of the horde. 

Mixen laughed.

“Ahahaha! It seems I will set a new record today! Bring it on!”

And the cycle of killing continued.

Mixen sliced, blocked, dodged, parried… There was only one sword movement that he made to get rid of demons.

The same, familiar movement… A simple horizontal slash from left to right.

He had more mastery in that movement than even those who trained by only swinging their swords all day.

Some would think that it is impossible to fight with only one move… But what do they know?

Mixen lived in a world where one press of a finger could end a man’s life… Why can’t one swing do the same?

…You can’t win if your head is on the floor.

“AHAHAHA! DIE! Hm?... Only 10 left? That ended rather quickly. Well then, I will save you painlessly.”

Just like that Mixen took care of the whole horde. Though it was only one of a dozen, it was the closest one, so the city should have enough time to prepare a proper defence.

After putting his sword back in the ring… not without trouble… Mixen didn’t hurry to use his gift or cover himself in a veil.

Instead, he screamed out.

“Stop hiding, come out… So how was the show?”

“...Meow?”

Whitey was a bit confused, after all, Mixen was the one who hid her, so he answered only to her.

“I’m not talking to you, you be quiet.”

Soon after, someone appeared at the edge of the sea of demon corpses.

“What? Will you not answer me?... Leon.”

Leon was closely watching Mixen’s actions.

“Well, I hope this clears up the misunderstanding we had. Look at all the corpses, those are demons, I’m sure you noticed. And as I said before, I’m not a demon.”

Mixen noticed Leon’s presence when 10 demons were left. He was a bit shaken at first, but quickly understood it was a great chance, so he came up with a plan.

Leon furrowed his brows.

“...Liar.”

He took a stance and his sword shone brightly.

“...Are you f*cking serious?” 

.

.

.

Mixen disliked when his plans didn’t work out.