Wednesday night, in a very large meeting room, many figures in dresses and suits were sitting on a long, rectangular table. It was a meeting of the nobles and the king himself. Even the barons weren't spared from the meeting.

"I've heard that your daughter had been poisoned by the Coiling Snake, I hope she recovers soon."

"Yes, the brute who had rampaged and murdered nine people had applied healing magic on her which reduced the amount of poison in her body. The antidote also did wonders, it's no longer fatal and she'll recover by the day of the engagement."

The king's eye twitched for an instant when he heard Hyosuke speak badly of Kai but he quickly regained his normal expression. Alteria Atsushi, the King of Alteria Kingdom was a man nearing sixty and the throne would soon be taken over by his son. It wasn't set in stone that Kazuki would take over as the king but he was the candidate nominated by King Atsushi. Hyosuke was vouching for a different son of King Atsushi, the one who was the easiest to manipulate, the youngest son.

Since Erina was poisoned by a life-threatening poison, the Coiling Snake which is said to have only one antidote and was cured, the person whom Hyosuke favors will get more supporters because it shows that his camp was able. It was a good tactic if one was heartless, which the duke of Mariko Palace is.

King Atsushi was a man who married into the royal family and so his name did not fit well with the surname Alteria, some who only believe in pure lineage have looked down on him because of this. King Atsushi was originally a baron's second son who had gained the favor of the princess who is now the queen. Although their marriage was opposed to by many, King Atsushi's talent and strength helped paved the way. He had made many enemies but even more friends on his path to becoming king.

And because he was a baron's second son who had to become independent, he had gained knowledge about how things look from below so he was a very compassionate king. He didn't forgive those who dared to hurt the kingdom and would even gladly lay his life on the line to protect it.

The current state of affairs within the royal family wasn't peaceful but it wasn't violent either, the respective camps of the candidates are instead doing all they can to make sure their respective camp wins.

Natsumi, the third princess didn't want to become the next queen and instead is supporting her brother, Kazuki. All their other siblings were part of the race for the crown but only two of them are able to take it away from Kazuki because of their influence. The oldest brother and sister, Alteria Iori and Alteria Sachiko. Although Sachiko doesn't want to win to the point that she would do anything for the crown, she still indeed intends to run for it. Iori was Kazuki's main competitor because as the oldest brother, he wanted to win.

Hyosuke would go for one of these two to vote on but because Iori was one filled with ideals and honor, he wouldn't be easily manipulated. Sachiko on the other hand was a shrewd and calculating girl, she acts based on logic and not emotions. It could be said that of all the siblings, she's the one hardest to deal with.

"Now, we have received information that those nine were from other kingdom's mercenary group. The only people with the power to employ those is a noble and that's why I've arranged this meeting."

King Atsushi's gaze was fierce as he looked at each and every one of the people on the table.

"To think that someone would request outside help to poison my daughter just before the engagement, despicable."

Hyosuke put on a disgusted face. His reputation among the nobles was a righteous man because he had always punished those who had broken the rules. Nobody would even dare to harbor suspicion against him on a normal case. But this was a case on the level of international relations and the victim was his daughter.

If the culprit wasn't in this room, then this could potentially lead to a war with other kingdoms. Although it pained King Atsushi that the culprt was in his own kingdom, it was the best scenario.

"But the thing is, those foreign mercenaries were already in the kingdom and had entered the tournament without worries. It was obvious that this had been planned since long ago. The nearest kingdom is the Garnet Empire and a joint action from nobles there is unlikely because of their different values. Not to mention that it's also a week away from the border."

The Kuroshi Clan was located near the border of the kingdom and also the place to pass through when going to the Garnet Empire. The relationship of the Alteria Kingdom and the Garnet Empire wasn't friendly but they weren't hostile either. The Garnet Empire maintains a neutral relation with all the kingdoms in the continent but were very strict with travelers.

Many people passed through the Dark Forest often but only on the outer areas where there was an abundance of villages and a safe route was guaranteed for merchants who wished to enter the Garnet Empire.

Hyosuke explained while looking at everyone's expression as if probing the culprit. It was a very convincing act for everyone around the table- except for the king who had already guessed the truth and his conspirator, the duke of Sakamoto Palace, Sakamoto Ryo.

Hyosuke also had a son whom had come from a concubine. Although he didn't love the concubine as much as his main wife, his wife's condition was quite weak and he had to bear children as early as possible because a noble must have many children. In the end, Mariko Eimi, Erina's mother had died while giving birth to her first baby.

At first, many people told her to abandon the child because she wasn't in the condition to give birth but she wanted to have her child at all costs. Eimi had given her consent for Hyosuke to have a child with the concubine first and so Erina had a half-brother who was two years older than herself.

It was public knowledge that Hyosuke would do anything and everything for Eimi, that's how much he had loved her. That's why when Erina was born, he had been a very doting parent. Sakamoto Ryo was confused with how he had acted towards Erina one day because he also knew that fact. But the benefits of having both duke's families be connected was tempting to him and his son. Who wouldn't want to marry a beauty on the level of causing wars? A true femme fatale.

(A/N: Femme Fatale - an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes involved with her.)

Sakamoto Gen knew that marrying her would cause many troubles with other males who had been trying to court her but he was the son of a duke with high pride, only a beauty of her level would be enough to satisfy him.

The meeting passed by without any names being suspected and most of the nobles were in distress because of the possiblity of a war. And in the end, some snapped.

"Marquess Ogawa has always been quite suspicious when it came to matters about Duke Hyosuke."

One of the Marquess began to give a name.

"In that case, Viscount Yano has also been suspicious!"

"You fools! We all know that Marquess Koguchi was the most suspicious of all!"

"What did you say?!"

The room was in chaos. Whoever was suspected would have to face the wrath of the duke and if none of them were suspected, a war would be possible. Everyone had a silent agreement to find a suitable scapegoat but they were nobles, the only suitable scapegoat would be one of the lowest rank, baron.

But before they could turn their fangs on the barons whoo had stayed quiet all this while, the king yelled.

"Quiet!"

The nobles who had been in chaos were silenced with a single word from the king who was trembling in rage.

"You're all nobles who have the duty to protect and lead the people yet you're arguing over this without proof! Pathetic! I'm even tempted to remove the ranks of you all who had blamed your fellow nobles!"

The faces of the ones who he'd been talking about were pale.

"I-I sincerely apologize, Your Highness! I had been rash!"

The first Marquess who had started the mess apologized with a bow of his head. The nobles who had also gave names began bowing one by one hoping for the king's forgiveness. Although it really will cause problems for him to remove them, they couldn't take the risk.

Hyosuke stood up and clapped his hands once.

"I think that should be all for today, Your Highness?"

"...Yeah. Everyone, dismissed."

With King Atsushi's words, the nobles stood up and bowed once before hurriedly leaving the room. They were like ants who had just scattered. The dukes who didn't do much during the talk left the room with composed faces, it was impossible for the king to remove them for matters like this. A baron losing his rank is no big deal, a viscount and earl could easily be replaced by others of the same rank, a marquess losing his rank is a big deal but if the king wishes it, he could remove them. But losing a duke would be a big blow to a kingdom, they were the pillars of the kingdom along with the royal family.

Hyosuke had a smile on his face as he bowed to the king before leaving the room.

"...No doubt about it. Although I don't like to use events such as this to raise influence, it's the only way to ensure the future of the kingdom is safe."

King Atsushi stood up and left the room. They were in the royal castle and so he easily found his way to his daughter's room.

"Sachiko."

"Father."

King Atsushi found Sachiko outside of her room.

"Get me your younger brother, Kazuki to meet me tomorrow."

"As you wish."

Sachiko raised the sides of her skirt before going inside her room.

"Good night, Sachiko."

"Good night, father."

Sachiko closed the door and King Atsushi went for his own room.

In a room lacking any features and with only a large metal door in sight, Kai was doing sit-ups with his handcuffs on. He didn't have his shirt on and the only thing on his upper body was his pendant which had never been removed from his body unless it was necessary. It was water-proof and very hard to destroy.

"9,998... 9,999..."

Kai's body wasn't covered in sweat and he looked like he was only doing some light exercise.

"10,000."

With those words, Kai stood up with only his legs.

"I can't afford to let myself be negligent when it comes to fighting it."

For Kai, this was only a warmup, his body had long since surpassed a normal human's capabilities even with a limiter released. Despite the fact that the handcuffs were limiting his mana, he channeled it without trouble.

"So it's almost midnight. I told him that I'll immediately head out the day after the next. I guess I don't need these anymore."

In only a few seconds, Kai broke apart the metal handcuffs.

"I'm sure he's already grasped my idea so an attack force is already waiting outside."

Kai's red and black hair slowly turned into black. His body slightly changed but it was mostly the same, he grew at least 3 centimeters taller at 175 cm. His face also changed to the Kai that he had first met as Kenji. His bones cracked audibly and if he had turned into something different, then it would look exactly like a transformation.

"Although the transformation is a pain, it feels good to be back in my normal form."

Kai stretched his body and a shirt from the pendant manifested. Then, a jacket which only covered the right side with a robe-like length; fingerless gloves with metal additions; his pants turned dark and were looser than what he previously wore.

Kai positioned himself in front of the metal door and kicked it open. The door was kicked open and it flew all the way to the wall and created a huge break in the wall.

"Hm?"

Waiting for him outside the door was a figure he knew very well. It was a girl dressed in light armor and black cloth that covered each part the armor didn't. She wore a hood and a mask that covered her chin to her nose was attached to it. It was the same person whom he had met many years ago and she wore the same clothes that she wore to battle, Kuroshi Yoko.

"...Why are you here?"

"What do you mean? You're going to rescue Erina, right?"

Yoko asked as if it was only natural for her to be there.

"I can't guarantee your safety, you know?"

"I don't need you protecting me. I had limited myself during the tournament but I don't think I need to anymore. You as well, use all those powers that you've been hiding."

"I intend to."

Kai didn't say anymore and walked past Yoko. Yoko turned around and followed Kai outside the prison. Once Kai arrived outside, there were over a hundred knights there and all of them were armed to the teeth. They were all royal guards and each one of them was C-class and some B-class.

"Hm? You guys are here too?"

When Kai looked at the people in front of him, he was surprised.

"Who are you? Miss Yoko, you told me that Kenji was going to rescue Miss Erina."

Memento Mori was waiting there in front of all the knights and was the first to greet Kai.

Yoko had a smile on her face.

"Kenji isn't a real person, it's simply this guy disguising as him."

"Wha-?!"

This woman didn't tell them the truth...

Kai furrowed his brows as he cautiously looked at Yoko.

Still, how did she manage to get them here when they were certainly cowering in fear before?

When Kai scanned around, he also saw the figure of Natsumi who was out of her disguise, other than the hairstyle and tiny facial features, she didn't change at all. Kazuki also stood there behind Natsumi with his great sword on his shoulder.

Date and Kei were quite nervous from the surrounding knights but it was evident that they planned on helping. Umi was looking at Kai with curious eyes.

"...Since you all plan on helping with the demon subjugation, I'll introduce myself once more but in truth this time. My name is Kuroshi- or more like, formerly Kuroshi Kai. Right now, my name is only Kai."

Kai scratched his head.

"My name is Kai, the captain of the third princess' royal guard. Right now, my mission is to subjugate a demon and in turn, rescue Mariko Erina."

Natsumi glared at him.

"...I told you that the earliest we could mobilize a large unit was on Friday yet you couldn't even wait a day? Are you that desperate to cancel the engagement?"

Kai averted his eyes and faced the others who were obviously panicked.

"W-wait..."

Date who was obviously shocked into silence managed to recover enough to talk.

"Did you just say demon subjugation?! We were told that you planned to break Miss Erina out then elope!"

Date referred to Yoko, Umi, and Haru normally but called Erina with 'miss'. Though now that Haru was actually Natsumi is revealed, he now calls her, Her Highness.

"Elope? Who the hell told you that?"

Date glanced at Yoko once.

"...Let's have a talk later."

"Don't want to. You still owe me a lot."

Kai couldn't reject Yoko's words. It was true, he really had to make it up to her for everything that had happened.

"Wait, why did you even try to help me elope? Didn't you even think for a second why the third princess and the royal guard would be involved in this matter?"

"W-we thought that your relationship was supported by the king or so we were told by Miss Yoko."

Arata stuttered.

"And I guess His Highness is here because it would be the perfect opportunity to drag me away from Natsumi?"

"Don't call my little sister by her name!"

Kazuki lost all of his fears and was glaring at Kai.

"Don't care. Even you don't have the authority to order me around."

Kazuki's eye twitched and his body was emitting anger.

"Big brother, don't annoy Kai!"

Kazuki held his chest and crouched down while muttering 'even my precious angel...!' over and over.

"Kai, was it? How did you disguise yourself? Her Highness' disguise was quite simple but I can't even begin to imagine how you hid yourself..."

Umi as always had the mind of a researcher.

"It's transformation magic."

"Transformation magic?! Isn't that a super rare magic created by the joint effort of beastkin and demons?!"

"...I'm impressed you knew. Anyway, I have to go do a speech now. I don't mind if you all come to help but do not under any circumstances, fight the demon. Unlike the tournament, killing you all will be as simple as flicking its finger."

Kai left the group and as he walked forward, ice slowly rose from the floor below him. With each step, the ice formed itself into a stage and Memento Mori was dumbfounded. Many of the royal guards could also only stare in disbelief.

"Listen up, though I've never revealed my face to anyone but the king and third princess, I am the captain of the third princess' royal guard, Kai and have the authority to command all of you."

A mask manifested in Kai's hand from the pendant and he raised it up. It was a full black mask with golden patterns. It was what he wore in the kingdom when working.

"I'm not one for such words but listen up! Although the mission this time is demon subjugation and very important, I will allow anyone who doesn't want to participate to leave! This is a very dangerous mission and I can't guarantee anyone's lives. We fail and the kingdom will fall, we win and glory will be given to all of us. Now, those who don't want to fight, leave!"

Many of the royal guards were scared but they're the kingdom's elites, who would protect the kingdom if not them? Nobody left and everyone decided to follow Kai.

"...Good. Our target is Mariko Palace's duke, Mariko Hyosuke. I have no need for backup when fighting him nor the demon that's possessing him because all of you would all be fodder. That's why you all are to defeat all the demonic beasts and other humans that are corrupted by the demon! Win and live or lose and die! Let me hear your voices!"

"""Haa!"""

"Louder!"

"""HAA!"""

The royal guards raised their weapons and roared.

"Then, let's attack with the intent to win, you bastards! For Alteria, for victory!"

Kai had a large grin on his face as he raised the scythe had just manifested.

"""HAAA! For Alteria, for victory!"""

"What a foul mouth..."

Yoko said.

"Yoko, shh... Don't try to ruin the moment."

Natsumi hurriedly shushed Yoko.