- Start of counterattack -

A night inside the forest

At the small camp

Garon held a sword-shaped necklace in his hand.

It was dirty, didn’t fit him and looked like it's for little kids.

But for some reason

He seems to hold it dearly

"I have, to start over."

He takes a glance at his axe.

Unfortunately the axe was completely broken, alongside the core.

With this, he needed to find a new devil to make a pact with him.

Of course, that means hunting for new souls all over again.

It's going to be a lot more fighting, but.

"I'm.. already too far to give up, huh?

He made a resolve to himself

With the money from this job, he’d find a new weapon, seal a devil inside, and make a new pact.

With his goal already decided, he steeled his heart again.

"Leader!"

It was his subordinate.

"You took so long. Have you finished yet?"

"Yes, the preparation to leave the forest is already starting. The wounded are mostly treated and the dead has been given burial, sir!"

The hoodlum, his second in command, Kyle is different from his other subordinates.

An ex knight survivor from a country destroyed by the demon lord, Garon saw his ability to command an army and hired him as second in command.

Unfortunately his ability in fighting and personality is second rate, were it not, he would become first rate soldier at least.

"I see, then, what about the girl?"

Hearing that, Kyle answered hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, our men are getting too excited and angry since she wounded too much of our men. Right now they're too busy making her suffer..."

Hearing that, his pitch went higher.

"Idiot, didn't I tell you to kill her? Make sure you dispose her before we leave!"

"Yy..yes, actually Kyron that got wounded in his eyes is offering to be the one who finishes her off, so everybody unanimously agrees"

"Hmm.. that fool huh? Make sure it's done. Go to make sure he kills her."

"Certainly, sir!"

With a bow befitting an ex knight, he left

"Now.."

Left alone, Garon pondered.

"If only nothing happened"

After saying that, he went silent. But not long from that

He felt something weird. His danger sense felt that something big was coming. A horde of powerful presences surrounded this place.

He knew this feeling. He always felt it when partying with an A rank adventurer back at his adventuring days..!

This feeling

"Monsters.."

Furthermore, everyone was strong.

Their aura felt like at least average B rank monsters or more.

Some were weaker, but this number was enough to trample his subordinates without mercy.

Especially since he lost his main weapon, it's the most worst possibility!

"But from where? The closest place here with strong monster like this is gorgon canyon, but that place... I heard some priest from long ago sacrificed his life so no monster could come out on their own, unless..."

He got a premonition, no, a realization.

That someone made them come here against their own will...

And the only one who could possibly do that...

"That girl..! I should've killed her back then... !"

Realizing it's already too late, he started to run from that place while start cursing inside his mind.