Farewell
Tigaro's [Spirit Tail] wavered.
"Aifie. I haven't really told you what my family's magic is until now, have I?"
"Please don’t come any closer!!"
The maid standing in front of Aifie charges at Tigaro with a desperate look on her face.
Tigaro, who was closely following it with his eyes, intercepted it with his [Spirit Tail] that he had prepared behind him.
Before the maid could react, Tigaro's [Spirit Tail] landed and sank into the maid's stomach.
"Ugh!?"
The magic tentacle that hit the maid with swift movements wrapped around the maid's neck as she was about to fall.
The maid, who was having difficulty breathing, looked in agony.
Aifie, who was watching this, screamed in fear as her throat trembled.
"Old lady!?"
"This is [Manifestation Magic] that only the Noros family can use. It takes different forms depending on the user, but mine can be used like this."
"T-Tigaro... Stop it already...!"
Tigaro's creepy smile deepened as he heard Aifie's heartbreaking words and continued speaking regardless.
"And one more thing. [Slave Magic], I can enslave the woman I raped. ――Come.'"
Tigaro said while smiling at the frightened Aifie, and a girl appeared from the shadows nearby.
The girl, who was wearing a prisoner-like robe that even commoners wouldn't wear, was a beastman about the same age as Aifie.
The beast girl's tail was torn in half, leaving a deep scar that was not hidden.
The wounds on her entire body that were visible from areas other than those hidden by the clothes were so painful that it was unbearable to look at them directly.
"..."
The black-furred beastman girl stood next to Tigaro without moving her cat-like ears.
"Kenna. [Show me your slave crest]."
Just as Aifie was wondering what Tigaro said, the beastman girl in front of her called Kenna pulled up her clothes.
"W-what are you doing...!!"
Looking at the beastkin girl who shamelessly and calmly followed Tigaro's orders, Aifie, who was watching on the other hand, blushed.
However, Aifie's gaze was drawn to the mysterious pattern that glowed faintly beneath the beastman's navel.
Confirming that Aifie saw the slave crest, Tigaro smiled as if to show off.
"When this mark is placed on the slave, she has no choice but to listen to her master. Like this: [Crawl!]"
When Tigaro gives a command, the pattern responds by making the light a little stronger.
As instructed, the beast girl got on all fours in front of Tigaro.
As expected, she did not resist Tigaro's orders, but simply followed them with emptiness reflected in her eyes.
The beast girl puts her knees on the ground and bows her head.
It looked as if she was holding out her neck to Tigaro.
While Aifie was paying attention to this, Tigaro lifted his foot and brought the sole of his foot down with force toward the beastkin girl's head.
There was a dull sound of gravel colliding with the girl's forehead.
"――!?"
It wasn't the beast girl who screamed, but Aifie who was watching.
Aifie's breath caught in her throat as she saw the horror of the beastkin girl who didn't scream even though she was being trampled painfully, and of Tigaro's actions that ignored human rights.
Tigaro rubs his feet, and the sound of the girl's forehead rubbing against the ground is heard.
Blood was flowing from the girl's forehead, spreading its red color to the ground.
Aifie was so frightened that her vision was shaking and she couldn't believe the scene in front of her.
"H-hey, Tigaro... you're joking, right...?"
There's no way the kind Tigaro would do something like this.
This must be some kind of mistake, and he's probably just trying to surprise Aifie.
Aifie wanted to think so.
Aifie asked with a trembling voice, and Tigaro returned a gentle smile.
"Aifie, just as you have become able to use magic, I have also changed."
"..."
Although they had something in common in their tone, Tigaro's actions were completely different from before.
The old Tigaro was probably a kinder boy with a cheerful and warm smile.
At the very least, Aifie's favorite Tigaro was never the kind of person who would do such a cruel thing.
Aifie's heart was completely shattered by the sudden change in her childhood friend's appearance.
"Look, is it okay for a future knight to do that?"
"Ugh...!?"
The neck of the maid accompanying Aifie, who had been captured by the magic tentacle, was being strangled, and the maid groaned as it became difficult to even breathe.
"O-old lady…!!"
Even when Aifie looked around as if asking for help, all she could see were the Asur family guards who had already fallen.
Tigaro takes a step towards Aifi.
"Aren't you supposed to protect everyone?"
"No……"
Aifie looked at Tigaro with a frightened expression.
As he cornered her, she prayed for him to stop.
In front of her line of sight was Tigaro, the man she should have loved―― who now had a creepy smile on his face.
"Ha, ha, ha…!!"
Tigaro approaches, and Aifie's ears hear the sound of her heart pounding as she gets nervous as she is gradually cornered.
The only way to stop Tigaro is to do it herself.
But is it okay to do such a thing to Tigaro, who she loved so much?
However, if she doesn't do it, the life of the maid who is being strangled is in danger.
Aifie's mind was agitated with conflict as her thoughts became confused.
As Tigaro approached one step at a time, something finally snapped in Aifie's head.
Her head is so full of thoughts that she can't even think anymore.
Aifie, who was in a panic, simply followed her defensive instincts, hid her trembling hands, and chanted.
"[Water Ball]!!!"
The only thing she was able to create from her unstable mind was a terribly small [Water Ball].
"Yaaaaa!!!"
She let out a roar that was close to a scream, and unleashed her magic with all her might towards her favorite childhood friend in front of her.
The magic that was weakly released was deflected by Tigaro's bare hands without even using his [Spirit Tail].
The splashed drop hit Aifie's cheek, and Aifie, surprised by it, straightened her hips.
Through this exchange, she realized that her magic cannot have any effect on Tigaro.
There is no way to stop her childhood friend now.
However, Aifie cringed in fear of what was about to come, and closed her eyes tightly as if to turn away from reality.
She felt like Tigaro had come close to her and crouched down.
Sensing this, Aifie's body trembles with fear.
A shock ran through her forehead and she let out a small scream.
However, the shock was much weaker than she had imagined, and Aifie, feeling doubtful, slowly opened her eyes.
Then, she realized that all Tigaro had done was flick his finger on Aifie's forehead.
"W-what...?"
"I told you, right? Today is just skinship."
It seemed that the [Spirit Tail] had already been undone, and the maid accompanying Aifie was lying at the edge of her vision.
Tigaro wiped a little water from Aifie's cheeks, stood up, and turned around.
"So there's no need to prepare yourself like that. ――The next head of the Asur family."
The space in front of Tigaro's gaze is shaking.
What she thought was just an empty space collapsed with the sound of water.
"Hmm, My covert magic was supposed to have been a careful, solid choice"
A man wearing a school uniform appeared from behind the collapsed wall of water.
The man's uniform is not the elementary school uniform worn by Tigaro and Aifie, but a high school uniform, which shows that he is a few years older than Tigaro and Aifie.
The man seemed to be watching the whole thing with sleepy eyes.
"Even if you can erase your appearance and smell, the magic scent remains."
As Tigaro indicated, he looked at a black-furred beastman girl a little further away.
She followed the instructions of her master, Tigaro, and remained crawling on the ground.
"...The beastman's nose works well. I'll definitely remember it."
"Brother……"
The man who Aifie called brother had blue hair, the same hair color as Aifie.
The sleepy-eyed man returned a smile to Aifie, turned his gaze back to Tigaro, and waved his finger.
Suddenly, water gushed out from the ground and became a cage, surrounding Tigaro.
The water cage becomes a mesh-like wall, blocking Tigaro from all sides and above his head.
It was an instantaneous event.
"So, what do you want to do? You could play with me like you did with them. You have that option."
By them, he meant the guards that Tigaro made unable to fight earlier.
Judging by the fact that the man wasn't chanting, he was probably preparing to step in between Tigaro and Aifie at any time.
Even in front of a man whose strength was clearly different from that of the guards, Tigaro did not become dismayed, even though he was in a prison of water, and instead smiled at the man.
"Hahaha, Rogienor-sama doesn't seem to have a good mood, so I'll stop."
"Good. That's a wise and clever choice."
Perhaps not sensing Tigaro's will to fight, the next head of the Asur family―― Rogienor released the water cage and freed Tigaro.
After confirming that the magic had disappeared, Tigaro turned around, moved closer to Aifie, and whispered in her ear.
"Your life was saved. Next time I won't show any mercy, so you better be prepared."
"..."
――She couldn't do anything.
Aifie gripped her clothes tightly in frustration.
And tears slowly welled up in the corners of Aifie's eyes.
"Let's go, Kenna."
"..."
At Tigaro's direction, Kenna stood up and followed behind Tigaro, ignoring the blood dripping from her forehead.
Rogienor said as he passed by Tigaro, who was walking out from the back of the school building.
"I'll forgive you this time because it's my sister's lesson. However, if you make a foolish and negligent choice next time, the Asur family will make a suitable choice."
Even after hearing that, Tigaro didn't seem to be moved, he just gave a friendly smile in return.
Looking at Tigaro's back as he left, Aifie, who had been clutching her clothes with trembling hands, burst into words.
"...I've decided."
Tears fall from Aifie's eyes.
She couldn't do anything even though she was cornered by Tigaro.
For Aifie, who had recently been praised by everyone around her for being able to use magic better than others, this became a huge sense of emptiness and regret.
"...I'm going to become even stronger."
All she could do was watch while the guards were being beaten and the maid who was accompanying her was being strangled.
"Become strong enough to protect everyone."
More than anything, Aifie felt ashamed of her own lack of strength, feeling the most regretful thing about not being able to stop her beloved Tigaro, who had changed.
"――Absolutely! I'll return you to your old self!!"
Tigaro stopped and looked at Aifie's cry-faced declaration as she cried out, but even so, he was still wearing a mask of a faint smile that was different from his true self.
"...Haha, I'm looking forward to it."
That was all Tigaro could say.
Tigaro leaves with Kenna behind him and Aifie's gaze on his back, letting go of his lingering feelings.
He will probably never have happy days with his ex-childhood friend again.
It was fine.
He doesn't think he can live happily ever after being born into the Noros family and doing the cruel act of making slaves.
But at least, Tigaro continued walking without looking back, hoping that she would be able to become happy.
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