I love time travel the most!

Thinking of this, Kobayashi pouted and said, "There's no need for thanks, is there? In fact, Reinhard, you successfully defeated two archbishops of the Great Sin."

"No. If it weren't for your amazing gadget, Kobayashi... what's it called again, Imperial Arm? Without it, it would have been very difficult to defeat the two Archbishops of Sin."

"Difficulty means it's not impossible, right?"

He did not accept Reinhard's modesty.

With the Sword Saint's strength, once he knew the abilities of the Archbishops of Greed and Gluttony, even without the Dimensional Array Shangri-La, it would only take him a little effort.

That's right, it took a bit of effort, that's all.

Seeing that he still wanted to refuse, Kobayashi interrupted him, saying, "Alright, alright, haven't you heard the saying that excessive humility is the same as pride? No one can take away your credit, and the kingdom has acknowledged it, hasn't it?"

Even the self-hypnotic "Demon King Special Attack" wouldn't work on Reinhard.

His character is truly remarkable.

"No, that's not what I meant."

The Sword Saint scratched his fiery red hair and said, "Actually, Elsa helped a lot too. Without her assistance, it definitely wouldn't have been so easy. That's true, and I'm not trying to shirk my responsibility."

Ok……

Kobayashi pondered for a moment, then nodded, agreeing with Reinhard's statement.

Ordinary people would be lucky to avoid being killed on their first encounter with a Archbishop of Sin, let alone defeat her. The fact that Elsa could hold her off for a while speaks volumes about her strength.

"Speaking of which, where did Elsa go?"

"I really don't know. Since returning to the capital, I've been at the council's beck and call, constantly reporting information about the Witch Cult, but I haven't heard where she went. However, Melie is still at the camp; she should be back soon."

"You're right. Forget it, let's just ignore her."

He waved his hand.

The only person the Bowel Hunter can currently think about is the little girl, Melly.

Speaking of Mary, she has gradually opened up recently.

Originally raised by monsters, even after being adopted by Elsa, she remained wary of everyone except Elsa.

This is all related to the distorted education she received.

Now, with people of similar age like Meryl and Ferut together, they've become increasingly lively and childlike.

They were just a little too lively, which gave the maids who took care of them a headache.

"Hey, Kobayashi! Where are you hiding?! Come out now!"

"Lady Felt! Lady Felt, please don't make so much noise, it's disturbing others!"

"Kobayashi! Come out quickly! Kobayashi!!!"

"Lord Felt!"

As they were talking, the innocent voice of the little girl Felt, who was being mentioned, echoed throughout the camp, even as the maid behind her, who was on the verge of tears, kept admonishing her to be mindful of ladylike manners.

But Felt was still that little girl with a bandit-like air about her, and she even shouted louder to spite the maid.

"Lord Ferut's capriciousness remains as strong as ever."

"Yes."

The two people in the room looked at each other and then smiled helplessly in tacit agreement.

To prevent Felt from continuing to wail, Kobayashi and Reinhardt didn't let her come looking for them, but instead left the room on their own.

"Okay, okay, I'm here."

"Kobayashi! Gotcha!"

The blonde little girl's eyes lit up when she saw him. She ran over quickly, stepping on the breeze, and leaped into Kobayashi's arms.

Following behind her, Mei Li bit her finger and looked on with envy after seeing the two embracing so intimately.

Kobayashi didn't show favoritism, picking up the black-haired little girl and holding her in his arms just like Felt.

Since he came back, Ferut has been very attached to him.

It's probably because the atmosphere in the Sword Saint family is unpleasant, making the blonde little girl feel uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, her strength was too weak, and even with the help of Lord Rom, she could not escape the protection of the Sword Saint family, and could only be trapped here in frustration.

"Kobayashi, quickly teach me magic!"

Felt, who was only thinking about getting more fries, was probably the narrowest-minded of all the royal candidates.

"Don't even think about escaping, I'm going to drain you dry today!"

"...Who taught you that phrase?"

"It's Lord Rom. He said that as long as I say those words, no man can resist me! He also said that if I add Mary to the mix, the effect will be even stronger!"

"That shameless old man!"

The blonde little girl spoke lewd words with an innocent face, and Kobayashi could already picture Rom's wicked and lewd smile in his mind.

Why teach this kind of thing of all? And he's supposed to be the person Felt trusts the most!

Ferut asked him a question when she saw his confusion.

"Xiao Lin?"

"Ahem... Listen carefully, Felt, this sentence is indeed very damaging, so don't say it to anyone carelessly."

"Don't worry. Grandpa Rom said not to tell anyone except you, and I remember that."

"Eh?"

what happened?

In Xiaolin's memory, Grandpa Rom suddenly transformed from an unreliable, stubborn old man into a father (grandfather) who schemed and plotted for his children.

Could it have been done on purpose?

Do you think this will work on me?

...There really is.

Unable to resist Felt's persistent pleading and Mary's pitiful pleas, he had no choice but to cancel his plans for the day and instead spend time playing happily with the little girls.

The days that followed were uneventful.

They resumed their daily routine when they stayed with the Sword Saint family in the capital.

In the morning, he sparred with Reinhard, while Felt received royal training.

After becoming a candidate for the throne, her educational approach became even more rigorous and demanding in order to catch up with the other candidates.

That's why Xiaolin agreed to go along with her nonsense.

Otherwise, excessive pressure will only crush the little girl; only proper relaxation will allow her learning to continue.

Therefore, the afternoon is the time for the two to play.

Of course, it's not just about playing; there are also tasks to learn magic. However, Kobayashi always turns these tasks into fun and educational activities.

Only in this way will Felt learn it, and the old fogies of the Sword Saint family won't say anything more.

Yes, the Sword Saint family isn't entirely ruled by Reinhard alone. If they just play around, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction, which is why they need to be flexible.

Anyway, the following days were uneventful, and Ferut and Meryl were always smiling.

But this routine felt unnatural.

—Someone is missing.

Elsa hasn't returned for a week since she defeated the Bishops of Greed and Gluttony.

Even when asked, Meili shook her head, indicating that she did not know where she was. The little black-haired girl even thought she had been abandoned and burst into tears out of worry.

Fortunately, Kobayashi comforted her in time, preventing her from leaving to find Elsa without thinking.

Until three days later.

late at night.

Elsa returned to the Sword Saint family's residence after disappearing for ten days.

Seeing the alluring assassin appear in the room, Kobayashi greeted her, "Hey, Elsa, where did you go to relax? Why are you only coming back now? Next time you leave, could you please let us know in advance? Mary was crying so much. Even if you don't tell us, you should at least tell Mary. She's really worried about you."

"........."

Elsa, unusually, remained silent; usually, even if she was in the wrong, she would at least tease him. This strange behavior alerted Kobayashi to something amiss.

This sudden departure is definitely related.

Kobayashi let out a breath and said, "What's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"

"I'm going to finish the unfinished mission. A gut hunter must complete the mission he accepts from his employer."

“Hey, now I’m your employer.”

"The previous employer's task was the same."

Elsa parted her lips slightly, her hoarse voice echoing in the room bathed in the cool moonlight, calm yet resolute, as if no one could persuade her.

Besides the task of killing all the sisters, the Bowel Hunter has only one unfinished mission.

—Get rid of Emilia.

However, with Subaru Natsuki around, they couldn't kill Emilia at all.

You can defeat me countless times, but I only need to defeat you once!

Subaru Natsuki's time travel is truly terrifying.

"You're going to die."

"If I fail to complete the task satisfactorily, I can have nothing to say even if I am killed."

These are the words Elsa once said to Felt, and surprisingly, they are quite useful when applied to an assassin.

"What about Mary? What should we do?"

"The employer requires that the Bowel Hunter and the Beastmaster go on an attack together, so I'll be taking Merry with me."

"Similarly, if you fail to complete the task satisfactorily, you can die without complaint... Is that what you mean?"