"I'm sorry, it was my fault."

Kanata turns to Kokone, who has been put into a hypnotic state.

He drew his sword as it was.

"I will never leave you alone again."

He's motivated to go one-on-one with Kokone.

However, of course, Galdur also takes action.

"Fuhaha! This silly friendship game… guah!?"

"I won't let you interfere."

Kanata's surroundings dealt with that.

It's the three familiars of Luzeria, Elvi, and Mika.

The three faithfully followed Kanata's instructions and separated Galdur and Kokone.

"This older sister really dislikes people who can't read the room!"

"I won't let anyone interfere with Kanata-sama!"

"I'll take my time torturing you."

"Tch!"

Kanata believes that he will definitely get Kokone back.

And so, Kanata and Kokone face each other.

From now on, it's a battle just between the two of them.

"Wait for me, Kokone."

"I will exclude you."

"...! Guhhh!"

At that moment, Kokone unleashed a fierce snowstorm.

It's firepower like never before.

Kokone's potential is the highest among the familiars.

Usually, it's just that she can't fully unleash her strength due to her personality.

If a 100% Kokone is the opponent, they can be considered the strongest rival of all.

Still, Kanata took a step forward.

"Uaaaaah! ─Disruption!"

"!"

Finding a gap in the blizzard, he carved a path with [Spatial Disruption].

In the brief moment of opportunity that arose, Kanata jumped towards Kokone.

However, this is a trap that was set up.

"It's over."

"...!"

A large ice spear pierces Kanata's equipment.

Even the three familiars raised their voices at this.

"Kanata-kun!"

"Kanata-sama!"

"Kanata-chan!"

It must have looked like it pierced through the whole body.

However, Kanata spoke up.

"Am I going to be defeated by a heartless and monotonous attack?"

"...!"

Just a few millimeters, he was turning his body away.

His [Super Sensory] had read everything up to this point.

Then, Kanata tightly hugs Kokone.

"Come back, Kokone."

"...!"

"I need you."

Those words reach the depths of Kokone's heart─.

★

"W-Where is this...?"

When Kokone suddenly wakes up, she finds herself in a dark space.

There is nothing in sight.

Through hypnosis, Kokone's consciousness had sunk deep into her heart.

At that moment, a voice was heard as if light were shining down from above.

"Come back, Kokone. I need you."

"Ah, Master...!"

Then, she remembers the earlier skirmish with Galdur.

"Are you talking about the former slave?"

She was deceived by Galdur's words and caught off guard.

However, this is not a gap that was created at that time.

It was just that the anxiety that Kokone had been hiding deep down was brought to the surface.

"Master, Kokone is..."

What occupied Kokone's mind were the days in the other world with Kanata.

★─★─★

Another world.

"Hey, hurry up and walk!"

"Kyah!"

Kokone is kicked by a slave trader.

This is the demi-human slave market.

Kokone was born in this place as a being to be sold.

In the Great War of the past, the dragons were defeated by humans, and the Kokone and her dragon-people tribe had been subjected to the slave trade for generations.

"This person is weird. Their wings are strangely long."

"Ugh."

The Dragonkin are controlled in such a way that they retain dragon-like features while their power is weakened.

To make it so they can't rebel against humans.

The Dragonfolk had their power taken away and were merely a people who were cruelly oppressed.

The only solace is that they were at the market together as a family of three.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep my promise today either."

"Umm..."

However, at this time, Kokone has no name.

Not even allowed to introduce herself, she is only recognized by her face.

Amidst all this, Kokone and the others end up being bought by a certain wealthy person.

"This is the Dragonkin tribe? How wonderful!"

He is a powerful man.

It's not something they can easily go against.

The man promptly began assigning tasks.

"The man is in charge of transportation, take the woman to that room. The kid... will have to wait until they grow up a bit more."

Father is the one who does the heavy lifting, and mother is the comforter.

However, Kokone was not subjected to any cruel acts.

With an even younger appearance than now, they were not targeted by those in power.

However, as time passes, the day will finally come when she will succeed her mother.

"Then, shall we take our time and enjoy?"

"W-What are you going to do..."

She didn't know about the daily mistreatment her mother was enduring.

To make them experience an overwhelming despair at this moment.

At that moment, Kokone's mother resisted for the first time.

"Please! We promised not to do such things to our daughter!"

"Shut up, slave."

"...Ugh!!"

Then, her mother was killed right in front of her.

The powerful person continues to shoot at her father.

"From now on, it's just my daughter. She can't use her strength anyway, right?"

"Gah!"

"...!!"

Kokone collapsed to her knees in front of her parents, who had fallen before her.

"Mom? Dad...?"

The powerful person clicks their tongue at such Kokone.

"Hey girl. Move that filthy corpse quickly. Before the excitement wears off."

"─Ugh!"

"Hmm?"

In that moment, Kokone lost her sense of self.

"""Waaaaaahhhhhh!!"""

The surroundings froze in an instant, piercing the mansion's inhabitants one after another.

The catastrophic ice spread with an overwhelming force, engulfing the entire territory.

Like the ice dragon that rampaged during the Great War.

It's a throwback to their ancestors.

The power of the ancient dragon has revived, and Kokone has gone berserk.

Unable to control herself, she wielded her power with such intensity that it threatened to destroy her own body.

And then, the next time she regained consciousness─

"It's okay now."

"...Ugh."

Kanata was being protected.

As a hero, he stopped Kokone's rampage.

However, Kokone was left with deep scars.

About her parents and her own strength.

"...What am I?"

Since birth, she has been oppressed, and she doesn't know who she is.

Kokone wouldn't know anything about the wartime era.

Then, Kanata soothed Kokone.

"It's okay. You're a person."

"Huh?"

"You got angry for your parents. Aren't you a kind-hearted person?"

"...."

Kanata spoke to Kokone, who had tightly grasped his sleeve.

"A person with a gentle 'heart.' Your name is Kokone."

"Kokone..."

"For now, I'll protect you. I won't leave you alone again."

"...Yes."

It's a precious name that Kanata gave her.

That's why Kokone calls herself Kokone.

She wants to use that name as many times as possible.

And then, after a while of traveling together.

"Please make Kokone your familiar."

"That, but..."

When she hears the term "familiar," she can't help but associate it with slavery.

For that reason, Kanata had never brought it up even once.

However, Kokone wanted to become a familiar.

"From now on, let's do what we want to do. You were the one who said that."

"That's true, but..."

"So please, this is something Kokone wants to do."

"...O-Okay."

She doesn't want to belong to anyone else anymore.

With those feelings in mind, Kokone volunteered to become a familiar herself.

Kanata asked back many times, and eventually, he gave his consent.

"From now on, you will be my master!"

"Haha. Seriously."

After that, the two continue their journey.

Meeting the Vermilion Bird, encountering vampires, and defeating demon tribes.

She was living in happy days.

However, Kokone had always felt a sense of inferiority somewhere deep down.

(Is someone like Kokone really suitable for you, Master?)

The more they travel together, the more she feels that Kanata is a great hero.

Every time he accomplished something, Kokone couldn't help but doubt whether she was worthy.

The slave mentality rooted in childhood is not something that can be easily erased.

"What's wrong? Kokone."

"N-no! It's nothing at all!"

The reason she wished for a familiar contract was because of such anxieties.

So Kokone got closer every day.

"Master!"

"Hey, hey, you're getting too close."

No matter how much she's torn apart, no matter how much she's told to stay away.

Deep down, she had a fear of being separated.

Those feelings might have been what moved Kokone.

However, the end will come.

"The days of battle are over. From now on, I want you to live your own path."

The Demon King has been defeated.

Kanata made his first and last request to his familiar.

They don't need to follow him anymore.

Looking back, Kanata might have had a premonition of the execution.

Also, the familiars should be able to stand on their own now.

This is Kanata's kindness.

However, the familiars were more dependent than he had imagined. [.....]

"Kokone will follow you for life."

Kokone believed that Kanata was alive.

After searching and searching for a way, she assumed he had jumped back to the original world.

So, she took action immediately.

However, the lack of confidence was evident to this extent.

Thinking that Kanata might make a displeased face if it were just him, he also told the coincidentally present Luzeria how to travel between worlds.

But, first and foremost, it's better for her.

And so, Kokone was the first to cross the world.

★─★─★

Remembering those days, Kokone reconsiders.

"I was the one who couldn't fully trust you, Master..."

Kanata always looked at her.

Even though he verbally expressed dislike, he still didn't let go of her.

Due to the trauma of being a slave in childhood, it can be said that this way of thinking is inevitable.

However, Kanata never does anything terrible.

Even the self that has come this far in modern times is accepted as a companion.

"Master, Kokone is...!"

Once again, Kokone reflected on those days.

Now, she can believe in Kanata.

That feeling broke free from the shell of the heart─.

★

Again, the present.

"Master...!"

"Kokone...!"

Kokone's eyes regained their light.

The hypnosis was broken, and her mind returned.

Kanata apologizes while holding Kokone.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault for letting go!"

"No. It was Kokone's weakness that fell under hypnosis."

"That's not true!"

They confide in each other.

Both had their faults.

To the Kokone he faced again, Kanata spoke once more.

"If it's okay with you, even someone like me, please stay by my side."

"...!"

"This time, I won't let go."

"~~~Ah! Yes!"

It was the moment Kokone returned.

In that scene, even Luzeria and the others couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, so you came back?"

"I thought there would be one less rival."

"Welcome back, Koko-chan."

That said, the three of them couldn't hide their joy.

Everyone thinks Kokone is one of them.

Then, Kokone switches her gaze sharply.

"Master, Kokone has moved forward."

"...!"

At that moment, a fierce blizzard spread around.

This firepower, the aura, the atmosphere.

Everything is on par with or even better than Kokone from earlier.

"Hey, seriously..."

Kokone has overcome it.

Right now, she can unleash 100% of her power.

Even among familiars, the "strongest potential" is said to be the highest.

[Kokone-chan is back!]

[Uwaaaah Kokone-taーーーーn!!!]

[Well done, Demon King!]

[Thank you, really thank you ; ; ]

[Isn't she stronger than usual!?]

[Awakened Kokone-chan is hereee!!]

[Uooooooh, do it now!!]

And then, Kokone turned her gaze towards Galdur.

"Prepare yourself."

"Well, you see, Galdur-san."

"...Ugh!"

From here on, it's time for a counterattack─.

Chapter 27: Kokone and her Master