As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

After hearing the knights' conversation, Sagan finally understood what was going on.

—So, Barbarossa also said that some people suspect I am the murderer in this case.

It seems they came under the pretext of punishing the murderer.

These people have obviously mistaken the person for someone else, but even if they know they are not the murderer, the church will not let it go.

To them, magicians were enemies to be punished. Since Sagan was a magician, she had to be brought down—and that wouldn't change even if Sagan could prove her innocence.

The other knights laughed after hearing the girl's advice.

"As expected of our Holy Sword Maiden, Lady Shestie, she is compassionate even towards magicians."

"We are also honored to fight alongside you, Lady Shestie."

Despite the knights' flattery, the girl's expression was a mixture of emotions.

Just then, the knights stopped.

"It's that grove of trees again. We've been going in the same place the whole time."

They are currently trapped in a barrier used to defend against invaders, and have lost their sense of direction, wandering around in circles.

Sagan in the forest had been watching this scene unfold.

There's a road leading directly to the castle ahead of Sagan. It was near there that he rescued the girl attacked by the magician. Knights are currently traveling back and forth along the fork in the road leading to this destination.

Looking at the knights, Sagan suddenly had a question in his mind.

--How did that magician break my barrier back then?

That's a barrier that even paladins can withstand; it's impossible for someone to accidentally break in due to accident or bad luck.

That being said, the magician didn't seem to have the ability to break Sagan's barrier; he was the kind of guy who started begging for mercy as soon as he faced Sagan.

But that's not important. What's most important now is the group of paladins in front of us.

—If only they could just give up and go home…

Of course, the other party wasn't so easily dealt with.

"Excuse me, everyone. This must be a magical barrier, so let me..."

The girl stepped forward and drew the greatsword from her back.

The surface of the sword was engraved with peculiar patterns.

Although it's quite different from the symbols used in magic, the principle should be the same. If magic symbols are a language, then what's in front of me is like the script of another country.

Then, the emblem emitted a faint light.

"ha!"

The girl's sword flashed.

Half of it is gone, Sagan knew that the barrier surrounding the castle had been shattered by this attack.

Some of the protective barriers within the territory remained intact, but those used to repel intruders were destroyed by this single swing.

With a single wave of light, the barrier that had been obscuring the knights was broken, and Sagan appeared before them.

"...Sigh, don't you church people even know the proper etiquette for visiting others?"

The knights seemed to only notice Sagan when they heard the noise, and they cried out in fright, quickly stepping forward to protect the girl, but she stopped them with a gesture.

The other person's direct gaze fell upon him, and then he said with difficulty:

"...So it really was you?"

"Have we met somewhere before?"

Sagan did recognize the man, but his memory was hazy. He stared at the girl for a long time before finally recalling him clearly…

—Oh right, isn't she the girl who almost got killed before?

Sagan vividly remembers that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman back then, but she had neither the Holy Sword nor the Baptismal Armor, and her hairstyle was quite different from her current updo.

However, she did wear church insignia at the time.

—If I had known she was a paladin, I wouldn't have let her go in the first place…

This was truly a miscalculation—Sagan regretted it deeply, but reflecting on it now was futile, so he decided to put it aside for the time being.

"I don't know who you are, but get out of here. I don't have time to waste with you."

He impatiently raised his finger, then swung it straight up without saying a word.

"Ah ah!"

Immediately afterwards, a bolt of lightning struck the group of knights, including the girl; it turned out to be the magic trick that had burned the magician to a crisp the other day.

—Since they're wearing baptismal armor, it shouldn't be able to kill them.

Their armor was exceptionally well-suited for protection, capable of reflecting even half-baked magic back intact. However, Sagan still carefully considered the force he used.

However—

"To attack someone like that, magicians are truly a bunch of despicable scoundrels."

The knight holding a large shield protected the girl, and apart from the girl behind him, the other knights were also unharmed.

-- Okay, I think so too.

No matter how bad they were, they still managed to break through Sagan's barrier. If they had given up after such a small attack, they would never have been able to get in in the first place.

"...What an ungrateful bastard. Why bother with all this bluster? He should just tuck his tail between his legs and leave."

He narrowed his eyes and issued his ultimatum with an air of arrogance.

—If I don't deal with them soon, I'll miss Neferpitou's dinner!

It would be a misfortune for both Sagan and Nefertiti if they couldn't eat it while it was hot.

"Whoosh..."

The unusual aura caused the girl to take a few steps back, and the man with the large shield, along with two other knights, stepped forward to fill the empty space.

"Lady Shestie, please step aside. We, the Three Knights of the Azure Sky, can handle someone of this caliber."

The three knights announced their respectable names and confronted Sagan head-on.

Upon hearing their words, Sagan realized that the three knights were indeed wearing blue armor.

The man holding the large shield and speaking was a rather burly figure, with a hand axe in his right hand. The knight behind him was slender and carried a spear, while the one behind him raised a longsword.

It seems they plan to first deliver a crushing blow with shields, then use spears to hold the enemy back, and finally use longswords to send them to their doom.

This is actually just an old, tired tactic, but its effectiveness is immediate, hence its widespread use. If the opponent is only one person, it can even be considered a sure-win strategy.

However, Sagan scratched his head impatiently.

"Once we deal with these three, you'll all obediently go back, right?"

These words sounded like a provocation, making the knight blush and sneer.

"Insolent fool!"

The Greatshield Knight launched a charge.

The armor and shield together easily weighed over a hundred kilograms, but the enemy, carrying that weight, could charge at a speed comparable to a swift horse.

That didn't seem to come from human physical strength at all, but rather from the effects of the baptismal armor unique to paladins.

Not only the armor, but the shield was also baptized by the church and engraved with its emblem. A half-baked magic could not destroy it, and the opponent would not give him the opportunity to cast a high-level spell.

"Hahaha! You won't have a chance to use magic. Watch me smash you to pieces with my shield."

The massive man's charge, wielding his steel shield, was as powerful as a cannonball. Even a magician, if struck head-on, would be reduced to a pulp.

Even if you survive the shield bash, you'll still be met with spears.

Even if one miraculously survives under the spear, one cannot escape the fatal blow of the longsword in the end.

But faced with such a sure-win strategy, Sagan remained calm and composed, only clenching his right hand tightly.

Then, he raised his right hand high above his head like a catapult and slammed it down hard on the shield.

Fists clashed head-on with the shield.

The knight grinned victoriously and gave a shout.

"Foolish thing, just accept it—"

The next second, the knight's great shield shattered like glass. The fist didn't stop there, shattering the baptismal armor and striking the knight's abdomen.

"Huh...?"

With an expression of bewilderment, the greatshield knight was thrown backward at a speed greater than during his charge.

The so-called rear was not empty; the spear knights were close behind.

The fully armed man, weighing over 200 kilograms, unexpectedly collided with him.

"Pfft?"

The second knight couldn't even scream before collapsing into a heap.

The third person, the knight with the longsword, managed to escape, but was also stunned in disbelief.

"No, impossible! Our Heavenly Three Knights' ultimate killing formation has actually..."

"...I say, did you do your homework before attacking the enemy camp? If you had done even the most basic research and found out about the magic I use, you would never have resorted to such a stupid trick."

Sagan's fist was enveloped in an exquisite magic circle.

It turns out that the magical power amplified through the castle's enormous magic circle was all concentrated on this magic circle.

Sagan's high-density magic possesses mass and strength sufficient to shatter even the Church's baptismal armor. Rather than defeating enemies, he excels at using protective magic.

He can regenerate fatal wounds rapidly, and if he realizes he has no chance of winning, he can escape at an illogical speed. This has always been how he has enhanced his physical abilities.

Charging at him with a shield as fragile as paper is as foolish as throwing an egg against a rock.

Sagan waved his hand as if shooing away flies.

"Alright, if you know your place, then get lost. Do you really expect a weak woman to carry three bundles home?"

The hatred on the knight's face was so intense that it seemed as if his gaze alone could kill.