◆ Near the Avangarde Border, Fourest Mountains ◆
“I am Nice, the aide to Lord Balbus, representative of the Phantom Beastkin.”
The reality was grim; there was little that Kurinka’s diligent healing could do for most of the adventurers. Nearly half of them had fallen to this polite greeting from the cat-human, Nice. If it weren’t for the information that a group of adventurers had entered the mountains from the town below, I doubt we would have even made it this far. But regardless, it was too late. It seemed some of our comrades had already been taken down, and the signs of battle were evident. The outcome was clear just from the aftermath.
“Why is the Phantom doing this…?”
“I warned you that if you entered our territory, you would be attacked.”
“That’s not what I meant! What is the Phantom? What does Elmera want?!”
“If I had to say… it would be a reversal.”
“Huh?!”
The way she flicked her long tail made me feel somewhat mocked. She dropped her blood-dripping claws to the ground and relaxed her stance.
“I still don’t understand what the Phantom is, but I will avenge those who were killed.”
“How coincidental; I have already done that.”
“What do you mean?! Don’t mess with me!”
“Messing with you…?”
“The first strike was ours… that’s true. We ignored the warning that we would be killed if we entered your territory…”
Since Seigel said it, I didn’t think he was lying. But it was the Phantom that initially invaded the Nation of Negesta, so it was only natural for us to come and put a stop to it. We were not in the wrong.
“Nice, was it? If you continue this way, you will eventually be recognized by nations around the world, and everything will turn against you. What will you do then?”
“Well… in that case, I will do this.”
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s Attack!】
She lunged forward unexpectedly, her speed catching me off guard despite my vigilance. I had intended to dodge completely, but I barely grazed her. It felt like I had been scratched by a kitten, leaving three thin lines of blood on my arm. The sudden attack from her previously gentle demeanor confirmed that she was indeed a beast.
【Rua deftly dodged!】
“Wait, are we really fighting?!”
“This is a hunt.”
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s Cat Slice! Rua took 265 damage! HP 42747/43012】
Her claws came at me from above and below, no, they were like blades of vacuum. If I tried to escape, I would only take more damage from this cage of blades. So, I aimed to minimize the damage with Disballade, swatting away all the blades. But the speed of even one of those blades was extraordinary. I couldn’t dodge them all, and while I bit back my frustration, I pondered how to silence this cat.
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s Bite! Rua deftly dodged!】
“Y-you’re trying to eat me!”
“Of course.”
The feral cat answered shortly, not giving me a moment to breathe. I realized she was not someone I could afford to take lightly. In fact, it was refreshing to see her keep up with my speed. It had been a long time since the Abyss Cave, and I thought this cat might take me to my limits. Reflecting on that, I felt the sting of my ten years spent conquering that cave.
“I never expected to be held back.”
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s Claw Strike! Rua took 1438 damage! HP 41309/43012】
I narrowly avoided having my entire outfit shredded. My boots barely escaped, but sharp pain shot through my foot as blood began to flow. I felt pathetic for being so easily toyed with by Nice’s graceful movements. Despite her words, she was clearly holding back. Normally, I would have defeated a typical monster and moved on, but these Phantoms were different. They looked like monsters but maintained a certain calmness that set them apart.
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s Cat Strike! Rua deftly dodged!】
“Nice couldn’t catch her…?”
“Nice’s skill, Cat’s Claw, should become sharper and more precise the faster the opponent is… Who is that human girl?!”
Nice’s companions began to rise. If they started causing trouble again, I needed to find a way to silence them. This cat could probably give Pansard a run for his money. Pansard, one of the Twelve Demon Generals and the pinnacle of the Demon Lord Army’s beasts, had never seemed particularly battle-hardened. Though he had trained with the Blast Chimera, it was only recently that he had begun to engage in combat, so it was understandable that his experience was lacking.
But this cat was different. Her fighting style was meticulous, honed over years, perhaps even decades of battle. It was no surprise that anyone would struggle against such a sudden appearance.
【Rua’s Attack! Ash Cat Hunter Nice deftly dodged!】
It may have been naive to think I could silence her using only my fists without Disballade. In a bare-handed fight, she might have the upper hand, and I wondered what I was doing. But now that it had come to this, I was determined to land a hit.
Our movements, kicking off rocks and the ground, went unnoticed by anyone. If we hadn’t been there from the start, our speed would have made it impossible for anyone to realize a fight was taking place. They stood there, weapons drawn, unsure of where to strike. I wouldn’t let them get caught up in this.
“To see a human make such a face in battle is quite rare.”
“Huh, what kind of face?”
“A happy smile. And even now, you aren’t even using half your strength. By the way, do you know this phrase? It originated in a certain human nation.”
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s Cat Strike!】
“A cornered mouse bites the cat. Though you’re not a mouse, if you think you’ve cornered me, you might receive an unexpected blow.”
【Rua took 2044 damage! HP 39265/43012】
A slash came from an unexpected direction, targeting my openings with precision. Her claws aimed to sever my arm with brutal intent. They attacked my sides, stomach, and legs in the same manner.
“I don’t know what your intentions are, but that naivety will surely cost you your life one day.”
“You’re right… that one hurt a bit, so I think it’s time to end this.”
【Rua’s Attack!】
“…!”
This cat was incredible. What amazed me was how she reacted to my punch, trying to dodge. This meant she was completely capable of responding in time. But what surprised me was her speed, which was unlike anything I had faced before. The way she pulled back to evade was too fast for me to keep up. My fist sank into her fluffy gray belly, stopping just before it could penetrate.
“Bluff…!”
【Rua dealt 14651 damage to Ash Cat Hunter Nice! Ash Cat Hunter Nice has been defeated! HP 0/14306】
With her mouth wide open, revealing sharp teeth, Nice coughed up blood as she crashed into a jagged rock, lying still. Her tail twitched slightly, and her paw moved just a bit.
“Did I… do it?!”
“Finish her off quickly!”
She was a ferocious monster that had killed many adventurers, and I agreed with what they said. But as I thought before, she was different from other monsters. According to Seigel, she hadn’t attacked us outright but had issued a warning first. I wondered if the talking monsters in the Garden of Beasts would have done the same. This was where I found myself caught. It felt disrespectful to the monsters I had defeated before. Perhaps I was the one who was mistaken.
“It seems you avoided a fatal wound… What a creature to face Rua.”
Seigel and the adventurers approached the writhing cat. If this continued, she would be killed, but it felt strange for me to stop them. They would never agree to it. Each of them pointed their weapons at the dying cat, ready to deliver the final blow.
“It’s unfortunate, but we have our comrades who have been taken down too. Since this is a hunt, we must be prepared to be hunted ourselves.”
Rupie might have been right. But I hesitated, unsure if this was the right course of action. I raised a hand toward the cat, contemplating whether to stop Rupie from casting a spell.
“I have no interest in toying with my prey like you do. I will put her out of her misery, Star――――”
“Stop!”
I found myself instinctively pulling the cat away from the adventurers. In a moment of hesitation, Rupie’s stone projectile struck the rocky area where Nice lay, penetrating deeply. To everyone else, it seemed as though I had vanished from the scene, staring at the shattered rock for a brief moment.
“Kurinka, please heal this Nice as well.”
“W-what?! But she’s the enemy…”
“It’s fine if she attacks again.”
“…I trust you?”
Reluctantly accepting the task, Kurinka had been by my side for a long time, so she was willing to indulge in a bit of recklessness. Thanks to Kurinka’s Heal, Nice’s pained expression gradually eased, and she finally calmed down. It was just then that I caught the next moment.
【Ash Cat Hunter Nice’s attack! Rua deftly dodged!】
“Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?”
“…Are you going to dodge this surprise attack as well?”
I easily sidestepped the claws aimed at my face and grabbed her fluffy arm. To attack me right after helping her was a terrifying move. The adventurers over there began to stir, as if to say, “I told you so.”
“What are you doing?! Are you stupid?!”
“I told you to kill her!”
“Shut up! I defeated her, so I can do whatever I want!”
Unable to withstand their jeers, I shouted with all my might. Perhaps I had put more force into it than I intended, as the adventurers shrank back slightly, trembling as they glanced our way. I might have inadvertently intimidated them.
Seeing their reaction, Nice relaxed her grip. Once I noticed that, I slowly released her arm, unable to take my eyes off the mysterious presence that was Nice.
“What is Phantom… and who is Elmera?”
“You’ll find it pointless to try and extract information.”
“Then fine. I’ll go directly to Negesta.”
“In that nation, there are currently hundreds of Beastkin crowded together. Do you understand what would happen if a human were to just waltz in?”
“If the Phantoms are dangerous, I’ll take them all down.”
Perhaps my strong declaration surprised Nice, as she gasped slightly. Since I was the one who had defeated her, she might have felt my strength. There were so many things I didn’t understand—what the Beastkin were, who the Phantoms were, and who Elmera was. Most importantly, if Kou and Bun were there, I had to rescue them.
“…You’re quite the strange human girl.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s just hard to fathom a human possessing such overwhelming power. You’re different from the humans we know. Well, I suppose you did appear to be a dragon…”
“Hey! What are you laughing about?!”
The adventurers, growing impatient, edged closer. When I thought about it, many of them had lost comrades to Nice, so it was unreasonable to expect them to remain silent. But if we fought any longer, those people would surely be killed. Even Rupie, an A-Rank powerhouse, couldn’t stop her. I didn’t want anyone else to die.
“What are you thinking, healing the enemy?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know, but leave the Phantoms to us.”
“Have you developed feelings for such monsters? That’s foolish… our comrades are being killed here!”
“Stop it! I’ve said it before, but it’s mutual. Let’s leave this to Rua and her friends.”
Thanks to Seigel stepping in calmly, the furious shouts of the adventurers ceased. Rupie, who had just moments ago tried to kill Nice, now silently shook his head at the adventurers.
“Seigel, even you…”
“Then can you win? You’ve just experienced the terror of the Beastkin firsthand, right? And we had the advantage in numbers. Yet, look at this mess. Are you really going to walk into death like this?”
“…I understand.”
It felt less like reluctance and more like genuine acceptance from the bottom of his heart. We gathered the bodies of those who had been killed, and Nokiri manipulated branches to carry them away. I had been watching blankly, but what was that skill?
“So, is this the end of our requests?”
“Yeah, thanks for your help. I have no idea how long it would have taken me and Tatarka alone.”
“Well, when in trouble, we help each other.”
“But dwarves, and what about that Phantom? They’re something else.”
“Yeah, to be honest, we’re not too keen on it. Revenge and all that…”
After hearing the whole story, I found myself wanting to ask again and again, “What is going on?” Centuries ago, the races that had fled underground from humans had finally emerged to mingle with my father and his companions. I could somewhat believe that these people weren’t human. They looked like bearded old men, yet they were shorter than me. I could accept them being called humans, but it felt more fitting to say they were different.
Seven of these stout old men had somehow managed to enter the country. I was impressed to hear that they had been let in easily after showing off a pile of gold coins. Security had tightened since that robbery incident, but perhaps their friendliness had eased the guards’ vigilance.
“That Elmera girl is looking down on us. I’ll make her sit properly!”
“We can’t go against Elmera… she’s… how should I put it, just as Hans said, a child.”
It seemed that a girl named Elmera was their leader. However, from the looks of it, they didn’t think too highly of her.
“Killing bugs or frogs for fun is what children do. Elmera’s body may have grown, but her mind has remained the same. Even if she’s the leader of the Phantoms, it’s just a continuation of her playing at being a leader… she’s just intoxicated by her own position…”
As they swirled their glasses, the dwarves, their faces flushed from alcohol, looked as if they were about to cry. They weren’t afraid of Elmera; they were genuinely worried about her. That’s how it felt to me.
“But someone needs to give her a good smack, right?”
“Who could do that…”
“Is she really that strong?”
“It’s beyond just being strong. Since she lost her kin and her beloved sister, she’s not normal anymore, both in strength and spirit… that’s what I think…”
“I’ve heard enough!”
The door to the workshop burst open, revealing a figure standing there. I wondered why they were here, but then I remembered they had also requested something from us. Still, walking around without any guards was either reckless or just plain crazy. Well, we were supposed to deliver it to them, after all.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Hmm, this feels like a rather dangerous situation.
Rua, think about it from your perspective.
For example, if Kurinka were killed by that person,
could you just stay silent?
Especially since the legendary girl is already widely known,
to pour more oil on the fire is just…
No matter what happens, Shin remains indifferent.
But you need to think carefully about what consequences your actions might bring.
Oh, this report is quite well-written.
Hmm, hmm, I’ll treat myself to the gold berry maron I saved for a celebration.
Ah, ah, it’s all crumbled and squished! Aaaah!
That cat just ripped my tool pouch apart!
Kill it! No mercy! We must kill it right now!