◆ Nation of Negesta, Royal Capital, Royal Palace ◆
“…What does this mean? Was the report about advancing tonight incorrect?”
“One thing is clear, Elmera… no, it seems Elmera has taken all the Beastkin with her.”
When I returned, all the Beastkin who had been there were gone. Just as Nice said, it must have happened, but they were supposed to attack tonight, and yet they were nowhere to be found. With that many people in tow, they would have been hard to miss, and they couldn’t have gone too far. Yet, at this hour, with the sun set, there was nothing to be seen. The King and Queen were captured in the palace’s underground, and while it was good that we managed to rescue them, the situation was still dire.
“I cannot forgive the Beastkin who trampled upon the Holy Land of Uze. However… rebuilding the nation must take precedence.”
“King Maharu, please take care of your health for now.”
“I cannot afford to do that. If the Holy Land and Uze have been desecrated, we must cleanse it as soon as possible.”
“Indeed, Baran. First, we must strengthen the security of the Royal Capital.”
Both the King and Queen had completely bald heads. They wore tattered cloth draped over their thin bodies, leaving their upper bodies bare. While it was one thing for the King, seeing the Queen in such a state felt incredibly jarring. A woman with such a head was an odd sight indeed.
“Beastkin Balbus, and Nice, was it? Normally, I would despise you both, but there is no need to spill unnecessary blood. Therefore, do not approach this Holy Land again. Leave at once.”
“Holy Land…? Hmph.”
“What is so funny?! You filthy beast! If you do not leave…”
“What will you do?”
Nice glared with a terrifying gaze, leaving both the King and Queen speechless. Even the other bald soldiers were panting in fear.
“W-will you do it?!”
“Calm down, both of you. Allow me to handle this.”
“…Very well.”
The moment the two of them subdued their murderous intent, every soldier standing around collapsed. It was as if the tension had snapped; just a slight show of anger from the two Beastkin had wiped out the guards meant to protect the King and Queen. At this point, anyone could see that if the two of them truly unleashed their fury, this nation would stand no chance. The King and Queen were now wide-eyed, desperately wiping the sweat from their foreheads.
“B-but… I cannot forgive the matter of the Elder’s murder.”
Finally managing to speak, his voice trembled. Barbus couldn’t help but chuckle at the King’s state. He was completely mocking him. I could only take solace in the fact that he seemed satisfied with his victory.
“King Maharu, Queen Tajah. For now, please…”
“Did you not hear me, Baran?! Even if I have to use the disciples from the dojo, strengthen the security!”
Baran, despite not being a subordinate of the King, spoke with an air of authority. Still, he quietly bowed his head and urged us to leave the palace. We had boldly declared our intentions to act on our own against the King of Avangarde, and it was surprising how patient he was. As Kurinka pointed out, we could have easily been charged with disrespect and treason, so it was clear we needed to reflect on our actions.
◆ Nation of Negesta, Royal Capital, Fist Saint Dojo ◆
“Yesss!”
“Indeed.”
A large number of disciples lined up and performed a greeting that I didn’t quite understand, to which Baran responded. There were both live-in and non-live-in disciples, so while not everyone was present, there were still dozens. I wondered if they would really be put on guard duty. Some looked as strong as Ryoho and his five companions, but there were also many who seemed to be just starting out. If an attack were to come, I could say with certainty that many would die.
“I will now call your names. Those called will follow me. Now…”
Being called by the respected Baran should have filled them with anticipation. Yet, to be told they would be assigned to guard duty instead was unfortunate.
“Hmm, hmm. Are you dissatisfied with the mass disappearance of the Beastkin?”
“Shin, you shouldn’t come out. What would you say if Baran found you?”
“There is no value in a bald man who lacks understanding.”
“I don’t get it… so what is it?”
“The Beastkin are already in enemy territory. With Getou’s spatial magic, it’s possible.”
Getou, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who had led us astray in the Demon Lord Castle. If I had known this would happen, I should have dealt with him back then.
“If you want to do something about the Phantom, you must first deal with him. His abilities are the most troublesome… munch munch.”
“Hey, what are you eating?”
“Momol Marron.”
“That’s mine!”
As I hurriedly snatched it away, all eyes turned to me. In my hand was a half-eaten Momol Marron. I couldn’t even voice that I hadn’t done it; my face felt like it was on fire. After a few seconds, if Kurinka hadn’t swiftly taken the Momol Marron from my hands, who knows what would have happened.
“Ahem. Now, let us continue. You two will stay the night here.”
“Hehe, hehehe, phew!”
Now was the time to stifle laughter in the tool bag. I had to seriously teach them what would happen if they made me angry.
◆ Fist Saint Dojo, Small Room ◆
After the disciples had their meal in the large room, they laid out futons to sleep. We had said it was fine to stay there, but Baran shook his head seriously. He insisted it was inappropriate for girls to share a sleeping space with boys and led us to a small room, which I found puzzling. There was no enemy present, and I told him that even if something were to attack, I would be fine, but he just tilted his head repeatedly.
“Rua-chan, you really have no awareness of such things, do you…”
“I won’t attack someone stronger than me! Rua is the strongest!”
“Shin, you’re acting strange!”
“I am not strange!”
Just a little pressure from my hands had a tremendous effect. Shin praised me as if he had experienced a life-threatening fear. But I knew he would return to normal in a few days. It always happened that way.
“I’ll be killed… blown away… turned into mincemeat…”
“…Rua-chan, did you do something to Shin-chan?”
“I-I didn’t?!”
“Don’t lie. Even against Shin-chan, there is no other creature who could instill such fear except for you, Rua-chan.”
“What? That’s terrible?!”
After that, of course, I was made to sit in seiza on the futon while being thoroughly scolded. I thought only Hans would say something like that in this world. But it wasn’t just me being reprimanded; Shin also faced proper consequences for eating my Momol Marron without permission.
If anything, the focus was more on him. The conversation even circled back to the importance of food, and in essence, Kurinka’s grudge over her food was far more terrifying than mine. But with this, Shin’s snacking should be curbed for a while.
Exhausted from the scolding, Kurinka and I sprawled out on the thin futon. I wanted to fall asleep just like this, but it wasn’t the time for that. The moment we both jumped up at the same time, we already knew what we had to do.
◆ Nation of Negesta, Outside the Royal Capital, South ◆
The sun had long set, and only the lights of the Royal Capital flickered in the darkness. It was hard to believe that just yesterday the Beastkin had occupied it. Against the backdrop of the Royal Capital from atop a hill, I had Kurinka transform into a Dragon. It would be nice if the people of Kashiram could become familiar with her like the Dragon Princess, but anyone else would surely call her a monster. If that were not the case, the Demon Lord Army and this Phantom would never have come into existence.
“Kurinka, where should we head first?”
“…Noibranz? I thought we should retaliate since they attacked us.”
“That does make sense. It’s something the Beastkin would likely consider.”
“You think we can act without being watched, don’t you? How rude.”
I hadn’t noticed Barbus and Nice emerging from the shadows. Even during the Abyss Cave incident, such a thing had hardly happened.
“W-when did you get there?”
“Such confirmations are meaningless. I see now that you are not human…”
“Kurinka is not a monster!”
“More importantly, if you are going to pursue Elmera and the others, you must allow us to accompany you.”
“Wait, what do you mean by monster…?”
In the darkness of the night, Nice’s cat-like eyes glimmered ominously. With a gaze that seemed to be hunting prey, she made an unexpected request. No, it wasn’t a request; it was an order. To say we must allow them to accompany us was essentially demanding that Kurinka carry them on her back.
It was sudden, and honestly, it irritated me. Nice had been doing all the talking, while Barbus stood silently with his arms crossed. If they wanted to ask, Barbus should at least say something.
“There should be no reason to refuse. Do you know where the Phantom has gone?”
“Aren’t you and Nice also Phantoms?”
“Please don’t dodge my question. What I’m saying is, if you let us accompany you, we’ll tell you where the Phantom is headed.”
“Wow… that’s quite the offer…”
Kurinka stood there, mouth agape in disbelief. This was less of a request and more of a demand. If we refused, we would be forced to continue flying straight toward Noibranz. I had seen it on the map, and the Nation of Noibranz was astonishingly vast. Searching through such a place could take months, or even years.
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
“Then shall we consider this negotiation successful?”
“But I wonder if we can really carry both Nice and the hefty Balbus along with Lua-chan…”
“Ah…”
From beyond the night sky, something was flapping its wings. A massive creature with three heads—a lion, a goat, and a wolf—was approaching. It was a familiar monster, the Blast Chimera, making its way here from Ikana Village. The gust of wind created by its landing was so powerful that even Balbus instinctively raised his arms to shield himself.
It was only natural to assume it was an enemy, given its sudden appearance. Before the two of them could react and launch an attack, I rushed forward, rubbing my face against the lion’s head, purring as it nuzzled me back.
“Rumble, rumble, rumble…”
“W-What are you doing here?”
“Garrr…”
“That doesn’t help me understand…”
Why was the Blast Chimera, which should have been in Ikana Village, here? It wouldn’t answer my questions, so all I could do was absentmindedly pet its head.
“What is this monster?!”
“I wonder, Kurinka. A pet?”
“It’s definitely a pet.”
“How on earth did you manage to tame such a creature? Just being here would send most monsters fleeing like scattered spiders… It’s that formidable.”
It was true; the Blast Chimera might have been the strongest in the Garden of Beasts. It had been the training partner for Pansard, but I had never actually seen it fight seriously. Yet, I remembered. Before we infiltrated Avangarde Castle, the herd of Gigas Horses had reacted sharply. I had ordered them to stay back, so nothing happened, but if we had gotten any closer, those horses might have fled in terror.
“Servant?”
“What’s that?”
“That’s how it’s said in Noibranz, I suppose?”
“You’re not one to be outdone by your partner, are you? Light-headed, though.”
“That’s harsh! How could you say that?!”
Kurinka’s vague response had lumped me in with her. There was no need to get that angry. It was us who were being treated unfairly. And I could have sworn my tool pouch was shaking with suppressed laughter, but I chose to ignore it for now, Shin.
“Enough of this back-and-forth. We need to depart immediately.”
“Oh, right. This creature might be able to carry both of you.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, but will this monster accept it…?”
“Don’t worry, it looks scary, but it’s a good kid.”
“Garrrr…”
It was scraping its front paws against the ground in a threatening manner. It felt like it would attack if I took another step closer. Why was it acting like this?
“Well, you’ve got some guts. To show such ferocity in front of me, Balbus… Interesting!”
“No need to fight.”
“Come on, let these two ride on you. I’ll take Lua-chan.”
“Grrr…”
Surprisingly, it seemed to understand, reluctantly sitting down. Could it actually comprehend human speech? Maybe it was incredibly intelligent. Meanwhile, Balbus was completely consumed by thoughts of battle. Couldn’t he think a bit more flexibly? Oh, and my tool pouch shook again.
“Alright, we’re flying now. Balbus, where are we headed?”
“To the Nation of Kashiram. If we’re aiming for something, that’s the only place to go.”
“Why?”
“As you know, Noibranz is far too vast. If we charge in blindly, we’ll be the ones to exhaust ourselves first… So, it’s only natural to consider rescuing the dwarves who headed to the Nation of Kashiram.”
The Nation of Kashiram was quite far from here, but I remembered running there once. Flying would significantly shorten the time, and we should arrive faster than before. More than that, I was worried whether the battle had already begun.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Lua is right.
Lua is a goddess.
Lua is cute.
Lua is wonderful.
Lua is Lua, Luaaaaaaa!
What Lua says is absolutely true,
I must acknowledge it with both hands.
Tightly.
Eep!