Tasan of the Ring ②
I looked at them and spoke.
“Who might you two be?”
“Huh!?”
“Oi, oi. Pies. What’s the meaning of this? This guy…”
The drunken squirrelkin man spoke. He was a squirrelkin, but he wasn’t particularly short.
In fact, this man was tall. Nearly 190cm, about as tall as Megadia-san.
His attire wasn’t anything special. Just the clothes of a Seeker.
“Ah, no, Reold-san. This is… Hey, you! We met at the Junkyard yesterday, didn’t we? Have you forgotten already? There’s a limit to being Incompetent!”
“…My apologies. I tend to immediately forget unimportant people who don’t leave an impression.”
“Wh-…!?”
The boy in the military uniform fell silent, his face bright red. Ah, ahh, I remembered now.
He was the leader of the group harassing Juicy-san at the Junkyard yesterday.
If I recall, he was some clown named Pies from Koon Hunt’s Hired Pups or something.
If I hadn’t been there, Juicy-san probably would have hunted them all down.
Come to think of it, where were his followers? Those two who knew surprisingly much about me.
“Tahaa— He said you’re unimportant, Pies.”
“And you are?”
So it’s Pies, not Pierrot. What a confusing name.
“I’m Reold. A Seeker affiliated with Koon Hunt, for what it’s worth.”
“You are?”
“Well, I’m a washout, though. Tahaa—”
He laughed for some reason. What a strange old guy.
“You bastard! How dare you forget Pies, the captain of the 37th Hired Pup Brigade! I won’t forgive you, Incompetent fool!!”
He suddenly shouted, pointing at me. ‘I won’t forgive you,’ what manga villain is this guy?
Rustle, rustle. Several people nearby turned to look at us.
Mutter, mutter. “Oi, that’s Koon Hunt.” “It’s them, huh.” “Go somewhere else.” “How unpleasant.”
I could hear whispers and murmurs like these.
Their voices were mixed with disgust, and they looked at us like we were troublemakers.
Pies, seriously? He gripped the hilt of his sword. Reold sighed and scratched his head.
“Pies. Calm down. This isn’t Koon Hunt. We’re outside.”
“Tch, bunch of Incompetents.”
He reluctantly released the hilt.
What is he thinking?
“Haaah, Woff, was it?”
“What is it?”
“Sorry to trouble you with our business, but could you come with us for a bit?”
“…No.”
“Well, figures…”
“You bastard. What’s an Incompetent, poor scum like you acting so high and mighty for? Apologize meekly and come along. I’ll kill you right here. Incompetent.”
“You shut up. Pies.”
Reold intimidated Pies with a low voice.
For someone calling himself a washout, this guy seems quite capable.
“But Reold-san!”
“Am I going to have to say it twice? This isn’t Koon Hunt. We’re outside.”
“That… I understand.”
“Then don’t you ever say something like that again. We can’t afford to let our reputation outside drop any further. Not when we’re the number one Clan in this city.”
Koon Hunt is certainly the number one Clan in this city.
But they’re probably number one by a landslide when it comes to being hated, too.
Especially recently, things have gotten worse due to that incident with the Hired Pup dying.
Their reputation was bad before, but since the Hired Pup’s death, the number of people who dislike them has multiplied.
Right. At this rate, I’ll stand out too. Haaah.
“It can’t be helped. Understood. Where are we going?”
“Oh, sorry ’bout that. This way.”
“Should’ve just done that from the start. Incompetent trash.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Pies sure uses the word “Incompetent” a lot. He must have had it thrown at him constantly.
When people insult others, they often overuse the words that wounded their own hearts the most.
As largely expected, I was led to a vacant lot in an unpopular back alley.
In Hydrangea, if you step onto a small path, you’ll find vacant lots like this scattered around in the back alleys.
Come to think of it, when I erased Bob something-or-other and his cronies, it was a vacant lot like this too.
I casually looked up at the sky. It was clear. Blue sky and white clouds.
“This place should be fine.”
“…”
Instinctively, I put some distance between us.
To put it bluntly, these two were enemies in my book. It was only natural to be cautious.
Something bothered me slightly, so I asked.
“Hey, Pies.”
“Don’t you call me by my name, Incompetent.”
“Pies-san. What happened to your followers?”
“Them? They tried to stop me, spouting some pointless nonsense.”
“They told you it was better not to do this, didn’t they?”
“Like I care. Bunch of cowardly Incompetents. You can die too. Incompetent!”
As he screamed that, Pies suddenly drew his sword and charged at me.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“Dieeeee!!”
Reold and I were taken aback. Can’t he even hold a conversation?
I blocked Pies’s sword with my knife.
It was so sudden that I had drawn the simple knife I’d bought earlier.
“What was that for, attacking so suddenly?”
“If I kill you, the connection to the Marquis Tasan Family, the great achievement, will be mine!”
“Huh?”
How does that work? There’s no way that’s true.
Confused, I deflected Pies’s sword.
Pies also took some distance from me. Reold spoke.
“Oi. Pies. You. What are you doing—”
“Shut up! Just think about how to clean up after I kill this Incompetent!”
“What!?”
What nerve.
Pies raised his sword, and I moved to block it with my knife again… then instantly let go.
Bzzzt! The knife that met the blade fell, and I leaped away.
“…Tch!”
Damn it. My knife! I need to pick up my knife… Pies spoke.
“Tch, you noticed, even though you’re Incompetent.”
Pies’s sword was crackling with something. Electricity. The blade was charged.
I was saved because I saw that spark just now.
That was close. I almost got electrocuted.
“…A lightning attribute?”
“That’s right. Something an Incompetent like you doesn’t have. This is my power.”
“…”
Pies raised his sword and ran. Then he jumped.
“Take this! [Thunderous Swift Slash]!”
I braced myself for lightning to strike as he swung down, but it didn’t seem like that kind of attack.
He just slashes with momentum while charged— Is that all?
Well, Relics are power. I won’t deny that.
I calmly used my Relic [Stillness] to imbue 【Vanish】 into my dominant hand.
The moment I was about to be cut, I timed it perfectly and used 【Vanish】 to erase the charged blade.
It’s a difficult maneuver requiring precision and speed, but it’s possible in [The Silent One] mode.
“What!?”
Pies was shocked and wide open.
As he landed unsteadily, I grabbed his arm and threw him down.
“The Witch’s direct teaching. Reverse Strike!”
It’s a technique where you flip the opponent and slam them into the ground.
If the ground is hard, it hurts enough to knock them out. So, go to sleep. Pies.
“Gahaaaah!!”
Slamming him back-first onto the ground, Pies’s body bounced once from the impact, then stopped moving.
I was about to finish him off with Mr. Agaro’s Knife when someone stopped me.
Reold. I had somewhat expected this.
“Woff… the match is decided.”
So what? I clicked my tongue inwardly. Damn it.
It couldn’t be helped, but he saw me use 【Vanish】 too. What should I do?
“…”
“Your Relic.”
“!”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“What are you planning?”
“Could you just consider the match decided with that?”
“…”
“You can’t trust me, can you? From your perspective.”
“Hah… hah… Don’t screw with me…”
Just then, Pies slowly got back up.
Was my technique too shallow? He wasn’t unconscious. How careless of me.
Reold laughed, exasperated.
“Tahaa—, Pies. You lost.”
“Lost…? Don’t screw with me! Don’t screw with me! You Incompetent fools… Who do you think I am…? I’m the captain of the Hired Pup Brigade… I am… not Incompetent!!!!”
He roared and pulled something from his pocket.
A small, ominous Horn. An amulet? He suddenly swallowed it.
Reold yelled.
“Oi, you!! Pies, you! What did you just swall—”
“…Shut up. You Incompetent fools… Every last one of you……… Ugh, Gaaaaaaahhhhh!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”
Pies screamed, and the white Horn on his head began to grow with cracking sounds.
“…What the…?”
Seriously, what is this?
This is the first time I’ve seen a Faun’s Horn grow like that.
“That guy. What he just took…”
“What is it?”
“A Magic Horn Shard. No, this is too abnormal even for that. Amaltheia!”
“Amaltheia?”
“Yeah, that abnormal Horn growth. No doubt about it. Amaltheia. It makes a Faun’s Horn grow endlessly… It’s a forbidden item. Did he get his hands on it during the last Dungeon Exploration?”
“Forbidden item…?”
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Pies’s Horn grew to an unbelievable size and branched out.
Simultaneously, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and several streaks of lightning flashed. What’s happening all of a sudden?
Reold clicked his tongue.
“Tahaa—, this is bad. Oi. Lend me a hand.”
The dark clouds spread, and lightning struck the surroundings multiple times.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH
Pies’s Horn branched out dramatically and was still growing.
Most of Pies’s head was covered by the endlessly branching Horn.
Unable to bear the weight, Pies collapsed to his knees.
“What should we do?”
“Kill Pies. That’s the only way. Though I was just supposed to be a witness.”
“…Is that the only way?”
“If we don’t, the damage will only increase. He’s rampaging. Look at the sky. People will die from those lightning strikes from the dark clouds. Are you okay with that?”
The sky was covered in black clouds flashing with lightning.
“…Understood.”
GAAAAaaaaaa… INCOMPETENT… you INCOMPETENT… INCOMPETENT. INCOMPETENT. INCOMPETENT. INCOMPETENT. INCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTINCOMPETENTGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH
Pies swung his arms as if in agony. A lightning attack was unleashed. The wall of a building shattered.
What incredible power. If I take even one hit, I’ll definitely die.
“I’ll be the decoy.”
“Will you be alright?”
“It’s also my responsibility since I brought him here. So, I have to do it.”
The swirling black clouds expanded further, and lightning struck the surrounding area. The thunder was tremendous.
Whoa, Reold started moving. Come to think of it, I don’t think he has a weapon.
(Tahaa, didn’t think it would come to this. What a troublesome Clan this turned out to be.)
I heard his inner voice. Was he complaining about Koon Hunt?
Reold took something out from his breast pocket. A sword hilt?
“Well, guess it can’t be helped.”
When Reold gave it a light swing, a blade emerged. Seriously? Is that like a Saber?!
No, it’s crystal. It formed into a distorted, jagged straight sword made of crystal.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTZZZ
Pies swung his arms. Lightning strikes and attacks aimed for Reold. But they didn’t hit.
I know because of [The Silent One]. Dodging lightning just before it strikes is impossible, at least for humans.
Unless he has a Relic that allows it—Reold was moving just before impact.
He’s discerning them. Even in [The Silent One] mode, I can’t do that.
Some failure he is. Reold dodged the lightning while cutting off the horns.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
Pies screamed.
“Now, go! Stab him!”
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTZZZ
Amidst the layers of falling lightning, I ran straight forward.
Pies looked at me. He glared at me with bloodshot, light purple eyes.
And then his horns came towards me. Countless sharp, pure white blades assaulted me.
I erased them all with 【Vanish】. What’s more, I erased them by punching.
It just comes out naturally at times like these, huh?
“Vanish Knuckle!”
The horns vanished just before touching my fist.
Punching with 【Vanish】 placed on the back of my hand. It’s just that simple, but the power is just as advertised.
Until now, I used to keep it contained in my palm. But I learned from the fight with Crown.
Even if I can’t release it from my hand, with some ingenuity, its uses can expand.
Inflate the 【Vanish】 created in my palm, pass it through my fist, and transfer it to the back of my hand.
Then punch. Punch. Just keep punching.
And then I reached him. Pies. What a state he’s in.
His overgrown horns looked just like pure white hair. His bloodshot, light purple eyes looked inhuman.
GAAAAAHHH INCOMPETENT GAAAAHHHHH
“Pies!!”
I stabbed him with the knife I got from Mr. Agaro.
The horns were in the way, but I stabbed deep regardless.
AAAAAAHHHHHHH… INCOMPETENT GAH… INCOMPETENT GAAAAHHHH………… Incompetent.
Pies stopped moving. The horns vanished.
The dark clouds dissipated, and the moment I pulled out the knife, Pies collapsed like a lifeless doll.
“…Phew, we managed somehow…”
“…Why did it come to this?”
I happened to look up at the sky; it was clear. Blue sky and white clouds.
It was so refreshing, it was hard to believe the dark clouds from moments ago were real.
Pies.
I don’t hold any particular grudge against him, the one I killed. No particular hatred either.
Honestly, there’s a feeling of reluctance. But not quite revulsion.
This world isn’t like that, but if possible, I’d rather not kill people.
From the moment I came to the back alley, I knew a peaceful discussion wasn’t likely.
I thought I’d probably end up fighting Pies.
But I didn’t think it would turn into a fight to the death.
But he came at me intending to kill.
So I tried to kill him once.
The fact that it ended up like this—leaves me with an indescribable feeling.
Well then, I gave Reold a reproachful look.
“Reold-san. Why did this happen?”
“…Pies started saying he could get connections with the Marquis Tasan Family. To do that, there was an annoying insect in the way he wanted to deal with. He asked me to help.”
“That annoying insect was me, wasn’t it?”
Being called an insect just makes me grimace.
“Ah, yeah. But listen. I didn’t agree to killing you. It doesn’t take much thought to know murder within the city is strictly forbidden. Besides, Koon Hunt is already in a bad position with Hydrangea right now. And the target was a kid. That’s why I became a witness, to prevent it from turning into a fight to the death.”
“But…”
“Tahaa, didn’t expect him to just suddenly attack like that.”
“…What is Amaltheia?”
“That’s a question I’d rather not answer, but well, since I got you involved… Before that, do you know about 【Magic Horn Shards】?”
“No.”
“I see. Well, it’s something you’re not supposed to use, after all. A Magic Horn Shard is a consumable Legacy that can make a Faun’s horns grow. Faun horns have the property of strengthening a Relic’s power.”
“So if the horns grow, their power increases too?”
“That’s right. But there’s a risk. As the horns grow, the power increases… but the body and soul can’t withstand that power. That’s why consuming them is forbidden.”
“So it’s like a dangerous drug, then.”
Is it similar to narcotics or stimulants?
“Basically, yeah. As Legendary items go, Amaltheia is actually not that rare. Of course, it’s not easy to obtain either. And since it’s Legendary, you understand, right?”
“They grow limitlessly, without end… is that it?”
Reold gave a small nod.
“Just recently, Pies led the Hired Pup Brigade into a Dungeon with some Seekers. I heard there was a floor related to Fauns there. He must have found it then. And he kept quiet about it. Happens all the time.”
“…If the body and soul can’t withstand the power, does that mean if we had left him like that, he would have died?”
“Definitely. But the damage would have been immense too.”
That’s true.
But why does this failure of a man know so much?
Reold opened a flask and took a drink. Hey, hey. Hey.
“Puhaah, how did it end up like this?”
He gave off a strange air of tragedy. The reason for that is obvious.
“Isn’t it because you gave him a title like Hired Pup Brigade Captain without any real authority?”
“He has authority. He can order the Hired Pups under him.”
“What about Seekers?”
“No way. Even as a Brigade Captain, he’s still just a Hired Pup.”
“Then isn’t it a meaningless title after all?”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
I looked at Pies’s corpse.
It’s pathetic and miserable. It’s definitely not a good way to die.
But this might be the reality of being a Hired Pup.
This world is harsh, and death hangs in the air.
I sometimes forget, but this is this world.
Still, who really is Reold?
No matter how I look at it, he’s not some failure from Koon Hunt.
That level of movement, and that mysterious—Reold looked at me.
“Wof. I didn’t see anything.”
“Eh?”
“So you didn’t see anything either. That’s best for both of us, right?”
“…Understood.”
With that, there was nothing more for me to say. When I nodded, Reold tossed something.
I caught it with one hand. A gold coin. One gold coin. 10,000 Oro. Meaning 10,000 yen.
“That’s for your trouble and as an apology.”
“…”
“Sorry about this.”
“…………Yes.”
I turned on my heel and started walking.
Somehow, I felt like I’d just witnessed one possible end for a Hired Pup.
A boy who took pride in being the Brigade Captain of Koon Hunt’s Hired Pup Brigade, constantly shouting “Incompetent.”
Pies, who was prideful and looked down on others, yet was still nothing more than a Hired Pup.
I’ve never been a Hired Pup.
But perhaps I could have ended up like that too.
It left a bad taste in my mouth.
I arrived home, feeling down enough to let out a sigh.
Suddenly, I noticed an unfamiliar, luxurious-looking black carriage with gold trim parked in front of the house.
Now what?
This chapter includes revisions and additions to the original draft.
Please be aware.