Chapter 93: The Demon Beast Cult Man
I search for the source of the eerie 〖Mana〗 that feels like it’s sizing me up.
It’s in the same direction as the voice I heard.
” (A human…?) ”
“This is truly the Child of the End, a vessel to become a Demon God!”
The man is standing in the eastern sky, in the same direction the Red Lizard flew from.
He’s riding on something that looks like a thin, white paper carpet.
His clothing is thick and primarily green.
It’s well-tailored and intricately designed, clearly expensive at a glance.
A lavishly bound book floats beside his arms, which are raised in jubilation.
He’s been laughing maniacally for a while now, which is unsettling, but I try calling out to him with 〖Telepathy〗.
『Hey, you, I don’t know what’s going on, but stop that magic, it’s making me feel sick』
“Oh my, you can use 〖Telepathy〗 too! Wonderful…!!”
He seems even more delighted, his voice filled with joy.
Then, the discomfort I had been feeling suddenly vanishes.
“My apologies. I have deactivated 〖Book Reading〗. Is that acceptable?”
『Yeah, that weird feeling is gone』
I don’t know what kind of magic that was, but now I can talk to him calmly.
He flew in from the same direction as the Red Lizard.
He might know something about why that thing was initially injured.
『Hey, just a sec—』
“Oh, your name is Fuetou Kouya-sama!”
『…You, that magic you used earlier』
I put a note of caution into my 〖Telepathic Communication〗.
But the man on the paper carpet is unfazed, cheerfully answering while still looking at his book.
“Yes, it’s Analysis Magic. Your 〖Race〗 is ‘War-Inducing Weapon Creation,’ I’ve never heard of that before. The lineage is also unknown, it seems I’ll need to consult some literature.”
“(…〖Clairvoyance〗)”
Ignoring the man who’s getting all worked up by himself, I use Clairvoyance to see through the cover and other pages of the book he’s reading.
It’s hard to see much with a 〖Feral Beast’s〗 eyesight at this distance, but there aren’t that many lines.
If what’s written here is the result of his analysis, then it doesn’t seem like he was able to read my entire, ridiculously long 〖Status〗.
『So, what do you plan to do after investigating me? Are we going to fight here and now?』
“Certainly not, I wouldn’t commit such a folly. Fuetou Kouya-sama, you appear to have suffered almost no exhaustion. I am not yet sufficiently prepared.”
Well, yeah, that makes sense.
If you’ve obtained information, it’s normal to retreat and come up with a plan.
Besides, 〖Feral Beast〗 subjugation is usually something that hero-level adventurers or nobles do in parties, they wouldn’t come alone.
I consider whether I should stop him from leaving, but then I decide it’s fine.
I’ve already defeated two 〖Feral Beasts〗. I have a pretty good idea of where the other two are as well.
If I send Fiss back tomorrow, and then quickly defeat the remaining two, I can leave this mine before a subjugation party is formed.
I’ve mined the minimum amount of ore, so I won’t have any regrets even if that happens.
“I will come to greet you again, fully prepared. Until then, please take care of yourself, 〖Paper Storm〗.”
『Hey, wait!』
If you’re going back, take Fiss with you.
Before I could say that, the man was enveloped in a blizzard of paper.
A few seconds later, when the storm of paper scraps subsides, he’s completely gone without a trace.
That’s some magic that looks like a magic trick.
“(…Guess I’ll head back)”
I pick up the Red Lizard’s body and turn west.
It’s not good to leave a normal human alone in such a dangerous place.
“(〖Rampage〗)”
I use eight Forest Shackles to dash through the mountains and return to the entrance of the ant nest.
Fiss, who had been peeking out from the edge of the entrance, notices me and rushes over.
“Eh, no way, that corpse… did you, by any chance, win against a 〖Feral Beast〗?”
She stares with wide eyes, as if she can’t believe what she’s seeing, and asks in a trembling voice.
Her gaze is fixed on the Red Lizard’s corpse, which still emits a red glow even in death.
『Yeah. I told you, didn’t I? I’m strong』
“…There are humans who can defeat 〖Feral Beasts〗 alone?”
…………Whoops.
『W-well, actually, I’m, uh… from a pretty important family. You know, from the far north…』
“…Could you be from the Northern Marcher Lord family…?”
『I-I can’t say the details, but something like that』
“I see… But I’m glad you’re safe…”
With that, Fiss plops down on the ground.
“A Demon Beast Cult person flew from the direction you were fighting, so I was worried you might have been killed…”
『Sorry, it was reckless of me to suddenly jump out… Wait, Demon Beast Cult?』
“Yeah. They flew towards the town earlier. I used 〖Physical Keen〗 to enhance my vision and confirm it, it was the man who tried to kill me.”
…………
『Hey, was the Demon Beast Cult guy wearing green clothes?』
“Yeah.”
『Was he flying on a carpet-like piece of paper?』
“Paper…? Now that you mention it, he was riding on a pure white piece of paper.”
『…I see』
It seems the guy I met earlier is a dangerous member of the Demon Beast Cult.
Actually, it was pretty weird that he called out to me after realizing I was a 〖Feral Beast〗.
Normally, he would have stayed hidden and analyzed me.
“(But, in a way, it might have been lucky)”
If it’s such a weird cult, they probably can’t gather hero-level adventurers.
And I don’t think I’d lose even if hundreds of cult members came.
I don’t need to worry about that guy anymore.
『Well, I defeated the “Flame Sea,” so Fiss, you should sleep soundly. We have to go back to town tomorrow』
“…I’m scared.”
『It’s okay. I defeated the “Flame Sea.” Even if something else comes, I’ll defeat it』
“It’s not that, it’s going back to town alone. That man might target me again in town. Please, come with me to the guards.”
I couldn’t say she was worrying too much.
I don’t think they’d be so reckless as to attack in town, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll act logically.
However, it’s impossible for me to approach the town. If they have any knowledge, they’ll know I’m a Demon Beast at a glance.
I should avoid unnecessarily provoking the humans.
『Sorry, I can’t go to town with you because of some noble-like circumstances, or rather, some constraints… See, I went into the mountains without doing any research, and that’s because I can’t stop by the town』
I somehow manage to squeeze out such a lame excuse.
Fiss seems to have accepted it, but she still looks uneasy about returning to town. I understand her anxiety, so I try to think of a solution.
『I know… how about this? I’ll train Fiss』
“Train…?”
『Yeah. But it’s not really normal training, more like lending you a weapon and helping you 〖Level〗 up. I’m planning to defeat the other 〖Feral Beasts〗 anyway. I’ll have you fight some suitable Demon Beasts along the way. If you can get to 〖Level 50〗, you can go back to town without worry, right?』
“…Can you really do that?”
『Of course. I used to teach magic in my hometown, and that kid’s 〖Level〗 was about that high too』
Paula’s rapid growth was largely due to her 〖Attribute〗, but I keep that to myself.
Fiss thinks for a moment and then hesitantly nods.
“Okay. Then, please.”
『Yeah, I’ll train you hard』
After making that promise, Fiss fell asleep.