Darkness. (4)
The great tiger is cunning. Its intelligence surpasses that of most humans. Therefore, a more meticulous and brutal plan was necessary.
That was why I had gone to the trouble of crafting the grenade. In case the sniper shot failed, to prepare for its sudden approach...
...And now.
Wind particles brushing against my skin. Air that feels stagnant. A world where time stretches like pulled taffy.
Krrrng...
The beast's yellowish golden eyes fix on me. I do not avert my gaze from it.
A human shoving his arm into its maw must be a first for this creature as well.
Krrdddrdk──!
It tried to sever my muscles, nerves, and bones. However, Strong Bones and Iron Man proved remarkably resilient. It was a method impossible without my traits to begin with.
Instead, I seized its tongue.
And then.
───!
The grenade lodged in its mouth detonated. Superheated mana scorched my arm, and fragments of black iron scattered within it.
That was not all.
I imbued the metal shards with Telekinesis. I amplified their speed, spun them at supersonic velocities. I also drove nineteen blades of wood-hardened steel into its hide.
Whiiish──!
The great tiger swung its forepaw. In the instant of that single limb's motion, a sonic boom erupted. In other words, the shockwave slammed into my eardrums.
I braced for the strike that would follow. The damage would surely be immense...
"Haaap!"
Some small creature fluttered in like a moth. It shielded me with its entire body and took the blow instead.
"Kyaak!"
Lia, the mosquito named. She was sent flying far off in a single exchange.
But that was enough.
The great tiger swung its paw at my throat once more──
Chaeng!
This time, a sword interposed itself. A clear, pure tone filled the forest. The winds of the area flowed into the blade.
"Whoa-hoo! I didn't arrive late~!"
Syrio's cheerful cry echoed refreshingly. He arrived like the wind, baring his teeth in a grin.
"You okay, Deculein? ...Oof. You don't look okay."
Syrio scanned me from head to toe.
──Krrng!
The great tiger seized the opening to bat the sword aside. Then it leaped into the distant forest depths.
"Whoa! The great tiger's showing its back?! It's running?! Hey, this is a rare sight! Where you going, you rascal!"
Syrio gave chase as he shouted, and soon another knight arrived from a bit farther away.
Thud──!
The sound of running footsteps halting. Leather sabatons digging into the ground.
"......"
It was Julie. She gazed at me in full armor.
I simply stood there. Uttering not a word.
Julie spoke first.
"......I heard──"
"Assist Syrio in the pursuit. It's injured, so it won't have fled far."
"......"
Julie fell silent again and gave a small nod. Then she dashed off after Syrio's presence.
......Shhhhaaaa.
A cool breeze blew in at that moment, accompanied by the rustling song of shaking leaves. Amid that natural symphony, I examined my arm.
My arm was gone.
It lay on the ground.
"......It severed it after all."
It should have been Iron Man with the awakened trait Strong Bones, yet there it rolled like a doll's limb.
The great tiger's majesty, no doubt.
As I picked up the arm and prepared to wrap it with what little mana remained using Duct Tape,
"Kkuuung...... Kkwaaaang....... Kkuuuu......"
A groan came from somewhere. I turned toward it.
A young adventurer was rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach.
The price of shielding me with her body.
"......"
I approached and examined her closely. No external bleeding, but the internal injuries seemed severe.
"Kkuuuk......!"
I pressed her pressure points to knock her out. In that state, I used wood-hardened steel to open her abdomen.
Shlurrk──!
Blood sprayed out as expected. Severe internal hemorrhage. Her intestines and muscles had ruptured together.
"......Even the personality's a match."
For such a reckless girl's wounds, I wrapped the tape.
An hour later.
Lia sat on the ground with Leo, blinking in bewilderment.
The great tiger pursuit was still ongoing, but Leo had been dispatched to protect the injured (Lia and Deculein).
"......"
The two children stared blankly at Deculein.
He had clearly been mauled by the great tiger, yet he stood ramrod straight. Not sitting or lying down. Not a hint of disarray in his posture.
"You okay...... sir?"
Lia asked. Leo looked curious too.
No one had survived being chomped that badly by a great tiger. It wasn't just being torn off──it was a full 'push and pull'.
To Lia's eyes, it had been about three seconds, but with the great tiger's unique poison damage and dot bleeding, it was already game over.
"......"
Deculein turned to look. Leo and Lia flinched.
"......Nah, it's nothin'. Really nothin'. Right, Leo?"
"Yeah."
In truth, now was the perfect time to cut down the sprout called 'Deculein'.
Deculein was, objectively, a bad person. An irredeemable villain.
A pure-evil villain who only tormented the player.
......But.
Today, Lia had discovered a possibility of persuasion. The current Deculein──while she couldn't conclude he wasn't evil──was definitely not the original Deculein.
He asked.
"Why are you two here?"
"Huh? Oh. We're goin' to Mieolji."
"Mieolji."
"Yeah. There's a way to purify Karos there."
"......"
Mentioning Karos made Deculein's eyes harden. The signature Yukline aura flared.
Lia continued.
"I figured demonic blood could be handled somehow. The key's probably in Mieolji."
He stared silently at Lia. Then he tossed a mocking remark.
"......You're trying, are you. Pointlessly."
"Yup!"
Lia nodded steadfastly.
She had reaffirmed her conviction now.
If there was potential even in the worst named mob 'Deculein', then purifying Karos was surely possible too.
"Tsk."
Suddenly, Deculein clicked his tongue. Lia tilted her head and asked.
"What's up, sir?"
"Your face. It irks me every time I see it."
"......"
She could guess why, but it still annoyed her.
Lia shot back curtly.
"Feels the same for me."
Deculein fell silent. He stared intently at her face.
Lia quickly corrected herself.
"......Kidding."
He shook his head wordlessly. Then he leaned against a tree trunk and sat.
Slumping, he closed his eyes briefly.
"......"
"......"
The forest fell utterly still in an instant.
Leo whispered.
──......Lia. Is he asleep?
Lia checked his face.
He definitely seemed asleep.
"Yeah."
Phew─now it'll be less awkward. Lia sighed in relief and checked her body.
No issues.
Deculein's incision and suturing were neat, and thanks to the emergency treatment, her abdomen─hit by the great tiger─felt fine.
"Weird......"
Deculein treating me? Unthinkable.
"......Hold on."
But isn't Deculein's injury pretty bad too? How'd he treat me so perfectly in that state?
Lia examined the sleeping Deculein closely.
Her eyes fell on his arm.
"Ah."
It was a far cry from neat. Tape was on it, but too short, and bleeding hadn't fully stopped.
"......"
Alternating between her own comfortable state and Deculein's incomplete treatment, Lia's expression hardened.
With limited mana, he had treated her, not himself. The reason was probably...
Her heart ached pointlessly.
"Leo. Gimme the first-aid kit."
"Huh? Oh~ here!"
Leo handed over the bag. Lia grabbed bandages and herbs from it and approached Deculein.
"......Gulp."
Nervous, but scary thinking he might snap awake and glare.
She fumbled to apply herbs to his arm, wrapped bandages tightly over the wounds, wiped blood with clean water...... That was when.
Great Tiger Hunt
◆ Altar's Evil Tiger "Besileta" Defeated
◆ Rare Physique Catalog Acquired
......The northern snow never stops. It falls relentlessly. Without pause for even a day, madly.
"Ifrin."
Ifrin stared at the sleet drifting past the window.
"Ifrin."
Behind Deculein's desk. Snowflakes danced from the back of the professor seated in his chair.
"Ifrin. Answer."
"Ah, yes?"
She snapped to belatedly. Deculein handed over a large envelope of documents.
"Take it. Exam papers."
"Ah...... right. Yes. Yes. Yes......"
Ifrin's eyes bore dark circles and tear stains as she mumbled blankly.
"Yes......"
Three days since Allen was taken by the tiger.
The great tiger hunt had succeeded, but they hadn't even found the body.
"Pull yourself together."
"......Yes? Ah...... yes."
That day had become trauma for Ifrin. She was the last to meet Allen in person.
If only she hadn't been dazed by painkillers...
Thwack──!
A fountain pen flew and struck Ifrin's forehead.
"Ow!"
"Keep that up, and you're out."
"Auuuk......"
"Exams start tomorrow for a month. You may continue duties or not during that time."
"......I'll continue them."
Ifrin bowed her head as she answered.
"I'll go now."
Tears threatening, she hurried out. Deculein watched her retreating figure silently.
Bang──!
The door slammed loudly. Premien, hugging the stove on the guest sofa, flinched.
When had the vice director infiltrated again?
Deculein furrowed his brow.
"......When do you plan to leave?"
Premien shrugged at his words.
"Still much to handle. More importantly, is the professor alright?"
"With what."
"You lost your assistant professor."
"......"
Deculein glared at Premien.
It was absurd to him, but probably to prevent any eavesdropping.
"The scouts guarding the barrier all reported the same."
The eyewitness accounts of the tiger taking Allen were consistent─Premien's doing.
She could not only materialize and concretize thoughts but also implant fabricated memories into others.
The reason she became the youngest vice security director.
"I'm fine."
Waaaaah──!
A wail pierced the corridor walls. Probably Ifrin.
"I see. Glad to──hear."
Kwaaaaa───!
"Good."
Premien nodded.
"The other assi──"
Auuuuuwa──!
"stants seem unaffected."
I blocked the crying with Silence magic.
"Growth comes with loss."
"......True enough. How's the professor's arm?"
"Healed. Enough to continue northern duties."
"......"
Premien eyed his arm with an ambiguous expression. As if the rapid healing was bizarre.
"......More importantly. Professor. Will you leave those kids be?"
Premien pointed out the window.
Red Garnet adventurer team. Not just Ganesha Rayli, but Leo and Lia were enjoying a campfire.
Deculein said.
"No grounds to stop them. Red Garnet has immunity privileges, and as long as that half-demon doesn't show. However."
He paused and handed Premien a mirror. An ordinary noble hand mirror.
"Give this to Red Garnet and tell them not to discard it."
"Yes."
Unsure of the intent, Premien nodded anyway. Rising from the sofa, she asked casually.
"Any thoughts on the assistant professor's funeral?"
"......"
Deculein sank into his chair. He pondered briefly, then answered curtly.
"Once the body's recovered. Then."
"Hm....... Yes. That's one way."
Premien spoke expressionlessly, but surely smirked inwardly.
Premien joined the campfire immediately after leaving Deculein's office.
"He said he'll hold the funeral once the body's recovered."
She recited what she'd just heard verbatim. Passing messages between sides to earn both camps' trust─textbook double-agent play.
"Ah...... I see. He seemed like such a diligent guy. Guess he really was? Enough to win the professor's favor."
Tears glistened in Ganesha's eyes. Lia and Leo, even Rayli, were the same.
They gazed silently at the sky for a moment.
Twinkling stars and sparks leaping between. In them flickered the face of that pure, innocent mage.
"Professor Deculein wasn't a snake or iguana after all~ Who'd have thought."
To shift the gloomy mood, Ganesha muttered with a chuckle.
Lia smiled faintly, and Rayli pursed her lips sulkily for no reason.
"......Body recovery? He hates admitting loss or theft, that guy."
A voice approached from beyond the bonfire. Everyone turned.
Ihelm. He clutched a whiskey bottle.
"Makes sense. Loses a disciple, goes nuts over it. Pathologically hates losing or having things taken......"
Ihelm took a swig and sat on a nearby wooden chair. He stared into the flames.
"......He'll overcome it himself."
Then Rayli glanced somewhere. Behind that nearby tree was Julie.
Not hiding, standing openly. Everyone knew Julie was there.
"Yeah, he will~ Anyway. What're your plans for duties now~?"
Hating the damp gloom, Ganesha tried to change the subject─
"Leader Ganesha."
Premien called.
"Yes~?"
Ganesha smiled brightly. Premien pulled out an antique hand mirror from her bosom─the item Deculein requested.
"A gift from Professor Deculein to you, Leader."
"......?"
Ganesha's eyes widened.
A gift from Deculein? Nearby folks gawked at the 'gift' in shock.
Speaking for the dumbfounded Ganesha, Lia asked.
"......A gift? From Deculein, that professor?"
Premien nodded dryly.
"Yes. Any issue?"