Chapter 104
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104
Accompanied by an automated golem, Kiriel’s party ventured deeper into the forest to investigate the strange phenomenon.
As they followed the trail of eerie energy, a sound began to echo through the trees. They perked up their ears, and a bizarre, piercing noise struck their eardrums.
Crunch— crunch—.
It was a sickening sound, like something being wetly gnawed and ground between teeth. Then, a thick scent of blood drifted on the wind, assaulting their senses. Silphy and Lina smelled it too; their expressions hardened as they sniffed the air.
“It smells like blood.”
“This is bad~”
Despite the warning signs, Kiriel didn't falter.
“We can't stop now. Let's go a little further. We have to see what it is.”
“Yes.”
The party pressed on, following the unsettling mana that felt like it was physically constricting their bodies. After walking through the dense woods for some time, they finally reached the source.
Rustle—.
Pushing through the thick undergrowth, they stepped into a dark clearing where sunlight struggled to penetrate the canopy. In the gloom, a faint shape came into view.
Slowly, two figures crouched in the shadows turned to look at them. In the deep darkness, ominous red eyes glowed.
“!”
The two figures were hunched over, ravenously tearing into carcasses. The ground was littered with the mangled remains of animals and monsters, and thick blood was smeared around the creatures' mouths. It was a scene so surreal it felt like a nightmare.
Kiriel and her aides could only stare, their mouths agape. One of the massive figures slowly rose to its feet.
“Ugh, ooooh…”
It was a grotesque man with a body as massive as a mountain. At its immense size, Kiriel and the others could only stare blankly up at the creature. It had the form of a human with four limbs, but its face and body were a black, crushed mass, like a lump of wet clay. Its red eyes lacked any whites, and its enormous mouth, split open from ear to ear, was nothing short of horrific.
“…!”
The moment she saw it, an alarm bell rang in Kiriel’s head. This wasn't a monster or a demon. These fiends were the Mains she had only ever heard of in stories—dangerous elements that one should never encounter.
Whoosh—!
As the giant creature extended a fist, a fierce wind kicked up.
Boom—!
The automated golem, struck directly by the sheer wind pressure, was sent flying, slamming into a tree at the edge of the forest. The golem's gears and cylinders, which had been spewing steam where it was embedded in the trunk, soon ground to a halt. The light in its eyes slowly faded.
Wheee—.
With a hissing sound, its mana core shut down completely.
The creature possessed the power to shatter an automated golem with mere wind pressure. Its movements weren't particularly fast, but its raw strength was comparable to an Ogre, the king of the mountains.
Grrrr—.
Having dealt with the golem, the Main drooled from the corners of its torn mouth.
“Well done, Demper.”
Then, another figure stepped forward and offered a polite greeting.
“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Bardo, Bardo Veil.”
Unlike the mountain-like giant, this was a bizarre man who looked like a shriveled zombie. The skin on his face and hands was hideously rotten, hanging in tatters like old rags to reveal the sinew and bone beneath. To make it even more unsettling, he was dressed in a worn-out suit.
“Well now, it seems some high-quality prey has walked right into our laps. Elves are quite the delicacy. It looks like I'll be able to enjoy a delicious meal for the first time in a while.”
The Main licked its gaunt lips with a stiff tongue, salivating. Neither the giant nor this emaciated creature were normal humans.
Silphy, sizing up the enemies, grabbed the stunned Kiriel’s hand and slowly began to back away. Even the usually laid-back Lina seemed to sense the gravity of the situation, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Q-Quickly! We have to run, Lina!”
“Yeah, let's book it~ Gnome!”
Rumble—!
Lina stretched out her hand, and a thick earthen wall shot up from the ground, blocking the Mains' path.
“Now!”
Silphy grabbed Kiriel's hand and bolted. Lina, after raising several more layers of earthen walls, hurried after them. As Kiriel fled, she kept looking back to see if their pursuers were following.
“Wh-Where in the world did those things come from?!”
“If you don't want to die, we need to run! Those things are monsters! We can't handle them at our level!”
“I agree~”
The three of them fled at the fastest speed they had ever mustered in their long elven lives. Unlike the peaceful three-legged race they had enjoyed earlier, this was a desperate flight for survival.
But their game of tag did not last long.
Shhhk—.
In an instant, a blurry figure appeared before them—it was the same Main from before.
“My, my, you shouldn't run away. If you struggle too much, the meat gets tough.”
Craaash—!
Immediately after, the earthen walls behind them shattered. The giant Main appeared, blocking their escape from the rear.
“Damn it, Kasa!”
Kiriel, judging that escape was impossible, summoned a low-ranking fire spirit and ordered it to shoot a plume of fire high into the sky. She intended to signal their location with a flare-like blast. Surely, someone would see the distress signal and come running.
Just as Kasa's fiery breath was about to shoot skyward…
Sluuurp—.
The large Main opened its mouth wide and inhaled. The flames Kasa had spewed were sucked into the creature's gullet and vanished completely.
Chomp—.
The giant moved its jaw a few times as if chewing on the swallowed flames, then gulped them down.
“H-Hot.”
“Well done, Demper.”
“N-No way…”
To think her attempt to send a distress signal would be nullified so easily. As Kiriel stood in shock, the emaciated Main slowly began to speak.
“Calling for help... what a boring thing to do. I wanted to take my time and enjoy this, but uninvited guests would just spoil the fun, wouldn't they?”
At the Main's unsettling words, Kiriel bared her teeth and shouted.
“…I don't give a damn about your sick hobbies! Do you think you can get away with this in the Union? The guards and professors will be swarming here any minute! Surrender now! If you do, we might show you mercy!”
Kiriel mustered her courage to bluff, but her words had no effect.
“Surrender? Who do you think could possibly reach this deep into the forest so quickly?”
“Gh.”
As Kiriel faltered, Silphy spoke calmly.
“Those gremlins from before... you're the ones who released them, aren't you? It's not normal for monsters to be found within Union territory. Rescue personnel will be dispatched soon. You should leave now.”
“Th-That's right! Just like she said!”
Kiriel shouted confidently, but the Main remained completely unfazed.
“Hmph. Rescue personnel can only act if they receive information. Those students you think you saved... do you really believe they're still alive?”
“…!”
The emaciated Main continued.
“I've already dispatched one of my subordinates to clean up. By now, there is likely not a single one of them left breathing.”
“N-No way.”
“Why is it so unbelievable? By that logic, our very presence here is unbelievable, is it not?”
“…”
Kiriel gritted her teeth. Just as the Main said, the fact that such powerful demonic beings were roaming inside the Union was unbelievable. It felt terrifyingly similar to the high-ranking demon attack during Roen's inauguration ceremony.
Flick—.
The emaciated Main, Bardo, snapped his fingers to draw their attention.
“Now then, let's begin a simple game. The event currently happening at the academy... the sports festival, was it? Please consider this an extension of that.”
“A game?”
“Yes, a very simple game of power.”
As Bardo spoke, the giant Main slowly approached.
Grrrr—.
“Hun… gry.”
“This one is my loyal dog, Demper. He's not very bright and has an excessive appetite, but he's quite a strong and sturdy fellow.”
Swoosh—.
Demper held out a massive hand—one large enough to easily crush an adult man's head.
Bardo spoke.
“You will compete against Demper in a contest of grip strength. Simple, isn't it?”
“Grip strength?”
Kiriel narrowed her eyes, glancing between her own slender palm and her opponent's enormous hand.
Grip strength? Was he serious? He clearly just wanted to crush someone's hand.
Even so, she couldn't refuse the offer. Her only option was to pretend to accept and stall for as much time as possible. Anything was better than starting a fight they couldn't win right away.
Kiriel nodded and summoned an intermediate wood spirit.
“Trent.”
Shhhwara—.
As Kiriel called its name, nearby tree branches wove together, quickly forming a humanoid shape. Kiriel looked at the Trent and said, “I'm a spirit user. There's no way I can compete physically with a monster like that. My summoned spirit will be his opponent.”
“Well, if you insist. Go ahead.”
The man accepted Kiriel's proposal with an air of confidence, as if it made no difference to him. The wood spirit walked slowly and stood before Demper, extending its hand to clasp the creature's.
Squeeze—.
Trent's and Demper's hands locked.
“Then let's begin.”
The moment the word was spoken, Demper squeezed with immense force. The giant's massive hand began to distort Trent's wooden form.
Creeak—.
Trent's hand was gradually being crushed by the Main's powerful grip.
“…!”
This was better than if Kiriel had stepped up herself, but at this rate, defeat was certain. She had summoned a wood spirit because it had the best mana efficiency in a forest, but it wasn't enough. To win, she would need to reinforce it.
‘…Wood spirits have good synergy with water-attribute spirits.’
Kiriel racked her brain for the most suitable combination. She had learned that the Five Elements were not just a simple system, but an organic relationship where they influenced one another. Beyond theory, she had experienced it in actual combat.
‘Water nurtures Wood.’
Water and wood shared a symbiotic relationship—a bond where they helped each other exert greater power. Kiriel summoned Naias, an intermediate water spirit, to aid Trent.
“Come forth, Naias.”
Unlike when she summoned Trent, she felt a significant drain on her mana as particles of water gathered in the air.
Shwaaa—.
The water particles coalesced around the spirit's core, transforming into a translucent water maiden who looked slightly more mature than an Undine. As soon as Naias was summoned, Trent's mana surged. The wood and leaves that formed its body began to grow noticeably.
Thanks to Naias, Trent gained new vitality and began to repair its crushed hand.
Crack—.
Now, it was Trent's hand that began to overpower Demper's.
“Guooo, guo!”
Demper groaned in pain as Trent's wooden branches dug powerfully into its palm. And soon after…
Splat—.
With a sickening sound, Demper's large hand was crushed, turning into a mangled mess of clay-like flesh.
“Hah... Hah...”
It was a hard-won victory. Kiriel, who had exhausted a great deal of mana summoning two intermediate spirits at once, panted heavily as she looked at her opponent.
“I... I won, right?”
In response, Bardo smiled and applauded.
Clap— clap—.
“Yes, congratulations. As expected of the high elf bloodline. You possess considerable skill, even though your abilities have not yet fully blossomed.”
“I don't need your compliments. Now leave the Union.”
“…?”
As Kiriel snapped at them, Bardo tilted his head.
“I won. You have to do as I say.”
“Hmm? I simply suggested we play a game. I don't recall ever saying I would do anything if you won or lost.”
“What? That's absurd…”
“Demper.”
“Hun-gry!!”
As if the contest had been mere entertainment, Demper instantly regenerated its crushed hand and struck Trent with immense force.
Craaash—!
As if struck by a giant mace, Trent was torn apart, reduced to a tattered mess. With its form destroyed, the spirit's body dissolved into particles.
“Gah!”
Kiriel collapsed on the spot from the shock of the spirit's forced dismissal.
“Lady Kiriel!”
Blood trickled from the corner of Kiriel's mouth. A spirit and its user are bound by a contract of the soul; if a materialized spirit takes a major blow and is forcibly dismissed, the user suffers the backlash. The higher the rank of the spirit, the greater the damage.
As Kiriel coughed up blood, her mana connection was severed, and the water spirit Naias also returned to the spirit world.
Bardo looked down at the collapsed Kiriel and gave a command.
“Demper, finish subduing them. I'll let you have them as food afterward.”
“Eat… good…”
Thump—.
As Demper approached, Silphy immediately took a stance and went on the offensive, firing her mana bow.
Thwack-thwack-thwack—.
But unlike with the gremlins, her attacks had no effect. The moment the mana arrows struck its body, they were sucked inside as if being absorbed. It was the same for the attacks from the water spirit Lina summoned.
Swoosh—.
Just as it had devoured Kasa's flames earlier, the water spirit's attacks couldn't deal any significant damage.
“Hungry.”
Demper took their attacks as if they were mere tickles and approached, clutching its rumbling stomach. The creature, impervious to all attacks, was truly like a mountain. With their current abilities, they could not subdue it.
Kiriel looked up at the approaching Demper in a daze.
“This can't be happening…”
Kiriel possessed outstanding skills that ranked her among the top of the academy, and her aides, Silphy and Lina, also had considerable combat abilities. For the three of them to be subdued without being able to put up any real resistance... She never imagined the difference in power would be this overwhelming.
Bardo twisted his lips into a smirk at Kiriel's devastated expression.
“Didn't I tell you earlier? Demper is a little... sturdy.”
“Uooo.”
Demper reached out its large hands and snatched up Lina and Silphy, who were protecting Kiriel, one in each hand.
Crrrack—.
Demper slowly applied pressure, holding Silphy and Lina in its grasp.
“Aargh!”
“Ugh!”
The two girls screamed and writhed in agony. A little more pressure and their bones would be crushed. Bardo watched the two groaning in pain and spoke.
“Well then, Miss Kiriel, following our grip strength contest, I propose another game.”
He looked at Lina and Silphy, trapped in Demper's hands.
“The right one or the left one... which elf would you prefer it to devour? I will spare the one you choose.”
“Uooo.”
Demper looked back and forth between Silphy and Lina and opened its massive mouth wide. Drool dripped from its huge mouth, which was torn to its ears.
“…!”
At the Main's absurd proposal, Kiriel shouted in fury.
“St-Stop your bullshit! Let them go, now!”
“Hmph. Such a boring option is not available. You'd be wise to choose while you have the chance. If you take too long, Demper might not be able to control its appetite.”
The Main was threatening to devour them both if she didn't choose quickly. Kiriel looked at her two friends in the enemy's grasp with trembling eyes, then lowered her head.
“…I… I can't.”
Save one and sacrifice the other? There's no way I could make a choice like that.
“If you won't choose, would it be all right to devour both of them at the same time?”
Crrreak—.
Demper tightened its grip. Silphy and Lina, who had been trembling in pain, went limp as if they had fainted.
“D-Damn it.”
Kiriel gritted her teeth, clawing at the dirt. After agonizing for a long moment, she slowly extended her hand. Seeing this, the Main grinned.
“Oh? I wonder which of the two she will choose.”
But contrary to Bardo's expectations, Kiriel did not point her hand at either of them.
Shwaaaa—.
Instead, she gathered mana in her hand, and a magic circle began to form in the air. It was the summoning circle for a High-Ranking Spirit—something she had attempted many times before but always failed.
Kiriel squeezed her eyes shut and called the spirit's name in her mind.
‘Please, please come out, Phoenix…’
Crackle—.
The mana spreading from her hand tried to form a connection with the spirit world to forge a contract. If only she could form a contract with the high-ranking fire spirit, Phoenix… the eternal phoenix of destructive power… she would surely be able to defeat these monstrous fiends.
But.
Crackle—.
Phoenix did not respond to the contract Kiriel offered with the last of her mana.
Fizzle— crackle—.
The summoning circle shattered into pieces under a barrage of resistant mana. No miracle occurred. On the contrary, the side effects of overusing her mana worsened her internal injuries.
“Kugh…”
“Are you finished?”
The Main smiled condescendingly at Kiriel, who had blood streaming from her mouth.
“…”
Kiriel looked at her two limp aides, then lowered her head in despair. She tore at the grass with her hands so hard that they bled.
‘It's... it's because of me…’
If only she hadn't insisted on coming here. If she hadn't overestimated her own abilities and had just called for the professors, neither Silphy nor Lina would be in this danger.
If I had just a little more power, we could have escaped.
As Kiriel despaired…
“Time is up. Well then.”
The Main gave a nod, and Demper opened its massive mouth wide.
“Uwaaaaargh—”
The giant held its two friends in its hands, about to swallow them both at once. Kiriel snapped to her senses and ran toward them, screaming.
“Stooooop!!”
Just as the Main was smiling with glee at Kiriel's futile resistance…
Thud—.
“What a pathetic sight.”
“…!”
A voice came from behind them. And at the same time…
Ch-ch-chak—!
Chains of mana shot out from behind, wrapping around Demper's arms and pulling them taut.
Squeeeze—.
It looked as if a prisoner had been bound tightly in iron chains.
“Guooooo!”
With its arms suddenly bound, Demper was forced to let go of Lina and Silphy. Freed from the giant's grasp, the two girls fell to the ground. Kiriel looked at them with relief, then turned her head toward her sudden salvation.
The pure white Union uniform. The mage's insignia on his chest and the star shining on his collar. The boy looking down at her with an arrogant expression.
Kiriel looked up at him and spoke in a daze.
“…Roen?”
Roen Devalis.
A not-so-welcome face had appeared just when she needed help the most.