Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Pebbles and Leaves (6)
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- Finally changed your mind?
“Yeah.”
- Hahaha! Good. Then this body will personally...
“But I have a condition.”
- ...A condition?
Dimakushel, who had been laughing uproariously, flinched and asked back. So naive. I snapped at the black flames blazing on the scroll.
“Of course. You think I’m crazy enough to just hand over my body to you?”
- But a contract is...!
“A contract naturally allows for adjustments to the details.”
Before the seal is stamped, that is. As I smiled slyly, the black flames wavered.
- Al, alright. Let’s hear it first...
“Shadow.”
- What?
“Shadow. I’ll only lend you my shadow.”
In an instant, the black flames surged enormously. Probably anger. After all, I’d offered only a mere shadow.
“Don’t like it? Then forget it.”
- Y-you little...!
“Think it over, Dimakushel. Stay trapped in that scroll forever, or borrow just my ‘shadow’ and get revenge on the crows.”
- ...Kuh!
-Pipiro-pip!
Ppippi, who had flown onto my shoulder, chirped threateningly at Dimakushel. The black flames’ momentum diminished slightly.
I knew the nature of demons very well. They had been confined since ancient times—times so old they were hard to remember—and always yearned for freedom. Dimakushel was unusual for a demon, but his innate craving for freedom wouldn’t differ much from others.
- ...Fine!
As expected.
After groaning for a long while, the black flames shrank almost to embers before blazing up again.
- Let me kill anything!
“Not ‘anything,’ not ‘anything.’”
- You picky bastard.
If you don’t like it, then don’t. I glared at the black flames, drew my dagger, sliced across my palm, and dripped the blood onto them.
- Roooar!!!
The black flames latched onto the falling blood droplets. They grew larger, swelling in size, and began devouring my shadow whole.
As the fire transferred to the shadow, the scroll itself started burning away into ashes. Once the scroll was completely reduced to dust and vanished without a trace, Dimakushel’s voice began emanating from within the shadow.
- Nowhere as revolting as that scroll.
“I’m a druid, after all.”
To be precise, we’re polar opposites to demons. This situation felt as alien to me as it did to Dimakushel. After all, even if it was just a shadow, I had accepted ‘evil’ into myself.
Of course, I had no intention of carrying this Dimakushel around forever. I’d use him well, then exorcise him at an opportune moment...
‘There’s always the option of transferring him to another living being.’
Unethical, so not very appealing.
In any case, lending him the shadow was an excellent choice. The shadow was ‘me’ yet not me, so accepting Dimakushel into it kept me, as a druid, safe and untainted.
To test Dimakushel’s power, I extended my hand. The shadow moved with it. The difference was that while nothing happened with my hand, black flames shot out from the shadow’s hand.
The black flames were literally black, melting into the darkness instantly. Five trees struck by them began to burn, but even that was concealed by the shadows.
‘Impressive.’
A power worth admiring. Just lending a single shadow yielded this much force.
‘It’ll work on Grizel too.’
And the advantages didn’t end there.
-Grrrrr...
Sometime during this, a troll must have caught the scent and started prowling nearby. Before I could even pinpoint its location...
-Pew!
-Pew-pew-pew!
-Roooar!!!
Black flames burst from the shadow’s fingertips.
After lending it to Dimakushel, my shadow had become a sort of ‘auto-attack device.’ In truth, I wasn’t controlling the shadow—Dimakushel was.
‘Wow, this could be really useful...?’
Too bad I’d have to exorcise it later. As I gazed down at the shadow with such thoughts, it suddenly rippled unsteadily.
- I just got a really bad feeling?
“...Must be your imagination.”
I brushed off Dimakushel casually and returned outside to the empty house where the others waited.
“We’re ready.”
We began moving cautiously. I considered releasing the dark elves first, but dealing with Grizel before any chaos erupted seemed wiser. I didn’t want needless casualties.
The path to the village center was eerily quiet. Because it was the dead of night? Or...
“Shh.”
Lloyd, leading the way, whispered. We all halted and looked where he pointed. The village chief’s house.
Unlike the other houses, lights blazed brightly in the chief’s. That meant someone was inside.
“Lloyd, come with me. El, you and Ayla watch the surroundings from outside.”
We exchanged glances, then crept silently toward the chief’s house. Four dark elves stood guard around it, but Lloyd took two, El one, and I the last. We gagged and bound the unconscious dark elves securely, then quietly opened the chief’s door.
Light leaked out. Voices murmuring in conversation drifted faintly.
‘Let’s strike at once.’
‘Got it.’
‘You from the left, me from the right.’
We exchanged quick hand signals and scattered soundlessly. Soon, Lloyd’s sword flashed. I reached out to activate [Moon Light]. And simultaneously—
-Slash!
-Flaaash!!!
We unleashed our attacks toward the voices. A black gleam shot forth, and moonflower bloomed, scattering brilliant moonlight everywhere. No counterattack came, so our strikes must have landed true.
“......”
“......”
Or so we thought.
It was all an illusion.
* * *
What we had attacked was merely a shadow.
“Theodore!”
Lloyd realized something was wrong first. But even he was too late. The shadow had engulfed him already. He was pinned, unable to move by his own shadow. And mine...
-Roooar!!!!
My shadow didn’t touch me but spewed black flames in all directions. Dimakushel.
‘So he was manipulating shadows. That’s how he ambushed Lloyd and El without a sound.’
Even asleep, El wouldn’t have missed a human presence so easily. That explained it.
The chief must use shadow-manipulating black magic. He’d lit the lamps on purpose for it.
Of course, it was useless against me, having already given my shadow to Dimakushel.
“Coo-coo-coos, find the black mage!”
-Coo, coo-coos?
“Not the time to nitpick!”
My rippling shadow stretched long, extending in all directions. As if to swallow the entire space. While Dimakushel searched for the black mage, I dashed toward Lloyd, trapped by his shadow. Preparing the [Sun Light] skill I’d trained.
-Flaaaash!!!!
As I lunged, I thrust out my open hand. Bright light like sunlight burst forth. Not enough to illuminate the whole house, but sufficient to dispel the shadow holding Lloyd.
“Lloyd, you okay?!”
He coughed harshly instead of answering. A massive bruise already marred his neck—traces of the shadow’s chokehold. For ‘that’ Lloyd to cough like this. No ordinary shadow art.
Thanks to [Sun Light], the shadow vanished temporarily but began reforming on the floor. Naturally. Where there’s light, shadows must exist.
We had to find the black mage before it fully reformed. But Dimakushel showed no sign of returning. I hadn’t trained [Sun Light] enough for prolonged use... I backpedaled, dodging the encroaching shadows.
-Grrrritch...
-Kikikik...
-Kkhuk, kkh...
The shadows approached with eerie sounds. Dimakushel, sensing the danger, returned and tried burning them away with black flames around us, but they were shadows too. The shadows drew closer, ever closer. Squeak, squeak—the shadows swayed sinisterly with the dangling ceiling lamps.
‘...Wait.’
I snapped my head up. Bright light poured from the lanterns. My hand went to the dagger at my waist. And...
-Whish!!!
I hurled it straight at the lantern.
-Splaaat!!!!
Pitch darkness descended instantly. All shadows were devoured by the gloom.
* * *
- Not bad.
The voice from the darkness itself was a young one I recognized.
“...Grizel.”
- It’s a shame to kill talent like you.
“I’m the one bummed about killing talent like you. No second thoughts on changing your tune?”
- Hahaha!
“Nope. Figures. Typical villains are like that.”
- Villain? Amusing.
“What’s so funny? Hundreds of dark elves are locked underground in this village. You gonna claim you’re not the villain?”
- They’re just being ‘educated.’
“Educated?”
- On becoming better beings.
“Crazy...”
- Interested?
“Nope, you bastard.”
The voice burst into laughter again. Classic mad villain cackle. Minus the age, that is.
I heightened all my senses to stay alert in the dark. But I couldn’t pinpoint the voice’s source, so I just stood gripping my dagger.
‘Damn, where the hell are you...?’
- I like you, druid.
Should I be flattered? Even if you’re gonna kill me anyway. I gripped the dagger tighter.
- So I’ll share a secret.
“......”
A secret? I instinctively perked my ears.
- A secret about the queen.