Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Only the Owner Can Curb a Pet's Gluttony (5)
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Pippin bolted off without a backward glance. His tail fluttered like it had been caught in a typhoon, then vanished in an instant.
“What happened? Pippin! Why is Pippin running that way?”
“We should hurry after him too.”
“Yes!”
Kaku spurred his horse to chase after Pippin. I had to follow behind him too. But my horse... just walked.
Because I didn’t know how to make it gallop...
On top of that, the horse seemed to sense the ominous aura ahead, whinnying uneasily and trying to veer off in every direction.
Dandel, who had been leading his horse at a brisk walk, spoke up quietly.
“Um, Your Grace.”
“......”
“Aren’t you going to gallop, Your Grace? If it’s because of me, feel free to go on ahead...”
“A noble... must always maintain his composure, no matter the circumstance.”
“Ah!”
Dandel quickened his pace, graciously accepting the ridiculous excuse.
The embarrassment didn’t last long. It was a situation where galloping would have been difficult anyway. Carcasses of magic beasts littered the path everywhere.
At first, I thought they were magic beasts. A forest full of pink slimes? Well, this world did have slimes as magic beasts.
But the pooling blood, the ragged cuts, and the sporadically twitching fragments told a different story.
Those shapes wedged between the trees were all magic beasts, butchered mercilessly.
Padadadak!
The forest creatures reacted sensitively to the demonic energy. Mice scurried away beneath my feet, while birds fled overhead or hid among the branches. It was a chaotic scene.
The horse snorted roughly, tense as it kept halting abruptly. Seeing entrails crushed under its hooves naturally furrowed my brow. Dandel’s steps grew cautious too.
Far ahead, two horses were tied sporadically to a single tree. It looked like the two who went first had abandoned riding and run on foot. Their positions suggested they hadn’t met up midway.
The forest was packed with magic beast corpses, leaving only enough space for one person to pass through.
“Your Grace, this is scary. It feels dangerous. There must be some horrific magic beast up ahead. We should turn back.”
“Impressive...”
Dandel’s words didn’t register in my mind.
The alien stench of the magic beasts stung my nose, prickling all the way to my brain. The carcasses were sliced with uniform precision. The work of an expert. Heads severed, blood drained, unnecessary bits removed.
It was obvious who did it. Among the butchers who raced ahead, only one was insane enough.
“Magnificent.”
Admiration spilled out before fear could take hold. Pippin had cleaved every magic beast blocking his path without a single mistake.
Then he charged onward. In the direction I’d indicated, driven solely by his intent to hunt them.
Could I ever take down a guy like this?
What kind of monster was the crown prince who tamed him?
How much more incredible were the other protagonists?
Could I really win against them?
Chills ran over my entire body. Not far off was a boy more monstrous than any monster. And even greater ones than Pippin would appear ahead.
Sweat beaded coldly amid the bizarre sight, yet a thrilling tension coursed through me.
No anxiety or hesitation lingered. I had to grow stronger than Pippin—and I would. It felt less like a plan and more like prophecy. I would succeed. I was certain.
The scene before me felt like the mess my future self would leave behind. Imagining myself overwhelmingly powerful was addictively fun.
I desperately wanted to meet the one who caused this chaos right now. As if doing so would unlock the secret to getting stronger.
“Dandel. Head back to the village first.”
“Your Grace! I can’t go alone! Let’s go together!”
“Mount up and ride as fast as you can. I have something to check, so I’m going ahead.”
“T-Then let me come with you!”
“No. You’d just get in the way.”
I grabbed Dandel’s shoulder and shoved him toward the ground. My body felt light with excitement. Dandel clutched my wrist, but I pushed him straight toward the horse.
“Go quickly. And bring help. I’ll chase after Pippin.”
“No! It’s too dangerous! And gross! And filthy! There are so many reasons!”
“Don’t worry. Even if you prioritize your own safety now, I won’t scold you.”
“......”
“You said you’re scared. Run away fast.”
Dandel, looking terrified, hesitated before leaping nimbly onto the horse.
“I’ll bring people who can help.”
“Good.”
“Don’t get hurt! Please wait for me!”
Screaming like it was his last breath, Dandel fled back the way we came.
I dashed along the path Pippin had cleared.
Once I reached a spot out of Dandel’s sight, I summoned the Death Gate.
The reason I shook off Dandel wasn’t kindness or concern for him.
I knew a quick way to get stronger.
“Manhole! Come out!”
[Delicious smell!]
This time, a round body appeared immediately upon summoning. The Death Gate floated around me, drooling profusely.
As expected, it seemed ready to devour everything in sight, yet it waited for my permission.
Drool cascaded like a waterfall between its jagged teeth, but it stared at me obediently.
“Sugar Lord, Sweet Swarm summon.”
The Death Gate gaped its mouth and expelled death spirits like a sneeze. The shadowy mass emerged and transformed into disciplined ants.
“Eat your fill, all of you.”
Feeding began the instant I gave the order—faster than I’d anticipated. The Death Gate ballooned like a balloon, swiftly sucking in the piles of meat strewn across the forest. The death spirits followed suit.
[Sugar Lord’s oracle: Abundance is the master’s grace.]
[Sweet Swarm’s oracle: Festival, festival, festival!]
Perhaps thanks to feasting on the magic beast meat, the Death Gate’s form began to change. It grew enormous, surpassing my size at some point. Its previously dull color now gleamed subtly, and legs sprouted too. Four thick, blunt ones, like elephant legs.
All this time, it had been flat like a manhole cover because it hadn’t fully grown.
“You look pretty beastly now. Closer to a lizard than a goblin, though. A rather ugly lizard...”
I approached the engrossed feeder and stroked its back. It was rough yet warm.
Before I knew it, the mess was cleared away. Having gorged far more than the death spirits, the Death Gate leaned its hefty body against me. Sticking out its tongue in delight, it somehow resembled a dog—in a good way.
“Full?”
[I want more. Smells delicious. Even tastier smells ahead.]
“Can you run?”
[I can run. Let’s go, let’s go! Hungry. Still hungry.]
The status window flickered eagerly. A signal from the Sugar Lord calling to me.
[Sugar Lord’s oracle: Together with master! Together!]
The Sugar Lord at my feet wriggled about. It had some intelligence, wanting to stay by my side. Not much to speak of, but commendable.
“Want to come along? Climb onto my hand. You don’t seem any bigger despite eating. I figured a queen ant would be huger...”
The Death Gate rose on all fours and stretched like a cat. Its back lengthened slightly, joints formed in its legs, and two slender horns sprouted from its head. It wagged its disproportionately small tail, then lowered its body.
I leaped onto its torso and gripped the horns like handles with both hands.
“Alright. Let’s dash straight to where Pippin is. There’ll be even more magic beast meat there. Sound good?”
[Running! Running!]
With a cheerful cry, the Death Gate charged. Its speed dwarfed any horse. Black smoke billowed from its mouth, melting any touched magic beast carcasses instantly.
Another way the Death Gate devoured magic beasts, apparently.
The faster it ran, the more grotesquely it swelled. Still rough around the edges, but its horns hardened, and its grip on the ground strengthened.
The Sweet Swarm trailed behind me, rustling the forest leaves. As we neared Pippin, the sky grew dark and murky. Demonic energy thickened the air visibly, clouding the woods.
“Something’s wrong with the mercenary band. Magic beasts overflowing like this. Did the garden ogre go berserk?”
[Smells like kin’s blood. It burst. Burst.]
“Burst?”
[Eating the wrong magic beast makes you burst. Don’t eat ones with stronger magic than master. You’ll puke it all up. Wasteful.]
If the Death Gate was telling the truth,
“Then the garden ogre the mercenaries used got greedy and exploded.”
That’s why the forest heart was overrun with magic beasts.
But if a garden ogre needed a stronger magic beast to burst, where did that ‘stronger magic beast’ come from?
The village chief was just stingy, not some special figure with unique traits. Someone else must have summoned the strong magic beast and caused this mess.
I had no memory of this from the game.
At most, it was just joining magic beast subjugations to win the heroine’s favor. Nothing about summoning, devouring, or this complexity during gameplay.
What the hell is going on?
I just hoped this disaster wouldn’t interfere with a simple guy like me. I don’t ask for much. Just send the five male leads and the heroine—excluding me—crashing into ruin.
“Uwaaaak!”
“Gahk!”
“We have to run!”
In a clearing strewn with fallen trees and magic beast corpses, I spotted Kaku. He was shaking someone by the collar.
“Hey, get up! Damn it, what the hell did you do!”
“We summoned a monster! That necromancer, he tricked us, summoned a monster!”
The fallen ones appeared to be the Sloth Mercenary Corps. All bloodied. Dead magic beasts lay around—Pippin’s handiwork, so the mercenaries hadn’t even broken even in the fight.
“Mercenaries, yet so pathetic.”
I approached them astride the Death Gate. Kaku, bandaging a mercenary’s wound, startled upon seeing me—or rather, the Death Gate.
“Your Grace! That’s...”
I dismounted and drew near Kaku. The mercenaries’ conditions were dire. Plenty had lost consciousness after their screams. Judging by attire and gear, the one panting against Kaku was the captain. He glanced at the Death Gate and spoke.
“A garden ogre, huh.”
The Death Gate sidled up and leaned its weight against me. Feeling like it wanted pets, I stroked between its horns while looking down at the captain. He bared bloodied teeth in a grotesque grin.
“Well, well. Who’d have thought the mild-looking young lord keeps such a fearsome monster.”