170
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 170
Caesar found a suitable place for the beast people to rest, as they seemed quite exhausted.
The place Caesar chose was a large riverside.
"Let's take a moment to catch our breath here and think about how to cross the river."
At Caesar's words, the beast people scattered and entered the river to drink water.
The Shadow Otter tribe was extremely excited, immediately entering the water and pulling out fish as big as their forearms.
Caesar fed a turnip to Whitey under a large tree that could shelter them from the rain.
-Delicious! So delicious!
While the creature was eating bit by bit, four beast people who had met earlier in the cooking tent approached.
"Thank you for saving us. Well..."
"I'm Caesar. This is Wizard Raven."
Raven squeezed the water from her hair and avoided making eye contact with the beast people.
Honestly, from Raven's perspective, the beast people felt slightly uncomfortable.
Until just a year ago, they were at a point where they were eager to kill each other, and now suddenly approaching with goodwill felt strange.
"Thank you again for saving us. Caesar. And Wizard Raven."
"...Right."
Caesar said while looking at his watch.
"We should discuss something now. Is there a way to cross this river?"
"There are countless ways. The Shadow Otter tribe can simply swim across, or the Mountain Tiger tribe can make a temporary bridge out of dirt to cross."
"Then crossing the river won't be a problem."
"That's right. Didn't you say you had something to ask of us?"
Caesar fed another turnip to Whitey and said,
"Teach Wizard Raven about the Forest of Labyrinth."
The beast people nodded obediently, as this had been discussed beforehand.
"A promise made once must be kept. But I'm not sure if a human can learn our magic."
Raven's firmly closed mouth opened.
"I've already somewhat completed the analysis of the beast people's magic system."
Raven snapped her fingers.
A flame arose from her fingertips.
Caesar tilted his head.
"...What is this?"
"It's the magic of the Red Fox tribe."
"Isn't this just a flame?"
"The manifestation process itself is different. Look."
Raven snapped her fingers again.
A magic circle sprang out with a flame rising, while on the other side a flame rose without a magic circle.
Caesar read Raven's thoughts using psychometry.
Being almost a complete novice in magic, Caesar could hardly read anything from Raven's thoughts.
However, there were parts he could roughly understand.
"You're dying to explain this to me right now, aren't you?"
"...No, I'm not."
Raven, with her outstanding academic passion, also had an incredible desire to show off her knowledge.
"Please explain. I'll try to understand."
"Forget it. You won't understand anyway."
"Is the difference whether there's a magic circle or not? Well, can I understand it like that?"
Raven pursed her lips and eventually spoke.
"Our human magic is about systematically arranging magic through a magic circle. That's why it's more detailed. However, the Red Fox tribe's magic directly projects will onto magic. It might be rough, but it has the advantages of being fast and intuitive."
"Is it similar to the sorcery you explained before?"
"It's much more advanced. Sorcery uses pain as its raw material, pouring it out. It's like placing a cup where it's raining and waiting for it to fill up."
"What about the beast people's magic?"
"It's like overturning a water-filled container above the cup and quickly pouring it out. Sometimes it overflows or falls short. But it's just as fast."
"And human magic?"
"It's precisely calculating and filling the cup with water without a single drop left. That's why you can expect such precise effects."
The beast people were somewhat impressed by Raven's explanation.
They hadn't thought they could explain their magic system so aptly and metaphorically.
"Therefore, beast people's magic requires exceptional sense in manipulating magic. Not every wizard can do it."
"So that means Wizard Raven is amazing."
"I won't deny that."
Yeah. What can you say about a show-off boasting about their skills?
But it's somewhat annoying.
"I understand the beast people's magic system to some extent, so please teach me about the Forest of Labyrinth. Is that possible?"
All the beast people nodded.
"It's possible. But teaching while being pursued will be more difficult than expected..."
Woodddddd!
From far away, the sound of forests and trees being destroyed could be heard.
Geotech's military was approaching.
The beast people's eyes turned fierce.
Their anger rose at the audacity of destroying and trampling their beloved trees.
Caesar held Thunder and Lefty in both hands.
"In the end, it means I just need to buy some time, right?"
Raven nodded.
"Something like that."
"Then I'll try to draw their aggro."
Caesar abruptly cracked his neck.
"From Geotech's perspective, they'll want to tear me apart more than the beast people. While I'm drawing their aggro for a moment, build a bridge and cross. After I cross, destroy the bridge. Then we'll have some breathing room."
"No. It's too dangerous."
"Where's a safe method in our current situation?"
"No, still, leaving me alone..."
-I still can't trust these beast people...
Oops, I didn't consider Raven's perspective.
After all, if they were enemies just a year ago and are suddenly asked to become trusting colleagues, it would be hard to accept.
At that moment, the Mountain Tiger tribe spoke.
"Wizard Raven. We understand that you don't trust us. To be honest, I can't trust you either."
Raven could feel the truth in the Mountain Tiger's words.
Just as Raven couldn't trust the beast people, the beast people also couldn't trust Raven.
"The Forest of Labyrinth is our beast people's secret technique and tradition. Revealing it to an outsider is a terrible disgrace. Moreover, revealing it to you who destroyed and killed our homeland is even more humiliating."
Woodddddddd!
The sound of Black Horn tribe approaching could be heard, and the ground trembled.
"But we've decided to abandon tradition for the present. As long as the Black Horn tribe exists, it will be impossible to reclaim our forest. So I beg you."
The Mountain Tiger bowed to Raven.
"Become our hope."
Raven looked around at the beast people.
They were all bleeding and completely battered.
Their hearts were filled with anxious and fearful magic waves.
But there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
Hope that they could break free from the Black Horn tribe and rebuild their forest.
That hopeful gaze was directed at Caesar and Raven.
Raven clenched her fist.
"...Swear to me."
"Our oath?"
"Swear that you will never harm me and Sir Caesar until the Black Horn tribe is completely annihilated. Swear that you will protect us first no matter what happens. That oath."
Raven looked at the Mountain Tiger.
"Then I will also dedicate myself to you."
All the beast people placed their hands on their chests.
"We swear. We will not spare our lives for Caesar and Raven."
Raven raised her wand in front of him.
It was a wizard's oath.
"I also swear not to spare my magic for you."
Hoong!
A huge tree flew towards Raven.
Caesar was the first to react, but the Mountain Tiger moved.
The Mountain Tiger overturned the ground to create a wall, and the tree shattered against it.
"They've already come! Hurry and escape!"
"No. I told you to run, not us."
Caesar raised Thunder and Lefty.
"I'll buy us some time."
Wooooooo!
Towards the screams of the Black Horn tribe flowing from the forest, Caesar charged like a single strand of flame.
Raven gritted her teeth and waved her wand.
An insulation magic was cast on Caesar's body.
"30 minutes!"
Caesar nodded and disappeared into the forest's shadows.
***
Aggro.
What is aggro?
It is something that begins with a roar and ends in red.
"Uriyaaaaaaa!"
Steam burst from Caesar's body as he entered Berserker triple stack.
Caesar's Thunder slightly transformed and swept through the trees.
Thunder followed the Path of the Wind, swaying trees back and forth like mountain birds, then pierced the head of an approaching orc that was smashing through trees.
Nevertheless, Thunder did not lose its strength.
Sliding along the predetermined Path of the Wind, it flew and consecutively burst the heads of charging orcs before flying back to Caesar.
Caesar, like a striker hitting a perfect pitch, swung lefty and launched Thunder.
Thunder rotated even faster and more powerfully.
And moving along its predetermined route, it harvested the heads of charging orcs and goblins.
The black blessing tried to restore these creatures, but having their heads and horns completely shattered, the black blessing wandered aimlessly in the air.
Caesar continued to surge against the wave of fanatics, scattering the black blessing with his lefty and Thunder.
Everywhere Caesar passed was filled with blood and flesh, and Thunder had long forgotten Caesar's touch.
At that moment, a massive green-skinned figure appeared before Caesar.
An ogre with a single horn on its head.
The ogre struck Caesar's Thunder away with a solid iron club.
"Grrrrrrrr!"
And it brought the club down toward Caesar.
Just as he had felt when facing the twin-headed ogre, this ogre's body was beyond comprehension.
Despite its massive size, it was incredibly fast and flexible.
Moreover, if it had acquired devilish strength, its physical abilities would be doubled.
The club approached as if to crush Caesar's head.
Caesar let out another roar.
"Uriyaaaaaaaaaa!"
Berserker quadruple stack.
In an instant, Caesar's body disappeared and reappeared behind the ogre.
Thud!
The ogre's two arms and head vanished.
Caesar could not contain his rising elation.
Caesar's body was different from when he had faced the twin-headed ogre.
This was because he had consumed every single medicinal potion Agatha had handed him.
The names of the potions Agatha had given him were 'Leviathan's Liver', 'Taeung's Gallbladder', and 'Tortoise Heart'.
The Leviathan's Liver was effective in increasing aura rising and aura regeneration ability.
The Taeung's Gallbladder was useful in widening the magic circuits through which aura passed.
The Tortoise Heart was especially potent in strengthening the lower abdomen, internal organs, and increasing combat stamina.
Of course, it would have been better to take these as refined medicine, but since the preservation magic only lasted three months, he had no choice but to consume them all.
As a result, Caesar's body had changed dramatically.
His aura quantity increased by almost half, the magic circuits through which aura passed were cleared like a 16-lane highway, and his stamina grew to an unbelievable extent.
In other words, his internal strength had become so solid that Berserker quadruple stack did not burden him significantly.
He estimated this might be around 0.5 Barre.
Lightning struck near Caesar.
Crackle! boom!
Not just one, but dozens of lightning bolts fell.
Caesar threw Thunder into the sky above.
Crack!
Thunder was struck by lightning instead of Caesar and was driven into the ground.
The other black-horned tribes targeting Caesar were roasted whole, filled with a burning stench, and the trees not only broke and shattered but also burst into flames.
Zap! Zap!
Caesar's body was not in good condition either.
'If it weren't for the insulation magic, I would have died.'
To be in this state even after receiving insulation magic.
Caesar felt that Geotech was nearby.
After taking a deep breath, he pulled out an oil bottle from his belt.
It was holy flame oil he had obtained in exchange for the twin-headed ogre's horns.
Caesar picked up Thunder driven into the ground and evenly coated it with holy flame oil along with his left side.
Whoosh!
The holy flame oil reacted with the devil's blood on the axe and blazed a deep blue.
"Urrrgh..."
And he drove the axe into the ogre's head, which was trying to regenerate through the black blessing.
Whoooosh!
The ogre's body twisted, and its head screamed silently.
The black blessing tried to revive the ogre's body but was blocked by the sacred flame and couldn't approach, burning away.
Caesar ran toward where the black blessing continued.
"Krrrraaaaa!"
The black-horned tribes charged at Caesar, but they all burned and were sliced by the axe coated with sacred flame oil.
Caesar slaughtered the black-horned tribes like a salmon climbing a waterfall.
A blue flame path was all that remained where Caesar passed, and nothing could stop him.
The path following the black blessing.
At its end was Geotech.
Geotech, seated in a golden palanquin, waved his staff toward Caesar.
"Be cursed!"
Then the orcs, goblins, and trolls around him screamed and fell.
The black blessings attached to their bodies were completely gathered at the staff's end and fired a black cannonball.
It looked exactly like the 'sealing technique' the beast people had spoken of.
Caesar threw Thunder.
Thunder, soaked in holy flame oil, flew like a hawk and tore at the cannonball.
Whoosh!
The axe scattered the black cannonball and flew like an arrow into Geotech's chest.
"You!"
Geotech raised his staff to block Thunder.
Boom!
Geotech's physical strength was beyond imagination.
He was able to withstand Thunder Caesar had thrown with all his might.
But Thunder was coated with sacred flame oil.
Kyaaaaaaaa!
The holy flame oil at the blade's tip burned the staff and swept away the black blessing, and the skeleton staff, now an ordinary bone staff, could not withstand Thunder.
Thud!
Eventually, Thunder precisely embedded itself in Geotech's heart.
It strongly reacted with the devil's blood flowing in Geotech's heart and blazed up.
"Krrrraaaaa!"