Chapter 100: Monster
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Monster
William pushed his men to their limits, desperate to keep their morale from crumbling.
His efforts seemed to pay off; the phalanx held firm, their spearheads biting deep into the monsters' hides.
- Captain, what is the situation?
A voice reached him via telepathy. William shouted back into the mental link.
"Engaging three monsters! The Security Force isn't enough! We need reinforcements!"
- Understood. Two descendants of Iorga are heading your way. Hold out just a little longer.
A moment later, two figures with wings spread wide soared through the sky. They descended with graceful, predatory movements to face the beasts.
"Filthy creatures. Your master has already crossed into the afterlife, yet you lot cling to life so stubbornly."
"Return to your master's side."
Radiating cold hostility, the descendants of Iorga uncorked their waterskins. At their command, the clear liquid surged forth, weaving into ten-stranded whips that lashed through the air.
Whish!
The strands scattered, lunging toward their targets like extensions of the mages' own limbs. They ensnared the monsters with unerring accuracy, and in an instant, all three beasts were restrained.
"Captain, finish them."
"Yes, sir!"
William’s blade, wreathed in a red sword aura, struck the vital points of the bound monsters one by one.
"Aaaah! Die!"
The spearmen, emboldened by the sight, charged with renewed courage. As the saying goes, even the mightiest fall before a mob; a helpless monster was nothing more than a target for a hail of spears.
William took down two, and the spearmen finished off the last. It was hard to believe they had been struggling so desperately just minutes ago, only for the situation to be resolved with such ease.
"Th-thank you, Mages."
"..."
The descendants of Iorga gave William a brief, dismissive glance before turning away. They took flight toward another sector as if their work was beneath them. The arrogant Dragon Spawn did not deign to socialize with low-ranking humans.
I suppose I’m not even worth acknowledging to them.
Though it stung his pride, William didn't harbor a grudge. He simply accepted the reality of the world.
If I were stronger and more charismatic, I might have been able to handle this myself.
He accepted his current standing, but he refused to settle for it. He would use this humiliation as a stepping stone. William, the Security Force Captain, made a silent vow:
I need to get stronger.
He resolved to possess strength befitting a knight serving in a territory ruled by a Red Dragon.
* * *
"The knights of the Archduchess of Valdrova are deploying now."
- Understood. Please take care of the north.
Two mounts descended from Valdrova Castle. Or rather, one was a warhorse, and the other was a donkey. The man riding the donkey looked utterly dazed.
"S-Sir Jed! I don't think I'll be much help. Wh-what should I do?!"
The one who answered was Penelope, who was hitched onto the back of Jed's horse.
"What else? Just sit back and enjoy the show."
"D-do I have to?"
"Of course. Make sure to save some for m— Gyah!"
"Ugh, every time you open your trap, you spout nothing but nonsense."
"Ack! I surrender! I surrender!"
Jed choked Penelope lightly, and she slapped at his muscular forearm.
"If you want to be useful, be a meat shield! If the wolf demons show up, at least draw their attention!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"I'm heading that way! You keep going straight down this path!"
"Understood!"
The moment they parted ways with Malcolm and his donkey, Penelope spoke up again.
"A meat shield? Isn't that a bit cold?"
"He'll run away if he can't handle it."
"He didn't look like he had the brains for that."
"He's probably smarter than you, brat."
"What? Why you...!"
Just as Penelope was about to yank his hair, a massive shape entered their field of vision. It was a wolf monster. They immediately dropped their bickering and locked onto the target.
"Target spotted. It looks like the one from back then."
"Yeah."
"The size and shape are almost identical. We barely escaped it last time. Are you going to be okay?"
"More than okay."
Jed smirked. Had he not endured all that agony just for this moment?
"Revenge is a dish best served... with a thrill."
Now it was time to harvest. Jed drew the short sword at his waist. A blue sword aura flared from the blade. His blindfolded horse charged bravely before skidding to a halt. Using the momentum, Jed launched himself off the horse's back.
"Pepe! Now!"
"Haste!"
The pink-haired demon cast an acceleration spell on the airborne Jed. Their coordination was becoming seamless. Landing with preternatural agility, Jed seemingly vanished.
— Grrr?!
The wolf monster was bewildered. It tried to track his movements, but its secondary snake heads could only follow his afterimages. This was different from when he was simply running for his life. The blue sword aura coating his short sword drew a long, lethal arc in his wake.
Swish, swish, swish!
The arc reached the wolf monster's body and tore through it. He severed the snake heads and cut its tendons in a single breath, neutralizing the beast. The moment the incapacitated monster focused its energy on regeneration was the opening he had been waiting for.
Jed plunged his short sword into its chest. Unlike the time he had to protect Ferda, this ended quickly.
"Whoa, that was sick!" Penelope hopped around excitedly. "Je-Je! What kind of training did you do back there?"
"You think I was just playing around, woman?"
"You actually look kind of sexy. You're the first man I've found this alluring."
"Haha, get lost. Don't try your tricks on me to suck out my energy."
"Don't be like that! I haven't had a woman in a week...!"
Penelope sent him a seductive gaze while stroking her hungry stomach. She might have called it seductive, but to Jed, it was just unpleasant.
Just then, Isabella’s telepathy reached them.
- Sir Jed.
"Go ahead."
- Sir Malcolm is currently herding monsters. Please provide support at his location.
Jed replied immediately. "What is his position?"
- He is heading your way. Look toward the alleyway.
He didn't even need to search. A cacophony of noise was rapidly approaching. The first thing he saw was the face of a donkey. And then there was Malcolm, letting out a scream that didn't even sound human.
"Aaaaaah! Ack! I'm gonna die!"
Hee-haw!
Malcolm and the donkey came charging in, a mess of tears and snot. Soon, two wolf monsters emerged behind them. Watching the scene, Jed was struck with genuine shock.
How in the world is that guy still alive?
A man with no physical prowess or martial skill was fleeing for his life with nothing but a single donkey. The animal didn't even seem special. The wolf monsters surpassed them in both speed and agility; by all accounts, they should have been eaten minutes ago.
And yet, the wolf monsters couldn't catch him. Every time they lunged, they got tangled up with each other due to poor coordination. Either the monsters were incredibly dull, or Malcolm was insanely lucky.
Whatever the case, killing them was the priority.
"Hey, Donkey Man! Over here!"
"Ack! Ack! Aaaaaah!"
The man did nothing but scream at the top of his lungs. That useless fool.
Just as Jed wondered if he should adjust his own movements to match Malcolm's, the donkey seemed to understand Jed's words and veered toward him. The infuriated wolf monsters lunged again, desperate to catch their prey.
Things were going exactly as intended. The donkey zoomed past Jed. He counted down in his head.
3, 2, 1.
At zero, the wolf monster's flank appeared. Jed threw his accelerated body forward, plunging his blade into the heart of the crazed beast.
— Yelp!
One wolf monster died, and the other realized the chase was over. But a lone wolf was nothing more than a snack for Jed. Holding his short sword in a reverse grip, he claimed the remaining monster's heart as well.
Even Jed found it hard to believe he had succeeded so easily. He had worried that two might be difficult.
He’s the perfect bait.
He wondered if this was why Ferda kept the man around. Regardless, Jed tried to offer some praise to build camaraderie.
"Wow, you were a flawless decoy. Good job, old man—"
"Urgh! Ack! I'm dying. I'm dead..."
"..."
It took another three hours for the soul of Malcolm, the "flawless decoy," to return to his body.
* * *
Before the monsters attacked, Valdrova stood in the alley she had been assigned.
The monsters are coming.
Her five senses reacted to the thought. Visualizing the area like a blueprint, everything happening in every direction became vivid to her. The range extended beyond the village, past the forest...
Nothing could escape her. Because of that, Valdrova suppressed her senses.
What I must do is...
Kill the wolf monsters entering this alley. That was all. Everything else could wait.
A moment later, the presence of the enemy forced her eyes open.
— Grrr.
The wolf monster bared its teeth and growled. What she saw were not the yellow fangs of a beast, but green, corrupted molars.
— Bark!
It lunged at Valdrova. It was a threatening charge, like a cannonball flying toward her. Any human would have been paralyzed with terror.
But to Valdrova, it was nothing more than vermin.
With speed and strength far superior to the beast, Valdrova grabbed the monster's snout and hoisted it into the air. As the wolf monster's body hung there, unable to resist, she thrust her left hand into its chest.
Thuck!
She pierced the monster's hide as if it were wet paper, reached inside, and crushed its heart.
Crunch!
The entire process took less than a tenth of a second. Having killed more monsters than anyone in history, Valdrova finished it as easily as a simple mechanical task.
— Gurgle...
The wolf monster died instantly, unable to even let out a whimper. Valdrova confirmed its death and withdrew her hand, tossing the carcass to the ground like trash.
She didn't spare the monster another glance. No, she couldn't.
I mustn't look.
The moment she looked at it, something squirmed and rose from within her heart. Valdrova knew this emotion. It was hatred. Whenever she faced a monster, she felt a vivid, burning hatred, and she used that fire to incinerate them. That was how she had held the line at the Land of Demons for so long.
However, the emotion she felt this time was different. It was fear.
Why...?
The answer was simple. The situation had changed.
Back then, she had fought as a dragon to protect a continent; now, she had to protect a village as a single knight. When she was a dragon, she would fly into the Land of Demons and tear everything apart. What she protected was behind her, far from the carnage. No matter how much she raged, no one she loved would get hurt. If anyone suffered, it would only be herself.
But now, the things she had to protect were right in the middle of the fire.
If I lose control...
Everyone gets hurt. Hestia Village burns, and people die. That was why she feared her own rage.
Calm down.
She tried to stifle the boiling emotion. But her senses were too sharp. The smell of monster blood and the echoing screams could not be blocked by sheer will.
Finally, a wave of vicious sorrow overturned her heart and swept everything away. What remained was an unquenchable fire—a deep, ancient rage toward the Demon Race. That flame touched her unhealed wounds once again, and the pain stimulated her memories.
They’re trying to take it away again...
The things she had built. The things she loved. Godwin’s malice, which sought to violate everything, was still in motion. It forced her to remember her resolve.
"Ugh..."
The fire was lit. Her unstoppable rage was turning into an impulse.
I have to go back.
I have to leave this village and return to my lair. If I just rage a little bit there, it'll be fine. She prayed. She prayed that everything would go smoothly until then. Please, let nothing happen.
"Kyaaaaah!"
She snapped her head up. Two girls who hadn't managed to evacuate in time caught her eye. A small girl and a slightly older girl shielding her. Valdrova knew them. They were the children she had rescued for three shillings.
She saw the hideous form of a monster about to swallow them whole.
No.
It opened its maw to violate the two helpless girls. The moment those jaws snapped shut, their lives would end.
No!
In that instant, a voice rang clearly in Valdrova's ears.
- Look, Valdrova.
It was Godwin's voice. It was what he had said to her before the Dragon-Demon War broke out.
- This is how the things you wish to protect disappear.
In that moment, the hesitation in Valdrova's mind vanished. Her body reacted instinctively, her right foot digging in as she dropped into a stance.
Boom!
Leaving a massive shockwave behind her heel, she flew forward like a human cannonball. Valdrova's fist lunged with all its might toward that snout.
Crunch!
The wolf's snout didn't just twist; it was torn clean off as the beast was sent flying into a wall. Its body tumbled like a broken barrel, bouncing all the way out to the main road.
— Hack... cough...!
The wolf monster, dazed, spat out the blood pooling in its lungs. Its nature, designed for total destruction, drove it to lunge at Valdrova again.
— Grrr, bark!
Its snout was gone, but its vocal cords were intact. It wasn't even a wolf to begin with; it was a filthy, crude construct imitating a beast.
Don't hurt them.
The rage within Valdrova blazed. Teeth harder than steel bit down on Valdrova's pauldron, but her armor was made of a mineral several times harder than steel—a masterpiece of the Bronze Dragon, the god of blacksmiths.
The wolf, having wasted its move on a useless attack, was caught. She slammed the hideous creature into the ground.
Don't touch them.
Valdrova's fist dug into the wolf's skin, shattering its bones.
Crack!
— Yelp!
The wolf monster realized too late. It shouldn't have attacked this being; it should have run. But Valdrova's hand, buried in its chest, had no intention of letting go.
The one who needs to disappear is you.
She was the Aspect of Power, and her eyes radiated a blood-red glow. Valdrova ripped out what she was gripping. The spine and ribs were torn out with a grotesque sound. The internal organs were pulverized into mush.
Not yet.
Monsters don't die easily. Valdrova reached in again, grabbed its heart, and crushed it. The source of the monster's life was destroyed, and the wolf's form began to melt away. That was the complete death of a monster.
Not yet.
Her rage did not stop. She hated even the remaining form. The corpse still seemed to be mocking her. Valdrova balled her fist and aimed for its face.
From this continent...
Her fist struck the ground along with the remains.
Disappear forever!
THOOM!
A massive tremor shook the street. Green blood splattered inside her helmet, touching her skin. Only then did she realize she had lost her reason. She snapped back to her senses.
"Ah."
What came out of her mouth was a ragged breath. The sight before her was a floor stained with purple and green. Her hands were painted even more grotesquely.
She looked up. Valdrova stood at the bottom of a crater. The villagers had come out and were staring at her. She turned her gaze toward the alleyway.
The girls were there as well. They were still terrified—even though the monster that tried to harm them was dead.
Ah...
She knew. That fear was not for the beast. It was directed at her.
She was the monster.