43
Chapter 43
The impact of Princess Dina's proposal was immense.
[Corrupted Power Knight: Anyone joined Dina's Special Task Force?]
[Corner-room First-pick: Is the Pope's chance not available?]
[Ppu Ppu Ppung: I have two Hidden Skills! I can get strong quickly! Please check your messages!]
[If Use President's Power: My only salvation... joining Dina's Special Task Force...]
[I Trusted the Monkey Uncle: This chilling sensation... It's time to return as the 'Demon Slayer'...!]
The name Dina's Special Task Force had already emerged.
There were many applicants, but perhaps few met the requirements, as the community echoed with the cries of various users.
As for me, I was simply enjoying the reaction while waiting for Tuntun-i's return.
Still, the energetic outcry of people was better to see than responses like 'Help me' or 'It's all over now.'
At least everyone had found some hope. I hoped the number of users making extreme choices would decrease.
That didn't mean I thought things like 'Princess Dina will handle it somehow~ Who cares about Loa, haha.'
Princess Dina claimed that several Holy Knights of level 8 or higher were needed to take down the Dark Cloud Demon.
How many Holy Knights had actually hit level 8? One? Two? I was skeptical.
How much time would be needed before a task force could be assembled to subjugate the Dark Cloud Demon?
I had possessed Loa two or three months ago, and George's Raid Party had been wiped out a year ago.
The first posts had appeared in the community two years ago.
It took two years for a level 8 user to appear in the community.
Of course, there was no way to verify if Princess Dina was an early user.
She had only posted four times, including the three recent ones, so I couldn't figure it out.
How many more years would it take to gather enough power to fight the Dark Cloud Demon? Two years? Three?
How many more people would die in the meantime?
Right on cue, a private message arrived from Hanna.
[Not a Netkama: I just hit level 5]
[Not a Netkama: I happened to kill a few Low-tier Demons]
[Good]
See? Hanna was growing steadily too.
Regardless of the Special Task Force or anything else, the fact that I needed to step up remained unchanged.
It's not that I have an overwhelming sense of justice or anything.
But I'm not such a shameless bastard that I'd try to survive alone while my fellow Earthlings and those who follow me are dying.
I had already succeeded in surviving.
After all, I am an Immortal. I might still be alive even if all the totems were destroyed.
I must keep moving forward.
With the conviction that once I've grown enough, I'll be stronger than the Necromancer Karon or the Dark Cloud Demon.
Those monster bastards who snatched away so many lives.
I don't know about the others, but I definitely want to take those two down.
I won't feel satisfied until I land a 'Loa Punch' on them.
[Sola has become a vassal.]
This message means Tuntun-i has arrived at the Ash Mist Tribe.
Our Tuntun-i has really gotten faster.
I used the 'Divine Descent' blessing on a barbarian named Sola.
Since there's no totem, I can simply speak to her through Divine Descent.
"M-Mallak. Are you with me right now?"
Sola was a female High Priest in her mid-forties.
- Indeed. I have descended upon you.
"I-I am Sola, daughter of Baza and Dota and High Priest of the Ash Mist Tribe!"
I scanned the Ash Mist Tribe while listening to her introduction.
Tuntun-i wasn't in sight—perhaps he just delivered the letter—and the other barbarians were merely staring blankly at Sola.
"H-High Priest? One of your eyes is burning blue!"
Sola answered a barbarian's question with confidence.
"Loa is with me right now!"
"Ooooh!"
"Mallak! Is it really you, Mallak!"
Maybe I should say a few words for my enthusiastic superfans.
I briefly took over Sola's voice.
- I am Loa Mallak. Greetings, Ash Mist Tribe.
"Woooooo!"
"Loa! It's Lord Loa Mallak!"
"Oh, Mallak!"
"I can die happy now...!"
Some barbarians were even jumping up and down in sheer excitement.
"What?! Loa Mallak?! Where is he!"
A muscular female barbarian suddenly dashed out of a tent a short distance away.
She didn't have the lean, model-like muscles like Rake, but the bulging, bodybuilder physique of someone like Kanto.
Honestly, if I fought her with an Earthling's body, I'm sure I'd be crushed in a second.
Did she build her body with supplements like Kanto did?
"M-Mom! It's true! Lord Loa Mallak is really...!"
Sola nodded.
"He is with me right now."
"W-Waaaaaaah!"
The muscular woman suddenly let out a scream that sounded like a monster's roar. Just how moved was she?
Thump! She dropped to her knees.
"I am Hella, daughter of Yabu and Sola! Oh! And the Chief of the Ash Mist Tribe!"
- Chief Hella. I remember.
I calmed the agitated barbarians and delivered my message.
I also recited the same repertoire I always use.
"Ah, you mean that civilized person! I can't believe he was really a believer of Lord Mallak!"
Hella scratched her head.
This woman's voice was so loud that everything she said ended in an exclamation point.
- However, do not let him know that I have descended upon this land.
"Understood!"
Hella replied spiritedly and suddenly thumped her chest.
It was probably a performance to show she'd keep it in mind. She hit herself so hard, I wondered if it hurt.
I gave Hella and Sola a manual on how to handle the captured Holy Knight before lifting the Divine Descent.
I didn't forget to tell them to make a totem for me. Now, my part was over.
Whether he lives with the barbarians or just takes the food and leaves is up to Morning Tent Knight.
If things go well, he might even become the first Barbarian Knight. He's a bit slow, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy, so that'd be fine.
Now, once Tuntun-i arrives, the war preparations are complete.
***
Screeech!
As soon as Tuntun-i arrived, I set out on a reconnaissance mission with Rake.
It wasn't just any recon; it was an investigation into the enemy leader.
We planned to sneak into the city to identify the Mid-tier Demon overseeing the region and the Low-tier Demons beneath it.
Rake's high mobility and skill at stealth made her perfect for this job.
Besides, didn't she have enough combat power to escape if we were discovered?
"I'll speak quietly from here on."
Rake, with Totem No. 3 on her back, whispered softly. The city was already right in front of us.
I didn't answer. If I spoke through Totem No. 3, my voice would echo loudly.
Since I couldn't control that, I planned to use Divine Descent whenever I needed to talk.
Since Divine Descent is like a private message, only the blessed person can hear it.
Rake entered the city through the sewers.
Perhaps because she wasn't wearing armor, she seemed to move even faster than before.
When I told her we needed to move with absolute stealth, she changed her clothes.
Instead, she wore civilized clothes looted from another village, which looked like... a female thief common in fantasy games.
Harry explained it was work clothes for assassins of the Assassination Order, but to me, it just looked like a typical sexy thief outfit.
They try to assassinate people wearing something like that? Are they trying to kill them by making their noses bleed?
I decided to overlook it as game logic. Though it still wasn't clear whether this world actually was a game.
"...The smell is terrible. It seems the worshippers don't clean the sewers."
Rake frowned.
Phew. I'm glad I don't have a nose.
Moving nimbly with her ears twitching, Rake carefully opened a manhole and climbed up into a secluded alley.
I shouldn't be thinking about this now, but Rake's twitching ears are quite cute.
Have you ever seen a dog resting at home tilt its head and move its ears when it hears its owner coming?
It's exactly like that.
Anyone who's raised a dog would have seen it. No, even if you haven't, you've probably seen it on YouTube.
I think it's because Rake's intelligent, sparkling yellow eyes remind me of a puppy.
Strictly speaking, wouldn't Rake be a puppy too? After all, her father is a wolf.
So, is Rake a Wolf Beastman? Suddenly, the atmosphere feels very furry.
While I was lost in idle thoughts, Rake climbed onto a roof to scout the area.
Well, it's not good for a person to only think serious and grim thoughts.
Just because the world is a dark fantasy doesn't mean I have to become dark too.
Having useless thoughts like this every now and then is how one recharges their energy.
"The Mid-tier Demon seems to live over there."
I looked in the direction she was staring. A large mansion with a wide yard came into view via Totem No. 3.
It was quite clean, likely because the worshippers were ordered to maintain it.
You bastard of a Mid-tier Demon, if you're going to do that, manage the sewers too.
The worshippers serving as mansion guards were also well-armed.
They paced the grounds with swords, shields, and armor, their movements disciplined and precise.
The Mid-tier Demon's worshippers are on a different level entirely.
They look like they won't be an easy opponent.
"A demon is trying to enter through the main gate. Looks like a Low-tier one."
I shifted my gaze to the main gate.
A dark-furred beast, over three meters tall, was opening the door.
It was an Orangutan Demon with long arms.