Nemea (1)
"Everyone's ready? Then let's get out."
"Got it."
"Yeah!"
After organizing the base camp, we prepared to head outside. Since we'd been in the dungeon for so long, it was time to return to civilization.
I prepared three items, placing the Beast King's corpse on one and covering it with a cloth. Then I looked at Bunny.
"You'd better behave. If you want to protect your master's corpse, that is."
"... Yes."
Bunny bit her lip and lowered her head at my warning. It was the act of Bunny and me to deceive Kanisia and Jericho.
Outside the dungeon, the Beast King's subordinates had set up a camp. When Jericho entered the dungeon, they had brought a lot of troops, and now it was even more.
The furious Beast King had entered this dungeon with his fairies, and then contact was lost. The Beast King's subordinates must have realized something had happened.
One thing that was strange was why none of them had entered the dungeon for the past four days to investigate the situation.
'Maybe Montblanc's subordinates are playing some trick.'
Not confirmed, but I thought that the reason the Beast King's subordinates had been docile until now might be because Montblanc's planted subordinates were moving.
Otherwise, they should have sent at least one person inside to assess the situation.
"Then let's go."
"....."
I pointed to the dungeon entrance with my chin, and Bunny, Rodica, and Amulie, who had sour expressions, went out.
"Just in case, everyone prepare for battle. Jericho, hide over there behind the rocks."
"Yes, Master."
"Ah, understood! Let's go, Telmuer!"
"Yes, Master!"
To pull off the deception, it had to be perfect from start to finish. Otherwise, suspicion would arise.
At my command, the party members gripped their weapons with tense faces, and Jericho took Telmuer and hid behind the rocks.
Originally, I planned to kill Jericho and Telmuer inside the dungeon, but I changed my mind. The thought of killing Jericho was still firm, only the location changed.
"Enemy forces have been pulled back."
A short while later, Amulie returned from outside. I nodded at her words and gestured to Jericho hiding behind the rocks. Jericho and Telmuer approached.
"Rest for a bit. When you wake up, you'll be in Pista Castle."
"What? What does that mean... Kuek?!"
"Master?! What kind of trick is this... Kya?!"
I swung my hand like lightning and brought it down on the back of Jericho and Telmuer's necks. The two, who were among the weaker 3-star ones, couldn't resist and immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.
I placed Jericho and Telmuer on the remaining items along with the Beast King's corpse.
"If you want to harbor any thoughts, go ahead. But if you do, the Beast King will have his limbs torn apart. Got it?"
"... Yes."
"... Understood."
At the repeated warning, the Beast King's former fairies lowered their heads with gloomy faces. They were fairies who showed such excellent acting skills that they could debut as actors. Ah, these pretty things.
"Then let's depart."
We left the dungeon carrying the items.
*****
Only Bunny and Rodica, who had gone out first, were at the dungeon entrance. There were masks, but no people.
I sent Bunny, Rodica, and Amulie out first to pull back the forces camped at the dungeon entrance.
The Beast King had fought unknown enemies and fallen into a coma, and if that fact was revealed, it could cause chaos in Pista Castle.
The one who delivered the message was none other than Bunny, Rodica, and Amulie, famous Beast King's fairies, so no one doubted their words.
Thanks to them, we safely reached Pista Castle, the palace where the Beast King had been dwelling.
"From here on, I'll move alone."
"You have to be careful. And if things go wrong, you'll know, right?"
"Don't worry. Then wait at the waiting point. I'll be there soon."
"Got it. I'll wait. Everyone, let's go."
Before reaching the palace, the party members, including Kanisia, took the Beast King's corpse and headed to another place.
My plan was to plunder only the Beast King's assets, or rather, receive donations, and immediately leave Pista Castle.
"First, the vault."
"This way."
Guided by the Beastman fairies, we headed to the vault where the Beast King's accumulated wealth was stored.
"Hoo... It's amazing!"
Seeing the mountain of gold gleaming under the ceiling lights, I couldn't help but admire it. This was enough to replenish all the gold used to kill the Beast King and more.
"Your donation will be used in a good place!"
The money the Beast King donated to the unfortunate me would be used well, in a good place, that is, for my personal gain.
I busily roamed the vault, stuffing gold ingots, gems, artworks, etc., into my inventory. The inventory was insufficient, so I had to expand it with gems.
"Next, the growth stones."
After looting the vault, I headed to the growth stone warehouse.
Around Pista Castle, there were countless dungeons of various difficulties from low to high grade, so the growth stone warehouse had various grade growth stones.
"Ah~ It's so sweet."
After gathering the growth stones, I headed to the warehouse where items like weapons and armor were piled up.
The reason I, an outsider, could freely roam the Beast King's palace was entirely thanks to Bunny and the other Beastman fairies.
No one knew that the Beastman fairies had found a new master. They just moved together, and without much suspicion, people accepted it.
After looting the item warehouse, I looked at Bunny.
"Then let's go down to the basement."
"Yes. This way."
Bunny nodded and guided me to the palace basement. There was no one in the palace basement. Only the Beast King and his fairies could enter and exit the palace basement.
The place where the Beast King allowed entry only to the fairies he trusted 100%, including himself.
There, the secret of the Beast King who trained the Beastman class was hidden.
*****
The Beast King's palace was high above and even deeper below. What was he hiding by digging so deep underground?
"This way."
After following Bunny for 10 minutes, I finally stopped in front of the door at the end of the dark corridor. Nodding, Bunny opened the door.
"What is that... a girl?"
The inside scene unfolded as the door opened.
In the spacious area inside the door, a girl was crouching with her eyes closed. Around the girl, a translucent barrier of spherical shape was erected, and again, that barrier was wrapped in chains.
"That girl... is the secret to the Beastman training?"
"Yes."
"How?"
I couldn't hide my astonishment at Bunny's answer. What was this girl? What ability did she have to artificially create the Beastman class?
"The Beast King, who discovered the woman sleeping in the palace basement, traded with her. I don't know exactly what kind of trade, but... what is certain is that thanks to this woman, a person who was just one of the countless masters scattered like sand grains became the ruler of Pista Castle and obtained the title of Beast King."
"Hmm... Then how did the Beastman class come to be?"
"When the Beast King brought us to this woman, she gave us the Beastman class and characteristics."
"Huh..."
Giving class and characteristics? Is this possible?
I wanted to hear more about the sealed girl, but unfortunately, Bunny's knowledge ended there. The other fairies were the same.
'For now, let's check with the status window. Status...'
It was the moment I was about to check the status window to see the abilities of the sealed girl.
Swoosh-
"....."
As I tried to use the status window, the girl suddenly opened her eyes. The moment our eyes met, I felt like I had been struck by lightning.
'This... what is this?!'
My vision blurred, and my consciousness slowly sank below the surface.
*****
Kruuuuuurgh-!
The roar of two males, no, two beasts, echoed across the plain.
On one side was a lion with golden mane fluttering, and on the opposite side was a tiger with metallic skin and blood-red stripes.
The two beasts, spewing intense hostility towards each other, soon began to move.
Boom-! Kwaaang-!
Every time the two beasts swung their front paws, the ground exploded and mountains crumbled. The sky twisted, and cracks appeared in the air.
The tiger swung its blood-stained claws and stabbed the lion's back. But the lion's back skin was so tough that the claws didn't tear it.
The lion's counterattack began. The fierce lion rushed towards the tiger, slapped its face, and bit its exposed neck.
If the lion's skin was tough, the tiger's skin was harder than any metal in the world. The tiger's neck was not pierced by the lion's sharp teeth.
The lion and tiger exchanged blows in a frenzy.
They were fine, but the world wasn't. The endless explosion sounds sounded like a signal of the world's end.
But something strange happened.
At some point, the appearance of the lion and tiger changed to that of humans.
The lion became a girl with golden hair flowing, and the tiger became a burly man who could crush mountains.
The girl and the man fought each other.
[Kyaaaaak-!]
At that moment, an invisible rod flying from somewhere stabbed the girl's waist. The girl, who didn't flinch from the tiger's or man's fist, screamed.
At the end of the rod that stabbed the girl was a man with a vile appearance. The man in splendid armor swung the rod and beat the girl's frail body mercilessly. As if he had found an opportunity, the burly man attacked the girl even more roughly.
The girl curled up her body in merciless violence. The girl's eyes visible between the two fists burned with hostility. It was a disadvantageous 2:1 situation, but the girl didn't give up.
But unfortunately, the girl didn't get the chance to turn the situation around.
A new existence appeared and began attacking the girl. A black-skinned man who ran at a speed that couldn't be followed with the eyes rammed into the girl.
The impact sent the girl rolling on the ground.
The three men continued to hound the fallen girl. Occasionally the girl counterattacked, but it was meaningless resistance.
In the end, the girl couldn't hold on and collapsed.
The three men, who realized they couldn't kill her with their strength, surrounded her. And they reached out towards the girl and muttered something.
Then, a translucent barrier appeared around the girl, and three chains shot out and wrapped the barrier.
The three men who sealed the girl turned their bodies and walked somewhere.
[.....]
The burly man who had fought the girl from the beginning turned to look at her.
"Don't come out from there. If you come out from there, I'll really eat you alive. Watch from there as your, our father dies."
[Nemea.]