Chapter 62: Behemoth (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Behemoth (4)
“Sis!”
“Aah?!”
When Cloud suddenly threw his arms around her, Adreana was more than a little flustered.
I wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction.
She had expected one of three things. He would refuse to believe her, dismissing it as nonsense. He would get angry, demanding to know why she and her mother had been abandoned for so long. Or he would become arrogant, puffed up by his sudden rise in status from commoner to noble.
That’s how it had always been with the others who had shown up claiming to be illegitimate children of the Salier family.
But Cloud had cried out, “Sis!” and hugged her tightly.
As if he were truly meeting a long-lost family member.
Adreana found it a bit absurd.
How could he react like this when they had never even met, let alone been separated?
No, more importantly…
He’s way too close!
Even if he was her half-brother, he was a man she had considered a stranger until just a few moments ago. She could hardly find it pleasant to be suddenly embraced by him.
Adreana shoved Cloud away.
“Ah… I’m sorry, sis. I was just so happy to have a family again that I got carried away.”
Cloud apologized to Adreana, his face full of remorse.
Adreana let out a dry laugh.
“A moment ago you looked ready to kill me for waking you up, and now you’re all meek?”
“You said you’re my sister.”
“Your half-sister, to be precise.”
“What does that matter? The important thing is that I have a family again.”
Cloud smiled brightly and began to tell her his life story.
How he was persecuted in his village as a child for not having a father, how his mother fell ill during that time, and how he inherited the Salier family pommel just before she passed away.
For Adreana, who had met countless half-siblings, it was a tired old story.
But this time, listening to Cloud’s tale, she didn’t feel bored.
Though it wasn’t an interesting story, she found herself listening intently, even empathizing with him a little.
She even frowned when he spoke of the persecution he faced from the villagers.
There was a reason Adreana was listening to Cloud’s story so seriously, unlike with her other half-siblings.
It was because she had seen him react with pure joy at the fact that he had gained a sister named Adreana.
Every half-sibling she had met until now had seen the Salier family, and her, as nothing more than a tool to change their own miserable lives.
None of them had shown such a pure reaction. That was why his genuine heart, a first for her, had moved her.
By the time he finished his story, the psychological distance Adreana felt toward Cloud had shrunk considerably.
“It must have been very hard for you. I’m sorry for leaving you on your own all this time. From now on, your big sister will take good care of you.”
“Thank you. In that case, since you brought it up, can I ask you for a favor?”
“…A favor?”
Adreana’s brow twitched.
Don’t tell me he’s just like the others after all.
Fortunately, her worries were unfounded.
“As you know, Gis and I don’t get along very well, do we? So, if Gis ever tries to harm me or my party members, could you let me know in advance?”
Cloud’s request was perfectly reasonable.
Adreana nodded readily.
Of course, there was a calculation behind it.
Warning him once or twice would be a good way to build trust.
Just because the psychological distance had lessened didn’t mean she had forgotten her original goal. She wasn’t a fool. If she could warn him of danger a couple of times and earn his trust, it would be easier to use him.
After a little more conversation, Adreana prepared to leave the tent.
“Get back safe, sis.”
“I will. Sorry for waking you. Get some rest. And about today…”
“It’s a secret, right? I’ll be sure to keep it.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Only after making Cloud promise several times to keep the fact that he was her half-brother a secret did Adreana finally leave the tent.
Cloud watched her retreating back for a long time.
She’ll be useful once or twice.
If he played his cards right, he might be able to find out when Gis would send assassins from the Snake Venom Society.
Cloud yawned and crawled into bed.
*
It was about three weeks after I had arrived at the garrison.
I was summoned by Randolph and headed to his tent. When I stepped inside, I saw a welcome face.
“Cloud, it’s been a long time.”
It was Frillite.
Clad in silver armor, she smiled and extended her hand to me.
I took it in mine.
“Yeah. It’s really good to see you after a few months. How have you been?”
“My days have been much the same as always.”
“What have you been up to?”
At my question, Frillite crossed her arms and began to recall her recent memories.
“Immediately after we parted, I headed to the eastern part of the Empire. As the reports said, an apostle of an evil god was bewitching the citizens. I killed him and purified the citizens who were tainted by the evil god’s energy. After that, I’ve only handled trivial matters, like capturing the leaders of the revolutionary army or executing a warlock who dabbled in forbidden magic with the Church.”
Frillite rattled off her accomplishments as if they were nothing special.
She’s been working hard.
“What have you been doing all this time?”
“Me? I just explored a small dungeon.”
“You explored a dungeon? That’s interesting. What kind of treasure was hidden there?”
“Uh… nothing that great. Like I said, it was a small dungeon.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her it was a dick-enlarging herb.
“Heh. That’s about all you’re good for, you bastard.”
Gis, who was standing across from Frillite and me, sneered. He must have entered the tent while I was talking with Frillite.
I answered by making a fist and sticking my thumb between my index and middle fingers.
Gis, knowing the meaning of the gesture, flared up and drew his chain scythe.
“You son of a bitch!”
“What, you gonna bark?”
Not to be outdone, I was about to draw my sword when a powerful gust of wind hit both me and Gis. Frillite had swung her greatsword.
“Enough. We are here to resolve the strange phenomenon in the forest, not for Heroes to fight amongst themselves.”
At Frillite’s intervention, Gis’s face twisted into a snarl, but he silently sheathed his chain scythe. The experience of getting a hole punched through his stomach must have left a strong impression.
“Cloud. You too, take your hand off your sword’s hilt.”
“Alright. But did you really have to split an innocent table in half? Judging by Sir Randolph’s expression, it looks like it was pretty expensive.”
Frillite turned to look at Randolph’s face. Seeing him staring blankly at the table, she seemed embarrassed, clearing her throat and apologizing.
“…My apologies. I will compensate you for it later.”
“It’s quite alright… More importantly, may I have the floor now?”
Randolph looked at each of the four Heroes in turn.
We all gave our silent assent, and Randolph sighed before beginning to explain why he had summoned us.
“First, I would like to express my gratitude to the Heroes who have come all this way to aid the Oller Ducal Family. To get straight to the point, our army intends to advance into the forest and resolve the cause of this strange phenomenon.”
“Finish it quick and clean? I like the sound of that.”
Gis smiled at Randolph, looking pleased.
The other Heroes didn’t look displeased either.
I asked Randolph, “How many troops do you have available?”
“Excluding the 500 casualties and wounded, and another 500 to protect them, we plan to commit all remaining 5,000 troops.”
Randolph’s answer was quite surprising.
“You’re committing your entire force? That means you’re abandoning the defensive line around the forest. What’s your plan for the monsters that get out?”
“That is why we are leaving 500 men to protect the wounded.”
“That’s not what I mean. The monsters that escape the forest will rampage through the nearby villages and eventually head for the city. If the city gates are breached, the citizens will be in danger. I was asking if you, Sir Randolph, are willing to accept that risk.”
“You need not worry about that matter. According to our scouts’ reports, there are at most 500 beast monsters remaining. That number will not be enough to breach the city gates.”
“Is that information reliable?”
“It was obtained through the sacrifice of many scouts. It is certain.”
Randolph’s expression was as resolute as it could be. When he put it like that, I couldn’t press him any further.
It could become the spark for internal conflict.
Since the decision to advance into the forest had been made, all that was left was to work out the details and prepare for the march.
*
Marching into a forest is no easy task.
The forest paths were, at most, wide enough for five people to walk abreast.
Naturally, an army couldn’t march along such a path, so the majority had to push their way through the woods.
On top of that, being an army, they had to maintain ranks and files, which slowed them down even more.
“At this rate, when are we ever going to find the Behemoth…”
To search efficiently, it would have been better to divide the army.
But if we did that, one group could be ambushed and annihilated by the Behemoth and the beast monsters it controlled.
To minimize casualties, we had to move together, even if it was slow.
“You sound strangely certain. Is it not possible that the Behemoth isn’t the cause of this incident?” Frillite, who was moving alongside me, said.
From her perspective, it was a reasonable thought, but having played the game, I knew the Behemoth was the cause.
In that case?
“Wanna make a bet then?”
Might as well make use of it.
“A bet? I’m not opposed, but what are the stakes?”
“Loser buys the drinks. And we can order the expensive stuff.”
Frillite’s eyes narrowed.
“I believe I said we should only drink ale?”
“…You’re not going to be boring about this, are you?”
I looked at Frillite with the most desperate expression I could muster, my eyes pleading as if to say, if you say no to this, you’re not human. In response, Frillite let out a dry laugh.
“A drink after a hard day’s work should be fine. But only this once.”
“Yes!”
Goodbye, you fucking ale!
Hello, you fucking expensive wine!
As I was celebrating internally, someone tugged on my arm. It was Neria, and she looked quite unwell.
“C-Cloud? Don’t tell me you and Lady Frillite are going to drink…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the forest shook with the massive roar of a beast.
At the same time, the sound of something stampeding through the woods reached our ears.
It was probably the beast monsters.
The sound of their footsteps wasn’t heading toward us.
If anything, it was getting farther away.
They were probably heading to the city to raid an empty house.
Good thing Randolph’s information was correct.
If there had been a thousand monsters, the forest would have trembled from their running alone.
But the forest wasn’t shaking.
Just as I was about to relax, I saw something flying through the sky.
Creatures with the face and body of a woman, but the arms and legs of a bird.
Harpies.
The harpies were flying by, their huge tits bouncing.
Huh? Why are they showing up here?
They weren’t supposed to appear during the Behemoth event.
No, more importantly, are they flying toward the city right now?
This changes the story quite a bit.
I’m gonna have to kick Randolph’s ass later.
Fucking hard.
I sighed and asked Frillite, “You wanna go, or should I?”