26. The Wolf from the West (1)
26. The Wolf from the West (1)
- 0 -
A beautiful beast with silver hair and red eyes.
Warak!
"...!"
"I missed you. My ..."
That child who came to me one day suddenly burrowed into my world just like that.
- 1 -
"This flower really does resemble you. So small and pretty."
Gin Tyler, an axe warrior who had only recently earned his official qualification, ground his teeth and thought.
Maybe it was time to leave this party.
"Honestly, you really do have a way with words like that."
"Hey, you respond too!"
"Uh, um... you're handsome too?"
"A bit lacking, but good enough."
...How obnoxious.
They hadn't been a couple for long, but they were already all over each other. Really all over each other.
"You two. We're inside a dungeon. Pull yourselves together."
"..."
Tatak!
The party, led by Gin, fell silent at his words.
Once the cave had quieted in an instant, the sound of the torches burning was especially loud.
'Damn. Did I say that for nothing.'
When he noticed that not only the targeted warrior and mage but also the others had stopped chatting and were looking at him, he regretted it a little inside.
But he didn't relax the intensity in his eyes.
In a dungeon, you must always stay tense. That was his secret to survival so far, and he considered it the truth.
"Okay. Got it."
"This dungeon is just a baby dungeon, right? So at most it's just skeletons or goblins, isn't it? What's the point of being so tense."
Still, maybe because it was the leader's words, the mage Maribelle, who had also become a full-fledged adventurer, nodded right away, but the blonde man who was always flippant didn't stay quiet.
George Holzer.
He was a guy whose attitude was always annoying, and recently it had gotten even worse.
Inevitably, harsh words flew out.
"You shit. Don't you know it's common sense to stay on edge in a dungeon? Didn't you learn from the veterans that a trap will kill you like that?"
Once again, Gin regretted it inside.
He couldn't even control his emotions; he felt he wasn't really cut out to be a leader after all.
If some lady somewhere had heard, she would have clapped and said, 'That constant agonizing and pointing the way forward is exactly the virtue of a leader,' but there was no way he could know that.
"Come on, what kind of unknown traps could there be in a beginner dungeon..."
"Stay. On edge. Fuck. You little shit."
"Why are you getting so angry for no reason..."
But despite that regret, he found himself grinding his teeth and snapping at George, who kept arguing back.
George, somewhat cowed by the unusually harsh tone yet still saying whatever he wanted, made Gin even angrier.
"Shit."
To be honest, that face was handsome. So that must be how he managed to snag the mage that everyone in the party had been subtly eyeing.
After catching a glimpse of Maribelle frowning, Gin turned his head forward again.
She already had an owner.
He didn't want to bother with it anymore.
'Come to think of it, I don't like that either.'
He had learned about this dungeon from information that George Holzer had brought.
He said that while hanging out with Maribelle at a tavern, he had overheard another adventurer talking about this dungeon.
The rumor was that although it was a newly formed dungeon, if you managed to get inside, treasure could be found, and even that treasure seemed to replenish periodically.
'After all this, it'd better not turn out to be nothing.'
After hearing the testimony of a female adventurer who had survived the dungeon, George had rushed to the party, saying 'Shouldn't we make a big score?' and had followed Gin around for days; the result was this current dungeon expedition.
But the long corridor that began after dealing with the goblins at the entrance was full of things that stoked fear.
Uuuuu...
Kik. Kikik... Kikikik...
The wind sound that sounded like an animal crying from somewhere, the torchlight and curves alternating darkness and light, and the fact that no sound other than their own could be heard.
On top of that, the corridor was strangely long.
"Why is the corridor so long. Damn."
Listening to George gripe about the dungeon for no reason, Gin focused his gaze on the walls of the corridor.
The corridor was long, but more than that, the unevenness of the walls had grown worse at some point.
He felt something strange.
'Damn it.'
In the deep crevices carved by the torches on the wall, dense shadows swirled, and he had the feeling that an unidentified monster might leap out from within.
It felt like he was crawling into a monster's stomach.
His already foul mood was tinged with fear, making his stomach feel like it was being squeezed.
He was in a position responsible for the party. He couldn't turn a blind eye to danger.
He couldn't retreat here.
Adventuring always cost money, and although the party members might not notice, he as the leader could feel the party gradually shrinking.
'Stay alert.'
'I am.'
First, he gave hand signals to the two trackers and the archer next to him to watch the walls, and pressed on.
When a brightly lit entrance finally appeared at the end, Gin tightened his tension further.
And as soon as they passed through the entrance.
Peoeok!
"Kyaaak—!!!"
Cheok—!!
George's proud face could no longer see that light.
When his shoulder, since he was in the rear, was ripped off entirely by a powerful force, Maribelle's scream was heard as she was showered in his blood and flesh.
Chaos spread in an instant.
"Enemy...! It's skeletons!!"
"All directions! Enemies all around!"
"Everyone gather! We're breaking through!!"
"Wait, Hans is...!"
Even for the great chaos that had begun to subside, it took barely a minute.
The dungeon fell back into silence.
Having swallowed a total of eight pitiful lives.
- 2 -
The dungeon was peaceful.
- Dalkak!
To be precise, only I was at peace.
Because even when I tried to move, my summons always...
[Dalkak!]
[You're saying you're enough?]
[Dalkeurak!]
Like this, they only told me to rest.
Since they had never actually failed, I couldn't argue, so these days all I did was check the spoils after battle victories, manage my summons, and expand or modify the dungeon at Eve's request.
That sounded like a lot? In practice, it wasn't.
Above all, I had too much free time. To the point where I'd already read more books here than I had in my entire life on Earth. And most of them weren't even novels but grimoires.
I'd even taken up chess, which I rarely played on Earth. Of course, my opponent was usually Eve.
It was comfortable... definitely comfortable... but something something. I was thinking about future plans and such, but still, something was missing.
Anyway, so I was at peace.
Of course.
"Ugh, ugh... s-save... me...!"
Our peace meant it wasn't so for the people around the dungeon.
Today as well, a party of adventurers who had been lured by rumors that piqued curiosity or greed to the 'nameless beginner dungeon' was annihilated.
It was quite a large party of eight with a good lineup, but with only two official adventurers and six apprentices, overcoming an army of over fifty skeletons, powerful enough to feel special, was impossible from the start.
If they had been ordinary skeletons, it might have been possible, but not against my army.
Peoeok!
Chiing!
Watching Axe smash the last adventurer's head, I soon noticed the light on the communication magic device come on.
It was a cautious communication request from the other side.
"Good work."
Cheoeok!
- Master.
After sending words of encouragement to the skeletons and receiving their returning salute, I activated the communicator, and a woman's voice was heard.
It was 'Talhan'.
The Cerebrum Skull, who now used the name I had given her, had long since moved from Solemio to a city called 'Ranhan' in a country further south.
Even beggars and thugs on the street could become adventurers if they were fit, but if apprentice adventurers kept disappearing in Solemio like that, the lord would quickly catch on.
- Are you pleased with the tribute.
She would probably continue roaming nearby cities for a while, picking out beginner adventurers with plenty of greed or curiosity.
As for why she kept changing from one female body to another... I wasn't sure, but it was probably because it was easier to lure people.
"It was good. There was one with decent potential."
- That's a relief. ...
I felt a hint of the indirect sentiment 'Maybe it's time to come back now?' in the silence after her words, but I simply ended the communication and conveyed the signal 'Not yet.'
To begin with, Talhan had still not completed the initial order: finding the three adventurers, Velvet and the others.
He... or she? Whatever.
She had to keep moving diligently for a while longer.
"「Sacrifice Appraisal」."
As I felt the mana wet my eyes, I blinked a few times, examined the adventurers, and eventually a smile naturally rose to my lips.
Because I had found something good.
"Axe. Come here."
- Ttaak!
When the giant skeleton, making a loud sound befitting its massive size, approached me, its body blocked the sunlight, creating a shadow.
It was a guy who always made me keenly aware of my small stature.
"How about bending down? You're blocking all the light."
- Deolkeok!
After hearing me, Axe bowed his waist several times as if very apologetic, then instead of just bending, he plopped down on the spot, even bowing his head to minimize his size.
Only then did the bastard's skull drop to just below my eye level.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, his legs weren't particularly long compared to his massive build, so his sitting height was roughly the same as my standing height.
"That's excessive. But thank you."
- Deolkeodeok!
Axe lowered his head once again, radiating apologetic emotions.
Maybe it was because this guy had also developed greatly in intelligence lately, but mixed with his loyalty, he tended to react somewhat exaggeratedly to my every word.
There were several others like this.
As I'd mentioned, the ones who were quickly gaining intelligence and personality. Along with those who had bloomed or acquired traits to become elites.
Though not as cute as Evangeline.
I myself, having come to find such displays cute, felt a little unfamiliar, but what could I do if that was how I actually felt?
"「Sacrifice Enhancement」."
As the magic activated, the body of the larger of the two official adventurers who had come to the dungeon this time was stained with black mana and began to dissolve.
Drawing that mana out and soaking the giant Skeleton's body with it, a phrase was soon added to the guy's status window.
『Specialization: Axe - A specialization in cutting-blade melee weapons. Grants a bonus to actions involving axes.』
Among the adventurers I'd found so far, many had specializations in blunt weapons like hammers or maces, but there had been almost no warriors who primarily used axes.
Because of that, Axe, who used a large, imposing double-bladed axe as his weapon, had only had the traits 'Battle Cry' and 'Member of Necropolis' until now.
This was a somewhat troublesome situation for me, the reason being...
『Name - Axe』
『Title/Entity Name - 'Giant' Skeleton』
『Attributes - Stamina 35, Technique 12, Durability 21, Mana 4, Resistance 13』
Even though his attributes were already approaching the advanced level, surpassing basic and official grades, he had remained an ordinary Skeleton because he hadn't met one of the two promotion conditions to become an official troop type.
Even while over a dozen other soldiers I'd secured earlier were each blooming or absorbing traits one by one and becoming official 'Soldiers' or 'Warriors.'
Perhaps because 'Member of Necropolis' was a trait gained from me, it hadn't been helpful for the Skeleton's evolution conditions.
"You two there. Go to the warehouse and bring the class-up materials."
- Tak!
- Dalkak!
When I ordered two of the Skeletons who had been watching after finishing cleaning up the adventurers, the ones who had been making clattering noises as if laughing about something immediately snapped to attention, saluted, and ran off.
Judging by the fact that they'd been pointing at Axe, they were probably chattering among themselves about him.
Their communication system was different, so I couldn't be sure, but since Axe was the only one whose evolution was so delayed, it wouldn't be strange if that kind of atmosphere existed.
Whether Axe knew that or not, he just stared blankly at me.
It was to the point that I ended up feeling sorry because of his loyal demeanor.
I had only wanted to carefully choose and give him a trait, but thinking about it now, the realization washed over me that these guys who were rapidly developing intelligence would also have their own personal relationships.
"They weren't making fun of you, were they?"
- Deolgeodeok!
When I asked about it, the guy shook his head left and right in surprise, then bowed his head several times as if he were the one who was sorry.
The 'sincerity' I felt from him told me, fortunately, that it was just a misunderstanding on my part.
"I can read emotions, but it's inconvenient not being able to fully understand your conversations."
- Deolgeok!
"Right. There's nothing in the current necromancy for it, but wouldn't it be worth a try?"
- Deolgeudeok?
There was no magic in necromancy for hearing the intentions of summons you couldn't converse with.
It wasn't that no one had ever used this power for communication with summons, but at the very least, there hadn't been anything standardized enough.
It would be nice to have a separate necromancer teacher.
However, intelligent beings familiar with necromancy would either be monsters of the Demon World or Dungeon Lords, and neither would be a decent person suitable to serve as a teacher.
Self-study might just be better.
Sseuaak!
It had only been about two months since I came to this world, but because I had a sense that had become familiar from constantly using necromancy during that time, I was able to quickly draw out mana roughly infused with my desired intent.
- Deolgeok!
"Aren't you overreacting? It'll be fine since I'm not going to use it dangerously. And it's not even going to be used on you."
As I drew up mana like that, I saw the giant Skeleton slightly shrink his body. He seemed surprised, probably thinking I was going to use this power on him.
I was only thinking of amplifying my own senses.
- Deolgeodeok!
But upon hearing my last words, the guy instead began exaggeratedly raising both arms to show off his body, like a bodybuilding pose.
On the other hand, the emotion I felt from him was 'Absolutely not!', so I had a sense of what he wanted.
"Use it on you? But my magic resistance is higher. It would be safer on me, actually."
- Deolgeokdeolgeokdeolgeokdeolgeok!
Hearing my added words, Axe began shaking his head left and right violently, as if having a seizure.
What I felt from my warrior at that moment was immense 'worry' and a faint sliver of 'fear' mixed in.
Of the two, the small 'fear' wasn't directed at me, but was closer to the feeling that he would get scolded by someone if I got even a scratch, so I had an idea of who that someone was.
If I ignored this, I'd end up feeling like the guilty one.
"Alright. I concede."
- ...
"If it hurts, I have to tell you?"
- Ttaak!
The guy made a 'phew' gesture of great relief only after I said I conceded.
Watching him, I rearranged my mana to align with spiritual and otherworldly coordinates, then carefully pushed it toward the giant.
Since the coordinate array of the mana was focused entirely on 'function,' I didn't know if it matched the theory of necromancy, so I couldn't help but be cautious.
And the first words I heard from that process were quite amusing.
"Now... shall we try it?"
- M... M'lady?
The guy spoke in a gruff tone, as if a real servant were addressing the lady of the house.
Because the communication was through magic, it was ambiguous whether his voice was that of an old man or a young one, or even a man or a woman, but the tone alone was quite funny.
"Pfft. What's with that title. Just Master is fine."
It was a tone that really matched his appearance, but perhaps from the complacency of the experiment's success, I found it hard to suppress a laugh for a moment.
Though even that was very brief.
- Ohhh! Master! The magic worked! It's for real! It works! Kyaa...
The giant Skeleton bolted upright from his spot, testing out his communication by letting various words slip out.
The guy, who had been clattering away for a while testing his new language system, soon calmed his glowing eyes and knelt on both knees before me, gazing up at me steadily.
I felt a 'sincerity' conveyed so deeply it was bewildering.
- M'lady.
"Hm, what is it?"
- I know you're always thinking of us and worrying about us. But we are ever loyal to you, Master, and always ready to lay down our lives at your command, so if there is something necessary, please be sure to call and use us rather than doing it yourself. That is what I wanted to say.
"... Yeah. Thank you."
What I felt from those words was a loyalty and affection so great I thought it was undeserved.
I answered while suppressing my surging emotions.
- Ah. And.
The guy immediately switched the mood, radiating an emotion mixed with 'laughter.'
- This is a secret from senior Evangeline.
"What?"
When I questioned him, not understanding what he meant, Axe scratched his skull with his sharp fingertips and said the following.
Something that sounded quite amusing to me.
- I can already see her clattering up a huge storm of jealousy if she hears. She'll bully me until my skull splits for a while.
"When the magic is perfected anyway, the first one to receive it will be..."
- She'll do it even knowing that, I'm telling you.
"Fine. Alright."
- Please do so. I beg you. M'lady.
- Tak!
- Dalkak!
While we were conversing like that, the two Skeletons who had brought the class-up materials were already there, watching us both while radiating 'envy' from their entire bodies.
In the end, I cast the magic on the two of them once as well.
- Kyaaa... Brother Axe! Finally! Congratulations on your promotion!
- M'lady! I swear my loyalty to you forever! I love you!
"Uh... yeah."
They really liked it.
The thought 'They were thieves when they were alive, is this right?' did cross my mind, but watching them, it was also true that I felt I should complete the magic quickly.
Because if communication became possible, I would naturally be happy too.
- 3 -
『Name - Axe』
『Title/Entity Name - Giant Skeleton 'Warrior'』
Something special happened just like that. It was the day after I promoted Axe to an official warrior, while I was in the middle of a sparring match with Eve at her suggestion.
"Hello! Lady Libertas! It's me, Scarlet Spira Spina, I've come back again!"
"Welcome, Scarlet. It's been a while."
"Oh, really, you have no idea how much I've been wanting to see you, Lady!"
"You speak nonsense."
"I'm sincere..."
The person who came to see me was Manager Scarlet Spira Spina of the Mammon Trading Company.
"Anyway, who's that with you?"
"... I'm Lin Xue. Nice to meet you, Lady."
She was accompanied by a beautiful, silver-haired wolf beastman.
The guest I had been waiting for.