Chapter 521: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 521: The Hour of the Dog and Wolf - 9
Kito’s memory began with a chalk eraser falling on her head. The moment she opened the door and stepped into the schoolhouse, she was caught in a simple trap that left a white mark on her head.
The schoolhouse, where the beastkin displayed their childlike innocence, was a living hell for some. Kito was a rare rabbit beastkin, and she knew the unwanted attention wouldn't stop until they’d torn her ears off. Things falling from above were a daily occurrence; she would trip on strings or end up dangling in the air.
An animal might not understand a trap, but Kito was human. After being caught so many times, she began to understand what the triggers were and what chain reactions led to the final result.
Then, one day, Kito learned how to read the sequence of events and stop it. The traps meant for her would miss by a hair's breadth or fail to activate at all.
At first, she thought she had simply gotten used to the traps from being caught so often. But soon, she realized it was a Unique Magic. Kito was overjoyed and boasted about it, but the beastkin who had tormented her only scoffed.
They called it the most useless Unique Magic they had ever seen, as cowardly as a rabbit. A half-baked power that could only be used when a trap was already present.
Kito was disheartened. Even she had to admit that a Unique Magic useless without a pre-existing trap was indeed half-baked. Worse, even when there was a trap, all it did was adjust the timing of its activation. She had no idea how to properly use it.
Still, a Unique Magic was a Unique Magic, and since beastkin mages were valuable in Ende, they created the position of Trap Designer and employed her. She was moderately useful, but her ability was a far cry from being called an Arcane.
But a Unique Magic was still a Unique Magic. An Arcane that, given the right circumstances, could make its wielder a god.
“Woof! Woof!”
A wolf tumbled down the slope. Its fur was matted with dirt and dust, a sign of a hard fight. The wolf coughed and, upon spotting the beastkin, immediately bared its fangs.
“It’s a wolf! Form up!”
Even on all fours, the wolf was as tall as a man. The dogs barked, surrounding it, while the Obeli guard dogs formed a line and thrust their spears. In that instant, the wolf twisted its body, caught a spear shaft in its jaws, and yanked.
“Whoa!”
The Obeli guard who hadn't let go of his spear was dragged forward. The moment the formation broke, the wolf lunged like a lightning bolt, its massive jaws aiming for the guard’s neck.
“How dare you! You’ll need the god’s permissiooooon!”
Just then, a large boulder fell from above, right onto the wolf’s head. Before it could bite down on the Obeli guard, the boulder slammed its jaws shut. As the wolf yelped and retreated, it had the misfortune of stepping on a bear trap someone had dropped. CRUNCH. Sharp teeth bit into its foreleg.
This was one of the wolves led by Fenrir. A mere bear trap wouldn't be enough to neutralize it. However, the Obeli guard dogs were well-trained beastkin. They didn't miss the brief moment the wolf faltered and charged.
“Now!”
“Stab it!”
Sharp spearheads flew at the immobilized wolf. The wolf thrashed, breaking a few spear shafts, but the Obeli guards took turns, relentlessly jabbing at it.
Spearheads reinforced with Qi could pierce its thick hide. The trapped wolf struggled until, its strength finally spent, it collapsed.
It was a small victory, but a significant one. If they had faced dozens of such wolves on open ground, they would have been annihilated in an instant.
“We won!”
As the Obeli guard clenched his fist and shouted, another small rock fell onto his head. While he clutched his head in pain, Kito’s voice reached his ears.
“‘We,’ you saaaay? Toheng! It wasn’t ‘we,’ it was meee, Kito’s power!”
“K-Kito?”
“You will call me Lady Kitooooo! I hold every trigger in this place, which makes me a god!”
Kito puffed out her chest with confidence. As if in response, the very ground trembled. To control the triggers meant she could make the ground collapse or pull on tangled roots at will.
“Your lives are in my haaaands! From now on, you will show a little more respect when you ask for my…”
“Be quiet!”
“Toheeeng!”
What are you doing, trying to attract more wolves with your shouting? I gave her a rap on the head right between her ears, and Kito crumpled to the ground, clutching her head.
“Enough. I’m going to bring the Obelisk, so guard this place until then. If you use the traps to pick off the wolves one by one, you should be able to defeat them easily.”
“Toheeee…”
“Answer me.”
“I understaaaaand…”
Okay. With this, they should be safe for a while, even without me. As she said, in a situation where anything could collapse at any moment, Kito’s power was as good as a god’s.
If only she wouldn't act so rashly.
‘How can he treat me like this when he knows my power? I’m a god right now! Hmph. We’ll see about that. Have a taste of the rabbit god’s wrath!’
Looks like I need to teach her a lesson.
The ceiling tilted, trying to slam down on my head. I reached out and placed a hand on it. Kito’s power was to ‘maintain a trigger,’ and she activated traps by willfully releasing that hold.
That meant I, having stolen her Unique Magic, could also maintain triggers. Albeit only for things I had touched.
Kito, who had been imagining my pained expression, muttered in confusion when the ceiling didn't move.
“Tohe? Why isn’t it working?”
“Don’t try anything stupid.”
“Toheeeeeeeng!”
I rapped her on the head one more time, and Kito fell to the ground, whimpering.
“You call yourself a god and you start acting like one. Get a grip. You’re useful right now, but not so much that you can wipe out humans or wolves who know Qi Arts. Keep messing around and you’ll get yourself killed.”
Even the Divine die sometimes. A mage can’t afford to be so reckless. Kito answered, her eyes welling with tears.
“O-Okayyyy.”
‘You said you’d make me a god! What kind of god can’t even land a single flick on the heaaaad!’
Now that I’ve used the stick, I suppose it’s time for the carrot. I patted Kito reassuringly.
“In any case, the lives of everyone who enters this trap-filled area are in your hands. You may not be a god of the world, but you hold the lives of the people of Ende.”
“Lives…!”
Is it a trait of Ende’s people that their eyes change the moment they grasp power? Her gaze took on a strange glint.
No, that’s probably just a human trait. Anyway, that’s one problem solved. Now I just need to call the Obelisk and have them protect Kito.
I need Kito to stay alive so I can use her Unique Magic, after all.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait. Magician! How are you going to get out of here…?”
No need to answer that. I’m in a hurry.
I gave the ground a slight push with Earth Art. A solid wall turned into a card, and I slipped through. With Kito’s Unique Magic, I didn’t have to worry about a collapse. It would hold it off for a moment.
Wolves. Wolves whose minds I can’t read are a little scary, but…
“Ah. Found it.”
After sliding down a long way, I spotted a brown club half-wedged into a massive boulder in the darkness. I grabbed its handle. It felt heavy, but when I put my strength into it, I was able to lift it without much difficulty.
The Jizan, thrown by the Regressor. She did say it would be hard to retrieve right away. In that case, I’ll just borrow it for a bit.
“Excuse me. I need to use this.”
It would be difficult for me to use Qi Arts with Jizan in my current, Qi-depleted state. But a club with the weight of a mountain is a terrifying weapon in its own right.
I swung Jizan in a wide arc. The earth above me split like tofu and came pouring down. Along with the rocks, a wolf that had been pinned somewhere fell as well. It shook the dust from its body, and our eyes met.
“Since we’ve met like this, it must be fate. Why don’t we put aside our conflict for a moment and work together to find an exit?”
“Grrrrr.”
“Become my dog. Just like the one I tamed before.”
“GRAH!”
The wolf bared its teeth and charged. So it wanted a fight. My reaction was a little slow since I couldn't read its thoughts. I took a small step back and thrust Jizan toward the wolf’s face.
Seeing a perfectly good stick to bite, the wolf eagerly chomped down on Jizan. It pushed off with its hind legs, trying to tackle me, club and all.
“Does this look like a chew toy to you? Fine. Eat your fill.”
But Jizan wouldn’t budge against the wolf’s strength. The wolf’s eyes widened, surprised by the unyielding weight in its mouth. Its body recoiled as if it had run into a wire.
I quickly gripped Jizan with both hands and turned it like a steering wheel. The neck of the wolf, still biting Jizan, twisted along with it. Realizing its mistake, the wolf tried to open its jaws, but I pushed the club in deeper to keep it from getting away.
“No returns on chew toys once you’ve bitten them.”
CRUNCH. The wolf paid dearly for putting something inedible in its mouth. The teeth caught on Jizan shattered and fell out. I slammed the wolf, writhing in agony, to the ground. I intended to crush it completely with Jizan, but at the last second, it escaped with surprising agility.
“That’s why you should be picky about what you eat, understand? Oh, wait. With all your teeth gone, I guess you have no choice but to be picky now.”
“Awoooooo—!”
“I’m done playing with naughty children who don’t listen.”
Unique Magic, Miss Goldberg. Having stolen Kito’s power, I searched for the dormant triggers beneath my feet. I jammed Jizan into a crack in a rock and twisted. The fissure widened, and the ground split in two. The patch of earth the wolf was standing on lost its support and tilted sideways.
“Goodbye. Let’s meet on better terms in the next life.”
The toothless wolf was sent tumbling down below with a cascade of dirt. It could probably follow me if it tried, but a beast with no teeth clawing its way up through earth and rock just to attack me? If it managed that, I’d be impressed.
Having dealt with the wolf, I used my mind-reading. Hundreds of people trapped underground, the Obelisk and the Beast Faction warriors who were nearly caught in the aftermath, and the other humans who had sided with the Wolf King. The thoughts and desires of thousands flowed into me.
I gauged the direction and identified the dangers. I lifted Jizan and took aim.
Terra Firma Arts? I don’t have any grand techniques like that. Lamenting my own feeble strength, I swung Jizan with brute force. What I lacked in power, Jizan made up for. Even my careless swings shattered rock and collapsed the ground, carving a large tunnel before me.
It’s nice not having to worry about it caving in. After walking through the earth for quite some time, I finally thrust Jizan toward a crevice from which a bright light was shining. A house-sized boulder flew up like a toy, and the bright sky opened up before me.
It’s good to see the sun again. As I calmly stepped out, I saw the Obelisk and the other beastkin screaming and prostrating themselves on the ground. Really, treating a guy who just barely escaped like a ghost is a bit much.
Sapien, who was commanding the Obelisk, spotted me and strode over.
“You…! Magician!”
“Wow. After fumbling through the darkness to escape, even your face is a welcome sight.”
It seemed Sapien was happy to see me for a different reason. He reached out as if to grab me by the collar and yelled.
“Who do you think you’re using as bait! Do you have any idea what will happen if Theia gets hurt?!”
“Then you should hurry down this path. The ground is about to collapse. You’re the only one who can save her.”
“Don’t just stand there talking, lead the way!”
“I can’t. I have something more important to do right now.”
“More important?”
If she’s so important, you can protect the dignitary from the Empire yourself. I have other things to do.
Even as humans and wolves lay buried in the rubble, there was one place from which a clamor could still be heard. I started walking toward it and replied.
“I’m going to keep a promise.”