Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Princess (2)
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"Why not?"
"Uh... um...."
Han had no idea how to respond.
He glanced at Braha beside him. When Braha pointed at herself with a finger, Han nodded.
But she shook her head and shifted her gaze to Izaya, who lay there.
"So the decision rests with that man, huh."
Han nodded at the sharp-eyed Siegfried's words.
"Like I said, I'm not in charge of this mission. But it might not work out. Kid, if you're coming to the Frontier, I wouldn't mind showing you around."
"Nonsense."
Siegfried stepped in front of Jamie, glaring at Han with irritation.
Han shrugged.
"I want to see the Frontier, but that doesn't mean I'm signing up to join."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, it just needs Izaya's permission, right?"
"Yeah."
It wasn't a difficult task.
Jamie summoned divinity once more and placed his hand on Izaya's head. Unnoticed by anyone, he mixed 'black mana' into the divinity.
So subtly that even a master's eyes couldn't detect it, while amplifying the divinity's power even further.
'Grant me permission.'
The black mana, infused with that suggestion, infiltrated Izaya's brain.
The divinity coursed through Izaya's entire body before gently enveloping his heart.
Jamie withdrew his hand and stood.
His palm burned. He'd used more divinity than permitted.
Izaya struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.
"Oh. You're awake."
Han approached Izaya with a joyful face and asked.
"You alright?"
"...Where are we."
"The situation's under control for now."
"Phew. That's a relief."
Izaya recalled the memory before losing consciousness.
He'd been overwhelmed by the powerful black man's attack without resistance. Seeing Han, who'd been targeted first, unharmed made it feel like a dream, but the throbbing headache confirmed it wasn't.
"Urgh."
"Take it slow getting up."
Han helped Izaya to his feet.
Izaya looked at Ramu, still lying unconscious and dazed. Braha stood beside him, sighing in relief after regaining consciousness first and seeing him.
On the opposite side were Jamie Welton and Siegfried.
"Thank the kid. That's what woke you up."
"...The saint's power?"
"That's right."
Jamie nodded nonchalantly.
Izaya glanced at his left hand. He'd heard months ago that the boy had become the saint of the Pyro Goddess.
Without him, he might not have woken for a while.
"Thanks."
"No need for thanks. About that mission you're handling."
Jamie cut straight to the point with his proposal to Izaya.
"Take me with you. I want to see the Behemoth monster said to be the cause of the Great Caldera firsthand."
"That's...."
Izaya nearly refused outright.
No matter his close ties to Beryl Onyx, this mission was crucial even for the Frontier.
Outside interference wasn't allowed. It should have been that way.
"Sure."
Yet Izaya found himself answering without thinking.
"No... well, it should be fine."
He tried to backtrack, but the words came out differently.
He felt perplexed, but oddly, it didn't seem wrong.
The bewilderment faded quickly.
All that remained in Izaya was the thought that 'it'd be fine to bring him along.'
"Good."
Jamie smiled in satisfaction.
He'd worried it might not work if he was stronger than expected, but brainwashing him in his weakened state had succeeded perfectly.
'Behemoth. I'll see you soon.'
Among the three familiars he'd created in the past,
Behemoth was a monster among monsters, boasting exceptional might.
One stomp caused earthquakes, its breath whipped up typhoons, and its roar shook heaven and earth.
He hadn't thought it still lingered in this world. He'd assumed it dead.
Hearing it caused the Great Caldera had shocked him immensely.
'Mine...'
It remained.
Still existing in this world.
Jamie clenched his fist. Now he would meet it. Leaping across 60,000 years in a new body to face it.
'Will it recognize me?'
Many things had changed since then.
Perhaps it had even forgotten Diablo Volpir entirely.
60,000 years and 8 more.
It had spent eons alone.
Among the three familiars, it was particularly dim-witted. It had to be. Black was created for high-dimensional ritual assistance, Jormungand granted superior wisdom to rule the seas.
And Behemoth was given raw power.
Thus, its intelligence was quite low. Especially its memory—always complaining of hunger.
The sheer volume it devoured was staggering; each meal equaled a mountain's worth. Horrific even in retrospect.
Yet now, even that was missed.
"Let's get going."
Izaya said.
Jamie's heart raced. Come to think of it, he'd already found two of his own in Saint-Deremain.
All Might was secured, and now Behemoth awaited.
He couldn't take it yet. Leaving the Frontier with his current power, he couldn't handle it.
So entrust it to the Frontier until then. Reclaim it later.
"By the way, Captain."
Then Braha tugged Izaya's sleeve and spoke.
"Alex?"
"Ah! Forgot."
In the chaos, he'd forgotten Alex and the elf slaves sold off.
"Why no contact?"
Maybe he'd missed a call.
He pulled out the communication orb. Infusing mana, it flickered once.
A voice came through.
-Captain! Why respond now...!
"Had an emergency. What's up?"
-Damn... unfortunately, I can't talk freely right now. Later....
-Eek! Do something about that dog!
Then a woman's voice echoed from the orb.
Stunned by the sudden voice, Izaya asked in confusion.
"Alex? Hey, Alex. Who's with you...!"
But the connection cut off.
The orb's light died.
"C-Crisis?"
"Dunno."
Han frowned and shook his head at Braha's panicked voice.
Izaya tried contacting Alex again, but no connection.
"Something's happened. We should go find him."
"Yeah."
Han replied with a grim face, sensing the gravity. Braha bit her nails anxiously.
And Jamie, head bowed, pressed his forehead.
'Vena? Why are you there.'
The woman's voice from the orb.
It was definitely Vena.
Vena frowned.
A massive black beast blocked her path.
"Grrrrr."
Each growl brought a foul mouth odor.
Vena pinched her nose instinctively. She'd endured vile smells in the academy lab, but this beast's raw stench made her head spin.
"Ugh."
The beast with the horrendous breath was a Hellhound.
Named for resembling dogs from hell.
Alex, the man grimacing beside her, had identified it.
The mage they'd clashed with en route, mistaking each other for foes.
But his grimace stemmed from different reasons than Vena's—
"...Why's a Hellhound here?"
Smaller than average, but equally ferocious.
Its sharp fangs and powerful jaws chilled the blood just looking, muscles bulging to crush humans instantly.
A monster few knights or mages dared hunt.
"Never imagined an obstacle like this."
He'd thought it just some noble's mansion, but bringing a creature from the Arişa lava fields of the western continent meant no ordinary noble.
Alex said worriedly to Vena.
"Might need to retreat."
"Why?"
"Not full-grown, but its jaws could chew up a decent knight. Tough for us to break through."
Alex was a 5th-class mage, not a combat specialist. He figured Vena strong but comparable to him.
In tight quarters, they'd likely be hunted instead.
"Why?"
But when Vena repeated the question, Alex couldn't answer. Before he could, she spoke.
"Why's a stinky mutt dangerous?"
Fearsome looks and stench aside, wasn't it just a big dog?
"Dogs shouldn't bite people. Training them to is the owner's fault."
Alex squinted at Vena's sudden dog-training lecture.
Her words baffled him.
"So retrain it."
Retrain it?
That infamous ferocious Hellhound?
He had to stop her. No idea where her audacity came from, but letting it go would make her Hellhound chow.
"Stop...."
But Alex's voice didn't reach Vena.
With fairy wings spread, she'd already flown atop the Hellhound.
Gripping Phillion in both hands, she shouted.
"Sit!"
Bam!
The hammer smashed precisely onto the Hellhound's head.
Its eyes bulged as if popping out.
It slammed its head into the floor.
Dust billowed up.
Vena nodded satisfactorily amid the cloud.
"Good boy!"
"Good what?!"
Alex shouted unwittingly.
He'd never seen anyone teach 'sit' by smashing a head with a hammer.
Vena turned to him innocently.
"Not like this?"
"...No. Good job."
Thinking it over, Hellhounds were monsters, not dogs.
Smashing its head worked fine.
Alex suddenly recalled his childhood puppy Poppi, who died in an accident.
He felt depressed.
'That girl, though...'
One-shotted the Hellhound.
Unthinkable. He'd pegged her equal to him, total misjudgment.
'Stronger than me.'
If they'd clashed outside without stopping,
Gulp.
Alex swallowed dryly.
He'd be sprawled like the Hellhound.
Neck prickling.
"Hurry before others come."
Vena offered her hand to Alex calmly, after sending the Hellhound to the afterlife.
They'd subdued guards upstairs before the Hellhound clash, plus the recent crash.
Pursuers would come.
Then.
"You bastards!!"
Someone emerged from the darkness.
A man with face wrapped in cloth. Deep brown skin marked him from the western continent Arişa.
The man, Krika, fumed.
"Our cute Emilia...! Kill those bastards, Hia!"
Kwaaaah!
A red-skinned troll appeared with him.
Vena said.
"That's Emilia, huh. Pfft."
Alex watched Vena laugh, pointing at the Hellhound.
'Gonna stop thinking.'
Seemed best.