Chapter 152: False Report
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: False Report
Even with this many people scouring the forest, the Fierce Beast is bold enough to attack this very day.
Akito has to return to Yggdrasil soon, so it’s better for things to move quickly, but that bitch has some serious nerve.
This time, it’s not livestock. A person is going to die.
The problem is that even though I know something will happen tonight, the victim is just an extra, so I have no idea who it’ll be.
It happens in a village near where Akito is patrolling, so the only option is to throw manpower at the problem.
I don't have the ability to subtly manipulate Berengel into concentrating the defense there, and if I move too many people at once, the Fierce Beast might not even show up. In the end, I had to split my team up and scatter them.
Yukina and Rio; Takeo and Masayoshi; Bukgeuk-jwa, who insisted on going with Angelica; and Akane, who refused to leave my side. We’re split into four groups, waiting in different villages.
These guys are on a mission, yet they won't listen to a damn word I say.
Things got a bit messy because of Bukgeuk-jwa and Akane, but every group has someone strong enough to face the Fierce Beast, so they shouldn't be in any real danger.
If only I knew exactly who was going to be targeted, I could just cast Soul Chain on them.
My proficiency has increased enough that I can link up to three people now, which is plenty to cover Angelica and the victim.
I wonder which side she’ll appear on.
The moon is hidden behind the clouds, leaving everything in darkness.
The village has a rustic atmosphere, and the streetlights on every corner make for a nice view, but this silence will soon be shattered by news of an attack.
As I sat there fingering a coin and keeping watch, Akane, who was sitting next to me, asked a question.
"When you eat shortcake, do you eat the strawberry first? Or do you save it for last?"
"...Hey, if you've run out of things to ask, why don't you just stop?"
Ever since I revealed myself as a Guardian of the Source, Akane has been sticking to me like glue, asking all sorts of things. It seems she’s finally run out of material.
She started with a background check, moved on to my preferences, and now, as if she’s obsessed with the need to keep questioning me, she’s asking useless crap like whether I put my right shoe or left shoe on first.
"... ..."
"Fine, I eat the strawberry first."
Look at her, pouting and staring at me in silence just because I snapped at her a little.
When I answered, a very faint trace of joy flickered across Akane’s expressionless face, and her thumb began moving rapidly across her phone screen as usual.
"What is your relationship with the Diana Clan?"
"We’re inseparable. I owe them a lot."
Well, since she found out I’m involved with the Shrine Maiden Clan recently, at least she’s asking real questions now.
I can't tell her everything, but answering what I can makes the boring guard duty pass by quickly.
As I was fielding Akane’s endless stream of questions, a transmission came in from Masayoshi.
- She’s here! Resident killed. Suspect fleeing. 75 degrees, near the blue-roofed single-story house.
As expected of God Sayoshi.
He delivers exactly the information I need, and fast.
So, he couldn't save the victim after all.
Pushing the regret aside, I checked the bearing on the compass attached to my watch and flipped a coin.
Akane, who had already been told to maintain physical contact, gave me a cute, tight hug, and I swapped places with Masayoshi.
75 degrees, blue roof... there it is.
I focused mana into my eyes, and a short distance from the house Masayoshi mentioned, I saw something moving fast.
The people nearby were already in pursuit, and I joined the chase with Akane.
"Light it up!"
"I'll circle around to the left, lure it this way!"
"No! You guys need to overtake it and block the escape route! Why is the fastest guy dropping back?!"
Haha, what a clusterfuck.
Now I see why only Akito was able to catch it.
The chain of command is non-existent; everyone thinks they’re the commander and they're all shouting orders at each other.
I don't want to be biased, but is this the limit of Frees?
Black, Blue, and White are just licenses that indicate what kind of mage someone is, while 'Agent' is a general term for mages belonging to the Government.
Those who aren't agents are classified by their mercenary company, the corporation they work for, or their rank within an organization. The rest—individuals or small teams living off commissions—are called Frees.
However, very few Frees come from proper educational institutions like Yggdrasil or the Geezer’s dojo, so most of them are just a ragtag bunch.
In both a good and bad way, they feel like the stereotypical 'adventurers' from a fantasy novel.
It was the same when we arrested Trevor; Frees make up the bulk of the numbers for these large-scale missions.
If there had been even one Agent here, they would have taken command, but the forest is too vast and there are too many small villages, so it seems no one was assigned here.
No matter how I look at it, they’re putting way too many people into defending the Barrier.
I caught up to the Thug who was giving chase and asked, "Did you confirm its identity?"
"Sorry, it was too dark to see clearly. But it's quite small."
It’s definitely about the size of a young girl, but describing it like that makes people imagine a small animal.
That’s more bad karma for you. Go repent some more.
Watching them with disdain as no one used a light spell, I pulled a flare out of the pouch on my waist.
I judged the Frees, but honestly, I haven't learned any light magic either.
Anyone can light up the area immediately around them, but spells that illuminate the entire surroundings are surprisingly rare.
To be precise, Frey told me the Government hogged most of those spells and kept them private.
Even so, there’s no way people wouldn't use such a useful spell, and I was told that in a large-scale mission like this, at least four or five people on average would know one. I guess there just aren't any in this group.
Wheeeeeee-pssh!
The flare, made of magic stone dust rather than explosives, soared high into the sky, illuminating the entire area.
"Thug, launch me."
Having practiced this in the Illusion Space, the Thug didn't hesitate. He transformed his stick into a massive greatsword and took a stance.
As I placed my foot on the flat of the blade and lowered my center of gravity, the veins on the Thug's forearms bulged, and he swung with all his might.
"Hyaaaaaah!!"
Letting out a somewhat embarrassing battle cry, the Thug swung the greatsword with me on it, and I leaped with everything I had at the perfect moment.
It would have been nice to fly in a straight line, but I couldn't do something that reckless in a forest full of trees, so I turned into a human rocket and soared diagonally upward.
Good, it worked.
Considering my success rate was less than half during practice, this is a relief.
The forest spread out below me like a green sea, and I focused, searching for the Fierce Beast's location.
It would be nice to hand the credit over to Akito, but if the opportunity arises, I’ll take her out immediately.
She’s a bitch who doesn't need to exist.
Just as I was radiating killing intent, I sensed something approaching from behind. Startled, I turned my head.
"Whoaaa—"
I saw Akane chasing after me, clutching the hood over her head with both hands.
"What the?! You?!"
"Yeon-woo and I are in the same group. We can't be apart."
Oh, is that so?
After telling the Thug to launch her the same way he did me, Akane kept holding her hood and flapped her elbows to close the distance before sticking to my waist like a burr.
"Hey, if you just hang on like that, we're gonna fall!"
"Yeon-woo and I are in the same group. We are one body."
"What kind of troll are you?!"
Caught by the frustratingly persistent Akane, I flailed in the air just like she had been doing before we plummeted.
Dammit, I haven't even found the Fierce Beast yet.
As we fell toward an uncertain spot, I pulled Akane into an embrace and twisted my body to act as a cushion.
Crrraaaaack—!
We crashed through the trees like a downed airplane, finally coming to a halt after carving a long crater into the ground.
The mana barrier kept us safe, but yeah, I shouldn't just go flying off like that.
Maybe because of Akane’s added weight, the impact was quite significant. I rubbed my lower back as I stood up.
It pissed me off to see her looking at me with sparkling eyes as if she’d enjoyed it.
Don't expect me to do that again.
Regardless, we’d closed the distance, so I prepared to resume the hunt for the Fierce Beast.
But had I underestimated the forest too much?
We searched for over two hours, but far from finding any trace of the beast, we got so lost that we wouldn't have even made it back if not for the Eye of Yullat.
After wandering the forest with Akane for a long time, we returned to headquarters to find that everyone had already finished their reports and looked busy.
"You've returned. Any results?"
No, sir. A certain white-haired troll clung to my waist, so I couldn't find anything.
That’s what I wanted to say, but I held it in and reported to Berengel.
"We didn't catch it, but we confirmed its identity!"
At my words, everyone nearby turned to look at us.
There were people from the attacked village, and even the man who had picked a fight with me earlier.
"I'm not much of an artist, so I'll describe its characteristics."
I did a rough sketch of the Fierce Beast's appearance and clearly noted its features next to it.
An appearance resembling a young girl, a fluid body like a slime, has legs but doesn't walk—instead slides across the ground—and a body that can transform. I laid out all the game knowledge I had.
"... ..."
Berengel remained silent after checking the information I provided.
Well... honestly, I get it.
They were probably imagining a giant beast or a monster, and then I come in saying it’s some frail-looking girl.
If I didn't know this was an eroge, I wouldn't believe it either.
The agents around Berengel, likely his subordinates, also checked the info and looked at me with suspicious eyes.
"Is it a mage?"
"It has a human form, but I'm not sure if it's human. It also seemed to have low intelligence. Unfortunately, it was too fast and I lost it."
"Hmm..."
Hey, believe me. It’s the truth.
I didn't actually see it this time, but the information is real, so just believe it.
This is exactly why I separated from my teammates and acted alone—to create an alibi.
Perhaps because it was so unexpected, Berengel remained silent, but the agents next to him questioned me skeptically.
"I understand you're young and want to add a line to your resume, but you know false reporting is strictly punished, right? Don't mess around and interfere with the mission."
"I told you, it's not a false report. And my resume is already better than yours. I don't really need to pad it."
"What?!"
Listen here, buddy! I, uh, I cleared a Zone, I went to a sauna with Okigo—! Have you ever heard of a monster that's friendly to humans? My name is going to be in textbooks soon. Have you ever discovered a Kamiraite mining site? As the initial discoverer, a sweet 1% of the profits are stacking up in my bank account.
In terms of actual achievements, I'm ahead of Akito right now. Who do you think you're talking to?
And Akane, could you please read the room?
If you tilt your head like you have no idea what I'm talking about, it makes my claim about identifying the Fierce Beast look a lot less credible.
"This brat from Yggdrasil—"
"Enough."
Just as the agents were about to explode in anger, Berengel stopped them with a charismatic command and continued.
"Send the information on this creature to the Whites in the field."
"Team Leader, are you really going to believe this punk?"
"This 'punk' you're talking about has achieved far more than you. And he did it in less than six months since getting his license."
"... ..."
"I believe I told you to read up on all the key figures participating in this mission? What kind of trash talks so big when they can't even follow basic instructions like that?"
Berengel snapped at his subordinate, and in the end, he even removed him from the mission and placed him under house arrest.
It didn't exactly feel good; it felt a bit excessive.
Maybe it's because I've been picked on so much, but the agent's words didn't even hurt my feelings.
He was a bit rude, but it was a situation where suspicion was natural.
Just getting chewed out would have been enough; house arrest seems like too much.
Either Berengel is the ultimate 'by-the-book' type who strictly enforces rules, or...
Is the Government keeping an eye on me?
The fact that he didn't ignore my opinion when we first met, and the fact that he’s acknowledging the identity of this absurd Fierce Beast and deploying investigators—it feels more like caution than trust.
Well, considering my track record and the factions I'm connected to—from Greyhound to the Shrine Maiden Clan—it would be hard to ignore me.
Every time I go on a mission, the original plan goes sideways and I end up raking in achievements. I might need to dial it back a bit.
I have no intention of being forced to act as a meat shield for Akito.
I need to be careful.