Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Demon Beast (2)
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Rex Maier.
The firstborn son of Count Maier looked at the soldier who had come to see him.
It wasn't uncommon for a soldier to seek him out regarding his schedule, but it was rare for another noble to approach him directly, bypassing his family.
Seeing the soldier kneeling before him, Rex asked the identity of his visitor.
"Who has come looking for me?"
"She says she is the young lady of Viscount Aisalia."
"The House of Viscount Aisalia? Where is that family from?"
"They are located in the Hegros Kingdom, across the border. We have already verified the family's credentials."
Rex Maier was a man far removed from high society.
He couldn't even properly recall the name of Viscount Aisalia's house.
A noble family from another country, and one with whom he had no real connection, had come to see him.
It was a situation Rex found difficult to comprehend.
After hearing the soldier's words, Rex pondered for a moment before turning his head to look at his knight.
"Viscount Aisalia. Sir Palios, why do you think a viscount's family would seek me out?"
Sir Palios was one of the few allies Rex had within the count's family.
He had served Rex since childhood and had weathered many hardships alongside him.
Rex could trust anything Palios said.
Hearing Rex's question, Palios thought for a moment before sharing his speculation.
"If the viscount's daughter has come, it is likely to present a marriage proposal to you, my lord."
"A marriage proposal?"
"To see you in person before the viscount presents a formal proposal to the Count, I imagine."
A marriage proposal.
Hearing Palios's guess, a slight blush rose to Rex's face.
He didn't know the exact reason, but if a viscount's daughter from a neighboring country had come to visit, that was the only logical explanation.
Rex was already well past the typical age for marriage.
If the House of Aisalia had a daughter of marriageable age, it wouldn't be strange for her to visit in person.
In fact, this could be an opportunity for Rex.
He didn't know the standing of the House of Aisalia, but if they held significant power in their kingdom, it could help him readjust the tilted line of succession.
"Ahem. I haven't given such matters much thought. For now, I suppose I should invite the young lady of Aisalia to the castle myself."
"My lord."
Just as Rex was about to decide on inviting the young lady who sought a meeting.
The soldier who had been listening bowed his head.
It meant he had more to say.
Noticing the soldier's unfinished report, Rex prompted him for the rest.
"Is there a problem?"
"The young lady wishes to meet as discreetly as possible."
"What does that mean?"
She wanted to meet Rex as quietly as possible.
He could understand if she was overcome with shyness and made such a request.
However, it was difficult to find a place in this city beyond the reach of the count's influence.
The most they could do was clear the area around a reception hall.
"The young lady of Viscount Aisalia has rented a mansion."
"She wants me to go to the mansion?"
"We understand she has brought only one servant and one knight with her. I believe there is no cause for major concern."
Hearing the soldier's report, Rex pictured the situation in his mind.
One servant. And one knight.
It wasn't a retinue that posed any significant threat to his safety.
Furthermore, Rex's personal knight, Palios, was exceptionally skilled, even among the knights of the county.
With Palios by his side, he wouldn't have to worry about his personal safety.
Having assessed the situation, Rex turned to Palios and spoke.
"Sir Palios. Let us go to the mansion, just the two of us."
"Will the two of us be sufficient?"
"Wouldn't increasing our numbers just cause a commotion?"
"That is also true. I understand."
His half-siblings had countless eyes and ears scattered throughout the Maier estate.
Moreover, the young lady of Aisalia who had requested the meeting also desired a quiet encounter.
In that case, he reasoned that just himself and a knight to guard him would be enough.
Bringing more people would only risk unnecessary rumors spreading, which would be a nuisance.
His decision was to take only those he could trust.
"I trust that you, a fine knight, Sir Palios, will protect me well."
"It is an honor, my lord."
"Though I wonder when you'll ever call me your liege."
Palios was always by Rex's side.
But the one to whom Palios swore loyalty was, for now, Count Maier.
At Rex's words, Palios let out a hearty laugh.
"Haha! I have no doubt that you will become the head of this family, my lord."
"..."
"When that day comes, I will gladly offer you my sword."
When the day comes that he becomes the Count.
Palios was promising Rex a distant future.
Becoming the family head was still a faint possibility.
But for the sake of his own standing, at least in front of Palios, he had to become the Count.
And this meeting would be a stepping stone toward that goal.
"To achieve that, I suppose... I must handle this matter well."
Rex's voice, lost in thought, echoed in the room.
Watching him, Palios wore a pleased smile.
An hour had already passed since I acquired the Creature Maker magic.
During that time, I stared at my smartphone, lost in thought.
Was it right to use this skill now?
How should I go about creating a creature?
Since the skill could only be used five times, I had to spend a great deal of time considering its application.
And after much deliberation, I came to one conclusion.
"Let's just try it once."
You always get a better sense of things after trying them once.
The Creature Maker skill was no different.
If I actually used this skill to make a creature, I would understand how to use it effectively.
Having made my decision, it was time to use the skill.
I brought my finger to the Creature Maker skill icon at the bottom of the screen.
Tap.
When I touched the screen, a guide message for the Creature Maker skill appeared.
Creature Maker displayed a different message from ordinary skills.
- You have used Creature Maker.
- Please specify the amount of Mana to consume.
The first thing that appeared upon using the skill was a window to set the mana consumption.
Other skills always consumed a fixed amount of mana.
But with Creature Maker, it seemed I could create a creature by consuming as much mana as I wanted.
It was an unfamiliar yet fascinating system.
"The more mana, the stronger it'll be, right?"
The more powerful the skill, the greater the mana consumption.
Since this was the first creature I was creating, there would be no harm in pouring a lot of mana into it.
I set the mana consumption to about half of my total mana.
Press.
After setting the mana amount and pressing the confirm button, another settings window appeared.
- Please specify the creature's Aggressiveness.
Just like when setting the mana consumption, a slider bar I could move appeared in the settings window.
However, this was for setting an aggressiveness value between 1 and 10, not mana.
A creature's aggressiveness.
It would probably be stronger if it were more aggressive.
I moved the slider to set the creature's aggressiveness to the maximum.
I figured it would be better if the creature was strong.
- Please specify the creature's Appearance.
- Closer to 1 results in a more ferocious appearance.
- Closer to 10 results in a more gentle appearance.
Next was the option to adjust the creature's appearance.
Should I make the creature look ferocious?
Or should I make it look gentle?
The appearance setting required more thought than the previous options.
A powerful creature needed a fearsome appearance to match.
I thought a creature that looked too gentle would lack charisma.
After deep consideration, I set the creature's appearance value to 1.
"It has to look terrifying to have the right vibe. You know, like a wicked dragon boss mob."
No matter what game I played, I always had a soft spot for dragon pets.
A black dragon soaring through the sky.
Just seeing that image was enough to increase my satisfaction with the game.
So, I pictured a wicked dragon in my mind and adjusted the Creature Maker settings accordingly.
Once I finished setting the creature's appearance, there was only one setting left.
- Please specify the creature's Size.
- Closer to 10 results in a larger appearance.
The creature's size.
This setting determined how big my pet would be.
When it came to dragons, they had to be massive.
A simple tail swipe should send people flying, and its steps alone should shatter trees.
It wasn't an option worth deliberating over.
"Size is going to be max, no question."
Having finished all the detailed settings, I immediately pressed the confirm button on the settings window.
As soon as I finalized all the options, light spread across the screen, and a targeting marker appeared.
It was a message asking me to specify the area to place the creature.
Not wanting to cause any damage to the Order by placing it randomly, I set the creature down in an uninhabited mountain range.
The moment I designated the mountain range and tapped the screen.
An intense light erupted from the target area, and a guide message appeared at the bottom of the screen.
- Abyssal Demon Beast: Kueberberg has been created.
- Due to the Creature Maker penalty, you cannot recover the consumed Mana for 24 hours.
- Abyssal Demon Beast: Kueberberg reveres you.
- Scales of Karma will convert the activities of Abyssal Demon Beast: Kueberberg into your causality.
The name of the demon beast that appeared after all the setup was Kueberberg.
The creature, bearing the title of Abyssal Demon Beast, was truly hideous.
No, "hideous" wasn't a strong enough word to describe its appearance.
Perhaps because of the "Abyssal Demon Beast" description.
It looked like a formless mass that had crawled out of the abyss.
"What is this? Where did my dragon go?"
Tentacles emerged from the huge mass of darkness and writhed toward the sky.
It looked as if it were greeting me.
Its appearance was completely different from the dragon I had imagined, and in my shock, I moved the screen.
The dragon I had been expecting was gone, and an abyssal demon beast had popped out instead.
Could I have gotten the settings wrong?
That thought flashed through my mind.
I tried to ignore Kueberberg and quickly swiped my finger to the other side of the map.
"That's the complete opposite of what I had in mind."
A cursed, grotesque creature from the abyss was not what I wanted.
In fact, it was the exact opposite.
Sigh.
I let out a sigh and tapped the Creature Maker skill button again.
Upon using the Creature Maker skill, the detailed settings window appeared, just like before.
- You have used Creature Maker.
- Please specify the amount of Mana to consume.
I had already used nearly half of my mana to create Kueberberg.
I decided to use 80 of my remaining mana to create a new creature.
This time, however, I reversed all the settings from before.
I thought that if I adjusted the settings to the opposite extreme, the dragon I was hoping for would appear.
After all, the previous settings had produced Kueberberg, the exact opposite of my expectations.
"This time, please, be a dragon."
Aggressiveness setting: 1.
Appearance setting: 10.
Finally, Size setting: 1.
The settings were the complete opposite of last time.
I even compromised a bit on size and aggressiveness.
I figured as long as it was a dragon, I wouldn't mind if it was a little small.
After finalizing all the settings, I designated a rugged mountain area as the target for Creature Maker.
When I tapped the target, a flash of light erupted, and guide messages appeared one after another.
- Cherubim: Estacia has been created.
- Due to the Creature Maker penalty, you cannot recover the consumed Mana for 24 hours.
- Cherubim: Estacia reveres you.
- Scales of Karma will convert the activities of Cherubim: Estacia into your causality.
A coarse curse escaped my lips as I faced the result.
This time, it was a creature that looked far too pious.