The Red Beast That Tears Magic Beasts
“S-so... what brings the Priestess here?”
Hepais, who until moments ago had been radiating pure chaotic energy, suddenly went quiet and meek.
Rubia’s reputation really must be something else.
But Heinzel and Luci already knew who she was and still acted the same way... Is that just the power of experience...?
“As I said earlier, we’ve come to have some equipment repaired.”
“But why me...?”
“I heard you have the best skills in this village.”
Hepais, who had only been making strange little humming noises, suddenly dropped her head low.
“I-I started that rumor myself... I’m sorry. I’m a terrible person.”
“Uweh...?”
“What...?”
“I-if you want somewhere with real skill... I recommend going two blocks further to Chrome’s smithy...”
Rubia let out a deep sigh and dragged a hand down her face.
I copied her without thinking.
“So... you started the rumor yourself... and your skills are actually nothing special?”
“...Yes. The quality’s just average... I’m only fast. I’m sorry.”
“This is... incredibly awkward.”
Rubia’s face turned toward me.
Is she asking what I want to do?
Hmm...
“J-just do it. We’ll leave it with you.”
Hepais’s head snapped up.
“Really?!”
“Yes. Really.”
If everyone in the world only hired veterans, how would rookies ever eat?
And well... as long as the quality’s decent, faster is better.
“Then I’ll finish it as fast as I possibly can!!”
Hepais shoved her face right up close as she spoke.
“Ah, you don’t have to do it as fast as possible.”
Rubia gently pushed her back and refused.
Why...?!
She should do it fast!
“Huh? Weren’t you in a hurry?”
“Rushing leads to mistakes, and mistakes pile up into real problems. So please take your time and put your heart into it. It’s equipment for someone... very precious to me.”
Hearing Rubia’s words, Hepais clapped both hands over her mouth.
“Whoa... wow... Y-yes! Understood!!”
And me... I just froze solid, the complete opposite of her.
S-someone precious...
I’m... precious to Rubia...!
I looked at her with a face full of pure emotion.
I couldn’t see what expression she was making, but something warm bloomed near my heart.
“Heh... hehe... precious... heheh...”
“Noah? Shall we hand over the gear and head out?”
“Yes!”
I nodded hard and passed her the light armor pieces one by one from my bag.
I double-checked nothing was missing...
“But this is really a mess. Looking at the condition alone, it wouldn’t be strange if it had fallen apart ages ago... How is it even still holding together?”
Hepais muttered continuously as she examined each piece of my armor.
“The belt’s done like this... aha... and the cuts are made this way so it moves smoothly. Wow. Whoever smithied this originally was incredible. But... why is there nothing covering the blind spots?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, normally... you reinforce the parts that are hard to see or hard to dodge with extra protection. But... you’ve finished everything so cleanly and left those spots completely uncovered... Looking at this gear alone, it’s like the user has no blind spots at all... Ah...?”
Hepais’s head slowly lifted.
Then it tilted further and further to the left.
“I know this is a rude question, but...”
If it’s a rude question, just don’t ask...
“Y-yes. I’m blind.”
I nodded as I answered.
Hepais immediately started muttering to herself again.
“Black hair... short stature... and a greatsword with blindness... Gasp... Th-the Red Beast that Tears Magic Beasts...?”
“Huh? The Red Beast that Tears... Magic Beasts? Wh-what’s that...?!”
“Hup... Ah, uh...”
Hepais’s face turned toward Rubia.
Rubia gave the tiniest shake of her head.
What are you two doing...?
I’m still holding the greatsword, you know?
I can feel everything!!
“Ru-Rubia. You know something, don’t you?”
“Ah, um...”
It was rare to see Rubia flustered.
What on earth is this...!
“I’ll explain once we get back to the inn.”
“You have to... you really have to tell me.”
“Of course. It was something you’d learn eventually anyway. And... I’m a little looking forward to your reaction. Heh...”
There was something sly mixed into Rubia’s laugh.
Wh-what is it...
“H-here, take this for now. Please take good care of it. I... use it very carefully...”
Feeling a strange unease, I handed the greatsword over to Hepais.
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind! But for something you use so carefully... the condition is really... Ah, never mind! Understood! I’ll do my absolute best!!! Take your time... come back once the sun’s gone down!”
“Okay...”
The greatsword left my hands.
My vision went dark, and everything turned sluggish and powerless.
That still-unfamiliar sensation washed over my entire body.
I immediately squeezed Rubia’s hand tight.
It helped.
Just a little.
“Wh-what about the price...?”
“Ah, right! The price is, um... hmm... I’ll have to start the repairs before I know. The materials used are all really tricky to work with... Would it be all right if I tell you after everything’s finished?”
“Mm... okay. L-let’s go, Rubia.”
“Yes. Let’s. Then we’ll leave it in your hands, Miss Hepais.”
“Y-yes!!! I’ll do a great job!!!!”
Guided by Rubia, I carefully stood and stepped out through the smithy’s door.
On the way out, Rubia muttered, “Evening should be... plenty of time.”
Probably because the whole Red Beast story is going to take a while?
“Urgh... it’s so, so uncomfortable and... stifling... mm...”
Maybe I should’ve just sat and waited at the smithy...
“Want me to carry you?”
“No. J-just hold my hand... Don’t let go... Seriously, don’t! I-I’ve got a ton of money in my pocket right now. If I lose this, it’ll be a d-disaster...!”
“Pfft— All right. Don’t worry.”
The hand holding mine tightened.
“O-okay, let’s really get going now... We’re heading to the inn, right?”
“We are. Ah, should we pick up some snacks on the way?”
“O-oh, yes... S-skewers!”
“Ah, those stone-slab skewers they were selling over there?”
“Yes, those... The smell yesterday was insane...! Don’t you think they’ll taste amazing...?”
Rubia laughed softly at my words.
“All right. Let’s go pick some out.”
“Yes!”
“Th-that’s what it means...?! That’s a ridiculous rumor!!”
The hand holding my skewer started trembling hard.
“Puhahaha! It’s not that ridiculous. I felt the same way when I watched Noah hunt that Black Bear.”
Back at the inn after leaving the smithy, I listened to Rubia explain the whole “Red Beast that Tears Magic Beasts” story.
That’s right... it was about me...!
And the kinds of rumors were completely over the top.
“The Red Beast that Tears Magic Beasts” was the most common nickname.
Then there was “Red-Eyed Demon.”
Or “the devil who can only survive by drinking the blood of magic beasts.”
And... what? A demon who’s currently slaughtering ten thousand magic beasts so it can become human?
That’s complete nonsense...
It’s way too cringey!
I’m dying of secondhand embarrassment! Even a middle-schooler in the middle of a hardcore puberty phase wouldn’t invent nicknames this bad!
A-and they’re not even treating me like a human in the first place!
“Wh-what was I like back then...?”
“You don’t remember? Ugh... You had eyeballs hanging from your belt, your whole body was painted in blood... and at the end you literally exploded the Black Bear’s head. I honestly thought you were trying to drink the blood on purpose. And then you looked straight at me and smiled... I-it was pretty scary.”
I cast my mind back.
Yeah, I’d shattered its shoulder blade... spun around... and cracked its skull open.
Of course, I’d been in a bad mood that day, so I’d gone a little harder than necessary...
“W-was it that horrifying...? Enough to look like a demon or a beast?”
“At the time, yes. I didn’t believe the rumors at first either. Plus Noah has black hair, so calling you a red beast made no sense. But the moment I saw you covered in blood, I just knew. Ah... so that’s the Red Beast. Puhuhu...”
My face burned.
“But why are you telling me this now...? If I’d known earlier... I would’ve gone a little... easier...”
“Does a rumor like that even matter? And... I don’t think it’s a bad thing. You need a certain strong image so people leave you alone. Noah is just too... mm... cute. You need at least that much. It’s cool—pfft... it’s cool!”
It’s not cool at all...
What kind of world is this that it comes up with weird nicknames like that...!!
“Forget it... I’m too embarrassed to show my face anymore...”
I flopped bonelessly onto the bed as I spoke.
“What’s the big deal? It’s cool... The Red Beast that Tears Magic Beasts. Man... that’s cool.”
I heard Rubia lie down on the bed after me.
“D-don’t tease me.”
“I’m also curious what kind of nickname you’ll get once you become a high-rank adventurer.”
“It’ll be a weird one... for sure. Heinzel and Luci are just ‘Baldy’ and ‘One-Eye,’ after all.”
Wait, was it bald?
Eh... same difference.
“Heheh... You’ve got a point there.”
Rubia’s voice right in front of me was so ticklish I turned my back a little.
“But Noah. You’ve gotten pretty good at talking lately.”
“Huh?”
Shff— shfff—
I heard Rubia scooting closer.
“Mm, when I first met you, you spoke so quietly, your pronunciation was mushy... and you stuttered a ton. But now your voice is a bit louder, and you speak nice and clearly.”
Did I?
Hmm...
I think I only do that when I’m with Rubia...
No, and... we were just talking about beasts and demons and now she’s saying I talk well... the whole vibe feels weird!
I’ve always been good at talking!
“W-well... I don’t know about that. It’s just... I feel safe when I’m with you, so maybe that’s why. I don’t talk like this with other people. And... I’ve always been good at... talking.”
Rubia gently wrapped her arms around me from behind.
“You feel safe with me?”
“Y-yeah...?”
I do have this little feeling that no matter what trouble I cause, she’ll somehow fix it.
She’s a Priestess, after all...?
Even nobles can’t mess with a Priestess!
And she’s ridiculously pretty!
And she listens to me!
Plus she doubles as a walking potion supply!
Of course I feel safe!
“But... c-can you let go...?”
Safe is safe... but this is way too embarrassing...
“Why? We were like this yesterday too.”
“Th-that was... different...”
I was crying... and my emotions just exploded so it happened naturally... this is different!
“You don’t like it?”
“I d-don’t dislike it... I’m just embarrassed...”
She smells nice, and knowing Rubia is right behind me feels good, but...
The... the feeling of her against my back is just too...! Wait! Huh?! It’s a lot!
“If you don’t like it, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Rubia’s arms started to slip away.
I hurriedly grabbed her hands and pulled them back around me.
“I-it’s fine! Let’s just stay like this...!”
Because Rubia looked disappointed.
Yeah. I’m not doing this because I want to.
“Mm, shall we?”
Still holding me, Rubia spoke quietly.
“Noah. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Yes?”
“It’s a little... mm, I’m not sure how to ask... so I’ll just be direct. There’s no other meaning—I’m simply curious... so if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”
Her arms tightened a little.
“Okay.”
“Um, Noah... in important moments, or dangerous situations, you open your eyes. I was wondering why...”
“Ah...”
I do open my eyes at important moments.
“No real reason. It’s just habit... and a bit of style.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And... this is a secret, but... keeping my eyes closed like this is actually kind of distracting... so it’s hard to focus.”
Rubia nodded as if that made sense.
“I-is it weird...? A blind person walking around with their eyes open... and rare red ones at th— mmpph!!”
While I was still talking, Rubia forcibly turned me around and hugged me properly.
Suddenly something soft and bouncy pressed against my face...!
I can’t breathe!
“Not at all. If anything, I want to keep looking at them. If you kept them open even normally... mm, would that be uncomfortable?”
I gently pushed her body back a little.
“You... want to look at my eyes?”
“Yes... but if you don’t like it, you can keep them closed.”
“Mmm... then I’ll show you. Because it’s you, Rubia...”
I took a short breath.
And opened my eyes.
“Wow... seeing them this close, they’re even prettier...”
Rubia’s fingers brushed along the edge of my eyes.
“Someday... I hope Noah will be able to see too... mirrors... and this world.”
I lifted my hand and touched Rubia’s face.
“But I can still know your face like this.”
I felt the gently rounded forehead.
The sharp yet kind shape of her eyes.
The surprisingly cute curve of her ears.
Past the high bridge of her nose.
To the lips whose corners were tilted just a little downward.
I felt them all.
I painted them in my mind.
“I can tell by touch. Rubia, you’re incredibly pretty. Your eyes are big, your nose is high... and your lips are soft.”
“Euh... uh... mm... I-is that... so...”
Rubia sucked in a startled breath and pulled away.
After that she started rambling about her little sister this, her mother that.
I used those peaceful sounds as background noise.
And kept looking.
Eyes open.
At the sentences floating in front of me.
On a black background.
Sentences that shone dazzlingly bright.
I stared at them.
I repeated them.
I burned them into my mind.
So I would never forget.
Absolutely never forget.
Until they were carved into my unconscious.
I stared.
So my self wouldn’t disappear.
So this character wouldn’t swallow me whole.
I kept staring.
Without stopping.
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
[The target is a character in the game.]
I am not a character in the game.
I am...
I...