Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: An Unspeakable Language
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Strictly speaking, it was less precise and complex.
He immediately isolated a few familiar strokes and broke them down into formulas.
The incantations that manifested physical force were also of a lower level than those of the Stone of Goetia.
The caster's skill was one thing, but perhaps the difference lay in the very class of being the formulas and magic circles were meant to handle.
"Is this a formula for creating ghouls?"
"I don't think so. It seems to be for awakening some entity, or summoning one that's sealed away..."
He suddenly recalled the transformed appearance of the Dark Priest he had just faced.
It was as if an entirely different soul had taken residence within him.
If his suspicion was correct—that the entity was a demon, or a specific soul drawn from the demon world—then the grimoire he was looking at was likely the cause.
Loan flipped through the grimoire, page by page, examining it more carefully.
Around the most complete-looking magic circle, there were characters written in crimson, like annotations.
It wasn't an ancient language. The characters were entirely new to him.
*The letters themselves are infused with tainted mana.*
Choosing not to dwell on what the letters were written with, Loan attempted to decipher the characters based on the incantations he had just analyzed.
The mental strain was even greater than when he had first deciphered the ancient language.
He broke the characters down by morpheme, comparing them with their presumed meanings to translate them into both ancient and common tongues.
Soon, the imagery embedded within the characters came to him first, followed by their pronunciation, and finally, their meaning became clear.
They contained a powerful, malevolent will.
It was a language even more concise than the ancient tongue. Yet, for some reason, it felt unsettling, sinister.
*A language that should not exist in this world.*
Loan's intuition told him so.
And yet, his curiosity was piqued.
What would happen if he used this language?
Recalling the potential meaning of one word, Loan uttered it aloud to test his hypothesis.
"Aul."
As expected, footprints materialized in midair, and Aul appeared.
It was the first time he had summoned Aul of his own will.
"Aul?"
It was the same sound as always, but now, Loan could finally understand what Aul meant.
Loan chuckled and asked.
"Did you just call me Master?"
"Aul."
The sudden appearance of the strange owl and Loan's bizarre conversation.
Sienna watched, utterly bewildered.
"What is that? That owl."
"His name is Aul... When I was a kid, I bought a stone from a magic shop, and he hatched from it."
"Hatched... from a stone when you were a kid?"
Sienna frowned as she repeated his words, but in truth, Loan was even more stunned than she was.
The Stone of Goetia, the characters in the grimoire, the entity harbored within the Dark Priest.
Just as the connection between the three remained nebulous, he had summoned Aul using a word from that unknown script.
If that was the case, then the identity of this small, cute creature was...
"Aul. Were you a demon?"
"Aul?"
"Uh, a demon is... well. I don't know the details either. I guess you could say they're a race that lives in the demon world. But do you not know, or do you not remember?"
"Aul!"
"So it's a memory issue... Still, if you don't know, how would I? Is your mind a complete blank slate right now, something like that?"
"Aul..."
"I'm not saying you're stupid."
Sienna listened patiently to the conversation between Loan and the owl before finally cutting in.
"Loan. Explain what's going on in a way I can understand."
Loan had nothing to hide from Sienna, so he summarized the key points of the situation.
After hearing the whole story, Sienna said.
"First, we need to go back and learn more about that grimoire. We'll investigate that owl, Aul, as well."
"Aul?"
Aul made an indignant sound and puffed up his body.
The trembling of its crown-shaped feathers looked more adorable than threatening.
"...Does it understand me? What did it say?"
"Aul!"
Sienna asked Aul, then looked back at Loan.
Loan wore a troubled expression as he spoke.
"He says, 'How dare a thing like you act so rudely to my revered Master. You ugly creature.'"
"...It said all that? Are you sure you translated correctly?"
"I just translated what I heard, but for the record, I don't think you're ugly, Senior. Your facial width-to-height ratio is about one to one-point-five, and it's neatly divided into thirds vertically, which is quite easy on the eyes."
"..."
Sienna glanced between Aul and Loan for a moment before whirling around.
She then picked up one of the papers lying on the table.
"This document. It's some kind of directive. Judging by the numbers and symbols at the top, it seems to refer to Le Tell's branches in Olen..."
Sienna, having deftly changed the subject, continued.
"Phrases here like 'quota calculation' and 'early target achievement' suggest that their higher-ups are ordering them to increase the number of ghouls."
"Are you saying there are more Le Tell branches inside the quarantine zone?"
"Yes. We'll need to report the situation to Olen's city hall and make a major move."
"I heard Olen is uncooperative with the Union."
"Uncooperative they may be, but they have an obligation to comply. We have the authority and the right to make them."
Loan quite liked Sienna's dry yet confident response.
It made him think he should warn the rude Aul.
"Aul. The Senior isn't as ugly as you think. And she's someone I respect a great deal, so be careful from now on."
"Aul..."
"Yes, the word 'investigate' might sound scary. But I have a lot of questions about you, and I'm sure you do too. Think of it as us getting to know each other. Don't worry about it too much, and go on back for now."
"Aul."
As Loan finished speaking, Aul walked on the air, left a footprint on the edge of Loan's muffler, and vanished.
Sienna watched until he was gone, let out a small sigh, gathered some of the documents, and headed outside.
Loan collected the remaining papers and followed Sienna, who was already leading the way.
He didn't forget to keep the grimoire levitating and bring it along.
Loan spoke to the trembling vagrants who were looking lost.
"We'll go to the entrance with you."
There was something in Loan's voice that reassured people. It made them want to follow.
Sienna took the lead, guiding the vagrants toward the entrance of the quarantine zone.
Loan brought up the rear, preparing for any unforeseen trouble.
Despite the many injured, their pace was not as slow as he'd expected.
Loan sent his Sheville shards out to their maximum range, then adjusted the flow of Convection to make them orbit in a large circle overhead.
*This is the first time I've levitated so many things at once.*
Twelve sword fragments and the grimoire. And on top of that, the pieces of tongues.
*I don't need to take the tongues to make money, but...*
He was currently on a mission.
To show what he had accomplished on his first mission, he would need proper evidence to go along with Sienna's testimony.
So, first, he collected them from the ghouls he'd exterminated in front of the Le Tell branch. Then, the head and part of the tongue from where the Dark Priest had been. And finally, the ghoul tongues from where he first met the captives.
He then levitated them all, letting them trail behind him like a long tail.
*Even I have to admit, this is incredibly grotesque.*
A sight that gruesome, much like the Sheville shards, could serve as a form of threat or warning.
Thanks to the sharp gleam of the Sheville and the bobbing tongues that followed, their journey was remarkably quiet and peaceful.
The uneventful path was broken midway by a cacophony of thunderous crashes and battle cries.
As Loan moved past the murmuring vagrants, he saw Sienna looking down from a hill.
Loan said.
"He really did gather more companions."
"I told you. He has a strange way of drawing people in. It's different from you."
On the path below the hill they needed to cross, Lucas was at the center of a dozen or so mercenaries fighting ghouls.
The ghouls outnumbered the mercenaries.
In fact, more seemed to be swarming toward them.
"Isn't he attracting the ghouls, too?"
"He might be."
While Loan and Sienna shared a disbelieving chuckle, the situation slowly came under control.
A moment later, Lucas, having cleaved the last two ghouls in half with a wide swing of his claymore, spotted them.
Covered in blood, he waved enthusiastically and shouted.
"Senior! The extermination is proceeding smoothly!"
Sienna let out a deep sigh and started walking down the hill.
Loan waited for the last of their group to descend the hill before following at the very back.
As if taking a short break from sword practice, Lucas jogged toward them, full of energy.
When they met halfway, Sienna spoke.
"What are you working so hard for? Our mission isn't extermination."
"Ah, of course. You're right."
Embarrassed, Lucas scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm not scolding you. Thanks to the ruckus you caused, we were able to conduct our investigation with ease."
"...So, is the investigation finished?"
"Yes. We're heading to Olen's city hall now. You should join us."
The mercenaries with Lucas were disappointed to see him go, but they didn't join the group.
They parted to make way, and Sienna led the vagrants onward.
"Loan!"
His cheerfulness restored, Lucas ran toward the back of the line.
His bright expression was a stark contrast to his sweat- and blood-soaked appearance.
Lucas gave Loan a playful shove and said in a triumphant voice.
"I think I took down about thirty of them. I heard that getting even five in a day is considered a lot."
"Good job."
"What about you?"
"Hmm. About fifty?"
"Huh? Really?"
Instead of answering, Loan tilted his head back.
Only then did Lucas's gaze fall upon the cluster of tongues undulating in the air. With the large head of the Dark Priest among them, it was an exceptionally bizarre sight.
"Ugh. What is that?"
"We're on a mission, aren't we? I figured we'd need proof to have our contributions assessed."
"No, I collected them too. To exchange for money. But do you really have to carry them in such a... disgusting way?"
Lucas trailed off, lifting the edge of his robe slightly.
A blood-red pouch was tied to his waist.
He only just realized the damp pouch had soaked through to his thigh.
"Loan. While you're at it, could you do that with mine, too?"
"Sure."
After Loan's casual reply, Lucas's haul took its place in a long line behind Loan's.
"Thirty-two. To be exact."
"Got it. It's good to be precise."
Loan left a small gap between his collection and Lucas's.
Lucas's expression finally relaxed with relief.
As they neared the quarantine zone's entrance, the number of vagrants traveling with them had dwindled significantly.
By the time they reached the gate, only five or six remained, and they pleaded with Sienna to let them out.
Sienna nodded, reassuring them, and approached the guards at the entrance.
Perhaps the shifts had changed, because she didn't recognize any of the faces from when they had entered.
The guards, their long spears held forward, questioned Sienna in an intimidating voice.
"A mercenary?"
"Open the gate. They're coming out with us."
The two guards who had stepped forward looked at each other and let out simultaneous, disbelieving snorts.
"Your pass?"
Sienna showed them the same pass she had used to enter.
A guard asked.
"But why are you empty-handed? Not hunting any ghouls, just leading people out? This looks suspicious."
It was unclear whether he was making a joke, looking down on the small and seemingly fragile Sienna, or trying to pick a fight for some other reason.
Just as Sienna reached for the toggle fastening her robe.
Loan and Lucas stepped forward from behind her.
Loan said.
"The evidence is right here. Is there a problem?"
The guards' gazes shifted behind Loan, then upward.
The ghoul tongues undulating in the air like a tail, and the large, severed head of the priest, its eyes wide open.
Their eyes widened in unison. Some jaws dropped, while others flinched and stumbled back in shock.
"Ha..."
Sienna, too, finally noticed the tongues floating in the air.
It was undeniable proof that seemed to make force unnecessary, and the added touch of horror made it all the more effective.
Sienna unfastened her robe and said.
"Take me to the mayor. We're from the Union."