Formidable Foe
Formidable Foe
Countless shop stalls lined the street in neat rows.
A bustling crowd of beastfolk and other races milled about.
Ian had immersed himself fully in the festival.
The novelty of a fantasy-world celebration certainly played its part—but there was another reason for his enthusiasm.
He needed to tail someone without being noticed.
Every time his mark glanced back, Ian veered toward a nearby stall. This time, a hat vendor.
"One rabbit-ear hat, please. Beastfolk size."
"Here you go!"
Hat in hand, Ian approached Danya, who stood there in a daze.
She was unusually subdued today. The prickly, sullen Danya he was used to had vanished. In her place was a cat drained of energy after playing too hard—vacant and limp.
Without a word, Ian set the rabbit-ear hat on her head.
"What's this... meow?"
Danya cocked her head and touched the hat.
The rabbit ears flopped under her fingers.
A chuckle escaped him.
"Mm. It suits you."
"Hmpf!"
Danya ducked her head low.
Still out of energy, apparently.
Ian kept his eyes fixed ahead, weaving between the stalls. A hot dog caught his attention—it looked appetizing.
"Danya. Try this."
"Hm?"
Before she could react, he popped it straight into her mouth.
"Mmph... nom. nom."
She ate it right up without complaint. The rabbit ears bobbed with every chew.
The sight tugged a satisfied smile onto Ian's lips.
So this is why people keep pets.
He looked at the hat again. Definitely a good purchase.
'With that covering her ears, it should dampen the noise a bit.'
A massive explosion was about to throw the festival into chaos.
Sure, beastfolk in combat could regulate their auditory sensitivity—but a sudden blast while off guard was genuinely dangerous.
In the distance, a man walked along, glancing furtively around him. It was Yulan Altisichi. They'd been in the same group for a class once.
'About time that bastard made his move.'
When Yulan looked back, Ian averted his gaze by buying a sugar-coated fruit. He delivered it directly into Danya's mouth.
"Ian... I think I'm full..."
"Eat up and grow big and strong."
"Mmph... hey! I'm already fully grown! Nom!"
"Sure, sure. You'll need the energy later."
"Energy? Mm...?"
They walked a while longer.
A tug at his sleeve—and then a colossal explosion swallowed the festival.
BOOM—!
The detonation that signaled the start of the assassination event.
The roar was so immense it froze the surroundings for a heartbeat.
Then, like a contagion, screams erupted from the direction of the blast.
— KYAAAAAA!
People fled in a shrieking wave.
Ian seized Danya's hand.
He absolutely needed her help for this incident. If the panicked crowd swept them apart, things would get complicated.
Danya gripped him back, her fingers tightening around his. She felt the warmth of his hand enveloping hers—and then she snapped back to alertness.
"Ian, why are we running toward the explosion?"
"You know Princess Asteria?"
"We're in the same class, so—"
"She's in danger right now. We're going to save her."
Danya asked no more questions. She simply squeezed his hand in silence.
"Thanks."
"We're comrades."
BOOM—! BOOM—!
Explosions rang out in rapid succession, like artillery shells hitting the ground. Smoke billowed thickly into the sky. To any onlooker, it looked like a full-scale war had broken out.
It seemed devastatingly serious—but in truth, it wasn't.
If events were progressing as the original story dictated, there would be no civilian deaths. At worst, some people would be trampled in the chaos and sustain injuries. The explosions and smoke were merely distractions—stagecraft the Blood Rock Sect had set up for the assassination.
Ian gave Danya a brief rundown of the plan.
Their target was Yulan Altisichi. He was a Blood Rock Sect member and almost certainly the ringleader behind this incident. Ian also laid out the strategy for dealing with him and his underlings.
Danya grasped the situation instantly and began tracking Yulan using her beastfolk senses.
"... He went into that alley up ahead."
The real chase had begun.
◆
Unlike the festival's lively main streets, the back alleys were dark and narrow. A stale stench hung in the air, and stagnant puddles dotted the ground.
Danya navigated so skillfully that Ian—had he been alone—would never have managed to stay on Yulan's trail.
"Voices coming from around that corner, meow."
Ian stopped behind her and listened carefully.
— "Do you even know who this person is?!"
— "The Third Princess, Asteria?"
— "And you still dare! Don't think you'll walk away from this!"
Ian cautiously peered around the wall.
Thick smoke hung in the air. As it began to clear, the scene came into view.
Princess Asteria lay collapsed on the ground. At her side stood a guard with short dark hair, gripping a dagger—but her condition was poor too, likely the result of a trap.
Opposing them were Yulan Altisichi and three Blood Rock Sect members who appeared to be his underlings.
Yulan addressed the dark-haired guard.
"You're putting me in a difficult position. The way you talk makes it sound as if we lack powerful backers. Haha."
"As if scum like the Blood Rock Sect could have any backing—!"
"Oh my. Ahaha. It hurts to be dismissed so casually. Everything we're doing here? We have permission, you know."
"What? Don't tell me—!"
"Any further questions would be... awkward for you."
Yulan flashed that signature insufferable smirk of his.
"At any rate, Karen."
The dark-haired guard flinched.
"How do you know my name...?!"
"Money is something we can offer in far greater quantities. What do you say? Care to switch sides?"
"My house never betrays a client!"
"Well, then. Nothing to be done."
Yulan's lips curled upward—and in the same instant, the red-haired cultist behind him launched forward at a speed almost impossible for the eye to follow.
— WHAM!
Karen, the princess's guard, collapsed.
The red-haired Bloodman bore only a faint scratch on his face. He licked the blood that had splattered onto his cheek.
'I have no choice but to intervene.'
Ian finished his rapid assessment of the situation.
That red-haired Bloodman was strong enough to cut down the princess's guard in a single blow. But Yulan was unequivocally stronger still.
'I'll need to make them start draining the princess's blood.'
Blood Rock cultists couldn't move while absorbing life force. He would have to exploit that window to deal with the rest.
"So it really was you, Yulan."
"What... Ian Blackangus?"
Yulan's eyes widened.
"What brings you here? I was certain you were out on a date. If you got lost looking for a hotel, there's a charming one back that way. They have a wide variety of equipment available."
"Oh. Really? Thanks. These alleys are a maze."
"Though I must say, a taste for beast-girl lolis—you're something else."
"Who's a loli?!"
Danya erupted.
Both Ian and Yulan ignored her.
"But that's Asteria over there, isn't it?"
At Ian's remark, Yulan smiled.
"I'll do you a special favor. Pretend you saw nothing and walk away."
"That seems unlikely. A princess reduced to a Blood Rock sacrificial offering. What a waste."
"Hahaha! So you knew all along?"
"You've been awfully blatant about it."
"Heh heh. Ian. Ian Blackangus."
Yulan's smirk dropped in an instant. His face was blank—but murderous intent carved itself into every line of it.
"You piss me off."
His voice came out cold.
"Back at the dormitory, too. When Sharon, that lunatic bitch, was running her mouth without knowing her place—you were there, lurking. That's when I knew something was off. No matter how much of a pervert you are, there was no reason for you to be in the women's dorm at that hour."
Thud. Thud.
Yulan walked toward the princess.
"The only reason you're still alive is because 'that person' wants you. Know your place. You piece of trash."
Whirr—
A translucent barrier materialized around Yulan Altisichi. His signature skill: the Protective Barrier. Its elementless nature made it a perfect, impenetrable shield—immune to any elemental advantage.
The weakness Blood Rock cultists developed while draining life force—this skill completely negated it.
He wrapped an arm around the princess's waist and lifted her.
"And more importantly—there's no reason this person would matter to you. Set aside your misguided heroics and be on your way. Forget everything you saw here today. My subordinates will help you forget."
His revolting smile returned.
Pressing his mouth to the princess's throat, he murmured,
"Kill the girl. Subdue the man if possible. If he resists..."
Shunk.
A sickening sound accompanied the blood trickling from the princess's neck.
"I'm sure 'that person' will forgive the loss of an arm or two."
The two Blackened cultists and the Bloodman bowed their heads toward Yulan.
"Stay back, Danya."
Ian's murmur came as he transformed the Lunar Staff at his hip. The weapon unfurled into its shield configuration. Blood sprayed across its surface.
— SHIEEEEK!
"Too slow, you fuck."
This was a classic Blood Rock ambush pattern—using their own blood to launch a sudden strike. Ian had anticipated it completely.
One of the Blackened cultists who had closed in for the ambush froze up.
CRAAASH—!
Ian's fist, encased in Lunar, caved in the cultist's skull.
Th-thump. Th-thump. Ian's heart shifted into its combat rhythm, pounding faster.
No time to breathe—a spear came hurtling toward him. The other Blackened cultist.
Ian deflected it with his reinforced arm, slipping past.
FWSSSSH—!
An arrow of plant-element mana shot from behind him and pierced the man's forehead. But that alone wouldn't finish the job.
Ian closed the distance, seized the cultist by the throat, and spoke.
"Dishwashing."
— SHIEEEEK!
A body that, by all logic, should have withered away long ago. The neck, purified and drained of life, dropped clean off.
Two Blackened Blood Rock cultists eliminated in an instant.
"... Hoh."
The red-haired man regarded Ian with amusement. While his comrades had been attacking Ian, there had been openings—clear windows where Ian was defenseless. If the Bloodman had struck then, Ian wouldn't have been able to block it.
Yet he had simply stood back and watched.
"... You seem like you might put up a decent fight."
Ian stared back at the Bloodman. The crimson hair, the blood-filled eyes—those were signs of Bloodfication. Among the literal might-makes-right hierarchy of the Blood Rock Sect, the man had clearly reached an exalted level of mastery.
The Bloodman slowly raised his sword. The blade was as red as his hair.
'A demon sword?'
He pressed his wrist against the edge.
The blade drank greedily. Grotesque veins bulged across the steel.
"You said an arm was acceptable. Allow me to collect it as my blade's meal."
His form shot toward Ian.