Don't Worry, Everyone! The Entat Parish Is Safe! (2)

Don't worry, everyone! The Entat Parish is safe! (2)

The Entat Parish is quite a famous place. Its notoriety isn't limited to Eliaque—it's spread across the entire continent. So if you ask someone if they know about the Entat Parish, the natural response is, "Oh, that place where there are more magic beasts than people."

But when you follow up with, "Why are there so many magic beasts?" most people either don't know or just throw out some vague guess. Very few actually understand the root cause.

I was curious about that. Why do magic beasts periodically set their sights on the Entat Parish? Are they simply being pushed out in territorial disputes? Looking for new territory? Or are they acting on someone's orders?

Luckily, about two years ago, I managed to find a clue.

The barrier around the Entat Parish isn't invincible. If it takes enough impact to exceed what it can withstand, it's only natural for it to break. The magic beast that invaded alone two years ago had both the power and intelligence to do exactly that.

What stood out was its high intelligence. The thing could speak human language.

"You pathetic humans! I'll personally devour every last one of you!"

To clarify, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when I say it had high intelligence, I mean high for a magic beast. If it had been as smart as a human, it would've realized the massive gap in strength between us and run away. After all, the beast invaded right when everyone in the Entat Parish—including me—was gathered at the training grounds, and it got subdued without even putting up a real fight.

Since it was the first talking magic beast I'd ever seen, I asked it why it was targeting the Entat Parish.

Of course, it didn't open its mouth easily. I was an idiot. Trying to resolve things through polite conversation was a mistake. For magic beasts, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠good beating is the best medicine. It always has been, and it always will be.

I kept alternating between violence and healing until it was begging for death, and only then did it start spilling everything.

The reason magic beasts invade the Entat Parish was simple.

"The King of Magic Beasts ordered us to."

The mastermind behind centuries of disturbing the peace in the Entat Parish and turning the Holy Front Knights into literal meat shields was the King of Magic Beasts.

And that very King of Magic Beasts, Behemoth, was currently...

begging for its life at my feet.

All that arrogance about maintaining proper etiquette and refusing to make deals with worthless humans had vanished. After getting smacked around a few times, it was groveling like a pathetic little worm.

This is the King of Magic Beasts?

"Alright. If you promise to become a good magic beast, I'll spare you."

"I'll do it! But I don't know what a good magic beast is! Please tell me!"

"A good magic beast is a dead magic beast. Want to die?"

"T-That's not sparing me at all!"

"At all?"

"...sir."

Where does this damn animal get off speaking casually to a human? Did it eat all its manners with its breakfast? Or maybe beasts just don't know any etiquette in the first place.

Its appearance was just as disgusting. An elephant face covered in armor-like hide, long tusks, and even horns sprouting from its head. It didn't look like a natural magic beast—it looked like some artificially created monster.

Was this ridiculous, clownish thing really the King of Magic Beasts?

"Skadi."

"Yes, Master."

Skadi appeared right beside me the moment I called.

"Are you sure you got this right? This thing is seriously the King of Magic Beasts?"

"While it's true that Master is incredibly strong... this one is a special entity."

"Special entity?"

"Behemoth is called the King of Magic Beasts, but it is not actually a magic beast. It's a monster."

Wait, it really was an artificial monster? No wonder the other magic beasts had that evolved, mutated-from-their-original-form vibe. This one just looked like someone threw a bunch of random parts together.

But why was the main theme elephant while everything else was just side ingredients? Suddenly I was in a really bad mood. It reminded me of something that was taken from me a long time ago.

In my irritation, I grabbed Behemoth's long trunk and swung it around. Its massive body slammed into the walls and floor from the sheer force of my strength.

"Guh! Gahk! S-Spare me!"

"How the hell did a monster end up becoming the King of Magic Beasts?"

"It was created specifically to control the magic beasts."

That didn't make any sense. Something made to control magic beasts was using them to invade the Entat Parish?

I stopped slamming it around and asked, "If you're supposed to be controlling the magic beasts, why did you invade the human territory of the Entat Parish?"

"T-That's..."

It wasn't answering right away again? Looks like it hadn't been beaten enough.

I used my holy power to heal Behemoth.

"H-Huh?"

"Doesn't hurt anymore, right?"

"Y-Yes! Are you going to spare me?"

I let go of the trunk I'd been holding and helped it up. I could see hope blooming in its eyes.

That hope? I'm about to turn it into despair.

"Since it doesn't hurt anymore, let's make it hurt again."

"What?"

I started with the legs. Crack! The sound of bones shattering rang out from a single kick.

"GYAAAAAH!!"

Then the arms, then the head.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Spit it out."

"I... I received an order!"

These things are always getting orders. If there's someone giving orders to the King of Magic Beasts, does that make them the Emperor of Magic Beasts?

"From who?"

"T-The Hero, sir!"

"What?"

Is this bastard lying to me...? The savior of humanity ordered an attack on humanity?

"I-It's true! When the Alchemy Hero created me, he set it so that I would only obey the commands of Heroes!"

"Which Hero?"

"That is..."

"If you don't answer quickly, I'll rip off those flapping ears of yours."

"I don't know! I only know that it's a Hero! I only ever saw the Hero's emblem! Please, at least spare my ears!"

...It didn't seem like it was lying. The Alchemy Hero really did make all sorts of crazy things. To think he could create monsters, not just magic tools. Were monsters part of the domain of alchemy?

If Behemoth was telling the truth, then the Heroes who could be behind this were limited to three: the previous generation, the one before that, and the one before that. The Alchemy Hero lived four hundred years ago, and Heroes are chosen on the same hundred-year cycle as Saintesses, so there were only three possibilities.

"Skadi."

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

Dark Elves are a long-lived race. I'd heard their average lifespan was between one thousand and two thousand years. Elves were supposedly similar. With that kind of lifespan, maybe Skadi would have some idea?

"Asking a maiden her age is quite rude... Hup! Could this be the verbal humiliation play I've only ever heard about...! Haa... This is... rather nice in its own way. Haa."

There was a time when I thought Cheska was a pervert. But after meeting Skadi, I retracted that statement. Cheska was just someone with very specific tastes. She wasn't a pervert. But what the hell was Skadi's brain even made of?

"...Just tell me if you've ever seen any of the Heroes chosen after the Alchemy Hero."

"Hmm... The Hero from three hundred years ago is dead, and I heard the one from two hundred years ago went missing. He's probably dead by now."

"What about the previous Hero?"

"He's still alive, but he isn't the kind of person who would give an order like this."

"Basis?"

"How should I put it... He's the type who doesn't leave loose ends. Plus, if he did something like this, the previous Saintess—his wife—would beat him to death."

"Huh? What kind of basis is that?"

The part about not leaving loose ends made sense. There was no reason to give orders to a monster that could serve as both evidence and testimony.

"It is a valid basis. The previous Saintess is the current Pope."

It shouldn't make sense, but somehow it does. Weird. Anyway, our Pope has quite the tough personality. I like it. If I went to her and said, "Pope, I don't want to be a Saintess candidate!" wouldn't she just coolly strip me of the qualification, saying something like, "We can't force someone who doesn't want to do it!"?

"What if there was a Hero who fell to corruption four hundred years ago and is still alive?"

"Hmm... According to records, there were about three Heroes who fell to corruption... All three are dead. One was killed by the Demon King, and the other two by subsequent Heroes."

"Does this bastard seem to be telling the truth?"

"It should be. I saw it being held in the Alchemy Hero's arms when it was just a pup."

Doesn't that mean you've been alive for over four hundred years?

"Hup...! No way! That was a leading question...! To strike at my weakness while I was off guard! I admit defeat. Please give me my punishment...!"

For the record, to Skadi, punishment equals reward. Like hell I'm giving her any. Just ignore her.

"Ah! Neglect play is the punishment this time!"

Oh please. Are all Dark Elves like this? I'm starting to develop a species-wide prejudice.

"U-Um... Are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you going to spare me?"

Behemoth approached, bowing and scraping.

Hmm... What should I do...? It said it would accept a deal, so maybe I should negotiate? It would probably accept any condition right now.

"Can you control the magic beasts so they never invade human territory again?"

"Uh... I can't do that."

"Then you have to die."

"T-That's right! Kill me! If I die, all the magic beasts will break free from my control and go on a rampage!"

Oh? Look at this bastard trying to call my bluff.

"Go on a rampage?"

"...sir."

"Choose. Die by my hand, or control them."

"How can I control them when I can't?! I can resist the Hero's orders to some extent, but there's a limit! It's not like I want to send them!"

"Want to send them?"

"...sir."

So what the hell am I supposed to do? If I kill it, every magic beast will go berserk at once. If I let it live, things will stay exactly the same as before.

"...There is one method."

"Method?"

"Yes. The Alchemy Hero installed safety mechanisms in all of his creations. To prevent them from being misused."

"How do you know about that, Skadi?"

"Because I was a member of the Alchemy Hero's party?"

Why are you only telling me this now?

"You didn't ask?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Your expression was clearly asking why I was only bringing it up now."

"So what is this safety mechanism?"

"It was mainly installed in golems and monsters like Behemoth. It allows for command reset or changing the command authority."

"Yes! I have it! The safety device!"

Oh? If there was a method like that, you should've said so from the beginning!

"Show me this safety device."

"Yes. Just a moment! Uweeegh!"

Behemoth suddenly started dry heaving.

"Ah. It's not coming out easily. Uwe... uegh..."

After heaving for a while, it stuck its own trunk into its mouth and pulled something out.

"This is the safety device."

The safety device was a regular dodecahedron stone densely engraved with complex patterns.

"You just need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to operate this."

To be honest, I really didn't want to touch it. It was covered in Behemoth's saliva and smelled awful.

Just endure it. This is for the people of the Entat Parish! I have to touch this if I want to run away with a clear conscience!

"But how do I operate this thing?"

"Hmm... It will be difficult for Master. You have to answer questions about things the creator made or designed... The questions are strange and the answers don't make sense."

"What are you talking about?"

"There should be a red button on the safety device. If you press it, you'll understand."

It was true. There was a red button. The moment I pressed it—

A monitor and keyboard appeared.

"..."

The Alchemy Hero. He was definitely someone from Earth—either a confirmed transmigrator or, like me, a reincarnator.

"Greetings, Hero of the next generation. I am the Alchemy Hero. The fact that you are seeing this screen means that a fallen Hero has misused Behemoth."

It even had voice support!

"It's been a while. This is the voice of the Alchemy Hero. He was quite the sleazy guy."

There it was again. 'That man.' The same man who had matched the timing for releasing the blueprints.

Just who the hell was 'that man' that the Alchemy Hero would make this safety device activate three hundred years later exactly as he said?

"It's like this. The other safety devices also ask for the original names of the items he created..."

"That's easy."

"Master?"

The Alchemy Hero. What an interesting guy. 'That man' is interesting too. It's almost like he knew this would happen. That someone would misuse Behemoth, and that someone would come to fix it three hundred years later.

When I input the correct answer, instead of a voice, text appeared.

Hah. Would you look at that?