It’s possible that those silver horns are high-cla.s.s items and great crafting materials. I’m pretty sure it’d give Eva and Mysty great pleasure if they were metallic. They might also work as presents for Zaga, Bon, and Rubia.
On top of that, the dinosaurs should consist of meat. If it’s meat surpa.s.sing the evil domain cows in taste, it’d also contribute to my mansion’s lunch and dinner. Besides, if I make it a gift for Eva and Dee-san, they might be able to create a special, limited menu out of it.
“Rollo, we’re going to kill that dinosaur pack ―― we might be poking our noses into something we shouldn’t, but we’ll save that carriage.”
“Nyao.”
I finish my words by pulling a cool pose of pointing my arm towards the place where the dinosaur pack makes its way through the plain like a meandering crowd of American Pythons.
“Nnn――” Rollo ignores my posing, jumps off her favorite resting place, and grows mid flight, transforming into her horse lion form.
No matter how often I witness this, she looks really cool. An imposing head close to that of a panther, and a long tail extending from her horse torso.
She mischievously brushes her tail against my face as if telling me, 『Hurry! Get on nya!』. Her fur feels ticklish, but it’s still a dear sensation. She doesn’t extend her tentacles, though.
“…Just a sec. I’ll put this away first.” With those words I store the Tiny Orbital into my item box, and then jump onto Rollo’s back, sitting down on her fluffy, black pelt.
At once Rollo prepares her rein tentacle in front of my eyes. I grab her soft tentacle, and stick the flat part at its tip onto my neck, allowing me to share Rollodeen’s sensations.
“Alright, time for a charge. Let’s imitate Guan Yu!”
“Nyaooooo――”
Rollodeen lifts her thoroughbred-like, long and thick front legs which seem to narrow down towards the hooves. Seemingly having perceived my mental image, she performs a magnificent wheelie.
After showing me her liveliness and drive, she immediately starts to gallop.
『Let’s go!』
With Helme’s cheering in the background, Rollodeen keeps rus.h.i.+ng down the hill at a frightening speed. I summon Baldok into my right hand, extending its tip to the lower right. Immediately following, I feel a hard feedback from its red ax blade. Looking at it, I see how the blade releases crimson sparks as it scratches across the ground.
Given that we’re traveling at a considerable speed, the sparks dance through the air, making it look as if a crimson trail follows the ax blade in its wake.
I adjust the blade’s angle, bringing it up to a horizontal alignment, and s.h.i.+ft my eyes in the direction of the dinosaurs. Using her powerful limbs, Rollo runs down the hill, and then charges across the plain. She’s hurrying towards the carriage and its pursuers, but the carriage looks about to be crushed by the dinosaur running in the lead.
I consider shooting , but Rollodeen acts before I can do anything. She releases dozens of tentacles from all over her body while leaping up, stabbing the dinosaur’s body. Next she retracts her tentacles. Of course the dinosaur gets pulled her way with its body having been pierced by the tentacle bone swords. Its huge frame is rapidly approaching in front of my eyes.
『Hunt』『Play』『Fun』『Meat』
At the same time as Rollodeen’s joy is telepathically pa.s.sed on to me, I active . While bisecting the thick neck of the blood stained dinosaur with the ax blade, we jump over the carriage. A large flush of blood rains down on the carriage’s frame beneath as it gushes out of the cut section. However, I suck up the blood right away.
The carriage is struck by the soil hurled up when Rollo lands, and tumbles over. I don’t know whether it’s evil races or demons riding that carriage, but I hope they’re alright?
“Burning Knights, Helme, come out――” I get off Rollodeen while giving such instructions as I touch the ring on my finger.
『Okay!』
Helme leaps out of my left eye, and starts transforming into a humanoid shape, but halts in the middle of it, leaving her body half liquid. Next she shoots ice pebbles at the dinosaurs’ feet. The dinosaurs. .h.i.t by the pebbles fall over as if being tripped.
“――Rollo, make sure to not break the silver horns. You can freely feast on the rest of them. I’ll go take a look at the carriage.”
“Nyaoo.”
Having fully finished transforming into her humanoid shape, Helme lands beautifully.
“Hahahahahahahaha! My imagination is bursting forth! I shall aim at those cheeky b.u.t.ts!”
Helme-san sure is beautiful, but those are words of a maniac. She heads towards the left while talking about weird things. Rollo takes the other side.
『Catiza, you’re up』
As a precaution, I also call out to Catiza-finger. The sixth finger on my right hand falls to the ground. Meanwhile the Burning Knights have appeared as well.
“Your Excellencyyy, Zemetas is at your service!”
“Your Excellencyyyyy, Adomos is at your service!”
“You guys guard the perimeter around the carriage. If any dinosaurs come close, draw their attention and kill them.” I order while pointing at the carriage.
“――Leave it to me!”
“――Being a decoy is my strong suit.”
“I shall give them a taste of my .”
“No, it will be my ――”
The Burning Knights start running, obviously competing with each other. However, since the dinosaurs they’re waiting for are going to be systematically slaughtered by Rollodeen and Helme, their turn…
Either way, I think the carriage’s vicinity should be okay with these measures.
“Emissary-samaaa, Catiza is at your service!”
“You really don’t need to imitate them in everything. Join the dinosaur extermination. I leave the rest to you.”
“Okaaay♪” Catiza replies in a carefree manner.
Although she heads to the battlefield while performing cartwheels, her movements are slow. She’s chosen to go to Rollodeen who’s rampaging while spitting her fire left and right. Catiza might get hit by the fire breaths, seeing how slow she is.
“Catiza, don’t try the impossible. Fight from a distance while keeping Rollo in sight.”
“I’ll be fine, Emissary-sama♪”
She’s summoned her bone fish. I suppose she’s going to fight while riding it.
And just as I expected, she energetically travels through the air after mounting the fish. , was it? I’ve never ridden one of those yet. Let’s have her give me a lift some time.
With her b.u.m on the fish’s back, she happily waves a hand around. Then she points the black nails on the fingers of that hand at the head of a dinosaur diagonally below, and extends them. The nail tips keep extending as they draw an arc in the air, stabbing through the three eyeb.a.l.l.s of the dinosaur. Blood gushes out of those eyeb.a.l.l.s.
“Gyaoooo.” Having its eyes stabbed, the dinosaur cries out in pain, and stops moving.
At that point, Rollodeen enters my sight as she dashes while whirling up the soil. Sharp fangs glitter dangerously in her muzzle as she draws upon the injured dinosaur. In the next moment her fangs sink into its throat, and tear out around half of its neck as she runs past.
“Nyaoooon――” Rollodeen points her muzzle upwards and howls like a wolf while devouring the dinosaur’s flesh and gulping down its blood.
To me it sounded like 『One more down nyaaa』.
Her meowing is cute. However, she totally looks like a predator…clad in a terrifyingly intimidating aura.
“Rollo-sama♪ You’re superb~!” Ca-chan cheers on from above.
While praising Rollo, she shoots her nails at one dinosaur after the other. She’s properly sticking to supporting Rollodeen.
Now then, I’m going to head over to the carriage――
As I run over, the hinges of the fallen carriage rattle, and the door opens. Apparently having been built very st.u.r.dy, only the carriage’s surface has slight scratches and cracks, with its wheels still intact.
The ones coming out of the door are a three-eyed woman, and an elderly three-eyed man with a hooked nose. Several bruises are visible on their bodies, apparently an effect of the carriage falling over. However, they don’t seem to bear any conspicuous, external wounds.
“…You okay?”
“Yes. Ah, eh? A two-eye? Besides――” The woman looks around her.
Seeing how the dinosaurs are one-sidedly slaughtered by Rollo and my subordinates, she widens her three eyes in surprise. Still, despite of her three eyes, she’s quite the beauty. She has somewhat wavy, blond hair with the forelocks gently flowing down, hiding her forehead and eyes a bit. The two, long-slit eyes are no different from those of humans. I guess the third eye on her forehead is characteristic of evil races. It has a slightly different shape. Her eyelashes are the second similarity with humans. I think the eyelashes on her third eye are a bit shorter though. Her nose is somewhat lifted, she has a small Adam’s apple, and her lips are small with a charming red color. Her chin is narrow, and although she has several dark moles, it’s rather attractive. I’d label her whole appearance as golden ratio for beauties.
Moreover, the woman’s dress is gorgeous. It’s a silken outfit that’s open at her chest. The skirt beneath her narrow belt, tied tightly enough to make her narrow waistline obvious, has a slit at its front, and a very chic design. She looks like n.o.bility.
The hook-nosed man wears a doublet jacket with a pelt added to the high collar. I suppose both must have fairly high social standings?
“…Please don’t worry. Is anyone seriously injured?”
After bracing her jaw with a jerk, she speaks up while looking at me, “No, there’s no one here beside us. Thank you very much for having rescued us from the dofuadon.”
So those dinosaurs are called dofuadon, huh?
“I just witnessed the chase by chance. It’s wonderful to see that you’re safe and sound.”
“Yes, indeed. This will also save this area. Thanks.” The woman places a hand on her chest, revealing an expression full of relief. Then she flashes a beautiful smile at me.
“Yes, no doubt. You haven’t saved only us, but all the people living in the Arsayban Village. Could you please tell us your name?” The elderly man asks.
It looks like they’ve come from a village called Arsayban. Because his face resembles that of an ogre, he gives me a slightly scary impression.
“…That’s great news. My name is Shuuya.”
“Shuuya-sama…”
“Thank you, Shuuya-sama.”
“Your Excellency, I’m sorry, but would it be fine for us to also join the extermination of the big monsters over there?” Zemetas asks me humbly.
“Hiii.”
“S-Skeleton…”
The evil races become scared after noticing the Burning Knights. Well, it makes sense. The Burning Knights are no more than skeletons with empty eye sockets.
Still, the servants in my mansion haven’t been particularly disturbed even after seeing the Burning Knights on the courtyard…
Well, their employer is me, and since they’re wors.h.i.+ping Helme, they probably see no reason to kick up a fuss over nothing. They might have unexpectedly taken lessons at their school for dealing with strange masters.
“…I don’t mind. Go and have some fun. While at it, make sure to collect all the magic stones, meat and horns for me.”
“Yes, Your Excellency, please leave it to us.”
Steamy smoke wafts out of the knights’ chests, as if to indicate their consent. I watch how they head over to Helme with puff-puff smoke rising from their backs. That smoke totally looks like a cloak.
Meanwhile Helme has been creating several sharp ice spears, shooting them at the dinosaurs in succession while floating in the air.
I look back at the two evil races, “…Please excuse me for startling you. They’re my reliable subordinate, so do not fret.”
“Okay. They seem to be courageous…are you possibly a chosen apostle of Evil G.o.d Shadow-sama, or someone like an Evil Domain Monk-sama…?”
An apostle or evil domain monk…I guess it’s only natural for her to mistake me for one of them if I exhibit such combat forces.
“No, I’m neither.”
“Is that so? Do you belong to the special forces operating in Mubilque’s Forest then?”
“No. As you can see, I have two eyes. I’m of a different race. Ah, but I’m not a demon.” I point at my forehead, stressing that I don’t have any eyes there.
“I know. Demons would have…never rescued us after all.”
“…Let’s head over to 【Ishytes Hill】 then, Towa. For the sake of everyone…”
“Got it, Dawk. Let’s go. Shuuya-sama, once again, thank you very much.”
“Farewell, Two-Eyed Hero Shuuya-sama.” The man called Dawk refers to me as a hero.
“Okay, goodbye…”
So the ruins, where we had been a while ago, are called 【Ishytes Hill】, eh?
Towa and Dawk walk towards that place in a hurry. Maybe one of them is a sacrifice?
The words naturally leave my mouth, targeting their backs as they’re hurrying away from me, “――Excuse me, please wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“What might be the matter?”
I run up to them. …It’s kinda difficult to ask, but I guess I’ll simply be honest here.
“…Umm, I was wondering, are you heading there to become sacrifices?”
“Of course.”
Both look as if it’s common sense to sacrifice one’s life. I guess it’s only reasonable for them to sacrifice someone for the sake of their land. But, somewhere deep inside them they should have the wish to keep on living…
“The white mist is soon going to be upon us. Bye.”
Towa and Dawk nod at each other, and leave me.
Okay…my small feeling of justice got triggered there. Even though I know that I’m poking my nose into someone else’s affairs, I’d like to do what I can.
Leaving my comrades behind, who are in the middle of gathering the loot after killing the dinosaurs, I chase after Towa and Dawk.
“――If the white mist is suppressed, you won’t need to make any sacrifices, yes?” I throw the question at their backs.
“That’s…”
“Shuuya-sama, can you suppress the white mist without a sacrifice? Even Shadow-sama couldn’t do anything about it…”
“To be honest, I don’t know if I can, but I’d like to at least try.”
I have no idea how to go about it…so I’ll think about it starting now. …If it fails after I do what I can, so be it.
“Dawk?” Towa turns a confused look at Dawk.
In response, Dawk nods at her with a grim expression. After making sure again that all dinosaurs have been defeated, he looks straight into my eyes. “Shuuya-sama, could you please give it a try?”
“Is that okay, Dawk? The Ceremony of Departure has been performed at Arsayban…”
“Towa…as you’re well aware, the ceremony of Ishytes’ Hill is a sacred ritual that has been carried out for a long time to protect our land. However, if there’s a possibility to achieve the same without any sacrifices… I’d like to bet on Shuuya-sama’s strength. If he fails, we just need to do the ceremony. If not…”
Listening to Dawk-san, a mix of surprise and happiness appears on Towa’s face, “…If not, I will be saved…?”
She looks my way, clinging to hope.
“I’m sorry for waking unfounded hope, but I honestly can’t tell you how it will turn out.”
“No, that’s more than enough. If there’s even the smallest sliver of hope…”
“Indeed. On top of having saved us, you’re even challenging the white mist calamity plaguing this land…moreover, all for the sake of people who are strangers to you…”
Towa and Dawk start to sob.
“…Please don’t cry. I’m heading over to the hill, so please wait here.”
“Very well.”
“Okay…”
I whistle, “Helme, Rollo, leave the magic stone collection to Catiza and the Burning Knights, and come here!”
Hearing my voice and whistling, Rollodeen, who has been in the middle of collecting the magic stones, perks up her ears, and after throwing the magic stones against the Burning Knights, blowing them away in the process, rushes over to me. Helme also heads this way, flying into the sky and deploying an ice ring around herself.
“Nn, nyao.”
I jump on Rollodeen’s back.
“Your Excellency, I’ll come into your eye right away――,” says Helme, liquefying in the air, and spiraling into my left eye.
“Oohh.”
“Oh my…this is possibly…”
“Yes…”
Towa and Dawk are astonished, witnessing the spectacle of Helme entering my eye. After flas.h.i.+ng a smile at Towa, I lightly tap the flanks of Rollodeen with my feet.
Rollodeen immediately starts to run towards Ishytes’ Hill. Without heading directly for the white mist, I’ll first talk with gem-san enshrined in the hill.
Jumping off Rollodeen, I place my palm on the rough white stone placed between the sculptures. At once my mana is sucked into the stone, and the hole opens up in the same way as before.
“Rollo, let’s go.”
“Nya.”
As soon as Rollo gets on my shoulder, I quickly rush into the hole. While running down the tunnel, I extend downwards. After the chain’s tip buries itself into the underground s.p.a.ce, I reel it in, carrying my body downwards in one go. Shortly thereafter, I land at the bottom, propping myself up with one knee on the ground.
The chain’s tip, which had been stabbed into the ground, settles into its Factor Mark with movements reminiscent of a snake’s winding. Rollo hasn’t fallen off my shoulder as she had twined a tentacle around my neck.
I stand up, and dash towards the white gem floating above the magic crest in the middle.
“――What, thee have come back again!? Just give it a rest with breaking through the barrier over and over again, will thee!?”
“Sorry. But, there’s something I’m curious about, and thus I have a question for you, gem-san, who says that he’s suppressing the white mist.”
“I’m not a gem! I have a wonderful name, granted to me by my supreme creator.”
Creator?
“Excuse my ignorance, but who do you mean with creator?”
“It’s the G.o.ddess of Chaos Libas Arua-sama. This is the proof noted down in the Apocrypha.” With those words, gem-san expands his own body, turning into a round magic crest shape in front of me.
I feel like it’s partly similar to ancient magic, but it’s a hexagram magic crest with small cuneiform writings at the circle’s edge which I’ve never seen before.
“That means your name, as one created by Libas Arua-sama, is Ishytes-sama?”
“…Hoh, aren’t thee rather quick on the uptake? Correct. I’m Ishytes the Clay. I’m also the golem who defeated one of Dezra’s G.o.ds during the Great Illusionary Magic War in the past.”
The golem, Ishytes the Clay, transforms his shape away from being a magic crest. Returning to being a white gem, he creates a mouth shaped like a sausage snapped in two. And then he further transforms it into something like a brash mouth, exceeding a Frankfurter.
『…A golem with an awareness is a surprise』, Helme comments while visualizing her surprise with a pose she’s never shown before.
Not bad…unconsciously…I’m drawn to her posing…
“…Very well. Why do you have the duty to suppress the white mist in this place, Ishytes-sama?”
“It’s a story from long ago…it begins with me being defeated during the Great Illusionary Magic War where Libas Arua-sama had fought to save a corrupted visitor. Once I, who was her familiar, noticed that I had been hurled to another dimension, I found myself within this barrier. And then I sucked the white mist drifting around me into my body…I naturally changed into my current color, and became unable to move. A while after that, three-eyed visitors started to beg me to save their land, offering their young to me. Each time I absorbed their lives, I gained the power to absorb the white mist. This process has been repeating itself for an eternity now. It’s become my duty.”
So he originally served a G.o.ddess and got destroyed during battle on another world?
“I see. That’s an extraordinary story. Either way, I’m planning to physically suppress that white mist, but where’s the source of the white mist?”
“I only know that it’s on the left side from here. I only suck up the white mist coming close to me.”
Okay, so it’s no good unless I face it directly, huh? Lastly…
“…Ishytes-sama, why did you hate me trying to touch you?”
“It’s because I don’t want anyone besides Arua-sama to touch me!”
“Hee.”
“That’s why, don’t come any closer, and don’t touch me, got it?”
“Hmm, I wonder, what I should do?” After focusing on revealing a grin, I approach Ishytes by several steps.
“…I-I got it, visitor. I’m sorry. I shall teach thee everything I know from having sucked up the mist.”
Ishytes is clearly agitated. I really wanna touch him, but I’ll endure. For a change, Rollo also stays obedient, not extending her tentacles. Since she’s completely fixated on that Frankfurter mouth, she might be thinking, 『I want to eat that nya』, though.
“…So, what do you know, Ishytes-sama?”
“…The white mist pollutes the land, but it’s originally strong mana.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes…”
I wonder whether it’d be smart to ask him to talk once more about the white mist while threatening him with a touch, but…for the time being I wrap up the conversation, and head outside the ruin.
Then I join up with Towa and Dawk waiting at the foot of the hill. They have been speaking with Catiza and the Burning Knights who gathered all the magic stones and materials. While telling them what I heard from Ishytes, I retrieve the large magic stones, silver horns, nails, bones, and meat. Then I let the Burning Knights, who are riddled with injuries, return to the spirit world, and have Catiza return to being a finger.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Shuuya-sama! Good luck!”
I nod at Towa. Steering Rollodeen, I have her head to the white mist located on the hill’s left side. Now that I have a beauty cheering me on, I must do my utmost.
◇◇◇◇
I draw close to the white mist in front of me. Just for caution’s sake, I’ve made Rollodeen stop.
“Rollo, I don’t know what’s awaiting me, so you stay here and wait.”
“…Nyaa.”
It’s cute how she dents in her ears.
“Don’t look so disappointed…” I kiss Rollo’s angular head.
She answers with a loud purring.
“It’s just a precautionary measure. I’ll be right back.” I immediately turn around, facing the white mist.
I guess I’ll first try putting my arm into that mist. Let’s try to get a read on how it feels.
Nothing…I just feel mana from the mist. There’s also no sign of me having become unable to move. Next I test thrusting my face into the mist, and breathing it in.
It’s a sensation like absorbing mana. There’s no particular side effect. It might be because I have a Lucival’s body, but…
I try absorbing the mist, resulting in the mist around me thinning a bit. No side effects from increasing the mana either.
I enter with my whole body covered in the blood chain armor, but it seems to be alright as well. Thus I put on the Gatrance Form, and step inside the mist.
…I don’t really feel like choking or anything, but I feel like the air has become heavier. My visual field is pure white… When I try looking with Magic Observation, I fully understand that the mist is stuffed with mana. I can also clearly see the mana’s streaming direction. If I follow those streams, I should be able to find the source of this mist.
Each time I breathe, I absorb the white mist into my body. …It might be a natural mana recovery zone. My body hasn’t become immobile like Ishytes. I secure my sight by activating the Kaleidoscope.
I think Rollodeen might be fine as well, but…well, I don’t know what I’ll find here. It might be better to not let Helme out either. Following the mana streams, I head towards the mist’s source.
Then I happen upon a hole. It’s a crack in the ground. The white mist is vigorously gus.h.i.+ng out from there, just as it happens with hot water at the bottom of the ocean. It’s not like deuterium or hydrogen sulfide is escaping here. It’s just white mist.
『…Your Excellency, a.s.suming this is the source, how are you going to stop it? Ah, should I try to dive in while absorbing the mist? If it’s mana, it could be delicious. Looking closely…the hole resembles a b.u.t.thole, fufu』
“b.u.t.t? Hahaha!”
She made me laugh. Come on…
『…I’ve considered your option or my sage art for a bit, but…I’ll try out something else』
『Something else?』
『Just watch me』
I check my item box.
Permeated Drops of the Sacred Flower x 2
Magic Spear Gudorl x 1
Hueprinopas x 1
Lightning-styled La Doola x 1
Sel Viper x 1
Mad Swords of Lanwen x 1
Crossbreed of the Demon King Seed x 1
Golgonshura’s Key x 1
Granad Level Crystal x 1
Lute of Justice x 1
Tofinger’s Crying Axes x 1
The one I choose from among these is… the Crossbreed of the Demon King Seed.