Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 80: Fisu Mogusaru

Episode 80: Fisu Mogusaru

A white-haired girl stared in amazement, looking around.

It seemed she was trying to figure out where my [Communication] was coming from.

“Right in front of you, right in front of you. The light blue blob is me.”

“…Huh?”

I stretched and contracted my body to make my presence more noticeable. She turned to look at me with a sleepy expression.

However, this time her head tilted in confusion.

“Who are you…?”

“Well, I mean… I’m Katsu. Just an ordinary Sli—human.”

I hurriedly rephrased.

It seemed she didn’t know about Slimes. 

If I admitted to being a magical beast, she would probably be scared. And I wouldn’t have to worry about her forming an extermination team after returning to a human town. 

Though it seems there are rarely people who try to defeat Sovereign Beasts.

“You don’t look human at all, though…”

“That’s just the power of magic.”

“So, what about the voice I’ve been hearing in my head?”

“Ah, that’s magic too.”

“…For magic, it doesn’t feel like there’s much |Mana|—”

“That’s [Concealment]! It’s a [Skill] to hide from other magical beasts!”

I conveyed my thoughts strongly.

If I continued this line of questioning, I might slip up. I should change the topic.

“Anyway! Does your body hurt? I tried to catch you as gently as possible, but my body is hard, so are there any bruises or anything?”

“I’m fine with that. Nothing hurts.”

The girl replied, moving her hands up and down. Her expression showed no signs of pain.

She doesn’t change her expression much, so I can’t be certain. But it doesn’t seem like she’s just putting on a brave face.

“…Changing the topic, if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me how you got caught in the collapse?”

The |Mana| I sensed from her didn’t seem to be at a level that would be active in a Sovereign Beast Region.

Though my curiosity was half the reason, I wanted to understand the situation for future reference.

“…Yeah, I’ll tell you. I want someone to know in case something happens to me. By the way, do you know about the Demon Cult?”

“…No, I don’t.”

After a moment of thought, I replied that I didn’t know.

Asking if I knew about it meant that the Demon Cult must not be common knowledge.

“The Demon Cult is a group that worships magical beasts. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t know much about it either.”

“Hmm, I see.”

I nodded and thought that maybe I could get along with them. Even though I’m not one to be worshiped, it would be better if we could get along.

“I was almost killed by someone from the Demon Cult. I couldn’t turn back because I got caught in a Metal Ant’s nest.”

“…Seriously?”

Attempting murder is a serious business.

However, there’s something that worries me about the current story.

“So, did the magical beast from the Demon Cult that was chasing you also get caught in the collapse?”

“No, that’s not it. The beast chasing me was a magical beast controlled by a man from the Demon Cult.”

“Controlled…?”

They worship magical beasts but also control them… or is it because they worship them?

I remember Ergo saying that controlling magical beasts isn’t common in this world.

“Yeah. At first, he didn’t have any beasts with him, but suddenly a magical beast appeared. Moreover, it was a Greater Beast. If it weren’t for the collapse, I would have definitely been caught. So in a way, the collapse was lucky.”

“Well… that’s good then.”

As someone who caused the collapse, I can’t be too happy about it, but if she’s viewing it positively, that’s good.

“(Still, a magical beast appearing out of nowhere…)”

The first thing that crossed my mind was Space Attribute.

With that magic, one could summon magical beasts regardless of distance.

But it seems that Space Attribute is extremely rare, with no precedents. It’s said to be difficult to handle according to the world’s knowledge.

Moreover, separate means would be needed to control beasts.

Thinking of all these possibilities is endless.

I should just keep in mind that they might be a spatial mage.

“Katsu…?”

“Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought. What were we talking about?”

“I want to know which direction to go next. Where are we?”

“Well, I’m also barely managing to escape from the Steel Ant’s nest, so I’m not sure about the exact location. But it should be on the eastern side of the Goronomea Mountain Range.”

Upon hearing this, the girl nodded several times, then exclaimed,

“Eh, isn’t that extremely dangerous!?”

Her tone was completely different from the detached manner she had before; it was much more panicked.

“Do you have a map or anything…?”

“I lost it a little while ago.”

“Do you have the entire terrain from here to the city memorized…?”

“I just got here, so I have no idea.”

“That’s it then…”

The girl hung her head with a look of despair.

“Why… Why is this happening… I was just acting normally…”

She covered her face and started mumbling something.

I was taken aback by the drastic change in her demeanor, but not wanting her to remain in misunderstanding, I activated [Communication].

“There’s no need to worry so much. Even without a map, we should be able to get close to the city by going through the Ant nest.”

“What are you talking about? There are many Metal Ants in there. It’s impossible.”

“No, no, no, just calm down and think. I brought you out this far, didn’t I? No matter how many Steel Ants there are, they’re nothing to worry about.”

I puffed out my chest and stretched my body sideways, as if showing off my muscles.

The fact that I had safely brought her from the depths of the nest to the surface seemed to have a certain persuasive power, as the light returned to the girl’s eyes.

She still looked half in disbelief, but it seemed unlikely she would oppose entering the ant nest now.

Also, it appears that people from this other world call Steel Ants “Metal Ants.”

Since [Communication] and [Understanding Intent] involve nuances, I’ll mentally translate the words I know from now on.

“If I don’t return soon, your parents will worry, right? Let’s hurry, um… what’s your name?”

“…Come to think of it, I didn’t tell you my name. I’m Fisu. Fisu Mogusaru. Nice to meet you.”

And so, my journey with Fisu Mogusaru began.