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 85: The Man from the Demon Cult

Episode 85: The Man from the Demon Cult

I searched for the source of the eerie |Mana| that felt like it was sizing me up. It was coming from the same direction as the voice.

“(A human…?)”

“This is truly the Child of the Apocalypse! The vessel of the Demon God!”

Standing in the eastern sky, the same direction the Red Lizard had flown from, was a man. He was riding on something like a thin, white paper carpet. His clothes were thick, predominantly green, and clearly expensive—highly tailored and intricately designed. Beside his raised arms, which seemed to express pure joy, floated a lavishly decorated book. He had been laughing loudly and unsettlingly for some time, but I tried calling out to him using [Communication].

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re doing, but stop using that magic. It’s making me feel sick.”

“Oh, my! You can use [Communication] as well! How wonderful…!!”

His voice grew even more joyous for some reason. Then, the uncomfortable sensation I had been feeling vanished.

“I sincerely apologize. I have deactivated the [Book Reading] spell. Is this satisfactory?”

“Yeah, that weird feeling is gone.”

I had no idea what kind of magic he was using, but at least now we could talk. Since he came from the same direction as the Red Lizard, he might know why the Lizard was injured in the first place.

“So, listen—”

“Oh! Do you go by the name Fuwa Katsu-sama?!”

“…What the hell kind of magic did you just use?”

I laced my [Communication] with caution. But the man on the paper carpet, completely oblivious to my wariness, looked down at his book and answered cheerfully.

“Yes, it’s an analysis spell. Your species is ‘Weapon Born from the Fire of War’, huh? I’ve never heard of it. The category is unclear as well. I’ll need to consult some documents.”

“(…[Clairvoyance].)”

Ignoring the man, who was getting excited all on his own, I used [Clairvoyance] to look at the pages he was reading. Even with the enhanced vision of a Sovereign Beast, the distance made it hard to see. But there weren’t too many lines written there. If this is the result of his analysis, it seems he hasn’t read through my overly long |Status| entirely.

“So, what do you plan on doing with the information you’ve gathered? You wanna fight right here and now?”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t be so foolish. It appears you, Fuwa Katsu-sama, have hardly exhausted yourself. I’m not yet adequately prepared.”

Well, that made sense. If he’d gathered information, it was only natural to retreat and come up with a plan. Usually, hunting down Sovereign Beasts is something handled by Hero-rank adventurers or groups of nobles forming a party. There’s no way he’d come alone. 

I considered whether to prevent him from escaping but decided against it. I had already defeated two Sovereign Beasts, and I had a good idea where the other two were. If I returned Fisu tomorrow and quickly took down the remaining two, I could leave the mine before any official hunting party was formed. I’d already gathered enough ore, so I wouldn’t have any regrets about leaving early.

“In due time, I will return with thorough preparations to greet you properly. Until then, please take care of yourself. [Paper Storm].”

“Wait, hold on!”

I wanted to tell him to take Fisu with him when he left. But before I could, the man was enveloped in a flurry of paper. A few seconds later, the storm of paper pieces cleared. His figure had disappeared without a trace. 

What a magician’s trick of a spell.

“(…Guess I should head back.)”

I hoisted the Red Lizard’s body onto my back and turned west. It wasn’t safe to leave a normal person alone in such a dangerous area for too long.

“Full speed ahead!”

With eight forest chains, I dashed through the mountain terrain, returning to the area near the entrance to the Ant’s nest. Fisu, who had been peeking out from the edge of the entrance, saw me and ran up.

“No way… is that body… could it be that you defeated the Sovereign Beast?”

She asked in a trembling voice, wide-eyed, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her gaze was fixed on the body of the Red Lizard, still glowing with a faint red light even in death.

“Yeah. I told you, didn’t I? I’m strong.”

“…A person who can defeat a Sovereign Beast all on their own… really exists?”

……Yikes.

“W-well, actually, I… come from a pretty important family. You know, from way up north…”

“…Could it be… the Northern Margrave family?”

“I-I can’t give you all the details, but something like that.”

“I see… But I’m glad… that you’re safe.”

With that, Fisu plopped down onto the ground.

“When I saw the man from the Demon Cult flying in the direction of the battle, I was worried that he might have killed you.”

“Sorry, rushing off like that was reckless… Wait, did you say Demon Cult?”

“Yeah. He flew toward the town earlier. I used [Physical Keen] to enhance my eyesight and confirm. It was the man who tried to kill me.”

…….

“Hey, that Demon Cult guy… was he wearing green clothes?”

“Yeah.”

“Was he flying on something that looked like a paper carpet?”

“Paper…? Now that you mention it, he was riding on something white, like paper.”

“…I see.”

So, the guy I just met was a dangerous member of the Demon Cult.

Now that I think about it, it was pretty strange that he went out of his way to talk to me even after realizing I was a Sovereign Beast. Normally, he would’ve just stayed hidden and analyzed me from afar.

“(But in a way, maybe I got lucky.)”

A weird cult like that probably can’t gather Hero-rank adventurers. And no matter how many cult members they send, I don’t feel like I’d lose to them. It seems like I don’t need to worry about that guy anymore.

“Anyway, I took down the ‘Sea of Flames’, so you can rest easy, Fisu. We have to head back to town tomorrow.”

“I’m… scared.”

“Don’t worry about it. I beat the ‘Sea of Flames’. Even if something else comes, I’ll take care of it.”

“It’s not that… I’m scared of going back to town alone. What if that man targets me again? Please, come with me at least to the guards.”

I couldn’t tell her she was worrying too much. While I didn’t think the guy would be reckless enough to attack in the middle of town, there was no guarantee that he’d act logically. However, I couldn’t get too close to town. Anyone with knowledge could instantly recognize me as a Sovereign Beast. It was best to avoid unnecessarily provoking the humans.

“Sorry, but I can’t accompany you all the way to town. You see, there are certain… noble obligations, or let’s call it entanglements, that make it difficult. I mean, the reason I didn’t even stop by the town before heading into the mountains is because I can’t go near it.”

I somehow squeezed out this half-baked excuse. Fisu seemed to accept it, but she still looked anxious about returning to town. I understood her concern, so I tried to come up with a solution.

“How about this? I’ll train you.”

“Train me…?”

“Yeah. Not regular training, but I’ll lend you a weapon and help you level up. I’m planning on taking down some more Sovereign Beasts anyway. So while I’m at it, I’ll find some suitable monsters for you to fight. If we can get you up to <Level 50>, you should be able to return to town safely.”

“…Can I really do that?”

“Of course. Back home, I taught magic, and one of my students was about that <Level>.”

In truth, Paula’s rapid growth was largely due to the help of her Attribute, but I kept that part to myself. After thinking for a moment, Fisu nodded hesitantly.

“Okay. Then… please.”

“Got it. I’ll whip you into shape.”

With that promise, Fisu fell asleep.