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 114: The People of the Underground

Episode 114: The People of the Underground

When I showed the upper half of the “Colossus”, the green-haired man reacted immediately.  

Not wanting to continue the conversation about undoing my transformation, I decided to press forward.  

“You recognize it, don’t you? The ‘Colossus’. Could you tell me what it is?”  

“…Let’s move to a different location. Command: March.”  

He gave instructions to the Golems and began moving somewhere.  

Whether it was because he trusted me somewhat or just didn’t have the luxury to be cautious, he turned his back to me.  

Though, he still held his sword in his hand, and a few of the Golems were assigned to guard Fisu, so it wasn’t like he trusted me completely.  

With a bit of tension in the air, we moved along the walls.  

We passed stone buildings and fields, arriving in front of a facility about the size of three average houses.  

“What is this place?”  

“It’s the barracks of the Sentinels. But our destination is next door.”  

The man, who had introduced himself as Xanthos along the way, gestured with his eyes toward a vast open space resembling a schoolyard.  

It was surrounded by fences with evenly spaced pillars. The ground was leveled sand, and rows of armed humans were lined up.  

“Ah, Captain of the Sentinels, these are the individuals mentioned in the report…”  

“Yes, Fisu-dono and Katsu-dono. Though he appears in this form, Katsu-dono is not a beast.”  

“That’s right. Due to certain conditions of the magic, I can’t return to my original form for a while, but you don’t need to worry—I won’t attack you.”  

I said this as calmly as possible to put them at ease.  

However, it seemed their tension didn’t ease at all.  

Then, something occurred to me, so I asked.  

“…Hmm? When did you even send that report? There wasn’t exactly time for that, was there?”  

“Indeed.”  

“…So, it’s true that surface dwellers haven’t fully developed Mana Crystal technology.”  

Nodding with understanding, Xanthos tapped his gauntlet.  

Embedded in the back of his hand was a deep red crystal, surrounded by patterns that resembled electronic circuits.  

“The gauntlets of the Sentinels are artifacts. They allow us to send thoughts to receivers by manipulating |Mana|.”  

“Artifacts?”  

“They are tools made from ‘magic-sealing stones’.”  

“Interesting.”  

Fisu nodded, though it was clear she didn’t fully understand.  

In this country, they refer to Mana Crystals as “magic-sealing stones,” so the meaning didn’t quite register with her.  

I quietly used [Communication] to explain the subtle difference in terms to her. This [Skill] allows me to limit who hears the transmission.  

“(That artifact seems pretty useful. It can do the same thing as [Communication], right?)”  

I didn’t know its range, but it seemed like an impressive item.  

Though Xanthos didn’t say it outright, he must have been sending information to his allies during our fight.  

He had challenged me solo to gather information on the unknown beast he thought I was, passing it on to his comrades so they could develop countermeasures.  

If I had been just another monster, they likely would have exposed my tricks and prepared a squad to deal with me afterward.  

“Does that conclude my explanation? Next—”  

“Oooooh! You must be the visitors from the surface! Yes, yes, how fascinating, fascinating indeed! I’ve never seen magic like this before!”  

Xanthos’ words were cut off by a sudden outburst, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.  

A man, older with streaks of white in his hair, appeared. Despite his age, he moved with energetic strides, quickly approaching and inspecting me.  

“Oh, fascinating, fascinating! I heard you could change your shape at will, but it seems you’re also resistant to external pressure. And your color—translucent blue, like lapis lazuli. Hmm… I wonder if you’re made of magical minerals or some kind of magically created pseudo-material. I’m quite curious about your composition—”  

“Uh… Who are you, exactly?”  

“Oh, my apologies! I am Tanasis, pleased to make your acquaintance.”  

“That doesn’t explain much. Katsu-dono, he’s a scholar. He passed the difficult exams to join the Tower of Sages. I thought he’d be well-suited to help us exchange information, so I summoned him.”  

I didn’t quite get what this “Tower of Sages” is, but I understood the gist. Basically, they’re trying to say that Tanasis is really smart.  

I didn’t want to interrupt the conversation, so I let it go for now. Besides, there was something else that couldn’t be ignored.  

“I get it, I get it about you, Tanasis-san… But can you move away now?”  

“Oh, my apologies again. Just ten more seconds and I’ll be done.”  

Even while Xanthos was talking about him, Tanasis had pulled out a magnifying glass-like tool from somewhere and continued his inspection.  

Thirty seconds after I asked him to move, Xanthos had to pull him away. Though Tanasis still looked reluctant to leave.  

“You should show more restraint at your age.”  

“No, no, you misunderstand, ‘Soaring Sword’.I haven’t changed my ways all these years, so I won’t be changing now!”  

Tanasis responded without a hint of guilt, then plopped down on a round stool in the corner of the square. Fisu had been seated for about a minute already.  

Since there wasn’t a chair for me, I just sat on the ground.  

For the record, I had dispelled the imitation of forest chains before arriving here. Walking around with that thing would leave holes in the ground, and swinging it around might make them more wary of me.  

With everyone seated and ready to talk, I decided to ask something that had been on my mind.  

After letting him touch me so much, he should at least answer one question, right?  

“Hey, Tanasis-san, aren’t you afraid of me? The other soldiers… uh, Sentinels? They still seem pretty tense.”  

“Heh heh heh, even if you don’t look human, we can still have a conversation. What’s there to fear? Besides, the kingdom’s strongest Sentinel, Xanthos, the ‘Soaring Sword’, is here. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”  

“…Just so you know, at that distance, I wouldn’t have been able to protect you if something happened.”  

“…Uh…”  

Xanthos said this in an especially cold voice, and Tanasis quietly averted his gaze.  

Then, in a complete shift of tone, Tanasis brought up the main topic.  

“Ahem, let’s set aside such trivial matters. Could you show me the pseudo-magical construct part that you have, Katsu-dono?”  

“Sure, no problem.”  

I pulled out the requested material from my [Weapon Storage].  

As the massive upper body suddenly appeared, the people in the square gasped in surprise.  

Of course, the one who reacted the most was, unsurprisingly, Tanasis.  

“Ooooohhh!! Golden armor! A dragon-shaped head! It’s exactly as described in the ancient texts! There’s no doubt—this is the very same Sovereign Tier pseudo-magical construct, our lost guardian god from a thousand years ago!!”  

With a shriek of excitement, Tanasis leapt onto the “Colossus”.  

At that moment, I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe I didn’t need to bother sitting down after all.”  

(Note. You’re a Slime, you can’t even sit (≖_≖ ) )