Chapter 84
Son of Anaye (2)
My hand trembled at the recoil I had never felt before. At the sa ti, I felt an incredible sense of impact.
Pushing aside my satisfaction, I examined the Hellhorn Bull. With its tongue hanging out limply, its chest moved faintly.
“It’s alive.”
The exoskeleton around its head had caved in. For a human, it would be a severe injury akin to a depressed skull fracture, yet it was still alive.
“Was Davi~ always this strong?”
“Yeah.”
—Thud.
As the atmosphere suggested it was all over, Canis approached and admired the power that had exceeded expectations.
I answered Canis honestly and swung the club once more. Striking with all my strength, its head was crushed halfway through.
“Do we just cut off the horns?”
“Yeah. Just cut off the head and carry it.”
When I pried its jaws open, Canis reached out. The crystal fragnt ford in her hand slipped into its mouth and began to grow at a frightening rate.
The crystal that tore outward from within eventually severed the head. Unlike the wind magic shown by her reddish-brown twin older brother, it was crude.
“Should we drain the blood?”
“Won’t it get all over you if you carry it? I’m not carrying it~”
“…Didn’t I do all the hunting?”
When I looked at her with a displeased expression, she responded with an annoying smile. Shrugging playfully, Canis snapped her fingers.
A crystal rose from the ground and lifted the severed head. Blood dripped down in thick drops.
“Can we eat the at?”
Since we had finished gathering sooner than expected, I was thinking of taking the exoskeleton as well. It might be a bit much to carry and inconvenient, but it felt like a waste to leave it behind.
Likewise, the at felt a bit too good to pass up. Muscular creatures like this tended to be tough and have a strong odor, but they had a distinctive chew.
“It’s full of poison. Anything in the Poison Swamp is inedible~”
I asked just in case, but Canis shook her head firmly.
“I don’t get poisoned though?”
“Normally, people say you can’t eat things like that~ By that logic, if you had teeth strong enough to chew iron, would iron beco food too?”
I tried to smack the back of Canis’s head as she spoke smugly. The mont I raised my left hand, she quickly darted far back.
Her instincts were annoyingly sharp. Clicking my tongue, I sat on the Hellhorn Bull’s leg. I rested for 10 minutes.
“I’ll go get the honey?”
“Sure. Stay where I can see you.”
anwhile, the still-energetic Canis hurried toward the half-destroyed nest. The remaining Climbing Thorn Bees charged fiercely at her.
I wondered if I should help, but Anger burst out from Canis’s body and began devouring the bees.
—Ueeek!
“Geez.”
Anger, who had been chewing them up, suddenly vomited. Canis quickly retreated in disgust.
Since Anger was there, a few surviving Climbing Thorn Bees were no threat. I quickly lost interest in them and stared intently at the club.
No matter what weapon I had swung, my Adaptive Body had never felt pain. Of course, the only thing I had ever really swung was a military shovel.
“Is there sothing special about it?”
Even when I swung the shovel with full force, at most my gripping hand tingled a little. I nudged the crudely shaped club with my foot.
The recoil was far greater than that of an ordinary weapon. It was a much better weapon than I had expected.
“Don’t you need the flowers?”
“Mm~ There’s no way to find them anyway since they’re all dead~”
I asked Canis, who had returned carrying a generous amount of dark yellow honey, whether she needed anything else. She declined, saying this was enough.
I pointed at the Hellhorn Bull’s corpse. Since I had no blade, I would need Canis’s help to butcher it.
“If I help properly, will you give a little~? Davi seems nice enough to share~”
“Oh, sure.”
Canis ford a crystal dagger and tossed it to . The crystal dagger was compressed so densely that the interior of the translucent crystal was no longer visible.
It felt heavy, similar to a shot put. After throwing and catching it a few tis, I found the balance was a ss, but it was good enough for cutting and tearing for now.
“If you do about twice as well as , I’ll give you the exoskeleton.”
“Okaaay~”
As if my words had motivated her, several crystal daggers floated up around Canis.
The crystal daggers savagely burrowed into the corpse’s interior. Chunks of flesh and bone spilled out in all directions.
“…You’re pretty shaless.”
There was nothing for to help with. The self-moving crystal daggers were dismantling it at trendous speed. If she had an ability like this, she could have shown it much earlier.
Only after I offered compensation did she start working. I couldn’t help but feel indignant. Hearing , Canis grinned as if teasing.
“Sort it out yourself.”
“I’m~ tired though~”
After stabbing the crystal daggers into the ground, she plopped down on the spot. Canis groaned dramatically, asking for help, but I didn’t move.
“Is it heavy?”
“Mm. A little?”
I gathered the exoskeleton pieces I had cut by section and tied them together. I made rope by weaving strips of hide. Perhaps because it had been such a large creature, even just the exoskeleton alone would have filled two carts.
At Canis’s remark, I tugged on the hide rope. There was resistance, but it dragged along without too much trouble. It wasn’t light enough to run with, so my pace was slow.
“Try making a cart out of crystal.”
“…My crystals aren’t ant for making junk, you know?”
“A cart’s a fine transportation thod. If you’re not going to pull this yourself, hurry up and make one.”
When I demanded she make a crystal cart, she pouted. After I smacked Canis on the back a few tis, crystals rose up with a sigh.
What ford was sothing like three ordinary carts combined into one. I carefully stacked the exoskeleton onto the cart. When I pulled it, it moved far more easily than before.
“Let’s head back.”
“This gas mask is uncomfortable~”
“It won’t take long. Just bear with it.”
I brushed off Canis’s whining and pulled the cart forward.
“We should take this too, right?”
“Ah.”
Canis, who had suddenly disappeared, returned carrying the Hellhorn Bull’s head. I naturally loaded the head onto the cart.
Canis’s gaze turned blatantly expectant.
***
Sheila was irritated for the first ti in a while. Even for a veteran like her who had weathered all sorts of hardships, sprinting through the Poison Swamp was grueling.
They could not afford even the smallest wound. That thought alone demanded constant focus and tension, draining their stamina. On top of that, the gas mask covering her face obstructed her breathing, making it impossible not to feel annoyed.
The sa went for the other mbers of the Imperial Knight Order. At Sheila’s abrupt command to depart, they hurriedly finished preparing and entered the Poison Swamp.
They ran nonstop all the way toward the center. Most of the roughly ten mbers of the Imperial Knight Order showed signs of discomfort.
“Oh! Vice-Commander! I sense a massive tremor over there!”
Of course, the Imperial Knight Order was not so weak as to be exhausted by this alone, but the irritating environnt remained unchanged.
Just as they entered the outskirts of Zone D, one of the knights urgently called out to Sheila.
From the direction he pointed, a massive tremor and a cloud of dust were rising. Sheila assud it was related to Davide.
“Everyone. We head there. Raise your guard.”
With that, Sheila kicked off the ground. Those with a combative streak followed eagerly behind her, smiling beneath their gas masks.
The distance was considerable, costing them about 30 minutes. Along the way, they had to take a short break for the mage whose stamina was particularly weak.
“What… is that?”
When the Imperial Knight Order resud their advance, they encountered sothing strange.
A man and a woman chatting casually as they walked, and behind them, an elegant crystal cart carrying bizarre objects.
“Hah. Seriously.”
It was terribly out of place against the dark forest and pale poisonous fog. They were so dumbfounded that they couldn’t even issue a command to halt.
As Sheila stared blankly, the others stopped around her. They all felt much the sa.
“Hm? The Imperial Knight Order?”
They were recognized first. In the forest thick with poisonous fog, Davide—without a gas mask—waved casually.
He didn’t seem tense in the slightest, looking like so middle-aged man out for a stroll. At the sight, Sheila let out a small snort of laughter, then chuckled before slowly approaching.
“Student Davide.”
“Vice-Commander. What brings you here?”
Sheila glanced at the figure beside Davide. A not particularly tall girl standing at his side. Her face was hidden behind a gas mask.
Tilting her head slightly, her body floating lightly in the air around her, Sheila imdiately recognized her as Canis.
She too had once drawn the attention of the Imperial Princess. Unlike Davide, she had not stepped forward actively, but Sheila had seen her often enough to recognize her even from afar.
“Student Canis, have you been well?”
“Yes~ Vice-Commander, have you been well too?”
At Sheila’s greeting, Canis lifted the hem of her dress slightly and gave a polite curtsy.
Sheila shuddered at the aristocratic, self-mocking gesture. A hearty laugh followed. eting them in such a remote place was, in its own way, welco.
“Vice-Commander. Why is the Imperial Knight Order here?”
“Ah, straight to the point. We heard that Student Davide had co to the Poison Swamp, so we ca looking.”
A question mark appeared on Davide’s face. If it were related to the Imperial Princess, Sheila would have co alone. Yet now she was accompanied by the Imperial Knight Order.
“You were the first to discover the abnormal signs in the Poison Swamp last ti, correct?”
“Yes. More precisely, I heard about it.”
“The Imperial Knight Order has begun an independent investigation. We headed directly to Paillet Lake at the center of the Poison Swamp and t the master of the swamp who resides there.”
I searched my mory. The master of the Poison Swamp who appeared in the ga. His appearance had little to do with poison.
A giant as if carved from rock. About four ters tall, wielding a massive greatsword of matching size—a monster.
What stood out most was that he was a neutral monster who would not attack unless provoked first.
“Wait a mont. What did you say the na of the central lake in the Poison Swamp was?”
“Pardon? We call it Paillet Lake.”
No wonder the na sounded familiar. It was one of the skills within the Trace of Anaye.
A passive skill that increased water resistance and stamina recovery.
“The master of the Poison Swamp left us with a single remark.”
“A single remark?”
“Yes. He said he knew why we had co. If we wanted answers, we were to ‘bring the one born of lightning,’ and then he sent us away.”
“The one born of lightning.”
The mont I heard the word lightning, I was certain. The sa went for Sheila. That was precisely why she had endured all this trouble to find Davide.
“Are you saying he considers the one born of lightning?”
“Yes, that is correct. You were present when the Forest Guardian reacted, and within the Academy, you are the only one who uses a current powerful enough to be called lightning.”
Anomalies in a dungeon were quite a serious issue. Especially for the Imperial Knight Order, responsible for security at the Academy and, by extension, Museion Island.
In the worst-case scenario, they would have to engage in full combat with the master of the Poison Swamp. Of course, given the strength of the Imperial Knight Order, they could win.
The problem would be the losses incurred in the process. Particularly the loss of personnel.
“If it is not too much to ask, may we request Student Davide’s accompanint? This is an official request from the Imperial Knight Order, and we will provide compensation accordingly. We have already inford the Academy in advance and received permission.”
In an apologetic tone, Sheila handed over a docunt. Davide read through it without a word. The compensation was not bad.
“1,000 Nuckle, with additional hazard pay, and if I prove helpful in resolving the matter, a reward from Her Imperial Highness.”
A substantial sum of 1,000 Nuckle just for participation. Even if Davide was not the one the master of the Poison Swamp sought, the paynt would still be granted.
“Of course, we will prioritize Student Davide’s safety above all else.”
At Sheila’s added assurance, Davide nodded. It was not a bad offer. The master of the Poison Swamp was a neutral monster with a gentle disposition, so the chances of a fight were low.
I recalled the words written by the Holy Brush. Just save us. There was definitely a connection.
“What about you?”
Now the only one left was Canis. If she refused, Davide would have to return to the entrance, leave her there, and co back alone.
The request had included protecting and accompanying Canis. She tilted her head repeatedly, lost in thought.
“We will also provide compensation to Student Canis. Of course, not as much as Student Davide, but you will not be required to do anything after accepting the request. Naturally, the Imperial Knight Order will prioritize your safety as well.”
“Gladly.”
“Then we will take the spoils to the entrance in advance.”
Canis nodded. Sheila ordered two mbers of the Imperial Knight Order to carry the cart away.
With their direction decided, they moved briskly. anwhile, Davide found himself interested in the reward from the Imperial Princess.
What might he receive from that fearso Iron-Blooded Empress? Or perhaps he should negotiate properly.
It was a pleasant dilemma.
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