Volume 6 Chapter 30 The Arrival Of The Beastfolk
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A red star, blazing with scorching heat, drew near.
Its descent produced a roar like a storm’s fierce wind.
This is bad. I’m going to die────
That all-too-common future was shattered in an instant by a single sweep of her blade.
”Uohh?!” came the startled cry.
Explosions gouged the ground on both sides. The town’s entrance—gate and all—was blasted away, becoming towering pillars of flame. The counterfeit sun was cleaved in two. Severed by her, the true sun-like orb staggered, then crashed violently to the earth.
Shockwaves whipped up clouds of dust that raged across the surroundings.
The event was too sudden; the only possible response was to shield one’s face. Almost at the same moment, a shrill metallic clash rang out high above, and dust clouds resembling explosions billowed through the rest of the town.
”…Sis…!!”
For a brief moment, a figure was seen falling, kicked down hard. Though hard to make out, it was unmistakably Flame General Gildegant. And the one responsible—the one who had rocketed upward at unbelievable speed—was none other than Cianie, or rather, Hero Anna. In the blink of an eye, she stood beside him, that very lover.
Cianie’s impact had been so overwhelming it had almost been forgotten. Hero and Demon Lord’s Army officer—a worst-possible combo, really.
No matter how you look at it, they were an incompatible pairing. Face to face, only battle could follow.
”Damn, turns out Cianie’s on a whole other level of strong,” Klock muttered.
Gildegant’s strength was far from ordinary. Even Suzette—stronger than Klock—would be helpless if targeted. All she could do was surrender and pray. That was the caliber of the Demon Lord’s Army’s Four Heavenly Kings. And yet this very girl had been slammed into the ground at a terrifying speed. Kicked down from that height with impossible force; any ordinary human would have burst organs and died instantly.
Once more, a heavy impact echoed—a dull thud like superhuman force hammered into the earth.
It’s over. Only dark premonitions remained.
Gildegant’s personality was overbearing, but Klock did not wish to see her die so mercilessly. If he didn’t step up to stop this now, surely he would regret it forever────
”Sir Klock, this way────”
The familiar voice scattered his grim thoughts like leaves in the wind. The call he had longed for. A reaching hand grasped Klock’s arm.
Pulled forward, he saw the back of—
”Suzette!!”
”Hurry! We can’t handle that────”
The urgent voice brought back memories of their shared flight from the Empire. Finally reunited. Her dark hair shimmered with a blue tint under the sunlight.
From the hand gripping his, green-shining mana surged and flowed.
His body suddenly felt light. As she leapt into the air, she started running away from the battlefield, charging straight into the bamboo grove nestled within the town.
”Wait, Suzette, calm down──”
”I am calm, but please save the reunion greetings for later──!!” she snapped.
She was anything but calm. Her frantic running and disheveled hair betrayed her panic. To anyone watching, she moved like someone on the brink of death.
”No, that’s not it! Just stop for a moment!”
”──Ugh!! This is bad, I’ve already been noticed──”
A loud bang sounded right ahead of her. Leaves danced, dead branches scattered, and the earth was gouged where a figure landed.
After a tense minute, she reunited with Cianie. A dress armor embroidered on leather adorned her, though stained with blood—her right hand soaked red. A chilling sense of foreboding welled up inside Klock. As he instinctively tried to step forward──
”You cursed hero! How dare you do this to Sir Gildegant…!!” Suzette cried out fiercely.
She stepped forward protectively, shielding Klock with one hand while thrusting the other forward as if to prepare magic. Her hostility was raw and unrestrained, directed at Cianie.
”Wait, wait, wait──”
”Sir Klock, please escape. I will buy you time. Just you—please──!!”
She seemed willing to risk her life for him. Her fierce resolve almost silenced him. Suzette’s rough breathing and trembling voice carried genuine fear.
She was prepared to protect him at any cost. He desperately wished for her to calm down.
”…You are the Demonkin that Hermine once captured. Your name is Suzette, right?”
”…To be remembered by the legendary Hero, I am honored. It sends shivers down my spine.”
A cornered rat—no, more like a cat trapped in a snare.
Her openly hostile stance left no room for negotiation.
Cianie turned her gaze to Klock.
Help me somehow.
It was written all over her face.
Well, that was to be expected. Everything could be resolved with just one word from Klock.
Suddenly, something moved in the upper field of her vision. She looked up quickly.
Mina. She had been tracking them without being thrown off by the sudden commotion. Clinging to bamboo instead of trees was quite a skill, but now it seemed everyone except Gildegant had gathered here.
”…Ah, Suzette. Sorry, can you listen to me for a moment?”
It was time for Klock to do his job.
Since Cianie seemed to have no intention of attacking, it should be fine. Suzette also appeared to realize something was off. It would have been better if she’d noticed earlier, but he’d probably be scolded later for that.
The fault was Suzette’s jump to conclusions. But in cases like this, the man usually bears the brunt—so he braced himself for the coming scolding.
”…Sir Klock?”
”Um, well… Suzette. The hero—we, uh, made up.”
He mumbled the words quietly.
Cianie wouldn’t understand if he said more. He bundled their changed relationship into a simple phrase and asserted it.
A breeze whistled through the bamboo grove. The leaves swayed as if rustling in agreement.
A silence descended. After a brief pause, Suzette turned back.
Her face wore a dubious expression, as if wondering whether her ears deceived her.
”…Yes?”
Her doubt was aimed squarely at him.
Her reaction from here on wouldn’t stray far from what he expected.
Klock quickly averted his eyes, from both reality and her.
* * *
”Ah──man, I’m bushed.”
Leaning against a wall with hands behind his head, he took a breather.
Fed up with furtive curious glances from all around, he finally looked toward the rows of the town he’d managed to reach.
Boorinel, a town in the central region of Il Rasiella in the Beast Kingdom.
In the Beast Kingdom, a lord was posted to each region, usually residing in the regional city as the governing hub.
In other words, this town served as the focal point for the surrounding lands.
Compared with the villages barely clinging to development, Boorinel was vast and bustling.
”…One gaudy town, huh.”
The town’s clamorous noise droned in his ears.
A landscape of vivid, varied hues filled his eyes.
It was a little too showy to be called refined.
Trees he’d never seen colored the streets in vivid shades, and rows of tall deciduous trees painted the scenery in unnatural, multicolored splendor—too artificial to feel truly in harmony with nature.
After a few minutes, he grew tired of the sight.
He looked back toward the inn from which he’d been ejected.
Klock wondered what they were talking about now. Why was he the only one forced to wait outside?
A swell of frustration rose within him, and he let out a weary sigh. “Hah.”
Trouble had come, yes, but the reunion with Suzette had been safely achieved. Following Cianie’s words—“I wish to speak with you”—the discussion inside the inn was proceeding as planned.
Behind him, in a room of the inn, a gathering of girls had already started. It was the room originally taken by Suzette’s group; inside, Cianie, Suzette, and Mina conferred quietly.
Sis, seriously, is this gonna be okay?
Dragged along as an extra, Gildegant was probably receiving treatment now. Carried over someone’s shoulder, she seemed unconscious. The battle had erupted abruptly, but it was fortunate that no one had intended to take lives. Cianie had even said she could have killed her but didn’t care enough to do so, letting her off for the time being.
That chick is insane, Klock thought bitterly. She treated that big sister like she was nothing.
Against the giant dragon, Suzette had shown no fear at all. Yet, against the hero, she seemed to crumble completely.
When Klock saw the fallen Gildegant, a deep, inexpressible ache tugged at his heart. If the other side was the Hero, losing was understandable. But seeing Suzette in defeat was a shock.
No, he probably ought to be praising Cianie, though. Still, what was it with that fellow? He hadn’t asked for that kind of reckless strength.
Haah, Klock sighed again.
He was growing thoroughly fed up with the clinging stares. For a while now, many passersby had been eyeing the inn—and more specifically, him—with twitching ears and noses, trying to catch any scraps of information from a distance. It was terribly annoying.
Still, it was unavoidable. After all, a loud explosion had shaken the town earlier. Though the buildings had escaped damage, an eruption in the sky could not be ignored. The troublemakers had been inside the inn, and their arrival had been plainly seen. It was natural for people to gather.
Damn nuisance.
Wonder if I could go somewhere else.
The feeling of being a freak show had finally crossed the line into outright disgust. Unfortunately, Klock had been assigned the role of lookout. The Hero’s authority was clear even in Beast Country, and shooing people away in her name had fallen onto Klock.
Frankly, it was just a pretext. Suzette herself, realizing her mistake, had said with an embarrassed glare, “Please tell me sooner,” as if cursing him. Most of the reason he was kept outside was probably because he was in the way—talking with her inside.
To think that fellow would go so far to help.
What could he say? That sort of thing ought to be a man’s role.
Suzette’s rigid sense of duty was something to behold. Never before had Klock met a woman willing to go that far—maybe one, two, three at most. Women were amazing.
Klock knew he was no human worth matching them, yet they never ceased their self-devotion for such reasons.
Such an awfully wasted woman.
She could surely have found many far more suitable partners.
Well, if he voiced such thoughts aloud, she’d probably say, “For the moment, just work for me…” Too bravehearted—he felt tears welling up. If only he could find a gambling den and earn a little, he wanted to repay at least part of her favor.
”…Labour, huh. Come to think of it, I was going to look for a job,” he muttered.
Suddenly, it hit him.
When he came to Boorinel, he had planned to look for employment. Besides, he had completely forgotten he was summoned by the lord. What on earth had he come this far intending to do?
His original purpose had been something about explanations for the lord. For that, he had come all the way to Boorinel. To realize only now that he had forgotten the very first purpose was utterly idiotic. The encounter with a Demon Lord’s Army executive, the separation from Suzette, the matter with Cianie—all had swept away his initial intent in a surge of busyness.
…Thinking like that, maybe it’s not so strange after all that I forgot.
”──Good day. Would you by any chance be Sir Klock Livorno?” a voice addressed him abruptly from right beside him.
He hadn’t noticed anyone approaching. Perhaps he had been too absorbed in his thoughts.
Before him stood a figure wrapped in large feathers, with features distinct from the usual Beastkin. As rumored, she was a woman of the bird-beast tribe.
”──You are… no, the lord is of the bird-beast tribe, right?” he asked.
”Yes. I am a messenger. Welcome to Boorinel. Lady Cattleya, the lord, is waiting for you.”
Her speech was elegant and deliberate. As she stepped closer, Klock’s eyes widened. She had no arms—her ‘arms’ were feathers. An even more inhuman trait than that of the Beastkin.
”…I’ll go there later. Right now, I’m on watch,” he replied.
”It’s the Hero, right? I would like you to explain the situation here. As you can see, the town is in uproar.”
It seemed Cianie’s true identity was known. Well, if she was a Beastkin or a magic wielder, it was likely they would notice. Or perhaps someone was acquainted with her.
”Is it perhaps a serious situation?”
”Currently, the soldiers are being urgently summoned. The scale of the explosion and the detected magic was far too powerful, so they are mobilizing in anticipation of a military response and potential giant monster threat. I apologize, but could you come to explain the situation?”
It was indeed serious.
Suddenly, a massive flame had erupted in the sky, followed by an explosion that tore apart the entrance to the town. Moreover, the hero was engaging in combat throughout the area. Klock couldn’t grasp how incredible it was, but anyone sensing magic would know this was extraordinary.
”…Understood. But I’m sorry, I can’t step inside for a while. The hero is in the middle of negotiations with the opposing side. It’s quite tense—interfering might be dangerous.”
”…I understand. If that’s the case, I will clear the area. I will send someone in my place.”
As she said this—part warning, part promise—she nodded. It seemed she would take over the watch. Perhaps because the hero was involved, things were moving very quickly.
This is seriously bad.
Of course, if something like this happened in town, it would be a problem. Well, as long as that guy was involved, there probably wouldn’t be any sudden arrests.
Being questioned about charges would be the worst.
However, as long as Hero Anna was involved, such a thing was unlikely to happen easily. The hero represented the Humans. Even if something significant occurred, a protest would be the strongest response. To suddenly accuse an individual or those related would be like picking a fight with the Humans.
That said, ignoring it was not an option.
Considering the future impressions and time, it would be better for Klock to report in first, at least.
The bird-beast tribe—a relatively rare species.
He left the inn, admiring the messenger’s beautifully exposed back.
He might be questioned about penalties by the lord. It would be best to navigate that area carefully, avoiding trouble as much as possible.
The conversation inside the inn seemed unrelated to incidents or political matters. For now, it was safest to attribute it to tense international relations or some solemn reason.
It made him think even a mere lord of the Beast Country could get burned.
At worst, I’d accept a fine.
Of course, he’d rely on Cianie for the money.
After all, it wasn’t Klock who caused the explosion. Besides, there was no way unemployed Klock could pay for the gate’s repairs.
Notes:
• Gildegant – One of the Four Generals of the Demon Lord. Flame General.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Anna – The legendary Hero, chosen to defeat the Demon Lord. Her past life is Sylvia Croce. She is described as a heavenly being with overwhelming skill and a merciless attitude.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Hermine – Daughter of the Emperor of the Second Empire of Dusselhelm. A companion and friend of Anna. The mage. She is pragmatic and encourages Anna to focus on her duties as a hero rather than her personal revenge.
• Mina – She is a golden-haired catgirl employee of the beastman (Larana the cat woman) Inn, appeared performing fellatio, desperate and tear-streaked, with an inexperienced yet earnest approach to her work.
• Il Rasiella – A region within the Beast Country, divided into areas each ruled by a local lord.
• Boorinel – A town east of Ryzan, where Lord Cattleya’s manor is located; said to be a long journey from Ryzan.
• Cattleya – The lord; resides in the town of Boorinel, east of Ryzan, past the Mesa; wants to confirm Klock’s humanity.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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