Deathbringer slipped into the manor with ease. Their security was still lax, as if they’d all but forgotten that a mere brat managed to sneak in here ten years ago, so he had no problems entering whatsoever.
The route to the secret passage was the same. Despite the change in leadership, the locations of the garden and the annex hadn’t changed, so he wouldn’t get lost.
Well, there was one issue, though. A storage shed had been built along the path he originally wanted to take, forcing him to make a detour through the garden.
However, that wasn’t much of a problem. The garden’s maze-like hedges and numerous flowers and trees gave him plenty of cover.
> [Let me commend you. If you hadn’t made this slight mistake, I never would have known.]
However, why had they moved the office to the first floor, and why was it connected to the garden?
Moreover, why was someone who looked to be the young lord making inappropriate contact with someone who didn’t seem to be family? Didn’t he have a fiancée?
Was he having an affair? Was he actually having an affair? But his expression looked kind of weird.
> [For a mere mortal, your skills are indeed quite impressive.]
He’d only slightly peeked his head out to understand this bizarre sight. Yet, the young lord’s (supposed) mistress immediately noticed him.Vines suddenly grew out of nowhere and pulled him down to the ground from the tree he was in.
That was something only a wizard would be capable of.
However, the problem was that before entering, he’d used his detection item to check whether any Arcane Power users were present and hadn’t detected any.
So, why did that weird person suddenly pop up? Was she a highly capable wizard who could counter his detection tool?
> [But that’s no reason to let you live—]
“Wait!!”
Anyway, the platinum-haired figure, who looked far from ordinary at a single glance, raised a hand but was stopped by the (supposed) young lord’s intervention.
“J-Just a moment, please.”
Then, the (supposed) young lord lowered his gaze, almost pathetically, and smiled.
The platinum-haired figure withdrew her hand and smiled back at him. Her expression, dripping with affection, clearly showed her fondness for the young lord.
> [Why did you stop me?]
“I-it’s just…”
On the other hand, the young lord’s expression was the complete opposite.
Despite seemingly trying to humor her, his expression was stiff. He didn’t appear to be acting of his own volition.
“H-He’s just a mere thief. I will punish him myself, so please don’t concern yourself with him.”
Obviously, the young lord was groveling because of this other person's power or status.
Who could this person be to make the young lord so subservient? How many people in this world could make even someone of his status act so undignified?
> [My dear, but how can you be sure he’s just a thief and not an assassin? After all, the previous Lord was assassinated only ten years ago, which led to your family’s ascension.]
Deathbringer listened to their conversation closely, trying to gauge whether he could escape.
Part of what they said struck a nerve, though. Assassination. Deathbringer’s eyes darkened.
“That’s…”
> [It doesn’t matter whether he’s a thief or an assassin; both are equally worthless, so I will take care of him for you.]
However, he was neither a thief nor an assassin.
Although he hadn’t exactly gotten permission to enter, technically making him an intruder, he didn’t intend to steal or harm anyone in this manor. He was just passing through.
Well, those were just excuses, though.
“I-I!”
At that moment, the young lord shouted. Drip. His tears, which had momentarily stopped, rolled down his cheeks once more.
“I’m crying, am I not? Y-You should be comforting me…”
The platinum-haired figure widened her eyes slightly.
> [Oh… You’re right, I got my priorities all mixed up. Of course, you always come first.]
Deathbringer wasn’t entirely sure what he was witnessing, but he truly appreciated the young lord’s efforts to save him.
However, had there really been no other way?
Watching what appeared to be a romantic scene, he felt rather awkward. Pressed for time as he was, he couldn’t hide his dissatisfaction.
Was the young lord being forced to feign affection for this superior being? How pitiful, yet also not. After all, he belonged to the upper class.
The world Deathbringer grew up in required one not only to sell their heart but completely crush it just to survive.
To him, the young lord, while perhaps a bit unfortunate, wasn’t someone to be pitied. At the very least, this person should have enjoyed everything that came with his position until now.
> [Let’s just call the guards to handle this…]
Was he still going to be dragged away? Even if he were locked in the deepest dungeons, it still wouldn't be impossible to escape, but everything was pretty messed up now.
If the priests decided to come to the manor and ask around before he could escape, things would become extremely troublesome.
> […It seems unwanted visitors keep coming one after the other today.]
“…?”
But even if the ground collapsed beneath him, that didn’t necessarily mean he had to fall.
Deathbringer harbored the faintest hopes that he could potentially escape in the ensuing confusion.
> [God’s soldiers are here.]
Of course, that had to happen. No matter what he did, if the ground collapsed beneath him, it seemed he had no choice but to fall.
“Why is the Temple…?”
Since their visit was completely unplanned—naturally—the young lord was visibly flustered. Even in that moment, a glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes.
> [It looks like they are chasing after something…]
The platinum-haired figure stroked the young lord’s hair, then let out a soft ‘Ah’.
> [So, it’s you. You’re the reason they came.]
And then, its gaze returned to Deathbringer. His body instinctively flinched, faced with eyes like those of a beast. It felt as if a tiger was standing directly before him.
> [By the terms of our agreement, I’ve let you be, but now that you’ve caused a great disturbance in my precious garden, things are different.]
Agreement?
That word, intriguing him a little, passed through his mind.
> [Seize him immediately—]
As he thought, this situation seemed to be leading to his inevitable capture.
However, the platinum figure abruptly stopped speaking. Their head whipped around as a frown creased their eyebrows, their face filled with utter annoyance.
> [How dare…]
Deathbringer and the young lord, being ordinary people—or almost indistinguishable from such in their own ways—were equally puzzled by whatever happened next.
Bang!
Soon, a corner of the garden came crashing down with a loud noise. The explosion was so powerful that, even from a distance, debris reached both Deathbringer and the young lord.
Fssssh.
Naturally, a dust cloud arose.
> [Are you okay?]
“Y-Yes. Thanks to your protection, I’m fine, but…”
Deb quickly brushed the debris from his clothes and looked through the dust cloud. Within it, he could see a dark, inky figure.
And then, as the dust began to settle, a gray much clearer than the inky black grew visible, accompanied by skin even paler. He could also see something resembling the color of red wine, also called the blood of God.
> [Hoooh.]
“Ah…”
“That person is…”
Flutter.
The moment the three-pronged coat fluttered like wings in the wind, its owner emerged from the dust.
> [As I thought, trusting Demons was a mistake.]
“Found you.”
Eyes like glowing embers, he drew his sword.
* * *
> [I should have just killed you the moment you set foot in this land, despite giving you two warnings.]
While caught in a daze, I ended up losing him after finally chasing him down.
Blood trickling down my cheek, I finally got a brief explanation from the Inquisitor. Even then, she only said in a few words that Deb had seemingly been tainted with Demonic Energy.
Naturally, that explanation was far from enough, so I decided to continue giving chase. My reason for coming to the manor was because the priests had claimed they sensed Demonic Energy coming from this direction.
Regarding my trespassing, I figured either the Archmage or the Inquisitor would cover for me afterward.
> [Despite your fishy stink and possessing Demonic Energy, I generously let you off, but now you’re foolishly running wild without knowing your place?]
But what exactly was going on here?
Clang.
As soon as I landed, I quickly assessed the situation around me. The one who’d been extremely close to the young lord even attacked me.
“W-Wait a moment!”
> [I won’t tolerate this any longer.]
Those two had been clinging together so sincerely, and she’d even been wiping away the young lord’s tears, so the thought, ‘Huh? An affair?’ briefly crossed my mind.
Before I could think about it any longer, however, I found myself crossing blades with my current opponent. Technically, I was the only one wielding a sword, while my opponent fought with extended, very long claws.
“Hah.”
I could still ignore the comments about trusting demons and smelling like fish, but when the words ‘Possessing Demonic Energy’ left their mouth…
Even amid this whole chaos, they actually managed to throw out some words that I, or rather my character, couldn’t ignore.
“Who are you saying doesn’t know their place?”
So, what should I do?
“You beast, reeking like a filthy animal.”
When misunderstandings couldn’t be cleared up with words, one had to open the gates to hell and make things worse.
> [How dare a mere mortal insult me!]
“D-Don’t!”
Behind them, I saw Deb try to sneak away, take a step back, and then try once more. Deb was definitely my priority, but it seemed I couldn’t bypass this person so easily. It wouldn’t be easy for him to escape, either.
Of course, I could tell various things just by looking at that figure. Initially, I’d considered the young lord the pinnacle of beauty, but this one was no less striking. Their attire and color combination made them appear even flashier.
However, could someone this flashy be just someone passing by?
Moreover, at a closer look, they seemed to lack humanity. This went beyond simple beauty or ugliness; they just didn’t quite seem like a person.
Especially considering they’d just called me a ‘mere mortal’.
They probably weren’t one then, right?
Clang.
Once again, our weapons clashed. The problem was my opponent had a second weapon, their other hand, which they swung instead of the one I’d just blocked.
Her long claws nearly reached my head.
Whoosh.
I stepped back to avoid giving them another chance to hit me, then kicked them in the chest. One scratch on my face was enough.
[…!]
They also managed to evade my kick. However, they seemed fairly humiliated that my foot had almost struck their body. Their lips trembled, revealing long fangs.
“Skyflow Tiger!!”
The loud cry of the young lord echoed through the garden. Skyflow Tiger. If my memory served me right, they were the Primordial Beast supposed to rule over the eastern regions.
“Young Lord, what’s going on?!”
“Young Lord, are you alright—!”
“I-Intruder?!”
“It’s dangerous here, Young Lord!”
Wow. So, after the Sea Dragon and the Mountain Lord, I finally got to meet the Skyflow Tiger, as well. Was this boss fight mandatory for story progression or something? I had to go through this, huh?
“No, you can’t come over here…!”
> [A mere mortal who sold his body to a Demon!]
But wasn’t this timing just too much? I still had unfinished business with Deb! I was already stressed enough trying to figure out why Deb wanted to leave so badly and why he decided to get involved with that Demon!?
Why did I have to come across them now? Couldn’t we postpone this fight a little?
“…Don’t insult me!”
However, ignoring this opponent wouldn’t fit my character in this situation. Besides, it didn’t seem like they would just let me go, either.
I gripped my sword tightly, thinking about how all kinds of troubles kept piling up before me when I was already busy enough.
“Go back!”
In all this chaos, the young lord was desperately trying to make the guards retreat.
“But there are intruders here!”
“Please come this way!”
Unfortunately, the Skyflow Tiger’s presence—probably—made that quite difficult. These guards’ sense of duty was strong, alright.
“Young hunter, stay here. Huh? Buddy!!”
To make matters worse, Bers shoved the guards aside and rushed in, adding to the mayhem.
“More intruders are here!”
“Young Lord, you must evacuate!”
“Even if they’re with the Temple, to just barge in here without permission!”
“We’ll remember this incident…!”
Wow, this was so messy, messy, I say. While dealing with the Skyflow Tiger’s continuous attacks, I kept glancing around to understand the situation.
The Skyflow Tiger was pretty fast but not unbearably so. Their attack patterns were quite simple, making them manageable.
Unlike the other Primordial Beasts, they weren’t massive enough to cause substantial damage with their every move.
Moreover, they seemed unwilling to damage their surroundings, making it appear like they weren’t fighting me seriously. I, too, avoided using Arcane Power to prevent collateral damage, so we were fighting under approximately similar conditions.
Neither side was inflicting much damage on the other. They seemed to be just venting their frustration…
> [You should have just died quietly instead of putting up this useless fight…]
But they seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated by this stalemate.
My opponent’s face contorted further, and their eyes went wide, spewing malice.
Overwhelming energy, possibly their Arcane Power, began to gather before them, whipping the wind all around. Their platinum hair fluttered wildly, almost like a Super Saiyan’s from Dragon Ball.
Additionally, their hands and bare feet, visible through the hems of their fluttering clothes, suddenly grew fur and began resembling those of a beast.
Boom!
Although that was the only thing that changed, the ground suddenly started to sink around them, as if their weight had also dramatically increased.
> [Now you’ve forced me to use my power.]
And…
> [Die.]
“…!”
“Fall back!”
As they raked their fingers through the air, an illusion of a tiger’s paw suddenly manifested and swiped at me and everything behind me.
While it was a common skill effect, its impact was still immense.
“Uwargh!”
“Argh!”
Thanks to my last-minute use of Arcane Power and not backing down even a little, along with Bers’ frantic efforts to shove the others aside, only two individuals were caught up in this strike.
However, even with just two people, the damage caused by this attack wasn’t insignificant.
One person lost an arm, and the other suffered a deep gash from shoulder to hip.
“Skyflow Tiger—!!”
The young lord screamed.
> […!]
The Skyflow Tiger flinched when they heard the young lord. That overwhelming Arcane Power suddenly dissipated. Their body, which had slightly transformed, gradually reverted to the original form I had seen first.
The platinum-haired beauty fluttered their long eyelashes.
> […I showed you something unsightly.]
She seemed a bit embarrassed, but her tone conveyed no guilt whatsoever.
The Skyflow Tiger then waved their hand, maintaining their cold and haughty demeanor.
Then, the grass around the injured began to grow. Something sprouted from between the blades of grass, blooming into flowers.
> [Well, this could also be seen as fortunate.]
“How…?”
> [Let’s take this opportunity to announce this properly. You belong to only me, Skyflow Tiger.]
“How could this…”
They weren’t just ordinary flowers. As soon as they bloomed, a subtle fragrance spread all around us. The injured, who had been coughing up blood and moaning in pain, now wore much calmer expressions.
Rather than healing their wounds, it seemed more like an anesthetic or something. This felt far too inadequate to be called first aid, especially since they’d caused these injuries in the first place.
> [I’m feeling rather conflicted right now, so come back later.]
What was this bastard saying now? After causing all this trouble, picking a proper fight with my character, they wanted us to leave now that they’d done what they’d wanted to?
“Scum.”
Not only had they picked a fight with my character, but they’d also said some things I couldn’t ignore.
Even if I possessed Demonic Energy, wasn't it a bit strange for them to say they ‘couldn't trust Demons?’
Whether they were a direct ally or simply ignored their acts, they were somehow connected to Demons. I couldn’t just let that slide.
“Where do you think you're going?”
That said, I channeled Arcane Power into my sword. Black energy gathered around the silver blade, causing it to emit a high-pitched screech. It seemed to have almost reached its limits.
“D-Don't!”
But as long as it didn't break right away, that would be fine. Ignoring the young lord's shouts, I swung my sword at them.
A white hand intercepted my blade sheathed in Arcane Power. The impact of my attack wasn’t completely nullified, as blood began to trickle down her hand.
> [Tsk.]
Even so, they still managed to block it.
They scowled at me, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
However, they made no further moves, probably because of the young lord behind them.
In the end, the Skyflow Tiger pushed away my blade with a force too great for me to resist.
> [I'll let this slide, just this once.]
But so what if they did? Although I couldn’t withstand their incredible strength, my grip on my blade remained firm.
I turned my body to follow my sword as it flew to the side. Using the force of the blow, I spun on my axis once more.
Whoosh!
However, the Skyflow Tiger stepped back before my sword could reach them.
I could have just blasted them with the Arcane Power on my sword, but if they chose to dodge, the aftermath would be…
> [Leave this land immediately—]
“Kuhaha! A strong opponent!”
A boisterous laugh suddenly sounded out alongside a thunderous crash as a giant halberd struck the ground.
The Skyflow Tiger quickly pulled back in a manner they might consider undignified, eyes wide with anger. The spot they’d been standing in moments before had been shattered by that halberd.
“Buddy, I’ll get you back for the prey you stole from Berserk last time.”
Who actually cared about that? I glanced at Bers and moved my hand as if shaking my longsword.
“Get lost.”
“Hmph. Berserk won’t listen to you. I’ll fight.”
Seeing the young lord grab the back of his neck was probably just my imagination.
We stood side by side before the Skyflow Tiger.
> [Insignificant mortals…]
The Skyflow Tiger seemed rather irritated by our actions, their elegant neck bulging with veins. Arcane Power started swirling around them, as if they were about to unleash their power again.
“Demon Knight! Berserk!”
However, the situation changed with the arrival of someone new. The Inquisitor, leading a group of priests, was rushing toward us.
And while we were distracted by her, the Skyflow Tiger swiftly waved their hand.
Craaaack!
Just as flowers had grown next to the wounded earlier, enormously thick vines suddenly sprouted. Some were meant to bind us, while others blocked our path.
“Ridiculous…!”
“Oh, what’s this? The grass grew tall all of a sudden.”
Of course, it wasn’t very effective. I simply cut through it with my sword, and Berserk tore it apart with brute strength.
The walls of vines blocking our path were no different. We could break through them even without combining our strength.
“They disappeared…!”
“Huh.”
However, that brief moment was enough for the Skyflow Tiger to escape. They vanished without a single trace. We couldn’t even tell which way they’d gone.
“So, it ended without any further incidents…”
Unlike us, the young lord was fairly relieved, letting out a sigh. However, his expression quickly grew serious again upon noticing the wounded.
“Priests! We have injured here!”
“What?!”
He called out to the priests who’d rushed over first. It was a wise decision since their injuries were severe enough to require Divine Power to heal.
The Inquisitor widened her eyes, then quickly changed direction when she saw the severity of their wounds.
Those who were effectively on the brink of death only barely managed to keep their lives thanks to her touch.
“Tsk.”
It was fortunate that they’d survived. However, we’d failed to capture the Skyflow Tiger.
I destroyed the remaining plant walls and checked the situation.
While we hadn’t caught the Skyflow Tiger, someone here might know more about them, so we could just question them. On the other hand, Deb, the one we initially wanted to catch, had escaped while we were confronting the Skyflow Tiger…
“Buddy, where are you going?”
I’d lost track of time somewhat while fighting, but it was clear that more than just a few minutes had passed. However, if we hurried, we might still be able to chase him down.
“Ah. Demon Knight, that… that troublemaker…”
“Right! We need to find the young hunter!”
I looked at the Inquisitor. She’d barely managed to keep her patients alive and had just handed them over to the other priests.
“Which direction?”
“…! That way!”
Alright, over there, then.
I rushed forward, remembering the wound on my cheek that shouldn’t be hurting but somehow still seemed to sting.
I gave up on the idea that it might be better just to let him go, even though getting caught by us could mean his death.
I still hadn’t heard a single thing from the meat dumpling’s mouth.
Even if I eventually decided to let him go, I still needed to hear his reasons first.
____
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