Chapter 223 – The Wizard and the Swamp Monster
“Who are those guys gathered there!”
“Reveal your affiliation and identity!”
With a roaring shout, wolf beastmen holding spears jumped out of the bushes. The moment I ran into them, I didn’t know where to put my eyes.
“What, what are these bastards! Aren’t they all naked?”
The wolves were covering their bodies with shabby skins like the natives. Not only men, but also female beastmen barely covered their private parts. If I move a little wildly, I think I can see my breasts and the area between my crotch.
“Ah, my eyes!”
“My eyes are going to rot! Master Baldur!”
The party was also puzzled by the sudden appearance of half-naked prisoners. Wendy, who was at least familiar with morphs, knew the identities of those savage beasts.
“It’s a tribe of primitive beasts living in the Great Forest. All the beastmen living in the Great Forest wear thin clothes like that. They say it’s their own traditional costume.”
Is that piece of rag a traditional costume? It was a spectacle to see pretty elves naked, but it just felt burdensome for beastmen to go naked.
To the extent that I want to civilize it with my own hands!
“Stop talking and answer the question! Who are you guys?”
The wolf beastmen raised their spears and asked us questions. I answered the prisoners as they were.
“They are adventurers from the North to carry out a quest. They all belong to the Galarhorn. Who are they to threaten us?”
When I showed the adventurer’s card, like an ID, the prisoners lowered their windows. The vigilance was lifted, but the unpleasant feeling could not be allayed. Why do these Ugauga wolf cubs point their teeth at each other as soon as they meet? Did you receive home education from a beast?
A wolf-man with a bundle of feathers on his head like an leadern chief stepped forward. He was the captain who was leading a group of beastmen.
“We are the warriors of the Silver Wolf tribe dispatched from the sacred land of the Great Forest. I am the Hakota Silver Wolf, a warrior who has been tasked with patrolling the Great Forest. If you cooperate with us, we promise not to harm you.”
What kind of nonsense are you asking for cooperation? Are you going to turn us into skewers if we don’t cooperate?
In fact, if it was like before, I would have fallen flat and followed the orders of those beastmen. Being dispatched from the holy land of the Great Forest meant that they were soldiers of the Principality of Moffre.
If you run into soldiers as a civilian, you have no choice but to scream. This is because, like a different world, they won’t be prisoners who are ignored like Korean soldiers. If you really say stab them, they’re more than enough to stab them.
‘It’s time to use ‘sister’ here.’
However, Bella’s sister was mixed in my party. The Riggnots were a family of bones that had been given the earldom by the King of the Northern since long ago. The Principality of Morph, which is only a vassal state of Northern, cannot treat her carelessly.
You wolf cubs!
I ate with Bella, hit Yas and did it all, dude!
“Sister!”
“I know.”
When I signaled, Bella came over to me and started talking to Hakota.
“It looks like Morph is treating the people of the Northern Territory carelessly these days, right? If we don’t cooperate, they will harm them…?
“Who are you calling a group of bandits-! Kreureu!”
“It’s called bandits because they do things like bandits.”
Bella took out her ID from under his coat and held it up. The moment Bella’s identity was revealed, Hakota stopped crying. His expression hardened to the point of being pitiful.
“Lee, the daughter of Earl Riggnot? What happened to the Northern nobles in the Great Forest…?”
“I came to carry out the quest at my father’s command. I am an adventurer too.”
“Keugh-.”
In front of Bella, Hakota couldn’t be more violent. In fact, what has been pointed out so far is enough to turn into an international problem.
So where are you going, you bastards?
You should have chosen the right person to fight with.
“I apologize for my harsh words and actions!”
Hakota bowed her head in front of us along with the beastmen. Indeed, the performance of the etiquette injector is certain. There had never been a time when Bella’s sister looked after her back and her heart felt so much better.
“Adventurers from the Northern, you may pass by. You can forget that I asked for your cooperation. No nobles of the Northern states can stand in the way.”
Can’t just pass by
I said to Hakota, who lowered his head.
“Then why don’t you cooperate with us?”
“Hmm…?”
“I want to ask you something. Please give me a moment.”
The situation has been reversed.
I decided to get cooperation from Hakota.
*
Hakota couldn’t refuse my request for cooperation. He showed his displeasure as a proud wolf beastman, but in the end he answered every question.
“We’re chasing a phantom thief named Albert. A thief who stole various treasures from the North and sprung up with a morph. He’s got horns like me, has black hair, and is said to be an old dream horse. Have you ever seen Albert on patrol?”
“I’ve never seen a dream horse like that. You’re the only one I’ve seen while patrolling the Great Forest.”
He explained his appearance in detail, but the werewolves did not know anything about it. It seems that he was not discovered by the soldiers of the principality patrolling like a rookie phantom thief.
There was something else to ask of them besides the monster.
“I just saw a strange creature while dealing with locusts. It was a monster with gooey skin and a rather ugly appearance. Do you know what it is?”
“I can answer that question. It’s a monster called ‘Grendel’ that our warriors are chasing. It’s a legendary monster that suddenly appeared in the bog of the Great Forest.”
Grendel?
Was it a monster with a name?
When asked about the monster, Hakota gnashed her teeth with a very angry expression.
“Grendel is an Abyss monster that was summoned by Morph five hundred years ago. It is a monster called by the warlocks who followed the demon king to slaughter the beasts.”
If you say 500 years ago, you’re talking about the time when the Great War took place. At the time, the Demon King’s side summoned monsters from another dimension and carried out terrorist activities.
Abyss.
Another dimension from Middle Earth where the Midgard continent is located. It is a world teeming with monsters of all kinds, but the black magicians belonging to the Demon King’s Army said they knew how to summon the monsters of the Abyss.
‘Did you mean the Abyss when you said that the monster was the abyss earlier?’
As he recalled what the monster had said, Hakota continued.
“Grendel’s body was cut into pieces by the ancestors of the beasts long ago. They say that the pieces of Grendel’s body were sunk in the bog of the Great Forest. It is a monster that has been completely dead and has been treated only as a legend until now.”
“You mean you died once?”
“That’s right. Grendel was a name used only to scare rebellious little beastmen. But a few days ago, the unbelievable happened. The resurrected Grendel escaped from the swamp. Just as documented in the literature. “
That the man-eating monster of Morph, who died a long time ago, was resurrected.
From the prisoners’ point of view, it might be unknown, but I had a rough guess.
-It smells similar to Albert who woke me up.
The Grendel I met said it was Albert who woke him up. You can guess that the phantom thief Albert was the culprit who resurrected Grendel.
Hakota said while gripping her spear shaft tightly.
“The resurrected Grendel’s actions are no different from the past. He is wandering around the great forest and attacking beastmen. Even if you try to catch him, it’s not easy. He has the ability to jump through space.”
Certainly, Grendel’s ability to escape was outstanding. He had met him before, but he sank into the ground and disappeared at some point. As a result of reading the flow of mana, he cannot be said to have used space magic. He would be right to attribute this ability to jump through space in a way different from magic.
“Thank you for your cooperation. We will now leave for the holy land of the Great Forest. Please do not quarrel with me from now on.”
Curiosity about the monster was resolved.
You won’t have to be with the werewolves any longer. It was when I and my party were about to get back into the carriage. From behind, Hakota uselessly added a quadruped.
“Do you think you’ll be able to safely arrive at the Great Forest’s sacred ground? The Great Forest has turned into a dangerous area now that Grendel has appeared. You’d better go back to the North before an accident happens.”
“Why do you always think an accident is going to happen?”
“Because weak dreamers and humans won’t be able to escape Grendel’s attacks. Only us beastmen can deal with monsters.”
Hakota made an arrogant expression while puffing out his beast-like muscles. She seemed to be able to control the muscles of her body freely, as if she knew how to handle mana.
You’re pulling aggro all the way.
I sighed and aimed the tip of my staff at Hakota’s chest.
“Hagalaz.”
“Well?!”
As soon as he recited the starting language, a blizzard erupted from the tip of the staff. Hakota, who was striking a pose, was pushed backwards by the enormous wind pressure.
“Kuaaaaa, !!”
It’s time to pay the price for hurting your nerves. At Hakota, who was rolling around on the floor, he blew a blizzard at full power.
“Khehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!”
Snow filled with magical power covered Hakota’s body in pure white. Even if he was a warrior from a tribe of beastmen, at best he was a rookie who barely entered the ranks of third-rate warriors. You could say I picked the wrong person to mess with.
[Strengthen hit]
[Increase in mass]
She strengthened her staff with secondary magic and hit Hakota.
Puck! Puck! Puck!
“It’s a batting stick method in practice!!”
I stopped attacking only after turning him into a clot of blood.
“Uhhhhh…”
The wolf beastmen who followed Hakota looked at me with fearful expressions. If there is anything wrong with them, it must be that they are serving a leader who has no concept. When I threw the knocked out Hakota, the beastmen hurriedly approached and knelt down.
“When you wake up, tell your captain. Don’t use too strong words from now on.
“Oh, I see!”
We left the prisoners and left for the holy land of the Great Forest.
Did I mention that a monster named Grendel haunts the Great Forest?
I didn’t think there was anything to worry about.
Because he seems to be mistaking me for a compatriot.
[My compatriots, do you look weak when you use strong words?]
… What?
