Chapter 324: What Would Be the Method to Tell Humanoid Monsters apart?
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We had decided to give up on thoroughly investigating each floor, instead opting for a quick advance. The rule was to not look at the map, but Sword’s super senses, coupled with my mysterious eyes which saw everything, allowed us to smoothly proceed along the correct route. By the way, the Ryokus were advancing while mapping the floor anyway.
At first Sword faltered a bit in front of the humanoid monsters as he didn’t seem able to stomach them well, but he quickly got used to them, and started to bisect them in one stroke.
“…No kiddin’, this gotta be a dungeon made for demonkin, I’m sure,” Sword mumbled.
Having heard him, I asked, “Hmm? Why?”
“The ones you call…humanoid monsters…resemble humans closely. In other words, they’re trainin’ on how to kill human soldiers in here.”
Hmm. …But, why limit it to humans?
“Don’t they resemble demonkin as well? Both humans and demonkin are humanoid. They’re bipedal life-forms with heights slightly smaller than yours who wear clothes and use weapons.”
“Your truly incredible for makin’ only that sort of distinction.”
Why!? If you can differentiate them in some other way on top of that, the mission of searching for Cain would have been a lot easier!
“Shouldn’t you have had an easy time finding Smith in that case?” I retorted huffily.
“Back then I had only seen a single demon in my life, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell whether they were in disguise or not. I mean he also erased his presence. But, after coming here and seein’ plenty of demonkin, I’ve grasped their basic traits.”
“You mean, big babies?”
Hearing that comment, Sword laughed out loud.
＊
Okay, on top of being quite complicated, the demon king’s castle was rather huge. We advanced while I had to firmly suppress my desire to make various side trips.
I mean, there were some flower beds in the rear garden! Maybe we could get a side quest about the ghost of a tragic noble lady who got buried in the flower beds after getting attacked by Morbols. 1
“Gnah…”
As we proceeded while I endured, Sword got worried about me.
“If you want to take those side paths so much, it’s no problem to make your wish come true, you know? I don’t particularly mind clearing this dungeon slowly.”
I shook my head violently.
“I’ll persevere!”
“Like how?” He asked, now appalled.
＊
The reason why I was so keen about taking the side paths was to be found in the enemies being absolutely and utterly boring.
It’s been the same type of enemy all the time!
Puppet soldiers come at us, and we finish them off in the blink of an eye. There’s no excitement or thrill to be found in this.
Add a bit more variation to it, for heaven’s sake!
“…I feel like taking side roads because the enemies are no fun whatsoever. Is the demon king scheming to trigger a wish of wanting to go back in me? What a cunning strategist!”
Sword immediately denied my mutter, “Wrong. This place is a trainin’ ground for the demonkin braves to defeat the kingdom’s soldiers and at the same time, it’s a valid means to keep the human braves in check.”
Keep them in check?
I tilted my head in confusion. Seeing me like that, Sword smiled bitterly.
“It’s because it kinda feels like your killin’ human soldiers. Any ordinary human would hesitate to do so.”
I cocked my head even further.
“When it comes to ordinary humans, I’d think it’d be more effective to have small, cute animals like cats, dogs, or rabbits wait upon them, who would tremble pitifully as soon as there was any danger to them. At least, for me it’d be impossible to harm those, you know?”
“You don’t count as ordinary, though.”
Sword completely shot me down with a short comment.
＊
“Either way, it’d be weird to hesitate if confronted by people or other life-forms who are clearly hostile to you. Did the Kingdom never go to war? Is that the reason why they’re deliberately summoning people from another world and trying to take down a humanoid demon king by using those people?” I asked.
Sword scratched his head, “Well… I’ve never participated in any wars… I mean, of course I’ll kill a foe if I’m ’bout to get killed by ’em. But you see, that doesn’t mean I’d do it without any hesitation whatsoever.”
“So you’re saying you can kill small, peaceful monsters who are trembling forlornly?”
“I love meat.”
That’s the retort I got from him!
So you regard small animals, who tremble helplessly in front of you, as food!? I mean, that’s not wrong in and by itself, but still…!
“I’ll make you eat humans in the future. Making you think that humans are much more delicious than some frightened, cowering small monster by making you eat those who try to attack or trick you, will be for your own good.”
“Stop it. Seriously. I got it, I’ll hold back on monsters who don’t attack me, so please spare me from eatin’ humans, ‘kay?”
Sword asked earnestly, almost looking as if he was begging.
＊
…Apparently having heard my complaints, variation was added to the enemies coming at us.
“P-Please wait! Save me!”
They started to beg for their lives.
“Hmm, I see!”
“Why are you gettin’ so excited ’bout this!?”
While he retorted me like that, he sent me a telepathic message asking what to do about this.
“Of course! We’ll overlook you! So! Come on! Run! Run for your life!”
“That’s no overlookin’ though, right?”
Sword commented while also turning a blind eye on the monster.
“Mufufuuuh!”
“Hey, wait a sec. What are you thinkin’?”
Sword asked suspiciously, so I calmed his worries.
“Now, now, it’s no fun if all the mysteries are solved all at once, right? Let’s watch together how things develop.”
I watched the fleeing enemy while feeling satisfied.
＊
Going by patterns, we will either obtain the key as thanks for rescuing the runaway from almost getting lynched by his friends for being a coward, or he’s going to attack us from the shadows while laughing at our naivety for having let him go.
＊
As I advanced with Sword…
Oh, it’s the latter pattern!
Sword apparently noticed the monster right away, too. He looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed.
Just to suddenly yell out, “Uwahhh!”
“What? Don’t you think it’s rude to react like that after looking at someone’s face, good Sir?”
“……It’s nothin’. It’s great to see you enjoyin’ yourself, and I totally feel like passing my condolences to that guy.”
Sword told me with an appalled voice, but hasn’t it really become fun now?
Finally, at long last!
The cliche of returning evil for good has struck!!
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