Chapter 441 – Heroic Howl, Music, Group of Thieves
<– Previous Chapter | Glossary | TOC | Next Chapter –>
I erased <Thime’s Dark Flames> and exchanged a look with Jody.
“We finished the tea and sweets, so let’s go outside. I’m going to introduce you to Higlia.”
“Alright,” Elza stood up after hearing my words.
“Oki! Thanks for the treat!” Aris honestly bowed her head.
What a nice girl.
Meanwhile Helme was paying attention to her swaying necklace. Earlier Aris had released a mana wave from her back which seemed to be linked with that necklace. It looked as though she was naturally manipulating the necklace’s rich mana. It’s probably one of the reasons why she’s being targeted by various powers.
I pointed a hand outside.
“…Sure. Let’s leave.”
I prompted everyone to leave the store. Itasha was sitting on my shoulder instead of Rollodeen.
While everyone stood up and left, I waited for a waitress to finish carrying an order to a different table, called her over once she was done, and paid the bill. Afterwards, I rushed over to the rest of my party who was waiting for me at the exit.
We went out on the street together. It was bustling with many beastmen.
At that point, Itasha climbed off my shoulder and ran up to Jody’s feet who was walking diagonally ahead of me.
“Ah, Itasha-chan went to Jody-chan! How fast!” Aris repeatedly jumped around while running after Jody.
She had apparently gotten excited after watching Itasha swiftly move across the ground. Earlier she had tried to touch Itasha with her fingers, but failed at it.
Itasha hopped onto Jody’s drill-shaped toes and ran up her long leg. After reaching her waist, Itasha leaped onto Jody’s arm, ran upwards and arrived atop the shoulder. There she stopped moving and whirled around, turning her small head in our direction.
Itasha is freely moving right now, but when I tried to manipulate her directly beforehand, she was bound to Saraten as part of her techniques.
It might be difficult to operate Itasha like the restive horse Saraten. And operating Saraten…is more challenging than remote controlling a drone. After all, the sensation of manipulating her is weird since it’s like being directly connected to the arms and brain of another person.
Well, right now…Itasha and Saraten are gradually increasing their abilities. I should keep that in mind when making judgments.
“――Itasha-chan, you are Saraten-sama’s kin, right?” Jody asked Itasha as if having read my thoughts.
Itasha pointed her upper body upwards, turning her head in Jody’s direction. Jody smiled.
“I guess you could be described as baby of a new spirit employed by Shuuya-sama. Like Lucy-sama who inhabits the Crest Tree of the Lucival…”
Hearing Jody’s muttering, Itasha inclined her head. And as she did, the point of a small sword, the proof of her being a sword spirit, protruded out of her chest. Then again, it’s more like a silver toothpick than a sword.
“So that’s a nod, right? But, you can talk, can’t you?”
Itasha cutely agreed with Jody’s word by nodding her head several times.
“When inside my left hand, Itasha was able to talk telepathically. Her language level is low, though.”
“I see. But, the black fur at her chest is cute.”
“You’re right. It does look like a small bow tie.”
Aris raised her arm after having listened to our conversation.
“Itasha-chan! You look very fluffy, so I wanna touch you!”
Aris was walking while skipping, steadily getting closer to Jody with her aim being Itasha.
Meanwhile, Elza was staring at my hand, “the small weasel was a surprise as well, but that scar-like pattern on your left palm…is that an eyelid?”
“It’s a secret weapon…a hidden technique.”
“…A secret weapon as hidden technique…with all due respect, I’ve heard rumors about the existence of secret techniques of the Temple of the God of Military Arts, the Southern Ruler Style, or the Sage King School, but…”
The secret technique of the Temple of the God of Military Arts, huh? I hear about a Southern Ruler Style for the first time. I guess, different regions have different schools.
As I pondered about it while looking at my left palm, Elza asked me, “Does that mean you’re hiding other weapons as well, if this is the hidden skill of your palm?”
“Maybe,” I said with a smile.
Elza narrowed her eyes, glaring. When I met her black eyes, I felt a small shock. I don’t know whether she experienced the same, but she averted her eyes a bit.
And then she looked at my face again, blinked several times, and shook her head after repeating this a few times. She brushed off the yellow powder stuck to her overcoat with her right arm.
“…Hehe, it’s a lovely breath, isn’t it?”
Itasha had brought her small face close to Jody’s cheek. She was sniffing with her nose.
“It looks like Itasha has taken a liking to you as well, Jody.”
“Maybe it’s because we’re both white?”
“Probably. You also have a black mark on your chest.”
Helme nodded at the edge of my visual field, grunting her approval.
『It’s a mark similar to a heart! She’s a very cute spirit. I want to let her drink my water!』
『Ugghh…I…』
Saraten sent me a telepathic message brimming with unhappiness. I guess she can’t stomach her underling being the center of attention.
『Saraten, you can tell the situation outside, can’t you? This is no battleground』
『Humph! Don’t mock me. Thou should realize what I am! I planned to find the ruins of gods, which seem like they’d be present in the underground of this region!』
The ruins of gods…I guess she means the hammer-head-like rock that blocked Saraten. But, currently I have no intention to let Saraten out of my left palm.
I extended a hand towards Jody’s shoulder, bringing a finger close to Itasha. Unlike with Aris, Itasha didn’t run away from my finger approaching her face. After gently nudging her, she licked the tip of my finger. Then she dashed across Jody, eventually ending up with her body being wound around Jody’s neck.
Now it looked like Jody had a new, stylish white muffler. And because Jody was wearing a silvery white dress to begin with, it made her look all the more chic.
While being coiled around Jody’s neck, Itasha turned over her body, turning her head in my direction, apparently trying to tell me something.
“What’s up, Itasha? Did you become Jody’s friend?”
Itasha nodded nimbly and then she used the tip of her tail to gently stroke Jody’s collar. Immediately following, Jody moaned, “Auu, it tickles,” while smiling.
“We’re friends, right?”
“――Kyuu,” Itasha answered Jody’s question with an adorable squeal.
She apparently can’t talk normally, but is able to release a small voice.
“Anyway, let’s head over to Rollo.”
“Okay.”
“Yep!” Aris confirmed cheerfully.
“It’d be nice if things ended without any problems, but…” Elza commented, looking worried as she glanced at Aris.
“Are you worried?”
“Yeah.”
Aris looked back and forth between Elza and me, “…She’s the divine princess, sure. But, Shuuya-ana is going to handle it one way or another!”
It’s an adult’s duty to meet a child’s expectations. I nodded while putting on a slightly smug look.
But, I can understand Elza’s worrying. From her point of view, she’s going to meet the representative of all ancient wolfmen. Naturally she cannot fully exclude the risk of being arrested by the wolfmen.
Are the opponents targeting Elza and Aris so strong that they can shoulder such a risk? If not, the two might have another strong reason why they want to work around this city besides being chased by pursuers.
In the beginning, Aris had informed Elza about historic ruins and a chalice.
“…Elza, please trust me on this.”
“…Got it.”
The number of ethereal beings in Elza’s eyes increased. I really can’t get tired of looking at those mysterious Demonic Eyes.
Because I’ve been prioritizing the bug in her left eye, I haven#t asked her about her Demonic Eyes yet. Oh well, rather than worrying about this or that in regards to the Demonic Eyes, I will trust Elza. It’s been a short time, but I was able to talk about various stuff with her.
While nodding at Elza’s words, I looked in Higlia’s direction. Her silver fur and same-colored claw armor made it easy to spot her from a distance. I could also see my partner near her.
Taking everyone with me, I approached those two. My partner and Higlia gradually became bigger. Something like the remains of soil was scattered around them.
Because this is a street, the ancient wolfmen and beastmen were looking at the two since it felt like they were doing public works over there.
In the middle of it all, Rollodeen had coiled many tentacles around a single, small beastman, now holding it up proudly. The clothes of that beastman were the same as those of ninja, or rather, the thief group we passed earlier. Going by the shape of the clothes, which were centered around black colors, I think the beastman is female.
“Rollo, what’s wrong with that noir runner?”
Upon my question, she turned her head in my direction and her black pupils dilated slightly. It was a slightly triumphant look.
“Nn, nyaa.”
She probably was bragging about having caught the beastwoman.
“Uuh, let go of me…,” she mumbled with her voice trembling.
“Divine Beast-Sama! It looks like you enjoy tickling the body of that thieves group member, but you must not let go of her! We are going to hand her over to the patrol next,” Higlia cautioned Rollodeen while talking in a honorific language.
“Higlia, it looks like you know this beastman.”
“Yep. The noir runner in Divine Beast-Sama’s custody is a member of the famous Tsuranuki Thieves Gang.”
“A thieves gang, huh…? He’s got comrades?”
It coincides with the words of the group that passed us earlier. They talked about a Twin Moon Tree, treasures, and being hindered by a black beast.
“Yep. I hear they frequently appear outside the Sea of Trees and the ancient wolfman turf to steal valuables. They cause a lot of trouble in the southern delta of the Heim River branches. And so far, their members have never been caught!”
In short, Rollodeen contributed to the public order, eh?
I checked the hole Rollodeen had dug. Its bottom was deep and you could see claw scratches on the walls. Did she fire countless tentacle bone swords into the ground? Maybe she used them like a Gatling gun?
A tunnel seemed to exist at the bottom of the hole. Fallen shining dry leaves served as lightsource, making the whole look pretty.
Huh? A part of those shining leaves formed an illusion similar to a divine woman within the darkness. The instant I pointed in her direction, she vanished.
She disappeared, but she hinted at the underground tunnel? A guide?
How mysterious.
From up here the tunnel can only be seen within the range of the light source, but…it looks like it’s quite wide. Maybe two or three people could fit in there side-by-side.
The main street is set on tough bedrock, so I guess the area below is connected to a cave…?
“…Leaving aside Rollo’s goal in digging this hole, she apparently hit upon that underground passage and caught one of the noir runners down there as some sort of game…”
I looked at Rollodeen with a smile. Her forepaws were dirty with earth and leaves.
“Nyaa,” she meowed, looking like she was smiling.
“Wasn’t it because she found some huge worm?”
“Nya.”
I see.
“Divine Beast-sama ate a lot of the underground worms. But, her sense of smell is incredible! She caught a member of the thieves gang for us as they were operating down there!” Higlia praised. “It excels my <Smelling Sequence> which is as keen as the olfaction of a tiger beastman! I’m sure Hurley-sama would praise her as well!”
This caused Rollodeen to roar like a wolf.
The ancient wolfmen, who had watched the whole spectacle, all started to cheer.
“A gallant black panther-sama!”
“Whaaaa～”
“What an amazing roar. A new guardian wolf?”
“I had already heard that Higlia brought a great divine beast with her, but…”
“Its achievements during the journey appear to be outstanding.”
“The platoon leader, who accompanied the divine beast, was apparently licked all over his body.”
“Oh, I heard about that as well. It sounds like he’s Divine Beast-sama’s favorite.”
“…But, that pose! Maybe the Banquet of the Divine Farmer?”
“Certainly, it looks similar. Just like the guardian wolf of the past…”
Banquet of the Divine Farmer? Either way, praise for Rollodeen could be heard from all over the place. And getting carried away by that, Rollodeen howled several times.
Each time she did, the wolfmen answered with cheers and applause. The Sea of Trees beastmen with the pointy hats started to dance while crossing the street. And some even pulled out instruments and started to sing…
The whole thing turned into some sort of unique stage musical.
But then a shining, dry leaf suddenly stuck itself to Rollodeen’s nose tip as if gently touching it.
“――Nnn, nyaa?”
Rollodeen stopped howling due to the leaf and meowed instead. From my position I could only see the side of her face, but she was apparently crossing her eyes.
“Divine Beast-sama, is something wrong? You’re pulling a weird face!”
Higlia, who had been singing next to Rollodeen, stopped and worriedly looked at Rollodeen. Meanwhile Rollodeen furiously shook her head, trying to rid herself of the leaf on the nose.
But, it was in vain.
Naturally, the nor runner caught by her tentacles was violently shaken as well.
“Awawawawawawa!” It yelled in confusion, its eyes spinning.
Unable to get rid of the leaf, Rollodeen started to move her head left and right next. But, it only caused the leaf to shine even stronger.
Rollodeen meowed miserably and ran up to me, obviously asking me to get it off for her.
“――Uwwaaah!”
The tentacle-bound noir runner naturally moved together with her, but I ignored him.
…Alright. I’m gonna get rid of that leaf on Rollo’s nose.
Suddenly, Aris ran up next to Rollodeen, who was troubled by the leaf.
“Ahahaha! How fuuuun! A pretty leaf is stuck to Divine Beast-sama’s nose! And the beastman-san is a baddie?” Aris squealed while extending the hand, which had been touching her necklace, for Rollo. She didn’t seem to be scared even after seeing Rollodeen’s imposing appearance.
“Aris, don’t touch that noir runner, okay?” Elza cautioned the little girl.
Sinister mana was definitely swirling around Aris fingertips…
“Ah, yep. It’s okay. <Temptation of the Dark Scorpion> hasn’t invoked,” Aris muttered some meaningful words.
“Child, the thieves gang member will be handed over to the guards, so you mustn’t touch him,” Higlia warned Aris.
“Y-Yes!”
However, despite flattening her ears, Aris seemed okay with looking at Rollodeen from close-by. Although a shining leaf was stuck to her nose, Rollodeen was still a black panther with impact and a wild style. That’s why I expected her to be somewhat scared, but that was a needless worry.
After pondering a bit about Elza and the bug in her arm, I faced Aris.
“…Aris, a leaf is stuck to her nose, but this is my partner. She’s Rollodeen the Divine Beast. Elza, best regards from her to you as well.”
“Oki! Nice to meet you, Divine Beast-sama!”
“…My name is Elza. Divine Beast-sama with the imposing black panther appearance…please take care of me.”
Unlike the bright Aris, Elza’s voice was quivering slightly. She seemed to be nervous, but…because of her mask, I couldn’t really tell.
“Nn, nyao.”
After having given up on removing the leaf herself, Rollodeen meowed a greeting to the two. She extended one tentacle. I thought she was going to greet them with the tentacle, but I was wrong.
She made her tentacle head for Itasha who had moved back to Jody’s shoulder. Itasha kyuu’ed cutely and then interacted with the flat tentacle by extending her small front legs. Itasha place the backside of her small front leg on Rollodeen’s pad which was located on the backside of the flat tentacle, resulting in a touching of pads.
After watching that heartwarming scene for a moment, I turned to Higlia.
“Higlia, I have some important information about the thieves gang and the destination of that underground tunnel, but first let me introduce those two――” I pointed at Aris while talking.
“The adorable beastgirl with the cat ears is Aris.”
Aris fidgeted around in embarrassment after getting praised by me.
Higlia nodded.
Next I moved my arm, pointing at Elza, “The person in the overcoat next to her is Elza. She’s a Great Sword User as visible from the sword on her back. They became my friends. So I’d be happy if you could get along with them.”
Higlia stared at the two women. Then she enviously gazed at Itasha and Rollodeen playing around. Halfway her expression betrayed that she had already forgotten about Elza and Aris. She apparently wanted to join the pad touching dance very much.
Or rather, I want to join as well. And the same can obviously be said about Aris, too.
Higlia shook her head as if trying to get herself straight and then looked at me with a tense expression.
“――Very well! If they’re your friends, they’ll be my friends from today onwards, too! Aris, Elza, nice to meet you!” Higlia declared with a smile.
Her charming canine fang peeking out of her mouth gleamed in the sun. She held out one arm and did a thumbs-up. Her whole behavior and pose reminded me of Bon.
“Yay, thanks, Divine Princess! Nice to meet you too!”
“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Higlia nodded at Aris and Elza.
Now then, I guess I’ll inform Higlia about the underground tunnel.
“Shuuya, did you get to know your new friends at that store which drew your interest?”
“Yep. Anyway, Elza and Aris are being chased by various organizations. I’ll tell you about the details later on…”
I looked at the hole and the captured beastman.
“Are you in a hurry? But, I was thinking of handing the gang member over there to the guards first.”
“Higlia, about that…” While looking at the beastman, who was dangling in the air like freshly washed laundry that was out for drying, I added, “Could you leave that noir runner to me, no, entrust me with the right to judge him?”
“Wh-Why would you care about a thief…”
“Hehe, Shuuya-sama, you’re quite quick on the uptake.”
Jody nodded with a giggle.
“I guess you guys have a plan…”
Higlia looked back back and forth between Jody and me. At that point, Helme appeared at the edge of my visual field.
『So Jody has also grasped your line of thinking, huh?』
『Helme, you get it as well, right?』
『Yes. I’m going to check the butt-chan of this small beastman』
Unfortunately she didn’t get a thing.
『…That’s not what I meant, though. Earlier I noticed a group, which I guess to be the friends of this guy here, on the main street. They were talking about a Twin Moon Tree, treasures, and so on』
『Oh, now I understand! After squeezing all sort of information of of this gang member, we’re going to invade the hideout of the Tsuranuki Thieves Gang and annihilate them』
『If they seek a battle, I’ll battle them to the death, but first I’ll just get in touch with them』
『Okay! You will negotiate with their leader and try to have them join our ranks…』
『…I’d like to say that you’re right there, but them joining our ranks…I feel that’s a bit too rushed. Anyway, all of it depends on the talk we will have』
『Yes. But, although it’s Rollo-sama’s achievement to have caught this gang member, would the guard units of the wolfmen stay silent if you take custody of this noir runner, assuming Higlia-chan is okay with it?』
『…Probably not. After all, he’ll be a source of information for a group that hasn’t been caught at all yet. Because of that, all steps from now on will be carried out swiftly behind the scenes so as to not stand out too much. I’m going to catch the members of the thieves gang that might have infiltrated the fortress’s inner area through the tunnel』
『If there’s anyone important among the invading gang members, they will come in hand when negotiating with their ringleader』
『If their leader values their lives, that is』
It’s still unclear whether I’ll be able to catch them, but I’ll rather act than do nothing.
『Okay. Let’s go at once and catch all the gang members that have infiltrated the Wolf Moon City through the tunnel』
『Aye. Though we don’t know what sort of layout the tunnel has…』
Helme smiled and adopted a peculiar pose after releasing water sprays from her whole body.
『It’s alright! Leave the vanguard to me! There is something only I can do after all!』
Something only Helme can do? Splitting up in several groups and searching is faster if the tunnel is a complex maze with many branches. And even if the path doesn’t branch out, a slimy liquid moves faster and has it easier to stay hidden.
It might be more effective than my <Nightvision> too, so I guess she’s suited for it.
『Very well then. Wait a moment』
『Yes, Your Excellency!』
I finished the telepathic conversation with Helme within a few milliseconds. Lowering the boost of my thinking ability and discernment through <Demonic Cerebral Spine Revolution>, I looked at Higlia.
“Right. It’s just as you say, Higlia…I got a plan with this.”
<– Previous Chapter | Glossary | TOC | Next Chapter –>
Help out filling the Glossary of this series with life! Anyone is free to join by clicking >here< !
Translation Notes: