205th Chapter
64. Magical Beast and Reformation
204 – Magical Beast and Reformation #1
━ The ceiling is all patched up, meow…
“That’s an ancient technology long forgotten. If it breaks, it automatically restores itself. It remembers its original, intact form.”
The ceiling, once shattered, was now as clean as if nothing had happened. Jack, looking at it with bleary eyes, shivered slightly.
━ This underground relic’s stone walls are not easily broken, nor can they be shattered. It’s like they’re made of paper…
Their eyes soon turned toward me and Azidahaka.
━ Hey, big bro, you seemed to know that guy earlier. Can you tell us what’s going on?
━ It looked incredibly fearsome and dangerous, meow…
“I agree. It felt like a black rat in a legendary wall. Frightening and trembling.”
They demanded an explanation about the situation from me and Azidahaka. Apparently, they guessed a connection since Satan had spoken to us.
━ I don’t know where to start explaining. Will you even believe me if I do?
I quickly recounted the tale of the twelve mythical creatures, one of which was Satan. And how Azidahaka had lost the Fire Dragon’s precious gemstone, along with the whereabouts of the sacred artifact possessed by the great king Ojimann.
━ Hmm.
━ Is that really true, meow…
“It doesn’t sound like a lie.”
Initially, they raised their eyebrows at what sounded like a joke, but as I maintained my unwavering demeanor and explanations, they began displaying increasingly subtle and mysterious expressions.
━ So you mean to say that there’s a terrifying being competing with us on the level of Jupiter or the Fire Dragon lady here?
Nodding.
As I lightly nodded, Sand next to me started trembling.
━ I thought this lady was just a red-scaled lizard… D-D-Do you mean the terrifying Fire Dragon…!?
Sand looked like a cat that had come face-to-face with a tiger, her tail drooping as panic set in.
━ They say Fire Dragons like to eat sand cats. You’re not planning to take me as an emergency food source, right…!?
“Where you heard such rumors is beyond me. Sand cats have tough hides and don’t taste good.”
━ You mean you’ve actually eaten one…!? P-Please save me!
The sand cat, Sand, made a desperate face at Azidahaka’s odd clarification. Meanwhile, the blacksmith Totuga was stroking his smooth chin, devoid of any beard.
“There must have been a reason for breathing high-temperature flames. That kind of firepower doesn’t come from mere red-scaled lizards. While dragons might be good eats, their flames, scales, bones, and claws truly are remarkable materials.”
Just as I was starting to think he was coming to terms with things, it seemed Totuga was judging Azidahaka’s scales as excellent quality materials.
‘What a mess. I should have said something sooner.’
The only one maintaining relatively calm was Jack, the leader and practical head of this group. However, even his face was wriggling with a peculiar excitement.
━ So, you’re saying the terrifying monster from the Eastern Ancient Nest has been chasing us all along…?
━ So, you’re not planning to give up out of fear, are you?
To the residents of the Western Desert, Azidahaka and Jupiter are treated as living natural disasters, symbols of faith. A being like Satan, compared to them, is regarded as an unknown threat that can send chills down your spine.
I understood that well.
Though I understood, if these guys decided that further exploration underground was impossible and retreated, I’d have to come up with a drastic measure.
‘If nothing else works, I might have to drag them along with some threats. Not that I expect them to be useful in a fight, but exploring the ruins and finding a way is something I have no experience or skills in either.’
What can I do to sweet-talk and coax them? Just then…
━ To k*ll it, to think such a colossal entity was here…! That means there really is an ancient king’s sacred artifact!
Jack, who had been startled, shouted as if he couldn’t hold it back anymore.
━ Yes, it’s real. The ancient king’s sacred artifact existed for sure! Everyone doubted me, but it was right here in the desert!
Unlike my worries, Jack’s bright eyes were burning with hope and eagerness.
Seeing that, I decided to test the waters with him.
━ Are you really going to keep going? You know you could d*e, right? Definitely a high chance of d*ath.
━ Big bro, you’ve been looking at me too distantly. The threat of d*ath won’t stop me. Grave robbers have to believe that the tomb they’re digging is their own! I, who only dug up ancient trash, finally have a chance to grab something real!
━ You’re so fired up. Do you think the others will feel the same way?
I subtly turned my gaze from Jack to check on Sand and Totuga.
━ I-I’m not delicious, meow… Just leather and bones, meow…
Sand was still trembling in fear. Well, it’s only natural to be scared when facing a tiger.
Azidahaka, perhaps finding the scaredy-cat annoying, grabbed her forehead and let out a small sigh.
“Unless I get particularly hungry, I won’t eat you.”
━ W-When do you think you’ll get hungry?
“That depends on you. If you do your part and finish things up quickly, I won’t be getting hungry. But if you keep trembling in fear like this, I might get hungry soon.”
━ Hah!
As Sand growled, fur bristling, I could vaguely tell that this was a lie Azidahaka had concocted.
━ W-Well, we should get going! If I get hungry, I’ll be eaten!
Sand clung to Jack’s arm and began to pull him forward. It seemed Azidahaka’s not-really-a-threat tactic was working.
As for Sand, the only one left was the blacksmith Totuga.
Totuga was gazing intently at Azidahaka’s swaying tail beneath her robe, seemingly lost in deep thought.
“Scales… Dragon skin… That Fire Dragon’s… Dragon horns are costly… Weapons that can be made from that…”
‘This guy’s only thinking about materials in his head.’
He may be a blacksmith who wanders the underground world, but his professional spirit seems to be quite strong. I leaned in and whispered into his ear.
━ Hey, Totuga. If you come with us, I’ll give you one of those horns from that sheep we saw earlier.
“Horns…! If it’s from such a beast…!”
A crazy obsession and desire sparkled in Totuga’s eyes.
“Excellent! It’s been ages since something exciting happened, ever since I stole Jupiter’s feathers from his library! The black sheep’s horn! Excellent!”
With that, our group was fully reformed without any reservations.
‘Glad I didn’t have to bully them with force.’
It’s important to motivate them enough to find their own enthusiasm rather than pressuring them with violence and oppression.
━ D-Don’t eat me, meow! Why are you touching my arm? I don’t have much life left, meow!
━ Gyu-yiing.
━ That one, there’s no helping it…
*
The chaotic atmosphere of our first encounter with Satan began to settle down as we strolled through the narrow corridor.
━ Is it true that you embedded the dragon constellation in the sky?
At Sand’s question, Azidahaka shook her head quietly.
“That’s an exaggerated tale. Even I have no power over the stars above.”
━ Hmm, then is the story about the desert fairy king Osiris and his wife Isis true? I’ve heard that Isis could turn into a slender cat, meow.
“Oh, that’s true. Isis… She was a guest from a faraway desert. While she wasn’t a cat, she had the ability to transform into a desert leopard, but that’s basically the same. Leopards are just larger cats, after all.”
━ So, she was a leopard…
Perhaps due to her strong affinity, it wasn’t surprising that Sand had a lot of questions for Azidahaka, especially since her identity was now revealed, which had originally made her tremble in fear. Jack, who was walking behind me, whispered quietly enough for only me to hear.
━ Sand seems to enjoy old tales. Legends and myths, you know.
━ I think I can understand that.
I had enjoyed various documentaries myself, so I knew the fun of seeking out the bizarre and myths woven around them.
For someone like Sand, who loves old stories, it’s only natural she would have a lot to ask from someone like Azidahaka, who is a living legend.
━ Still, I’m glad we can keep moving forward.
I expressed my honest feeling as I stretched my arms lazily. Jack responded beside me.
━ Of course, they’re carefully selected individuals I’ve brought along. Life is constantly threatened for grave robbers. They’re trusting in you and that Fire Dragon lady’s abilities, right? So I have a question…
Jack leaned his head toward me.
━ So, is that Fire Dragon and you really… are you two close?
━ Uhm…
I could feel a strange gaze piercing the back of my head.
Azidahaka, after sealing her eyes shut, seemed to have greatly enhanced her other senses like hearing and smell. She was definitely eavesdropping on us while awaiting my answer.
‘What should I say to hit the nail on the head?’
I turned my mind around busily.
‘We already know each other well enough, and we have a lot of shared experiences, so it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say we’ve become somewhat close.’
From the get-go, our relationship was so complex and intricate that it couldn’t be defined with simple words. After everything was resolved, it wouldn’t be strange to part ways neatly, nor would it be unusual to continue hanging out as if we had known each other from the start.
━ Well, I don’t know.
As soon as my vague answer hung in the air, something flew toward the back of my head.
Thwack. Bump.
A stone hit my head and rolled across the ground.
I rubbed the back of my head with a frown.
━ Ah, what’s that? That hurts.
“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Azidahaka, annoyed, thumped the stone corridor floor with her thick tail. It was clear that my answer displeased her.
‘She’s upset.’
━ So that’s the type of relationship it is. Got it. How fascinating.
Jack nodded, as if he had understood the situation from just now.
━ So, what was the purpose of that question?
━ Well, if there’s really a sacred artifact here, then it definitely means that the guy from the Eastern Ancient Nest, Satan, has come here. There’s probably a sacred artifact from King Ojimann. But to obtain that sacred artifact, there’s supposedly one condition…
Jack trailed off after that.
━ What is it?
━ The downfall of lovers. The destruction of love. Heartbreak.
I didn’t understand what Jack was talking about. As I frowned, Jack continued explaining with a more solemn and serious tone.
━ It’s just a rumor, but it seems the sacred artifact can only be obtained by sacrificing something dear to you.
━ Hm. I see, that does make sense…
Was Jack’s question about my relationship with Azidahaka meant to ask if I would be willing to sacrifice her?
‘Never would I have thought there would be such a condition.’
A bit of a headache began to form.
━ It’s just a legend told among grave robbers, so you’d have to check the authenticity yourself. Hey, there’s a resting area up ahead. Let’s take a break first.
Jack said, urging us not to think too much about it.
━ This time we even have a fireplace, meow. I’ve been feeling chilly, so it’s perfect, meow.
The resting area had a small fireplace roaring instead of a fountain. Azidahaka approached the furnace and gently stroked the firewood and flames with her palm.
With a whoosh, the flames flared larger.
“This is the dragon’s bone. The bones of a dragon solidified into wood. Unless it’s intentionally extinguished, this flame will keep burning endlessly.”
“A precious material. I’ll take some when we leave.”
━ Let’s dig into the meat we brought, meow. I’m starving, meow.
━ Right. Let’s eat. Come over to the fire, big bro.
The group retrieved pots, water bottles, dried meat, herbs, and a makeshift soup from their thick backpacks.
“Delicious.”
Azidahaka, after gulping down the soup served in a small bowl, smiled brightly and praised the group. Next to her, the cat Sand’s ears quivered.
━ … A-Are you full, meow?
“Still, I think I could swallow one more cat.”
The lively chatter of the group continued. I gazed at the bland soup that was poured for me, finding it hard to take a sip.
“Why aren’t you hungry for once? Is something wrong?”
As the others excitedly chatted, Azidahaka slipped away and approached me. I kept my gaze fixed on the tiny waves in the bowl, responding casually.
━ They say a condition is needed to obtain a sacred artifact.
“Oh, is that what you meant? It’s a popular story.”
From Azidahaka’s reaction, it seemed she was already familiar with that rumor.
“To obtain something valuable, a sacrifice is almost always necessary. Your sacrifice will be cherished deeply in my heart.”
━ Huh?
[Author’s Note] If you enjoyed reading, please press the recommendation button at the top of the mobile screen! With just two seconds of your time, you can gift the author a happy day! Thank you to everyone who has given comments and coupons!
