LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8
Where do magical creatures and the demon race come from?
In the novel, a place called the “Demon Realm” is pointed out.
The land is so desolate that it turns black, and the sky takes on a gloomy gray, creating a dark world.
Any person who sees that scenery would genuinely doubt whether any living being could survive there.
That place is the Demon Realm.
So, where exactly is the Demon Realm?
Where is it that magical creatures and the demon race suddenly appear across the continent like “poof!”?
The author describes it like this:
– The Demon Realm and the Human Realm are like two sides of a mirror.
Simply put, the Demon Realm can also be viewed as an underground world or shadow world.
The world’s structure is the complete opposite of the Human Realm, which is why it has such scenery.
Creatures living in such a world are called magical creatures, and those with higher consciousness among them are referred to as the demon race.
And these demon races and magical creatures often have appearances that defy typical preconceived notions.
—-!!
The demon race, screaming below, is no exception.
The roots of the creature, tangled deep underground, are destroyed by the drill machine.
The fact that an active demon race is buried this deep indicates that it has been here for a long time.
‘But hasn’t the magical creatures been moving around since a week ago?’
Then there shouldn’t be any reason for it to have stayed for so long.
I thought while observing the writhing, severed roots.
‘…To hinder the Hero’s movements even a little?’
Then “the Fortress of Dusk” that I would encounter months later floated into my mind.
Naturally, the “Fortress of Dusk” is also the work of the demon race.
A fairly high-ranking demon race at that.
They are likely gradually establishing and executing a plan, so if a lower-ranking demon is lying in wait to buy time, then…
‘That could be possible.’
Those guys are surprisingly clever.
To manipulate and handle feral magical creatures in the first place, they have to be.
That’s why the Hero party and even the strong ones from other kingdoms often fall into traps.
So, could they not have thought of such a tactic?
‘Well, as for the rest, I can just ask this one.’
I looked down again.
But aside from the severed roots, I couldn’t see anything that resembled the main body.
The drill machine likely fell into the tunnel where the creature was presumed to be.
It was dark underground, so visibility was poor.
‘Where did I put the lighting magic tool?’
Boom!!
At that moment, a translucent barrier shook with a great noise. A bizarre, massive fist filled my view.
– Wooooo!! How dare!!
I thought it had just fled, but it boldly came back to fight.
While I was distracted, it launched an attack.
Good guts from a demon race.
“But it would have been better to run away.”
If they’d done that, at least they could have planned for the future.
Of course, I wouldn’t let it happen, but in the end, hope would spring up.
The demon race was quite different from the commonly known images in the previous life.
Its lower body resembled the trunk and roots of a tree, and the upper body looked like an ape, similar to a gorilla.
It moved like a wriggling creature with many tentacle-like legs, specializing in punch-style combat.
The advantage of such a form was the rapid speed and strong power due to numerous legs.
But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be defeated.
It didn’t even need to use [Unique Magic]. It didn’t bring out a makeshift workbench or pen either.
– How dare you damage the noble body of Akturas!! You shall die here!
Boom!
Once again, its fist flew towards me, but there was no change from before.
The robe gifted to me by someone who taught me magic was made with great care.
It’s impossible for such a lowly demon to inflict damage beyond that.
One of my goals is to create defensive gear similar to the robe I’m wearing now.
There are many fields where I can utilize it, but I’m still lacking.
– You’re crafty! So you intend to break it…?
Kuh-ung… Boom…
“How deep had it dug this tunnel?!”
Something was approaching, smashing rocks and debris from below. Though I had been calling for it since a while ago, it seemed the disturbance had come from quite deep.
And then it burst out from the demon’s lower part, piercing its body in a straight line.
Thud.
The demon died with a long hole made by the hastily constructed drill.
Its blood splattered everywhere, polluting the ground. With that, the black plot that sought to engulf a village met its end.
“Come to think of it, the grains grow well around here.”
If that’s the case, could the village’s carrot soup recipe contain loads of grains?
I couldn’t help but imagine, which made my mouth water. However, if things went on like this, much grain would be in danger due to the demon’s blood.
Which means, there might be less delicious carrot soup made.
I carelessly shoved the drill machine into the Space of Space and cleaned up the blood-smeared ground with a giant broom.
Then, after checking if anyone was watching, I placed the demon’s corpse into the Space of Space, labeled [Before Processing].
“Hmm, it’s just cleaning up the trash.”
Definitely not because I’m tempted to use it as material or anything.
Now what’s left is the dirt that got dirty and me standing on it.
“Eh?”
Where did the fainted orc go? Only a puddle of blood remained.
Upon closer inspection, there were several scattered roots of the demon race. It seemed I hadn’t noticed, but they had been acting as a nutrient source for the demon.
After sweeping away the blood puddle with my broom, it changed back to ordinary earth.
The tunnel…
“Let’s just ignore that.”
It would take too long to fill that in.
Since goblins and orcs aren’t the types of magical creatures that could stall the Hero party for hours, I should head back quickly to avoid being found out.
“My robe is still fine. Okay, as long as I keep going like this, it’ll be fine.”
Ugh. I fell back into the ditch I had stumbled on earlier.
They say if the same mistake happens over and over, it becomes a skill; at this point, I might as well be the national representative for ditch-falling in the Olympics.
I brushed off my robe, which was unblemished, and got back up, shaking off my face and hair.
It felt a bit unkempt, but I ignored it.
And as I got closer to the village, I noticed something was bustling.
“Huh?”
As I cautiously moved my steps and peered inside…
“Has an orc entered the village?”
The Hero, Aswel, was urgently asking the villagers about the whereabouts of the magical creature.
He looked rather flustered, not at all the seasoned Hero used to facing orcs.
“Aswel, what’s wrong?”
“Serelin, I clearly saw an orc escaping to another location while I was attacking the orc settlement. It must have come this way…”
“Nothing’s come to the mountains, though? Did you perhaps see wrong?”
“That can’t be…”
Elves, relative to humans, possess superior senses.
Which means Rapiere, with her excellent eyesight and hearing, must have seen a fat orc running away.
‘Is it that one that came after me?’
The only orc that instantly came to mind was that one.
The one who approached to forcibly follow the demon’s orders to attack me, but soon became excellent nourishment for the demon race.
“Hero! If it’s our village’s self-defense force, one orc should be manageable.”
“No, it’s my duty. Moreover, since it’s an orc with high reproductive abilities… If we don’t find it soon, a situation like this could happen again.”
When that day comes, the Hero party would likely be in the west or north.
If the Fortress of Dusk is infiltrated, we could manage with the help of adventurers and mercenaries. But beforehand, it would be a complete catastrophe.
‘I should let them know soon.’
It’s not good to keep worrying like this.
I straightened my expression, cleared my throat, and casually walked into the village entrance.
Oh, and I was holding the orc’s sword used as a material for the drill tightly in my arms.
To show proof of the hunt, I disassembled the drill. After all, I could just replace the part that held the sword with another material, so it wasn’t even a loss.
“……Rui! Wait, what’s that?”
“Oh, I found an orc lying around while looking around.”
Thinking, “I handled what you were worried about, Hero!” I said nonchalantly, trying to act indifferent.
But the Hero’s response was different from what I had expected.
“What? Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“Wait, there’s dirt on your face… can it be that you got hurt?”
“N-No? That’s not it…”
“No way! Aria, help out!”
“Yes!”
Darn it. This isn’t the flow I expected.
Even the Saint Aria rushed over with a concerned expression and grabbed my hand.
“No, I’m not hurt…”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t notice and this happened. Ha…”
“Aswel, still, I’m relieved it ended like this.”
“……..I need to train more. Sorry, Rui.”
“No, I’m fine…”
But the Hero appeared to have no intention of listening to me, wearing a sad expression as he went deeper into the village.
“Lady Rapiere.”
I called my accomplice Rapiere, but she too wore a worried expression.
“At least I’m glad there are no scars on your face. If you got a scar on that pretty face…”
Got one?
‘Then we can just heal it.’
But it seemed Rapiere was having some wicked imagination.
“Phew… luckily there’s no serious damage.”
“Glad to hear that. Rui, while a walk is nice, I think it’s better to refrain in situations like this.”
“Lady Serelin, that’s not the case, actually, I killed a demon…”
“We’re worried too, but more than that, Aswel looks like he’s quite shocked. He’ll probably end up training like a fool every night.”
“……..”
I was wrong. I couldn’t continue the conversation anymore.
As I desperately turned my gaze to Aria, she too looked at me with the same concerned expression as the other three.
She even embraced me, knowing I was okay.
Gah. Gah. I’m suffocating.
“Lady Rui, it’s only been a few days, but we consider you a true member of our party. So… if you need help, don’t hide it and call for us no matter what. Understand?”
I had to give up on revealing the fact that there were demons.
‘Was my trust in them this low…?’
I was shocked in a different sense as I headed back to the inn.
How on earth can I build this trust? I found myself pondering endlessly until I stayed up all night.
And just as Serelin said, outside the inn, I could hear Aswel’s relentless training sound echoing.