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Butcher Demon Chapter 329 Mermaid's Prince
According to Kyo, if everything went smoothly, we should have reached Meteor Lake in about eight days. But now it's the ninth day, and we're only halfway there considering how far we need to go.
This is partly due to the slow pace of the group and we got stuck a couple of times in that weird terrain loop thing. Also, our journey took more time when we went through a place that looked like Earth.
We've been attacked by magical beasts several times along the way, but having Tiriel join us as a combat member made a significant difference, and the traveling party didn't suffer any notable damage.
Despite her being generally timid, she shows her true potential in open areas combat and group battles, especially with her ability to grow vines from seemingly nowhere to entangle enemies.
This is it.
In a fight where you're looking out for someone, being able to hold back enemies is crucial. If I had known about this power from the beginning, I wouldn't have disagreed with the group moving together. Kyo does the same thing with her whip that can target lots of enemies, so now we've got our roles figured out——with both of them defending and me running around and attacking.
As the journey continues, it's time for lunch again.
While everyone is having their meals, I'm wandering around, holding up my cracked smartphone to the sky...
The smartphone, broken by an orc, still manages to turn on, but it can't seem to catch a signal.
The real question is whether the phone itself is busted or if there's simply no signal. I really hope the important part is still okay.
Butcher stares intently at the cracked screen I'm holding up. To someone unfamiliar, I probably look like I'm wandering around with trash in my hand. Tiriel, however, is interested.
"That's the one Natsuki had in 88, right?"
"Close."
That's a terminal, and this is a smartphone. While they can do almost the same things, the terminal is technically military equipment, so its functions and performance differ from smartphones owned by civilians.
"What have you been doing since earlier?"
"signal, search. signal, signal..."
"How do you look for a signal? If you find one, can you use it to take pictures? What about the crack? Is it broken?"
Tiriel is really curious and always asks a lot of questions when she sees something new. Thanks to that, she knows more about how Yakky works than Kyo does.
The other day, she finally understood what makes a motor different from an engine. She also learned how to control tire torque and got the hang of off-road vehicle tools like the inclinometer, making her driving really stable.
Explaining the meaning of an antenna to Tiriel, I have her wander around with my smartphone instead.
"No signal. Can use, photo."
"Oh, is that so? Well, I'll play with it later, then... huh?"
Tiriel, humming as she starts searching for signals, suddenly stops.
"Is this.....?"
No way...
I rush over and peer into the phone.
The "out of range" message is gone. Just like that.
"Finally!"
"Hey, wait! I found it!"
Taking the smartphone from Tiriel's hand, I tap on the cracked screen. First, I reply to Haruka.
『I've found friends. Since the town was attacked and destroyed, we're heading to a big city.』
"Tiriel, photo."
"Eh, what what?"
I attached a couple of shots of Tiriel and me.
Next is the disaster message board. I wonder if there's a reply from Abigail...
『あｓあああｄｓｓｓｄｓあｓあｄｓｓああｄああｄあｓあｓｄああｓあｄｓあｓああｄああｓｄｓｓｓｓｄああｓああｄｓあああｄああｄｓあｓｄあｓああｄあああｄあｓあｄあｓｄｓあｓああｄあｓｓあｄああｄあｓｄあｓあｓｓｄｓああｄああｄｓｓｓあｓｄｓああｓあｄあｓｓあｓｄｓあｓｓあｄｓｓｓあｓｄあｓあｓｓｄああｄｓあｓああｄｓあｓｓあｄ』
――Another prank...
Feeling pretty let down, I can't help but let out a sigh.
It's ridiculous to mess things up by hitting with a bunch of comments. Why would they play such a dumb prank on a message board where people come for help? Some people in this world are just impossible to understand.
If they were in front of me, I'd give them the Butcher's punishment. You've been saved because of the internet. I convey my current feelings with just one emoticon.
『( ゜д゜)、*spits*』
Pranks for pranks. Surely my current thoughts have been conveyed. Even so, this kaomoji thing is simple and kinda fun.
"Hey hey, Gevaudan. What's that cute symbol?"
"Face(kao), character(moji). Kaomoji."
"Kaomoji? How cute! I envy these clever mechanisms of subhumans. Thunderbirds, on the other hand, devote themselves to reducing unnecessary characters. If we were to add such cute symbols, we'd be scolded. What other Kaomoji are there?"
On the other hand, Earthlings envy your magic. I have mixed feelings.
Next, I need to check the net news. As the world's foremost expert Butcher, I always need to keep an eye on global affairs.
As I struggled to read the news, squinting at the difficult-to-see cracked screen, at that moment...
―Paang!
A stone flew from somewhere and took away my smartphone.
Memories flashed in slow motion. Address book. Hopes for an intense and exciting reunion and sex with Haruka. And the means of communication with Abigail and the others. All of it scattered on the ground.
"..."
I clenched the fragments of the scattered smartphone and looked in the direction from where the stone had come.
Goblins, those same ones, were emerging from between the trees.
"Kill."
With anger surging within me, I resolved to feast on goblins.
As I stepped towards them, at that moment...
From another direction, a sharp voice rang out.
"Fukoidan, attack from the right! Floraitan, protect the people!"
Giving instructions loudly, a figure plunged into the swarm of goblins.
Who is it?
Not someone from Hazafungi.
I don't understand well, but it seems they intend to help fight against the goblins. Following the figure's lead, I too jumped into the scene.
A red-haired young man, obviously a guy even with long hair braided in the back, and he's really good with his simple, slightly long straight sword. His swordplay, leaving elegant sword trails in the air, was artistic. I couldn't help but hold my breath at the sight of his long braids dancing with the sword's movements.
"Prince! Butcher is coming from behind!"
"Butcher...?"
Called from somewhere, the young man with the swaying red hair turned to look at me. Did they just call him a prince?
He set his sharp gaze on me, holding the sword against me. Facing the Butcher, there was no sign of fear in his eyes.
Just when it was about to turn into a fight, Kyo's panicked voice interrupted.
"Ahhhh! He's different! He may look like Butcher, but he's Gevaudan-san! He's an ally! Don't fight, please!"
Kyo, who caught up late, stood between me and the person called the prince.
The person who had warned the young man earlier also joined in, and the four of us stood there, looking at each other's faces.
That fourth figure was a surprise.
It was a creature that made no sense at all. If I had to describe it. It had a humanoid, two-legged silhouette, but its entire body was like transparent water, revealing a flat and rippling green skeleton inside. Its face was featureless, an odd and mysterious entity.
"An ally...?"
The prince asked Kyo without taking his eyes off me.
"Yes! I'm Kyo! An adventurer! We're all heading to Meteor Lake together, but for now, let's cooperate and defeat the enemies! Before they cause more damage!"
In response to Kyo's proposal, we nodded. That alone conveyed something between us. We were comrades who shared what we needed to protect from the beginning of the battle.
We split up and swept through the forest.
It's safe to leave the goblins to Kyo. What I need to hunt down first is the infamous horse-headed creature with exceptional attack power.
Umm... Found it. Huh?
When I found the horse monster in the depths of the forest, it was already under attack by that mysterious transparent creature.
"Neeeaaahhh!"
The see-through creature seemed to have flat skeletal structures for both arms and legs, functioning as swords. When it swung its arms, it cut through the horse creature, and a lot of blood ended up splattering in the forest.
The skeleton of that transparent thing reminded me of a medieval wavy sword, a flamberge.
All of its bones were flamberges. Whether punching or kicking, it becomes a sword strike. Despite its appearance like a gelatinous substance, it possessed a fiercely lethal power in its melee combat.
"Bahh... Bubbaa...!"
I finished off the horse creature from behind. It was already tattered by many cuts from bone blades, coughing up blood from its mouth.
I get the last shot at the end. However, that transparent creature didn't seem to mind and simply praised me with a "Well done." Its voice sounded like someone drowning. What are you, really?
Thanks to some unexpected help, we wrapped up today's defense pretty quickly.
Once we made sure there were no more goblins in the forest, I headed back to where Faye and the others were.
There, the red-haired guy, who they call the prince, and two see-through creatures were already there, along with Faye's group. Faye and the others were already bowing to them.
"We are grateful. I am Faye. On behalf of our group, I express our gratitude."
"No need to mention it, Faye. I am Susu. These are my followers Fukoidan and Floraitan. We were investigating ancient ruins in Hyperborea."
The mysterious transparent creatures were apparently called Fukoidan and Floraitan. Fukoidan fought alongside me, while Floraitan joined as a guard for Faye's group. Honestly, I couldn't tell them apart. Both were transparent and featureless.
"Prince?"
Approaching with my Butcher knife, when I was about to call him, the young man named Susu turned around and gave a small bow.
His casually tousled hair swayed. The prince looked refreshing. His emerald eyes fixed on me.
He was dressed in smoothly thick fabric, with not too many decorations, but the fine embroidery showed it was of high class. The deep blue color really stood out, obviously some high-quality gear. He had a straight sword on his back and a bunch of jagged short spears that looked like harpoons on his waist.
Susu made a troubled expression.
"It's embarrassing to be called that... Well, it's true that I am a member of the royal family of <Sho Haufu>... though I am the youngest. So it's nothing significant."
"<Sho Haufu>... it's a country run by descendants of Mermaid. They are said to have lived underwater in ancient times but emerged and founded the current country. I believe they call the ancient city under the sea <Dai Haufu> and the new city on land <Sho Haufu>[1]."
Tiriel explained.
"That's correct, beautiful elf lady. Although our homeland Dai Haufu, has long been forgotten and lost beyond the horizon of time, and we no longer know its location, returning there is nothing more than a distant dream."
"B-b-beautiful ... you say...!"
Embarrassed and blushing, Tiriel covered her heated cheeks, glancing down at her own toes. To defeat an elf with one hit. Prince, you're strong.
"Mermaid?"
I looked at Susu's feet. Standing on two legs.
And isn't a mermaid supposed to be a woman? Thinking that, I checked his crotch, Kyo then jabbed my side.
"Gevaudan-san, it's rude to stare like that..."
"Haha, it's okay. Gevaudan, in our case, we stopped being mermaids a long time ago. That's why we don't have fishtails, and all the royal family members are male."
"That, mermaid?"
When I pointed to the transparent creature referred to as a follower, Susu answered, "They are Swordweeds."
"Swordweeds are deep-sea slimes that have faithfully served us since ancient times, doubling as our valiant knights. Their skeletal structure is composed of a dark green metal, harder than iron, extracted from the depths of the ocean. Despite its origin, it is named Swordweed due to its undulating form, resembling seaweed."
"This one is called Fukoidan. A pleasure to meet you."
"Floraitan."
Slime... I'm seeing it for the first time, but it's quite different from what I imagined...
The solid look on both sides of the slime, well, it definitely seems like a knight.
But visually, it's seaweed. Once you're told, it just looks like seaweed. From the sea floor to the shallows, long, upright kelp swaying in the waves. Around it, as if replacing the flesh, transparent jelly adhered. This was truly an unusual creature.
But once someone points it out, it totally looks like seaweed. Like long seaweed strands move with the waves from the ocean floor to the surface. Around the seaweed, transparent jelly is attached to it as if it were meat, what a strange creature.
But I knew. Despite their silly appearance, their combat strength was not to be underestimated. Because their skeletons functioned as flamberges, just swinging their arms and legs can pose a credible threat to their enemies. Although they were slimes, there might be a secret in their transparent bodies. It's best not to let my guard down.
After that, we discussed each other's destination.
"I see... so we're all heading to Meteor Lake together."
"Why is the prince in such a remote place?"
Faye asked.
"I am searching for a means to meet the moon goddess on behalf of my family."
"The moon goddess?"
"Yes. In Sho Haufu, there is a legend that the descendants of the Mermaid can purify their sins by having their hair tied by the moon goddess, and they are allowed to return to Dai Haufu after being cleansed by the stars. Therefore, the royal family of Sho Haufu has the tradition of embarking on a journey to seek a way to meet the moon goddess, carrying the mission to achieve that encounter. For that reason, I traveled to the Ancient Grove to see if there were any hints about the rare event related to the approaching Quetzal."
Meet the moon goddess, what a romantic story.
"However—"
Susu made a troubled face and looked around.
"Since the recent thunderclap, a strange green magical beast that I have never seen before has been rampaging. Also, the path to Ogamsunak seems to have become strange. I was planning to retreat temporarily and regroup at Meteor Lake. At that moment, I happened to see you all being attacked from a distance and rushed to help. Perhaps there was no need for that..."
Susu looked at me and gave a small shrug.
"Green, monster. Goblin?"
When I pointed at the goblins, Susu said, "Goblins? Not sure..."
"Goblins, different?"
"Never seen such monsters before."
Floraitan... no Fukoidan, corrected, "Not goblins."
"Hey, Gevaudan. Even I'm starting to think these aren't goblins. The skin color is similar, but..."
Tiriel continued.
"I agree. Their faces are completely different."
Kyo also nodded.
Then, Faye, looking at the neglected goblin corpses, continued.
"The goblins I know are completely different in appearance and nature. Goblins are more gentle and loving. They also like pranks, but... these creatures, repeating such violent acts and even committing slaughter, are completely different."
Everyone denied the goblin theory unanimously. Complaints regarding my use of the term goblin began to snowball.
"Then, what?"
But when I asked a real question, nobody knew the answer.
For the time being, I shelved the issue by calling them as Goblins (temporary). Kyo approached Susu, rubbing her hands, and looking at Susu's expression, she spoke.
"Um, Your Highness. If it's okay for you, would you like to travel with us to Meteor Lake? We would feel really happy if you could stay with us, and they say trips are more fun with more friends, right?"
"That's a good idea. Actually, I was thinking the same."
"Really! Thank you!"
Hazafungi's group was enveloped in a sigh of relief.
Kyo was overjoyed. Tiriel seemed pleased, and Faye was relieved.
"You can call me Susu. Honestly, even back in the kingdom, I was never really addressed as a prince. Haha..."
His shy appearance was picturesque. The charisma of a prince is truly amazing.
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Tags:
Butcher Demon