Butcher Demon Chapter 336

size :  

                                                                                               

Ｇ'ｚOpen

Butcher Demon Chapter 336 Master Forkulin

prev   TOC   next

"Welcome~~"

With a cheerful voice, a girl emerged from the crowd.

"Oh, well, well~~? Kyo-chan!"

"Digitail-san!"

They hugged tightly, they seemed to be friends.

She was a girl with bangs cut and a unique set of tail feathers. Kinda gives off a vibe like she's some bird-themed bestmen creature. No wings on her back, but lots of feathers on her arms' sides. Since her top is so short, you can see everything from her stomach to her belly button.

"Who's this big guy over here~~?"

"My new pet, Gevaudan-san. The one behind is Tiriel-san."

"Oh, nice to meet you..."

Tiriel nodded shyly after being introduced.

"Nice to meet you~~. An adventurer, right~?"

"No, not really."

"I see, I see~~. This Elf is so cute, isn't she~~?"

"Well, uh..."

Digitail, all smiles, gave Tiriel a pat on the head and a hug. A real hug fanatic, it seemed.

"Gevaudan-san, this person is Digitail-san, a bartender here. She's from the Tailorbird race and she's the one who made my hat."

"Hello,"

"Wow~~ You can talk~~. You've got yourself a smart butcher. Lucky you~~ ...Oh? What happened to Chips~~?"

"Ugh...!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry! Taming life is always tough, huh? There, there."

Comforted by Digitail, Kyo wiped away her tears.

Meanwhile, I continued observing the store.

While keeping an eye on the restaurant, more familiar faces kept popping up, and the weird looks at strangers started fading. Tiriel, who didn't know anyone, seemed a bit out of place, but she relaxed a bit after getting into the conversation with Digitail.

Tuasade Tavern seemed like a comfortable place, despite its slightly rough clientele.

——But something was - how can I put it, there was one thing bothering me.

In the back of the store, there was a cube. A cube. Just sitting there, like it's a customer at a table.

It was a very nice-looking cube, entirely silver with a simple, metallic, smoothly polished matte finish. It's pretty big, about the height of an adult's shoulders when standing, and seems to have considerable volume overall. All faces are perfectly squared. No lid, no cover, no handle——just a cube. What's the deal?

As I'm standing there, trying to figure it out, the doorbell rings behind me.

"Good evening, sorry to intrude——Gevaudan!"

Turning around, I saw Prince Susu entering the store. Behind him, the seaweed slime is just waiting.

"So you guys entered the city?"

"Not, yet, Faye."

"Oh, I see... Actually, I came here to talk to the master about that matter too."

"Progress?"

"Not yet."

Susu and I walked side by side and proceeded to the back of the store.

From behind us, we could hear hushed whispers.

"...Eh-Eh~~?! Who is that handsome man~~?!"

"...That's Prince Susu. The kind person who helps us travel to Meteor Lake."

"....He said he's the Prince of Sho Haufu..!"

"....What? Seriously~~?! That's... incredibly high class, isn't it~~?! Kyo-chan, Tiriel-chan, please introduce me too~~..."

The prince's charm was working flawlessly. Is this prince planning to win over every woman he meets?

We stood in front of the counter.

"Welcome."

"Master Forkulin."

Susu called out to the bald, tattooed, muscular guy standing behind the bar counter. For some reason, his upper body was bare, and from the top of his head, strange patterns were intricately carved into his skin, resembling a shaman.

"Is there anything I, a humble guy like me, can do for the Haufu young master?"

"Enough with the teasing."

"Hahaha... ——So, what's with this butcher over there? I heard he's Kyo's pet."

"He's Gevaudan, but... pet...?"

Susu glanced at my collar briefly, then slowly nodded, shaking off any hesitation.

——"Yeah. I traveled with him for a while, and he's a well-behaved and reliable butcher."

He gets the whole situation in one glance. This prince is pretty sharp.

"Gevaudan. Nice, meet you, boss."

I'm weak against the manager type.

"Oh, ho. Surprising that you even understand etiquette. Well, we tend to make exceptions for tamer pets, like anything goes. But for a Butcher? I'm amazed. Been watching adventurers for a long time, but this is a first."

"Master. Actually——"

Cutting to the chase, Susu briefly explained the situation about Faye and others.

"So you want to shelter the subhumans in Meteor Lake."

"Yes. Even if they're subhumans, excluding them in this situation would be inhumane."

"Can't you do something through your connections?"

"I just spoke with the district chief of the West District earlier, but it seems..."

"Grrr! You annoying lump of flesh! Roaming around even in a place like this! Like a cockroach!"

The grumpy old Skemes also entered the tavern. She looked really bothered by me. I didn't even do anything.

Then, responding to Skemes, loud voices rose from one corner of the bar.

"That's right, that's right! Why is the butcher here acting all innocent?! It's not right at all! Say something, Bismarck! ——Aren't you the Destroyer?!"

　The word "Destroyer" made my whole body tense.

Bismarck? Is he a member of the Papameyan's group? If they attack me, all the plans will go awry. Please spare me.

I waited, ready to fight back at any moment, but there was no sign of anyone named Bismarck stepping up. Only the agitated, fanged woman, who had bared her teeth like a beast at the back of the shop, letting off steam.

As a result, only the group near the beast woman pointed at me started protesting. It was a group of beast people, gathered around the cube. Is Bismarck among them?

"...A lot of people are upset, and it doesn't seem worth the trouble to make an exception and let them join."

Susu sighed softly, and Forkulin nodded solemnly.

"Well, that's true. It's not worth accepting a few dozen subhumans out of kindness, only to have them flood in afterward. That would be a serious problem if it caught the attention of the Demon King."

"Buy land."

Suddenly, a voice came from the side.

Our gaze was drawn to it.

At the edge of the bar counter, from the shadows, there were eyes like dead fish staring at us.

"What do you mean, Rattler?"

Forkulin asked.

"The subhumans are to be kept apart, prohibited from mingling, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't venture outside. You can acquire land and establish a business there."

"Hoho. I see."

"Travel from cities to cities, find a temporary place for goods, and do business there. Don't stay there permanently. It'll get so busy they won't even have time to go anywhere. It's a strategy I used to keep women around me when I was out in port."

The individual speaking with a seasoned voice was, well... a fish. To put it simply, a half-fish. He had one eye covered with an eyepatch and a leg with a wooden prosthetic.

"I've heard that you're of Sho Haufu lineage."

"That's right. And you?"

"... Doesn't matter."

The fishman chuckled and continued in a sarcastic tone.

"I'm Rattler. A distant relative of the Mermaid Tribe, like you——"

Saying that, Rattler swiftly finished the remaining drink, thumped the wooden leg on the floor, and left the store.

"He used to be a famous sailor."

Master Forkulin muttered to Rattler's sagging shoulder.

"But he lost his friends, one after another, who promised to return to the Dai Haufu. On his last journey, he lost his ship, everything. Now, he's just a man drinking away, spinning tales in a place like this, wasting away."

"Is what he said earlier true?"

"Who knows. However, he's not the type to mock and trick people. Maybe it's worth investigating."

"Um..."

Tiriel timidly approached, squeezing through the crowd to my side, and spoke to Forkulin.

"I want to register as an adventurer."

"An adventurer, huh?"

"Yeah, because Digitail recommended it."

"You got the money? Need an initial deposit. Plus, there's an annual fee. And other rules, like mandatory requests you can't say no to."

"Eh. really?"

"Hey, Digitail!  I've told you not to bug people like that!"

"Sorry, Master~"

"Tch... Well, whatever. The pamphlets are over there. Just take one home for today."

"Oh, sure. Thank you——Wha!?"

The master moved towards the back of the store. Then, a strange sound came from Tiriel's mouth as she saw what his lower half looked like.

Master Forkulin's bottom half looked like an octopus. Tentacles with suckers. Not just eight, he had countless tentacles wriggling around, creating a visually impactful and somewhat ominous image.

"——"

Tiriel was at a loss for words.

So, I asked instead.

"Susu, owner, what?"

"Master Forkulin is a Scylla, and among them, he's from a rare subspecies known as Onyudo. He's famous for never letting prey escape in the sea and crushing enemies with those monstrous arms on land."

——Special Tentacle, huh...

Some with particular fetishes might cry tears of joy. This might be a serious contender for the strong and rigid Butcher Lance. Master Forkulin. I've got my eyes on you.

prev   TOC   next

If you like the translation, please consider sending me some ko-if.

I truly appreciate any support you can give.