Which One Is Right? (5)

“I’m impressed. I never expected you to make it all the way here.”

“I’m surprised too.”

For him to show himself so willingly.

But that saved us the trouble.

“Slave trading is prohibited!”

“That’s not even the main issue. What exactly were you doing down here?”

Erika demanded.

It was obvious this was no ordinary basement.

The duke wore a smile.

“As you can see, I was creating monsters.”

“—! For what purpose?”

“As a gift for the Demon King.”

“Wha—”

The Demon King!?

Don’t tell me this guy…

“So you were connected to the Demon King.”

“Surprised? There are more nobles than you’d think who place their hopes not in the kingdom, but in the future the Demon King will create.”

“…I see. I didn’t want to know, but…”

As a princess, her feelings must have been complicated.

And she was angry.

Gentle-mode Erika had a deep furrow between her brows.

She wasn’t the only one furious.

Semirena lamented, and Arka shouted.

“How horrible!”

“Why are you capturing beastfolk?!”

“Their genetics are useful. They’re being put to good use to produce superior monsters.”

“Like lab animals…”

“Exactly so, Hero-sama. These are samples gathered for experimentation.”

I felt pure revulsion.

This lord was trash.

He saw beastfolk as nothing more than tools.

“Are you really okay with saying all that out loud?”

“I don’t mind. You will all die here. I was just looking for suitable opponents to test my newly developed monsters.”

“Soji-dono.”

“I know.”

Even I could feel the beasts’ gazes.

Not just one or two.

“It’s unfortunate that you found out. But eliminating the Hero’s party here is fortunate for me! There could be no finer offering to the Demon King!”

“…Too bad for you. You don’t have a future.”

“Bravado.”

“No. It’s a fact!”

Behind us, a massive screen unfolded.

Displayed on it was the town.

Everyone was looking up at the sky.

Floating above them was the same screen.

And on it—

Us.

“A magic screen. An application of imaging technology used in magical tools.”

“N-no way…”

“You went and said everything yourself!”

With Erika’s magic, the scene here was being projected across the town.

They heard everything.

Saw everything.

That the lord was connected to the Demon King’s army, that he had gathered slaves underground and conducted experiments to create monsters.

They must have been terrified.

Shocked.

It might even cause panic—but that couldn’t be helped.

What mattered was exposing this bastard’s crimes.

“Y-you wretches…”

“There’s no way you can remain lord after this.”

“Give it up! Release everyone!”

“Hah! Very well, then it’s simple. I’ll wipe out the town along with everything else!”

The duke pressed a button on the remote control in his hand.

At once, the monsters submerged in liquid were released.

“Soji!”

“—! Even in the town?!”

The screen showed monsters being unleashed throughout the streets.

“Hahahaha! Did you think this was the only experimental facility?”

“There were others in the town?!”

This was bad.

The townspeople were in danger.

“Soji-kun! In front of you!”

“—!”

Impact and explosions engulfed the underground chamber.

Smoke surged up the stairs, blasting the entrance open and forcing everything to the surface.

Protected by Erika’s barrier, we tumbled outside.

“That saved us, Erika.”

“What about the people underground?!”

Arka panicked.

“They’re fine. I protected them with a barrier.”

“Thank goodness…”

This was no time to relax.

Before us, a gigantic monster burst out from underground.

A lion-like body, with a serpent for a tail.

Bird wings on its back, talons sharp like those of a raptor.

And three wolf-shaped heads.

A patchwork chimera.

The corrupt duke was riding on its back.

“This is my greatest masterpiece!”

“Flare Burst!”

Without hesitation, Erika unleashed her spell.

A roaring vortex of flames.

But the chimera deployed a barrier and blocked it.

“It blocked magic?”

“What a shame, Princess. Magic won’t work on this monster.”

“Then we’ll have to rely on physical attacks.”

I drew the cursed blade, and Arka raised her greatsword.

Erika spoke to me.

“Leave this to the two of you. Semirena and I will go rescue the people underground.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah! Please!”

“W-wait—”

Don’t decide that on your own!

No Erika’s support, no Semirena’s healing, and we were supposed to fight this chimera?

“I am here as well, I say.”

Right.

If it came to it, I’d switch to Kojiro.

The monsters released into the town.

The stationed knights fought back.

“Damn it! I never imagined it would come to this…”

“Don’t falter! Protect the residents!”

Panic broke out, and even the knights were rattled.

They couldn’t cover every monster.

The monsters mercilessly attacked the townspeople.

“Nooooooooo!”

A woman screamed.

Blood sprayed as a monster lunged—

“Eh…?”

The monster fell, and standing in its place was a figure both human and beast.

“A-a beastfolk?”

“If you can move, evacuate now.”

“W-why?”

Even ordinary people knew of the disparity between humans and beastfolk.

There was no reason for them to help humans.

“They kept their promise. So we’re just doing our part in return.”

The resistance members joined forces with the knights.

They had been asked in advance to protect the town in case of emergency.

They were people of honor.

More so than humans.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

The town should be okay, right?

I hoped they were keeping their promise…

“For now, focus on the enemy before you, I say.”

“—! I know!”

Of the three heads, the right breathed fire, the center spewed water, and the left unleashed lightning.

The serpent tail sprayed poisonous fluid.

Its wings allowed it to fly as well.

It combined the strengths of each, and even used magic?

“Isn’t that just unfair?!”

“Soji-kun!”

Arka blocked a strike from its sharp claws with her greatsword.

I took the opening and aimed for its neck.

I severed the left head, but it regenerated immediately.

“What?!”

Even Kojiro was surprised by the speed of its regeneration.

We retreated for the moment.

“That regeneration is the biggest problem.”

“Yeah.”

Perhaps because it could regenerate, the chimera focused entirely on offense.

It didn’t defend or evade at all.

“Well? This monster feels no pain. It repels magic, and instantly recovers from any attack! There is no blind spot!”

“…You sound proud, but enemies like this usually have the same weakness!”

“What did you say?”

I had an idea.

But I couldn’t pull it off as I was.

“Arka, lend me your strength.”

“Okay!”

I whispered the plan into her ear.

I couldn’t do it alone.

That’s right—alone—

“So, I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me, I say.”

I unleashed the cursed blade’s power and let it possess me.

“Shall we begin the beast hunt?”

In an instant, Kojiro closed the distance and severed the chimera’s foreleg.

It collapsed forward.

He followed up by cutting off its hind legs as well.

“Stay down, I say.”

“—! W-what? Its movements suddenly—”

“Soji-kun! Amazing…”

“Hah! But that will regenerate soon enough!”

“I know that, I say.”

As one of the heads turned toward Kojiro, seeking to exploit the opening—

It intended to engulf everything in flames.

“True Ganryu—Bud-Cleaving Slash.”

The unleashed flames—

“He cut it?!”

Ignoring the stunned duke, Kojiro severed all three heads at once.

“That should suffice, yes?”

“Yeah!”

Enemies like this go down if you destroy all their heads simultaneously.

If that didn’t work, you’d have to erase the entire body in a single blow.

Game logic—but still!

The corrupt duke panicked.

Was I right?

“Hah! Too bad! Wrong answer!”

The chimera began regenerating.

“It seems you were correct after all, I say.”

“W-what?!”

I was certain now.

For just a moment, its gaze shifted—to the last one.

That’s right.

The chimera didn’t have just three heads.

“Arka-dono!”

“This is it!”

The fourth head—the serpent tail.

All heads were severed at the same time.

This was how you stopped a chimera’s regeneration.

“T-that’s impossible!”

“Jackpot.”

The chimera’s body began to collapse.

The corrupt lord fell from its back and tried to flee in a panic.

Arka slammed her greatsword into the ground.

“Eek!”

“You’re not getting away!”

“H-how could this…”

“Give it up.”

And so, we punished evil as the Hero’s party.

Demons and the Demon King weren’t the only villains.

There were bad people in this world—regardless of race.