Chapter 43

Monsters—more accurately, species mutated through magical adaptation.

While we knew the catalyst for why monsters were born, the finer details remained a mystery. There were various speculations: that ancient mages had touched a divine taboo, that mutations occurred within special environments, or that some Demon King-like entity had created them—but all remained within the realm of guesswork.

While there was a version generally accepted as the “correct” answer, those who fundamentally knew “what happened” had left this world without ever speaking the truth.

Generally, the line between a monster and an animal was a bit fuzzy, but according to scholarly logic, one criterion was the “obvious presence of internal organs or physical characteristics that do not exist in conventional organisms.”

For example, Orcs were monsters because they walked on two legs despite looking like pigs.

Pigs were quite ferocious in the wild, but since their insides and outsides were no different from conventional creatures, they were animals.

It wasn’t so much the case in our Kingdom, but on the Continent, monsters and conventional creatures were interbreeding to the point where the boundaries were becoming blurred, leading to proposals like, “Maybe we should just call them all monsters.” I couldn’t help but wonder if that was really okay, but perhaps this Kingdom, which had almost no monsters, was the world’s singularity.

Incidentally, it seemed there were also Celestial and Infernal species with functions far superior to humanity, but that’s a story for another time.

“So what? You’re saying the Veera elder demanded that you find a new home for Myun-myun?”

“That’s how it turned out, yeah. Oh, and this girl’s name isn’t Myun-myun, it’s…”

“Myuun!! Myun-myuuun!”

“Eh?! Don’t tell anyone your real name?! Why not…”

“Myumyu… n.”

“Hmm… well, for now, it seems calling her Veera or Myun-myun is fine.”

After a sudden outburst, Myun-myun started acting all bashful.

Was she embarrassed to share her real name? I could relate.

When I was a stupid kid, I hated giving my name because people used to tease me with puns like “Don’t be boast-Varna!” or “Don’t be greed-Varna!” Nowadays, if someone said that, I figured I’d just touch the hilt of my sword and ask, “Hahaha. Want to die once?” and that would settle it. I’d never actually tried it, though.

Currently, Myun-myun was inside a tank at the purification plant that had been adjusted with sand and toys to make it comfortable for a Veera. Apparently, the Tool Creation Squad was scheduled to build an automatic water-changing system by tomorrow.

…I had a feeling this tank was the one Nonoka-san used for pickling Orc corpses in formalin, but that might have been my imagination, and it was clean, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Anyway, let’s organize what happened between Caliban and Myun-myun.

After that, the parent Myun-myun and her merry band had emerged from the lake bottom, having grown impatient with the two who wouldn’t stop saying their goodbyes, and the family finally had a touching reunion. Apparently, once the Veera tribe matured, members other than Myun-myun could speak, and Caliban was thanked in plain human speech.

However, the mood turned sour when the parent Veera noticed the ring Myun-myun was wearing and started questioning Caliban. It was then revealed that the Royal Foreign Dangerous Species Countermeasure Knights now knew of this location’s existence. And with that, a certain problem surfaced.

Namely, this water source—which had been ignored until now—was now recognized by the town of Kliffia as a vital hub for the residents’ domestic water.

The Veera were not a particularly strong race; they were beings that depended on their environment.

The reason they lived in remote areas was to escape the clutches of humans and monsters.

Therefore, once humans recognized that such a place existed, it became extremely precarious. They could use their secret art of charm on one or two people, but anything more than that was beyond their control. In such a situation, the Veera had to abandon their home and migrate elsewhere.

‘—Caliban. Seeing as you protected this child and brought her back here, I have a request.’

Having finished sorting out the circumstances, the Veera elder made a proposal to Caliban.

The content—using his position as a knight, he was to work with Myun-myun to find a new habitat that was suitable for Veera but out of human sight.

“And why were you entrusted with such a heavy responsibility involving the fate of the pack?”

“About that… you know that ring I gave the Veera? It seems that through that, she and I ended up forming something like a Familiar contract.”

“Huh? You don’t have mana, so you can’t use mag— Ah, right, Myun-myun is…”

“Yes. Veera can use magic.”

The high-pressure water Myun-myun had blasted both Caliban and me with was a type of magic.

If a human magic item was added to the mix, a contract was certainly possible.

“Moreover, due to the nature of the mana, the Veera is the master and I’m the servant.”

“You got tamed by a monster?! You really were charmed after all!!”

“Yeah, I’ve got no excuses. Actually, it’s a contract bound by the Veera’s chaotic emotions and mana, so I don’t understand the composition or conditions at all, but basically, it seems I’m in a position where I have to protect her.”

“Myuuuun… ♪”

Myun-myun leaned out of the tank and nuzzled Caliban’s hand like a pampered cat. There was a nuance to it that looked a bit like, “Now this person is my property!” but since she looked like a child, the image of a younger sister who loved her big brother fit better.

“By the way, the Veera mother forced another contract on top of that. Though, it’s mostly just a promise not to carelessly leak the Veera’s existence or location to the surroundings.”

“They’re just doing whatever they want with you! Magic items are dangerous, aren’t they!?”

“Hahaha… well, it is a ring intended for use on someone without mana, after all…”

Caliban looked somewhat worn down as he laughed self-deprecatingly.

A knight who fought monsters being placed under a spell wasn’t even a laughing matter in the Order. Well, it was a hilarious joke only within our Pig-Hunting Knight Order.

However, I couldn’t help but think that if they could use that much magic, they wouldn’t get caught by humans, but this kind of magic was likely useless against third parties, making it surprisingly impractical. That was probably why the mother added an extra layer of insurance.

The reason Caliban could spill all this to me was probably because I already knew that place was the Veera’s home. It was in moments like these that one could glimpse the vulnerability of the Veera’s magic.

“Well… either way, the Tool Creation Squad is already counting their chickens regarding the money they’ll make off the Veera, and the Cooking Squad is head-over-heels for Myun-myun regardless of magic. Once you submit a proper report, the Vice Commander will figure something out.”

“…I wonder if I can really protect her.”

Was he talking about the promise, or Myun-myun herself?

Lacking the ability to read minds, I didn’t know for sure, but there was something I could say as his senior.

“Don’t sweat it. If the Commander grumbles, I’ll talk to him. If other Knight Orders or the Council get noisy, I’ll just send a letter to a buddy or something and handle it.”

“…Come to think of it, you’re right. I didn’t notice because you work so normally, but you really do have all sorts of ‘cheat codes,’ Senior!”

I had a final weapon I’d never used: the “Astraea Bomb,” which involved sending a direct message to the King to flip the Council upside down. It was a troublesome dud of a bomb that was too powerful to use because it would involve me in a massive way, though.

I’d hate that. Going into politics at this age? I can see nothing but hardship.

Plus, I’d definitely get caught up in the bearded old man Commander’s schemes.

For a moment, I wondered how things would turn out, but this subjugation had also been successfully navigated according to plan.

Of course, because we had mobilized our full strength to save time, the fatigue of the members was higher than usual. If we were assigned consecutive missions now, it would inevitably take a toll later.

“—And that’s why we’re off to our next mission. We can save our duel for the next time we get leave, right?”

“As if I could be bothered to fight every time we meet. A relationship like that is just exhausting! …Er, from now on, I’ll listen to what you have to say, Brother.”

“Hehe… I’ll make sure to pick out some good stories to bring back as souvenirs.”

Nagi, who had appeared before Senior Garmon and me to see us off, shyly looked away.

Some were surprised to see the two had completely reconciled, some muttered that it was a rare sight, and Mayor Ricky was immensely relieved, rubbing his stomach area. Baum-chan, who had reportedly treated Nagi after the fight, looked relieved that another brawl hadn’t broken out.

Now that the Orc disposal was finished, Kliffia immediately resumed its stone quarrying, and the presence of merchants was starting to increase again. To top it off, sailing ships for transporting stone appeared on the river, and the town was fully returning to its daily life without the Knights.

Come to think of it, a lot happened since we came to this town.

It started with the strained, awkward relationship between the feuding brothers, Garmon and Nagi; then came the mounting impatience of the Orc hunt, drinks with the Kliffia Militia, and finally, a duel planned half-on-impulse just to get them to reconcile. Then, the life-or-death struggle on the cliffs and the encounter with the monster Veera.

In the end, the Militia and the Knight Order managed to cooperate in Kliffia.

Without that, the Orc subjugation would have taken much longer, so I wanted to believe that what I did wasn’t entirely in vain. Whether this experience would be useful for future Orc hunts was endlessly debatable, but I would certainly never again overlook the unusual behavior of Orcs using waterways for transport.

The efficiency of the Order’s activities was built by recording such once-in-a-lifetime pieces of know-how one by one. In the end, I didn’t have much time to buy souvenirs, but I decided to take a so-called “Lucky Power Stone” I received from one of the Militia men as my trophy.

“Hey, Varna!”

Nagi, who had been talking to Senior Garmon, beckoned me over.

His expression was different from the bellicose one he wore when we first met, and different again from the understanding we reached at the tavern; it was as if something haunting him had finally vanished. The man who had settled everything he wanted to say looked more energetic than those of us in the Knight Order, who were exhausted despite having fought alongside him.

“Are you all good with Senior now?”

“Yeah, more than good. More importantly… regarding this Orc hunt, I don’t think it would have ended so cleanly without you. It would’ve dragged on, and I wouldn’t have even been allowed to join the fight. It might be awkward to say this in front of the Mayor, but let me thank you on behalf of the town of Kliffia… Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But I benefited plenty from your hospitality, too, so let’s just call it even.”

“Heh, acting all cool… Hey, Varna, can I ask one last thing?”

Nagi signaled to a member behind him, who brought over a wooden spear and a wooden sword—the same ones we had used at the tavern. Nagi gripped the spear and tossed the wooden sword over to me. If that was the case, then I knew exactly what he meant.

“Just one bout. Give me one more mock battle.”

“I don’t mind, but where did this come from? Did you wake up to the joys of combat?”

“…When you were fighting the Orcs, there were times I couldn’t even follow your movements with my eyes. It made me think. Maybe during our mock battle, you were saving your strength so you wouldn’t injure me.”

“…”

That might be true, I thought.

Nagi had been relentless, acting as if he didn’t care if his spear hit my face or vitals, but in mock battles, I always held back in places to ensure I didn’t cause any lingering injuries. If that was what Nagi called “saving strength,” then it was true that I hadn’t been serious with him back then.

“Winning or losing doesn’t matter, Varna. I just… I wanted to know exactly how much of a gap there is between us.”

“…As promised, just one bout. I’ll hit you with a serious secret art.”

“Thanks! Alright then, Vice Captain, could you give the signal?”

“Good grief, me again? Fine. When I say start, you start; when I say end, it’s over.”

The stern-faced Vice Captain of the Militia stepped forward, muttering his exasperation.

As the onlookers kept a safe distance just in case, I quietly took my stance with the wooden sword.

I wasn’t going to blow Nagi away by hitting him directly.

I would simply put my full weight into a single strike against his weapon to send it flying. In terms of sharpness and precision, I would give it my all.

As for the technique—well, if I was going to be “serious,” I had no choice but to use my best move.

Nagi firmly planted his feet on the ground.

I stood ready, without a hint of negligence—and flipped the switch into combat mode.

Under the etiquette and pride of a warrior, I held my blade aloft without a single stray thought.

The Twelfth Form: Eight-Span Crow was a strike delivered in a state of absolute selflessness.

The will is infinite; the technique is ultimate; the only destination is victory.

“Begin!!”

The moment I heard the Vice Captain’s voice, as naturally as throwing a ball, I let my consciousness slip into that extreme world called Empty State.

“—Eight-Span Crow .”

First, my voice was heard; then, with a delay, the sound of wood clashing against wood echoed; and finally, there was the sound of the wooden spear snapping in two and rolling onto the ground.

I didn’t know exactly what I had unleashed or how. The state of selflessness is a world beyond perception—what happens there cannot be explained in words. Therefore, if my soul said I had performed a secret art, it manifested as the ultimate technique.

“Wh… a…?”

The Vice Captain, who had been watching, let out a wordless gasp. While the onlookers stood dazed, unable to comprehend the sight before them, I quietly exhaled. As always, this secret art made me hold my breath when I used it.

“Vice Captain, I’ve delivered my bout.”

“A-Ah! That’s enough!!”

“…Darn. I knew there was a gap, but this much? That power difference is a joke!”

Perhaps because he was defeated so cleanly that even resentment couldn’t surface, Nagi admitted defeat with a somewhat playful air. Nagi had surely seen this result coming. He likely sensed the gap was even larger than he’d imagined the moment he witnessed the Hidden Style: Fourth Form during the subjugation.

“But I’ve got a goal for the time being!! Remember this, Varna—I hate staying the loser!! Someday, I’ll catch up even to your full strength!!”

“You’d better train yourself to death, then. Otherwise, you’ll never reach where I am.”

“Bring it on!!”

If it were Nagi, he might one day reach that same state of Empty State.

Thinking that, I held out an open palm toward him.

Nagi slapped it in a high-five, then gripped it firmly in a handshake. And so, the Kliffia expedition came to a safe close, and having gained a friend, I headed back out on my journey to find more Orcs—or so it would have ended, before…

“Still, if a low-ranking guy like you is this strong, I wonder how much stronger my brother has become as your superior…”

“…? Nagi, what are you talking about?”

“Eh, no… I mean, Varna is Brother’s subordinate, right? So that means Brother is stronger, right?”

“…Nagi, have you really been with Varna-kun all this time without knowing who he is?”

“Eh? …Eh?”

Come to think of it, Nagi had never once asked me about “that.”

Since he was a bold guy, I assumed he just didn’t care, so I hadn’t said anything—but could it be that this man hadn’t noticed at all, even though even Baum-chan had figured it out? Good grief. I hate sounding like I’m bragging, but this was beyond being dense; it was in the realm of being completely out of touch with the world.

“Captain, are you seriously not realizing? It’s Varna! The Varna!”

“Eh, I don’t know him. What, is he someone famous?”

“Haaa… honestly, you… no matter how much you hate the Knight Order, read a newspaper once in a while!! Listen, Nagi! This Varna-kun, whom you looked down on as a low-ranker, was chosen by the King as the Most Valuable Knight for two years running. He is, without a doubt, the strongest knight in the Kingdom—far stronger than I am!!”

“…Bu-heh?”

Nagi looked at me with a gapping, moronic expression that would have made even a crow scoff. He looked at Senior Garmon’s face, then back at me, and for some reason, looked at Senior’s face one more time.

“This guy?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

After a brief pause, having finally understood the situation, Nagi let out a breath, took a deep gulp of air, and let a voice explode from the bottom of his lungs.

“…WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT!!?”

“You really didn’t notice?!”

In many ways, it became an unforgettable expedition.