Chapter 422 - Episode 7: The Behemoth's Cave
When I woke up, I was lying in a bed. Eleanor-sama and Mary were there.
"Good morning."
"Ah, Jeanne. You've come to."
"Good morning, or rather, good evening."
At Mary's voice, I looked around; it was dark outside. There was only a lantern.
"I'll turn on the Light."
"You don't have to. I'm going to participate in the banquet."
"Banquet?"
"Yeah, the Behemoth subjugation banquet."
From outside, I could hear people's voices. Strange. My room should be on the third floor...
Wait. The Behemoth...
I see, I remembered. I'm not at the Ghost Mansion right now. I went to deliver the finishing blow to the Behemoth that had lost consciousness after hitting the large rock. While the Priestesses' log-sized Holys, silver arrows, and the magic soldiers' Lightning were concentrating attacks around its heart, I was doing triple volleys as prompted by Eleanor-sama. To increase the effect even a little, I was aiming only at its balding head where the magic defense should have been thin, but I lost consciousness halfway through.
Led by the two of them, I went outside. In the village square, a banquet was being held around a bonfire. Villagers were gathered around Henry-sama and Gwyn-sama.
"Have you come to? Jeanne. That was magnificent."
"Good work."
The Priestesses gathered around me.
"No, not at all. Eleanor-sama, who made the strategy, Gwyn-sama, and everyone else were far more effective than I was."
"The fact that Eleanor-sama and Gwyn-sama... in other words, Sertoria and Finis, were able to join hands is also thanks to you. Besides, without Jeanne's Light and triple volleys, the Behemoth wouldn't have bitten that hard."
Apparently, before, it would ignore things like log-sized Holys and just kill the boars and Finis warriors that came at it.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, even if it's infused by an ultra-high-level magic user, a Holy Lance only makes a little fur fall out at most. It probably didn't see it as much of a threat. I heard Jeanne first used Light to blind it. That made the Behemoth angry, and it chose you as its attack target."
Come to think of it, even when I deactivated the Camouflage and appeared before the Behemoth, it was killing the boars that were coming at it without concern.
Led by the Priestess, when I went to Henry-sama and the others, a cheer went up.
"Jeanne, a toast, a toast!"
It was just as Gwyn-sama stood up.
Hmm? A shadow flickered in the darkness. What could it be?
Suppressing Gwyn-sama, who was calling me to come, with my right hand, I illuminated the darkness with Light, and there were several boars. Frightened by the Light, they were hiding in the shadows of the trees and watching. The place suddenly became chaotic. Warriors drew their swords, and mothers took their children inside the buildings. I could hear the children's screams.
"A monster attack?"
Gwyn-sama also has his sword drawn.
A boar attack? I've never heard of that.
Archers are gathered around Gwyn-sama. Their bows are already drawn, and silver arrows are set. If the boars charge, it'll be over in an instant. Others are looking around, searching for enemies other than boars. After all, a boar attack is unexpected.
The boars don't run away and seem to be watching. This is strange. Somehow, I don't feel like they're going to attack.
"Please wait a moment. Something is strange."
"A-Ah."
Gwyn-sama is also suspicious. Normally, boars don't attack a village. Is it Subordination, or is it Charm? If it's Charm, the Demon Race might be involved.
For now, I'll try to drive them away.
I produce Fireflies and let them drift in the air. I gradually bring them closer while illuminating the boars.
With a fui, the boars turned around and ran away. For a moment, I saw the scar on the right cheek. It's that guy.
When I lower the light output, the boars stop and are looking this way.
"There must be something. Let's get closer."
"Is it okay?"
"Probably..."
Henry-sama and Will accompanied me. Mary has started chanting in the background. If she fires Cocytus at this distance, we'll be in danger too.
As we get closer, they run away with a fui and then stop. When we get even closer, they run with a tot-tot-tot-tot and still look back.
Hmm.
"Why don't we just get in a bowl?"
At Henry-sama's suggestion, we decided to get in Wilson-san's bowl. When I called Eleanor-sama and Mary, who were preparing to fire magic in the back, Gwyn-sama and Bonnie jumped in. It's over the weight limit, but a boar is about the same as a horse. It should be fine.
Since Wilson-san is operating it, night vision works. When we get closer in the bowl without Light, the boars started running. There are three of them. They are all huge. They are a size larger than any I've seen before.
"Please follow them."
I asked Wilson-san, and we decided to follow them just like that.
The boars increased their speed and started running. The bowl also increases speed and stays right behind the boars.
"Where are you going?"
They don't answer even if I ask. They just keep running deeper and deeper into the forest. Where on earth are they going?
The boars ran all night, climbing steep slopes and drinking water from valley streams. I have no idea where or how they are running. Occasionally, Wilson-san goes above the trees and checks the surroundings.
"There's no doubt we're at the foot of that mountain. It seems we're heading west."
West... There are no baiting grounds in the west. Since the mountain is large, the foot is also wide. We couldn't possibly make such mechanisms all around, so we should have set up the baiting grounds on the north side of the mountain.
Around the time dawn broke, the boars gathered by a waterfall.
I thought they were going to drink water, but they jumped into the waterfall basin with a zabun. They swam with a zabu-zabu and climbed onto a rock right near the waterfall.
When we get closer in the bowl, they are all looking at the waterfall. The one with the scar jumped into the waterfall with an "Ei-ya!" and disappeared just like that.
"Wind Barrier!"
When Eleanor-sama blocked the roaring waterfall with a wall of air, a cave was visible behind the waterfall. The one with the scar is looking this way from the entrance of the cave.
"This is..."
The amount of water in the waterfall is decent. The waterfall basin is deep, and a human wouldn't be able to get close easily.
When I illuminate it with Light, it seems quite deep.
"Is there something here?"
When I look at the boars, they are staring into the depths of the hole.
"Jeanne, do you recognize the boars?"
"The one with the scar on its right cheek is the one that was surrounding the Behemoth. The others probably are too."
"Then, are the boars going to thank us for defeating the Behemoth? Or is something related to the Behemoth here?"
Could it be the place where the Behemoth occurred...
"Is it here, um, gumooooooo!"
After Gwyn-sama pointed at the hole, he lowered his head, rounded his back, made horns on his head with both index fingers, and imitated a bull's bellow. The boars are nodding their heads up and down while grunting. He hit the mark.
"You're quite good at that."
"I may look like this, but I am a light infantryman directly under the King."
Setting aside Eleanor-sama, who was impressed, and Gwyn-sama, who was puffing out his chest proudly, there's no doubt the boars told us about a place related to the Behemoth.
Maybe the boars resent the Behemoth that killed and ate many of their companions, and they are telling us the secret of the Behemoth because we defeated that resentful opponent.
"Hmm. Shall we go?"
Henry-sama points at the hole with the tip of the spear in his hand, but don't we lack a bit of combat power?
We have a scout. The vanguard is two people, the mages are three ultra-high-level users, but there's only one priest—me.
"Since we know the location, let's go back to the village once..."
While I was saying that, the two boars that had jumped into the water climbed up into the hole. They went inside just like that, and all three are looking this way. It seems we have no choice but to go.
Just in case, I searched for reactions with Sense Living, but there were no reactions other than the boars. There are no living things. That said, I don't feel anything unpleasant, so there probably aren't any evil spirits either.
Wilson-san and Eleanor-sama made two things like lidless boxes with edges that rose to knee height using Wind Barrier. Everyone squats and rides in them.
From the ceiling, droplets are falling with a pichon, pichon. Since the ground is wet, I illuminate the feet and the ceiling so we don't fall. I want to illuminate the front, but there are boars leading the way while snorting.
Behind the boars lined up in a row, the two boxes proceed side by side.
Gwyn-sama, who lit a lantern, is at the front, followed by me, who continues to search with Sense Living, then Will, and Wilson-san. In the second box, Bonnie is at the front, followed by Eleanor-sama, Mary holding a lantern, and Henry-sama at the end.
Basically, it's a single path with a gentle upward slope, and there are no traps or anything. No reactions either. We proceed while looking at the rugged rock walls where droplets are trickling down, and in about half an hour, we came out to a wide room. When I illuminate the ceiling, it's quite high. It must be about as high as a three-story building. The boars stopped just after entering the room.
What's wrong?
We deactivate the boxes and go on foot.
Since there's no reaction, I went in front of the boars and illuminated the front with all my might.
Five or six steps ahead, a massive hole is open.
Everyone gets closer and peers down.
"Wh-What is this?"
Gwyn-sama, who knelt on one knee and peered down, raised his voice.
In the wide room, leaving a ledge of a few steps from the wall, there's a large hole that looks like it was hollowed out in a circle. It's quite deep. In the center of the flat bottom, a large stone pillar glowing in rainbow colors is visible.
"That's a Magic Stone."
It was Eleanor-sama.
"A Magic Stone... for one to be that large..."
I wonder how much it would sell for?
"It might be enough to buy a whole country."
Are you serious?
"However, we can't get close. When it's that large, the concentration of magic power it emits is too high. I don't think a human who goes near it would survive in a satisfactory state."
Too dense magic power... It's the same as the Northeastern Forest. Then, here, some living thing was exposed to dense magic power and became a Behemoth...
"Jeanne. Try flying one Firefly. Eleanor-sama, could you manipulate it with wind?"
"Understood."
"Yes."
Told by Wilson-san, I produce a Firefly. Wilson-san, who has night vision, must be able to see what's at the bottom of the hole. Since Wilson-san and the boars are there, I set the output to minimum.
With wind magic, I let it drift to the bottom of the hole with a fuwa-fuwa. I pointed the light downward. Then, I could see many bones lying at the bottom of the hole.
"Judging from the shape and size of those skulls, they're definitely boar bones."
It was Gwyn-sama.
Was some living thing eating boars here?
"Illuminate near the Magic Stone."
"Yes."
Since Eleanor-sama is manipulating it, I pointed the light around the stone.
I can see something like grooves dug into the ground.
"Letters? No, is it a magic circle? Wilson, can you see it?"
"No, the depth is too far."
"Jeanne. Please cast Sight. Also, can you increase the number of Fireflies and illuminate the bottom?"
"Ah, yes."
I cast Sight on Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama. Next, I produced eight Fireflies. When Wilson-san manipulated them and scattered them evenly at the bottom of the hole, Henry-sama and Wilson-san flew over the hole in the bowl manipulated by Eleanor-sama.
"Will they be okay?"
"Magic power settles, after all. It should be fine as long as they look from above. The fact that the bowl is floating means there must be wind blowing downward. Also, if they send wind upward from the inner bottom, it won't cling to those on board."
As expected of a bowl lover. Gwyn-sama is quite knowledgeable about bowls.
"The Magic Stone isn't emitting that dense of magic power. If it were, magic tool shop owners would all have gone strange. However, when it's that size, it won't end simply."
Henry-sama and the others came down in about half an hour.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I might have become a bit more energetic. Ei! Toh!"
He starts doing unarmed combat forms.
"Oh! You've become faster than Magdalena. Well, maybe I'll try sparring with Roberts for the first time in a while."
Henry-sama started rolling up his sleeves.
"Are you serious!"
"It's a joke."
"It's a joke."
Ugh! I was teased again. Wilson-san must have expected it; he didn't even laugh.
Come to think of it, they were this kind of people.
"The magic circle was Teleport. I was able to analyze the general location it's connected to."
"Where is it?"
"Sertoria. Since the distance is too great, I don't know the exact point, but it's generally the central part. Maybe the northern part of the Western Plains."
It's connected... It's definitely the Demon Race that appeared in the silver mine in the northeast.
"Gwyn-dono, what shall we do?"
Henry-sama asked.
"Would it be too late after I report to my father?"
It's natural for Gwyn-sama to feel that way.
"I think there's time. I want to discuss the response with the King of Finis, make some preparations, and come here again. If only we could somehow convey this to the boars."
Eleanor-sama? No matter how you look at it, that's impossible.
Despite Gwyn-sama's struggle, it was not possible to gain the boars' understanding.
It was painful to leave the boars, who were making squealing noises in protest, and go back to the village, but it couldn't be helped. I thrust out my right thumb, said many times that I'd come again, and we decided to return.
Since Wilson-san fired Cocytus and made the magic circle unusable, a new one probably won't be sent.
"Was that place really where the Behemoth was born?"
"Judging from the boars' reaction, there's almost no doubt."
"What are you going to do now?"
"This is Finis. The King of Finis will decide the future course of action."
That's certainly true. It was a silly question to ask.
When we returned to the village, everyone was worried and gathered around. Even though the eastern sky was already starting to brighten, all the adults had stayed up for us.
Gwyn-sama gave a brief explanation. The secret of the Behemoth's birth might be revealed. Even if it was to protect their ancestors' graves, the village has suffered great damage in the past. They were greatly excited to know there's a possibility of preventing the Behemoth's appearance.
"Hunting boars is prohibited for the time being."
First, hostile acts against the boars, who had become collaborators, were prohibited. As compensation for that, payments will be made to the village from the Behemoth's profits. Naturally, all the villages surrounding the mountain are included. At the same time, the provision of food was also promised.
We decided to return to the Royal Capital. We'll discuss the cave the boars told us about. Just in case, the Priestess stayed in the village. The same goes for the soldiers Gwyn-sama brought; they were ordered to butcher the Behemoth and distribute the profits among the villages.
Mary and I were dropped off at the Water Dragon's temple on the way. It's to receive an oracle. We fought the B-rank Behemoth and successfully defeated it. I might have learned some magic. As a result, Mary successfully learned Maelstrom.
"With this, water is perfect."
"What are you going to do after this?"
"Status-change system, I guess. You know how Beatrix is making colors for dyes? It's that, after all."
"Change Color? It's a basic spell. Won't you learn it right away?"
"Maybe. If that happens, I'll master the status-change system. My goal is... what kind of spells were in the status-change system again?"
Honestly, that's so like Mary.
By the way, I was also able to learn a spell. It's the mid-level holy support magic, Increase Agility. Since I have the Cat Stone, it feels a bit late, but it's fundamentally different from the Cat Stone. I can make allies faster. Surely the Goddess took pity on me for running away from the Behemoth so much.