Chapter 559 - Episode 4: Regnentes Mine Exploration (7)
When the Bear Man and Boar Man put their strength into it, the altar shifted, and a gap appeared.
「Is anyone there? I am the Prince of Regnentes, Sawelyn. If anyone is there, come out quietly!」
Because he was using a [Loud] scroll to amplify his voice, it echoed tremendously. To bring such a scroll, he must have intended to demand a surrender from the start.
We waited for a while, but there was no reaction.
「We are going down to the basement now. If you come out now, all is well. If you do not, we will subjugate you as hostiles. If you value your life, come out!」
How should I put it, I don't know if he's a prince or a bandit, but his usual way of speaking is certainly something. It's probably unavoidable. After being told this much, if someone is inside, it's an ambush.
As expected, there was no reaction. The results of [Sense Living] also showed nothing. Normally, slugs would come out first, so there would be a reaction from them, but there wasn't even that.
The Prince looked at me and flicked his chin. It's time to start.
When I maximized the [Firefly] I threw in, a scream went up.
「[Holy: Over Flow]!」
I released it with all my might from the tip of the staff I thrust through the gap.
「Now!」
When I gave the signal, the Bear Man and Boar Man pushed the altar away all at once. Their power was on another level. It rolled away as if it were being blown off.
The Fox Man and the Wildcat Sister jumped in one after another from the entrance.
As soon as they landed, they stepped forward and sent foxfire and lightning flying.
I jumped in following them. I dropped to one knee and held up the staff in my right hand.
「They're here! It's Revenants! Straight ahead!」
「Please get down! [Purification]!」
Were there two shadows illuminated by the foxfire?
One standing and one rolling on the ground—I returned them both to the earth at once.
「[Light]!」
I created even more walls. I cast light toward the front.
「[Wind Barrier]!」
Harold-sama, who had jumped down beside me, reinforced it with a wall of air. There was a hole in the middle so that the Beastmen's magic could attack through it.
Beyond the wall were two lumps of earth.
「They ran. They went further in.」
「Phew...」
At the Wildcat Sister's voice, I reflexively let out a long breath.
「Are you okay?」
The Wolf Man called out from above.
「Everyone's safe. We took down two. You can come in.」
Hearing the Fox Man's voice, he landed with a thud.
「Jeanne, is it that dirt?」
「Yes. It's the Revenants. I'll send them off.」
When I performed the funeral prayer toward the lumps of earth, the Beastmen clasped their hands and offered prayers.
「Jeanne, you're fast when it comes to fighting. I'm surprised.」
It was the Fox Man. Hehehe, I have Mel's Stone. In terms of instantaneous movement, I might not be inferior to a Beastman.
「That's right, you were cool. I thought you'd come behind me and Fox in an instant, and you were already holding your staff.」
The Wildcat Sister also praised me.
「For someone who's usually so slow, you did quite well. Did you eat something weird?」
Leave me alone, Wolf Man. My role is support and recovery.
We were ambushed right after descending. However, it was expected to some extent.
Last time, we put the altar back early, but at that time, Godwynn-sama had put a mark on the altar. On the side that touched the ground and became covered in dirt when the Wolf Man pushed it over, he had stuck a tiny bit of dirt to fill the seam between the stone floor and the altar. If someone moved the altar, that dirt would peel and fall off. And this time, the dirt had peeled off. We weren't attacked until we reached the altar. In that case, there was a possibility they were inside. The opponent would be a Demon who could escape freely with Teleport, or a Revenant who didn't need to eat or drink. Or, it was inferred to be a Demon Lord worshipper who had brought in a Teleportation Magic Circle.
Price-sama and Harold-sama's view was that even if the Demon Race was involved, it wasn't a Demon high enough to be ranked among the executives. In other words, it was a pair of underlings. And most likely, remnants of the Ruined Town or Demon Lord worshippers were involved.
「From my experience, a proud executive-class High-level Demon would not choose such a tedious and petty trick as forging an altar. However, I do not know about lower-ranking Demons. It has been confirmed that they sometimes disguise themselves as humans and carry out various schemes.」
At the same time, he told us about the remnants of the Ruined Town that the Church had interrogated.
「Originally, there were those who were carrying out illegal activities in various countries. They were people who acted separately from the Council that managed the Ruined Town, moving independently.」
They would be like Wilson-san. Wilson-san acted alone, but most apparently belong to several groups and carry out their respective activities. It seems there are also those who coordinate with Demon Lord worshippers. There were also many cases where they were connected to the Council under the surface. One such faction of Revenant groups was the lot allied with the Demons of the Western Plains, who were involved in breeding Arachne or inciting the serious criminals who were forced to work in the Silver Mine to revolt. Although it's unconfirmed, there is also information that the person who directed the Revenant disturbance in Nakanohara was removed from the Council and subsequently escaped from the Ruined Town to lead such people. It's a deplorable thing.
「Now, we've repelled the opponent's preemptive attack. But the real thing starts from here. Do not let your guard down. Also, please give a surrender demand in front of the wall. If they surrender successfully, we will capture and interrogate them.」
Price-sama called out from above the hole.
「Then, is it better not to kill them?」
The Wolf Man asked back.
「You are free to strike down those who resist without mercy. But if you have the leeway to capture them, I would appreciate it if you did so.」
Humph, the Beastmen looked at each other. They must have never fought against Revenants before.
「Um, then, if there's a Revenant, what should we do?」
The Wildcat Sister asked.
「Since the opponent is a Revenant, their magic defense is stronger than a normal human's. They also have enough recovery power that even if their head flies off, it will return to normal.」
「Eh—!」
「For real?」
The Wildcat Sister and Fox Man were surprised, but I actually saw a headless torso pick up its own head that had been blown off by a [Wind Cutter] and reattach it.
「Then, is it okay not to hold back?」
「That's right. I think it's fine even if you blast them with lightning.」
「What, is my fire no good?」
「I wonder? I think it's fine even if you turn an arm or a leg to ash.」
「Hey, hey, that's pretty scary.」
「Jeanne, you're quite gruesome, aren't you?」
I've been totally put off, haven't I?
As a conclusion, the Otter man and woman, who use ice magic, joined the fray. This is because if they freeze them, the capture is complete.
「We'll do this with spirit!」
As a result of snacking on the crab, the Otters, who liked it very much, are more motivated than usual. It seems they cut the legs of the big crab they caught so it wouldn't escape, tied it with rope, and fastened it to a rock. They threw it into the water of the waterfall basin, so its freshness can be maintained. In other words, tonight is a banquet with crab.
The exploration was split into two squads. In Demon Lord subjugation squad style, the vanguard and main force are the first squad, and the support is the second squad.
The first squad consisted of the Fox Man as scout, the Bear Man who won at dice as vanguard, the Otter man and woman as the third, Harrison-san and me as the fourth, and the Horse Man as the bowl personnel.
The second squad consisted of the Wolf Man as scout, the Boar Man who lost at dice as vanguard, followed by the Prince and the Wildcat Sister, and for the fourth, to thicken the recovery role as support, the Deer Man, Price-sama, Harris-san, and Sianya, with Harold-sama at the very rear in charge of vigilance. The Prince grumbled that he wanted to go to the first squad, but he was stopped by everyone saying he should leave the main force to the ultra-high-level ones. The Prince looked like he wanted to say something, but since he's a secret weapon, it can't be helped. When I smirked at him, he glared at me. Since I was told to keep quiet, it can't be helped, right? Smirk, smirk.
「Then, let's go!」
The Fox Man spoke up and put his hand on the iron door.
At the same time it opened with a clunk, lightning flew from the back.
「Ugyaaaaaa!」
The Fox Man, who was at the very front, fell prostrate.
「Yes, yes, I'll praise your good acting, so counterattack.」
The Otter man cast [Glaciate] into this narrow space. As expected of a Beastman. Normally, the ice would grow overall and block the hole, but it stretched straight toward the back like an extra-thick stake with a sharp tip. I don't think even Eleanor-sama could do that.
「Tch, it's fine, isn't it? It makes the opponent let their guard down.」
The Fox Man, who stood up easily, sent foxfire flying. The ice stake the Otter man made was at the middle height of the hole, but the foxfire flew even higher.
「Since I bounced it back with [Magic Reflection], the opponent will notice immediately.」
The Wildcat Sister was sending lightning flying. Beneath the ice stake, the Bear Man, who had already gone down on all fours, was running.
「Doryaaaaaa!」
The Bear Man's war cry and some painful-sounding noises echoed in the back.
「Jeanne, is this okay?」
The Fox Man caught what the Bear Man threw and handed it to me. It was the severed head of a Revenant, eyes rolled back and unconscious... though it might not be "alive"...
「Eh—!」
I can't drop it, but I want to. I stretched my arm out as far as I could to keep it away from my face. The tongue lolling out of its sloppily open mouth looked like it was about to touch the hand holding it.
「Hey, Bear! What are you doing!」
The Fox Man shouted.
Did he forget that he was the one who handed it to me after it flew to him?
「Eh? But they'll stick back together anyway, right? It's the same thing.」
No! It's definitely not!
「I see, well, whatever, let's stick them together. I landed a blow to the solar plexus, so it won't move for a while.」
The Bear Man, who had returned, dumped the headless body he was carrying under his arm at my feet with a thud. The headless body on the ground didn't twitch.
「See, it's fine, right? It won't bite you, so don't worry.」
That's not the problem!
The Deer Man came from the second squad. He's the Beastman recovery personnel.
「The one I use is normal recovery magic. Will that stick a severed head back on?」
「Probably.」
I can't think of anything else. If this was the case, I should have asked Wilson-san properly. I had heard that [Mold] has a recovery effect for monsters and Revenants, but I hadn't asked in depth whether it would connect a Revenant's severed head.
When he aligned the cross-sections of the neck, he chanted something. It was probably [Mold]. Tentacle-like things came wriggling out of the cut surface and tried to connect the head and torso.
「Ge!」
The person who chanted it was surprised.
「What is this, it's disgusting. Are Revenants such nonsensical people?」
It was the Wildcat Sister.
「Right? Right? It's unbelievable, isn't it?」
Most likely, even if you cut off an arm or a leg, they would stick back together.
「Other than Holy magic, how do you defeat them?」
If I recall, for the Red-Eyed Man, we cut off his head and then pierced his heart with a silver sword. Or we could burn them, but they'll keep coming until they're burnt out, so it would cause a fire.
「Hmm. Revenants are quite strong, aren't they?」
Thinking about the rank, the Beastmen are stronger, though.
Since the head was reattached, Harrison-san tied its hands and feet with monster restraint rope, gagged it, and sent it to the rear.
「You've captured one already. As expected of the Beastmen, a wonderful result.」
We were praised by Price-sama. The Beastmen all looked happy.
「Sawelyn-sama, how about it? Shall we take a break for a moment?」
「Are you going to interrogate this guy?」
「A keen observation.」
「I don't mind. I'll leave the handling of these guys to the Church. If you find out anything, report it.」
「Thank you very much.」
And so, we took a break.
I cast [Thought Communication] on the unconscious Revenant and went into the break.
The interrogation was left to Price-sama and Harris-san. The others were to take turns standing guard. For the guard, it's better to have a pair of someone who can use [Magic Reflection] and someone who can use [Wind Barrier]. Harrison-san, Sianya, and I are the [Magic Reflection] group, and the Horse Man, Harold-sama, and the Wolf Man are the [Wind Barrier] group. We decided to maintain the guard up to the iron door, so we advanced a little past the door and decided to create a wall.
As a result of the lottery, I'm in the first squad. The Fox Man and the Wildcat Sister accompanied me as guards.
I reinforced the wall of [Light] with a [Wind Barrier] with a hole in the middle, and illuminated the surroundings with foxfire. The place to set up the barrier was past the iron door. Currently, the iron door is left open.
I decided to sit by the door and control the wall. The Wildcat Sister sat next to me.
「In short. The people from that place called the Ruined Town are the opponents?」
The Wildcat Sister asked.
「Hmm, Demon Lord worshippers might be involved.」
「Is that so?」
「Yeah. Normally, you see, there are monster-repelling barriers set up before and after the iron door. But, look, there aren't any, right?」
There is nothing on the floor before or after the door. They must have scraped away the magic circle and put in new dirt. The color of the floor is slightly different.
「I see, if there were a barrier, humans could enter, but Demons or Revenants wouldn't be able to break through.」
「Yes. If a human were to do such a thing, I think it would be a Demon Lord worshipper.」
There are ways to manipulate them with [Doll] or [Charm], but there's no need to take such a roundabout method. If there are reliable comrades with the same goals or people who will listen to what you say, it's definitely better to make do with that.
「Hey, Demon Lord worshippers are humans, right?」
「It seems so.」
「They aren't even Demons, so why do they worship the Demon Lord?」
To be honest, I don't know their true intentions. I can only imagine.
「Um, human society is unequal, with differences in status and wealth, right?」
「It seems so.」
「In other words, there are actually many people who are being unjustly oppressed, and there's a high possibility those people will never be able to escape that situation for their entire lives.」
「That's not very dreamy.」
「The Demon Lord and the Demon Lord's army don't care about that and will just kill humans for the time being, right?」
「Yeah, yeah.」
「Then what happens if you side with the Demon Lord? If you join the Demon Lord's army and kill many high-status wealthy people, this unpleasant world might be overturned. And if you cooperate with the Demon Lord, you might be able to have a good time as the winning side when the humans lose.」
「I see, a one-shot reversal, huh.」
I suppose that's roughly it. Wilson-san was exactly like that.
「What do you think, Jeanne? About those people.」
I was asked out of the blue. For now, I'm supposed to make them reform if I find them.
「Um, personally, it's a shame, I guess. If possible, I don't want to be hostile.」
「That's right, you're the same humans. You want to fight together, right?」
「Hmm, it's a little different.」
「How is it different?」
「The part about being the same humans.」
「Eh? But, that's right, isn't it?」
The Wildcat Sister tilted her head overtly.
「It's just a personal way of thinking. I believe there are only two kinds of living things.」
「Two kinds? You mean enemies and allies?」
「No, myself and everything else.」
「Myself and everything else... That feels a bit lonely. Like you're living in this world all alone.」
「I can't live alone. That's why I think it's about how much I can get along with living things other than myself.」
「Hmm.」
「Of course, since I kill and eat living things, it's not all living things. It's within the range that isn't related to life and death essential for living. I want to get along with living things within that range if possible.」
「With all living things other than yourself?」
「Yes, that's the ideal, I guess.」
「It doesn't matter if it's Goddess worship or Demon Lord worship.」
「Yeah. Because everyone is different. As long as that doesn't cause conflict.」
「Are humans and Demons the same?」
「Yes.」
「Humans and Beastmen too?」
「Hmm, is there a need to divide them like that?」
When I said that, the Wildcat Sister made a puzzled face. And then, she smiled.
「That's right, there's no need to divide them.」
「Right?」
She laughed and put her arm around my shoulder.
「I think I understand somehow. That Jeanne is Jeanne.」
Um, I might not really understand that...