Chapter 606 - Chapter Six: The Four Great Dragons II
"They've come again. Four Cerberus, front and slightly to the right."
"Yes. I'll drive them away."
I reply to Robinson-san's discovery report. I wonder how many times this has been.
I narrow the irradiation range of the Fireflies I'm using for the Four Great Dragons' eyeballs and simultaneously increase the intensity. I illuminate the front and slowly turn it to the right.
"Good, they've been driven away."
I return the Light to normal.
If there were someone watching from the side, I'd like to hear their impressions.
For some reason, the magical beasts come to check the situation one group at a time. It's like that time. When I illuminate them with the Light they dislike, they run away. We are just repeating that. So far, there's no sign of the Demon Race appearing. Incidentally, the Scorpions aren't coming. It's like a power reconnaissance by C-ranks that humans can't control.
The Four Great Dragons Golem just keeps advancing. When it enters the forest, it proceeds while avoiding trees and treading on the undergrowth. When it occasionally roars, birds fly off into the dark night with a 'bata-bata'. The bowl we are riding is flying right behind the golem while hidden.
"They are cautious."
Eleanor-sama let out a sigh. It's almost been an hour. Since the Puppet is a continuous activation using a magic circle, it's fine, but before another hour passes, we have to think about swapping the bowl and re-hiding ourselves. If magical beasts appear this frequently, our presence might be sniffed out during the swap.
As for what is cautious, it's the Demon Race. Or perhaps they just aren't here.
"No, those things are being controlled."
It's Robinson-san.
"Is that so?"
What is the difference?
"Isn't it unnatural? For magical beasts that have no intention of attacking us to show themselves together in the forest."
"In other words, a decoy?"
"I think so. They're waiting for us to make a move. Since we're using Light, they must know it's the work of humans. But they're probably probing because they don't know our aim."
Which means, would it be better to make a move? Since we're behind Magic Reflection, it's possible to attack with Sianya's Holy Lance.
"Eleanor-sama, can you change the direction the golem is moving?"
It's Wilson-san. He had been talking with Robinson-san for a while.
"Yes. It's fine. Which way?"
"Slightly to the right."
"Understood."
We bring the bowl close all at once.
"Stop. Turn to the right."
Eleanor-sama confirmed that the direction Wilson-san was pointing and the golem's orientation matched.
"Keep going forward."
The golem began to walk again.
Robinson-san says that because they are being controlled, they came linearly from the place where the Demon Race started the control. And because they have no intention of actively attacking, they just showed themselves. In fact, from the start, they were almost in a horizontal line. And at first, even when illuminated with Light, they just closed their eyes or looked down and didn't run away. The first time, the golem just passed by. We were flustered then, but the magical beasts were just watching. Before long, when Eleanor-sama had the golem twist its long neck back and illuminate them, they ran away. The way they ran away then was also unnatural; they suddenly ran away as if they had been caught off guard. Hearing Robinson-san's words now, I'm sure the control was suddenly released. The caster canceled it.
After that, we changed the direction of progress little by little. The golem gradually advanced while reducing the width of the zigzag. It must be moving in the correct direction gradually.
"Gwyn-dono, have you noticed?"
"Yes. They've been following us from behind."
"Eh?"
I become tense in an instant. I hurriedly look back. It's almost a new moon and we're in the forest. It's pitch black.
"It should be fine for now. They are just probing. If we move poorly, we might be discovered. It is fine as it is."
It's Henry-sama. In other words, Henry-sama had also noticed.
"Is it the Demon Race?"
To Gwyn-sama's question, he replies with a 'umu'.
"They might be letting us feel their presence on purpose. At any rate, it's probably better not to make a move from our side now."
I wonder since when they've been following us.
When I asked Will, she said it was when we drove away the first monster, and when I asked Bonnie, she said it was since we departed, and when I asked Sianya, she hadn't noticed, just like me.
"Probably, they were there even when we were having the party with the Fire Dragon and the others."
It's Robinson-san. Apparently, there was a moment when the Fire Dragon stared at the forest.
"Probably, the trigger was when Angelica-san's Four Great Dragons let out a roar. Because that's when the Fire Dragon started worrying about the forest."
Which means the true identity of the Four Great Dragons is not known.
"Ah, usually, when we started having a party after spear practice and hunting with the Fire Dragon once a month, the Fire Dragon would occasionally react to something. It mostly looked toward the forest. There were times when we tried to go check and were stopped."
It's Gwyn-sama.
"It must have been monitored. Of course, offering alcohol to a dragon and drinking together must have been done here and there in the old days too. Thinking it was the same, those reactions must have disappeared halfway through. It's been a long time."
"It must be because the Four Great Dragons started moving this time. Because the roar is different. They must have come to check, wondering what it was. We successfully lured them out as planned."
Which means the Fire Dragon also knew about this operation.
"Ah, since we can call the Salamander when we do the monthly hunting and spear practice. I leave the details to him."
Details?
"The general idea gets across with gestures."
He said it clearly!
Sianya's eyes went wide, and Henry's party and Robinson-san are clapping.
Come to think of it, this person could communicate with boars.
Gwyn-sama, whose communication ability with magical beasts and dragons is outstanding, says that the one following us is the lowest of the low among the high-ranking Demon Race. In other words, weak.
"Apparently, they came to see the Fire Dragon once."
It's a shocking fact.
"They apparently came to ask whether it had formed an alliance with humans."
Such things really happen...
The Fire Dragon apparently laughed it off. Since it's neutral, it will be friendly with both, it said.
I see. What Eleanor-sama said had factual backing.
The Demon Race, receiving the Fire Dragon's words, started coming to curry favor with the Fire Dragon from that day on. If humans offer alcohol, we'll offer food, and they apparently brought fresh prey... magical beasts controlled with Subordination.
"Usually it's once a month, so we do it at the beginning of the month, but there were times when the schedule shifted. It seems our schedule overlapped with theirs, and at one point, the Salamander found them."
According to the Salamander, it's a weakling on par with a low-level Demon. Since the Four Great Spirits think even the Demon Lord might be weak, the Salamander is an acquaintance of Keira. He seems to have felt a familiarity with her usually half-drunk, rough atmosphere, and Keira is on good terms with the Salamander. Since he teaches Keira fire magic, the judgment of strength might be appropriate. If it's a low-level Demon, it would be C-rank. One of the differences between C-rank and B-rank is whether they use ultra-high-level magic, or whether they can sufficiently withstand one or two ultra-high-level spells. As proof of that, the magic Keira became able to use after being taught by the Salamander is Fire Storm and short-range Teleport. She was told to give up on the ultra-high-level Prominence. Since she has a straightforward personality, she's satisfied, and she's happy because she was able to learn one high-level magic from each of the other spirits.
In other words, the Demon following us is on par with a user of four high-level attribute magics who uses Charm to freely control human men or women and short-range Teleport. And they attack with magical beasts using Subordination...
Isn't that more than strong enough?
Wait, hold on a minute.
"Um, could it be that the one following us is really not a low-level Demon?"
"Why do you think so?"
Eleanor-sama asked. This time, what the Demon is doing is different from the Demons we've faced so far. Monitoring the interaction between the Fire Dragon and humans, bringing magical beasts like a tribute to the Fire Dragon, and even being found by the Salamander, and even being a decoy this time. What they're doing is too much like a subordinate.
"The Demons we've faced so far were more proud... They must have been following orders from above, but basically, they challenged humans to a fight. But this one, how should I put it... is trying to do things cleverly."
I don't know what to call it, but it's not the way of the Demon Race, who boast of their strength to others. It's the way of humans... in other words, the weak.
Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama went 'fumu' and crossed their arms. They are two people with abundant experience in fighting the Demon Race. They should understand what I'm trying to say.
"As a low-level Demon, what shall we do?"
Eleanor-sama asked me, but basically, a low-level Demon shouldn't want to fight. If they win, it's fine, but if they lose, they die and it's over, just like humans. Unlike high-level Demons, they can't resurrect. Their territorial disputes with their own kind are fierce, but I heard they live peacefully so as not to have trouble with other races.
"They must just be following instructions. Since they are watching, they shouldn't come at us. They are, so to speak, scouts. Since we've managed to get their attention, why don't we create a situation where a high-level Demon comes out?"
If it becomes a situation the subordinate can't handle, the superior will come out. Until now, we've killed them one by one, but this time, let's drive them away.
For now, we extinguish the Fireflies in the eyeballs and ascend. Eleanor-sama ordered the Four Great Dragons to standby. We deploy Magic Reflection toward the bottom of the bowl so as to deceive the monitoring eyes from below, and then cancel the Magic Reflection that was over the entire bowl.
"Sianya, please."
Sianya has the Priestess's stone. I had her sleep inside the stone until now out of caution against the Demon Race.
"Is it my turn? The opponent is the Demon Race, right? I'll do it!"
A scout who is too bellicose is also a problem.
After a simple briefing, we sent out the Priestess. The Priestess, who flew off from the bowl with a 'fuwa-fuwa', disappeared immediately.
"Will she be okay?"
Sianya, the one being protected, is worried.
"She'll be fine. If anything, she's on that side."
"That's true too. But I wonder if she'll suddenly pick a fight and start a battle. If that happens, a higher-ranking Demon might come out."
Honestly, that's what's scariest. This time, the Priestess's mission is not combat.
"She should be fine. If a ghost and a low-level Demon were to fight, which do you think would win?"
Eleanor-sama asked.
The answer is decided. The ghost. After all, the opponent's attacks won't hit. They have neither holy magic nor silver weapons. When we fought the Demon Race in the Northern Gram wetlands, we found out that the black swords are like Dark. In other words, for a ghost, it's the same as an iron sword and won't hit.
She's effectively the strongest, but according to the Priestess, there's also a weakness. In the case of fighting the Demon Race, the only weakness is sorcery, which is the funeral prayer used by human priests. If she takes that, she might ascend. However, since it has no binding force, it's possible to escape. And it would be the barriers used by the Demon Race. In short, it's basically the same as human anti-ghost tactics. Of course, there's no way a ghost who is a high-level mage like the Priestess would lose to a low-level Demon who doesn't have those means.
"The opponent should know better than anyone that they can't win even if they fight."
Hmm. That's true too.
Basically, low-level Demons are pacifists. I heard the exception is territorial disputes with their own kind. In fact, Keira is on good terms with the farm's livestock—goats, pigs, rabbits, and honeybees—and lives amicably with the squirrels, birds, and field mice nearby. She's popular with the old men at the silica quarry too. If so, even if they get into a fight, will they run away early?
The Wetlands Priestess returned more than two hours later. While waiting, we swapped the bowl twice.
"It was just as Jeanne said, it was a low-level Demon."
We asked her to scout, but she hated staying still and apparently talked to it.
"Was it okay?"
Sianya is worried.
"It's fine, it's fine, I'm stronger."
She's waving her hand 'hira-hira' as if to brush away Sianya's anxiety. She's quite something.
"That thing, it's bound by a contract."
"A contract?"
"Yeah. A contract with a high-level Demon."
The low-level Demon following us was being used by a high-level Demon who was surprised by the close interaction between the Fire Dragon and humans. The high-level Demon apparently trapped the low-level Demon and forced it into a contract, making it monitor the interaction between the Fire Dragon and humans.
The Wetlands Priestess, while hidden... though she didn't completely erase her presence... she left enough that a human above a certain level would notice and attack... approached the Demon following the Four Great Dragons. The Demon was apparently peeping at the Four Great Dragons fearfully. Since the Fireflies were already extinguished, the eyeballs didn't glow. Seeing it stop moving, it had been inching closer.
Even if it had a strange color, it must have realized it wasn't a living thing. It must have known immediately that it was being moved by magic. The combination of magic circles and magic uses over-ultra-high-level magic control... in other words, it's emitting that much magic reaction.
What on earth is this thing? Are humans involved? If humans are involved, what is the purpose?
To investigate, it used magical beasts to see the situation. The low-level Demon following us was also part of that. If humans were involved, they would attack. But we have no use for magical beasts either. The Demon also wants to find the location of the magic circle before defeating us, if possible. Naturally, it became a probing match. In a sense, the Demon's judgment is correct. Human magic will wear off after two hours. It just has to wait until then.
Just as the Demon intended, the Four Great Dragons stopped moving. This part worked in our favor because the true identity wasn't known. The low-level Demon, perhaps ordered by the high-level Demon to investigate, began to approach the Four Great Dragons. It was at that timing that the Priestess spoke to it.