~Chapter 16~
『Stupid human. I can’t understand your words.』
The top-tier monster snarled angrily. It was frustrated that the humans could understand it, but it couldn’t understand them.
“Ah, right… you said that,” Christan muttered.
There was no need to waste time. Christan raised his sword high. The monster once again tried to use the lower-level monsters to block the attack.
But—
『…Where did they all goooo!!』
The monster roared in frustration. It was now standing on the ground, and the lower monsters that once surrounded it had already been wiped out by the knights.
A knight wiped the sweat from his brow and said,
“This is the first time I’ve ever killed this many monsters in such a short time.”
The top-tier monster went silent, sensing danger. Christan lowered his sword and handed the monster over to Victor.
Amelie approached Christan as he walked toward the rift.
“Is it over?”
“Yes, I think…”
But the monster suddenly screamed.
『Don’t think this is over! You foolish humans! If I call more lower monsters, I can kill this human who captured me in no time! Come forth, monsters…!』
Christan’s cold voice cut through the air.
“No… it’s over.”
『…!』
Gray aura flashed along Christan’s sword. Layers of invisible, razor-sharp energy overlapped along the blade. Amelie’s eyes widened.
‘That’s the same aura he used when he caught me…!’
With both hands gripping the enormous sword overflowing with energy, Christan thrust it hard into the rift.
CRASH!
The fragile rift shattered like glass and vanished. The connection to the demon world was gone.
“It’s over now,” Gerard said, sealing the moment.
The monster became eerily quiet. Christan approached it with his sword still drawn.
“It would be better to take you alive for research, but… a monster that even my vice-captain can’t restrain? It’s too dangerous.”
He was about to kill it when the monster screamed.
『W-wait! Spare me!』
Sensing its death, the monster began to thrash desperately.
『I—I’m harmless! That’s why you stupid humans caught me so easily! If I had real power, I would have killed all of you already! I can’t do anything without lower monsters to control! Please!』
“…”
Black tears streamed down the monster’s eyes. The knights looked uneasy.
『Please… I’ll do anything, just spare me!』
Amelie pointed at the monster and said softly,
“Um… what should we do? It’s crying so pitifully.”
“Pitiful or not, it’s still a monster,” Christan said firmly. “It might have abilities we don’t know about. And we can’t even communicate with it properly.”
“I actually have a solution for that. I know the recipe for a translation potion,” Amelie said.
“Hmm…”
Christan hesitated, and Gerard spoke up.
“For research purposes, we should take it alive, shouldn’t we?”
“But what if it hides abilities and causes chaos in civilian areas during transport? The damage would be catastrophic.”
“There’s a chance more top-tier monsters could come through rifts in the future. Instead of wondering about their abilities later, we should study this one now.”
“That’s true, but the empire’s support is lacking right now… No, anyway, it would be safer to only capture monsters for research when we’re fully prepared.”
The two debated, and both arguments made sense. The knights couldn’t take sides.
Then Amelie spoke up again.
“I can restrain the monster myself.”
Everyone turned to her.
“I have the ability to control others, right? I can use it on this monster.”
Christan frowned immediately.
“But you’ll have to shed blood again to use that power.”
“It’s much safer than letting the monster rampage during transport.”
“…”
Christan caught himself worrying about her again and closed his mouth.
Gerard added cautiously,
“But this monster can also control other monsters. What if its ability clashes with Lady Winterpull’s?”
“That’s…”
Amelie bit her lip, then stabbed her thumb deep with the needle-ring. Drops of blood dripped onto the ground.
“I just have to win the battle for control.”
A red magic circle formed on the ground. As her ability activated, strong wind swirled around her, making her hair whip wildly.
The monster stared into her glowing red eyes.
『…』
Amelie reached her hand out.
“Be good. Stay still!”
The monster instinctively resisted, but it had no power to control a non-monster. The outcome was already decided.
『Ghhk… Kkeeeeee!』
The strange wind stopped. Christan lowered the arm he’d been using to shield himself.
The knights whispered.
“Did… did it work?”
“What just happened?”
Amelie pulled a small cage out of her pouch with her uninjured hand.
“Get in here.”
『Yes, witch.』
“!”
The monster understood her words and obediently entered the cage. Amelie poked its slimy body through the bars.
“Don’t cause trouble. Stay quiet in there.”
『Yes, understood.』
The others were stunned.
“A top-tier monster… obeying someone?”
“And it can even communicate with her…”
Amelie ignored their shock and asked the monster,
“Hey, can you understand other people’s words too?”
『I can’t understand those other stupid humans. Those disgusting creatures… how dare they watch me fall to this state… I’ll never forgive them!!!』
“…?”
The monster suddenly burst out in rage. The knights flinched at its roar and stared at it warily.
Amelie was startled too, but she calmly petted the monster.
“Shh, quiet. If you keep shouting like that, I won’t forgive you either.”
『Yes, witch.』
The monster only behaved when it faced Amelie. But once her ability’s duration ended, who knew what it would do? They needed to act quickly.
Christan spoke.
“Let’s return to the castle and ask Bellerophon’s researchers to analyze it. We should also contact the imperial capital’s researchers.”
The rift was gone, and the miasma slowly dissipated. The demon plants, now exposed to the harsh sunlight without the miasma’s protection, melted away and vanished. No more monsters appeared.
Everyone prepared to leave. The knights burned the monster corpses and cleaned the area. Amelie hefted the cage and muttered,
“Wow… you’re heavier than you look.”
『In my opinion, witch, you could use some strength training.』
“Be quiet!”
The Pegasus Knights and Amelie began their journey back, grateful that everyone had survived without casualties.
The knights chatted as they walked.
“Honestly, that monster kept calling us ‘stupid humans,’ but wasn’t it the dumbest one? Its only plan was to make itself bigger.”
“Yeah, monsters are all like that. No brains, just brute strength.”
At the front, Christan silently listened, his eyes drifting to the caged monster. Covered in purple slime, it looked docile thanks to Amelie’s power.
‘Its strategy was simple and unimpressive… but still…’
Christan’s face darkened.
‘A monster intelligent enough to form a strategy… There must be countless monsters in the demon world even smarter and stronger than this one.’
‘If they cross into our world through rifts…’
“…”
‘I need to push the researchers to study this monster as quickly as possible.’
