Chapter 64 (1/2)

Published

at 20th of March 2019 10:49:30 AM

Chapter 64

Translator: Luk2048

Editor: Ghost Ape

“Well, you see, the beings known as demons and spirits are fine even without eating food. They can live as long as they replenish magic power.”

The tavern’s tent turned into a hastily made interrogation room, but the taken away Lady Saintess didn’t seem dissatisfied, instead she had the same look of triumph on her face as before. In reality it was an investigation filled with impatience and a sense of urgency, but Lady Saintess perhaps misunderstood being surrounded by a crowd as them fawning over her.

“Ooh… What exactly is the replenishment of magic power?”

Haizen skilfully encouraged Lady Saintess without cutting her off, even though he should’ve had some own prior knowledge about it, most likely to make her speak more freely.

“Well, let me see… For example, demons attack human settlements, right?”

Everyone nodded with grave expressions. I remembered the fight when Rēko first awakened. If at that time the Kuragari wolves hadn’t come, I might’ve safely went back to my cav―― No, it wasn’t possible anyway. It’d have absolutely turned out like this one way or another.

“That sort of thing is basically a way to turn humans into a source of magic power by preying on them. Looking at it like that it doesn’t differ from carnivores living in the wild. Still, the ones replenis.h.i.+ng their magic in such a simplistic way are mainly low-cla.s.s demons.”

At that time Lady Saintess stared off into s.p.a.ce. She might’ve recalled the times when she spread the bottomless swamp right in the middle of the plains but n.o.body fell in.

“But you see, there’s a separate method of magic replenishment for stronger demons.”

“What kind?”

“Ahem! That is『doing nothing.』The terribly strong demons cause dread amongst humans even when they keep quiet, right? When a lot of such thoughts gather, this in itself becomes a powerful source of magic power. Trying to trap and drown humans in a bottomless swamp is after all nothing but the act of a second-rate demon. The genuine first-cla.s.s ones earn magic power effortlessly.”

Saying proudly, Lady Saintess brazenly puffed out her chest. Sheina sighed wistfully with envy written all over her face.

Whereas Rēko nodded as though she grasped something,

“So that’s why Evil Dragon Lord doesn’t eat people carelessly. You can only eat them once, but if you make them live long time you can squeeze out feelings of awe infinitely…”

“I simply like gra.s.s though.”

“I see. Not only humans, but Evil Dragon Lord also drums fear into all beings of nature, even plants. As expected, Lord makes sure to bleed the dread dry even from a roadside gra.s.s… All creation trembles in fear of Evil Dragon Lord…”

“Then I wonder whose strength exactly gains from this kind of fear that I’ve been feeling lately.”

Lady Saintess, who proudly spouted forth a torrent of information, pointed her finger at the spirit eating a stone in the corner of the room.

“It’s true this child is a spirit and not a demon, but both have a lot in common. The gold mountain mesmerizes humans, so they inevitably bathed it with their attention. Throughout many years it must’ve been an environment with no lack of magic power for her.”

“But she turned out like this in the morning.”

Haizen turned around to the spirit with a hint of panic. She was still carefreely masticating on a rock.

“After all with this figure she can’t collect the thoughts of awe as a golden mountain. Well… nevertheless, just what circ.u.mstances could make her turn out like this? It’s hard to believe that she suddenly became like this.”

As far as I knew, spirits seldom revealed their figures as physical ent.i.ties. They melted in the world as one with nature, so it was extremely rare to find a person who even heard a spirit’s voice.

Then Sheina raised her hand.

“Excuse me teacher. What’s likely to happen if we leave her like that?”

“Teacher? Did you just call me a teacher? Please call me that some more!”

“Lady Saintess, I get it that you’re happy, but could you stop walking on air and answer the question properly?”

Disregarding Lady Saintess, who was persistently demanding to be called a teacher, Rēko muttered quietly under her breath after fixedly observing the spirit.

“If it goes on like this she’ll eventually vanish.”

It was a bombsh.e.l.l of a statement. Everyone left Lady Saintess aside and instantly gathered around Rēko. Sheina was the first to express her disbelief.

“Disappear? The spirit will? You for real, Rēko?”

“I’m certain. Most likely this human-like form is a puppet container created by demons. The real mountain had to be spatially compressed and sealed inside this puppet as the spirit’s source of magic power. However, the energy consumption is abnormally quick. Like this the spirit will vanish along with the gold mountain in under a month.”

She said it with a nonchalant look. I already didn’t intend to ask for the grounds of her claims, because they no doubt were about right.

“It’s extremely hard to tame a spirit using normal means, so they must’ve went with a strategy to imprison it in a disposable puppet and brainwash into going on a rampage. Of course the brainwash part ended up as a failure.”

“Then Rēko, can you bring back the mountain sealed inside this―― puppet with your power?”