Chapter 121 - Volume 7 (2/2)
After all, they were here to investigate an incident happening in this neighborhood, where the residents and soldiers were going missing. It wasn’t unusual for the residents of darkness to suddenly disappear. There was always fighting here, so it wasn’t strange when they died.
He wasn’t investigating seriously, but it would be convincing if he said that the criminal behind it was a ‘beast’.
Still, something was wrong……
If there were beasts, there should have been signs of one. However, he couldn’t find any signs, nor could he smell the beast, and it was instead filled with a ‘darkness’ that he could not see through with his night vision.
However, there was certainly something there.
“[Gau]”
From the darkness, several two-legged things walked out.
“……Bear?”
As the girl who was being pushed around murmured, stunned, out walked a small teddy bear, about 50cm tall.
“……Haah?”
“What’s this…… why is a toy moving by itself?”
The tense atmosphere disappeared, and the soldiers who felt completely disappointed lowered their weapons.
“……You can sell this, right?”
“Oh, are you going to take it home?”
Although it was moving, it was difficult to keep the heart of a town guard with a teddy bear soft toy. As the soldiers approached it carelessly, reaching out-
“[Gau]”
Suddenly, one of the Beastmen collapsed, leaning against the wall of the alley.
“o-Oi, what happened… Hii!?”
The beastman soldier was missing half of his body, as if it had been bitten off and eaten.
*gari… gori… gari……* (sfx: chewing noises)
As the beastman and the girl turned towards the source of the sound, they saw the teddy bear chewing on something in its mouth, its lips covered in blood.
And then, it swallowed with a gulp……
“[Gauu?]”
The two of them recoiled with looks of horror at the teddy bear that was inclining its head cutely.
“y-y-y-you go closer.”
“Kyaaaaaa”
As the beastman reached for the girl to use as a decoy, his arm disappeared suddenly before reaching the girl.
“[Gau.]”
“HIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?”
As the beastman screamed out in fear and pain, the teddy bear jumped forward and opened its mouth, exposing the hundreds of teeth within that shone.
And then, only the dumbfounded girl was left alone in the alley.
The teddy bear plushie seemed to have been fine with eating just the two soldiers and had disappeared elsewhere without eating the dark elf girl.
It was just that the Demon had been satisfied, but she didn’t know it, and that girl decorated a teddy bear stuffed animal that she’d made herself and worshipped it daily.
“[Gaugau]”
“[Are you done eating?]”
As the small teddy bear entered a small fort some distance away, a calm voice could be heard speaking to him.
Usually, there would be soldiers training or drinking alcohol, but now, there were no signs of life there.
It would have been alright if the place was abandoned or something, but the weapons and armor of over 100 people were rolling on the floor as if the people who were wielding them had disappeared suddenly.
Inside, there was an enormous [Beast] that seemed to be made out of pure condensed darkness, with only its silver eyes shining in the dark.
“[Now, that’s enough souls.]”
“[Gau.]”
“[Shall we move?]”
The deep darkness disappeared like a haze and began to move. The fear that had come to this country had only just begun.
Author’s Notes:
Next time, Rinne’s story, for real.