Chapter 154 (1/2)

Volu the Trial of Zakkart

Soh its nose as it ns of life in it

“Fuuuh! Fuuuh! Pafuooh!”

As if desiring soressively and then exhaled, its nose letting out a noise that sounded like a trumpet

“Fugafugofubuguh!”

Even so, perhaps unable to find the scent that it was looking for, the creature extended its nose and began pressing its nose against all of the objects near it

Trees, the dirt, stones, everything that it could reach

Of course, a creature capable of this would not be a human

“S-sceee…nt…”

To be more precise, this creature had once been a hu that was not a human

It had the face of a man with clearly unattractive looks, with scars across its forehead and cheeks There were no abnormalities with the shapes or number of eyes and nose on this face Other than the scars, it was the face of a normal human man

But the location of this face was abnormal The face was attached to the tip of an enorrown titan man would not be able to wrap his arms around it

“SCEEEEENT!” the creature, which couldn’t be described as anything other than a noseagain in an angry manner

There were several thick tentacles… no, noses, protruding frolance, these smaller noses looked like tentacles, but they were all noses like the trunks of elephants

This nose monster, whose bizarre appearance would cause an ordinary person to lose their ability to speak out of fear for it, continued through the forest that had no signs of any creatures living in it It seemed that the animals and monsters that would normally be present in the forest had fled out of fear for the ominous aura emitted by the monster

At that moment, the wind blew – a cold, clear autumn ith a touch of the winter to come

At that moment, the nose monster’s entire body froze It quietly inhaled the scent of the wind

“Aaah…”

The nose monster’s man-shaped face twisted in joy It had finally sniffed out the scent that it had been desiring

The nosein a ferocious manner towards the north It mowed down the trees and boulders in its ith its trunks, letting out a truet even a little closer to the scent it desired

But as the monster came out of the forest, someone stood in its way

“Stop right there!”

“We caht there were so from the forest, and it seems ere on the ment are stupid, but I don’t like theainst them”

“Edgar, save the talk for later… Vega, the self-proclaimed treasure hunter, I assume? Can you understand my words?”

The Five-colored Blades, led by the S-class adventurer Heinz, were standing in front of the a

Vega, a petty thief who fancied himself to be a treasure hunter, went alone into a ruin that was believed to have already been co that there was a treasure slu inside Several hours later, his thief friends reported to the city’s guards that he had eed from the ruin as a monster

Upon receiving this news, the guards realized that this wasn’t a problem they could deal with on their own and tried to send out a request to the Adventurers’ Guild Hearing this story, the Guild Master instinctively suspected that a frag could be involved and sent out a request by na in the city at the time

It seeht

“Heinz, I’m certain he doesn’t understand us,” said Delizah, the female Dwarf shi+eld-bearer

“Unlike Ternecia, there’s no trace of his original human form,” said Jennifer, the female human martial-artist

The Elf Diana as a priestess of Mill, the Goddess of slu But that was because she was reciting an incantation

Heinz knew that there was little hope as well, but he didn’t give up “You ht But if his consciousness is still somewhere in there, there should be a chance to save hia, do you know your own na the naa’s thief friend

Perhaps in response to hearing that nauh…”

A glimmer of hope appeared on Heinz’s face

But that hope was shattered as Vega let out high-pitched, ear-piercing scream “BASTAAAAARD! GET OUT OF MY WAAAAY!”

Vega’s face twisted in fury at having the path to his desired scent blocked, and he swung the elephant trunks that he had been using as legs in the direction of Heinz and his companions like whips

“It’s no good!”

“Yeah, let’s put him to rest quickly!”

Around two years ago, when Heinz and his coht the Pure-breed Vampire Ternecia, she had turned the tables on the’s horns and forced them onto the defense

Just like back then, they were facing a frag But Heinz and his party rim expressions

Because things were different from back then

“My Goddess Mill, grant us your protection! Great Invigoration!” cried Diana, casting a life-attribute spell that improved the physical abilities of her allies

“True Steel Wall, True Steel For the elephant-trunk whips

“Guillotine Slash!+” Edgar severed the elephant trunks with his knife

“BABOOOOOH!” Vega roared, continuing his attacks with more elephant trunks

“Thousand Tip Thrusts!” Jennifer’s rapid, sharp, bare-handed strikes repelled Vega and dealt soe to him in return as well

And Heinz seized the s it open “Fa Slash!+”

The attack he unleashed cut Vega’s face open in a straight line

Heinz and his companions had improved their skills even further beyond what they had been two years ago, and as Heinz possessed the Holy Guider Job, a Guider-type Job, his companions had developed reh to be worthy of being called S-class

And two years ago, their equipment had been made of Mythril and Adamantite; now, each of them was equipped with Orichalcuments

“GEEEEH!” Vega screeched

Vega, the eneht two years ago He was not like the Pure-breed Va’s horns skillfully with

He was a petty thief whose Deree had reached its li’s nose At this point, the quality of the host a couldn’t use martial skills or spells, he was no different froth

“Alright, let’s push him back!” Heinz shouted to increase the morale of his companions, certain in his victory

“Wait, so him

Edgar had noticed that Vega’s split face was letting out only a screa inhaled through a blocked nose as well

Heinz and his co and a In front of the’s nose fell over backwards For aBut the nostrils, which were big enough to fit a human head inside, pointed at them, and at that moment, they understood the enemy’s intention

“Everyone, get behindforward just as a red fluid sprayed frorimaced as she used her shi+eld to stop the forcefully-sprayed liquid that gave off an iron-like stench “This guy, using nose-blood as a projectile weapon, what is he thinking?!”

The De’s nose had slurped up its own blood like an elephant’s trunk did ater, then sprayed it out at a high pressure It was like a water cutter, or rather, a nose-blood cutter

If it were anyone but Delizah stopping this attack, or if she were equipped with an ordinary iron or copper shi+eld, she would likely have been cut in half

“Get out of o to where I aa’s face shouted, elated with his apparent victory

Delizah looked at hio,” she said

Indeed, the struggle of the De’s nose ended here The nose-blood cutter attack that sprayed nose-blood was astounding But as the ammunition for this attack was the user’s own blood, it was using up its own body

The nose-blood’s force gradually decreased, and the De’s nose fell easily to the counterattack from Heinz and his companions

“Oh, oooh, another…”

The Dean transfor to try and infest a new host

Heinz unsheathed the sword that he had been given by the Church of Alda “You can’t go anywhere This is where it ends”

And then he thrust his blade into the De’s nose

That action alone was enough to stop the ’s nose A clear expression of fear appearance on Vega’s face

“No, I have to go to where I am! Where I am! I must fuse with the ’s nose screa to escape

But it turned black and melted into a liquid, then was absorbed by the sword that had been thrust into it

The only thing rea

“Main… body…” whispered as left of Vega, then it stoppedas well

“I’m sorry we couldn’t save you I hope that you can at least rest in peace,” Heinz said, sheathing his sword and closing Vega’s eyelids

“How is the seal?” asked Diana, looking at the sith an expression of worry

The sas an Artifact for sealing the Dements that had been left in the care of the Church of Alda It had no effect on fragments that had already infested their hosts, but when thrust into frag to separate thements that were already separated froments away

It was a weapon that originated from Bellwood

“Can such a small sword really seal away ato cause it to escape fro doubtful

Heinz examined the sword for a while “I don’t think there will be any problems,” he said finally “It seeether when the sword seals a fragment, so it doesn’t seem like it’s possible for me to unsheathe it accidentally”

“And although it looks plain, it’s made of Orichalcum, so it won’t break so easily Once we have it enshrined in the holy grounds ed by the Church, we can rest easy,” said Delizah

“Only while the Orbaudom still stands,” said Diana

In this world, nations had been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly, lasting only around a thousand years at anization with no connections with those of the outside world, but it wasn’t as unconnected as it seemed

It wasn’t unusual for the anger of the poor, oppressed citizens to reach the Church, and there had been some who utilized the chaos caused by wars and revolutions to steal Artifacts and sealed frag held by the Church

This hat Diana, an Elf with a long lifespan, orried about

“But can the Elves e?” Jennifer asked

Diana gave a bitter sone into hiding and shi+zarion-sama is dead, so we Elves do not have power like we possessed in the age of the Gods Perhaps if it were a large settlement in the Amid Empire, or…”

“But it’s safer to leave the seal with a Church here than carrying it all the way to the A but chaos in the Sauron duchy recently, too Let’s go with the realistic option here,” said Edgar

“You are right,” said Diana

Even seals created by Gods or the legendary champions could not last forever, so they had no choice but to be satisfied with the options that they could actually take

“But it’s strange Just what kind of forine that that nose could have been attached to a face just like that,” Delizah muttered as the party headed back to the city

Diana and Edgar tried to iht have looked like as well, but they couldn’t

“Even if he looked just like a huar

“And what about those elephant trunks?” said Diana

The countless elephant trunks that the Des These were unnecessary parts for a nose that was in its proper position on the body – attached to the face

The Deans to use for attacking or using as limbs, such as his horns Or did those elephant trunks have some other purpose?

“This is infor Guduranis’s body parts,” said Heinz, re a description in an ancient manuscript that he had once seen at a Church of Alda

“What does that ar asked

“According to the description in an ancient manuscript written by an ancient hero who sealed away–”

The legendary chaht the De Guduranis and tore his body to pieces, and the Gods sealed away his evil soul

But the repulsive Vitality residing in the De’s soul was sealed

The Deether and revive the De that they could not be destroyed, Bellwood and his coments one by one

But even after being sealed, the fragments rean and waited vigilantly for the chance to becoain

“That’s apparently the reason why ment has been sealed inside,” Heinz explained “nobody would be able to know if the fragments transformed while sealed The Gods, especially the evil Gods that ca’s world, can apparently tell what’s inside a seal, though”

Delizah and the others grimaced

“In other words, it can’t be told what’s inside without opening thea put his hands on the frag, but sos, and I can’t understand them,” said Delizah

“You’re right No ht? I wouldn’t even think about it,” said Jennifer

“Even the nose was that powerful, so even if you did get a frag like that, I still believe that you would gain a significant amount of power,” said Diana

“You’re right,” Heinz said with a nod, then he looked north “Thein the north? Maybe –”

“You’re thinking that maybe the mysterious monster that appeared in the Sauron Duchy and destroyed the hero, the resistance and Duke Marar

“… Edgar, do you think I’ too much?” Heinz asked

The events in the Sauron region had reached the Orbauh faintly, the ears of Heinz, an S-class adventurer as an honorary nobledom and involved in national affairs

The ‘Light-speed Sword’ Duke Rickert Amid, a hero of the A Swords This man had been dispatched on a mission to exterminate the resistance, but contact had been lost

As the one who had requested that the emperor dispatch Rickert, Duke Mare force of his elite troops into the former Scylla territory that was occupied by the resistance, where they apparently encountered fearsome monsters

According to the little information available, one of those monsters was apparently an Undead titan, a fearso an enormous black sword

A single swing of his blade apparently sent knights and trees flying away like leaves

He was likely athe Boundary Mountain Range, and both Rickert and the resistance organization called the Sauron Liberation Front had probably been killed by him

“That black sword… When I heard what the Dea say, I did think it possible that it’s soment,” said Heinz

“It’s a bit late for it, but do you still want to accept the request?” asked Edgar “The army’s request for help to recover the Sauron Duchy”

The loss of the resistance was painful, but the e of the chaos within Duke Marin soon Marquis Dradoh the Adventurers’ Guild to ask him to help with the operation

But Heinz had already refused once

“No, forget about it The A to rumors, Randolf ‘the True’ is involved behind the scenes Let’s focus on the Trial of Zakkart and the proble north with a distant, worried gaze “I hope I’s, but…”

Vandalieu suddenly felt a sensation like his chest was tightening, and instinctively looked south

Saria and Rita noticed that so with their master and called out to him

“Bocchan, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly holding your chest?”

But even Vandalieu didn’t knohy he felt this sensation

He used Out-of-body Experience and h hiswith his body and couldn’t find a cause for this sensation

“I don’t really know, but I suddenly felt an emotional pain,” he said

He turned his gaze south oncethere other than a hill with trees growing thickly on its side But so far beyond that hill, in a distant place He felt certain of that

“Bocchan… I kno you feel,” said Rita, putting her hands on Vandalieu’s shoulders “You’re in a blue mood, aren’t you?”

“Faster often said that at turning points in life, one suddenly beco her hands on Vandalieu’s shoulders as well

“Like nancy and childbirth,” Rita added

“None of those have happened in my life yet,” said Vandalieu “Also, I’ll ask just to be sure, but you’re talking about the pregnancies and childbirths of the people I’ll ht?”

But in response to this question, the sisters smiled and wrapped their arms around him to embrace him from both sides

“It’s alright!” said Rita “There’s nothing to worry about”

“We’ve been told that easing that uncertainty is important at times like this, so please don’t worry, Bocchan!” said Saria