32 Chapter 32: Downtown (1/2)
”Hu. That was a good meal.”
I rubbed my stomach as I went down the mountain, feeling very full. The manticore was massive, and this time I didn't eat all of it. I had kept several portions of the manticore in my magical pouch, as evidence that I had slain it. Other than that, I had tried to eat as much of the manticore as possible, but being bigger than the anaconda, I finally found a meal that was impossible for me to finish.
Fortunately, I didn't have to finish the manticore to gain its ability. Just a few bites and a swallow netted me Adaptive Mutation. Like the other special abilities, I bet Adaptive Mutation would be a little too low level for me to actually make full use of it at the moment, but in the future I could see it combining with my Regeneration to turn me into a true monster.
I don't exactly want to lose my humanity, though…
As uncomfortable as I felt when thinking about the monstrous possibilities regarding Adaptive Mutation and Regeneration, I had to admit that I was no longer human. At least not in the biological sense, anyway.
Thinking about that, I recognized that it was useless to think about preserving my humanity. The moment I fed on the necromancer, I had discarded my humanity long ago. To pretend that I could somehow preserve some semblance of humanity would be deluding myself. I should focus on gaining as many special abilities to give me an advantage over the heroes.
Taking a deep breath, I summoned Matsukaze and rode him back to town. On the way back, I conjured up my status screen to confirm that I had indeed plundered the special ability from the deceased manticore.
Name: Tanaka Tomoyuki
Species: Undead
Job/Rank: Gravekeeper/Lich Lord
Title: Hero Slayer
Special Abilities: Adamantium Will, Regeneration, Devour, Lord of Darkness, Absolute Appraisal, Summon, Sword Saint, Adaptive Mutation
Eight special abilities so far. Was there a limit to the number of special abilities I could possess? I remembered that Takeda Junpei had a limit of ten. If I was under the same sort of restrictions, then I only had two slots left.
What will I get rid of if I do have restrictions?
All eight of my current special abilities were indispensable. Probably the one that didn't fit me the most was Sword Saint, but without that special ability, I wouldn't have defeated the manticore. Honestly, I didn't mind getting rid of Adaptive Mutation because of my anxieties over losing my humanity, but from a practical point of view I had already lost my humanity and it was one of the abilities I should definitely keep alongside Regeneration.
”Ugh…”
Well, I would worry about it when I reached that point. For now, I still had two slots left. And I didn't know if I had a limit for sure.
”I've killed the manticore!” I yelled.
There was no reply. Someone creaked a window open end peeked outside, only to gasp when he saw the manticore's stinger, but he disappeared back into his room, blubbering something to his wife, who also fell back in shock from the sight.
The couple was so stunned that they fell into silence.
They weren't the only ones. A few windows were slowly and quietly opened here and there as the residents cautiously peered outside, only to crash back in silence and disbelief. I slowly rode through the town before getting to the inn. Shaking my head, bemused at the townsfolks' response, I got off Matsukaze and dismissed him.
”Sorry for being late.”
I walked right into the inn, only for the innkeeper to drop the cup he was polishing. It hit the table and thankfully didn't crack, but the innkeeper wasn't paying any attention to his wares. Instead, his jaw dropped open when he saw me.
”You're…alive.”
”Yeah. And you guys don't have to worry about the manticore ever again.”
I held up the stinger, and the innkeeper fell back, fumbling as he crashed into a chair. Pulling himself upright and sitting down because his knees were shaking too violently to keep him upright, he stared at the manticore's stinger in my hand in disbelief.
”H…how…?”
”With great difficulty.”
”No…but even then, how did you defeat a manticore by yourself? Without a party? Going into the mountains and fighting it solo? That's not possible. Even the heroes would have to fight such a monster in a party!”
”I'm not a hero,” I replied, tensing at the word. How dare he group me together with those foul former classmates of mine? I wanted nothing to do with them, not a single association. They were my targets for revenge, nothing more.
The innkeeper must have detected the undercurrent in my voice, for he quickly shook his head and hands in a placating manner.
”I mean no offense, of course.”
”Sure. Anyway, with my task done, you shouldn't have to worry about the manticore again. If another one – or even other monsters – shows up, please send another request to the mercenary guild. I'll come exterminate it again.”
”Y…yes!”
The innkeeper was so overwhelmed that he was trembling in disbelief. He shook his head to clear his mind of any doubt and continued staring at the stinger until I stuck it into my pouch. Even though the stinger was so massive that it was as tall as me, it could somehow fit into the magical pouch that was twice the size of my hand.
Apparently there was spatial magic in the pouch that allowed me to stuff objects bigger than its exterior into it. There was almost no limit to storage space. It functioned as some sort of inventory in a game. Given the blue status screens, special abilities and guild, I wasn't surprised that this world operated similarly to a game.
”I'll need to return to the city and hand this over,” I grumbled. I didn't like the idea of having the stinger in my pouch. Despite the lack of spatial restrictions, I would much rather not have such a dangerous thing lying around my possessions. I didn't want to sting myself while looking for an item or weapon.
It was where I stored Minamoto Kureha's broken sword, by the way.
”Mr. Customer?”
The innkeeper was staring at me, at a loss. I smiled and gestured upstairs.
”Sorry, just tired after a hard battle. My room is still open, right?”
”Ah, yes! Please help yourself! And don't worry about the fee. Tonight's on the house.” The innkeeper blubbered, almost in tears. ”I can't thank you enough for helping us! For saving us from the manticore! Thank you!”
”Uh, no problem. Don't worry about it.”
I was too tired to argue, so I decided to push the issue of paying for my room the next day. There was no way I could accept charity like this. After all, I was already going to receive the reward from the guild when I return to the city.
That was enough. I didn't want to rob a living from an innkeeper who was probably in the red after all those weeks of not getting any business.
”Good night.”
Suppressing a yawn, I climbed the stairs and headed for my room.
*
The next morning, I was surprised to see a crowd of townsfolk gathering outside the inn. I had barely gotten up when I heard the commotion, and I glanced out of the window, only to see a large number clustering at the entrance of the inn and chattering excitedly. Apparently the innkeeper didn't let them in or they didn't want to enter.
What's going on? I wondered as I scratched my head. Some sort of event?
Well, it wasn't my business. Washing up, I changed out of my casual clothes and back into my uniform and Redwood jacket. Come to think of it, the manticore wouldn't have been able to hurt me because of the layers of protection that my Redwood jacket offered. With this, I could consider getting rid of both Regeneration and Adaptive Mutation because those two skills would hardly come into play anyway.
Nah, I'll hold onto them.
Those were powerful life-saving abilities, and I would be a fool to get rid of them just because I had an impenetrable armament that rendered me immune to attacks. I couldn't put all my eggs in one basket. There would be times when I didn't have my Redwood jacket on, or if there existed enemies with attacks powerful enough to break through Redwood Robe's defense. Suzuki Shirou's God-Slaying Spear was one example.
The commotion continued outside, much to my annoyance. Taking a deep breath, I packed up and got ready to leave. Fortunately, packing was as easy as throwing everything into my magical pouch, but I had to be careful not to accidentally sting myself.
My Redwood Robe will protect me from that, though…
I had no idea how the defensive enchantments on my Redwood Robe worked, but they had never failed to defend me from anything they deemed harmful. Even those that I didn't even conceive as dangerous.
I descended the stairs, only to see that the innkeeper was waiting on the first story. The tables were empty, a stark contrast to the bustling crowd outside the building. He caught sight of me and bowed fervently.
”Sir mercenary! Good morning! Would you like breakfast?”
”Nah, I'm fine. I'm not hungry.”
Having eaten so much manticore meat yesterday, I was still feeling stuffed. I couldn't possibly eat another bite.
”Speaking of which, I'll need to pay you for the room yesterday.”
”No, don't worry about it.”
”I insist. I don't want to get into trouble with the guild or they'll accuse me of taking advantage of you.”
”You're not taking advantage of me at all!” the innkeeper protested, but I shook my head and placed a couple of silver coins firmly on the table.
”That's not how the guild will see it. Anyway, thank you.” I smiled. ”As I said last night, if any monster plagues your town again, feel free to contact the guild.”
I opened the door, only to stumble instinctively when a rush of bodies poured in. Not to visit the inn, but to surround me.
”He's here!”
”The mercenary is here!”
”Awesome job!”
”Thank you! Thank you so much!”
”I can't express my gratitude enough!”
I was stunned when I found myself swamped by grateful townsfolk, weeping or cheering as they surrounded me. The men patted me on the back and shoulders while the women sobbed and sniffled in joy.
”…eh? What?”
I could only stare at them dumbly, not comprehending what was going on. It took a while, but I managed to piece together the details.
Apparently, after my ride through the streets last night, the townsfolk realized that there were no longer any howls or sounds from the manticore. One man even risked stepping out of his horse and running around to stare at the mountains, but…nothing happened.
The manticore was gone. The dangerous threat that plagued Millennial Town for weeks had finally been eliminated, and it was safe to walk the streets at night again.
”I can't believe it! When I heard you were going to face the manticore alone, I thought you were crazy, and that you'll get yourself killed!”
”Yeah, I thought you were an insane kid spouting nonsense!”
”Hah! I never doubted him for one second!”
”Shut up, you liar. You were predicting that he will get killed by the manticore in one second!”
”We heard it too!”
”…ugh.”