Chapter 23 – Beast King Without Fangs

Leschia always uses the expedition style when conquering the dungeon.

They forms a party that serves as a supply point.

The first party, with the least amount of luggage, dealing with monsters and traps, while the second party supplies them with resources, thus dividing the roles.

It was also their job to collect and processing the materials.

There are ten of them in total.

They were following the guidelines of the leader, who was rational but placed more importance on safety than profits.

Bruno, the battle leader of the supply unit is a young man with a large physique, he is licking grains of salt while leading the march in heavy armor.

He has high pride, and although he was unhappy about being a backup in the Union, since there were also third and fourth armies, he was more afraid of being demoted from the supply unit than being promoted.

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Bruno stared at Sherika’s upper garment, which was covered with multiple layers of leather straps for protection, and at her lower abdomen.

In another month or so, the signs of pregnancy might become noticeable.

The presence of the baby force him to make the decision to propose – but when he slap his cheeks and make up his resolve, it turned into joy.

「There are trace left by the Leader. Look, the side walls are hollowed out like butter that was gouged with a spoon」
「When Leschia-san kicks, we can’t harvest materials from the monsters」

As he approached the side wall, which had traces that looked as if they had been hollowed out with a giant spoon, he saw the remains of ectoplasm scattered around. It used to be a wraith, but has been annihilated.

Bruno cleared his throat looking at the pile of white powder lying on the stone floor.
Every gram would fetch a good price.
There’s nothing like a human soul for the secrets of alchemy and magic.

His greed swells up then he reached for the burlap sack in his pocket.

「You must not. Did you forget the party rule? You are not allowed to collect anything along the way」
「I know it」

He was fed up of being lectured so often.

Everyone know the rules.
Supply unit are only allowed to supply until the end.

Even if you find a gem along the way, as long as there is even a one percent chance that it is a trap, you must not touch it.

Offenders were punishable, but Bruno turned around and shoved the spirit medium into his pocket so that no one would know.

The powder flew around like moth scales, but he couldn’t care less.

He don’t care how much extra income he have. He need money. He need it for his marriage.

He will not say please understand to them, but he want them to know it.

He do no know how long she can continue to be in the second division. But eventually, she won’t be able to work.

And if he get injured, he might even have to pull out from battle.

When he did not have anything, he was brave and courageous – now that he had a little money, Bruno tended to be self-protective.

「That’s a creepy place, isn’t it? It’s gloomy, and yet there’s a thick miasma in the air」

Leaning on her long staff, Sherika looked upward.

The cave was in total darkness.

In the surrounding area, the everlasting darkness seems to extend forever.

The only thing you can rely on is the red-hot magic light balls.

It floats in the air while burns sizzlingly.

They move in parallel, but every once in a while a soft glowing heat brushes their cheeks.

Sherika hold her long staff horizontally and chanted a short magic 『Search Enemy』

A slit of pale light popped out.

It’s one of those magic tricks that uses sonar to send out waves and sense the mind.

There is no enemy within a 20 meter radius.

「Sherika. There’s nothing to worry about. There are no good monsters where the leader walks」

Argos, clad in both leather and muscle armor, teased the worried Sherika.

The brown-skinned, short-haired man is always cheerfully carrying a load.

He is also a regular member of the supply unit, boasting a strong strength and have the personality to never say no when asked.

Bruno smiled amiably, but secretly he made fun of those who had the role of porter.

Although he never showed it on the surface, it annoyed him that there was no pride left in being an adventurer or a swordsman.

It was as if he was looking at his future self, and it was disgusting.

It was totally unacceptable.

They rode their horses following the obvious trail left by Leschia, but when they run into a staircase on the way, the horses could not pass and they had to carry their luggage on their backs.

―― and.

As he finished climbing the narrow stairs to the second floor, Bruno noticed a wraith clad in white in the middle of the road.

He pulled out the thin sword at his waist.

The sword.made a screeching sound.

He turned the glass bottle upside down and sprinkled holy water on it.

The members behind him also shifted to a battle ready stance.

It’s rare to miss a shot, someone murmured.

The wraiths, who automatically attacked because the instinct of longing for life, but there was something wrong with it.

The skeleton’s face turned upward.

A crumpled eye socket under the hood. The bottom of the eye is covered with green moss. Maggots were crawling on the brown skin where the body used to be.

It spoke quietly.

「……『Gate』」

There was a chirping of wings, like the scraping of insects.

Multiple vertical circles appear around the wraith, its cloak whirled up softly.

The cross-section of the circles swirled in a marbled pattern.

It was like a flowing liquid.

A white bone arm stretched out from the chaotic violet.

Armed skeletal soldiers half stepped out into the present world, white bony feet with no shoes on the ground, then looked at Bruno and his group.

Everyone in the group was quiet, but they understood that the door to the other world had been opened.

Jawbones clattering, the skeletons with rusty swords and light armor protecting their key points are beginning to line up.

Three, five, seven, and even when it is more than ten, the army of skeletons was still growing.

The flow did not stop until the passage was full.

About twenty or so.

「B-Bruno?」
「W-Why? There is no way the leader would miss something like this!」

The armed skeletal soldiers, with the white robe wraith in the center, are holding their swords and waiting for the order to charge are surrounding the front.

「『Fire Wall』」.

A wall of flames appeared to block the two groups.

The fire magic cast by Nalia, a high-ranking magician, had no effect.

The skeletons walked over to them as if they were nothing.

Bruno, sensing the signs of a melee, grabbed Sherika’s sleeve and pulled her close, backing her up against the wall.

From behind him, the porter, including Argos, unloaded their bags, raised their clubs with a warcry, and charged.

The club, drenched with holy water, was thickened at the tip and embedded with sharp pieces of iron. A booming gallant sound was heard.

It shattered the abdomen of the skeleton in the lead, turning it into a mere lump of bone.

The armed skeletal soldiers who were fighting back also shouted.

They could not speak, but they could tell by the way it tried to shake it’s lost vocal chords that it was a cry.

The charging Argos lowered himself and destroyed the next three skeletons in one fell swoop.

There was no room to doubt that he was boasting his strength. Bruno whistled.

The sound of bones smashed into pieces continues.

Sherika casts a freezing magic to cover the floor.

A wave of cold air crept up from beneath her feet, blocking the movement of the skeletons.

It was an easy annihilation.

Even though they are rotten, they are carefully selected members of 『Torch The Blade』.
There is no way for them to get hurt by something like this.

「Please, release me already!」.

Sherika, whose self-esteem was hurt when her lover forced her to the wall for safety reason, knocked off Bruno’s arm blocking her front.

She glared at Bruno, who stepped back, letting his companion hit him, though she did cast a spell at the end to save face.

「Oh, my bad」

Was it just his imagination―― Hehad a feeling that it was in dangerous, but all that was left was a wraith clad in white standing there.

It seems to be the master, but it does not show any signs of being upset that it’s comrades have been defeated.

「『Resize!』」

The white wraith casts restoration magic.

The bones that were scattered and crushed on the ground were restored to their original form as if they had a will of their own.

In the blink of an eye, the skeletal army was reassembled.

They stood on their two feet as if the corpses in the graveyard had come back to life.

Their will to fight had not weakened by even a bit.

No, there was no will to fight or killing intent from the start. It was just a monster that attacked mechanically.

The members of the group who were startled swung their weapons, but there was one member who was a little late.

「Ahhh!」

There was a sound of flesh being torn apart.

One of them fell, after getting gutted by a rusty sword.

The newcomer porter―― What was his name again? Bruno could not remember. It may be heartless, but you cannot be friends with everyone.

The battle is tense. They cannot stay on their toes forever.

Bruno stabbed his thin sword into the belly of the nearest skeleton.

He preyed on a dumb skeleton that was looking away.

The skeleton stopped moving because it was just hollow, but he swung his sword at it.

Bruno kicked the sword up from below. The thin sword hit, destroying the ribs and blowing away the throat bone.

「『Blue Sorbet!』」

Sherika chanted the greatest magic she could do while raising her hair.

The blizzard that appeared in the cave blew the skeleton army away. The skeletons were frosted and scattered to the ground, looking like frozen puddles on the street.

The members of the group who had been caught in the middle hugged both shoulders.

They clenched their teeth in anger at the blowing cold.

「Sherika!」
「I’m sorry, but Ark-kun will die if we don’t hurry!」

Sherika was emotionally concerned for the young man who was bleeding, clenching his teeth, and holding his wound as he suffered.

Bruno scratched his head while enduring jealousy, and then looked at the scattered cloth bags. The bags were piled high and contained hemostatic agents and potions.

「『Resize!』」

Another restoration magic was chanted―― Someone had to have defeated the white-robed wraith.

The skeleton army pushes back the ice and regains its original form.

「Assemble!」

Bruno’s short order caused the supply unit to change their expression and form a battle formation. In the chaos, stand-play was unforgivable.

Each of them transformed into a dense formation to protect the one next to them.

Swords, spears, battle axes, and clubs were drew to keep an even distance between them.

「What’s wrong!?」
「I can’t hit it!」
「I’ll do it!」

Bruno was so angry that he kicked the ground and ran.

His lips quivered, and he cast 『Dirt』at his feet. His movement speed increased.

His vision changed as if he were in a raging torrent.

Bruno is a master of auxiliary magic and knows that he is a first-class trained swordsman.

After cleaving the skeleton army and striking down one of them, he slid his blade out and thrust it vertically.

It struck the white wraith in the heart. The tip of the blade would have definitely caught the vital point.

「…… Ugh!」

He groaned.

He pierced a piece of cloth, but there was no response to piercing a spirit.

The response to cutting through a monster with spirit attributes was similar to the feeling of poking cotton candy.

He understood from his knowledge that the higher the monster was, the harder the damage would be to penetrate, but there was no response at all.

「Damn it!」

The white wraith is unconcerned.

It was still standing there as if it had been struck by a gentle breeze.

There was a loud explosion behind him.

Naria throw a wide area fire magic in panic. One of his allies burned his arm. The heat wave that boiled out like a fountain became a blast, and several people were slammed against the wall.

A sobbing voice and a puzzled look on their face as they dumbfounded with Nalia’s magic of destruction.

A skeletal arm was still attached to her arm. Fear had driven her to make a mistake.

It’s not a typical mistake―― Maybe it is because she’s been away from combat experience.

「『Resize』」

There was no end to the repeated spell.

And so the slow death march began.

The smell of blood mingled in the air.

The smell of rusting iron emanating from the flesh of their comrades crept into their nostrils, causing everyone to panic and visibly worsen their movement.

One by one, as the number of members who had exhausted their energy and collapsed reached half, Bruno finally gave the order to retreat.

「Let’s retreat!」
「But we can’t leave them behind!」
「Can’t you see that!? They’re taking us away!」

The members struggled with their wounds and were pulled alive into the portal of the other world. The skeletons grabbed their arms and legs and disappeared while screaming.

They were not being killed. They were being kept alive on purpose.

He don’t know what their purpose is, but he is sure they will be used as bait by the undeads.

「……『Gate』」

The skeletal soldiers that appeared from the portal of the other world behind him gathered and built a sword blockade to block his path.

「W-whoaaaaaaaaaa!」

Argos, drenched in blood, unafraid of blades charged forward with both hands outstretched in order to open the way behind.

His huge frame knocked down the skeletons, but the swords zapped and sunk into his arms, neck and face.

Judging from the amount of blood that had been sunk into the skin and ripped out of the arteries, it was a fatal wound.

「Guh!…… Gooo!」
「O-Oh」
「Bruno!」

Sherika, who was trying to carry her wounded comrades―― Was surrounded by skeleton soldiers, they grabbed her head from behind, grabbed her arms, pushed her down, and was about to drag her away.

Her eyes closed in the fear of death.

She reach her hands out for help into the void.

Ahead, her friends run out onto the path that Argos has carved out for them.

Roots stick in his feet. He stop moving.

After a moment of hesitation.

Gritting his teeth, Bruno ran forward.

As things are, at this rate―― what is the point of going back?

The four of them ran like hell. The skeleton soldiers are chasing them. They did not seem to be in a hurry.

Bruno, running in the dark, lit an emergency light source stone. His friends followed suit. The rest of the group followed suit to illuminate the bumpy terrain beneath their feet.

Out of breath, no one stopped even if someone fell down on the way. As they ran and ran, but the sound of footsteps echoed behind them.

To theur horror, they are making a regular noise.

They are trying to corner them at a constant speed.

「Bruno!」

Carlos, who was running in the lead, stopped suddenly.

The meaning of the warning cry was immediately clear to Bruno.

The sound of footsteps could be heard from ahead.

In desperation, Bruno tried to grasp the hilt of his sword, but realized that he had dropped it.

How foolish of him―― He was almost angry at himself for being so stupid, but he could not stand still forever.

The sound of footsteps in front of him was powerful. Intense and heavy. Something big and vicious was approaching.

Two pairs of yellow eyes glinted in the darkness, as if they were running lightly.

「Hmm, so it’s human after all」

What appeared was a huge white wolf.

It had a sharp nose and sharp eyetooth. The smell of the beast was strong. It was a beastman who understood human language.

Bruno’s hair stood on end as he looked up.

His friends, who were spread out, were also looking up at it with their mouths half-open.

There was a lovely silver-haired long girl on it’s back, rolling her eyes.

「Lox. The world is shaking」
「Your Highness. I am afraid you have motion sickness」
「I see. I want to take a break. By the way, is there Shouji Quikk in this group?」
「No, Your Highness. Or rather, I can’t even smell him in this dungeon」
「What? Then what am I doing here?」
「Is it philosophy?」
「No, I mean, practically speaking,why?」
「There’s been a mistake in the information. I am afraid it was an error on that guy, Luck side」
「Hmm. I will cut his salary」
「I am afraid that is not enough」
「Demotion」
「One more word」
「But, isn’t it a bit pitiful?」

The girl with her finger on her thin chin is a beastman―― Bruno noticed the sound of footsteps behind him and hissed.

「O-oi! The monsters are coming! Get out of the way!」

The girl, who yawned sleepily as she cut her hand horizontally, turned her face to the white wolf and called into it’s ear.

「Hm? Lox, your size seems to be in the way」
「Your Highness. It’s not that I’m big, it’s that the road is too narrow」
「I see, that’s one way to look at it」
「Get out of the way I said! Ahhh……」

A group of skeletal soldiers wearing two horned helmets followed them out of the darkness.

The white wraith was also moving along, floating in the air.

The others retreated past the white wolf, Lox.

And yet, the girl only got off the wolf’s back and put her hands on her hips.

「Lox. Do bones move in the under world? Do you eat them?」
「Your Highness. Undead soldiers and …… hmm, this is a rare Priest Wraith. It is a monster that has a grudge against the gods and has sworn allegiance to the King of the Abyss」
「Rare?…… Hmm, well then. Have a nice day」
「Your Highness, just because it’s rare doesn’t mean that the Beast King needs to smile, and be affectionate with it」
「What? What a loss」

A glittering blade approached beneath the carefree girl.

The skeletal soldier swung his sword without hesitation, looking away and swinging it at the defenseless thin shoulder.

「Watch out!」

The cry came naturally, but the sword was flicked by something in the air.

Bruno mumbled, 「Ah」

Magician Barrier―― The strong grayish-purple layer catches the blades and doesn’t even hurt her.

The blades flew one after another. The swords of the skeletons were pushed back each time.

「Lox. Are these poor dead people my enemies?」
「With all due respect, Your Highness, I think you need to learn more about the world common sense」
「Get to the point」
「They are enemies」
「Then,『Perish』」

It was too simple, to call it incantation, an invisible destruction without any accumulation of magic power.

Waves of slashes rippled through the air from her outstretched palms, and a swarm of arcing slashes struck the skeleton army.

The mobs crumbled by the void blade, cutting the summoner the white wraith, from the center to the left and right, cutting off all four limbs, and finally slicing off it’s head.

It was crushed so easily that only it’s clothes fell to the ground.

The monster that they had to utilized so much sword and magic vanished into thin air in an instant

It disappeared, leaving behind only a lime like powder.

「Your highness. Is this using『Zero Force』?」
「Yes. Unlike my father, I am a frail maiden, so I must make use this divine power, which is the blessing of the Beast God」
「Although you are not the same as the fierce beast kings of the past, Your Highness is certainly favored by our gods」
「Whoa, whoa, whoa …… Oi」

With a raised voice, Bruno judged on the girl’s power as something he could use.

The Beast King mentioned in the conversation―― He is one of the dark kings who live in Error Knife Town.

Those who have been judged by human history to be uncontrollable and have been forgiven by their privileges.

Bruno did not know if the girl was one of them, but she must be the same group as them.

If they hurried back to the fort, they could expect reinforcements, but it would be too late.

「I am hungry. Let’s go home, Lox」
「Fortunately, there are humans here」
「No, what is that? It’s a bit scary. From now on it’s prohibited, okay」
「As your wish, Your Highness」

The girl with the disgusted face, tugged on Lox’s neck fur to discourage it.

「P-Please! Help me! My friends are being held captive」

Out of desperation, Bruno tried to hang on to the girl, but the 『Zero Force』prevented him from doing so, and he ended up with his hands flat on the ground.

It was a disgraceful sight with his face crushed and his nostrils widen, but he begged her, with tears crumpling in his eyes.

「Nuh-uh…… I don’t know what happened, but I’m bored too, so it’s good」
「Your Highness. You must not agree to favor so easily. And how can a beast king have free time?」
「But, still, he seems to be in trouble」

What a pushover―― the words were firmly shown in Lox’s twisted wolf face for all to see.

The girl who is destined to live as a beast king will repel any evil that comes her way.

Almost certainly for the rest of her life, she would never be defeated.

She has the absolute power to push through anything, so why is she so fragile?

「It can’t be helped…… Human. I will accept your request. A plea to Master Chateausea is something that the human race should not do」
「T-Thank you! That’s, their looks…..」
「I know. I can tell everything by the stinky smell attached on you. Now get out of here!」

Bruno and the other three left in a hurry.

Partly because they needed to call for reinforcements, and partly because they were relieved to have escaped the skeleton army unharmed.

From the smell on his skin, Lox could tell that he had abandoned his girlfriend and fled, but he did not say it out loud out of consideration.

「Lox, you have prepared for failure so you don’t embarrass me」
「I know how kind you are, Your Highness」
「Sorry…… But, we kill our enemies without mercy」

Lox wagged it’s tail silently, making excuses for casting shadows on its facial expressions.

The still young beast king forgot her fangs.

She does not understand that kindness can also lead to weakness. As a minority in society, the Beast King must be a fearsome person.

But even so, if she is loved by the Beast God, he has no choice but to obey.