Chapter 11: Searching for a Mage (2)
Since the moment I fell into this world, nothing had ever gone my way, but this time, at least, there were no major problems. ‘Seems luck is on my side, to some extent.’ I managed to find the traces left by those sent by the Church of Life and deal with them without being detected. The forest monsters and abominations didn't even think of attacking us. ‘Things are going so smoothly it’s actually worrying.’
My frayed nerves did not settle. On top of my various anxieties, the feeling that something was writhing under the ground persisted. It wasn't a feeling of my mind completely breaking, but an unsettling sense of dread remained.
"Sir. Why do mages' houses have to be so far from town?" Is it the energy of youth? We had only gotten the bare minimum of sleep on our way to the village to find the mage, yet Thalia was much more active than I expected. ‘Perhaps... the humans here are different from the ones I know.’ The human race in this world might be stronger than the humanity I knew.
"Wouldn't it be better in many ways to be closer? The orphanage was so far away it was inconvenient."
"They don't want to be affected by distractions like noise. Mages need to focus a lot." Since my knowledge of magic was much greater than my knowledge of being a priest, I could say that with a great deal of confidence.
"Still, it would have been nice if he lived a bit closer," Thalia grumbled. She didn't mind him being far from the village, but she was clearly not happy about having to climb this somewhat dangerous hill behind her. I wondered if he used it as some kind of fortress, but the house on top of the hill was surprisingly ordinary.
"And the decorations are weird." The path leading to the mage’s house was dotted with small stone statues. They were certainly odd-looking, just as Thalia said. To put it more bluntly... they were ugly.
"......You're right." Thalia thought they were just ugly statues, but my words carried a different meaning. Of course, the statues were very poorly made, but what I found strange was their function. They certainly weren't placed there just for show, and from what I recalled, statues like these were... ‘......They’re definitely gargoyles.’
Gargoyles. Usually monstrous, dragon-like forms that serve as guardians. Do-wol said they were a type of golem in this world, artificial lifeforms controlled by mages. ‘Hmm... are they fakes?’ Just to scare people? Or perhaps they were welcoming our arrival, because the statues that were clearly gargoyles didn't move. ‘I’d actually feel more comfortable if they were real.’ Seeing how poorly made they were, I thought they might actually be fake, but going to the effort of placing fake gargoyles would also mean the mage is truly unskilled.
"We finally reached the top...!" Thalia said, her tone a bit weary. A very ordinary building with a fairly large garden appeared. In the garden was an owl, hunched like a wrung-out cloth—it was hard to tell if the mage was raising it or not—and... "......A crocodile?"
For a moment, my mind went blank. Why is there a crocodile on top of a hill? The crocodile in the grass was as long as I am tall. Its mouth was open, cautiously letting out the threatening hiss unique to reptiles.
"Thalia, stand behind me. Seems like something the mage is raising."
"A-A dragon...?"
"No, that’s an animal called a crocodile." Giving a small lesson to Thalia, who apparently had never seen a crocodile before, I took a slight step back. The crocodile seemed to retreat a little too. "Well, it doesn't look very friendly, does it?"
"Be careful. It’s a dangerous animal." Crocodiles are faster and more agile hunters than one might think, and muscular too. It would be difficult for an ordinary person to face one alone. At least we weren't in its native territory of a swamp or lake, but the black crocodile was threatening enough on its own.
"Sir, behind you! Those weird decorations!" At Thalia's cry, I glanced behind me and saw the gargoyles, prone on the ground, stealthily approaching. It was a good thing Thalia’s senses were sharp; I had almost allowed them a surprise attack.
"......So that’s how it is." They had been planning a pincer attack from the start. If my opponents aren't human, the miracles I can currently use aren't very effective. The only one I can use now is, unfortunately, the one I hesitate to use most.
"Grant us the blessing that leads to the darkest depths. <Forbidden Transformation>." I can feel it. The moment I recited the miracle, I felt something shift from deep within my body. My veins were writhing inside me like a swarm of worms. The sensation of my organs melting into a thick, viscous mixture and blending together.
"Thalia, run as far as you can—"
Thud! We were surrounded, so I was about to open a path for Thalia first, but what I heard was the sound of a muffled impact. "It’s so hard...?" Thalia had struck one of the gargoyles in the head with a thrown stone. Despite its crude appearance, it seemed very durable, as the gargoyle wasn't harmed. ‘Her throwing arm is quite good...?’
"Watch out!" I guess this isn't the time for admiration. Several gargoyles threw stone spears, about the length of a human arm, at me. At the same time, the crocodile began to charge, its massive body kicking up dust. But after my meditation, my understanding of this miracle had deepened, and I knew exactly what to do in this situation.
"Oh, no! Sir!" Thwack! With the gruesome sound of flesh being pierced, three spears were embedded in my back, shoulder, and thigh. Since the muscles inside my body had already changed hideously, I felt no pain. But the gargoyles weren't the only attackers.
Crunch! In the next moment, the swift crocodile suddenly lunged and tore off my arm. A black liquid sprayed in all directions from the severed limb.
"Thalia, get back!" From my torn shoulder where the arm was severed, a tentacle of black liquid shot out, wrapped around the crocodile's front leg and crushed it. This was the effect of <Forbidden Transformation>, which retaliates when I take damage from a close distance.
As it consumed blood, flesh, and bone, a satisfied smile spread across my lips unconsciously. ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. Seems like [The Sleeper in the Netherworld] grants a reward in exchange for a human sacrifice. But his true nature...’ ...is closer to a scam. It looks like an equal exchange, but my arm melted in the crocodile's mouth, turned into a black liquid, and returned to me rapidly.
"It recovers even after being completely crushed." Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, it reattached to my shoulder. Albeit in a black and distorted form.
"Thalia, take these. Be careful not to let the liquid touch your hands." The crocodile had retreated cautiously, and the gargoyles paused to find a chance to attack. I pulled the stone spears from my body and handed them to Thalia. My viscous black blood clung to the spears, writhing like a living creature.
"Do you think you can hit those things with these?"
"I've never thrown anything like this before... but okay!" She was a bit inexperienced because it wasn't a stone like she was used to throwing, but she soon instinctively found a suitable stance. Thalia threw a spear at one of the gargoyles. Perhaps because it was her first time throwing a spear, it was a bit off target, but that was enough.
‘Cling to it!’ The viscous liquid on that spear wasn't just blood; it was a part of me. The black liquid extended from the flying spear like a web, wrapped around the gargoyle, and pulled the spear toward it, driving it into the gargoyle's head.
"It’s still moving!"
"It has a separate core. Probably a gem or something inside." Seeing the gargoyle still moving even with its head shattered, I recalled some information and bit my lip. The crocodile, still watching cautiously, seemed hesitant to fight, but the gargoyles, lacking even animal instinct, were raising their spears again.
"Thalia."
"Yes, sir."
"When the crocodile lunges at me, duck immediately. It’ll create an opening for you. When it does, throw a spear and hit a gargoyle."
Thalia nodded, and I turned fully to face the gargoyles. Then I took a stance as if I were about to charge forward at any moment. ‘Take the bait... take the bait...!’ At that moment, just as I expected, the crocodile moved according to its predator and hunter instincts. An animal that weakly shows its back and flees is perfect prey. Despite its missing leg, the crocodile charged at insane speed.
"Duck!" I shouted in anticipation, but Thalia had already dropped to the ground on her own. I swung my black arm, which hadn't yet returned from its transformation, like a whip and wrapped it around the crocodile. "Hnnngh...!" Then, with the superhuman strength a body close to the Formless Creations can muster, I flung the crocodile toward the gargoyles.
Smash!
"Now!" In the moment some of the slow gargoyles were crushed and shattered by the crocodile, I shouted to Thalia. Thalia immediately rose and threw a spear at a gargoyle’s torso. ‘......She really has a talent for throwing.’ Thanks to the crocodile thrashing around and causing a commotion, the spears that flew one after another hit two of the gargoyles distracted by it.
"Excellent." Of course, she didn't hit the core in one go, but my blood seeped into the cracks and shattered the small crystal inside, causing them to stop functioning.
"Huh? That one’s running away!" As if it clearly realized it had no chance of winning this battle, the crocodile began to flee for its life. ‘It’s probably best not to pursue and finish it off. I can get away with destroying gargoyles, but if I kill the pet too, we might become absolute enemies.’
I caught my breath, calming the heat that was boiling from the battle. The arm that was severed and reattached had not yet returned to its completely normal shape. ‘It takes time to return to normal this time. Probably because it was completely crushed.’ The arm, black and somewhat elongated in its strange state, was not a pleasant sight.
"Let's go. We need to meet this mage before it’s too late."
"That thing that ran away... you said it wasn't a dragon, but an 'ogre'? Is it close to a ghoul? They don't look like each other at all..." Thalia murmured with a puzzled expression. No matter how good she was at fighting or how sharp her senses were, she was still a child. I couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle. "Not an 'ogre,' but a crocodile."
"Anyway! Both that thing and the statue... don't you think it’s clear they’re rejecting us?"
"Even if they are, we can’t just give up." If I couldn't get a tool to act as a mental stabilizer, I’d be in danger either way. With nothing to lose, I walked straight to the mage’s door and knocked without a moment’s hesitation. Then, I heard something hit the floor inside, followed by a young woman’s voice.
"Yes, coming! Just a moment!" ‘A young witch...’ ...I have a bad feeling about this.
"Oh my God, you should have called ahead! I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting. Actually, I have a few things to report regarding the latest results..." The woman who opened the door spoke in a rapid rush. Two things stood out: her long, pale purple hair, and her clothes, which resembled a white lab coat worn for experiments or surgery.
"Well, come on in... Wait. Who are you?" The polite, high-pitched voice she had a moment ago, like a shopkeeper's, dropped in an instant.
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