Chapter 235: The Traveller

235 – The Traveller

Hibi, who’s walking in front, looks back at me. She closes her eyes and chants “Tei, Resu” in a quiet voice. That’s the same incantation she’s used for telepathy before. I don’t think it’s necessary for [Telepathy] though, so maybe it’s to raise her focus or something. Seeing as it’s not like she does it every time.

『There is the medical area. The traveller is inside.』

As expected, a message arrives from Hibi via [Telepathy]. I shrink down and hide in the shadow of a nearby building. Stretching out my neck, I look in the direction of the medical area. There’s some open space between it and the other buildings.

Probably, that’s where the manticore is. Once everyone’s left, I’ll rush closer and check whoever’s inside. If they’re a monster, then before they can resist, I’ll destroy them along with the building. That’s the most I can do to limit the collateral damage. As for the other Lithovar people, I’ll just have to convince them by showing them the manticore’s corpse. The more time I waste thinking about unnecessary things, the longer the manticore has to work out what’s happening.

I’ll settle it in an instant. In terms of average stats, I am superior.

From the medical area, I see a child missing a leg being carried out on the back of an adult. I look away reflexively. Right next to this village there’s a forest filled with dangerous monsters. Things like that are bound to happen.

Everyone should be done evacuating by now, I think. Gozu should be coming to tell us any second now…

“Dragon-god-sama! Dragon-god-sama is in the village! Hibi-sama, whyever did you not tell us! Th-this being the case, right away I must let the others…”

From behind, I hear a hoarse voice. Facing me, there is an old woman with a crooked back.

“…This is not the time for that. Please move away from the medical area and head to the meeting area. Please tell others to do the same.”

Hibi is telling each person she sees to move away from the medical area in case the manticore goes on a rampage.

“As if there could be something more important than dragon-god-sama! As a miko, Hibi-sama should know better than to say such nonsense!”

N-no, that something is the reason I’m here in the first place.

“Ah, see, dragon-god-sama is…”

As Hibi is about to say something to the old woman, I suddenly have an unpleasant premonition. I turn back towards the medical area.

Three people are leaving the building. One of them is Gozu the gatekeeper, another is a Lithovar child. The third is a tall woman wearing a cloth robe. Trying to get the robed woman to stop, Gozu is saying something desperately.

Without a doubt, that woman is the traveller. She must have seen through the deception and came out. What should I do? I need to think quick, or this situation could get bad.

The woman’s slanted eyes look similar to the manticore’s somehow. Her fierce brown hair reminds me of the manticore’s mane.

My first look at her all but confirms that she’s my target.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Species: Manticore

Condition: Humanised Lv 9・Poisoned (minor)

Lv: 73/80

HP: 226/453

MP: 130/142

Attack: 206 (413)

Defense: 114 (228)

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

As expected, she’s the one. It’s a complete match. I pull back my head in a hurry.

Somehow her MP’s almost at max. How does that work? Even though I choose to specialise in MP, this absurdity is possible… No, this isn’t that time for that. I need to calm down.

The poison hasn’t progressed at all. Had her treatment almost finished? B-but, what do I do? There’s two people with her.

Their footsteps are growing distant. They might be heading to the meeting area. I need to make my move before it’s too late. What if I were to retreat for now? No, there’s no way I can do that. I can’t predict how the manticore will act now that she’s suspicious.

While I’m thinking, one of the three sets of footsteps stops. Then the other two’s footsteps also stop. The manticore should also have [Presence Detection]. I guess it’s found me.

If that’s the case, then I don’t have time to worry.

“Dragon-god-sama?”

Hibi calls out. I ignore her, leaping from the building’s shadow.

“GuOOOOOOOh!”

I run. Anyway, I run as fast as I can. Before she can think of what to do, I’ll blow her away.

Seeing me, the traveller pales. She must be remembering having run away with her tail between her legs.

She swings one of her arms. The cloth robe covering it tears, revealing the tough arm of a beast. She must have undone [Humanisation Technique] in just one arm.

“Guhaah!?”

Gozu is sent tumbling across the ground, his body getting battered all over. He finally comes to a stop, covered in blood. A claw wound is visible in his shoulder where he was struck.

“Tr-traveller-san?”

The left behind child takes a step back, trying to get away from the manticore.

“GuuOOOh!”

I swing my arm, creating a [Wind Slash]. The manticore grabs the child with her human arm and avoids the blade of wind. Blood spurts from her grazed shoulder, but it’s shallow. The blade of wind cuts down a tree behind her.

The manticore glares at the fallen tree, her expression becoming grim. She grips the child’s neck, holding him out like a shield. She’s threatening to use him to block my next attack.

This is the worst case scenario. She was able to take a hostage in the end.

“Agaah! No, please… Help…”

With his throat squeezed, the child is struggling to speak.

The manticore glares at me. Her appearance has changed slightly. Her hair has become even fiercer, and her eyes have changed to look like those of a wild animal. The whites of her eyes became yellow, and the skin around her eyes is becoming darker. Inhumanly sharp teeth are visible in her mouth.

“GebahaaaAA!”

The manticore opens her mouth wide and howls as if to intimidate me. Terrified, the child is unable to make a sound. Taking the child, she retreats into a nearby building.

Why would the manticore go somewhere like that of her own accord…? She has a hostage so I can’t interfere, but there’s no reason to go out of her way to go into a dead end like that, surely.

I draw closer to the building. Just as I’m wondering what to do, the wall on the opposite side of the building collapses, the manticore jumping out of it. Her humanisation has been completely undone. With a burst, her rear legs kick off the rubble, sending her huge beastly body into the air. Landing on her forefeet, she immediately runs away.

As before, she’s stupidly fast. Knowing she can’t beat me in a contest of strength, she’s fleeing at full speed.

I consider chasing after her, but the child appears in my mind. Too late, I realise why she went into the building. She’s gone and left the child buried beneath the rubble to buy time.

“GuoOOOOOOh!!”

Crying out, I flap my wings, firing off two [Wind Slashes] at the fleeing manticore, and a third after a slight delay. The manticore dodges to the side. But the third blade strikes her back as she jumps.

“GebaaAh!”

The manticores screams, but doesn’t stop running. She strikes the ground with the round tip of her tail, springing into the air. Trampling down the fence around the village, she escapes.

As ever, she’s fast at running away. It really is unfortunate that I wasn’t able to kill her while she was still underestimating me the first time we met. It looks like taking her down will require a plan.