CH 62

Chapter 62 - The Demon with the Red Horn

With a serious expression on his face, Doga was silent as he stroked his white beard and turned his gaze to Seran. He was apparently waiting for Seran to tell him about the Red Horn. Souya followed Doga’s example and sent a glance in Seran’s direction.

He gulped down a shot of whiskey on the rocks in his hand, placed the glass on the table with only ice in it, and let out a big sigh.

And then, as if he had made up his mind to speak, Seran turned to Souya.

“–Souya-san. I’m chasing after the Silver Demon, with a red horn, known as the Red Horn.”

“I can imagine that, Seran-kun. You came to us last night to check the color of the horn of the silver demon we subjugated, after all. “

Souya replied to Seran as he recalled the events of last night’s party.

“–I’m really sorry about that. I should have come to ask you later, since you were in the middle of the party, but I couldn’t stay still. I thought it might have been the Red Horn I’ve been chasing for years that Souya-san defeated.”

Hearing Seran’s words, Souya recalled his previous battles with the Silver Demon, but he had never seen a Silver Demon with a red horn before.

In addition to the four-armed silver demon that Souya defeated at the old fort the other day, he and his former comrades had slaughtered a number of silver demons in his adventures 20 years ago, but he remembers that the color of their horns was usually jet black, silver, or a mixture of silver and black.

The number of Silver Demon individuals is limited. It is said that there are thirteen individuals of Gold Demon, but the total number of Silver Demon in the demon world is estimated to be in the range of several hundred. Among them, the Silver Demon with red horn seemed to have a high probability of being a single mutated species, of which there were no two.

“I told you I didn’t mind what you did yesterday. But when you say you are chasing the Red Horn, Seran-kun, what exactly is your purpose?”

Souya asked Seran frankly about his purpose in pursuing the Red Horn. Is he just simply looking for the rare red horn as a trophy. Or does he have a personal connection with the Red Horn?

Either way, the silver demons are all powerful enemies, although their strength varies from individual to individual. It won’t be easy for him to achieve his goal.

In response to Souya’s question, Seran remained downcast and silent for a while.

It must be hard to say. From his reaction, Souya could vaguely guess his purpose.

“Seran-kun. I’m not going to force you to tell to me if it’s hard for you to talk about.”

Souya tried to stop him by spreading his hands in front of him with a difficult expression.

But it wasn’t that he didn’t want to say anything, and he shook his head at Souya’s silence and began to speak slowly.

“–The city of Feltom is located in the northern snowfields.. That’s my hometown.”

Souya had never been to the town that Seran had mentioned, but the name Feltom was familiar to him.

He said the name of his hometown, and then continued.

“Eight years ago, my entire hometown was burned to the ground by the Red Horn. Until I kill him with my own hands, I can’t die.”

The white-haired young man spoke quietly and with murderous intent in his blue eyes, explaining the reason for his purpose.

The reason was something I could have predicted.

The young man in front of me, Seran, did not seem to be hunting the Silver Demon for greed, and I had sensed something extraordinary in our brief conversation yesterday when he visited me during the party.

The complicated expression he had shown for a moment last night when he saw the horn of the silver demon Souya had taken out. He probably hates the race of demons that destroyed his homeland.

“…… The kid says that the Red Horns are cunning. They have burned several small towns and villages in the past, but they never seem to be able to catch their tails. By the time the strike force arrives, they’ve already disappeared.”

Doga muttered in annoyance. The intelligence of the Silver Demon varies greatly from individual to individual, but some are at least as intelligent as humans, if not more so.

Some of the smarter ones use advanced magic, like the four-armed one I saw the other day.

“He’s been seen twice in the vicinity of Ilstadt. About eight months ago, a village called Lugino, three days southwest of Ilstadt, was burned to the ground and all but a few who managed to escape were killed. That was the last we heard of the Red Horns.”

Seran told Souya the information about the Red Horn in an indifferent tone.

“That’s why you are currently in Ilstadt, isn’t it, Seran?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s also possible that they haven’t left the area yet. But until there are more sightings, I’m going to stay in the city.”

From Seran and Doga’s conversation, Souya understood the general situation regarding the Red Horn, but there was one thing that bothered him.

“I just want to confirm one thing, Seran-kun. When the city of Feltom was burned, were you there and did you see the Red Horn?”

In response to Souya’s question, Seran’s eyes widened and his body trembled slightly.

Looking at him, Souya thought that it might have been a painful question for him.

However, if he had witnessed the massacre, it would be worth the information to share. Souya remained silent and waited for Seran’s reply.

“Yeah. I’m one of the few survivors of the city that managed to escape the Red Horn’s massacre. Well, it sounds good when you put it that way, but it means that I escaped with my tail between my legs.”

Seran smiled self-deprecatingly.

It is not clear how much skill in swordsmanship and spirit arts Seran had eight years ago, but there is nothing to be ashamed of in escaping the Silver Demon, Red Horn.

It was a hard choice, but in reality, it was the best choice. Souya has just learned firsthand how difficult it is to stand up to the Silver Demon. 

“– Red Horn is a master of the fire spirit art. The city was burned to the ground by the fire god Efreet, who was summoned by him. I think it’s an extremely troublesome individual among the Silver Demons. Now that I think about it, the impression I got from it was different from the Silver Demons I’ve slaughtered before.”

If it handles even the higher spirits, which are exercised only by those who have mastered the fire spirit art, it was proof that it’s a fearsome existence.

The silver demon that Souya faced the other day, a four-armed silver demon that used magic and dark arts, was a strong individual, but it seemed that it could be an even stronger opponent than that. 

“–I’ve lost someone very important. I was with my sister when we faced the Red Horn. But now, here I am, the only one who ran away and failed to die.”

Seran’s words were filled with regret for the loss of his sister.

Revenge of the flesh and blood. Maybe this is the reason why he is so obsessed with the Red Horn. It became unbearable for Souya and held his glasses with his palm and let out a small sigh. 

“…… That’s enough for now. I’m sorry about that, kid. But I can’t deny that the Red Horn could bring disaster to Ilstadt. I just wanted to make sure Souya knew that …… Now, let’s both drink again.”

Doga patted Seran on the shoulder as if to console him, and then poured whiskey into an empty glass with ice.