Chapter 23 - Legacy(2)

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"Isana, you're getting ahead of yourself. I'm an aristocrat who is a second-grade citizen as a member of the Empire, and I have a mutually equal deal with your master. In that case, do you think it is right for you, a mere servant, to show me such an insolent attitude? If you truly think so, then immediately..."

"Ah, okay, I got it!! It was a joke!! Anyway, lighten up..." As I showed signs of rebuke, Isana immediately lowered her tail. Yet, in her typical fashion, she couldn't resist adding an unnecessary remark.

Actually, no matter what attitude Isana showed me, I wasn't really that offended. I'm not a real noble, and I was just about to make a sarcastic comment. She seemed to be aware that she misspoke. Still, even this straightforward woman did consider her words to some extent.

* * * * *

"We're here. That's Mount Falana."

After spending another day on foot in the Demon Realm, the place I had been aiming for finally began to appear in the distance. In the direction Isana pointed with her finger, there was a not-so-high mountain standing alone on the plain. Would the items I was looking for be there, just like in a game?

Anxiety slowly crept in, and I could feel my heartbeat accelerating. Stay calm. I could check it out shortly anyway once I get there. Following Isana's guidance, I began to move towards Mount Falana.

"Isana, by the way, why don't we see any other demons? I heard that this area is supposed to be your residence."

Although it had been quite some time since I entered this land, the name 'Demon Realm' seemed pale, as we hadn't encountered any other demons besides her, and curiosity began to rise. 

Isana, who was leading the way, didn't turn her head to respond, "Our people are migrating deeper into the continent during this season. They'll return when the moon waxes twice."

According to her explanation, demons seemed to live in a semi-nomadic way, unlike us humans who settle in one place. In addition, from my memory, the Eastern Continent was much larger than the Western Continent where the Empire was located, and the number of demons didn't seem to be much compared to humans. In that case, it might be natural that they weren't conspicuous.

Although I felt a bit disappointed that I couldn't see other demons besides Isana, I also felt relieved. If I couldn't find the hiding place of the demons, I would have had no choice but to cross over to the Demon Realm and make contact blindly. I could have easily gotten lost in this vast place.

* * * * *

"We have arrived. This is the entrance to Mount Falana. What do you plan to do now?"

After discovering the mountain and walking for a few more hours, we were finally able to reach the bottom of the mountain.

Isana, who was in front of me, turned her head and asked, but I was far behind from where she was because I lost my stamina thanks to the sweltering climate of the Demon Realm and my oversized body.

"Heh...heh... Like I said before, I'll climb the mountain alone. You said you had your own business, so let's each take care of our tasks and meet back here. By the way, Isana, is your land usually this hot?"

"Ugh, weak... We used to have a lot of warmer days, but not this much. In recent years, it's suddenly become this hot, and neither the wizards nor the astrologers know why. Hey, do you know anything about it? If you know the reason..."

"I'm sorry. I genuinely want to help, but I don't know anything about that."

"...Tch, what a letdown. Acting like you know everything and then not knowing the most important thing..."

I wiped away the sweat, continuously dripping, and responded to Isana's words. While I wasn't aware of the abnormal heat at the beginning after entry into the Demon Realm, the further we went, the more I felt the unseasonably hot climate, and the withered shrubs were common everywhere.

Seeing it with my own eyes, I could feel that something was definitely wrong.

"...But is it really okay? If you go alone, there won't be anyone to protect you even if monsters appear."

Isana seemed to be concerned that I might end up in danger while traveling alone.

Actually, when we entered the Demon Realm, we encountered quite a number of monsters, but all of them ran away when Isana just glanced at them.

Perhaps because they were creatures heavily influenced by mana, the monsters seemed to be very afraid of the demons, who were considered to be of a higher species than themselves.

'Wait a minute, monsters? Afraid? Could it be...'

"Isana. I'm just asking, but has a troll attacked your village recently?"

"No, how did you know that? Did you put surveillance around our village? You, you, you promised Master that you would never reveal our identity to anyone, and yet you are so good at that..!"

"Ha..."

I just threw this out there just in case, but I never thought it was true... 

According to Isana, East Hall was attacked by trolls in the middle of the night about ten days ago. 

And she tried her best to drive it away in her human form, but she couldn't inflict a fatal wound due to the limitation of her movement. Finally, when she was about to catch the troll perfectly by releasing her transformation, the troll felt Isana's powerful energy and fled into the darkness in fear.

Her story fits the timeline perfectly, and the approximate size and location of the wound she inflicted are also consistent with what we had confirmed.

Apparently, the trolls that lived in the Demon Realm crossed the Wasteland and attacked East Hall. After being defeated by Isana there, it fled to the vicinity of Markney. After recovering to some extent, it was about to start its activities again when it met us and was completely wiped out.

But she said that she inflicted the wound in her human form...

In her human form, without even exerting her full power...?

And later, these people will come in droves? 

And our territory will be the first to face that swarm?

That's a horrible future that I don't even want to imagine.

At this point, I could feel to the bone that the physical abilities of demons are far superior to humans.

"...I thought it would be dangerous to continue tracking because it was night, so when the sun rose the next day, I was going to send the pursuers...but it was the season of spring rain, and all traces were erased...I had inflicted some deep wounds on it, so I thought it would die, but... anyway, it had had ghastly resilience..."

* * * * *

As if she was worried that the deal would go awry due to her immature handling, Isana was looking at me with her eyes rolling when I said that some people on our side were hurt.

"Don't worry. I don't intend to hold you accountable. It's a pity that people were injured, but maybe we were able to hunt him down easily thanks to you weakening him like that..."

"That...is that so...? Then what..."

"By the way, Isana, how often do the monsters living in your land cross over the wasteland and invade the western continent? Considering that there are no records of this on our side, I don't think it's very common..."

"You're right. Most of them live in the inland area, so we don't see many of them here, and even those who escaped due to territorial disputes are caught and killed by our trackers. But now, all our people have moved to other settlements. Besides, since Mother Earth got sick, the behavior of the monsters has changed a bit from before...Still, we've never seen one so bold as this."

After all, as I guessed, the appearance of the troll seemed to be a precursor to the mana overflow. 

And, if that's the case, there's no reason why this kind of thing shouldn't happen again.

I decided that when I return, I'll suggest to my father to tighten the eastern border more securely than it is now. But what excuse should I use for this? My head already feels like it's throbbing.

"Alright. I think I'll have to talk to Mr. Paine about this. And I can handle at least one or two monsters with my own power, so don't worry. Then, let's break up and see you in three hours." 

"...I see. Don't die, Westerner."

As soon as Isana finished speaking, she turned around and left. I wasted no time and immediately began climbing the mountain.

It wasn't that I decided to go alone without any thought. The holy water I possessed could be used as a weapon against demons. I confirmed in the game that it worked well against most higher-level races. Besides, the current location was just the outskirts of the demon realm, and powerful monsters didn't inhabit this area. There was no need to worry excessively.

'Surely Paine said there was a cave near the mountainside…'

As I reached the vicinity of the middle, I stopped climbing upwards and began moving sideways. Finally, I spotted a large rock jutting out on the mountainside, and behind it, a small cave hidden away.

"Really... it's here..."

I tried to calm my pounding heart and headed towards the entrance of the cave. Though it appeared to be an ordinary cave from the outside, if this was the place I knew, there would undoubtedly be a hidden secret.

I used magic to illuminate the darkness and continued further inside. Eventually, I reached a narrow alley that became too tight to proceed.

I stopped moving any further and started searching the nearby cave walls by shining light or tapping them with my fists.

And after about 10 minutes or so, I was finally able to find some trace that I wanted so much.

If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02