Chapter 31

"Chii... Is it because you're a child and have a smaller lung capacity that it's not affecting you? ... Then, I'll have you take it directly!"

Pazuzu took a deep breath and forcefully exhaled a jet of black smoke.

The black smoke enveloped me in thick clouds.

"Whoa! Smoke!"

I closed my eyes and waved my hands to brush it away.

Damn, what a weird thing to blow at me. It gave me a shock.

And it has a strange smell too.

Did you not brush your teeth?

As I coughed and tried to escape the smoke, Pazuzu had a look of shock on his face.

"What... is this...?"

"It's not 'what is this.' What are you doing all of a sudden?"

Seeing me sigh, Pazuzu was gasping for breath.

"Y-You... You're not affected by my magic at all?"

"Huh? No, I'm not affected at all..."

What is he so surprised about? Did he try to attack me or something?

Now that I think about it, there was a sweet smell...?

As I tilted my head, Grimo opened his mouth wide.

"Haha! Your stinky breath won't work on me!"

Seeing my palm—Grimo, Pazuzu's eyes widened in surprise.

"N... You're a demon. Why are you in a human's palm?"

"Shut up! It's none of your business! I have my reasons for being here!"

"... Hmm, I see. So you're this human's familiar. You must have been forced into a familiar contract during a moment of weakness when you were trying to revive... Being a familiar to a mere human is beneath a demon. Truly lamentable. As a fellow demon, I'm ashamed."

Oh, is that so.

Indeed, Grimo must not have been in top form, being trapped in a book.

"But I won't make such a mistake! I have fully prepared and am ready to move with a solid plan! You saw my army, didn't you!"

Oh, right. How did he gather so many beasts that don't usually form groups?

I couldn't help but ask, intrigued.

"How did you gather so many Bearwolves?"

"Hehe, it's simple. To gather the beasts that never form groups in this forest, I used my magic to attract a large number of birds and animals as food. With the land overflowing with magic and food, the beasts gathered... I killed the dominant parents and gathered and raised the young. If you raise them in a group from a young age, they will consider it normal. It took a lot of effort, but the results are here! Look at this army! No one can defeat such a number of beasts! Hahaha!"

Killing the parents and abducting the young to train them from a young age... What a despicable person.

I wouldn't do something like that.

Seeing Pazuzu laugh, Grimo spoke up.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What? Stupid demon."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Roughly a hundred years. It was a great struggle."

"Of course it was..."

Grimo sighed, looking exasperated.

A hundred years, it's a mind-boggling amount of time.

Even for a demon like Grimo, it's quite impressive.

"Having completed my preparations, I took extra precautions and started by attacking a village. That way, the country's army would come out. If I defeated them, it would prove the strength of my army... And I won decisively! You had no way to defeat the beasts that wouldn't fall! Now, the preparations for the invasion are complete! Hahaha!"

Grimo snorted at Pazuzu's triumphant laughter.

"Hey, you say you won decisively? But there's still one person left here, isn't there?"

"Huh? ... Ah, yes. A weak child and his familiar. No problem. I'll crush them soon."

As Pazuzu raised his hand, the Bearwolves surrounded us.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and they growled.

"Go! Kill them!"

"Roar!"

Just as the Bearwolves pounced, claws and fangs bared, they stopped their attack, landed, and lay down at my feet.

"Whine, whine"

They nuzzled up to me, snorting.

Some even rolled over, wagging their tails and showing their bellies.

All the Bearwolves, about a dozen of them, were playfully nuzzling around me.

"What...? Hey, what are you doing!? Kill them quickly!"

"Uuuu..."

Pazuzu's command was ignored, and the Bearwolves wouldn't leave my side. They glared at Pazuzu with hostile eyes.

"--- Hmm, is this the right feel?"

I murmured, generating magic from my palm.

A white smoke-like magic enveloped me.

"... Master Lloyd, what did you do?"

"I changed the nature of the magic I've been using. I strongly imagined the taste and smell of the meat I ate at noon and activated it."

The meal Silfa made was delicious.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

The Bearwolves seemed to like it too, basking in it with contented expressions.

"Groooaaaah...!?"

Even the Bearwolf that Pazuzu was in started to writhe.

It seems to have absorbed the magic I emitted.

"O-Oh! You too, stop joking around! Stop it! Spit it out! Ugh, 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