Chapter 14

Shuu, having become an astral body, was floating around the monster village. Since he spent most of his time in the forest except for Iris's holidays, he often found himself idle. Spending time doing nothing wasn't so bad, and it was interesting to watch the monsters gradually develop their village.

After five years, the village had become quite culturally advanced.

(They've really started to hunt more steadily.)

The clever monsters like imps and pig imps started making tools, which helped the higher-level monsters achieve better results in hunting. This led to a steady increase in the monster population, and the village grew larger.

Through observation, Shuu realized that there were two ways for monsters to increase in number. One was the usual way through reproduction, and the other was through the natural generation caused by the accumulation of magic power. Of course, this village had increased through the former method. However, the occasional stray monsters that appeared in the Eldera Forest were due to the latter.

This was something he had noticed over the five years.

(I've been managing as a boss out of habit, but I've come to like it more than I thought.)

It had been six years since Shuu awakened as a monster in this world. Gradually, his inner self had become more settled. Initially, he had only thought about becoming stronger and evolving, but now he had a bit more emotional leeway.

His interactions with Iris had also influenced this. Gradually, not only his knowledge but also his sensibilities were becoming more human.

(...Hm? The ones who went hunting are back?)

He sensed a strong magic power through his magic perception. The mid- and high-level monsters had returned, but their numbers were few. He wondered if they had been killed during the hunt.

(Well, it's fine. They'll come to report.)

Since the monsters were living beings, they needed to obtain food. When they hunted, they did indeed kill animals. By taking life, they were also prepared to be killed in return.

So, Shuu had come to accept the deaths of the monsters as inevitable.

After a while, the imp king, who was the leader of the goblin-type monsters, came to report.

(Shuu-sama, report.)

(Regarding the ones who went hunting?)

(Yes, they encountered humans, and more than half were killed.)

(Humans?)

This was unexpected.

Shuu had instructed them to hunt deeper in the forest to avoid encountering humans. He questioned the imp king.

(Did you go to the shallower part of the forest?)

(No, the humans came deep into the forest.)

(Not just the middle layer, but deeper...? That's careless.)

He didn't know how the humans had managed to come so deep into the Eldera Forest, but there was a possibility that they had discovered the monster village. They might even come to exterminate it. While there was no real benefit to coming so deep into the forest to exterminate, the possibility existed as long as the Church of the Demon God existed.

Exterminating monsters was one of their doctrines, so if they deemed it dangerous, they might send holy knights.

(We'll have to keep an eye on things for a while.)

Feeling uneasy, Shuu instructed the monsters to be more cautious.

◆◆◆

The Ildana Cathedral was also the base for the holy knights. Behind the public cathedral, there was a facility for the holy knights where meetings and strategy sessions were held.

Today, all the holy knights of Ildana were summoned for a meeting, which was chaired by the bishop who oversaw the Ildana Cathedral.

"Have all the documents been distributed? There should be three sheets."

Since no one raised any objections, the bishop proceeded with the meeting.

"A few days ago, we received a prophecy from the headquarters in the capital of Sacred Grinia. This prophecy seems to suggest the birth of a powerful monster. After further investigation, we found signs of this in the depths of the Eldera Forest. This is the first document."

Unfortunately, the Eldera Forest was uncharted territory. There were no maps, and information about the deeper parts of the forest was very vague.

However, the problem was not the lack of information. The problem was the large number of mid- and high-level monsters found deep in the forest.

The holy knight sent to investigate had immediately exterminated them, but nearly half had managed to escape.

"There might be a village. If there is a village, it means there is a boss managing it. This is likely the powerful monster mentioned in the prophecy. The second document lists the possible types of monsters."

When the holy knights looked at the second document, it contained data on the monsters known to the Church of the Demon God.

The monsters found during the investigation were goblin-type and pig imp-type. It was reasonable to assume that the higher-level monsters were managing the village.

The most likely candidates were the Catastrophe-level Great Goblin King and the Pig Imp King. Other monster data was also listed, but the holy knights were particularly focused on this data.

The bishop explained further.

"Catastrophe-level monsters are powerful enough to destroy a major city. It is said that they can be exterminated by multiple A-rank or one S-rank holy knight. We are considering calling S-rank holy knights from other countries if necessary, but at this stage, we believe A-rank holy knights are sufficient. However, this is my judgment. I would like to hear your opinions as well."

Ildana had a significant number of A-rank magic knights. Moreover, holy knights were already top-tier experts. Even if the monster was Catastrophe-level, it was not an incorrect judgment to believe they could exterminate it.

The holy knights, who had been listening, seemed to agree, as there were no objections.

They were the elite chosen to be holy knights. The position of holy knight, a coveted status among magic knights, was only attainable by those with exceptional power and potential. Even A-rank magic knights, who were one in a hundred, numbered in the dozens.

Even if it was Catastrophe-level, there was no reason to lose.

"Failure is not an option. According to the prophecy of the princess, if we make the wrong choice, a hellish scene will appear before us. We must nip this disaster in the bud. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

All the holy knights responded in unison.

With the strategy agreed upon, the meeting moved on to the next topic.

"Now, please look at the third document. It outlines the investigation plan."

Everyone looked at the final document and absorbed its contents.

The plan for the investigation area, the Eldera Forest, was vague and could be described as unplanned. However, much of the deeper layers of the forest were unknown.

The vagueness of the plan was inevitable.

However, this also reflected the trust in the strength of the holy knights. It was believed that holy knights could handle any unforeseen circumstances, leading to such a flawed plan.

"You've probably noticed. This plan does not specify the objective."

The bishop's statement was met with nods from all the holy knights.

"This is an investigation based on the prophecy, and if possible, the extermination of the threat. To prevent the emergence of a new monster 'king,' we must succeed. However, since we don't know what will happen, the document does not specify a particular objective."

To the Church of the Demon God, especially the headquarters in Sacred Grinia, a monster 'king' had significant meaning. A 'king' with overwhelming power could potentially destroy the human race.

The holy knights, as members of the church, understood this well.

A 'king' must never be allowed to be born.

If one were to be born, they would have to be prepared for the destruction of one or two countries.

These were the entities known as Catastrophe-level, Apocalypse-level, and Despair-level.

The Great Goblin King and the Pig Imp King were Catastrophe-level, and despite their names, they were distinct from the 'king' monsters. In a sense, a 'king' was a special awakened individual among monsters.

"Now, I will announce the holy knights selected for this operation. The rest of the holy knights will be responsible for the protection of Ildana, so please be aware.

"First, Zamus Schriff, and next—"

The bishop called out names one by one, and the selected holy knights stood up. There were twenty in total, a number sufficient to slay even a Catastrophe-level monster.

The twentieth holy knight was announced.

"Lastly, Iris Silverblade."

Thanks to Shuu, Iris had mastered magic and was now known as an expert in wind and light magic. Her light magic healing was particularly useful. Due to the immortality of her magic armor, she was an invaluable healer who could not be killed.

She was invaluable in any operation.

(Alright, I'll do my best!)

Iris had been a holy knight for three years. Her immortality magic armor was officially recognized, and she had finally become an A-rank magic knight. Her participation in the operation was decided.

◆◆◆

Shuu was unusually focused.

He had gone to a place slightly outside the monster village alone and was seriously deploying a magic circle. This magic circle was spherical, not circular, and was different from existing magic circles.

In the center of the spherical magic circle, a tiny, pitch-black sphere floated, emitting black lightning.

However, Shuu dispersed the magic circle before it could be activated.

(...Still not enough magic power, huh?)

The magic he was imagining was a confident creation since the "Void Slash Domain." The construction of the spell was almost complete, but the amount of magic power needed to control it was insufficient.

Even a high-level spirit would not have enough magic power, and he had no idea how to obtain it. Moreover, this experiment had consumed a considerable amount of his magic power, which he would need to replenish by hunting stray monsters.

(Do I really need to evolve?)

He had accumulated magic power by hunting stray monsters in the Eldera Forest and by defeating the holy knight Ymir Barad three years ago. However, it was still not enough for further evolution.

Shuu had a vague understanding of the limit of the magic power he could accumulate as a spirit. He believed that once he reached that limit, he could evolve. His improved magic control and better understanding of his own magic power were the reasons for this.

(No, it's fine. It's too powerful and hard to handle, and I don't need it immediately. The "Void Slash Domain" is enough.)

Shuu concluded.

Honestly, the "Void Slash Domain" was sufficient to defeat enemies. There was no need for a large-scale attack like a massive explosion to kill humans or monsters. A single slash to the neck was enough to kill them easily.

Expanding the range of the "Void Slash Domain" and being able to use it freely was far more powerful.

By breaking the bonds through decomposition magic, it meant that even armor could not protect against it.

Even if a magic knight used armor-type magic, there would be no shortage of offensive power.

(I'll head back.)

Just as Shuu decided to give up on today's magic training and return to the village, an explosion echoed in the distance.

He immediately looked in that direction and saw smoke rising from a place he recognized.

(Damn... Someone attacked the village while I wasn't looking.)

That village was a place he had watched over for seven years.

It was frustrating to see it destroyed.

Moreover, he had recently heard that many of the monsters who had gone hunting were killed by humans. He feared that those humans might have come to attack.

He immediately deployed an acceleration magic circle and materialized, stomping the ground hard. With the help of the acceleration magic, he gained incredible speed.

Shuu headed straight back to the village.