Chapter 137 - The Borderlands (5)

"... By Rikrakhamur, do you mean the abomination that lives north of the borderlands?"

"That's right."

As Alon answered Yuman, he thought, 'I have to deal with it.'

Rikrakhamur, the Forest Maw, was an abomination the player went to slay in Psychedelia as well. The monster lived north of the borderlands and stood taller than most buildings, but there would have been no particular reason to kill it if the Five Great Sins weren't going to descend. It lived beyond the border, after all, and caused little harm.

Nevertheless, both Psychedelia's protagonist and Alon had one reason to kill Rikrakhamur: the object the abomination possessed.

A discarded remnant of the Five Great Sins.

It was something like an exclusive item for the Five Great Sins that would descend in the future. If they obtained it, their power would double.

In other words, now that Alon knew the Five Great Sins would descend, killing Rikrakhamur was an absolute necessity. Besides, there was something he could obtain for himself, too.

"Then was it Rikrakhamur's ability that destroyed the wall yesterday?"

Thinking of the spoils he stood to gain, Alon nodded at Kyriana's question.

"That's right."

"... I was certain there weren't any clues. How did you know?"

"There was black slime evaporating on the broken wall."

"... Slime?"

"Yes. That black slime disrupts any mana arrangement it touches. The wall probably collapsed because Rikrakhamur's slime nullified the structure of the magic circles cast on it."

"... I see."

Kyriana nodded, but puzzlement soon appeared on her face.

"... But if what you say is true, my lord, could we assume that Rikrakhamur deliberately coated the monsters in slime and attacked us with some ulterior motive?"

"I can't say for certain, but it's not impossible. As an abomination, Rikrakhamur has the authority to command monsters."

"... Then the monster waves we've suffered all this time weren't caused by a problem with the monster-repelling gates, but by Rikrakhamur...?"

As Kyriana offered her conjecture, Yuman, who had been listening quietly, joined the conversation.

"I was just about to mention that. We spent roughly a day inspecting all five gates, but we found no damage to any of them."

"... Then?"

"That would mean the marquis is very likely correct."

"But why on earth would Rikrakhamur do that?"

Her muttered question was more bewildered than ever.

"To be honest, I don't know why it attacked the wall."

Alon was puzzled, too. Rikrakhamur had never attacked the wall like this in the game.

'... I'm sure it never really moved around at any point.'

After pondering it briefly, Alon dismissed the thought. Whatever the reason, his task now wasn't to wonder why the enemy had attacked the wall. It was to eliminate the enemy itself—Rikrakhamur.

So he moved straight to action.

"I think I'll need some help dealing with it."

"That's something I should be asking of you. If it can keep sending monster waves at us—and render the wall useless, at that—then it has to die."

Kyriana's eyes burned with fighting spirit.

Alon smiled inwardly. He would need a great deal of her help—or, more precisely, the allied army's help—to kill Rikrakhamur.

"Then let's set out right away."

There was no need to delay.

####

An expeditionary force was assembled. They couldn't mobilize the entire allied army, since more than half the troops had to remain at the wall. If they took everyone out on the hunt and the monsters in the wasteland got inside the wall and began rampaging, they would have a serious problem.

Kyriana divided the allied army in a seven-to-three ratio. Seventy percent would defend the wall, while thirty percent would join the expedition. Alon was a little disappointed, but that was enough for his purposes, so he accepted it.

Yuman, the saint, also decided to remain at the border. Someone had to lead the allied army in Kyriana's absence. Though he was a priest, his title as saint carried considerable weight. It was an office that commanded more than enough respect to lead the allied army.

"... What a shame."

Looking somewhat displeased, Yuman turned his gaze toward the beaming Yutia.

"It seems you need only keep the allied army's spirits up, Your Holiness."

"Why don't you do that instead, Cardinal?"

"How could a cardinal compare to a saint? I'm sure those staying behind will very much want you to remain, Your Holiness."

"..."

"I'm truly sorry about it, too."

For someone supposedly sorry, the corners of Yutia's mouth were about a centimeter higher than in her usual smile.

The saint frowned slightly, but ultimately sighed.

"It can't be helped."

Then he drew close to Alon and whispered.

"My lord, you must never trust her. As I've told you time and again, she's the sort of person who cannot be trusted."

"..."

"I mean it."

Alon felt strange. It wasn't because of what Yuman had said. He had heard it before, so it wasn't surprising. The problem was how he said it.

'... Why bother whispering if you're going to do it like this?'

His voice was so careless that everyone nearby could hear him. No matter how Alon looked at it, his behavior was unnatural.

Alon looked at Yutia. Fortunately, she seemed unaffected, her expression much the same as before. Her slightly narrowed red eyes were trained on the saint, like a victor looking down on the defeated.

'... Why do those two get along so badly?'

Well, he didn't need to know right now. Alon turned and gave Evan an order.

"Evan, you stay behind, too."

"Yes, my lord!"

Evan answered enthusiastically, as though he'd been waiting for those words.

"... Aren't you going to ask why I'm not taking you?"

"What's there to ask? I simply follow your orders, my lord."

"You didn't answer so quickly because you don't want to go?"

"Oh, come on. What do you take me for?"

Evan laughed.

"Then come with us."

"My lord, now that I think about it, I waited so long for you yesterday that I feel as if I've come down with heatstroke and air-conditioning sickness at the same time."

"..."

After claiming he would follow any order, Evan immediately changed his tune. Alon burst into an incredulous laugh inwardly.

A few hours later, the expedition set out.

"Let's get going."

####

It would take about three days to reach Rikrakhamur. Reminded of that, Alon thought of the object the abomination possessed.

'It was the Sin of Wrath's discarded remnant, wasn't it?'

He glanced at Yutia, walking beside him. Originally, this was an object she should have obtained in the future. But in the original story, after awakening as the Sin of Wrath, she had never acquired it. The protagonist, Elivan, had reached it first and destroyed it. That had been the biggest reason he could defeat the Sin of Wrath, both in the story and according to the lore.

... Of course, Yutia had also been subjected to restrictions, the magic tower's mages had bombarded her with firepower, and Callivan's Swordmasters had joined the hunt. Even powerful figures who had been hiding across the continent had emerged to help.

'... The more I think about it, the more absurdly strong she was.'

Yutia suddenly felt unfamiliar to him again. She was a Sin that could only be killed after practically the entire world waged an all-out war against her.

Just then, someone called to him.

"My lord."

"What is it?"

Kyriana, who was walking with them, looked at Alon hesitantly.

"Would it be all right if I... petted that cat?"

"The cat? Oh, you mean Blackie?"

Blackie was peeking out of Alon's breast pocket, looking around with only its head exposed. When Alon pointed to it, Kyriana asked,

"Its name is Blackie?"

"Yes."

"That's a really cute name."

Kyriana wiggled her fingers, looking a little excited.

Alon felt an unexpected swell of pride. It was nothing much, but he was the one who had named Blackie. Quietly pleased, he took the kitten out.

"Would you like to pet it?"

"Oh! May I really?"

"I don't mind."

"Still, um... doesn't it dislike being handled? I'd rather it didn't turn into what it did yesterday..."

Alon looked puzzled for a moment, then let out an "Ah."

He hated to admit it, but the sight of red eyes opening all over Blackie's body yesterday had given him a bit of culture shock, too. Still, it generally kept its cat form unless it was using magic.

"It should be fine."

"I-is that so? Then let me try."

Without any particular misgivings, Alon handed Blackie to Kyriana. She found herself smiling at the cat in her hands—until eyes suddenly rolled open.

"Ah."

As angry red eyes appeared all over the cat's body, she froze. At its growl, she hurriedly handed it back to Alon.

The moment Blackie returned to Alon's arms, it began rubbing against him affectionately again. Kyriana looked nonplussed.

"... Apparently, that's a side it only shows you, my lord."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would do that."

Alon looked at Blackie with mixed feelings.

'... I didn't know it would be so hostile to other people. Does it only react like this to Kyriana?'

Blackie tilted its head and looked up at him, looking incredibly cute in contrast to a moment earlier. Curious, Alon tried handing it to other soldiers and knights, just to see.

"A-aaaargh!!"

"M-m-m-my lord? Could you please take it back?!"

"Gah!"

Every time, without fail, it opened its red eyes and growled. Alon realized that it disliked being handled by anyone else.

Once the commotion died down, Yutia called to Alon.

"Teacher."

"What is it?"

"Could you let me hold Blackie for a moment, too?"

"Blackie?"

"Yes. It looks so cute."

"... It doesn't seem to like other people holding it."

Hadn't it just wreaked havoc on everyone around them?

But Yutia nodded as though that was fine and asked again.

"But it's so adorable. Can't I?"

Soon, Alon handed Blackie to Yutia, a little worried beneath his calm expression.

GRRRR!

Sure enough, the moment Blackie was in Yutia's hands, it began growling again, red eyes sprouting all over its body. But Yutia simply gazed down at it, still smiling.

"You shouldn't do that, should you?"

She opened her crescent-shaped eyes slightly and murmured the words softly.

At that, Blackie abruptly stopped. The kitten that had been so ferocious just a moment before froze as if time itself had halted.

"?"

Alon and Kyriana both paused in puzzlement.

Blackie, which had been ferocity incarnate only moments ago, saw Yutia watching it through half-lidded red eyes and opened its own eyes wide. Still cradled in her arms, it began trembling so violently it seemed to vibrate. Yutia slowly stroked its back.

"You ought to listen to your master, shouldn't you?"

Blackie nodded frantically.

"..."

Faced with this unfamiliar sight, Alon and Kyriana could only stare blankly.

Then, as though she found the trembling Blackie adorable, Yutia casually lifted it to her face.

"Unless you want to be crushed to pieces right here. Hmm?"

She whispered so quietly that only Blackie could hear her. Its head bobbed up and down even more wildly.

A short while later, Kyriana marveled at Blackie sitting still in her hands.

"Wow... It's really calmed down."

Alon noticed that Blackie's gaze was fixed on something. Following its eyes, he found Yutia smiling.

"Oh, what is it, Teacher?"

"... Nothing."