Chapter 201
The Clown Demon
Translator : PolterGlast
Wielding curved
swords, the clown-like Demon Race launched irregular attacks. However,
simply lacking in speed, its feints weren't acting as feints at all.
I waited to see my
opponent move before launching a delayed counterattack. The Clown Demon moved first, but my attack
was the one to land first.
My fist landed a
clean hit on its solar plexus, bending the Clown
Demon's body into a V-shape. Being humanoid, it seems even the Demon
Race has the wind knocked out of them when struck in the solar plexus.
"——Guh. ...You
bastard."
"Rest assured,
I won't kill you until I've heard what you have to say. Also, glaring at me
won't make me hold back my attacks."
With its breathing
disrupted, the Clown Demon's
movements instantly grew sluggish. Its pre-battle composure was nowhere to be
found; now, it was entirely focused on fleeing, desperately trying to keep my
attacks away from its vitals.
Having understood
that its body structure was similar to a human's, I focused first on aiming for
its calves to halt its movements. Aiming for its face with jabs, I whittled
down its legs with calf kicks the moment its attention shifted upward.
Seemingly unable to
brace its legs anymore, the Clown Demon's
movements became even more extremely dull. It was a good harvest to learn that
even with only one usable arm, utilizing it for jabs allowed me to fight
sufficiently unarmed.
"——Oops, is
that all? Feel like surrendering now?"
"Y-You! Just
what on earth are you!"
"As the loser,
you don't have the authority to ask questions. You will only answer mine.
First, what were you doing here?"
"...Don't
underestimate the Demon Race. Like hell I'd answer!"
Screaming that, the Clown Demon wore an expression of firm
resolve—and swung the curved sword it was gripping right toward its own neck. I
was momentarily delayed by the suicide attempt devoid of any hesitation, but I
activated Hypnosis Magic before the curved sword could reach its neck.
Perhaps because I
had already forced it to admit defeat, I was able to put it into a hypnotic
state immediately. Thinking that it would have killed itself if I had been a
little slower or if the hypnosis hadn't taken hold well, it was truly a close
call.
Neither Ginia
nor Aoi were here, so I wouldn't have minded if it died on its own
accord... but if I couldn't extract information, there would have been no point
in coming all the way to Denarifel Mountain. Taking a deep breath, I
first made it drop the curved sword it was holding.
"Continuing
from my previous question, answer me: what were you doing here?"
"...I heard
there was a strong monster, so I came to recruit it under the orders of Mergel-sama,
one of the Four Heavenly Kings."
"I see. You
came to recruit it, so why did you kill it?"
"Because we
couldn't communicate at all. I was attacked, so I had no choice but to kill
it."
"And that was
the moment I showed up, huh."
"Yeah, that's
right."
Someone who was
about to commit suicide to keep their mouth shut just moments ago was now
easily spilling all the information. While reaffirming the usefulness of Hypnosis
Magic, I also realized that this Clown
Demon wasn't that big of a deal.
Being a subordinate
of one of the Four Heavenly Kings means there's a high chance it's just
a low-ranking lackey. If this guy had been that Mergel of the Four
Heavenly Kings, I probably could have extracted a bit more information, but this Demon Race
likely doesn't possess much significant information.
"I see. I know
the reason you came here. From here on, tell me about the Demon King's Army."
Since the Hypnosis
Magic took effect, I decided to throw various questions at it. I heard
various things from there... but as expected, this Clown Demon had no useful information and truly was just someone
who came because they were ordered to.
Like Cougar,
whom I interrogated near Furo Village, killing it here seemed like it
would only bring us disadvantages. ...However, this Demon Race had
traveled dangerously close to human settlements.
If I didn't finish
it off here, it might cause casualties down the line. And so, after delivering
the finishing blow to the unconscious Clown
Demon, I harvested a part of the Meteor Demon Bird and descended Denarifel
Mountain. Without stopping, I returned straight to the city of Brembia.
Entering the Adventurer's
Guild, the receptionist I had disappointed was there, directing a gaze at
me that seemed to say, Are you still in the city? Since I had returned
in the shortest time possible, she clearly didn't think I had subjugated the Meteor
Demon Bird. ...Well, it wasn't actually me who subjugated the Meteor
Demon Bird, though.
"I've
subjugated the Meteor Demon Bird. These are the materials to prove
it."
I showed the
receptionist the claws and beautiful blue feathers I had just harvested from
the Meteor Demon Bird. At first she didn't seem to believe it, but
realizing the claws were genuine, she vanished into the back of the Adventurer's
Guild in a great panic.
After waiting for a
while, a male staff member with stubble appeared from the back. Perhaps he's
the Guild Master?
"Are you the
one who subjugated the Meteor Demon Bird?!"
"Yeah, that's
right. These are the materials proving the subjugation."
".........I-It
really is material from the Meteor Demon Bird! Thank you so much! Allow
me to express my gratitude on behalf of the residents of Brembia!"
"No need for
thanks. I just took it upon myself to subjugate it."
"I can't just
let it go at that! We formally issued it as a request, so if you subjugated it,
I want you to accept the reward!"
"No, I don't
need the reward either. Just being allowed to take these materials home is more
than enough of a reward for me."
We went back and
forth a few times after that, but the Guild Master refused to yield an inch, so
I ultimately ended up accepting the request completion reward. Considering I
hadn't actually defeated the Meteor Demon Bird, I wanted to refuse it,
but...
He told me that if I had truly subjugated it, he wanted me to accept the reward. When told that receiving the reward is one of the responsibilities of a professional, I had no choice but to accept it. After thanking the Guild Master and receiving the reward, I decided to return to Biodasdal for the time being.
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