Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 145

Chapter 145: Abnormal Phenomenon (3)

TL: Potato-tan

Proofreader: Asianpotato

 

‘I was a fool!’

 

Todd felt it strongly. He didn’t think that the man named Russell, a stranger, was a warrior with such great power.

 

He could not see through him with divine power, he was able to break through his defenses and slaughter the demon beasts that came in, using two swords, a greatsword, and an axe. He danced and laughed at them, even killing the huge boar demon beast in one blow.

 

Moreover, he couldn’t even guess how he had stopped the demon beast’s charge.

 

Even though he was not directly behind Russell, the boar demon beast, which bowed its head to Russell and charged forward with its long tusks, was so frightening that it made his legs tremble and he even peed a little.

 

However, he managed to halt the attack without suffering any injuries to his body, employing a unique technique. The only thing that suggested the aftermath of the technique was the fan-shaped, cracked floor behind Russell’s heel.

 

Russell, having dispatched the boar demon beast, withdrew his right hand from its incision in the demon beast’s skull and dismissed it. Russell, having turned the black blood and burnt brain fragments around, surveyed his surroundings.

 

He could see the villagers’ blank faces clearly. The silence was even greater than before, perhaps because three demon beasts had been rampaging and then the situation had settled down.

 

Russell tilted his head, slightly lifted his right foot, and stomped it down. Then, a transparent wave spread out from him in a wide circle, accompanied by a thud.

 

Then, the expressions of the villagers, who had been out of their minds, began to return, and they became noisy, crying and taking care of their families as if they had belatedly realized the pain of their injured parts.

 

Russell looked at them and beckoned to Todd, who was standing there in a daze. The gesture startled Todd, who hurried over.

 

“Y, Yes. Did you call me?”

 

Russell, who had been staring at Todd when he suddenly called him, pointed to the demon beasts behind him and said,

 

“Take the bodies of the remaining demon beasts to the outskirts. I need to check something.”

 

“Oh, yes. Anything else. . . . .?”

 

“No.”

 

Todd called several armed men who had not put down their armor and weapons, and instructed them to bring the new demon beast that Aellasis had dropped. He seemed to be a person of some standing in the village, as the villagers began to move according to his instructions.

 

The villagers began to clean up the damage. Todd expertly maneuvered and soothed the populace, selecting the dispersed and terrified vigilantes for assistance. Then he gathered the injured, prayed for them, and treated their wounds.

 

“Is it over?”

 

“Oh. You worked hard.”

 

“What? It was nothing.”

 

At that moment, Irrucil came from the other side of the village, dragging a horse-shaped demon beast with a chain.

 

Irrucil held the severed neck of the horse, which had turned into a cocoon, in his hand, its tongue hanging out as it died, as if a spider had caught its prey.

 

The villagers dared not approach Russell and his party, and they hesitated. It was true that they were benefactors who had saved them from three demon beasts that had burned the village to the ground, but it was also true that they were afraid.

 

“Bring that thing here for a moment.”

 

Russell headed for the outskirts, ignoring the people’s gazes. Russell grabbed the body of the boar demon beast with one hand and dragged it away, while three men trailed behind, gripping the new demon beast and grumbling.

 

“W, Where should I put it, sir?”

 

“Put it here.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Thank you for your hard work. You may leave now.”

 

“Oh, I understand.”

 

At Russell’s words, the men who had brought the new demon beast hurriedly shook their hands and clothes to remove the feathers and blood of the demon beast and ran towards the village. They seemed to be terrified at the sight of the other demon-beast bodies lying dead on the outskirts.

 

The demon beasts’ bodies were all different in shape. Some were just bigger than their original form, but others had their skin discolored black or had new organs.

 

In particular, the demon beast that resembled an eagle that Aellasis had been fighting with in the sky had three legs, six claws, and two pairs of wings.

 

The excessive increase in magic power must have triggered a reaction that deformed genes and created new organs.

 

“Russell, what are you doing?”

 

“I was just taking a look.”

 

Aellasis, with her hands clasped behind her back, came running up to them and looked at them together. The baggy trousers, shirt, and thick jacket she wore to keep her movements unrestricted fluttered. A small earring that Russell had given her in Errandis Manor sparkled in her white hair, which swayed whitely.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

“The source of their magic power.”

 

Russell didn’t stop talking and pulled out a dagger from inside his coat. It was one of the things he had gotten from the bandits he had faced when he left Errandis territory.

 

Russell, who had strengthened the dagger with a little magic power, began to cut the skin of one of the demon beasts. Electrocution paralyzed the boar demon beast, leaving its brain and nerves relatively intact.

 

As he cut through the thick skin, black smoke, burned muscles, and entrails immediately poured out. Aellasis frowned at the pungent smell, but Russell ignored it and searched inside. Finally, he was able to catch something that had been hiding and trying to escape.

 

“Bug? It’s a bug?”

 

“Hmm. . . .”

 

Russell looked down at the bug that was wriggling weakly in his hand. It was a parasite with a round body and long tentacles sticking out in all directions.

 

It didn’t have any sensory organs like eyes, nose, or mouth, and it seemed to be able to identify its surroundings only with its antennae.

 

Then the parasite, which seemed to be about to collapse weakly, suddenly jumped at Russell. Startled, Aellasis was about to shoot an electric shock into her hand when Russell reached out and grabbed the parasite in the air.

 

Aellasis’s face turned pale at the sight of the thing that had been pretending to be about to die, shaking violently and waving its thin tentacles in all directions.

 

“Ugh. . . it’s really creepy.”

 

“Step back.”

 

Russell held it in the air and wrapped the parasite with magic power. As the bundles of tentacles gathered and tightened, the worm hardened without being able to move.

 

Russell, who had been staring at the worm for a while, soon felt its life force gradually weakening.

 

It seemed that it wasn’t designed to die immediately after its host died and would immediately find a new host to attack, but it was designed to be unable to survive alone for long.

 

The parasitic creature eventually collapsed and died. Its life force was no longer felt. It was the same with the other demon beasts.

 

With a flame of magic power, Russell burned the parasite to death and stood up.

 

“They’re creating demon beasts artificially. . . .”

 

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

 

There was only one inn and one tavern in the village. Bear’s Claw was the name of the tavern. The signboard had four sharply scratched lines that resembled bear claw marks, giving the impression that a bear had actually drawn them rather than painted them.

 

The first floor of the Bear’s Claw Inn had a high ceiling. Even Russell, the tallest of the party, could lift his head comfortably and stretch his arms all the way up.

 

As soon as the door opened, the small iron bell above it rang, and the people inside turned their attention.

 

“Welcome. . . Oh. . . . . .”

 

The maids and young men, who were busy cleaning tables and arranging chairs for dinner in the late afternoon, were surprised to see the party that had entered.

 

They were the ones who had killed the demon beasts that had just ravaged the village a few minutes ago.

 

The people who had already arrived and were eating or drinking also looked at Russell and his party. There were villagers, but there were only one or two of them, and the rest seemed to be outsiders who had come to this village for business or travel.

 

Their appearance suggested that they had attempted to flee the demon-beast attack and had returned to normal after learning of the resolution.

 

Russell and his party, along with the Daisy and Dave siblings, headed for a table on the wall opposite the window, as instructed by the waiter.

 

“. . .Those people. . .”

 

“Yeah? They were the ones who vanquished the demon beasts.

 

“Isn’t she so pretty? Is she noble?”

 

“Hey, hey, look away. She has a sword at her waist.”

 

“Don’t I also have a sword? You’re being noisy. . . .”

 

As they looked at Russell and his party, their eyes met, and they whispered to each other like fog. However, they didn’t seem to have the courage to come forward and greet them or talk to them, so they just sat quietly and watched.

 

When they sat down at the round table, a maid approached them. A freckled girl with a wide blouse, a long skirt, and a headscarf tied around her head greeted them with a tray in her arms.

 

“Oh, hello, sirs. Welcome to the Bear’s Claw. Thank you for saving our village.”

 

She bowed her head once and continued.

 

“We’re famous for our raspberry, pear, and fig brandy, brown barley wheat beer, and chicken at our inn.”

 

When Russell looked back, he saw a young maid and other waiters gathered behind the maid, who was introducing the food and drinks. She must have been the oldest or the youngest of the waiters, and she seemed to be a veteran, judging by the way she introduced the menu a little hesitantly but quickly.

 

“What would you like to order?”

 

“I’ll have that raspberry wine! And all the other drinks too!”

 

The staff member’s eyes rolled as she heard Aellasis’s shout and looked at her. Perhaps she was surprised that the youngest-looking lady wanted to drink all kinds of alcohol.

 

Irrucil shook her head and opened her mouth.

 

“First, bring us a bottle of brandy and enough glasses for everyone. Also, get us the pork stew, onion, salmon, and trout. . . .”

 

“Oh, I understand.”

 

The maid, who had achieved the highest sales for the day in an instant, left her seat, muttering the ordered menu in her mouth.

 

“Y, You don’t have to order ours. . .”

 

“It’s okay, eat. You’re hurt. You need to eat well when you’re hurt.”

 

When Dave said that with an apologetic expression, Irrucil shook her head.

 

Food was soon served. It was hard to believe that it was from the inn restaurant in a small village, but the taste was excellent.

 

After finishing their meal, the party, each holding a glass, leaned back against the backrest, looking tired.

 

As dusk approached, the clouds seemed to clear a little, and the orange glow of the sunset came through the window. The restaurant was slowly filling up with patrons.

 

The rumor had spread that the party responsible for killing the demon beasts was present. However, as before, they did not dare approach them while they were resting, instead choosing to either grumble or observe.

 

The maids and young men were busy moving around, taking care of the increasing number of customers, clearing away new orders, and finishing dishes.

 

Firewood crackled in the center of the first-floor restaurant’s hearth.

 

Then the door opened and closed again, and the bell rang. Todd was the person who entered; his eyes were dark. He seemed to have lost some weight, as if he had been running around a lot.

 

His green robe was also dirty with sweat and dust. He had someone else with him. Dressed in rich clothes, he was a middle-aged man.

 

The two looked around the inn and approached Russell’s party. After glancing at Dave, Daisy, Aellasis, Calia, Irrucil, and Russell individually, he made eye contact with Russell and spoke.

 

“My name is Paul. I am the head of this village. Priest Todd spoke to me. Did you save our village, sir, and defeat the demon beasts?”

 

It wasn’t the wrong statement, so Russell nodded.

 

“By any chance, are you from church?”

 

“Do I look like a paladin to you?”

 

Russell’s outfit hadn’t changed much. Russell wore a thin coat, white shirt, belt, leather pants, and boots, his long black hair neatly tied back.

 

He looked more like a traveler than a knight. The fact that he wore no swords on his back or waist was also a defining characteristic.

 

Paul didn’t appear to be particularly doubtful about Russell’s lack of weapons, as if Todd had already informed him. Paul said it without being embarrassed.

 

“You could be someone sent in secret, couldn’t you?”

 

“Did you mean an inquisitor or a demon hunter?” That’s not it. I’m just a traveler going north.”

 

“I, I see. . . . . .”

 

Paul made eye contact with Todd and exchanged glances in silence. Todd also shrugged his shoulders, as if he were a little embarrassed that his expectations were wrong.

 

Irrucil opened her mouth.

 

“Did you request a paladin from the church?”

 

“Yes. I asked Priest Todd, who is here, to send a paladin or demon hunter to the other grand church. However, no one has come for over two weeks, so we have been very worried.”

 

Then Todd, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward and spoke.

 

“Can you help us?”

 

“Help you?”

 

Todd bowed his head in response to Russell’s question. He said it with his head bowed.

 

“These demon beasts are not ordinary demon beasts. People often claim that when beasts transform into demon beasts, they intensify their attacks on humans, but the sudden increase in their numbers is certainly unusual. The forest barrier I erected also displayed indications of deliberate destruction. At first, I thought that hunters or lumberjacks like Dave and Daisy had accidentally released it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It is clear that the demon beasts did it. I am shameless, but I ask for your help. Of course, we will pay you.”

 

Russell looked around at the request.

 

“Sister, is that okay? It might take a while.”

 

“I’m okay as long as I can be with you, no matter what happens.”

 

Aellasis took a sip of brandy and gestured with her finger in agreement. Russell shrugged and said,

 

“We’re going to see things like this happen all the way up north, so let’s take precautions in advance. We’ll help.”

 

Paul bowed his head deeply and expressed his gratitude for the words.

 

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