Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 128 : Corridor of the Demonkin (2)

Corridor of the Demonkin (2)

Since it was a corridor connected to the demon realm, I had my suspicions.

So far, Divine Blood had unleashed powerful strength against the demonkin. I wondered if it would have a similar effect on monsters influenced by those same demonkin.

And my prediction was spot on.

Monsters that had crossed over from the demon realm, or those corrupted by its power, were as vulnerable to Divine Blood as the demonkin themselves.

"This... is this even possible?"

"Elder brother, just what the hell is that guy?"

"Up until yesterday, we were practically dying to bring these things down, but..."

The mercenaries stared at me as if I were some kind of monster.

I didn't even spare them a glance as I smashed my fist into the monster before me.

'Ah, it's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight.'

Personally, I liked using the sword, but there really was something about the feeling of a good punch.

Besides, with every strike, the monsters would shriek and collapse. How could that not be fun?

'No wonder the demonkin feared Grancesia.'

If I could do this much, imagine how terrifying Grancesia would have been if she got involved.

"Kiyaaaah!"

A black troll endowed with incredible regenerative abilities, its physique enhanced by the corruption of demonkin power.

Yet, with a single punch using Heavenly Lord, its upper body vanished and it dropped dead.

I continued swinging my fist at the ghost-type monsters that appeared next, and at the monsters that came in groups.

Punching, and punching again.

After repeating this several times, before I knew it, I saw a corridor leading up to the next level.

"... This is insane."

As I looked up at the corridor, Sehenz approached me, looking utterly dumbfounded.

"Is this for real? What the hell are you? We spent five days fighting monsters with our lives on the line to clear half of the third floor, and you handled the rest in just one day?"

"I just had a favorable matchup, that's all."

"I don't get it... but I can't deny what's right in front of me."

Because I charged forward and slaughtered every monster in sight, our search speed had become truly frightening.

That wasn't to say the other companions just stood by and did nothing.

Yes, we advanced quickly, slaying monsters left and right, but that was only possible thanks to the team's support.

In particular, Kisea and Ian worked together flawlessly, probably because they had been training together in the domain for quite some time.

'Come to think of it, those two were also companions in the original story.'

Normally, those two would have fought alongside Fabian as his allies.

It's no wonder their teamwork was so natural.

"What's with those kids being so strong?"

On top of that, Ian and Mersaya currently looked like boy and girl, so the mercenaries' surprise was understandable.

'Still, why is she fighting only with her fists as if that's perfectly normal?'

The image of Mersaya pummeling monsters with her bare hands was vivid.

Unlike humans, monsters actually tried to dodge and counterattack her blows, but Mersaya took them head-on, retaliating in kind.

It was the typical fighting style of a street thug who relied on brute force.

'That's only possible because she's a dragon.'

A dragon's bones, hide, and scales are famously tough.

Naturally, Mersaya's body was incredibly resilient. No matter how enhanced the monsters were, it was impossible for them to injure her.

"With skills like yours, you dared to act tough with us? Hmph!"

Crossing her arms, Mersaya stuck her nose in the air at the mercenaries.

Since they'd already seen what she could do, the mercenaries could only frown, unable to retort.

"Thanks to you, we're finishing up quickly today. At this rate, we might be able to search the rest of the corridors and find the core within a week!"

No matter the mood, Sehenz was just happy about how quickly things were getting done.

He slapped me on the shoulder with a big grin.

"Well then, I'm counting on you again, friend."

I wasn't sure when we had become friends, but since Sehenz was someone connected to Rutia, I simply nodded.

'But I doubt things will go this smoothly from here...'

I had already confirmed the episodes tied to the demon realm's corridor.

They likely already knew we'd cleared the third floor, so there was a high chance they'd begin moving soon.

* * *

That evening, Sehenz generously treated us at a bar. He must have been in a good mood, happy to have finished work early.

[Maybe he's just trying to keep you happy so you don't bail on him.]

'... Is that so?'

Sure enough, Sehenz kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

Although I told him I came here to help, that really was my choice.

If I decided to leave, there was nothing he could do to stop me.

"Friend, you'll help again tomorrow, right?"

Just as I expected, Sehenz asked with a hopeful look. I gave a vague nod.

Since there were others present at the bar, I needed to continue acting as a man known as 'Ray.'

[You have to play your role as an actor, too.]

'Quiet, would you.'

After shushing Grancesia who kept talking in my head, I sipped my drink slowly.

Then I gently released a bit of magic power.

'That incident in the corridor was more useful than I thought.'

Fighting monsters had relieved some stress, but it also seemed to have improved my proficiency with Only Mind.

Casting my magic power, then recovering it to read information—

It was a simple yet incredible ability.

Within the range of my magic power, I could instantly tell who was there and what they were doing.

"I want to drink, too!"

Suddenly, there was a noisy commotion from one corner of the bar.

Slamming her glass down onto the table and shouting was none other than Mersaya.

"Why do I get milk?!"

"You're a kid."

"I'm an ad... ult!"

She'd clearly meant to say "adult dragon," only to catch herself at the last second and correct it.

Anyway, Mersaya, face unusually flushed with frustration, argued with the other mercenaries.

The mercenaries, however, only laughed softly at how cute she was.

"Come on, kid. Kids should be drinking milk. No matter how skilled you are, drinking is for when you're older. It'll ruin your health."

"Y-you... you rude humans..."

Other mercenaries snickered as they teased Mersaya.

Of course, the more they did, the redder her face grew and the angrier she looked, but at least it didn't seem like she was going to cause real trouble.

The mercenaries seemed to think her frequent "you humans" attitude was just part of her act.

Usually, kids her age sometimes fell into adolescent darkness and acted strangely, after all.

"Clay."

As I watched Mersaya, Kisea came over and sat beside me.

She was holding a glass, but didn't look even slightly drunk.

"What is it?"

"You're really playing someone else very well."

"Hey now."

"Well, whatever. It's not like anyone's watching us right now anyway."

She stuck her tongue out and swept her gaze over the surroundings, her eyes narrowing.

But instead of looking around inside the bar, she was staring outside.

"... Actually, I guess there is someone. I smell blood."

Apparently, Kisea had noticed it, too.

Ian, who'd put down his drink and crossed his arms a while ago, seemed to have picked up on it early.

Sehenz was no different.

At that moment, as the faint smile on Sehenz's face gradually turned grim—

Thunk.

The door to the bar swung open.

"You're punctual, Sehenz."

Entering through the door was a group clad in pristine white armor.

About ten of them in total.

Each one entered composedly, scanning the bar with a frown.

"As expected, mercenaries belong in bars. Drunken parasites, every last one of you."

"... Did you really come all the way here just to pick a fight?"

Sehenz frowned at the comment from a man dressed all in white, hair to clothes.

Despite the provocative words, neither Sehenz nor the other mercenaries showed any visible reaction.

They were clearly used to this kind of scene.

'They're all Inquisitors.'

I clicked my tongue while checking the profiles of those who had entered the bar.

Especially the man provoking us from out front—his name was Luem. He was currently ranked number two among the Inquisitors.

[Jerta's former position, it seems.]

'Makes sense. As for his skills... about the same as that guy.'

It was almost surprising, given Jerta's abilities.

To be able to immediately replace someone of that level—

And of the ten Inquisitors present, no fewer than five were Sword Masters.

'No wonder they hold themselves as the rulers of the continent alongside the empire.'

If nothing else, just the Inquisitors alone could tear apart most countries.

This was why the neighboring nations all quaked in fear of Setram's power.

"Let's not be so wary, Sehenz. I'm only here to offer help."

"Help? You not coming is help enough for us."

"Oh? So there's something you'd rather hide from us? It's suspicious, the way you're reluctant for us to be here."

Luem's smile deepened as Sehenz's frown darkened.

The truly frightening thing about Inquisitors is that if they latch onto even the smallest thing, it never ends.

Anything that goes against their opinions is seen as suspicious or as if you're hiding something.

That gives them justification to investigate further.

"Enough with the word games. State your business. My patience isn't endless."

"Fufu, very well. To put it simply: From now on, we'll be leading the search of the demonkin corridor."

"... What?"

"His Holiness, in his mercy, has commanded us to help you close the demon realm's corridor."

"This is our job."

"But it's happening within Setram's territory. We have every reason to be involved."

At his words, Sehenz ground his teeth.

Just when coming here had made things easier, luem had thrown a wrench in everything.

"So you all just have to help us hunt monsters. Leave the rest to us."

"......"

Sehenz looked as if he wanted to flip the whole place over.

But doing so would only guarantee that Daidalua would be trampled by Setram.

"And... there are a lot of unfamiliar faces here."

His gaze moved past Ian, Mersaya, and Kisea, then landed on me.

"None of these people were in the earlier reports."

With a shrug, he continued, "Too many."

"What?"

"There are too many people for entering the demon realm's corridor, Sehenz."

In other words, whether mercenaries or not, he was saying we needed to reduce the number of companions entering the corridor.

"It's only natural to cut those lacking in ability."

"... Kuh!"

Sehenz was strong.

But his mercenaries weren't at the same level.

Granted, they were all at least intermediate-rank Sword Experts, but the Inquisitors were Setram's elite.

A single mercenary company was no match for them.

"Cut those lacking in strength... That might be true."

I nodded at Luem's words and stood up.

"Then shouldn't it be your side that gets cut?"

"... What?"

I raised my finger, pointing at the five Inquisitors standing behind Luem.

"I doubt those five could even beat the children in this bar."

"Oh?"

Luem's frown deepened, a little flustered by my words.

"Are you being serious?"

"Absolutely."

"You must be out of your mind."

He turned his gaze from me, as if I wasn't even worth dealing with.

Of course, I had no intention of letting things end there.

With everyone watching, I moved slowly, blocking the entrance.

Luem stared at me with a frown.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"If we're cutting numbers, it should be the weaker ones who leave. That makes sense, right?"

"How amusing."

Luem let out a laugh and nodded.

"Fine. I'm a fair man, so I'll accept your proposal. Let's just see if you can live up to that confidence."

Fire flickered in his eyes.

To him, I was nothing more than a mere mercenary.

That worked perfectly for me.