Chapter 61: A Brief Respite

Unlike when heading to the front lines, the atmosphere inside the carriage returning to the capital was pleasant. What made it particularly enjoyable was that the members of the Lugall unit had accepted me as one of their own. Having run through the battlefield together, I had earned their trust.

The most significant improvement, however, was the food situation. In the past, the designated person would hesitantly hold out food for me, but now everyone brought it fearlessly. It was much easier and more pleasant for both of us this way.

“Big brother, here’s your food!”

In particular, Tigar’s son, Leo, was the one who took care of me the most. On the day we returned from the battlefield, Tigar, the leader of the Lugall unit, announced to the children who were still on the carriage that I was already one of their comrades. As a result, Leo, who learned that I kept the promise between us, started calling me “Big brother” and grew fond of me.

Even now, he stretches his arms out as far as possible from the other side of the cage, bringing the food closer to my mouth. I extend the small pincers on my jaws and receive the bread to chew on. It wasn’t particularly flavorful or soft, but I had no problem with it at all.

“Tch, my son is starting to look like someone’s underling.” Tigar said

“Heheh, weren’t you similar in your younger days?” Sharl laughed.

The reactions of Leo’s parents upon seeing him close to me were the complete opposite. Tigar held his head in grief, while Sharl looked at her son with a smile. I wonder what kind of child Tigar used to be if he was similar to Leo? It made me curious.

With my eyes still open, I looked around the carriage. Perhaps because they no longer needed to be careful around me, I was able to observe the daily lives of the Lugall unit without any problems.

“Ow! Can’t you be a bit gentler?”

“Hahaha! Did that hurt? Sorry about that.”

Gora, a large man with a huge scar on his face, was having his head shaved by a female member sitting on his shoulder. However, due to the poor shaving technique, there was a red line on his bald head. Although the wound would quickly heal with increased fighting spirit and improved healing power, he was rubbing the scarred area painfully with his large hand.

Gora was a demon synthesized with a creature called the Great Fang Ape, making him Tigar’s right-hand man and the most powerful member of the Lugall squad. He used an even bigger axe than Tigar’s great sword, and his raw attack power was said to be the highest in the entire unit. There were even stories saying that he contributed the most to breaking down the gate.

Perched on Gora’s shoulder was a female named Farl. With fluffy white hair, she was the shortest fighter among the Lugall unit, quite the opposite of Gora. Her youthful features made her look like a child or even a daughter when seen next to Gora. However, their relationship was unique… if one were to describe it in human terms, they were a married couple.

Farl was one of the few demons that could fly, created by synthesizing the Storm Hawk beast. Among the Lugall and Kadaha units, she was one of only five individuals who could take to the skies. She was skilled with a one-handed sword and a bow, capable of jumping up and shooting arrows or launching aerial surprise attacks. She was an all-around fighter who could battle both in the vanguard and the rearguard.

Although it may sound surprising, it was actually Farl who had approached Gora to become a couple. They had a good relationship, and Farl was eager to have children as soon as possible. Well, if they didn’t get along, she wouldn’t have shaved his head, would she?

“Well well, looks like I won again. Sorry ’bout that.”

“What? You won again, Linaldo!?”

“If we keep this up, we’ll be eating nothing but water for dinner, damn it!”

Meanwhile, on another part of the back of the carriage, a group of young male soldiers from the Lugall unit were making a ruckus. They were betting on the outcome of a dice game for today’s food rations. The winner of this game, who seemed to be victorious every day, was a tall male with long black hair tied back named Linaldo.

Linaldo was a demon of the Flame Lizard beast and a skilled spear wielder. During the previous fortress siege, he had killed the second most number of enemy soldiers in the pursuit battle, second only to Tigar in the Lugall unit. Of course, I myself had the highest kill count.

Returning to the main subject, Linaldo was not only adept at spear fighting but also skilled in the art of fire spiritual art. He was said to have greatly increased his power by being synthesized with the Flame Lizard, which inhabits the mouth of a volcano. He had a tendency to enjoy fighting, and upon becoming a demon, he was the first to rejoice having grown stronger rather than lamenting the loss of his humanity.

“Hmm hmm hmm~ There we go, I’m done!”

At the edge of the carriage, there sat a female named Tuhru who had just finished mending something and was smiling happily. She was Farl’s younger sister, and her hair was also pure white. However, unlike her sister, Tuhru was as tall as Gora and used large weapons like a battle hammer and a round shield, making her a powerful warrior. She was synthesized with a beast called the Ice Bear, a large, pure white bear that was suitable for Tuhru’s fighting style.

Tuhru had lost one arm in a battle just before synthesizing with a beast. However, by becoming a demon, she was one of the individuals who had regained their lost limbs. At first, she seemed anxious about no longer being a human, but she was more pleased to have a complete body.

Gora, Farl, Linaldo, and Tuhru. These four were the most powerful members of the Lugall unit, second only to Tigar. Although Tigar’s wife, Sharl, was also excellent as a spiritualist, her overall combat ability would be a step below compared to these five.

(However, it seems that Orvo is considering the compatibility of the materials when synthesizing. It’s surprising… but then again, he did go so far as to find and abduct a thug who matched my spiritual talents.)

I was thinking about this as I chewed my bread. Orvo seemed to have a knack for matching the combat style of the raw material with the compatibility of the synthesized creature. I knew this because nearly half of the materials used were creatures I had captured myself.

The Heavenly Thunder Tiger, which seamlessly blended supple movements and powerful strength, was synthesized with Tigar, who wielded a great sword with exceptional skill. The Great Fang Ape, synthesized with Gora, who crushed his enemies with his overwhelming arm strength, was among the strongest in terms of physical strength among those I had captured. The Storm Hawk, who launched blades of wind from a distance using spiritual power, the Flame Lizard, who spewed flames from its mouth and had sharp claws and a tail with a sharp needle; and the Ice Bear, which strengthened its entire body with ice to enhance its defense… All of them fought similarly to the synthesized warriors.

Orvo seemed to be doing his research on each and every one of us, not just me. He was observing us thoroughly as experimental subjects. Perhaps if the pairing wasn’t done correctly, our combat ability would drop, or we might fail to synthesize and become consumed by madness. I didn’t understand the technical aspects, but I knew Orvo didn’t do anything without a reason. So my guess was probably not too far off the mark.

Thus, while listening to their stories, the carriage carrying us moved towards the imperial capital. We arrived at the capital after the same number of days it took us to get to the battlefield from there, without getting into any trouble in the empire’s territory.

After that, it was like rewinding back to the day of departure. We were taken off the carriage and led down to the basement located in the mansion that was gifted to Orvo, along with the ox and horse. Then we were shoved into the underground prison cells.

“So, we’re going to hang out in this damp and dim place until the next battlefield?” Tigar complained.

“Quit your whining, Tigar. It’s better than being on that carriage, getting drenched by the rain and battered by the wind, isn’t it?” 

In the unsupervised prison cell, the demon soldiers chattered away. With their heightened sense of hearing and sense of smell as demons, they had confirmed that there were no imperial soldiers within earshot. Hence, they seemed pretty relaxed.

With no other form of entertainment available to them besides talking or gambling, the confined demons, not just Tigar and Zald, enjoyed conversing with each other through the bars of their cells.

“Moo-moo! Brrrrrumble~!”

“Burruru~!”

“The ox and horse look like they’re having a good time!”

“Moo~! Bururu~!”

The ox and horse, which were put in the same cell as me after a long time, sang joyfully in their demon form. At first, the entire demon squad didn’t understand why the ox and horse were also brought underground. However, when they turned into their demon form and started eating hay as soon as they were put in the cell, everything became clear. They were beings who had become demons in a manner similar to mine.

The singing wasn’t particularly good, but it amused the children in the demon squad. Some of the children even started singing along with them. As the ox and horse grew happier, they started singing louder. Watching them, I felt a warm feeling in my chest for some reason.

“…?”

I wish this time could continue until we reach the next battlefield. While continuing to train my control over my fighting spirit and spiritual power, I sensed about 20 presences entering my perception range. Four of them were so strong that I didn’t know if I could defeat them even with my current abilities.

I didn’t know one of them, but I recognized the presence of the strong ones. They were probably the emperor’s closest aides, who stood right by his side at that time. To put it in simpler terms, they were Remus’s companions.

Although they all tried to conceal their presence, it was unmistakable that every one of them was stronger than Remus. And yet, they were approaching the mansion as a group. There was no way they had come for a friendly chat.

It was certain that things would get messy, and there was a possibility that a fight might break out. Orvo’s fate didn’t matter to me, but I had to make sure that none of the members of the demon squad, who called me their ally, suffered any harm.

(Mika seems to be a skilled fighter, but it is impossible for him to take on all of them alone. I hope it wouldn’t come to a fight, but most of my wishes never come true….and here they come)

As soon as the group with strong presences entered the mansion’s grounds, they launched a surprise attack. From the upper floors, I could hear shouts and the clanging of swords, and I sensed powerful spiritual arts being cast. But the fight seemed to be over quickly, as the mansion’s above-ground area fell silent.

As soon as the sounds of battle could be heard, the demons fell silent, including the ox and horse. They maintained their vigilance in silence until the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from below. There were three of them, with two emitting strong presences. And the last one… wait a minute, what are you doing here?

“So, this is my brother’s failure, defeat, and achievement”
 

The last person to descend the stairs muttered. He was Karelvo, Orvo’s older brother, and the one who had punched and ruined my meal on the same day I became a demon. He still had his hood on, so I couldn’t see his face very well. However, he had a nasty grin on his lips that looked terribly ugly to my compound eyes.

Karelvo walked down the corridor, carefully examining the inside of the prison cell. He then entered our cell, accompanied by the two strong presences. I glared at him with my compound eyes still open. Karelvo flinched a little but quickly shook it off by snorting through his nose.

“It’s been a while, my failed creation number one. This despicable abomination was born from the research that my foolish brother stole! I’ll make you work for me until you die…so be grateful.” 

Karelvo said as he pulled out a black stake from his pocket. He then stabbed it into the center of my chest while uttering incomprehensible words. A repulsive sensation spread through my body like roots. I gritted my teeth and endured the sensation.