Chapter 45

Hunting Hounds (2)

The leader commanding the monster legion. Kai agreed with Adrian's plan to eliminate it, and so he was checking his equipment as he waited for him. Adrian had said there was one more person he wanted to bring along on the hunt.

After he had waited a while, Adrian came walking toward him from the distance. Someone was following behind him like a duckling: a tiny young woman, taking quick little steps to keep up with the mother duck that was Adrian.

"Lady Seraphia...?"

It was none other than Seraphia.

"Oh, you're already here too, Sir Kai."

"Lady Seraphia, why are you...?"

"Oh, well, you see..."

"Seraphia is coming with us on this hunt."

"Pardon...?"

"That's how things turned out."

Seraphia gave him a sweet smile, saying she would be counting on him.

But Kai had no intention of going along with this. His eyes narrowed as he questioned Adrian.

"What are you plotting?"

"I told you. I'm plotting to kill the legion's leader."

"Then why are you bringing Lady Seraphia?"

"Because we need her help."

"Can the two of us not handle it alone?"

"No."

Adrian's answer was more than firm. It was razor-sharp.

"Then bring the soldiers instead."

"Bringing soldiers would be pointless. They wouldn't even serve as meat shields."

"Is the legion's leader that powerful?"

"It is. Even if you and I gave it everything we had, victory wouldn't be certain."

"I haven't told you yet, but I have now—"

"That holds true even with you having taken a step into the realm of a Master."

"You... knew?"

For a moment, Kai was at a loss for words. After all, it was exceedingly rare to recognize someone's level at a glance. There was only one situation in which it was possible: when someone far stronger assessed a weaker opponent. In other words, Adrian was several levels above him.

"That's why we absolutely need Seraphia's help to kill the legion's leader."

Once again, Adrian's words were not merely firm, but razor-sharp.

Seraphia clenched both fists, declaring that she would do her best at whatever was needed. At the sight of her, Kai swallowed a groan and spoke calmly.

"Just who is this legion leader?"

That was one thing; this was another. Kai would not budge until he received a satisfactory explanation.

Finally, as though conceding defeat, Adrian let out a small sigh and answered.

"A lycanthrope."

* * *

Lycanthrope. A combination of lycos, meaning wolf, and anthropos, meaning human. Together, they meant "wolf-man."

Countless theories abounded about the origin of wolf-men.

They were humans infected by a wolf's bite.

No, they were hybrids of humans and wolves.

Nonsense! They were creatures born of a mage's curse.

Bullshit! They were the result of a dark mage's failed attempt to create an undead.

Rather than converging, those theories branched out, spawning all manner of legends and folktales across the continent. But with the later introduction of a new taxonomic classification, the "monster kingdom," people ultimately concluded that wolf-men were humans who had turned into monsters. Unable to endure starvation, some human had eaten monster meat, lost their mind to its Madness, and become the monster known as a wolf-man.

That was the commonly accepted knowledge on the continent today. It was also what the allied army would later take for granted.

Until the allied army's Archmage appeared, that is.

The Archmage offered an opinion that differed somewhat from conventional wisdom. The lycanthrope, the Legion Commander of Beasts, likely had nothing whatsoever to do with monsters. Monsters had played no part in his becoming a lycanthrope.

["It was probably a mental illness."]

The Archmage named the condition "lycanthropy." Put simply, it was a mental illness in which a person believed they were a wolf rather than a human.

But a mere mental illness could not turn a human into a wolf. If it could, it would be more accurate to call it a supernatural power than a mental illness. Thus, no one in the allied army believed the Archmage's theory.

Not until Ian said those words.

["Kai wasn't resurrected as a death knight."]

Ian said that Kai had become a lich of his own volition. Without any knowledge of magic, Kai had turned himself into an undead. Through will alone, he had transcended the laws of the world.

Compared to that, what was a mere change in genes? How could anyone declare it impossible?

In fact, intense human belief had the power to bring into existence things that did not exist.

The placebo effect: believing that an ineffective drug was real medicine could improve an illness.

Phantom pain: feeling pain in a body part that had been severed and was no longer physically there.

False pregnancy: a condition brought on by a desperate longing for a child.

In this way, intense, desperate human belief transcended ontological arguments. It was not easy, but it was by no means impossible. Aura was the ultimate manifestation of such transcendent beliefs. That was why aura could drag things out of an individual's imagination and bring them into reality. It was also why only humans could wield its power.

Just as the Archmage had said, the lycanthrope was not a monster. He was a human who had undergone a transformation through the "will" of a mental illness.

And yet, the one who actually proved the Archmage's theory was the Emperor.

The Emperor extracted the lycanthrope's transformation factor and injected it into other humans. Nor did he stop there. He even committed the atrocity of forcibly breeding him with human women taken as slaves.

The lycanthrope was, after all, a transformed human. So perhaps he could reproduce with humans as well. That was the Emperor's deranged idea.

The allied army's Archmage also concluded that it was possible. The lycanthrope was a subspecies belonging to the same species as humans, and could interbreed with them to produce offspring.

But whereas the allied army's Archmage proved it through theory, the empire's Emperor proved it through experimentation.

And that was how the horrifying, gruesome Legion of Beasts, composed of werebeasts, came into being.

Werewolves, the lycanthrope's direct descendants. Weretigers, born of breeding with tigers. Werebears, born of breeding with bears. Werefoxes, born of breeding with foxes. And on and on.

Those beasts possessed strength and speed far beyond a human's. With their superior senses and powers of recovery, they mercilessly trampled the allied army and the continent. The beasts belonging to the Legion of Beasts possessed a toughness and ferocity that monsters could not even begin to match.

All these circumstances pointed to one thing.

'The Emperor's experiments are already over.'

It meant that, at this point in time, the Emperor had completed all his experiments. He was now using the extracted transformation factor to cultivate the Legion of Beasts in the labyrinth beneath the imperial palace. Once he had finished experimenting on the lycanthrope, he had placed him under the Sovereign of Beasts and released him onto the continent.

Otherwise, the lycanthrope could not be here.

'To think he was preparing this early...'

The Emperor was chillingly meticulous and wicked. It seemed I would have to move faster myself. I needed to find Ian sooner, form the allied army sooner, and build up the forces and strength to oppose the Emperor and the empire sooner.

'First, the lycanthrope.'

It would have been ideal if the Emperor had yet to capture him, but there was no undoing what had already happened. Killing the lycanthrope was the best option now. That alone would greatly weaken the Legion of Beasts.

In my previous life, the allied army had suffered staggering losses at the lycanthrope's hands. But if I killed him here and now?

'I can prevent those losses.'

But the lycanthrope would not readily show himself.

'He'll be wary of me.'

He had seen Dragon Rage Explosion[E], after all. Its power had burned half the monster legion to ashes. It was a skill dangerous enough to injure even the Sovereign of Beasts.

Having watched everything through the legion, the lycanthrope was currently more wary of me than anyone else. As long as I was there, he would be reluctant to show himself.

"Seraphia."

"... Y-yes!"

"You're the bait."

That was why I needed to lure the lycanthrope out using Seraphia.

"M-me...?"

"Yes."

The lycanthrope had a powerful urge to breed. To be precise, the Emperor had made him that way. And because he was a transformed human, that urge was directed at humans rather than monsters.

'That must be why he mobilized the legion to attack the county this time.'

He had been after the women living in the county. The same thing had probably happened in my previous life. I did not know how it had ended then, but this time, thanks to me, he had gained nothing.

Still, the lycanthrope would not give up so easily. Few people lived in the harsh environment of the north. Finding humans here to satisfy his urge to breed would be no easy task.

So we would use Seraphia as bait to lure the lycanthrope—

"Absolutely not!!"

... Well, I had expected this.

I turned to find Kai shouting at me with a face like a demon's. Anyone could see that he vehemently opposed my plan to use Seraphia as bait. What else could I expect from a man who lived and died for her? I had been privately wondering when he would throw a fit.

"There's no telling what will happen if we leave the lycanthrope alone."

"Even so—!"

"Even now, he's probably breeding a larger legion and preparing to attack the county."

I would not be able to stop him then, either. The entire county would fall, just as the Sudden Quest's penalty stated.

"We have to find and kill the lycanthrope as soon as possible."

"That still doesn't justify using Lady Seraphia as bait! It's too dangerous! Besides, have you even considered the possibility that the lycanthrope is female—!"

"He's male."

From my memories of my previous life, the lycanthrope was definitely male.

Kai ground his teeth, but offered no further objection. Apparently, he believed me about the lycanthrope being male. More importantly, he knew perfectly well that we needed to eliminate him as soon as possible.

"But the bait doesn't have to be Lady Seraphia, does it?"

That was true. Any human woman would do.

"As you say, we could use a maid or one of the women living in the county as bait."

"Then why insist on Lady Seraphia—"

"Because Seraphia is the most beautiful woman in the county."

The lycanthrope was a beast of a bastard who had lost all reason and retained only instinct. He tended to go wild over a woman's looks, and the more beautiful she was, the easier it was to arouse him.

And objectively speaking, Seraphia was beautiful. Ian had not called her "prettier than the Saintess" for nothing.

Not that I agreed in the slightest.

"I'll do it!"

Seraphia, who had been quiet until then, spoke up.

"I'll be the bait, just as you said, Brother!"

"Lady Seraphia!"

"No, Sir Kai. This is something I must do."

"It's too dangerous!"

"I don't mind the danger. All this time, I haven't done anything. Not when Brother was sacrificing himself against the monster legion, nor when you chased the legion alone, Sir Kai."

"That was my duty. As a knight, it was only right that I—!"

"And this is my duty, just the same."

Her red eyes shone with resolve.

"I don't want to sit somewhere safe, simply waiting for help. I want to help too."

"..."

"Just as the two of you braved danger for the county, I am perfectly willing to face danger for it myself."

Perhaps it was her unwavering resolve that moved him. After a long deliberation, Kai bowed his head.

"I swear... I swear I will remain by your side and protect you."

"You can't do that."

I put a stop to that idea.

"He's extremely wary right now. And Kai, the lycanthrope will have seen you chasing down and killing the monsters too."

"..."

"If you're beside Seraphia, he won't approach her."

Which meant neither Kai nor I could be at her side.

"Seraphia has to be alone. At least until we've lured the lycanthrope out."

"And if Lady Seraphia gets hurt...?"

"Well, then..."

There would be nothing for it.

Kai's gaze abruptly turned murderous. His eyes and expression all but snarled at me, making it clear that he would never accept this.

I would have liked to leave him behind, but I couldn't. Seraphia was one thing, but without Kai's help, killing the lycanthrope would be difficult. Yet he seemed utterly unwilling to agree to a plan that would leave her exposed to danger alone.

"If it bothers you that much, you can dress as a woman too."

"...?"

The rage on Kai's face gave way to stunned incomprehension. Seraphia, too, let out an appalled "Huh?!"

I casually ignored both their reactions and spoke again.

"What matters is how you look on the outside. And with your looks, Kai..."

Long, flowing golden hair. Elegant features. A face anyone would call handsome.

In fact, even in my previous life, Kai's looks had been quite renowned among the allied army. Despite his being an undead lich.

"With a little dressing up, I think you could arouse the lycanthrope. So dress as a woman and act as bait alongside Seraphia."

Kai stared at me as though he genuinely wanted to kill me. His rage was even greater than before. His hand repeatedly tightened and loosened around his sword hilt. Behind his deep blue eyes, a razor-sharp killing intent seethed like water in a kettle.

But what else could he do? If he wanted to stay by Seraphia's side and protect her, he would have to do it.

"So, are you doing it or not?"

Kai's answer was practically a foregone conclusion.