Chapter 87
We gathered in Helion’s room, circling around him as we went over the summarized information so far. While listening to the story, Finn raised his hand and asked,
“…So, it’s highly likely that Frikkanrisk is currently hiding in Dortmund while taking on a human form?”
“Finn is correct. According to the information given by the Dortmund branch of the church, Frikkanrisk started from the village near what is presumed to be her residence and has destroyed six settlements on her way down. So far, no survivors have been confirmed.”
“Does that mean she’s already reached Dortmund?”
“Exactly. It’s quiet for now, but given her pace, there’s a high possibility she’s already in the city. It’s suspected that due to the church branch being in Dortmund, she might be waiting for an opportunity instead of acting recklessly. However, if we don’t deal with this quickly, everything could come crashing down in this city too.”
“…Why would a Divine Beast do something like that? What purpose could these beings, who lived so quietly, have…!”
Finn clenched his fist tightly on his thigh, a mix of frustration and despair on his face.
The untouchability of the Divine Beast concerning the affairs of the world had been a long-standing tradition or covenant.
No matter how he thought about it, Finn seemed unable to comprehend it.
Those who prioritize peace and possess wisdom are the Twelve Divine Beasts. If this was the case, they must have known the church would act; why…?
Helion seemed to sense his thoughts and provided a response.
“It might be their inherent nature, or there could be some specific reason behind it. If we can’t fully understand that, then that might be for the best.”
His gaze, though calm, pierced through Finn. Finn swallowed hard, taking in the words.
“However, they were monsters before they were Divine Beasts and attacked people. That alone is a sufficient reason for us to act. Our aim to understand their motive is merely a means to catch the tail, not to judge the weight of Frikkanrisk’s sins. It’s solely for the purpose of finding her.”
Finn fell into calm contemplation.
In his mind, understanding and reality were forcing themselves to fit together, yet he still felt an awkwardness.
Perhaps it was because he was still a frog in a well. Nonetheless, he wanted to touch on this at least once.
“This is just a speculation… but is it possible that the information provided by the church is incorrect?”
“………”
Silence fell at Finn’s mention of doubting the church, and he hurriedly tried to clarify.
It wasn’t that he was suspicious of the church; it was just a consideration that, over the long course of history, there might have been instances of inaccuracies in their records.
Nikela, the only female member of Helion’s team, spoke with a gentle voice that felt like a pat on Finn’s head.
“…Even the church is still human work. There can be minor errors in the process of conveying information. …Well, that’s true, but overall it’s a minor discrepancy. Moreover, there are many things we need to do, and we have limited time and personnel. It would be ideal if we could grasp all the circumstances and act accordingly, but that isn’t always possible.”
“That’s great, but that’s not how it can be.”
The church ordered the extermination, rather than negotiating or calming down with Frikkanrisk, the Divine Beast. Unless there’s a valid reason, it cannot be overturned, and even if there is, it won’t be easy.
As her words finished, Helion added,
“The information gathering isn’t done yet. We can’t find Frikkanrisk, who is hiding in the crowd, with just the information provided by the church. We need to investigate ourselves by running around. As we continue this process, we might uncover why she started destroying people and villages and eventually catch her.”
Finn nodded slightly.
“I see… I’m sorry for saying something strange. Regardless of the reasons, it’s certain that it’s not an act that can be forgiven. I believe it’s right to make that the priority before suspecting anything else.”
In reality, Finn likely harbored no special feelings for the Divine Beast. He was just genuinely curious.
Could an existence that had lived quietly for so many generations suddenly show abnormalities?
“Oh, you! You look weak, but I see you can handle a man’s response pretty well, huh? I like it, weak as you are!”
The muscular middle-aged man, Canthurman, with a bushy beard, tightened his grip around Finn’s neck with his bulging arm.
It seemed like a sign of affection, but seeing Finn’s face turning blue, it appeared he was a man who didn’t know the meaning of “just enough.”
After all, the thickness of his arm was the same as Finn’s head; it’s a wonder Finn was still okay after that.
“Cough, c-come on… just a moment… cough!”
“Hey, hey. That’s enough messing around. You could choke him!”
“Canthurman, I think you’re being a bit too rough…!”
Finn quickly tapped Canthurman’s thigh with his hands, signaling his surrender, while Canella and the youngest of the team, Gaon, tried to intervene.
Canthurman looked bewildered, seemingly oblivious to what he had done wrong, busy picking his ears with his fingers.
Seeing him like that only made Canella angrier, and it was up to the youngest, Gaon, to calm her down.
“Vargan, do you have any questions so far?”
Amid the commotion, Helion naturally spoke to me. Despite his flat expression, his tone felt kind, like a school teacher.
“Nothing yet.”
The information gained here wasn’t enough to make any judgments. For now, I thought I’d just go with the flow.
“That’s a shame. I expected to hear something.”
“Even if you expect, I’m not a fortune teller; it’s just awkward for me.”
I replied lightly with a shrug.
From this point of view, it seemed like everyone was blending in as if they were originally part of the same team, including me in their tolerant attitude.
“……”
However, not everyone was fully immersed in this scene, even with such open-mindedness.
The second strongest member of Helion’s team, Kshanoll, was quietly suppressing his anger.
As I knew, he had a strong disdain for those without talent and disliked noisy atmospheres.
…Wait. Is this about me? No, but I’m not that hateful; I take care of Finn. So, it could be different.
Anyway, Kshanoll was a character who trusted and followed Helion almost obsessively. His overly serious demeanor was also quite unlike mine.
Unable to hold back, Kshanoll finally revealed his temper and began to speak.
“Are you here for some fun?”
Those words hit Finn like an arrow, sharp and pointed.
Finn rubbed his sore throat, still tinged with the remnants of pain, and jumped in surprise, his tension palpable.
“I asked if you’re here for fun. Answer me.”
“N-no, I’m not. It’s just… I’m s⎯”
“⎯Enough with that. Who the hell are you?”
“Excuse me…?”
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Helion stood by, silently observing. He seemed to be deliberately letting things unfold as they would.
“You don’t have a single talent related to being a hero, do you?”
Kshanoll’s words were like daggers, poking Finn again and again until blood seemed likely to spill.
“Regarding the church? That’s not something you get to judge. Those decisions come from above. If you’ve got no talent, at least keep your posture right, but looking at you… it’s quite the disaster, isn’t it?”
That said, from what I gathered, Kshanoll wouldn’t have offered any positive remarks even if Finn’s posture was just the way he wanted.
He really treats anyone below his standards as less than human.
Though Finn’s expression visibly stiffened, he masked his guilty feelings with a weak, awkward smile, trying to show sincere regret.
He was surprised to hear it suddenly, but he had lived a life hearing he was slow-witted.
In situations like these, he had his coping methods.
But then,
“You madman.”
Kshanoll didn’t speak another word after that. Finn, unable to manage an appropriate response, turned rigid.
Time began flowing again after a brief pause.
Canella, who had witnessed everything, wanted to unleash her strong emotions at Kshanoll with wide, astonished eyes, but Helion interrupted.
“Tomorrow, a team from the Dortemund church will be meeting up. They’re local heroes, after all. Having locals around should make information gathering easier.”
He continued back to the main topic without care.
No one dared to criticize or voice discontent toward Helion.
“Let’s wrap up today’s meeting here. Everyone, head back to your rooms and get some rest. Things will get busy starting tomorrow.”
Canella, looking like she had a lot to say, was the first to leave her seat as Head Helion responded so calmly. Her footsteps echoed as she left.
Gaon rubbed Finn’s shoulder, while Canthurman gave his back a hearty slap before heading off to their own rooms.
Soon after, the main troublemaker, Kshanoll, shot Finn a cold glance for a moment before following suit.
I called out to Finn.
“How long are you going to stay like that?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. So, we’re going to our rooms, right? Ha, haha.”
Finally thawing, Finn scratched the back of his head awkwardly and forced a laugh. It was the most awkward forced smile I had ever seen from him.
Finn and I were assigned to the same room.
We didn’t exchange a word as we walked down the corridor. The same silence lingered when we returned to our room. I didn’t say anything at all.
It might be harsh for Finn, but he needed to understand.
This was reality, and this was the situation he was facing moving forward.
If he fell to external factors, it wouldn’t matter how much he struggled internally. Whether it was in the world of the story or outside of it, those without talent are disregarded.
So he had to wriggle even more.
Until the opponent couldn’t ignore him any longer.
*
A woman with long black hair was walking through a narrow alley, supported by two men.
The surroundings were dim.
There was no one else around, only the distant, muffled sounds of drunken singing.
The two men were friends with each other but met the woman for the first time.
The two guys were enjoying drinks at a tavern as usual when, out of nowhere, the woman, already somewhat tipsy, tumbled over from a distant table.
Naturally, the three of them started drinking together, and when the woman suggested they leave their seats first, she said she didn’t want to go inside. She preferred the quiet and damp outdoors.
“Outside is my type.”
Excited out of their minds, two men took a woman and headed outside, walking through an alleyway.
Their eyes glimmered like beasts in the dark.
That look wasn’t about preparing for a fight. It was a signal to unleash their piled-up desires for the opposite sex.
Feeling as if they had reached a place with nowhere else to go, the two men exchanged glances. The other man nodded; it was a tacit agreement that this place would suffice.
The man, swallowing hard, scanned the woman’s body with lewd eyes. His chunky hand reached out. The destination was clear.
Then, the friend next to him, letting out a fierce huff, observed the scene.
“Gugh-?!”
What he captured instead was the sight of his friend’s upper body suddenly plummeting helplessly. His eyes widened to their limit, turning towards the woman’s face.
“What a shame.”
The woman with black hair was filled with intense rage.
Her eyes seemed drenched in madness, not typical for someone meeting someone for the first time.
“Guh…!”
The man’s throat tightened.
No sound came out.
It wasn’t because of fear, but due to some spell she had cast.
It was as if he was caught by a giant’s hand, unable to move. All he was allowed was to tremble in fear.
“Do you know why your friend is dead?”
The man didn’t know.
He had no idea why his buddy had to be treated this way. If desiring women had been a mistake, it was one thing, but should he truly die in such a ridiculous manner?
“He insulted my husband.”
She dragged him against the wall, lifting him by the throat. His body squirmed like a fish pulled out of the water.
Even at her response, the man still couldn’t comprehend. How could he insult someone he had just met today? He didn’t even know that she was married…!
“Think carefully. Use that dumb head of yours.”
As his breath became constricted, the oxygen reaching his brain diminished. The amount slowly decreased, nearing suffocation.
He couldn’t continue his thoughts. The only thing he could grasp was the woman’s mad rage reflected in his eyes.
“Looks like you still don’t get it. Didn’t I mention? ‘Aintern.’”
The word sliced through his foggy mind. Aintern… yes, he definitely said that.
He had mocked that pathetic dude rolling on the floor instead of enjoying the moment.
But… why was that foolish hero, who had clumsily died, here… a known monster who reportedly caused his own demise? Oh.
“That monster your husband fell for is me, you jerk.”
The black hair of the woman seemed to fade away as it dripped like ink. Her face transformed as her fierce expression sharpened.
She was as cold as winter.
Instead of warm breath, a chilling haze escaped her lips.
The temperature was close to death.
⎯Thud.
The man fell to the ground, a lifeless body, lying side by side with his friend, looking quite cozy together.
The polymorphed winter dragon, Frikkanrisk, didn’t devour the bodies.
Instead, she smashed them into icy shards, scattering the tiny particles across the world.
Though she disliked swallowing them, she also didn’t want to leave behind evidence.
With the cleanup complete, she set off on her way.
Time was of the essence; she needed to find him quickly.
Her emotions shifted rapidly.
Just a moment ago, she had killed in furious rage, but now she was fidgeting with anxious eyes.
It seemed she was on the verge of tears.
“Where… where are you?”
Frikkanrisk wandered through the darkness.
Tonight, she roamed the dimly lit streets of Dortmund again.
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