Wooosh—
A sound like waves heard from underwater.
At the sound, all the beasts froze in place.
They knelt and bowed their heads.
“What is… that?”
Delia’s trembling voice, urgently pulling Heinzel out of the air, mixed with the waves.
“A snake…?”
“It’s got too many legs to be a snake.”
If they had looked from the ground where the Leviathan’s eyes lay open, they wouldn’t have seen it, but Delia and Heinzel, diving into the air to avoid it, caught a glimpse of part of its massive body.
A writhing body with thousands of legs.
Pupils slashed long like reptilian eyes, with eyelids that open and close horizontally.
An elongated mouth that is torn apart without distinguishing between head, neck, and torso, lined with countless teeth visible within.
A form that is hard to describe in terms of any creature that exists in this world.
Along with that, its enormous body, coiling here and there, could draw a new horizon on the ground, instilled an unknown terror in all those present.
“It’s a beast, right…?”
“Looks that way.”
“Have you ever heard of such a beast?”
“Nope.”
“Me neither. I haven’t even seen it in legends or ancient texts.”
Even Delia, who had read and interpreted countless books for magical research, had never heard of this unknown entity.
“Hmm.”
Thanks to reduced gravity, Heinzel, who was easily held up by Delia, crossed his arms and stared at the Leviathan.
Whether an attack would work.
If so, could it be subdued?
What kind of damage would result if a battle opened with that? What would the aftermath be?
Calculating everything calmly in his mind.
Normally, Heinzel would have rushed in without thinking, but the rebel forces scattered around and the immobile ones held back his reckless actions.
“…Should we run?”
“Not a bad idea.”
It would be absolutely impossible with the current number of people, but if all the challengers and rebels gathered, it might somehow be possible.
So, while the beast showed no significant actions, at this moment when all other beasts bowed their heads, they needed to lead the people and escape as quickly as possible.
That was the decision made by Delia and Heinzel.
“I’ll set you down for now, so don’t do anything foolish. I’ll take care of the people. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Without hesitation, Heinzel’s immediate answer narrowed Delia’s brow.
“…You’re not just saying you understand, right? You really got it?”
“I got it.”
“No matter what happens, don’t charge in. Seriously, I’m begging you.”
“Hmm.”
Heinzel nodded readily and patted Delia’s hand.
“Don’t worry and do your job.”
“…Understood. I’ll take the people to that northern side road, so come there. Don’t touch the ones staying still.”
Delia, surprised by Heinzel’s sudden warmth, calmly replied given the situation.
And slowly.
Without making a sound or any sign, Delia set Heinzel down on the ground and gestured with her chin towards the back.
With a crackle-crackle, she vanished from the spot leaving behind a flash of lightning.
“Hmm…”
Now left alone, Heinzel began to step toward the spire, suppressing the urge to smash the heads of the beasts holding their breath.
An odd atmosphere.
A feeling as if thousands of insects were crawling over his body.
Despite his head tilting at that creepy sensation, he didn’t stop walking.
If he were to find the source, it would only cause trouble for Delia, and his instinct was ringing alarm bells not to.
With all questions set aside, he headed toward where Delia had indicated.
*
Wooosh— Wooosh—
From the spot where the Leviathan was, the sound of gently rolling waves spread out. The land heaved along with that sound.
Amidst such an alien landscape, the Leviathan’s eyes were fixated on one spot.
Wearing a faint smirk.
Almost as if it were saying, “Isn’t this great?”
Doing nothing, simply watching as others vanished from the battlefield.
*
“Everyone has gathered without exception.”
“What about the residents?”
“The surviving residents have all been rescued.”
“Haah… Thank goodness.”
With a sigh of relief, Delia looked at Heinzel, who was soothing the crying children in a corner.
“…He’s managing to calm them down with that face.”
Heinzel, easily over two meters tall, had muscles that compared to an ogre.
With dark skin and a thick scar crossing from his forehead to his jaw.
Just a big smile would make blood vessels rise on his scalp, and his voice boomed heavily.
Heinzel looked fearsome even for seasoned adventurers.
In such a beastly form, crouched down nearly on all fours to soothe several kids, it was bizarre.
But why?
Why did those kids stop crying when they saw Heinzel?
Were they too scared to cry? Or had they fainted with their eyes wide open?
“Aha ha…”
It was an absurd thought, but Delia thought it could be possible given Heinzel’s face. She slowly approached him.
“Baldy.”
“Ha ha ha! How’s it going? What—oh? Ahem, Delia.”
Heinzel, boasting about the veins popping up on his head in front of a giggling child, abruptly stood up, startled, and responded in an utterly normal tone as if nothing had happened.
“Well, do you have something to say?”
“It’s not a big issue, but we lost connection with Jur.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
“What? You know something?”
Struggling to shake off the kids clinging to his legs, Heinzel pointed at an almost collapsed abandoned house.
“This isn’t something we should discuss here. Let’s move to a quiet place.”
Tread— Tread—
Click-clack— Click-clack—
Following Delia, who was out of sync with her steps, Heinzel noticed her legs didn’t match his pace.
A tinge of self-loathing flowed through Delia as tiny currents of magic began to emanate from her.
Those currents reached Heinzel’s ankle—
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, I didn’t do anything!”
“Hmm.”
…Missed.
What kind of leather was that thick? Her faint magic couldn’t even scratch Heinzel’s skin.
“Baldy. Are you human?”
“Yep.”
“Not some ogre’s descendant or mixed blood?”
“Though it might look like it, I’m pure human. These muscles are the result of my own blood and sweat, not bloodline.”
Crack— Pop—
A sound that seemed unthinkable from muscles began echoing from Heinzel’s back and legs.
“You’re not human…”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
As Delia stared at him genuinely disgusted, Heinzel chuckled loudly, halting his steps and looking toward the distant spire.
Wooosh— Wooosh—
“Delia. Don’t you feel something strange?”
“Strange?”
Delia tilted her head at Heinzel’s question.
“What strangeness?”
“It’s hard to explain verbally, but if I had to.”
Crackle— Arms crossed, Heinzel stroked his chin with closed eyes.
“My body feels heavy.”
“Take some muscle off.”
“That would be like telling me to die. Anyway, it’s not that. Hmm… It feels hard to control my body, like being in a dream.”
“A dream…?”
Heinzel nodded.
“I often hear that I’m faster than I look. The reason is that I manipulate gravity to lessen the weight during combat. But right now, that’s not happening.”
Scrape— Heinzel gripped the halberd hanging behind him and dragged it across the ground.
“The weapon I usually handle lightly feels heavy. Like when I’m entranced by a siren’s song. This means my control over magical power is turbid.”
Seeing Heinzel swinging the halberd back and forth, Delia began to retract the magic she had spread around.
Then, again.
She began to diffuse the retrieved magic once more.
Crackle— Fizz— The web of electricity slowly expanded, rising with a heat haze.
Then, she jolted.
“…Huh?”
“What’s happening?”
“Wait a sec.”
With her brows furrowed, more intense currents flowed from Delia’s body.
Electricity turning into a web, giving rise to more heat haze across it.
“…Heinzel.”
Calling him not by nicknames like “baldy” or “buzz cut” but by his full name, Delia’s face began to pale.
Seeing Delia’s changing complexion, Heinzel’s body moved.
“Earlier, in the new detection magic—”
Thud—
The tranquil wave sound didn’t match at all.
A sound like a droplet falling onto a serene puddle.
“There’s no sign of beasts, residents, or anything… nothing is detected.”
“Delia! Duck!”
Heinzel shouted urgently.
In an instant, Heinzel’s body reached in front of Delia.
He quickly hugged her and unleashed all the magic he could muster behind him.
KABOOM—!
The explosion of forceful gravity sent Heinzel, clutching Delia, crashing away, shattering all his ribs.
While it wasn’t exactly a safe escape plan, Heinzel’s choice proved correct.
Crash— Bang—
Dozens of teeth plunged into the ground where they stood.
From the jagged scars left by the teeth, creatures resembling larvae began to rise.
The beasts that had been bowing their heads until a moment ago now raised them high, letting out a chilling roar.
“Ugh…”
“What… what the hell is this…”
In a landscape that turned chaotic in an instant.
As Delia hastily poured an elixir into Heinzel’s mouth, she caught sight of thousands of residents and rebel fighters, speared and killed.
And
the glistening massive reptilian eye.
