Ch.14Fairy (2)

“Failure? You call this a failure?”

In an opulent room, an extremely obese figure was sitting in a chair, fuming with anger. His belly was so large that even while seated, it visibly wobbled with each breath. Count Cayenne was furious.

“I provided five knights who guard our territory to deal with that variant. One of them had the talent to lead our territory’s knights, and another was a loyal retainer who had served our territory for years. And now what? Failure? FAIL-URE?!”

The Adventurer Guild Master and the Knight Commander standing before him hung their heads in shame.

“And I hired three Titanium Class adventurers and twelve Gold Class ones! I paid extra for three of them because they were mages! Yet you speak of failure? You both assured me this was more than enough force to handle a single variant bull!”

*Whoosh- Thud!!*

An ashtray flew between the Knight Commander and Guild Master. Though it hit the wall without breaking, it was clear the Count was losing control as he began throwing everything within reach.

They silently endured the Count’s rage. After about ten minutes, the now-calmed Count asked about their plan.

“So, what do you intend to do now?”

The Minotaur’s fate remained unknown. But since the knights and mercenaries hadn’t returned for over two weeks, the subjugation team was as good as dead.

They wanted to send scouts into the forest, but despite the high bounty, no one would accept the request after rumors spread about the failed subjugation.

“We tried to send scouts to confirm whether the Minotaur was injured, but… I apologize. Even with a substantial reward offered, no one would accept the request…”

*BANG-!!!*

“No one would accept it? What? Are you suggesting I should force them to go? Or perhaps I should mobilize my soldiers and knights for reconnaissance since the adventurers refuse?”

The Count’s piercing gaze made it clear that one wrong word would cost the Guild Master his position, regardless of his title.

“Not at all! Since no one would accept the request, I was about to inform you that I’ll conduct the investigation myself.”

The Count softened slightly at these words. Thinking the man must have some sense after all, he turned to the Knight Commander.

“I’m training the knights to be ready for deployment as soon as the Guild Master completes his investigation. The beast must have been injured after facing such overwhelming numbers.”

Hearing this, the Count fell into thought. What if they failed again? If these fools messed up once more? Reducing his knightly order meant losing his power and authority.

With this in mind, the Count shook his head. The Knight Commander began to protest, but the Count’s fierce glare immediately silenced his objections.

“If that variant suddenly goes berserk and charges into our territory, my knights would be our most reliable defense. Am I supposed to send them into the beast’s territory to hunt it? Especially in terrain where horses can’t be used? Absolutely not.”

The Knight Commander wanted to argue, but the Count’s eyes were like those of a vicious guard dog ready to bite. Finally, he bowed his head in submission.

“Yes, my lord…”

“Good. Let’s proceed with this plan. Guild Master, while you’re out investigating, I’ll request adventurers from other territories. How many do you think we need to capture that variant?”

Without hesitation, the Guild Master suggested fifteen Titanium Class adventurers. The Count grimaced at this but ultimately agreed that being thorough was best.

“However, if you fail again, I’ll have no choice but to take your head. Remember that.”

The Guild Master nodded grimly at the Count’s deadly warning.

* * * * *

“Hey, you said you’d take me home, so why haven’t we left yet?”

The fairy flew to my side as I was training. It had been two weeks since I promised to take Fairy Mary home, and she finally approached me to ask when we would depart.

“Moo-moo- mmm- mmmoo (I have one last thing to take care of. We’ll go after that’s done.)”

“Well, I don’t mind as long as you take me home eventually. Can I explore the area a bit in the meantime?”

“Moo-moo- mmmerr (Be careful not to be seen by humans.)”

“Okaaay~”

During the two weeks I’ve spent with her, I’ve learned she’s incredibly laid-back. The fact that she didn’t say anything about leaving for two weeks after I promised to take her home proves just how relaxed she is.

I also discovered that fairies are long-lived. When I asked her age and she casually replied she was 103, I called her “grandma,” which earned me a few knocks on the head as she explained she was actually young for her species.

After spending two weeks training with her…

-Ding! Training effectiveness reduced due to the “Sloth” attribute.

Current training reduction effect: -30%

This garbage attribute. That water boy was the first human I ever ate, and he gave me this crap. At least I’m no longer drowsy during training, and the training reduction has decreased from -50% to -30%, but…

I sigh as these notifications appear after just a little training. I wonder how many more training sessions it will take before this disappears…

As I was sighing and about to resume training, Mary approached me.

“Minotaur, Minotaur! A human has entered your territory!”

“Moo-moo? (Human? How many?)”

She held up one finger. I praised her for the information, which made her beam with pure joy, so I complimented her more. As for the human… they must be here to check on those who were eaten by me two weeks ago. In that case…

“Moo-moo, moo-moo-moo, mmmooo (Mary, can you use illusion magic?)”

She nodded proudly. When I asked her to make me look injured with her illusion…she pulled out a small branch from somewhere and cast her spell.

“Transform, yap!”

Unlike other magic that requires incantations, the fairy cast her spell with just a word. I felt something covering my body, and it didn’t take long to realize this was mana.

As I was about to touch different parts of my body out of curiosity…

“Don’t move! The magic will break if you move. I’ve created an illusion of you leaning against the wall, missing one arm, and breathing heavily, so just wait a moment!”

That’s quite specific… During the past two weeks, Mary seemed like a typical fairy who loved pranks and sweets, but seeing her now, I wonder if she’s actually quite extraordinary.

Following Mary’s instructions, I waited… and soon spotted a human observing me from a distance. They examined me through what looked like binoculars, took some pictures with a camera-like device, and then quickly fled.

“Moo-moo, mmmooo, moo? (They just took pictures and left. Did the illusion work?)”

“Yes! That much is easy for me! I’m quite an amazing magician, you know?”

I laughed at her proud posture, then resumed my training.

* * * * *

A group of people traversed through the forest. They were walking quickly as if eager to leave the forest as soon as possible, but eventually stopped for a brief rest.

“Hey, miss. Where are you from?”

“This little shit is calling a woman in her twenties ‘miss’ like I’m some old lady. I should drain the ink from your eyeballs and write ‘dickhead’ across your face.”

“Ah, sorry ’bout that. So where ya from?”

“I’m from Eifa, you bastard.”

“Oh, Eifa! I’ve heard their beer is legendary. So why’d you come here?”

“They’re paying good money to kill a dying Minotaur, so of course I came. We’ve got fifteen Titanium Class adventurers. And call me ‘ma’am,’ you dog.”

The archer nodded at the female warrior’s words. Seemingly unbothered by her insults, he continued chatting.

“But ma’am, doesn’t something seem off?”

“What?”

“Well, if it’s dying, why don’t they just kill it themselves? Why hire us? The photos showed it was definitely in bad shape, but… doesn’t it seem strange?”

A thief dressed entirely in black answered his question.

“The ones who put it in that state were this area’s adventurers and knights. They sent in three Titanium Class, twelve Gold Class, and five knights, but they failed. That’s why they called us.”

The archer responded with an impressed “Oh.” He was about to ask for more information when…

“Break’s over! We’re approaching the Minotaur’s territory. Stay alert and find it quickly!”

The leader of the group signaled for them to move out.

* * * * *

Shortly after they set off, the forest began to tremble.

“The Minotaur has spotted us! Everyone, prepare yourselves!”

As they moved quickly through its territory, the beast seemed angered. The sound of heavy footsteps—thud, thud—grew closer. Finally, an enraged Minotaur appeared before them.

But…

“What the hell?! This isn’t what we were told! It was supposed to be injured and collapsed! Was the photo doctored?!”

The variant Minotaur appeared before them completely unharmed. Living up to its name as a variant, it charged at incredible speed, grabbed the person at the front, crushed them, and stuffed them into its mouth.

“AAAAARGH-!!!!!”

A Titanium Class adventurer died instantly. Since they were all roughly equal in skill with no standouts among them, they all realized the same thing.

The person who just got eaten was no different in ability from themselves.

“DAMN IT ALL! RUN-!!!!!!!!”

The thief, who seemed to have some sense, immediately recognized the situation was hopeless and shouted for everyone to flee. From his position in the middle, he pushed past those behind him and began to run, prompting everyone else to turn and flee as well.

“AAAAARGH-!!!!”

“KYAAAAH-!!!!”

As they fled screaming, the Minotaur opened its mouth.

*Rumble, rumble-!!*

Lightning gathered in its mouth. The lightning that was once considered divine wrath in ancient times was now being discharged from the Minotaur’s mouth.

*KWAAAAANG-!!!!!*

An enormous bolt of black lightning cut through the forest in a straight line, instantly charring many of the adventurers to a crisp.

“AAAAARGH-!!!!”

Only three survived: the thief who first called for retreat, and the chatty female warrior and archer. These three were lucky enough to survive the powerful black lightning.

“Shit, shit, SHIT! What the hell was that?! A Minotaur that breathes lightning?! I’ve never heard of such a thing!!!”

“Move your legs instead of your mouth, you damn archer! Is this really the time to talk?!”

“But seriously! How can I not be shocked by—”

*KWAAAAANG———!!!!*

The Minotaur gathered lightning in its legs and released it, instantly catching up to them. It targeted the noisy archer first.

The archer didn’t even finish his sentence before meeting his end. The female warrior, witnessing this right before her eyes, was so terrified that she collapsed and soiled herself.

“Ugh-! Damn it! Move, MOVE-!!”

She slapped her legs repeatedly, trying to overcome her fear, but ultimately failed as the Minotaur lifted her up.

In the end, she too disappeared into the Minotaur’s mouth.

* * * * *

*Gasp-, gasp-, gasp-.*

The man who first urged his party to flee—a Titanium Class thief known as “Thousand Faces”—collapsed to the ground when he thought he had escaped the Minotaur’s territory.

He couldn’t believe what had just happened. The variant Minotaur that was supposedly dying was completely fine, and he had witnessed adventurers of his own rank die in an instant.

As soon as he saw this, he shouted for everyone to run, but the fools ran in a straight line and were annihilated by the Minotaur’s breath attack.

He had hoped that at least a few more would survive to buy him time, but they all died at once. Useless bastards, he thought as he shook his head and got to his feet.

What’s done is done, and having come this far, the Minotaur must have given up and returned to its territory. Just as he was about to head back with this reassurance, he heard the sound of a cow mooing from somewhere.

*Mmmm…*

*Mmoo…*

The sound grew closer. As if saying “you cannot escape,” the sound made him grit his teeth and try to run.

Or rather, he would have run if the Minotaur hadn’t suddenly appeared.

*Puhoo-*

With the sound of its exhaled breath, the beast revealed itself.

Standing 8 meters tall with a massive build, though with slightly less muscle than ordinary Minotaurs. Its dark red fur was entwined with black lightning. And…

Its glowing red eyes in this dark forest were more threatening than anything else.

“Ha… haha. M-Mr. Minotaur. Hello there. I was merely a guide, nothing more. Could you please take pity on me and let me go?”

The Minotaur was confused by the thief’s sudden act. As it tilted its head wondering what this human was doing, the thief inwardly celebrated.

Just as he thought he could deceive the beast with his acting skills and escape…

*KWANG-!!!!*

Black lightning engulfed the thief. The Minotaur struck him down with lightning wrapped around its hand, then left with heavy footsteps—thud, thud—leaving the forest silent except for the sound of its departing steps.