Ch.35Chapter 35. Golden Sun Tribe (2)

Chapter 35. The Golden Sun Tribe (2)

“Since magi acts as oxygen for demons, closing the dimensional gate that emits magi would cause demons to self-destruct… I believe there was such a theory.”

Harry stroked his beard.

“I recall the cathedral making such claims. They said the goddess had given them this revelation.”

Harry took a bite of grilled lizard before continuing.

“What’s certain is that the magi currently spreading across the land strengthens demons and pollutes the ecosystem. It contaminates not just the ecosystem but also human minds, turning them into worshippers.

Unless you have the ability to dispel magi like clergy or wizards, ordinary people find it difficult to resist magi.”

In some ways, demon worshippers seem more like the modern concept of zombies than Charon’s zombies.

Virus zombies are more trendy these days than voodoo zombies.

Harry, who had been speaking enthusiastically, turned his gaze to Lakye.

“…Interestingly, the barbarians seem to have adapted well.”

I find that curious too. Do barbarians have some kind of magi resistance?

Lakye, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke up.

“We’re not so different from you. Those who couldn’t adapt are all dead.

For us, losing faith means death.

Nothing is more shameful than abandoning the Roa Lords and becoming worshippers of demons, so many chose to end their lives before becoming fully infected.”

Ah… so it was ‘survival of the fittest.’

“Ahem.”

Harry awkwardly stroked his beard.

Speaking of contaminating the ecosystem… could it be something like terraforming? Demons might be spreading magi to create an environment optimized for their survival.

Then why do demons and worshippers eat uninfected livestock?

Infected creatures should be better food for them, right?

Perhaps because the same magi flows through them, they feel like kin…

When my thoughts reached that point, I felt a chill.

– Wizard Harry. Is there a possibility that infected creatures could become demons?

No way. Please no.

Harry looked at Totem #3 with a serious expression.

“…Haven’t you noticed that demons strangely resemble the animals of this world?”

Oh shit.

So every infected creature is a potential demon?

I need to kill every single one I see. Though I’ve been doing that already.

Harry explained that according to the Imperial Magic Research Association, infected creatures that continuously absorb magi and engage in cannibalism could undergo an evolution-like process and potentially become lesser demons. This was too complicated for me to fully understand.

“Grr-umph! Demons. Infected. I see.”

Kanto was nearly falling asleep.

– Is there any other information that might help drive away the demons?

Are there any hidden pieces that only civilized people know about?

“Before the Empire fell, they gathered golem experts in a secret laboratory to work on a project.

The purpose was to mass-produce new combat golems to fight the demon armies, as I recall.

I didn’t participate since I had to take care of my granddaughter Luna, but I know where the place is.

…There might not be any living wizards there now, but if we’re lucky, we might obtain their research results.”

Harry closed his eyes gently, as if reminiscing about them. Being in the same field, he probably knew many of them personally.

This is valuable information. Even just obtaining the designs for mass-production golems would be tremendously helpful.

– Mid-level demons send coordinates to higher demons right before they die. Is there a way to prevent that?

“You can neutralize it by interfering with the casting, but you need superior mana control compared to the target.”

– Can you interfere with a mid-level demon’s casting?

This is a critical matter.

“I can’t interfere with the casting myself, but I can create a device that can. The materials are easy to obtain, and the construction is simple, so I could make it quickly.”

Harry added that before the fall, he had made several such devices and supplied them to the military.

The product name was ‘Magic Interference Device.’

“I’m not sure if it will work on mid-level demons, but there’s a good chance.”

Good. Having a possibility is better than nothing.

If we can just interfere with coordinate transmission, Harry has already contributed more than his share.

The conquest of Symphonia isn’t far off now.

Harry said that if we go down to the village we cleared, we could gather magic stones and materials to extend the operating time of his golems and create interference equipment. With that, we finished our meal.

1. Whatever happens, we need to close the dimensional gate.

2. Infected creatures can evolve into lesser demons.

3. There’s a place where golem specialist wizards gathered to create their ‘masterpiece.’

4. Harry can make equipment that disrupts casting.

That’s the information we gained today.

After completing the Symphonia conquest, when we have time, it might be good to visit the location mentioned in the third point.

It’s not too far from here.

***

Several days passed after we gathered magic stones and all the materials for the magic interference device.

Denzo, who had gone to scout the base of the mountain, came to report to the tribal alliance leadership.

The leadership was just Lakye, Paya, Kanto, Muri, and Harry gathered at the altar.

“Demon eyes are everywhere. They’re even at the mountain entrance.”

– I see.

“There are quite a few worshippers too. They were moving as if scouting.”

The same situation George experienced initially has happened again.

The demons have noticed due to excessive raids. Even if they hadn’t noticed, they would have realized something strange was happening.

“It would be best not to move for a while. We could be ambushed if we move carelessly.”

“Lesser demons can’t think as complexly as humans. They’ll patrol for a few days and then turn their attention elsewhere.”

Lakye offered her opinion, and Muri added to it.

Muri, who had been resting for several days, was still using a walking stick, apparently still having difficulty moving.

She said she experienced magical pain from creating two mini-totems in such a short time.

She told us not to worry since it wasn’t life-threatening, but given her age, I’m still concerned.

Anyway, the suggestion was to rest briefly. I agree with both women.

George’s conquest team had four level 5 members, giving them enough combat power to attack three villages at once, but the current tribal alliance only has Lakye and Kanto who can face lesser demons.

Lakye could raid a village alone, but Kanto would struggle.

Although he defeated a lesser demon, it was only with the support of strong warriors like Denzo and Una that he could secure victory safely.

– Can golems handle lesser demons?

I asked Harry.

“Rock golems have excellent durability and strength, but they’re slow on their feet. They were originally made for construction. They might handle large, slow demons, but would struggle against agile ones.”

Since we don’t know what demons we’ll face, there’s a possibility of losing.

In the end, only Lakye can cleanly handle lesser demons.

It’s better to quietly wait for an opportunity.

Unlike George’s conquest team, we’re not in a “strike quickly or lose” situation.

George’s team was using villages as bases. They attacked urgently because they feared demons would unite and surround the village.

But here we’re on a mountain. It’s a place demons and worshippers don’t come to, and even if they did, it’s difficult terrain for a large army to climb.

The Blue Moss Tribe warriors were born and raised on mountains. The agile Lakye can fly around too.

Fighting on the mountain gives us an absolute advantage.

We have plenty of time.

The demons and worshippers will tire if they keep scouting for days. That’s when we’ll strike.

Also, a brief rest for the tribal alliance headquarters doesn’t significantly delay my growth.

The Golden Sun Tribe is steadily earning me points too.

Yesterday I upgraded the zombie control blessing to intermediate level.

– Let’s do that.

I decided to suspend the raids for a few days.

During that time, I would move to Totem #2 to help the Golden Sun Tribe with hunting.

“Lord Malak! This is Chief Tur. We’re continuing the raids steadily. The totem isn’t complete yet, so please wait a little longer.”

– Today I’ve come to help the Golden Sun Tribe.

Since fighting lesser demons would consume too many troops, they focused on infected creature herds.

The Golden Sun Tribe didn’t have asymmetric power like Lakye, so this was an unavoidable choice.

It’s not like we can just produce children like in a simulation game to replenish lost troops.

In a demon apocalypse world, birth rates aren’t going to increase.

“Oh! You’ve come again today!”

After supporting them a few times with healing totems and zombie control, they were extremely pleased.

“Hail Roa Malak!”

“He is the Roa of Roas!”

Even warriors who had been conflicted about worshipping me while still considering Rakan supreme now truly served me.

It’s natural to care more about the chicken nearby than the pizza far away. Especially if it’s a deity?

The metaphor might be strange, but it makes the point.

When I moved to Totem #2 today to support the Golden Sun Tribe’s battle again, it felt quite rewarding, like raising an alt character.

“Ah, Lord Malak!”

“You’ve arrived!”

Tur and Bozak greeted me.

Tur was armed and on horseback, while I (Totem #2) was placed on Bozak’s cart among various decorations.

Why the weapons? Were they in the middle of a raid?

“I was just about to pray to you, Lord Malak. We might need your blessing… hehe.”

I followed Bozak’s gaze.

I could see people engaged in combat with a herd of infected creatures—potential aggressors, no, potential lesser demons.

They were pale-skinned civilized people, led by a woman in nun’s clothing and a middle-aged knight.

This is the first group of civilized survivors I’ve seen.

– Are you going to rescue them?

Tur grinned.

“Didn’t you command us to save civilized people, Lord Malak? Normally we would ignore them, but since you wished it, we must obey.”

I didn’t expect them to voluntarily help civilized people like this.

This is quite touching.