Chapter 35

The Demon Hunting Method Of The Regressed Inquisitor 35

The City Waiting for the Sun (3)

A city where it rains 365 days a year.

Rubia, which is quite famous as a tourist city due to its unique characteristics, exuded its own vitality even in the dull gray space.

Thus, Rubia grew through trade and tourism, with the hunters’ material collection adding to it, albeit slightly.

And all of this was based on the fluidity of the population.

That’s how it turned out this way.

The very foundation of the city is crumbling because of a single existence.

The emergence of a third force. The damage to merchants caused by it. The deep-seated conflicts arising from long-standing differences in perception.

Moreover, the violent tendencies and indiscriminate terror are bound to reduce the floating population.

“It was a monster. At least, a monster that shouldn’t be judged by its appearance.”

“That’s what it sounded like.”

“Yeah. It’s only natural. Do you think hunters would just leave a creature rampaging in a city like ours alone, even if the merchants didn’t request it?”

Well, if they were that mature, they wouldn’t be hunters but doing something else.

There are plenty of jobs that require force. If they were flexible, they would have guarded the merchant group instead of becoming hunters in the first place.

They chose to be hunters because it suited their nature.

“At first, there were three.”

They say a drunk hunter nearby stepped in to discipline a rampaging kid.

“All three were knocked out. But when drunkards get beaten, they just think those guys are stupid and don’t take precautions against them.”

“There must have been additional damage.”

“That’s right. Those three who were knocked out called their fellow hunters and rushed in.”

“How many?”

“I don’t remember the exact number, but it seemed to be around twenty.”

“That’s not a small number.”

“Indeed.”

Considering the size of Rubia, it’s not an exaggeration to say that one-tenth of the hunters were mobilized.

Of course, not all of those who rushed in were hunters.

“No matter what, we had to respond differently this time. We couldn’t leave a creature that could indiscriminately destroy and send twenty hunters to their graves.”

“Did you step in yourself?”

“Yes.”

Kurud smiled bitterly and rolled up his sleeve.

His arm, bruised and dotted with dragon scales.

No, not dotted, but originally covered with dragon scales.

Most of them were completely damaged from the previous battle.

Just by looking at the shattered dragon scales, one could guess the opponent’s strength.

“It’s nothing special. This happened with just one kick from that creature. Thanks to that, my reputation is in tatters.”

Kurud’s gaze momentarily shifted to Titan standing behind him.

The meaning of that gaze is obvious.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I compare to that guy. I don’t know his exact strength, but just by looking at him, you can tell.”

Indeed, even in terms of simple physical abilities, he’s a monster.

From the moment you can compare him to a Titan, the opponent is already a monster.

If he possesses the same abilities as the ＜Erosion One＞ I remember, this is an unsolvable problem.

“Were there any other differences?”

“He was so quick that it was impossible to land a valid hit, and the attacks themselves didn’t connect. It was like trying to catch mist; he just scattered.”

“He’s blatantly a monster.”

“Yeah, that’s not a human. I even thought he might be a high-ranking spirit capable of exerting physical force…”

“But he wasn’t?”

“He felt too full of life for that.”

Kurud shrugged his shoulders.

His physical abilities alone are enough to easily overpower a knight, and even if you land a hit, it won’t be effective.

“That’s the kind of place it is. Honestly, I’d like you guys to help, but I have my pride. I recommend you turn back.”

“It’s too threatening to consider pride when it’s floating in the sky.”

“It’s released to keep people away. It won’t attack unless you approach. If you can’t get past those things, it’s better not to enter Rubia in the first place.”

“It’s already a ruined city, is it okay to do such things?”

“It’s better than people getting hurt.”

He’s a more reasonable person than I thought.

He made an objective judgment without excluding his own views.

Well, that’s probably why he could become a guild master.

“That guy causes trouble every day. If he doesn’t like something, he breaks and hits it.”

“Like a child.”

“Yeah, exactly like a child. A child who throws a tantrum if he doesn’t get his way. But the problem is that such a child has been given absurd power.”

Purity can be both good and evil. It seems the one who infiltrated Rubia is the latter.

“My advice is to turn back now before you regret getting beaten by a child.”

“What do you think?”

I ask for now.

Unlike previous matters, I’m not sure about this one.

At least in Nidavellir, we had some information, but in Rubia, all we have is what Kurud told us.

The rest is information that must be obtained directly, but the opponent is formidable.

Considering the nature of the ＜Corruptor＞, the ＜Future Painter＞ seems rather cute in comparison.

Moreover, unlike Pinocchio, who was suppressing himself, the one we are about to meet wreaks havoc around like an unbridled colt.

“Then, are we heading to the Empire?”

Titan asks.

His destination is the capital of the Empire. He hopes to conclude the ambiguous duel with Allen Wise there.

“That’s a bit difficult.”

“Why?”

“If we don’t pass through here, we’ll have to take a long detour due to time constraints. We’ve almost run out of prepared supplies, so if we can’t enter Rubia, we’ll have to retrace our steps.”

And from the point we retrace, we’ll have to find a new path.

It’s at least a week’s distance to the village we stopped by before reaching Rubia.

Moreover, to find a path that doesn’t pass through Rubia, we’ll have to retreat even further back than that village.

“Why ask if we have to go in the end? Are you planning to deceive us? Lost. Do you want your head smashed?”

“I asked because you might have changed your mind. And is it just you here? Linnea and Claire are here too, so we should ask them.”

“Oh, I’m fine… Though it’s a bit humid, it’s more comfortable than Nidavellir.”

Linnea flows like water.

From the beginning, her journey had no particular purpose. Following us is the purpose itself, so she wouldn’t make any new proposals here.

“Do as you wish?”

Claire is in a similar situation.

She is half-dependent on us and can’t stand on her own without our help, so she wouldn’t assert herself.

Yes, in reality, Titan is right. There was no need to ask.

But that’s only a problem for us.

“They say so. It seems we have to go in.”

“Is that so…”

There is a need to show this side to Kurud in front of us.

Isn’t it a perfect situation to arouse unnecessary suspicion if I reveal that my purpose is that guy in Kurud?

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“Then it can’t be helped. We’ve come this far, so I’ll guide you.”

Kurud slung his spear over his shoulder and walked ahead.

However, a flock of wyverns was still flying in the sky.

“Are you planning to leave them as they are?”

“As I said earlier, it won’t attack people unless they approach it. Especially when it’s with me. That’s how it’s been trained.”

“I see. But does that ‘people’ category include orcs?”

“Uh…?”

Kurud, who was walking leisurely, suddenly stopped.

It seems he is not sure.

Meanwhile, the group of wyverns that had been watching us began to slowly descend towards Titan.

“Even if it’s well-trained, isn’t it a carnivorous beast?”

Even if it doesn’t attack people, there’s no reason it wouldn’t attack an orc that doesn’t look like a person.

“Oh dear. It looks like it’s going to attack.”

Kurud lost. But he didn’t die. Moreover, he found out that his attacks didn’t work on the opponent.

And that means he was able to land an effective hit on the opponent.

In that case, his skill is the closest to the real power of the opponent that I have to face.

“Please take care of it before the poor tourists get attacked.”

For the sake of future plans, I need to confirm it once.

If I want to use this seemingly foolish but kind, strangely Titan-like guy, I need to know.

“You damn bird…”

Kurud cursed and leaped into the air.

*     *      *

Kurud was strong.

So strong that it was surprisingly shocking.

The level of a master who can refine aura into a perfect form.

He exerted maximum power with minimal output.

Like raindrops, the small pieces of aura scattered and pierced the wyverns’ bodies, cutting off their breath.

The color of the aura was a pale gray.

Considering the environment of the city of Rubia, it would have almost no visibility as it blended into the surroundings.

Therefore, it was impossible for the group of wyverns to fully grasp his power. It seems I need to slightly revise my plan…

“It was an excellent attack. So, when shall we duel?”

“Not happening!”

It seems that part can be well resolved by using this guy.

*     *      *

The rain poured down in torrents.

There was someone watching that gray scenery beyond the window.

Could she be around Claire’s age?

Her purple hair, roughly grown and left untended, stuck out here and there, almost touching the floor, and her eyes were a chilling red.

Those eyes, considered a symbol of demons and devils, were distinctly eerie, unlike Claire’s.

Over her light and comfortable leather clothes, she wore a black coat, and the hood had fur that reminded one of a lion.

“Hmm…”

When the girl pulled down the hood, it felt as if a black lion was stretching for a hunt.

“Hehehe.”

The girl began to move with a bright smile and light, carefree steps, as if she didn’t care about the pouring rain.

“Strange.”

She was the adopted daughter of the Untouchable, the Eroding One. The only kin of that monster in this world.

“Really strange.”

Whirl!

The girl spun around like she was dancing and looked at the group roughly thrown behind her, grinning.

They had come to stop her rampage, as always.

Despite being punished so violently, they never gave up.

That made it all the more enjoyable.

Violence and destruction were fun. They made her feel alive.

Facing those who fought back was even more enjoyable.

She had lived in a highly oppressive environment for so long.

Perhaps because of that, she could only feel alive in a life of intense action.

“Hey? It’s so strange that it’s fun? What should I call this?”

There was no good or evil in it.

Her standard of good and evil was merely whether she killed someone or not.

So as long as she didn’t kill, she thought it didn’t matter what she did.

Pure malice.

“Hehehehehe!”

The purple energy, distorted by her emotions, overflowed.

Magic, but she was a bit different from other demons or devils.

A demon, yet not a demon.

A demon race, yet not a demon race.

A being that is a demon, yet not a demon.

Originally, a being that became a demon cannot refuse the command of the one who granted them demonic energy.

And that command becomes more absolute the closer it is to a higher being.

But the girl was different.

The girl and her father were different.

They were those who had completely escaped the shackles of the demon and firmly established their own existence.

They were so-called transcendents.

“I don’t know.”

The girl laughed. She laughed as if she was just happy, not knowing the meaning of the tragedy she had created. The girl started running through the pouring rain with a bright smile.

She didn’t care what happened to those she had knocked down.

She was just happy. She was just excited.

She was annoyed and angry.

She couldn’t exactly understand the meaning of the emotions she was feeling now.

The girl was too immature to grasp that. So she just expressed her doubt.

“Why do I feel Dad’s energy?”

The girl, called Lilia, could now feel the ‘erosion’ that had just entered Rubia.

It was the moment when a clear purpose was engraved in the principle of the girl’s reckless actions.