Chapter 227: Spirit Beast Hunter (2)

Clack!

The lock opened, and when Yuria opened the iron bars, the spirit beast slowly came out of the cage.

Grrr…….

And then it collapsed with a thud, looking physically strange.

It blinked its eyelids with difficulty as if it had taken a strong sleeping pill.

“It looks like those mercenaries did something to catch it?”

“…….”

Yuria moved without a word.

She examined the spirit beast’s body here and there, and wondering what she was doing, I followed right next to her.

“Huh?”

And I was able to discover the culprit.

Something protruding and squirming on the hind leg.

When Yuria yanked it out, Pshhh- a stream of blood spurted, and soon a parasitic magical beast with a hideous head revealed itself.

Snap-

The parasitic magical beast immediately bared its teeth at Yuria.

And it froze solid.

Pa-ak!

After freezing it with [Freeze], Yuria threw it on the floor and shattered the parasitic magical beast into pieces, then stroked the spirit beast as if nothing happened.

“It’s okay now.”

Grrr…….

I watched that whole scene with fascinated eyes.

The ability to commune with a spirit beast.

Was there anyone with this ability in the original work?

I searched my memory and shook my head.

‘No.’

In other words, this was a new discovery for me too.

‘Well, it is not a great ability anyway.’

Yuria was a Magic Swordsman who used magic and swordsmanship.

Unless she was a summoner, it did not seem like it would be very helpful.

Huh? Wait.

‘Then she can just become a summoner, right?’

The plan was established quickly.

I would have her dip her feet into Summoning Arts once.

Why, in anime or web novels, don’t the protagonists all basically carry around one cute pet each?

Even I was carrying around Clatter right now.

Plus, Yuria did not have the repulsion to aura which was the biggest problem, so there would be no problem at all.

Rather.

‘This is a jackpot?’

I looked at the spirit beast with such expectation.

‘Hmm.’

I was torn.

I did not know much about spirit beasts, but I knew that each spirit beast had a special power and that power also showed a big difference between individuals.

But I did not think that guy was it.

Its appearance was quite cool so she could carry it around or use it as a mount.

But, seeing how it suffered even against mere mercenaries like this, it was a complete failure in terms of combat power.

‘It should at least be on the level of the Divine Beast Narvik.’

I recalled Narvik’s majesty that I saw during the last hostage incident.

Indeed, it was strong enough to be called the guardian deity of the Great Desert.

It was to the point where I felt very envious of Max Wagner who performed a contract ritual with such an existence, so enough said.

Of course, that guy and Narvik could not be objects of comparison.

That guy was a mere spirit beast, and Narvik was a Divine Beast, an existence one step above that.

‘Still, the setting book said there were spirit beasts as strong as Divine Beasts.’

Even if I washed my eyes and looked, that guy did not seem to be such a spirit beast.

‘However, it looks difficult to find another spirit beast now. There is no time to spare because classes are starting soon.’

Thinking about it, meeting that guy was purely a coincidence.

A meeting that would not have happened if we had not searched the ruins.

‘Huh? Is this fate by any chance?’

So I opened my eyes wide for no reason and examined the spirit beast guy.

Wondering if I was failing to discover that [Gaius’s Insight] was manifesting and spewing out a golden aura.

It was then.

Yuria, who was stroking the spirit beast, opened her mouth.

“Did you notice it too, Senior?”

Huh?

……What?

“That is right. This child is a baby.”

She said it was a baby.

Looking at that careful touch and soft tone, it surely wasn’t a curse word.

Then it must mean it was a sub-adult.

‘Sub-adult? Then it means it has not fully grown. That is not fully grown?’

“…….”

It was hard to believe looking at its size, but Yuria said so.

Anyway, if so, it was worth reconsidering the evaluation of that guy.

‘If it becomes an adult, its weight class might increase and it might become significantly stronger.’

Also, I did not know how much greater it would become if it received the support of the Academy (Dean).

If it became an adult by chance, could it become the Divine Beast level I saw in the setting book……?

Was it an unscratched lottery ticket?

Or was it just a dud.

I was agonizing over the two options and was about to make the decision, ‘Let’s take it for now!’, when.

“Yeah. Goodbye.”

Yuria was saying bye-bye to the guy.

“W-Wait a minute Yuria?”

“Why, Senior?”

“You are just letting it go like that?”

“Of course?”

“Do you not have any thoughts of raising it?”

“Why?”

“Obviously because it would be helpful to you?”

Yuria’s eyes, which were drawing a question mark while tilting her head, instantly turned cold.

“A spirit beast is not a tool, isn’t that too much of a human-centric way of thinking?”

“Is that so? Isn’t it fine since we saved it?”

“That child has a place to return to. It says its mom is waiting.”

Ah. Is that so?

Then I have nothing to say.

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward for no reason.

***

“Then all these guys are poachers?”

“That is right.”

The City Guard who arrived at the scene after receiving the report nodded at my question.

“We tracked their identities and they said they came from the Baltes Dukedom.”

“If it is Baltes Dukedom, isn’t that the south?”

“Yes. But I don’t know why, but they crawled all the way here. I suspect it might be because of the spirit beast.”

Still, the City Guard shrugged as if he did not understand.

It is natural for poachers to poach.

However, the story was different if the location was the territory of the Frey Empire.

Leaving aside magical beasts, hunting spirit beasts was strictly illegal in the Frey Empire.

He had a face that did not understand why they left their own country where poaching would be secretly tolerated if they just bribed well, and came all the way to the Frey Empire where it was illegal and the sentencing was heavy.

I felt the same.

No matter how much money a spirit beast was worth, it could not be more precious than one’s life.

‘Did they think they wouldn’t get caught?’

Whatever it was, understanding the mindset of criminals was a difficult task.

Spirit beast and magical beast.

The difference between the two lives could be defined simply.

Whether they could control their instincts or not.

A small number of spirit beasts that controlled their instincts for destruction and slaughter and chose coexistence with humans.

Conversely, the majority of magical beasts that moved according to their instincts, viewed humans as prey, and were hostile.

Right.

The reference point for this was also humans.

Besides that, there were various factors such as spirit beasts having higher intelligence than magical beasts, stronger abilities, longer lifespans, and excelling in various fields.

But the biggest criterion was humans.

If a spirit beast attacked a human, it became a magical beast, not a spirit beast, and there were actually records of spirit beasts that were slaughtered like that.

While framed as a ‘Named Magical Beast’.

“Anyway, thank you for helping with the investigation. Since they are illegal entrants, poachers, and smugglers, nothing special will happen. Also since you are the amazing Academy cadets. Hahaha.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then.”

The City Guard bowed and left.

I watched them organize the scene, then turned my gaze to look at Yuria.

Even until then, Yuria’s expression was not good.

Actually, it had not been good since the story about the Baltes Dukedom and poaching came up earlier.

‘Does she know something?’

Suddenly, I became curious about Yuria’s past.

‘Come to think of it, we have never had a deep conversation about this.’

I only knew that she lived as a mercenary for a bit.

I did not know the details.

Mercenary life and poachers.

Was there some connection?

I wanted to ask, but she still did not look in a good mood because of the slip of the tongue I made earlier.

So I decided to do it a little later.

On the way back to Icata aboard the airship like that.

Yuria approached me first while I was resting in the cabin and spoke.

“……I was sorry earlier. You felt bad, right?”

“No? You must have been the one feeling bad. I was fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I will apologize too. I just wanted you, Yuria, to do better here. So it was a suggestion made without thinking. If I knew you knew well about spirit beasts and liked them, I wouldn’t have spoken so easily.”

When I said it with a smile, Yuria’s expression, which had been stiff with tension, relaxed a bit.

“That’s a relief. I was worried. Thinking that the Senior’s feelings were hurt.”

“Ey. I said it’s not? Not at all.”

I answered as coolly as possible, but honestly, I was slightly disappointed.

Why?

I must have believed that firmly.

That I was the absolute best to Yuria.

‘Was it a delusion…… To be pushed back by a spirit beast we met for the first time today.’

Just kidding.

I think Yuria had her own circumstances.

So I asked.

“Spirit beasts. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen one, is it?”

“Yes.”

Yuria nodded obediently.

“I saw them a lot when I was young.”

Saw them a lot?

Seeing a creature that an ordinary person would struggle to meet even once in their lifetime meant that my guess was right after all.

“When you were living as a mercenary?”

“Yes.”

“That mercenary group. By any chance, were they poachers?”

A momentary pause.

Soon, Yuria answered quietly, ‘That is right.’

So that was it.

She was raised in the hands of mercenaries, no, poachers since she was young.

Anyway, they must have been guys with quite a scale.

Seeing how they even taught Yuria magic.

‘If it was a mercenary group that made poaching their main business, they weren’t guys active in the Frey Empire at the very least, and seeing that there was a mage, it meant they had plenty of capital and the scale was large too. Where is such a place?’

Curious, I asked for the name of the mercenary group.

“Green Circle. But you probably haven’t heard of it. It has already disappeared.”

I certainly had no memory of hearing it.

“Why did it disappear?”

“……Because I eliminated them. Myself.”

“…….”

***

I returned to Icata.

It was late afternoon with the sun setting.

I parted with Yuria in front of the dormitory and stayed cooped up in my room until I came out as soon as it became dawn.

“You have arrived, Master.”

“Oh? You are here now, Boss?”

“You’re here, Captain!?”

“I waited.”

When I came to Lunatic, the guys gathered in the hall welcomed me.

From Luis to Dayle, Reina, and Rachel.

Looking at it like this, we are quite a large family now too.

I sat down among them straight away.

“Something to drink?”

“I’m fine.”

When I took a seat, everyone gathered their gazes on me.

And waited.

For the result of this journey.

Everyone here now knows.

The reason why I left for Binhawk this time.

‘First Seat Yugen.’

The star that shone was the first among the four stars that assisted Shadow.

It was to confirm his life or death.

Everyone was waiting and looking forward to that result.

Luis’s eyes looking at me were especially hot.

Hmm.

It was hard to open my mouth since I had to tell a disappointing story, but still, it would be better to say it quickly.

“I couldn’t find him.”

Then sighs burst out from all directions.

I just smacked my lips bitterly.

“……Tch. You must have been expecting it, sorry about that.”

The existence of an executive is a very important axis for a guild to grow.

They can present the right direction when making a choice, and they can pass on knowledge and experience that cannot be conveyed through manuals to the next generation.

“No. You worked hard.”

Luis spoke in a calm tone, but I knew that he was very disappointed on the inside.

“Well, was there nothing?”

“Yeah.”

When I explained what happened when I went there, Dayle spouted nonsense.

“Hmm. Then does that mean that gentleman Evan lied?”

I ignored him and looked at Luis.

I had something to talk about.

“Luis. By any chance, do you know Green Circle?”

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