Chapter 479: Amber Eyes

The demon that the little bird called as “Lord Nutt” was a giant blue heron. It was opening and closing its long beak in displeasure while actively giving instructions to the little bird.

It was a bizarre sight to see a crowned bird sitting on the luxurious chair that was supposed to belong to the commander of the Imperial Guards. It would’ve been one thing if it was just sitting there, but that demon was speaking and giving instructions. I noticed that its eyes were overflowing with emotion.

It was hard to get used to the idea of a demon beast harboring the light of intelligence. Before the arrival of the death snow, speaking magical beasts were rare, and they were simply more violent and powerful than normal beasts.

But what about now? Some of them actually had reason and wisdom, furthermore they treated humans like slaves. The reason for this was unclear, but it was said that in ancient times, magical beasts and demons had intelligence and humans were ignorant.

So to them, it could be very creepy for humans to speak.

After slaughtering a few small birds, Nutt swallowed a nearby chunk of meat in one bite and said the following words.

「So, you’re Shad. You’ve captured quite a few humans. Are they your pawns or prey? …I’m Nutt by the way. I’m the leader of this city. Listen carefully, I won’t let you defy me in this city even if you’re the leader of a million flocks. 」

The bird’s expression was a little hard to read, but from the tone of his voice alone he seemed like a strong commander. He didn’t have any sneaky qualities, but he didn’t seem sensitive to anyone’s concerns either.

In short, he was a very easy target. I felt very grateful.

I winked at Shad, who had turned into a giant snake, and urged her to speak. She growled for a while as if remembering what to say, then twisted her body and responded.

「My name is Shad. Hmm…That’s right. I want to meet the magical devilish being. 」

In response to Shad’s words, the blue heron who introduced himself as Nutt spread one wing and changed the shape of his eyes. He stared intently at Shad, probably judging its value.

Was she someone worth meeting with the magical devilish being? Or was it something else?

Well, in my case, I didn’t really care about that bird’s evaluation. I just cared about time, about whether we were quick or not.

Besides, there were surely plenty of demons who wanted to meet the magical devilish being and get some of her power. It could get very dangerous if we met a herd of those demons seeking power.

More importantly, I got 3,000 soldiers into the city unscathed. In other words, we were already inside the enemy’s stomach. There were plenty of moves those demons could make in order to annihilate us.

After a moment of silence, Nutt raised his beak up and down and replied.

「I see. I could call Lord Junelva. But it’s not possible, since Lord Junelva isn’t here right now. 」

It was an unexpected and cheerful reply, but not the words I had hoped to hear. In fact, it was exactly the thing I didn’t really want to hear.

The magical devilish being named Junelva wasn’t here right now.

Those words sent a bad feeling through my mind. A single magical devilish being was a disaster in itself. It was easy for a single magical devilish being to wipe out an army. There was no way someone like that would just go outside on a whim.

He must have gone out with some kind of intention, to accomplish something.

…This was really bad. I recalled Mastigius’ face.

But on the other hand, it was also an opportunity. If one of the two magical devilish beings was gone, then it meant that Rabel was here. This was the perfect opportunity. I wouldn’t have to do something reckless like attacking two magical devilish beings at the same time.

Shad turned her giant snake-like face around to stare at my expression. I whispered so that Nutt wouldn’t notice. Actually, I was starting to feel like I was pretending to be a villain.

「…What about the magical devilish being Rabel? 」

Nutt’s expression changed as soon as Shad spoke and said that name. His eyes, which had been filled with tolerance backed by pride, now looked wary like a cat’s.

「Lady Rabel will not meet anyone. Even if you have tokens or a horde of demons and humans. She will not meet anyone. 」

The blue heron repeatedly pointed its beak up as if to emphasize. His gaze, which had only been evaluating, now looked suspicious.

Why was he full of wariness?

Whether it was Junelva or Rabel, there should be plenty of demons who would want to meet them just because they were magical devilish beings. And yet, he became quite wary the moment Shad mentioned the other magical devilish being Rabel.

Was there something he needed to hide? I closed my eyes slightly and frowned.

But whatever the case may be, there was no point in just confronting him here. Demons like Nutt hated it when their words were challenged, whether they were right or wrong. That was why they were easily guided if you gave them a landing point.

I shifted my gaze to Shad and blinked my eyes. Shad saw this and when she was about to nod to Nutt’s words as I wished her to…

…A voice like a bell rang out. Inhuman, emotionless, yet beautiful. With small footsteps, she appeared before our eyes.

「…That’s not true, Nutt. I meet the people I want to meet when I need them. Correct it immediately. 」

Amber eyes. A stiff atmosphere, and lavish clothing. There she was, behaving like a beautifully crafted doll.

Not only the small bird, who had come to report on the surroundings, but even Nutt, the ruler of this place, was speechless. My throat rang unconsciously. I realized that my eyes were heating up.

The magical devilish being who had snatched Filaret…The Gear Rabel spoke emotionlessly as usual. Her hands and delicate movements were extremely feminine although she didn’t seem to show any emotion whatsoever.

My body leaned unconsciously. Even though I knew I shouldn’t move here, my legs were preparing to jump towards her.

「Lady Rabel…What happened? Why on earth have you come to a place like this? This is not a worthy place for you! 」

Nutt spoke in a rough but nervous-sounding voice. Rabel calmly replied as her high-pitched voice reverberated.

「Nutt. I told you. You must understand immediately. I will meet the people I want to meet when I need them. They…no, he… rushed to me, for me. So it is only natural that I meet him. 」

I noticed that her amber eyes were piercing my forehead, not Shad in front of me. Not only that, but she also had a delicate smile on her face.

Was this her way of provoking me? How dare she kidnap a friend of mine, someone I once craved, and yet smile like that?

I noticed that my eyes got unconsciously widened. My chin lifted. My left hand was already on the treasure sword. I could see the flash of the sword that would kill Rabel.

One breath. With one breath, I would rip out her heart this time.

However, my spine wailed. What happened? My body felt strange the moment Rabel came into view.

It wasn’t just that I was feeling hostility towards her, but something deep within my body was sobbing. My body was talking with a trembling voice.

Kill her before it’s too late.

I signaled to Caria with the tip of my finger. She would understand. Some of the 3,000 soldiers had already infiltrated the city. The majority had to accompany me, but it couldn’t be helped.

We would suffer a miserable defeat unless I cut off that magical devilish being’s head. Rather than being strangled while moaning, it would be better to move forward, even if it was a journey to death.

I took a step forward. At the same time, Rabel spoke up. A voice clearly directed at me.

「That’s not a clever move. Understand that immediately. 」

「What? Have you ever thought I was clever before? How ironic of you to say something like that to me. 」

The treasure sword was now one with my body and the handle heated up. I took a deep breath.

「…You want to meet your comrade, don’t you? In that case, prepare immediately. I’ll show you the way. 」

My teeth were clenching. Then, I stopped.

Rabel turned her back to me, still showing me a forced smile. I couldn’t tell if it was an invitation or a trap.

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It sounds rather ominous…

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