Chapter 124: The Manticore’s Child

「So that’s what happened…then we need to hurry up and start searching! 」

「Of course. That’s why I’m gathering my soldiers and forming a search party. We can leave together if you can wait a little longer. 」

After hearing the explanation, Lily spoke in panic, but she regained a little composure upon hearing Shin’s response.

In front of the palace, many soldiers could be seen hastily preparing.

Among them were Jack, Fitis, and Rock, and as soon as Lily saw them, she hurried over.

「Fitis, Jack, Rock! 」

「Lily! 」

「Miss Lily. 」

「Lily! 」

The three called out to Lily as she approached them, and Rock hugged her with tears in her eyes, perhaps because she was worried about Kyou’s disappearance.

「Papa…Papa has…」

「It’s okay, Rock. I’ll definitely find Kyou. 」

Lily stroked Rock’s head to calm her down.

After a while, she turned to Shin and declared the following.

「I’ll join you at the search party. 」

「Of course. In fact, thank you very much. Let’s definitely find Kyou together. 」

Shin accepted Lily’s request with sincerity.

Seeing this, Lily got the impression that Shin had changed somewhat from the old Shin.

Soon as the search party was ready, and upon receiving the news, Shin loudly declared.

「Listen, now we’re going to head out to the desert to search for Kyou, the monster cultivator who was kidnapped by the Manticore. Everyone! Let’s go! 」

Just as they were about to depart the palace, someone called out from behind.

「Wait. 」

It was a surprisingly cold, emotionless voice, and although it was quiet, it resonated throughout everyone’s ears.

Lily turned around and saw a brown-skinned young man in luxurious clothing, a man called Masauda, ​​Shin’s older brother.

「I won’t allow you to send out a search party. 」

—

「Ouch…! It hurts…! 」

I was held captive by the Manticore and couldn’t move during the flight. I enjoyed a few hours of flying. Actually, it wasn’t a very enjoyable experience.

After a while, I finally entered the cave that seemed to be my destination and was released into its depths.

After looking around, I saw that the space was surrounded by rocks and was larger than I had expected.

The ceiling in particular was several meters high, and light was leaking from the cracks in the rocks here and there.

After looking around, the only paths were the passageway leading to the back and the entrance I had just come from.

Of course, the entrance was blocked by the Manticore, so I couldn’t escape even if I tried.

「Hey, is there something you need from me since you’ve brought me all the way here? Or are you trying to eat me here? 」

Not knowing what to do, I spoke to the Manticore in front of me. And then…

「…You’re calmer than I thought. I thought someone like you would panic at a time like this. 」

Whattttt!! It spoke!!

I couldn’t help but shout the words I’d said somewhere before in my head.

However, I had predicted Manticore’s response to some extent, so it wasn’t a surprise when it actually came out of its mouth.

Since it had a face of a human, I thought it was possible for it to speak.

What was contrary to my expectations was that its tone was more fluent than I had thought.

「…Well, maybe not. It’s my first time being kidnapped by a monster, and to be honest I do feel in danger. But, well, I’ve been through a lot so far, so maybe I’ve gotten a little braver. 」

When I thought about it, it started with the first Killer Plant, and then I faced off against various people with the title of Hero.

Then, I faced my mother, the Demon King.

Also, maybe my mind was somewhat at this state thanks to having gone through a literal battle with the Emperor Hero.

Above all, I was certain of one thing.

Maybe it was because I had raised and seen many monsters.

I had become able to tell whether a monster was dangerous or not, or whether it had hostile intent.

The monster before me was certainly dangerous.

At that time, Shin said that the Manticore was at an A-level of danger.

That made it the strongest monster I had faced, excluding Hydras.

It would be powerful enough to kill me in an instant.

But on the other hand, I didn’t sense any hostility from this monster.

I certainly felt fear when it attacked me, but even so, it didn’t hurt me. Instead, it captured me and carried me to this place.

And even now, it stood before me without any sign of attacking.

Which was why I was able to gather these thoughts as I calmly talked to it.

「So, what’s your purpose in kidnapping me? You wouldn’t do something like this without a purpose, would you? 」

The manticore pondered my question for a while, then approached me.

I instinctively raised my fist, and Dora-chan, who was in my pocket, joined me in a fighting stance, but it passed us by and went to the back passage.

After a while, it turned to me and muttered the following words.

「Follow me. 」

「…What are we going to do, master? 」

Dora-chan asked me, but I already had a clear answer in my mind.

「I’ll follow it. 」

「What, but isn’t that dangerous? We can escape through the exit now…」

「No, even if we try, the poisonous needles on its tail will only head towards us. Don’t worry, Dora-chan. I have an idea. 」

Dora-chan looked worried when I said that, but she nodded.

At this point, I couldn’t be sure, but this was probably something only I could do.

Although there was an element of intuition, trusting it would only lead to my own safety.

Therefore, I quietly followed behind the Manticore walking ahead of me.

Eventually, after walking for a while, we came out into a larger space than before.

In the center of the space, I saw someone lying on what looked like a bed made of straw.

「…That child. 」

As soon I saw the figure, the leading Manticore turned to me.

「Please…heal that child. 」

The Manticore’s expression as it muttered this seemed more worried than ever.

From a distance, I could tell that it wasn’t a monster, but a human.

I couldn’t help but ask the Manticore.

「Who’s that child? 」

The Manticore was silent for a while after hearing my question. Then, it answered with two words.

「…My child. 」

It only said those two words and then went silent again.

But those words were enough for me.

The Manticore before me now was not a feared A-rank monster, but rather the image of a father worried about his child.

I approached the human, urged by the Manticore’s attitude.

However, I gasped in shock when I approached the child.

The boy lying there was a human boy, and his face was the spitting image of a certain someone I knew.

As if to express my surprise, Dora-chan, who was in my pocket, muttered as she looked at the person’s face.

「No way…is this Shin-san…? 」

Yes, there was a boy with a face that was the spitting image of the genius hero Shin I knew.

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