With the cementing of our accord, we were given temporary residence in the werewolves’ nest. As usual, this was just a corner of the maze where one wasn’t vulnerable to a pincer attack.
Having walked through their nest, my first impression was that they weren’t as numerous as I had initially thought. According to my estimates, their numbers roughly came out to 500.
Of these 500, only a small portion were the elderly. Surprisingly, there were werewolf children as well. While they were technically children, these werewolves were already much taller than my imps.
The werewolves mostly viewed us with hostility due to our recent clash. Both sides had suffered significant casualties and so both sides had a grudge with each other. Logically speaking, the ones at fault were the werewolves since they attacked first. However, logic had no say in this lawless land; right and wrong was determined solely by one’s fists.
Truth be told, the reason why Habona provoked us time and time again was due to the discomfort in her heart. After all, while this was an accord in name, there was no binding force behind it.
Previously, she didn’t attack me because of my alleged connection to Mo En. The next time we met, the old werewolf interceded on our behalf. Plus, she also needed our skills and so she stayed her hands once more. However, once I was no longer of use to her, there was nothing in our deal that could stop her from swatting me to death.
Despite this, I went ahead with the accord anyway. Leaving the Prison of the Dead was a main questline of sorts for me so I had to finish it. Besides, the old werewolf seemed just as eager to leave this place as me. Based on this point alone, the werewolves were worthy of my trust. At least when it came to leaving this maze.
Even so, walking under the hostile gaze of several hundred werewolves wasn’t something I enjoyed. My heart pounded with every step I took into their nest. I was deathly afraid that one of them might just lose control and rip me to shreds.
Violet Snow felt this unbridled hostility as well. She jumped down from my arms and swept her gaze through the gathered crowds with an equally hostile pair of eyes. While she didn’t hold much of a grudge towards them, there wasn’t any good intention in her eyes either.
The old werewolf seemed to have noticed this tension between us and immediately stood out. With a loud cough, he gathered their attention and placated them with a few growls and barks in the language of the werewolves.
A while later, they quieted down and no longer stared at us as if we were a bunch of meat. Evidently, this old werewolf had an influential status amongst his kin.
It could be said that the werewolves and medusas were natural counters to each other in battle. In their previous altercation, the deaths both on sides were extremely little; a combined total of less than 10 people.
In actuality, both sides were relatively small clans. If you added in the fact that the two lovebirds had an influential status in their respective clans…it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider the other party as in-laws.
While the werewolves didn’t approve of this interracial romance, the medusas did. They had no choice in this matter after all. Who told them to be a female-only race that relied on males from other species to reproduce.
In the end, what it boiled down to was that the demonic werewolves objected to this romance mainly because of their husband-consuming custom…Oh and by the way, are you sure these medusas aren’t a distant kin of the black widows?
Shortly after I entered our temporary residence, I spotted a medusa captive being escorted by four werewolves. This was the first time I’ve encountered one and she naturally piqued my interest.
Due to her snake tail, her height varied at times. However, her average height was under two meters.
Just as the stories depicted, she had snakes for hair and a snake tail as her lower body. As she was escorted past me, I caught a whiff of her snake scent. It wasn’t particularly foul smelling but it wasn’t pleasant either.
She had certain scent to her, similar to the fishy scent of fishes but instead of being fishy, it had a more earthy tone to it that reminded me of mud.
In contrast to these undesirable traits, the medusa had a stunning appearance that trumped the petite face and melons of Aoi-sensei. While Aoi-sensei had a fantastic body, she wasn’t that pretty to me…Ahem, I know nothing of this Aoi-sensei. (AV actress)
Once the medusa had passed by, I instructed my subordinates to find a resting spot for themselves. In order to leave this place as soon as possible, I immediately got down to crafting they were settled down.
Regarding their giant shields, I already had a design in mind. Other than the specified dimensions, I planned to fashion three spikes on the front of the shield. They were based off the design of an elephant’s tusk in that they had an upward curvature. This would increase the effectiveness of the shield when these fellows decided to charge.
Upon completion, this shield would definitely cross the 250kg mark. According to my estimation, it at least require a two-star werewolf to wield this shield.
Given their immense strength, running around with a 350k kg load probably wouldn’t affect them too much. And so, I didn’t pull any punches with regards to the weight. As long as it increased the defenses of the shield, I made sure to add it in.
Initially, I had intended to add a couple of eyeholes into the shield so that the wielder could see in front while holding up this shield. However, after giving it some thought, I decided not to. After all, Habona had mentioned that their nose and ears were extremely sensitive.
In that case…those eyeholes aren’t necessary. You guys can feel your way around with your senses while you charge.
By the time I finished the first shield, I was thoroughly wiped out. It was every bit as exhausting as I had predicted. Just this shield alone cost me 78 units of mana which was to expected after all. Given its increased surface area, the amount of bones that needed refining increased exponentially as well. I guess I should be happy that I actually had enough mana to even finish the shield.
Since that’s the case…I won’t hold back on asking for souls.
Just as I finished the first shield, Habona appeared before me. Behind her heavy footsteps were a group of werewolves who carried at least two skulls each. Within these skulls were green flames that roared violently in their eye sockets. Based on this alone, one could see that the souls within were particularly energetic.
Looks like impatient werewolves decided to make use of the time I took to craft the shield to go hunting. As they didn’t possess the ability to absorb souls, they were unable to freely touch the souls as well. This was why they had to use such a clumsy method of transporting the souls. Not only did they bring back the souls of the undead, they brought back an actual part of them as well, the skulls.
“Hunting?” I stood up and welcomed them back with a slight smile. I pointed at the gargantuan shield beside me and said: “Come have a look at the shield.”
“It’s done?” Without waiting for my reply, she casually lifted the steel door-esque giant shield with one arm and brought it up to her gaze. She immediately locked in on the tri horns on the front, clearly pleased with it. It must’ve suited her sense of aesthetics.
“Such a gorgeous form, I really like it.”
As she said that, she used her finger to flick the fang. Upon hearing a solid echo from the bone, she nodded her head, satisfied with it. She then brought it to her front and tested its sturdiness with a couple of shoves before saying: “Not bad, if it had eye holes in front, it would’ve been even better.”
“That…didn’t you say that your ears and nose can replace your eyes…” Sister, this is the second time you’ve contradicted yourself. Exactly how much tsukkomi do you require…
She stared at me with half-open eyes and said, neither embarrassed nor concerned, “I mean if we could use our eyes to see, that would definitely be the better choice.”
“…” Fine, you win.
“By the way, these are the leftover souls.” Ignoring my collapsing psyche, she clapped her hands, signalling for the hundred over werewolves to present their collected souls to me. “These are all one-star souls, how many shields can you craft from these.”
“If they are all one-stars, I can only craft one more shield.” Based on my calculations, after deducting the amount required to sustain and replenish my mana, these souls were sufficient to create one shield with some leftover at the end.
“If that’s the case.” She paused for a moment and gave it some thought, judging by from the look on her face, she seems to have accepted my answer.
“I’ll proceed to hunt at a further spot and gather as many souls as I can.”
“Alright. About that, I’ll have to rely on you to provide for my subordinates as well. After all, I’m unable to lead them hunting in the meantime. Besides, the surrounding areas have already been cleaned by you guys and wandering around aimlessly might just get us into trouble with the medusas.”
“I have no problem with that but I have a question to ask you.” With a deadpan look on her face, she pointed at a certain bald wraith circling around her. “What’s up with this guy?”
“Ah, you mean Vick? He’s just a curious baby. He’s probably fascinated by the fact that you were able to harm him and so he decided to stay close to you.” Come to think of it, when did he get attached to Habona? No wonder I didn’t see him recently. I thought that he finally learnt to behave himself but apparently he just found a new toy.
Unfortunately for you, Habona probably wouldn’t allow herself to be your toy.
“Can you make him stop?” She said, her face as expressionless as before.
“About that, I have to apologize in advance. While he was summoned by me, he doesn’t really listen to my commands. Perhaps it’s due to an error in summoning.” Regarding this issue, as Vick’s master, I was equally vexed by this as well.
“How annoying.” For some people, the more angry they got, they less the they showed it on their faces. Habona was one such person. She looked at me with an icy look on her face and asked in a matter-of-fact tone: “Can I kill him?”
“…anything is fine except for killing. As long as he has the strength to float back, it’s alright.”
Upon hearing that, she finally revealed a trace of her anger. She took aim at the playful ghost and swiped at him with her claws, eliciting an immediate cry of pain from Vick who drifted away without any hesitation.
She turned towards the direction he fled in and coldly smiled, “Since he’s already here, there’s no need to worry about him being unable to return is there?”
“…go right ahead.”
After teaching him a lesson, she resumed her hunting while I went back to my crafting. And so, the rest of the day passed by uneventfully.
In the midst of my sleep, I dreamt of the eloping couple tangled up in each other’s arms. While the sight of a wolf and a snake doing it together was exceeding odd and painful for the eyes, it also stirred up the melancholy in my heart.
Even a wolf and a snake were able to get together…as for me? Am I a devil or a human? Probably a devil…I do have red skin after all. I didn’t have any hair either and even had a horn on my head. Thankfully, I still possessed a humanoid form so I should still be able to be with Nicole, assuming I’m unable to regain my human form…
Nicole, where are you now? Is everything alright for you, did you try to find me…did you miss me? Did you and Sares end up together? You’re already 13 this year. In just a few more years, you’ll be of marrying age. As for me? I’m still trapped in this god forsaken place…exactly how long will it take for me to leave…
Or will I be trapped here forever…
All of a sudden, I felt the urge to sing…swells of power rose up in my throat as the world around me quietened down, it was as if I was the only person awake in the world. This was the first time I’ve heard my singing voice since I’ve reincarnated. While my previous incarnation had an excellent singing voice, it couldn’t compare to what I had now.
It was a girl’s voice, graceful yet sad, stirring yet desolate. It was a voice that brought tears to its listeners as its sorrowful waves rolled over them.
Turn on the lights, the scene in front of my eyes
The spacious room, the lonely bed
Turn off the lights, it’s all the same
The wound in my heart, unable to be shared
Life flows away with time
turns old with gray hair
leaves with you, no news of happiness
fades away with the past
falls asleep with my dreams
leaves with the numb heart
I miss you, miss you, but no trace is left
I’m still tiptoeing in missing you
I’m still letting the memories hover/spiral
I’m still shedding tears with my eyes closed
I still pretend not to care
I miss you, miss you, but I deceive myself
Turn on the lights, the scene in front of my eyes
The spacious room, the lonely bed
Turn off the lights, it’s all the same
The wound in my heart, unable to be shared
Life flows away with time
turns old with gray hair
leaves with you, no news of happiness
fades away with the past
falls asleep with my dreams
leaves with the numb heart
I miss you, miss you, but no trace is left
I miss you, miss you, but I deceive myself
I miss you, miss you, I’ll just make it a secret
I miss you, miss you, so I hide it deep in my heart
(Taken from jspinyin) [蘇打綠 sodagreen – 【我好想你】Original Song Name]
I knew that the lyrics didn’t really fit our location but I still did it anyway, thrice. The first was in Chinese, the second in the language of the western realms and third in the language of the devils.
I closed my eyes and shut off the outside world and sang. I sat with my back to the wall
, hands wrapped around my knees as I swayed to the melody. The world was empty except for a twin tailed beautiful redhead beckoning to me. My mouth broke into a smile, my first smile ever since I became a devil.
As the song ended, I vaguely sensed some movement beside me. I opened my eyes and got the shock of my life.
When did so many people get here?!
