Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 142: East Zircon Conquest – Into the swamp.

*****

A moonlit gazebo.

Two people sit at the tea table, letting the light simmer into their beings. One appears composed, on the verge of 'amused,' yet the other is in a state of disarray.

''Kuh... this is no fun...!''

A fair maiden wails, sprawling out on the table. Her pale, sleek hair pours down, almost reaching the ground. Amidst those strands of molten silver-gold, a distinct pendant—an eye of ruby dangles, held by a small chain wrapped around her neck.

With a dissatisfied gaze, she looks up at 'it.'

''...''

''Heheh... don't be so sad, child.''

''I will be sad, I will. How did that monstrous thing even find out about me?''

Reflecting the vivid moonlight, the maiden's green, lustrous eyes spark, indicating her state of unstable emotions. In contrast, 'it' remains resolutely calm, merely sipping the tea without a change in expression.

''Child.''

A small sound, almost leaning whisper. With a single word, 'it' causes the maiden's whole body to shudder.

''We are in a difficult time, my dear.''

'It' says.

''With that guy still well asleep and the beast still occupied, we won't have an easy time here.''

''I-I know...''

''Moreover, Glitchy is dead.''

''...''

''Child. Keep monitoring its killer. Amelia Luminous... will you be the real deal or a mere bait? Fufu...''

'It' takes a glance at the shrinking maiden before turning back to the great moon, smiling peacefully as if praying. Even as painful groans fill the garden, the face of 'it' never changes.

'Keep burning your eyes for us, child. After all... it is your only use.'

A newly born demon possessing the gift of [Clairvoyance], requested to HIM by none other than 'it.' In a sense, 'it' can be considered the demon's mother.

'A mother, hm? It sounds strange.'

Thinking back, 'it' has never been a mother before. A king, yes. A cardinal, perhaps. A princess, of course. Now...

''Ugh! Crap...!''

While 'it' is reminiscing, the maiden suddenly breaks out in an apparent panic attack, repeatedly dry-washing her face with shaken eyes. Seeing this, 'it' gently caresses her head with an almost goosebumps-inducing level of gentleness.

Perhaps being a newborn, the maiden never has an ounce of fear of 'it.'

''T-That woman... Bianca Cecil. She's dangerous. Really dangerous.'' She mutters. ''She even found out which way I looked at her earlier...''

''Worry not, child.''

''...!''

A smile that is different from before. Holding the same elegance yet with unmatched kindness—it is the smile of a true, honest mother.

Demons don't have concepts of reproduction. They are all creations of HIM, the Heavenly Demon, so to see such an unknown expression... is, at the very least, utterly confusing.

''Shh... everything is going to be alright.''

''Y-Yes...

...Efil.''

*****

''What?''

''You heard it.''

''No, I did, but what do you think I would answer?''

''You'd agree.''

''No way in hell. Why would I waste my resources for your personal gains?''

Working with Becky has its own advantages. Not only do I gain a less chaotic Luxia-like sidekick for entertainment, but I am free to utilize her ludicrous network of powerful robots as well.

''H-Hey, did you hear me?! I'm not going to lend you a thing, okay?!''

Like now. She has just agreed to lend me her scout units to investigate the East of Zircon. Her contribution will be significant, considering that the Witch of Calamity, the owner of East Zircon in the distant past, could easily beat a grandmaster.

I wouldn't want to risk myself or my friends being captured.

...Now that I think about it, I can't help but remember the thing that appeared in the memory of the undead siblings. That monster was able to single-handedly take out the Witch of Calamity. 

In the end, what was it?

Strange.

Either way, now that we have sufficient support... let's commence the raid on East Zircon. I can't wait to see what horror I can all upon this time.

''Hey...!! You heard me?!''

March 17th, 1835.

Here, I stand before the border between East Zircon and North Zircon, dipping my feet in the thick snow. On my hand is neither a sword nor a gun, but a controller.

As I take in the weight of the gadget, I can hear grinding noises beside me.

''W-W-What is this damn c-cold...?!''

''This is why I told you not to follow me, no?''

In response, Becky sniffs back a good chunk of snot and glares at me with squirrel-level intimidation. She slowly and shakily lowers herself, hugging the metal drone as if holding a heating stone.

Letting out a sigh, I create a fire barrier around the woman.

''Whew... much better.''

''Can I have my drone now?'' I interject. ''Before you ask, I can control it.''

''...Fine.''

Once she has handed me the device, the clumsy assistant swiftly takes out a foldable, stretchable pad from her pocket. Connecting the drone's camera to it takes only a minute, and then, we're ready to fly.

''The battery should last for around half a day if there's no threats.''

That's unusually long for a drone. I suppose using mana is more efficient than electricity in this case.

Soon enough, the drone takes off into the sky as I operate the controller. With a whisk, it spearheads into the sullen forest, bypassing the border.

''There's nothing yet.''

Becky and I stare intently at the screen, taking in the scene of the absolutely massive swamp captured by the drone. Flooring the slender trees with wilting-colored leaves and web-like roots, a shallow body of water infested with insects comes into view.

I wouldn't want to step into that even for a second. Though, I suppose I can freeze everything on my path now.

In any case, what's weird is that I haven't seen any monsters and such yet... oh, here they are.

''What the heck. These dudes look so goofy.''

Becky exclaims, seeing many mud... men rising into the frame. If I have to compare, they do look like cartoonish ghosts with bodies of mud rather than something humanoid.

''Okay, give me the controller. They might attack my drone.''

''Here.''

Becky begins to activate some unknown combinations of buttons that I don't know about, and suddenly, a thin blue tint emerges on the screen. 

Mana barrier, perhaps?

Although I doubt it can withstand something serious, I don't think I'll be able to know it since... 

They're not attacking.

The mud men merely stare at the camera with hollowed, pitch-black eyes, which will probably make for good horror, but in this case, they're not very threatening. If anything, they appear to be... making way?

''What is this?''

''They're guiding us.''

''Huh? How can you tell that?''

I wonder that, too, Becky. It's not as if you only hole up in your lab with zeroes and ones for lunches and metal for dinners, whereas I interact with dozens of species every day.

Anyway, since it doesn't seem like a trap, let's follow them.

Somehow, I have a good feeling about this.