The Spearmaster and the Black Cat-Novel

Chapter 209: It’s Payback Time!

The sky maintained a uniform brightness, despite it being the time of day where it should change towards evening.

This is the evil domain. I wonder whether stars or magic lights serve as sources to illuminate this world.

While pondering such trivial questions in my mind, I wandered through the prairie with everyone. Probably because we kept walking, the Burning Knights, who marched in front, seemed to be ablaze.

Are they in high spirits?

The two Burning Knights. They make me sense masculinity from their faces. A boney one, though.

Their protruding frontal and nasal bones were covered by their steel helmets. A mana flame was brightly burning within their finely chiseled eye sockets. Jet-black darkness filled the surroundings of those flames. Seemingly having a faint, iris-like mana retina on the surface of those blazing flames, the mana flame swayed slowly in a mysterious way. Their cheekbones were thick as well. Their upper jawbones and sphenoid bones gave them a grim impression.

Their armor was just like a breastplate worn by soldiers of the Roman Empire, matching the muscles and sternum.

As associated with their names, black or red vapor coiled itself around their bodies.

The Hell Knights. Refined and cool.

“I’d like to charge into the enemy lines as a sole rider just like His Excellency.”

“Adomos, that’s impossible for you.”

“Didn’t I catch the Sonrissa gathering at the basin when we went to the Gulgan Waterfalls in the spirit world!?”

“That’s certainly true, but…”

They were having a little argument. But rather than their fight, I was slightly interested in the contents of what they were saying. They mentioned something similar to the name of a place in the spirit world and of an animal living in the spirit world.

Is that Sonrissa a horse or some other mount that can be ridden? Or is it a hippopotamus, seeing as it was at the base of a waterfall? I’m curious what the spirit world looks like.

I had a talk with the Goddess of Magic Poison, Misea, didn’t I? It might be fun to try trespassing into the spirit world through a tear1 and wander around the spirit world.

However, there are also other unknown places I’d like to visit. …Attempting to get into the spirit world also requires the Score of the Demon King. That’s why I’m looking forward to the auction in a few months.

Even if I were to get my hands on a Score of the Demon King, a visit of the spirit world would be a matter for the distant future. In addition, there’s also the search for the mirrors.

And the Radford Empire that’s been throwing its long shadow. Seeing as Oseberia’s Pelneet is peaceful, I think I should also keep in mind that there are wars going on elsewhere as well.

The second prince, no, for me it might be rather Remrona. While lending my assistance to her and thoroughly talking about dragons…it might also be nice to speculate about her boobs.

“――Look! The animal over there! It resembles a Sonrissa in shape.”

As I was pondering about rude things, one of the Burning Knights had extended his bone arm.

“You’re right. But, is this place connected to the spirit world?”

“It does have similarities…”

Being lured by the Burning Knights’ talk, I looked to the side in front. There I saw a herbivore with a dignified appearance, a combination of a zebra and a rhinoceros. Spreading its big mouth, it pulled seeds of grain ears with a blackish hue that seemed to be rotten wheat ears off the stalks, single-mindedly chewing and eating them together with the husks.

“N, nyaoo――”

Rollodeen began to run, obviously separating from the area which we were traversing. Seeing the movements of the zebra-rhinoceros-like animal, her hunter instincts apparently kicked in.

“You going to scout with Rollo-chan~?” Rebecca shouted from behind, but my partner didn’t stop chasing after its prey.

Her sentiments were to chase after cat powder, no, to chase after prey. No, this is also wrong, I think. I suppose it’s the curiosity typical of a carnivore. A spirit of wanting to enjoy a good hunt, huh?

I’m sorry to my partner who’s engrossed in running like that, but…

“Rollo, stop.”

The divine beast Rollodeen with her appearance close to a black horse, a black panther or a black lion stopped moving.

The herbivores, which had probably seen the jet-black beast, got startled and started to run. And then completely got away.

“We will return to everyone.” I instructed her.

“Nya, nyao～”

It felt as if she’s saying, 『I want to chase after them nya～』.

“Not now.” I reigned her in.

“Nnn.” Rollodeen made her long ears dent in. It was cute, but she used her peculiar, throaty voice indicating her discontent.

I pulled the rein tentacle ― turning my partner’s head towards our friends.

Having accepted my order, Rollodeen began to walk like a good child. However, she transmitted 『Sky』, 『Sky』, 『Fly』, 『Play』 to me.

――The sky, eh? Can’t be helped!

It will allow her to satisfy her urge to hunt while at it.

“…Rollo, I understand. I guess we will go on a scouting trip just like Eva did.” I yielded to her wish.

“Nyaoo.” Rollodeen delightfully pointed her face upwards like a wolf, who was about to howl, and roared.

She extended several tentacles to the left and right, affixing them by stabbing their tentacle bone swords into the prairie’s ground. Multiple tentacles spread like artificial muscles, seemingly also possessing the special effect of spider threads.

Just like that she kept on running as if accompanied by a swarm of tentacles alongside a stretching sound, making use of her powerful limbs. The tentacles affixed to the left and right continued twisting flexibly. The forceful motive power of my partner, who was running without minding those tentacles, was amazing.

What I felt from her muscles beneath my thighs told me that her muscles were working vigorously. The feeling of her thick divine beast fur, which exceeded the mana of a horse or lion, felt really pleasant.

If she took part in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Rollodeen would definitely come out as the winner.

As I was sensing the speed while caressing my partner’s fur on her back, Rollodeen stopped moving, and turned around in the opposite direction.

She probably intends to release the amassed power in one go by giving the stretched tentacles free reign.

I was speechless during her accumulation of power with my heart beating fast out of fear as if right after climbing to the peak of a roller coaster ride.

As I embraced such a feeling, the swarm of tentacles that had been continuing to stretch on the left and right side, suddenly contracted back towards the bottom of her neck and chest. The twisted, stretched, steel-wire-like tentacles looked as though they were attacking Rollodeen. No tugging sound was audible, but with that kind of terrific recoil ― after grazing the ground’s surface ― Rollodeen flew up into the sky in once.2 She broke through something like a thin, mana layer in the air. At the moment when the wind tearing my ears weakened down, she spread her black wings to the left and right.

We slowly rode upon the winds. The passing wind felt as if it was gently stroking my cheeks.

It’s obvious, but…I guess this world has wind as well.

『Your Excellency, it’s strange. It feels no different from the surface.』

『You’re right…』

We scouted the vicinity while revolving in the air. As I kept watching the distant scenery, I spotted various kinds of monsters such as huge raging bulls, monster flies, moose-shaped monsters, a humanoid monster, gargoyles, monsters consisting of two tied eyeballs, a group of orcs, and plant monsters, just as Eva had pointed out.

After armies, monsters next, huh? Should I watch the lives of the unknown monsters by using the beam rifle’s scope?

Immediately following, a swarm of double-eyeball monsters, which was flying in the distance, spotted us. They wriggled their two eyeballs, glaring at us while widening their disgusting pupils.

Are they doing something like a camera zoom-up? Oh? Those ugly bastards raised their speed and are now closing in on us.

They were shaped like biplanes, with their two eyeballs at the position of the engine. The number of airborne monsters is high.

The eyeball’s pupil of one flying monster at the front of the formation squirmed around again. As if releasing tears, large amounts of gray liquid were released from that eyeball.

The emitted liquid transformed into a group of pointed stakes. Those stakes turned into missiles, approaching us.

“――Rollo, evade.” I instructed her.

“Nn――”

My partner reacted immediately. She raised her speed, and flew diagonally upward.

The gray stakes didn’t have a tailing function. They passed through the spot where we had been just now.

『Rollo-sama is definitely fast!』

While agreeing with Helme’s telepathic message, I held out my left hand towards the flying monster that had unleashed those annoying projectiles.

I aimed as I pressed my index finger against my middle finger like a dancer, who concentrated on expressing his form down to the fingertips, and activated the advanced water spell, 《Frozen Snake Arrow》 at the same time.

Snake-shaped ice arrows with the size of human arms were created around Rollodeen. They looked like extras floating around mainframes appearing in shooting games.

I won’t do anything like “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, x, ○.”

The 《Frozen Snake Arrows》 flew off towards the monster with launching sounds. The monster took evasive maneuvers while letting its eyeballs look around restlessly. However, the arrows chased after it.

The two eyeballs were hit by arrows in succession, were penetrated, frozen in no time, and broke apart. Its biplane-like body was put in ice as well, resulting in it crashing head first.

Seemingly comprehending that one of theirs had died after it went down, the remaining flying monsters started to counterattack. All of those disgusting things emitted gray liquid from their eyeballs at once. Just like before, that liquid turned into gray stake missiles.

Ugh, no matter what one might say, there’s quite a lot of them. Should I shift to defense by creating a shield with [Chain]?

At the moment I considered that, Rollodeen raised her speed, and advanced ― in a spiral motion ― from the front, she took the trajectory of a fighter plane as if instantly drawing a semicircle ― uwaaaaahh! ― and performed a barrel roll. She splendidly dodged the approaching stakes.

“Hahaha―― Rollo! Have you been dancing with angels?” I shouted in exaltation.

Rollodeen completely avoided the stakes with magnificent, fighter plane-like maneuvers. And immediately afterwards, she started descending upon the monsters from above with an acceleration that would make you hear the exhaust sound of an engine.

Yahoooo!

“――Fire at will. It’s payback time!” Having gotten excited, I yelled this spontaneously in English.

Her black tentacles transformed into missiles that seemed to leave a trail in their wake. The bone swords, which appeared out of her tentacles, struck into the monsters, making it look as if they had been caught in spider threads. The monsters stabbed by the bone swords burst and scattered in an instant.

I was sharing sensations with my partner, and shot down many monsters while feeling like an ace pilot.

One after the other went down. The monsters scattered in all directions and crashed towards the prairie. As they impacted on the ground, they exploded.

Once their numbers had dwindled down to just one, my partner entwined her black tentacles around the monster’s whole body, and pulled it toward herself by reeling in those tentacles.

“Nyaoooo――”

What a happy voice…so it had to end like this, I suppose.

Rollodeen tightened her hold on the monster with its conspicuous eyeballs, obviously breaking it with a snap at the monster’s center. And then she brought it to her mouth just like that.

I couldn’t see from my position, but she had probably spread her mouth. Rollodeen shook her head, and then the sounds of her eating with a crunching could be heard.

“Are the monsters in the evil domain delicious?” I asked curiously.

“Nyaon.”

Eyeballs…might be unexpectedly delicious, but I had no intention to try it.

The dog fight had come to an end. As I was enjoying the tranquility of the sky, a human-shaped monster showed up next.

I wonder what it is.

The humanoid wore a black helmet covering the upper part of its face. It had five brightly shining things at parts that seemed to be eyes. Even from far away, it had apparently spotted the flying Rollodeen with its eyesight or demonic eyes.

That flying monster came approaching by making its black wings that grew out of its back flap.

Different from just now, it didn’t show any intention to attack.

It held a shield in its left hand, and a morning star made out of red and black metal in its right hand, but those were still lowered. That’s why I decided to check out the situation first.

“――This is mine domain, the domain of the sky’s bonfires. Oh, one possessing beautiful, night-like eyes…what are thou?”

It was a female voice. A tone that made me feel a child-like formality.

Her lips were dark purple. She was wearing a neck guard with embedded pretty, red magic gems, which was connected into a single armor with the base of her neck, the shoulder armors, and the upper arm armors. And she had a corset armor hiding her big chest and with red and black patterns that made me sense mana. Seemingly created while capitalizing on a constriction of her waist, it also possessed many bold gaps.

Her buttocks were covered by a black and red apron cloth. Her small leg armor only protected the outer parts of her thighs. She wore black, leather long boots that reached up to her thighs while covering her long legs.

The upper part of her face was concealed, but her dark purple lips gave me a bewitching impression.

I spoke up while naturally having my eyes drawn to those lips, “…Domain, you say? I didn’t know since it’s my first time being here.”

“First time, thou say…thou look like a human, but isn’t the beast thou are mounting a subordinate of Shadow?”

“No, she isn’t.” I replied.

“Hoh…are thou one of the divine domain?”

Different from the eyeballs and the armies on the surface, she was a considerably friendly being.

“…No, you’re wrong. I resemble a human, but I’m of a different race.” I explained.

“That’s a surprise. Did thou maybe descend from above? Does that mean the upper world has been communicating with the surface?”

“I wonder. I think they do.”

It’s a labyrinth.

After hearing my words, she lowered her face slightly while pondering.

Just what is this intelligent life…?

I don’t have a clue about domains and such, but since I might pass through others, let’s ask her.

“…Umm, I’m sorry to interrupt your thinking, but I’d like to continue passing through the domains. Is that fine?” I asked cautiously.

“As long as thou don’t extinguish the sky’s bonfires, I don’t mind at all. But, I don’t know about the others. If thou are confident in thine strength, thou may pass through them as thou like.”

I don’t know what those bonfires of the sky are, but I suppose there are landmarks in the sky.

“What are the sky’s bonfires?”

“Signs burning in the sky and marking mine domain. They are casting a beautiful, red light. It’s a traditional magic handed down among our species. Even in the spirit world, the red light of the Amshabis is lovely. It was a famous as place where even Meliady-sama, who governs over demonic life, had often come to take a walk.”

Hee… So there are such places in the sky as well. Are they on Sera as well?

“…I understand.” I said.

Once I did, she released mana from her five, gem-like, red eyes connected to he black helmet, and fixedly stared into my eyes. And then I could hear a sound of her swallowing down her spit from her throat.

“…Rare, human with eyes of the night, I shall teach you mine name. Mine name is Souq. Souq of the spirit world’s Amshabis race.”

Is it just my imagination that the lower part of her cheeks was tinged with a faint red?

However, she’s a courteous person. Souq-san of the Amshabis race, huh?

Then I straightened myself while sitting atop Rollodeen, and according to courtesy, “My name is Shuuya, Shuuya Kagari.”

“I see. Shuuya, do thou wish to fight against me?” Souq inquired.

“No, I won’t fight unless you do. You seem to be a beautiful woman.” I replied.

“…How amusing. I heard there are humans who will be excited because I am a female…” Souq affixed her weapon to her waist, and started to seductively touch her big chest armor with her slender hand.

It’s not like I’m all that excited, but…that gesture is sure nice.

“…Well then, Souq-san, I’m going to return to my friends.” I said.

“I-I see…how regrettable.” Souq revealed a disappointed expression.

She extended her tongue, licking her upper lip lewdly. My interest was drawn towards her body, especially that amazing chest which was clearly a case for the Boob Research Society, but…right now I got to prioritize my objective.

“…Rollo, let’s go back.” I instructed my partner.

“Nyao.”

“Farewell, Shuuya with the charming eyes!” Souq-san’s words reached me through the air.

Rollodeen, who had been hovering, changed the angle of her wings and glided downwards.

Note:

1. Originally called it scarred place as its literal translation would be, but I think “scarred place” is a bit misleading? Not sure, if anyone got a better term for 傷場, I’m open for suggestions

2. I already wondered how this is supposed to work the last time the author described it in detail. It sounds as though she is supposed to be shot upwards through the tentacles snapping back into her body, but that makes absolutely no sense and is complete bullshit. So, just imagine her being shot up like a flingshot