36 – Hey Dalpi

“Are you absolutely certain that this is safe to put on skin?”

Dalpi looked at me with dubious eyes.

“It’s fine. I’ve put it on too, see?”

“It has a foul smell and a dark, murky color, like squid ink.”

Dalpi was holding a glass bottle containing a suspicious black liquid, a special potion I had just created.

Actually, it wasn’t grand enough to call it a potion; it was more like a kind of garbage made by crushing the flesh and blood of demons scattered across the battlefield.

The reason for applying this filthy liquid to our bodies was for camouflage.

『The Dark Arts School’s invisibility magic can’t erase smells. Demons with a keen sense of smell will quickly notice intruders.』

Dalpi and I had to go to the spawn point located in the north.

To investigate the sudden mana reaction, it was necessary for me to go in person.

Dalpi alone should be enough as an escort.

In this kind of covert search operation, having too many people would only be detrimental.

“I’d rather drink an aphrodisiac.”

“What good would drinking it do?”

“I’ll ravish the Young Master and then report it to the royal guard.”

“Doesn’t that… sound a little off?”

This isn’t freaking Dongtan Police Station, you know.

Dalpi clearly loathed the idea of slathering that black liquid all over himself.

Even though he possessed strength enough to casually lift an entire mansion, seeing him shy away from things like this was amusing.

Nob AI.

『Yes.』

I wonder if there’s anything encouraging I could say to Dalpi, who’s still wrestling with the potion?

『How about becoming Giga Esther and cheering Dalpi on?』

『Here’s an example.』

『You Fuckin asshole, Dal-ppi-ppi, stop being such a wuss and apply the potion right now, You idiot.』

Eva.

“Think of it as camouflage cream.”

“Ugh….”

In the end, Dalpi endured it with sheer grit.

We concealed ourselves with stealth magic and headed north.

The foul-smelling liquid smeared all over our bodies was worth it.

Just as Nob AI had said, the demons couldn’t detect us.

“They’re swarming.”

“You can say that again….”

Before us were demons.

Filling the vast plains without a single gap, the demons were sickeningly numerous.

It felt as if the entire board had been covered with black stones.

The demons simply stood there like dolls.

When they were attacking people, they felt like living animals, but now their breathing was slow and they barely moved.

It wasn’t just one demon; all the demons standing on the plain displayed the same behavior, making it incredibly bizarre.

『Based on what I’ve learned thus far, demons are fundamentally a species characterized by a hive mind. All actions except for their primal instinct to kill living creatures are determined by a superior entity that controls their collective intelligence. To put it simply, the demons before you are worker ants, and the ‘something akin to magic’ commonly referred to as the ‘spawn point’ is the queen ant and commander.』

In short, a hive mind.

『This information hasn’t been presented at the Justina Kingdom Academic Society yet.』

All the demon-whacking and Nob AI training had been worth it.

I’d have to trade it for some coin and intel later.

“Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Forgive my impertinence, but…”

Dalpi scooped me up.

“Your speed is too slow, Young Master. It would seem faster if I were to run while carrying you.”

But the posture…it felt strange.

The way his arms supported me, cupping behind my knees… it was a position I’d seen in… risqué videos.

Was this what they called a full nelson, in professional terms?

There were plenty of normal ways to carry someone. Why did he insist on lifting me like this, in a way that made me feel…s*xually humiliated?

“1. Lift Young Master.”

“Just a moment?”

There was no arguing.

Dalpi picked me up like an object and sprinted forward.

If anyone saw this, I’d want to die of shame.

After a while, even though Dalpi and I often joked around, I seriously told him that if he continued like this, my masculinity would completely vanish, and I’d end up as a TS magical girl, becoming an actress or a VTuber, so I’d appreciate it if he put me down.

“My apologies.”

Dalpi bowed his head in apology.

“Don’t do that again, alright?”

“Acknowledged. Then, forgive my impertinence once more.”

Dalpi scooped me up.

This time, it was the princess carry.

“…”

Just a moment ago, I was a heroine from a smut manga, and now I’m the female lead in a shojo romance?

I covered my face with both hands.

“What troubles you, Young Master?”

“It’s nothing. Just…let’s go.”

Dalpi didn’t understand a man’s heart.

Anyway, after a lot of twists and turns, we finally reached the spawn point.

“That is….”

We couldn’t help but tense up.

A colossal darkness was swirling.

The jagged, black matter composing it formed a ring around a sphere that blazed like the petals of a sunflower.

At the sphere’s heart, a flame burned – a bit larger than a man.

『That’s the egg of Dargishkal. Dargishkal is classified as a colossal demon dragon, one of the most powerful undead dragons active during the reign of the first king, when he established the Kingdom of Ustina. The great archmages and swordmasters barely managed to defeat it by combining their strength…』

The cost was the sacrifice of countless lives.

It seemed a being that should never awaken, was about to.

“A dragon, huh…”

『We absolutely must shatter the egg before Dargishkal arises. If it begins to fully activate, the Tristy Autonomous Territory will be 100% annihilated.』

Terrifying.

This was the first time Nob AI had issued such a direct warning.

A monster with the power to obliterate an entire territory – this was on a different scale than the demons we’d been steamrolling with the Helltank.

I stared at Dargishkal’s egg, still swirling powerfully.

『Only the Hellfire Cannon of the Helltank can destroy the egg.』

The weight on my shoulders grew heavier at the thought that this was a task only I could accomplish.

*

The demon onslaught was currently dormant.

It was a chance to catch our breath, so most people were resting, save for those on guard duty.

The mages who had been gleefully operating the magical weaponry just moments ago were now taking a break, their gaze fixed on the Helltank.

“Is this the steamtank Lord Esther arrived on…?”

“The armor alone is extraordinary. Judging by the considerable mana it’s imbued with, it seems to be mithril, though likely an alloy rather than pure mithril.”

“There have always been attempts to create mithril alloys within the Celestial School, but they’ve all failed. Did Lord Esther succeed?”

The mages’ eyes gleamed with curiosity.

They were abuzz as if a child had discovered a new toy.

“The bombardment Lord Esther unleashed earlier, that was Hellfire, wasn’t it?”

“Apparently it’s produced by this massive cannon. Where is Lord Esther, anyway?”

“I believe he’s excused himself for a moment.”

The mages exchanged glances.

“Should we sneak inside…?”

“Surely, a bit of observation wouldn’t be amiss?”

As a mage, it was simply irresistible.

Ester’s Helltank felt revolutionary and beautiful, akin to a primitive man witnessing fire for the very first time.

“Giggle.”

They were about to slip inside the tank, taking advantage of Ester’s absence, but then…

“What do you think you’re all doing?”

The mages froze instantly.

Haniel was glaring at them, hands firmly planted on her hips.

“You wouldn’t be thinking of just waltzing in without Ester’s permission, would you?”

“O-of course not…”

The mages slunk away, crestfallen.

Haniel watched them go, then glanced around.

Only Ian was present, besides herself.

“My Lady?”

“Cough, quiet.”

Haniel, even before being a noble’s daughter, was a mage.

She had seen the Helltank’s blueprints, but this was her first time seeing it in the flesh.

Curiosity was inevitable.

Haniel was just about to open the hatch when…

“Haniel?”

Jefer called out to her.

“You wouldn’t be thinking of just waltzing in without Ester’s permission, would you?”

“…….”

Haniel, looking caught in the act, quickly pulled her hand away from the hatch.

“Surely not. Why would I, the designer, be curious about the inside of the invention…”

Jefer watched as Haniel and Ian hastily excused themselves.

Then, he went over and placed his hand on the hatch.

‘No one around, is there?’

Honestly, Helltank looked cool as hell even to someone who wasn’t a mage.

Jefer swallowed hard.

The Hellfire Cannon’s overwhelming firepower ignited a fire in the man’s chest.

He longed to hear again the brutal roar of the helltank’s engine, echoing from the battlefield.

This machine was the first to make his heart pound like an engine itself.

“Brother?”

Ester and Dalpi had returned from the search.

They stared intently at Jeper atop the helltank.

He’d been so focused, he’d neglected to be aware of his surroundings – a disaster in itself.

“There’s a lot of blood on it. You should maintain it often. It would be a tragedy if such a magnificent weapon rusted.”

Jeper didn’t panic.

Instead, with an unwavering face, he pretended to wipe the hatch.

“Ah, thank you.”

“…….”

Jeper felt deflated inside.

“We have something to tell you, Brother.”

“Ah, so the search is already done? I thought it would take a little longer.”

Ester nodded.

And then.

“A Dargishkal egg has been found. We must destroy it quickly to safely pass this apex.”

Ester delivered the shocking news.