Chapter 1044 – And Poison

000

The battle was barely over, and Cleon felt like he wanted to sit down and rest right now, perhaps because he had used up a lot of his stamina in a short period of time.

However, Cleon also understood that it was not a situation where he could sit or lie down comfortably.

The huge Slash would digest the blood over time and return to its original size, so until then, they would have left it pinned to the ground, then stood up and gone to check whether the group of demonic beasts behind them were safe.

The marang, the lion, and the blue bird that Caliban protected with a magical barrier.

Even the demonic beasts that couldn’t fight were saved safely by Yuni blocking the bullets with her own body.

Except for Cleon and Yuni, who were the ones who threw themselves into the fight, it was fortunate that no one shed blood in the attack just a moment ago, but it could also be called a miracle.

However, it was clear that both Cleon and Uni had to treat their wounds from the battle.

In particular, in Yuni’s case, the leather on her palms was all torn off due to burns and abrasions, so the situation was serious.

So, first, Cleon will run to her to check on her collapsed condition.

“Yuni! Are you okay?!”

Cleon carefully lifts her up as she lies unconscious, bleeding on the grass, and checks the wounds on her hands.

When he lifted her up, Cleon was worried that she might catch him and throw him away, but fortunately that didn’t happen.

Somehow, in her unconscious state, her instincts seemed to be neutralized.

In any case, looking at the hand that had turned black from the friction and penetration, she frowned as if the pain was being transmitted to her as well.

“Caliburn, get this person treated quickly…”

“Wait a minute, Cleon.”

It was the moment when Cleon called Caliban and tried to alleviate the pain with her help.

Galatea raised her voice as if to call Cleon out, then grabbed Cleon’s head with both hands and turned it back towards her.

At the same time, his gaze was directed at Yuni’s injured palm.

“…!”

Cleon could understand why Galatea had called him.

This is because the wound on Yuni’s hand was healing quickly.

Her blackened hands returned to their original color, the leather returned, and the bleeding stopped without a trace of bleeding.

‘Regenerative ability…? Did the unicorn have that ability?’

Cleon watched the scene while holding his breath, and after a while, Yuni’s hands were back to their original, beautiful and soft hands.

And.

“Uh, um…”

Uni, shaking her body, slowly opens her eyes.

And, Cleon, who was looking at Uni, would make eye contact with her.

Her eyes blinked two or three times, and then her gaze fell on Cleon’s hand holding her wrist.

“──Gyaak!”

Then, Uni swung her hand and almost flipped Cleon over, but Cleon, who had already anticipated what would happen, was able to quickly let go of her hand and step back from her.

“Ouch! Sorry!?”

“How many more times will I repeat this pattern?”

Cleon sighs in relief as she apologizes.

The cause is unknown, but she would have been fortunate if all of her injuries had recovered.

Uni got up, and after making sure the other animals were safe, she sat down on her legs and exhaled loudly, as if she were relieved, just like Cleon.

“Thank goodness… No one got hurt…”

“Thanks to you.”

“Ehehe.”

At Cleon’s praise, she put her hand on her head and smiled shyly, but Cleon never praised her out loud.

Standing in front of flying arrows to protect others is not something even experienced soldiers can do easily.

She clearly knew what she had to do, and she had the will and power to do it.

“Now, will you trust me now?”

And then.

The bat that was flying high in the sky – Laplace spoke to me as he came down to the ground.

Yuni still looked at him with a slightly wary expression, but Laplace still seemed to have no interest in Yuni, only focusing his eyes on Cleon.

“If I hadn’t told you this, all the demon beasts here would have been captured and transformed into something similar to the monsters from before.”

“… Yes, in that regard, I have no choice but to admit that you are the one.”

And, Cleon also wanted to clarify the facts.

Laplace seemed satisfied with Cleon’s answer, stopped flapping his wings, came down to the ground, and finally sat down.

“Well then, isn’t it a good time to say that you are willing to cooperate with me?”

And, when I spoke to Cleon in a gentlemanly voice, Cleon seemed to think for a moment and then—

[Uni!]

At the sound of a loud chirping sound coming from somewhere near Caliburn, the eyes of everyone gathered there turn to that place.

Then Tweety was there, making a fuss, flapping her wings and calling for Uni.

Uni hurriedly got up from her seat and hurriedly ran towards the direction Tweety had come from – towards where Nemeia and Dire were.

Because even from a distance, she could sense something strange.

And what she was looking at, sliding down from her seat, was ‘Nemeia’ who was still lying uncomfortably on the ground.

“Nemeia! What’s wrong? Your wound hurts!?”

[It’s okay… Uni…]

The lion responded to Yuni’s words in a weak voice, but in Yuni’s opinion, there still seemed to be a problem somewhere.

Her leg – she licked her wound, and her front left leg, which Caliburn had healed by infusing it with divine magic, was seen discolored to black instead of its original golden color.

No matter how you looked at it, the black spot flowing out from the injured area and spreading slowly, slowly, very little by little, was not normal.

“No way, poison…?!”

As soon as Yuni sees it, she will guess the identity of the black spot that is eating away at Nemeia’s body, and her face will turn cold.

In addition to human hunters, there are countless hunters with poison in the wild.

Not only snakes, but also insects, and sometimes even demonic beasts with poisonous glands.

If you are hit by such poison, no matter how large the predator is, your blood will harden, and you will lose your life, regardless of the thickness of the skin.

For demon beasts that live in groups, ‘poison’ was a risk factor directly linked to life, more than any other threat.

[Is it poison?!]

And Tweety, whose voice is like a scream.

[Hey, what do you mean, poison!? That piece of iron that pierced Nemeia was coated with poison!? I put her head in this guy’s wound and even took his beak!]

Tweety is making a fuss and screaming loudly.

She, too, made a puzzled voice and poked Cleon with her beak.

“Oh, it hurts! Wait, calm down!”

Cleon also tried to calm down her blue bird, but Dyer was also looking at Uni in confusion.

[Yu, Uni unni. Are you okay? You also licked your wounds earlier…]

“Well, that is…”

Unido, upon hearing Dyer’s words, recalled the treatment she had performed, and her expression darkened.

The speed at which my heart beats is so fast.

Could it be that you too…?

Looking at Uni who was so worried, Cleon somehow held Tweety, who was still pecking his head, in his hand and then spoke.

“Everyone, calm down. First, let’s check if what’s on Nemeia’s leg is really poison.”

“But… We don’t have a way to tell that apart…”

Uni would say that to Cleon, but Cleon folds his arms and shakes his head.

The gaze shifted towards the ‘bat’ who was watching this scene from afar.

“… Why are you looking this way?”

When Laplace sees Cleon looking at him, he responds as if he doesn’t know why, but Cleon lets out a short laugh.

“Why would you do that? The person here who knows the most about the state of the demon beasts is none other than you, right? That’s why I’m asking you for a favor.”

“Ah… Keke… That’s true.”

Laplace must have laughed at Cleon’s words.

“Certainly, clinging to me here is not a wrong choice. I do not judge humans who know their own worth poorly, magic swordsman.”

After Laplace said that, she came closer to Nemeia, who was lying down, and narrowed her eyes to examine her wounded leg.

“Ah. Indeed. That’s it.”

[What is that!? Say it right! Am I going to die too!? I hate it~!! It’s so foolish to stick your beak into someone’s wound and die from the poison!}

[Be quiet, Tweety…!!]

Nemeia finally got annoyed by Tweety’s extremely noisy voice.

“This is not poison.”

And when Laplace finally finishes the diagnosis, she tells him that the black spots that are eating away at Nemeia’s wounds are not ‘poison’.

Then, Tweety and Diamond from there. I let out a sigh of relief.

“But… Then what? It’s not poison, so why is Nemeia in pain?”

However, Yuni is not convinced and asks Laplace for a more detailed answer.

“Ah. The explanation wasn’t enough. This is Darwin’s medicine.”

“… Darwin’s medicine? Is it the elixir of evolution? After all, it’s poison.”

Cleon spat such harsh words at Laplace’s words, but Laplace laughed and spoke to Cleon.

“It’s not as poisonous as the original Evolutionary Elixir. It’s a compulsory magical beast evolution medicine created by Darwin based on my research results… It’s not poison, but it acts like a ‘poison’ to some magical beasts.”

“After all, it’s poison!?”

When Cleon tackled him again, Laplace sighed and shook his head.

“Has a certain level of magical power, complete physical growth, obsession with survival, and even superior intelligence… In other words, only those who have already reached the ‘limit of growth as a demonic beast’ can break through that limit. The way to do this is to awaken the survival instinct by feeling an intense fear of death like the monster from before. The drug administered is a ‘poison’ that gradually stops the magical beast’s vital activities. It works.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“I don’t understand…”

Uni and Galatea had no choice but to react that way after hearing Laplace’s words.

Laplace’s words were ravings that were difficult to understand at first glance, and Cleon also had to frown and understand each word.

In other words. The medicine given to Nemeia is a medicine that forcibly evolves demonic beasts with a certain level of strength.

And in that process, it is necessary for the demon to feel that his or her life is in danger, so the medicine forcibly creates that situation.

That was the reason why Nemeia was suffering and slowly dying.

“It’s good to think honorably, because you are a ‘suitable being’ to be the subject of my research. Well, the pain and efficacy of the medicine are so severe that half of the demons cannot endure it and die…”

“Such…!”

To Uni, who was astonished, Laplace said this with a smile on his face, and Cleon grabbed the girl’s neck after hearing Laplace’s words.

“Kick… Kick… I asked you to tell me… I told you… But this kind of treatment, keuh… Isn’t it too much…?”

“Be quiet. It’s best not to get on our nerves too much. My sword sometimes finds and cuts down enemies without me swinging it.”

While saying that, Cleon was holding Caliban’s hand.

Caliburn’s hands were imbued with divine magic, so swinging the capital would have had the same effect as swinging it as a holy sword.

Laplace’s words get on people’s nerves enough to make even the gentle Caliban become quietly angry.

However, because it had not yet lost its usefulness, Cleon saved Laplace once.

“I don’t mind. This body is… A temporary body… So if that helps relieve my anger, then do that…”

Despite such efforts, Laplace once again laughed at his group’s anger.

“I can’t kill you now and waste that time waiting for you to show up…”

Cleon said so and let go of Laplace’s head.

[… Did you hear, Uni…? I’m fine. So don’t worry…]

And while Nemeia said that, she stroked Yuni’s head, who was crying, with her front leg.

Survival rate, half.

After hearing that story, you won’t be able to feel at ease.

“How to suppress the effect of the drug?”

“What?”

When Cleon asked a question, Laplace asked back as if he had heard wrong.

“You said it was a medicine created by Darwin as a result of your research, right? If that’s the case, then you must have prepared a means to counter it. Because of your personality, you wouldn’t stand by and watch other people’s hands being added to your work.”

“… Hehe!”

Laplace laughs at Cleon’s words.

“Haha! Yes! It’s just as you said! There’s no way I wouldn’t go against the medicine that old lady Darwin created from my research!”

And, he seemed very satisfied with Cleon’s understanding of himself.

“Ah… As expected, you are this human, magic swordsman.”

“…”

Laplace expresses his feelings about Cleon like that.

Cleon, the person in charge, remained silent without any response, but his eyes were looking straight at Laplace as if he was looking right through him.

“In my laboratory in the Returner’s Mansion, there is definitely a drug that can neutralize that drug. If you use it in time, you might be able to save that lion.”

“!”

When Yuni hears those words, her expression becomes one of hope.

“However, there is no time to travel that distance and back. If you go, this messenger will have to go with you. The pain, which is mild now, will gradually become stronger, to the point where you will not be able to control yourself. Take the sick person like that and climb the steep mountain. Are you going to go to the Returner’s Mansion?”

Laplace asks a question.

“…”

And with those words, Yuni didn’t worry at all—

When Nemeia fell, she lifted her legs and placed them on her back as if she were trying to carry her.

Lifting a lion that was almost the same size as hers seemed difficult even for her.

“Of course, it is…!”

“Uni…”

While carrying Nemeia on her trembling legs, Yuni spoke resolutely.

“I’m sorry, Cleon… I think I should go with you to where Cleon is going. I won’t get in your way.”

And, if you declare that to Cleon, he will shake his head.

“What a disruption. If anything, it would be reassuring if you were here. … However, can I leave this place?”

“That’s…”

Uni also thought back on her role for a moment after hearing Cleon’s words, and then looked back at her group.

[Don’t worry, Yuni, we will stay here and protect the group.]

[Okay! The guardian won’t just watch forever!]

As if to support Uni, Dyer and Tweety answered.

Just like Yuni, they seemed ready to sacrifice themselves to protect her group.

“… Thank you. Yes, then, I’ll come back.”

As Yuni says that, she looks back at Cleon.

She also understands Cleon’s concerns, but she knows that she can endure the danger if she can save Nemeia-her pack mates. Looking at her expression, she makes Cleon nod her head. It was

“… Okay. Then let’s go together. To the Returner’s Mansion. Instead-“

Cleon said so and walked up to Nemeia, whom Uni was carrying on her back, and took her, and he lifted her up.

Her strength may be lower than Uni’s, but Cleon’s height is greater, so Cleon was more suitable for carrying her.

“Huh, Cleon!? Isn’t it heavy?”

“No. It’s okay. If it’s like this…”

He carries Nemeia on his back while making a voice saying, “Heavenly car.”

That way, her sore legs will be at least a little more comfortable.

“Is this lion-ne-mei-ah? Tell her. Even if she sees a human head in front of her eyes, don’t bite her.”

“Ah, ah… Yes…!”

Cleon begins to move his legs while showing the ease of telling a joke.

Following Cleon, Yuni was walking quickly.

Laplace, too, flapped his wings and walked in front of Cleon, guiding him on the way to the returnee’s mansion.

Unicorn, lion, human, demon sword and holy sword… And, returner.

A group of people from an unprecedentedly messed-up union advance to the Returner’s Mansion, each with a different purpose.

At the end, what will happen.

Unless it was the God of Fate, no one could have predicted it.