## Chapter 650 – The Scent of Flowers

ㅡ…

I calmed my anger for a moment and tried to figure out why that bastard had transformed into a dragon.

Didn’t Saint Kadia say that lizardmen sometimes worship dragons? If so, the transformation might be to gain power by being worshipped by those lizard-headed morons.

I can’t be sure, but it seems plausible.

That demon couldn’t easily mess with humans, so it compromised with monsters. In fact, the Church isn’t very good at dealing with these monster rampages.

They focus more on searching for demons and heretics. Dealing with monsters is the job of city adventurers or the lord. So, if the intention was to avoid the Church’s eyes, it was a good move.

But now.

Just look at that Demon Dragon being worshipped.

Right now, the lizardmen are moving towards the jungle near the city. A demon who chose to be worshipped by monsters instead of humans to avoid attention is doing that?

It’s immediately noticeable.

It’s a contradictory action.

That means there’s another purpose… Well, I can kill him, find out, and then write it in the report.

My head, clearer than ever, finished its quick assessment and analysis.

The demon who transformed into a dragon has some kind of purpose. And that purpose can be achieved by the lizardmen moving.

It must be an evil and terrible… purpose.

Given the nature of demons, it must be a purpose that greatly benefits the demon itself. It must be an extremely terrible and heinous scheme, so inhuman that even the most brutal serial killers would tremble and burst into tears like three-year-olds.

I have to stop it.

I can’t just let something like that happen…!

“Hilde, retreat for now. We need to find the right moment to strike.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I immediately tried to get away from the lizardmen’s base. Just as I was about to check the scenery one last time to imprint it in my mind, something caught my eye.

ㅡKuururuk, kuruk! Kyuut, kyuuut! Krreuk!

It was a lizardman wearing obviously extravagant decorations. He adorned his body with strange paints and feathers, and carried a staff made of lizardman skulls and spines.

Is that the lizardman shaman leading the group?

He was putting on an exaggerated performance, offering dances and incantations to the demon who had transformed into a dragon, as if trying to curry favor.

ㅡWhoosh!

The blue flames that erupted added to the drama.

He doesn’t even know it’s a demon and is worshipping it. He firmly believes it’s a dragon and knelt down to listen to the oracle. That’s how it looks to me.

As expected of a monster, he’s a moron.

“…”

I left the scene with Hilde without any regrets.

There’s no point in going in head-on when there’s even a demon. It’s the same even without a demon in the first place.

We can observe them from a distance and strike when the time is right. Even if it’s a bit of a stretch, we must kill that shaman and the demon.

“Katt, I don’t think that demon is that strong. The reason he transformed into a dragon is probably to be worshipped by the lizardmen.”

“I have a similar thought.”

But that doesn’t explain why they’re going towards the jungle.

What’s in the jungle?

I heard that after the killer wasp incident, continuous development and subjugation have made it relatively stable.

“Hey, Hilde, it’ll take some time to deal with them, do you want to go back? I’ll let you know what happened when it’s over.”

“No. I want to be with Katt. Can I stay by your side? I want to help if something happens.”

“There’s no problem, but… Alright, stay if you want.”

“Ehehe, I got permission. I’m so happy.”

Hilde smiled brightly with a flushed face.

“Katt, you know I love you, right?”

“You say it every day, how could I not know?”

“What do you think of me?”

“Demon friend?”

“Correct it. A demon friend who loves Katt. I think I need to keep reminding you. That way, you’ll think of me even just once more.”

“This girl’s advances are too much.”

She’s too similar to Ari.

While chatting with Hilde, I secured a suitable position and monitored the lizardmen. It seems their senses haven’t detected my presence yet. Neither has the demon.

ㅡRustle.

The sun began to set.

I was supposed to go in early, but I guess I’ll be going in tomorrow. Anyway, things started after the sun went down. The lizardmen, who had created magical fires, began to march.

My enhanced senses allowed me to properly perceive the surroundings even in the dark.

ㅡ…

I immediately tracked them.

The speed wasn’t that fast. Just walking slowly. The demon who transformed into a dragon was moving very comfortably, riding on a palanquin led by the lizardmen.

They moved leisurely, taking breaks from time to time. Occasionally, they would form small groups and go hunting.

I avoided their eyes and tracked them until morning. I stayed up all night, but I wasn’t particularly tired. I’ve become strong both mentally and physically.

And then the sun rose.

While Hilde and I were intently monitoring them, the lizardmen suddenly began to move in unison. After properly hiding and continuing to monitor them, indeed.

“Aaaaaaaargh!!”

“Kiyaaaaaaak!!”

“Kill!”

I heard people’s voices from over there.

Judging from the situation, they seemed to be adventurers who came to find the lizardmen. It’s not a terrain where merchants or travelers would pass by.

“Katt? I think they’re humans.”

“I’m listening too.”

“It seems like they’re fighting the lizardmen now… I’ll transform into a human for now.”

“Do that.”

ㅡRustle.

Hildegard, surrounded by pink smoke, transformed into a human.

The demon’s horns, tail, and wings disappeared, and her elf-like long ears became shorter, her black sclera turned white, and her fangs retracted.

Her snake-like vertical pupils also turned round.

The decadent succubus instantly transformed into a human beauty.

“Aww, staring at me like that… Hehehe, I’m in human form now, so what. Is it okay? I’m a human now, not a succubus?”

“What’s with the sudden change? You’ve seen it a lot.”

“Still. Do you ever feel like you want to put it in, or touch me? Don’t you ever think about that?”

“No, you idiot.”

Anyway, I immediately assessed the situation.

ㅡRumble.

A large number of lizardmen troops have retreated. They’re probably using their strength to deal with the adventurers. Since there were also the scouts I had dealt with, they must have been waiting eagerly.

Whatever the case, thanks to the adventurer friends who came to work, the troops have been thinned out.

As someone who was waiting for the right moment, it’s a good thing. We can use this situation to strike the shaman and kill the demon. No matter how great the adventurers’ skills are, they won’t be able to withstand a squad-level lizardman attack all at once.

Then I can kill them all.

“Hilde, hide here. I’ll go and take care of things for a bit.”

“What? Let me go with you. There’s a demon too, I want to help if something happens.”

“You’ve transformed into a human now. Can’t you use magic well?”

“It’s not that severe of a penalty… Katt. I’ve done this kind of thing more than once or twice. I’ll take care of myself, so let me go with you? Okay?”

“Well… then do that. Anyway, thanks.”

There’s no need to stop her if she’s willing to help.

I took one last look at the main force. About half of the troops have left, so all that’s left now are the shaman, the demon in dragon form, and the guards protecting him. That’s no problem!

As expected of diligent adventurer friends!

If we strike their heads while they’re fighting hard, their burden will be reduced!

ㅡWhoosh!

Having made my decision, I immediately gripped the Hwalin Sword tightly and sprinted at full speed. I’m the one running, but it’s really damn fast. The resistance of the air is fierce, and the surrounding scenery whizzes by.

I instantly broke through the terrain and reached their main force.

“Dejaaaaaaaaat!!!!!”

The first one to kill is the shaman. Kill the mage first, clean up the surroundings, and then strike the demon! With that in mind, I passed through the lizardmen.

ㅡKrr, krrreuk?!!

ㅡKrrk?! Krrreuk!

ㅡKyuryut?! Hiss! Hiss!

Because my speed was inhumanly fast, the lizardmen couldn’t react immediately. I ran straight towards the shaman in that state.

ㅡKrrararak! Karak!

At the same time, the shaman glared at me, raised his staff, and created blue flames. Four muscular lizardman warriors, slightly larger than the others, stood firmly guarding him nearby.

Andㅡ

ㅡWhoosh!

Flames were shot at me.

The four warriors spread out like a crane formation, preparing to attack me as if aiming for a follow-up after the flames subsided, but you guys are thinking wrong.

ㅡCrackle!

The anti-magic artifact made by Risha did its job. In an instant, black currents sparked and deleted the blue fireball that was flying towards me.

ㅡKrak?!

The shaman, not expecting that, took a step back, and ㅡBang! I stepped on the Cheonmagunrimbo and flew straight to the shaman’s empty front.

ㅡWhoosh!!

In that state, I skillfully swung my sword and cut off the shaman’s head.

ㅡThud!

The shaman’s head flew into the sky quite easily, and the lizardman warriors, who had been watching it for a moment, roared. They had failed to protect him in an instant. Right in front of their eyes.

ㅡKroooooooo!

ㅡKroaaaaaaa!

ㅡKrrreuk!!!

“Alright, come at me!! You lizard bastards!!!!”

ㅡPatsutsut!

I poured mana into the sword and created sword energy. If I kill them all like this and join up with those adventurers from before, it might be possible to annihilate them allㅡ huh?

It was at that moment.

ㅡCreeping.

ㅡSrrrrrrk.

Suddenly, green smoke rose from the shaman’s severed head, oh shit!! I was about to be surprised, thinking it was a ghost!!! But ㅡFlap! The demon in dragon form, who suddenly appeared from somewhere, flew over.

“Katt!”

ㅡThud!

But he crashed to the ground before he could even fly. Hildegard had created a magic circle and cast a binding spell. It was the same one that had bound me and Elise in the past.

“Kiyaaaaaaaak!!”

The demon, who had crashed to the ground in an instant, howled. His large wings flapped meaninglessly, and his long tail swept the ground. He certainly looked like a dragon, so his presence was extraordinary. Anyway, at the same time as he was freaking out, the lizardman warriors, who had let out a roar, approached the green, semi-transparent orb that the shaman’s severed head had spat out.

“Katt! That’s a soul! The shaman’s soul!”

“That’s the soul!!!!”

I don’t know what it is, but I’ll cut it in half! I immediately set my target to the shaman’s soul and ran towards it, but ㅡKrrreuk!! The lizardman warriors held out their respective weapons and tried to stop me.

“Get out of the way!!!!”

ㅡWhoossshhhh!!

The Hwalin Sword, wrapped in sword energy, drew a large arc. The murderous slash, equipped with strength, skill, and sword energy, completely cut off everything within its trajectory.

ㅡSplash!

ㅡThud!

The lizardman warriors, who had been cut in half as a whole, fell to the ground like toppings dropped on a pizza. There was no other way to describe it. Their upper bodies and weapons were stuck in the ground like that.

Unless you’re a real expert or a monster, resistance in front of me is meaningless!

“Where’s the soul!!!”

“Katt, this way!!”

I was about to cut the soul right away.

“…!”

The place where the soul was heading was neither the sky nor the ground. That means it wasn’t heading to heaven or hell.

No, in the first place, was a soul supposed to look so concrete?

I’ve killed quite a few people, but I’ve never seen anything like this before. That means it’s not a soul… No. Hilde said it was a soul, so it must be, and maybe it’s a soul that has been materialized due to some kind of magical power?

A moment of understanding flashed through my mind, and what I saw was that green shaman soul entering the mouth of the demon in dragon form, who was being suppressed by Hilde. The warrior bastards got in the way, so it turned out like this!

Did he absorb the soul!

“G, grheu! Grheuhhehehehe…!”

And at the same time as a strange laughter flowed outㅡ

ㅡCrash!

“Kyaaak!!”

Hilde’s spell broke, and the demon was released.

ㅡWhoosh!

The released demon flapped its large wings and flew up, and in an instant, black smoke swept through, creating a small storm.

“Grㅡhehehehehehe!!!”

The demon burst into laughter.

Because that black storm formed a sphere centered on the demon.

Like an egg that would be reborn.

“This crazy bastard is transforming in front of who!!!!”

Of course, without any further hesitation, I jumped towards the sphere and swung my sword. It looked like the bastard was trying to transform by absorbing the soul, so there was no reason to wait!

ㅡSlash!

The sword strike, which had been excellently embedded, tore the black sphere and scattered the smoke.

“Grhaaaaaaaak!!!!”

Then, the demon’s tearing scream was heard. That wasn’t the end of it. When the sphere scattered, something black flowed out like cracking an egg and crashed to the ground.

ㅡThud!

“What is this bastard?”

Is he an idiot?

Anyway, I was about to quickly finish things up and clean up the remaining lizardmen, but ㅡBrrrrr!!! Suddenly, the Hwalin Sword, no. Bihal started vibrating like a broken vibrator.

“Uh, uh?”

What’s wrong with this guy again!