## Chapter 934 – How Long Has It Been?

First, as it was a monumental first Minotaur hunt, I decided to butcher it cleanly. It looked a bit evil, but I couldn’t shake the thought that it was still beef.

If there weren’t any major issues, I wanted to take its meat. I didn’t care about other monster bastards, but this one was a cow, so it was fine.

While butchering it, I took out only the necessary organs and handed them to Lysha, discarding the rest.

“As Sister Elysee explained, the Minotaur is indeed an ancient demon. It’s a legendary beast that can’t be found in this era… It’s believed to have been active mainly during the Idol War.”

Lysha said, holding the Minotaur’s large heart.

“An ancient demon, huh.”

Lysha seemed to know something about this beast. I could sense that much, being her man. Lysha reacted to the Minotaur with great surprise.

No, perhaps it was more like a question.
A feeling that she couldn’t understand why it was here.

Come to think of it, I didn’t know Lysha’s exact age. Maybe Lysha, having lived for a long time, had witnessed this before.

“Yes, it’s a very wicked and violent ancient demon. All sorts of demons rampaged during the Idol War, and Minotaurs, with their strength and large numbers, have quite a few records remaining,” Elysee added.

At least it was a being with some information, so Elysee knew about it. Thinking about it for a moment, I realized that if these monsters formed an army, it would be incredibly tough to deal with.

“And as far as I know… there have been no sightings of Minotaurs since the Idol War.”
“Hmm.”

That was a bit strange.

They were very numerous during the Idol War, causing havoc, but now they were almost non-existent? Were they eradicated by continuous subjugation, like Manticores or Arachnes?

Even so, there had been no sightings at all since the war.
Something was fishy.

“So, our discovery this time might be the first in a long time. This is a very significant matter. Perhaps a wicked force is slumbering beneath this dungeon.”

A wicked force would be a big problem.

Above all, the fact that this was the first Minotaur discovered in a long time was very significant. If there was one of these, wouldn’t something even rarer come out from down below? It was highly likely.

“There’s also a saying that Minotaurs are minions of evil.”
“Minions of evil?”
“Ah, I said that, but it’s not accurate.”

Elysee continued with a serious face.

“Of course, anything about the origins of these demons is just speculation.”
“That’s true.”

There was no helping it.
How could anyone know where everything came from?

“There are rumors that they came from Pandemonium, and others say they crawled out of various other hells. But one thing is certain: unlike other monsters, Minotaurs are not beings that originally lived in this world.”

It seemed there were research results suggesting they were an invasive species rather than native.

“Like Imps?”
“It seems similar.”

There were quite a few other worlds near this world, so it wasn’t strange for invasive species to be introduced. There was also the Idol War.

A prime example was the Imp, which came from Pandemonium.

“And there’s also a rumor that they were demons living in the Demon Realm.”
“The Demon Realm?”

The Demon Realm.

“Yes. I’m sure the Saintess is also aware of the Demon Realm.”

I wasn’t completely ignorant.

“I know about it.”

I knew it was a world where beings called demons lived. In the past, they used to invade, but the gate seemed to have been completely severed during the Idol War, and there was no exchange whatsoever.

In other words, it was a world with very little information currently.

“It’s a world where demons live. Currently, the gate to that place is completely severed, so there seems to be no information or contact at all. However, there were rumors of ancient documents recording testimonies that demons used armies composed of Minotaurs.”

The Demon Realm…

“Of course, it’s not accurate. There’s information, but we can’t verify its authenticity at the moment, so there’s no helping it. Most old materials are like that.”

Hundreds of years had passed since the Idol War, but humanity in this era was enjoying a more degraded civilization than before the Idol War. There were too many lost records, so they were mostly headbutting the ground, and restoration wasn’t going well.

I suddenly asked Lysha about something that came to mind.

“Lysha, didn’t you say before that there were research results suggesting that black magic originated from the Demon Realm or something?”
“…I certainly said that there was such a hypothesis. However, it seems impossible to dig into the origins in this era, so I don’t think we can prove its authenticity.”

Lysha shook her head and answered.

“Anyway, the Demon Realm’s army… I’ve heard of such legends, but in the end, we won’t be able to uncover the truth.”
“That’s true.”

Again, she seemed to be hesitating about something.

“…”

Even if I didn’t know anything else, I couldn’t help but notice after seeing her reactions like this. Lysha seemed to be thinking deeply about something right now.

The Demon Realm… Lysha was a woman who knew a little about this Demon Realm. I had first heard from Lysha that the gate to the Demon Realm was completely closed.

Was there some kind of connection?
Maybe she just knew because she was a witch who had done deep research.

“Lysha, tell me if you think of anything. Even if I don’t know anything, I can still worry with you.”
“Ah… It seems I’ve caused you concern. Of course, I will. I just have some things to think about, so don’t worry.”

Lysha smiled and touched my cheek.

“As much as I was called a witch, I had some research on the Demon Realm and black magic, so I just had questions and curiosity. I might have looked a bit like that because I was thinking about it.”
“Okay… if that’s the case.”

Let’s think about this later.

“Then let’s take this corpse and go up.”

Lysha nodded.

I immediately drained all the blood from the Minotaur and carried its limp body on my back. I could feel the weight, but it was nothing.

“Katt, are we going straight up?”
“We could go further down, but I need to know how the others are doing. Let’s go up for now.”

I was curious about the other paladins’ situation.

“Saintess, are you not heavy, by any chance?”

Elysee asked worriedly.
Of course, even twice this weight would be fine.

“I’m really not heavy at all. I told you, I’ve become extremely strong.”
“Such a noticeable change…!”

And so, we retraced our steps.

“Hmph… I wonder if more of these Minotaurs will appear if we go further down?”
“Probably,” Elysee replied to Claudia’s words.

“In my estimation, groups of Minotaurs awakened from hibernation or sealed away are likely roaming the dungeon. I don’t know their purpose, but they must be here to protect this place.”

That was likely.

“Conversely, they may have invaded and been caught up in a seal or magic.”
“Ah, that’s right. That possibility also exists.”

Elysee nodded at Lysha’s words.

“Anyway, we have no choice but to explore further.”

I had a feeling that the Holy Allied Forces would be needed. If a Demon King was really sealed away, it wouldn’t end as a joke.

**

“H-Huk! What is that!!!”

Back at the starting point, right below the roof we had broken through, the old knight who had been guarding this side widened his eyes and grabbed his head.

“M-Minotaur!! It’s a Minotaur!!”
“There’s a Minotaur!!”
“This can’t be!!”

The theologians who had been examining the walls behind him also fell over in surprise. I briefly explained the situation to them, who were still struggling to recover from the shock.

“Minotaurs are coming out from underground!!”

With this reaction…

“Have any of the other paladins returned yet?”
“No!! You’re the first! Oh! Everyone might be fighting!!”

Then I had to go.

“Here, please take care of this corpse. I’ll go provide some support for a moment.”
“W-Wait a moment!!”

The moment everyone tried to follow me, I shouted.

“Everyone stay here for now!!! I’ll be right back!!!”

There was no need for them to go down again since I would be back soon.

“Ah! Saintess!! Please wait!!!”
“Take a look at the corpse there!!!”

Turning around and speaking, Claudia and Lysha hesitated and answered that they understood. Confirming that Elysee had also stopped, I immediately ran down.

—Thump, thump, thump!

And so, I swiftly traversed the dark dungeon. Of course, there were no problems since I had memorized the path and scale, and before long, I discovered the radiance of the paladins.

—Kuaaaaak!
—Kuoong!
—Kuooooooo!!

Judging from the sounds, a battle was in full swing.
I immediately headed there.

“Holy Enchant!!”
“Verdeeeeeeeeeee!!”
“We must attack together! Three of us enter at once!!”

Arriving, I saw that a battle was already raging.

—Kuooooooo!!

Groups of six elderly paladins were shouting and fighting Minotaurs. The corridor wasn’t very wide, so they couldn’t take advantage of a coordinated attack, and it seemed like they were being pushed back.

The Minotaur was showcasing martial arts, blocking the paladins’ sword strikes with its fists, retreating quickly, and then shooting out its fists again, defending its flanks as it fought.

Certainly, its size, arm thickness, and length seemed to make it specialized for fighting in corridors.

“I’ll provide support!!!”

I shouted and kicked off the ground, heading to the scene.

“P-Paladin?! What about your position!!!”
“I already caught one and went up, and now I’m coming back down! It seemed like support was needed!!!”
“You caught that—”

—Kwaang!!!

Before I could even hear a response, I kicked off the ground intensely and flew towards the Minotaur. The quick-witted paladins immediately dodged, and I extended my sword tip, unleashing sword energy with the intention of piercing the monster completely.

—Kwaang!!!

A deafening sound.

The Minotaur, noticing me, nimbly punched out towards my sword tip. I had tried using sword energy as a test, but as expected, it wasn’t Sword Flame, so the fist didn’t get pierced. Pure sword energy alone wouldn’t work because of the aura.

—Chaak!

Anyway, I immediately landed and retrieved my sword.
At that moment.

—Swaeeeeeeeek!!!

The monster shot out its other fist, launching a counterattack.
It was a very agile and cunning strike for a face filled with rage.

But.

—Swoosh.

I immediately took a step forward diagonally to evade the attack, and then grabbed the forearm that was exposed in front of me with the Wilderness Blood Jade Hand.

“Wilderness Blood Jade Hand.”

—Kkwak.

Grasping strongly with inhuman grip strength, the monster’s muscles were crushed.

“Ku, kuo…!”

As I pulled strongly, the monster, unable to withstand my strength, began to be dragged forward as if it were advancing.

“Now’s the time!!”
“Uooooooo!!”
“Verde hooray!!”

At that moment, the paladins all kicked off the ground and charged forward. As expected, they were quick to seize the opportunity and attack. Sticking to the Minotaur, whose one arm was grabbed by me, they unleashed a frenzy of sword strikes.

—Chwajajajajak!!

With inhuman sword skills, the Minotaur instantly turned into beef tartare.

Still, when they seized the opportunity, the finishing was quick.

“Uoooooooot!!! We have defeated an ancient demon!!!
“Hooray!!! Verde hooray!!”
“Verdeeeeeee!!”

The paladins shouted.

“Amazing skill! To grab its wrist right away!!”
“It would have been very difficult to catch without the Paladin…!”
“Kuh… There were even those who were injured because they couldn’t withstand the offensive! Of course, we healed them right away, but for a demon to fight like that even against us…! Thank you for helping!”

The paladins, along with Vice Commander Jeynont, expressed their gratitude to me. I decided to listen with pleasure. It was a fact that I was an amazing powerhouse.

I explained the details of the incident to them again, and then, pointing to the darkness, I said.

“It seems there are more of these guys underground.”
“It seems that way since the Paladin also discovered them!!”
“There are many of these monsters…!”
“What on earth is down there!!”

It seemed that everyone’s thoughts were the same, and they were also worried about it.

“Let’s recover the bodies and retreat for now!!!”

And so, we recovered the bodies and retreated again.

While retreating, I pondered the identity of the Minotaur.

The Demon Realm, the Demon Realm… It wasn’t a very pleasant echo.