"So that's it?"
Yuhran narrowed his eyes.
He had never expected that the creature capable of devouring humans through shadows would be only palm-sized. Curled up in the corner of the wall, it could even be described as… cute.
Yes—cute. After all, what's scary about a dead squid?
After waiting a moment, Yuhran took out his crossbow and fired. The bolt was deflected away. Only after confirming that the monster truly wasn't moving did he slowly approach.
He kicked it twice, then prodded it cautiously with the tip of his foot.
Once he was sure, he decisively drew the steel rod from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, cold light flashed as he thrust it straight down!
In that instant, the squid's tentacles moved.
They wrapped tightly around the steel rod.
"Damn it."
A numbing shock ran through Yuhran's palm. He cursed under his breath, twisted his waist, and kicked it away.
With a wet smack, the "squid" slammed into the wall. Its tentacles curled up in pain as it spat out two mouthfuls of black blood.
"I knew it."
Being able to use shadow-based magic didn't mean that losing its shadow meant losing its life.
That immobility earlier was probably just temporary blindness caused by the intense light.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone.
"Miliarde."
At the call, Miliarde raised her slender fingers and cast a spell.
Since she couldn't damage the surroundings, she used only a simple binding spell.
Even so, the monster couldn't escape—bound tightly by invisible strands of magical force.
Yuhran shook the steel rod in his hand, wind whistling through the air.
"What a troublesome thing. But luckily, it's just you. Goodbye."
Once it was dealt with, they could head to the nearby town. And then…
In his mind, he could already see himself using magic.
Whoosh!
Yuhran's arm muscles tensed as he thrust without hesitation.
Even without a sharpened tip, the sheer force was something no ordinary monster could withstand.
The "squid," which had just turned black and elongated, hadn't even had time to escape before being struck head-on.
Boom!
The floor was pierced clean through. Black blood splattered everywhere. The "squid" convulsed a few times, then went completely still.
Watching it die and gradually crumble into ash, Yuhran let out a long breath.
Miliarde walked up, frowning slightly.
"Did we win?"
It felt too easy to her—after all, even a veteran believer hadn't been able to deal with it.
Yuhran turned around.
"Probably. Assuming it didn't have any companions."
Miliarde pressed her lips together.
"Don't say such unlucky things. Even if it did have companions, it wouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
"Maybe." Yuhran shook his head. This time, he'd simply benefited from technological convenience.
Hopefully, next time he'd be just as lucky.
At that moment, Hal, still sitting on the floor, raised his hand as he listened to their conversation.
"Um, sir… may I take off the blindfold now?"
"No." ×2
Yuhran and Miliarde answered in unison. As she spoke, Miliarde also subtly tugged at her skirt.
She looked at Yuhran, silently asking when she could change back into her usual clothes.
It was a bit cold—the air under the skirt felt chilly.
Yuhran coughed lightly and looked away.
"In a moment. Hal, first try sensing again—see if there are any other monsters nearby."
If there were none, all the better.
If there were, seeing their companion killed should make them hesitate for a while before acting again, at least until they understood what was going on.
Seeking advantage and avoiding harm was a common trait of intelligent beings.
Hal nodded. Not knowing the full situation, he could only comply. But indeed, he sensed no trace of other monsters.
That realization made him breathe easier—and feel even more grateful to Yuhran.
Swish.
Yuhran pulled aside a coarse cloth curtain nearby, letting Miliarde change clothes inside.
It was too dark outside, shadows everywhere—best not to take risks.
At the same time, fifty kilometers away.
In a dark cave, a horned being slowly opened his eyes.
Dim firelight illuminated his jet-black pupils and pitch-black hair.
He sat up from his stone bed and closed his eyes, sensing carefully. Through a mental connection, the final image that came through was that of a gleaming steel rod and splattering black blood.
He murmured softly, his tone neither happy nor sad:
"My clone… was killed. By whom?"
"In such a remote place, there's actually someone capable of killing my clone?"
He opened his eyes and looked toward the direction of the village. In his perception, that was where the clone had died.
As a demon… no, not yet a demon, since that title was given by Flamme.
But regardless, it was precisely because revealing himself was inconvenient that he had sent out clones to hunt humans, transmitting the nutrients back to himself.
The clone carried a small portion of his consciousness and abilities, which was why it had gone unnoticed for over a decade.
And yet, today…
"Who can deal with shadows?"
Confusion flickered in his eyes. Then suddenly, his brow furrowed as he sensed a faint but ominous feeling of danger.
If someone could kill his clone, then they could kill him too…
Had the culprit already noticed his existence?
No. He couldn't sit and wait for death.
He had escaped the Demon King's Castle with great difficulty and come to this borderland just to live a peaceful life. How could he allow a fatal weakness to emerge, only to be hunted again?
With that thought, he slowly rose to his feet.
"How troublesome. I hope it's not someone hard to deal with."
But no matter how troublesome, they had to die.
The competition in the Demon King's Castle had taught him one thing: if your enemy doesn't die, one day you will.
Only by killing every being capable of threatening your life could you achieve true safety.
Rustle.
He draped a cloak over himself and set off at once to investigate.
Early the next morning, after bidding farewell to the grateful villagers,
Yuhran and Miliarde mounted their horse and headed toward the town where Hal was based.
Hal didn't follow them. To protect the villagers, he planned to stay a while longer and see if any other monsters were lurking in the shadows.
Since they were only acquaintances, Yuhran didn't insist.
However, with the goal of obtaining the Sacred Text in mind, he did get a letter of recommendation from Hal.
With that, he could join the Church.
And then…
Miliarde glanced back, her hair lifted by the morning breeze.
Watching the faint excitement on Yuhran's face, she gently shook her head, thinking:
"In the end, the Sacred Text is just a book recording legends from the Age of Myth."
"The real reason priests can use goddess magic is, fundamentally, the goddess's blessing."
"I wonder if Yuhran has that kind of aptitude."
"If he doesn't…"
If he didn't, she could already imagine the look of disappointment on his face.
Sigh. How would she comfort him then?
She didn't care much about human emotions.
But still—they were companions.
There were so many foods and wines left to taste together.
She hoped he wouldn't be too fragile.
Letting out a soft sigh, she tightened her grip on the reins and looked straight ahead.
The only thing she could offer then would probably be a hug.
She just didn't know… whether that would be enough.
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