SWNOVELXO Chapter 512
Chapter 512: The Genius Race
[Last Episode Recap]
Valentius, who had been anxiously waiting in the village, believed in the words of the Vampire Hunter Alexander, who boasted that he would quickly dispose of the vampire hidden underground. He was informed by Alexander and his party that the vampire had already been exterminated.
However, they presented no evidence, including the vampire’s ashes, and wouldn’t explain how the extermination was carried out.
Was the vampire truly exterminated? Valentius felt uneasy with the lack of convincing materials to reassure the villagers, but with the gratitude of being saved by Orderju and Lily, he decided to trust Alexander and the others unconditionally. He resolved to assure the villagers based on his noble honor.
—
Orderju: “I guarantee that all the vampires in this region have been exterminated in the name of Orderju El Der Tiyur.”
Valentius: (What! El Der Tiyur… the eight great clans of Forest Elves! They might even be former members of the Holy Great Tree Alliance Council… A mere country bumpkin noble like me shouldn’t be talking directly to such individuals…!)
Alexander: “For some reason, Valentius seemed quite flustered.” ← Demon Lord’s Prince
Orderju: “Indeed.” ← Former Holy Great Tree Alliance Council Member
Liliana: “Wow!” ← Candidate for Queen
—
With that, Alexander, the rookie Vampire Hunter, said goodbye to Valentius and hurried to the next vampire hotspot.
“Uooohhhh, vampire!!!”
“Wait for me! I’m coming right now!”
“I’ll crush you!!!”
“Kieeeeeeah!!!”
Bishop Lexar and the other Vampire Hunters, despite just having a wild rampage, were bursting with energy.
Thanks to Odigos’ guidance, the direction of the nearest vampire was already known. There was no time to rest after hunting just a few!
With Layla leading at a manageable pace—
“Oh, wait, if we go this way, we’ll stray from the main road.”
“It seems so.”
After a while, following Odigos’ guidance, they reached a large curve in the road. Well, going straight for the shortest distance would lead to this kind of situation.
However, there are three higher-level Forest Elves among them. As they stepped into the lush forest, the trees seemed to twist and bow, creating a path on their own—it was an impressive sight.
“Yeah, if it’s going to be like this, these people, the Forest Elves, won’t need to cut down any trees.”
It wouldn’t be the same for other races. Well, it seems ordinary Forest Elves wouldn’t get to this level…
Their mobility was enhanced by the guiding ability, so even as they traversed the pathless terrain, they felt no strain on their legs. Thanks to Odigos… I remembered when I entered the Demon World, he helped me reach Antendeixis’ palace. Conversely, the journey back, without the guidance, took forever and was exhausting.
“Whoa, the tree roots!”
“Watch out! Are you alright?”
“Ah, thank you, Liliana…”
Despite all the support, Layla, in her human form, was having a tough time with the soft leaf litter. Each time she nearly tripped over jutting roots, she was saved by Liliana or Helena.
“Ugh…”
Every now and then she would look up at the dappled sunlight above with a resentful expression, probably thinking, (If only I could fly, this would take a second…) I completely understood her feelings. With a forest like this, it should only take a few seconds to break through.
Still, as they struggled on, the density of the trees gradually decreased. The ground changed to solid earth that they could step firmly on, and what appeared before them was—
“A mountain.”
“It’s a mountain indeed.”
As I stopped and gazed up at the rocky mountain ahead, Orderju solemnly nodded in agreement. It wasn’t too large, but certainly not small either, with mountains stretching continuously from east to west.
“Going around…… seems difficult.”
It might seem a bit far to go way around the mountain range, even accounting for their quick running. Therefore, it would seem the best shortcut was to cross the area between the mountains before them—where the ridgeline dipped, the saddle, as they say.
“Wait… are we really going to cross this…?!”
With a shocked expression, Layla looked back and forth between me and the mountain. Given that Layla was struggling even with the uneven ground of the forest, crossing this might be a bit harsh.
“Odigos, where’s the nearest vampire?”
“This way.”
In response to Liliana’s question, Odigos suddenly fell over toward the rocky mountain.
So merciless…!
“Unfortunately, the optimal path isn’t necessarily a comfortable one.”
Transforming back from a staff to his tailcoat form, he shrugged casually and then mimicked the appearance of a staff again. Layla gazed into the distant sky… an endless blue sky…
“Layla, should I carry you?”
Feeling rejuvenated, my adult body was ready for anything! If Orderju helps with some of the burdens, I could easily carry Layla.
“C-carry…! No, but…!”
Layla grit her teeth at my words.
Hehehe, she’s swaying. If there’s a chance, she wants to be close to me, but she doesn’t want to drag me down or show any weak sides… such an expression!
Antendeixis suppressed a chuckle.
“I’ve relied on you for long-distance travels all the time, so why not reverse it and have me carry you for once?”
To keep her from worrying too much, I joked. “Well, I have ridden on your back many times during the journey…”
Okay, that’s a little noisy.
It was true I depended on Layla during travels, and she had saved my life countless times, even taking on my poisoning symptoms recently. I wanted to repay her as much as I could.
“No! I’m fine! I’ll do my best to manage as much as I can!”
But contrary to my expectations, Layla shook off her internal conflict and declared firmly.
Yet she looked up at the rocky mountain again, about to crumble under the pressure.
“I’ll do my best, but if I become too slow and it becomes a nuisance, or if it’s impossible, then please help me…!!”
—And so, we took on the mountain.
“Oh, this part has a nice footing and is easy to walk on!”
“This part is a bit difficult to climb. Should we sprout some vines?”
“Spring water is oozing out here. We should take a different route as it’s slippery.”
Above all, the Forest Elves were incredibly reliable! Particularly Liliana seemed unusually good at finding easy paths to walk on, possibly due to the influence of Odigos’ abilities.
“Ugh… huff…”
And Layla—literally panting but using sheer willpower to walk. Since Liliana regularly blasted away her physical fatigue, it was really a matter of mental strength. Layla’s mental strength was impressive.
However, as much as she had spirit and willpower, climbing the vines used as rope proved tough, and she hung on with both hands, her face turning red as she strained—”Sorry, this is impossible!” So, I carried her across.
Wouldn’t it have been quicker if I carried her from the start?
Either way, with such steep slopes, no one was moving particularly fast. When help is needed, it should be asked for; when something is impossible, it’s just as clear. If Layla wished to walk on her own, I respected that determination.
Besides, we share everything through 【Kizuna】 anyway.
Speaking of 【Kizuna】, I wonder how Kusemon is doing? The Bon-Déji style becoming such a hit is nice, but I hope she hasn’t been kidnapped by high-ranking demons because of its popularity. Although I’m sure Diagias won’t keep quiet about it…
With that, after crossing the mountain, we had a view of the rugged Dwarf Federation Kingdom. Forests, farmlands, cities, and mines all seemed to push for their own territories, which felt very much like a multi-racial country.
With the splendid scenery, I and Liliana felt refreshed after a good sweat! But Layla looked a little drained, saying, “Is this it after all that struggle…?,” which honestly had me fighting back laughter. Sure, the view from up high might seem less impressive.
“There’s a settlement. It might be a Beastman village.”
Helena squinted as she said this. As we went down a gentle slope, we could see wooden houses quietly lined up within the woods. The size of the houses compared to their openings seemed to align with the preferences of canine-type Beastmen.
“Odigos, which settlement is troubled by the nearest vampire?”
“Hmm… it seems to be that way over there.”
With a flap, the staff pointed to the settlement. Having figured it out made things easier.
Uoooh! People in need are asking for help!
Hurry, hurry!!
We’re going to hunt vampires!
Kieeeeeah!
It looked like we should hurry.
“Hello!”
As we raced down the slope, there was a Beastwoman drying bed sheets in the sunny spot by the forest, so I called out from a distance.
Is that a wolf Beastwoman?
It looked that way. Packing robust muscle, yet somehow feminine curves, she was quite tall. Perhaps even taller than me! Her black fur was glossy, showing she took care of it well. With her pointed nose and perked ears along with a fluffy tail… she was unmistakably a wolf Beastwoman!
“Woooon!? A traveler!? Wait, from the mountains!?”
Noticing us approach, the wolf Beastwoman double-took in surprise.
“I don’t know who you are! But it might be better not to come over here! We don’t know where the vampire might be hiding, and everyone’s on edge!”
She waved her arms in commotion.
Oh! They really seem to be in trouble!
We’ve come to help!
Leave it to us!
Kieeeeeah!
They seemed to feel our killing intent!
“Don’t worry! We’ve come from the Holy Church! We’re Vampire Hunters!”
“Whoa! Vampire Hunters!? Uoon, woof!”
But as I declared this, the wolf Beastwoman’s fur bristled, and she bolted towards the village.
Did she run away…? Could it be she’s already been turned?
N-no way. She was out in the sunlight!
“…Oh, I’m sorry! I was so excited, I left you behind!”
See? She came back immediately!
“My name is Winef! I’ll guide you to the village, so please don’t stray away! It’s dangerous!”
“I’m Alexander, a Vampire Hunter. Understood!”
After a brief exchange of introductions, we followed Winef down the forest path leading to the village.
As Winef turned her back, Helena glowed a little ball of light and hurled it to discern friend from foe. Apparently, she seemed somewhat suspicious, just like Antendeixis.
The Beastman’s village was indeed quiet, with but a handful of villagers active. Presumably, they stayed awake at night to guard against vampires.
“It’s messy, but please come inside! The village chief is here!”
Winef led us to a sizable building in the village’s center. Its semi-subterranean structure had many small adjacent rooms, which was characteristic of wolf Beastmen. They feel more secure in tighter spaces.
“Darling! Darling, wake up!”
And in the back of the house, Winef knocked on the door loudly, calling out. Darling!? She was the village chief’s wife, Winef…
“Ugh… Honey, let me sleep a little longer…”
A sleepy voice echoed from beyond the door.
“There are guests! Vampire Hunters have come!”
The sleepy look would vanish in an instant.
“Oh no! This is bad! I’m not dressed at all! Wait a moment while I get ready!”
Then he leaped from the bed, making a racket.
Does a wolf Beastman need that much preparation…?
Um… well, I thought the same.
Winef herself was dressed quite casually, just wrapped in a colorful embroidered cloth covering her nether regions. Since they have fur all over, they could go almost completely naked in summer.
It’s not unusual for male wolf Beastmen to show up in just a loincloth; the villagers I saw earlier were indeed dressed that way. Could it be the village chief wanted to properly dress up when receiving guests?
So we waited for a little while…
“Phew, finally done dressing. —Woof!?”
The door burst open, and the person who stepped out recoiled in shock.
“You startled me! I didn’t expect you to be here! Thank you for waiting!”
Bowing low, I immediately became speechless in surprise.
Despite taking so long to get dressed…
He was in just a loincloth…!!!
But that wasn’t the only oddity.
“Eh…?”
“Oh?”
“Hmmm…?”
The Forest Elf group looked puzzled too. Right? This isn’t just my imagination, right!?
First, this “wolf Beastman” standing before me—he was tiny! Ridiculously short!
Compared to Winef, who was taller than me, the difference stood out. He seemed taller than Antendeixis, but his height barely reached my chest.
Yet in contrast to his shortness, his muscular build was astonishing! It looked like a vertically flattened lump of clay that expanded horizontally, with every inch of fur stretched taut…!
Beastmen are typically muscular, but I had never seen one so much like a massive muscle block before!?
And above all—
This guy has an unusually powerful magical presence!
Indeed! Even in my current weakened and dull senses, I could faintly feel it!
This person had quite a significant amount of magical power…!
“Uh… excuse me, but you’re a Beastman, right…?”
Liliana asked hesitantly. Next to her, Helena silently projected a glowing ball of light toward the “wolf Beastman.” There was no reaction, so at least he wasn’t a vampire.
“Ah…”
The “wolf Beastman” blinked repeatedly and then suddenly adopted a serious expression.
“Well… you understand, don’t you…?”
Yeah, um… it’s clear something’s off…
“Um, I’m sorry. My darling is a little special, and—!”
“It’s fine, honey.”
He gently interrupted Winef as she was about to say more and shook his head.
“I… my heart is that of a Beastman.”
Heart “is”…?
“However, physically… I have my own shortcomings…”
The self-proclaimed “wolf Beastman” placed a hand behind his neck. A strange sound echoed as if something was coming undone, and the next moment he pulled his face sharply.
“Phew.”
Wait, his head came off!?!
No—not at all! From underneath, the face of a short, bearded man appeared…!
“Nice to meet you. I’m the village chief and honorary wolf Beastman, Mofuskin Gos Tium!”
This guy is a Dwarf!!!!!!