The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (34)
“If he’s a High-Ranking Demon, he’d be nobility of at least baronial rank even in the Demon Realm. But this Cain fellow—even if he did defeat Dimitrion—claims to have fought and won against a High-Ranking Demon. Does that make any sense to you right now?”
“Cain overwhelmingly defeated me. He is a Master Grade powerhouse who has surpassed Expert Grade, Highest Tier, so it’s only natural he could defeat a High-Ranking Demon.”
“What! A Master Grade powerhouse! Ha, has Dimitrion ever encountered a Master Grade powerhouse before?”
“Only Cain.”
“Do you know why there aren’t any others? Because our Kingdom has no Master Grade powerhouses to meet. How can someone who’s never even encountered a Master Grade presumptively declare that their opponent is one?”
“The gap between myself and Cain is so vast that I can only conclude he is Master Grade.”
“Then does this Cain use any of the techniques known to public Master Grade practitioners? From what your son told me, he said he’d never seen such techniques.”
At Baron Dapharon’s question, Dimitrion found himself faltering mid-breath.
“He certainly appears to be Master Grade… but it’s true, I’ve never witnessed the techniques that Masters are said to employ.”
“Then he isn’t a Master. You’ve simply mistaken an Expert Grade, Highest Tier practitioner for a Master.”
“But he’s far too strong to be merely Expert Grade, Highest Tier.”
“If Expert Grade, Mid-Tier knights were asked how powerful you are, don’t you think they’d answer much the same way?”
“That… that’s…”
Dimitrion could not bring himself to deny it. The Baron then continued.
“This Cain could be a High-Ranking Demon, or perhaps even a Mid-Ranking one. In any case, he fought a demon and won, and the creature fled back to its homeland. That hardly qualifies as a report for the Count. Besides, how many demons have been hiding in the human realm since the Great War three hundred years ago? This is simply one such demon who has taken refuge in the Kingdom.”
“But even a Mid-Ranking Demon is an extraordinarily dangerous creature. We should prepare in advance to minimize casualties.”
“Prepare how? We only know that the demon has fled to its homeland—we don’t know where it’s hidden itself. It’s clearly burrowed away like a rat somewhere. How do you propose we find it?”
“We could inform the various Religious Orders that a High-Ranking Demon has taken refuge in the Kingdom and issue a Royal Decree to all territories, commanding them to report any suspects or signs of demonic activity. It shouldn’t take long to locate it that way.”
“The Religious Orders? Those sluggards won’t lift a finger without solid material evidence. And a Royal Decree? Over something like this? Do you really think His Majesty would heed your words and issue a Royal Decree to every lord in the realm?”
Upon hearing the Baron’s words, Dimitrion felt all strength drain from his shoulders at once.
“It seems… unlikely that His Majesty would listen to me.”
“Now do you understand how absurd your demands have been?”
“I… suppose you’re right.”
Watching the Baron’s reaction and those of the people around him, Dimitrion realized there was nothing more he could accomplish alone.
‘In the end, we’ll only be shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.’
“By the way, I’d like to recover my share of the mining operations from this Cain. How might I meet with him?”
“Baron Jabedra possesses a Communication Device through which he can contact Cain. I suggest you reach out to him.”
* * *
‘What? Demon Energy? Far stronger than a Variant Monster’s! Could it be a Demon Beast?’
Jang Ga-in had summoned Saber Tiger to bring the items they’d looted from the demon’s warehouse to a merchant-mage to sell when he caught sight of a life force radiating powerful Demon Energy approaching at great speed. His eyes narrowed.
“Only days after driving the demon away, and now a Demon Beast? Has a Demon Gate opened nearby?”
Drawing the sword at his waist, Jang Ga-in was startled when Saber Tiger emerged moments later, pushing through the undergrowth, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Wait—Saber, what in the world did you eat to reek of Demon Energy like this? And when did you get so… massive?”
Jang Ga-in studied Saber Tiger, then glanced in the direction from which the beast had come.
Heading that way would lead to the forest where, just days ago, he had slain countless Variant Monsters and battled the demon.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been gorging yourself on those Variant Monsters while you were gone?”
Judging by the belly protruding like a tadpole’s, it seemed Saber hadn’t merely been cracking open and eating Cores.
“If you keep this up, you’ll become a Variant yourself.”
As Jang Ga-in sheathed the sword he’d drawn, Saber Tiger padded over and wagged his tail.
“Ugh! The stench of blood is overwhelming. This won’t do. Let’s get you cleaned up first.”
Gripping Saber Tiger’s ear, Jang Ga-in began heading toward the Valley when Eldom came rushing toward them from a distance.
“Cain, I told the girls I’d be gone for a few days. Whoa! Saber! What in the world happened to you?”
Eldom stopped short, startled at the sight of Saber Tiger.
“Eldom, it appears Saber has been continually consuming the Variant Monsters I killed in that forest where the demon was hiding.”
“Ah, so that explains the reek of blood. But even if he’s been eating Variant Monsters, there’s no way he should have grown this much—he looks easily twice as large as before.”
“His size grew because he ate so much, certainly. The real issue isn’t the size—it’s that the Demon Energy has increased immeasurably, as though he’s consumed all the Cores. It’s nothing like before.”
Splash.
Grrrrgh…
Watching Jang Ga-in dunking Saber Tiger into the stream by the ear, Eldom felt a dry lump form in his throat.
He knew from past experience that when they washed Saber this way, his whole body would submerge. But now, only half of him disappeared beneath the water.
‘If I’d stumbled across Saber in the woods without knowing who he was, my legs would have given out and I couldn’t have breathed.’
In front of Jang Ga-in, he whimpered like a puppy, but that massive frame and the subtle pressure he emanated now far exceeded the ogre they called the forest’s king.
‘If he stood on his hind legs, his head would reach about the same height as that ogre Cain caught before.’
Eldom channeled the Wind Spirit’s power to create a powerful torrent, directing it toward Saber Tiger. Blood matted in his fur rinsed away easily.
“Normally when a common monster becomes Tainted by Demon Energy and becomes a Variant, it develops ferocity it didn’t have before. But seeing how calmly he endures such a powerful stream, I don’t think you need to worry.”
“He’s calm now, but with his Demon Energy this strong, won’t he eventually become violent and feral?”
“For him to turn violent, it would happen now, when his Demon Energy is at its peak. Later, he’ll simply digest and absorb the Demon Energy, lessening the side effects.”
“Is that so? Wait—hold on, Eldom.”
At that moment, Jang Ga-in suddenly stopped Eldom’s actions.
“Pardon? Why do you say that?”
“Saber Tiger’s Demon Energy is being neutralized right now!”
“What? That can’t be. I don’t feel much difference myself.”
“The Demon Energy in the area where Eldom’s water struck is being primarily neutralized… Oh! Now that I think about it, that stream of water was created by commanding wind spirits. I see now—Eldom’s Spirit Power is neutralizing the Demon Energy.”
“Ah, that could very well be. Nearly all Spirit Power except Demon Spirit is hostile to Demon Energy. Since you possess Spirit Power as well, you should be able to neutralize Saber Tiger’s energy the same way I do.”
“Is that so?”
Cain listened to Eldom’s explanation, then summoned wind using the Wind Control Art and guided the water stream to wash over Saber Tiger’s body.
The Demon Energy saturating Saber Tiger’s form neutralized at a rapid pace.
Cain pressed ahead, driving Spirit Power he had converted into energy directly into Saber Tiger’s body.
The Demon Energy within Saber Tiger’s body began to dilute quickly.
“Ah, it neutralizes so easily. The Demon Energy of High-Ranking Demons seemed far more difficult to work with.”
“That’s likely because it’s already been diluted once through a Variant Monster’s body, making it easier to neutralize.”
While neutralizing Saber Tiger’s Demon Energy, Cain felt light emanating from the pouch at his waist and drew out the Communication Device inside.
“Eldom, this is a transmission from Baron Jabedra, isn’t it?”
“Since it’s the Communication Device Baron Jabedra gave us, it must be.”
―Cain. It’s Baron Jabedra here.
“Yes, Baron. I was actually about to contact you—good timing that you reached out first.”
―You were trying to contact me? What for?”
“I raided a High-Ranking Demon’s storehouse not long ago. I’m looking to sell those items to a mage, and I wanted to know if there are any mages in your territory or nearby lands with enough wealth to purchase magical goods.”
―Raided a High-Ranking Demon’s storehouse, you say? Were there Demons in the forest?”
“Yes. I was hunting Variant Monsters when a High-Ranking Demon suddenly appeared. I tried to kill it as well, but it wounded me and fled. After treating my wounds and tracking it down, I discovered its lair and storehouse, then took everything of value.”
―A High-Ranking Demon capable of wounding you must be formidable indeed. A storehouse of that caliber would contain considerable treasures.”
“Yes. I brought the items back and asked the village elders about them. They said I could receive a substantial sum if I sold them to a mage.”
―As it happens, there is a mage, Laila, in Baron Dapharon’s territory. She would be capable of purchasing your goods.”
“Ah, truly? That works out well. Then I should head to Baron Dapharon’s territory.”
―I contacted you partly because Baron Dapharon has been looking for you regarding a matter of mining rights, so this is convenient timing.”
“Mining rights? I defeated Dimitrion, so does he think I need someone stronger? Or has he prepared the Knights Order?”
―Not the Knights Order. It seems he has connections with Count Johansen, so he brought Count Johansen’s Knights Commander, Leodoson, and his mage Laila to face you.”
“Ah, the mage you mentioned just now in Baron Dapharon’s territory—is she Laila?”
―The very same. Apparently those two are meant to stand against you.”
“If she’s a mage in a count’s service, she’ll have considerable wealth. That’s fortunate.”
―Selling your goods is a secondary matter, but if you go to Dapharon Territory now, you’ll have to face those two. Doesn’t that concern you?”
“Is Laila known to be a mage of great skill?”
―Publicly, she’s known to have reached four-star status as a mage. At that level, in anything but close combat, she’d be a match for Dimitrion or Leodoson.”
“If it’s close combat, the outcome would differ?”
―Mages are naturally weak in close quarters, so the result would be different.”
“Then there’s little reason to worry.”
―I’m not concerned about your ability, but when a mage and knight combine their strength, there can be tremendous synergistic effects. You should be cautious of that.”
“Has it become known what school of magic Laila practices?”
―She’s known as a Fire Magic practitioner, though she likely carries Scrolls for other spells and probably wears Runic Armor.”
“Ah, I’ll need to account for those factors in our engagement. Understood.”
Cain had personally used the Scrolls created by the High-Ranking Demon, so rather than fear, he felt a spark of competitive spirit. At the very least, he didn’t think the fight would be as dull as his encounter with Dimitrion.
―Then when do you intend to depart for Baron Dapharon’s territory?”
“I’ll leave shortly.”
―Even so, you won’t arrive before two days hence.”
“No, I expect to arrive this afternoon.”
―Hm? What are you saying? Even on horseback, it would take two days.”
“My Saber Tiger runs faster than a horse.”
―Faster or not, arriving this afternoon is impossible. Unless Saber Tiger has wings, there’s no way.”
“My Saber Tiger can do it.”
―…….
“So please inform Baron Dapharon that I’ll arrive this afternoon.”
―Are you truly capable of making it by this afternoon? Even so, wouldn’t it be safer to say tomorrow?”
“Then tell him I’ll visit first thing tomorrow morning.”
―Very well. I’ll relay that.”
“Ah, and one more thing—lately Saber Tiger has been eating things he shouldn’t, so if I leave him behind, he’s likely to cause trouble. When I go to meet Baron Dapharon, I plan to bring Saber Tiger through the gates with me.”
―Understood. I’ll mention that as well.”
“Then I’ll head to Baron Dapharon’s territory, settle the matter of the mining rights conclusively, and contact you again.”
―I hope for a favorable outcome.”
“Yes.”
Cain finished the call and turned his gaze to Saber Tiger.
Though the creature’s bulk had nearly doubled in the past few days, its power had grown manifold.
“There’s no monster in this region that could stand against you now. Even if Variant Monsters came in a swarm, they wouldn’t be a match for you.”
Having grown proficient in the combat techniques taught to the Demon Cult’s war beasts, it seemed there was little left to fear—nothing short of a High-Ranking Demon of the caliber he’d faced before.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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