The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 47

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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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The Strongest in Our District (47)
“Lady Laila, the sun will set soon. As you know, Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters grow stronger after dark…… Don’t you think it’s time we closed the Gate?”
Bolgard, the Spirit Magic user of the earth, gazed at the crimson-stained sky with worry etched across his face, and Laila’s expression turned incredulous.
“Close the Gate while Lord Cain hasn’t returned yet? If we close it, he might never make it back. How can you say such a thing?”
“Lord Cain has been inside the Gate for over three hours now. No matter how strong he is, he can’t survive alone in the Demon Realm for three hours.”
“You’re thinking that way because you haven’t truly seen Lord Cain’s strength. Macthor Darwin, what do you think? Do you believe Lord Cain is dead in the Demon Realm?”
“Honestly, three hours would be difficult for even a Master-class powerhouse to endure, but when I recall the battle between Lord Cain and the Demon guarding the Gate’s entrance, I don’t believe he’d die to Demon Monsters or Demon Beasts.”
When Macthor Darwin sided with Laila, Bolgard looked at the Priest and the priestesses with an uneasy gaze.
“What do you Priests think? The sun is about to set—is it truly safe to leave the Gate open?”
The Priests exchanged somewhat complicated expressions, and one of them finally spoke.
“Logically, it would be better to close it, but I have one concern.”
“What troubles you?”
“Shouldn’t Demon Monsters and Demon Beasts have poured out of the Gate by now?”
“That’s exactly why I’m more anxious. If they come flooding out after sunset, we may not have enough forces to handle them.”
“In my opinion, Lord Cain is doing something in the Demon Realm that’s preventing Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters from crossing the Gate. He’s a powerful warrior who could even make high-ranking Demons flee, after all.”
“W-well, that may be true, but we should also consider the possibility that it isn’t.”
“Either way, as long as Demon Monsters and Demon Beasts aren’t crossing over, it seems best to wait a bit longer.”
“You’re being far too optimistic……”
Suddenly.
The Gate trembled, and then Cain burst through it.
“Ah! C-Cain!”
Everyone’s jaws dropped as they saw Cain, drenched in Demon Monster blood and flesh, dragging out the massive corpse of a high-ranking Demon.
This was clearly the high-ranking Demon that had been guarding the Gate’s entrance moments before.
“Lord Cain, you’ve captured the Demon that fled after all.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Are you wounded anywhere? We’ve been deeply worried since you didn’t emerge for hours.”
“As you can see, I’m fine. But Lady Laila, do Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters fetch a price too?”
Laila’s expression turned puzzled at Cain’s unexpected question.
“Pardon? Ah, yes. They’re not worth as much as Demons, but they do sell for far more than ordinary monsters.”
“Good, that works out well. I’ve captured several hundred Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters beyond the Gate. Deputy Knight Commander, would it be possible to borrow some soldiers to move them?”
Everyone’s eyes widened at Cain’s words.
“Several hundred Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters?”
“Yes. After I defeated this Demon and was heading back through the Gate, suddenly hordes of Demon Monsters and Demon Beasts rushed at me. I had to kill them all, which is why I’m returning late.”
“In the Demon Realm, Demon Monsters and Demon Beasts are stronger than ordinary monsters…… and you killed all of them!”
The Deputy Knight Commander couldn’t believe it. Normally in such a situation, wouldn’t one need to flee for survival rather than fight?
“They did rush at me in masses, but it was only roughly three hundred of them, so I could handle it.”
Cain recalled his own combat prowess in the Demon Realm and smiled bitterly to himself.
‘In the Demon Realm, my inner power flowed like an inexhaustible spring thanks to the Demonic Energy, but now that I’ve crossed the Gate, it’s dropped significantly.’
Inside the Demon Realm, he had been more than twice as powerful, which was how he managed to slay so many Demon Monsters and Demon Beasts.
Just then, a Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger came charging toward them from the distance.
“Gasp! A G-Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger!”
“A Saber-Toothed Tiger! All of you, prepare for combat!”
“Wait, please. That Saber-Toothed Tiger is my pet.”
As the Deputy Knight Commander shouted his orders in alarm, Cain quickly stopped him.
“What? That Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger is Lord Cain’s pet?”
“Yes.”
Then Laila spoke up.
“That’s right. This Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger is a monster Lord Cain has Tamed. So you can rest assured.”
“You Tamed a Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger? Can a Supreme-grade monster even be Tamed?”
“Lord Cain’s abilities exceed what you can imagine, Deputy Knight Commander.”
“I-is that so?”
The Deputy Knight Commander and the knights wore disbelieving expressions, but they didn’t attack the Saber-Toothed Tiger.
Growwwwl…….
Moments later, the Saber-Toothed Tiger approached Cain, wagged its tail, and lay flat on the ground. The eyes of the doubters went wide.
“Wow! He really did Tame the Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger!”
“With Master-class combat power and now commanding a Giant Saber-Toothed Tiger—just how strong is he?”
While the knights murmured among themselves, Cain stroked the beast’s head.
“Were you worried because I didn’t call for you as night fell?”
Growwwwl…….
“You’re smarter than most spirit beasts. As it happens, I need to haul the corpses of Demon Monsters and Demon Beasts from beyond the Gate, and this timing is perfect. Lady Laila.”
“Yes.”
“Does this Demon’s corpse also fetch ten thousand gold?”
As Cain pointed to Jakfrey’s body, Laila tilted her head thoughtfully.
She examined the corpse for a moment, then shook her head.
“After measuring the Demonic Energy dwelling in the body, it’s Baron-class. Baron-class fetches a thousand gold at best.”
“What? A thousand gold instead of ten thousand? I did think it seemed rather weak… but even if it is Baron-class, isn’t that being a bit too harsh?”
“Baron-class Demons are captured frequently enough that they’re not particularly rare.”
“Is that so? Well, then there’s nothing for it.”
Laila watched Cain’s face fall and cocked her head curiously.
“Cain, I myself am fond of money, but watching you, it seems you’re particularly fixated on it. Is there some special reason?”
At Laila’s question, Cain gave a slight shrug.
“The more money, the better.”
“It seems like there’s more to it than that alone.”
“Living in the forest as I have, I’ve seen the minority tribes and slash-and-burn farmers living such pitiful lives. They venture out to hunt and get killed by monsters, they’re kidnapped by mercenaries and sold into slavery, their harvests are stolen by bandits, and when winter comes they starve for lack of food. There are many other hardships too difficult to speak of.”
“Well, that’s how most slash-and-burn farmers live.”
“The Druid Tribe and Dverberg Tribe have their own strength and protect themselves, but those slash-and-burn farmers without such means suffer terribly. I thought this would be a good opportunity to earn money and share some food and weapons with them.”
Upon hearing Cain’s words, Laila wore a peculiar expression.
“There’s a saying that poverty is something even a nation cannot redeem, and you mean to do so?”
“How could I redeem what even a nation cannot? But those living in the forest cross my sight, so I can grasp them easily, and when I do, it becomes considerable sums. That’s why I hunt Demons.”
“Cain, you have a kinder heart than your appearance suggests.”
“I’m not kind. I won’t spend all the money earned from selling Demons on food and weapons. I’ll use only a portion that way, and the rest for myself.”
“Using even a portion is kindness.”
* * *
“This… this makes no sense…”
Macthor Darwin had been told that Cain slew hundreds of Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters, but truthfully, he hadn’t believed it.
No matter how much Master-class might one possessed, how could a single person kill hundreds of Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters? And in the Demon Realm, no less.
Yet the sight that greeted him upon crossing the Gate dispelled such doubt in an instant.
Along the path he had walked lay severed corpses.
‘That’s a Crowley, that one’s a Saxen, and… gasp! Surely not a Sandworm too!’
A Sandworm was by nature the supreme monster reigning over the Desert. Should such a creature dwell in the Demon Realm, it became a formidable mid-tier Demon Beast with serrated teeth capable of grinding stone to powder.
“Deputy Knight Commander.”
Just then, Cain called out to Macthor Darwin.
“Yes? Yes!”
Macthor Darwin found himself answering in a stiffened posture, as if addressing a superior.
“Why are you so tense?”
“I’m not tense. I’m simply startled by the sight before me, which I find difficult to accept.”
“Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters are gathering in the distance. They should arrive in roughly an hour. We’d best remove these corpses and leave as quickly as possible.”
Upon hearing this, Macthor Darwin tilted his head in confusion.
“Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters arriving in an hour? I don’t see anything… How far away are they exactly?”
“About three kilometers, but there’s Swampland in between, so it will take roughly an hour.”
“Three kilometers? You can see that far?”
“I don’t see it so much as sense it through the wind.”
“Sense it through the wind? Do you mean to say you can command wind spirits?”
“Well, I haven’t contracted with spirits yet, but I’ve learned the basics.”
“Extraordinary! What exactly can’t you do, Cain?”
“Plenty. But please, hurry the soldiers along.”
“Understood.”
Moments later, when the Deputy Knight Commander announced that Demon Beasts and Demon Monsters would arrive within the hour, the knights and soldiers began moving with urgency.
* * *
After Count Johansen consumed a Supreme-grade Potion and received Divine Power healing from High Priest Pamilaya, his eldest son Jaslan Millay asked carefully.
“Father, how are you feeling?”
“Phew! The pain has lessened considerably. Now it’s bearable!”
“High Priest Pamilaya, have you completely removed all the Demonic sorcery the Demon placed upon Father’s body?”
“I found nothing in particular to remove. Someone had already purged every last trace of Demonic Energy from the Count’s body quite thoroughly, so I merely treated his aging.”
“What? Every trace of Demonic Energy was already removed? Could it be that this Cain fellow didn’t just break the mind control but also purged the Demonic Energy?”
Jaslan Millay wondered, recalling Cain.
“So it was this Cain who removed the Demonic Energy from the Count.”
“He did break the Curse the Demon placed on Father. I didn’t know he’d also removed the Demonic Energy.”
“With the skill to break a Demon’s Curse, removing Demonic Energy would have been well within his capability.”
“I didn’t sense any Divine Power emanating from him as priests do, which strikes me as odd.”
“I sensed Spirit Power in the traces of healing. It can’t compare to the Holy Power of the divine, but Spirit Power does possess the nature to purify and heal Demonic Energy.”
“So he’s a Master-class knight who’s also trained in Spirit Magic.”
Count Johansen, who had been listening to the two of them, tilted his head in confusion.
“This Cain healed me, and the High Priestess Pamilaya healed me too, so why do I still hurt?”
At the Count’s question, High Priestess Pamilaya offered a bitter smile and spoke.
“When you were under the Demon’s spell, you didn’t feel any pain at all, did you?”
“You’re right, I didn’t. Even the chronic illness I’d suffered from for so long vanished completely.”
“It’s natural to feel pain when you’re ill. Feeling nothing was the abnormality.”
“But I was healed, so shouldn’t the pain be gone?”
“Demonic Energy is a harsh, corrupting force that the human body struggles to bear. It damages the body and clouds the mind.”
“Yet I was certainly made well.”
“That was merely the Demon using its cunning deceit to deceive your senses. In truth, the illness continued to progress.”
“So even after treatment, I’m in this much pain?”
“Yes.”
Knock-knock-knock……
At that moment, the steward’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Count, a messenger from the Gate Suppression Corps has arrived.”

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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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