Chapter 5 Change of Determination!

 

Under a night sky adorned with unfamiliar stars.
I ran in a path toward the south plain.
In order to escape the villagers' chase while aiming for the royal capital.

I might be able to escape safely at this rate.
At worst, I can just use a magic to quicken my legs.
However, I can't deny the possibility of being treated like a monster instead of a person.
I won't be able to become a hero if that happens.


I run in the plain. We're already quite far from the village.
I thought the villagers wouldn't know where I was going since there was no moon, but they're going straight to where we are.
The man in the lead is riding an animal. I thought it was a horse, but it's more like a pig with long legs, accurately speaking.
That animal is chasing while sniffing around.

They're getting closer fast.
--What a troublesome creature. It's fast too, an average person can't hope to outrun it.

Although there are two pig horses now, the villagers who were chasing us on foot fell out due to exhaustion one after another.
Ooh, this situation is convenient.

I've decided.
--Alright, I'll beat the guys riding on the pig horses.
Then we'll reach the royal capital comfortably on the pig horses and return them back to the village with magic.
I've gotten tired of running too, this is just right.


My heart became lighter when I decided that.
I run in the plain toward the south aiming for the royal capital.

The villagers who are riding on the pig horses are chasing us.
They were screaming, "Stop!", "Don't run!", sometimes, but I ignored it.


When about 30 minutes have passed.
Only pig horses are chasing us now. They're only several hundred meters behind.

--It should be alright now.

I stopped and put down the baggage.
I crouch down and lay Celica on the ground.
Then I stand up with my Geta. <TLN: A type of Japanese clogs.>

And then I walk toward the coming pig horses.
My Wafuku is fluttering, my Geta rattle. <TLN: Traditional Japanese clothing.>

I can clearly see the villagers riding on the pig horses since they've come dozens of meter away in front of me.
They only have ropes and knifes, I don't see any sword nor armor.
--Lucky.
I don't have to use my Tachi. <TLN: A type of Japanese sword.>
I clench my fists and snap my fingers.


The villagers are shouting while approaching.
"You damn Sinner, prepare yourself!"
"You can't run anymore!　--Uwaa!"

One of the villagers suddenly flew in the air. He falls headlong and stops moving.
Next, the two pig horses fell on the ground successively.
The other villager got thrown out to the ground.

I reflexively shout.
"What!?"
I stare hard. Something black is moving in the dark.... An earthworm?

The villager who can't get up screams while inching back on his rear.
"I-It's a Ghoul Wooorm!"
The earthworm raised its head high. Its circumference is about as big as a tanker. It seems to be around 30 meter long. The round mouth at the tip of its head have sharp knife-like teeth lined up.

I squint and glare. --<<Truth Sight>>.
--------------------
【Status】
Name: Ghoul Worm
Element: 【Earth】 【Darkness】

Attack: 0300
Defense: 0400
Vitality: 3000
Self-Regeneration: 1000

【Skills】
Swallow: Swallow an enemy whole
Pulverize: Hide and pulverize rock and armor
Bend Over: Crush with body. Ranged attack.
--------------------

It's not only strong, it can even recover itself on top of being sturdy.
Quite troublesome.
--Well, it's like konjac before me though.


I draw the Tachi on my waist while running.

The Ghoul Worm thrusts its head at the fallen villager. 【Swallow】 huh!
"Uwaaaa!"
The villager is at his wits' end, his eyes are closed.

"Deyaaa!"
I swung my Tachi diagonally.
One slash--!

Zwan!

The cut Ghoul Worm's head flies.
The Ghoul Worm's head flew to the other side from the impact, its body was blown backward.


The villager opens his eyes in surprise.
"W-what're you doing, that can't defeat it!"
"What!?"

When I turned around, the Ghoul Worm's body had just risen. Bubbling black meat cover the wound, swelling up.
Its head regenerated in a blink of an eye.

Furthermore, the cut head which flew to the other side regenerated its own body.
Tremendous regenerative power. It was not recovery huh.
Moreover, I don't feel magic power. It seems to be its normal regenerative power as a creature. Impossible.


"This isn't at the level of regeneration anymore.... How do other people defeat it?"
"Fire, with fire! You've to burn it with fire magic!"
"I see."
I hold my Tachi at the same level of my eyes'.

The villager shout out when he sees that.
"What're you doing! You can't kill it with sword--"
"Shut up for a bit... Fleeting phosphoresce abiding my name, become the long wave which recompose everything it slips through!
--<<Photon Conversion>>."
Violet light covers the Tachi.


After showing off its sharp teeth at me, the Ghoul Worm is coming.
"KISHAAAAAAA!"
"This guy barked before going."
"SHAAAA!"
The Ghoul Worm thrust its head while exhaling greatly.

"Hmph!"
I brandished my Tachi. While leaving faint light, the Ghoul Worm was sliced in two from its head to body. Violet phosphoresce scattered in the surroundings.

The villager who was watching behind is peeved.
"Sword is useless.... You've to burn it with more heat. Look."

The said Ghoul Worm trembles right after. Its meat bubbles, closing the wound--it rises again.
The villager stares in wonder.
"W-what!?"

Its meat swells with eerie bubbling sounds. It swells to be like a mountain, and its body that was normal is turning into a lump of meat.
"kisheeee....."
The Ghoul Worm twists its body.
Its obviously huge meat head bulged, and then it stopped moving.
The mountain of lump of black meat in the plain is disappearing while letting out mist like it's evaporating.


The villager asks while trembling.
"Y-you. What did you do...?"
"What. It's tumor. Its self-regeneration power was too high, so I just chipped its gene a little."
"Tu-tumor?"
"Well, it's like an endless regeneration of flesh, turning even brain and nerves into meat, can you understand that?"
To be more exact, I just bathed it in ultraviolet light. It's not effective against normal creature, but it was the correct answer against such regenerative power.

"....I don't really understand, but yer' awesome!--a!"
The villager shifted his attention to the opposite side. The Ghoul Worm which regenerated from its head had begun to move.
Crawling on the ground.

"Guess I'd better take care of that one too."
I briskly approached it and killed it like the other one.


Then I came back to the villager who had pulled himself together. The other villager is still unconscious.
"Now then. I've saved your life. Understand?"
"Y-yea."
"Of course you also understand my strength right?"
"O-of course."
The villager is rubbing his hands while laughing flippantly.

--Uwaa. This guy definitely cannot be trusted.

He'd probably go back and chattered everything that would be disadvantageous for me.
Yet, I would have to kill him if he couldn't go back.
A murderer can't become a hero.


The night deepens, the grass in the plain are swaying.
Haa, I sighed and picked a twig on the ground.
Then I uproot a grass with sturdy looking stalk.
I quietly chant a spell on that stalk.
"Gentle breeze abiding my name seal the cutting blade here--<<Gale Wind Blade>>"
Then I tied the twig with the stalk.

I push it before the villager.
"Try taking off the grass on this twig."
"Hee.... Uwah!"
A gale was produced the moment he untied the grass, and then the twig got cut.

I pull another grass.
With a friendly grin on my face, I take the villager's arm.
The villager who was dumbfounded had a cramp on his face.
"O-oy, don't tell me!"
During the moment he was trying to run, I tied the grass's stalk on the man's wrist.

The villager's face warps like he's about to cry.
"Uwaaaaa! What have you done!"


I put my hands on the man's shoulders and persuade him.
"The moment it's cut, untied, and you say something disadvantageous for me, it will tear. That's it."
"Wha-what do you want me to dooo.....!"
"You don't need to do anything. You can just go back. But tell the village mayor this, "The Sinner and the man were swallowed by a Ghoul Worm. I escaped with my life cause the worm chased after the fleeing pig horse." me and the Sinner are dead okay."
"O-okay, but what is pig horse?"
"Ah, the animals you guys rode on."
"You mean Bu Horse."
"That's the one. I'll be borrowing one Bu Horse since you got two. They'll know you're lying if you bring it with you. I'll send it back later, you have nothing to lose."
"Okay."
The man nods docilely.
--Alright, with this we got ourselves safety and a mean of transport.

I confirm once again.
"Now then, what should you say again? Try to repeat. Otherwise your wrist--"
"I-I'm talking! The man and the Sinner were swallowed by a Ghoul Worm. We were saved cause it was going for the Bu Horse afterward. That's good enough right? ....When will you take this grass off?"

I speak while stroking my chin.
"I will take the test and become a hero. After that I'll have to give my thanks to the village. In about a month."
"Y-you're going to be a hero huh.... Well, that'll probably happen."
The villager said that after glancing at the Ghoul Worm that had disappeared into mist.


For the time being, I'll tell him a lie.
"Actually, that Sinner. Became a Sinner by mistake."
"Eh?"
"We're going to the royal capital in order to correct that too."
"Is such a thing possible."
"It's by human. Everyone makes mistakes."
"I-I see...."
The villager nodded in thought.
Looks like he's thinking how advantageous it would be if he cooperated with me.

Then he looks up at me and speaks.
"Alright. I'll cooperate with you. I'm Balley. You can believe me."
"Really. Balley. Thanks. I'll go see you once I become a hero. Don't tear off the grass until then."
"Yea, I know."

Afterward, Balley put the fainted man on one of the Bu Horses and returned.
Well, since I didn't put the spell on the one on his wrist, it'd be alright even if he untied it.
I had to make an insurance in this another world where Celica is my only ally.


"Now then."
I go back to Celica who's laying on the plain.
Even with the intense battle, she's sleeping so peacefully like it doesn't concern her at all.

Haaa, I let out a long sigh.
--I'll probably go through the same thing again if I bring her with me.
But, "Please save me. I still want to live", was Celica's wish, I vowed to grant that and I had to protect that vow as a god. This has become troublesome.
Or rather, it's strange that her Sinner status wasn't found out until she was this old.


Putting that aside, what should I do.
Should I erase the Sinner status? But y'know.
Unlike 【Abnormal Status】 such as Gene Remodeling, 【Changing】 something that has been ascribed would incur opposition from the Gods of this world.
It's fine as long it doesn't get found out, but if possible I want to avoid it.

In the first place, Celica's face and name might be already known by the state.
According to what I've heard, when one becomes a hero, they can choose what to do with a Sinner on their discretion.

Then, maybe I should disguise her until then?

I look at Celica.
Red skirt and white coat. Doll-like slender limbs. Her big breasts are moving up and down.
Long eyelashes, gentle cheeks. Wavy blond hair, and white skin that looks like it's shining in the darkness of the night.
....She's beautiful. It'll be a waste to hide her.
Besides, Celica looks the brightest to me when she's behaving naturally. I want her to be free.


--No choice but to do it huh.
Gods of this world, I bear all the sin.
That's why, please don't punish her.

I kneel on one knee besides the lying Celica in the plain. I put my hand on her outstanding forehead. I put my other hand directly on her body from the gap on her clothes.
The unbelievable softness of the big breast and warm body temperature are transmitted on my hand.

"--<<Truth Sight>>"

I call forth Celica's status.
And then I tamper it while grabbing the big breast.
--------------------
【Status】
Name: Celica Elde [Rem Adelstein]
Gender: Female
Age: 17 years old
Race: Human
Job: Merchant [(====)]
Class: Knight Lv 5 [===== Lv 17]
Element: 【Water】 [Light]
--------------------

Modification, complete.
Celica is still sleeping as peacefully as ever even though her delicate body was groped.

By the way, I've made it so that the content inside [] can only be seen by me.
It'll be bad if I make a mistake when I restore after becoming a hero.
But well, with this much alteration, I can't make any excuse to the god of this world if they find this out.
They will certainly kill me.

--Fine by me, I've already decided.

I will definitely protect Celica.
Cause everything should go well as long as I become a hero--!


I put our baggage on the Bu Horse, and sat on the saddle with Celica in my arms.
She felt soft and very light in my arms.
Right at that moment, wind blows through, fluttering her hair while swaying the plain grass.

I advance slowly towards the royal capital.




















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