Please be aware that this work contains mild cannibalistic expressions.
On the other hand, those characters will finally make their appearance. I was a little hesitant about whether to include them in the main story, but I decided to introduce them here, thinking that if I didn’t, they would only be featured in side stories.
It’s truly a “danger of mixing” situation. (lol)
This will be my last post of 2021 concerning this work.
I hope you all have a wonderful New Year.
[Announcements]
I’ve participated in “Hime Hajime 2022” again this year.
The title is “Purely Cultivated Miss ~The Illegal Half-Sex Doll Embraced by Mother’s Love~”.
It’s a pure love story centered on a heroine who doesn’t know her origins, focusing on her first night.
It consists of a prologue, five main chapters, and an epilogue, for a total of seven chapters. They will be released every night at midnight starting December 28th (Tuesday) at 0:00.
Please take a look if you’re interested.
While riding in a carriage on a forest road just before the town of Karamiya, the two horses stopped and surveyed their surroundings.
Then, they nudged me, asking for the harness to be removed.
As a long-time companion, I removed the harness, and in the next moment, something leaped out from the shadows of the trees lining the main road.
“Something jumped out from the forests on both sides! Everyone, be on guard!”
“Ah, is that a low-ranking demon beast, a Horned Wolf!” Swan Hilda shouted from the driver’s seat of the following carriage.
Horned Wolves are magical beasts that resemble wolves with a horn on their forehead, and they often serve as vanguards for demons, making them troublesome opponents, which is why they are called low-ranking demons.
They always travel in packs and have a habit of surrounding and hunting their prey.
Therefore, these two Horned Wolves are likely scouts or harbingers.
The two charging Horned Wolves seemed to be going for the throats of the “Black Princess” and the “White Princess.”
Although the two mares were free after the harness was removed, they would likely be killed by the escorting wolves if they tried to escape carelessly.
In the food chain, wolves, being carnivores, are higher than horses, which are herbivores.
Moreover, these aren’t just ordinary wolves; they are Horned Wolves, a lower-ranking demon beast.
The two stallions, “Assy-kun” and “Kurisky-kun,” pulling the carriage behind them, were trembling, their ears flattened and their tails drooping.
A tail tells as much as a mouth…
If I recall correctly, this was how Shera looked when she was dejected.
However, the mares, “Black Princess” and “White Princess,” silently turned their hindquarters towards the Horned Wolves.
Are they foolishly trying to protect their necks while leaving their rear exposed?
“Gauuuu!”
Saliva dripped from slightly open mouths, revealing sharp fangs as the two Horned Wolves aimed their attack.
Then, they sprang at their targets.
However, as if they had been waiting, the “Black Princess” and “White Princess” unleashed a powerful kick with their hind legs!
“Gyan!”
The two Horned Wolves, hit by a critical blow, were sent flying and slammed into the trunk of a tree.
They spat bloody foam and convulsed, but they seemed to have died instantly and stopped moving.
The “Black Princess” and “White Princess,” who initiated the battle, meekly allowed their harness to be reattached.
As the harness was being fitted, the two mares snorted proudly.
Then, they cast meaningful glances at the trembling “Assy-kun” and “Kurisky-kun.”
It’s as if… they were completely under the mares’ heels.
“Everyone, demons have attacked. Please prepare for combat.”
“Everyone! Demons are attacking! Those who can fight, get out of the carriages and prepare to intercept.”
Meanwhile, Edele and Swan Hilda alerted their companions to the demonic assault.
“Demons attacking again? How busy we are, but I can unleash my attack magic without holding back♪ I’ll make the demons my dieting sustenance♪♪”
“I have a lot of pent-up frustration. You should lament the misfortune of attacking us♪”
“This is my chance to showcase my Fire Spirit Magic! I’ve welcomed the Flame Spirit Car, so I’m in top form♪”
“Oira wa kitaisareteirunda yo~~”
“That’s irrelevant to us here, yo.”
Elise, and Shera’s transformed form, Elder Sister Shiela, and Dietlinde, among others, appeared from inside the carriage.
The Flame Spirit Car, anticipated by Dietlinde, joyfully flew around.
On the other hand, the Holy Spirit Serena seemed displeased.
Of course, all the party members were wearing masks modeled after Valkyries.
Currently, the two box carriages were stopped side-by-side.
If there were three or more, we could have created a safe zone inside the polygon formation, but… it’s no use wishing for what we don’t have.
Meanwhile, Lyushenne, Liliana, Tirna, and Alicia, who were still tired from their battle with the Undead legion, remained inside the carriages.
Lyushenne, in particular, was exhausted from the successive battles, including her one-on-one with Toria.
As we were getting into a battle-ready stance, a pack of Horned Wolves surrounded us.
As expected, they weren’t just two stray wolves, but the vanguard of a pack.
“There’s quite a number of them. Well, this is their usual tactic,” Swan Hilda spat out irritably.
“It’s about time for the demon who’s commanding them to show themselves. Still, the front lines between humans and demons are usually closer to the Eastern Nations…” Edele seemed puzzled by the appearance of demons in a place like this.
As Edele wonders, this is deep within human territory…
Could it be a stray pack from the Demon Lord Army?!
“Smells like tasty female meat—pun-pun—”
“The uterus of the most potent female is mine.”
“I look forward to cooking. Crying young females during preparation are a sign of freshness. It will test the cook’s skill.”
Emerging from behind the pack of Horned Wolves were three mid-to-high-ranking demons.
A brawny male demon, a bewitching female demon, and a lanky male demon.
Their appearances were somewhat familiar.
I have no memory of facing them in this life, so it’s likely from Lester the Cleric’s past life memories.
“To be assessed as ingredients… the worst!”
“Hal, they are—”
Swan Hilda was indignant at being appraised as ingredients, and Edele told me about them.
The trio is known as the “Wandering Dismantlers,” the worst of the worst.
Speaking of which, it’s an open secret that some demons favor human flesh.
Due to their horrifying dietary habits, it’s taboo to discuss.
Self-aware demons of mid-ranking or higher are humans who have fallen into darkness after being influenced by evil magic, so it’s akin to cannibalism. However, from the demons’ perspective, humans are like livestock such as cows and pigs, so consuming them is seen as adhering to the natural law of the jungle.
While some, like vampires, drink fresh blood, and others, like lycanthropes, devour raw meat, most demons consume processed human flesh as a delicacy.
Therefore, there is a need for cooks to supply preserved human flesh to demons.
Interestingly, even among humans, there are depraved individuals who relish human meat dishes as a delicacy, aside from resorting to it as emergency food during times of starvation.
It is still fresh in my memory that Tirna was almost eaten by Park-li.
To return to the matter at hand, the three demons we faced appear to be cooks who prepare preserved human flesh.
So, they know about them, albeit vaguely?!
This means Lester the Cleric knows about them.
But still, why don’t I have the detailed memories as usual?
What is going on!?
While I was secretly pondering this, Edele continued her explanation.
The muscular male demon with a sturdy physique and a shaved head is named Thadon.
His epithet is said to be “Thadon of the Fermented Fish.”
He apparently uses his magic to enhance his physical functions, and boasts that his ‘Mighty Strength’ skill is invincible.
This means he is a demon specialized in close-quarters combat, like Demon King Gandaro, though he is not good at releasing magic.
Furthermore, his aged appearance might send chills down your spine.
By the way, “Shishibishio” (fermented fish) in his epithet, simply put, refers to “salting.”
This includes the salted meat familiar to adventurers.
Incidentally, the homemade “Man-plar” (human fish sauce), made from the entrails removed during preparation, is also quite popular.
The female demon in the center is a beautiful older woman with long, dark hair and crimson eyes like pigeon’s blood.
She has large breasts, a narrow waist, and a voluptuous figure with a large posterior.
Her name is Yaila, but she is better known by her epithet, “Yaila of the Meat Buns.”
Yaila is responsible for crushing leftover meat from preparation to make “meat buns.”
In combat, she is a user of dark magic and apparently fires valuable release-type attack magic for the Demon Lord Army.
This means she also serves as a bodyguard.
Come to think of it, in the ancient Eastern Nations, there was a custom of sacrificing human lives for large-scale constructions.
I recall a legend that a certain wise man offered buns instead of human sacrifices to the Earth God to reform this custom.
However, in this case, it’s processed human flesh, which only evokes disgust.
Furthermore, Yaila’s personality is problematic, as she has a bizarre fetish for eating the extracted uterus and breasts of her victims.
It seems her purpose is to absorb the opponent’s magic by consuming their uterus and breasts.
If she were just standing there silently, she’d be a beauty…
The last one is the lanky male demon, whose name is Jange.
He also has an epithet and is known as “Jange of the Namasu.”
He has long, slender limbs, but uses his magic to form blades on them and attack.
His body is also flexible, making him a tricky opponent not to be underestimated.
Incidentally, “namasu” originally referred to food cut into small pieces and mixed with seasonings.
Thus, “namasu-giri” refers to chopping something into small pieces.
It later came to refer to vinegared dishes, and by extension, pickled dishes.
In other words, “Jange of the Namasu” is a demon who butchers humans and makes vinegared dishes.
Speaking of which, also from stories of the ancient Eastern Nations, there was a great thinker named Ron Kouji.
After his death, the collection of anecdotes compiled by his disciples, “Longolongo,” is renowned as a masterpiece.
It is said that the renowned Ron Kouji had a fondness for raw human meat dishes.
With Park-li mentioned earlier, does that mean there are a certain number of people in the Eastern Nations who prefer human meat dishes…
It is said that one day, a disciple of Ron Kouji was served as a namasu dish, an incident which occurred.
Ron Kouji, greatly saddened, then stopped eating namasu dishes, an anecdote I recalled.
However, there are various theories about this story, and some say it’s questionable…
Then, something snagged at me.
I tried to recall it, but it was an unpleasant feeling, like a fish bone stuck in my throat.
Is this Lester the Cleric’s memory?!
At least, I’ve never eaten namasu dishes.
While we were establishing our combat formation, the encirclement by the Horned Wolves was complete, and they bared their fangs in a deployment of ten layers.
The three demons in command were sneering and laughing.
According to Edele’s explanation, the reason they appeared in this location, which is deep within human territory, is because they are a vanguard unit tasked with rear disruption.
Their usual tactic is to surround a village with a pack of Horned Wolves, annihilate everyone, including women and children, and then prepare them as ingredients.
After they leave, a retrieval unit comes to collect the preserved food.
What remains is a desolate, abandoned village.
Incidentally, the Horned Wolves they use as familiars are fed with the livestock and pets that the villagers keep.
Of course, any parts not made into meat buns also go into their stomachs, so nothing is left behind.
In other words, it’s not a ‘siege and annihilation formation,’ but a ‘siege and cooking formation’?!
And we’ve encountered them.
However, with the “Princess Harem,” which is well-equipped and capable of fighting demons, we should be able to annihilate them.
We must avenge the countless innocent people they have killed.
The moment the battle is to commence is rapidly approaching.
The “Wandering Dismantlers” are completely at ease, calculating how they will prepare us.
On the other hand, since we have former demons Swan Hilda and Edele among our companions, the enemy’s internal information is an open book to us.
As the impatient Horned Wolves were about to charge, a deep male voice suddenly boomed.
“Finally, I’ve found the ones who killed Myset Ozman. I will definitely defeat you!”
I recognized the voice that came from behind me…!?
And turning around, I was stunned.
It was because I knew the person who spoke.
To be precise, it’s someone I haven’t met in this life.
However, he is undoubtedly a famous person.
His name is Johan Tosot.
In other words, he is the shield warrior belonging to the Hero Party.
“Now that I’m here, their defeat is a foregone conclusion!”
Beside Johan Tosot, the burly shield warrior with a stern face, stood a handsome man with distinctive spiky red hair, exuding an arrogant air.
He was like a child of flame, the prophecy’s Hero of this era, Albert Sandia.
In other words, the Hero Party had joined the fray.
Thank you for reading.
Episode 56-8, “Wailing Shield Warrior,” is scheduled for pre-release at 0:00 on January 1, 2022.
