Day 531-540/Day 534

Day 534 / 64th day
　I decided to make some money by selling the dropped items I got from the Balance Tower. With that in mind, I left the silver wolf at the inn, as it was too big and intimidating to carry around the city, and spent the morning going through several large merchant associations to evaluate the items. Three of the largest merchant associations, all run by believers in business, fetched higher prices than the others, so I asked the chairman of the merchant association and his secretary to gather and conduct an auction-style sale.
　Many of the materials from the Balance Tower seemed to be valuable, and even the low quality drop items from the beginning of the journey fetched a pretty good price upon assessment. I could have sold them there, but I got a little greedy and decided to auction them off to three different merchant associations to raise the price even more, and I think I succeeded.
　In a short time, we had made a fortune.
　Let's just say that the price went up by about two points in the end, thanks to the fact that I got a lot of drop items from the lower floors and a few extra drop items from the top floor that I hadn't assessed as the main attraction.
　I got a good deal this time. The three merchant associations must have been satisfied with the deal.
　That's all well and good, but for some reason they insisted that I offer a prayer when I sold the materials. I didn't know how to do it, so the prayer was just a lazy one, but they thanked me profusely for it and gave me a good amount of money for the prayer.
　There were still a lot of questions, but I used the money I got more than I expected to buy a lot of souvenirs for the anthropoid boys and other valuable items that can only be found here. If I run out of money, I can always replenish it by selling the materials and drop items I still have, so my purse strings are loose, and the amount I buy is quite large.
　However, if you are doing such a conspicuous thing, it is natural that there are people who come to you. But just like when I was asked to pray when I was buying and selling, the people who gathered here seemed to be a little different from other places.
An old man in old clothes with a tattoo on the back of his right hand indicating that he was a follower of the 【Demi-God of Poverty】 bowed and held up an empty bowl, saying, "Please donate a little money". A middle-aged woman at a grocery store with a sign showing a sign of a follower of the 【Demi-God of Vegetables】 said, "Our vegetables are delicious!"
A cat beastman boy wearing a bracelet showing the believer of 【God of robbery】 asked here while disappearing from the shadows whether he was aiming at my wallet, and put on a necklace showing the believer of 【God of lustfulness】 a bewitching succubus woman inviting with a sweet scent.
A black-robed demon with a special pattern indicating a follower of the 【God of the Dead Sea】 is whispering a prayer to me, while a fisherman wearing a collar indicating a follower of the 【God of the Abyss】 is looking at me and writing something in his hand on a human skin scripture.
　In addition to the above, there are a variety of other races and principles that are gathered here. This is probably because there are many believers in the "Madrilenian Mission City" who have a strong faith in the gods that they worship. It's easy to identify them because most of them act in accordance with their own doctrines and wear something that shows they are believers.
　In addition to the fact that there are some people who behave in a way that is hard to understand, such as the followers of the 【God of the Dead Sea】, there is no doubt that they are generally more approached and noticed than when they were 【Reinforced Human】.
　There were many people who followed me, probably due to the fact that my appearance was that of a kobold with a very low status in my race.
　I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that I'm a small demon with a very low status in my race, or because of the fact that there are a lot of people following me.
　When the number of followers exceeded ten, it became too much trouble, so I dared to go into the back alleys to create an easier environment.
　Then, not too long after, a group of demons approached us. It was a group of eight people, led by the 【Necrological Demon Necro Lord】, who was characterized by his hideous ragged robes and skeletal mask with horns, and each of them had something that indicated that they were a follower of the 【God of Rebellion】 or 【Demi-God of Order】.
　It was nearing dusk, and even the dimly lit alleyways were filled with an unsettling atmosphere.
　As I waited in silence to find out what the contact was for, a necromancer wearing an earring representing the 【God of Rebellion】 said, "We will show our faith in the great 【Apostles】", and held in his hand a metal staff that shone reddish purple like a human hand. In addition, the seven demons behind him also held up their own weapons, including large swords, hammers, whips and chakras.
　To be honest, I don't understand when they say 【Apostles】, and I don't understand why they say "show faith". The only thing that was obvious was that each of their weapons emitted powerful magic power and were filled with the will to fight.
I'm going to beat them up and then ask for more information.
It only took me a blink of an eye to decide that.
　He pulled out his black dagger from his waist and held it upside down. As it is, killing them is likely to lead to trouble, as they are getting far more attention than before. So I think I'll stop at fainting, but it seems that demons are overwhelmingly stronger than kobolds in terms of race.
　I don't know what kind of fighting ability these demons have, and that's the eight of them. If the attackers were amateurs, they would be confident that they could neutralize the attackers even if their physical abilities were a little higher, but unfortunately, the eight demons are fierce warriors who have proven themselves to be skilled fighters from their stance. In addition, they are used to working together, and even if there are gaps, each of them is ready to follow up. If they are not careful, they might lose their footing.
　In particular, the demon of death is exceptional among the eight demons. The magic power that gathers in the oddly shaped staff in their hands is overwhelmingly larger, denser, more subtle, and more powerful than the others.
　 　They looked at each other for a few seconds. The first to move was the demon of death.
　The magic power concentrated in the tip of the wand was converted, and the magic was completed with the chant, "【Andier Vernoux: The Flood of the Deadly Swamp】! The chanting completed the magic, and a black swamp made of something like tar appeared on the ground right in front of the demon. It's a great way to make sure you don't end up in a situation where you can't get out of the house. The skeletons and zombies reached out their hands in agony, clinging to the living as if they wanted to do the same to them.
　I could feel the fearless resentment and jealousy in their eyes.
　It was almost certainly necromantic magic. You never know what will happen if you touch it. So, I opened my mouth wide and activated the powerful suction power of the 【Spiral Suction】, starting from my mouth, and while activating the crushing【Heavy Compression】, I sucked in the swamp with all the skeletons and zombies.　But the amount of swamp was much larger than I expected, and it took me four seconds to completely drink it up. When I finished, I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. The sour taste and smell were strong, but surprisingly not bad.
　I looked at the necromancer to see if he had any more, but he was frozen with a shocked expression on his face. Apparently, he hadn't imagined that he would be drunk.
If you have no choice but to step forward to approach the deadly demon, four demons who seem to be good at close combat with big swords and hammers hurriedly stepped forward.
They may have been trying to protect the demon as a vanguard.
As I approached him, he attacked me with his weapon, but I dodged with minimal movement and slipped past him. As they pass each other, he uses his black dagger to pierce their thighs and knees, not forgetting to take away their mobility.
　As I try to get past the vanguard and neutralize the four demons in the rear guard, including the Reaper Demon, a flaming bullet flies at high speed towards my head. I crawled on the ground to avoid the flaming bullets, which were burning blue and had a heat that could leave no bones if they struck. However, the flames that I should have been able to avoid were sucked into the crown on my head before I could even get close enough to avoid them.
　Surprised myself that the crown has an absorption function, I flicked the staff away from the demon's hand, which closed the distance and fired a flame round. He ran through the side of the road as if it were flowing, but as he did so, he wrapped the bolla he had taken out around his limbs and simply restrained him before moving on. I used my black dagger to repel the lightning strike that hit my face, avoided the chakram that came from behind, and approached the deadly demon as fast as I could. The first priority is to neutralize the strongest of the eight demons, the demon of death. He closes the distance before the big move, and hits with his mechanical arm without worrying about being guarded by the staff. The fist forcefully pushed through the entire guard of the staff and plunged into the body of the dead demon, and I felt the impact penetrate my strong abdominal muscles and reach my internal organs. He back-stepped away before the stomach contents were forcibly vomited out by the blow to the abdomen, leaving the vomiting demon to collapse and turn his attention to his remaining prey.
　After that, this and that happened, but I succeeded in neutralizing it safely. It was quite a challenge, but my prior training had paid off. If I hadn't had a better understanding of her changed body, I would have had more trouble.
　Anyway, I tied up the unconscious demon with a rope and stuck a needle, a magic item that continuously gives 【Sleep】 while it is stuck to prevent it from waking up. If you don't hit them with this, they won't wake up, so you can interrogate them in turn. I've heard that there are eyes of strangers in the back alleys, but no one has approached me after I've wiped out a group of demons.
　At any rate, I woke them up in order of weakness and listened to them, finally listening to the dead demon who seemed to know the most.
　　And according to the information I got from it, it seems that I am an 【Apostle】 who was given a 【Blessing】 by the 【Gods】 - also known as a 【Blesser】 or a 【Poet Awakener】. In the "Madralen Mission City", where faith gathers, 【Apostles】 are seen as even more special than in other places.
　In a sense, it may be natural for them to be so, since they are the ones that the gods who offer their faith have chosen and given their power to.
　Anyway, it is said that the 【Apostles】are special, and therefore are given preferential treatment in various aspects. I'm sure the extra cost of prayer falls under this category. There are many positive aspects and benefits, but there are also responsibilities.
　That seems to be what led to this incident. There are times when believers come in contact with each other to show their faith.
　However, even when they do come into contact with each other, there are relatively few cases like this where it turns into a battle. The reason for this is that most of the beings that become [apostles] are strong and have unique powers due to 【Blessings】. But there are also apostles with low combat abilities, and most of the apostles here are in high positions in society, so they often have important jobs and duties.
　It is said that when they don't want to fight, they don't put up their weapons and preach their specialties.
In my case, I didn't know this and took up my weapon, which led to a fight, but if I hadn't been a little more short-sighted, it would have ended in a discussion.
Hmmm, I should have gathered a little more information in this area.
I regret that I neglected to gather more information because I was just stopping by to buy a souvenir.
Well, it's all over now, so let's put that aside.
To be honest, I'm not really aware that I'm an apostle. I'm sure it's because my memory isn't perfect yet and I'm not sure which [god] gave me the [blessing].
It seems that the 【Blessing】is very powerful, so I hope to remember it soon.
In any case, until you leave this place, it would be safer to operate with the awareness of being an 【Apostle】.
When I asked him why he judged me to be an apostle, he said that he understood me instinctively because of my black skin, the patterns engraved on it, and my unique atmosphere.
Since the 【Apostle】 who lives in the "Madralen Mission City" is well known, they also found out that he is a new 【Apostle】 who came from outside.
I heard that the demons have already challenged the other 【Apostles】, so they came here to challenge the new 【Apostles】.
This time, I won, so I didn't kill them, but I asked them what they would do if they died in the challenge, and they replied, "In that case, it would be martyrdom."
The eyes of the demons who said this were those of believers who had devoted their lives to the cause, and even death had become faith.
Since we would be leaving tomorrow, I decided to think of this as a good experience.
At any rate, I woke up all the eight demons and went to eat.
We let the locals guide us, thinking that they would know the best places to eat, but it turned out to be the right decision.
He took us to a hidden restaurant that only a few people in the know knew about, and we had a good time drinking together.
It seems that good sake is the key to good communication among demons.
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PLACE TRANSLATIONS ABOVE THE BAR. THESE ARE THE RAWS, LEAVE THEM HERE. CLICK EXPAND TO VIEW THEM.
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“六十四日目　／　五■三■四■目”
　天秤塔で得たドロップアイテムを売って、資金を作ろう。
　そう思い立ち、大きさや威圧感から街中を連れ歩くのは邪魔になる灰銀狼を宿に預け、朝から幾つかの大きな商会を巡って査定を繰り返した。
　商売系の信者達が経営する商会の中でも特に大きな三つの商会が他よりも高値をつけたので、商会長や秘書などに集まって貰い、オークション形式で売買を行った。
　天秤塔で得た多くの素材は貴重品らしく、最初の方に採れる質が低めのドロップアイテムでも査定した段階でかなり良い値段が付いていた。
　そこで売ってもよかったが、少し欲張り、三つの商会によるオークション形式にした事で更に値段を吊り上げる目論見だった訳だが、それは成功したと言えるだろう。
　短時間の間に、一財産が出来上がった。
　下の階で得たドロップアイテムを多く出し、目玉として査定はしていなかった最上階付近で採れるドロップアイテムも何点か余剰分を出した事で、最終的には額が二つほど上がったとだけ言っておこう。
　今回はいい取引が出来た。三つの商会もそれなりに納得できる取引になっただろう。
　それはいいのだが、素材を売る際には何故か俺が祈祷を捧げる事を強く求められた。
　やり方がよく分からなかったので祈祷はいい加減なものでしかないが、それだけで深く感謝されたし、祈祷代としてそれなりの額を別に貰った。
　色々と疑問は残るが予想以上に得た資金を使い、蟻人少年達へのお土産やここでしか得られない貴重品の類を大量に買い漁っていく。
　資金が足りなくなってくればまだまだ保有している素材やドロップアイテムを売るだけで補充は出来るので財布の紐は緩く、購入した量はかなりの規模になる。
　しかしそんな目立つ事をしていると、それに集まって来る者達がいるのはある意味当然だろうか。
　ただ売買の時に祈祷をお願いされた時のように、ここでは集まって来る者達も他の場所とは少し毛色が違うようだった。
【清貧の亜神】の信者を示す刺青を右手の甲に施した古着の老人が『僅かばかりの寄付を』と頭を下げながら空の器を掲げたので小銭を入れ、【野菜の亜神】の信者を示す紋様を描いた看板を掲げる八百屋の中年女性が『ウチの野菜は美味しいよッ、一つどうだい！？』と新鮮な野菜を売り込んできたので買って喰う。
【強奪の神】の信者を示す腕輪を嵌めた猫獣人の少年は俺の財布を狙っているのか物陰から気配を消しつつコチラを伺い、【淫靡の神】の信者を示す首飾りをつけた妖艶なサキュバスの女性が甘い色香を出して誘ってくる。
【死海の神】の信者を示す特殊な紋様が描かれた黒ローブ姿の魔人は俺に向かってブツブツと小声で祈祷を捧げ、【深淵の神】の信者を示す首輪をつけた魚人は俺を見ながら手に持つ人皮の聖典に何かを一心不乱に綴っている。
　その他にも多種多様な人種や主義主張を秘めた者達が集まるが、これは≪マドラレン宣教都≫にはそれぞれが崇める【神々】に強い【信仰】を捧げる信者が多いからだろう。
　それぞれの教義に沿った行動をし、信者である事を示す何かを身につけている事が大半なので判別しやすい。
　【死海の神】の信者など一部はよく分からない行動をする者も混じっているが、総じて【強化人間】だった頃よりも声をかけられ、注目されているのは間違いなかった。
　あまり相手にせずにやり過ごしていくが、俺の外見は種族的に地位が非常に低い小鬼である事が関係しているのか、後をつけて来る輩が結構多い。
　そういったのは強引なのは、教義的に荒事系に関係する【神々】の信者だろう。
　追跡者の数が十を超えた頃には面倒になったので裏路地に入る事であえてやりやすい環境を整えた。
　するとさほど時間もたたず、鬼人の集団が接近してきた。
　禍々しいボロ布ローブに角のある骸骨のような仮面が特徴的な“”を筆頭にした総数八名の集団で、それぞれが【叛逆の神】や【序列の亜神】などの信者を示す何かを持っていた。
　夕暮れも近く、ただでさえ薄暗い路地裏に不穏な空気が満ちる。
　何の為に接触してきたのか黙って待っていると、【叛逆の神】を表す耳飾りをつけた死霊鬼が『偉大なる【使徒】様に、我等が信仰を示さん』と言い、手にヒトの手のような赤紫色に輝く金属の杖を握った。
　それに合わせて背後に控える七人の鬼人達も大剣や鉄槌、鞭やチャクラムなどそれぞれの得物を構えた。
　正直【使徒】様と言われても分からないし、信仰を示さんなどと言われても理由はよく分からない。
　ただそれぞれが持つ得物は力強い魔力を発し、戦意に漲っている事だけは一目瞭然だった。
叩きのめしてから詳しい話を聞こう。
そう判断するのに瞬き程度の時間しか必要なかった。
　黒短角剣を腰から引き抜き、逆手に構える。
　流石に以前よりも遥かに注目される事が多くなっている現状、殺すのは面倒事に発展する可能性が高い。
　だから気絶までで止めようとは思うが、鬼人は小鬼よりも種族的に圧倒的に強いらしい。
　どの程度の戦闘能力なのか分からない鬼人、それが八名。
　素人なら多少身体能力が高かったとしても無力化できる自信はあるが、残念ながら八鬼は構えからして熟練の戦士である事が伺える猛者達だ。
　しかも連携に慣れているのか、隙はあってもそれぞれがフォローできるようにしている。
　油断すると足元をすくわれるかもしれない。
　特に死霊鬼は八鬼の中でも別格だ。
　手に持つ異形の杖に集まる魔力は他よりも圧倒的に大きく、濃密で、繊細で力強い。
　 　互いに様子を見る事数秒。
　先に動いたのは死霊鬼だった。
　杖の先端に集約された魔力が変換され、『【】！』という詠唱によって魔術が完成したのか、死霊鬼の直ぐ前方の地面にタールのような何かで出来た黒い沼が発生した。
　鼻が曲がるような臭気を放つ沼からは全身が汚れたスケルトンやゾンビが溢れ出し、川の氾濫のような勢いで裏路地を埋め尽くしながら迫ってくる。
　スケルトンやゾンビ達は苦しそうに手を伸ばし、生者にしがみついて自分達と同じようにしたいのだろうか。
　その姿からは悍ましいほどの怨念と嫉妬が感じられる。
　ほぼ間違いなく死霊系魔術だろう。
　下手に触ると何が起こるか分からない。
　だから口を大きく開けて、強力な吸引力を発揮する【螺旋吸引】を口を起点に発動させ、圧し潰す【重圧縮】も重複発動しながらスケルトンやゾンビごと沼を吸い込んだ。
　ただ思ったよりも沼の量は多く、完全に飲み干すのに四秒も必要だった。
　飲み終えた時にはズシリ、と腹に溜まる感覚がある。ツンとくる酸味も臭いも強烈だったが、しかし意外と悪くない。
　お代わりは無いかと死霊鬼を見るが、八鬼は驚愕の表情を浮かべて固まっていた。
　どうやら飲まれるのは想像していなかったらしい。
仕方なく死霊鬼に近付こうと足を踏み出せば、大剣や鉄槌を持つ接近戦が得意そうな鬼人四鬼が慌てて前に出た。
前衛として死霊鬼を守ろうとしたのだろう。
構わず近付くと得物で攻撃してくるが、最低限の動きで躱し、スルリと横をすり抜ける。
　すれ違う際には黒短角剣で太腿や膝を穿ち、機動力を奪うのも忘れない。
　前衛をやり過ごし、死霊鬼を始めとした後衛四鬼の無力化をしようと迫る俺の頭部目がけ、高速で飛翔する炎弾が迫る。
　青く燃え盛り、直撃すれば骨も残らないかもしれない熱量を秘めた炎弾を地を這うようにして回避する。
　だが回避できるはずだった炎弾は、近付くと回避するまでもなく俺の頭にある王冠に吸い込まれてしまった。
　王冠に吸収機能がある事に自分自身驚きつつ、距離を詰めて炎弾を放った鬼人の手から杖を弾き飛ばす。
　そのまま流れるように横を走り抜けるが、その際には取り出していたボーラを手足に巻き付かせ、簡易的に拘束して次に進んだ。
　顔面目掛けて迸る雷撃を黒短角剣で弾き、背後から飛んでくるチャクラムを回避して、俺は最速で死霊鬼に迫る。
　最優先は八鬼で最強の死霊鬼の無力化だ。大技を出されると面倒なのでその前に距離を詰め、杖でガードされるのもお構いなしに機械腕による強打。
　拳は杖のガードごと強引に押し込んで死霊鬼の胴体にめり込み、衝撃が強靭な腹筋を貫いて内臓まで届く感触がした。
　腹部強打により強制的に胃の内容物が吐き出される前にバックステップで距離をとり、嘔吐しながら崩れ落ちる死霊鬼を放置して残る獲物へと視線を向けた。
　その後はあれこれあったが無事に無力化する事に成功した。
　結構大変だったが、事前に訓練していた事が功を奏した。もし変わった身体について理解が浅かったら、もっと苦労していただろう。
　ともあれ、気絶させた八鬼は縄で縛り上げ、起きないように刺さっている間【睡眠】を継続して与えるマジックアイテムの針を刺しておく。
　これで殴るなど強い衝撃を与えなければ目覚めないので、順番に尋問できるだろう。
　裏路地でも他人の眼はあるらしいが、鬼人の集団を一網打尽にした俺には誰も声をかけてこなかった。
　とりあえず弱い順に起こして話を聞き、最後には最も多くの事を知っていそうな死霊鬼から話を聞いた。
　そしてそれから得た情報によれば、俺は【神々】から【加護】を与えられた【使徒】――【加護持ち】、あるいは【詩編覚醒者】などとも呼ばれる――らしい。
　信仰が集う≪マドラレン宣教都≫では、【使徒】は他の場所よりも更に特別な存在として見られる。
　信仰を捧げる【神々】が自ら選び、力を与えた存在なのだから、ある意味そうなるのは当然なのかもしれない。
　ともあれ、【使徒】は特別で、だから様々な面で優遇されるそうだ。きっと祈祷代の上乗せなどがこれに該当するのだろう。
　良い面は多く、恩恵も大きいが、その代わり責務もあるようだ。
　それが今回の一件に繋がるらしい。
　信者達がそれぞれの信仰を示す相手として、接触してくる事もあるという訳だ。
　ただし接触してくるとしても、今回のように戦闘になるケースは比較的少ないという。
　理由として、基本的に【使徒】になるような存在は強者の場合がほとんどだし、【加護】によって特異な力を得ている。
　しかし戦闘能力の低い【使徒】もいるし、ココに居る【使徒】は社会的に高い地位にいる場合がほとんどなので、それぞれ重要な仕事や職務を抱えている事も多い。
　だから戦闘したくない時は武器を構えず、それぞれの得意分野の説法をしたりするそうだ。
俺の場合はそれを知らずに武器を構えたので戦闘に至ってしまったが、もう少し短絡的でなければ話し合いで終わっていたらしい。
うーん、この辺りはもう少し情報収集すべきだったか。
土産を買いに立ち寄っただけだからと、情報収集を疎かにしたのは悔やまれる。
まあ、終わった話なのでそれはさて置き。
正直俺に【使徒】である自覚は薄い。記憶がまだ完全ではないのでどの【神】から【加護】を与えられたのかハッキリとしないからだろう。
【加護】は非常に強力らしいので、早く思い出したいものである。
ともあれ、ここを出るまでは【使徒】である自覚をもって活動した方が無難だろう。
ちなみに【使徒】だと判断した理由を聞けば、黒い肌とそこに刻まれた紋様、後は独特な雰囲気などから本能で理解したそうだ。
≪マドラレン宣教都≫在住の【使徒】は知れ渡っているので、外からやって来た新しい【使徒】でもある事も分かったらしい。
死霊鬼達は既に他の【使徒】には挑んでいる為、こうして新しい【使徒】に挑みにきたそうな。
今回は俺が勝って、それで殺していないが、挑んで死んだらどうするんだと思って聞いてみると、その場合は『殉教になります』と返って来た。
そう言い切った死霊鬼達の瞳は、生涯を捧げ、死すら信仰となる信者のモノだった。
明日には出発するので、これもいい経験だったと思う事にした。
とりあえず八鬼全員を起こし、飯を喰いに行く。
地元民なら、美味い飯を知っているだからと思って案内させたが、それは正解だったらしい。
知る人ぞ知る隠れた名店に案内してくれたので、仲良く酒を酌み交わす。
鬼種のコミュニケーションはやはり美味い酒が重要らしい。
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Category:Novel
Category:Re:Monster ~ The Dark Continent ~ Vol. 3