Pointy and fleshy ears, furry tails swaying left and right, and beautiful orbs sparkling like jewels, reflecting the sunlight and shimmering like the sea. With their eyes on them, it would seem like one is in a paradise of fluffー except that they're not.
While it would have been adorable if they were small and fluffy animals, the same thing couldn't be said if such features belonged to beastmen. Especially when said beastmen were pointing their spears and swords towards them. Grey and Yuna are in a prickly situation.
"Evil Spirits! How dare you show up in our lands!"
"Hey! Let's not talk anymore! Let's just vanquish them!"
"That's right! We don't know what these evil spirits are thinking!"
On top of that, they are now branded evil spirits. It was quite the contrast to their titles in Alfrione where they are revered as heroes. Though Grey and Yuna could wish it was refreshing to hear such things, they just couldn't. It was simply too absurd.
They haven't even done so much as to harm the island's inhabitants, yet the first thing they were greeted by was a number of weapons pointed at them and labeled with some ominous name. It truly was one of a kind.
"Umm... We aren'tー" ［Grey］
"Silence, evil spirit! You will taint us with your poisonous words!" ［???］
The beastmen didn't seem like they were willing to cooperate as well. They were all on guard, continuing to point their blades to the two. None were willing to listen, firmly standing on what they believed.
Seeing them, Grey was reminded of some isolated tribes he saw on some television shows, ranging from very aggressive ones, cannibals, and straight up savages. Of which, Grey wished they were neither of what was mentioned.
"In the name of Torogi, I, Sakar, shall vanquish you evil spirits!" ［Sakar］
And now, there is a declaration. The moment it rang, the man's fellow warriors let out their battle cries, their voices resounding all over the forest as they closed in on Grey and Yuna. If it was any normal person, they would already have peed their pants.
Unfortunately for the beastmen, Grey and Yuna weren't just any normal person. As compared to them who were about F-rank, with the leader at D-rank, the two were astronomically stronger, like comparing a rock to a whole mountain.
Even if everyone were to cooperate and charge towards them, they would not stand a chance even if the two only use just a thousandth of their power. The gap in strength was simply too much.
"Umm... Sakar, was it... Can youー" ［Grey］
"Silence! I will not be bewitched by your vile words!" ［Sakar］
"No, just listen for aー" ［Grey］
"I said silence, you foul beast!" ［Sakar］
From "Evil Spirit" to "Foul Beast", Grey and Yuna's standing only became lower with time. There was no use for negotiation as the other party was really set on eliminating them. They drew closer and closer, cautiously and firmly.
It was a relief that Sirius isn't with them anymore, otherwise, things would have gotten a lot messier. Now that they knew that the enemies were bullheaded warriors, there is only so much they could do.
『Grey, they're not listening, huh...』 ［Yuna］
『Yeah, I know... It seems like we'll be doing this the hard way.』 ［Grey］
『The hard way, huh... I wonder if I can hold back properly...』 ［Yuna］
There was no other way but to retaliate. But rather than worry about themselves, the two were rather more worried about the enemy. After all, a single mistake and the enemies' heads could go flying. They must control their strengths.
"Warriors! Eliminate the evil spirits!" ［Sakar］
The leader of the warriors cried and the others soon followed. With their reckless courage, they immediately charged towards Grey and Yuna without even gauging their strengths. They simply lunged their weapons straight at the two.
Spears came from the left and swords from the right, and as a bonus, arrows also came flying towards their direction from the canopies. It was an all out assault which left no routes for escape. Only pain awaited them...
"Sorry about this, really," ［Grey］
"We'll heal you later so don't get mad, okay?" ［Yuna］
... of course, not for Grey and Yuna, but rather for the opposing party. An apology rang in their ears before chaos descended upon them.
Before their enemies' attacks could even land towards them, they quickly deflected their attacks with a simple push from the sides. The arrow which bolted towards them was caught with ease, thrown back to where it was shot from.
"Kughh!!"
"Arghh!!"
"Keeukkk!"
Screams of pain and agony echoed in the air as Grey and Yuna struck back. The arrows hit the archers' legs and a "light" blow was delivered towards the vanguards' flanks and solar plexus, knocking them out instantly.
Not only screams, a few bones cracking and blood spurting also accompanied the screams as a few joints were broken and dislocated. The enemies went down one after another like flies being swatted mercilessly. It was a totally one-sided battle.
Though Grey and Yuna could simply knock them out with curse magic, they didn't want to strengthen their accusations of them being evil spirits. The best way was to subdue them by force and knock some sense into them later. Of course, they made sure no one received a fatal injury.
《Starving Shark!》 ［Sakar］
And while Grey and Yuna were busy with the other warriors, the leader made its way behind their backs. Not wasting a single moment, he then lunged his spear towards the two, hoping to get them by surprise.
"What...?" ［Sakar］
Unfortunately for him, such a thing won't work against Grey and Yuna. They didn't even need to look, Yuna simply grabbed the spear by her bare hands and exerting a little bit more force, she crumpled the tip and broke the pole.
At the sight of his spear being broken, the leader could only gawk in surprise as his eyes widened from surprise. Unfortunately for him, he has no time to be surprised. The moment his guard was down, a silver figure appeared in front of him like a ghost, fist already clenched.
"Kugh...!" ［Sakar］
Sakar crossed his arms to try and defend against Yuna's blow, but it was futile. Yuna mercilessly struck him, the sound of bones cracking as he was blown away by force, crashing towards a large tree where he fell limp, the world spinning in his eyes.
He tried to get up, but it was useless. His whole body was aching to the point that he couldn't even move himself. All he could do was watch Grey and Yuna defeat his fellow warriors, feeling powerless as he couldn't even move.
After Sakar was blown away, the warriors' morale quickly dropped. Though none of them ran away, they all fell helpless against Grey and Yuna's heavy blows. It didn't take long before everyone was finally subdued.
"That should be it, right, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah. I don't see anyone near us either. That should be all of them." ［Grey］
"I see... I wonder if we went too far..." ［Yuna］
And as one would expect, neither Grey nor Yuna broke a swear throughout the whole ordeal. If anything, they couldn't even call it a warm up. Defeating a bunch of Low-Rankers wasn't something they were proud of.
Thankfully, none of the warriors sustained any severe or fatal injuries. Though they were hurt, it was still at the level a few "High Heals" could fix. There was no reason to fret and heal them immediately. They still have a business to take care of, after all.
"Now... We should probably sort this out, huh..." ［Grey］
With the warriors now successfully subdued, Grey and Yuna's attention quickly swam towards Salar who was still conscious, unlike the others. The closer they approached him, the more intense the glare they received from him.
"You damned evil spirits... God will not forgiveー" ［Sakar］
"We've been trying to tell you this, but we aren't the evil spirits you are talking about. In the first place, why did you think that?" ［Grey］
"Right! That was mean, you know? If it were anyone, do you think you could have survived? Others aren't as merciful!" ［Yuna］
Now, the roles are reversed. If previously, it was Sakar who was the one interrupting them, now, it was Grey and Yuna doing the interruption. They both made Sakar shit his mouth and listened to their words.
It was just like when they scolded the fishermen a few hours ago. The only difference now was that the man they were reprimanding had a nasty glare painted on his eyes, not ready to listen nor accepting their explanation. He was one stubborn man.
"Ha! You can talk all you want, but I will never fall for your tricks, you evil spirits! I know you're here to harm our home!" ［Sakar］
He really was dead set on his belief. Though Grey knew he wasn't a bad person with his "Judgement", his patience was starting to run thin. The more the man talked back to them without listening, the more irritated he became.
"You may look innocent right now, but I can see through your masks! You are file demons who eat away the hearts of the people! You fouー" ［Sakar］
BOOOOMMMMM
And alas, Grey's patience finally ran out. He thought his patience had improved after experiencing all kinds of things, but who knew it could easily run out. An irked vein could be seen on his face as he struck a hole in the tree, barely missing Sakar's face.
"Can you shut up for a second?" ［Grey］
It was not a request, it was an order. The moment Sakar saw such a dark and scary expression on Grey's face, it was as if his heart was swallowed by extreme fear and intimidation, unable to move a single muscle on his body.
Though he hated it, there was nothing he could do about it. His heart and will didn't waver, but his body trembled in fear. It was then that he realized the difference in power between them. The difference between heaven and earth.
"Grey, that isn't good, you know? You shouldn't scare someone like that." ［Yuna］
"Sorry, I just lost my cool there for a minute. It felt like I just remembered Julius' face all of the sudden, and suddenly, bam!" ［Grey］
"Mou... Don't 'bam!' me! You know that's wrong." ［Yuna］
"Yeah, yeah, I'll keep that in mind." ［Grey］
Of course, Grey and Yuna were very casual about it. The man almost lost his life and saw life flash before his eyes, but the two in front of him didn't even bat an eye and only argued like a married couple. Now, he was even more terrified.
"Anyway, where were we again... Ah, right... The evil spirit thing... Why did you think that? I mean, have you ever seen an evil spirit before?" ［Grey］
"That's..." ［Sakar］
Grey asked but Sakar couldn't even answer, only able to utter a single word. The answer was obvious, he didn't. They simply attacked because of a mere speculation, charging to their deaths recklessly.
Thankfully, not all hope was lost. Sakar might be unwilling to say anything, but Grey still has a few tricks up his sleeve. The ability he never had a real use before could finally be unveiled. It was time to use the "Eyes of Destiny" once again.
Eyes of Destiny, like the name suggests, sees one's destiny. And while many would think about the "future", in truth, what it could see was "time" itself. If Grey wills it, he could also see the past and look at another's memories.
Utilizing such a function, Grey scanned Sakar's recent memories before they met them. And surely enough, he was able to find something useful. It was even much simpler than he thought it would be.
'I see... It's an order from the Great Chief and Elders, huh...' ［Grey］
There wasn't too much to talk about. The higher ups simply ordered Sakar to patrol the area and eliminate the "Evil Spirits" the moment they see them and bring back order in their place. It was a very common and simple order.
A simple, yet also a foolish order. In the first place, no one even knows what "Evil Spirits" look like. The beastmen, not knowing other races, simply attacked Grey and Yuna since they looked different. It was such a stupid flow of events.
"You... You say this place is called 'Torogi', right? Guide us to your Great Chief. We want to talk to him." ［Grey］
"Haha... And what makes you think I'll follow an order from an evil spirit? I won't do as you ask even if you were to kill me right now?" ［Sakar］
"You're right, I'm sure you won't. But what about your fellow warriors? Are you alright with them dying? Can you handle the consequences?" ［Grey］
A crushing weight fell upon Sakar's heart and shoulders the moment Grey's words rang inside his ears. He then looked upon his comrades, guilt creeping inside his heart as he tried to decide what was the right thing to do.
Grey didn't want to use such a cruel method, but with how stubborn Sakar and the warriors are, he was left with no other choices. It was better to subdue them, by force for now, than suffer the consequences later.
『Hmm... Yuna, I sure sound like a villain, don't I?』 ［Grey］
『Fufufu! That's right, you look one mean villain right now. Ah! But don't worry, Grey is still cool even if he's a villain!』 ［Yuna］
『That's... I don't know if I should be happy or not...』 ［Grey］
『Hehehe!』 ［Yuna］
Sakar was thinking seriously about his decision, yet the atmosphere between the two couldn't be any more different. Heck, they were even flirting telepathically, Yuna giggling to herself ever so softly as he observed Grey's train of thoughts.
Well, it didn't take much time before Sakar arrived at a decisionsー or rather, he didn't have any choices to begin with. As the head warier of the Chiefdom and as a person, there was only one thing he could do.
"Understood. I'll lead you to our Great Chief. But under one condition... Please save my fellow warriors, I beg of you." ［Sakar］
The tone of Sakar's voice has completely changed. Now, he was sincerely begging for the safety of his comrades, not even minding the fact that he himself sustained quite the beating, a few bones broken here and there.
In reality, it was a needless request. Grey and Yuna already planned to heal them anyway. After all, they were the ones who injured them. Still, hearing it from Sakar's mouth himself, they couldn't help but smile ever so gently.
"No need to ask that. We were going to do that anyways." ［Grey］
"Un! No problem! That's easy-peasy!" ［Yuna］
There was no time to waste. As soon as the deal was established, Grey and Yuna quickly stretched their arms and got to work. Well, there wasn't too much work anyway. They simply need to heal what was broken.
《《High Heal!》》
Two voices echoed in the air, and as if following their command, warm and gentle light soon shone upon the verdant forest. The light melded into the warriors' bodies and as if their injuries were just a passing lie, their broken bones and injured organs were quickly restored.
《《Rejuvenate!》》
It didn't just end there. With their bones and organs fixed, next was the restoration of blood, bodily fluids, and the likes. The moment they basked under warm such light, the warrior's pale complexion returned to normal. Everything has been restored.
If there was one thing which changed, it was the man who sat under the tree's shade. As he watched the warm, golden light envelope the bodies of his fellow warriors, his jaw dropped wide open as his eyes were glued on the sight. He didn't even notice his broken arms get healed,
'Huh? Isn't that...' ［Sakar］
He was reminded of a certain legend passed down in their tribe. The legend of God's emissary who wielded the holy light, light which could heal the injured and cure the sick. Such light was shining in front of him.
"Wh-What just happened..."
"Am I dead already?"
"Ugh... I felt like I was just hit by a falling log,.."
The lights soon faded and before long, everyone started regaining consciousness one after another, all wearing puzzled looks on their faces as they tried to wrap their heads about what just happened.
"Now then, you better keep your part of the deal, Sakaー" ［Grey］
"I greet the Emissaries of God! Oh Wielders of the Holy Light!" ［Sakar］
It was all too sudden. Grey couldn't even finish his words. It wasn't just him. Yuna and even the other warriors were also confused as they watched Sakar kowtow and ask Grey and Yuna for forgiveness.
"I-I greet the Emissaries of God!"
"We greet the Wielders of the Holy Light!"
Well, it wasn't long before the other warriors followed suit. They might not have known what was going on, but if their leader paid his respects to the two, they quickly believed his words. A line of warriors were now kneeling down before them.
Though it was a large improvement from the likes of an "Evil Spirit" or "Foul Beast", being addressed as such was just as troublesome. Grey and Yuna could barely make a smile as they watched such a ridiculous scene unfold.
"Umm... We also aren't theー" ［Grey］
"We have committed a grave crime! I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive our foolishness! If it quells your wrath even a little, I am more than willing to offer my head as penance!" ［Sakar］
It was just like before, none of the warriors were willing to listen to Grey and Yuna, and neither of the two also had the energy to deal with them. They have already dealt with so many troublesome things in one day. They just wanted to rest.
『Grey... They're misunderstanding us again...』 ［Yuna］
『Yeah, but maybe it's for the best... Let's just go with the flow for now.』 ［Grey］
『Un...』 ［Yuna］
Deciding to give up on correcting the warriors, Grey and Yuna decided to not think too much about the matter. While they weren't exactly comfortable, they also don't want to waste any more time explaining. It was better to finish things as quickly as they could.
"Alright, stop it. We won't be taking any heads today. Just lead us to your Great Chief and let's call it a day, alright?" ［Grey］
"Of course! As you wish!" ［Sakar］
There wasn't even time to think. As soon as Grey requested it, Sakar quickly etched it into his heart and carried it out as if his life depended on it. The other warriors followed after him, respecting Grey and Yuna as much as they could.
Tiring as it may be, the journey towards the main village continued and soon enough, paths appeared one after another. And throughout the whole journey, they were catered by the warriors as much as they could. Needless to say, it really was taxing.
"Welcome back, Head Warriorー Ah…"
"Don't ask any useless questions. Inform the Great Chief that we brought important guests with us." ［Sakar］
"Y-Yes!"
Thankfully, it didn't take too long before they arrived at the village. As soon as they did, they were greeted by another bunch of warriors patrolling the village, Sakar giving them instructions as clearly as he could.
Other than that, there was a lot to see. And oh boy, were they in for a treat. It wasn't just the natural beauty of nature which stood out on the island, the villages themselves were also breathtaking.
『Grey! Grey! Look at their houses! They're so different!』 ［Yuna］
『Is this your first time seeing one?』 ［Grey］
『Un! They're so amazing! Like really, really amazing!』 ［Yuna］
They may look calm on the outside, but their thoughts couldn't be any more different. Especially Yuna, she was practically hopping up and down with excitement as she viewed the beautiful and bountiful sight with curiosity.
Grey couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the different expressions unfold on Yuna's face. It would have been perfect if it were just the two of them. Sadly, such wasn't the case. Too much for a peaceful viewing.
'Still... We really are standing out, huh...' ［Grey］
Well, they weren't the only ones watching the village. As they waited whilst one of the warriors informed the Great Chief of their arrival, Grey couldn't help but notice the stares from the villagers.
"Mama! Mama! Who are those?!"
"Shhh! Don't point!"
"A... Are they the evil spirits?"
They were whispering to one another, the children even pointing at them. Grey was right. There really wasn't any other race in the Chiefdom other than beastmen. He had already expected it, but still, it really wasn't pleasant.
"The Great Chief has accepted your request."
It didn't take too long before their request for an audience was approved. A servant quickly came from the Great Chief's house and guided everyone to the Great Hall where the most important figures of the Chiefdom gathered.
Tap Tap Tap
Footsteps echoed eerily in the stony stairs as Grey and Yuna marched towards the Great Hall located by the hillside. The higher they climbed, the more beautiful the view became. Everything would have been perfect.
'Talk about a warm welcome...' ［Grey］
Yet even after the long walk and flight of stairs, climbing a couple minutes just to see the Great Chief, not a single trace of welcomeness could be felt in the air. There was only tension in the air as the sharp stares pierced them.
It also didn't help that Grey and Yuna were unbound, the warriors bowing after them. Everyone sitting across the Great Hall were trembling, some with hostility, some with curiosity, and some with wariness. The Hall was divided.
"Sakar... What's the meaning of this?" ［Great Chief］
CHAPTER 226 END