Kiyotaka was resting as he got up and walked onto the balcony, breathing in the air.
Kiyotaka: (A new day. It feels good to know the days are changing. That I'm not trapped in a repeat of four days.)
Kiyotaka looked out.
Kiyotaka: (Back then, why did I never consider abandoning Emilia. Is the way I feel about her the same as the way I feel about Horikita? Well, whatever it is, I'll find out by spending time with her. As I figure out how I feel, I can just stay by her side.)
Kiyotaka sighed, walked back inside and towards a door, opening it as he saw Beatrice sitting on her stool with a book and an irritated expression at his arrival.
Beatrice: [What do you want, I suppose? Betty hasn't forgiven you for the stunt you pulled yesterday, in fact.]
Kiyotaka: [I apologise for that.]
Beatrice: [Betty will forgive you for now, I suppose.]
Kiyotaka: [Can I read a book from the library?]
Beatrice sighed.
Beatrice: [Which do you want, I suppose?]
Kiyotaka: [I need one about Mabeasts.]
Kiyotaka: (That thing...『White Whale』is most likely a Mabeast.)
Beatrice sighed as she reached for a book and took it from the bookshelf, handing it to him.
Beatrice: [Roswal didn't say anything about not allowing you to read these kinds of books, I suppose.]
Kiyotaka took the book, opening it.
A Book of Mabeasts- By The『----- -- -----』-------
Kiyotaka: (Every book I've read either has the same author or ones with similar names. I doubt the latter.)
Mabeasts, also known as Witch Beats or Demon Beasts, are creatures created by the『Witch Of Gluttony』Daphane. They are drawn to sources of high mana concentration. This is because Mana is their food source, and the more they eat, the larger they tend to become. Mabeasts generally will have a horn. If broken off, they will be subservient to the person who broke it off. However, not all mabeasts have horns.
Kiyotaka: (That might be useful to know.)
They can also be controlled by someone with the『Divine Protection Of Demon Manipulation』 as the Divine protection allows them to act as a remote horn for hornless Mabeasts. This Divine Protection can only be held by one person at a time, and the user will have a set limit on the size and number of Mabeasts they can control. Also, Mabeasts with horns cannot be controlled using this Divine Protection.
Kiyotaka: (So that girl from the village was using this Divine Protection?)
Mabeast Behaviour
The behaviour of Mabeasts can be various, but generally speaking, they will attack any living thing that has Mana. They do have one commonality, though, as since『Witch Of Envy』killed Daphne, mabeasts will attack anything that smells like the『Witch Of Envy』.
Kiyotaka's sweat dropped.
Kiyotaka: (Ah. So that's why they always target me.)
Mabeast Species
Kiyotaka scanned the pages, reading the most important parts of the book.
Snow Blight- A huge gorilla Mabeast with arms as large as tree trunks. It can manipulate snow to kill its prey.
Orthrus- A huge two-headed dog Mabeast
Guiltylowe/Shadow Lion- It has the head of a lion, the body of a horse and the tail of a snake. They typically live in areas with a high concentration of mana. They show a level of intelligence not seen in other Mabeasts as they stalk their prey and try to make quiet kills, unlike other Mabeasts that will announce their presence.
Kiyotaka: ( Intelligent Mabeasts... that's not a great thing to hear.)
Spotted King Dog- A Huge dog the size of two humans.
Wulgarm- They are dog-like Mabeasts that usually hunt in packs. They are capable of using mana-stealing curses.
Black-Winged Rat- A rat-like Mabeast with wings.
Kiyotaka: (They probably swarm their prey.)
Obonscanda- A giant snake-like Mabeast with no tail. Where its tail should be is a second head.
Wagpig- A giant hippopotamus-like Mabeast. It has a mouth the size of a door and weigh over a tonne. It has rock-hard skin, and it can ball up and roll around to attack its prey.
Banasi- They attack prey by inflating themselves and exploding, spraying their victims with blood. Once one of them does it, the others in the area will as well.
Kiyotaka: (... that... is... the stupidest thing I've ever read. Despite how bad they are at survival, they're not extinct. These things are worse than seahorses.)
Sandworms- Gigantic worm-like Mabeats with three ginormous pincers and saliva that disintegrates their victims. They live in the Augeria Sand Dunes under the sand.
Horror Bear- A bear-like Mabeast with parasitic flowers all over its body. Because they're nutrients are being drained by the flowers, their skin looks rotten and dry. They hide, waiting to ambush victims who think they are heading towards a flower bed. They are also native to Kararagi and the Augeria Sand Dunes. Worse yet, they usually wait in groups.
Kiyotaka: (The Augeria Sand Dunes sounds like a nightmare.)
The Three Great Mabeasts
The『White Whale』- A giant Whale like Mabeast that has lived for 400 years, plaguing humanity. It can use fog to erase the existence of people from existence. Multiple attempts have been made to kill this Mabeast, yet all have failed. Even when the Previous『Sword Saint』Theresia『Van』Astrea led the charge.
The『Great Rabbit』- A horde of Rabbits like Mabeasts that devour everything in sight.
Kiyotaka: (Well, I have my answer from when I was in the capital now. Rabbits are one of the worst things you can encounter in this world.)
The『Black Serpent』- A black serpent that spreads disease wherever it goes. Not much is known about this Mabeast, but wherever it slithers, the earth becomes infertile and diseased. Even poisonous tar that it leaves behind can attack other sentient.
Kiyotaka: (Sentient tar? It seems ridiculous, but also possible.)
Kiyotaka sighed, closing the book.
Kiyotaka: (The『White Whale』... I feel like killing it. If it were possible, our camp would experience a boon in our credibility and with my Re: Birth By Death, I think I can manage it.)
Kiyotaka got up, handing the book to Beatrice.
Kiyotaka: [Thank you for letting me read it, Beatrice.]
Beatrice: [You're quiet when you read, so Betty doesn't mind, I suppose.]
Kiyotaka smiled.
Kiyotaka: [I'm glad to hear it.]
Beatrice looked dumbfounded at his smile as Kiyotaka left the room.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Kiyotaka knocked on Emilia's door, and she opened it. He saw that Ram was cleaning the room.
Emilia: [Kiyotaka?]
Kiyotaka: [Have you heard anything from Roswal yet?]
Ram stopped and looked at Kiyotaka.
Ram: [Roswal-Sama is currently in the Sanctuary. I'll be heading off to join him soon enough. I'll be leaving later today.]
Kiyotaka: [I see. Keep an eye on him, okay?]
Ram: [Hm? Well, alright.]
Ram left the room.
Kiyotaka: [Emilia. I think that we should hunt down the『White Whale』.]
Emilia: [Eh? Why?]
Kiyotaka: [You asked me to be Re: Born, right? So I want to see what you can accomplish. Whether you're able to gather the support needed for this, and whether the people you gather can succeed. Of course, you'll have me at your disposal.]
Emilia: [Kiyotaka...]
Kiyotaka: [Keep in mind that if you accomplish this, your reputation for gathering the group will spread far and wide. The people will look to you in a better light.]
Emilia hesitated for a second.
Emilia: [I... I'll do it.]
Kiyotaka: [Then, who do you want to recruit in this effort?]
Emilia: [You could ask Pricilla to...]
Kiyotaka: [If you think my sister would convince Pricilla just to aid me, you're wrong. When the going gets tough, we'll help each other without question, but otherwise, you'll have to give Pricilla's camp something in return. What do you have to offer?]
Emilia thought about it, but came up blank.
Emilia: [I don't know.]
Kiyotaka: [Think about it. Look through your mind for everything you own. What would Pricilla desire from you?]
Emilia's eyes widened.
Emilia: [She'd want you.]
Kiyotaka: [Close, but remember she has the confidence to ask for the exact thing she desires.]
Emilia: [She would want me to drop out of the Royal Selection.]
Kiyotaka: [So are we in a position to work with Pricilla?]
Emilia shook her head.
Kiyotaka: [What about Felts Camp?]
Emilia: [Ah, right! Reinhard would be a big help.]
Kiyotaka: [But who would the credit go to?]
Emilia: [To Reinhard.]
She felt a bit dejected from realising this.
Kiyotaka: [Now let's move on to Anastasia's Camp.]
Emilia: [She's a merchant, so she'd want money.]
Kiyotaka: [Yes, that's true. She is a merchant, and apart from money, what's the most important thing for a merchant?]
Emilia: [... Goods!]
Kiyotaka: [Yes, now is there any reason they might want to help us?]
Emilia: [Um...]
Kiyotaka: [Think about it. To sell their goods, they need to travel so...]
Emilia: [They'd constantly be afraid of having to encounter the『White Whale』so killing it is... something they want as well.]
Kiyotaka: [Correct. Full marks.]
Puck floated out of her hair.
Puck: [Good job, Lia.]
Emilia smiled confidently.
Kiyotaka: [Now let's consider Crusch's Camp.]
Emilia: [Crusch-San...]
Kiyotaka: [In terms of military, her camp is the most well-armed with the most personnel. She practically has an army at her disposal. Gaining her assistance will be essential to this battle.]
Emilia: [How would we convince her?]
Kiyotaka: [Think about her troops. What does she need to maintain them?]
Emilia: [Um...]
Puck: [Don't overthink it, Lia.]
Emilia: [Um.. food and water.]
Kiyotaka: [Maintaining a large army costs a lot. Being able to salvage part of the『White Whale』will allow them to sell it for money to buy food and water.]
Emilia: [You're right.]
Kiyotaka: [So what do you think?]
Emilia: [I think... that we can do this!]
Kiyotaka: [Then we should visit the capital and discuss with Anastasia and Crusch.]
Emilia nodded as she left the room to prepare. Puck floated towards Kiyotaka.
Puck: [Thanks for everything, Kiyotaka.]
Kiyotaka: (Why is he saying that as if this is goodbye?)
Kiyotaka: [It's alright.]
Puck: [Take care of Lia for me, okay?]
Kiyotaka: [I will.]
Puck faded away.
Kiyotaka: [Hm?]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [You're a troublesome cat. Leaving everything to me like this all of a sudden.]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Kiyotaka and Emilia arrived at the Capital, having left Rem to take care of the mansion as they headed to a shop, sitting down at a table as Anastasia and Julius sat across from them.
Kiyotaka: [I'm glad that you two were able to attend.]
Anastasia's eyes widened slightly upon evaluating Kiyotaka, realising he was not one to be messed with. Her time as a merchant had allowed her to recognise this instantly.
Julius: [It's a pleasure to see you again so soon, Emilia-Sama.]
Julius then turned to Kiyotaka as he smiled.
Julius: [Word has spread that you defeated the『Sin Archbishop Of Sloth』on your own. That's a very impressive feat.]
Kiyotaka: [Well, I had an advantage and I used it. Nothing that impressive.]
Julius: [I beg to differ. It has been decades since the last『Sin Archbishop』was killed by the 『Sword Demon』and he was not on his own like you were.]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [While I appreciate the praise, the reason we came here is to discuss something else.]
Julius's eyebrows raised slightly.
Emilia: [We came to organise a hunt for the『White Whale』that we'd like your camp to assist us with.]
Julius looked stunned as Anastasia smiled, licking her lips.
Julius: [The『White Whale』... did I hear you correctly just now?]
Emilia: [You did Julius. We'll also be negotiating with Crusch-San]
Anastasia: [Are ya really Emilia? The same Emilia as the one at the Royal Selection Ceremony?]
Emilia: [Eh? Um yes I am.]
Anastasia closed her eyes, considering it.
Anastasia: [Alright. I'm interested, but I want a share of the『White Whale』when it's dead.]
Emilia: [Okay.]
Anastasia sighed, knowing that Emilia was not an oblivious child she could trick. She could also see the confidence in her face.
Anastasia: [If you can convince Crusch, I'll consider this alliance made.]
Emilia nodded.
Emilia: [I'll do my best to convince Crusch-San.]
Anastasia and Julius stood up.
Anastasia: [Call us over if ya need helping convincin' her, kay?]
Julius: [We're looking forward to hearing news from you.]
Julius bowed as Emilia nodded as the two left.
Kiyotaka: (There's one more thing I'm interested in.)
Kiyotaka: [There's one other reason I want to go to Crusch's estate.]
Emilia: [There is?]
Kiyotaka: [I want to see Wilhelm again and spar with him.]
Emilia smiled.
Emilia: [Then let's go see them. I'm sure Wilhelm-San would love to meet you again.]
Kiyotaka nodded.
Kiyotaka: (I have a new goal, but I'm starting to want to do this not for my own satisfaction but for Emilia. Still, I'm not completely doing this for her yet.)
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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