Night is the time of the hunt. Shrouded in darkness, hunters search for their prey, while the prey flees and hides. But their roles are not fixed. At any moment, the hunter may become the hunted, mistaking their place in this savage game of chase.
Such a night was upon Edenhal. Unseen by the moonlight, two shadows dash across the alleyways. Their traces magically covered, not even the footsteps could be heard.
Leading the way, I recalled our conversation before we went out.
***
"Now that I think about it, why do you want me in your party anyway?"
"Cain, you might not realize it, but you have more potential than you thought."
I tilted my head at her words, finding them hard to believe given my experiences.
Eirlys proceeded to explain.
"The most distinctive feature of a Chosen One is their unmatched advantage over demonic beings. To be more precise, they are naturally resistant to demonic influence in several ways. All demonic beings emit demonic energy, a repulsive force that drains natural lifeforms while strengthening the demonic kind. A Chosen One is, by nature, immune to this effect."
"I see. Never knew of that. Is demonic energy that dangerous?"
"Yes. The ability to offset it is what sets hunters apart. It is demonic energy that makes demonbeasts so feared, even by experienced warriors. In extreme cases, contact with it can result in madness."
Wow, how lucky I was during the encounter with that demonbeast? To think it could have been worse. I really have been underestimating demonbeasts, huh? No, to begin with, why are they so damn deadly? This world really does need help.
"There are other reasons too, but it will be better to see it in person."
"Alright. We will start at nightfall, right? Do I need to prepare anything?"
"There is none—actually, bring a lot of stamina potions, as many as you can."
"Why? Will it be that dangerous?"
"No, but you will still need them."
"?"
"You cannot use aura, correct? We'll be at this until sunrise, so those potions are necessary."
"What about you, then?"
"I don't need them."
Actually, how strong is Eirlys, though? I knew she was a 3-star mage, but I don't really understand how strong that is. Guess I will know in due time, so no need to ask anyway.
***
According to Eirlys, the easiest method is to sense their demonic energy. By its very nature, it induces unease and a heightened sense of alertness in all lifeforms—an effect that grows stronger the closer one gets to its source. So when demonbeasts were unusually active like this, finding them became very easy.
Or so I thought.
"Uh, Eirlys? What should I do now?"
"..."
The entire alley sent a chill straight down my spine. Every nook and cranny felt dreadful, permeated with demonic energy. It was like a declaration of territory, that venturing further in meant certain death.
Eirlys stared ahead, deep in thought, before finally speaking.
"A Red Zone. How blatantly, hunters must be having a headache dealing with all of this. Cain, stay close."
Eirlys confidently strided forward, while I reluctantly followed behind her—the unsettling silence of this place. My senses screamed at me to run away, but I won't.
I trust Eirlys.
I don't know why, but she feels incredibly reliable. Despite just knowing her not long ago, I'm now entrusting my life to her. Really, this gonna be the end of me.
Concealed by her magic, we delved deeper and deeper into the unknown. It was hard to see our surroundings. The more steps we took, the darker it became. Eirlys was all I could see, so I retraced her steps through the darkness.
If you are wondering, I put my lantern back home. Eirlys told me it was unnecessary and cumbersome.
Still, for a long time, it felt like we were getting nowhere. Eirlys had to make twists and turns without warning. Sometimes she abruptly sped up. Sometimes I even wondered if we were being chased or not. Did Eirlys not know the ways, too?
Eirlys halted, so did I.
-Slrk… sqush…
A wolf-like demonbeast was devouring a human corpse. It bore the shape of a wolf, yet had neither fur nor tail. Its anatomy was disturbingly wrong. Thanks to Eirlys's magic, it still hadn't noticed us yet. What do we do now?
Eirlys wasted no time showing me. A brown magic circle appeared, directed by her wand.
「2-star Spell - Ground Shackle」
-Hrrk—?
The ground below it contorted and buried its feet, chaining it down. It thrashed violently, but to no avail. Its shriek tore through the alleys and left my ears ringing.
Eirlys went on to silence it, conjuring a circle of searing red and yellow light.
"Flammae Urentes. Calor Fervens. Necte."
「2-star Layered Spell - Blazing Fire」
A fiery flame overwhelmed the demonbeast, burning it to ashes. Incredible, why was I needed again?
Without warning, Eirlys grabbed my arm and started running. Our hurried footsteps echoed loudly.
"Wha—why are we running all of a sudden!?"
"All demonbeasts are now aware of our presence. We must retreat immediately."
-GRAAAHHH—!
-SKRREEEAAAGH!
-GRAA—GRAA—!
Frenzied roars surrounded us, raw and unrestrained. They were in hot pursuit. Crap, I can see nothing—
「1-star Layered Spell - Guiding Light」
A firelight manifested midair, illuminating the way forward. Magic sure is convenient.
Soon enough, a demonbeast blocked our way. It also looked horrifying, and Eirlys was prepared to shoot it down.
However, I dashed past her and drew a wide slash. Blood spurted everywhere. The demonbeast fell. Compared to Eirlys's magic, this was far less elegant and clean.
I just thought it was wrong to let Eirlys near its demonic energy, so I decided I should kill it before that. That's all.
Eirlys seemed surprised by what I did. So did I, incapacitating it in one strike. Was it that weak?
No time to think about it. I promptly took the lead. Steer clear of the noise. Take all shortcuts possible. Doors, windows, and fences were simply part of the route. This place is abandoned anyway.
Up and down. Leaping across stairways and makeshift bridges. I scaled walls and forced my way through sealed gates, carving paths through dead ends. Eirlys followed close behind, and I didn't think she'd lose me. Just a gut feeling.
I passed through houses and carried my momentum into the streets. I took down the few demonbeasts that caught up to us. Just like that, we maneuvered past the demonbeasts and escaped their territory.
-Khh—hah—khh—!
I bent over, gasping for air. The runaway had left me utterly exhausted, and yet Eirlys appeared to be perfectly fine. Remembering that I brought some stamina potions, I quickly took them out and drank them, still panting heavily. They tasted terrible. Still, Eirlys really did expect all of this, huh?
"Cain, you just arrived here not long ago, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Your spatial awareness is exceptionally good, and the routes, too. I never knew shortcuts like that existed, despite hunting here for quite a while. You have more good qualities than I thought."
"Haha... Thanks, I guess."
Did I? Looking back, I was surprised with my own sense of direction, too. Is this a part of my Chosen One's gift?
"Anyway, what do we do now? Is this it for tonight?"
"Obviously not, the night is still young. We will go in again. What, are you planning to give up again now?"
"Huh. Certainly not, not now of all time."
"Great. The demonbeasts won't dare to leave the Red Zone. Not now, at least. They are alerted now, so it will be more difficult from now on. Hit and run, we will be doing this until dawn."
"Okay, wait a bit. I need to take a breather."
"Sure."
I slumped down. Eirlys paced around, deep in thought. It seemed this was a peculiar habit of hers. Curiosity got the better of me.
"What are you thinking about, Eirlys?"
"Hm? This is going better than I thought, so I'm adjusting my expectations accordingly."
"...I see."
This is going to be a long night.