Chapter 6: Magical Beast 4

―Meow, meow, meow, meow

―Meow, meow, meow, meow

Kurando is awoken by a persistent cry.

The child magical beast is rubbing its face against Kurando’s face. Since when did he fall asleep on the bare ground?

When Kurando got up, above all else, he notices the kitten dishearteningly walking out of the room.

The magical beast lays down on its stomach. It turns around. 「Meow, meow」, it angrily howls at Kurando. Being puzzled, he tilts his head.

Did it want to go with him?

The parent magical beast is not around; is what he thought. Kurando swiftly puts his arms around the child magical beast’s stomach and picks it up. He makes his way outside the cavern.

From inside the passageway, he already understood the situation outside.

The parent magical beast is sitting near the ridge outside of the cave.

At dawn, in the morning mist, a big tail is swaying about.

The big snow leopard’s figure is concealed by the dense morning mist.

Kurando only sees the parent’s back.

The last time he saw the parent’s full figure it was suspended in the air.

Kurando approaches the exit of the cave. The parent magical beast turns to faces his direction.

It stares at him.

The parent’s eyes show affection.

Behind its large build, it wags its tail.

Henceforth, the parent magical beast continues to gaze at him.

Between them, none blinked.

For a moment, the parent magical beast growls and then turns around. It faced the mountain and glided through the air.

While it is out hunting, it’s time for him to babysit; is what Kurando jokingly thought. In what way was he not perplexed? While placing his hand against the cave’s wall, he gazes outside. Kurando smiles wryly at the thought of being a babysitter and an emergency lunch.

―MEOW

The child magical beast made a remarkably powerful cry and slipped through his arms. It walks to the wall of the cave.

Kurando reflexively extends his hand, but the child magical beast had chosen to sit alone near the cave’s wall.

【Gurraggh】

Its howl passed through his ears and he could feel the pressure throughout his body.

Near the mountain, sounds of a battle can be heard.

In reaction to the howl, Kurando had braced himself by covering his head with his arms. When a pillar of fire was unleashed, he sees, a thousand-year-old tree go up in flames . The ledge where the parent magical beast had always lain for a moment it is engulfed by fire.

Compared to the other spirits a number of fire spirits were numerous. During his studies, Kurando had learned that a large quantity of maryoku is required to gather a lot of spirits. But, up until now, he never considered to what extent was needed.

With the exception of his own, this is the first time he has seen this world’s magic.

―Meow

Kurando is taken aback by the child’s resentful howl. It must have requested the power of 10 wind spirits; he himself compensated for his lack of magic control by relying on his eyesight.

The pillar of fire starts to exhaust. And, 12 humans that are lined up in a ‘fan formation’ march through the smothered flames.

From the crumbling cliff and the unstable slope, spears and bows are being raised up. And, a wand is being prepared.

A man and a woman appear; their ears are tapered. Everywhere else, their equipment didn’t coordinate. A simple straight line is drawn on the center area of their white armor. From the waist to the chest everything in between is covered by their white armor. On the blade of their spears, there is a small engraving of a red horse and a white horse.

They are a special hunting force that is affiliated with the United Kingdom of Erurodoriana (エルロドリアナ). Of course, Kurando didn’t know this; chances are, he had looked it up in the magic textbook.

「It approaches.」 (giant-man)

The foremost vanguard, a man, as a warning he readied his large shield.

For 3 meters, they traversed the slope while being open to attacks.

Without any change, the giant man in the middle of the formation relentlessly charges; his posture and line of sight never falter.

After the exchange, the giant-man merely stared at it. A normal person would be knocked away in the charge against the magical beast. Their opponent’s limbs are as solid as earth. Kurando could only gawk at the spectacle.

Bit by bit, it becomes clad in a snow coating; the once black-spotted patterns on its fur had disappeared.

「Uh-huh, an ice spirit augmentation has been confirming. Shoot the target.」

Between each interval, 3 beams of light are fired.

The parent magical beast rushes in; with its large build, it runs in a zigzag pattern.

Every time, it effortlessly avoided the barrage. The barrage ends.

It had avoided the barrage many times by merely twisting its body. The parent magical beast had instantly canceled out their attack. Three more beams draw near.

However, with unbelievable speed, it swings its claws and everything was knocked down.

Blades of frost with great length had mown down everything in the surrounding lower area of the mountain. White particles gather in the air. Several people were preparing their shields; the sound of metallic clashing rings out. And, the aftermath looks as if the surface area had been shaved away.

The parent magical beast puts power into its hind legs and charges forward.

It directly targets their rear members. The cane wielder try’s to prepare a magic incantation but is a tad slow.

Kurando who is watching the battle forgot to breathe.

The flame technique user honestly needed to catch their breath, but nevertheless, again and again, they wielded their cane and never once fell behind.

While in the middle of an incantation, through the white smoke, big claws swung down upon them.

The moment when the technique is activated, a sound similar to breaking glass is heard.

The flame user had defied the law of physics. When their magic barrier and their postures were broken, the users somehow managed to survive the moment of impact. It was as if they had foreseen it.

The spell, a dragon made of fire, divided into two and burst. There wasn’t a moment for the beast to relax its guard; it couldn’t afford to be careless.

Don’t forget for a moment that person is a technique user; it would be foolish to underestimate them.

Once again at the foot of the technique user, a white claw is swung down.

「You’re worthless, Iruniiku (イルニーク).」

There is a fierce smile on the giant man’s face; the tip of his spear is stuck into the parent magical beast’s side. And, he strikes the beast with his bare hands.

When it is invoked the magic withers away at Iruniiku’s snow coating; the parent magical beast shakes free from the assault with a swipe of its claws, and it springs away.