Fresh Mixer

A strange object was galloping along the old road.

It was an object that looked like the wreckage of a two-horse sled.

A horse-drawn carriage, with everything cut out of it except the seat and the floor with seats, was moving at high speed.

The horses were blowing bubbles and running single-mindedly. It was as if all thoughts other than running had been removed from their minds. Like they were running away from some enormous fear that existed behind them, a despair in the form of a person.

Derik, who was frantically pulling on the reins, felt the same way. He had seen the whole thing, what the girl sitting on the exposed seat had done.

Horse sleds, horses, luggage, and people were all equally obtrusive to her and equally subject to destruction.

The Night Pythons constituents, who must have numbered 30, some of whom … were experienced in wild affairs, … were killed like leaves blown about by the wind.

Only two horses, the wreckage of a horse sled, and Derik remained. It was not because they were lucky or because they resisted, but simply because she saw the need for them.

This wretched mess, with its walls and ceiling removed, was the result of modifications she had made to make it a little lighter and faster, and also to make her more alert to her surroundings.

She seemed to be using some kind of magic to protect against the cold, but Derik was unable to take advantage of this, and his tears and runny nose were already freezing and turning into a crusty mess.

“I see you guys have a lookout hut just up ahead.”

Derik scoffed at the voice that suddenly flew up from behind him. It was a lovely girl’s voice, but it had no undertone at all, and was so cold that it was hard to believe that he was talking to a human being.

Derik realized that she thought of him as nothing more than a piece of junk that still had some use for her.

“Yes, ma’am! We have set up outposts in various places near the road! Today I was supposed to escape through this old road, so there were a few of us there to scout and ensure safety!”

“II heard that earlier.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am! I’m…, but I’ve just spoken to the operator…, so you won’t be disturbed!”

“All right, then, full speed ahead.”

“Yes, ma’am!!”

Derik gave the horses, which were already running at full speed, a reckless whip, just to speed them up a little bit.

Her orders were simple. “Take me to the highest person in the kingdom.” she said.

As the chief of a territory, Derik had a means of communication with the boss, and to some extent, knew the boss’s daily activities. In other words, he relied on that.

He had no intention of protecting his boss at all. He wanted to follow his boss out of profit and fear. So, he was willing to sell the boss out to this girl if it would get him out safely, but he didn’t think he would get out safely just because he did as he was told. The mere recollection of the horror that had befallen his subordinates was enough to send a shiver down his spine. The same fate awaited Derik when he was no longer of any use.

–Damn you, you monster! … Watch me, I’ll make you squeal!

“Hey. What did you just think about?”

“Hahi!? Nothing, ma’am!!”

Derik dexterously hopped up from his position in the coach’s seat.

–Did she feel the killing intent!? Or does she read my mind!?

The moment he thought about a counterattack, he was nailed, and his body, chilled even just by the snowy wind, felt as if it had frozen over.

Derik made a desperate effort not to think about anything.

Patience would have to wait a while now.

Earlier, Derik had contacted the lookout station on the way using a communication charm in front of her.

To summarize what he said there, he told them, ‘It will pass in a strange state, but don’t worry about it.” At this speed, by the time they realized something was wrong, they would have passed.

But Derik mixed in a code into the short communication.

It was a normal conversation for those listening on the side, but he asked for help and even told them what the target of elimination was. It was probably because Derik was a wise man that he was able to do that.

The rest should be taken care of in some way by those who are waiting for them.

The old road reached an elevated area. The hut-like Night Pythons stronghold existed in the shadows of a large hill.

The terrain was suitable for laying low and hiding.

“Hmm…?”

The girl stood up, kicking her seat. She looked around at the silver world.

–She noticed? But … too late!

Magic that flew from somewhere enveloped Derik and protected him.

Immediately after that. A magic landmine buried in the snow exploded with a thunderous roar.

＊ ＊ ＊

“Haaah!!”

Benedict swung down his great sword with spirit.

Super-heavy weapons such as great swords and hammers were not only the romance of the vanguards, but were often used because they could strike effective blows even against huge monsters.

In addition, Benedict’s great sword had a magical effect that increased the sharpness of its slashes. Although it was a cheap weapon, it was enough to cut through a block of ice.

Only the arm was cut out of the corpse, which was buried entirely in the huge block of ice.

Fresh blood dripped from the cut surface.

“I thought it was frozen, but it’s not.”

“Blood doesn’t freeze well. And it looks like he just died. Let’s see…”

Diana pulled off her winter jacket.

The blood was still seeping slowly from the mark on her chest.

On top of that, Diana further applied a drop of blood. More blood dripped from the cut arm.

Benedict and Hugh looked at Diana with questioning eyes, but continued to watch her.

“… I see it, it’s just up ahead! We’re close!”
“Really!?”

“Yeah… Wait a minute.”

At this point, Diana pulls out Iris’s shirt from her luggage.

She had brought it with her as a catalyst for detection.

“≪Seek Person≫!”

Diana, who searched for Iris’s signal, immediately looked up like she was hit by something.

“I knew the reaction would be the same place …!”

She ran off to jump on the Wendigo, but Diana collapsed into the snow.

“Diana!”

“I’m fine. I’m just a little dizzy, that’s all. I’ve got to get after her.”

“Impossible. You can’t ride a Wendigo in that condition. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we catch up, what if you’re in that condition and we have to go into battle?”

“…Yes, that’s right. I’m no good for this.”

Surprisingly, Diana listened to Benedict’s statement.

“… Hey, tell me something. What is that? Let’s call it a break while we talk about it.”

“Yes. If we don’t know what it is, it will hinder our coordination in battle.”

Diana took down a chair from the luggage hanging on the Wendigo, sat down on it, and lit her pipe.

The smoke that blew out melted snowflakes in the air.

“Do you know about the “Moon Eaters” of the Holy Kingdom of Diletta?”

“I’ve heard rumors…”

The two looked at each other in surprise.

“The most powerful and elite force in Diletta is dedicated to destroying the Undead and the Evil Magicians. Although they are skilled, I’ve heard that they would burn an entire village to the ground to kill a single evil magician…”

“You should only listen to rumors like that half-heartedly.”

Diana waved her hand in response to Hugh’s remark.

“It’s twice as bad as the rumors say.”

With that, she let out another long, thin puff of smoke.

Diana looked up at the dark sky. Beyond the sky where the snow was falling, as though she remembered a distant memory.

“My family was like that. It’s not a family tradition, but we’ve been Moon Eaters for generations. My father wanted to pass on his skills to his children, but he was unable to produce a son. He had no choice but to leave it to me, his eldest daughter. Since I was eight years old, I was forced to go through a lot of hard training. I had to go through so much rigorous training that I couldn’t have children…”

There was not a trace of nostalgia in her words as she spoke of her family.

Both Benedict and Hugh were a little uncomfortable, as they felt the atmosphere was too heavy for them to respond.
At the same time, however, there was a part of them that was satisfied that the mystery about Diana had been solved. She was a priestess, but she was as good physically as a combatant.  She could hold her own against a man in a brawl, and her kicks from her steel-plated boots once broke an orc’s neck with a single blow.

That was the result of training as a Moon Eater.

“My father died when I was 15. He wasn’t killed in battle; he died because he ran out of life. The secret of the Moon Eaters was to reduce life at the cost of power that exceeded the limits of human beings. Those who are members are practically expendable. And I escaped when my father died. By then, I had become a pretty good practitioner, but I didn’t like the way the Moon Eaters were doing things. I didn’t want to follow them and burn villages to the ground.”

“Is that a Moon Eater on your chest?”

“Oh, right. This is the Moon Eaters’ [Stigma]. My whole body is engraved with crests. There are 27 … in total, each with a different power. I’m just an ordinary priestess. But if I use them, I gain tremendous power. This thing on my chest is for detection. It can only search for the certain things.”

She called it detection but to what does it react? Diana didn’t say.

“I was going to use it if things got really out of hand… maybe now … that’s it.”

Staring deep into the darkness, Diana dumped the pipe contents out. The pipe fell on the snow, making a sizzling sound and a small hole.

“We’ve chatted too much. I think we’ve had enough rest. Let’s go.”

She brushed the snow off her clothes and stood up.

A rumbling sound came from up ahead, and the area shook.

“What’s the sound just now!?”

“Hurry up!”

＊ ＊ ＊

“I see, I see. So you contacted them with some kind of code or something and led me into a trap. A criminal organization indeed.”

“Ah, ah, ah…”

“I thought I detected a strange emotion when they contacted you, but this is how you did it, huh?”

Derik could only open and close his mouth with a snap, as though the words were stuck in his throat.

The wisteria-colored eyes look down at Derrick with a light that was colder than the snow.

The robe was burnt and exposed the skin in some places. There was not even a scratch on her soft skin that peeked out from the gaps. To be precise, there was one, but it disappeared.

Derik saw everything.

He saw the special trap go off. The wreckage of the sled and the horses blown to pieces. The girl popping up out of the cloud of snow and dust. And the defensive magic surrounding her.

The Night Pythons who had ambushed the girl and attacked her. The way the girl blasted them away like splinters with her magic. The way those who should have been alive just a moment ago became silent corpses and slumped to the snow.

And until he was finally left alone with the girl, he could do nothing but sit and watch.

“A little discipline is needed. Hmmm… hanging your finger on the grater will be painful. Let’s try that one. The sled has been blown away, so you don’t need arms and legs anymore. If I grind down your arms and legs from the tips, you’ll feel more relaxed by the time all four limbs are gone. I’ll fly with you in my arms, and you can guide me with just your head and torso.”