Butcher Demon

Chapter 209

『Back to the subject, the term subhuman(Ajin) originally referred to those born from changelings in Miforsis. Changelings are typically all born with extremely weak magic powers or none at all. It was recently discovered that the reason behind that is because they are born with souls from Earth, which is why they were called that.』

Tiriel holds a ladle in her hand like a teacher’s stick and continues with a teacher-like demeanor.

『The subhumans live together in a small town where they gather, and occasionally a hero shows up and causes chaos. By the way, the one who was on a rampage until recently was Desmond, a dwarven subhuman called the <King of Scrap Metal>』

『Desmond was one of the strongest heroes who turned the weakness of the subhuman’s lack of magic power into a powerful advantage by utilizing his elite skills.』

『Yes, yes. Normally, there are ores that emit too much magic for humans to handle, jewels that absorb too much magic, or special metals that cannot be processed because they do not absorb magic at all. Because of that, it has been treated as a waste, If we could use those resources then we can make powerful armors and magic tools or process them into powerful golems. However, no one has been able to effectively use them.』

『Ah. Those garbage resources had piled up in the subhuman territory because they had been thrown away. Desmond had been using these accumulated garbage to build up his forces. The war then began and continued for nearly 30 years and is now referred to as the <Golem War>.』

『They say it was the biggest war in the recorded history』

『The worst of them were those that used <Vibraton>. In theory, they could even cut through the <Galvorn>, <Fantazma>, and <Adamant>. The weapons that Desmond made are known as the Vibraton series. No one can make them anymore, so the ones that exist now are priceless.』

『It was originally designed to be attached to a golem, and it can only be used by humans if it is connected to the Lightning type skill, But it is delicate and difficult to use because if you give it too much power, the blade gets burned and turns black, and if give it too little, it doesn’t cut well and the blade breaks easily because it is very thin. I used to have the dagger type for self-defense.』

『But the way their blades glisten is so cool.』

『Speaking of which, Arshella doesn’t use the Vibraton Series anymore right?』

『It’s forbidden in my house. It’s my Gramp’s rule that if you rely on that kind of thing, you’re going to get your arm nipped or something. I think that’s dumb, If the blade is good, why don’t use it …… But well, but there’s none in the Vibraton series that’s long enough for me. They all have short blades, maybe a short sword at most.”』

『The tradition of the clan is so annoying at times, isn’t it? I wish they would let me choose my own weapon. I told them that my Cabonteer is old and I want a new one, But the elder told me that it has been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years so—-』

Thus, the two of them took turns chatting and telling me about the subhuman and the hero.

『Golem War huh ……』

I’m sorry. But they sound kind of cool, that’s all I can think of.

『Why did this Desmond guy start a war against the Demon King?』

『The reasons for subhuman uprisings throughout history have always been the same. It is the fundamental policy of Elysium that subhumans are shoved into certain areas. We called their leader “heroes (braves)” ironically because they always start a battle they can’t win.』

『So Miforsis is discriminated against subhumans?』

Tiriel interrupted my comment.『It can’t be helped.』

『Because the trait of subhumans having little or no magic power can be passed on to their children. If our offspring lose their magic power, it will be a matter of life and death for our population, and if it spreads to every race in Miforsis, we won’t be able to resist the threat of the magical beasts. We have no choice but to gather them together and isolate them.』

『I see. I see. So they are treated as a nuisance.』

『That’s the reason why they started the Golem War. Every major city was invaded by golems and suffered tremendous damage, and it reached the point where Elysium was in real trouble if the situation continued. My hometown is called Crystal Desert now but actually, it used to be a lush forest and a gorgeous land called the Crystal Forest! It’s all because of that Golem War! It’s so frustrating! All heroes must die! And those who took part in it must die too!』

Huff Huff, Tiriel waved the ladle in her hand and puffed out her cheeks.

Dean was such a beautiful place so I assume it’s all like that, but I guess there are rough places over there too.

『And so the war spread throughout the world. As a result, it nearly destroyed the entire landscape of Miforsis. Then, the Demon Lord join hand with Oberon of Agartha, along with Titania and their army.』

『Normally, Agartha remain neutral in human conflicts, but they have joined our side in the Golem War. I heard it was the first time in history that Agartha lent a hand to us, all because at that time, Miforsis was about to become a wasteland where not even a single blade of grass can grow.』

『So the heroes were defeated. By the way, Dupont and Papameyan were among the elite who fought the final battle against the heroes at that time. I really wanted to see that battle…….』

Arshella growled regretfully.

『These special weapons and golems were the main source of power for the subhuman army in the Golem War. After losing Desmond who was capable of making them, the subhuman forces rapidly lost their momentum, and the war came to an end. In the end, the subhumans retreated to a corner of Miforsis, living quietly like they had before.』

『So there wasn’t a purge or anything like that?』

『We don’t want the subhuman territory to disappear. We need a space for them to inhabit. It’s a really tricky problem.』

『Hmmm. So what’s the problem? What does the existence of these heroes have to do with attacking Earth?』

In response to my question, Arshella continued 『That’s the thing.』

『Because some were blinded by the value of the magic tools and golems that Desmond made, quite a few defected from Elysium. So the Demon Lord had ranked Desmond’s emergence as a crisis.』

『That’s right. It is simply an amazing skill to be able to convert resources that were considered garbage into something that valuable. and it soon became known that heroes have that kind of economic value. That’s why Demon Lord thinks that the next hero will undoubtedly trigger a rebel uprising that will cause even more disaster in Miforsis than the past war has done.』

『In the Golem War, some of the Nocturnes also took the side of the subhumans. Desmond’s sister was the center of that group and I believe she was a Nocturne. I think the name is …… umm …… what is it……. some sort of flower …… umm ……』

Arshella’s face scrunched up, like a fishbone was caught in her throat.

Then Tiriel came to her rescue 『…. Jasmine ….』 she said, whispering in her ear.

『–Yes, Jasmine! I think she was a doppelganger.』

『A doppelganger?』

『In a nutshell, she’s some kind of a mimic slime. Although lacking in combat skills, they can mimic their target perfectly and copy their skills. Or, if they eat the brain of their target, they can take away their body and memories. It’s a terrifying thing.』

That’s one hell of an ability.

–hm?

『Arshella, was mimic slime possibly a yellow slime?』

『…..Yellow?』

Tiriel spoke up instead of Arshella, who turned silent.

『The color of the doppelganger’s body has yet to be determined, but Jasmine’s body was said to resemble a slime. She was said to have revealed herself in order to attract the sympathy of those in oppressed positions. It is said that the demon king was the reason why her body was transformed into such a state. Even in propaganda warfare, Desmond was a cut above the rest.』

『I see.』

Then that thing Titania use to interrogate Sergeant Adams must be some kind of doppelganger. I need to keep my mouth shut.

『So there was such a thing as a doppelganger in your ranks? Why haven’t they been in the war? If you had a doppelganger, you could have taken down the Fort with ease. Just simply open the door from the inside and be done with it.』

『You’re right, But doppelgangers are a very rare species. It is also very weak by itself and it will become even weaker when they mimic subhuman that has no skills. Even if they take away the subhuman knowledge, they don’t suddenly gain the ability to speak. It’s too dangerous to send them to the front lines of the subhuman war.』

『Is that so?』

『Oh. And doppelgangers are a kind of mutation. Those who fail to become Nocturnes are usually melted away and perish, but doppelgangers are the end result of those who somehow survived the process. They are very rare and don’t come into the public eye because being a doppelganger is a disgrace in itself.』

『Hee, That’s interesting.』

『Hey, That’s not funny……. Don’t say that even when you meet the person, that’s rude.』

Arshella looked at me with a reproachful look. Apparently, it’s rude.

『when I meet the person…..you mean that this Jasmine is still alive?』

『I heard that she disappeared right after the end of the Golem War. It is very difficult to follow a doppelganger who is on the run. Tracking her is practically impossible.』

『Oh, really?』

『Well, because of that, a case has been made that a species other than the subhuman can take side with subhuman. All the past uprisings of the heroes have been on the scale of a local rebellion, but from now on, they are likely to develop into wars that will involve the whole world. If a Golem War-level conflict broke out again and again, Miforsis would be in shambles. Something drastic had to be done. However, the changeling process itself cannot be stopped. It’s the way the world works.』

『Cannot be stopped？』

『There is no way to stop it. Miforsis and Earth are the <Contraposition universes> At such a singularity in the Parallel universe, the exchange of souls is bound to happen.』

Arshella, your character is a meathead, but now you’re talking about very difficult things …….

I felt betrayed …… when I thought I could feel a kinship with her when the other three all seem to be very smart….. Even though they are all squealing and hugging me, they are still elites on the inside.

I want to regress her to the toddler by fuck her silly and restore my self-esteem right now. But if I destroy her armor, she’ll get angry, so what should I do? While I was wondering what to do, Exmut’s young lady continued.

『I heard that there was a radical proposal to find all the changelings in the world and kill them when they are babies, But some types develop their talents after they grow up. So there was no way to tell the difference, which leads to atrocious slaughter and there was a tremendous backlash So, in the end, the best solution was–』

『Let’s just wipe out the subhuman race on the Earth side as soon as possible.』

She quietly nodded in affirmation at my answer.

『In fact, the gate to Earth was something that happened to open and close at random, even if we didn’t do anything. Normally, it is impossible to control it, but with the power of the current Demon Lord, it is possible to keep the gate open. Therefore, it was decided that this was the only time to do this, while the Demon Lord was still alive.』

『The gate opens by itself?』

『Yes, it is. Sometimes someone just disappears without a trace. Over here, there have been cases of Earth creatures suddenly appearing and causing a commotion. There even have cases of Earth subhumans wandering into our area. Most of them were quickly devoured by magical beasts and found dead, but some can survive it and live their lives. but they still died shortly after.』

Now I wonder if the UMAs that have been seen on earth in the past were magical beasts from the other side that slipped out of the Miforsis, or something like that?

『And so, with the peace of the entire Miforsis as the hallmark, the subhuman war began, but just as the war was beginning and the operation was proceeding according to plan, Agartha rebelled. From there, things got complicated again.』

『Why would Titania’s side and your side turn on each other?』

『That’s what I still don’t understand』said Tiriel.

『I heard that Agartha had initially been supportive of Earth’s subhuman extermination.』

She pick up a pot from wherever she had taken it from, opening it with one hand and pinching the mysterious spices into the pan.

Shoo ….blue smoke is rising. A secret ingredient, I guess. Cooking is all about adding little touches here and there. I can understand that now after I’ve been working hard as a butcher.

『Well, I guess we’ll find out if we talk to Titania about that……. Yeah, why don’t you guys ask her? Unlike me, you can talk to her.』

When I said this with some hint of sarcasm, Tiriel raised an eyebrow

『Titania is a more pleasant person to talk to than I thought, but she won’t answer what she doesn’t need to. She said she’ll keep her promise of a ceasefire, and not meddle with it anymore. Ferris should be negotiating with her right now.』

Hmmm……… So it’s impossible for me to get through to Ferris and the others to ask her what’s going on. I guess I’ll just have to learn to speak the language myself.

Now, I’m going to ask her one more question.

『So, what is the name of the Demon King?』

It was something I was curious about.

When I asked, Tiriel kept her mouth shut and her gaze wandered. Arshella and she exchanged eye contact. What should I do? That’s the signal she gave.

Arshella had her arms crossed as Tiriel left the decision to her, she cleared her throat and after a while, showed some signs of hesitation before looking up.

『——-<Narusuigista>. It means <One who has no way out.>』

『What a strange name.』

『The demon king is a member of the dungeon master clan that can create and develop a dungeon. Narusui-sama’s power was outstanding and the dungeon economy developed rapidly, and Elysium prospered more than ever before. Until the Golem War began.』

『Hmmm. That’s Surprising.』

『Ah. There has never been a case where a Dungeon master’s clan has ascended the throne, but he is the prodigy of the dungeon master clan. He’s a dungeon master who has been creating deep dungeons one after another with unbelievable speed.』

『No, Not that one.』

『?』

Arshella was interrupted, and she tilted her head.

『I was surprised that you tell me something that important, like the name of the Demon king.』

『N……nnー……』

She looked somewhat embarrassed and lowered her eyes at my remark.

『–Um, Well. If we want you to join us, we have to open our hearts to you first.』

Arshella looked away and scratched her cheek.

I can’t stand the itchy feeling in the air.

『So you will show me your boobs?』

『– Idiot. Is that all you have in your head?』

It’s harsh to be told that. In fact, that’s all I can think right now. It’s all Butcher’s body’s fault. Ah, I want to have sex.