Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 213

213

Sharin brought the slave children in, washed them, and dried their hair.

The children seemed bewildered, as if this was their first time experiencing such care.

Sharin pondered, observing the slaves. Loki must have had a reason for taking them in.

‘Ugh, it’s a waste to spend on slaves, but…’

At least, she could make a good impression on Loki.

‘Well, I can always get more from the Academy later.’

Rather than out of kindness, Sharin decided to treat the children for her own benefit.

She gave potions to both children and had them drink.

Soon after, the boy touched his tongue in surprise.

His severed tongue had been restored, and he seemed unable to tell if it was a dream or reality.

“K… uh… s… da….”

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t spoken for so long?

He couldn’t even produce a proper voice.

‘This is troublesome.’

Sharin opened her mouth and made a sound.

“Can you… speak? I mean, can you speak?”

She pointed to her mouth with her finger, repeating the word.

Then, the young boy spoke first.

“I… I can speak… now.”

“Oh!”

Sharin smiled and stroked the young boy’s head.

At least the young boy’s tongue hadn’t been cut off for too long.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go and bring Loki.”

Sharin left the spot, and after a while, she returned with Loki and Egil.

Loki looked at the two children.

The woman bowed to Loki, expressing her gratitude.

She thought she would be lucky if only her son was saved, but she herself had been rescued as well.

Moreover, they were even being healed, so he was no different from a savior to them.

“There’s something I want to know.”

The two children looked at Loki.

“I found hoof-shaped footprints there. They didn’t seem to belong to livestock….”

Loki spoke of what he had learned while searching the warehouse.

“Have you ever seen a monster in that merchant group?”

At those words, the eyes of the two children widened.

The woman nodded, and the child said.

“D-Do you know about those monsters?”

“……”

Sharin and Egil looked at the two children in surprise, then looked at Loki.

“N-No, I haven’t seen them. But I’ve noticed them.”

As the child spoke, the woman nodded once again.

Then, she hugged the child.

Even though she was trembling with fear, the fine hairs on her arms stood on end as if she had goosebumps.

“I don’t know the details. But, every night…”

The child looked at Loki with trembling eyes.

“…The vice-leader would take slaves like us somewhere….”

Tears welled up in the child’s eyes with fear.

“He used them as food for the monsters.”

***

It was highly likely that an angel was hiding in the merchant group that Loki had searched.

Also, it was clear that the angels, feeling a sense of crisis from this search, would be scheming to escape this territory.

With soldiers stationed at every path in the territory, there was only one path left.

“Ah!”

Sharin clapped her hands.

“It would be difficult to use a large trading ship, so we should check the docks where there are small boats.”

The sea of Ner territory was also surrounded by warships.

However, there were many difficulties in controlling the sea in the darkness with ships.

Even if warships were linked together with chains to guard, there would surely be gaps through which small boats could pass.

It was highly likely that they would use the sea route.

Having reached a conclusion, Loki and his group were heading towards the harbor.

The light emitted from Mercury’s head clearly illuminated the path.

As they got closer to the harbor, Sharin cautiously opened her mouth.

“But… won’t we be noticed?”

“Just as we can’t see the harbor right now, they won’t be able to see us either.”

Only about 20 meters [65 feet] around Loki was visible.

However, beyond that, it was pitch black, as if a black wall was standing there.

The contrast between light and dark was extreme.

“When we get close, I’ll illuminate the area with light. At that time, we’ll subdue them in one fell swoop. Can you make sure not to miss a single one?”

Sharin and Egil said.

“…I’ll try my best.”

“…If we use a whistle to send a signal, the troops can gather in an instant.”

It was when Loki nodded.

“Loki.”

Sharin and Egil flinched.

A dark elf girl walked out from the darkness.

She held a small lantern in her hand.

‘I didn’t sense her presence!’

They thought they had become stronger while training with Cancun, but…

They hadn’t sensed the presence of the dark elf in front of them at all.

While Sharin and Egil were tense, Cerrot glanced at the two of them but ignored them and approached Loki.

“I’ve detected suspicious movements.”

“Suspicious movements?”

“I heard noise coming from the harbor.”

Sharin’s guess must have been correct.

The enemies were attempting to smuggle themselves out under the cover of darkness.

“I see.”

Loki drew a longsword from his inventory.

His eyes flashed with red light.

Mana spread out from Loki’s feet.

The mana, spreading out like waves, collided with the surrounding objects, and that wave was imprinted in Loki’s eyes.

And far away, he could also capture the movements of those moving in the harbor.

“Let’s start the hunt now.”

Cerrot, Sharin, and Egil drew their weapons.

“Capture the mutated angels alive if possible. But kill them if it’s difficult.”

They were test subjects, but if they were alive, they could be used somehow.

They would now become training dummies to help the students grow.

“The collaborators are the same.”

Loki moved towards the harbor.

***

“…Everyone, move quickly.”

At the harbor’s dock, Gerick spoke in a hushed voice.

Accordingly, the beastmen slaves moved.

They were groaning as they moved the boxes.

As the boxes shook, the beastmen and elves flinched in surprise and almost dropped the boxes.

“Be careful, if you’re not careful, all of you and us will die.”

This was said sincerely.

If there was a commotion, the monsters in the boxes—the grotesque angels—would awaken and run wild.

Then it was obvious that those closest to them would die.

They loaded the boxes onto the sailboat.

Gerick said to the beastmen slaves on the sailboat.

“Move east while guarding those boxes. And a trading ship will come, so wait until noon. If you complete that mission safely….”

Gerick threw a money bag onto the sailboat.

Silver coins were visible as the bag opened.

The beastmen slaves stared at Gerick with wide eyes.

“I will set you free. Not just freedom, but I’ll give you money that’s double the amount in that bag.”

Freedom. And money to live on for a while.

There was no sweeter temptation for the slaves.

At that moment, one of the beastmen perked up his ears.

“Ah… Ah…?!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

Gerick tensed up at the beastman’s reaction.

Because if it was just a simple noise, he wouldn’t react like that.

That’s when it happened.

The beastmen and elf slaves all looked up at the sky.

Gerick, who was holding a lantern and watching them closely, also raised his head.

The sky was full of darkness, but—

Beeeeeeep-!

A pure white light burst out.

In an instant, the surrounding area was filled with white light.

“Uwaaaaaaack!”

The slaves and Gerick covered their faces. More precisely, they covered their eyes.

“M-My eyes, I can’t see-!”

They were blinded by the sudden light.

Light, you say…?! Could there be light that pierces through this deep and thick darkness!

The light slowly fell to the ground and rolled around.

It was Mercury’s head.

At that time, there was a man who stepped onto the harbor dock.

“…What are you carrying in the middle of the night?”

Loki slowly approached Gerick.

Gerick, who was blinking his eyes, could barely see the strangers.

“W-Who are you!?”

“I came from Asgard.”

“……!”

Surely not the angel extermination squad…!?

Gerick blinked his eyes in his still blurry vision and tensed up.

He reached out his hands to them and shouted urgently.

“W-Wait a moment! Right now… my eyes… I can’t see….”

Let’s buy as much time as possible! I had to think of a way to escape this place.

However, Gerick was not given a chance.

「Gerick… what’s going on!」

Loki looked at the boxes on the sailboat.

The boxes shook and a voice was heard.

Gerick hurriedly shouted to the slaves.

“N-Nothing… No, what are you doing? Grab the boxes!”

The boxes shook and trembled.

The slaves grabbed the boxes.

“What is that?”

At Loki’s question, Gerick said.

“That is….”

“You’re smuggling things in the middle of the night…?”

“H-Haha… Actually, it’s a forbidden item. That….”

It might be better to pretend it was smuggled goods.

Gerick racked his brains.

“It’s a potion made from frenzy mushrooms. I heard it was profitable, so I… I’ve committed a crime worthy of death!”

Gerick said that and then stepped back slightly.

He signaled the slaves with his fingers, so they could row and escape.

“Does the potion talk?”

“…….”

“You definitely said ‘Gerick’…, I think. That’s your name, right? Inside….”

Loki’s eyes turned to the box.

“Looks like there’s something inside?”

“……!”

Loki emitted killing intent.

Was it because of that?

The box reacted to the killing intent.

「Gerick! What’s going on!? What is this murderous intent!」

“N-No… that’s not….”

Don’t say it! You idiot!

Gerick wanted to shout at the box.

But the monster in the box didn’t realize that fact.

「Surely, Gerick, you wouldn’t sell us out, would you! I clearly promised to give you a reward!」

“N-No… it’s not that….”

“You’re right, it’s talking.”

Gerick looked at Loki.

Loki raised the corners of his mouth and said in a loud voice.

“Good job! Gerick! You’re going to hand over the angels to our Asgard? I’ll give you a reward worthy of that!”

At that voice, the boxes—and the boxes loaded on the sailboat—trembled.

“Ah….”

Gerick’s expression turned pale, and Loki took a step back.

In an instant, the box burst open, and at the same time, Gerick and the slaves around it were torn apart by the tentacles that sprang out of the box.

What sprang out of the box was not the beautiful angel that had been discovered on the continent until now.

…But one side of its face was grotesquely melted, and the unfolded wings had only skeletal bones remaining, and the hands were in a bizarre shape with long tentacles attached, whether they were fingers or whips.

“…….”

The other angels were the same.

They all had grotesque appearances.

Unlike when people first saw them and felt awe, if they saw their current appearance, they would call them without hesitation:

‘Demons.’

“Hmm…. Looks like the experiments in Asgard were quite harsh?”

Sharin and Egil were speechless at Loki’s words.

Even to them, the nation of Asgard seemed very powerful and cruel.

Still, it was the only country that could stand against the corrupted Constellations.

The mutated angels glared at Loki and his group.

「They’re just fledgling humans at best. And there are few of them. Kill them before the army rushes in and escape!」

About a dozen angels sprang out as the boxes piled up on each sailboat were smashed.

‘The Black Arbiters aren’t here.’

The Black Arbiters of that farm near Ner territory must have been the last ones.

These mutated angels were the last ones, or they had already escaped.

It was a shame that they couldn’t catch them all, but these alone would be enough to augment Asgard’s power.

「Kill him, make him our nourishment!」

The angels emitted killing intent.

“It would be good to catch them alive.”

A black aura emanated from Loki’s body.

That aura enveloped his whole body, took shape, and formed a solid armor.

The angels stepped back in surprise at that sight.

“Capturing as many as possible in as intact a state as possible—”

The angels widened their eyes.

They began to tremble with fear.

“—will be of great benefit to our Asgard.”

Red light flashed in the goat’s skull.

***

The darkness of the night was suitable for instilling fear in people.

The security of Ner territory had been strengthened, but rather, the territory’s residents had a sense of unease, wondering if something might happen because of the stationed Asgard regular soldiers.

Was it because of that?

Recently, what sold well in Ner territory were locks and self-defense weapons.

It had become a daily routine to lock the doors at night, put self-defense weapons under the bed, and sleep in the same room with family.

At night, it becomes as quiet and silent as the darkness of the abyss.

That was the daily routine, but…

Crack-!

Noise came to such a daily routine like an uninvited guest.

In the quiet silence, noise is usually heard particularly loudly and greatly.

In particular, it was enough to wake up those who had become sensitive to the fear of the night.

The territory’s residents opened their eyes at the sound of the wooden planks being forcibly broken.

They each picked up the weapons by their beds.

They wondered if a robber had broken in, but the noise they heard came from outside.

“Huh?”

The territory’s resident holding a weapon widened his eyes.

Tightly closed window.

A faint light could be seen through that window.

‘Light can be seen at night?’

The territory’s resident carefully grabbed the window and opened it.

Every house opened their windows out of curiosity, and those who were brave came out of their houses and looked at the streets outside.

They looked at their hands and the streets.

Even though it was night, their vision was clear enough to distinguish objects.

Those people looked at the harbor where the light was flowing in.

They were drawn to that place as if possessed, and they could see.

Bang-!

…A jet-black being beating up grotesque monsters.

***

「M-Monster!」

That was what the mutated angels said to Loki.

They raised their vigilance to the extreme and wielded whip-like tentacles.

The tentacles scraped and split the floor.

They flew in with such fierce speed that it made one wonder if even a steel shield could block that attack.

Loki cut off those tentacles with his sword.

The angel’s leg, affected by that attack, was cut off and it fell to the floor.

「Attack him!」

Mutated angels rushed in from behind.

Loki turned around, grabbed the angel’s head, and slammed it into the floor.

Bang-!

The well-paved stone floor of the harbor was shattered.

The mutated angel vomited blood and its eyes rolled back.

「If we can’t stop that guy, we’ll die!」

Mutated angels flew in from all directions.

Loki floated his body.

He spun his body around and kicked.

Thud-!

The heel struck the mutated angel’s solar plexus, and even the mutated angels next to it were bounced off together and rolled around on the floor.

「…He’s just one person.」

There were people who seemed to be his companions, but they weren’t stepping forward.

「Besides, his only weapon is a sword.」

He was subduing the mutated angels with only one sword.

Even though he had enough power to kill them, he was only stunning the angels.

It seemed that those who appeared to be his companions were gathering them in one place.

Overwhelming power.

This guy is—

「C-Constellation. He’s the Constellation of the End!」

As one of the mutated angels began to speak, the ripple spread to the surroundings.

“Constellation…?”

“Did you say Constellation-nim [term of respect]?”

Before they knew it, the residents of Ner territory and the Asgard army had begun to gather around the harbor.