Demon Lord, Does Even a Crap Game Have an Ending? - Chapter 8

“…Riki?”

 

“Hoo… Hoooook…”

 

Lumi might be with him, I looked around the interior with hopeful anticipation, but inside that small space was only Riki, sobbing. First, to understand the situation, I had to take this terrified kid outside and calm him down.

 

“…Let’s come out for now. There’s no one outside, so don’t worry.”

 

“…Ugh… Woo……”

 

Emerging into the comparatively brighter outdoors, I examined his appearance. He was covered in dirt, and tears had carved paths down his cheeks, making his face blotchy.

 

“What in the world happened?”

 

“….”

 

“…I think Lumi’s disappearance was unavoidable. I won’t blame you, who was with him.”

 

“……Hoo, Uhuhook…!”

 

This was the full account of the incident he told me.

 

Riki had light sleep and couldn’t fall into a deep slumber due to suspicious sounds. Just as things seemed to quiet down, he was suddenly bundled into a sack and kidnapped. While being carried, he listened intently to the footsteps and realized they had left the rough mountain path. He struggled, and when the person carrying him dropped him, he broke free and ran away frantically, without looking back.

 

“Haaah… So, the clue is just a missing person, then.”

 

“I… I remember one thing!”

 

Riki fumbled with his words, as if about to sneeze but unable to find the right word, hesitating.

 

“That….”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

“Th-that thing….”

 

I tried to suppress my fiery temper, considering that he, the victim, must have been the most shocked, but my patience was wearing thin. I wanted to shake him to answer quickly, but Liheros, sensing my intent from behind, gripped my waist tightly, and his physical restraint calmed me down. Riki, who had shrunk into himself, seemed to finally recall something and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito.

 

“Spices. It smelled like spices that aren’t sold often around here!”

 

“Spices?”

 

“Yes! I worked in the kitchen even before I was kidnapped. So….”

 

“So?”

 

“My sense of smell is a bit sensitive. But… but….”

 

“….”

 

I turned my head to the side and looked up at Liheros, who was holding me like a dog behaviorist. His expression seemed to ask if I was still going to hold back. He looked flustered, but he just smiled.

 

“I remember it as a special spice that customers who frequented the black market used to order in small quantities.”

 

“What?”

 

“It smelled the same as that?”

 

‘I see. They watched us raid the black market from outside and then followed us?’

 

“Yes, yes! It was definitely those people. It seemed they were planning to make a delivery again this time, as they were carrying a pouch.”

 

“And then?”

 

“I thought it might be helpful, so, when I struggled with them, I grabbed a handful of that spice from the pouch that fell but when I arrived at the cave, nothing was left.”

 

He spread his thinly trembling hands, looking dejected, and there wasn’t a single grain of powder left in his palm.

 

“I… I really am useless! Uhuhook….”

 

“No. That’s not true.”

 

“…Huh? Really?”

 

I quickly released Liheros’s hands, which had been holding me, and grabbed Riki’s outstretched hand, examining it closely. If it were spices, the smell should have lingered due to the warmth of his palm. Burying my nose, I sniffed, and the scent still pricked my nostrils.

 

“Riki, excuse me for a moment.”

 

Tearing a piece from his shirt sleeve, I meticulously rubbed Riki’s hand. Even under his fingernails, where the powder would be most lodged. Shaking the piece of cloth, a faint scent emanated. This should be enough.

 

“Riki. You did very well.”

 

—Ding

 

[!] [Sudden Quest]

 

[Additional Condition] Rescue the remaining companion before sunrise.

 

-Remaining Time: 4 hours 0 minutes

 

Damn it. What is this? A time attack? Startled, I turned to Liheros, but he also seemed to sense this unease, wearing a troubled expression.

 

“I have a good sense for spices. I’ll go look. Can you watch Riki for a bit?”

 

“Are you sure you can go alone?”

 

“Of course. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.”

 

Liheros, who would normally insist on going with me, must have entrusted this task entirely to me because of the urgency. I opened my skill window in the forest, far enough that their voices couldn’t be heard. Without hesitation, I touched one skill.

 

[Owned Skills] … Cerberus | Normal | Cooldown 120 seconds [Activation Condition: Cast by chanting] Chanting, huh? There’s no separate incantation text, so I guess just shouting the skill name will do?

 

“Cerberus.”

 

A large magic circle drew itself from my feet, and blue light erupted as if the ground were splitting open.

 

—Thump

 

A large, black paw thrust out, planting itself on the ground, and a body rose up. The three-headed, blue-eyed Cerberus exuded majesty with a growl that shook the forest air. Its body was as large as an ancient tree, which must have stood here for an unknown time. Putting aside my worry about whether it would be noticed by the two, I was about to issue an order to the beast, but.

 

“Cerbe… Woah!”

 

The imposing figure that seemed unmatched by any beast in this world was gone. It rushed forward and licked my face relentlessly. Its tail wagged so vigorously it created a breeze, making it look exactly like a pet dog.

 

“St-stop, stop!”

 

“Kiiing…!”

 

Covered in slobber, I pushed its face with my body, resisting. It lowered its body to the ground, looking at me expectantly. The Demon King was surprisingly beloved by creatures of the demon realm, it seemed.

 

…I don’t have time for such thoughts.

 

“Cerberus. Can you track this scent?”

 

I summoned it blindly, relying only on the fact that Cerberus was of the canine family. Since it was a summon skill, it had to have a form. The keen sense of smell of canines is relied upon in various fields as detection dogs, so I hoped Cerberus was a summoned beast that followed real-world logic.

 

“Woof!”

 

Cerberus approached the cloth, sniffed, and barked resonantly. I raised my index finger and made a shushing gesture, then continued speaking quietly.

 

“Can you mark the path with your claws? You can go home once you reach the destination.”

 

“Pant, Kkoong!”

 

It seemed to understand, responding quietly. Good boy. I could see why Liheros liked Lumi. It’s strange how it follows me despite being a different species with whom I can’t communicate. Such blind devotion is hard to feel even towards another human, let alone someone not related by blood.

 

…

 

How much time had passed? I felt Cerberus, who had gone to find the enemy’s stronghold, return to its original spot. At that moment, the time attack display read:

 

[Remaining Time: 3 hours 28 minutes]

 

About a 30-minute journey. I could go back immediately, find the traces Cerberus left, and follow them. I immediately ran back to where the two were. They looked exhausted from waiting, literally slumped down, only turning their heads to look.

 

“Ah, it’s you! Did you find something?”

 

“You know, I found a path where the spices were scattered?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really…?”

 

The exhaustion that had settled on their faces was washed away by my words. They brushed themselves off and stood up abruptly, and following my instruction to come along, they walked with a slightly excited pace. Then, I approached the claw marks Cerberus had left and explained.

 

“Like this, there are claw marks wherever the spices were found.”

 

“That’s right?”

 

“So, I thought this might be their mark. What do you think about following it?”

 

I had heard that some primitive tribes intentionally leave claw marks of large predators to deter outsiders. Although it was a mark left by my cute guard dog, I thought this level of plausibility would suffice. I hoped real-world logic would work again.

 

[Mark of the Tree] A suspicious mark. Perhaps it leads to the culprit’s stronghold who kidnapped our companion?

 

Fortunately, it worked. However, as an NPC-created clue, perhaps? There were no detailed contents. They said it was a game using high-intelligence AI, so perhaps NPCs can create impromptu clues as long as they are related to the quest, depending on their actions.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Only after confirming the clue did Liheros lead the way. We walked and ran along that path. I couldn’t leave Riki behind, so I supported his arm as we walked. Riki cried and begged me to leave him, but Liheros didn’t give up on him.

 

After about 30 minutes of this, we finally found their stronghold.

 

[Remaining Time: 1 hour 58 minutes]

 

Sharpened logs surrounded the buildings, and judging by the length of the extended fence, it was an enormous plot of land. With such a large area, we might have found it eventually even without Cerberus’s help, but Cerberus shortened the time considerably. It did well enough.

 

‘How should we get in here?’

 

While I was contemplating, Liheros drew his sword and, in the blink of an eye, cut down the two guards. His swordsmanship was truly merciful; he didn’t just cut them to the point of gasping for breath, but rather, with a single stroke, made it clear to anyone who saw that this person was dead. Naturally, it’s better than dying in agony.

 

I stopped, about to follow him, and whispered to Riki.

 

“Riki, you stay here.”

 

“Y-yes?!”

 

“Just scout to see if anyone is coming in or if there’s an ambush. Don’t even think about running away. I have eyes in the back of my head.”

 

“Ah, understood….”

 

I decided to use Riki. I needed to confirm if there were any ambushing people, to prevent another sudden quest (a.k.a. mishap) like this. It was a case of borrowing even a cat’s paw.

 

The massive, tightly shut gate slowly opened. After reiterating my instructions to Riki, I followed Liheros, maintaining vigilance. Numerous log buildings stood in a row, and the central area seemed to be a training ground for the enemies.

 

“Intruders!”

 

The band of rogues, spotting us, swarmed in without any order.

 

Golden arcs shot from his sword, piercing the bodies of the rogue group and turning red.

 

The feeling was more intense and furious than their movements in the black market. I was worried he might make a mistake in his excitement.

 

‘This time, I have to protect Liheros.’

 

A sense of responsibility made me react even more swiftly.

 

I shot down those turning to attack from behind, those aiming bows from the rooftops, without pause. Seeing enemies constantly appearing no matter how many I hit, it was a relief that it seemed like an infinite structure where arrows were automatically replenished if I had a quiver.

 

“Kill them!”

 

Even as corpses piled up like a crimson mountain, the enemies showed no fear, instead stepping on the bodies to charge forward.

 

—My shoulders and arms began to ache.

 

‘Damn it! This feels a bit off.’

 

I knew the burning pain in my shoulders wasn’t the result of just a few dozen minutes. No matter how many I killed, it never ended. Even with such a large area, could there really be this many? Moreover, there didn’t seem to be a boss, the symbol of dungeon clearing.

 

‘Could it be….’

 

Letting go of the string after hitting one enemy, I shouted towards Liheros.

 

“Liheros! This I don’t think killing them will be the end of it!”

 

“Haa… Ha… Then?”

 

“…I think we need to find Lumi.”