Level Eater

Marikka and Ennio's contract concluded smoothly without a hitch. As the aftermath began to unfold, Tatsuro finally noticed that he had left Gregory unattended for quite a few hours.

In a bit of a panic, he looked around and found Joaquin, the deputy commander of the beast men, and other soldiers securely holding Gregory. Although captured, Gregory seemed bewildered and disheartened, as if his life's purpose—tampering with the Tamer's art—had somehow failed him, rendering him unable to stand on his own. Ryutaro left him as is, assuming it would be fine.

"Guess it's karma." (Tatsuro)

"Serve him right." (Ai)

As they grumbled together, Joaquin, accompanied by soldiers restraining Gregory and the lord's son, Bertram, approached them.

"We appreciate your cooperation. Thanks to you, the cleanup of Depris is nearly complete. The town's damage is minimal, considering the magnitude of the event. Expect something from the lord later; he might have plans for you."

"Everything is finally over." (Tatsuro)

"You guys did a lot. We're dealing with the arrest of Mayor Joel Wickham, hunting down the remnants of thieves, and normalizing Tofas. What about you? Want to become our bosses?"

""We'll pass."" They chorused

Joaquin sighed, realizing the busy days ahead, and his subordinates, watching him, chuckled. But they had come this far, even if Tatsuro and his companions wanted to get back on track with their original goals, they had no complaints.

Tatsuro, looked up at the slightly cloudy sky in the early afternoon while his stomach growled.

Gregory wondered how he ended up like this and what could have been done differently.

His passion, time, and skills—all in vain.

No anger, just regret crushing his chest.

Then, the voice of a boy reached him. At that moment, regret transformed into anger. Since that person appeared, everything went awry.

If only that person weren't there, Gregory believed he would have everything—position, honor, and wealth.

If only that person weren't there, again and again, his thoughts circled. Gradually, the obsession seized him: if only Tatsuro weren't there, everything would return to normal.

With a seemingly vacant expression, Gregory, while feigning disinterest, secretly directed his gloomy gaze towards Tatsuro.

Inside the castle grounds, the situation was chaotic, especially where Tatsuro and the others were. Considering the damage, Tatsuro pondered how he would repair it and began surveying the area.

As Marikka suggested returning to the lord's place, and the others agreed, a few soldiers armed approached Joaquin in a hurry.

"What happened?"

"Yes, Joel Wickham gathered the remnants of the thieves and caused a riot in the town!"

"What!?! How reckless. It's too late to do anything now!"

Joaquin, wearing a resentful expression, inquired for details. According to the report, after ravaging the town, they took over the guild-operated department store and barricaded themselves there. Everyone present listened intently, their attention focused on the messenger, except for one person—Gregory, who was silently observing Tatsuro.

Unnoticed by anyone in the scene, Gregory's gaze was fixed on Ryutaro.

Gregory carefully confirmed it, moving his mouth as if chewing, then, with a small box-like tool tucked into his left back molar, he cautiously took it out while ensuring it didn't activate in his mouth. He held it between his lips.

Covering the button for firing, he aimed the side with the lid towards his own throat, sliding it off with his tongue. All that remained was to aim and, by pressing the small button with his tongue, a needle with a potent poison would be shot out, causing the target to die within seconds.

The distance to Tatsuro was just under five meters. It was at the limit of the range but still within reach. Furthermore, at the moment, no one was standing in a straight line distance.

Gregory saw this as his last opportunity and carefully aimed. After all, the needle he had prepared was a single one, and if removed, he would have no means left.

(If it weren't for you… I… still!)

With an unprecedented level of concentration, he moved only his lips slightly, aligning the aim precisely where he thought was best. Gregory extended his tongue to the button and touched it.

However, there was someone who witnessed the entire process.

The crimson giant tiger, with an expressionless gaze, as if observing an inanimate object, swung its claws down the moment Gregory became hostile.

"Gah—" (Gregory)

"Gwahh" (Ennio)

Those claws tore through Gregory's body as if it were paper. Everyone present was astonished by Ennio's sudden action, and their gaze turned towards him.

On the ground, Gregory's dismembered corpse was scattered in a bloody mess, with only the head rolling intact.

Everyone who witnessed the gruesome scene directed their gaze at Marikka, the master of the one who had done it.

"I didn't give any instructions! You guys nearby should understand that!" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"That's true… But, does this mean the contract wasn't properly established?" (Tatsuro)

"It can't be, right? He still listens to me even now… Look, bow your head" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Gaa" (Ennio)

As if proving to Joaquin who questioned, Marikka gently stroked Ennio's head as he lowered it, and Ennio happily closed his eyes.

Without a contract, a demon's true nature would be exposed, and such a thing would be impossible.

"So, why did this happen…"

"I don't know. As long as there are no instructions, it was said not to harm humans." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Hmm. This… um, Ennio, right? For him, is this not a human? Well, it can't be helped that he's facing execution. Well, then, should I just take his head… huh? What's this?"

When Joaquin approached to take Gregory's head as evidence of death, he noticed a small black object inside his open mouth.

Upon closer inspection, he recognized what it was. Carefully using his fingers, he picked it up from the mouth and covered the injection button.

"This is a hidden weapon. So he had something like this in his mouth. Then, if he aimed in this direction at that time with this, the target was you."

"Me?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, no doubt… I think."

"It's not clear." (Ai)

As Ai doubted if she said something appropriate, Marikka clapped her hands as if she remembered something.

"Right. Speaking of which, I did say that if your comrades are in danger, attack without hesitation." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Comrades… you say?" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah. It meant me and Yorn, but for Ennio, Tatsuro and the others are comrades. That's probably what it meant." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Is that so…?" (Tatsuro)

"I see…" (Ai)

And so, the two approached Ennio, who was yawning sleepily and stroked his body.

Ennio, without showing any particular displeasure, snorted once, closed his eyes, and fell to the ground after exhaling strongly.

Meanwhile, the mayor, who had been holed up in place, learned about Gregory and Bertram's capture through a messenger bird from a spy among the thieves hidden inside the castle. Despite understanding that it was hopeless, he couldn't help but act. He incited the thieves he had hidden, leading to such a reckless act.

"Darn it, I shouldn't have trusted those thief-like guys…"

Now alone on the top floor of a ten-story department store, he looked down at the soldiers surrounding the building.

If he had the time to do such things, he might have had other options if he had quietly escaped. However, when he tried to do that, the town gates were already closed, the elite knights of the knight order were patrolling secret escape routes, and it was no longer a situation where he could easily leave the town.

So, as a last resort, he decided to take the department store customers hostage and attempt to leave the town. His followers had already escaped somewhere, and now, the only allies he could rely on were the untrustworthy thieves. He had given money to one of them to deliver a statement about releasing hostages in exchange for securing an escape route, but it seemed that the person had taken the money and fled.

"Haha. Even though I've lived for this town for so many years, to be swayed by a little money, what foolish guys."

"That's excessive pride, Joel."

"──What!? Zan, how did you get here!?"

Thinking there was only one person, the mayor found the familiar Adventurers' Guild leader of Lyadas Town standing behind him.

"Our staff is excellent. The safety of the hostages has already been ensured. As for the thieves, anyone who didn't surrender quietly has been killed. You're the only one left."

"Even you turned against me."

"If it were the old Joel Wickham, I would have undoubtedly helped. But I can't lend a hand to you now. So at least, let me capture you myself."

"If I get caught, I'll be sentenced to death, you know? Is that still friendship?"

"How many adventurers who supported you were killed by the thieves you were backing? …You must face the consequences."

He had always been a stubborn and justice-minded person. Such a person would never retract what he had said so clearly.

"I had no interest in climbing the ranks, but I, who kept reaching for the top, am now being put to an end by you. Irony, isn't it?"

"You brought it upon yourself, Joel, with your misdeeds."

"I see. Then go ahead and catch me. Even though I'm old, there's no way you can beat me still in action."

"That's right."

And so, Zan approached to capture Joel. Just as if he had anticipated it, Joel dropped a bottle he had hidden up his sleeve.

"What!?"

"You're naive. I knew you had something hidden there."

The bottle fell and broke on the ground. Zan rushed over in an instant, caught it with his foot, and while preventing further resistance, he punched Joel's abdomen, rendering him unconscious.

In just a few hours, the incident, later to be spoken of in history as the mayor's madness, was settled surprisingly easily.

Tatsuro and his companions learned of this news about an hour later.

Some things needed to be dealt with beforehand. In a room where a luxurious meal was served, Tatsuro, Ai, Marikka, and Ennio of the Crimson Tigers were waiting. Joaquin, an acquaintance, came personally to inform them.

Finally, the prolonged commotion had come to an end, and the burden on their shoulders was lifted for the two of them.

—–

T/N: I feel sorry for Ennio that he won't be able to reverse to his normal self again but i feel satisfied that he was the one who killed Gregory.

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