NOVEL WEB Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Out of nowhere, the name of the winter festival event quest item, the Golden Mistletoe, popped up.
“Yes, it’s a spiritual plant that used to grow on this land a long time ago, parasitizing on the Divine Tree. There’s even a legend that it was connected to Eckelart’s soul.”
“Did the Divine Tree disappear?”
“When Eckelart was sealed, the Divine Tree withered and died. Naturally, the Golden Mistletoe vanished as the Divine Tree died.”
“Is there none stored separately?”
“If there were, we could have reforged Mislante, and the Witch’s Coven wouldn’t have split apart.”
‘…Is that so?’
Was the Golden Mistletoe that Ennis mentioned the same as the Golden Mistletoe I had? Confirming that was the most urgent task.
‘If they match…’
This matter might be resolved in an unexpected way.
‘Is this another form of discovery…’
Even a common item, like a pebble on the roadside, could be as valuable as gold under certain conditions… It was a positive sign.
Look at the world broadly.
That’s what this new discovery seemed to be shouting at me.
“Anyway, where is the magic stone?”
“It’s over there. The magic stones were stored separately… Here they are.”
A small warehouse.
However, everything stored inside was a magic stone.
The quality varied.
They were classified from the lowest grade to the highest grade…
“About two boxes, I’d say.”
Two boxes of the highest-grade magic stones.
It might seem trivial, but these magic stones, collected through minor events, could later bring about miraculous outcomes…
“What about the remaining magic stones…”
I briefly considered leaving them behind.
“Take them all.”
“All of these?”
“Of course. Did you not realize how much magic power this body’s research requires because I didn’t mention it?”
Wait a minute…
‘Could it be that even the Combat Noodle Eater requires magic stones?’
Thinking that magic stones might be used for such useless purposes…
“Even if you need them, this is quite a lot… You’ll need at least two carts.”
“Don’t worry about that. Didn’t you see it earlier?”
“See what?”
“The relic. Don’t tell me you don’t know?”
I wouldn’t know since I didn’t pay close attention.
“The relic… Ah! That’s right!”
Ennis, too, seemed to recall something as she nodded in agreement.
“Explain.”
“There’s a relic for transportation. Although, just calling it a transportation relic might be a bit strange, but anyway, there’s something like that.”
“And?”
“The only ones who can use it are demons. It’s exclusive to demons, so it’s impossible for humans to operate it… Here!”
What she brought was something that looked like a slightly stiff pouch.
“You just need to bleed into the opening. I’m not sure if it will actually work. It’s a very old item.”
“Amon, how did you know this was a transportation relic?”
“I saw the original relic that this one was based on. Back then, it was quite an innovative item… But it seems it hasn’t developed much from the original.”
“…Is that so?”
“To begin with, its design is tacky, far from my taste.”
In fact, all of Amon’s complaints could be countered just by pointing out the Combat Noodle Eater.
“A relic from the previous generation…”
“Human and demon interactions were cut off a long time ago.”
Sss—
Drawing a dagger from her bosom, she lightly slashed her palm, allowing blood to drip into the opening of the relic.
Drop—
There was no noticeable reaction, but I felt that this relic had accepted me.
As I activated the relic, its functions were implanted into my mind.
“So that’s how it works…”
By placing my hand on the relic and then on an object, that object would be absorbed into the relic.
“Pack everything up. They’ll all come in handy.”
“That was my plan.”
This relic consumed a significant amount of mana.
So… perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it bound it.
Using the relic made my mana circulation less smooth, as if I were full after a meal.
“Fighting in this state would be difficult.”
“Of course… Don’t worry. Do you think I’d leave you behind?”
Amon chuckled while saying this. Ennis, feeling a bit awkward, offered additional explanations.
“Because it’s a very old one. According to legend, the artifacts used by the Seven Deadly Sins could move entire dungeons.”
“…What?”
“I don’t really believe it either… but that’s what they say.”
The relics used by those monsters were monstrous in performance. It must be because of that.
Knock, knock…
Knock, knock, knock…
“It’s Coning.”
Creeeak-
“Puhah! This is bad! The witches are coming back!”
“…What?”
“Not all of them… but it’s certain that they’re heading this way!”
“How can you be so sure…?”
Clank-!
Coning was holding a suspicious-looking trap.
“A magical trap, they’ve triggered it!”
“……”
“I must have dozed off for a moment…”
“We should leave.”
This place was on top of an ice wall, and if they weren’t careful, they might have to fight under unfavorable conditions.
With Oden’s help, they climbed down the cliff, warned him, and then hid themselves in the village.
– There are five of them, and they’re all witches.
If the witches didn’t notice anything, they would pass by without incident. But if they sensed their presence…
“Are you sure about this? The magic trap, I mean.”
“Absolutely. That Blue Witch is definitely here. It’s no coincidence that she showed up right after we left….”
“Then shouldn’t we have informed Lord Ronich?”
“Who would get the credit for capturing the Blue Witch then?”
“Hmm… You’re not wrong. It would be ridiculous if the five of us couldn’t catch one little blue brat. But if she resists… what should we do?”
“…Kill her? After all, the key inside her will still remain even if the owner dies, right?”
Grit-
Knowing that one’s life is being discussed so casually by others brings a cold fear.
The hand gripping Ennis’s staff began to tremble.
Bill quietly asked, “Shall I kill them?”
“We must.”
The issue of killing or sparing someone no longer felt as heavy as it used to.
“I’ll do it. Don’t interfere.”
“Amon?”
Before they could stop him, Amon leapt out and infiltrated a nearby house where the witches were chattering.
‘It might be better if we all attacked together…’
At that moment, the house collapsed, and a giant mechanical hand reached out and crushed the nearest witch.
Craaaack-!
“Kyaaaah!”
“Enemy!”
At the same time, the surrounding mana was sucked into the witches.
They had to counter all four spells, each of which would be completed at different times.
“…Predictable.”
Amon’s massive hands clapped together.
Crackle-!
An electric shock spread out, interrupting the witches’ spellcasting. It wasn’t a registered skill, but a product of Amon’s pure combat experience.
“Guh…”
“Urgh…”
With a single move, he incapacitated all the witches.
Crack!
Squish!
“S-Spare…”
Thud!
“No…”
Crack…
The witches were mercilessly crushed.
Leaving their corpses behind, Amon approached them.
“Nothing to make a fuss about. It’s a trivial matter.”
* * *
As they returned to the dungeon, he pondered for a moment.
‘At this rate, why don’t we just let Amon handle Eckelart and everything else?’
To resolve this question, it was best to ask directly. Amon, finding the question amusing, answered more kindly than expected.
“The ocean can extinguish fire. But can you fully wield the ocean?”
“……”
“Right now, it’s your frail hands carrying the seawater… so the outcome is obvious.”
In other words, even though Amon’s power far surpassed Eckelart’s, his current state of subordination made it difficult to even draw out a fraction of that power, making it hard to win a fight.
Since he was weak, Amon’s power was also limited.
‘…He’s not wrong.’
The disparity in their current abilities.
The mana that Amon unleashed in a single strike would naturally gather around Eckelart.
‘The situation is dire… so I’m already thinking about how to defeat Eckelart.’
In the original story, this episode ended with the witches’ conflict being mediated. So why had things turned out this way?
“Do you wish for me to become stronger?”
“…That’s an obvious question.”
Amon looked him straight in the eyes and smirked wickedly.
“You never know what might happen in the future…”
Whoooosh-!
Coning, who had gone out to scout, circled back in the sky.
“Danger-! There’s danger coming this way…!”
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The ground trembled from far away, as if something massive was approaching.
“Save me! I surrender! I surrender unconditionally!”
“Valua! Stop running and control it!”
“No way! I told you it’s not working at all!”
The witches, riding their broomsticks, stumbled forward and came crashing towards them. There were three of them.
“A-Again…”
Craaaack!
The number of witches just dropped from three to two.
“Oh… oh no…!”
Amon grabbed the brooms of the incoming purple witch and white witch with his massive hands.
“Kyaaah!”
“You… you are….”
The figure crushing the witch and heading toward them was a familiar one.
“Hmm… what do you think?”
“Anyone would say it’s a Frost Giant, right?”
Huff…
Huff…
The giants, now snorting in excitement, stood still.
Whoooosh…
Their eyes glowed with a violet hue, void of pupils. Oden, carrying an ice pillar on his shoulder, glared at the giants.
“As I thought… it’s you lot.”
Huff…
Huff…
“What’s going on?”
“The giants suddenly stopped responding to control… but more importantly, who are you people… You! That… Blue Witch!”
“So you’ve finally found us… or rather, we’ve been captured, haven’t we?”
The white witch and the purple witch had already given up resisting.
‘Should I kill them?’
The witches had already been subdued, so there seemed to be no need to kill them.
‘This works out well. I needed information anyway. But before that….’
Hummm-!
“Get over here!”
Oden swung the massive club at one of the giants charging towards him, landing a solid blow on its chest.
BOOOOOM-!
A tremendous shockwave swept through the area.
The battle between those with massive physiques was something worth watching.
“Kraaah!”
It was pure physical strength, without the use of any abilities.
“You damned…!”
Oden locked his arm around the neck of another giant and threw it to the ground.
BOOOOM!
“Kyaaaah!”
BOOM!
BOOOOM!
Blood splattered, and flesh was torn.
While Oden’s brutal club-swinging was impressive, the fact that the giants could still stand after being hit was even more remarkable.
“Ugh… you bastard!”
“Kaaargh!”
The giants were gradually starting to speak words instead of screams.
“N-No… the brainwashing… the brainwashing is wearing off!”
The purple witch stammered in shock.
BOOOOM!
“I’ve got it! Finish them off!”
“Raaaaargh!”
“Where are you going?!”
BOOOOM!
BOOOM!
Oden proved that he was indeed different from the other Frost Giants. The destructive power behind his punches was on another level.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOOM!
“P-Please stop….”
“Who are you… No… where is this?”
The giants, freed from their brainwashing, all turned to look at them.
“Witch! How dare you toy with us!”
“How dare mere humans!”
In an instant, the situation turned dangerous for them, all thanks to the purple witch.
Whoooosh-!
Oden raised his club horizontally, blocking the giants.
“Don’t you remember me?”
“Who… Ka, Kakuszan?”
“Kakuszan? Is it really you?”
The three giants seemed to recognize him.
What the Yeti had said was true.
“Hahaha! To think we’d meet here! I thought you died a long time ago.”
“We haven’t forgotten about you since you fell into that crevasse back then….”
“Kakuszan! Come with us! This humiliation… can only be avenged by killing all the witches. With you by our side….”
“Enough. I serve someone now.”
“What? You can’t mean….”
Oden’s expression grew bitter.
“I’m a familiar now. I made a contract long ago.”
“Why…?”
“I was tired… When I fell into that crevasse, I knew. I couldn’t return alive.”
In many stories, people choose a familiar contract as a last resort for survival. While Oden brushed it off lightly, it seemed there had been some accident in the past that led him to fall into the crevasse.
“You know what happens to a familiar that breaks its contract… right?”
“No way….”
“In that case….”
Two of the Frost Giants shouted as they looked at Amon.
“Take us in too!”
“We’ll go with Kakuszan!”
Amon, clearly not interested in answering, simply pointed at me with his finger. The giants’ fervent eyes immediately turned towards me.
Thud!
Thud!
Both giants knelt on one knee and placed their fists on the ground.
“Take us in!”
“We’re confident in our fighting skills!”
Not knowing what to make of the situation, I looked at Oden, who gave a sheepish smile.
“Can’t you take these guys in?”