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Arifureta Chapter 526
🕑 Added 2025-04-13 14:25:55 +0000 UTCSky Dragon World Arc Right Now We’re Urgently Watching Memory But~ It’s Seriously Crazy
「No, way……oi, seriously?」
「I-impossible……」
「Just how much virtue he had piled up in his previous live!?」
Ryuutarou, Atsushi, and Noboru were heavily shaken up. No, Nana and others were also the same. Even Shia and others were surprised.
Their gazes were looking at a youth who was getting pulled up and laid down on the ground.
His semi long dull blond hair was short and tied behind his head. He was wearing an outfit that was similar to earth’s Catholic priest outfit. His name was Higgs Benton.
Yes, he was the aircraft force’s pilot who attacked Hajime and Tio when they had just strayed into the sky dragon world.
There was also the baby dragon clinging on his chest while crying pii pii worriedly. Kuwaibel was talking to it 「Don’t worry, he’s fine. ……I think」 with voice that only invoked worry.
It couldn’t be helped. He died from insanity shock the moment he caught sight of Hajime. It was terrifying in various senses. A horror……it was only natural for anybody to think like that.
What’s more, even though after that he had gotten successfully revived after a fashion, his eyes wouldn’t open……
It was like, his survival instinct was insisting 「Don’t! That guy’s still nearby! You’re suicidal if you open your eyes now!」 to him. He looked like he was being tormented by nightmare this whole time after all.
「He had survived until now after antagonizing Nagumo-chi……is this guy a supernatural existence?」
「This is other world but, perhaps he got something like characteristic magic thing of his own……」
「Just like Amai-oneesan nano!」
Nana and Taeko were looking at the youth like he was a rare animal. Myuu was poking his cheek while wondering that perhaps he was the same kind like that bus guide lady.
Shia was looking a little displeased even while opening her mouth with a pensive look.
「Or perhaps, he’s like mister security bureau’s assau(Barnard-san)? Perhaps he has something like a special divine protection.」
「He seems to look completely different from the past replay though……」
Remia looked toward Roze and others with a wry smile.
Her gaze was partly asking whether they weren’t mentioning anything about his presence because they were protecting him from demon god-sama, but Roze and others didn’t notice.
For some reason they too were exchanging looks with each other in heavy agitation.
Actually, because of the confusion from Higgs-kun’s mystery sudden death from insanity, or rather in order for Hajime to defend himself, the compass and space magic were used together to open a small gate to watch past replay about Higgs’s status as a member of the aircraft force and their first encounter with him but……
It seemed, the relationship between Higgs and Hajime & Tio was also something unexpected for Roze and others.
「Oi, what now huh? This is real bad ain’t it? To think Higgs actually has that kinda past」
The killing intent he directed toward Hajime, and the vulgar desire he showed toward Tio. That was the outest of all outs.
Look, the first wife-sama is still murmuring 「Dispose him? Dispose?」. Dragon god-sama is somehow pacifying her but……Bovid whispered while getting soaked in cold sweat. Roze whispered back while holding her head at her wits’ end.
「I heard that he was a survivor of mother ship Ostinato but, to think that he was the cause of Hajime-san and Tio-san coming to that place of all people……」
「It’s our blunder to not investigate about that possibility……」
『But you know, I heard that he kept screaming and fainting each time the topic of demon god-sama came up, so in the first place even his interview for appointment as deacon was really challenging though?』
Apparently, the detail of Higgs-kun’s past didn’t become known because of that kind of reason. A trauma so great it changed his personality……certainly it seemed it would be difficult question his background unless magic was used.
In any case.
「To think it’s the guy at that time of all people who survived」
Even Hajime-san was surprised by this. Roze and co all jerked from Hajime’s murmur and they hurriedly interrupted.
「Umm, Hajime-sama! We weren’t trying to hide this at all! We didn’t know that he could possibly has such past……」
「As you are aware, in our country even former member of the divine country is accepted if they follow the dragon kingdom’s law so……」
『U-umm, demon god-sama. Deacon Higgs has changed his way. He swore to atone his sin toward the dragon species and work hard to be as useful as he can for the sake of a future of coexistence between human and dragon……』
That’s why, spare him from execution! That kind of gazes came from Sabas and Kuwaibel, no, even from all the people of dragon kingdom.
The baby dragon clinging on Deacon Higgs spread out its wings as widely as possible and stood in the way. With tearful eyes.
Looked from the side, it was a scene of the queen and her men and a baby trying to protect an unconscious priest from the demon god.
And so,
「Kukuku. I wonder, what should I do here.」
Hajime acted the demon god role. He chuckled with his teeth bared and his eyes narrowed sadistically. It was a really villainous face.
Roze and co & baby dragon jerked and trembled……no, Roze alone was slightly blushing?
「Goshujin-sama, don’t be so mean. I doth not mind it, and Goshujin-sama thyself hath forgotten about this matter until just now.」
Tio smiled wryly while poking Hajime’s cheek. Well, if Tio is fine with it then I guess it’s fine, Hajime also shrugged──
「Uu, uuu~, what happened to me……」
Higgs-kun opened his eyes. He lifted up his upper body and looked around him in confusion. He was startled seeing her majesty the queen and other important people surrounding him──
Naturally, his eyes arrived. At where the demon god was. Their eyes met. Met one another.
「くぁwせdrftgyふじこlp！！！」
Higgs-kun’s eyes rolled back until only the white showed. And then he fell back on the ground heavily. The back of his head hitting the stone hard.
It was a splendid death from insanity (second time).
「Goshujin-sama, it’s not good to be so mean like that.」
「I’m not doing anything though?」
「It’s not the time to say that──aa, his soul is slipping out again!? Teeeii!!」
Aiko’s hands sparkled bright! She did a jumping spike with a splendid form! Like volley ball, Higgs-kun (soul) that was almost got beckoned to heaven was slapped back into his flesh body.
At the same time, Kaori too even while having a complicated expression poured light of healing to Higgs-kun who had blood gushing out from the back of his head and forming a pool on the floor.
And then,
「HAH!? What am I doing!? Where is this──ЖЙЙЙЗЍЪШФφ⁂⁂⁂⁂Ω
」
As expected he died in insanity (third time).
「W-what, what’s that scream……scream? Just now. It felt like, it gave me goosebumps.」
Yuuka-chan hugged herself and rubbed her own arms that were having goosebumps. It seemed that other people also felt the same.
「Or rather isn’t his voice getting strange too? Like it sounds too shrill, like the cry of insect or something……」
「It doesn’t sound like anything human can make from their voice box. Just what in the world a human can experience to become so crazy like this……」
Shizuku and Liliana also looked creeped out and took a step back.
「Aiko, there won’t be an end to this so can you resurrect him while making him stay unconscious at the same time?」
「I’m also thinking about doing the same right now.」
Aiko was giving Hajime a really conflicted look. Her eyes were speaking more eloquently than any words could. Just like Liliana, she was wondering just what in the world he had done to this youth to cause this kind of reaction.
Even Yue who was muttering Dispose? Dispose with pitch black eyes of darkness like she was looking at an insect had gone 「Aa~, un, well, looks like he has received sufficient punishment?」 with her atmosphere returning back to normal.
「Papa, Myuu had heard the story but……is ”I’m, Demon King. Right Now, I’m Right Behind You” it really something that horrific nano?」
「I just gave Mary-san a bit of twist though.」
For this kind of time, “a bit” that Hajime-san meant generally wasn’t really that small of a bit. That was Hajime quality.
Kaori apparently became curious and made a suggestion. Like how some people wanted to see horror movie.
「……Want to, try watching the memory?」
The situation of mothership Ostinato getting sank down, in short, the effect of “I’m, Demon King. Right Now, I’m Right Behind You”, one of the 108 harassments demon king style wasn’t really planned to be included in the past replay tour.
Past replay projected the past that was centered on that “place”. And so, although it wasn’t impossible, it was really troublesome to do past replay to a target that was in the middle of high speed movement continuously.
However, miraculously there was a related person right here. The past replay would be in first person view from his perspective, but if soul magic was used then projecting his memory wouldn’t be beyond their means.
「I doth not think there art any need for us to go out of our way to open the lid of hell──」
「……There’s no way we won’t make sure-. There must be fitting punishment for someone who tried to dishonor Tio!」
「Y-Yue……」
Yue-sama’s eyes glinted fiercely as she took a step forward.
Tio thought that the consecutive deaths from fit of insanity was already enough evidence of more than appropriate punishment but, the reason of Yue’s anger was because she was thinking of Tio so Tio couldn’t held her back too strongly. Rather she was fidgeting from happiness and embarrassment.
Even while she was fidgeting Yue was taking initiative to withdraw the memory and project it in the air. Just like when watching Hajime’s memory at the depth of the caver of ice and snow in the past, golden light of magic power acted as screen and what was showed there was……
『Is this it!? Is this what you want!? You hopeless dragon with weak loose arsehole-』
『Nnhoo!? Nhooo!? I’m coming! I’m coming over to the peak that must never be reacheeed~~~』
『Nooooooooooooo, deviaaaaaaaanttss!!』
Everyone thought. It was a hellish image right at the start already. At the same time, some of the dragon kingdom people who believed that Tio was a great dragon with spotless integrity as well as a heroic figure like a holy mother opened their eyes wide while going 「Eh……?」.
Or rather, the people who heard Tio going Haa haa when she did the black dragon god transformation for the first time but then beautified the memory and convinced themselves that they were definitely just imagining it (the Crow siblings included) were muttering 「N-no……there’s no way that’s the case……Higgs ran from reality and changed his memory-. This fucking bastard!」 which was a boomerang for themselves.
「Mama. Myuu think that Tio-oneechan’s silliness isn’t something to be shocked anymore at this point nano.」
Myuu protested just for the hell of it even while obediently allowing mama to cover her eyes with both hands without moving at the slightest.
「If anything, it’s more that mama doesn’t want to show you the figure of papa getting too carried away you know?」
「Remia……really I’m sorry……」
「Myuu think it’s too late at this point nano.」
「Myuu-, really I’m sorry-」
The past papa swinging a whip enthusiastically. The present papa was covering his face with both hands from embarrassment.
Those like Nana & Taeko were making a conversation like 「Ain’t his expression exactly the same like the face that Tae-chi sometimes showed? He’s having fun from the bottom of his heart」「No no, Nana-san. This lowly me is still too amateur to be compared to this person……」 which dealt additional blow.
「Oi oi, this is……aren’t they going over at least Mach 3?」
「I don’t know how to read the meter but, the surrounding clouds are getting blown away real bad there.」
Atsushi had a twitching face, while Noboru looked at Bovid to check.
Uwaa……Bovid was muttering with a put off face, but he noticed the gaze. He focused at the sight of Higgs-kun who seemed at the verge of panic with his extremely rough breathing and shaky & tearful vision, then he nodded.
「Looks like they’re going at about Mach 3.2 there. The ride can go until over Mach 4 in the catalogue spec, but that’s a speed that you ordinarily won’t be able to show.」
Looking at the meter the speed was still increasing as each second passed. The earth people spontaneously raised their voices in admiration at the height of this world’s technology for flying aircraft but……
「Tio-oneechan who is keeping up with that is amazing nano!」
「No, isn’t it just plainly scary? Please look at my rabbit ears desu. The fur is standing on end like this……」
「Certainly, this might be enough to cause a trauma. Especially when looking at how the distance is gradually getting shortened.」
Shizuku naturally took a step back.
The point of view belonged to Higgs-kun, so the figure of the black dragon crying with coquettish voice was gradually gradually getting larger. Just that was already scary enough, the dragon was also enveloped in jet black aura and tornado while chasing him.
It was as though that. The flying art used by “that person whose name must never be mentioned” and the faction of darkness from a certain wizard movie. Could you imagine it now?
Furthermore, there was also the figure of man laughing loudly while standing imposingly and ignoring the law of physic as though saying Wind resistance, what’s that is that tasty?
That person was more like that person than that person himself. Certainly it was the very definition of scary.
That terror finally lined up.
『Nnnhhhoooooo!! Right now I’m, facing toward beyond the limit, READY AND GOOOOOO!!』
『Amazing, Tio!! You break the record! You’re the world’s greatest pervert!!』
The meter showed Mach 3.9. It was practically four times the speed of sound. She was truly the world’s fastest dragon.
Higgs-kun already didn’t have any more word. What he was seeing through the canopy was a sight that was just too unrealistic.
What’s that shining golden eyes. Why does it looks like there are ♡ marks in them?
What the hell, is that slovenly warped mouth. Normally the vicious fangs will invoke terror, but the lolling out tongue and dripping out drool stir up greater disgust than terror.
Or rather, even though the speed almost reach four times the speed of sound, why can I see white puff of breath puffing out in the air? Even though the haa haa breathing is outside the canopy the sound is sticking to my ears and won’t go away!
In the first place, how can that man stand? He’s dealing violence that makes even me feel put off, and yet why is his expression that loving?
I don’t get it. Don’t get it at all! Just what in the world is chasing me!?
『Aa, ua……aa……』
His vision was wavering from indescribable fear. That vision was reflecting the face of a gallant dragon, and yet it was clear from a glance that it was wearing a look ecstasy and it was slowly turning toward his way,
『The~re~tho~u~art~~~♡』
The beguiling, cheery, and slovenly voice resounded inside his brain.
『……haha』
A pervert that was following him anywhere with black aura along with supersonic speed……
Perhaps the feeling of terror that went beyond the limit was bringing smile to his face instead? There was a really dry laugh and then Higgs-kun’s vision blacked out right after that.
「Ah, he fainted……right?」
It must be just as Aiko said. It seemed to protect his own heart, Higgs-kun chose to let go of his consciousness.
「Even after his his plane continued to speed up. In the end, he shook us off but……to think that he fainted」
「I only managed to enter that realm for a moment after all. Now I definitely wouldst be able to go faster but……that was quite vexing. However……fumu」
Tio spoke with an expression that was just a little sunny.
「It looks like, he blacked out there. His body couldst not keep up with that speed. Perhaps it’s fine even if I claim that the result of that match art a draw♪」
I lost in the physical specs but, I didst not lose at all as a flyer at the sky! She said a bit proudly as well as looking at Bovid as though to ascertain it.
Don’t look this way……Bovid & pilots averted their eyes as though to say that.
Blackout was a phenomenon that was caused by the blood flow to the brain becoming insufficient due to the burden of gravitational acceleration and the person’s vision darkening. And it would also cause fainting if the burden continued further.
But, that was for case when the burden got applied rapidly during sharp turn maneuver and the like.
If it was just mere acceleration, it wouldn’t cause anything like blackout due to the excellence of this world’s anti G suit. In other word, the reason of the fainting was clear.
A supreme ruler of the sky should at least know something like that. And so,
「HAHAHA, that’s quite a great black joke! That’s a blackout of the heart that he got there」
「What art thou saying?」
Tio tilted her head with a straight face. Bovid couldn’t endure it anymore in various senses and pressed his hands on his face. His fellow pilots patted their captain’s shoulder in consolation.
「……Nn~, he regain his consciousness here……nn, around here?」
Yue was speeding the memory ahead to check further. Her voice made everyone turned their eyes back toward the memory projection.
The vision was still blacked out.
「Ah, no, this……he’s crouching, isn’t he?」
For a moment, Yuuka thought that perhaps Higgs was still unconscious, but she immediately noticed her misunderstanding.
The vision was blurry and dark, but he was definitely conscious. From the gap the cockpit’s floor and meter showed up in glimpses, so most likely he was hugging his knees on his cockpit seat.
Furthermore, combined with the banging sound coming from the canopy,
『Oi, Higgs! What the hell are you doing!』
『Are you screwing around! Open the canopy already!!』
『No first where’s Captain Clemens? And where’re other Groszer squad members?』
They could hear such multiple angry voices.
「……A while after that he regained his consciousness but, nothing particularly happened so I skipped it until he returned to the mothership.」
Hearing Yue’s explanation, Roze and others watched Higgs-kun who was cowering like a child with really conflicted expressions.
「He must feel relieved being able to return safely……」
『In addition, he must also be realizing once more that his squad was really annihilated……』
「Also, that nightmare──cough. That escape drama also wasn’t just a nightmare but reality. He must be feeling it keenly right now.」
It’s accurate even if you call it a nightmare……Roze and others thought, but there wasn’t any objection to Sabas’s comment.
There the crews finally ran out of patience and tried to drag out Higgs.
It looked like there was also a switch outside to open and close the canopy, but the moment it was pressed, Higgs-kun quietly & quickly closed it back again, so the crews were clearly and plainly getting pulsing vein on their forehead.
The canopy was opened using tools. Then they put Higgs on choke sleeper and dragged him out with several people.
Everyone thought that Higgs would struggle, but he was unexpectedly not resisting.
Other soldiers who were angry and yelled at him for putting them through this much trouble were also looking slightly troubled seeing the lack of reaction.
The crews in the huge aircraft parking apron and other pilots who were on standby for their scramble heard the commotion and were gathering around. They must have heard about the lost of contact with Groszer squad. There was even someone who looked like an officer running this way to get the report.
『Oi, Higgs. Enough screwing around. Report already!』
The superior grabbed Higgs’s collar and forcefully pulled him up. And then, he was taken aback seeing Higgs’s expression. Originally Higgs gave the impression of a cheeky man overflowing with vulgarity and wildness, but now he was like a puppy soaked under the rain.
『Hih, ah, no, y-yes sir! Umm, that guy! Suddenly flew our way! With strange weapon……and then everyone died……I, desperately ran away, and yet! Aah, that black tornado pervert! It’s coming! It’s coming this wayyy!』
His words were nonsensical. Originally it would cause his superior to yell at him or beat him up but, the officer might be weirded out by Higgs’s state that was clearly in an unusual mental state. He unconsciously let go of Higgs’s collar.
But, looking at Higgs who heavily plopped down on the ground powerlessly, at the very least the officer got that the squad was annihilated.
『Argh, I don’t get it! You guys, drag him to the interrogation room! Get out the enemy’s identity out from him no matter how! I don’t care what you do!』
『『Y-yes sir!!』』
Higgs-kun got held up from both sides and dragged out from the aircraft parking apron.
「Well, thinking with common sense it’s impossible to imagine something like a man shooting down aircraft on his own or a super pervert supersonic dragon. It’s normal that everybody think him crazy or screwing around.」
「Yeah. He’ll just sound more insane the more he explains calmly. It’s no wonder that he holds no care anymore in his place.」
Higgs-kun seemed to regain his composure a bit more after getting dragged into the interrogation room. There he desperately reported what happened to him.
However, that was exactly why his report just deepened the confusion. The more he gave the report in greater detail, the colder the eyes of the people around him just like Ryuutarou and Suzu said.
In respond he didn’t just get yelled at or something at that level. Finally Higgs-kun even got beaten up and fell off from his chair.
『I-I’m telling the truuthh~, believe mee~』
He pleaded while crying, but finally he even got suspected “Are you covering up for the enemy? In short, you’re a spy?” by his interrogator……
「A-as expected this is a bit too pitiful……」
「Yeah……I feel like this is enough of a punishment……」
Even the Crow siblings thought that Higgs-kun might have been punished enough seeing him turning pale and insisting he was telling the truth inside the interrogation room that was starting to prepare some torture implements, but it must not be forgotten.
The real nightmare, would only start from here.
There was a broadcast over the whole ship. It notified the crews of the discovery of the flying ship of Roze and co and telling the combatants to go to their post.
Alert sounded and the soldiers started moving busily. Higgs got locked inside the interrogation room for the time being.
And then fierce combat sound started coming.
And then, he heard it, that voice.
『Umm, everyone. Sorry for the suddenness but, we aren’t anyone suspicious at all. Let us peacefully, culturally, and humanely, attempt to reach mutual understanding using communication heree』
「NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!?」
Higgs-kun screamed from the peaceful and cultural and humane communication. He even made a splendid rendition of Munch’s “The Scream” with his face.
From there Higgs-kun was simply desperate. He used the communicator inside the interrogation room and desperately called the ship captain.
Fortunately it was around that time the camera recording from Groszer 4 had been analyzed and judged to not be a fake video. The report was proved as the truth and Higgs got freed from the interrogation room.
He got called to the bridge and as soon as he arrived, he desperately begged with bloodshot eyes to the ship captain to fire the battleship’s main cannon toward a single individual, so the nightmare before him could be erased.
But, even that main cannon didn’t work.
『Captaiiin~, let’s just run away!』
He advised, but the captain exchanged words with Hajime. Furthermore he even declared that he would absolutely kill him as an enemy that had harmed the divine country.
Higgs-kun tried to grab the captain, screaming 『You-, stop seriously don’t fuck around!』. Though he got pinned down by the security crews.
Like that,
『This is my final announcement. Withdraw, right away.』
『NOOOOOOOO!!? Please stooooooppp』
『Don’t falter! Pin him do──』
『NOOOOOOOO!!? Why’re you responding to him!? Are you stupid!? Idiot! I’m not gonna stay in this ship anymore! I’m going back homeee』
Higgs-kun threw off the crews pinning him down with the strength of desperation in front of death and ran out of the bridge like there was a wolf hot on his heel. Without stopping he ran toward the aircraft parking apron desperately while sobbing.
From there, it was hard to describe except as amazing. Even Hajime and others didn’t expect it. It was like watching a movie. A movie of horror panic.
Naturally he was also stopped when trying to launch out without permission in his beloved airplane Groszer 4. Higgs-kun whose mind was only filled with the thought of escaping punched all who came to hold hiom down. Armed with a gun that he snatched, he shot even his comrades although at least his shots missed the vital spots and advanced forward.
But, initiating a gunfight was a bad move. There was no time for the airplane to takeoff with gunfight breaking out.
As the result of wasting time, Ostinato was heavily damaged by Hyperion. It tragically rolled over and retreated.
And then, it started.
Swarm Shell. A warhead stuffed with Arachne golems. Dozens, hundreds of small spiders crawled out into the ship’s interior, executing the ”I’m, Demon King. Right Now, I’m Right Behind You”.
The inside of the ship was turned into pandemonium. Crews were shooting each other with demonic look on their faces.
Higgs-kun judged that he couldn’t fly off anymore and ran away from the aircraft parking apron. He quietly peeked out from a passage’s corner. His face reflected on the window across was messy from tears and snots. Ha-ha-ha, he was also hyperventilating.
It couldn’t be helped. The lighting inside the ship died with only the red alert flickering and echoing. The dimly lit passage was truly eerie. There was angry yells and gunshots audible. And then the screams. All those were whittling down the mind like grating rock.
It was like watching a spaceship getting invaded by alien, so Yuuka, Nana, and Taeko were holding each other’s hand without realizing it. Kaori and Remia who were bad with this kind of genre also hid behind Hajime’s back while peeking out over his shoulders.
Roze and others too, they were only hearing the story about what happened with Ostinato, but actually watching it like this made them turning pale while swallowing their saliva.
『Why, why are things turning out like this……』
Higgs reacted to that groan that came form behind him. He let out Hih from his mouth and turned around. What entered his eyes was the figure of his superior with eyes half rolled back and expression that looked like evil spirit.
No matter how he looked at it his superior wasn’t in his right mind. The moment he saw Higgs, as though to say Kill before you get killed!, he screamed out something while attacking with drool scattering from his mouth.
『U, uwaaaaaaaaah!!』
Higgs ran away without even fighting back. The superior gave chase. The gun in his hand had run out of ammo a long time ago but, he tightened his grip on it as though to say that it was the only thing supporting his heart.
『Higggss!! You, you’re the one calling those things hereeee』
『I don’t! I don’t know anything!』
Higgs ran away frantically and charged into the kitchen. There was nobody else and he took a kitchen knife that entered his eyes. He held it in front of him.
But, his superior didn’t run in from the door. Far from that, it was strangely quiet.
Higgs was confused, even so he sii~lently peeked out to take a look at the passage.
And then, he saw.
『Aa, aaaaa』
『!!?』
The figure of his superior wrapped all over in spider string, and hanging upside down in the air. This time his eyes were fully rolled back while his body was spasming twitch twitch.
Naturally at the ceiling, was a spider with its eight crimson eyes shining.
That spider’s eyes glinted as it turned toward him──
『!!!? FUUUH FUUUH!!』
Higgs pulled back in a flash. He pushed in the scream that almost flew out with his hands. Without stopping he crawled on the ground toward the back of the kitchen. Softly he opened the door of the large fridge so it wouldn’t make any sound.
He desperately raked out the food inside and hid himself. But, he saw crimson light just before the door closed completely. His hand stopped immediately.
He could see outside from the gap that wasn’t even wide enough for a single finger to get in. he also heard the crawling sound of spider.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and rush outside to run away.
But, it would be game over for real for him if he did that. Bear it! Bear itttt, he desperately told himself. His gun wasn’t in his hand anymore without him noticing it. he tightly gripped the kitchen knife with both hands and pressed it on his forehead in a prayer.
Rustle rustle. Rustle rustle rustle-
Please, please don’t let it find me……
Rustle rustle rustle rustle rustle rustle rustle──
The footsteps of the spider moving around searching for something kept hitting his ears. Then it stopped completely. Higgs unconsciously stopped breathing and literally killed his breath.
The time that passed felt like eternity. In reality only several seconds passed but, after it passed, he heard the footsteps getting further away.
『Buhaah, I, I’m, saved……?』
He desperately breathed in and stared still outside for a while searching for any presence. There were still angry yells and screams like before but, they were distant. He also couldn’t hear any crawling sound.
His body was completely chilled. He couldn’t stop shivering due to terror plus the chill of the fridge.
Even so, he somehow managed to get through the crisis and his heart relaxed a bit with relief. He quietly opened the fridge’s door and crawled out──
『……Eh?』
Plop Water fell on his shoulder. What? He thought while looking up.
His eyes met. With eight crimson eyes.
Like a beast drooling in front of its prey, the strange looking spider was trickling unknown liquid from its mouth while looking down on Higgs.
『ЖЙЙЙЗЍЪШФφ⁂⁂⁂⁂Ω』
「「「「「「「Kyaaaaaaaahhh!!?」」」」」」」
The vision blacked out once more. And then, the screams of Yuuka, Nana, Taeko, Kaori & Remia resounded. In addition, even Roze and unexpectedly royal guard commander Olga also joined in.
Even Yuuka and co who were really familiar with Arachne couldn’t hold back from screaming watching this horror movie, so it couldn’t be helped. Even Sabas and others were having bad complexion.
It was even more so because in order to check whether Higgs had received the proper punishment, Yue was thoroughly adjusting the projection so it was also conveying the emotion like the time with Hajime at the cavern of ice and snow.
「Nagumo……as expected from ya」
「Yeah, there should be a limit even in how nasty one can be.」
「H-hey, Hajime-san. And Yue-san too. Isn’t this enough punishment?」
Atsushi and Noboru were looking really creeped out, while Liliana asked with a bitter smile.
「What’s more after this, they would get blown up wouldn’t they?」
Roze looked toward them with eyes that were begging, This is enough already isn’t it!? I’m begging you all, please overlook him!
「O-ou, well in the first place, if he managed to survive even after all that, then I guess he’s alright.」
「Certainly, at that time we didst not ascertain the aftermath of Ostinato using compass or the like.」
The biggest objective of the explosion in the end was so the Arachnes wouldn’t get picked up by somebody else.
Hajime and Tio didn’t know well about this world at that time. They only drove back the opponent because of their declaration to kill them no matter what.
The timing of the divine country learning about them could be delayed if the ship crashed down, and Hajime using ”I’m, Demon King” was because he thought the terror would be conveyed really well with that whether the ship crashed or not. With that, as expected even the divine country would be more cautious in their action.
They didn’t plan to stay that long in this world, so it would be enough to simply paralyze the opponent’s movement until they returned home.
「Or rather, I didn’t think that Higgs would be the only survivor. I dispelled the terror provocation at the same time with the explosion, and even if they got exposed to black rain on the ground, they were inside a mothership you know? They should be savable as long as the rescue came quickly before the rain could get to them. In fact, that was the case with Higgs.」
In short, they were annihilated by the friendly killing from jumping at shadow and the impact from crashing? Hajime wondered with a tilted head.
「That’s true. We too confirmed the wreckage of Ostinato but, based on the frame’s damage it seemed they were barely able to crash land. The shape was really close to a crashed ship so, we don’t think that there was zero casualty but……」
Roze answered and tilted her head too. She completely thought that all the crews other than Higgs were killed because of Hajime’s action, from the projection right now it wouldn’t be strange if there was more survivor.
There, that question was,
「……Nn, wait. It looks like there’s also the memory until he got rescued. He was desperately trying to forget it but, it’s submerged to the depth of his mind, and it also filled with horrible noise.」
Answered by Yue.
『Uu, this place……what happened……tsu, cold……』
Higgs woke up. Inside a total darkness, his hand groped on the wall nearby and a part of it opened. It looked like he was inside the fridge.
His teeth were chattering. He hugged himself and crawled out. He must be feeling pained all over his body. His face was grimacing each time he moved slightly. It looked like blood was flowing out from his forehead. He must have gotten shaken really badly inside the fridge.
He crouched for a while enduring the pain and cold. Before long he looked around the kitchen.
The emergency light was flickering. The place was in a horrible state. Everything was thrown all over the place. The walls were also cracked. The floor also felt slightly uneven. Apparently the ship itself was tilting.
He was letting out white breath while crawling on all fours until the passage. He cautiously peeked outside.
The red alert too wasn’t sounding anymore. In exchange there were sparks sputtering here and there.
The ceiling was torn badly. Water was trickling a little from there. The sparks were illuminating that water’s abnormality.
『W-hat? Black, water? ……Tsu, we crashed? Are we at the surface?』
Higgs took some distance away from the black water in panic.
He couldn’t hear anything other than the sparks and the sound of water trickling. The area of the passage where the emergency light didn’t reach looked like the jaw of a giant beast that wanted to swallow human.
He rapidly became frail hearted. Was there nobody else? If they had really crashed, it was strange that he survived. Surely the ship had somehow performed emergency landing. In that case, there absolutely was survivor.
Higgs told himself that and came out to the passage. Using the wall as support, he somehow walked until the corner.
『S-someone, is there someone here!? Help──』
『……aa, uaa』
『!?』
He heard a faint moan. It came from the crossroad slightly ahead, from the right side. Higgs’s expression cleared up slightly.
「I wonder why. This development, it’s giving me nothing but bad premonition.」
「Horror movie often has this kind of scene isn’t it……」
Shizuku’s instinct was right on the money. Aiko glanced at the trembling people of the dragon kingdom and began preparing the spell of mental stabilization.
『T-thank god! There’s someone alive──』
Higgs looked into the passage from the corner.
『Sha, shasha, shafe, meeeeee』
『……』
Higgs stiffened. His vision was showing that. A soldier whose lower body was in the middle of getting swallowed into the jaw of a black slime dragon.
Yes, this was the surface. A place where it was impossible to stay for long due to the black rain.
But, what would happen if someone continued to stay there with the resolve to lose their life? Everyone know the answer to that now.
「M-mud beast」
「I see, these guys got to all the survivors of Ostinato!」
Jean and Sabas spoke the answer with an expression of half realization and half terror.
Right after that, Gujuri sound reached their ears. It came from behind Higgs.
Gigigigi With a creaky movement like a tin plate doll that hadn’t been oiled, Higgs’s gaze moved and caught sight of a mud dragon as expected.
「Hiii~」 Voices that were trembling from the repulsiveness leaked out from Nana and others. Everyone was convinced of the dire strait that Higgs was placed into. But then a bizarre occurrence happened.
『My』
The mud dragon looking down. Higgs-kun looking up at it.
The mud dragon’s jaw opened wide gapari. A breath of mud that would infect and rot everything would swallow Higgs──
『My deepest apologieeeeeeeeesss!!』
Just before that happened, with unknown thought in mind, Higgs-kun performed head sliding that transformed into dogeza!
The mud breath passed over his head.
Multiple voices spontaneously yelled 「No waaaay!?」, meanwhile Higgs-kun who was doing dogeza right under the mud dragon spoke rapidly.
『I, no, this lowly fool is the one in the wronggg. Please, pleaseeee, I ask for your forgiveness for my countless wrongs toward all the dragons!』
It seemed, he was thinking that he ended up in this kind of situation as the result of all the grudges that the dragons were holding toward him due to his wrongdoing. Or rather, it seemed that he also thought (misunderstood) Tio’s appearance as the personification of dragon’s grudges and hard feelings.
The slimy body of the mud beast simply looked like black dragon inside the dimly lit corridor. He must be thinking that the dragon was chasing after him even after the ship crashed. And, now that he was driven into a corner with nowhere to run, he seemed to decide to bet it all in begging for his life.
Or perhaps, his mind was simply running incoherently……
In any case, Higgs-kun was desperate.
The mud dragon slightly lifted up its front leg. It didn’t have anything like sharp claw, but naturally he wouldn’t be able to avoid infection and death if he got hit directly by that.
But, another miracle happened here. Higgs’s head snapped up, right after that the front leg flattened the floor where his head was pressing on just before this.
『I will turn over a new leaf from here on-. I will devote my everything to all dragonssss. So please grant me a chance to repent for my sins!』
Tears and snots flowed out like rivers. Higgs-kun was screaming his throat raw. Apparently he didn’t notice that he was in the verge of getting flattened just now.
Hajime-san was whispering 「As expected from dogeza. Dogeza will solve everything……」, but it looked like Higgs-kun was in a strange state, so nobody could give him tsukkomi.
『Aaa, why couldn’t I realize it until now! Even though dragon’s existence is so astounding like this!』
No, rather than calling it begging for life, his atmosphere was like a clergyman who witnessed god’s descend and obtained divine revelation, or perhaps even like the moment of a fanatic falling into fanaticism.
Those tears weren’t tears of terror. Those looked like emotional tears based on his expression of ecstasy. He looked truly mad.
Was it just their imagination? The mud beast that shouldn’t have anything like soul looked like it was being creeped out 「W-what’s with this creature」 and pulling back……
All living things harbored feeling of revulsion toward mud beast. Many would run away from them, but it was impossible that there could be one that would insistently approach closer.
Even if they didn’t have soul, if there was still instinct from when they were still alive remaining in them, perhaps it was possible that it would cause them to unconsciously acting creeped out. Instinctually they thought, This guy feels gross somehow.
As the result, that short standstill of several seconds saved Higgs.
『Oi, is there anybody here! Any survivor──ah』
From the corridor behind, a man wearing officer uniform with one of his hands in a sling came running. He apparently heard Higgs’s voice.
He came until right before the crossroad due to the dim light before he finally noticed the mud beast.
『M-monster. Dieee!!』
『Y-you scumm! How dare you try to harm the great dragon──』
The officer paid no mind at Higgs. He pulled the trigger of his submachine gun. However, he couldn’t fix his aim due to many wounds all over his body as well as his broken arm. The bullets ricocheted everywhere like pinballs.
Higgs-kun was doing as Higgs-kun wont to do. As expected he must be becoming mentally wrong in the head. Of all things to do, he leaped to stop the officer……
「Papa, as expected this person, is the same type like Amai-oneesan?」
「Hajime-san, this person, is the same type of person like Barnard-san as expected?」
「H-hmm~. Certainly, that’s he has luck so good it makes you wonder whether everything is staged.」
Both Myuu and Shia spontaneously pointed at the memory projection while looking at Hajime.
Higgs-kun wasn’t hit because the bullets scattered. Around several of them almost hit him but, he accidentally performed godly dodging thanks to turning around.
In addition, right after he leaped, he fell down face first due to tripping on the rubble right below him. It successfully allowed him to let the mud dragon charging toward the officer passed over him just barely.
Just how many miraculous dodges he had successfully performed since some time ago? Yue and others, and even Roze and others were looking half shocked and half impressed seeing that.
『……Eh? You, aren’t……dragon-sama?』
Giiyaaaaaaaah, scream of death egony reverberated. The officer was desperately writhing inside the mud dragon, no, the mud beast that had changed shape to look like man-eating slime.
Seeing that, Higgs-kun realized that it wasn’t Tio and his complexion instantly turned pale.
『It’s not dragon-samaaaaaaaaaa』
He ran away like hell. He ran back the way he came from at full speed without even looking any other way.
He arrived at the kitchen where he was at before.
Mister fridge was waiting for him with its door opened as though to say 「Welcome back」. Higgs-kun jumped in while crying as though to say 「The outside is scarryyy, fridge momma!」.
Higgs-kun closed the door tightly. It was pitch black and cramped and cold. Higgs-kun sobbed while hugging his knees and closing his eyes.
It was as though he was saying, I don’t want to see reality anymore. I don’t wanna think at all……
「……Nn~, it looks like after this there’s only him getting saved by the divine country’s rescue team.」
「Art this the cause? The mud beast didst not find him because he was in a state of hypothermia?」
「No, mud beast is sensing the positive energy so……aa, no, considering that the positive energy gets smaller if the body heat lower down, it might be possible?」
In any case.
The series of experience that Higgs-kun went through was truly like watching a horror panic movie. There shouldn’t be that much time passing in total but, it was like watching a full short movie with dense content that went full throttle from start to end. Everyone let out a sigh 「Fuuh」.
And then they all,
「「「「「Isn’t it enough?」」」」」
「「「「『Can we ask you to forgive him?』」」」」
Wasn’t the punishment fitting for his crime? Ryuutarou and co & Roze and co asked while observing Yue-sama’s expression.
The memory from right before this was also investigated. He was inside this temple without evacuating was also because he noticed that the baby dragon wasn’t inside the ship where he evacuated and rushed out alone to search for the baby, so the reformation of his conduct must also be genuine.
And so,
「……Nn, nnu. Well……he’s alright!」
Apparently Yue-sama too was convinced with that. Of course, Hajime and Tio, and Shia and others also shrugged with wry smile even while nodding back.
Hooray! Deacon Higgs is saved! Congrats! Congrats!
The cheers of Roze and others echoed through the sky of Themis Mosune.
They felt so relieved that they lifted up Higgs while he was still unconscious and tossed him to the air in celebration. Their action was also fueled by praise and admiration for successfully overcoming so many horror experiences.
Deacon Higgs were tossed to the air many times while his eyes were still rolled back. His body didn’t even twitch. The way his body was moving through the air limply like jelly made him looked like a broken doll.
Seeing that scene from far away, the soldiers in Themis Mosune’s preservation force and the black dragons & dragon knights flying around the temple were……
「T-those guys, what in the world are they doing with the deacon-」
「D-did he incur demon god-sama’s displeasure……」
「Are they, the people of dragon kingdom told to toy with deacon-sama with their own hands!?」
「For even her majesty to be made to do something like that……what inhumanity-. As expected from demon god-sama……」
All looking at Hajime with eyes of dread.
AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.
Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.
Sorry for the wait. My health is in an unstable condition. For the time being my health is recovering but, I want to wait-and-see for a bit more time while writing. My writing speed might fall because of that, I hope everyone can wait patiently. Best regards!
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