Grimoire x Rebirth – Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Hana Flower Forest II [Pearl Piece Position]

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After the people of the Imperial Academy were turned to charcoal even the Nine-tails left, leaving me alone. The smell of burnt humans filled my nostrils, but the fact none of the surrounding vegetation was ignited in spite of the fire power used showed the nine-tailed girl’s skill . Though I still don’t know if the dark uniforms the Imperials wore earlier mean they were part of the Imperial Academy.

“It’s quiet. I can’t even hear birdsong…It’s probably because of the monster  that integrated a pearl piece.” (Shuten)

Now, where should I look for it?

I re-shouldered the Demon Slayer and looked around again.

In this forest where tree trunks as thick as my arm-span crowd together, there is nothing that could be called a road. Stepping over roots and bushes I proceeded by the sunlight filtering through the foliage.

The reaction from the pearl piece is not far.

I think it is better to fight one-on-one with a monster as an opponent. That said, [“Ah! There is a demon among the monsters! Let’s fight it together!”] If they are going to interrupt me then I would have to attack them with all my efforts. I’d rather not be ambushed, especially when I think of the collateral damage that’d result in.

Of course, I still need to raise my level even though my ability level changed from mid boss to a Last Dungeon class creature. This is just from using a single pearl piece, so I can’t even imagine how strong a local small fry would become from it.

Meanwhile, I continued to follow the response of the pearl piece’s resonance.

“…Uwa.” (Shuten)

Then, right in front of me I saw part of the ground was roughly gouged out as if by an enormous shovel. I think it is about 3 meters in radius. Even if three people were lined up end by end, still more could fit. The surrounding trees were also mown down as if by a powerful wind storm.

“…What a terrifying guy.” (Shuten)

I could probably do the same if I tried. However, no trick could be comparable to an opponent capable of this.

“…the goddess-chan put it too lightly. It seems collecting the pearl pieces will be more difficult than expected.” (Shuten)

My battle experience was severely lacking, and honestly speaking this scene chilled me.

It wasn’t on the level of fear. However, without a doubt the scene before me was definitely overwhelming and especially eerie, considering the culprit wasn’t currently visible, and I can only think that I won’t be able to reason with it.

“…It’s no wonder nothing has been done yet.” (Shuten)

Even so, I still have confidence in my ability to escape.

Gripping the Demon Slayer, I was able to restore my serenity. The calming effect I get from holding the Demon Slayer is a feeling that is difficult to describe.

Like this, I stepped into the gouged-out crater.

Hmm, It doesn’t seem to have been cut out by some kind of magic. To put it another way, it seemed as though it was scooped out by a huge excavator…

It was at that time while I was deep in thought. The reaction from the pearl piece rapidly approached. I felt a chill behind me.

“Tsu_____!?”

As I jumped in reaction, the ground I had been standing on became cracked. It is not an underground attack, but a crack from something crashing into the ground—- what on earth is it?

While in the air I turned my body and observed my surroundings.

It was there.

Definitely a monster. Behind where I was. A monster with four legs and huge jaws.

The silhouette is similar to the local small fry monsters; however, with its huge size it looks like a rocky mountain.

“Gyau…Crunch!”

“F*%&#*%” (Shuten)

Aiming at me who does not have a reliable foothold, the monster snaps its big mouth as it closes the distance. The strength of the front paws causes the ground to shake even with a single step of its whole body.

At this time I noticed exactly what it was.

“It’s just the shape of a Shovel Dog^[1]…!” (Shuten)

I swung back the Demon Slayer to counterattack. I intended to squarely cut off the fangs from the attacking jaws with one downward hit.

However.

“Gauu!”

“tch” (Shuten)

Perceiving the danger, it suddenly halted and leaped back. My eyes widened with the unexpected result of the the giant monster maintaining its speed from its original cute shape.

Oi oi, that’s foul play.

But seeing how light it is on its feet, I can now understand how I did not notice it until it was right behind me.

“…Without a doubt this guy has taken in a pearl piece.” (Shuten)

“Gauu….!”

With its natural danger perception instincts it seems to be intimidated by me–no, the Large Kuchiinu^[2] is glaring at the Demon Slayer I carry. Without moving, it watched me with wary bloodshot eyes.

Rather than a simple wildness, there is a complete commitment to bury the enemy before it…Is the kind of impression I get.

In any case, the Big-Sister-type Goddess said I would be overwhelmed by the aura of such a beast, but seems to not be the case.

“Guan!”

“Wait a sec” (Shuten)

After jumping to a thick tree branch, I was finally at the same height as the Large Shovel Dog.

Opening its mouth like a bridge, it looked upward and crashed its chin vigorously into the tree I was standing on. Although I was able to escape difficulty since I jumped to another tree just in time, it seems like it hitting the tree was considerably painful.

But one thing is certainly clear. The ground that was gouged previously, that is because of the lower jaw of this Kuchiinu. Originally the Shovel Dog uses its protruding jaw as a shovel to dig up the ground, which it fills with food to last through winter hibernation. Their main hunting strategy is also to knock animals into the air with their chin.

“…First, I need to take care of those jaws, right?” (Shuten)

If I defeat a guy with this much power, it looks like the level-up will be delicious.

Also, Crane is currently not strong enough to stand up to these teeth. It would be game over after one hit.

I was really glad I could handle this first.

“And so, die quietly like an adult, Shovel Dog.” (Shuten)

The main team dispatched from the Imperial Academy to subdue the unusual monster was in chaos due to the report from the failed advance party. As head of the subjugation force sent to investigate the unusual monster that appeared in Hana Flower Forest, Grendel the tenth seat of the magic librarians headed over 50 people waiting to enter the forest. Then a report came from the scouts that “a demon and a Nine-tails appeared and the advance party was destroyed.”

Since when has the Hana Flower Forest contained such enemies?

It was supposed to be an abnormal species of huge Kuchiinu they were looking for. That alone was troubling, but why was there a strong demon appearing in this area? More than that, the frightful Nine-tails that can take out an army alone had reappeared.

They don’t know why.

As if embodying the reactions of those who heard the report, the trees of the Hana Flower Forest shook tremendously. Even knowing it was just the wind, it was still eerie.

“What do we do, tenth seat?” (Deputy)

“We do not know the fighting power of the Kuchiinu, but the reason why the advance was annihilated was due to the fox-fire of the Nine-tails… Leave the Nine-tails to me. For the monster, there is no problem so long as you outnumber it.” (Grendel)

“Understood.” (Deputy)

A man who is a deputy of the Imperial agency spoke to a young man wearing different clothing. The young man is Grendel “Glyph Scale,” the tenth seat of the magic librarians, and one of the strongest single martial artists boasted of by the Empire. As proof of being the tenth seat he has the character X engraved on the collar of his black coat.

“Well, shall we go?” (Grendel)

Tying his long golden hair into a bundle so it doesn’t blow about, he walked quickly.

Trusting Grendel and his power as a strong Magic Librarian, the agency members killed their fear and followed him into the Hana Flower Forest.

“But the monster and the Nine-tails are completely irregular…Did you mean that Nine-tails? The one sealed in Alfan?” (Grendel)

Behind the Deputy an officer reacted to Grendel’s words. Retrieving documents from his pocket he pulled along-side them.

If Grendel were to look at the documents out of the corner of his eye, it would show detailed information on state secrets, such as a map including the surrounding countries in addition to the strategy on the current mission the agency was on.

Just stopping at the area where the information was written, the officer raised his face and declared it to Grendel.

“Last night before dawn, a high power magical pulse was recorded coming from Wendell Plateau. But that seal is the multiple barrier created by Talos VI himself. So easily broken…I did not think it was a seal that could be resolved in just 100 years.” (Officer)

Wendell Plateau. It is a spacious and comfortable plateau eastward of the Empire and past the Hana Flower Forest. There are almost no tall plants, and carnivores hide themselves in the sparse bushes. In such a place, a magical pulse was confirmed. The Wendell plateau.

The Nine-tails’ seal should have been in the Alfan Mountains. If the rock fell from the Alfan Ranges for some reason…it would not be amusing if someone crazy released it.

“…But there is complete evidence of this situation?” (Grendel)

“Yes. Be careful.” (Officer)

“Hmph…” (Grendel)

The true meaning behind Grendel’s fearless smile, his men had no idea.

Seeing such an expression made the deputy nervous. Surely, there are no words to describe such a feeling.

If the Nine-tails had truly reappeared, then the tragedy that occurred 100 years ago could possibly happen again. Grendel was still silent after listening to the information of the report, but without hesitation he ordered the advance of his subordinates.

To his deputy, Grendel smiled and declared, “No, wait. The only one to hunt a demon from 100 years ago should be a magic librarian. I think this is a good opportunity to prove the greatness of the current Imperial forces.” (Grendel)

“Y, Yes…!” (Deputy)

What a terrifying being.

The deputy thought so frantically. This is a magic librarian. This is the trump card of the empire.

The deputy was filled with both admiration and astonishment.

The threat of the monster and the assault of the demon somehow seemed more manageable with a magic librarian around. It was more than enough to make him think it was a daring approach.

In the dense forest, Grendel waded through the thorns and bushes and raised his foot over roots before he suddenly stopped.

“Tsu—” (Grendel)

“Tenth seat?” (Deputy)

“Get down, you guys.” (Grendel)

“What!?”

The words of Grendel came quickly just as flames began to attack from the sky.

The screaming blue fire that seemed like a direct hit was prevented without difficulty by Grendel standing in front.

“…It’s not peaceful. What is this sudden attack?” (Grendel)

“For a human being, I suppose you’ll do.” (Nine-tails)

“Ho…?” (Grendel)

A girl landed lightly on the ground.

She appeared to be about twenty years old. Young and feminine with such an appearance…no. Wrong. He understood that she was not human being, even without the tremendous pressure she wore. White triangular ears grow from the side of her head. Further evidence of her non-humanness descended to the ground; silver fox tails, nine of them.

“Are you a Nine-tails? The sealed Nine-tails?” (Grendel)

“You are…soldiers of the Empire.” (Nine-tails)

“Soldiers? No, there is no army in the Empire, only the proud ruling Imperial Academy.” (Grendel)

Is this Grendel’s terrible courage? There was an immense pressure like countless stabbing needles being emitted by this Nine-tails. In spite of this, Grendel retained his usual composure. Behind the Deputy, the people of the agency are already trembling and cannot even cry out.

“Heh. Well, we were heading to subjugate a Shovel Dog. If it’s just a gigantic Kuchiinu, even just you guys will be fine right?” (Grendel)

“W, what…?” (Deputy)

“Even without you here, I will be fine. Besides, don’t you think that standing without working hurts the reputation of the Imperial Academy agency?” (Grendel)

For an opponent like this, it was impossible for him to move freely while defending his men.

With Grendel, he was still nonchalant about defeating the Nine-tails.

As a famous Imperial Magic Librarian, his strength had already been determined.

As such, this was an opponent he can most likely win against so long as he fights with all his strength. No, rather, there is almost no possibility he will lose.

But his subordinates are in the way. Turning his back, Grendel ordered his men.

What he really wanted to do was to quickly go and subdue the Kuchiinu.

“Go! That’s an order!” (Grendel)

“Yes!!” (Deputy)

As ordered, the Deputy slipped from the side of Grendel and headed towards the back.

However, the nine-tails didn’t miss this.

“Out of the way.” (Nine-tails)

“Do you think that I will let you?” (Grendel)

The fox-fire released by the nine-tails was quickly repelled by Grendel. The nine-tails eyebrows twitched at Grendel’s speed.

“Now, shall we start?” (Grendel)

White, red, and green. Spheres of three colors that felt full of extraordinary magical power began dancing around Grendel.

To Grendel lifting the corners of his mouth, the Nine-tails furrowed her eyebrows.

Grendel of the Magic Librarians appeared! ▼

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Translator Notes

1. クチイヌの Or “Kuchiinu/Kuchi-inu” which is basically “mouth dog.” Later on it has an engrish name which more easily translates to “Shovel dog” so that’s what I went with in parts.
2. Or Dekakuchiinu. Thanks for the help from readers on this one!  “Deka (Big) kuchi(mouth) inu (dog)” is the name for this monster.

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