Blankon Announcement

500 Mother-Daughter Duet, the Snow Wolf, and the Boy

■ Since this is the 500th episode, it's a bit longer. Thank you for reading and for your continued support.

Yoshino's place of arrival in this era was a mountain in the Trillhalan Divine Empire.

Hunting magical beasts in the mountains and selling the materials to stores for money, Yoshino would use [Teleport] to wander through various towns.

Of course, she also had her smartphone and could contact her sisters, but she couldn't resist the temptation to explore the past world for a while.

Traveling from the Trillhalan Divine Empire to the Strain Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom of Arent, and the Panaches Kingdom, she wandered at a pace of one country per day, eventually arriving at an island.

The island, located in the sea area between the Panaches Kingdom and the Paruf Kingdom, was a small one called Aroza Island, floating among various other islands of different sizes.

The island's residents were friendly and treated Yoshino kindly despite her being a stranger.

Suddenly, the island was struck by an abnormal event. Mysterious creatures emerged from the sea and attacked the villagers.

According to Yoshino, these creatures were half-fishmen, covered in blue scales all over, with dorsal fins and webbed feet, bulging eyes, and jagged teeth.

Around ten of these half-fishmen attacked the villagers one after another, sinking their sharp fangs into them.

By the time Yoshino noticed, there were already many casualties. The half-fishmen retreated into the sea as soon as Yoshino defeated a few of them.

Fortunately, there were no deaths among the villagers. However, many were injured, and all those bitten by the half-fishmen developed high fevers and began to undergo physical transformations.

"Transformations? What kind?"

"Scales are spreading from the bite wounds on their arms... and they even have webbing between their fingers. It's like..."

"Like they're turning into the half-fishmen who bit them?"

Yoshino nodded at Sakura's words.

In movies, there's often a setting where getting bitten by a zombie turns you into one, but in this world, zombies are simply 'living dead' without such abilities. They're just corpses that can't die.

"Transforming... what could that mean?"

"There are several possibilities... but it's probably a 'curse'."

To Yaé's question, Leen responded.

A 'curse,' huh. Ancient dark attribute magic can grant curses, and some magical beasts or creatures possess such traits. Easily understandable examples would be beasts like basilisks, cockatrices, or catoblepas with the ability to 'petrify.'

These half-fishmen are probably similar creatures...

"Are there any half-fishmen type monsters with the ability to transform others into their kin?"

"At least Mermen and Merfolk don't have such abilities. Could it be a monster from the New Continent?"

Leen's suggestion is not impossible. With the fusion of two worlds, it wouldn't be strange for magical beasts or monsters that only existed in each world to appear. And it would be more likely for flying monsters or sea-dwelling creatures to emerge than land monsters.

"In any case, the villagers are in danger! If it's a status abnormality, Father can cure it with [Recovery], right?"

Yoshino clung to me with a desperate face, her eyes brimming with tears. She's a kind child. She just met them, so they shouldn't be that close...

If it's a curse, [Recovery] should be able to lift it. I can't resist my daughter's tears.

"Alright, let's go. Yoshino, show me the exact location."

"Thank you, Father!"

Yoshino smiled and hugged me. Sakura gently patted her head. Despite being Sakura's daughter, she has clear expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. Well, it's good for kids to be like this.

Elna, who had been watching us worriedly, ran over.

"F-Father, I want to go too! I can use [Recovery] too!"

Right, Elna can use [Recovery] as well.

I didn't want to bring the children to dangerous places, but I reconsidered. We fought dragons and giga giants today, didn't we?

Our children aren't that weak.

"Alright, I'll count on you, Elna."

"Y-Yes! I'll do my best!"

"Good girl! As expected of my daughter!"

Elze hugged Elna tightly from behind, squeezing her.

"Oh, Mom, that's embarrassing..."

Elna looked at me with pleading eyes. Sorry, but I agree with your mom on this one.

After Yoshino told us the exact location on Aroza Island, we decided to teleport first to check the situation and then call everyone through a [Gate].

"Alright, let's go."

"Mm."

"Understood!"

Holding Yoshino in the center, with Sakura on the right and me on the left, we held hands as a family. Though everyone could use [Teleport] and didn't need to hold hands, Yoshino reached out, so this is how it turned out.

We activated [Teleport]. In an instant, the scenery around us changed, and the three of us landed on a sandy beach.

The emerald green sea near sunset gently lapped at the shore, and the sea breeze caressed our cheeks. It was a picturesque scene reminiscent of a tropical beach.

On the sandy beach, high-stilt houses lined up, and there were even water cottages at the end of the pier. The scenery was so beautiful it could be mistaken for Tahiti or the Maldives.

"Father, Mother, this way!"

Yoshino ran across the beach.

Following her, we entered one of the high-stilt houses.

Inside the room, a black-haired woman in her forties was lying on a simple straw bed. Looking closely, there was a bite wound on her right arm, and from the shoulder to the fingertips, it was covered in dull blue scales.

There was even webbing between her fingers. Just as Yoshino said, she was turning into a half-fishman.

"Ma'u Obasan! I brought Father!"

"Oh dear... I told you to escape... What a troublesome child..."

The woman called Ma'u Obasan smiled at Yoshino despite her pained expression. She's conscious, but it looks serious.

"Ma'u Obasan gave me food and was kind to me. Father, please!"

"Leave it to me. Excuse me. [Recovery]!"

I activated [Recovery] while touching Ma'u Obasan's arm, and the dark blue scales covering her arm disappeared with the light. It was indeed a curse. I'll also use [Mega Heal] and [Refresh].

Her pained expression returned to normal, and Ma'u Obasan opened her eyes and sat up.

"How do you feel?"

"My arm is healed... There's no pain at all. You're amazing..."

Ma'u Obasan looked at her restored arm in surprise. She seems fine now.

"Ma'u Obasan, does it hurt anymore? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. Your father is indeed amazing, as you said."

Ma'u Obasan patted Yoshino's head. Yoshino smiled like a contented cat.

Ma'u Obasan is alright now. We need to lift the curse on others quickly.

We left the high-stilt house and opened a [Gate]. Elna led everyone from the castle salon to Aroza Island.

"Huh, even Ende came?"

"Alice insisted on coming..."

Ende's family came along with everyone. But if they can't use healing magic, there might not be much for them to do...

"No, I'll cook delicious meals for everyone who's exhausted. Asia, everyone, help me."

"Of course!"

Luu and Asia were enthusiastic. That's another way to help.

"Alright, Elna, let's divide the work and use [Recovery]. Those who can use healing magic should treat other injuries."

"Y-Yes, understood!"

Elna replied firmly. Those who can use light attribute healing magic are Linze, Sue, Leen, Elna, and Kuhn.

We divided the work and lifted the curses and healed the fallen people. The others helped Luu and Asia build stoves with earth magic and prepare meals. The Phrase group, led by Mel, went into the sea to catch fish.

"Alright, this is the last one."

After lifting all the curses, I exhaled deeply and sat on the sand. Yoshino tugged at my sleeve, saying, "Come here." What is it?

Following Yoshino's lead, along with Sakura, we came to a corner of the beach where three half-fishmen were lying.

Their bodies were charred in several places, and they were already dead. These are the half-fishmen that attacked.

"Did you do this, Yoshino?"

"Yes. I have fire and wind attributes, so I used compound magic to defeat them."

Fire and wind attributes, huh. Sakura has water and dark attributes, so that's different. But using compound magic... that's pretty advanced ancient magic...

"Do you have any other non-attribute magic besides [Teleport]?"

"I have. [Absorb] and [Reflection]."

Sakura’s question is met with Yoshino’s response. She has three, including [Teleport].

Well, Kuhn has four: [Enchant], [Mirage], [Modeling], and [Program], and Elna also has three: [Multiple], [Boost], and [Recovery].

Moreover, [Absorb] and [Reflection] are complete magical defenses. [Absorb] absorbs and nullifies magic power, and [Reflection] reflects the magic itself. They’re like the arch-nemesis of magic users… Oh, it reflects back to oneself.

But these are still unseen monsters. They’re different from Mermen or Merfolk.

A new type of monster? But what is this feeling… Wait a minute, could it be?

I activated ‘Divine Eyes’. …Damn it, I knew it!

“Father?”

“[Apports]”

I used [Apports] to draw what was near the heart of the half-fishman towards me. In my hand, I held an octahedron the size of a baseball.

It was the same object used as a substitute for the G-Cube in the patchwork golem controlled by the Apostle of the Evil God.

No, the shape was the same, but the color was different. The one embedded in the golem was blood red, but this one was deep blue. However, like the red one, it faintly emanated the aura of the Evil God.

“That is…”

“It seems this is the work of those troublesome Apostles of the Evil God.”

Damn it, what’s their aim in attacking this island?

No, perhaps they didn’t target this island specifically but attacked indiscriminately. Maybe similar half-fishmen are elsewhere too?

What are they trying to do by spreading curses with these creatures?

“Ouch!?”

While crouching in front of the half-fishman and pondering, Sakura’s chop landed on my head. Hey, that was pretty sharp!

“Don’t make a difficult face in front of the kids. Some things can’t be helped. What will be, will be.”

Well, I suppose there’s nothing I can do at this stage…

Suddenly, Sakura started to sing. Huh, why? And this song…

“Oh, I know this song!”

Yoshino joined in, singing along with Sakura. The words Sakura had just said, ‘What will be, will be,’ were the lyrics of the song.

It was the theme song of an American movie released in the 1950s, sung by the lead actress of that movie. It was also translated and became a hit in Japan.

Accompanied by the lyrics, the mother-daughter duet of Sakura and Yoshino resonated through the island. Surprisingly, Yoshino was a good singer too. Well, it’s understandable in a way.

The island’s recovered people, hearing the flowing song, gathered around to see what was happening.

Sakura and Yoshino’s song, backed by the sound of waves, flowed beautifully. The islanders, enchanted by the song’s beauty, swayed their bodies and listened in fascination.

When the song ended, applause spontaneously erupted for the two.

Sakura didn’t change her expression much, but Yoshino shyly hid behind her mother.

“Dinner is ready!”

On a stone table created with earth magic on the beach, the dishes prepared by Luu and Asia were laid out in abundance. Wow, they made quite a lot…

The recovered islanders thanked Luu and the others as they received the food. They probably weren’t in a position to cook meals themselves.

Watching this scene, I stored the remaining half-fishmen in [Storage].

I’ll have Dr. Babylon, Tica from the [Research Institute], and Flora from the [Alchemy Workshop] take a look later. Maybe we’ll learn something by analyzing them at the genetic level.

I don’t know what the Apostles of the Evil God are trying to do, but don’t think you’ll get away with making my daughter cry.

　　　　　　　　　◇　◇　◇

The Magitech Empire Eisenhardt. Its southern trade city, Zieglan, was plunging into chaos.

Once bustling with trade with the Galdia Empire, this city was isolated from the world after being cut off from its homeland following the ‘Day of Meteor Shower’ and the fear of the Golden Flower Disease.

The entire city had turned into a slum, and suspicious drugs were being spread around. The golden drug said to prevent the Golden Flower Disease, was made from the ground Holy Tree. People flocked to obtain this drug.

Soon, among those who took the drug, some showed an abnormal obsession with it.

Like addicts, they sought the drug, losing their sanity. However, this was only a small portion, and the true effect of the golden drug remained unknown.

One such person, a butcher, lay collapsed in an alley of Zieglan.

The man ran a butcher shop. A customer recommended the drug to him, and since it wasn’t too expensive, he tried it as insurance.

At first, he felt nothing. But gradually, he noticed his heart becoming lighter. The drug eased unpleasant, painful, and sad emotions, making him feel happy.

The man sought more of the drug. Abandoning his shop, he ran around town searching for anyone with the drug. Initially, he paid for it but soon began to take it by force.

Eventually, the drug became harder to find, filling the man with extreme anxiety. He became restless and irritable, his heart growing increasingly agitated.

He turned aggressive, lashing out at anything that annoyed him. People feared him and soon avoided him. It didn’t take long for him to hit rock bottom.

When he accidentally killed someone in his frenzy, he felt nothing. All he had left were anxiety and hatred.

He hated the people who wouldn’t give him the drug. He hated the town without the drug. He hated the world that didn’t produce the drug.

As he lay in the garbage-strewn alley in the rain, cursing the world, two shadows appeared before him.

“Is it this one? I hope it’s not another dud.”

A man in round black goggles and a crow-like metal mask looked down at the butcher and muttered. A metallic red rapier glinted at his waist.

“I increased the drug’s concentration. Even with that, he still retains his will. He’s a good find.”

The spherical iron-masked man next to him replied. Nothing could be seen through the round gridded viewing window. A metallic blue hatchet at his waist glinted ominously.

The butcher glared at the men with dull eyes.

“Give… me… drug… Give…”

“I’ll give you something better than the drug.”

The crow-masked man pulled out a revolver from his pocket, loaded a single golden bullet into the chamber, and aimed at the man before him.

Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced the man’s heart with a bang.

Strangely, there was no blood spatter. The man, hit by the bullet, convulsed but didn’t die.

“Guh… Gah… Gah…!”

“Don’t die. It would be a hassle to find another… Oh?”

The butcher’s body started to change. His muscles swelled, and veins bulged all over his body. His eyes rolled back, and a voice that couldn’t be called a voice escaped his mouth.

Eventually, the man who had been writhing in pain collapsed, breathing heavily. He seemed unconscious but not dead.

“A hit.”

“A new apostle is born.”

When they turned the butcher over, a sinister pattern emerged where the bullet had struck his chest. The man, imbued with the ominous glow of the pattern, stood up slowly in the rain.

“How do you feel?”

“…Not bad. I feel… good.”

With vacant eyes turned skyward, the man, muscles swollen to the point of bursting, responded.

“Hey, didn’t you give him too much? His speech is off.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. More importantly… oh, he’s manifesting.”

“Gah! Guga… Guh…!”

Suddenly, the butcher arched his chest. Breaking through his chest, something like a shining rod emerged amidst a spray of blood.

With trembling hands, the man grasped the object sprouting from his chest and slowly began to pull it out.

"It's huge. A greatsword?"

"No, but... ah, I see."

As the butcher, covered in blood, continued to pull it from his chest, the shape of 'it' became clear.

The tip of the handle formed into a wide blade resembling a machete. A massive, ominous, metallic brown butcher knife was extracted from the man's chest.

"Is that your evil artifact?"

"I can do it. I can cut meat."

Holding the massive, metallic brown butcher knife, the man smirked despite his vacant eyes.

Following this, numerous slashed bodies were discovered in the city of Zieglan, plunging the city further into chaos and terror.

◇◇◇

────At the same time, in the northern region, in the Kingdom of Elflau.

"It's cold..."

A lone figure walked through the snowfield. While it wasn’t blizzarding, he was dressed too lightly to be walking in a snowfield. The clothes he wore were plain in design, but those who recognized quality would see they were made from high-end materials, and tailored to fit. Most would perceive him as 'a young master from a good family.'

In reality, he was not just from a good family, but from a house of power... a prince.

Despite his youthful appearance, looking no older than five or six, the boy trudged through the endless snowfield. His long, silky blonde hair was tied back, and his cute features marked him as the child prince of the royal family.

"Where did I drop my phone...? If only Yakumo-neesama or Yoshino-neesama were here, I could escape with teleportation magic... Huh?"

The boy noticed something kicking up snow and heading toward him.

What came straight towards him was a large white wolf. It was a snow wolf, or Snorulf, a magical beast.

The Snorulf was known to be fierce and wield ice magic, classified as a red-ranked beast by the adventurers' guild.

If attacked, even an adult would stand no chance and would end up in its belly.

Yet, instead of being afraid of the Snorulf’s appearance, the boy sighed in relief.

"Wow, I’m saved."

‘GRRRAAAAR!’

The Snorulf roared. As it was about to pounce and devour the boy, their eyes met.

In contrast to his mother’s golden hair, the boy’s eyes were black, inherited from his father. But at that moment, his right eye turned golden. It was a greenish-gold.

The Snorulf was pierced by the boy's green-gold right eye.

Immediately, the Snorulf calmed down, lying down in the snowfield.

‘Whimper...’

"Good boy. Sorry, but could you give me a ride? I want to go to a place with people."

Saying this, the boy climbed onto the Snorulf's back, sinking into the fluffy fur.

"So warm... Alright, let's go."

‘Woof!’

The Snorulf started running across the snowfield again, taking care not to let the boy on its back fall.