Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 132: Sanctuary
“I thought Lucius didn’t have common sense, but I never thought it would go this far…”
Priena stared at Lucius with a look of exasperation.
“It’s not me, really—it’s a trait of chiyou.”
Lucius dispelled the manifestation of Chiyou, his black armor fading away.
“Same difference! The contractor and the familiar are two sides of the same coin, you know.”
“Fine, whatever. More importantly—about that Magic Eater… can it be turned back into a person?”
Priena shook her head.
“Once something becomes a Magic Eater, there’s no going back. Its core isn’t human anymore; it’s transformed into a magic weapon. It loses all thought and sense of self, and exists only to hunt humans, driven solely by its purpose as a weapon—a tragic, pitiful existence.”
If her words were true, then this being was something beyond a mere monster.
In the heat of battle, he’d taken lives, both human and monstrous, without hesitation, but not without reason.
Yet, when it came to a magic eater, perhaps destruction was truly a form of mercy—for both the weapon and the wielder.
“…I see. So, are monster that devour magic eaters rare in the Republic?”
“I’ve never heard of such a monster.”
“I see, that explains a lot.”
The familiar within the pale magic core in his eyes, Chiyou, was restless.
Throughout the forest, it sensed something scattered in countless places. It wasn’t detecting magic itself, but the presence of magic weapons.
In other words, there were many more Magic Eaters out there.
If he could consume them all, perhaps Chiyou could fully regain its power.
Chiyou was once a creature that had fought against the dragon Yinglong, and had once met its end.
It was forcibly resurrected by humans, using imperial technology, but its resurrection was far from complete.
Feeding it a high-grade magic spear had revived a good portion of its strength, and perhaps the same could be achieved here, in this sanctuary.
Coming to this sanctuary wasn’t in vain.
Just as Lucius thought this, a slight pain shot through his left hand.
The Evil Dragon.
The mingled feeling in its anger was impatience.
If Chiyou were to fully restore its strength and absorb an even higher-level magic sword, it would become an even greater force. The Evil Dragon must have felt anxious about that.
Can’t be helped, right?
Lucius soothed the dragon. The investigation into the evolving dragons was currently being conducted by the Orleans family.
Ignoring the Evil Dragon for now, he knew he had to focus on what he could achieve in the present.
At the very least, he had now found a clear path to obtaining more power.
—
Even if they were to hunt the Magic Eaters (man-eating ghosts), they first needed to establish a stable base for daily life.
Without securing a place to sleep and setting up a steady supply of food and essential goods, they’d quickly hit a dead end.
Suppressing his eagerness, Lucius looked at the unconscious boy and girl lying before him.
Both of them were dressed in unfamiliar tribal attire.
The boy, with his dark skin, wore a long black shirt with the hem reaching down to his knees.
The girl, fair-skinned, was dressed in a one-piece outfit made from four large pieces of cloth in different colors.
His eyes were especially drawn to the girl’s throat.
Small words, around seven tiny characters, were engraved there.
“She’s got a tattoo on her throat. Some kind of curse?”
It was Priena who was fixated on the markings.
“…This tattoo… it’s a priestess’s mark. And… a seventh mark at that…”
Though her iron mask hid her expression, a voice tinged with fear seemed to seep through.
He’d heard of priestesses holding special positions in the Noah faith.
Particularly, the four high priestesses at the top were regarded as godly beings, revered like living deities within Noah’s ranks.
Regardless, they couldn’t accomplish much in the middle of a forest.
The boy was especially injured, with a bone fracture, and needed treatment urgently.
“Sol, take care of the girl.”
As Lucius spoke without looking at anyone in particular, Sol appeared soundlessly from nowhere and gently hoisted the girl onto her back.
Lucius then lifted the wounded boy in both arms.
“Priena, is there a village or town nearby?”
“In the Sanctuary, there’s only the holy city of Rama and Musuumura, the village of those who don’t revere Quadra the Divine.”
“Interesting. There are even people here who don’t worship God.”
Although he remarked on it, he wasn’t overly concerned. After all, as a reincarnated soul, Lucius didn’t strongly believe in deities.
“Where do you think these kids are from—Rama, the holy city, or Musuumura?”
“Given the little priestess’s age, definitely the holy city.”
“Got it. Either way, let’s head for the holy city.”
The destination remained unchanged.
The holy city was said to be large, bustling with people.
Ad
Lucius and his group were intruders, after all.
In a big city, they’d have a better chance of blending in.
Following Priena’s guidance, Lucius began walking through the forest, careful not to worsen the boy’s injuries.
They continued to walk through the forest for some time.
The sun, which had risen in the east, was now beating down from directly above.
The morning forest had been cool, but it couldn’t mask the midday heat of summer.
Lucius wiped his sweat away with the cloth on his shoulder.
Just then, once again, Chiyou sensed something.
It was a Magic Eater.
To be precise, the aura had always been lingering, but now one of them was closing in rapidly.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Lucius had wanted to avoid a fight until he’d delivered the children to the holy city, but if trouble came his way, he couldn’t ignore it. In fact, in this case, it was more like a ripe fruit falling from a tree above, ready to be enjoyed.
Lucius quietly laid the boy down on the ground and readied his sword.
“Won’t you summon your familiar?”
In response to Priena’s question, he nodded while keeping his gaze fixed on a grassy patch about 10 meters away.
Ad
“For something like this, Chiyou isn’t needed. Besides, I’m low on magic power anyway.”
“Low on magic?”
“There’s something out there that’s been draining a massive amount of my magic power.”
He was referring to Samael.
The contracted familiars resided within Lucius’s body, lending him their skills and powers. In return, Lucius provided them with magic power.
The amount he needed to provide depended on the rank of each creature.
Even when he had just two—the evil dragon and Chiyou—four magic cores were not enough, and he’d had to supplement them with fake cores he’d obtained in the labyrinth.
Now, however, he’d also formed a contract with Samael, a creature far superior to the other two.
As a result, Lucius was in severe magic power deficiency.
Still, all three were high-ranking creatures, so even though he was low on magic power they wouldn’t abandon him like low-level monsters would.
“So, what will you do about it?”
“I’ll have to make a pact with the spirits and perform a Shukuma compression spell. You’ll help me, Priena.”
“Ugh, I hate that—it hurts!”
The two carried on their conversation casually.
Even if they lacked tension, their gazes never strayed from the direction of the approaching Demon eater.
Finally, the bushes shook wildly.
From the greenery emerged, as expected, a Magic Eater.
Its skin was purple, with a skull-like head crowned by horns.
But there was one difference from before.
“…A bow?”
The weapon in hand wasn’t a sword but a bow.
Could it be a magic bow?
I’d seen enchanted weapons like one-handed swords, greatswords, thrusting swords, and spears, but a bow was new.
“Chiyou, what do you think of that magic bow?”
I spoke to my familiar. Chiyou still had space to copy three more magic weapons, and filling that capacity was part of the purpose of this journey.
The response was clear—rejection.
“Not to your liking?”
Lucius chuckled wryly. Chiyou was a loyal familiar, far more respectful of Lucius’s will and responsibilities than either the Evil Dragon or Samael.
But in terms of weapons, Chiyou had no compromises.
Most likely, it sensed an even more advanced magic weapon nearby. If so, there was no need to waste time. It would become a part of Chiyou’s power.
As Lucius channeled magic into his sacred sword, a glow traced along the blade, forming a line of light.
—Let’s take care of this.
He braced himself and stepped forward.
Just then,
“Hey, are you guys alright?”
A voice echoed from a short distance away. Lucius turned and saw a man running toward them.
The man was in his late twenties, holding a large spear, dressed similarly to the boy.
—A sanctuary guardian?
The weapon he held was unmistakably a magic spear. It didn’t take long to realize.
Sensing Lucius’s slight distraction, the bow-wielding magic eater drew back its bowstring with all its might.
Immediately, magic formed into the shape of an arrow on the drawn string. It was likely a spell to give the magic a physical form—a technique I’d seen in the eastern regions.
The Magic Eater fired its arrow.
The arrow was loosed swiftly, aimed directly at Lucius’s heart, avoiding the head for a fluid strike on the body.
—No problem.
As Lucius prepared to burn it to ash with dragonfire, something suddenly appeared in front of him, intercepting the arrow.
Ad
It was the man wielding the magic spear—Lucius noticed this a split-second too late.
—Impossible.
The distance had been 50 meters. It was far too much to cover in time after the arrow was shot.
Even Chiyou couldn’t move at such speed. But the man in front was only flesh and blood.
Leaving Lucius’s doubts unanswered, there was a sharp, metallic sound as the arrow split in two and veered into the forest on either side.
“He… cut the arrow with his spear?”
The man turned around and flashed a broad grin.
“Oh! Tyros, there you are. I’ve been looking for you. These folks were watching over you?”
The man exposed the back of his head casually. Meanwhile, the magic eater drew its bowstring again, preparing another magic arrow.
“Look out!”
Lucius attempted to sidestep the man and rush toward the magic eater.
But then, Lucius’s body froze.
The reason? The man had disappeared.
When Lucius noticed, the man who’d been in front was already in mid-air, spear slicing horizontally in a sweeping arc.
It was a movement beyond human ability.
In a single instant, he closed the 10-meter gap, leaving a flash of light in his wake as he slashed his blade clean through. The bow was untouched.
Immediately after, magic eater collapsed.
Its body crumbled to the ground, followed by its severed head rolling to a stop.
The cut was immaculate—a testament to the precision of the blade and the absence of any wasted force.
“Is this the monster that’s been skulking around the village lately?”
The man casually picked up the magic bow that had fallen to the ground. His skill with the spear was astounding, but Lucius could tell he was also using some unknown power.
The man turned to Lucius, looking apologetic.
“Sorry for stealing your prey.”
“No… Thank you for saving us.”
Though it hadn’t been necessary, Lucius gave his thanks nonetheless.
“Those are my words. You saved my foolish son, didn’t you?”
The man pointed to the child lying on the ground, then shouldered his spear.
“He was being attacked by the magic eater.”
“Sorry to have caused you trouble. Even with a son like this, I’m glad he’s safe. I’m Pallavis, the head of the village of Musuu.”
Pallavis, the spearman, hoisted both his son, Tarius, and the young girl, Sai, onto his shoulders.
“My name is Lucius.”
“I’m Priena!”
“…Sol…”
Naturally, they avoided mentioning they were from the kingdom. The three kept their introductions brief.
“I don’t have much to offer in thanks, but if you’d like, stop by our village.”
Since they were on a covert mission, they knew it was best not to accept any hospitality. Besides, with it being a small village, it probably wouldn’t be an ideal place to stay unnoticed.
“We appreciate it, but we—”
Priena interrupted Lucius’s response.
“Yes, please! We’d love to!”
“Priena…”
“It’s fine, really!”
With a knowing look, Priena insisted, leaving Lucius no choice but to go along. With a subtle change of plans, they headed to the village of Musuu.
For about ten minutes, they walked behind Pallavis, engaging in idle small talk, such as how hot this summer was.
Suddenly, the green scenery opened up before them.
“…What is this…”
Words failed Lucius as he took in the sight.
They were standing at the edge of a sheer cliff.
In front of them, a colossal vertical chasm extended into the earth.
The chasm was both unbelievably deep and wide, almost like a bottomless abyss. The opposite side was shrouded in mist, barely visible, and the bottom of the chasm was dark, revealing no end.
An astonishing sight lay beyond.
“…There are floating mountains above the chasm?”
About halfway down, four massive rock formations hovered mid-air.
Atop these floating rock formations were white buildings, resembling churches. Each rock was connected by bridges, forming what looked like an entire town.
“That’s the Holy City.”
Lucius nodded in agreement. The ethereal sight of the city was fittingly called a “Holy City.”
Upon closer inspection, several smaller rock formations also floated around the four main ones, each connected by bridges.
Some of the bridges stretched all the way to the edge of the chasm.
Pallavis, the spearman, glanced at Lucius, who was captivated by the view.
“Musuu Village is that way.”
He pointed to a wooden fence built along the chasm’s edge. Wisps of smoke rose from beyond the fence.
It seemed the entire village was enclosed by this wooden wall.
“Alright, we’re almost there.”
Following Pallavis’s lead, Lucius and the others made their way toward the village of Musuu.