Ohanabatake no Maousama Chapter 11

Chapter 11

During the same time, Kuders could be seen in a corner on the outskirts of town, where abandoned houses stood.

This district had been ravaged by an earthquake several years ago and had never been restored.

The houses were either completely destroyed or only half intact. As standing proof of the disaster's power, it was seen as ominous and no one wanted to go near to it.

The only people who came here were criminals who lived here or youngsters who wanted to prove their bravery. And so at this time, no one could be seen but Kuders.

"Now, according to these documents, there have been sightings of it in this area."

Kuders checked the papers in the envelope once again and sighed deeply before putting them in his bag.

"That being said, I…I don't really like using investigation-type magic. In the first place, I've never seen a cat."

While it is not a well-known fact, there are no cats in demon society.

There are cat monsters and demi-humans, but they were quite rare. And so Kuders had a difficult time associating the two.

It was not too surprising.

After all, this was like showing someone a picture of a great wolf and then asking them to find a toy poodle.

"Thankfully, it said that they are sensitive to the smell of dead flesh. So, I suppose I could lure it out by using scent."

After saying this, Kuders drew a magic circle on the ground and began to imagine what he wanted.

In fact, plants that exuded the smell of death were not exactly rare.

For instance, there was the konjac flower and the giant rafflesia. They were known to unleash horrible smells.

It was the smell of rotting meat that attracted flies, which then helped them pollinate.

"I've never made this kind of flower before. I must be careful when I chant."

What he recalled now was the day he had first arrived at the slave house. It was the smell of rot and miasma. The smell of hell.

He did not like to remember it, but he was thankful for the memories now.

Perhaps he had solidified the image of the flower in his mind, because Kuders then breathed in, closed his eyes, and began to chant.

They were words that human society had never heard. No, even those who lived in the most magically advanced place, the Demon Empire, would only have been able to read them in dust-covered books.

"Mi Desero,

Pocarista poskero del mueltos en inhel.

Floracion, la frol el calona."

When he was finished, Kuders started to walk windward.

At the same time, the sound of something tearing through the dirt and advancing echoed underground.

And then a few seconds later.

The sound of stone breaking filled the air as something huge appeared from the rubble.

Several houses collapsed from the impact, and fragments of rooftops rolled along the lonely, abandoned streets.

What had suddenly appeared in the empty district was a huge flower.

The silhouette was similar to a lighthouse that shone over the sea. But the petals were dark red, just like blood.

And at the same moment that the thick, great pistils showed itself, a horrible stench started to fill the area.

For a moment, a horrified cry of a man could be heard, but Kuders only glanced in that direction and quickly lost interest.

According to what he had read in the documents, this cat did not cry in such a voice.

Then he waited. Perhaps it was five minutes?

Something was moving loudly through the forest of debris.

There were the sounds of stones grinding against each other. Whatever it was, it was very large.

–It's coming!

Gravel flew in the air as a large shadow appeared from the top of a high wall.

"So…this is a cat."

Kuders muttered to himself as he gulped.

The thing that had revealed itself from the shadows was at least seven meters long.

Its chitosan body shone blackly. It had claws and pincers like a crab. But the thing that drew your attention the most, was the long tail with the stinger.

…It was a scorpion in every sense of the word.

If someone insisted this was a cat, they should probably be taken to the hospital and be checked by a doctor.

The examiner watched this from afar. And while he battled the stench, he screamed these words in his heart. That is not a cat.

Not only that, but this creature was equipped with moderate intelligence, and it had easily recognized that the smell was coming from a plant. And so it was now very angry.

And as this scorpion was very large, it had a great appetite. It would not go home empty-handed.

—Was there anything else it could eat?

What it found as an alternative was a middle-aged man—Kuders.

It was the most obvious turn of events.

"Shhaaaaa…!!"

The scratchy roar boomed intimidatingly. And then, with a lightness that was hardly believable given its size…it lept.

In an instant, the distance between them shrunk. It landed heavily on the ground, and without a moment to breathe, it swung down its sharp pincer onto Kuders's head.

"Woah! So, this is the power of the cat known as the Death Scorpion! I didn't know human society kept such large cats. This will be more trouble than I thought!"

Kuders rolled out of the way to dodge the blow. After backing off a little, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

And so began the battle between the heretic Demon King who was banished to the human world and the murderous creature who had escaped the arena.

Chapter end