Chapter 270: Family Man (4)

And so Dagon's weapon sales pitch began again. It held out a vicious-looking mace to me. It looked more like a trophy than a mace. A screaming human face was carved into the cup-like round head. The inside was completely empty, making it perfect for holding water. Dagon spoke.

[This is the club used by the priest who served El-tos, the Demon God of the Demon Realm. They beat those who opposed the Demon God to death with this. El-tos directly grants power to the one who wields this weapon.]

"It's an antique with religious meaning."

[You can use this weapon by performing a blood ritual for El-tos.]

"Is it a human sacrifice again?"

[No.]

I was slightly tempted by Dagon's words. If it was just catching something like a rat, wouldn't it be a pretty useful weapon? Even if the condition was having to butcher something like a pig before using it once, it was enough to use. It was an item I wouldn't use again anyway after exterminating the Church of Love.

[Human blood is the best, but the blood of cows, pigs, or chickens is also fine. Whether it's livestock blood or human blood, you must mix one mal of each, fill it here, and drink it. Enlargement magic is cast on this club, so it can easily hold that much volume.]

It was telling me to mix and drink about three mal of blood from a trophy that looked like it could be used for a penalty drink at best. But how much was that exactly?

"How much is one mal in liters?"

[It is 18 liters.]

"Motherfucker."

It meant I had to chug 54 liters since it was three mal in total. If I squeezed out 54 liters of cow, pig, and chicken blood and drank it, I would immediately be reported as a cultist, regardless of whether I was an Archdeity Church High Priest or the pope. I couldn't even drink that much to begin with.

"...I'm sorry, but do you not have any normal weapons? I just need a normal, really sturdy and heavy mace. And over here, she wants a normal sword that cuts people well and doesn't get stained with blood."

"I want a claw too."

"Yes. A claw too."

Now that we had thoroughly seen Dagon's crazy collection, it was time to demand some normal weapons. Eve was smiling brightly while holding the sword with an injection needle popping out, but the rest of us hadn't obtained a single weapon yet. Dagon lightly lowered its eyes at those words and spoke like this.

[Is that so.]

It somehow showed a disappointed expression. I started to coax it.

"No, I'm not saying your collection is bad. Every single item here is a truly amazing ancient artifact, but we don't want to become people who rely on such weapons."

As if my words stung, Eve sneakily hid her sword behind her back. Dagon stared at me with a profound gaze and moved its massive shaft. As its whole body shook as if nodding its head, the sense of intimidation was immense.

[Is that so. Thank you for your consolation. Since I've been here alone, it's been a long time since I received such comfort. If you weren't Ati's groom, I would have made you my groom.]

So it was a woman. Fuck, it was fucking terrifying that this bastard's race was divided into male and female. Because it meant they also engaged in copulation. I internally prayed that Dagon's race was one that did external fertilization.

"I appreciate the thought."

[I understand. I wanted to gift something proper to Ati's acquaintances, but I end up bringing out these shabby things.]

Dagon went underwater again. Weapons sparkling with platinum light came up on her tentacles when she emerged again. Dagon spoke in a sullen voice.

[They are normal weapons made from the special alloy steel of the Demon Realm. The sword you wanted. And a mace. A claw. Unfortunately, they have no effect whatsoever. They are just antiques that are sturdy and slightly heavy, so I have no face to see Ati after giving you such trivial weapons.]

Dagon's voice was full of gloom, but a smile naturally hung on my lips as I gripped the weapon. The grip felt good with its heavy sense of weight, and it had a subtle splendor like the Roman pope's staff. After swinging it in the empty air, I asked Dagon.

"Lord Dagon. May I try hitting the stones here?"

[As much as you'd like.]

I swung the mace toward a rock sitting in the corner of the cave without hesitation.

Boom!

The rock was shattered with a satisfying feeling of impact. Elsi was also trying out her usual movements while wearing the claw in her own way. Her movements were clumsy, as if she hadn't yet gotten used to the heavy sense of weight of the claw.

"Cleric. I think this will need some practice."

"Practice steadily. Elsi. Steadily."

"Understood."

AA picked up the sword glowing faintly with blue light and swung it through the empty air. Judging by the twitch of her eyebrow, it seemed to fit quite well in her hand. She swung the sword through the air once more, then said to Dagon.

"It's an incredibly good sword. Thank you for giving us something like this."

However, Dagon's face was full of gloom.

[It has no effect. I am ashamed of the very fact that I am handing over such a weapon. It is not too late even now. There is also a bracelet that uses an ancient god's power by sacrificing 100 people. With just this one thing, the Church of Love will meet its end.]

"No. We're fine."

There was a reason why ancient gods remained only as ancient gods. In most cases, they were forgotten because their personalities were fucking terrible or their power was too foul and cruel. A power that required sacrificing 100 people was bound to leave some fucking terrible aftermath. After receiving the weapon, I asked Dagon.

"Thank you for the weapons. Lord Dagon. I will one day repay your boundless grace."

[There is no need to repay me. I am beyond glad that my collection will be used for a good cause. That is enough, so you do not have to worry too much about it. Rather, I am sorry I could not give you better weapons.]

She was kind compared to how she looked or the items she carried around. Why on earth? Why the fuck was a bastard carrying around a human sacrifice bracelet so kind? I was curious, but I had no idea how to ask. And so, we each grabbed our weapons and came out of Dagon's cave. I thought we only talked for a moment, but upon coming outside, the sun was already setting. AA was looking her sword over this way and that with a satisfied smile.

"Sir Hero. It seems you like the weapon?"

"Yes. Well... She looks a bit scary, but she's a good person."

"Groom. I really like this too."

Eve was delighted, scanning her sword this way and that. It was a different design from the curved sword she used before, but for her, the mere fact that it had a transformation seemed to make this weapon fully worth using. Elsi, in her own way, was touching her claw with sparkling eyes like a child receiving a toy for the first time.

"It looks just like a bear claw. The bear claw our chieftain used for decoration."

"Only play with it for 1 hour a day. Got it?"

"Huh?"

Elsi stared at me with a puzzled expression. I smiled and stroked Elsi's head.

"It's a joke. Elsi. Please practice hard and become my right arm."

"Understood."

We headed toward the carriage, joking around like that. The carriage, without a coachman or horses, was well-hidden in the dense bushes. Fortunately, neither homeless people nor vagrants had discovered our carriage, so its condition was pristine. Unlike AA and Elsi who got into the carriage, Eve stopped her movements just as she was about to climb in. I asked Eve.

"What's wrong?"

"Groom. Now that I think about it, you said it would take ten days to charge it. We don't have horses and we don't have a tent, so what are you going to do?"

"Ah, don't worry. Eve. Who do you think I am? I've prepared a method for everything. Here! This is exactly what our Ati prepared for us, a magic stone."

I took out the magic stone I had hidden in my pocket. At the mention of a magic stone, AA looked at the stone I pulled out with curiosity. Her eyes sparkled with blue light.

"It's incredibly high purity. I've never even seen a magic stone of this high purity in the magic tower."

"See? Now, if I place this. Next to this carriage charger......"

I placed the magic stone next to the mark indicating the carriage's mana charge level and lightly blew some power into it. The magic stone faintly glowed, spreading a blue fluctuation. The soft blue light spread out, warmly wrapping our surroundings. Surprised by the aura of mana, Elsi also sparkled her eyes. Slowly, the carriage's remaining mana began to fill up.

"See? See? The speed at which the remaining mana fills up has increased!"

"Oh, it really did. That's amazing, isn't it? But Groom."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"At this speed, I think we'll need a full night at least?"

"Right."

The mana battery was filling up at a noticeable speed. However, that speed was only relatively fast. The total amount of mana trickling in like chick urine made me feel a sense of frustration. Eve asked me.

"What the hell, Groom. We'll have to spend the night sleeping outdoors at this rate."

I scratched my head and looked at the magic stone.

"Ah, this is strange. When I experimented a few times, it was done in 3 hours."

"....Groom. Could it be that the mana dropped because you experimented?"

I shut my mouth. Fuck, am I a fucking idiot? I should have just asked Ati for details on its available uses, so why did I do that kind of act? After stepping down from the coachman's seat, Elsi grabbed the carriage and spoke.

"There's a city right in front of our noses. It will be quick if I drag it."

"Wait a moment. Elsi. If you drag the carriage, it'll look like I'm working you like a slave."

It was obvious that public opinion would be a sight to behold if rumors spread that an Archdeity Church High Priest stopped by the western coastal region with a hero while riding in a carriage pulled by a beastfolk. I didn't want to increase my bad reputation any further. I saw Elsi's thighs reflecting the blue light of mana, clearly revealing her firm curves. Swallowing my saliva as I looked at those thighs, I spoke.

"It's just one night, so let's just sleep outdoors. I think it will be fine if we clear the land here a bit and light a fire, and the wind won't blow since there are lots of trees."

"Let's do that. I think that's fine."

AA also agreed with my opinion. Both Eve and Elsi nodded their heads as if it couldn't be helped and started helping me clear the surrounding twigs. Later, when AA goes to sleep, I'll just have some wild sex outdoors.