CH 151

Chapter 151

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : The Archfiend Workshop, Part 6 — Keepers of the Laboratory

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「Ohhh, hey, Dagra. We have guests.」

「Yes it is, Dogra. Who was supposed to be our guests today?」

The two were startled by the voice and noticed that there was another entrance on the opposite side from the one they had entered. A pair of large men appeared from there. Their bodies looked like orcs, but their heads were a boar and a bull, respectively, so they’re not sure if they should call them orcs. The surgical scars on their necks suggest that they’re a chimera with their heads replaced, but the fact that they speaks fluent human language indicates that they are quite intelligent.

The two of them were talking to each other, looking at Elsa and Eliza with wondering eyes.

「Uhnya. You didn’t ask me that.」

「So you mean intruders, right?」

「That’s right. So we can do whatever we want?」

「That’s what I thought. I, I’m on a rolling boil!」

「I too am filled with energy!」

Two bodies pose to show off their muscles. They were naked except for a waistcoat that concealed their lower bodies and a belt that crossed over their shoulders, so they’re able to observe their muscles rising up, which would never be possible for humans. That alone tells them that these two bodies are not ordinary orcs. Orcs are much more fatty.

One thing is obvious. They are definitely enemies of Elsa and Eliza.

「Eliza, you’re up.」

「…」

「Eliza!」

Eliza’s feet still didn’t seem to touch the ground. Even though she was born into the Lazaar family and became a Templar Knight, and even though she had completed several assignments, she had never done such strenuous work as the pilgrimage. Even though she was an adult, she wasn’t yet experienced enough to be mentally tough. It wasn’t surprising that she was crippled by this situation.

But the situation wouldn’t wait. Elsa forcefully brings Eliza’s face close to hers until it almost touches her forehead, and appeals to Eliza with her intense high spirits and strong gaze.

「Eliza Fidelity Lazaar. Look at me. From now on you are one sword. In the name of the Church of Arnelia, exterminate that fiend. That is your role.」

「…」

「You don’t have to think about anything else. Cut out all those who stand in your way, and I will take full responsibility. Do it!」

「…Roger.」

With these words, the light returns to Eliza’s vacant eyes. The green-eyed knight with a strong will stares straight at Dagra and Dogra. Just as two of them were about to run into Eliza.

「Little girl! Eat our wonderful power!」

「You’re gonna get drunk on my muscles!」

「…Cut!」

Despite their playful words, Dogra and Dagra rush forward furiously. Eliza, however, is completely unfazed, stabbing the long sword in her back into the ground and calmly drawing the two swords at her waist. Then she lightly kicked the ground and rushed forward with more speed than Dogra and Dagra.

「Nuoh!?」

「Nuwah!?」

The two reflexively protect their heads at that unexpected speed, but Eliza kicks the boar-headed Dogra in the shoulder and flies behind them. As they pass each other, she gives them each a thrust from behind. The thrust accurately catches the spinal cords of the two bodies, and Dogra and Dagra crumple to their knees on the spot.

「Huh?」

「What just happened…」

Before Douglas could finish saying anything, “Hyun!” The two heads fall off with a sizzling sound. With a flash from behind, Eliza slashed down along the surgical scars on the necks of the two heads. Elsa couldn’t help but be amazed at the superb sharpness of the technique. Eliza has already shaken off the gore and put her sword away.

「It’s all taken care of.」

「Splendid. Now that the enemy knows we’re in, there may be no need to sneak around. We’ll go on from here with the battle.」

「Understood.」

And so it was when the two were about to leave the room.

「How cruel. I can’t believe you’re ignoring us.」

「That’s right. A lot of women these days are so cold.」

When they turned around with a start at the sound of the voice, they saw that Dogra and Dagra, who had lost their heads, were getting up with their own heads. When they pressed their necks back into place, something like a string stretched out and held their heads in place. And not long after, they were completely undone.

「…They’re just orcs, aren’t they?」

「Were you that naive?」

Eliza asks Erza as she draws her sword again.

「No, I just thought I did too. They’re even more out of touch with common sense than I imagined.」

「Of course. We were specially made by Anomaly-sama!」

「That’s right. We can’t die from being decapitated. We’re tougher than most Archfiends.」

Two of them snicker as if to say what’s up. But Elsa, on the contrary, has made room.

「I see, your boss was called Anomaly.」

「Ah…」

「What are you talking about, Dogra! You moron!」

Dagra smacks Dogra on the head with a plop.

「Didn’t you just get scolded for cleaning toilets in the Hidden-sama’s royal robes the other day?」

「Ah, it’s not right that he’s wearing ragged clothes like a rag, is it?」

「Hmmm, so there’s also Hidden.」

Elsa is watching their exchange with a smirk on her face. She looks amused.

「Ahh, I’m sorry.」

「Dagra can’t speak for others either, can you?」

「I’d appreciate it if you could keep it up. And while you’re at it, could you serve me some tea and snacks?」

Elsa, who has a complete mental edge, jokes with the two bodies. But here the two bodies also returned to a serious expression.

「Now that you two know we’re here, we won’t let you return.」

「Yes! We must make sure you two die here!」

「You guys talked on your own and now you’re talking out of both sides of your mouths.」

Elsa sighed, as if to say, “That’s enough.” Eliza, too, was taken aback. But the two of them became agitated, stomping on the ground.

「You are a cunning, bad-tempered bitch, and you will die here! Pochi, Pochi! Are you coming!?」

「Wahn!!」

In response to the call, the bottom shuffled out of one of the cages on the wall and pulled a lever to open its own cage. Elsa was aghast that the cage was meaningless, but then she heard the sound of the cage opening with a squeak, and from inside came the sound of a crying puppy.

However, the footsteps were heavy with repeated thuds, and the one who came out was——

「Hey, his name doesn’t match his voice or his body!?」

「Big. And not cute at all.」

「Look, here’s our pride and joy, Pochi!」

Out of its cage came a canine magical beast so large that it could already be described as a beast of prey. It was twice as long as a horse. The eyes were perhaps degenerated or missing, but the ears were as large as statues. The tongue was long enough to wrap around the body of the Dogra. Pochi was licking Dogra to the hilt with his tongue as soon as he came out.

Furthermore, Pochi has no body hair, and although his skin is exposed, his mouth, which is open all over his body, is gaping and his teeth are clattering. His skin was reddish-black, as if he had been bathed in blood. Dagra proudly slapped his body, but Pochi clearly didn’t like it. Dagra, however, is not concerned about that, and speaks proudly.

「Pochi is smart, you know!? He can open the cage by himself and come out!」

「Uhh, then what’s the point of keeping him locked up?」

「So, sometimes he eat up the beds here on his own. And he even take a shit, which makes it very hard to clean up…」

「I don’t know which one is the pet anymore.」

When Dagra started to sob and cry, remembering his hardships, Eliza pointed out the obvious, but the situation was not easy to joke around about. If he’s that big, wise, and agile, there’s a good chance that he’s more than two people can handle. And because the two stood blocking the human-sized pathway they had entered, they had no choice but to flee. The entrance into which Dogra and Dagra entered is quite large, and they would only be driven away by Pochi if they headed that way. They no longer have any choice but to fight and win against this magical beast called Pochi.

Just as Elsa and Eliza were about to get into a fighting stance, Pochi, who had been licking Dogra around, suddenly rolled his tongue around, lifted Dogra up, and threw it into his mouth.

Gulp! Gulp!

The sound of chewing echoes through the room. Elsa and Eliza open their mouths in shock at the unexpected turn of events, but the scene before their eyes is not so simple, but rather gruesome. Meanwhile, a panicked Dagra was ranting and raving as blood splattered from his partner.

「Pochi, Pochi! What are you doing? Don’t eat that! You’ll get a stomach ache!」

That’s not the point, Elsa thought to herself, but it would be nice to have even one less enemy. Dagra could only make a fuss, though he was silently observing the situation even as he held his guard up.

Pochi swallowed Dogra with his potty and blew Dagra to the wall with his paw, as if he thought Dagra, noisy as it clung to him, was a May fly.

「Gehi!?」

With an ugly groan, Dagra slams into the wall and convulses. Then Pochi pounced on Dagra and bit into it wildly, just like a hungry wild beast. Fresh blood splattered on the wall, and Eliza frowned involuntarily, but Elsa was watching her closely. When fighting an enemy you have never seen before, it is basic to observe first. Habits, weapons, speed of movement. Elsa uses her calm thinking to figure out Pochi’s movements.

Eventually, when Pochi had finished most of Dagra, he slunk away and turned toward Elsa and Eliza. This time, they were the target. Just as the two were about to enter a fighting stance against the slowly approaching Pochi, Pochi’s movements stopped and he let out a low growl, then suddenly rolled around on the ground and began to suffer. Kicking and slogging through the surrounding beds.

「Kyaun! Kyaun!!」

「What is it this time?」

But contrary to Elsa and Eliza, who became more alert, Pochi stopped moving after a while. Foam was spewing from his mouth, his tongue was sticking out sloppily, and he was stopped flat on his back. Liquid is splashed onto his face from a broken tube, but he has no reaction. It appears that he is dead.

「W–What was that?」

「How in the world…」

「He died of food poisoning because he ate something strange. That’s why I told them to be careful, but they’re all idiots.」

Suddenly, a voice from behind them made the two jump to their feet and take an alert position. There stood Anomaly, an ugly, distorted old man with the face of a man and the voice of a child.