"Pfft! Hehehehehehe!!!" The moment I burst out of the dungeon, I couldn't contain my surging emotions and instinctively roared.
Although reason told me I had to escape immediately, my body was abnormally excited and uncontrollable, wanting only to run wildly.
This feeling... I was practically invincible!
"Mr... Mr. Shimo!?" Just as I rushed out of the mansion, I saw Malte sitting terrifiedly by the entrance.
The instant I stepped outside, I immediately switched to my Malboroughi form, ignoring the panicked Malte and the knights, and shouted:
"Hey, get in!"
"Y-yes!? Wait, how did you get here from there..."
"Stop talking nonsense and get in!" I excitedly glared at Malte, who turned pale and took a half-step back when he saw my face.
"Mr. Se-Semo! Eyes…!"
"Ugh! If you don't get in the carriage, I'm going straight to the church! Don't you want to see your sister anymore!?"
"…! Ugh, uh…!" Marte hesitated for a moment, then resignedly grabbed his sword.
This brat. What kind of hero is this when he's being threatened? His dawdling, cowardly behavior is disgusting! Hurry up! Hurry! Hurry!
"Ah! My armor and clothes!… Knights, please help me pack them! Marte, just take my weapon!"
"Ah, okay!" Marte, overwhelmed by my imposing presence, had just grabbed the reins and mounted me when I leaped out of the manor courtyard.
As I nimbly galloped towards the city outskirts, I called out to Marte, who was riding on my back.
"Hold on tight! We're going!"
"We've already set off! Wait, where are you going!?"
What's wrong with you, Marte?
Don't you even know this?!
You can't even think of this?! That's really something! "Where was he supposed to meet Bivola?!"
"In the undeveloped forest near this city...! But how could he possibly be there now?!"
"Idiot! How far could a wanted criminal go?! He must have a hiding place near the agreed-upon location!"
"What? That's too hasty... no. Even if that's true...! This area is so vast...!"
Vast area? That's not a problem at all.
With my Mystic Eyes, I can see right where Bivola is hiding!
Marboroughini's speed and my Mystic Eyes!
If these two are combined, searching the entire area around the city won't even take half a day!
I'm confident...!
Confident I'll find Bivola today!
It feels like everything I do will go exactly as I wish!
Is it because of the surging excitement within me?!
Or is it because of my newly acquired Mystic Eyes?!
This strange feeling makes me certain everything will go smoothly, and I feel uncomfortable if I don't shout out some chuunibyou lines!
Bivola!
Tremble under the power of my Mystic Eyes!
Hahaha! ......
"Th-um… Mr. Shimo… it was already amazing that you split the rock to reveal yourself… but what about your eyes…?"
"Hmm? What happened to my eyes?" After searching the surrounding forest with Malte for about an hour.
My body, which had been unusually excited from the all-out sprint, was finally beginning to calm down.
Malte seemed to have gotten used to riding on my back. He looked around and asked me… what happened to my eyes?
"Um… your eyes have turned black. To be precise, the whites of your eyes have turned black…"
Wh…what? They've become demon eyes… is that what you mean?
"The pupil color has also turned golden… and the pupils are still horizontally elongated, which looks a bit scary…"
Ah, no, heavens… demon eyes have this kind of side effect?
My appearance was already fierce enough, and now I've even grown demon eyes?
And the color of his pupils has changed... Although I knew they were horizontal pupils, the original dark brown pupils weren't very well-defined, so I hadn't paid much attention... Would closing the Demon Eye restore them to normal?
I'm really curious what he looks like now.
"...It was when I was struggling to survive in the labyrinth that I suddenly had an epiphany. Before, I didn't even understand how to use the skills, but now I finally understand."
"An epiphany...? What... No, even so, it's amazing. That rock, although not thick, was quite hard rock, and Mr. Shimo's level actually managed to..."
Hehe. Little brat. Just looking at my stats, even ordinary veteran adventurers would be easy prey for me.
"...Can I really trust Mr. Shimo? What if something happens to my brother..."
"Little brat. Don't worry, Mara. I promise I'll find him for you."
"...Okay. Thanks, thanks..." To be honest, being locked up like that was a bit infuriating, and I originally wanted to just ignore it... Yeah. Although you're a pitiful person, from another perspective, I got the Demon Eye thanks to you.
Since things have come to this, let's treat this as a test of the Magic Eyes' capabilities and a chance to deal with that brat Bivora. In return, you'll be my unwavering support. Hero, my lord.
"Speaking of which, you're incredibly fast. And running at such a high speed without getting tired at all..."
"Aren't you ridiculously fast too? You could easily reach that speed, right? Especially since you can fly..."
"Although I can briefly boost my speed with Battle Aura, I can't maintain it for long. Even with skillful use of bursts of Battle Aura, I can only last a maximum of about 30 minutes..."
Oh ho... Thinking about it from another perspective, even top-tier heroes' combat limits are only around 30 minutes, right? That makes sense... If a battle like the one against Ouroboros could last for hours, it would be too much of a cheat.
Still, it's amazing. After all, Battle Aura isn't meant for traveling.
That being said... if I could master Battle Aura, my running speed would be incomparable.
Depending on the level of Battle Aura cultivation, maybe at a certain level I could even hold my own against heroes in combat.
That's not all.
With the Mystic Eyes, I feel like I can use all my skills at will!
Heh.
Now it really is my time!
Looks like I don't have to worry about anything anymore!
"...! Uh...!"
"!? Mr. Shimo!? What's wrong all of a sudden...!"
"Shh. Quiet." While briefly conversing with Malte, I explored the area around the city.
Finally, my Mystic Eyes sensed the presence of someone.
A little further away, on the other side of the forest. A slightly larger Ethel, and a much smaller one.
Weighing the indescribable values displayed in color in my mind, I suddenly slowed down and quietly walked towards the two colors.
Although the power of these Mystic Eyes is currently only based on senses, the color sensation, as if inputted into my mind, is definitely recognizable.
Malt, the hero, has a strange color that feels unsettling, like a hole has been punched in him. This is probably a characteristic of heroes associated with destruction.
Leaving aside the smaller Aether over there, the larger Aether is a significantly larger and more substantial color than the Knights Order. This should be Bivora over there.
While I doubt whether using color to represent this is accurate… it's not something visually perceptible, but rather a vague numerical value inputted into my mind; I can't find any other way to express it.
Not yet proficient in using my Mystic Eyes, calculating these vague values would be a headache, but if there are two such obvious differences in size…
"…Found it."
"…!" I tiptoed, parting the grass to peer into the distance into the forest. A sloping pit with a wooden door leaning against it was visible, and Bivora sat in a small tent beside it.
The pit, with its wooden door open like a cave.
Inside the pit, something resembling a human head was vaguely visible… too far to see clearly, could it be that?
"...It's my brother, isn't it?"
"...! That's right! Stand up now...!"
"Shh, shh. Quiet. Think it through before you act. It's no different than catching them all now. Calm down."
"Uh...! Guh... Yes." I stopped Malte, who was about to charge with his sword drawn, and whispered as I gently placed him to the ground.
"I'm not sure if I can fight Bivora. You take Bivora; I'll go rescue your brother."
"Understood. As long as there are no hostages, Bivora is no match for me."
"That's right. Bivora was a thief, wasn't he? His hearing should be very sharp... We'll act simultaneously here. At our speed, we should be able to subdue him before he makes a move."
"Okay. And Mr. Shimo's weapon..."
"Oh right, and this too. If I turn into human form now, I'll be completely naked. I'll leave it here for now." Although I brought it along thinking I'd at least have a weapon, now that the excitement has faded, I realize I won't need it anyway.
Naked, dangling my menacing horse testicles, and holding only a horse bit in my demon form… well, that's a bit… Now that I think about it, I forgot about my testicles and burned Malte.
He probably didn't notice while I was busy burning him… I'll have to be careful he doesn't see me on the way back.
"…Should we kill him immediately?"
"No. We should arrest him. Although what he did is almost like a death row inmate, we still have to follow due process."
"Is that so? If you're okay with it, then let's do it this way."
Ugh, how boring. Why keep a criminal alive?
I was thinking of helping dispose of the body… but since he's okay with it… huh?
Why am I so disappointed?
Am I really this heartless…?
Tilting my head in confusion due to this inexplicable disappointment, I saw Bivora shift her sitting position and shook my head.
Anyway, right now, dealing with Bivora is more important than anything else…
"So… are you ready?" I exchanged glances with Malte and we nodded to each other.
Taking a slow, deep breath to build up my leg strength, I was about to look at Bivora when… Bivora turned her head slightly to the other side.
"…Now!" With a deafening roar, Malte and I leaped into the air, charging straight towards Bivora.
"Bivora!!!"
"Wh-what…!? Ugh!!!" As I reached the pit with the wooden door, Malte grabbed Bivora's head like a hooked fish.
Bivora's body, pulled by Malte's hand, plowed a crack in the ground and slammed into it.
Literally, Bivora was subdued, unable to even move a finger.