Kito's memory begins with a chalk eraser falling on her head. Entering the schoolhouse, she fell for an incredibly simple trap and ended up with a white mark on her head.
The schoolhouse where beastpeople displayed childlike innocence was hell for some. Kito was a rare rabbit beastperson, and the attention seemed like it would never end until her ears fell off. Something dropping from somewhere was an everyday occurrence; she would trip on strings or end up dangling from them.
If she were a beast, she wouldn't have understood traps, but Kito was human. After getting caught repeatedly, she came to understand what constituted a trigger and what chain reactions led to the result.
Then at some point, Kito learned to read the sequence of events and how to stop them. The traps targeting Kito would miss their timing by a hair or malfunction.
At first, she thought she had simply gotten used to getting caught in traps. But before long, she realized it was her Unique Demon Art. Kito rejoiced and boasted, but the beastpeople who had been teasing her only responded with sneers.
They said it was the most useless Unique Demon Art, that her ability was as cowardly as a rabbit. A half-baked power that could only be used if there were traps.
Kito was discouraged. Even by her own assessment, a Unique Demon Art that was useless without traps was definitely half-baked. It was a Unique Demon Art that merely adjusted the activation timing even when traps existed—one she had no idea how to properly use.
Still, a rotten Unique Demon Art was a Unique Demon Art, and in Ende, the existence of a beastperson mage was precious, so they created the position of trap designer and employed Kito. But she was only moderately useful, far from something that could be called a mystery.
However, a Unique Demon Art was still a Unique Demon Art. It was a mystery that could become a god if the right conditions were met.
"Yip! Yip!"
A wolf tumbled down the slope. It had been quite harassed, its fur completely covered in dirt and dust. The wolf, coughing and hacking, spotted the beastpeople and immediately bared its teeth.
"It's a wolf! Form up!"
Even standing on four legs, the wolf was as tall as a person. The dogs barked as they surrounded it, and the Obeli guard dogs formed up and thrust their spears. At that moment, the wolf instantly twisted its body, bit the spear shaft, and yanked it.
"Woaaah!"
The Obeli guard dog who couldn't let go of the spear shaft in time was dragged along. The moment the formation broke, the wolf charged like lightning. Its massive jaws aimed for the Obeli guard dog's throat.
"How dare you! Receive the god's permissiooooon!"
At that moment, a large boulder fell onto the wolf's head. Before it could bite the Obeli guard dog, the boulder forced its jaws shut first. The wolf, whining as it backed away, unfortunately stepped on a bear trap someone had dropped. Crunch. The sharp teeth bit into the wolf's foreleg.
This was a wolf led by Fenrir. It wouldn't be incapacitated by something like a bear trap. However, the Obeli guard dogs were also trained beastpeople in their own right. They didn't miss the brief opening when the wolf faltered and charged in.
"Now!"
"Stab!"
Sharp spearheads surged against the wolf whose movement was locked down. As the wolf thrashed, several spear shafts broke, but the Obeli guard dogs took turns thrusting their spears.
Spearheads imbued with qigong could pierce thick hide. The wolf, struggling while caught in the trap, eventually exhausted its strength and collapsed.
A small victory but a great harvest. If they had encountered dozens of wolves like that on flat ground, they would have been annihilated before they could even react.
"We won!"
When the Obeli guard dog clenched his fist and shouted, a small rock fell on his head again. As he grabbed his head in pain, Kito's voice reached his ears.
"We? Ttoheong! Not we, it's my, Kito's ability!"
"Ki, Kito?"
"Call me Lady Kitoooo! I hold every trigger in this place—I am truly a god!"
Kito thrust her chest out confidently. As if responding to her, the entire ground trembled. Controlling triggers meant being able to make the ground sink or pull root vines at will.
"Your lives are in my handsssss! From now on, show a little more respect when you ask…"
"Be quiet!"
"Ttoeeeeng!"
What if the wolves hear and come find us? I flicked Kito on the ear, and she clutched her head and sat down.
"Enough. I'll bring Obelisk, so guard this place until then. If you defeat the wolves one by one with traps, you'll be able to beat them easily."
"Ttoeeeing…"
"Answer."
"Fiiiiine…."
Okay. With this, this place should be safe for a while even without me. As the saying goes, in a situation where anything could collapse right now, Kito's power is like a god's.
I just hope she doesn't do anything rash.
'She treats me like this even knowing my power? I'm a god now, you know? Hmph. Well then, let me show you the taste of the rabbit god!'
I need to fix her attitude.
The ceiling tilts, trying to strike my head. I reached out and propped up the ceiling. Kito's power is 'maintaining triggers,' and by voluntarily releasing them, she activates traps.
That means I, who stole Kito's Unique Demon Art, can also maintain triggers. Though limited only to what I've touched.
Kito, who had been imagining my suffering, panicked at the unmoving ceiling and muttered.
"Ttoe? Why isn't it working?"
"Don't do useless things."
"Ttoeeeeeng!"
When I flicked her head once more, Kito fell face-down on the ground and whimpered.
"You say god and act like a real god. Get a grip. Right now you're useful, but you're not enough to wipe out humans who've learned qigong or wolves. Act up and you'll die."
Even demon gods die sometimes, so how can a mage behave so recklessly? Kito replied with tears in her eyes.
"I, I get itttt."
'You said you'd make me a goooddd! What kind of god can't even land a single flick!'
I've given the whip, so now it's time for the carrot. I patted Kito reassuringly.
"Anyway, the lives of the people entering this trap are in your hands. You may not be a god of the world, but you hold the lives of Ende's people."
"Lives…!"
Is it an Ende trait that their eyes change when they hold power? Her eyes are gleaming strangely.
No, that's just a human trait. Anyway, with this, one matter is resolved. Now I just need to call Obelisk and ask them to protect Kito.
I need Kito alive to use her Unique Demon Art.
"Then I'll be going."
"Wait. Sorcerer! How are you going to get out of here…"
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No need to answer. I'm in a hurry.
With earth arts, I lightly push the ground. I turn the solidly blocked wall into a card and slip through. With Kito's Unique Demon Art, there's no worry of collapse. It will hold off the collapse for a while.
Wolves. Wolves whose thoughts I can't read are a bit scary.
"Ah. Found it."
After sliding down the floor for a while, I discovered a brown club half-buried in a large rock in the darkness. I grabbed the club's handle. I felt a heavy sensation, but when I put strength into it, I could lift it without much difficulty.
Jizan, thrown by the regressor. They said it would be difficult to retrieve right away. So I'll borrow it for a bit.
"Excuse me. I need to use this for a moment."
With my insufficient qi, it would be difficult to use qigong with Jizan. But the club with the weight of Mount Tai was a fearsome weapon in itself.
When I swung Jizan once with force, the ground above split like tofu and poured down. Along with the rocks, a wolf that had been buried somewhere also fell down. I made eye contact with the wolf as it shook its body to dust itself off.
"Meeting like this is also fate, so why don't we set aside our conflict for now and join forces to find an exit?"
"Grrr."
"Become my dog. Like you were tamed before."
"Canheng!"
The wolf immediately bared its teeth and charged. So it's a fight, then. Because I couldn't read its thoughts, my reaction was a bit late. Stepping back slightly, I thrust Jizan toward the wolf's face.
As the bite-friendly stick approached, the wolf quickly bit into Jizan. As if trying to pounce on me along with the club, it kicked off the ground with its hind legs and charged even more.
"Does this look like dog chew toys to you? Fine. Chew to your heart's content."
But Jizan wouldn't be pushed back by a wolf's strength. The wolf also seemed surprised by the heavy sensation in its mouth and opened its eyes wide. The wolf's body bounced back as if caught on a string.
I quickly grabbed Jizan with both hands and spun it like a joystick. The neck of the wolf biting Jizan also spun around. The wolf realized it had bitten the wrong thing and opened its jaws, but I pushed in deeper so it couldn't slip away.
"Dog chew toys once bitten cannot be returned."
Crunch. The wolf paid dearly for putting something inedible in its mouth. Teeth caught on Jizan broke and scattered. I slammed the thrashing wolf onto the ground. I tried to crush it completely with Jizan, but the wolf escaped with surprising agility at the last moment.
"That's why you should be picky about what you eat, got it? Ah, but now that your teeth are all gone, you'll have to be picky."
"Awoooo-!"
"I don't play with bad kids who don't listen."
Unique Demon Art, Miss Goldberg. Having stolen Kito's Unique Demon Art, I searched for the triggers sleeping beneath my feet. When I wedged Jizan into a rock crevice and twisted it, the crack widened and the ground split in two. The ground where the wolf had been standing lost its support and tilted diagonally.
"Goodbye. Let's meet nicely in the next life."
The wolf, having lost all its teeth, plunged down below along with the pile of dirt. It could follow if it wanted to, but a beast without teeth crawling through dirt and rocks to climb all the way up and attack me? If it does, I'll acknowledge it.
Having shaken off the wolf's threat, I used telepathy. Hundreds of people trapped underground, Obelisk and the Beast Faction warriors who were nearly caught in the aftermath. And other humans standing on the side of the wolf king. The thoughts and desires of thousands of people flowed into me.
Gauging the direction, checking for danger factors. I held Jizan and gauged the direction.
Earth Bone Style? I don't have such a grand technique. I lamented my meager strength and swung Jizan crudely. Jizan made up for my lacking power. Even swinging it roughly, rocks broke, the ground collapsed, and a large tunnel opened before me.
It's really nice not having to worry about collapse. After walking through the earth for quite a while, I finally thrust Jizan toward a crevice where bright light shone through. A boulder the size of a house bounced up like a toy, and bright sky spread out before me.
It's been a while since I've seen sunlight, so it's nice to see. Coming out carefully, I saw Obelisk and the beastpeople screaming and lying face-down on the ground. Geez, a person barely escaped and they treat me like a ghost, that's a bit much.
Sapien, who had been commanding Obelisk, spotted me and strode over.
"You…! Sorcerer!"
"Wow. After fumbling through the darkness and barely getting out, even your face is a welcome sight."
Sapien must have been glad to see me in a different way. He reached out as if wanting to grab me by the collar and shouted.
"Who are you using as bait?! Do you know what will happen if Teia gets hurt?!"
"Then hurry and follow this path. The ground is on the verge of collapsing right now. You're the only one who can save them."
"Don't just talk, guide us!"
"I can't. I have more important things to do right now."
"More important things?"
If it's that important, you can guard the noble from the Empire yourself. I have other things to do.
The place where noise could still be heard even while humans and wolves were buried in the soil. I turned my steps toward it and answered.
"Keeping a promise."