Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 17: "Lord"

"Help me..."

There was no way I could help him.

I ignored the last one's pleas for help, biting off his head and exhaling lightly... but all that came out of my mouth was a grunt.

It was just an idea, but I'm glad it worked out.

With most of my body missing, I decided to not only repair it, but also work on my own body.

The first thing I did was to make the most ferocious dinosaur I had ever encountered... or so I thought.

I used it as a base, and modified it with troll arms and muscles to increase its strength, and increased its eyeballs to widen its vision.

One of the best ideas I came up with, personally, was to add a brain.

The memory of the Quinham I ate really helped.

I knew she was a real mage...a woman...a witch? ...is thinking differently.

If you can think more than one way, you can deploy magic in multiple ways.

It was just a thought that I wish I could do, but I was very impressed.

It is the brain that thinks.

Perhaps it is safe to assume that the brain is also involved in magic.

So, I thought, why not simply increase the number of organs, and I did it, and it turned out to be a great decision.

Fortunately, I had already removed the extra organs. Space is free.

Thanks to the memory reading, I have a larger repertoire of magic to use and more specialized knowledge.

I call this brain I created the "auxiliary brain."

At a minimum, I only need four brains that specialize in magic construction.

I also have five tails as organs for close combat, and one brain to control them.

I named this one "spare brain" that has functions similar to the original brain.

In the unlikely event that my head is blown off, this one will operate my body.

I've planted a solidified version of my roots in it.

The roots can be moved by my will to some extent even after separation, but it seems to be more like it is moving under my command.

When I detached it and experimented with it before, I just ordered it to come to me, but it was not conscious that I was moving it.

Hypothetically, if I solidify it to some degree, it could work similarly to the main body?

I am hoping that it will work similarly to the main body.

This area still needs to be verified and researched.

For some reason, the title of a zombie movie ran through my mind, but it must have been my imagination.

After rebuilding my body, I grabbed my beloved Makana, which had somehow managed to survive the fire, and attacked the people gathered from outside.

To be honest, I was surprised at my own fighting ability.

The tail attacked on its own as long as I gave it instructions, and after stabbing them, it would spit out its roots from the pores I had made for it to nourish itself. I also attached a mouth so it could bite.

The auxiliary brain also worked fine, wiping out those who tried to magically obliterate me.

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There were quite a few of them, but they were easily cleared out.

Anyone who tried to get close enough to me was either tail-fed, killed instantly by the makana, or ended up in my stomach.

The bow and arrow could literally only graze my thick hide, and the owner became my meal.

The last one left behind, the one that looked like a commander, was also ranting something and lunging at me with his usual lower-level attack, so I intercepted him by placing my tail where he was likely to pass, and then bit him off head first.

...What was that thing about dreams?

After that, I finished hunting down every last one of the guys who were maintaining the wards to muffle the sound.

Now that I've taken care of the guys who are evicting people, there will be an uproar if passersby see what's going on in the store.

Let's do what I have to do before that happens.

For now, I'll just suck the dead bodies with my tail and convert them into energy.

I didn't have time to collect all of their belongings, so I decided to take only their wallets and anything that looked expensive.

I made good money since there were so many of them.

The rest I took clothes as I saw fit.

I left the place when I got what I wanted.

Once away from the city, I rebuild my body.

I can't go out in the city in that state.

I had to make myself into a slightly upgraded human body, with no tail, but with an auxiliary brain and a spare brain built in.

I thought about changing my appearance, but I've decided to live my life as an adventurer.

I don't want to become a different person here.

Besides, I don't want to let the people who have done so much for me go unchecked.

It's probably because of the black fire smoldering in my chest.

Let's kill them and whoever made this joke of a situation happen.

Then this discomfort will subside.

I heard that the commander I just ate was a man of high rank.

He had met the boss's aide or something like that.

The next one is his entourage. If I can get that guy, I'll be in a good position to win the next round.

After that, I'll retaliate against the client and head toward Royal Capital with peace of mind.

But, the weapons I sold off got me traced into trouble, didn't it?

I guess I was being careless... I guess it is obvious after all.

I must admit, I was a bit naive in my ability of investigating in another world.

Well, I've killed so many people, there's hardly anyone left who can operate around here.

So let's continue to sell off their belongings.

I looked at the sky and the sun was rising.

As the sun rose and the city woke up, I sold off my excess equipment and took what I could use.

After that, I stocked up on what I needed, bought new armor and clothes, and was ready to go.

I had a reasonable budget, so I was able to buy a few better items than last time.

For weapons, I use the sword owned by the commander and Makana.

It is a high quality sword with a thick blade and an automatic repair function in case of damage.

I'm grateful to be able to use it.

Well, I still have some time left, so let's get some things done first.

I went to the Adventurers' Guild to gather information.

"They say it's running out of town!"

"They say it escaped with a lot of injuries from its rampage through town!"

"Really? Well, the first one to get in wins!"

"Give me the information! I'll get it!"

There was a great commotion.

Everyone was bloodshot eyed and trying to get their requests in at the counter.

I asked one of the staff members who was working the line at the counter.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's an urgent request. Last night, a dragon appeared in this town, and we're requested to kill it."

Oh? I have an idea what it is.

"Nearly 50 adventurers were sent out to take it down, but they were all wiped out...""

No, no. What the hell is going on here?

They got what they deserved, didn't they?

"According to witnesses, the ground dragon was a variant with multiple tails that fled outside the city."

Oh, shit.

I knew they saw me.

I thought I was okay, but I was naive...

"Even though it went outside the city, there is no guarantee that it won't come back. The guild, taking a serious look at the situation, ordered an urgent request to take it down. Since it was an emergency, the reward was quite expensive."

Ah, I see. I see.

That's right. That sounds like a lot of work.

Please do your best to defeat it. I don't think they'll be able to find it.

Earth dragons are highly dangerous, and when they do appear, it is difficult to take them down alone.

In addition, since they often act in packs, as soon as they are identified, a request is made to call in high-ranking adventurers to take them down.

What? Were they that bad?

I had heard of these guys from my memory-eating days, but I had never run into them before, so I was just thinking that they must be strong.

I was able to kill about a dozen by myself, so I thought they were pretty good.

At that point, I lost interest in the story.

I thanked the staff and left the guild.

From the looks of things, there would be nothing else to talk about but the land dragons.

But I guess I could pass it off as nothing to do with last night's incident.

I know what I want to know. I have no more use for this place.

I left the guild with my back to the counter, which was still crowded.

If you think about it, the fact that he has the confidence to cheat with such flamboyance must mean that he has a certain amount of power, or that he is in the good graces of someone in power.

I look at the huge mansion a short distance away.

Enkau...no, the ruler of Acothern territory...Hoffer Acothern.

According to what I remember reading, the leader is some guy called Choudhury , who is the head of the security force here.

For all intents and purposes, Choudhury is Hoffer's nom de plume.

Otherwise, the title of "head of the guard" would be too much of a distraction.

Now, let's get the information straight.

First of all, the guild that attacked me was the assassination guild "Hunter of Souls".

This is confirmed by the memories of several people.

And the head of the guild is Hoffer Acothern.

This is not confirmed, but it is almost black.

According to Hang, the assassination request for me came from someone I had a relationship with....

I guess it could be interpreted as someone who has a relationship with Hoffer.

...So it's Rothfeldt's involvement.

Then it could be someone related to Oratorium or Liard.

What? Did Acothern and Oratorium have a relationship? I don't know about Liard.

But still, how did they know I was alive?

I was literally out of the human village until I entered Enkau....

...I'll ask Hoffer or Choudhury about that.

Hmmm.

I don't know how to attack this.

For now, I've decided to go in at night, and I'm thinking about how far I want to go.

Killing everyone...is that too much to ask? I'll definitely kill Choudhury, though.

If the lord is involved, should I kill them all?

That would be easy.

I could focus on the non-combatants from below, and return fire on the combatants as they come in, and if I take up a position on the first floor, I don't have to worry about them escaping...or is there a hidden passageway as promised?

It's not good to let the real lord escape by being distracted by other things.

Should I take him as a hostage?

If I remember correctly, there is a daughter... If I seize her, lure the lord in, and then just as he comes out, snap him out on the spot....

Hmmm.

I'm getting tired of thinking about it.

I guess I'll just go in from the front now.

If I kill a few people at random and take away their memories, I should be able to get the layout of this place.

After that, if I just go straight ahead and seize the lord himself, there should be no problem, right?

...No, I'll get the floor plan right away.

One of the guards came out of the house, probably on shift from the gate.

I silently followed the guard as he left the house.