Episode 20: Murishi, the Species that Eats Monsters (6)
Muriel briefly thought that August’s expression while looking at Rovelia was cold, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by August’s question.
“So, what did you have to say?”
“Ah… right. It’s about hunting. How do you hunt Murishi?”
“Murishi? I know that the most vicious way is to lure them with monsters and engage in a hunting confrontation, but most people set traps. Murishis are difficult to catch because they run very fast.”
To think that they could be caught with traps. It was good news for Muriel, who was wondering if she could handle a Murishi alone.
“If it’s traps, are there any specific ones for Murishis? Or do people use the same ones that they use for monsters?”
“Why do you want to know that all of a sudden?”
August’s expression became suspicious.
“Well, it’s just.. How Murishi get persecuted, I just wanted to know more about it.”
“Ah… As expected!”
Even though it was a brazen lie, August nodded immediately, clear of any suspicion. Muriel avoided making eye-contact with him since he’d believed her so easily. She felt a bit guilty.
“It is said that Murishis can distinguish the scent of minerals, so regular traps won’t work. Because they’d notice an unfamiliar scent right away. That’s why people use stone traps or wooden traps specifically designed for Murishis.”
“I understand the stone traps, but… wooden traps? Can they really catch a Murishi that even eats monsters? Ah… Do they need to be magically reinforced or something?”
“Usually, wooden traps are sufficient. Murishis are very weak, you see.”
“Murishis are weak?”
Muriel had never seen a Murishi directly, but she had heard about them. The stories of this species, who had a filthy and dirty appearance that could make one vomit, and who ate the corpses of rotten monsters, were widely spread throughout the kingdom. Even though Muriel had never ventured outside her territory and had lived in seclusion, she was well aware of the Murishis’ infamous reputation.
However, it was the first time she had heard that a Murishi was weak.
“Yes. They are so weak that they cannot hunt monsters by themselves, which is why they come down to human villages. They aimed for the corpses of monsters that had been exterminated and abandoned, but ended up receiving hatred by humans.”
August imagined the hideous appearance of a Murishi. They had a head like a wild boar and a body resembling the carcass of a starved horse.
Their long, stiff fur was tangled all over their body like old rags, and with each breath, the protruding rib bones could be seen through the fur. Their appearance was undoubtedly unpleasant and terrifying to look at. They had randomly grown tusks, but they were of no use in attacking monsters and were mainly used as pickaxes to dig deep into the ground to find minerals.
He didn’t say that Murishi actually had a docile and timid nature. Occasionally, there were groups who said that Murishi were even gentler than rabbits, but even August couldn’t easily believe such claims.
“They’re weak… that’s…”
As Muriel thought about how to capture the Murishi who had stolen Ur’s fragment, she snickered wickedly, “Hehehe.”
The sound of Muriel’s laughter was insidious enough to make August shudder.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Upon returning to her estate through the portal, Muriel headed straight for the knight guarding the castle gate.
“Hello.”
The knight, surprised by Muriel’s sudden visit, greeted her with a concerned expression, wondering if he had done something wrong.
“What brings you here, my lady?”
“Are there any monsters near our territory?”
The knight was taken aback by her unexpected inquiry about monsters in the middle of the night. However, in order not to evoke the lady’s displeasure, who had previously tried to eliminate all the servants she didn’t like, he answered obediently.
“Yes, indeed. They’ve been more abundant recently, especially since the appearance of the Star of Calamity.”
“Hmm… Could you capture one for me? I would like to see it firsthand.”
Muriel pretended to show newfound interest for a moment before getting to the point. She had no intention of capturing the monsters herself. There were skilled knights in the territory who carried swords and could handle the task easily. In other words, it was possible to prepare the bait to pull out the Murishi without much effort.
“A m-m-monster…? What kind are you referring to..?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m going to carry it myself, so something suitable for that would do. If possible, one that has a lot of flesh would be better.”
Muriel was as nonchalant as ordering a steak. The knight who was asked to find a monster of a suitable size with a lot of flesh was the one puzzled. Most people were wary of even encountering monsters, as they were corrupted spirits.
“May I ask what you need it for?”
The knight’s tone was still polite, but his eyes were filled with suspicion. Muriel’s attitude was like she was looking for the offerings she needed for black magic.
“It’s hard to tell you in detail since it’s related to the duties of a saint. Please bring it quickly.”
The knight was practically pushed out of the gate. Judging by his troubled expression, it seemed that rumors about Muriel would spread throughout the territory by tomorrow.
After dismissing the knight by saying she’d carry the monster herself, Muriel climbed up the mountain where she had buried the fragment of Ur’s artifact. The monster resembled a bird slightly larger than a chicken, but with a sharp beak and teeth. Seeing this, she realized she had made the right choice in asking the knight for help.
Crunch.
Muriel’s sincerity in even asking the knight to cut the monster into small pieces so it would be easier to eat might have worked, because not long after arriving at the mountain, she sensed movement from the bushes.
“Eek!”
A faint sound mixed with a metallic noise reached her ears, and a Murishi, with the head of a wild boar, appeared.
‘Agh.’
Unconsciously, Muriel covered her nose. The smell was unbearable. It felt like a mixture of putrid flesh, the stench of blood, and a sticky, viscous substance was wafting towards her.
“Huff..”
Muriel’s nose tingled at the terrible smell that leaked in even when she held her breath. Despite being quite far from where she had set the wooden trap with the monster as bait, the scent of the Murishi surpassed her imagination.
They were said to have a keen sense of smell, but it was strange to find such a strong odor of decay emanating from seemingly healthy creatures. Muriel held her breath, fearing that the Murishi might run away.
The Murishi had small eyes that were hidden behind their fur, and seeing how they sniffed around to search for the meat, their eyesight seemed to be bad.
Hungry…hng.
Huh?
Muriel forgot to cover her nose upon hearing a voice in her head and stepped a bit out of the bushes.
It hurts so much…
Once again, a clear sound of words echoed in Muriel’s bewildered mind. It was the voice of the Murishi, mixed with a metallic sound.
“You… Do you know how to talk?”
Muriel took a step closer to the Murishi and spoke. But the Murishi wasn’t speaking human language. It was Muriel who was speaking in its language, an intangible sound that didn’t quite resemble words. It was a scene that would freak anyone who peeked at it out.
However, Muriel, unaware that she was speaking the Murishi language, mistakenly believed that the Murishi could understand human speech.
Kwiik~ Human!
The Murishi, startled upon spotting Muriel, panicked and ran, only to get caught in the trap she had set up.
It hurts!!!
A loud, piercing cry echoed through the mountains, reaching Muriel’s mind as well. It was a disturbing cry that sent shivers down her spine just by listening to it.
However, through their words, a sense of remorse arose within Muriel. The Murishi wasn’t rampaging or threatening to kill; they were simply crying out in pain. Muriel’s innate sense of empathy as a human kicked in.
It hurts! It hurts!!
“Now, just a moment… Stay still…! The more you struggle, the more you’ll get hurt.”
Muriel, once again speaking in the Murishi language, said with a growl, but the Murishi only trembled and struggled in fear.
Only then did Muriel realize that the Murishi wasn’t speaking human language; it was she who could speak their language. She hadn’t noticed because it felt as natural as breathing.
Wow. She couldn’t believe she could talk to this series.
Muriel smiled, finding it amusing to possess an ability she had never heard of before.
She thought it was a good idea to drive away the knight who offered to move the monster for her. Asking for help with the monster could somehow be dealt with an excuse, but communicating with this species? What excuse could she even use?
She would be immediately branded as a follower of the Demon King or a black wizard, and sentenced to death. Of course, even black wizards couldn’t communicate with this species, but people wouldn’t bother listening to such an excuse.
I’m going to die. I’m going to die.
The more the Murishi thrashed about, the deeper the wooden trap dug into their bare feet. The scent of Murishi blood, which Muriel had smelled the previous night, began to mask the air.
Up close, the Murishi’s fur, which seemed to have become dirty while rolling in mud, had quite a lot of what seemed to be its own blood that hadn’t hardened.
I’m hungry, but I’m dying.
Muriel wondered what it being hungry had to do with dying. But the Murishi had come here hungry intending to eat monster meat, but now it was caught in a trap and was going to die without even tasting it. What was the meaning of this?
“I’ll save you, so just stay still for a moment…”
Muriel tried to grab the thrashing Murishi’s foot and remove the trap, but the frightened Murishi’s continued struggling and made it impossible for her to exert enough strength.
“Agh… Huff…!”
In the end, it ended up kicking her in the chest with its hind leg. Muriel didn’t feel any pain, but she heard a sound like her lungs were crushed. Seeing that it was hard for her to breathe, it seemed like she had taken a direct hit.
“Hey… you…!”
She wondered if she would have passed out if she could feel pain.
Muriel gasped for breath but stubbornly clung to the Murishi’s leg, which was flailing about. It was hard to see why rumours of them being weak were circulating around when they were so strong.
Well, there were wizards, priests and swordsmen that surpassed human limits by burning pacio too.
“I won’t kill you, so just stay still…!”
I’m hungry, but I’m going to die. I’m hungry, but I’m going to die. I’m going to die by a human.
“I said I won’t kill you…”
Muriel focused her mind. The talismans hanging on both sides of her chest, given by August, shone brightly. Since she couldn’t pry open the trap with her strength alone, she decided to burn it with magic.
Since she had no intention of making a roasted Murishi, she concentrated all her mind on casting a fire spell., but instead, sharp ice blades appeared, slashing through the wooden trap and then disappearing.
Damn this useless magic…
‘I can’t even make a match-level flame…!’
Ouch! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts… It hurts.
Long, thin wounds formed on the Murishi’s legs and Muriel’s arms from the ice blades. Muriel was fine since she couldn’t feel pain, but the Murishi, unable to thrash about any longer, perhaps because of the pain, trembled and collapsed.
“I’m sorry… Uh… I didn’t mean to…”
Fortunately, the trap was cut in half and fell off the Murishi’s foot, which was a relief.
You said you’d save me…
The Murishi, freed from the trap, said grudgingly.
“Oh! You understood me…!”
Deep down, Muriel was worried that the Murishi couldn’t understand what she was saying. Nevertheless, she was glad that her words had been properly conveyed.
You said you wouldn’t kill me. You made it hurt more. I’m going to die by a human.
“…I’m sorry. I’ll heal you in a minute.”
It hurts. It’s going to hurt more. You can’t treat it.
“Haha…”
The Murishi’s intelligence seemed much higher than Muriel expected. With just one experience, it accurately grasped Muriel’s magic abilities.
It was trembling at the thought of her healing it…
Muriel was a bit annoyed, but it was so right that she had no choice but to laugh awkwardly. What a bastard. So unnecessarily accurate.
“I can at least provide some treatment…”
Don’t do that. Please don’t.
It has zero trust in Muriel lmao
im dying. this murishi is so cute😭😭😭
Muriel the murishi is hurtingggg why are you so clumsyy 😭