Evil Black Maria - Chapter 89. Neither Man Nor Animal

“What……what’s with those eyes……?”

 

Casca’s eyes were strange, monstrous, almost inhuman.

When Keith saw them, he took an unconscious step back and muttered in a trembling voice.

 

“……eh?”

 

Casca, on the other hand, turned away from them and focused on a glass window nearby.

She snorts a little at her own reflection.

 

“I was wondering why my eyeballs were so tingly……When was the last time this happened, eh? Since that rotten saint burnt my hair off? Since the insect bitch bit my fingernails off? Well, it doesn’t matter.”

 

She turned towards Izuru and muttered to herself.

Her tone of voice was very calm, without any emotion at all, but it expressed the intensity of her anger.

 

“Nothing to worry about. This is how I’ve always looked when I’m really mad.”

 

She scratched her neck with her flaking manicured nails.

–After a pause, she continued, expressionless.

 

“That’s why I’m here.”

 

“What…..?”

 

In response to her words, it was hard to know who was more horrified, Izuru or Keith.

 

Beast(1). It is, simply put, a mixture of human and magical animal.

A name for a kind of chimera, a being born between two completely different species.

 

“I think that fucking bitch said something about a magical monster called Gol or something like that. I forgot.”

 

She was half-Goldion Tiger, a mighty tiger with golden fur and powerful brown magic.

She had the blood of a high-ranking demonic beast, a disaster-grade monster that was considered to be as dangerous as an earthquake or a tornado.

 

“I don’t have magic, but my body is much stronger than any human being’s in almost every way.”

 

Beasts are always born and raised in human form, and they are never born unless their mother is human.

They are born without magical powers, but with a body stronger than that of their magical beast parent.

 

And the Goldion Tiger ranks among the five most physically powerful of all monsters.

Therefore, Casca may look like a human, but her physical strength and endurance are beyond comparison.

 

“No…..that beast is nothing more than a fairy tale……!”

 

Izuru’s face paled, but she managed to squeeze out a few words of denial.

Her reaction was not surprising.

The chances of a life being born between a human being and a demonic beast, both of which have completely different physical structures, are close to zero if all the processes leading up to that point are put into numbers.

In fact, throughout history, there have been very few people who have been definitely identified as Beasts.

 

But no matter how much they deny it, it is an undeniable fact that Casca was indeed a Beast.

Because of her lineage to the magical beast also known as the Golden Tiger, she had extraordinary physical capabilities and was able to communicate with felines that had evolved on the same genetic tree.

 

“A monster. That’s what you are.”

 

The edge of her mouth lifted viciously, and she shook her head lightly.

However, she had no intention of arguing with that and nodded her head in agreement.

 

“Yeah, I’m not human. Anyhow, I was born by eating through the womb of the woman who conceived me.”

 

In an amused tone, Casca explained.

She laughed with a feral expression on her face that sent chills down the spine of anyone who saw her.

 

“When I got out of the womb, my eyes were open and my teeth were in place. Within an hour I was running around the place.”

 

The day after she was born, she hunted rabbits and other small animals to feed herself.

She did not depend on anyone, she did not cling to anyone, she survived on her own.

 

“By the time half a year had passed, I had grown up to be quite fit and stronger than most adults. It was around that time that I moved to the royal capital, hiding in a merchant’s wagon.”

 

She discovered that it was easier and better to get food from people than from hunting beasts.

In the course of her life, she came to be feared and was called The Destroyer by those around her.

 

“To you guys, I must be a real monster. I don’t like humans who are so weak they can’t live without a single person telling them what to do, it’s disgusting.”

 

To Casca, humans are insignificant, most of whom can be killed by a light poke.

They are nothing more than fodder. They are just toys to be played with. There was no point or value in bothering to adjust with them.

 

 

 

“My name is Shizuru. I’m going to live with you from now on, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

“You’re covered in blood again……come over here and I’ll wipe it off for you”

 

“Since you’re so beautiful, why don’t you try dressing up? I’m sure you would look very nice.”

 

“You are Half Magic Beast? Oh, I see……Ah, so that’s why you’re as lovely as a cat.”

 

 

–Yes.

With only one exception.

 

“All I need is someone to take care of me. I don’t care if everyone else is scared of me, they all are just eyesores”

 

She may look like a human, but on the inside, she was a savage beast.

To Casca, people other than Shizuru were, in the end, unimportant.

 

The only reason she was in Black Maria, the only reason she followed Richelieu, was because she had once been defeated by her.

As long as she does what she’s told, she can get money and relieve her stress by dealing with random people.

That’s all. There was no such thing as loyalty.

 

“(I’ll definitely kill that bitch at some point……because if I don’t, I won’t be able to get my hands on Shizu)”

 

The similarity in appearance between Izuru and him was certainly tempting, but she was only a substitute, like a pack of gum to quit smoking

She still wanted Shizuru himself. In order to do that, she needs to get rid of Richelieu.

 

But that was impossible for Casca at the moment.

After all, even if all of the Black Maria, including her, tried, they would not be able to match that absurdity.

 

“Haha……Oh well, it’s just for the time being.”

 

Casca looked again at the two people in front of her, frozen in fear and tension.

Her thoughts were dreadfully cold. Anger grew to the point of discolouration of the eyes and then circled back to calmness.

 

Which one to kill first, and how? She thought for a while and collected her thoughts.

Casca laughed and then grinned.

 

“All right, you bald-headed octopus. I’m going to rip you apart, limb by limb.”

 

Before they could react in any way to her words, Casca stepped forward and was immediately in front of Keith.

She grabbed his right shoulder and pulled with the same amount of force she had grabbed Izuru with earlier—– (ripping sound).

His right arm was torn off, flesh and bone.

 

“Guh, ga….Aaaaaah..!?”

 

A sickening sound that penetrates directly through the heart.

A warm, metallic-smelling liquid sprays into the air.

 

“Ah…Ah….Guh ah uh…”

 

His right arm, which had been like a log, was now simply missing from his shoulder. Keith reflexively held the wound with his left hand, which was bleeding heavily.

The voice that came out of his throat was not even a scream.

 

But of course. The pain of having your flesh, bones, and nerves forcibly pulled out was unimaginable.

It’s an awful feeling, and a normal person would have died of shock.

 

“Ha-ha. You’re a bit sturdy, aren’t you? It would be a shame if it killed you.”

 

Keith’s body convulsed violently and he collapsed.

Looking down at him, Casca lightly lifted the arm she had taken from him and bit into the flesh as if it were a piece of bread.

 

“……It’s disgusting. It’s so tough I can’t even eat it.”

 

After chewing it a bit, she scowled and spat it out at her feet.

It was not to her taste. Well, she doesn’t have a taste for cannibalism, anyway.

 

But she dared to do it as a pose.

It was not enough to just kill them. Pain and fear must be imprinted on the victim to make them pay for what they have done.

For Casca, the damage done to her hair and nails was unforgivable.

 

“Since you lost your best arm, you’ll never be a mercenary again. A good healing wizard could fix it, but it would cost a few gold pieces.”

 

There are very few healing wizards in the world. In addition, if they are skilled enough to heal missing limbs, they will certainly be employed by a nobleman.

In order to request treatment from such a person, the costs are enormous, even for the most basic of things.

That’s why Shizuru, who provides cheap treatment, was widely respected in the Eastern section of the capital.

 

“But it’s not worth it, is it? So I’m giving you assholes a chance.”

 

Casca played with his teeth-marked arm like a stick in her hand, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

She turned from Keith, who she didn’t even know if he could hear her, to Izuru, who was still in a daze and smiled wickedly.

 

“Pay me a hundred gold coins. I’ll let you go.”

 

“….uh….huh?”

 

She’ll let them go.

The words were met with a slow reaction from the almost fainting Izuru.

 

“If you stop the bleeding right now, he won’t die for now. I’ll spare him if you pay me, that’s how kind-hearted I am.”

 

Throwing aside his arm next to the squirming Keith, Casca laughed with a look of genuine condescension.

 

It was a ridiculous offer.

After saying she was going to kill them, she killed Zack, and now she’s going to let them go.

It was a selfish and preposterous offer that had no consideration for the lives of Izuru and the others.

 

However,

 

“I….pay. I’ll pay….”

 

No matter how selfish it was, those words were a beacon of light.

No matter how humiliating the situation was, it was the only way to survive.

 

“Oh, a hundred gold coins?　Isn’t that a bit too much money for a bunch of guys like you?”

 

“Yes, we have ……! We’ve killed a number of high-value targets recently, so we have ……!”

 

Casca was too strong. Even Izuru’s strongest technique could not inflict any proper damage.

The odds of winning a fight are absolutely zero. The only way to get out of this is to accept her whim.

 

“…Gu..ga..guh….”

 

Look aside to see Keith in a state of agony that she couldn’t imagine.

Save him. That’s all Izuru was thinking about, desperately.

 

A benefactor who accepted her when she had no memory. A family member who pulled her out of the darkness.

 

To save her friends, she was willing to swallow any humiliation. She didn’t care if she had to lick the boots of the demon standing in front of her or be raped by livestock.

 

“Please …… don’t kill Keith, I don’t care what happens to me ……!”

 

With such feelings and determination.

Izuru clung to Casca.

 

“———-Haha”

 

It’s the kind of look a slave would have, begging someone they hate.

A shiver ran down Casca’s spine at the sight of someone who looked so much like Shizuru, but showed all the emotions he never did.

 

“I like your face. I want to chop your head off. You’d make a great toy.”

 

The corners of her mouth lifted up in a weird way, and her smile almost reached her forehead.

The eyes, with their blackened sclera, looked even more monstrous up close.

 

“I am a very understanding person. If you pay me, I’ll let you all go home alive.”

 

“…….oh…really?”

Unconsciously, Izuru exhaled a deep breath of relief.

Casca’s smile widened in amusement as she began to weep quietly.

 

“Ah, of course…”

 

However, her eyes remained dark and stagnant.

That means.

 

“— Of course I am lying, you idiot”

 

It was further evidence that Casca’s anger had not diminished in the slightest.

 

Light lip service, such as overlooking.

It was only an offer to raise their hopes and take it away.

 

“It’s not a problem that can be solved with gold. You think gold will fix my nails, huh?”

 

“Kah…..!?”

 

Suddenly, a sharp and painful shock went through Izuru’s neck.

With a single strike of her fist, her throat was crushed.

 

“Jeanne’s an idiot who can burn down a house using a spell without saying anything, but a normal wizard can’t do anything if they can’t chant a spell, right?”

 

She pushed her and she tumbled easily.

After rolling for a few metres, she managed to sit up, clutching her sore throat as her tongue went numb.

 

“There you go. Now the other arm.”

 

Then she saw Keith’s left arm being ripped off by Casca.

The muscular arm, which was flying in the air in an arc, fell in front of Izuru’s eyes.

 

“Right leg.”

 

Without pause, another strike.

Keith was lying on his back and his left leg was torn off along with his leather boot.

 

“……Oh, was that right, or is it this one? Oh well, it’s the last one anyway.”

Tilting her head, she thrusts her hands into her pockets and stomps roughly on his leg.

The last of his limbs was easily blown off along with a spider web-like crack formed on the ground.

He was not even conscious when his limbs were ripped off.

 

“Hahahahaha! How does it feel to be betrayed just when you thought you might get some help? Hmm?”

 

“–!—-!!!”

 

Izuru desperately reached out to Keith and tried to raise her voice.

But her voice failed her. Her throat was crushed, and she could only spit out blood.

 

“Well, what should I do next?……I’ll rip out his belly and yank his guts out.”

 

“——-!?”

 

Casca stood over Keith’s convulsing body and raised the sword in her hand.

If Izuru did nothing at this point, he would, as she said, have his stomach ripped open and die.

 

“(Stop ……)”

 

Her legs were trembling and she could not get up.

So she crawled through the pool of blood, trying as hard as she could to get to Keith.

 

“Oh? Nyahahaha, you’re doing great! I’ll wait until you get here to reward you!”

 

Casca saw this and let out a howl of amusement – but then quickly stuck out her tongue.

 

“No, I’m not. I’m going to rip him up now, and then I’ll play with you next.”

 

She laughed at her with the look of a monster and snapped her fingers.

He was going to be killed, Izuru thought.

 

“(Don’t do it ……!)”

 

She tried to reach out, but couldn’t.

She couldn’t speak nor could she cast a spell.

 

Casca held her arm up, ready to kill him at any moment.

She could only curse her own helplessness and hoped for a miracle.

 

And then.

 

“Goodbye, octopus.”

 

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the hand knife was thrust down.

Like pudding or jelly, Keith’s stomach was easily pierced.

 

A sickening sound echoed through Izuru’s eardrums.

From fingertips to the wrist, it had been gouged into his stomach.

 

“——————————”

 

Time stood still for a moment, and Izuru had the illusion that all colour had drained from the world she saw.

Shortly afterwards, Casca pulled out of his stomach, and in her hand, she held his bright red entrails.

 

When she saw this, something inside her snapped.

It was the first time she had experienced this.

 

 

 

At the same time as this tragedy, the sky above the Labyrinth city of Labyrinthos.

A dragon covered in black scales soared through the purple night sky.

 

“……The sky is cold.”

 

A silver-haired woman with a white staff in her hand stood on the dragon’s back.

As she exhaled her white breath, she muttered and lightly tapped the dragon’s back with her staff.

 

“Hurry up. We’ll have a hot cup of tea when we get down.”