Feasting Lord in Another World - Chapter 37

Once more, the ground shook with a heavy thud.

Dominic started to become certain that something was happening beneath the surface.

The sporadic sounds of insects and even the chirping of small birds had all vanished.

Creak, creak-creak.

Just as the rumbling of the ground appeared to cease, a chilling noise resonated from deeper within the cave.

It sounded like sharp metal scraping against rock.

“Is this opportune or inopportune timing? I can’t discern.”

Ian and the knights unsheathed their swords simultaneously.

The knights, lowering their breath and forming a defensive line facing the cave, appeared incredibly tense.

A dreadful silence blended with the sound of something approaching from the dark cave.

“Prepare yourselves!”

As a knight finished uttering those words,

Crash, thud!

A monstrous figure emerged, forcefully pushing aside the decaying bodies piled up in front of the cave.

It was a colossal insect.

With a visage as large as the base of a tree that must have endured for hundreds of years, the creature was terrifying even though only a few segments of its head and body were visible.

Beneath its hard, red armor-like head, viscous saliva dripped from its beak-like mouth.

Sizzle-.

The ground sizzled wherever its corrosive saliva dripped.

‘If the insect is that massive, you can discern its expression.’

Dominic’s initial thought upon encountering the unimaginable-sized insect was somewhat frivolous, as his mind seemed to reject the reality before him.

Clank, clank, clank.

“Everyone, get ready!”

Ian shouted as the insect’s crimson legs twitched in various directions.

As his warning concluded, the insect began to writhe as if it had been anticipating, attempting to extract its lengthy body from the spider’s den.

Crash! Hiss-. Hiss-.

As the insect endeavored to emerge, swinging its thick legs and glowing, the cave entrance began to crumble.

“Attack! We must deal with it before it fully emerges!”

“Argh! Take my sword!”

“Die, monster!”

Perhaps the knights’ mental fortitude differed from that of ordinary individuals. Unlike Dominic, who still grappled with disbelief, they charged at the insect with their swords.

Thump!

“Ugh!”

“Its exoskeleton is too resilient!”

The knights grew frustrated because, despite their adept avoidance of the deadly, sharp, and red legs, their mana-infused swords couldn’t even scratch the insect’s black exoskeleton.

“Magic bullet!”

Bang-!

A knight swiftly realized that his mana had no impact and employed a magical tool containing attack magic.

The magic bullet, gleaming blue, was fired at the insect and detonated, creating a sound akin to a bomb explosion.

“Did, did we succeed?”

Scuttle, scuttle-scuttle!

Whoosh!

“Argh!”

“Christopher!”

“Damn, we need to relocate the wounded to the rear!”

The magic bullet also proved ineffective at breaching the insect’s armor, merely further infuriating it.

The insect’s glow intensified. One knight who had used the magical tool was severely injured and rendered unable to continue in combat.

Whoosh!

Screeeech!

As the knights started to lose hope, almost simultaneously, the sound of a sword plunging deep and the sharp scream of the insect were heard.

“Aim for the joints between the segments!”

It was Ian.

‘How did he get up there?’

Dominic was amazed to see Ian standing on the insect’s body, maintaining his balance as if he were surfing.

Clearly, he was no ordinary person.

“Be cautious! It’s flipping over!”

Dominic yelled as the creature twisted its body in an attempt to throw off Ian, who clung to its back.

“Kieeek!”

However, it seemed Ian had anticipated this. Once again, he thrust his sword deep into another segment of the creature’s body. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he executed acrobatic maneuvers to prevent himself from being thrown off the creature’s back.

“Pwook, pook!”

The creature’s blood splattered in all directions.

Its agonized screams persisted.

‘This won’t suffice.’

At first glance, it might appear that the knights were winning, but Ian thought differently.

‘It won’t tire out this easily.’

Could its immense size also indicate a tenacious vitality?

The creature now appeared to be concentrating on pulling its body out of the narrow cave, seemingly giving up on defense.

‘Enormous size, yet surprisingly agile, a body composed of dozens of segments allowing unpredictable maneuvers, tough skin deflecting most attacks, poisonous fangs, and sharp legs…’

There was only one solution.

Finish it off before it escapes from the cave.

It became a showdown between the creature attempting to force its way out of the narrow cave and the humans determined to end it before it could.

“Fire! Fire! Fire!”

“Sergeant! Are you out of your mind? Stay put! We can’t protect you either!”

“Fire! Fire! Fire!”

Then, Dominic began doing something peculiar.

‘What is he up to?’

Had he lost his sanity out of fear?

Dominic raised a ring containing fire magic over his head and began shouting activation commands randomly.

“Ah, curse this humidity! Fire! Fire! Please, some fire!”

It was a ring capable of casting fire magic thirty times, a gift he had received from Perot in exchange for making five bags of macaron cookies.

Although its magic was only at the 1st-class level, it was considered adequate because its original purpose was to create small flames for cooking.

Furthermore, it had been designed to maximize the number of uses rather than power.

“Dominic, what are you doing!”

“Don’t order me around! Fire! Fire! Fire!”

Whoosh!

“Ah, it worked!”

Finally, flames caught on the damp branches.

Whether it was because the trees grew in a humid environment or because Perrot’s magic was weak, he had to shout the incantation nearly twenty times before successfully igniting the fire.

Dominic secretly congratulated himself for conserving his magic until this moment.

“Kieeek!”

“Damn! It’s getting agitated!”

“Ugh—If we can make it out of here, you’ll be held accountable for your actions!”

As the fire caught onto the leaves and branches laden with moisture, it didn’t spread quickly, but a pungent smoke began to rise into the sky.

The sudden thickening of the smoke further agitated the colossal creature.

The knights, who had been barely fending off the creature’s legs, clenched their teeth.

However, Dominic, undeterred, proceeded to do something else peculiar.

“Wind! Wind! Wind!”

This time, it was a brooch.

Indeed, where there’s fire, there’s a need for bellows.

Dominic typically used hand-cranked bellows to fan flames in the kitchen.

[How about it? If you offer a one-month free dessert voucher for the new bakery, I can make another magical tool for you.]

It was said that a wind magic spell usable around twenty times cost one gold coin in the capital.

Hence, offering a one-month free dessert voucher to a bakery targeting nobles was certainly a loss.

The wind magic was also of the 1st class, and at best, it could only be used to dry hair or provide some relief from the heat.

[Alright, this time, I’ll be the one at a loss. You’ve been working hard.]

[Kekek! Thank you, village chief!]

Dominic had agreed for various reasons, thinking the cost was not high and it would serve as good publicity since rumors were circulating that Perrot was obsessed with desserts.

The brooch was meticulously crafted by Perrot, who didn’t want to jeopardize the deal.

“Please, get stronger, please! Wind! Wind!”

And now, he was putting all his effort into dispersing the smoke using that brooch.

“Wind! Ah, wind! Just a bit! Why is this darn magic only producing a feeble breeze? Wind! Wind! Wind!”

In a desperate plea for the spell, Dominic’s hope was in vain as the wind magic within the brooch failed to provide the desired performance.

Well, it was only a first-class magic, so it was understandable that one couldn’t expect too much.

While one might not know much about embers, unless the wind was sufficiently strong, its effects were hard to notice.

“Wind!”

Whoosh-!

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a gust of wind burst from the brooch, instantly fanning the embers into a flame.

The magic within the magical tool had been ultimately etched by humans!

Whether Perrot was excited about a new dessert idea or not, it seemed an excessive amount of mana had been injected into one of the dozens of wind spells in the brooch.

If someone had used that on the furnace embers without knowing, it would have caused a disaster, with the pot flying off.

“Done!”

Zap-.

An unfamiliar blade pressed against Dominic’s neck, who was pleased to achieve his minor goal.

“Could it be a spy?”

A knight, who had been observing Dominic’s actions—or perhaps misconduct—attempted to apprehend him.

“Did you plan to involve us from the beginning!”

The knight’s voice was filled with visible anger.

And understandably so.

The giant Centipede was still glowing, and the other comrades were barely defending themselves without landing any attacks. The chef they had brought for assistance was recklessly casting spells, and nearby trees were on fire, emitting smoke.

To put it bluntly, it was chaos.

Screech!

“…Wyvern!”

Finally, something appeared that would bring this chaotic battlefield to a climax.

A predator among predators with a massive body and even larger wings—the Wyvern.

It was undoubtedly attracted by the flames and smoke.

Crash!

“Everyone, dodge!”

Shortly after, the Centipede’s tail emerged.

It had successfully emerged entirely from the cave.

The Centipede, fully revealing its thirty pairs of legs and stretching over ten meters, was enough to freeze humans in their tracks.

“…It’s unfortunate to leave without accomplishing my mission.”

On the ground was a liberated giant Centipede, and in the sky was a Wyvern, known as the ruler of the heavens.

The knights tightened their grips on their swords, preparing for the ultimate battle.

“Ah, what are you saying! Hurry and take cover!”

“It’s better to face death honorably than to cower and survive!”

“Why are you like this, seriously! We have a dangerous situation, and you’re being brave?”

“What does that even mean…?”

“Centipedes are predators of spiders, and chickens are predators of Centipedes! Isn’t that common knowledge? Dodge, quickly! Don’t get caught in a brawl between giants and end up with your back broken for no reason!”

It was Dominic, who had exhausted all his magical tools to summon that creature, and the first to seek refuge behind a large distant rock while grumbling.