NOVEL SIMPLE 19. Meeting a Disgusting Stray
Kouske's POV
In the morning I took Lavinia with me to train with the Azusawas. They were surprised but not shocked. They welcomed her to train.
Currently, Aunt Arene is charging at me with her sword. Her swordsmanship is exquisite, nothing crude like mine. I'm trying to improve my swordsmanship.
She delivers a strike towards my left shoulder but I deflect it downwards using my sword. It was a hard blow even though I only deflected it.
My bearing falters for a second. Aunt took advantage of it as she charged right in, delivering a low kick to my abdomen. I fly back a little but quickly stabilize.
When I saw ahead she was already in front of me in a slashing motion with her swords. I use my sword to block the attack but the pressure is immense. Cracks form under my feet.
My hands almost slipped my sword. I grit my teeth as I hold onto the sword tightly. I kick back the ground to leap back behind. I fall and roll on the ground.
I stand up and charge towards Aunty. I strike her from different directions but she parries all of them quite easily.
When I was busy trying to slash her, a vine came out of the ground behind me and shackled my lower body, stopping me from moving any further.
When I was startled by the act, Aunty launched a big punch on my chin, knocking me out.
When I came to, I was lying down on my back. What surprised me was that I could feel something soft under my head.
Looking up I saw Asagi looking worried and tenderly stroking my hair. When she saw me awake, her face became as red as a tomato. She flung me over from her lap and hurriedly ran away to her mother.
"If you are awake, get back to training!Idiot!" she shouted without looking back
I could see Lavinia attacking Uncle with many ice spears but he would just destroy them with his bare hands. Touki sure is convenient.
Their fight goes on like that until Lavinia's mana is exhausted. During this time uncle never attacked Lavinia.
After that, we continued to train until it was almost time for school to start. So we went back home to get ready. Then we went to school together.
The school was over with nothing special happening. Momo was still too embarrassed to talk to me. Well, she will come tomorrow for the lesson. So it will be okay.
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I was doing some shopping alone when I smelled blood. It was coming from a house in the shopping district.
When I was in front of the house I could sense remnants of devil magic in the air. It could be a stray's hideout. But unlike the others who hide in abandoned buildings, this one is hiding in plain sight.
I bring out my sword and teleport inside the house. I was in the dining area. Then I went towards the room where the bloody smell was coming from.
It was coming from the basement area. Without a keen sense of smell, a normal person might not find anything strange as all the rooms were neatly cleaned.
I went down to the basement. As I unlock the door, a deep smell of wrought iron strikes my nasal receptors. I see a scene of gore in there.
There was blood splattered all over the place. I found a body half eaten from different places as if it were done by a carnivorous wild animal.
Eyes, hearts, and livers were plucked out. Must have been eaten alive as there were signs of struggle. It looked like this person tried to escape as there were trails of blood leading towards the door to the outside.
I was momentarily frozen by this scene. I had never seen something like this before. I felt nauseous and started vomiting on the side.
Looking at the scene where a life was lost so easily and brutally I was shocked.Even though I knew from the anime, that seeing things live is a different experience.
The devils have truly created a devious thing. All the strays are supposed to be like them preying upon innocent lives matter what or how they were in their earlier lives. Even if they were normal and kind people before resurrecting as devils and then being subjected to severe mistreatment, after becoming a stray they all become a bloodthirsty monster.
It took some time to get my bearings back.
"That's how it is, kid. Because of Beelzebub's failsafe system, those who betray their masters become strays. You don't need to pity or worry about them. In the supernatural this kind of scene is pretty normal." said Vritra.
[Stay strong Kouske!] said Clarice in a meek voice.
"Look over there. There seem to be people tied to a chair in the corner " Vrita said.
Only now did I notice them. Two people were tied there. An adult and a child. They looked like a mother and her daughter. So the other person must be the father. When I inspected them closely they were simply unconscious. Slightly hurt but nothing too serious.
I started unlocking their binds. But then Clarice warned me.
[Behind you!]
When I looked back I saw a monster with the upper body of a mouse and the lower half of a kangaroo. It was coming at me with its sharp nails in a striking motion and its mouth wide open showing its teeth.
It only had the power of a low-class (low) devil. So blocking it wasn't an issue. I blocked it using my hand and twisted it's hand. As its hand broke with a loud cracking noise.
It screamed out in pain. Then I proceeded to break and tear off its other limbs one by one. It was like it encountered its worst nightmare. It had a horrified face with tears and snot coming out.
Suddenly I stopped and used the Memory Alteration skill to look into its past. Thankfully I found out that it was one of those greedy humans who would do anything for power. It went drunk on its newfound power and killed its master. After that, he would go around torturing humans as painfully as possible before eating them alive.
I kept breaking its other bones. Then I tore off its eyes and tongue before setting it on fire as it burned to death.
I then made a summoning circle for the Belials with Vritra's help. After I saw it lit up, I teleported out of the house to my home. The overseer could take care of the aftermath herself. I just thought to myself before leaving that humans are so vulnerable in this world.