Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- Fifth Bite (eBook)

Takuma Sakai (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
J-Novel Club (Verlag)
978-1-7183-0952-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Finally realizing his true feelings, Mister Pig promises to go on a journey with Jess that will last forever and ever. But for that to happen, they must reclaim the capital from the Clandestine Arcanist's evil clutches. It's an uphill battle, but fortunately, they aren't alone-they're joined by the Liberators, Prince Shravis, two beautiful maidens, and two other porcine visitors from Mister Pig's world. The party advances to Terminus Island, seeking a trump card that could turn the tables on their desperate situation.

According to the records Vatis left behind, there are two important things hidden on the island: a supreme treasure and an entrance to a second Mesteria, the Abyssus. The key to eliminating the Clandestine Arcanist's terrible power lies within this other world. Mister Pig and Jess embark on a perilous quest into this realm of unknowns-they can't afford to fail.

Textauszug

Jess let out a small “Ah.” and held up Ruta’s Eye. “Mister Shravis! This artifact is pointing straight down right now.”

“Is that so? So it’s just as I thought...”

We were standing right in the middle of the circular island. There wasn’t anything on the ground, however.

The prince crouched down and scrutinized the grassy ground beneath his feet. “The Terminus Island that we are on is said to have the entrance to the Abyssus and the Salvation Chalice. It’s a small island—this can’t be a coincidence. Perhaps Lady Vatis left the Salvation Chalice near the entrance to the Abyssus for some specific reason.”

<<So, if we want to go to the Abyssus, we only have to hunt down the Salvation Chalice, right?>>

Hearing that, Jess looked down at her feet. “That means the area right beneath us...”

“...must be the place we’re looking for,” Shravis finished for her. “Step back.”

The prince sprung to his feet and thrust his right hand at the ground. An orb of light manifested beneath his palm, reminding me of a miniature sun—it evidently contained a stunning amount of energy. Illuminated by the dazzling light, Shravis sent the orb to the ground with an indifferent expression.

There was a thunderous roar and a blinding flash, as if he’d thrown a grenade. When the dust clouds settled, a gaping hole in the ground—didn’t appear. The grass and soil had disintegrated, exposing white smooth rock. It appeared that the island was under the protection of powerful magic.

“Looks like simply digging isn’t the right answer,” Shravis noted. “Sure enough, what we need isn’t brute force but our heads.” He sat down cross-legged on the spot and took out a book from his inner pocket—which didn’t look as if it had anything inside—like a sleight of hand.

The book had a crimson cover. It was Records of Soul Magic Development, a book recording research on soul magic, a branch of taboo magic that was said to be one of the most enigmatic and dangerous of them all.

Even after Jess sat across from him, Shravis’s hand remained still on the cover. He hesitated. “I just want to confirm. Do you two truly have the resolve to dive into the Abyssus?”

Jess nodded immediately. “Of course.”

What in the world is he hesitating for? That evil mage is closing in on us. Just like Itsune said, our only choice is to press forward. Stopping is no different from embracing death.

“I don’t want to lose either of you.” Shravis stared at Jess with earnest eyes. “If we compare Mesteria to a gigantic life-form, then the Abyssus is akin to its inner organs. That was the description written in this book. By nature, it’s a place that man should never have access to or have a chance to peer into—a world on the other side of ours, constructed by the desires of all the humans in this nation.”

“I’ve read that description as well.” With a dignified, steely gleam in her eyes, Jess looked back into Shravis’s orbs. “I braced myself for the consequences long ago.”

Conversely, Shravis still looked apprehensive. “The Abyssus is overflowing with spiritual energy that even mages can’t control. Sources say that there is no distinction between body and spirit, or life and death, in there. It’s a dangerous realm that we can’t comprehend with the logic in our side of the world.”

Jess closed her eyes briefly. “Yes. I’m aware.”

As I listened to the pair’s exchange, I recalled the explanation Jess had received from Shravis yesterday.

“After transforming into ashes, the Clandestine Arcanist invaded father’s body like a parasite and caused utter destruction. The ruler of the royal capital has the appearance and magic of father, but he is nothing like my father at the core—he is the Clandestine Arcanist in my father’s skin.”

“That’s terrible! Would that mean... Your father is no longer in this world?”

“No, not quite. You can’t invocate magic without the mage’s heart and soul, which acts as the core. That elderly mage is wielding father’s magic—the most destructive magic of Mesteria. In other words, though father has lost his body, his spirit unmistakably still survives on as a prisoner within the Clandestine Arcanist.”

“That sounds identical to how Mister Pig’s spirit dwells within me.”

“Right. Now equipped with the most powerful magic in these lands, we can’t win against that mage in a head-on battle. But if we take what I just said into account, we have only one way of defeating him.”

“What might it be?”

“According to Records of Soul Magic Development, the Abyssus is a place overflowing with spiritual energy. In there, even spirits can obtain a corporeal body. If we dive into that realm, it’s possible to guide spirits trapped within someone’s heart and help them break out from their prison, so to speak.”

“Break out from their prison...”

“Yes. If we succeed at helping father’s spirit to break out and detach him from the Clandestine Arcanist’s heart, then that elderly mage will lose his source of mana immediately. He’ll be reduced to a mere imitation of father in appearance alone. Therefore, we can handicap the Clandestine Arcanist without opposing him directly.”

“So that’s why you’re heading to the Abyssus.”

“Indeed. But it’s not the only reason. If father’s spirit breaks out, he’ll gain freedom in the Abyssus. And if we succeed at returning to our world, there’s a chance that both father and the pig will...” He broke off.

To conquer the Clandestine Arcanist, someone had to enter the Abyssus—a second Mesteria that was constructed by human desires. It was a world shrouded in mystery, and this expedition would be extremely risky.

After listening to Shravis’s explanation, Jess and I had voluntarily accepted that role.

Shravis opened the book with a sigh, snapping me back to the present. “All right. Pig, you take a look too. This is the page in question. Lady Vatis wrote down the method to reach the Abyssus’s entrance with somewhat cryptic wording.”

In the center of the yellowing page were words written in bloodlike crimson ink.

Surrender your body to the praying lips.

Search for your wish deep inside the womb.

The maiden’s path will show you the way.

And that was it—these sentences in neat handwriting were our only clue.

Apparently, Records of Soul Magic Development wasn’t a book written for others to read but rather a notebook to keep a record. Furthermore, because the descriptions in the book were a little cryptic, the content wasn’t very friendly to readers.

<<First, I want to get this straight. Our destination isn’t on this island but inside the island—in other words, we want to go to the underground area. Are we sure about this?>>

Jess passed on my words.

Shravis nodded. “That’s what Ruta’s Eye indicates. We’ll have to get inside this island from somewhere.”

<<The description “deep inside the womb” is probably referring to that—the “wish” is literally inside the womb of this island. Since the riddle personifies the Terminus Island, the “praying lips” are likely referring to a specific place on the island too.>>

After Jess spoke on my behalf, she clapped her hands together as if she’d had a flash of inspiration. “In that case, searching the north side might be a good idea.”

Shravis tilted his head. “Why?”

“The wishing star is in the northern sky. That’s why when we pray, we look to the North. And since we’re praying, our lips are also facing the North.”

I didn’t know whether fondness for making riddles ran in her family or whether I’d influenced her on our journey together as someone who loved solving mysteries, but Jess had become quite the detective somewhere down the line.

Shravis looked just as impressed as I was, and he nodded. “That makes sense. So, the island’s entrance is in the direction of the wishing star... That said, what exactly would ‘surrender your body to the lips’ involve?”

Jess hummed in thought. “Surrendering your body to the lips...” I wasn’t sure what she was thinking about, but a faint blush dusted over her cheeks.

Shravis asked, “Why are you thinking back upon the erotica novels you have read?” There was a hint of confusion in his completely serious expression.

I didn’t know what was going on in Jess’s mind, but as a mage, Shravis could get a read on Jess’s thoughts to a certain extent. According to the naive, oblivious, and insensitive prince, it sounded like Jess was remembering the erotica she’d read before.

I purposefully repeated his question. <<Hey, why are you thinking back on the erotica novels you’ve read?>>

Interrogated from both sides, Jess’s face turned bright red as she shook her head vigorously. “Oh, who cares about what I think?! Please ignore the narration! Come now, let’s head to the cliffs on the northern end!”

Puffing out her...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.11.2024
• Reihe/Serie: Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig-
• Illustrationen: Takuma Sakai
• Übersetzer: Takuma Sakai
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: Adventure • animal protagonist • dark Fantasy romance • heat the pig liver • Isekai • Light Novel • ordinary main character
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-0952-X / 171830952X
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-0952-4 / 9781718309524