We arrived back at Fresa’s lodging. It’s a big help that this place has a cat flap, but I do get chased around if I let my guard down.
“Welcome back, Apple-san,” Datil said. “Took you a while. We were worried that you might’ve gotten caught.”
“Ack, let go! See? Now they’re back already!” Fresa whined.
Hey, Datil? Why do you have her in a nelson hold?
“You look puzzled, so allow me to explain,” Datil said. “Remember when I said that we should keep this a secret from Fresa-san?”
Yeah, you did say something like that. I wasn’t too bothered by it though.
“Well, Fresa-san here goes gaga over thieves. Had she found out that you were going to sneak into Holmer’s room, she would’ve definitely tagged along. And well, she found out, and now we’re here.”
“Datil! I’m fine now! Let gooo!” Fresa wailed.
So that’s why she’s dressed up like that.
Grida giggled. “She’s dressed in black from head to toe! Just like the other two thieves!”
She even got a mask. I’m glad she didn’t tag along—I feel like things would’ve gotten more complicated.
“Now then. We’ll leave tomorrow, so I suggest we go over our plans,” Datil said. We’d decided to leave the city tomorrow, as it didn’t seem wise to stay long in a city that Holmer was well-known in. “I don’t really mind where we go.”
“Let’s see. We don’t really need to go anywhere either,” Fresa added.
She was changing from her black costume back into Perkunas’s Mantle. Datil continued while looking away. “Apple-san, do you have a place you’d like to go?”
Hmmm, let me think... Oh, didn’t we pick up a map or something when we were clearing out that base? Grida, could you please?
“Hmmm, a map... Let’s see... Map, map, map, found it!” she said. The map she produced was large enough to spill over the edges of the round table.
“Oh? This map covers quite a bit of land. You’ve got some good stuff, Apple-san,” Datil said.
Heh, it’s just something I stole. Don’t worry about it.
“Ah, there’s a red circle on our location, the city of Kalabuya. Hm? There’s another red circle way north. Muruma? That’s pretty far. Why is this marked?”
Because it’s Berry’s hometown. Oh yeah, we should also show them that parasitic creature.
“Could I take it out, Furutsu?” Grida asked.
Yes please. Wait, maybe it’s a bit too big?
“Whoa, what is this?!” Datil yelped.
“Ewww! Gross!” Fresa cried.
We plopped the thing in front of them. It made a squelching sound as it landed.
“Apple-san, did you get involved in something crazy again?” Fresa asked.
Correct! Nice job, Fresa!
“Hey! Whoa there! This is bad, Apple-san! Isn’t this a siratar?” Datil said, his face turning pale.
I see. So this demon’s called a siratar. And why is this bad?
“Where was this? Did you defeat this?!”
Yeah, it was pretty tough! I rolled around Datil.
“Don’t you roll at me! This demon’s pretty dangerous, you know? I’m sure you were able to defeat it because you’re strong.”
Really? I mean, it was tough, but it wasn’t as bad as that queen ant.
“This siratar is a parasitic demon that latches onto people. I’m sure you know that though.”
Yep, I just saw it.
“If it got this big, you must’ve forcibly dragged it out from the person, correct? And that person is also probably still alive. Am I right?”
Bingo. You saw right through me, Datil. Your phrasing makes it sound like there’s a high death rate for the host.
“You see, once a siratar chooses its host, even if it’s discovered in its very early stages, there’s no way for that host to survive.”
Seriously? I didn’t know it was that bad. I thought a parasite would want the host to live as long as possible so that it could sap more nutrients.
“You seem confused. You see, this demon turns into its host.”
What do you mean?
“A siratar doesn’t just absorb nutrients. It also consumes its host’s organs, flesh, and blood. Once it does so, it slowly mimics the parts it consumes.”
What?! So it’s that big because it had already eaten parts of her? It’s practically as big as she is! So I regenerated nearly her whole body and forcibly dragged this thing out? Man, the blessing card’s OP!
“The worst part is that the siratar eats the host’s brain, consumes its knowledge, and starts to live a normal life in place of its host.”
So it slowly eats the host and takes its place. At its final stages, it’s practically just a demon wearing a human suit?
“Datil? If it absorbs all your knowledge too, even your family members wouldn’t notice that it’s a siratar, right?” Fresa said.
“Exactly. They’re also hermaphrodites. Once a siratar absorbs its host’s brain, it can continue to lay its eggs without anyone noticing.”
So it’ll start to find more hosts in its surroundings?! With its host’s memories, it can continue to find new hosts in its surroundings as more clueless people fall victim. No wonder he turned pale when he saw it.
“If the siratar is this large, it was probably just about to consume its host’s brain.”
You might be right—that was a close one. If it got to her brain, I doubt even the blessing card could work its magic. Hm, hold on. So a siratar needs to become a human to lay its parasitic eggs in its surroundings, right? Where did Berry get that egg laid on her?
“Apple-san, could it be that this red circle on Muruma has something to do with the siratar?” Fresa asked.
Honestly, your epiphanies in these kinds of situations are amazing. I might be overthinking this, but when Berry was kidnapped, she might’ve already had a siratar egg inside of her. If that’s the case, there’s a good chance that something awful is going on in Muruma. I rolled around Fresa. If it turns out I’m wrong, I’ll be more than happy to admit it. But if I’m correct, those three are in a lot of danger!
“Datil, seems like we’ve got our destination,” Fresa said with a big smile.
“Apple-san, you really get yourself involved in far too much,” Datil said with a forced smile.
Sorry, you guys. I just really don’t want to let those three die.