Leonine Misbegotten

Snore, snore~

The snores thundered.

As we crossed the wooden bridge outside Castle Morne's prison, we found a Scaly Misbegotten and a Winged Misbegotten fast asleep on the ramparts.

Then please stay asleep forever. Don't wake up.

After obligingly granting them eternal rest, we climbed down the ladder at the side.

The Isle of Wailing, said to be the burial place of the many heroes who had once defended Castle Morne, lay just ahead. Furious leonine roars battered our eardrums with increasing force, setting our nerves on edge and making our hands tremble.

One soldier quietly asked Edgar, "My lord, could that sound be...?"

"Yes. It should be him." Edgar tightened his grip on his longsword, his face ashen. "Let's go. We need show no mercy to the one who brought about Castle Morne's destruction."

Hiss...

From the sound of it, they knew that boss, the Leonine Misbegotten?

What exactly was going on?

But the resolve in Edgar's eyes reassured me-they wouldn't suddenly switch sides and help the enemy. They were still on my side, right?

As for the Leonine Misbegotten wielding the Grafted Blade Greatsword, he had been the final boss of the first legacy dungeon on the starting area's main questline in the game. With Edgar available as a summon and three wolves joining the dogpile, he barely had a chance to attack before dying a bitter death.

What? You're saying early-game bosses become regular enemies later? And then I won't be able to summon allies and gang up on them?

Tch~

I'll worry about that suffering when I actually run into it.

Tomorrow's problems belong to tomorrow's me. Maybe he'll come up with something better~

And so, each lost in our own thoughts, we crossed the shallows and passed through the stone gate standing in the sea.

There, among the rows of gravestones on the Isle of Wailing, a Leonine Misbegotten was rampaging like a madman. He smashed the gravestones with the Grafted Blade Greatsword, even digging out remains that had yet to decay and scattering them everywhere.

He resembled the other Misbegotten.

He had a human torso, a beast's legs, avian talons, and small, vestigial wings jutting from his back, with a green, snakelike tail swinging behind him.

He turned his head, revealing a face almost indistinguishable from a human's, twisted into a vicious expression. His lion's mane blazed a dazzling crimson, like a raging fire.

He looked our way, his eyes gleaming with a reddish-yellow light.

I hurriedly asked in a whisper, "Edgar, has he been to the Sick Village too?"

"Yes." Edgar nodded. "His name is Lion. He was once one of the knights under my command. As a Leonine Misbegotten, he had a keen sense of smell and moved swiftly. He was a first-rate warrior! That was why I sent him to investigate the strange happenings in the Sick Village... I never imagined even you would contract that affliction, Lion."

"L-Lord E-Edgar..." Upon seeing us, the Leonine Misbegotten actually refrained from attacking at once.

Looking at the Grafted Blade Greatsword in his hand, I recalled its description in the game.

A furious greatsword of vengeance, burdened with countless laments.

Vengeance, vengeance...

I seemed to have pieced together the whole story-

The Frenzied Flame-a world-destroying power that cursed all creation-had sensed the deep sorrow and thirst for vengeance that had long lingered over the Weeping Peninsula.

Perhaps it had come through the Wandering Merchants. Even if they had never intended it, they had allowed the power of the Frenzied Flame to descend upon this land.

...Or was this the work of that Frenzied Flame player who had reincarnated here, whom I had yet to meet?

Whatever the case, the incident in the Sick Village had happened.

As lord of the castle, Edgar had sent the Leonine Misbegotten, Lion, and his other subordinates to investigate.

Although Edgar seemed to have treated Lion fairly well, even knighting him, as a Misbegotten, he must still have suffered plenty of unfair treatment in the past.

Naturally, the Frenzied Flame had spread to him in the name of vengeance.

The endless agony in his eyes had gradually eaten away at his reason, even burning away his consciousness, just as the Tarnished had been possessed in the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending.

Driven mad, Lion had destroyed the prison and freed all the Misbegotten in Castle Morne, bringing about the destruction of the entire castle.

As for the lord's daughter, Irina, perhaps the Frenzied Flame had already chosen her fate the moment she followed her father into Castle Morne, marking her as a sacrifice for the Finger Maiden Hyetta.

At that thought, the Frenzied Flame's meticulous scheming sent a chill through me.

"Roar!" The Leonine Misbegotten Lion's agonized cry brought me back to reality.

He clamped his hands over his eyes and sank to his knees.

The pain struck, boring straight into his brain, until he seemed desperate to gouge out his own eyes.

Soon, even his last shred of consciousness seemed to wear away amid the madness. "E-Edgar! Kill! Kill! I'll kill you!... Aaargh, no! No! My lord, my lord, it wasn't me! I'll kill you! Kill me! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Lion..." Edgar let out a deep sigh. When he opened his eyes again, only resolve remained on his face. "All soldiers, heed my command! Our target-the Leonine Misbegotten who destroyed our home, Lion! See him on his final journey!"

The soldiers immediately formed up. The greatshield soldier took the front, while two soldiers carrying medium shields covered the flanks.

The archers and crossbowmen readied themselves.

Edgar and I tightened our grips on our weapons and advanced carefully alongside the soldiers.

"You, you... Roar-!" The Leonine Misbegotten Lion could endure no more-or perhaps he had already lost every last scrap of reason.

With a furious roar, he charged straight at us, dragging the Grafted Blade Greatsword in one hand.

"Brace for the first attack!"

"Roar-!"

The Leonine Misbegotten leaped high, gripping the greatsword with both hands and feet before slamming it down with his full weight.

Clang-!

Even defending together, the three soldiers only barely withstood his attack.

The archers, crossbowmen, and I seized the opportunity to aim our ranged attacks straight at his head.

But to our surprise, he used the soldiers' shields as a springboard, leaping up and bringing his greatsword down toward us.

"Haaah-!"

Edgar's spear shot forward like a dragon, thrusting straight at a vital spot.

Forced to abandon his attack, the Leonine Misbegotten grabbed the tip of Edgar's spear, then used it to vault through the air and land behind us.

"Keep your shields up! Turn defense into offense! Let's force him into a corner along the shore and limit his movement!" I raised my wooden shield and shouted the suggestion.

After all, in the game, he was fairly easy to handle once you had mastered parrying.

The four shields advanced toward the Leonine Misbegotten Lion like tanks. No matter how he attacked, he couldn't break through our defenses.

And between his attacks, spears and Straight Swords thrust out from behind the shield formation.

Just as in the game, two fists were no match for four hands.

Before long, Lion was covered in wounds and gasping for breath. "Roar! Roar!"

Boom-!

Taking advantage of his slowing reactions, I pulled out a Fire Pot and quickly hurled it at him.

Flames instantly engulfed the Leonine Misbegotten, burning fiercely.

"Lion!" Edgar roared, leveling his spear and charging straight at the Leonine Misbegotten.

The instant Lion raised his head amid the raging flames, the spear pierced clean through his heart. It kept going, pinning him to the shallow shoreline as he fell.

Splash, splash.

The cold tide surged and washed over him.

The sorrowful drizzle of the Weeping Peninsula gradually extinguished the flames on the Leonine Misbegotten's body, along with the murky yellow fire in his eyes.

"...It's finally stopped." Charred black all over, Lion murmured, "Th-thank you, Lord Edgar... I'm sorry."

"Yes. I know, Lion." Edgar withdrew his spear and watched his former subordinate turn to ash and smoke, scattering on the wind.

[Enemy Felled]