第４７掘：四天王とダンゴムシ改 (Part1)
**Dig 47: The Four Heavenly Kings and the Modified Pillbug**
**Side: Covil**
Before my eyes stood a demon who claimed to be one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings.
"Gah… don't get cocky just because you defeated me. I am among the Four Heavenly Kings—"
"I'm not letting you finish that."
Yuki didn't even let the guy finish his sentence. He hurled an Anti-Magic Caterpillar—the one that had attacked our village—right at him.
"Gwah!? Y-you... are you sure about this? I am providing you with information. To you people, this is despa—"
"I said, I'm not letting you finish."
Once again, he threw the Anti... ugh, this is a hassle. He threw the "Modified Pillbug" at him.
I wonder, is being denied the chance to finish your monologue really that damaging to a person's dignity?
"Good grief. If you're going to be a 'Four Heavenly King' (lol), stop spouting clichés and just be quiet for a second. If you actually listen to the Modified Pillbug, it turns out they didn't have some grand, evil objective. They just finished their modifications, got hungry, and wandered over to a place with high magical density."
That’s right. Even though our village was devastated, almost everyone was unharmed.
When the creatures first approached the village, I encountered this Modified Pillbug, but for some reason, it didn't attack. Yuki, having the Monster Tamer skill, decided to try talking to it.
It turned out the creature just said, "I was hungry, so I moved to where there was lots of magic. Tee-hee."
It was an incredibly anticlimactic story.
In the end, Yuki made a deal with the Modified Pillbugs and had them gather in a corner of the village... and that’s when this self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King appeared.
"So this is where you all were!! Get back here right now!! If this gets out, I’m going to get a massive earful from the boss!! Damn it, I finally climbed my way up to the Four Heavenly Kings, and now I’m going to get demoted again!?"
He appeared, spouting such pathetic, worldly complaints.
But Yuki didn't hesitate.
"Boshuto."
He captured him.
It looked like a simple pitfall trap, but it wasn't. The inside was some kind of strange cage. The lid slammed shut, and the Four Heavenly King was trapped, unable to do a thing.
According to Yuki, he’d enchanted it with "Skill Sealing, Magic Sealing, and reductions to Stamina, Strength, and Agility."
Wait, how is he even capable of enchanting things? And sealing magic is supposed to be legendary-tier stuff!
In a display of bizarre dexterity, the iron bars inside were designed to bend the moment a giant Modified Pillbug was thrown at them, allowing the bug to pass through before snapping back into place.
Seeing this, the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King must have thought he could escape. Just as a Modified Pillbug was about to pass through, he tried to scramble out through the opening, but...
"Fubeh!"
"Are you an idiot? The Modified Pillbug is coming through with a split-second gap; how do you expect to squeeze through? Here, have another."
"Ouch!? Why!? Why does it hurt!?"
"The Modified Pillbug probably has a grudge, too. You modified it without permission, ignored its human rights—or I guess, bug rights? If you’re going to keep a pet, at least feed it first."
Right now, the Modified Pillbugs are full, thanks to the magic Yuki gave them. They’ve decided to follow him.
What a fickle bunch. Or maybe they never had any loyalty to begin with? If someone didn't feed me, I’d probably do the same.
The Modified Pillbugs are now bundles of loyalty. When Yuki lowers his hand, they curl into balls and hop right into his palm.
Yuki says they’re about the size of a basketball. Their fangs look sharp and carnivorous, but apparently, they’re just for clearing obstacles. Their main diet is magic. Their shells aren't "anti-magic"—they’re "recovery magic," designed to absorb magical energy.
So, all the magic we fired at them with everything we had was just a meal to them. That’s why they got so excited and kept coming back for more.
*Sigh...*
And currently, every time the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King tries to say something, Yuki throws a Modified Pillbug at him, refusing to let him speak. Sometimes the bugs curve or drop in weird ways. Is that magic?
"Huh. So you can throw curveballs even with something the size of a basketball. Next up, a slider."
"Gah!! You and your bizarre magic—gugya!!"
Ah, that one looked painful.
"Alright, Elder, Big Sister. How should we dispose of this guy? Next, a knuckleball."
"...Well, there were no human casualties, right, Elder?"
"...Yes. No deaths or serious injuries. At most, minor scrapes. However, as you can see, the village..."
Yeah. The village is in ruins. Even if we try to rebuild, it’ll take months... even I can tell that much.
The Modified Pillbugs were incredibly strong, as expected of something created by a self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King. But inside, they’re just like children. They didn't lay a finger on the Fairies who were firing magic at them; in fact, they were letting the little ones ride on their backs to play.
You kids need to be a little more cautious!
"The problem isn't just that. It’s what this 'Four Heavenly King'—this high-ranking official of the Demon King—intended to do with this place."
"Eh? But it seems like he just stumbled upon this place by accident, right?"
"Covil. Even if it was by accident, he found us. He would have taken some kind of action eventually. Right now, thanks to Yuki-san’s—was it?—special magic, he’s been completely neutralized, but if we had to face him on our own, the damage would have been catastrophic. You felt it, didn't you? Even if not to the extent of Yuki-san, he possessed overwhelming magical power."
I know. The Elder is right. Even if he wasn't on Yuki's level, if we all teamed up, we’d be lucky to even manage a mutual destruction.
"You hear that, 'Four Heavenly King'? If you managed to escape, what were you planning to do with this place?"
"Isn't it obvious!! I would report to the Demon King, and we would put all these items to good use for our own benefit—fubeh!?"
"No 'strike' there. That was a hit to the groin. A dead ball? Or wait, is that allowed in dodgeball? No, there’s a rule that hitting the face is safe, so..."
And just like that, Yuki started throwing the Modified Pillbugs again.
He really won't let him finish a single sentence, will he?
"We cannot let him escape, and he’s already stated he intends to attack again. It would be foolish to try and rebuild here. As the demon said, if he truly is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, others will eventually follow his trail. Even if we don't let him go, this place will be found sooner or later. ...We should discuss this with everyone and move to a new land."
"I agree. I think that would be for the best, Elder."
Rurua agreed as well.
...I see. It’s good that everyone is safe, but we can't live here anymore...
It’s so frustrating.
So, I picked up a Modified Pillbug from near my feet and threw it at the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King with all my might.
"Gugya!?"