Mandar the Ghoul was born through the spirit of a farmer named Vazo and the vessel of a young lord named Lacob. Due to his unaesthetic appearance, Vazo was a subject of ridicule in his village.
He was bullied here and there, and one day he was accused of molesting a child.
He denied the accusation, but the villagers turned a deaf ear and were eager to punish him. They plundered his house and beat him till he collapsed and died.
Concurrently, Lacob, a young lord who was handsome and puissant, and in the midst of marriage, was chosen by Vazo as his vessel.
Those are just the previews the Diamond Oyster let me see.
Mandar transformed into a colossal monster resembling a centipede that can spit stinky acidic fluid from its mouth.
I can see the diamond fragment glowing in his forehead, and I have a hard time cleansing it with my arrow.
"Those people shouldn't have done that to you. They're pathetic," I said, as I hesitated to take sides with him, and that made him raise an eyebrow. "They put the blame on you. They treated you like a smash wall they can lash out their insecurities on."
"Don't feel sorry for me!" he rebuked. "If it weren't for their frequent prejudice, I wouldn't be the Ghoul I am in front of you. They made me into something I always wished for, and I owe my wickedness to their misery."
"You could say that because you're inside a vessel that's ideal for you! That body isn't yours; it's Lacobs'."
"Well, it's mine now."
"Your backstory's deposited anger in me, and when I become stronger, I'll serve you your fair share, but you're making me withdraw that sentiment."
"No one told you to sympathize with Vazo!" He's talking as Mandar now. "And it's odd that you know him, considering you never lived in the same place as him."
Mandar's being too aggressive, and by the time I aim the arrow, he'll spit acid in my direction.
"Don't just dodge, fight back!" he snarled as he whipped the ground with his tail, making me tremble on my feet.
Floette's glass-shattering battlecry overtook me.
I know where this is going. She'll save me and then mock my masculinity and my lack of protective measures.
"You made a promise to Megumi that you'd make Mandar pay, but Lacobs is still in control. You can't just kill them both to validate you're deserving of one's trust."
"So this Lacobs is Vazo's vessel."
"Exactly. Distract Mandar while I look for the right angle to cleanse the diamond fragments in his possession."
Lacob is an innocent man who just wants a buoyant and peaceful life with his future wife, but as a result of Vazo's possession, he got implicated.
The only way to settle this in a harmless way is to cleanse the diamond fragment on his forehead.
I took a step back when Mandar hinted at his ensuing attack. In this case, he's going to gobble me.
"What a scrumptious delicacy you are, now that you're in closer!" he said, laughing in victory.
'This is it, this is my chance!' I muttered to myself as I aimed the arrow at the glowing diamond fragment.
Mandar let out a tortured cry that could be heard across villages as the arrow pierced deeper into his forehead.
"If only I had been shown kindness by our villagers, I wouldn't have resorted to violence, and I would have taken good care of you and the farm. Mother! Father! Forgive me for what I've done wrong!"
Vazo's spirit's beseeching is a sight that saddens me.
And as the lights were flashing out of Mandar, his body slowly vaporized until a man in royal clothing could be seen, lying unconscious on the ground - it's Lacob!
Megumi dispersed scented powder in the air to cleanse the spirit of Vazo.
The cleansed diamond fragment floated, surrendering itself.
•••
Morning came when the villagers, at long last, regained their liberty. Tears of joy were visible on their faces.
Megumi is now reunited with his father, and while at first the villagers were fearful of Floette, she explained to them that not all Ghouls are bad and some are changing their ways.
The ladies in sheath armor were now free from hypnosis, and they told us that they weren't runaways but vassals from palaces that Mandar had terrorized.
Lacob, who is now conscious and back to his normal physique and skin color, was unaware of what had happened. However, I am glad that he'll be a good husband and a palace ruler.
As the villagers went to their homes, Megumi bid farewell to me.
"Promise you'll grow into a fine lady and a skilled exorcist," Floette added as we parted ways.
"And you promise me Ghouls will look up to you as a trailblazer for good governance and the Anti-Ghoul Oppression Movement."
"That, my friend, is a promise I'm breaking right now. I'm into slaying Ghouls, not politics or activism."
"Floette, she's a kid, say something that won't give her nightmares."
"Fine. I'm going to slay all the bad Ghouls to make your fears go away and govern the Ghouls with good intentions, satisfied?"
With a hopeful smile, Megumi nodded.
I wished Megumi good luck, and I believe that one day she'll be a mighty exorcist. And regarding this mine site, it was already reported to the monks of Oshiki Temple by Kooki's cloud messenger, as they have full governance in Oshiri Glaze.
"Lucky for you the arrow hit its target," said Kooki as he floated beside me as we took on another journey.
"That's what I thought too," I replied. "Maybe it now has a soft spot for me. It helped me retrieve another fragment of the Diamond Oyster."
"It's too early to celebrate. We have a lot to find."
"It could be easier if the Diamond Oyster lets me know where the other fragments can be detected, instead of us going from place to place uncertain that another fragment exists."
"The Diamond Oyster is full of secrecy, because if not, many wouldn't be coming for it. It is profound, so we should know that it wants to be found also through determination and perseverance."
"On the bright side, traveling from one place to another is helpful to me since I'm also looking for Grandpa."
"If only we see a wandering Grimsby in the woods, then we'll be able to trace him."
We stopped by a pear tree when we passed by, and because we hadn't eaten yet, we could now fill our stomachs with its fruit, but this isn't enough; I want more, like something meaty to eat.
I plunged into the nearby river in the hopes of catching a Creamfish.
I'm dumbstruck when Rosenth dives into the water and catches a bundle of Creamfish.
No wonder Agnos is so obsessed with her. She is a whole new level of a woman.
"Did you know that Creamfish only live in water capable of relieving human body pain?"
"I just know it by now," I replied. "No wonder when I dipped underwater I felt like I was regaining my strength."
"Enjoy yourself for a while. I'm going to roast this fish for us in a minute."
I've been through a rough battle last night. I need this. I deserve this.
Wearing only my underwear, I did as I pleased in the river. I dive-bombed, I swam underwater, and I even played with the tiny gobies.
Something bit my foot and it dragged me elsewhere. And to my surprise, it was the mature Grimsby!
The Meadow Ferals were alarmed seeing it.
I wanted to cry for help, but since I'm under the surface, it's going to be impossible. I'm trying to fight back by stomping it, but it's resilient and it only dragged me to the bottom of the river.
The worst of it all, I'm running out of air.
•••
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the fire beneath me, and that's when I felt intense heat on my midsection.
Lately, Kooki and I were just talking about them, but the heavens heard us, and now the Grimsbies want to eat me.
They want to make a beef steak out of me!
"Let me go, you pesky bobbleheads!" I sounded distorted since they covered my mouth with linen.
The immature Grimsbies who played me like a fiddle ran in a cursive direction when a person in an elephant-like helmet arrived and thwarted their behavior.
"Mezoid gave us a mission to kill this boy; not eat him," he spoke, reprimanding the midget freaks, and gave each Grimsby he caught a scalp lump.
I thought he was my savior, but he's apparently one of Mezoid's bootlickers.
He just turned out the fire and turned his back on me.
"I thought catching him would be like going through a needle's eye, but it was easier than I least expected," he said, talking to the Grimsbies who were not paying attention to him. "To the Grimsby who successfully kidnapped the boy, you'll receive a soulful ballad from me. Grimsbies, be our audience!"
The rascally Grimsbys gathered around the now overwhelmed and blushing mature Grimsby in the team. Though off-key, he can unbelievably make a tune from a three-stringed guitar.
The waggish Grimsbys danced in chaos.
And while they were in commotion, I took a chance to loosen the rope tied on my hands.
Unfortunately, the mature Grimsby has sharp senses, and before I could escape, it already caught me.
"Such a party-pooper," the man told me. "Or you must be excited to meet your fate in the hands of Kawari. Grimsbies, who has any good idea on how we should kill this boy?"
One after another, the Grimsbies raised their hands to voice out their ideas; however, though they're incomprehensible, Kawari understood them. One suggested that I'll be decapitated. Another suggested through tug of war, and the most brutal of them all suggested dipping me in a big container filled with maggots.
Then an idea hit me like a meteorite. That specific idea made me grin suspiciously, and it voluntarily raised a hand of mine. I'm now part of their mini-assembly.
Kawari and the Grimsbies were left looking at each other questioningly.
"It appears that among us all, you have the wittiest intellection on how to end your life. Come on, boy, spill your guts."
As the most clever person in the room, I started my speech by coughing.
"Bring me to your Master; Mezoid," I began, sounding like a sage. "If you want Mezoid to commend your loyalty to him, then kill me in front of him."