We traveled around the borders of the Great Forest, taking a route that usually connected the eastern and western parts of this area without disturbing the Forest’s residents.
Of course, considering what we did not too long ago, it wouldn’t have been a big problem even if we’d cut straight through the forest.
After all, none other than the warchief himself owed us a favor.
However, he’d only just ascended to that position. Right now, he’d be busy announcing this news to the other tribes and negotiating various matters.
Rather than cause him any more trouble, we chose to take the slightly longer route.
This path also served as a precaution against any potential ambushes by Demon Worshipers.
Rooaar!
“Uwaaah!”
However, the threat we actually encountered on this road wasn't an ambush but the inherent dangers of the Great Forest.
We hadn’t realized it while traveling with the people of the Forest, but this place was teeming with wild beasts. There were also many venomous insects and dangerous plants.Of course, this might be because we were now closer to Camborough than Hudelen.
“This is the third attack today!!”
Our very reason for heading to Camborough in the first place was because of these beasts.
Recently, the number of beasts has increased significantly.
“Stay still, you bastard!”
“Are you crazy? How could I stay still in this situation?!”
“You keep moving, making it hard to hit!”
“Argh! It’s going to bite me, it’s going to bite me!!”
“Wahaha! Young hunter, wait!”
“Uwaaaaah!!”
While Deb was screaming, the Inquisitor and Bers charged at the beast. Both were already covered in blood from dealing with other creatures along the way.
Slice!
“Ack, argh!”
“Silence.”
But I was faster. I severed the neck of the beast about to bite Deb.
Blood poured all over him, but since not a single drop got on me, I didn’t really care.
I walked ahead of them, my body dry. The Archmage, who’d avoided this mess by staying in the center, looked somewhat uneasy.
“Are you alright?”
“…Do I look alright to you?”
The meat dumpling gestured to his blood-soaked figure and asked him back. The Archmage didn’t respond.
“Panicking over a single leopard. You need more training.”
“Young hunter, it seems you were caught off guard!”
“No, I mean, who could possibly take a leopard head-on?”
He was right. If I were in my real body, I would be in the same situation as Deb, if not worse.
I internally nodded in agreement while walking forward.
“Huh? You’re already moving ahead?”
“Ah, Demon Knight! Let’s go together!”
“Ahaha! Let’s go, young hunter!”
“…Can’t you at least give me a moment to clean off this blood?”
But so what? Even if I agreed with his statement, we still needed to keep moving.
Even though I didn’t feel hot due to my item’s effect, the humidity was still palpable. And on top of that, we hadn’t had a chance to wash up properly in days, leaving me incredibly uncomfortable!
Given there’d been no ambushes by anyone but beasts, it was safe to say that there weren’t any Demon Worshipers in this forest.
Since we were already fairly close to Camborough, I just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible!
“Okay, fine. It’s my fault for being weak. Mister, let’s go together!
Let’s go, full speed ahead!
“Urgh. That’s too much.”
Luckily, not long after, we found a river just as it was about time to set up camp.
It was no surprise that Deb, having been the focus of many predators for hours due to all the blood on him, jumped into the river immediately.
It seemed he hated the blood scent attracting those beasts more than he hated water.
“Wahaha. It’s been so much fun, so why do this, young hunter?!”
“You’re the only one having fun!?”
Deb, soaked to his bones, left his wet clothes out to dry and wrapped himself in a blanket while Bers patted his back.
Thanks to Deb acting as bait, Bers hadn’t been bored at all, although it had probably been pretty frustrating for Deb.
“But did we already get enough food for today?”
“I’ve already prepared everything!”
“I really should just keep my mouth shut…”
Deb wiggled further into his blanket. Curling up on a rock, he looked like an actual dumpling. A somewhat pitiful dumpling.
“Come now, instead of feeling down, how about trying this?”
The Archmage gently coaxed Deb by offering him some candy. Considering that sugar was a rare commodity in this world, it was quite a precious gift.
“Do you really think I’m just some kid who falls for food…?”
“But you’ll feel better after eating something delicious, right?”
Though Deb grumbled, he didn’t refuse the candy. His mood immediately seemed to improve, as if the sugar went straight to his head.
“By the way, there’ve been a lot of wild beast attacks today. We’ve been attacked seven times already.”
“Could this be related to the issues Camborough’s facing, or perhaps the handiwork of whoever that shady character who approached you was?”
“Both are possible.”
“Priest, the meat is burning.”
“Oh.”
Meanwhile, the Archmage and the Inquisitor were diligently making some stew and grilling meat.
Usually, the Archmage took turns cooking with Deb, but given his current state, the Inquisitor put in some extra effort.
Me? Surprisingly… I’d never been asked to cook. I wasn't sure whether it was because they thought I wouldn’t help due to my temper or I’d mess it up.
Honestly, it was pretty convenient, and since I was actually terrible at cooking, I had no complaints. Even with the modern convenience of heat control, I always ended up burning my food, so it would have been much worse here.
“Ah, young hunter. Your clothes are dry.”
“Really?”
By the time the food was ready, the clothes he’d washed were also dry. Deb quickly changed into them.
It was quite funny watching him fidget under the blanket, likely worried about wild beasts showing up if he went out too far to put on his clothing.
Not that I had any intention of setting up some type of screen to make it easier for him to change.
“Here, take this.”
The Archmage smiled warmly as he handed out the food. The stew, which had gradually less meat as our journey went on, was easy for me to eat.
“Buddy, I’ve been curious for some time now. Do you not eat meat?”
Wait a second. I stopped eating the stew and met Bers’ gaze. Her piercing eyes, like those of a wild beast, observed me intently.
“None of your business.”
Well, it wasn’t strange for her to notice that I always avoided meat dishes when choosing meals. Everyone seemed to half-intuitively avoid giving me any meat.
“Your body won’t last long without eating meat.”
Still… I just didn’t want to eat it.
“I said it’s none of your business.”
Due to digestive issues and personal taste, I’d never been very fond of meat. And now… ever since coming here…
I remembered the things that often ended up in my mouth while fighting. I recalled the strong smell of blood, as well.
I lost my appetite.
“Oh my.”
The Archmage looked somewhat disappointed as I put down my bowl.
However, my appetite had already flown off. I had no desire to continue eating.
“You won’t grow taller if you don’t eat meat.”
“…Excuse me. How old do you think Mister is for him to still be growing…?”
“The Demon Knight is already tall enough, isn’t he? Among Middle, I’ve only seen one person taller than him.”
“But isn’t the Demon Knight still at the age where he could grow taller?”
“Sland grow until they are thirty, but Middle don’t.”
“…Is that so??”
I left my spot. Since I’d finally come across a river, it was time I washed myself thoroughly.
* * *
“Ah, I can see the city.”
“Wow, look at this mist… No wonder they call this place the Blue Nest.”
After some more time, exactly two weeks later, we arrived in Camborough.
Roar!
“Uwargh, won’t leave us alone until the end, huh!”
“Wahaha, die!”
Fortunately, the ambush by Demons or Demon Worshipers we were expecting never happened. We only had to endure the sudden surge in wild beasts.
“They aren’t tainted by Demonic Energy… but this is strange. The fact that most belong to the feline family is also really suspicious. What on earth is going on?”
“Indeed.”
While it was a relief that they weren’t Demons, the sudden increase in predators wasn’t good news, either.
It was strange for them to leave their usual habitats and gather in such large numbers, disregarding any territorial boundaries.
So, we entered the city with some concerns in mind.
After passing the identity check, we entered Camborough. It seemed less beautiful than Hudelen but was a lot larger. Even at noon, the fog drifting through the city gave it an otherworldly feel.
“Wow. There are a lot of adventurers here.”
Many armed people could be seen on the streets. Judging by the vast difference in their equipment, they were probably adventurers.
“The city must have put up a bounty on hunting those beasts.”
“Hunting Demons is a lot more fun, though, isn’t it?”
“It’s safer to hunt beasts.”
Considering that ordinary people struggled even against Goblins and were at high risk of Demonic Erosion, it was understandable that they would flock to the relatively safer beast-hunting requests despite the lower reward.
Bers, being an extraordinary fighter, didn’t seem to understand this.
“Berserk prefers hunting Demons.”
“If you stay with us, you’ll have plenty of chances for that.”
Anyway, we headed to the Temple to unpack our belongings. We could also gather some initial information there.
The Temple, where all sorts of people gathered, was as good a place as the Adventurers’ Guild for gathering information.
“Is there any word on the cause of these unusual events?”
“Unfortunately… We haven’t discovered anything specific yet. We recently noticed that the land was drying up, but that’s not likely the cause…”
“The land is drying up?”
“Since the disappearance of the Skyflow Tiger, the mountains and fields often dry up around this time. The air becomes arid, and sand blows over from the desert.”
It seemed the Temple hadn’t found any definite cause, either.
“The severity of the dryness seems slightly worse this time, but it isn’t unprecedented. It was like this seven years ago, as well. Moreover, the effects of this phenomenon impact Ednium far more than us, as they’re closer to the desert.”
“Then, how is the situation in Ednium…?”
“They aren’t experiencing any beast attacks. We’ve been in steady contact with them due to the young lord’s recent marriage, so this information is reliable.”
“In that case, it’s difficult to judge this dryness as the cause. We’ll have to consider other factors.”
“Yes… Still keep it in mind, even if the possibility is pretty low.”
“Then, from which direction did the beasts come…?”
“Unfortunately, they aren’t coming from just one direction…”
I leaned against one of the walls of the room, which was somewhat like a parlor, listening to their conversation.
The Archmage, Inquisitor, and Deb were gathered around a table in the center of the room, speaking with the bishop.
“This is delicious!”
“Would you like some more?”
“Oh!”
Bers also stayed close to the table. Although she was more focused on the snacks than the conversation, she was still there, nonetheless.
This place felt increasingly uncomfortable.
I crossed my arms, watching the HP gauge slowly fall. Although my rate of recovery still outpaced the rate of decline, if this continued…
> [Excuse me…]
At that moment, a priest wearing a white veil approached me. He was fairly tall, and his face, visible beneath the veil, looked pale and sickly overall.
> [It seems you have much pent-up within you. Please find peace by keeping the glory of the Lord close to your heart.]
Just as I felt something off about his appearance, he said those words. It seemed my sour expression had caught his attention.
‘That bastard.’
Although his concern was severely misplaced, I, an atheist, thought wearing a piece of cloth wouldn’t bring me any form of peace.
> [May eternal rest find you, brother.]
Still, the veil let me be less conscious of my expression, which could be seen as a plus.
‘Kill him. Kill that damned bastard!’
Feeling a strange discomfort inside of me, I decided to put on the veil.
Weren’t veils usually white? Were there black ones, as well? I set those doubts aside.
‘You damn idiot!’
I recalled hearing that black veils were worn during funeral masses, and since the person who’d given it to me was a priest, I had no reason to be suspicious.
“Huh? Demon Knight, where did you get that veil?”
Or maybe not? I withdrew my hypothesis upon making eye contact with the Inquisitor, who had been speaking with the bishop, and seeing that our kimchi dumpling looked horrified.
Instinctively, I looked toward where that priest had been, but he was already gone.
“The color black isn’t necessarily… ominous, but the Temple never uses black veils. How did you get this…?”
It was given to me by one of your people, though…
I replied curtly, adjusting my words to fit my character setting. Everyone around me wore expressions showing concern.
“A black veil is what Demons use when baptizing their new contractor. Alternatively…”
“It can be given to someone you deeply despise, to the point of wanting them dead. It means that a black veil only Demons would wear suits you just fine.”
At these next words, my own face hardened.
Damn it.
“Describe the face of the priest who gave you this veil!”
Glaring at the black veil now in the Inquisitor’s hands, I ground my teeth.
Then, I slowly spat out some words.
“Give me some paper.”
I wasn’t sure if they knew of facial composite sketches here. If they didn’t, I guess I’d be the first to create one. No one messed with my roleplaying and got away with it.
“H-Here you go.”
The bishop, intimidated by my menacing expression, handed over some paper. I snatched it quickly and started sketching furiously.
“Wow!”
After drawing webtoons for about ten years, even the slowest artist would get faster. In under three minutes, I had a portrait ready.
The features were distinct enough to leave no room for confusion.
“This person is…”
But Deb seemed to recognize him.
Swallowing hard, he whispered in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Th-That’s the guy who approached me.”
Damn it. This was crazy.
“Not satisfied with getting closer to one of us in Hudelen, he followed us all the way here, too…?”
"Wait, if you're talking about the one who approached the troublemaker... Is this the same one you mentioned when we were leaving Hudelen?"
No wonder I had a bad feeling about him!
Crack!
“That vermin, how dare he…!”
“How dare a Demon trespass on sacred ground!”
Whatever the case, this incident set both me and the Inquisitor ablaze.
No matter how this episode played out, if I got my hands on this bastard, he would truly die.
‘Leviathan, you’re going down, you damn bastard.’
Absolutely.
* * *
> [Cough!]
> [See, I told you. Going directly into the Temple’s territory is too much for you. Concealing your Demonic Energy isn’t exactly your strong suit.]
A figure with violet hair, almost black at the tips, clicked their tongue as they looked at the one coughing up blood. A raven fluttered its wings nearby, cawing.
> [Heh, hehe. Well, if you saw what I saw, you wouldn’t be saying that.]
> [Yeah, maybe. Since I’d never go inside a Temple. Seems you’re on your own on this, Moby Dick.]
The figure, sitting on a low wall with legs crossed in a graceful arc, listened indifferently. Moby Dick, the one coughing up blood, chuckled weakly.
> [If you knew he just took the black veil without recognizing me, do you think you’d be sitting here, Pandemonium?]
> […What did you say?]
> [Haha, hahaha!]
At Pandemonium’s reaction, Moby Dick burst into laughter.
The thought of Pandemonium’s greed, enraptured expression and the foolish face he’d just seen made the current pain feel insignificant.
It had been worth enduring all that discomfort to step onto the Church’s grounds.
> [Stupid Gretchen. How delightful. He couldn’t even handle a simple vessel, didn’t recognize me, and even just took that insult.]
> [Ah… to that extent. I did wonder about the things Duke mentioned… I’m somewhat tempted. Should I take him on this time?]
Moby Dick spat out more blood, the pain still lingering.
Suppressing his power was like swallowing several cups of poison, so he wouldn’t be able to escape this pain for several days… but it didn’t matter.
⌈Leviathan⌋
Ignoring the searing heat flaring up from the letters on his hand, Leviathan knew his true name had been called somewhere.
If the name, manipulated so that only their King and Great Demons would remember, was suddenly invoked, it could only mean one thing.
Especially since he’d just encountered Wrath and provoked him.
Narrowing down who’d called him would be easy enough.
Moby Dick, or more accurately, Leviathan, ignored the heat on his hand and stroked his snake’s jaw.
He couldn’t stop laughing.
> [This time, I’ll definitely kill you, Gretchen.]
> [Aah, no. He’s mine.]
> [Hmph. If you want him so badly, you can just go at him first.]
That damn Gretchen, who received all sorts of freedoms and rights just because he was as powerful as their King. Always looking down on the others from above as if they were mere insects.
> [But know this. I won’t miss this chance.]
He’d always wanted to beat him up but couldn’t. A thought that always made him bite his lip—
> [Mephistopheles, that bastard, will die for sure.]
That damn Mephistopheles.
____
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