We finally arrived in Camborough. We’d be leaving this place again soon, but anyway.
“As a token of my gratitude…”
“No need.”
“Come on, at least talk to me once…!”
“Get lost.”
But why were so many people clinging to me?
I wondered whether they wanted to ride my coattails or were blinded by my reputation as a member of the Hero’s party and wanted to pull something. Either way, I pushed away the lord of Camborough, who was trying to scheme something.
According to the young lady, he was more or less cornered. Was that why he was acting like this? Either way, it was annoying.
“The Adventurers’ Guild would like to award you a medal… Huh?”
“H-He gave it back.”“H-H-He tossed away such a valuable medal just like that…”
“H-How cool.”
Despite not really being involved in the recent incident, the Adventurers’ Guild still insisted on somehow acknowledging my achievement by giving me another one of their medals. So annoying.
I gave (tossed) the medal back to the guild clerk standing by the guild counter and left the building.
> [Are you really not interested? Oh, that person already has a partner, right? Then, hmm. Oh, the Hero doesn’t particularly suit you. Still, is there anyone you might be interested in?]
Then the Mountain Lord, who’d followed me all the way to Camborough, stuck its head out.
I hated to say it, but I had no idea when it would finally go away to revive the Eastern region.
“…Stop talking nonsense and go away.”
Of course, it wasn’t like I was genuinely annoyed with its presence.
After all, the Mountain Lord was someone who could revive the barren lands of the East. It had even volunteered to do so after I told it there wouldn’t be a reward. It truly was a generous person… no, a generous snake. ṝ𝙖ℕǑ𐌱ЕＳ
How could I actually feel annoyed at it? Who was I to do so?
> [Sob sob. You know, my dream is to officiate a wedding. I’ve seen the priests do it before, and it seemed like a lot of fun. If it’s Sir Knight's wedding, I thought I might be able to officiate it.]
So that’s why it was so obsessed with other people's love lives?
It seemed more interested in the ceremony than the actual ritual.
I was utterly speechless as I realized that absurd truth. The Mountain Lord had been pestering me about whether I liked this person or that person just for that.
“Get lost.”
Like I could even think about dating and marriage. Not here, in this world and situation.
> [Sooooob.]
Shouldn’t it act a bit more maturely as the Mountain Lord?
Ignoring the snake waving its tail while sulking, I bought a round melon from a nearby stall. It felt pretty nice in my hand, fitting perfectly in my grasp.
And when I bit into it, the juice that flowed out was just—
Its scent and sweetness were mild for a fruit, but it still had a refreshing taste unique to melons, which I really liked.
The excess juice dripping onto my hands was quite inconvenient, though.
> [I want some, too.]
“…One box of these. How much is it?”
“Huh, the whole box?”
Looking at that snake’s colossal body, how could it be satisfied with just one fist-sized fruit? It wouldn’t even be able to taste it.
So I bought a whole box and carried it to a far removed corner away from prying eyes.
The Mountain Lord used its long tongue to pick up the gourds and eat them one by one. I’d thought it would just eat the box's contents in a single gulp, but I suppose it didn’t intend to do that.
> [Tasty.]
Well, how it ate them didn’t particularly matter as long as it enjoyed them.
With that thought in mind, I looked over the street. Those guys should have arrived here already, but I couldn’t see even a single hair of them.
Seriously, what was going on? Weren’t we supposed to leave today? Why were they so late?
I thought about the people I was supposed to meet at the Adventurers’ Guild.
Since I couldn’t—or rather, didn’t want to—stay at the Temple, we’d set a time and place to meet up… Did they dislike that I’d unilaterally set these terms without asking for their opinion that much? Had they just decided to ditch me and go on their way?
> [Ah, there they are.]
Phew. So it wasn’t like that. Thank goodness.
> [Then I’ll slowly get going, too.]
As I saw the party approaching, the Mountain Lord also rose.
I had been wondering for a moment whether it would follow me around the East, but unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.
> [It would be great if we ran into each other again while traveling around the East, but that might be a bit hard. It's a shame, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Let’s meet again before I die.]
Was this guy actually planting a death flag right now?
I clicked my tongue at the Mountain Lord’s very cliché choice of words before taking another bite of the melon, reaching my hand into my Inventory.
Whoosh.
The Skyflow Tiger’s heart arched toward the Mountain Lord. It managed to catch it with its tail.
Some wizards had sealed it in a transparent cube, so it wouldn’t have been much of a problem even if it had fallen to the ground. But, still, nice reflexes.
> [Huh, what’s this?]
“The Skyflow Tiger grew stronger after consuming a Great Demon’s corpse. If you consume that, something similar might happen to you.”
> [Just eating this thing doesn’t make you stronger, well, I guess it could somehow work. But… are you sure I can have this?]
Ah, so it did actually work. I hadn’t originally saved the thing for this purpose, but I guess I’d gotten lucky.
I glanced at the heart resting on the Mountain Lord’s tail.
Since my wallet was fairly empty, I had no choice but to sell off the leather, claws, tail, and organs… but I’d kept the heart just in case.
I hadn’t especially intended to give it to the Mountain Lord. It was more like an emergency reserve.
I’d heard the heart contained the most energy, so I’d kept it around in case I could later use it in some incident or to craft equipment.
> [Really? Can I really eat this?]
But… honestly, I was pretty sure I’d never be able to create equipment with that thing.
In most games, these material-type items were typically used as reinforcement material, but you couldn’t really apply standard game logic to this place.
So, rather than letting it rot in my Inventory, I decided it would be far better just to give it to the Mountain Lord.
I’d confirmed yet again that it was my ally. It also possessed many useful abilities, such as restoring devastated land and consuming both Demonic Energy and Arcane Power.
I figured strengthening it now might pay off for me later if I ever needed its help. Like I had just now.
“Eat it.”
> [Hmm…]
So, instead of needlessly rushing it, I waited patiently.
Then, having seemingly grasped my true intentions, the Mountain Lord eventually put it in its mouth.
Crunch.
The sealing cube broke, and the heart slid down the Mountain Lord’s throat. Its round eyes gleamed slightly darker than usual.
> [Sir Knight, just watch how much the Eastern lands will change.]
Well, would I ever be able to see that? I let that thought drift away without voicing it.
Whoosh!
With a gust of wind, the white serpent left the city.
“Demon Knight!”
It was now time for me to leave as well.
* * *
“Bemurchen is really far away.”
“Well, it is also known as the city of the Eastern end.”
“The Eastern end… We won’t be encountering any more sea monsters this time, will we? Or be stuck on some ship?”
“There’s no way that’ll happen.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
“…Let’s just be prepared.”
Listening to the conversation between Deathbringer and the Archmage, I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. The sea again? Images of my past battle with the Sea Dragon flashed through my mind.
Hmm. Something like that probably wouldn’t happen again, though. I quickly dismissed that thought. It wasn’t just wishful thinking; I had a reasonable basis for these thoughts.
I mean, if we fought on the water again, that would be their third time going with this concept.
There was absolutely no way that would happen. A basic rule of all games was that each region needed a unique concept. A similar concept appearing twice might still be okay, but repeating it a third time? That’d just be stupid, so there was no way it would happen.
Believing in that theory with all my heart, I urged my horse to move. The horse, about to turn his head toward the grass by the roadside, immediately looked forward again.
“I think we should camp here for this night. I saw a stream on the way here.”
Soon enough, we found a decent spot for camping. The surrounding trees had been cleared away, and some small stones were gathered in a circle on the flat grass—probably to use for a campfire.
This seemed like quite a popular campsite. However, too many trees had been cleared from the area for camping.
“Do you think it’ll rain?”
“Yes.”
“Ooh… You’re smart, young hunter.”
“Ah, this is nothing…”
“But I can’t see any rain clouds…”
“You can’t see them yet. But look, the clouds are moving faster than normal, right? You have to take those things into account as well.”
Anyway, if it really was going to rain soon, it’d be better to set up camp now. The sun hadn’t set yet… but it would be much better to rest two hours early than look for a proper campsite in the rain.
“Hand me the reins.”
“Here you go.”
“There, young hunter.”
After checking that the others had tied up their horses, I also tied mine a little distance away.
I’d gotten this horse from Young Lady Camborough as a sign of her gratitude. His name was Frederick.
I’d heard something about him belonging to a famous bloodline and her mother getting him for her from Munmund… or something.
Since I didn’t know a whole lot about these kinds of things, I couldn’t tell whether this horse was supposed to be good or not. I just assumed he was a good horse because I was told so.
Neeeigh.
“Wait there.”
Looking at him, though, he did appear to be a top-notch horse. He was fairly large, had clear eyes, and ran very fast. I got a feeling he definitely wasn’t anything ordinary, at least.
He did have a bit of a nasty attitude, though. Even if I didn’t tether him, he wouldn’t even try to get along with the other horses… but it was almost funny how well that fit my character.
How did I end up with a horse like this?
Neeeigh.
“…Sigh.”
By the way, his aloofness wasn’t reserved just for other horses but also for me.
I took out an apple and gave it to Frederick. I’d heard he would occasionally throw off his rider if he didn’t like something, so this was a little bribe to hopefully keep him from trying that with me.
Frederick quickly took the apple and ate it.
“Erm, mister… Since it’s going to rain, would you like to at least share cover with us?”
Meanwhile, Deathbringer, who’d persistently tried talking with me despite being answered with silence, approached me again. Behind him, the Archmage and the Inquisitor looked at me expectantly.
Rustle.
Instead of answering, I sat under the tree where I’d tied Frederick. Disappointed, Deathbringer stepped away again.
Tap, tap.
Neeeigh.
…Right. Asking for another apple, huh?
Taking another one out, I wondered whether I should feel grateful to Frederick for not being afraid of me or feel conflicted about how he apparently saw me as nothing more than a snack dispenser.
Soon, rain began to fall steadily. By sunset, it had become a heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning.
“Fire!”
“We’re saved…”
While Frederick, who hated getting wet, was covered in a makeshift raincoat, I was left to stand in the light rain.
Just then, I noticed two figures hurriedly approaching our camp from the direction our party was planning to take.
“Someone’s coming.”
“What? Huh, you’re right.”
“Are they raiders?”
“I don’t think so…”
“Aah, we’re just passing peddlers! Please don’t attack us!”
“We mean no harm!”
Maybe it was because I’d sat myself a little away from the campsite, or maybe because I hadn’t lit my own campfire.
The two men hadn’t noticed me and instead approached the party first.
Both of them raised their arms as if to show they were harmless.
“Stop right there.”
“Yes, yes!”
They lowered their baggage to the ground within the campfire’s glow before raising their hands again.
Deathbringer looked at them with sharp eyes and gestured. Based on experience, it seemed they weren’t particularly dangerous.
“Thank you. We got lost in the forest, and then it started raining all of a sudden…”
“In this kind of rain, it would have made more sense to dig a hole under a large tree and spend the night there than try finding your way out of the forest. You must be pretty new to the peddler business, right?”
“Come on, it’s not like we didn’t know that.”
They exchanged some light-hearted words before the two men settled down a bit away from our group.
They pulled out some cloth from their bundles, fastened it to a tree and the ground, and set up a campfire beneath the makeshift tarp with extraordinary skill.
“So, is there some other reason for you to do this, then?”
“Yeah. But to explain why we ended up like this, I would have to go back in time a bit…”
They seemed pretty eloquent as well. After quickly setting up their camp, they cleared their throats to tell their tale.
“So, you remember the rain being pretty light before the sun set, right? Since it was only drizzling, we thought it might be worth braving the rain to find a better resting spot.”
“I see?”
“That’s why we didn’t stay where we were before! We’re carrying cotton, you see, and if it gets wet, it becomes a lot heavier. So we figured we should just keep looking around.”
“But then, what a coincidence! While rushing through the forest, we spotted a cabin in the distance!”
“So?”
“Well, we naturally thought this was the perfect place and headed straight for it. We felt a bit uneasy since we didn’t see any sign of people there, but it was still an empty house, so who cares? Better than getting our goods wet!”
“Right.”
“So we rushed over to the hut and went for the door. Just then, the rain got much heavier, and thunder started crashing around us. Boom!”
“Then the dark surroundings suddenly lit up, and our view became clear for a moment…!”
“C-Clear?”
“Okay, let’s stop for a moment. Do any of you know what’s been happening around here these days?”
“What? Don’t just stop talking halfway through! Stay on track!”
Unlike Deathbringer, who had been reacting rather half-heartedly, the Inquisitor and Berserk were fully drawn into their story. They were about to stomp their feet when the peddler changed the subject.
“It’s related to this. That’s why I mentioned it. So, you really don’t know?”
“I don’t know much about this area.”
“Oh my. Then I guess we’ll have to tell you.”
“Okay, take a look around this campsite. Doesn’t it seem a bit too wide to be just a clearing created by normal travelers?”
“It certainly is pretty wide, huh?”
“Aren’t you curious… why that is?”
“…Is there a special reason?”
“Ahh, of course, there is.”
As the innocent Inquisitor followed along precisely as the peddler wanted, he became even more excited, trying to spread a solemn atmosphere.
Even my gaze was drawn to them.
“A few years ago, right here at this campsite… several priests and inquisitors lost their lives.”
“What?!”
“Oh.”
“The culprit has yet to be found. However, the bodies of the victims found back then were said to be indescribably gruesome. Their limbs had been torn from their bodies, and their remains were distorted and mangled by heat… It was so bad that those tasked with clearing away the corpses couldn’t sleep for several days.”
“That’s exactly why this campsite was widened. It seems dozens of trees were uprooted during their struggle, creating this vacant space we see now.”
“…And the culprit hasn’t been caught yet?”
“Correct! The culprit is still out there! Even now.”
So that’s why the campsite was so much larger than usual.
However, something about the peddler’s story sounded made up. Of course, I had been fooled by a merchant’s tall tales once or twice before. But even compared to those times, their story seemed a bit too exaggerated.
“Now… going back to where we left off… at that moment, when the thunder crashed down with a boom!”
“The moment when our vision was illuminated with a white flash!!”
“A-At that moment?”
“A skeleton, a whole skeleton, appeared in the gap of the creaking door!!”
“Gasp!!”
“A skeleton!”
“And then, when the flash subsided and we’d fallen back into the embrace of darkness, a pair of gleaming eyes peered out from beyond the gap alongside a slow creaking sound… How could we possibly go inside a place like that?!!”
“Was it a murder scene??”
“C-Could it be the criminal from that incident?!”
“Come on. It probably was just a fox or something. Why would the culprit of a years-old incident still be living here?”
Deathbringer seemed to share my sentiments, seeing him interrupt them like that. The Inquisitor and Berserk deflated like a punctured balloon when they heard that.
“What? So it was a lie?”
“Is that… really true?”
“Well, we didn’t lie about the skeleton being there. As for the creaking sound… Well, the instant we heard it, we immediately ran away screaming, haha.”
“We both get spooked pretty easily. We ran like crazy, screaming like madmen… And then we saw this light coming from your fire.
“When we spotted the armor through the campfire, we thought a knight was with you and we’d be safe. Thinking back on it now, that was a bit stupid of us. Haha.”
“Uuuurgh. That’s not funny.”
“I see. Well, you should be safe here for now!”
In the end, Deathbringer’s skepticism was well-founded. If there was a skeleton, it meant they had died here long ago, and any evidence as to why that skeleton was there would already be long gone.
The creaking sounds and gleaming eyes… Those likely came from a fox or a similar wild animal. It probably wasn’t there to chew on some old bones but to catch some mice or something similar in the cabin.
“From how you describe it, it doesn’t seem that far from where we are, right?”
“Probably. At most, about a ten- to fifteen-minute walk away.”
“That’s really close.”
The peddlers seemed to think the same as they chuckled awkwardly in an attempt to lighten the mood. Still, the story had been quite interesting, enough that even those awkward attempts were amusing.
“Hmm. Then how about we stop by the cabin tomorrow?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Is there any need for you to do that?”
“Just to clarify, madam. By skeleton, we mean someone who died quite a long time ago. You won’t be able to catch that culprit now.
“I know that! And I wasn’t suggesting this to catch the culprit. I just feel bad for the person who’s just lying there in the open, so I wanted to give them a proper burial.
“What would you even get out of this…?”
“Well, I don’t mind. I’m fine with that, Inquisitor.”
“I don’t really know what’s going on, but Berserk also doesn't mind.”
Thanks to those guys’ story, we now had a slight addition to our plans. Well, it wasn’t a bad outcome.
____
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter