114. Human Garden (3)
114. Human Garden (3)
[ Mana. As expected, interesting. Heart, brain. Correlation is very large. Maintaining this and possibility of creature-ization very low. Must preserve heart and brain. ]
'What? It speaks human language?'
Of course, the monster that had the appearance of that woman also spoke, but that one at least had a human form, whereas the creature in front of me now is hard to see as human no matter who looks at it.
That tentacle monster was almost dissecting the mage and speaking while touching the brain.
The mage is already hopeless.
Even if rescued from that state, it's impossible to keep them alive and escape from here.
Rather, they become an obstacle to escape.
They're comrades, so can you say such a thing? You could, but it's strange to think it's possible to take someone whose skin is all peeled off, internal organs all exposed, and brain half sticking out.
At least the hero is intact.
Definitely, the last memory was the upper and lower body being separated, but they are cleanly attached.
'Did that monster heal them? Why? Creatures are all for eating humans—'
The archer realized something and got goosebumps all over.
Until now, all creatures had appearances more horrifying than monsters.
But there were two creatures that had human forms rather than monster forms.
Both had human appearances, and while she didn't know about the monster that annihilated the party, the monster the healer told her about had once been human.
This the archer could be certain of.
She was a B-rank mage named Yui who had performed quests together in the past.
That mage is now eroded by a creature and became a creature.
Moreover, the fact that she uses magic means that creatures not only see humans as food, but can also make them into their own allies.
In other words.
'They're trying to erode the hero? Wait...'
The archer recalled the situation when she first opened her eyes.
Clearly, a plant creature had crazily burrowed into her body. If not for the healer, she thought she would have become nutrients for the plant creature and died.
But it wasn't that.
'They were trying to turn me into a creature...!?'
Goosebumps spread all over her body.
Unconsciously, she touched her ears, nose, and mouth with her hand to check.
'No, it'll be okay. Jena wrapped me in divine power.'
"Eonni...?"
"Jena, I'm sorry."
"........"
The healer did not avoid the archer's hand covering her eyes.
Because she knew what the archer's action meant.
Right in front, two good energies and hostility that seemed to show absolute evil.
The fact that such hostility is emanating and nothing is happening means only one thing.
It means the condition of her oppa and the mage oppa are already at their worst, and that she covered her eyes because she didn't want to show that.
No matter how young she still is, as an S-rank adventurer, the healer had experienced countless things.
"I'll kill them all here and leave."
"Eh, eonni...!?"
The archer pulled a mana-made bow through the slightly open door crack.
The healer realized that the archer's words about killing them all were directed at their comrades, not the monster, and tried to stop the archer.
"No, we have to kill them here. We have to kill them while they're still human. If they become monsters... they'll become enormous monsters like that female monster."
"B-but..."
"Sorry, Jena. I'll take responsibility for everything."
The archer shot two arrows.
The two arrows flew toward the heads of the hero and the mage respectively.
To create the most certain death.
Thunk. Thunk.
The arrows pierced through the heads of the hero and the mage without any obstruction.
Splash—
Because it was a full-powered attack, brain matter and blood gushed out from the holes pierced by the arrows.
"Ah..."
The healer squeezed her eyes shut as the two benevolent energies she felt in front began to fade away softly.
She now realized that even if the brain is pierced, death is not instantaneous.
The energy was disappearing quickly, but that moment felt very long.
She wanted to stop the archer. She wanted to scream at her not to do it.
Her oppa was family, and the mage was no different from family. But the healer also thought the archer's choice was right.
She knows it can't be helped. But the thought 'Isn't there another way?' doesn't leave her mind.
But thinking of her oppa and the mage oppa turning into that kind of monster and killing humans was also too heartbreaking.
The energy is cooling quickly.
As the energy cools, it means the threshold of death is also approaching.
"Grrk—!"
The archer's hands trembled violently at the fact that she had killed her own comrades with her own hands.
Even if she survives and gets out of here, she might live the rest of her life in atonement and regret.
But she didn't think this choice was wrong.
Just as the archer turned around to flee from this place with the healer—
"Ah, hello...?"
One person was standing there awkwardly.
The archer immediately raised her bow to shoot—
"W-wait! She's on our side!"
The healer stopped her.
"Our side?"
The archer said to the healer without taking her eyes off the woman in front.
"Yes. This time it's certain. She has a benevolent energy, and she even has divine power, so it's certain."
"But why is she here?"
'No, is she someone who was kidnapped like us?'
[ Quickly. Come in. You'll die. ]
At the voice from right behind, the archer was about to leave the woman in front and escape from this place—
Her foot caught on something.
Thud—!
"Y-you can't run away."
The archer, having fallen, shifted her gaze to her foot.
A rope faintly glowing with holy light was tied around her ankle.
"Goddess's Binding...?"
The healer also uses this spell well, so she knows it well.
The problem was why this spell was holding her ankle.
"Ah, Evolute-nim. You called?"
[ Human males. 2. Save them. ]
"Ah, understood. Hwit."
"W-what... why..."
The healer was greatly flustered that Erina, who was clearly radiating benevolent energy, was interfering with them.
Surprisingly, Erina had never committed a single murder while she had been in the colony.
She still had the goodwill to try to save as many humans in the colony as possible.
She was checking the condition of all humans in the Human Ranch, Museum, and Human Zoo, and was in charge of healing them.
Therefore, she still maintained a kinder heart than anyone else here.
Erina entered the room to save the hero and mage as Evolute requested, and Evolute tilted its head as it looked at the archer and healer in front of it.
[ Why. Are you. Here. If it were. Up to me. I would. Want to. Keep you. But that. Is impossible. So first. ]
Evolute grabbed the fallen archer's foot with a tentacle and lifted her up.
The healer, in shock from trying to save the archer and losing her family, had her magically created legs disappear.
"D-damn...!"
The archer thought about suicide in this hopeless situation.
If it was just being captured by humans and becoming a slave, she could endure it.
Because an opportunity might come once.
But being caught by this monster and thinking that she too would become a monster and kill and eat people was too horrifying.
The archer squeezed her eyes shut, and after tens of thousands of thoughts, opened her eyes and made a bow with her free arm.
"Sorry, Jena."
The archer chose death over becoming a monster.
Thinking that Jena's end would be bad anyway, the archer decided to shoot an arrow at Jena, and also thought of her own death together.
But Evolute did not just watch that action.
Crack—
Evolute grabbed the archer's arm and tore it off.
"Krrrrgh—!"
"Eonni!!!"
Evolute dragged the two incapacitated people into the room where the hero and mage were.
==
The Padix Kingdom suffered enormous damage from the creature invasion.
Countless casualties occurred.
Not only citizens but also soldiers and knights died in large numbers, to the point where it's hard for the Padix Kingdom to rise again on its own power.
Ordinarily, when such a situation arises, other nations would have moved to devour Padix.
But the surrounding nations did not think of making big moves.
The reason is one.
Creatures.
Until just recently, they were very dangerous but still not much of a concern.
But they attacked a kingdom and nearly destroyed it.
Moreover, they didn't even win.
The creatures withdrew on their own.
If the creatures hadn't retreated and had continued attacking, the Padix Kingdom would have disappeared from the map.
Although they don't know why they attacked or why they retreated, the fact that they have enough power to destroy a kingdom became known.
And what they felt was most dangerous was the existence known as the Worm.
A Worm so huge that it's hard to see all at once.
It's not just big; it swims through the ground, carrying tens of thousands of creatures inside.
What's scary is that a Worm of that size came right under the Padix Kingdom without anyone noticing.
The surrounding nations took the situation of the Padix Kingdom seriously regarding creatures and began preparing their own countermeasures.
And in certain nations, instead of researching how to deal with creatures, they began researching whether there was a way to tame them.