Chapter 76
Chapter 76
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: An Unnatural Hunt
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I surveyed the inside of the hut.
The cramped hut was devoid of anything that could be called furniture. There was only a dirty fireplace connected to a narrow chimney.
There was nowhere to hide, but I activated my Fiery Eyes to check the surroundings one more time.
No suspicious presence.
Before investigating the body further, I called over my team members.
My team members, who had been standing at a distance, approached the hut.
“Ugh… is that the smell of blood?”
“This is……”
“…Pam?”
They, too, had now seen Pam's body.
“It hasn't been long. That's obvious, of course, since I saw him alive and well this morning.”
“…Is he dead?”
“Yes.”
“No way……. You're lying, right? There's no way Pa-Pam is dead—”
“Shut your mouth, Evan Helvin.”
Evan flinched as I warned him in a low voice.
“Didn't you expect something like this? Surely you didn't think the Bednicker training retreat was some kind of picnic. The instructors made it clear from the start. It wouldn't be strange if any of the initiates died.”
“That's…! I mean, yes, but……”
I let out a sigh.
Even though I said that, it wasn't that I didn't understand how Evan felt.
However, panic in a situation like this could spread.
It seemed Evan's stress was reaching its limit in many ways, but I didn't have the luxury of offering warm comfort.
“Mir, can you check the surroundings one more time and see if anyone's coming?”
“Mm. Got it.”
Mir seemed to be the most level-headed among us. Perhaps it was because of the environment he grew up in, or maybe his giant heritage.
He didn't seem to have any aversion to blood.
Meanwhile, I began to examine the body in earnest.
There were dried tear stains on Pam's face. It seemed he had felt extreme fear right before his death.
‘It looks like he barely resisted…’
Pam was an initiate, despite appearances.
Moreover, he was brave enough to volunteer for the Bednicker training retreat.
For someone like that to die terrified, without even putting up a proper fight…….
An unidentifiable sense of unease.
And as the investigation of the body progressed, that unease began to take a definite shape.
“Hey. Are you going to find anything just by poking around like that?”
“Roughly. For one, this wasn't the work of a monster.”
At my words, the expressions of the other two changed in an instant.
“That can't be right. You said it yourself, didn't you? Attacking other teams is against the rules. And can't the instructors intervene at any time?”
“That doesn't mean killing is impossible. It's an extreme example, but someone could have killed him, willing to accept the punishment.”
“……”
Charle looked at the body and spoke.
“…What's your proof that this is a murder?”
I hadn't actually said a word about it being a murder.
Of course, the probability of a person being the killer was higher than a monster... but there were too many unsettling points to divide it so simply.
“The body is too clean to have been killed by a monster.”
If this was the work of a beast, Pam's body would have been in a much more gruesome state.
It wouldn't be a corpse, but a few scattered pieces of a person.
But the question that followed was, who did it?
Assuming it was an initiate, the first person who came to mind was Karon.
The guy who would stop at nothing to take first place.
Could someone like him have been capable of harming Pam?
‘……’
Was it too soon to jump to conclusions?
There was still too little information.
“Evan, do you remember who was on the same team as Pam?”
“…Yeah.”
“Tell me.”
“Denma Galgar, Basil Jule, and……”
Evan said, glancing at me.
“Hector Bednicker.”
* * *
About ten hours after entering the Butterfly Forest, Hector Bednicker felt a sense of unease.
‘There are too few monsters.’
Hector knew the Butterfly Forest well.
Not just its features, but also the types and numbers of monsters that inhabited it.
This was because his maternal family had provided him with information.
Thanks to that, Hector even knew that one of the special tests of the training retreat would take place in the Butterfly Forest.
‘The instructors' surveillance area is about a fifteen-kilometer radius from the camp.’
In truth, it would be difficult for initiates of their level to leave this area.
A barrier was formed around the training camp, and even if one tried to leave its range, they would naturally be guided back inside.
The one who had cast the barrier was none other than the Great Archmage Asad.
No matter how outstanding their Blessing, an initiate could never hope to escape it.
“I wonder if the other group is alright.”
Basil Jule.
The dwarven initiate, who already had a bushy beard despite being of a similar age, spoke up.
“It's just catching butterflies, so they should be fine. If you had to classify it, it's more gathering than hunting.”
“Hmm……”
Hector had chosen butterflies as the target for this test.
Not ordinary butterflies, of course, but a rare species called the Scarletfly... an insect that existed in extremely small numbers within the Butterfly Forest.
Their difference from other butterflies was that the light they emitted was a blood-like red.
Furthermore, the Scarletfly's scales were a rare ingredient used in magic and alchemy, and their appearance was so breathtakingly beautiful that a perfectly preserved specimen would fetch a high price among collectors.
‘The problem is how to find them.’
Finding a Scarletfly in this vast, dark forest is difficult.
Of course, Hector knew one more piece of information.
Sunset.
At that time, when the sun begins to set, the glow of the Scarletfly becomes its strongest.
Strong enough to be seen from quite a distance.
Though, that intense glow would disappear in less than ten minutes…….
Because of that, he had invested most of his time after entering the forest in finding the place with the most butterflies.
And at sunset, he had found the Scarletflies.
An unexpected situation occurred then—he had spotted two red glows.
If they all went to one spot and missed it, they would have to wait until the next day.
So, Hector had split the team in two and ordered them to track the different glows.
“I told them not to go too deep, so nothing should happen.”
“I hope so, but……”
Basil Jule was an initiate who shattered many of Hector's preconceptions about dwarves.
This initiate wasn't rude like other dwarves, nor was he boisterous.
His personality was fundamentally calm and composed, and he insisted on using formal speech with everyone.
If he had a flaw, it was that he worried to an excessive degree.
Hector averted his gaze from his overly fussy teammate.
Instead, he smiled as he thought of the Scarletfly tucked away in his clothes.
‘There's nothing in this forest more valuable than the Scarletfly.’
Therefore, I'll be able to beat that arrogant Karon Woodjack, as well as Goodspring—and even Ruan.
‘…Ruan Bednicker.’
Thinking of his youngest brother's face, a competitive spirit boiled in Hector's chest.
At first, he had thought it was a coincidence, a mistake, but not anymore.
Hector had come to acknowledge Ruan.
And he found himself wanting to defeat Ruan fair and square in this training retreat.
There was one point of regret, however.
For some reason, Ruan didn't seem to be taking this training retreat seriously.
For Hector, who had experienced his true nature, it was frustrating.
Karon Woodjack?
He acknowledged that the boy was excellent, of course.
If he had faced him without having gone through *that* incident, he might have even felt inferior.
But now, he had met a monster far greater than him.
Someone who was merely considered excellent among the initiates didn't even register in his sight.
‘Why he isn't using his full strength is a mystery, but…’
If Ruan had any intention of using his true abilities, that arrogant only son of the Hyde family would never have dared to claim first place…….
“…Hector.”
Just then, Basil spoke in a stiff voice.
Hector slowly opened his eyes and replied.
“I know.”
A presence could be felt from beyond the bushes.
Judging by the presence, it was definitely not their other teammates—Pam and Denma.
Hector drew his sword.
Kieeeek!
At the same time, a monster burst through the bushes.
It was a monster that looked just like a wolf, but it had three eyes and unnaturally sharp fangs.
Hector's expression hardened for a moment upon seeing the monster, but he quickly swung his sword.
The wolf collapsed, spraying black blood.
‘…Tougher than I thought.’
If I hadn't infused mana, the sword might have gotten stuck in its muscles or joints.
“A-amazing, as expected! This is the swordsmanship of Hector, the genius of the Bednicker family……”
Basil exclaimed in awe, but Hector didn't reply.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes.
‘…A wolf?’
He knew that wolves also lived in the Butterfly Forest.
But he had never heard of a bizarre-looking wolf-type monster like this.
Of course, no matter how excellent his maternal family's information network was, they couldn't possibly have grasped every detail of the Butterfly Forest…….
“Was that swordsmanship just now the famous Lingering Shadow Sword—”
“Basil, draw your weapon too.”
“Huh?”
“More are coming.”
Rumble…!
At the same time, a vibration that seemed to shake the entire forest was felt.
Even the slow-witted Basil realized what was happening, his face turning pale.
“H-how many of them are there—”
At least several dozen.
Of course, he didn't say it out loud, as knowing would only scare him more.
‘Basil is not a combatant.’
It wasn't that he couldn't fight at all, but he couldn't be considered much help in a battle.
In other words, Hector would essentially have to drive away these dozens of wolves by himself…….
‘This won't be easy.’
Out of nowhere, a life-or-death battle had suddenly descended upon them.
“Follow me!”
“Y-yes!”
Even as he sprinted through the forest, Hector continued to feel a sense of doubt.
Wolf-type monsters could appear, yes.
But for so many of them to rush at just two initiates was clearly strange.
Grrr!
A wolf appeared as if falling from the sky.
Did it drop from a tree?
Hector gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
Slice!
“S-Sir Hector!”
“Keep running!”
He wouldn't be able to just keep running like this.
In a forest terrain, one couldn't outrun a four-legged beast.
Hector kept scanning his surroundings until he found a relatively suitable spot.
A terrain where the roots of a giant tree were tangled everywhere, making movement difficult.
There, at least, they wouldn't be surrounded from all sides.
‘The downside is that there's nowhere to escape, though.’
Hector twisted his lips into a smirk.
Either way, if he couldn't kill all of them, he would die.
“Basil, I don't think I'll have the leeway to look after you. Survive on your own.”
“…I-I understand.”
The only consideration Hector could offer was to stand on the side where more enemies were swarming.
Fortunately, Basil didn't fall into a panic and followed Hector's instructions.
Bark!
At the same time, the pack of wolves descended upon them.
* * *
How many had he cut down?
Hector could no longer tell if the dampness he felt all over his body was from blood or sweat.
‘Basil is……’
Looking to his side, he saw that while Basil was a mess, he was still alive.
“Huuuuu……”
Hector took a deep breath.
He wanted to collapse right then and there, but the battle wasn't over yet.
Grrrrr…….
The wolves stood not far away.
The sight of the monsters just watching, not attacking, was somehow eerie.
‘Thanks to them, we've secured some time to rest, but……’
…What are they waiting for?
“Hector Bednicker, you look to be in danger.”
Just then, a voice came from above.
Lifting his head, he saw an unpleasant face sitting on a tree branch.
“…Karon Woodjack.”
“Hmm. So you still have the strength to speak?”
Hector's expression hardened slightly.
Seeing him suddenly appear at this moment, an absurd suspicion suddenly came to mind.
“…Don't tell me you're controlling these wolves.”
“Who knows. But I can change this situation for you.”
“What do you mean?”
Karon said, resting his chin on his hand.
“It's a deal, Hector Bednicker. Hand over all the points you have, and I'll save you.”