The Predator's Scent

Let us review the original plan for a moment.

First: regarding the lost city. Even I do not know the origin of those man-eating rats. It could have been bio-terrorism targeted at an enemy nation, or perhaps they mutated from radioactive fallout. Or maybe they simply adapted to this mad world.

Of course, the cause does not matter in the slightest. The only thing that matters is the fact that those yellow-brown rats are armed with an insane appetite and reproductive capacity. They crept stealthily into the city. In the subterranean labyrinth where no human foot ever trod, they rapidly multiplied. Then, when they reached a certain critical mass, they felt their habitat had grown too cramped. They decided to claim a wider territory.

There was a horrific backflow. I observed the scene firsthand through my observer. It was a deeply striking sight. Humans were being indiscriminately harvested like a wheat field devoured by locusts. In an instant, the city's masters changed. The countless reclamation operations that followed yielded no significant results. The first reason was that the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠birth rate of the rats far outstripped the rate at which they were killed; the second was the reality of an era where betrayal was far easier than unity. And so, the city was lost. Isolated. Nairobi remained a city that tolerated no human presence.

Normally, that girl wouldn't have been able to enter the city either. But to that, a second factor was added: the rainy season that had persisted until recently. The rainy season in the savanna was harsh to begin with, but even more so after the climate was ruined by World War III. The rain fell so relentlessly that several massive pools of water formed on the flat plains. Squalls swept through again and again. The city's usurpers could not escape its effects. Some retreated into subterranean tunnels of their own accord to escape the torrential downpours. Most of the rest were swept away by the rushing waters and dragged down into the sewers. They were forced back into the very home they had escaped for being too cramped. Underground, the usurpers tore into one another. Scarce food and extreme overcrowding heightened their aggression. Even after the rainy season ended, the rats were too busy spilling each other's blood to care about anything else. Thus, once their population dwindled to about a tenth of its original size and their sense of adventure overcame their hostility, that yellow wave would rise above ground once more. It was an annual event—a twisted ecological balance.

'And the girl emerged just as the rainy season ended.' It was precisely because of this timing that I guided her into the city. While the rat swarms were imprisoned underground, I led her inside. After having her take a position on high ground, I had her fire the gun. The loud noise was meant to stimulate the rats below. I figured that if their internal hostility could be momentarily distracted, the city's usurpers would surge back to the surface. It was a highly plausible plan. In fact, right after the rainy season, whenever lost herbivores wandered into the empty city, the rats would hear their footsteps and emerge from the underground even earlier.

'If only that had happened, the plan would have been a success.' I wanted to summon the rats before the pursuers even reached the city, using those aggressive beasts to block their entry entirely...

'...But they came out far later than I expected.' Things did not go according to plan. Despite her firing the gun until sunset on the first day, the rats did not emerge. Nor could I have her keep shooting into the night. Doing so would only draw the attention of things far more terrifying than rats. A miscalculation. In the end, the pursuers caught up to the girl.

'From then on, I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind...' The situation had slipped completely out of my hands. I could only watch them in sheer frustration. No, actually, even watching wasn't easy. I couldn't even understand what their conversation was about. Although the celestial observer automatically translates every language in existence, their language did not belong to this world.

It felt something like that. I could hear that they were saying something, but I had no way of grasping what it meant. It was a moment that made me realize once again just how powerless I was.

'In the first place, I don't even know how she senses my gaze.' Does it become invisible to her when she gets too worked up? Or does she see it but choose to ignore it? During her confrontation with the pursuers, the girl didn't seem to notice my gaze at all. Even though I kept shining the light on the young men stealthily approaching her, she only realized they were there right before she was captured.

'I'll have to experiment more with this later.' Is this what they mean by having your stomach tied in knots? I had bitten my fingernails so raw that they were still bleeding. I thought the hope that had finally found me after all these years was about to be ruthlessly snuffed out. But perhaps where there is unexpected misfortune, there is also unexpected luck. Whether it was thanks to the rapid fire the girl unleashed at the very end ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the gunfight... the rat swarm underground finally reacted. They emerged just in the nick of time. And so, the slaughter began. They sank their teeth into their new prey, tearing and swallowing. The observer's monitor reproduced the scene in vivid detail.

"Hmm... is their physical structure a bit different? Better write this down." Recording the men being eaten alive by the rats with one hand, I shifted the observer's main focus back to the girl. The rats avoided her, terrified to even draw near. A gap opened in the yellow wave like the parting of the Red Sea. It was thanks to the male lion pheromones I had her apply before she entered the city. I had made her touch the scent glands of a male lion directly, rubbing the pheromones all over her body, and forced her to keep it on by preventing her from washing. The predator's aura protected her. After World War III, lions had become far more ferocious, and even a trace of their scent was enough to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ward off most beasts. Of course, if she wandered into another lion's territory smelling like this, she would be torn to shreds instantly... but since there were no other lions near the city yet, it would serve as an excellent bug spray for the time being.

'For now, the immediate problem seems to be solved.' The men who had tried to molest the girl were devoured in an instant. Amidst the corpses, only the girl stood, looking up at the sky in prayer. Staring into her ruby-red eyes, I organized my next steps.

'Maybe I should wait to guide her until things quiet down a bit.' First, I need to replace her ruined clothes. And deliver some food...

"*Yawn...* I should get some sleep too. I haven't been able to sleep for days because of all the worrying. I feel like I'm going to collapse from exhaustion."

'I'll just set up surveillance on the gate, the flower field, the swamp... just a few essential spots...' Time to sleep.

"After going through all this today, surely nothing else will happen tomorrow, right?"

...Wilson made no reply to my monologue. For some reason, the mouth painted in ketchup seemed to curve upward slightly... but well, it was surely just my imagination.

Seraphina looked down at the dying Hunters. From deep underground, monsters surged forth. A yellow-brown torrent. The Hunters, who were supposed to hunt monsters, could not put up any meaningful resistance. Though each beast was only about the size of a palm, their numbers easily exceeded tens of thousands. It was no longer a matter of counting them; they had to be measured by volume or density.

They were eaten alive. It was a silent end. Their throats choked with the coarse fur of the beasts, they left behind nothing but hollow white bones. A march of monsters that could erase a few humans in the blink of an eye. A terrifying spectacle. Yet, even that horror did not touch Seraphina. If anything, the monsters seemed to feel terror toward the girl instead. The hand of the Hunter who had been called their leader was proof. The man who had reached out to Seraphina—his body had been devoured by the tiny demons, leaving only bones. However, the arm that had been gripping the hem of Seraphina's robe was left completely untouched by the beasts.

"..." With a dull thud, she picked up the man's arm and threw it far away, just to be sure. Sure enough, a wave rippled through the yellow-brown torrent as they chased after the flying prey. The reason why the all-consuming monsters spared Seraphina alone was blindingly obvious. The evil god who watched over her—he had answered. He had heard the girl's prayer and responded with action.

"...Thank you." Seraphina offered a prayer of gratitude to the god who had protected her. Her voice trembled faintly. It was difficult for her to fully comprehend that her prayer had brought about such a devastating result. Yet, despite this, Seraphina strove to pour her utmost sincerity into her prayer. Had she not said it herself? That she would offer her everything if he would grant her power. Having chosen the god she would serve, she had to show her devotion.

The girl prayed to her god until the monsters grew quiet. She repeated her words of gratitude, completely unbothered by her torn habit that exposed her bare skin. She chased only the silver gaze. And so, a short while later, when the scuttling footsteps echoing all around finally subsided, the god's gaze, which had been fixed on Seraphina, shifted elsewhere. It was the same manner of guidance as before. The girl took a step forward. She did not hesitate. The prayer she had offered was also a vow to herself.

Following the god's gaze, she navigated through the city. She replenished the catalysts for her Thunder Staff and obtained new clothing. The place where she found the clothes was a rather peculiar shop. It was a store displaying a wide variety of garments, ranging from white gowns to small scraps of leather. From among them, she picked up and donned a black priestess robe. The design was vastly different from those on the Continent. It wasn't that it lacked fabric, but the side slits of the skirt rose high up her thighs.

'The Order of Order would have forbidden this, calling it provocative...' But the girl did not care. Rather, she picked up the clothes with a joyful heart. She changed out of her lower garments, which had been shredded into a mess by the Hunter's grasp, and layered the new top over her existing habit. Had the god's gaze not held her back, she would have changed her top entirely as well. That was how light and comfortable the new attire felt.

'It doesn't feel like it was woven from thread. How on earth did they make this?' With a much lighter body, Seraphina followed the guidance. She saw new things and ate new things. She opened food packaged in steel cans, experiencing an extreme level of savory flavor she had never tasted before. Yet, even while enjoying this unexpected luxury, Seraphina's attention was focused elsewhere. Cardinal Renatus Morteon. Her former godfather who had tried to capture and kill her. The old clergyman who had exhausted all his mana and been swept away to his death by the march of monsters. The ill-fated tie between the girl and the old man had not ended yet. There was still something she needed to hear from him.

The next day. Although the sun rose, the god's gaze did not descend. Of course, Seraphina did not panic. There were times like this. On her very first day crossing the gate, his gaze had only lingered for a brief moment. Thus, instead of blindly waiting for the god's gaze, the girl decided to carry out the task she had thought of yesterday.

'...Let's go. I don't know when he will die completely. I must do this as quickly as possible.' Seraphina walked the city streets, searching for the spot where the Cardinal had died. Finding it was not difficult. A massive cluster of the monsters she had occasionally seen since yesterday's eruption was gathered there. Scritch-scratch, scritch-scratch— the palm-sized monsters scattered as if fleeing the moment they spotted Seraphina. As the monsters that had covered the spot like a coffin dispersed, what lay hidden beneath was revealed. It was a pile of bones belonging to a single human. Red veins were slowly growing over them.

"As I thought. You're still alive." Seraphina spat through gritted teeth. Despite being ravaged by tens of thousands of monsters, Renatus was not dead. The divine protection of Order did not allow it. Even with every shred of his flesh devoured, he lived. Blood vessels and nerves sprouted from his spinal cord, attempting to regenerate and restore his original form. However, the speed of regeneration was incomparably slower than what he had shown yesterday. She could guess several reasons. It was likely due to being eaten by monsters every time he regenerated, the scarcity of mana in this world, and above all, the fact that this was a world beyond the gate where the power of Order did not directly reach. If left like this, the Cardinal would eventually face eternal death. He would be eaten away until regeneration became meaningless, and his soul would finally depart his body. Which meant—

'—If only he returns to the Continent, he will regenerate completely.' What crossed Seraphina's mind now was a single remark Renatus had uttered in lamentation.

Ods. The mentor who had taught Seraphina in the convent, and the savior who had helped her escape ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the depths of the Holy Order. She and Seraphina had shared a deep bond. In the convent, she was the only one who had ever celebrated Seraphina's birthday. She was the woman who had told her of a birthday her own biological parents could not even remember, showering her with undeserved attention and affection. And such a person had been branded an apostate and hanged.

'...He said it was because of the strong insistence of the Council.' Of course, Seraphina did not know what the Council was. However, given that Renatus had mentioned them directly, they must have exerted no small influence over Ods's trial. If so, then that very Council was the rightful target of Seraphina's vengeance.

'I must find everyone connected to my mentor's death.' To tear down the Council. To perhaps destroy the Order of Order itself. If she could avenge Ods's death by doing so, the girl was confident she could do anything.

Seraphina began gathering the old man's white bones. Packing them carefully into her backpack, she made her way toward the outskirts of the city. It was the direction of the gate she had crossed a week ago.