The Butterfly Who Saved a Human
My journey with the tree could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be called fun.
You have no idea how awful it was.
Far from being enjoyable, I couldn't even find a single animal to hunt for amusement.
To be precise, I did see them, but the moment they spotted me, they turned tail and fled for their lives.
Thanks to that, it was incredibly safe, but my daily routine consisted entirely of practicing demonic energy control and communicating with the tree. It was mind-numbingly boring.
I mean, what kind of wild boar runs away at the sight of a tiny butterfly like me?
Where are we going?
"Gwek?"
—If we keep going this way, there's a city. It's a place where monsters and humans live together. A haven for moderates who want to coexist. Though to humans, it's probably better known as the City of Renegades.
I had definitely heard of it before.
I remembered seeing it featured on the news as the City of Renegades.
They had described it as a place where heinous criminals went into hiding.
It was probably just propaganda spread by hardliners who wanted to keep the war with the monsters going.
—And you know this is already the fifth time I'm telling you this, right?
Really?
"Gwek?"
Had I really asked five times already?
I hadn't realized because the scenery remained exactly the same no matter how much time passed.
I thought I'd only asked twice.
But what was I supposed to do? There was nothing else to talk about.
More accurately, it wasn't like we could have a smooth conversation anyway.
—And don't ask how much longer it's going to take. You've already asked thirteen times. We'll arrive before the sun sets today.
Wow, cutting me off before I can even ask.
The tree had anticipated my question and beat me to the punch.
With absolutely nothing left to do, I flopped flat on my back onto one of the tree's branches.
Since we were arriving today anyway, I might as well get some sleep.
It wasn't like I could do anything to help.
Is this what it feels like to sleep peacefully in the passenger seat while your friend does all the driving?
Huh? Is that the smell of blood?
Just as I closed my eyes to soothe my bored mind and body, a familiar scent drifted over.
I snapped my eyes open and flew toward the scent as if possessed.
It was slightly different from the usual smell of a predator devouring its prey.
It was thicker, a scent of blood that stirred my very instincts.
Finding the source of this blood would definitely cure my boredom.
Becoming a blood butterfly had given me an incredibly sharp sense of smell for blood, and it was finally coming in handy.
—Where are you going?
The tree quickly followed as I suddenly took off.
I guess since it was a tree, it couldn't smell the blood.
Instead of explaining, I sped up and headed straight for the source.
The scent grew thicker the closer I got.
Moreover, the variety of scents multiplied.
However, it was the smell of beasts that were already dead.
—Grrr...
A human?
Arriving at the source of the scent, I saw a young girl leaning against a tree, pointing a dagger at a pack of large wolves.
Around her lay the cold corpses of several wolves.
She must have killed those massive wolves all by herself.
Though it looked like she had reached her limit.
The girl's left arm hung limply at her side, and her right arm, which held the dagger, trembled violently, covered in bite marks.
It seemed her life was destined to end here.
Well, if I hadn't shown up, that is.
Since the tree said we're near the city, she must be used to monsters, right?
Without hiding myself, I fluttered over the wolves' heads toward the girl.
Naturally, all eyes locked onto me as I suddenly fluttered into the middle of the standoff.
Wait, looking closely, these aren't normal wolves. They're Three-Eyed Wolves?
As I hovered nearby as if protecting the girl, I noticed a third eye on their foreheads.
No wonder they were so huge.
But that was it.
Three-Eyed Wolves were wolf-type monsters, but they were merely Low Class monsters that just happened to have three eyes.
I didn't know how my power would fare against monsters, but I doubted I'd lose to mere Three-Eyed Wolves.
It wasn't like they were alpha beasts or anything.
I finely controlled my wing scales, scattering them so subtly that the Three-Eyed Wolves wouldn't notice.
Let's see what happens.
Against the Ruler of the Forest, even a much thicker concentration of wing scales had done zero damage.
It only had a minor effect because its sense of smell was insanely sensitive.
Wondering how monsters with demonic energy would react, I watched the beasts warily eyeing me.
It'd better work on them. Otherwise, what's the point of this skill?
Guided by my will, the wing scales gradually enveloped the Three-Eyed Wolves, entering their bodies through their noses and mouths.
As if sensing my anxiety, the reaction was instantaneous the moment the scales penetrated their systems.
—Yip?!
Having inhaled and been covered in my wing scales, the Three-Eyed Wolves' fur and skin began to melt away, and they writhed in agony.
Surely, they were melting from the inside out as well.
Without their fur and hide to protect them, the decay would spread even faster.
And the poison would run its course.
It works great. Thank goodness. I thought it was a useless skill.
Since monsters naturally possess demonic energy, I was worried they might resist it, but it seemed monsters of the Three-Eyed Wolf's caliber couldn't manage that.
They're so easy to kill, yet they give so much experience?
If I recalled correctly, I had about 15% left to level up.
Since killing five Three-Eyed Wolves filled the rest of the bar, it must be around 3% per wolf.
I should hunt every single one I see!
Hunting monsters really is the way to go.
—Well, look at that. A human? Seeing her out here, did she run away?
The tree, which had just been watching me, now approached the girl who was warily eyeing us.
It was only natural for her to be on guard when a random butterfly and a flying tree suddenly showed up.
The tree kept a reasonable distance, circling the girl as if inspecting her.
It seemed to be trying to confirm something.
Do they know each other?
It certainly looked that way.
Considering it didn't go deep into the monster territory, is the tree originally from the City of Renegades?
Since it never talked about itself, I had no way of knowing.
Other than the fact that it was a monster with a complicated past, I knew nothing.
I can just ask once I become a fairy. We're practically two halves of a whole now anyway.
I landed on one of the tree's branches while it was still examining the girl.
What on earth was taking so long?
What's wrong? Is she an acquaintance?
"Gwek?"
—I think I know her. But if she is who I think she is, she shouldn't be out here like this.
So they really did know each other?
But who was she that she shouldn't be here?
Was she the child of some noble family?
She looked as filthy as a beggar who had been rolling around the streets for years.
Then again, she did have a somewhat refined air about her.
But is it okay to just leave her like this? She looks like she's about to die.
The girl had truly reached her limit; her eyelids fluttered, and the arm holding the dagger slowly drooped.
If we didn't do something soon, she was definitely going to die.
Hey! Do something!
"Gwek!"
—Huh? Oh, right! Hold on a second.
Only now noticing the girl's critical condition, the tree sprouted a fruit from one of its branches.
It was a fruit that looked incredibly sweet and delicious.
I had no idea the tree had the ability to grow something like that!
I felt strangely betrayed.
I was pretty confident I could eat fruits like that too.
I made sure to show my disappointment, but the tree's entire attention was focused on the girl.
Well, I guess I'll just go eat my own food...
Leaving the tree behind as it carefully fed the girl as if handling precious porcelain, I headed toward the dead Three-Eyed Wolves.
I doubted they'd have any good skills, but surely they had something.
Wait, did my demonic energy increase...?
Taking a bite of the Three-Eyed Wolf, I felt something welling up inside me.
In this situation, the only mysterious energy that could be filling me up was demonic energy.
However, taking another bite didn't increase it any further.
Is it only once per corpse?
To test my theory, I took a bite of another Three-Eyed Wolf, and my demonic energy increased in the exact same way.
Since I had never hunted and eaten a monster before, I hadn't realized I could devour demonic energy as well.
But what was the point of having more demonic energy?
I couldn't even use it.
I want to use magic too.
I could clearly feel the demonic energy inside my body, so why couldn't I consciously channel it?
Even though I could instinctively mix demonic energy into my blood.
Unless I found a way to directly consume demonic energy, it was completely useless.
As expected, they didn't have any skills. Well, at least I filled my stomach.
After roughly finishing my meal of Three-Eyed Wolves, I returned to the tree.
The tree was cradling the girl comfortably as if it were her nanny.
Somehow, most of her wounds had already healed.
—If she's indeed who I think she is, she's the daughter of the ruler of the city we're heading to.
Oh, so you're telling me without me even having to ask?
I was just about to ask.
Why is someone like that dying out here?
"Gweeeek."
—I can't be sure since I haven't heard it from her yet, but I have a hunch.
I had a pretty good idea of what that hunch was.
The ruler the tree knew had likely become the former ruler, and the girl, the former ruler's daughter, had become a fugitive.
Until the girl woke up and told us herself, we wouldn't know the truth, but I doubted I was wrong.
It feels like we've gotten tangled up in something incredibly troublesome. There's no escaping it, is there?
Looking at the tree, it was clearly determined to help this girl.
Which meant, of course, I would be dragged along too.
We had gotten caught up in an incident before we even set foot in the city.