Everything According to the Natural Order (4)
Deathbringer finally let his shoulders slump as he watched the others push their search through the entire night.
He had always been more at home in the dark than under the sun, and living alongside them had thoroughly trained him to stay up till dawn—but hard was still hard. His body was growing steadily heavier.
"Aren't you even hungry?"
Sleep deprivation was only half the problem. Hunger was the other.
Long stretches of starvation had been his old friend, and spending whole days on an empty stomach had been his closest companion—yet that did not mean the torment was pleasant.
If they were going to pull an all-nighter, he wished they would at least feed him something. He did not enjoy being hungry.
"……."
But what right did the most useless member of the group have to complain about meals? Back home it would never even have counted as a grievance.
Deathbringer swallowed the rising discomfort.
He dredged up his past instead—the days he had gone hungry not for one day but for several, the nights he had spent wide-eyed with nothing but revenge to keep him company. The comforts and abundance he had enjoyed lately came entirely from their wealth, and he must never grow used to them. With that resolution, his gut settled a little.
Ssshk.
"……?"
He must have let his mind wander too far while steeling himself.
Only when the beast's presence was already right on top of him did he notice. He could not dodge this one. Long experience whispered it into his ear.
Then he would at least reduce the damage. As long as he did not die, Softie would heal him.
Deathbringer dropped low with practiced ease and shielded his vital spots. He was ready to sacrifice an arm or a leg if he had to.
Thwuck!
Thud!
But no pain came. Only the sound of flesh bursting.
The eyelids he had reflexively squeezed shut opened again.
"You let your guard down, young hunter!"
Berserk, who had already outstripped them by more than ten meters, now stood protecting him.
"Uh… thank you, my lord."
"Ha. You slick little bastard. What a fool. Keep your eyes on your rear. Are you hurt?"
"If you're going to scold me, just scold me."
Softie was ridiculous too. Anyone could see he was fine—did she really need to ask?
Deathbringer twitched his ticklish ears for no good reason and let Berserk help him up.
Unlike the two who had drawn near, the Demon Knight's figure was still faintly visible continuing onward. True to the man who had said he would leave behind anything that got in the way.
"…Let's hurry, then."
He brushed off his clothes, tasting something oddly bitter in his mouth.
"Right. Let's go!"
Then he paused. He glanced at the predator that had tried to ambush him only to be punched flying by Berserk's fist.
Amusingly, a hole the size of a circle made by thumb and forefinger had been punched clean through its skull. A through-and-through wound.
"Ah, right. Comrade, Berserk is hungry. Let's eat and then move."
"You've got a whole litter of piglets stuffed in that stomach of yours, don't you?"
"Let's roast the one that just died!"
"Tsk."
"Ah, a meal? I didn't pack any tools or seasonings…"
Deathbringer scratched his head. Honestly, he had no idea what that knight wanted from him.
"Aigoo. I figured as much. Come on out. I at least packed seasonings and hardtack."
"Oh!"
"Just so you know, I'm roasting everything. The pot was too heavy so I left it."
If you wanted no one to meddle with you, you should start by not being so kind yourself.
"Augh, the fog keeps the fire from catching. Ah, right. Hey, Softie. Can't you push the fog back with that piss-yellow barrier of yours?"
"Oh! Piss-yellow?! And do not try to use a Holy Power barrier for something like that!"
"What do you mean 'something like that'? What's wrong with using it for this?"
"Urgh!"
I offered a quiet prayer for the puma that had tried to eat Dev and gotten eaten instead.
Of course I did not feel sorry for it. It had nearly hurt our Meat Dumpling.
"Oooh, the fog's pulling back."
"I-is using it for this not blasphemous…?"
"Shut up and just get the fire going. Warrior-nim, cut the meat as small as you can."
"Is this enough?"
Meanwhile Meat Dumpling's technique was absurdly good. Wet branches only made smoke, so he stripped every scrap of bark and hunted out the dry parts alone.
"Wow, Warrior-nim. I've always thought this, but you've never actually learned butchery, have you?"
"Never!"
"Looks that way. Hand it over. I'll take it from here."
Even watching him debone and dress the carcass drew admiration every single time.
Neither I nor the Inquisitor could manage it, and the Archmage—who leaned a little too heavily on magic—would never be able to copy the skill.
"There. Slice it this thin and roast it…"
"Oh!"
"Is it already done?"
"That's the quick way to eat it. Other cuts don't taste as good, and this part's so small we don't usually bother cooking it."
I always thought it—what would we have done if we hadn't recruited Dev? Even adding the Archmage's magic, our survival skills were rock-bottom…
"Keh, if only we had some liquor!"
"My, the smell…"
"What is with you? Of all pieces you grab the one that was right next to the guts. Put that down and eat this."
Early on our camping nights had been short or nonexistent, but the longer this went the heavier the share of sleeping rough became…
Mm. Our Meat Dumpling really was the best.
"Comrade, you truly will not eat meat?"
Meanwhile Berserk, happily stuffing herself, asked.
Well, watching me chew dried fruit alone instead of meat probably looked pretty pitiful. No pot meant no soup either.
"Mind your own business."
Still, I would rather scoop grain powder than eat meat. I answered dryly and popped a dried berry into my mouth.
Maybe because anything too sweet did not count as a proper meal. It felt like snacking.
"Hey, Warrior-nim. Could you come for a second…?"
We had taken a short rest when Dev dragged Berserk off, claiming he needed to relieve himself.
That left me suddenly alone with the Inquisitor.
Fortunately she was not the type to chatter uselessly—though she did mutter to herself—so it was fairly comfortable. The only topic that came up was demons, which I could answer well enough.
So I waited rather pleasantly for Dev and Berserk to return…
"Uwaagh, uwaaagh! Softie, barrier, barrier!"
"Wahahahat! We're back!!!"
The ones who had gone to the bathroom came back dragging something bizarre.
"O God, grant me strength!"
The startled Inquisitor urgently drew up Holy Power. Thud. The enormous shield she never left behind—even if she skipped luggage—slammed into the earth.
"We're in!"
"Protect Your young lambs!"
The moment Dev and Berserk scrambled behind the shield, white light burst outward. My HP dropped like clockwork, the usual annual event.
Thud!
It just barely stopped the beasts charging outside the barrier.
"What is going on?!"
"Hahat, can we kill them now?!"
"Aigoo, just wait a little! At least explain the situation first!"
They were not even demons—just ordinary beasts. Only their numbers were enormous.
Thanks to that the Inquisitor kept the defense up with ease and asked what had happened. I wanted to hear it too.
How exactly had they pulled this much aggro?
"We were catching fish by the water when they suddenly rushed us."
"Fish?"
"That's not the important part."
"Ah, right. So they just attacked out of nowhere?"
"Yes."
That was strange. Predators discovering prey and attacking was natural enough, but a mixed pack of so many different species charging together did not feel universal.
"Berserk wanted to fight. But I could not protect the young hunter. So we ran."
"I see."
"More importantly, do you sense any Demon Energy or anything? No matter how I look at it, this isn't normal."
"Nothing I can feel yet… Ah!"
We could not just sit here forever without knowing the cause.
So, like Berserk, I drew my sword to deal with the beasts.
"They are… eating the Holy Power."
But the sight right in front of me made my blade hesitate. Some of the animals were scraping and gnawing at the barrier, trying to devour it.
"What?"
"Oh."
After creatures that ate Demon Energy and mana, now ones that ate Holy Power. This was hip-hop.
"A-are you all right?!"
"They are not eating enough to be a problem. I layered it several times, so even if it cracks it will not break through. But… but…"
"So Holy Power can be eaten too?"
Either way this was an important discovery. We needed to capture at least one alive—ideally two or three—and take them back.
"You."
That would require a little cooperation.
"You calling me?"
"Capture two alive. You are not such an idiot that you cannot tell the difference."
"Kehat! Alive, is it! Understood, leave it to me!"
I felt a little uneasy, but there was no other way. Besides, my HP kept draining while I stayed here. Time to step out.
"You are going out? I will assist!"
I stepped through the Holy Power barrier.
Kuuung!
At the same moment a rectangular golden plate formed and shoved back every beast surrounding the shield.
She must have practiced all sorts of things at the Magic Tower and invented a new skill. An excellent knockback ability.
"I will take the rear!"
She could even press with it. The Inquisitor simply crushed the beasts behind us flat.
They did not burst—apparently she had tried to capture them. They just squealed and struggled to wriggle free.
Slash!
Excellent backup either way. Using the distance the Inquisitor had bought me, I swung my sword the moment I left the barrier.
Two beasts lost their heads to my blade, and the mana spears that formed in the air skewered every creature that had tried to leap at me.
"Kwahahahat!"
Berserk fought in a similar yet different fashion.
She gripped her halberd long and swept it in a wide arc, clearing everything in range. Anything that jumped in during the swing she simply tanked. Wounds on her own body did not seem to concern her.
"Alive! Warrior-nim, alive!!"
See? I knew she would forget.
I found the animal that had been chewing Holy Power and kicked its body. Then I planted my foot on its nape so it could not rise.
The surroundings were far too brutal to shout "Sorry, animals," so I pocketed my conscience for a moment.
Slash!
I cut down the ones around me, then spotted another that seemed to be eating Holy Power and snatched it by the scruff.
Conveniently it had charged me, so clamping my hand around its throat was not difficult.
That made two. Adding the ones the Inquisitor had pinned brought us to about eight.
Grrraaargh!
I was careful not to let the leopard's claws rake my leg. The one under my boot stayed quiet enough, but this one was thrashing like mad. Well, that was normal.
"Ah, one of them died."
"After swinging a halberd like that, expecting them not to die is the strange part…"
"No. I did not hit this one. Look. No wound."
"Huh, you're right."
Apparently he had not spent the whole time simply being protected. Dev lowered his short bow and stepped outside the barrier.
Perhaps seeing no further need, the Inquisitor released her power and the barrier itself melted away.
What remained were dozens of corpses and nine captured beasts.
"……?"
But why was this happening? I checked the one under my foot and found it dead. Strange—I had carefully avoided breaking its neck, and it had no other injuries.
Why had it died? Just as I was about to sink into thought, Dev let out a soft "Oh!"
"This one's dead too. And this one."
"Ah, I only applied enough pressure that it shouldn't have died…?"
I kept a firm grip on the one still living and joined them. Apparently some of the ones the Inquisitor had captured raw had also died.
"Why did they die?"
We had no idea, but five of the nine we caught had died in addition.
We carefully bound the mouths and limbs of the remaining four so they would not die. We would carry them all the way to the city like this.
"Really… what kind of disaster is this."
Tell me about it. They say even a dog is left alone while it eats, yet the incident had to erupt right at mealtime.
"I sense no Demon Energy… it may be a similar kind to that snake we saw in the Great Forest."
"Ugh. Then at least it might serve as a clue?"
"I do not know. But it is nothing we can simply leave alone… so yes, we may regard it as a clue."
"Berserk used strength, so now hungry again…"
"Ah, is that so? But the meat's probably all gone cold…"
"We have to haul these to the city anyway, so why don't we just go back and eat properly?"
"Hm?"
"…You're not seriously planning not to go back, right?"
"No, that was not my intention…"
I blinked in mild confusion at the gazes that had naturally gathered on me.
We had not found a demon, but we had found a clue that was highly likely related to one. Hauling these things around while continuing the search would also be inconvenient.
So of course, even for the sake of the roleplay, I would say we should head back. Why were they looking at me? Did they really think I would suggest carrying these and searching further?
"Are we returning?"
…Did my character concept look that hateful?
"There they come."
How far did the morality of my character concept actually stretch? Carrying that awkward feeling, we returned to the city. The Archmage waiting for us at the walls was a bonus.
"Hey, did you lot just come back from that forest?!"
"What, an adventurer made it back alive?"
"There are adventurers who returned alive?"
While the Inquisitor spotted the Archmage and waved, I noticed something odd.
The top of the walls seemed… rather busy? Something must have happened overnight; the gate that was normally left open in the morning was shut tight.
"Is there some problem?"
"Don't tell me beasts attacked this side too…"
"War? Is a battle about to start?"
As the gates opened we exchanged grim opinions, mostly wondering whether something had gone wrong.
"You lot, you really came from that forest?"
"We did, but…"
And when the people finally came down,
"Then, did you also see the black pillars ascending in the night?"
Three pairs of eyes turned toward me.
"Th-they shot up five times with a great roar. Did you see the cause?"
W-well…
I had seen them. A little too well.
From the front-row seat, no less.
"So it was you after all?"
Then the Archmage, who had hurried down with the guards, whispered softly. He seemed to have guessed from our expressions.
"Perhaps a demon near this land…"
"Th-that is not it."
"Aigoo, it wasn't a demon."
No, well. That.
Was it really something to be so shocked about? The sound had not even been that loud, and the color was black so it had mostly melted into the night sky. How had they even noticed?
"Don't tell me you saw it yourselves?"
"If we saw it, well, we did see it…"
"Hahat, this friend here did it!"
Cutting past the Inquisitor and Dev who were fumbling through the conversation, Berserk cheerfully shouted.
"Looked like there was a demon in the sky so I shot it! Is that a problem?"
"What?"
Whether this had been the right choice, well, I was not sure either. "Th-that man did it?" The guards froze solid.
The Inquisitor and Dev hurriedly launched into explanations.
"I have quite a few things I would like to say…"
Meanwhile the Archmage's gaze settled on the animals in our hands. His intent to set scolding aside and grasp the situation first was clear.
"Are you unharmed?"
"Hm? Fine."
"And the others?"
"As Berserk remembers, no one was hurt!"
"That is a relief. Then those…?"
"Beasts we met in the forest! Dozens charged us in a pack so we killed some and caught some!"
"Is that so?"
"Ah, the priest also said these things eat Holy Power. Do animals these days eat Holy Power too?"
"…What did you just say?"
But after hearing this story, would he still manage to scold us?
Confirming that the topic had completely shifted, I dumped the leopard I had been carrying onto the ground. The beast, tightly bound in vines, squirmed.
"Is it all right to set them down?"
Berserk also laid the predators she had been carrying on both sides onto the ground. After carefully watching to make sure none died, they were all still alive and well.
"…I must examine them at once."
"Ah, right. Mage-nim, some of the animals just dropped dead even though we barely touched them, you know? Just mentioning it in case."
"Hmm. Yes. I will take that into account. Thank you."
Ah, so the explanations were over? I took Dev glancing our way as the final signal and started walking inward.
The guards watched me with somewhat uneasy eyes, but they had explained the situation well enough that no one tried to stop me.