Why the Hell Is My Brother Here?
The early morning sun had just begun to rise over the mountain range. The campfire that had burned through the night still held onto its lingering warmth. The tent we'd shared for the past two years stood quietly nearby, and Isabel was still fast asleep, breathing softly.
To be honest, I hadn't slept a wink. A man and a woman, alone together in one tent. It's not like I'd ever even held hands with a girl before. This was a first for me. Of course I couldn't sleep. My eyes were bloodshot. I'd kept waking up throughout the night, so it didn't feel like I'd rested at all.
Looking at her now, Isabel seemed almost infuriating. Here I was, unable to sleep because of her, and she was sleeping so peacefully. If it had been Ragner instead of me, she probably would've been violated.
Thwack!
“...Ouch.”
Without thinking, I'd given her a sharp flick to the forehead. At the sudden sensation, Isabel slowly opened her eyes. It was still early morning. She could've slept longer, and I felt a little guilty for waking her up so soon. So I decided to act shameless.
“Mmm...”
“You're already awake?”
“...Hmph. Wasn't it you, Hero, who flicked the head of someone who was sleeping so well?”
Oops. Busted.
“Haha... Just go back to sleep for a bit. I need to step out somewhere.”
“I'll come with you. My lady ordered me to stay by your side at all times.”
“I'm not running away. One desertion was enough. I don't feel like doing it twice.”
Besides, having Isabel with me would only make it harder to concentrate.
Gurgle.
While we were talking, a familiar sound came from somewhere. It definitely wasn't from me. So that meant...
“...Ugh.”
“Pfft!”
It was Isabel's stomach. I couldn't help but laugh. At that, her ears began to burn bright red. Her cheeks flushed as crimson as her pink hair. It was an adorable reaction.
Well, she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. That was all my fault. Honestly, I felt incredibly sorry. Once Seria cleared up the misunderstanding with the king, I needed to get Isabel back to the Lionblood estate as soon as possible. That would probably put her mind at ease. And in more ways than one, it'd make things easier for me too.
“Hahaha. In that case, I'll go do a bit of hunting.”
“...Hmph. If that was the plan, you should've said so from the start.”
“Whatever. Just lie back down. You ran all day yesterday, so you must be exhausted.”
“Tch. You were the one who woke me up.”
“Just rest, okay?”
“Mm... But maybe I should help with—”
I glanced at the chattering birds and immediately pressed a finger to her lips. I didn't like the idea of her moving around. The only reason she had to move at all was because of me. Since this whole situation was my fault, I had to take responsibility until the end.
“Isabel, just stay here. I'll be back soon. If anyone approaches, scream immediately.”
“But...”
“Isabel.”
I said her name more firmly this time, pressing my finger against her lips. This was my decision. No matter how much she was supposed to assist me, she was still an outsider. She'd already suffered because of me. The least I could do was let her rest.
“...Ugh. Understood.”
Isabel felt the touch of Kim Taesik's finger against her lips. From yesterday onward, he'd been paying attention to her in all sorts of ways. Seeing him again, she realized he wasn't such a bad person after all.
...Had her lady fallen for him because of moments like this? His eyes looked exhausted, like he'd stayed up all night watching over her...
Isabel unconsciously lowered her head and turned away.
'...Ugh. Why am I even breathing like this?!'
He was the man her lady had chosen. She shouldn't be harboring such impure feelings. As she blushed at the thought, his voice reached her again.
“You're surprisingly obedient today, huh?”
That teasing tone again. A ticklish feeling began to rise inside her. She thought she should've gotten used to it by now, but with her burning cheeks and tangled thoughts, her mouth moved on its own. Isabel had always been weak to a man's touch.
“Eep! I can't help it! Y-you... that...”
“That?”
“...It's nothing.”
I could only tilt my head at Isabel's behavior. What was up with her? Was it because she hadn't eaten yesterday? Well, people do lose their minds when they're hungry. I knew that from experience.
“Weird girl.”
“...! I'm not weird!”
“Hahaha. Sure you're not.”
I couldn't help but laugh at Isabel's reaction. That pure, genuine response. It was something I'd missed after dealing with Fina and Lunaris. At the same time, feeling a pang of guilt, I headed into the forest in search of game.
*
I'd already confirmed there were no people in the area. This wasn't exactly a place anyone would visit anyway. Which meant it was safe to take out the Holy Sword.
I unwrapped the cloth, gripped the hilt, and smoothly drew it from its sheath.
Srrrng—
A brilliant, sacred radiance enveloped me. I could feel the mana, and the runes engraved on the blade caught my eye.
“Odin, guide me.”
There was nothing more useful than selling out a god at times like this. After all, he was on the side of the hero who followed his will. Even though I was a visitor from another world, he'd always been kinder than anyone, blessing me as I fought alone against the Legion Commanders. It was basically an affection attack reserved for those who obeyed and proved themselves strong.
Of course, I'm an atheist. I'm grateful that Odin showers me with blessings, but I only wag my tail when I need something. Nothing more, nothing less. Depending on my situation, the god I believe in changes by the day. Isn't that the greatest advantage of being non-religious? When you're terrified, you pray to God, Buddha, Allah... and hope one of them bites. There's no sweeter deal than that.
“Shall we get going?”
Sure enough, since this was a remote forest, there were plenty of animal tracks. I wondered where exactly we were. Isabel and I had run far enough that the pursuit party couldn't keep up, but I had no idea what region this was. It could be foreign territory, or maybe near the border. The slightly dark soil made it quite possible we were close to the Demon Realm. Still, the presence of animal tracks meant I couldn't rule out the possibility of demonic beasts either.
“Hmm... Still can't quite figure out what might show up.”
I took a deep breath. A pinch of tension, two scoops of composure. If I could maintain that balance and move forward slowly, I'd be fully prepared. I silenced my presence and listened carefully.
The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind blended together like the roar of a majestic waterfall. The trees swayed and covered the entire forest in thick foliage. So when all those leaves rustled at once, it naturally sounded like rushing water. I confirmed there was a stream nearby, and probably a pond as well. That meant animals would be active. There was virtually no chance the area was devoid of life. They were definitely here.
“Time to give it a try, then?”
Riiip!
I tore the magic scroll I'd prepared from my bag. The runes, sensing mana, flashed brightly. Birds chirped and fluttered away in a panic. They were hidden behind the branches, so I couldn't see them clearly. Besides, they were too small to be worth eating anyway. I ignored them and activated the spell from the torn scroll.
Detection
My agility and presence detection rose sharply. The increased flow of information reaching my ears was proof of that. It was the one thing Lunaris had actually done well. She'd helped me out a lot in the beginning, after all. The problem was that the magic scrolls she'd made were nearly depleted. Sure, I could use magic myself, but detection spells weren't exactly my forte. So I had no choice but to rely on the pre-recorded ones.
If this were a game, it'd be like a battle item. I'd played a ton of RPGs before coming to this world, so stuff like this actually felt pretty welcome. I remembered playing on consoles, PC, and mobile too.
“Haa...”
There I go missing it again. I wanted to kill the Demon King and go back as soon as possible. Honestly, it was a world worth longing for. It was the one I'd always dreamed of. The only thing that hadn't changed was that my so-called comrades were complete trash who'd thrown someone who knew nothing into a battlefield.
At this point, fighting didn't really stir much emotion in me. I'd been chosen as the hero, and no one else could wield the Holy Sword. In the end, without me, the Demon King wouldn't die. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, I'd gather a new party. Avoiding Lunaris, Ragner, and Fina's eyes, of course. I'd make them realize through their bones that going on a subjugation quest by themselves would never work. They might've already felt it. Lunaris's face back in the east had looked pretty grim.
So what? Was that my problem? Nope. Who told them to pull that shit? Try putting themselves in someone else's shoes for once, you rotten bastards. They teach that in school, don't they? I've been hearing it since elementary school. Serves them right.
“Haa...”
I let out a deep sigh. What was the point of thinking about this? I wasn't going to see them again anyway. Instead of wasting time, I should look for game. I needed to catch something big before the scroll's effect wore off. That way, it could at least serve as an apology to Isabel. No matter that it was Seria's order, following someone in my position must've been exhausting. She'd already gone a full day without eating. This was something I had to take responsibility for.
I had a rough idea of what was in the area, but it wasn't precise. Since I was only detecting things through sound and sensation, there were clear limits. For me, the Detection spell was like a gem. It let me sense the pulse of life up close. And this one was heavy and massive.
When I focused on it, I could tell. This had a lot of meat. The muscle content was high too, but that wasn't important right now. Time to hunt—
Hang on. What? Meat? Flesh?
“...Muscle?”
“Grrrr...”
“What the fuck?”
Why the hell is my Hell Hound brother showing up here...?
*
I calmed my pounding heart. Thump thump. What a cute sound.
“...Grrrr.”
“Aww, what the—it's just a Hell Hound?”
“Grrrng?”
“Perfect timing. I was looking for game, and here you are right nearby?”
Damn it! I wasted a magic scroll! Still, how did it not show up on my detection? What the hell? I thought about it for a second, but worrying wouldn't solve anything, so I gave up easily. It was going to die soon anyway.
I'd been startled for a moment, but Hell Hounds weren't that scary. The hounds of the Demon Realm were strong in packs, but individually they weren't much. Honestly, the only difference was their habitat. When they died, they became meat whether in the human world or the Demon Realm. I remembered Ragner roasting the Hell Hound I'd brought back from the Demon Realm. Being a barbarian, he was surprisingly good at grilling wild game. For a guy whose head was full of nothing but dick and muscles, that was probably his only real talent.
Anyway, this was a problem. These bastards were right next to me, baring their fangs with low growls. We seemed to be a little ways outside the Demon Realm, yet Hell Hounds had made it this far? Honestly, I could just kill them. But my real concern was that if I simply grilled them, they'd smell fishy. How the hell was I supposed to cook this?
“Grrrr...”
“Woof! Woof!”
“Hold still. I'm trying to figure out how to grill you guys, okay?”
Srrrng—
The Holy Sword's radiance frightened the creatures of the Demon Realm. Facing completely opposing energy, any living being would naturally feel fear.
“...Whine.”
“Good. Sit still if you want to live even a second longer.”
When I held the sword closer, they slowly backed away. Oh? Trying to run?
I chuckled and placed my hand on the dark dirt ground. I mixed two runes, infused them with mana, and chanted.
Earth Wall
In an instant, an earthen wall rose to block their path. I rested my right hand near my chin and thought slowly. Were there any spices around here? Or more importantly, did I even have any spices in my bag? Even if Isabel had come to assist me, she probably hadn't packed spices. Hmm... Given the situation, did I really need to worry about that? It'd be nice if I at least had some salt. If I gave up on the juices and grilled them a bit dry, it wouldn't be too bad. The gamey smell wouldn't be unbearable. I just had to endure today. By tomorrow, the misunderstanding should be cleared up and the news would spread across the kingdom. At least, that's what Seria had said. I was really lucky to have saved the duke's daughter.
“Still, one should be enough... Should I let the other two live?”
“Whiiine...”
“Nope. What if someone passes by?”
“...Whine?”
Aw, you little shits. Don't look at me with those eyes. It reminds me of our family dog back home. It's unfair to look at me like that when I'm about to kill you. And I don't like unfair tactics. Do these pups have no conscience? Using cheap tricks?
With that thought, I lightly swung the Holy Sword. The Hell Hound tried its best to dodge, but too bad. Its back was blocked by the earthen wall. To escape, it'd have to get past me.
“Grrrrrr...”
“Damn, you've got a foul mouth.”
The Holy Sword's radiance traced a path through the air. The rising aura made it clear that Odin had bestowed his blessing upon me.
Shiiiiiing—!
Black blood spurted from the severed neck. The cross-section was gruesome, so I didn't bother looking. “What a nasty temper.”
Even seeing this, you couldn't think of them as ordinary animals. They were devil dogs that ate humans. No matter how far they'd strayed from the Demon Realm, they weren't the kind I could just leave alive. The only reason I could stand here so casually was because I was the hero. If a merchant had been passing through, it would've been a disaster.
“Kyaaaaah! W-why is there a Hell Hound?!”
“...?”
Whoa! This is some real magic. Is this actually possible? The moment I thought of a merchant, a trader being chased by a pack of Hell Hounds appeared in my sight. Hey... Odin, dude. Did you just give me precognition? This is cheating.
The merchant came running toward me. Our eyes met. He was shouting something, but I couldn't hear it clearly. I focused my ears and used Detection on the sound.
“H-help me!”
“I kinda expected this, but...”
“H-hey! Mister! Don't just stand there, help me out!”
“...The fuck is this?”
This is actually happening.