Ch.1229The Watchers

# The Watchers

“What on earth is that…?”

Third-party spectators who witnessed the battle between Bergelmir and Caljarat.

The man and woman who had prioritized their lord’s orders and tried to avoid getting involved now had no choice but to change their minds after what they had just witnessed.

Because they had seen it all.

The mighty slash that seemed to cleave the sky and the incarnation of the morning star. Something that had a human form but could no longer be called human.

And everything else—Caljarat falling to her overwhelming might and Bergelmir choosing submission over death.

It was shocking, wondrous, and an overwhelming divine presence. Even by the standards of those accustomed to the might of demigods.

“…What do you think? Have we found what we’re looking for?”

“…I believe so. It would be too coincidental… I doubt there would be two unknown demigods this powerful.”

The pair had witnessed everything with their own eyes and were convinced that this woman was indeed the being their lord was searching for.

A transcendent powerhouse capable of killing three demigods single-handedly. The key to shaking up Naraka’s political landscape and the eye of the storm.

Their orders were to find her, make contact, discover her intentions or desires, and if possible, establish an alliance or cooperative relationship.

“What should we do? Make contact right away?”

The woman glanced sideways as she asked.

Whether to approach immediately for a conversation as ordered, or continue observing to learn more about the target before making contact.

Both options had their pros and cons, making it difficult to decide.

“What do you think?”

“Obviously we should meet her now! If we just keep watching and someone else snatches her away, I’d be too upset to sleep. Don’t you agree?”

They weren’t the only ones ordered to find and make contact with Haschal. Logically, such an important mission wouldn’t be entrusted to just two individuals.

Even at this moment, countless others with the same orders would be roaming every corner of Naraka searching for traces of that monster.

In other words, if they missed this opportunity, they might end up handing their good fortune to someone else.

That’s why the woman wanted to seize this luck without delay. Before the opportunity passed to their competitors.

“Hmm…”

The man, on the other hand, hummed with obvious reluctance. He wasn’t convinced this was the best course of action.

‘We don’t know who this woman is. Not her personality or preferences… nor what she wants, what she’s done, or what she plans to do.’

They knew nothing. Yes, knowing nothing was the problem.

To put it bluntly, that monster might be a madwoman who draws her sword at the slightest verbal misstep.

Even if she wasn’t that extreme, potential dangers were abundant.

‘Judging by how she’s taken a rock monkey and a giant as subordinates, she’s probably not a human supremacist. But still…’

At least the most dangerous possibility—that she despised and antagonized all non-human races—seemed unlikely.

But that alone wasn’t enough to put him at ease.

‘…We still don’t know how she feels about our race.’

Even those who weren’t racial supremacists often harbored grudges against specific races and sought to exterminate them on sight—such people were all too common throughout the world.

Especially since their race was culturally and historically prone to incurring human enmity.

‘In the worst case, we could be slaughtered the moment we reveal ourselves. If so…’

As the man weighed opportunity against safety, the woman who had advocated for immediate contact tapped his shoulder with a slightly furrowed brow, clearly finding his hesitation frustrating.

“Are we just going to keep watching? What if she goes back underground? How will we find her then? We don’t even know where she’s headed.”

“…You’re right. Sometimes you have to roll the dice to see what happens. Let’s make contact.”

After deliberation, the man finally decided to risk approaching the monster. There seemed to be no other way to gauge her disposition.

“Great, then let’s—”

“But only one of us will approach. So that even in the worst case, at least one can survive to report back to our superiors.”

“…You’re telling me to go check it out, right? Because whoever suggested it should take responsibility if things go wrong?”

The implication that only one person needed to take the risk.

“Sure, why not? But if things go well, I get all the credit?”

The woman’s expression had momentarily hardened, as if hearing him say “go die alone if you want to die,” but she quickly smiled and nodded. As if to say she’d take the risk for him if he was that scared.

“What nonsense. It’s the opposite.”

But the man, far from being impressed by her boldness, just shook his head with a derisive chuckle.

“The opposite?”

“It’s obvious. If I send you and things go well, you’ll think you were right and continue being reckless in the future. Conversely, if things go wrong and you’re killed, any lesson learned would be meaningless.”

Seeing his colleague’s confused expression, the man sighed deeply, then turned his gaze back to their distant target with a sharp look.

“On the other hand, if I go and get killed… at least you might learn the value of caution. Perhaps.”

If one of them had to be sacrificed, that death should at least serve as a catalyst for the survivor’s growth.

In his judgment, if his colleague were to die, it would be a meaningless death, but if he sacrificed himself, he might at least impart a lesson to her.

So the man firmly pressed down on the shoulder of the woman who had volunteered to take responsibility, restraining her, and approached the distant demigod in her place.

All the while praying that this human-like demigod wouldn’t immediately dismember and roast him upon sight.

—-

Distance to target: two thousand meters.

‘She’s withdrawn her divine aura. Looking at her now, she certainly appears human. At least on the surface.’

Fifteen hundred.

‘Black hair… is that peculiar armor in the style of the Eastern Plains people? Not good. I’ve heard they’re just barbarians who can’t communicate properly.’

One thousand.

‘Wait. That fur pelt looks familiar somehow…’

Eight hundred.

‘No doubt about it. That’s the pelt of a “king.” And the fact that she’s wearing it tanned on her body means…’

The man who had quietly crept through the undergrowth to within eight hundred meters of his target suddenly stopped, unable to advance further.

Now close enough to make out her expression, he finally realized the identity of the fur pelt the human demigod was wearing.

Though it was so roughly handled that barely any intact portions remained, it was unmistakably the pelt of a werebeast.

And not just any werebeast, but one worthy of being called a king—a powerful being who, while unable to awaken divinity, had at least met the minimum qualifications.

Of course, such a being was no match for a demigod, so being killed in combat would be expected… but the problem was that the werebeast king hadn’t simply been killed but skinned and turned into clothing.

In other words, this demigod before him likely viewed werebeasts not just as slaves but as livestock or game animals.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t skin, tan, and wear the hide of a being that, despite being of a different race, possessed intelligence and the ability to communicate.

This was extremely ominous news for the man approaching Haschal.

Not just because the person he was about to meet was so cruel, but because of the inherent issue he himself carried.

‘…Should I retreat?’

The man hesitated, unable to advance further. He had lost all hope that communication might be possible.

“There’s a chance I might die” and “I will die” may seem similar expressions, but they carry entirely different meanings.

The man had expected the former, but what he now faced seemed much closer to the latter, and that realization froze him in his tracks.

As mentioned earlier, being prepared to die and walking to one’s death were fundamentally different matters.

It was then that it happened.

“—What are you doing, just watching from there?”

A voice as cold as a cutting wind yet tinged with a strange playfulness pierced his ears.

‘What…! Have I been discovered?! From this distance?!’

The man realized the words were directed at him and perked up his ears in alarm.

He had expected to be discovered eventually as he approached, but he hadn’t anticipated that the woman casually smoking would have noticed him long ago.

‘No, it’s too early to be certain. She might not have precisely identified me, but just sensed something approaching and called out randomly—’

As the man tried to ignore the sense of danger crawling up his spine and shifted only his eyes to look ahead.

“I thought I smelled a beast’s stench wafting up… so you’re the culprit.”

With a touch as cold as a predator’s fangs gripping the nape of his neck, the voice that had been hundreds of meters away just moments before now whispered directly into his ear.

“What are you?”

With an instinctive fear that couldn’t be diluted even by her frivolous tone.