Ch.173Chapter 173. Hold Me.

The Sacred Territory of Frigalah.

True to its name, it should have been the most prosperous land within human territory, but all that remained in this place now crawling with monsters was an eerie gloom.

Buildings that should have been shining brilliantly were stained with blood and dust everywhere, and even sunlight was obscured by fog, emphasizing the filth.

-Kiyao!! Aoaaaaa!!

The distant cries occasionally made the expedition halt their steps and repeatedly scan their surroundings with caution.

Even if the sounds came from far away, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down when trouble could arise at any moment.

“At least there doesn’t seem to be any problem in this vicinity… But the city is so vast that searching it entirely with our current numbers would be challenging.”

“Search should be secondary to escape. There’s nothing to search for anyway, as the entire sacred territory seems beyond recovery.”

Indeed, one of their initial objectives—investigation—now seemed meaningless.

Logically speaking, the right course of action would be to report what they had seen and experienced to the Empire and request a large-scale dispatch.

No matter how reluctant the leadership might be, if they learned that a core human territory had been devastated, they would actively seek to resolve the situation.

“The problem is that even attempting to escape won’t be easy. If the path we came through has collapsed, our only way out would be the drawbridge on the opposite side.”

“The key issue is how to break through this place before we reach the opposite side…”

“We’ll need supplies before we leave. Even if we can’t find survivors or solve the problems here, we should be able to scavenge some resources.”

“If investigation is unavoidable for finding our way and securing resources… I think we should first establish a base camp somewhere suitable.”

Perhaps because they were accustomed to expeditions despite the harsh conditions?

Without my intervention, they quickly moved from assessing the situation to establishing a plan of action, and it didn’t take long to put it into motion.

They maintained formation while advancing steadily, cautiously checking buildings for potential dangers, and communicating with hand signals to minimize noise…

“I’ve found a suitable place for our base camp!”

At the call from the scout who had been searching at the vanguard, expedition members immediately turned their attention to that location.

The place they arrived at was a cathedral with a high roof standing out among the buildings in the area.

Having to climb stairs made it advantageous for defensive battles by securing high ground, and its multi-story structure seemed to provide good visibility of the surroundings.

Without exaggeration, there couldn’t be a better stronghold in this area from any perspective.

“This looks good. It’s suitable as a temporary shelter.”

“It feels uncomfortable to use a place of prayer as a camp, but…”

“Is that really important right now? The very land that serves God has ended up in this state.”

“Those words would earn divine punishment if priests heard them.”

The soldiers exchanged rough banter as they entered the cathedral, but it didn’t seem entirely frivolous to me.

Excessive tension can wear down mental strength, so lightening the mood even in this situation was necessary.

“By the way, isn’t it strange? There are bloodstains all over the city, but not a single corpse to be found.”

My body froze at the sudden question that had been casually raised.

As I turned my head back, I saw the soldiers paying attention to the member who had voiced the doubt.

“Indeed, if such monsters had invaded this place on a large scale, there should be victims’ bodies scattered everywhere…”

“Maybe they were all eaten?”

“Even then, there should be bones left behind, but there’s nothing.”

“Or perhaps they were taken somewhere else to be eaten…”

Right, I had momentarily forgotten. Only Flan and I knew the true identity of these monsters.

Naturally, from the perspective of members who didn’t know this fact, it would be natural to think the monsters had invaded from outside rather than appearing from within.

“Hero, why are you standing there blankly? Were you injured during the earlier attack…?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

But I ultimately decided not to tell the members the truth.

Even though they had weathered many chaotic situations, they originally belonged to the Imperial Army, not just rough adventurers.

They joined the military with the mission of protecting humanity—how could I tell them they would have to point their swords at fellow humans?

Wouldn’t it be enough to face that reality when confronting the Undead?

“If we pile up those collapsed furniture pieces over there, they would make a suitable defensive line.”

Amid my silent deliberation, one soldier jumped out of his seat.

There was a pile of structures that had collapsed from some kind of impact.

As he suggested, piling them at the entrance would be good for preventing attacks in case of emergency.

But what concerned me was that there were particularly thick bloodstains all over those fragments.

-Kyaaaak!!

And my uneasiness proved correct.

With a scream, a shadow leaped out from the pile. As it flew toward the soldier leaving an afterimage, his expression instantly turned pale.

The spear in my hand flew before teeth could sink into his neck.

-Thunk!!!

The monster trembled with the spear piercing its head.

Despite it being an injury that should have caused instant death, it was still moving, confirming that a spear through the head wasn’t enough to kill it.

-Kuu, uh, kehek…

Unlike the Undead, the voice leaking from its mouth was clearly filled with pain.

The moment I realized it was a living human, my breath caught in my throat, but I ultimately suppressed that feeling and manifested a rune-engraved sword to ignite flames.

The most effective way to eliminate these immortal beings was to burn the cut parts to weaken their regenerative abilities.

“Move carefully. Even if there was only one hiding, I can’t cover for you if you’re unlucky enough to get caught.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

Leaving the apologizing soldier behind, I burned all the cross-sections and instructed the soldiers to quietly dispose of the remaining flesh outside the stronghold.

And alone in my place, I mulled over the emotions left inside me.

A sticky, dirty, unpleasant feeling… and a suffocating sensation like needles piercing my chest.

“…Damn it.”

Yes, I killed a person.

Of course, it’s the right answer for survival, and it would be the right thing for the victims too, but according to Flan, the fact that I killed another person with my own hands remains unchanged.

It’s different from killing Undead who are merely shells with barely any remnants left.

They were beings who once had reason despite being immersed in madness, and before becoming grotesquely distorted, they had bodies like mine.

That sense of reality became even more prominent when I recalled the Beastman I knew who had become a horrific figure.

…Damn, I thought I might have to kill people someday, but it’s definitely not a good feeling.

Was Flan enduring this from the beginning?

“Hero, this way.”

As I was barely enduring the nausea, Sanson approached me.

Having gone upstairs ahead of me, he was quietly gesturing upward as if he had something to show me.

Following him upstairs, what I saw through the window was a majestic city built within the walls.

The castle rising highest in the center would surely be the place where the Pope resides—the Papal Office.

-Kiyaaak! Kyaaaaaaak!

But what actually captured my eyes wasn’t the massive castle but the black dots swarming below it.

Each shadow visible through the fog.

The terrible screams coming from there indicated that each dot was one of the monsters we had encountered.

“The monsters are gathering in groups. It seems like there’s something at the Papal Office…”

As he said, it’s unusual by common sense for these instinct-driven monsters to cluster in one place.

Perhaps what led them to gather there is the cause that turned the humans in this land into monsters.

“…One thing is certain.”

But coincidentally, we were being tested by just killing a few monsters.

The moment I saw the monsters, whose numbers could rightfully be called an army, only one thought came to my mind.

“If we avoid the center, we won’t get caught up in unnecessary danger.”

Just the very human thought of wanting to escape from this hellish place.

*****

From the beginning, all I knew about what happened in this land was that for unknown reasons, the people in the sacred territory collectively turned into monsters.

With just that information, I couldn’t possibly attempt to resolve the situation here or uncover the truth.

Even though I’ve grown stronger compared to six months ago, I’m still fighting from the position of “the weaker side,” so I can’t act as if I’m in a position of absolute strength.

So if I want to handle only what I can manage, the right decision would be to limit investigation to what’s necessary for survival and leave the rest to the Empire.

That thought persisted until nightfall when I looked down at the note in our relatively secure stronghold.

[Read this when you enter the sacred territory and are about to leave.]

The last note Irie left me.

Its surface indicated that she had foreseen my entry into the sacred territory, but the time to read it was set for when I was about to leave this place.

That at least meant I would safely reach the situation just before leaving this place.

With that thought, the quiet atmosphere in our current stronghold didn’t seem all bad.

It wasn’t the calm before the storm, but a genuine sense of security that safety had been established.

“Fortunately, except for the central area, there aren’t many monsters gathered.”

“They do gather when we make noise, but apart from the center, they’re all scattered, so it’s not very dangerous.”

“It’s annoying that they’re tenacious due to drinking vampire blood, though…”

The soldiers gathered at the stronghold to exchange information after completing their searches.

Their opinions were generally positive, and a plentiful supply of useful resources they had gathered from around the city was placed before them.

“There are enough intact supplies that we could be self-sufficient even if we were isolated here for a long time.”

“I’m surprised by how many things are still in good condition. With the city this devastated, I’d expect more looting.”

“Well, it’s not that strange considering the city was attacked by monsters who don’t understand the value of things.”

Since even the most problematic issue of supplies had been resolved without much difficulty, the expedition wouldn’t have to worry about food problems until they returned to the mainland.

Of course, if they stayed too long, the prepared food might rot, but that wasn’t a major concern since the monsters were scattered except in the central area.

“Hero, according to the returning search party, there doesn’t appear to be any significant danger on the path to the exit on the opposite side.”

“We’ve confirmed that the drawbridge is lowered, so there shouldn’t be any problem getting out as long as the ropes don’t break from impact like before. Still, I think it would be better to observe for tonight before leaving, just in case…”

“Right, we don’t want to cause any trouble by moving hastily.”

Currently, the monsters were gathered in the center, but who knows what might happen after we depart.

So it seemed best to observe for a day from our secure stronghold and then leave this place the next day with the harvested supplies.

When we first got isolated, I thought it was a big deal… but fortunately, it seems we’ll be able to get through this without much trouble.

“Then leave the rest to us, Hero, and please rest inside.”

“Will that be okay?”

“You’ve already pushed yourself hard fighting Phobia earlier, haven’t you? Besides, there’s no immediate danger, so please leave it to us for now.”

“We’ll call you immediately if any problem arises. Until then, please rest.”

“…Then I’ll leave it to you.”

I would have preferred to stand watch myself, but being human, I also had physical limits.

Accepting their advice to rest for now, I headed to the room prepared inside to get ready for rest.

Until I encountered the Seonkaek staring blankly at a candle there.

“Ah, Master…”

Francesca.

The protector of humanity who had been consistently passive since entering the sacred territory.

Of course, given Sian’s condition, I couldn’t push her too hard, and thinking the other soldiers were also frightened, I had advised her to rest rather than assigning her difficult tasks.

“I told you to rest, but can’t you sleep?”

“Forgive me, but I don’t need sleep in this body.”

“…That must be inconvenient.”

Come to think of it, with her doll body, she could work around the clock.

As I recalled this forgotten fact with a bitter expression, Flan looked up at me and asked:

“Tomorrow, have you decided to escape?”

“That’s the best option for now. Or do you have something else you want to do here?”

“…No. I also think the expedition returning as soon as possible is the right answer.”

A response following a moment of silence.

She seemed to be contemplating to some extent, but I was relieved that she didn’t seem to have any intention of forcibly investigating this place.

Yes, Flan would also want to leave here quickly since she has her own tasks to accomplish.

“But before that, one thing…”

Just as I was thinking how fortunate it was that our thoughts aligned.

As I was preparing to sleep, I noticed Flan fidgeting in front of the candle.

“Before you go to sleep, could you grant me one request?”

A slightly reddened face, and a gaze that moved away from me only to return again nervously.

“A request? What do you mean?”

Not understanding her meaning, I asked again, and Flan carefully opened her mouth to speak.

“Hold me.”

“…What?”

“Before you go to sleep… I want you to hold me.”

“……”

After staring in stunned silence for ten seconds.

Finally understanding what Flan had said, I released my held breath and asked her again.

“…In what sense?”

You know I’m about to become a father, right?