Ch.38Chapter 38. Intruder XXX Crashes the Yuri Scene

“Ah~ Look at those eye colors~ So pretty~”

The Hero grabs the Clown’s chin with a grin.

There was no sense of consideration in that touch.

Unlike that man who showed concern for her even when he threw himself in at the end.

“W-wait. This isn’t the time for this!”

But even such actions would seem frustrating to those who barely survived.

Soon, the merchant leader who was guiding the group urgently began speaking to the guards blocking the Hero’s path.

“I understand you had reasons to leave the garrison, but we don’t have time to dawdle here! W-we need to get out of here quickly!”

“I’m sorry, but the Hero is currently occupied. I recommend you stay put until the Hero decides to move.”

“You call that an explanation!?”

“Don’t you realize where we just escaped from? The Demon Lord’s army could be here any moment!”

“Wouldn’t it be better for your safety to stay close to the Hero?”

The guards tried to persuade the protesting adventurers with cold voices.

The adventurers stiffened at their firm attitude, but no one dared to speak up.

Yes, the existence of a Hero was enough to suppress the sense of crisis they felt.

“Sure~ Whether it’s the Demon Lord’s army or whatever, if you value your lives, don’t go anywhere else and just stay by my side~ I need people to take care of me on my way back to the Empire anyway~”

In the tense atmosphere, the Hero smiled slyly and casually put an arm around the Clown’s shoulder.

It wasn’t just to toy with them.

Having left in a hurry without properly packing any necessities, meeting merchants who were coming with supplies was something the Hero welcomed.

“You understand what I mean too, don’t you, sister?”

And if there was a woman to his liking as well, there was even less reason to refuse.

The Clown’s gaze fixed precisely on the greedy fingertips extending toward her body.

“Of course, it might be a bit scary at first, but don’t worry too much~ Once I spend some time with you, you’ll quickly get used to…”

-Slap!

“…Huh?”

“Take your hand off.”

The Hero’s hand was pushed away by a rough slap.

It was something the Clown herself hadn’t consciously realized.

Before she could even think that she should reject this hand, her own hand had moved first.

“Don’t touch my body.”

Yes, it gave her goosebumps.

Unlike when she held that man’s hand, which still came to mind even now.

Because she felt a terrible aversion to the idea of accepting someone else’s desire aimed at her.

“Wow, look at those fierce eyes~”

The Hero, not feeling any sense of danger from her hostile gaze.

Soon he smiled slyly and put strength into his left eye.

“But what does that matter?”

Ziiing, a strange light arose with a vibrating sound.

As her body froze upon exposure to it, the Hero burst into laughter and began clapping.

“Ahaha~ How is it, amazing, right? This is called the Petrifying Evil Eye~ Anyone I gaze at with this eye becomes completely stiff on the spot~”

It wasn’t physically hardening her.

More precisely, it affected not the body but the mind—specifically the “unconscious” that one isn’t aware of.

It’s an ability that could be called an “absolute authority” that applies to any sentient being regardless of their strength.

“Resistance is futile, so don’t waste your energy and stay still. I’ll make you feel good from now on~♥”

Of course, she didn’t feel troubled.

Even if her physical movements were restrained, there were still ways to kill.

But…

‘But what’s the point of that anyway?’

She still felt a shiver at his desire to violate her body, but even such physiological fear no longer mattered to her.

There was no guarantee that shaking off this detestable insect would bring the day when her calling would be fulfilled.

She had lived without resisting meaningless things, considering them just part of the journey.

Yes, that was also why she had abandoned the man who tried to save her…

‘…Hyoseong.’

As he said, it was just a meeting of one day.

No matter how drawn she felt, it would be strange to think there was something special in a meeting that lasted just one day.

‘You must be dead by now, right?’

That hesitation created by prejudice led to an irreversible path, and now she regretted it.

Even though she could have forgotten about it and moved on as she had done until now.

‘Now, I’ll never see you again, right?’

Why was her heart…

Why was it so violently stirred by the fact that she would never meet him again?

-Boom, boom!

That feeling of resignation, immersed in such sentiments, was interrupted by a sudden tremor.

Immediately after, everyone’s gaze, including hers, began to move toward the source of the sound.

-CRASH!!

Yes, the center of the forest was overturned.

Something scattered and poured down through the broken tree pieces, and soon terror was painted on the faces of those who saw it.

“W-what is this…?”

What fell among them were dismembered corpses.

They were comrades who had been stationed as scouts in the rear to protect this group.

“R-run away…!!”

And following those corpses, the last survivor joined them, bleeding profusely.

“G-get away from here. D-dangerous one is…”

“Dangerous one? Is the Demon Lord’s army here?”

“It’s not the Demon Tribe. Beastman, it’s the Beastman tribe…!!”

Beastman tribe.

A race with animal characteristics added to human bodies, a threat to humanity separate from the Demon Lord’s army.

Why would they reveal themselves in a garrison area targeted by the Demon Lord’s army?

“…Grrrrrrrrrr.”

That question was rendered meaningless by the faint howling sound coming from the dark forest.

Amid the intimidation that made everyone cower, a being that pushed aside the trees blocking its path with its hands finally revealed itself before them.

Its size was comparable to a house.

A being born with a nature that defiantly refused comparison with humans.

“…Well, this is annoying. I was just about to have a good time, and now a Beastman shows up?”

The Hero, moving away from the Clown as if his mood was spoiled, began to raise his eyes toward the shadow that was looking down at him menacingly.

“Hey bear, stay right there.”

A red light emanated from his opened eyes.

The target of that light is consumed by the unconscious notion that they absolutely must not move, and freezes in place without awareness.

Strength and size don’t matter here.

He was confident that even a legendary dragon, if it existed, couldn’t resist this gaze.

“You might think you’re something because of your size, but my ability doesn’t care about size or strength. If you have enough sense to understand me, quietly…”

“GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!”

But the unconscious is the realm of instinct, not reason.

No sentient being can control their unconscious with will, but if their innate instincts are actively raging, intervention in the unconscious can be blocked.

Yes, the ferocious forepaw that shot upward at this moment was accompanied by such intense hatred that it could push back even the Hero’s power…

“Huh? What? Why is this one moving…”

-SLASH!!!

The upper body was mercilessly torn off by the following swipe of the forepaw.

As the resulting blood splattered in all directions, the Beastman began to sniff with its black nose as if disturbed by the smell of blood.

“…Disgusting.”

And then, a voice flowed from its opened mouth.

By the time they felt their knees weaken just from hearing it, the Beastman’s gaze began to turn toward the survivors.

“This place reeks of a disgusting smell.”

“P-polar bear…?”

The faces of those who belatedly realized its identity all turned pale.

What flowed from their mouths was an emotion that could be called terrible despair.

“If it’s a polar bear Beastman… c-could it be?”

“Ah, oh no… If it’s the polar bear Beastman we know, there’s only one.”

“Surely the assault captain of the Anti-Human Alliance…”

Anti-Human Alliance.

Beastmen united under the ideology that they are the evolved humans beyond humanity, aiming to destroy everything built by primitive humans and rule over them.

Among them, the most feared Beastman, unmatched in strength, was the polar bear Beastman standing before them.

“You all must be comrades of that disgusting woman I just killed?”

Name, Phobia Homer.

Special characteristic, intense hatred toward homosexuality.

“I’ll kill all homosexuals!!!! UWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

The moment that hatred erupted.

The survivors, frightened by the spirit, hurriedly turned their backs and began to flee.

“AAAAAAHHH! Everyone run!!!”

“T-the Hero has fallen! Fallen without even putting up a fight!!!”

There was no choice but to flee.

How could they face a Beastman so notorious that even the Empire had issued wanted posters, when the being that guaranteed their survival had been horribly murdered?

“Kekeke, that crazy bear is going berserk again with those crazy eyes.”

But what was more serious was that Phobia wasn’t the only one here.

Soon, behind Phobia who was excitedly sweeping the surroundings, beings with beast-like forms began to reveal themselves one by one.

“Kihihi! What does it matter!? We came to sweep away everyone here anyway, so it’s good for us if someone loses their mind and goes wild!”

“Tremble in fear, humans! We, the new humanity, have come to conquer you primitive barbarians!!”

The moment beasts with animal instincts and bodies beyond human began to rampage in the dark forest.

The armed adventurers hurriedly confronted them, but their claws and teeth tore through even armor and mercilessly ripped into their vital points.

“D-damn it all!! The Demon Lord’s army was already too much, and now these beast bastards show up out of nowhere?”

“F-first, let’s run! With the Hero dead, there’s no way we can handle opponents like…”

At that desperate moment, the body of a guard who was fleeing ahead was mercilessly sliced apart.

What approached, trampling the fragmented corpse, were beings that could be called monsters—embodiments of ugly desires.

“Oh, there are humans here?”

“We were bored standing guard at the barrier, so we’re grateful you came out like this!”

The Demon Lord’s army.

When the demons who were trying to surround the garrison to attack it heard the commotion here and blocked their path.

“But what’s this, there are Beastmen here too?”

“Who cares, we’ll just kill them all!”

“Kuhahaha! Humans alone were boring, but this is perfect! Let’s go wild!”

Their sole purpose was invasion, destruction, and slaughter.

That was a concept incompatible with the values of the Anti-Human Alliance, which believed in conquering the inferior human race and placing them under their rule.

“The filthy demons dare to target our prey!?”

“This is actually good! We needed to prove someday that demons are below us too!”

“Devour their flesh! Let their blood and flesh be our thirst to prove our superiority!”

When they collided with different reasons but the same conclusion, showing fighting spirit.

All the weak humans caught in the battlefield thus formed could do was suppress their fear and somehow try to find a way out.

“A-ah. It’s all over.”

“D-don’t give up. We can escape while they’re fighting each other!”

“T-there’s a chance. A chance to survive…”

Beasts consumed by instinct and demons led by desire.

And the fear of weak humans all swirling together in one place.

The Clown, standing alone in the blind spot of all these beings, placed her hand on the lute she held and whispered sadly.

“…Truly.”

Starting by plucking the strings, she turned her amber eyes away from the scene.

And in the darkness that followed, she took time alone to reflect on the current story.

“Truly a cliché story.”

A story of a hero intoxicated with power and victory, blinded by arrogance, putting his head into the mouth of a beast.

Recalling the sight of vile demons gathered by that scent, and humans caught between beasts and demons, dying like trash while yearning for life.

“But how can this be called a tragedy?”

She seeks to sublimate all these stories into one through her performance.

In an age where desperate screams and painful laments become less than vulgar jokes.

“It’s just that you weren’t the protagonists, and for those who aren’t the main characters, this world is too cruel.”

Even though she considers the story not worth watching anymore, she moves her hands in this feast of madness.

Not out of sense of duty, nor expectation for the future.

Just as if habitually repeating what she has done countless times before.

“Even if you exit the stage so lonely, please don’t worry too much…”

As she continues her performance with words she has repeated countless times, the desires of all those where her sound reaches begin to rise.

“This humble clown will be with you until the very end, so that at least your final moments won’t be lonely.”

The echoes of a violent festival, enough to cause waves in a river of blood,

With the force to reach beyond this forest to the distant valley.

***

-Tiriing, tiring~♪

Yes, the performance…

At this moment, a faint sound of music can be heard coming from beyond the valley.

It was a tone I had heard somewhere before.

I couldn’t remember exactly when, but the familiarity I felt at this moment was enough to awaken my consciousness that had been settled…

-Crack, creak!

As my body moved reflexively with that awakened consciousness, I felt the joints throughout my body creaking, gnawing at my nerves and mind.

Just one hit.

One punch from a monster beyond human had so devastatingly broken my body that had desperately survived all this time.

If not for the armor Tachia made for me, it wouldn’t have been strange if I had died on the spot.

-Crack, crunch.

But even in such a desperate situation, my body was struggling to move from this place.

It happened before I could even think about it.

If I could move even a little bit, there might still be hope.

Yes, just a little is enough. Just a little.

-Woong. Woong.

If I could have one more chance to grasp that spear.

That vibrates in the distance, responding to my will.