Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 80: Human Bastards (3)

Humans had appeared again!

And this time, it was not just one; there were three of them! An overwhelmingly desperate number! At this rate, it was like a battalion-level force, wasn’t it?!

I could beat one without harm, but three was a different story.

Thump.

An extreme tension. A feeling of anxiety rose from the depths of my heart. How come there were three humans here? Was it them? The ones looking for the man I killed before?

Swoosh.

I pushed the rising thoughts away. This kind of speculation could be done later. Survival came first.

I briefly grasped the identity and purpose of these guys.

First of all, they were all men.

“&%#&%#&.”

“How many more days do we have to #&&;%?”

“Isn’t he already dead?”

Rustle.

The humans unfolded a map and sat down, mumbling to each other. As they carefully looked around, I observed them while being careful not to get caught.

Firstly, their outfits.

“…”

They were not that great.

They were poorer than the one I killed before, wearing gloves instead of gauntlets and no shin guards. They had knives on their waists, but overall, it was a simplified outfit.

But… all three of them had bags.

They were carrying compact-sized bags, as if they had tightly packed their belongings to minimize the size, just like a military backpack. And they had a map? They came prepared. So, they definitely had a clear purpose.

I eavesdropped on their conversation while checking their appearances.

“Of course, he must be dead by now. It’s been a while.”

“That %&;#& bastard is probably drinking somewhere. Why did he come to this %#%%#& place?”

“Calm down. Cursing won’t change anything.”

There were many words I couldn’t understand, but it wasn’t difficult to interpret from the context…!

As expected!

It seemed like they were looking for someone. That bastard, to be precise. I was sure. They came here looking for the guy I killed.

But, that bastard.

It was true that he was crazy enough to charge at me as soon as he saw me. If they came here to find such a guy… my speculation must be correct. This was the worst. The inscription on my sword said the same. He must be a nobleman or a rich man’s son.

Crunch.

I involuntarily gripped the sword in my hand tightly.

“We must find the body. If we can’t find it, we have to keep searching.”

“How are we supposed to find it here, damn it.”

“If the lord told us to, we have to.”

Lord?!

What? A ruler? A superior? The interpretation felt roughly the same! Could it be that the bastard was the son of a lord?!

Why would that kind of bastard be here in the forest, looking like a beggar!

“%#%. Let’s continue the exploration.”

“Can we go deeper? What about the monsters?”

“It should be fine here. The stronger monsters are further inside.”

“Damn it. Let’s rest a bit before we go.”

“Alright.”

Shiver…

Exploration!

They were babbling about exploring this forest!

“…!”

The more I thought about it, the more screwed up it seemed! The son of a lord! And they were going to continue exploring!

Did that mean they would eventually find our location?

Should I kill them here?

“…”

No.

Wait. Killing them wouldn’t end this. They had sent a search party to find their son… If the search party didn’t return, wouldn’t they send another?

And just now, they said to find the “strong monster,” they needed to go further inside. I didn’t know how far this place was from their human land, but they had come this far and knew it was dangerous to go further inside.

Would they die knowing that?

Suspicion would arise that there was a strong monster in the forest, and then… wouldn’t the lord think that the strong monster killed his child? Naturally, wouldn’t he think that he needed to subjugate it?

It was a total dilemma.

Should we send them off safely without touching them? After all, I had already disposed of the good-for-nothing’s corpse. They might give up if their search yielded no results. But that was too optimistic.

What should I do?

“…”

No matter what I did, it was dangerous, and no matter what I did, there was a risk. I couldn’t rely on coincidence and optimism. A moment’s decision would determine the rest of my life.

Should I kill them?

Or not?

I must make that decision.

“By the way, are they really here in %&%&%&?”

“What?”

“Beautiful fairies.”

Fairies?

“Hahaha! Come to think of it, that good-for-nothing was babbling about looking for fairies, right?”

The bearded swordsman laughed heartily.

He wanted to find fairies? Was that crazy berserker-like good-for-nothing actually the one who entered the forest looking for fairies?

“I don’t know if they are here, but fairies exist. In a place like this %&%%&, they must exist.”

“Hahaha, then should we tell that good-for-nothing to fuck off and catch some fairies?”

“Give up. Fairies are stronger than you think. They eat people.”

“Have you seen them?”

“I haven’t seen them myself. It’s just a rumor.”

Humans knew about fairies.

“Hahaha, I wouldn’t mind being eaten by a beautiful fairy monster.”

“I agree. Finding fairies would be more fun than looking for that good-for-nothing.”

“Nonsense. It would be better to go to the brothel with the money we’d get for finding the good-for-nothing’s corpse.”

“But I want to see them. Those fairy girls.”

“Give up. We’ve come quite deep, but fairies are likely to be even farther. If we go any further, we’ll be in danger. What if &&%& or &%%& appear? Our level is limited to &%#&.”

The humans continued to talk about fairies as they started preparing their meals.

-Clink.

They took out a small pot from their gear, filled it with water from their canteens, and started preparing to light a fire with the ingredients they brought.

It looked like they were planning to cook and eat.

They were so at ease.

While I was here in agony.

But I had learned something. There was a high probability that humans would thoroughly search this place in the future. And while this place was somewhat far from human land, it was not too distant.

Lastly,

“…”

It didn’t seem like these guys had any special powers. Look. Now, Sharan and I were hiding and observing them, and they had no clue.

We could take down all three of them if we went all out.

“…”

Sharan was also right next to me, observing the humans. Anyway, let’s hold off on attacking for now. Those bastards were talking about all sorts of things while eating.

“We need to find the corpse faster than the other guys.”

The other guys?!

Could there be another search party?!

“Searching in an easy place would make us look like idiots, this fucking good-for-nothing. Even in death, he’s a nuisance.”

“Hahaha, that good-for-nothing’s reputation wasn’t great. He always caused trouble in the tavern, right?”

The more I listened, the worse it got.

“By the way, did you hear that a pillar of light appeared or something?”

“I heard the rumor. But I haven’t seen it directly.”

A pillar of light?!

“…!”

This was extremely important information!

“I’m guessing the messengers of God are descending. The nuns at the convent seem to be in a fuss about it as well. Soon, the nuns might come to explore this side.”

Nuns?

The interpretation was a bit ambiguous, but were they the nuns I know of?

“Wow! Are you saying those pretty sisters are coming into this forest?”

“Why are you so happy about that? What if the nuns happen to find a corpse while searching…”

“I’m looking forward to meeting a lost nun sister instead. Don’t you guys look forward to that?”

“What?”

“Just meeting them, I’d tie them up right there and have my way with them for three days straight!”

“You disgusting rapist! How can you say that to a nun!”

These guys were making lewd comments. The bearded guy seemed lecherous, and from how the other guy jumped at the mention of raping the nun, it seemed like they were really talking about nuns.

“Ha! I’m just saying!”

“How are you going to deal with the aftermath?”

“We can just run away to &%@%& above since that damn lord sucks anyway. It seems there’s a path used by smugglers.”

“Right. I’ve heard people say they want to run away because the lord sucks.”

“That’s what I’m saying. How dare that bastard force us adventurers into such an unfair contract to find his damn son. Unforgivable. If that brat is alive, I’d kill him.”

That was the crux of the story.

These adventurers were here to find the lord’s son and had been forced into an unfair contract. If they wanted to, they could escape elsewhere.

So then.

Would it be okay to kill these guys here? If there were no bodies, they could have just run away.

ㅡSarak.

Thinking up to that point, I cautiously retreated with Sharan to a safer location before speaking.

“Sharan. You saw that, right?”

“There were lots of humans, Master. Humans hunting us.”

“What?”

Sharan was burning with a fighting spirit.

ㅡPaaaat.

Her pupils narrowed like a cat’s, and her fangs were bared. Sharan was enraged.

“Last time, humans tried to kill Master. Can’t forgive humans.”

“Sharan…!”

The resolve to hunt humans!

“But wait a moment. We need to be careful first.”

“Shaa.”

“Let’s go see our kids.”

My goblin troops were waiting in the back. I went there with Sharan.

“Kkeurek!”

As soon as I arrived, Buril rushed over to me. I hugged him and then spoke quietly.

“Hey. Buril. Be quiet for a moment.”

“Kkeurek?”

Buril looked puzzled. It seemed that the goblins were all resting here. When I gave them a look, they all slowly got up and prepared for battle.

“We might have to fight. Get ready.”

“Kkeurek…!”

Either way.

These guys had come here to search. For us, they were a significant risk factor. Although we could choose to not reveal ourselves and let them go, this wouldn’t be the end of it. We must live here.

This was a matter of life and death.

We must eliminate the risk factor.

For the lives of me and my subordinates.

Above all, if we could capture even one of them alive, we can gain information about humans. If we get that information, our chances of survival increase exponentially.

“First, we’ll tail them slowly. Then, when they’re most off guard, we’ll ambush them and…”

At that moment.

ㅡUaaaaaaaah!

From afar, the screams of humans could be heard.