episode_0092

The way back to the ogre’s nest.

I hinted at getting lucky.

“I’m bored on the way, can you teach me how to shoot an archery?”

“Of course.”

Dennis was competent.

When I learn something from Juul, there are many things that I cannot copy because there are gaps that cannot be bridged due to the difference between species.

However, Dennis is an elf similar to a human.

When Dennis began teaching him about ‘human’ fighting methods, Jules taught him ‘combat sense’ as if competing.

“The location changes like that depending on the number of enemy troops?”

“That’s right. The reason the other person steps forward is not because they are stupid, but because they have someone behind them.”

If I were to sum up Dennis’s cloudy walk after taking the opportunity to see it with my own eyes, I would say, ‘It is true that humans evolved from monkeys.’ It was.

“When you run, you gain inertia and are temporarily freed from gravity. This time like this—! Even a vertical wall with nothing to hold onto can burn for a moment.”

Dennis climbs up a 4-meter vertical rock and jumps down. In addition, how to find traces, how to cover footprints, and what rangers should never do. I started learning various things through theory.

Seeing is better than hearing, and when Juul went ahead and cut down the grass with his dagger, he explained why that was a bad move.

As you may have heard, when grass is injured, it secretes immune substances, and at the same time, it warns surrounding plants of natural enemies with its roots and begins to secrete immune substances simultaneously.

When you chew it, the taste of the grass is different, and because it emits a ‘sour smell’ unique to the immune substance, it seems that hosots, terupes, and clever animals can quickly recognize it. Even when the other person spends too much time!

“This is not an exhibition.”

“That’s right. This is taught assuming an exhibition.”

Jules, who was cutting the grass, looked at Dennis with a sulky face, but Dennis just shrugged.

“Be it a beast or a non-human, it is one life made of blood and flesh, without high or low.”

“Yes.”

“Some people say to think from the perspective of the prey, but that only works because the other person is an animal. Rangers harass their opponents thoroughly and viciously.”

I don’t think it’s a very good idea.

“Why do I have to feel like I’m being bullied? You have to think from the perspective of the prey.”

“Ain’s spirit is deep. If you don’t even understand yourself, how can you understand others? That’s why you have to have a bullying mindset. Think of it as playing a game. You get points based on how angry you make your opponent. Going ahead and hitting them, leading them into a trap and tripping them, or stealing other people’s things and making fun of them from afar.”

The metaphor is like this: shoot as much arrows as possible, set up booby traps, and take the enemy’s family or colleagues as hostages. Do you say that with a smile? I don’t want to do that kind of method acting.

“You look like a psychotic killer who harasses people.”

“That’s right. To them, the ranger is the devil.”

······The devil.

“Don’t teach such vicious things to a fourteen-year-old! They absorb everything when they are young!”

Jules scolds me with uncomfortable eyes.

When Dennis closed his mouth, he jokingly pointed at Jules.

“Then why doesn’t that person have common sense?”

“The White King is the best warrior and ranger. He’s not Hosott’s spiritual leader for nothing. Some people even suspect that the White King is a dragon disguised as Hosot.”

Dennis grins and looks at Jules.

“I am one of those people who doubts that.”

“The dragon is not Dragonia. I can’t use magic.”

I held the meat grilled on the campfire with chopsticks and cut it into bite-size pieces with a karambit, so I ate one piece for Dennis and one piece for me. Jules, who was eating a large piece of meat with its bones, had a strange look in his eyes.

“Isn’t that a cat’s claw?”

Cat… Terup?

“Felic gave it to me. They say this is the Lamrat traditional makkal?”

“Ah, tiger claw, a good dagger.”

Dennis seems to know this too.

Felic told me this was a makkal.

“······Do you call these tiger claws?”

“It’s a scary hidden sword. Tiger claws are specialized for quickly cutting the opponent’s vital points. Rather than stabbing a person like you would, cut the armpit muscle or neck to cause excessive bleeding───.”

“Don’t teach things like that?!”

In the end, when Jules showed his fangs, Dennis also became quiet.

I feel sorry for Jules, but I plan on learning it by force.

I guess I’ll have a lot to do when I get back.

*

We reached the village.

Perhaps because the rainy season was over, the hunting festival was in full swing, and Dennis could not hide his surprise. It’s not an apocalyptic quote from the Bible, and the river was stained with blood.

“···Are you making an offering inside?”

“Cutting the caught animals. Look at that.”

Just then, an ugly lung is washed down by the torrent.

When I went upstream, I saw people preparing meat as usual.

Why is Shir preparing meat?

Is it the person who hunts the meat that cleans it? Moreover, what Shir took care of was oxygen. It looks like it weighs almost a ton.

“Take it off carefully. uh? What is this? Amor! Did you take out the blood and bring this to roast and eat?!”

“I caught it! If you want to roast and eat it, you have to drain the blood!”

“Don’t you know that picky eating is bad for your health?!”

Shir is sulking and being scolded by Heilang.

Yuso was also skinning the deer with Hyuso’s help, and Mira had already skinned the deer and was dismembering the meat with her parents’ advice. She caught a bear.

It looks like the bile has been dried and the skin has already been peeled off.

Dennis exclaimed in admiration as he looked inside the cave.

···The deer Yuso caught was a male deer with excellent antlers. Although smaller than those two monsters, the deer is also quite dangerous.

The moment a stag’s antlers turn into deer antlers, the deer’s color turns dirty, like that of a kid holding a sword, and its tree-root-like antlers literally turn into wooden spears.

It is a dangerous weapon that can literally become embedded in a person’s skin and tear through internal organs. Therefore, in places where deer are farmed, the antlers are unconditionally cut off. Otherwise, a slaughter war will break out where people kill each other.

Ujit and Yuzu, who were looking at this place from afar, caught my eye. I told him to apologize to Shir, but it looks like he didn’t apologize in the end.

“They say Hosot always lives along the river… I think I know why.”

“Jul, they───.”

“You’re crazy. There are many hosots who only catch rabbits on their first hunt.”

······Jules was also impressed.

When you see a really huge cow, you may wonder, ‘Why do these animals live in groups?’ The thought comes to mind.

Bodybuilder-like muscles, unique size, sturdy horns, and enormous strength that can be felt just by looking at it. Even the polar bear, the largest carnivore on earth, cannot exceed 700 kg.

But catch one that weighs 1 ton?

Shir looks at me in surprise.

It seems to be able to read not only my emotions, but also my approximate location. Shir plunged the butcher knife into the cow’s ribs and ran towards me, covered in blood.

“Sihyeon~!”

At the same time, people’s eyes began to turn towards me.

“······Did you catch that?”

“Yes! When I fired the crossbow, it went straight through my body. I shot him about five times and he just died.”

······It’s a 1-ton muscle mass.

You penetrated that?!

“Where did you shoot?”

“I don’t know. I was scared so I just shot.”

···Now that I see it, there are several hideous holes in the deer that Yuso is grooming, Mira’s bear, and Shir’s mountain.

Dennis’ eyes turn to me. As if asking if it was this kid.

I answered quietly by nodding my head.

Soon, Shir’s eyes turned to my side with a questioning look.

“Who is that elf? Are you a guest?”

People’s eyes weren’t directed at me, but at the elf. Perhaps thinking it was a messenger from the Yunaira Alliance, Heilang walked towards us.

“Sister. Who is that elf?”

“This is a ranger hired by Sihyeon.”

“···What?”

Are you leaving it to me like this?!

Of course, it’s true that I brought it with me, but Heilang’s eyes turned to me. The look in your eyes demanding an explanation is burdensome, and the fact that you can’t lie is even more annoying.

“When I left the village, I brought Amor with me because I wanted to ask him to guard me.”

“Why?”

“Needed.”

I can’t lie to this person, so I have no choice but to speak vaguely.

“I have no intention of letting this elf into the village?”

“I will live outside the village and only accompany Amor when he leaves the village.”

Heilang looked at me, then shifted his gaze to Dennis.

“For what purpose did you come here?”

“I was hired.”

“No, I’m not asking that. Tell me what you mean.”

···What are you talking about?

Dennis’ eyes widened slightly and his lips pressed tightly. Could it be that there was another reason for coming here?

“···I came because I wanted to start a new life.”

“Explain it.”

Heilang’s expression is just grave.

“I am a person who suffered from a stroke. I was able to cure the disease with the help of this human child, but when I thought about it, there was no place I could return to.”

Dennis let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Also, people’s eyes are fixed on me. Thanks to you, I was out of breath. It almost feels like you’re on stage.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to go back to the village and announce that the disease has been cured?”

“It is an incurable disease. Because it is an ominous disease, it is hard to believe. They might not even say anything in the first place and just shoot the bow right away.”

Heukrang tilts his head.

“Can you confirm for sure that the disease will not spread to the village? What is the name of the disease?”

“I am a company soldier. It is a disease that only spreads to elves, and another grave tree next to my parents’ grave tree was infected with company disease, and I contracted it while cutting down the tree myself.”

Heilang’s ears tremble gently.

It seemed like he knew what a company illness was.

“The rule is that grave trees infected with company disease should be cut down by other people, right?”

“That’s right, but seeing the deceased with pyrotechnic disease next to my parents made it impossible for me to stay still.”

Heilang’s eyes softened.

“······I can understand why you came here.”

Company disease?

What is it that makes Heilang understand it so easily?

“What is company sickness?”

“It is the disease that elves fear the most. If you catch it, you will have diarrhea until you die and eventually die from malnutrition. Even after death, the grave tree blooms gray and withers. From there, it spread to other grave trees.”

Jules explains quietly.

However, since Hosott’s hearing was excellent, the words would have been heard by everyone in the square.

Grave trees are people who were parents or family members of elves.

If you contract a disease that kills even the last traces of such people, it is natural to suffer.

“Company disease?”

“······That’s a dangerous disease.”

People are buzzing.

If you’re around someone who has a terrible disease, it’s natural to feel reluctant even if there’s no chance of getting it.

In Pangea, there are so many cases where the disease is thought to have been cured once the momentum of the disease dies down, but then it recurs.

What if it’s a disease?

Needless to say, they are kicked out of the village and crawl into the catacombs of the mountains to await death. These people don’t even burn the corpse, and just rot in the fields.

“I have also cut down grave trees infected with fire blight about three times. So you know it well. If you have that disease or approach an elf with something that could become a catalyst for the disease, you will be shot.”

I don’t know what it is, but I do know that it’s an extremely dangerous disease.

······This is the worst welcome ceremony for Dennis.

“Lamrat tends to live among elves, so he is reluctant to come into contact with me. But if it’s here───.”

“Build a tent outside the village and live there. During the rainy season, they let you roll up your tent and enter the village.”

Heilang did not listen to Dennis and hung up.

Those eyes were directed at me. I was recognized for my contribution in saving Shir.

“Also, when ordering something from Dverg, you will have to pay with something other than Yunaira’s coins.”

“Okay.”

The gaze soon moves towards Dennis’ face.

“What is your name?”

“This is Dennis Night Glory.”

“Okay, Dennis. Please take good care of my daughter.”

With those words, Heilang cynically turned away.

Then he grabs Shir’s arm.

“Sihyeon! See you later! I’ll give you a whole cow’s hind leg!”

“This is the first game you hunted, so shouldn’t you give it to me?”

“Mom likes sirloin.”

“Sirloin with the blood removed is eaten as a Japanese meal.”

“How do I know such a thing…”

Shir is moving away.

Juul, who was looking at Heilang’s back, looked extremely tired and grabbed my arm.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait a minute.”

It wouldn’t be right to leave Dennis like this.

Because I’m standing there blankly, not knowing what to do right now. I ran to Deberg, who was looking at me strangely at the counter.

“Do you have an ax to spare?”

The expression Deberg looked at Dennis was not very kind.

Because Dverg’s worst enemy was the elf, who prevented him from cutting down the grave tree, which was considered the best quality.

Deberg turned to me with a dissatisfied expression.

“Are you trying to give it to that idiot?”

“It’s not giving, it’s lending.”

” Oh my gosh, I have to give something to a nerd. ”

Dverg held out a well-sharpened ax to me.

I accept what is offered to me── I tighten my hands.

“······.”

Deberg wasn’t even looking in my direction.

I followed my gaze and saw Dennis looking this way. Deberg was glaring at Dennis.

“They say that if you break the straw sack and eat it, you will die.”

“Yes.”

······I know it’s an enemy, but I never thought it would be like this.

Deverg cutting up a corpse is a bad thing in the first place, right?

Dennis was looking at me at the entrance to the village, and when I came out with the axe, he welcomed me with joy.

“Thank you. My dagger’s blade was worn out and it was hard to use.”

“Please write carefully. Deberg threatened that he would not let go if the sack broke.”

Dennis’ eyes turned to Deverg at the counter.

“I’ll have to say thank you later. What is that Deverg’s name?”

“······.”

I was so indifferent.

You haven’t even spoken to Deverg until now.

“I don’t know either. I’ll ask later and let you know.”

“Thank you. Use the ax cleanly and return it.”

Dennis took the ax and started heading into the forest.

Now it’s time for me to pack up my things.

But there was something to see before that.

Just sugar.

The craving for sugar burned my heart like a lingering fire.

It is the first blood-free meat that can be eaten. We can’t say for sure that it’s delicious because it hasn’t gone through rigor mortis, but it’s still blood-letting meat.

It means there is no odor!

It’s not that it won’t come out completely, but it will still be less.

Horsots are people who go out of their way to eat whole-blood meat, saying it is good for their health. However, grilled meat with a hint of sweetness will definitely appeal to their taste buds.

I went home and quickly packed up my things.

“···Why are you in such a hurry?”

Jules is already lying in bed, getting ready to sleep.

I guess travel poisoning has come. ···It’s too much to ask to leave right away. I should go at least by myself.

“I’d like to dig up some sugarcane… Could you please lend me a cutlass?”

“Let’s do it later. Later.”

Jules pulls me in and hugs me.

“Ugh!”

“Let’s sleep together now…”

It became like a pillow to sleep on.

Jules’ hand dug in and came toward my little finger. Then, trace the pattern of will with your hand, as if you were rolling prayer beads.

“······Do it later.”

···I guess I can’t do it.