We live at the foot of Dragon Peak.
Those Who Seek Death
A little while ago.
Following Sefina, we headed for the northern part of the forbidden territory.
Before long, Nimia found something.
“There are lots of animal corpses, nyan.”
Next to a small lake. In a gap in the deep forest, we saw a grotesque sight of piled-up animal carcasses.
“Nimia, descend carefully.”
“Nyan.”
As we descended, we noticed the unusual circumstances in the surroundings.
Parts of the dense forest were unnaturally bare. Looking closer, trees had been toppled, and the ground was clearly disturbed.
“It looks like a very ferocious and brutal magic beast.”
“Let’s proceed with caution.”
Nimia landed near the mountain of animal corpses.
Immediately, Sefina and I began investigating the area where the animal corpses were piled up.
“All the corpses were torn apart by sharp fangs or claws. However, there are no signs of them being preyed upon by a beast. It clearly looks like the objective was to kill them.”
“Yet, they are neatly piled up. Look, Elnea-kun, the heads of the beasts are all facing the same direction.”
“Now that you mention it, all the corpses are arranged in the same direction.”
Various animals, large and small, regardless of species, had become victims.
There was even the corpse of a giant bear, about three times my size. And all of these corpses were piled up, facing the same direction.
“After brutally slaughtering them, they were neatly piled up?”
“Perhaps it’s some kind of custom or ritual?”
“But I’ve never heard of magic beasts performing rituals like humans. What do you think, Oz?”
We turned to ask Oz, the magic beast, for his opinion, but he was clinging closely to the small Nimia.
Is he scared?!
“Hah! You think you can ask me for advice? You’re a hundred years too early!”
“I see, so you don’t know?”
“Nyan has never heard of it either, nyan.”
“Hmm, hmm. If Nimia doesn’t know either, this is a difficult problem.”
Why did the magic beast brutally slaughter animals? And what was the meaning of piling up the corpses with their heads facing the same direction?
As Sefina and I were about to remove one of the corpses to examine it, we heard a rustling sound from behind us.
“Rustle, rustle.”
“Who’s there!”
We spun around and got into a defensive stance.
However, there was only a sound, no presence, no figure.
Besides, we had landed in a dangerous zone, so everyone, including myself, was being vigilant of our surroundings. Therefore, even if an intruder was hiding, they shouldn’t be able to approach easily.
Nevertheless, complacency is dangerous.
We carefully probed the surrounding area for any presence.
But, even beyond magic beasts, we couldn’t detect any presence of normal animals or birds. I even tried searching for dragon veins as a precaution, but there was no suspicious presence.
“…Was it just the wind?”
“No, wasn’t it unnatural?”
“Nyan also felt something strange, nyan.”
Since the reliable Sefina and Nimia both said so, I believe them.
So, is a magic beast lurking, then?
As we cautiously approached the bushes where the sound came from, another bush rustled.
“There it is!”
Sefina quickly leaped and plunged into the bushes.
However, she returned immediately.
“It seems it was my imagination. Nothing was hiding there.”
“That’s strange, isn’t it? Sefina-san reacted immediately, and there was no sign of anything moving. Yet, there was nothing hiding there? Then, what was the reason for the bushes rustling unnaturally?”
Did the magic beast return, sensing our investigation of the pile of corpses?
If so, the magic beast should be lurking in this vicinity. Yet, no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t detect its presence.
On the other hand, the bushes made noise.
“No, that’s not it.”
To Sefina’s questioning gaze, I replied while watching our surroundings.
“After all, isn’t that right? I don’t think such a cunning creature that can erase its presence so well would make such a basic mistake as to make noise.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
We acknowledge that we cannot detect the presence of the magic beast that should be hiding.
However, such a wily magic beast would not make careless movements.
So, why did the bushes rustle unnaturally?
“Is it testing our abilities?”
If so, this creature is more terrifyingly cunning than I thought.
We even have Nimia, an Ancient Dragon Species, though she is a young dragon. And yet, it is provoking us and sizing us up.
“Nimia, please set up a barrier just in case. Also, let’s consider a temporary retreat if necessary. It might be a good idea to call Mistral, Yunyun, and Rinrin too.”
“Indeed.”
Even Sefina is cautious this time.
After all, I am in no condition to fight properly. I don’t have my White Sword or Spirit Tree Wooden Sword with me.
Taking a deep, quiet breath, I slowly exhaled.
We calmed our minds and scanned our surroundings for any presence.
A foul wind carrying the stench of dead animals flowed from the depths of the deep forest.
The trees swayed naturally, not unnaturally.
“As expected, there’s no presence. What should we do?”
“Mumumu. Should we retreat and call for backup?”
Mistral would be a sufficient combat force. And if Yunyun and Rinrin were here, they could search the surroundings while remaining unseen.
“No, wait? Spirits can search without being noticed by magic beasts, right?”
“Did you call me?”
Perhaps because I wished for it, Ares-chan manifested with a pop.
However, at this point, I felt a sense of unease.
“Huh? Ares-chan?”
Not the adult Ares-san?
Even though we are being so cautious, she is still in her child form?
Moreover, it’s strange that Ares-chan hasn’t interfered until I called her, given this situation.
“Hey, Ares-chan.”
Just as I was about to confirm the source of my unease.
“Hehehe. I never expected you to even bring spirits with you.”
“Who are you!”
We quickly turned to the direction of the voice.
And then, we saw it.
A monster emerged from the depths of the forest, dragging the corpse of a giant beast.
It had gray skin and no fur. Its rough hide looked incredibly thick.
Its gait was heavy and lumbering.
However, its body length was not large at all. Smaller than me?
But its weight seemed many times greater. Each step left deep footprints on the ground.
And then, its appearance was bizarre.
The monster’s head was disproportionately large compared to its body, and I felt like it occupied about half of its body length.
On its gray head, two thick horns grew from near its nose tip and between its eyebrows.
However, we were more astonished by the nature of its existence than by its unique appearance.
“A weapon…?”
“N-no way!? I’ve never heard of magic beasts wielding weapons!”
The monster walked on two legs.
And it dragged the corpse of a giant beast with one hand while gripping a giant war hammer in the other.
“Hehehe. Two human children, a small magic beast, and a young dragon. And a spirit. What else will you summon?”
The monster’s gray face was inscrutable. Its low voice seemed to resonate from the depths of its throat.
Although its form was small, it exuded a presence and intensity greater than that of dragon race beings. It took a heavy step forward. Without fear of us.
“Sefina-san…”
“Yes, I understand.”
It might be best to retreat for now. We should regroup, gather the missing information, and then face this monster anew.
Sefina nodded slightly. Then, without hesitation, she kicked off the ground and charged!
“What!?”
No, Sefina-san!
We couldn’t communicate our intentions!
Sefina leaped into the monster’s embrace with such speed that she left afterimages and threw a sharp punch.
A dull, heavy impact rang out in the forest.
“Kts…”
However, it was Sefina who retreated.
She pulled back her fist and retreated to my side at the same speed as her charge.
“Sefina-san!?”
“I’m alright. That was just a test.”
“No, no, be more cautious!”
As I was saying that, Sefina moved again.
This time, she leaped with a speed that didn’t even leave afterimages and approached the monster.
Sefina unleashed a kick.
A roundhouse kick, like the slash of a sharp scythe, struck the monster’s cheek!
“Hah!”
But again, it was Sefina who retreated.
Standing beside me, Sefina glared at the monster with a puzzled expression.
“This is troubling… I felt absolutely no impact.”
“Even though you attacked with all your might?”
“Yes. I didn’t hold back. But that monster took my attack without dodging and seems fine, as if nothing happened.”
The monster remained in its forward-leaning posture, unmoving. It had taken Sefina’s punch to its abdomen and a roundhouse kick to its head.
“It doesn’t seem to be unconscious.”
As if confirming that Sefina’s attack had stopped, the monster took another step forward.
“No way, it had no effect at all!”
Sefina’s martial arts, which can defeat even dragon race beings, are not mere strikes.
She skillfully manipulates her own dragon arts and the opponent’s flow of energy to deliver attacks with maximum effect. Yet, the monster, far from being injured, advanced as if nothing had happened.
“Hehehe. You use interesting arts, but they won’t work on me. Now, what’s next? Will the brat join in? Or will you rely on the young dragon?”
The monster, exuding a menacing aura as if to say, “Show me what else you’ve got,” took another step towards us. We instinctively backed away.
We never expected to encounter such a formidable opponent in a place like this.
At this point, we had no choice but to create an opening and escape.
But how…? I scanned my surroundings. And as I confirmed the scene that came into view, I finally realized the true nature of the unease.
“The pile of animal corpses with their heads aligned. The animal corpse the monster is holding. The war hammer… Ah!”
Perhaps we had been mistaken.
“Sefina-san, I’ll create an opening.”
“Sefina-san, wait! That monster isn’t a magic beast!”
That’s right. We were wrong from the start.
“We were convinced by the preconception that a ferocious magic beast was lurking in this forest. But that’s not it.”
Combined with the premise that no one else lives in the forbidden territory besides us, we hadn’t considered other possibilities.
But that’s not it.
Although only we live here, a small number of visitors can come here.
And if it walks on two legs, carries a weapon in one hand, and speaks human language…
“That’s a person!”
I don’t know what race it is. I don’t know if it’s a child or an adult. But one thing is certain.
“That person is not a magic beast. And they are not the culprit who brutally slaughtered the animals!”
That’s right. Although it looks like a monster, it is not the perpetrator of this incident. This is because the weapon held by the mysterious person confronting us is a giant war hammer meant to crush opponents. On the other hand, the piled-up animal corpses all died from sharp wounds.
The weapon and the wounds do not match.
“Sefina-san, put away your fist. And you, who are holding the war hammer, please calm down too.”
We shouldn’t fight. I had that feeling.
However, contrary to my wishes, the situation was spiraling out of control.
“Hehehe. I refuse, brat. If you want to stop me, come with all your might. If you can’t stop me, your corpses will simply become part of the pile.”
“…Elnea-kun. I realized it with my first blow too. When I got close, I saw it. Behind that grotesque beast’s head, a furry human face. And the aura of death shrouding its eyes.”
“What!?”
As I asked what she meant, Sefina replied while watching the front.
“Those eyes were eyes dominated by death. As someone who has had many adventures and seen many adventurers, I know. Those are not the eyes of someone seeking life, but the eyes of someone seeking a place to die.”
Unknown exploration. Adventurers strive in various places to find treasures, wealth, and fame. However, some exist. Adventurers who realize their own limitations and can no longer advance. And rarely, such adventurers appear.
Those who seek a place to die.
As an adventurer, their future is no longer promising. Yet, they cannot return to a normal life without excitement. This is the tragedy that such adventurers eventually reach.
It’s okay not to achieve it. No, they embark on difficult adventures knowing they will fail. And then, they seek death without regret.
For the honor of dying at the end of their adventure.
Sefina states that the mysterious person standing in front of us had the same kind of eyes.
“So, no matter what you say, that monster won’t stop. Until they kill themselves.”
“N-no way…!”
I can’t accept such an end!
I don’t know what happened that led them to seek death. But wanting to die on your own is absolutely wrong!
“Sefina-san, even so, it’s still not right. Just because they want to die doesn’t mean it’s okay to kill them.”
In the past. It was the same when I first met Laira.
Laira was also seeking a deathbed. Cursing her fate, struggling in pain, she was trying to die. Mistral and the Dragon Race people were trying to give her death.
But I saved Laira.
It is because I chose to save Laira back then, even if it meant opposing Mistral and the others, that we are where we are today. So, this person must also have a future other than death.
“…But Elnea-kun. What will you do? If it were you from a little while ago, I think you could have somehow dealt with an opponent like this. But you don’t have any weapons right now, do you?”
“W-well…”
I wanted to obtain an option different from the path of seeking power. That’s why I temporarily let go of my precious White Sword.
Therefore, I must explore solutions other than violence.
However, as if ignoring my thoughts, the mysterious man spoke.
“Grrr. Fools. To confront me unarmed. I will lay waste to you and claim this land as my own.”
“Kts! Elnea-kun, fall back. I’ll hold them off.”
“No! I can’t leave Sefina-san here alone!”
“Hmph, what are you dawdling about? We should retreat.”
“Oz, absolutely not!”
I would never leave Sefina alone. Because Sefina would try to stop this man, even if it meant overexerting herself. And then, Sefina’s life would be in danger.
Besides, I looked at the corpse of the beast the mysterious man was still holding.
It was larger than the other animal corpses, and seemed to be of a ferocious beast. It was a beast I had never seen before. That beast had died from being struck by a blunt weapon.
A cause of death different from the piled-up animals. And the only one with a non-sharp injury.
“Sefina-san, Oz. We are not retreating, and we should not choose the option of fighting to resolve this.”
To Sefina, who tilted her head in confusion, I said with conviction.
“That person is intentionally acting menacing and provoking us. But they are the one who defeated the magic beast rampaging in this forest, and a good person who was trying to mourn the brutally killed animals.”
The beast corpse the mysterious man held in his hand was that of a magic beast.
He entered the forest before us and defeated the magic beast. Furthermore, he had gathered the corpses of animals that had been brutally murdered in various places.
He was probably going to mourn the corpses. We shouldn’t fight or kill such a person just because they want to die.
I stepped between Sefina and the mysterious man.
