Chapter 91

#091

“……”

The chill in his gaze froze him for a moment.

“It’s better to tell the truth.”

A cold, emotionless voice followed. A man with black hair had approached the rock and was looking down at Askel. The hilt of a sword protruded from his cloak.

Bloodstains on his face finally caught Askel’s eye.

With eyes as dark as the abyss, the man asked, “What were you doing here alone?”

Thinking that he must not be human, Askel gripped his bow tightly. He didn’t want to die trembling in fear. He had to say his piece, and if that wasn’t enough, he would fight to the death.

Askel tried to steady his voice as he spoke, “I was hiding from you...”

Of course, his tone couldn’t help but become a bit more polite.

The man’s brows furrowed.

“Hiding?”

“Indeed, you must have something to hide. Otherwise, there would be no reason to hide.”

The man’s voice was low and growling, like that of a demon.

“Do you think there are bandits hiding here when you come down this way? Waiting for your signal?”

“What...?”

Askel, who had been bewildered, soon realized he was being misunderstood.

“In such a dangerous place, you’ll either starve to death or become prey for monsters.”

“Then why were you hiding?”

“Since you came from the mountains, I thought you were monsters.”

“So you thought we were monsters and hid from us.”

The man smiled strangely as he said this.

Without realizing it, Askel glanced at the demon, and the man nodded.

The atmosphere seemed to relax a bit.

Askel felt the same. If they had intended to kill or eat him, they wouldn’t keep talking to him.

The barefoot fairy approached him then.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tesia.”

“...I’m Askel.”

“Right. Askel. It seems like fate, doesn’t it? We’re tired and worn out right now. We had a hard night last night. So, could you guide us to your village?”

“……”

Askel’s face stiffened. The guard he had relaxed raised its head again. It was also because of what was happening in the village.

He looked at the fairy who introduced herself as Tesia, the black-haired man, and the black-furred demon in turn.

Finally, Askel said resolutely, “I can’t do that.”

“Oh. Why...?”

“The village I live in doesn’t allow uninvited outsiders. If I invite you, it will be my responsibility. But to be honest, I can’t trust your words. So I can’t take you to the village.”

“……”

Silence fell.

The man, who had been staring at Askel, finally reached out.

Askel instinctively flinched, but the man gently tousled his hair.

“You’re a tough kid.”

“……?!”

Askel blinked, and the man turned and added, “You don’t need to go beyond that. You’re not in a state to hunt right now.”

As the man started walking, the demon leaped down next to Askel.

She handed him something and said, “I’m a werewolf, not a demon. But since I also misunderstood, I’ll forgive you this time.”

“……”

Askel looked down at what he had taken. It was a piece of jerky.

“You’re a brave one.”

“Of course, that’s why you’re wandering around alone. You have the makings of a warrior.”

Askel watched the two as they moved away, still in a daze.

Askel wasn’t the only one.

“Just leaving...? Are you really just going to leave, Ian? You could have persuaded him.”

Tesia, eyes wide, shouted.

The demon, or rather the werewolf, replied.

“Stop making a fuss and follow quietly, fairy. We’ve heard enough.”

“No... Ha.”

Tesia sighed and looked back at Askel.

“I understand your thoughts, but we fight monsters. Especially Ian is an expert with monsters.”

“……”

“If you knew what we’ve killed and are returning from the mountains, there wouldn’t be this misunderstanding.”

Tesia clicked her tongue and then shrugged, turning around.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Take care, little hunter.”

She seemed to shake off her disappointment after a few steps and followed the group with a lively pace.

“……”

After blinking for a moment, Askel turned and put the jerky in his mouth.

His legs were trembling from the release of tension, but he still had to do what he had to do.

Askel reached the top of the valley about an hour later.

“……!”

At the sight of the opposite side of the valley, Askel’s mouth gaped open.

The half-eaten jerky fell to the ground.

Ogres, cut in half or with their innards scattered, lay dead. There were traces of explosions and scattered bones. Mutated wild animals, ghouls, and even what looked like harpies were among the dead.

Numerous corpses were scattered messily throughout the valley, as if all the monsters in the area had gathered there.

When he saw the smoldering remains of a bonfire in one corner, Tesia’s words finally echoed in Askel’s mind.

She had mentioned suffering last night and being an expert with monsters.

“...No way.”

He began to think that it might all be true.

Hunters of monsters from the mountains.

At that thought, Askel instinctively turned and ran back the way he came.

***

“Ha... Ha...”

Ian looked down at the northern boy, who was panting heavily.

He had chased them almost rolling down the hill, shouting, “Sir, sir.”

“So, what do you want?”

Ian said bluntly.

Askel finally lifted his head.

“Yes...?”

“Why did you follow? You were even shouting.”

“Oh, well, that is...”

A faint hint of embarrassment crossed Askel’s sweat-soaked face.

“...I saw the other side of the mountain.”

Askel, who had stood up, said.

He bowed slightly to Ian, Charlotte, and Tesia, who were looking at him in turn.

“I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I misunderstood.”

Ian chuckled.

“Did you come just to apologize?”

“No. I... I thought I couldn’t let you go. But now, I hesitate to speak. It’s not a decision I can make alone.”

Ian shrugged.

“Do as you please. If you’re going to do it, do it. If not, don’t.”

He started walking again.

Charlotte, with a strange smile, and Tesia, who waved her hand in a friendly manner, followed him.

Askel quickly caught up to Ian’s side.

“Actually, I have a request.”

“A commission.”

“Yes...?”

“It’s not a request, it’s a commission. I’m a mercenary, not a volunteer.”

“What’s a volunteer...? Anyway, I do have something to commission, but can you come to my village first?”

“Of course- Ow, why did you hit me?”

Tesia, who had interjected, received a slap from Charlotte’s palm and glared.

Ian raised one corner of his mouth.

“You said you don’t trust us. Shouldn’t you invite us with your name?”

“Yes. If you come with me, you will be my guests. And now, I believe you are professional monster hunters.”

“It was a joke. Lead the way and guide us.”

“Yes, sir.”

Askel quickly took the lead.

So, there’s a monster to hunt, huh?

Ian nodded and followed him.

The commission wasn’t urgent, but the group was tired and needed to regroup for the journey.

Besides, they didn’t know exactly where they were. They were just heading south, and they guessed they were still quite far from Travella.

If they handled a few commissions, the problems would resolve themselves.

‘At least we’ll have warm food and a place to sleep tonight.’

Honestly, that was enough for now.

***

The atmosphere of the group brightened with the addition of the northern boy.

A journey usually involved walking, except for the time spent sleeping, resting, and fighting. The only way to pass the time was to have conversations.

But the group didn’t really have much to ask each other anymore.

The northern boy, however, was a sufficiently interesting conversation partner.

The fact that they could spend a warm and safe night also softened the atmosphere.

After a brief introduction and some small talk, Tesia asked, “So, where is the village you live in?”

Askel pointed ahead with his finger.

“It’s about two to three hours away. It’s on a hill in the middle of the forest.”

“Really? That’s great. I thought I wouldn’t see a village for a while. All the snow-covered places are abandoned villages.”

Tesia, who seemed relieved, looked at Askel as if she had realized something.

“Is your village one of those places?”

“Yes. It wasn’t until last year.”

“Why didn’t you move south?”

Charlotte asked.

Askel, who hesitated for a moment, finally said, “There were talks about moving inside the wall. Some people did leave. But most stayed. The village’s Great Warrior was also against it.”

He spoke calmly, but a faint hint of dissatisfaction couldn’t be hidden.

Only Ian noticed this.

The other two were focused on the content.

“Great Warrior...? Oh, right. Your village follows the northern tradition. You’re a barbarian tribe.”

“What’s that?”

Tesia asked.

Charlotte explained calmly, “They live in the way the north did before it became a vassal of the empire. They venerate some legendary warrior.”

So that’s why he talked about the invitation.

Memories flashed through Ian’s mind. In the game, there were a few closed northern villages.

But he couldn’t enter any of them at the time.

They rejected his presence, and if he touched one of them, the whole village would come and beat him up, leading to a game over screen.

He learned from a guide that he needed to choose a barbarian warrior to enter.

There were a few exclusive quests.

Since it had nothing to do with a mage, that was all he knew.

Askel’s voice continued, “We venerate Kharha. Everyone wants to be like him.”

“Who is Kharha, and why do you venerate him?”

“A legendary warrior of the north. He killed countless remnants of the giant kingdom and faced a dragon alone. He eventually drove the dragon back and brought freedom to the north. He became a god after his death.”

“Did he kill a dragon?”

“According to the legend, they fought for four days and nights, and the dragon finally retreated. It never appeared again. Some say it died from the wounds it received from Kharha. I don’t know. I’ve never seen a dragon’s remains or even a bone fragment.”

Askel shrugged.

Ian chuckled, “The empire probably doesn’t like that story. A human becoming a god.”

“He’s a god recognized by the Lusola Order. They may not like it, but he is a human god and a real superhuman.”

Charlotte replied again.

Ian looked at her.

“You know a lot. I thought you weren’t interested in this kind of thing.”

“I heard it from Oleg. He was also from the northern barbarians.”

Oleg...? Oh, that talkative bald guy.

Ian remembered the Libra Guild’s security guard who threw magic boomerangs.

“He boasted that their god was recognized by the Order. He might be getting beaten by Kharha now.”

“If he was an excellent warrior, he might.”

“He went berserk from corrupted magic and was killed by a young girl’s magic. He also cut off a northern man’s wrist before that.”

Ian’s matter-of-fact words made Askel shrug.

“So, he couldn’t join Kharha’s army.”

“Kharha’s army?”

“Excellent warriors become Kharha’s army after death. They are celestial soldiers who protect the gods. They are gods, albeit minor ones.”

A religion that puts everything together.

Well, no wonder the game’s barbarian warriors kept shouting his name.

Ian, inwardly scoffing, asked the question he really wanted to know.

“So, do you live in a tribal community? No interaction with the autonomous region?”

“No. We are also part of the autonomous region. We can freely enter and exit the gate. I’ve never used the word ‘tribe’ either. We just live a bit differently.”

That’s settled.

Ian nodded.

In fact, that was all he was curious about.

If they were a closed community of barbarians surviving solely on self-sufficiency, there would be no reason to visit.

If they were civilized, they wouldn’t be much different from small villages in the frontier kingdom.

“If a kid like you can go hunting alone, the situation can’t be that good.”

Charlotte added. She seemed to like Askel, as she was more talkative than usual.

“There are problems, but I go hunting voluntarily. And I’m