19 – Dangerous Journey Road (4)
The rock used as a screen for their campsite was quite cozy.
The forest at dusk, when the daylight vanished and shadows fell. Gazing up, the moon and stars sparkling in the sky where the sun had receded.
Somewhere, a grasshopper cried, but it wasn’t too noisy.
In the nearby area, the sound of soft breathing could be heard.
Surprisingly, Sirius, who had been tossing and turning, fell asleep in an instant.
Perhaps it was inevitable, as the hard floor didn’t help against the overwhelming fatigue.
The plan was to be considerate and let him sleep well, especially since it was their first day.
“Uh, no. I want to eat more…”
It seemed as if he was having a happy dream, which made it feel somewhat wrong to interrupt.
Having vowed revenge through tears last night, he deserved to have at least one sweet dream today.
A cold breeze blew for a moment.
The flames of the bonfire flickered greatly in the wind.
Under the flickering light, shadows in the forest seemed to take one big step back. In their place, no threatening enemies were seen yet.
It appeared that traces of the camp they had prepared were only briefly exposed.
There was only one being still radiating its presence.
‘Persistent. It’s about time to give up and back off.’
It was a small movement, but its presence was felt clearly nonetheless.
It was quite a distance away.
The creature that had followed them since entering the forest was still persistently trailing behind.
It still didn’t seem threatening. The creature did not show any special action even with nightfall.
It only observed them from a place where it was difficult to discern its appearance with the naked eye.
I wanted to at least see what it looked like once, but as it didn’t seem to have any intention of revealing itself, it appeared it would continue like this.
If only my eyes were a bit more perceptive.
I wasn’t completely blind in the dark, but my night vision wasn’t particularly good either.
‘In the original work, Ragen could see well in the dark. Was this an acquired ability?’
In the original story, I was strong already, but especially powerful in the dark.
There was no need to say anything else about how well an ordinary person could use the dark compared to Ragen, the demon.
I wondered if becoming a Swordmaster would open my eyes, but it didn’t seem like it was the case.
Other Swordmasters did not attempt such things either. As expected of a trashy novel, there was no detailed description.
It seemed like a unique ability that had only developed in me… then there was one place that could be the source.
‘The Church of Rest. The Hebras Sect.’
Hebras was the god that guided all life to rest.
The god of rest, also known as the god of death.
In the novel, the God of Rest chose Siren as a saintess, and I followed Siren to join the religion.
Razen wielded powerful abilities, even though he didn’t seem particularly devout.
Hibras was not a god who ruled over night or darkness, but it wasn’t strange for him to have one or two unknown abilities.
For example, even the apostle of the sun god had many pointless abilities, like making half-burnt cookies taste delicious.
The male protagonists in the novel often satisfied the female protagonist’s taste with their great abilities…
Anyway, it was the latter half of the novel when Hibras was branded as an evil god.
The religious groups gathered around the female protagonist and declared a holy war after verifying the evidence.
Now, it is dismissed as a religious sect that perished long ago.
However, if it had completely disappeared, the content of the novel wouldn’t have been able to hold up, so there must be some remnants left somewhere.
“But that’s what’s strange.”
In the novel, the Hibras sect was described as an extremely powerful force.
It even reached the point where it almost ruled half of the empire, with the Ellensia Archduchy as its center.
Its expansion was so fast that other religious groups were wary of it.
However, now, it was difficult to find the name of the Hibras sect anywhere.
The knowledge of it being a “sect that perished long ago” was briefly read from an old book in Rehaim Castle.
No one else talked about it at all.
If it weren’t for that book, I wouldn’t have had a clue about where Hibras went and what it was doing.
A god whose name was even unfamiliar to ordinary people – the contents of the novel were still not helpful to me.
How much time would it take for this knowledge to shine?
It was uncertain whether I would still be alive by then.
“Should we seek them out ourselves?”
Thinking about it, that might be a better option.
They were a sect barely maintaining a pulse, hidden away in some remote corner.
With their tough situation, it was unlikely they would come to us claiming to protect the saintess.
We were the ones in need of power.
Even the power of an evil god who openly accepted human sacrifices was needed.
“Hmm?”
As the night deepened, my thoughts grew more numerous.
A rustling sound came from a short distance away.
Holding my breath, I placed my hand on my sword.
The direction of the sound was clear.
Half of our surroundings were blocked by large rocks, so I only had to watch one place.
‘It wasn’t the sound of the wind. It’s too quiet to be a monster, it sounds like a wild beast. Should I wake Siren?’
First, I considered the possibility that it was just a small wild animal.
Seeing the deep sleep she was in, I didn’t want to wake her just yet.
I set fire to a wooden branch I had set aside earlier, and used it as a torch.
Looking around with the fire, there was nothing immediately visible.
The shadows created by the grass and trees. The dark rocks.
Within the silent forest, the sound of a beast rang out.
– Grrr.
I felt a clear sense of hostility from the growl.
Would it just come directly for us if it couldn’t ambush us?
It wasn’t close yet, but we couldn’t know how fast the beasts in this forest were.
Regardless of the distance, we couldn’t let our guard down.
We had to prepare for battle immediately.
“Siren, wake up!”
From Noble mtl dot com
It was our first battle in this magical forest.
* * *
– Krrrk, kch.
From top to bottom.
My sword pierced the head of the beast.
Blood burst like a fountain, drenching my body.
It had been quite a close call.
A hair’s breadth away from getting bitten by its sharp teeth, my sword cut off its breath.
The two beasts that attacked us resembled wolves.
They looked like a mix between a dog and a wild beast, but I didn’t know their exact name.
It was a relief that there were only two; if there had been one more, I would have surely been bitten on my arm.
“Tch. I got blood in my mouth. It’s so bitter.”
“Are you okay? You looked like you got scratched earlier. Are you hurt badly?”
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t look that painful, so it doesn’t seem like the wound is too deep.”
Was it about a meter in size?
It wasn’t something I hadn’t faced before. I’ve dealt with a few beasts of this size during the Knight Order training.
There was a difference between then, in a safe environment, and now, but still, it wasn’t unfamiliar.
Its body seemed bigger than mine.
So, I couldn’t thoroughly subdue it.
It’s not an excuse, but perhaps due to the lingering injury, my movements were a bit sluggish.
No matter how good my body’s recovery was, it couldn’t heal the wound from a sword overnight.
If I had been in perfect shape, I wouldn’t have been injured like this.
There must be three claw marks on my right back, even if they can’t be seen.
The stinging pain became more and more clearly felt.
“I can’t see it because it’s on my back.”
“Can you take a look?”
“Okay, come over here.”
I took off my upper garment and turned my back next to the bonfire.
The warmth of the bonfire mixed with the wind stroked my body.
“I knew it. You’re bleeding. I’ll wipe it for you. What should I use to wipe it?”
“There should be a clean white towel in my bag.”
“Must be this one. Ready?”
“Yeah.”
I thought the claws were sharp, but the edges were rougher than I thought.
It was more painful than I imagined and I almost made a sound.
When I flinched, Sirien immediately pulled the towel away.
“Did it hurt a lot? I’m sorry. This is my first time doing something like this.”
“It’s okay. Keep going. Wiping it now should prevent inflammation.”
“Okay, just bear with me for a little? I’ll be gentle.”
Sirien kept her word in being gentle.
If it had been my senior Knight, they would have roughly wiped it away, but the towel moved delicately, trying not to touch the wound.
I left it alone, not wanting to unnecessarily hurt my body.
A brief silence ensued.
During that time, I saw the dead body of a wolf.
It was too dark to clean it up now.
I planned to disassemble it tomorrow, trying not to attract Serien’s attention.
Somehow, if Serien saw it, I thought the gentle princess might faint.
I’ve never done this before, so it’ll be awkward, but I have no choice but to do it.
I needed to get some meat and leather.
“Right, where did you put the sword you gave me as a spare?”
“That? I put it next to the backpack.”
“Good job. I’ll take care of it later.”
I also gave Serien a sword just in case.
It shouldn’t be necessary, but I thought it would be better than not having one in the worst moment.
“By the way, teach me how to use a sword starting tomorrow.”
“A sword? It’s going to be difficult.”
“Still, it’s fine if it’s just the basics. Please teach me.”
“Well, alright.”
Did Serien use weapons well in the novel?
I didn’t know because it was impossible for Serien, the saint of the Order and the Duke of Ellencia, to roam in the middle of a battleground.
She always paid attention to the escort, so there wasn’t a single scene where Serien fought directly.
Even her appearance with a weapon hadn’t been shown.
Serien’s role was mainly using her head or providing support from the rear.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to teach her some self-defense skills.
Tomorrow. I didn’t expect to find Serien’s unexpected talent at all.