The next day.
As the carriage crossed the plains, Rudell was resting his chin on his hands, staring out the window.
The bright blue sky and the vast fields.
It was truly a peaceful sight, but Rudell’s heart was more troubled than ever.
Hmmm…
The Church of the Eaters of Death, which had started showing its face again.
And the missing Eleor.
There was definitely something happening in the Yustania Kingdom.
Is, is Eleor okay…?
I have no choice but to believe she is.
As Silphier asked with a worried voice, Rudell could only respond this way.
With the holy knights accompanying her, she surely wouldn’t have fallen easily, but then again, there was no certainty.
If she really was safe, there should be no reason for her not to have contacted them for days.
Have they really returned?
I can’t say for sure, but we have to think so.
He still couldn’t be certain, but all the circumstantial evidence pointed to one conclusion.
The Church of the Eaters of Death.
Simply put, they had returned.
We’ll be arriving soon!
Just then, the coachman’s voice announced as the carriage left the plains and entered the dense forest.
And then it happened.
CRACK!!
Ugh!?
HIIIIIIIIIIING-!!
The sound of breaking wood filled the air, followed by the coach’s scream, and the horses began to whine.
At that moment, with a loud noise, the carriage flipped over.
AAAH!?
KYAA!?
Ugh…!?
KYAAAAAH!?
Naturally, Rudell and the others inside rolled around like luggage in a box…
Ouch, ouch…
W-What just happened…?
A moment later, after the carriage came to a stop, Rudell lifted his head, clutching his dizzying head, and looked outside.
Ugh, AAAAAH-!?
CRACK!!
What caught Rudell’s eyes was the horrifying sight of red blood pouring onto the ground through the shattered window, accompanied by the coachman’s scream.
At the same time, the stench of blood assaulted their senses…
Kurt! Leje!
I know!!
Yup!!
At Rudell’s shout, the two immediately kicked open the carriage door and sprinted outside.
What awaited them was a gigantic humanoid creature.
GRRRR!?
WOOOOR!?
With a somewhat dull expression and a massive figure, it was a monster that was over ten times the size of a normal person.
A commonly referred Giant humanoid monster.
How dare these damn creatures…!!
Leje, seeing the giant devouring what was left of the coachman, drew her sword with a clink.
With magic power boosted, she rushed at the Giant, while Kurt pulled out his axe and charged in as well.
GRWAAAAAARR!?
AHHHHH-!!
With their weapons trailing bright arcs, they struck at the Giant’s neck, causing a painful scream to erupt.
Blood gushed from the wound and stained the ground, but due to the massive size and tough skin of the Giant race, the injury wasn’t too deep.
With bloodshot eyes gleaming, the Giant began swinging a massive wooden club.
Silphier! Over here!!
Yes, yes…!!
Rudell, having escaped from the carriage with Silphier, stepped aside just in time as the Giant’s club smashed down onto what was left of the carriage.
With a loud crash, the wreckage was obliterated, and Silphier, seeing the horrifying sight of the destroyed carriage, went pale and gasped.
AAAAAAH!!
Huff…!!
While this was happening, Leje and Kurt continued their battle with the Giant.
Trees were uprooted as blood spilled onto the ground…
GRRR…!!
GRAAAAAAH…!!
The Giant, now covered in blood, collapsed to the ground, while Kurt and Leje pulled their weapons free.
“Good job, you two.”
“This was just warm-up.”
“I agree completely.”
The two shrugged as if it were no hard task at all.
Seeing them drenched in blood, Rudell casually cast a spell.
Control Water.
At that moment, a large droplet of water appeared above Rudell, and with a wave of his hand, the blood covering Leje and Kurt was washed away.
Thank you.
Thanks.
What’s there to be grateful for?
With that reply, Rudell turned his head.
What remained were just the wreckage of the carriage, the corpses of the horses, and bodies torn apart beyond recognition.
It was truly a gruesome sight.
Uueeeeeck…!!
Silphier, who had been watching this sight, moved away and started to vomit in a secluded spot.
Given her fragile personality, it was certainly a scene she couldn’t handle.
Watching her, Leje approached and silently patted her back.
By the way, why are Giants roaming around here?
Meanwhile, Rudell said as he gazed at the dead Giants.
Giants originally lived in the Eternal Winter Plains.
Only if you went deep into the plains would you ever catch a glimpse of them.
This place, blocked from the Eternal Winter Plains by the Empire’s territory, was somewhere you couldn’t meet them even if the sky split in two.
Do you know anything?
No, I’ve never seen them come this far either.
Could Kurt, who was from the Eternal Winter Plains, know something?
Thinking that, Rudell asked but received a response of ignorance in return.
Hmm…
With the appearance of the unknown Giants, Rudell began to think that the situation was becoming more dire, but there was no turning back now.
As he surveyed the surroundings with low groans, he took a short sigh and started to gather what little intact belongings were left among the wreckage.
The rest of the party approached Rudell to help gather their things…
HIIIIIIING!!
Quickly taking the opportunity, the last surviving horse carrying their belongings, Rudell and his party started to move forward, picking up the blood-soaked map.
Late that night.
Rudell and his companions were advancing along the forest path, relying on the lantern’s light.
Occasionally, beasts or monsters would jump out of the shadows and ambush them, but they were not the type to fall easily against such things.
Having dealt with the monsters easily, Rudell and his party continued to move through the forest.
And just how long did they rely on the map to navigate the woods?
Rudell. Are we there yet?
It seems like it should be around the time we should be able to see the village…
At Leje’s question, Rudell shone the lantern on the map.
According to the map, they ought to be nearing a village.
But no matter how much they looked around, all that surrounded them was the dark forest.
Is the map wrong?
It was only made just a month ago, right?
There’s no way that a village could disappear in just one month.
As he replied, Rudell continued along the path.
Whooo! Whooo!!
H-HIII…!!
The sound of an owl hooting from the darkness startled Silphier as she looked around.
The dark forest appeared almost alive, as if the woods themselves were creatures.
Looks like we should set up camp.
Taking out a pocket watch, Rudell checked the time.
It was already past midnight.
At this rate, it would be wise to rest here and move at dawn.
What do you all think?
I agree. I’d like to rest a bit.
I-I agree too.
I don’t mind either way.
With two in favor and one abstaining.
Alright, then let’s camp here for tonight and move again in the morning.
Finally!
We can finally rest…!!
With a short sigh, the moment they stopped, the party quickly began to prepare for camping.
They unloaded the cargo from the horses, set up tents, and gathered firewood to light a fire.
Before long, a decent campsite was prepared…
The alarms and golems are set up…!!
Great! Now everyone can rest easy.
In a typical camping scenario, they would need to keep watch for monster ambushes.
However, there was no need for that with Rudell and his companions.
Silphier’s golems automatically alerted them to any approaching monsters.
Ugh…!! I’m so tired! Being stuck in that cramped space for half a day and then having to walk, my body is so stiff!
Rest up now; tomorrow will be really busy.
Searching for the missing Eleor and holy knights wouldn’t be an easy task.
With Leje letting herself flop down on a blanket, Rudell let out a quiet laugh.
G-Goodnight…!!
Sleep well, Silphier.
Silphier also lay down on the blanket with sleepy eyes, and Rudell extended a low greeting.
Just like that, the campsite fell into silence, with only the crackling of the fire sounding in the air.
Then—
BOOM!!
Breaking the stillness, a loud noise echoed through the forest, and flames erupted not far away.
