Chapter 75

And so, several more days passed.

The ominous feeling I had on the first day wasn’t wrong after all. The monsters continued to attack the caravan we were escorting as if they were bewitched by something.

Honestly, by the second attack, I was already convinced, but these monster attacks were clearly abnormal.

A pack of Scorpion-tailed Wolves boldly attacking just a day after leaving the city.

A giant golden thunderbird diving at high speed to snatch its prey like an eagle.

Even the rare twin-headed serpent, which doesn’t live in groups and has no reason to target a caravan with ten humans.

The attacks were too unnatural, and the methods were crude, unlike the usual behavior of these monsters.

It was as if their rational judgment had been paralyzed by some factor.

The others just grumbled about the unusually frequent attacks, but with my long experience as a hunter, I knew the habits of monsters well.

This was clearly someone manipulating the monsters.

But why? And how? These two questions remained unanswered as the caravan continued its journey, and we fought off the monsters attacking every other day.

—

Today, like always, we repelled the attacking monsters, and it was time for dinner.

Logwin, who had already settled in, groaned as he stretched his sore body after days of fending off monster attacks.

“Ugh… Every day, the monsters attack. My whole body aches.”

Mari chimed in, agreeing with Logwin’s complaints.

“Right? And with all the arrows running out, I’ve been spending all day lately carving temporary ones.”

“Mari, stop chatting and help with dinner prep.”

“Okay! Understood!”

Mari cheerfully replied and joined the others in preparing the meal.

Today, like always, Logwin’s party and mine gathered in one place, eating noisily.

Ever since Logwin was caught secretly eating with us, it became an unspoken promise that our two parties of eight would always have dinner together.

The weather was nearing summer, but the nights were still chilly, with the cold night breeze and the chirping of insects.

Gathered around the warm fire, the lively atmosphere of the campsite felt like a fun camping trip, with laughter and chatter never ceasing.

“Wow! Kurt’s cooking never gets old! If I can eat something this delicious while traveling, maybe I should learn to cook too.”

“What? You, Matilda? Hahaha. Give it up. You’ll just waste good ingredients.”

“What did you say? You jerk!”

“Nyahaha. Those two are as close as ever.”

“Yeah. Fighting like that just shows how close they are.”

When I agreed with Minya’s comment, she turned to me and said,

“But Logwin isn’t entirely wrong. Not everyone can cook like you.”

“You’re exaggerating. Anyone can learn to cook like me with a bit of practice.”

“The fact that you say it’s easy to follow your recipes already proves you’re no ordinary Lizardman. Nyahaha.”

Jerry, who had been quietly eating nearby, chimed in with an intrigued expression.

“Now that you mention it, it is impressive. A Lizardman who cooks so well. It’s like a blind painter or a deaf musician.”

“Come on, it’s not that big of a deal…”

Feeling embarrassed by Jerry’s excessive praise, I looked away.

There, I saw Logwin and Matilda, who had stopped bickering, now chatting with Mari and Karina.

“How do you shoot arrows so fast? Did you learn Elven archery?”

“I’m not sure if it’s Elven archery, but I did learn from my mom. So when you draw the bow, you pull the string like this while keeping the target in sight…”

“Oh… I see…”

Matilda, who was half-Elf, and Mari, who also used a bow, found common ground.

“Your use of the Large Shield is impressive. Are you from a knight order?”

“Well, sort of. When I was young, there was a retired knight in my village, and I begged him to teach me how to fight. But he only taught me how to use a shield, saying swords were too dangerous.”

Logwin, who used a Large Shield and Battle Axe, and Karina, who also fought on the frontlines, found common ground despite their different weapons.

The two pairs, despite being from different parties, had grown quite close and were chatting freely.

Meanwhile, Jerry, who had been praising me, was now passionately discussing magic with Serena, who shared his interest in the arcane.

Serena, despite her boisterous personality, was the brains of our party.

“But a Dwarf using magic… Don’t Dwarves usually not use magic?”

“Well, it’s nothing special. There’s a Lizardman who’s an amazing cook, after all.”

“Ah. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had grown close to others.

Meeting strangers, traveling together, and becoming friends.

It was bittersweet knowing that in a few days, when the quest was over, we’d each go our separate ways.

But that didn’t make this meeting meaningless.

This moment, right now, had meaning.

“Nyahaha. You’re looking sentimental.”

“Just thinking about how we’ll part ways in a few days. It’s a bit sad.”

“Maybe we should just stick together. We’ll probably never forget the food we ate during this trip.”

“…Using food as a memory is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Nyahaha. It’s all Kurt’s fault for cooking so well. You should’ve just been average.”

Minya teased, and I gave a bitter smile, silently picking up food from the table.

As I ate, Minya quietly watched me, then spoke in a lonely voice.

“It’s such a shame to have to part ways after becoming so close…”

—

After finishing the meal, Logwin’s party took care of the cleanup as thanks for the food, then returned to their campsite to sleep.

“Adventurer! Adventurer!”

A voice cautiously called out to me, wary of Logwin’s party.

The voice belonged to the merchant who had hired us.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Of course. I have something urgent to discuss.”

“If you have something to say, why not say it when everyone’s together?”

“Well…”

The merchant glanced around nervously, then spoke in a low voice.

“It’s something difficult to talk about.”

“I see. Did you notice something strange about this quest?”

Strange things… There were too many to count.

“From the look in your eyes, it seems you’ve noticed something too.”

“Yeah. The monster attacks are way too frequent.”

“Exactly. I’ve been a merchant for a long time, but I’ve never seen monsters attack this often.”

“So, do you know anything about it?”

“Yes. Before we set out, there was a strange rumor among the merchants.”

A strange rumor?

“What kind of rumor?”

The merchant told me about a rumor he had heard.

It was about a group of adventurers.

They used some unknown technique to lure monsters, wiping out merchants and other adventurers, then looting their belongings.

They disguised themselves as honest, good-hearted adventurers, but if the other adventurers showed weakness, they’d feed them to the monsters or ambush them later.

It was a rumor about a vicious group of adventurers.

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you’re the only one who noticed something was off. The other adventurers didn’t seem to notice…”

“Are they really not noticing, or are they pretending not to?”

The merchant nodded, agreeing with my point.

“…Exactly. That’s why I’m confiding in you, the only one who noticed and is investigating. Do you know anything about items or techniques that attract monsters?”

Something that attracts monsters… How ironic.

“….”

Interpreting my silence, the merchant nodded with a serious expression.

“It seems you have an idea.”

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“Nothing in particular. I just thought you should know.”

With that, the merchant nervously glanced around again and returned to his campsite.

After the merchant left, I slowly sorted through the tangled thoughts in my head.

….

So, that’s how it is.

With a heavy heart, I returned to my bed.

The night was still chilly, even as summer approached.

Only the chirping of insects bore witness to everything.