Chapter 175

A demon whose name I didn’t even know summoned monsters as a last-ditch effort, but it was all for nothing.

The creatures swarming into the cave were wiped out in mere moments by a few death beams, and there weren’t many left waiting outside either.

The ones that were outside were taken care of with an axe instead of a greatsword. I didn’t want to swing a greatsword and risk what might happen.

Thus, I was able to take care of the demon and tidy up the monsters. There were so many monsters that had been hunted down, it seemed the food chain competition would be noisy for a while.

“Gotcha.”

“Ugh… do we really have to clean this up?”

Just as I started to gather the monster corpses strewn about, the priestess who had escaped the cave with me asked, her voice filled with confusion.

Her complexion had turned pale, probably because of the sight of the corpses, which were grotesque enough to shock anyone.

It’s no joke to see heads burst open with brains oozing out, bodies chopped to bits by an axe, or even split vertically.

Even if they were monsters, it was an uncomfortably grotesque scene. I was even stacking them up into a mountain.

“Better to do it.”

“Why?”

“Because of disease.”

I would have left them there if there weren’t so many. It could lead to an outbreak.

Something similar happened in the Chaos Forest once. A bunch of monsters waged war against each other, resulting in quite a few corpses.

At the time, I didn’t know any better, but a few days later, strange occurrences happened.

When I approached the pile of corpses, I felt sick, as if I were poisoned.

It turned out the toxins from the decomposing bodies were releasing into the air like smoke.

Fortunately, after a few weeks of leaving it be, it resolved itself.

‘Not here.’

This was a forest frequently visited by the people of Unity Village. If even one person fell ill, I would feel responsible.

After stacking the corpses neatly, I looked around. I sure wished I had some oil.

If not, I’d just light a fire without it. It would take longer, but the flames would be just as fierce.

Of course, if the forest caught fire, I’d plan to watch that catastrophe unfold.

“Um…”

“Yeah?”

Just then, when I was finally carrying a torch that had been set up in the cave, the priestess spoke quietly, breaking her silence.

She looked hesitant, as if she had something to say. I threw the torch onto the mountain of corpses.

Whoosh!

Even without any oil, the fire caught brilliantly. It seemed to be thanks to the fat already existing in the bodies.

In the meantime, she glanced at me, seemingly gathering her courage, and then bowed her head.

“Though it’s late…! Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

The priestess bowed nearly 90 degrees. It seemed she had been waiting for the right moment to express her gratitude.

Watching her thankfulness, I scratched my head. Honestly, saving the priestess was purely by chance.

And to be honest, I didn’t want anything to do with her. How did it end up like this?

“Excuse me, but may I ask your name?”

“Sivar.”

“Sivar? N-no way, the infamous wild one?”

I didn’t think there was any reason to deny it, so I nodded. It wasn’t like I really cared about the rumors.

The priestess seemed to have an inkling of who I was, as she murmured in a low voice. But her reaction wasn’t negative.

She then straightened her expression, placing her hand on her chest, and began to introduce herself.

“Um, um. Nice to meet you. My name is Erica Graham. I am a faithful servant of Gaia. Like you, I am currently completing my first year at the Academy.”

“··· ···”

I stared at Erica as she introduced herself.

She had rare pink hair and eyes, truly a unique color.

Her downward-slanting eyes gave her a look reminiscent of a naive puppy.

A typical cute puppy-faced beauty. Her innocent appearance was quite charming.

In contrast, her figure was, well… average. Similar to Luna, maybe slightly better.

I thought priests would all be tall, considering Rize’s overwhelming divine power.

Of course, if we measure by divine power alone, she would eventually become as strong as Rize.

‘She’s definitely a character that gives people a headache.’

But what now? Erica is a nuisance character. She may act when needed, but first, she makes situations difficult.

She often makes a mess at crucial moments and carries a strong sense of superiority.

“Why did you come to this forest, Sivar?”

“Hunting.”

“Hunting… you mean to say you intended to take lives for personal gain?”

Just like now.

When I said I came to the forest to hunt, she was already revving up her moral engine.

Only moments ago, she had been kidnapped by monsters and nearly killed by a demon.

I faced her with a serious expression, and it was a bit ridiculous hearing her up close.

“But they’re monsters.”

“Even if they’re monsters, a life is a life. Unless it’s a situation of necessity, taking a life for personal gain is wrong.”

Well, if you put it that way, cancer cells are also life, right?

I completely ignored Erica’s lecture. This is why I didn’t like her.

She was filled with a nagging superiority complex and, as a worshiper of Gaia, cared about life.

And ridiculously so. She’s the type who would call even man-eating monsters living beings.

Plus, to prove it, she was a strict vegetarian. Eating meat was no different from taking a life, or so she claimed.

What’s more, I’d heard she would collect her vegetables straight from the forest if possible.

Having a belief is already scary if that person is ignorant, but being so extreme made it downright ‘madness’.

“Enough about you. What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Why are you here?”

“Oh. Well… I was checking to see if there are any edible fruits or herbs…”

Erica stumbled over her explanation, looking flustered. She still needed to say a bit more.

She was a character I would only meet after finishing the first year of the Academy, post-collapse.

No matter how coincidental, there was no reason for her to come to Unity Village. Not unless it was byzantine.

“The village?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you in the village?”

“Um… could you explain a bit more?”

Oh right. We just met, didn’t we? She’s not an acquaintance.

After hearing my lengthy question, Erica quietly answered.

“Actually, I didn’t have a reason to go to the village. But as you know, access to the Chaos Forest is prohibited, right? I don’t eat meat and only consume vegetables.”

So it was because of me. The territory wasn’t established yet, so access to the Chaos Forest was still prohibited.

It would probably take about fifteen days to stabilize. The snowball had quite rolled out of control.

“What about money?”

“I have money. But to buy something means to take a life. So I prefer to gather things myself whenever I can.”

Look at that. She’s utterly lost it.

If I were thrown into the wilderness, Erica would be living like a wildling within civilization.

She would likely think of it as a conviction. Most priests have exceptional patience, so they probably endure it well.

‘Even Chaos would shake his head in disbelief.’

I’d love to shake her convictions, but I gave up.

After all, I’d just meet her once today and would likely ignore her from then on, so there was no need to build a connection.

Especially since it’s unlikely we’ll get involved unless I go looking for her.

Tap-tap-

Even while chatting with Erica, the fire set atop the mountain of corpses began to grow larger.

Since it was essentially a massive heap of firewood, a grand blaze was bound to erupt.

I took a few steps back; getting too close could’ve burned me.

“Divine Mother Gaia, today many lives return to your embrace.”

Erica prayed as she watched the flames fiercely engulf the pile of corpses. In this regard, she was the epitome of a religious person.

In fact, valuing life itself isn’t a bad belief. It’s just that she took it too far.

An analogous example would be the medics during World War II who rescued injured soldiers without carrying weapons.

A religious conviction turned into great courage, making them a hero.

If Erica grows properly, she could become exactly that, but… it seems far too perilous.

‘Her stubbornness is maddening.’

It’s not that she just won’t bend; she can’t bend at all.

She might not realize until she breaks. Until then, I don’t trust myself to care for her.

If I had to care for her, it’d be better to focus on Jane or Eli instead.

“Sivar!”

“Huh?”

While Erica prayed by my side, a familiar voice pierced my ears.

Turning my head, I saw an unexpected figure rushing over.

A girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, dashing toward me.

“What happened here? And what’s this mountain of corpses?”

It was Luna. What on earth was she doing here?

As I blinked in bewilderment at the unexplainable situation, Luna’s gaze fixed on my hand.

In that moment, her expression froze. No, it was more like she looked like she’d seen a ghost.

Luna exchanged glances between me and my hand, then cautiously asked, “Um… what’s that sword? I-I’ve never seen it before?”

“This?”

I showed her the greatsword, the Bloodshed Greatsword, that the demon had used.

It was too large to wield with one hand, but oddly sized for two.

As it is now, it would gradually adjust to its owner’s grip. There seemed to be a slight sentience to this sword.

“Yeah, that. Where did you get it?”

“Uh…?”

How do I explain this? After pausing for a moment, I realized something.

There’s no need to overelaborate for Luna. She knows I have knowledge of the future.

Even with Erica beside me, there was no need to worry. She’d just be a witness, and wouldn’t deny anything.

“I got it from a demon.”

“A demon?”

“Yeah. It was over there in that cave.”

“··· ···”

For whatever reason, it seemed she believed me. No need for further explanation.

“······I see. Then can I borrow that sword for a moment? I just want to check it.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

The Bloodshed Greatsword looked dangerous just by its appearance. Its eyes alone were alarming.

Its effect was akin to a ‘magic sword.’ To absorb energy meant the user’s energy also got absorbed.

“You’ll be fine. I’ll just check it and give it back.”

“Uh… here.”

“Thanks… wait?!”

The moment Luna grabbed the hilt of the sword I handed to her, she was startled.

Her expression was particularly strange; her mouth formed a shape that revealed all her white teeth.

“What… what is this? It feels like my magic is being sucked away?”

“Yeah. It absorbs magic.”

“It absorbs magic? Then what about you?”

“······ good question?”

Thinking about it, it did seem odd. Why wasn’t my magic being absorbed?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Erica, who had been chanting a prayer, finally lifted her head.

It seemed her prayer had come to an end. The fire atop the mountain of corpses was burning steadily now.

It might be time to head back to the village soon. Erica was the first to speak up.

“Hello. Excuse me, but may I ask your name?”

“Oh, sure. I’m Luna Estelle. And you, Priestess?”

“My name is Erica Graham. I am a servant of Gaia.”

After a quick introduction, we shared our circumstances.

We talked about why Erica was here and why Luna had come looking for me.

We even brought up the incident with the demon, and the situation was resolved for the time being.

“I never imagined there would be a demon near the Academy…”

“I couldn’t imagine it either. If it weren’t for you, Sivar, I might’ve disappeared from this world.”

“What was the demon like? I heard they have different colors?”

“Blue.”

If left unchecked, it would eventually grow into a mid-boss level creature.

Moreover, I had dealt with it quickly; if it had dragged on, it would’ve been a bit dangerous.

“Demon lives don’t count, do they? So I guess it’s alright.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sivar taking lives.”

Here we go again.

I scrunched my face and subtly distanced myself. Naturally, I ended up huddling closer to Luna.

As I pressed against her, Luna looked at me with a puzzled expression. I had issued not-so-subtle warnings all this time.

“Luna. She’s weird.”

“Weird? What do you mean?”

“Just weird. Uncomfortable.”

“Hmm…?”

At my warning, Luna glanced toward Erica. She probably seemed fine on the surface.

But the madness contained within her was something words couldn’t describe. Surely, Luna wouldn’t shake her head in disbelief either.

“Erica. What are your thoughts on life?”

Just then, Erica’s target shifted towards Luna. I subtly repositioned myself.

Naturally, Luna found herself in the central spot. I now had to leave it all to her.

“Life? Ah, I remember you said you’re a servant of Gaia, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what do you think, Erica? I don’t have much connection to religion.”

“I believe…”

Thus began Erica’s lengthy lecture. A longer one than the one she delivered to me.

As someone who survived in the wild, her beliefs felt like nothing more than pretentious philosophy.

How can one talk about the value of life when you’re just trying to survive?

‘I guess only those with provisions say such things.’

Or perhaps they’re blissfully ignorant of the realities. If one could save wounded soldiers even during wartime, thoughts might differ.

At least, that person would truly be a ‘religious person.’ A person’s true nature always shows up in the face of crises.

“What do you think? Did you feel inspired to value life more?”

After wrapping up all her spiels, Erica asked with a proud look on her face. She looked like a puppy waiting for praise.

“Wow. Seriously…”

Luna honestly expressed her admiration.

“That sounds difficult to live by.”

“······what?”

That was a straightforward evaluation. Erica’s expression turned to one of surprise.

She probably never expected to hear such a response. But Luna didn’t stop there.

With no hint of malice, she continued speaking.

“Do you pray every time you accidentally step on an ant?”

“Huh? No, I don’t do that…”

“Yeah. That would definitely be going too far. While all life is precious, not everything is, right?”

“··· ···”

That was a hard-hitting metaphor. Erica probably had nothing to say in response.

That would’ve sufficed, but it didn’t end there. Luna put on a genuinely pitying expression.

“I don’t think I could live like that. If I said that to someone starving, I might get hit with stones, right?”

“Y- yeah? Uh?”

“No, if I said that to someone about to die of starvation, it would be more like getting stabbed than hit by stones.”

With the first strike landed, the follow-up jab came swiftly.

“Life is precious. But honestly, tomorrow’s lunch is more important to me.”

And with that, she finished strong with another punchline.

“Oh. So do you eat alone? That must be pretty boring.”

“··· ···”

Luna’s words were flying wild.

[Your Faith Has Increased!]

Looks like Chaos was cheering her on too.

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