Chapter 277

Julius and the knight captain had also repelled several monsters aside from the ones mentioned earlier.

Be it a ferocious pack of wolf monsters, a large and bulky bear monster, or even a swarm of mosquito monsters trying to suck blood with their sharp proboscises.

Strangely enough, monsters that were usually considered rare sightings—encountering even two at once was uncommon—kept appearing in front of the duo.

As if someone were herding the monsters directly toward them.

Among these appearances, they dealt with the vicious ones by beheading them, while the less aggressive ones were simply intimidated and chased away.

Even after filtering out and dealing with them accordingly, they still had to slash through numerous necks.

The mana stones extracted from the monsters filled the small leather pouch, though the leather and meat, unfortunately, had to be discarded due to excess.

“Let’s head back for now.”

“Hmm….”

“Something feels off. It’s unheard of for this many monsters to appear.”

“Indeed… seems so.”

The emperor took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing slightly. Initially, he thought adventurers endured such hardship while hunting, but upon reflection, this level of difficulty seemed unnatural.

If adventuring was this arduous, only a handful would survive.

“Let’s head back. The materials are regrettable, but nothing compares to the value of our lives.”

“Yes. Though it’s a pity, our lives are far more important.”

While they managed to collect all the mana stones, the amount of meat and leather was too much for just the two of them to carry. A stag monster’s worth of loot would have to suffice.

“I wanted to see other adventurers hunt, but there’s nothing we can do. Let’s return.”

“Yes. I’ll guide the way.”

Though the knight captain still had plenty of stamina left, it was a situation where even a minor risk needed to be avoided. Their equipment and armor weren’t fully prepared, and protecting such an important person took precedence over everything else. Safety first.

Thus, Julius and the knight captain began their journey back to the capital city of Sirius, pushing through the forest trails.

BOOM!

A thunderous sound shook the earth, stopping them in their tracks.

“What is this…?”

“It’s footsteps. There appears to be a huge monster ahead. If its attention turns our way, it could be troublesome, so I’ll adjust our path slightly, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, understood.”

They adjusted their course slightly as they continued toward Sirius.

BOOM!

“It’s getting closer. This isn’t good…”

“In this situation, why don’t we take it down?”

“With a regular monster, that might work. But large ones tend to have tough hides or skin, making it hard to inflict fatal wounds with a sword. An axe or heavy weapon would be better suited, but…”

“So you’re saying it’s impossible with what we have now. Understood. Let’s avoid it.”

“Yes.”

Despite moving further from the source of the footsteps, something wasn’t right.

KABOOM!!

“Is this big monster chasing us?”

“That’s unlikely… yet, this feeling is strange. Whatever this monster is, it might be quite cunning. Your Majesty, if it appears, head straight to Sirius immediately. I’ll buy some time.”

“Hmph… cough. Understood. If that happens… please stay safe.”

The knight captain gave a wry smile in response to Julius’s words.

“Even without an axe, I’m not weak enough to fall to just any monster. I’ll stall and escape appropriately, so don’t worry.”

Julius nodded. Compared to the former emperor, the knight captain might seem overshadowed, but he was still far stronger than most humans. Guarding his own life wouldn’t be difficult.

And so…

BOOM!!

“ROOOAAARRR!!!”

A colossal monster appeared before them.

Its towering body like a giant tree.

Its weathered, hardened skin akin to ancient bark.

Its roots-like feet gripping the ground firmly.

And countless branches extending outward.

It was none other than a massive Treant.

“Tch! A Treant, of all things!”

“A creature I’ve only heard tales about. Impressive how it moves despite its size.”

“They’re monsters, so normal logic doesn’t apply once they transform. So, Julius, run toward Sirius. Fortunately, this thing’s legs are slow, so it won’t catch you.”

With that, the knight captain discarded the pile of deer skins and meat he’d been carrying, drawing his sword.

“Why not just run if its legs are slow?”

“There might be something amiss with all these monsters appearing. This Treant came straight for us, so taking it down might reveal something. Besides, we lack an axe!”

“Then hack away with your blade repeatedly until it falls!!! Now go! Someone might be targeting you, so stay alert!!”

With determination, the knight charged at the Treant as Julius hesitated, watching the knight’s back before turning toward Sirius.

“RAAAAAHHH!!!”

A gruff shout erupted as a thunderous crash echoed through the air.

“YOU DAMN ANNOYANCE! KEEP RUNNING AROUND!!!”

“ROOOOAAAAR!”

“Shut up! Turn into firewood already!!!”

From the bushes leapt a burly adventurer wielding an axe, relentlessly hacking at the Treant’s heels.

Caught off guard, both the charging knight and fleeing Julius paused momentarily.

“GRAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

“Great! Right leg chopped! Sorry about that. This guy kept running away.”

“No, no need to apologize. Do you require assistance?”

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ve taken down Treants many times.”

With calm assurance, the axe-wielding adventurer skillfully evaded the Treant’s attacks, swiftly severing its left foot. With both legs gone, the Treant collapsed to the ground shortly after.

“Phew… handling such a big one so efficiently is impressive.”

“His skills in woodcutting aren’t ordinary. He must have been a lumberjack.”

Julius stopped fleeing and watched as the axe adventurer expertly dismantled the Treant.

It was as if he was born to carve up Treants, displaying unmatched prowess.

Before long, the Treant was reduced to a neatly chopped log and a pile of firewood.

“Sorry about that. My prey ran this way and caused you trouble.”

“Not at all. Watching was quite satisfying.”

Handling trees wasn’t common, yet this man did so effortlessly with his massive axe.

An excellent spectacle in itself.

“Good to hear. Well, I’ll be going now…”

“Ah, heading back to Sirius?”

“Yeah. Got myself a hefty haul, so…”

“If you’re heading back to Sirius, would you like to join us?”

After exchanging glances, Julius and the knight nodded.

With the continuous influx of monsters, having another capable ally would be beneficial.

“Understood. Grab that discarded leather and meat you threw away.”

“Yes sir.”

Thus, the trio set off toward Sirius.

During their return, more monsters appeared, bringing along other adventurers who joined their group. By the time they reached Sirius, their party had grown to over fourteen adventurers.

“Never seen so many adventurers gathered outside a tavern.”

“Hmm. Usually, they hunt alone.”

The archer spoke softly.

“Today feels off. Maybe the gods are in a bad mood?”

“Tsk, saying that will get you whipped by the priests! Watch your tongue!”

“Hmph. Can’t anger the church when they’re the only ones who heal injuries.”

Thus, Julius and the knight began conversing quietly with the growing group of twelve adventurers.

“Looking at them now, they don’t seem like bad people.”

“Given the current situation, everyone needs to unite.”

“Hmm… perhaps if we create scenarios where adventurers work together, we can control their unruly nature?”

“That’s definitely true. Their aggression seems to stem from the stress of solo hunting. Having trusted companions might make them more cooperative.”

“Sounds good. For now, let’s head to the tavern where they gather.”

Julius and the knight then proceeded to the adventurers’ base of operations—the tavern—with the group of adventurers.

[!– Slider main container –]