Chapter 53

“There’s not much left until our destination.”

This was said after arriving at the edge of the Human Territory stretching north.

Since leaving Pohelrn, the towns and paths that were once connected to humans had diminished, and in front of me lay a lushly spread wilderness.

A land that rejected humans not only by the presence of wandering giants but also by the sheer existence of wild vegetation and the beasts and monsters living within it.

From here on, there were no villages established by the wild people across the western continent, and it was a completely unknown territory where humans did not roam.

“There have been sightings of giants in this area, but I can’t feel anything at all.”

Within the area of detection spread across several kilometers for exploration, only slightly larger beasts like bears or wolf packs were caught.

Despite this, since I had planned to head further north anyway, I didn’t worry too much and prepared to camp by the riverside as the sun began to set.

“…That guy has been doing that ever since we left for our journey.”

With the sun still not fully set, Rudolf was playing at the riverbank.

In front of Rudolf was a giant lizard, flat and with a long snout.

The humans nearby were looking at the creature known as a crocodile.

This creature that seemed to be hunting beasts coming to drink water was the same one that instilled a terrifying memory in Rudolf when we first ventured onto the Elven Road.

Thanks to that, I had to collect water from the surrounding air to feed Rudolf instead of letting him drink directly from the riverbank.

As winter was approaching, the atmosphere was dry, making it difficult to collect water, and since the giant brothers also needed to drink, we ultimately had to look for rivers or streams to replenish our supplies regularly.

However, now that Rudolf had become quick enough to spread suspicion as a deer, he initially felt anxious and panicked when he came to the riverside, but whenever we visited a river where crocodiles might be, he seemed to feel that they no longer felt as fast as before and taunted the crocodiles.

Hmph—hmm—

Seeing Rudolf pressing down on the crocodile’s snout with his hooves and laughing, I shook my head.

“Still, feeling enjoyment in tormenting poor creatures while being considered a divine beast in the outside world is rather pathetic.”

Rudolf was the leader of the deer and quite intelligent, yet even after going through various hardships, his personality hardly changed.

“We’re nearly arriving outside the north; how are you feeling?”

“The territory of giants lies much further up. I don’t have any particular thoughts yet.”

“Well. Is there anything to be wary of?”

“For humans, it might be as simple as not getting caught by giants and being careful, but there wouldn’t be a major problem for you, Master.”

“I suppose so.”

“But if you encounter a giant wearing armor and wielding a sword, it’s best to avoid them if possible.”

“Mm?”

“They are the first giants born from the god Terato. Since the history of giants began, they are warriors that have never lost. Precious items like armor are allowed only to them.”

“Ho… never lost, you say.”

The story sparked my curiosity, and I perked up my ears to listen.

“Well, it doesn’t particularly make a difference. From the beginning, there’s such a vast difference in strength compared to other giants that they don’t even fight during selection. I just know they are strong.”

“I see.”

“Even though I said that, it’s unlikely we will come across them.”

“Why is that?”

“They hardly leave their villages. It would be difficult to see them unless we visit their village.”

“Is that so…”

I clicked my tongue in disappointment.

Hearing of invincible warriors made me want to face them at least once, but I wasn’t reckless enough to charge into the giants’ lair alone for that.

“As long as we don’t encounter giants hunting for their last prey to prepare for the coming winter, there shouldn’t be a major issue.”

“Be careful.”

With that conversation finished, I watched Rudolf tormenting the crocodile, pulled my hat down, and closed my eyes.

◈ ◈ ◈

“…So far, there are twenty-four.”

“……”

“Ugh…”

Golb, with a serious expression, examined the corpse while Silv turned away from the grotesque form of the body, groaning.

Between the Human Territory and the Territory of Giants.

Even after entering that intermediate boundary, I could not sense the presence of other giants in my detection.

Only the signs of large beasts fleeing from the presence of the giant brothers could be felt.

But that was perhaps to be expected.

All the wandering giants were dead.

After disembarking from Rudolf, I climbed onto the fallen giant’s corpse to inspect the cause of death.

On the back of the giant that lay face down was a massive and horrific line crossing its entire body.

A powerful and rough trace that had ripped through not only the giant’s thick skin but also its muscles and spine.

‘…Animal claws? More like the claws of a bird of prey rather than those of a tiger… it seems to have been ripped apart with claws that would match the size of a bird.’

However, upon seeing the trace that split the giant’s back, I guessed the size of the claws. And the size of the bird that would fit such claws.

“No less than 20 eltes in size.”

As I tried to estimate the size of the monstrous animal with a sense of hopelessness, a hollow laugh escaped me.

Was this indeed representative of a territory of giants?

It felt like a different dimension.

“But it’s a bit odd. From the traces I’ve seen so far, the monstrous animal looks the same, yet there are no signs of consumption.”

Is it not possible that it was hunting for food?

Since the wandering giants I discovered upon entering the territory surpassed the originally observed twenty specimens and came to be twenty-four this time.

While the corpses of giants had traces of maggots boiling in gaps and signs of beasts having nibbled them apart…

“The times of death for the giants that exist here aren’t that far apart. Does this mean they weren’t hunted for food?”

It implies that they didn’t attempt to hunt for meat.

Most creatures existing in the natural world have the concept of food storage, yet they wouldn’t carry out such meaningless slaughter.

Hunting is inherently a low-success and energy-consuming task.

Though I’ve heard of cats hunting mice even when they’re full…

“Golb. You look troubled.”

“Ah…”

“Have you perhaps recognized any of the faces among the corpses you’ve seen so far?”

Golb slowly shook his head while looking down at me.

“That’s not it… Rather, it’s strange.”

“Mm?”

“The population of giants is not as large as humans. If you live in a giant village, you inevitably get to know certain faces. Yet, I’ve seen more than twenty giant corpses now, and I don’t recognize any of the faces.”

“…Haven’t you been away from the village for over twenty years? Perhaps they are newly born giants or faces you’ve forgotten in that time?”

“…That might be so, but considering the time it takes for giants to grow this much, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Mm… It’s certainly strange.”

While humans might think differently with various races scattered around, the giants known as Titans did not arise naturally on this planet.

They were created as kin by the Elder Roa, Terato, just like elves.

They were not a race that could arise from outside.

It was clear that a distinct anomaly had occurred in the ecology of giants, but with the current information, I could not make a definitive judgment.

“For now, let’s put aside what we can’t understand immediately and see if there are beasts that hunt giants for fun.”

I asked while looking up at Golb, who was pondering while pointing at the wounds on the giant’s corpse.

Golb shook his head in response.

“…Thinking of it, this is also a problem. There are beasts that are a challenge for giants, but I’ve never heard of beasts that solely massacre giants like this.”

“Again, it’s a labyrinth. We found a problem, but two bigger issues have arisen instead.”

We had come to investigate the issue of the mass occurrence of wandering giants, only to confirm the existence of an unidentified entity that tears apart giants for amusement in the neutral boundary between humans and giants.

The existence of wandering giants of unknown origin and the unidentified being that tears apart such wandering giants.

“Having seen this, it seems I can’t just turn back.”

I looked up at Golb and Silv and said.

“Contrary to my initial assumptions, it seems I need you both to accompany me to the territory of giants. From here on, even trained individuals like you may encounter dangers. We must stay alert and move carefully.”

While Silv wore an expression of fear, Golb nodded and prepared to move further north.

It seemed the tension from the giant brothers transferred to Rudolf, who stepped cautiously toward the north.

I fiddled with the hilt of the sword strapped to my waist.

A silver sword woven from the true silver that Priegoss had brought from the expedition.

As I felt the presence of the increasingly immense vegetation surrounding us as we entered the neutral zone and headed north, I instinctively felt that the time to draw this sword, still unfamiliar in my hands, was approaching.