Chapter 121 (2/2)

「Dammit! Why the…hell…」

And again, I put my back to a tree, and hid myself.

Slimes were way slower than what I heard in stories. If you run away from them, there’s no way they can catch up to you.

Because the forest wasn’t too deep, and since the moon lit most of the forest up, I could get away pretty easily.

However, there were a lot of magic beasts in the forest, and I didn’t know how the others knew how to pursue me, because every time I turned back, they were still at my heels.

「『Bigggiiiiiihh!』」

「WhaaA? Why another slime!?」

However, there was no time to rest before another slime found me.

「Eek, eek, eek, eek!」

As soon as the slimes felt far away, I found another tree to hide behind to catch my breath.

「Huff, wheeze, huff, wheeze.」

(What now? I can’t keep doing this…)

As soon as I got just enough rest to breathe again, the hurrying and fear started all over again.

I really regretted plunging into the woods like this without thinking.

The woods was the magic beasts’ territory. Even if I ran, it would have been easier to run down the old road than into the forest.

「That smoke…an adventurer?」

As I looked up in the sky, I could see a plume of smoke rising up from the woods.

A gift from God!

I stood up like a bolt and began running!.

「『Bigggiiiiiihh!』」

「Another slime!?」

This time I ran directly toward the smoke.

Run, run, run.

And I finally entered into a clearing in the forest.

(If…if I can just get there.)

I moved my legs as quickly as I could directly toward my target.

「Help, help meeeee…huh?!」

The scene that I burst out into, was one that words simply couldn’t describe.

The first thing I saw was a large hole with many burning buckets of fire.

They were all arranged around the hole, and they flickered as they crackled and released smoke.

What the fireilluminated were the many dead bodies.

Their faces were covered in anguish and terror as their bodies were filled with small pikes.

These bodies were hung upside down with their blood having covered them and the ground below.

The place reeked of blood as the many dead bodies remained as they were.

Almost like an unrealistic climax of someone’s horrible fetish.

「Wha? What the…Huh?」

「…hey! Who were you planning to be saved by? Huh?」

「?!」

I heard my heart hit the bottom of my stomach with the sound of that low, echoing voice.

I strongly turned to see who it was, and it was a man with an emotionless smile having one sword extended.

「Remember, there’s no one here left to save you.」

「W…waiiiitttt?!」

The sword was swung down and stuck through my chest.

☆

「gyaaaahhh, my head, guwaaaah, what the hell, I, you, adventurer? No, they said they drove you away, why? Where’s Fegner? The contract with the imperial and emperor that lets me avoid taxes,…no no no, I ran from the imperial…gaahraaahhahhh?!」

Grond was screaming in front of me.

The 【Eight-Eye See-Through Sword]stabbed through him brought back all of his memories, as they disappeared into the air.

「Ah, huff, pant」

Grond held onto his head while falling to his knees.

「…」

「Bastard…What, have you done to me…why am I like this?」

Grond stared at me while grinding his teeth so loudly that I could hear them.

「Answer me! Adventureeeeeeeer!」

His angry cry echoed unnaturally into the silent woods.

「Agh, uggggh…」

Grond’s eyes looked up at me, and even in his confused look, it disappeared once he saw the hostility in my face.

「Welcome, welcome back, Groooond! I’ve wanted to see you, so, so, so, so long! Over and over and over and over I wanted to seeeee you!!」

I wanted to see him, to meet him.

Couldn’t help it, couldn’t help it.

「Ahah hah hah hah hah! Again and again and again and again and again I saw you in my dreams! I tried to hurry and hurry and hurry and hurry and hurry and see you again! And now I do, NOW I GET TO SEE YOU! AHAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!」

Kill you, Kill You, KILL YOU!

「Don’t laugh at me, dammit, adventurerrrrr!!」

「How could I see you without laughing?! How long do you think I’ve waited for this?! I can’t hold back anymore! I want to see you dance on my stage here! So let’s dance, dance, dance dancedancedance!」

That’s because, now,

「—in the depths of your despair, you will go crazy and die.」

Because I’ll laugh at you with my best smile.