#343
◈
343
It was daytime. The desert, where the sandy wind blew, was dusty and gray and cloudy that day.
The bright sunlight, which seemed to dry out bones and flesh, was blocked by a film of dust.
Now that monsters have attacked the village, anyone passing through the desert would have felt uneasy due to the unclear visibility.
But that is a big problem only for humans who live depending on their weak perspective. This is not a problem for monsters.
The guy was crouching in the sand. The dry sand scraped off its skin.
Is it because of that feeling? Her throat was dry. The stomach, which had been filled with blood and flesh not long ago, was already empty.
Humans are like that to monsters. An entity that arouses a maddening appetite that cannot be satisfied no matter how much one chews and swallows. Now all that’s left is the hunger instinct.
But he knew. The essence of power that he was lucky enough to possess. Red scorpion nucleus.
That awakened his demonic nature. Important experiences and knowledge came to life as if they were ingrained in me.
Humans are prey, but sometimes they become enemies more dangerous than any other monster.
There were people like that. Humans with hard skin, sharp teeth, and gigantic bodies who can disintegrate monsters alive.
Humans with powers different from Magi, humans who know how to handle shiny metal. I was strong when I was alone, and I was even stronger when I was with others.
Knights of Palma. He didn’t even know their names, but he knew they appeared here in the desert. That’s because that guy attacked the village.
Confronting them head-on is dangerous, even for a bastard. That’s something even the Red Scorpion couldn’t do.
However, the red scorpion survived by avoiding them for a long time and ate countless humans.
He could probably do that too. Because he is a monster who is aware of his demonic nature enough to suppress his instincts.
Whoosh. A strange sound came out of it. A sound that comes from the body, not a vocalization from the mouth.
The guy’s body was shaking. In an instant, my appetite took over from my toes to my head.
I felt a presence. Several humans were approaching this direction from beyond.
After it first attacked, the nearby humans, who had been living in small groups, fled to a place where a thick stone wall had been built.
There were a lot of humans there, but they couldn’t invade it.
The guy knew. The more people gather, the more dangerous it is.
But a hiding place built on a stone wall is just a hiding place. You can’t live trapped there forever.
Sometimes humans came out of hiding in groups. Humans heading to other habitats.
Humans with feet that get stuck in the sand and weak bodies that can’t protect themselves!
They will face him in the desert, which is his territory.
Whoosh. The sand surrounding him shook. A strong wind was blowing in the desert. The wind was strong, like a storm.
Its movements beneath the sand will be hidden in the wind.
A red glow was shining in its eyes as it slowly approached its prey.
*
“It will look delicious at this rate.”
Luke Yeager tapped his cheek.
A sturdy adult man. He is tall and muscular, so his body is large. The meat may have been a bit tough, but it was a large piece of food that the monsters could have coveted.
One of the knights smiled and answered the question.
“If you’re the leader, you’re young and the meat is tender.”
“They’ll probably recognize him and target us.”
“I hope so. “It’s a weather where monsters feel comfortable.”
Luke Yeager walked leisurely. There was no sign of tension on his face.
He is the leader of the Knights of Palma, who has subdued numerous monsters. All he was worried about was that the monster didn’t appear even though he threw the bait.
“If you get a signal from other guys, you have to move right away. “Everyone, be careful because you may not be able to see the signal in this weather.”
“Yes, I understand. “Captain.”
The members of the Knights of Palma were divided into groups of four or five and were moving without riding horses.
If there are fewer people than that, it will look suspicious, and if there are more people than that, they won’t make a hasty move.
They were deliberately moving on foot. It’s easier to run away if you’re on a horse, but because your legs are slower, you appear to be easier prey.
“Please target us.”
Luke Yeager muttered. Among the divided groups, his side’s strength is the best, but the Palma Knights who went to the other side are not weak.
At least we can send a signal when he appears and hold out until we join him.
However, it was most comfortable to appear here where the Commander of the Knights of Palma was.
How far did it travel? The sandstorm became increasingly stronger.
It was difficult to open my eyes properly as the wind mixed with sand filled my vision and struck my face.
They were all carrying their luggage and moving around with their hoods pulled down.
After some time, I started to lose my ability to speak. Even if you were a member of the Knights of Palma, there was nothing you could do about the sand that came in when you opened your mouth.
It was when they were climbing a huge sand dune. A strong wind swept down the hill.
Sigh!
The sand crumbled and slipped down on them. I lost my balance in an instant.
Five people who were walking in a row at regular intervals fell apart.
“Is everyone okay?”
As soon as he said those words, Luke Yeager frowned. I felt a vibration. It is not a natural sound. I felt a tingling magical energy.
My skin crawled. The moment he got up, something jagged protruded from the front.
Sigh! Kagang!
“Oh my.”
Grains of sand scattered along with thorns struck my face.
However, Luke Yeager, who drew his sword and blocked the attack towards me, grinned.
Why did you have to target him? It worked.
Shoot ahhh.
A huge body appeared from the flowing sand.
A hairy body similar in color to sand. The eight eyes were glowing red.
“It’s a spider.”
Whoosh! The guy felt strange. The moment it attacked, this person should have been impaled by its teeth and died.
However, the human easily defended against his attack as if he had been waiting. This is absolutely not a movement that an average human can make.
Rather than feeling fear from the person standing face to face, I felt relaxed.
I could feel some energy rising from his sword. It was a force called Vis.
Luke Yeager raised his voice and gestured.
“You came without any subordinate. “Everyone should treat guests well!”
Piyooooooo boom! Puff!
The signal flare fired into the sky made a loud noise and spread light.
All of the Knights of Palma present drew their swords.
Only then did he realize who they were. It was a trick that had never existed in the memories inherited from the Red Scorpion.
Whoosh! Five swords were thrust towards the agitated guy. Luke Yeager declared.
“As of today, your fate has been decided!”
*
A large-scale chase took place in the desert. To be precise, it was a large group of people tracking a single monster.
The giant yellow spider broke through the siege by showering sand, and was soon traversing the desert on fast legs.
I gathered the surrounding monsters under my control to block the path.
The members of the Knights of Palma managed to catch up with him. A wizard skilled in tracking magic was also present.
It is not easy to find someone hiding in this vast desert, but because we were fully prepared, we were able to avoid missing the person who showed up.
“You’re so damn fast.”
One of the knights muttered under his breath. Without saying a word, he lifted Vis up with both legs and chased the spider.
Everyone had similar situations.
Luke Yeager ran at the forefront holding his sword.
‘I’ll definitely catch him.’
Since he has the ability to learn, he won’t fall for the same trick twice. He didn’t know how to hide and prey on humans, so he had to take this opportunity to deal with it.
Other Knights of Palma were not as fast. Luke Yeager seemed to have almost left out the others and came forward alone.
As he stood in the lead, he could see the guy’s back.
I think I can catch up. If I were to throw myself out of here and cut off his legs!
At that time, the guy stopped standing tall. A light flashed in front of me. It seemed like I saw something like a gray trail.
It was an unfamiliar yet familiar energy. It’s called bis. The spider’s body collapsed.
thud. The sandy floor swallowed the spider as it received the impact of colliding with the floor. I didn’t know what happened.
Luke Yeager walked towards the spider he had been chasing. I saw someone’s figure in my blurry vision.
“Oh, you.”
Luke Yeager widened his eyes.
A young man was standing there. It was a contrasting color to the desert.
Jet-black hair, black eyes, and pure white skin, as if containing the essence of darkness.
He is a young man with a somewhat intimidating atmosphere. He had an aristocratic look, and by Basor standards, his facial features were flawlessly straight and fair, like that of a woman.
Luke Yeager thought it looked vaguely familiar. Our eyes met. The black-eyed young man suddenly opened his mouth.
“You are so lucky.”
It was a statement with many implications. That voice. Although it has become much thicker than before, the texture has not changed.
I was thrilled. Luke Yeager recognized him as if by instinct. He immediately shouted.
“Hyde!”
The other person responded leisurely.
“That’s probably not the name I gave you.”
It was only after a while that Luke Yeager was able to recall from his memory the name he had last told him.
“… … “Helmut.”
I was surprised that I even remembered it.
However, even if it is just a moment, some memories are deeply imprinted and cannot be forgotten for a lifetime. For Luke Jaeger, Helmut was like that.
That Helmut was here, skipping four years. At a completely unexpected moment, in an unexpected way.
