kscans

Chapter 284 - The Secret of the Dog-Eared Settlement and the Night of the Feast

I awoke to a clamor of sounds. I was lying on a soft rug. My head throbbed with a dull ache, like a hangover. The effects of mana depletion hadn't worn off yet.

The room was dim, but the light coming in through a window made the log-beamed ceiling flicker with red and yellow hues.

The excited shouts of people, the sound of something being struck, and the faint calls of distant howls—all of it was coming from outside.

Amidst the din, I noticed the soft sound of breathing. Looking beside me, I saw Famu lying on her side, facing me, her shoulders rising and falling gently.

I stroked her dog ears. Her fur was soft. She twitched an ear but showed no signs of waking. I poked her cheek. If she didn't wake up from this, I'd poke her chest next.

Just as I thought that, her eyes snapped open. She sniffed the air, her nose twitching.

Then, she shot upright.

"Master, what on earth are you doing?"

She looked around the dim room.

"Oh... nothing..."

I wouldn't get in trouble, but I decided to keep quiet about the fact that if Famu had stayed asleep, I was planning to pounce on her. I slowly sat up, following her lead.

However, she stood up, leaving me behind.

"This savory aroma of roasted meat and that sweet and salty sauce... it's definitely spare ribs. Master, we have to hurry! We might be too late!"

She should have been feeling the same mana depletion as me, but maybe the headache varied from person to person. Or perhaps the scent of food was a powerful motivator. I let her pull me by the hand as we left the room.

It was dark outside. I had no idea how much time had passed since we drove off the giant. I wanted to ask, but Famu had passed out before I did, so she probably wouldn't know either.

A bonfire was blazing in the central square of the village, and the villagers were gathered around it, making a ruckus. It had the festive atmosphere of a campfire and barbecue combined, like a more boisterous version of a nomadic people's evening meal.

Famu pulled me by the hand, striding purposefully through the crowd. Ahead of us was a table laden with food. Among the villagers, I spotted the members of Levante, already eating.

"Mizuki!"

When I called out, not only she but all the villagers stopped their clamor and turned to look at us in unison.

The area fell silent, and the heat from the roaring bonfire wavered against my cheeks. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, I stopped, but Famu continued forward without hesitation.

Blocking her path stood the trio of skinheads I'd seen that afternoon. Beside them was a dog-eared girl with fluffy white ears.

She looked to be around twenty, a beautiful woman with a full chest and long hair. When our eyes met, she shrank back, hiding behind Erne.

"Ahem."

A cough from one of the skinhead guards from the watchtower brought me back to my senses, and I tore my gaze away from her.

"First, we want to thank you for saving our village."

Erne spoke in a formal tone, bowing his head and presenting me with a sword.

It was Akitsuki Uta's sword. They had recovered the blade Laciel had thrown. I grasped the hilt and inspected the blade; it was not only unbent but also completely unchipped. It seemed my worries about it not being able to withstand Laciel's power were unfounded.

"And also..."

Erne averted his gaze from me and pushed the girl who was trying to hide behind him forward. The girl kept her face down, fidgeting with her clasped fingers over her stomach.

"We must reward you, but our village has nothing worthy of what you have done. Besides, I've heard you don't have much attachment to material possessions. So..."

Erne trailed off. The girl he'd pushed forward kept her face turned away.

"D-don't tell me... you're offering this girl...?"

He remained silent at my question. Who could have given them this information? I frantically looked around. I couldn't see Famu, but she had passed out with me. Besides, she would never suggest offering up one of her own people. No, not just her own people. The same went for Mizuki, Myra, and Marmi. They would hate something like this; in fact, they'd be furious.

Just then, my eyes met Nephi's. She smiled sweetly and raised a wooden cup filled with alcohol. What in the world did she think of me?

This had to be a trap. Even as I thought that, my hand reached out on its own and touched the girl's cheek. It was pale, and her body was trembling slightly. I couldn't bring myself to make a move on a girl who was this terrified. And yet, a contrary feeling of possessiveness began to swell within me.

"Master."

A voice from behind me made me jump in surprise. As if released from a spell, I snatched my hand back from the girl's cheek and turned around. Famu stood there, holding food and drink, alongside a young man about the same age as the girl.

"Wh-wh-what is it? Who's that man?"

He was a slender, handsome man with the same white dog ears as the girl.

"My sister... Lily... was talking with you, Master, so I just came to see what was happening. This is Lily's husband, Shun. And, Master, what exactly were you..."

After answering, she continued to stare at me, her expression gradually hardening. Her tail stood straight up. It was obvious she had figured everything out.

"Wait, it's a misunderstanding! I woke up with you, you brought me here, Erne stopped me, and then Lily appeared... No, I didn't even know she was Lily in the first place! I mean, a married woman is... well, I admit, if there was a chance... n-no, that's not it! What can I say, I just found myself in this situation! It's not what you think!"

I didn't even know what I was saying. I just wanted to calm her down, but her brows only furrowed deeper.

"So, what happened to the giant?"

The three brothers and the members of Levante were gathered around a table.

Everyone else was sitting on chairs, but I alone was forced to sit in seiza. When Nephi gave me a puzzled look, I glared back at her, and she handed me a piece of meat and a wooden cup.

I bit into the bone-in meat. It fell away from the bone tenderly, yet the center retained a satisfying firmness. With each chew, the rich fat and the sweet and savory aroma of the sauce filled my mouth, while the deep flavor from around the bone lingered. The white liquid in the cup was ayran. Its pleasant saltiness paired well with the meat.

After a moment's pause, Nephi handed me another piece of meat. I was conscious of Famu's gaze, but I hadn't eaten since morning. I let Nephi feed me, devouring the bone-in meat.

"What about it disappearing like a mirage?"

Myra asked.

"I saw that. I remember it."

"We haven't seen it since. And there have been no tremors, which might have been a precursor. You dealt it a blow that opened a huge hole in its body. I think it might be hiding somewhere."

I nodded at her words. It seemed it wasn't active enough to attack the village again.

"Famu told me that something related to the God of the End is enshrined in this village. Did the giant appear here for that? Or did it come to eliminate me and Mizuki...?"

"Us?"

Mizuki pulled her wooden cup closer and took a sip. Was that alcoholic too? From this angle, I couldn't see what was inside.

"In the end, regardless of the circumstances, there's no doubt that Okita Soji met his end in Famu's village. It's safe to assume the shrine that was said to enshrine a guardian deity was actually a seal for the God of the End, with Okita Soji as a human sacrifice. It's possible we also have the power to seal the God of the End, just like Okita Soji, and it sees us as a threat."

And the dog-eared people living in this land had been protecting that shrine. No, they had been bound to this land by a curse that meant death if they left.

"I see. But was that giant really the God of the End?"

Myra looked up at Mizuki's question.

"It is the God of the End. Because Laciel-sama called out Mash's name to that giant."

I remembered Myra telling me my name was the same as the God of the End's. Famu, too, had heard the God of the End's name during her curse. Whether that was the reason or not, she would never call me by my name.

"What is sealed in this village's shrine?"

Myra directed her gaze to Erne.

"Besides our village, there are stone monuments in two other locations."

"Three locations?"

If the God of the End attacked this village to break the seal, then the other villages could be attacked as well. We couldn't possibly protect them all.

"Though the settlement is now gone, a stone slab was found in its shrine."

"A stone slab from the shrine..."

Myra's murmur was tinged with disappointment. If you're going to seal a slab in a shrine, you might as well just carve its contents onto the shrine itself. I wholeheartedly agreed.

"That stone slab is normally kept in the government office in Miglutt."

I was surprised by Erne's words.

"Don't tell me... it's this slab?"

I took the bronze mirror I had obtained from the government office out of my storage. Its polished surface reflected the bonfire's flames, shimmering and wavering. Ignoring Erne and the others, who were captivated by its glow, I turned the mirror's surface toward Mizuki.

"Mizuki, touch it with the sword you got from Laciel."

Mizuki looked a little hesitant at my words but quickly nodded.

"Got it."

She immediately drew her sword and pointed it at the mirror I was holding. The instant its tip was about to touch the mirror, I couldn't help but shout.

"Wait! After I move away—!"

There was no time. The moment the tip of the sword made contact, the mirror erupted in a blinding light that filled my vision, and it rapidly transformed into a giant stone slab. A heavy weight settled onto my thighs. I tried to scramble away, but my legs were numb and wouldn't move. This was stone-piling torture—a punishment where stones were placed on the thighs of someone sitting in seiza.

As I sat there, immobilized, Myra pulled me from behind. But the slab remained on my thighs, getting dragged along with me.

"Whoa! H-heavy! Help me!"

"What are you doing?! Let go of the slab!"

I managed to escape having my legs crushed by the slab in the nick of time. However, Famu, seeing me out of the seiza position, glared at me.

"Is this really the time?! This is no time for games!"

While Myra and Famu argued, the trio of skinheads stared at the stone slab in astonishment. The circular slab, about twice the size of a person, had the face of an old man carved into it, glaring at us with a furious expression.

"There's no mistake... This is the stone slab used in our 'Pau Ritual.' It is a symbol of protection."

Hearing Erne's words, I recalled Ilisalie explaining that it was a sacred tool used in a secret dog-eared rite. At some point, Myra and Famu had stopped arguing and were now staring at the slab, mesmerized.

"The monument in Famu's village was a dungeon entrance. Couldn't the monuments in this village and the others be the same?"

Mizuki gripped her sword with a brave expression, looking as if she were about to charge in right then and there.

"We don't know what will happen, do we? We can't be sure when that giant will come back, but we just fought it today. We did some damage to it. How about we wait until tomorrow?"

Erne nodded at Nephi's words.

"We are holding this feast for you. We want you to enjoy yourselves tonight."

I nodded in agreement.