kscans

Chapter 288 - The Giant's Return and the Dinner

When we emerged from the dungeon and returned to the village, the residents were rushing about in a panic, weapons in hand.

Seeing this, we exchanged glances.

"I wonder what happened."

Myra tightened her grip on her battle-axe. Was she planning to test out her new weapon right away? Even though we had been healed, I wasn't keen on another fight right after the last one. But she seemed unconcerned.

The residents were heading toward the gate. Famu took off after them.

"I'll go check!"

"She's full of energy..."

I let out an honest thought, and Mizuki overheard.

"Don't talk like an old man!"

"You're full of energy too. Just wait until tonight."

Her cheeks flushed red at my words.

"Instead of saying stupid things like that, shouldn't we be heading over there too?" Nephi said.

"No, I don't want to join in, even if there's another fight."

Mizuki sighed at my words.

"Don't be such a shut-in..."

"You never know, Mizuki. Someone like you, who never had any complaints about society, could have one little setback and become completely useless."

"Don't say scary things! But... I feel like I kind of get it."

She gave a weak laugh, but her eyes weren't smiling. Just as I was about to ask what she meant, I felt a poke on my back. I turned around to see Marmi looking up at me.

"You look properly tired, at least."

I patted her on the head, but she shook her head. Then she pointed at the stone monument. Unlike before we entered the dungeon, it was now weathered, as if testifying to the many years it had stood. It was the same phenomenon as with the monument in Famu's village.

Marmi's fingertips touched the faded characters, but we were no longer drawn into the dungeon. Mizuki was also squinting, trying to read the monument, but the chipped parts of the stone would be impossible to make out.

"The maiden's bed where I once laid my sword, oh that treasured blade..."

Mizuki recited from memory. I couldn't tell if she had memorized the monument's text or if she had known it from before. The one who left this poem was a 'prince,' not a 'bishop.' But if you considered it an artifact from the Ark, it seemed to fit. The one who held this staff in the original world wasn't dressed in Japanese attire, but he was a priest. And there was a legend that the staff had caused the 'Ten Plagues,' which included summoning creatures.

"There were two staffs, right?"

Mizuki asked as I gazed at the battle-axe in Myra's hands.

"Was there?"

"Yeah. I think two brothers had them. They didn't summon worms, but both could turn into snakes."

"I always thought it was just one..."

"There are theories like that, but the interpretation that there were two is more common, I think? The one that was placed in the Ark was the older brother's staff, though."

I had only read the Bible as a story, so I had always thought the brothers shared the staff.

"In that case, could the 'Jar of Holy Oil' also..."

"That's said to be one. But the golden jar that serves as the vessel is just a vessel, and it says a handful of mana was placed inside it, so..."

"A handful, huh..."

It seemed like a story that could be interpreted in any number of ways. And a single handful of mana had created the vast world of the Jar of Holy Oil, and even異空間 such as dungeons, the concept of magic, and monsters.

"How do you know all that? Are you a believer?"

Mizuki shook her head at my question.

"My dad told me in our tent at night when we went mountain climbing."

What a strange father.

"If you knew, I wish you had told me sooner."

"Well, you were talking so confidently, Mash, and it's not like I read it myself. It's a matter of interpretation, so there's no right answer."

Her logical argument left me speechless. I thought about groping her chest out of spite, but Mizuki seemed to sense this and crossed her arms to cover herself, quickly backing away.

In that case, what was sealed in this land might not be a replica, but the real thing. And there was a possibility that the remaining one sealed something equivalent to the Jar of Holy Oil.

What was the God of the End planning to do by gathering these things?

"...Is your dad like Mash?"

While I was lost in thought, Marmi asked Mizuki.

"N-not at all! They're completely different!"

"Didn't you shout, 'I love my dad!'? Aren't they similar?"

"I did not shout that!"

As Mizuki was yelling, her face bright red, Famu returned. She was out of breath, her breathing ragged.

"Master, the black giant has appeared."

"What?!"

I frantically looked around. At that size, we should be able to see it no matter where it was. And the giant's steps caused the ground to rumble. But there was no sign of it, and everything was quiet.

"The giant...?"

"It was heading this way, but it seems to have changed direction."

"Could it be related to us breaking the seal?"

Myra asked in response to Famu's report, but I couldn't answer her.

The sun had set, and a bonfire was lit in the center of the village.

The aroma of sweet and salty roasted meat filled the air. What was different from last night was the addition of grilled corn and matsutake mushrooms. Famu's treasured stash had finally been brought out.

How long had it been since I last ate matsutake? Would they taste different from the ones in Japan? I had some slight apprehension, but one whiff of the grilled mushrooms made all such worries irrelevant.

I drizzled fish sauce over a cooked matsutake, and the drops sizzled as they hit the charcoal. The scent of the sea mingled with the mushroom's aroma, further stimulating my appetite. Unable to wait, I picked it up with my chopsticks and brought it to my mouth.

"Ugh, delicious..."

If I had to be greedy, I would have wanted some acidity too. But the flavor of the mushroom spreading through my mouth and the texture as I chewed through the fibers were incredibly pleasant.

After finishing a piece, I noticed Famu peering at my face.

"Master... I didn't realize you liked matsutake that much. Perhaps I was doing something terribly cruel to you..."

When Famu said that with such a serious expression, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. I focused my gaze on the next mushroom.

"No, in my original world, they were a luxury and I rarely got to eat them. So don't worry about it too much. Mizuki's family seems rich, so she's probably eaten a lot."

"I told you we're not rich! I haven't eaten them that much either!"

A quick reply came from Mizuki.

Seated across from us were the same three skinhead brothers as last night.

"So, what happened to the giant?"

I asked Erne while munching on a new mushroom. He gave a slight nod.

"The giant appeared on the other side of the mountain. At first, it was heading this way. But suddenly, it changed direction and started walking south, and then it vanished."

"Vanished?"

Erne nodded at my words.

"The black mist covering its body melted away as it disappeared."

We all exchanged glances at his words.

"Did it die?"

"Maybe it can appear and disappear at will?"

Nephi replied to Mizuki. If she was right, then it cast doubt on whether the blow Laciel had dealt yesterday was effective at all.

"Why did it head south?"

At Mizuki's words, Erne paused the wooden cup he was raising to his lips.

"In the direction the giant was heading lies the fourth shrine from the dog-eared race's legends."

The first shrine was in Famu's village, the seal of the second shrine had already been broken, and the stone slab taken from it was in Miglutt's government office. The third shrine was this village, and the direction the giant headed was toward the final shrine.

"So, does breaking the seal mean the giant no longer targets the location?"

"If so, then this village is now safe, but the giant's goal would be to break the seals."

Mizuki frowned at my words. We didn't know the giant's objective. Our actions might be inviting an even greater disaster. She stared into her wooden cup. The white liquid was ayran, but I had seen her secretly add mead to it. Her cheeks were red, but I had never seen her get drunk, so she was probably sticking to her promise of just one cup.

"For now, we must thank you for saving our village."

Erne said with a serious expression, his gaze shifting meaningfully away. I followed his line of sight and saw the white-eared Lily. She, too, noticed our gaze and quickly tried to blend in with the other villagers.

I watched until her white tail disappeared, and when I looked back, the members of Levante, except for Nephi, were glaring at me with cold eyes.

"Wait, I'm not asking for anything!"

At my words, Nephi looked at me quizzically and tilted her head.

"Why not? You only see women in that way, don't you, Mash? The people of this village are willing to take responsibility. I don't see any reason to refuse."

"What do you think I am? I have some sense of ethics, you know."

Unless Lily herself wishes for it, I added silently in my mind.

"What are you thinking, anyway?"

At my words, she looked down at the grilling charcoal for a moment.

"I don't understand the way men like you think. And I also don't understand why Mizuki and the others want to follow you, Mash."

I wanted to press her on her words, but the glares from Famu and the others were painful. I cleared my throat and turned my gaze to Erne.

"I'm not a bandit. I don't demand women as a reward, and more than anything, in this village, I believe that Famu's wishes being fulfilled is all that matters. So there's no need to offer a reward."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but if it's a beautiful woman who's interested in lewd things..."

Mizuki's elbow in my side cut off my words.

"So, is there a dog-eared village where the giant was headed?"

Mizuki asked Erne. He hesitated for a moment, pursing his lips before sighing.

"The shrine the giant was likely headed for is far to the south of this land. There is no settlement of ours there. However..."

"However?"

"There is an old fort."

"A fort...?"

At my murmur, the two skinhead brothers bared their fangs with disgust.

"It's now the base of the Crimson Brigade."

At Erne's words, I instinctively looked at Famu. But she showed no signs of being upset, merely brushing sauce onto a cob of corn.

"We should just leave them be. Serves them right," one of the skinheads spat.

"But if the giant breaks the shrine's seal..."

"What's going to happen?"

I couldn't answer his question. And besides, even if they were bandits who attacked villages, I felt it was inhumane to just let them die. There was supposed to be one transmigrator among them. When I heard Famu's story, I thought they were a bunch of people who deserved to die. But when we encountered them in the battle at Miglutt, I missed my chance to wipe them out. Famu had stopped me, too.

I had left the cleanup to the One-Land Family. But wasn't that irresponsible? I was now responsible for Sameim. I didn't want to do anything that would disappoint Famu and Sameim. The Crimson Brigade was in a state of collapse, but I couldn't imagine them making a healthy recovery. They would probably return to their banditry. Their target might be this village, or some unknown village.

"You seem to be worrying about a lot, but it takes more than half a month to get to the fort from this settlement. You won't make it in time even if you follow the giant's tracks."

A sigh escaped me at Erne's words. I think it was one of relief that the choice had been taken out of my hands. I looked at Famu; she was still brushing sauce on her corn.

"Hey, aren't you putting on too much?"

"It's fine. It'll taste better this way."

Famu replied without taking her eyes off the corn, which was turning black from the scorching sauce.

"Even if we're late, shouldn't we head to the fort anyway?"

"I think it's up to you to decide, Master. I will follow you."

Famu started brushing sauce on the corn again. I looked at Mizuki, Myra, Marmi, and Nephi, but like Famu, they made no move to say anything. I wished they would just take a vote and decide on their own, as usual, as I turned my gaze back to Famu.

"I want to know what you're thinking..."

Just then, Erne, who had been watching our exchange, chuckled. I looked at him, slightly annoyed.

"Mash-dono, there's no need to read the room. Just act as you see fit. Famu there will see the path ahead and guide you true."

I gave a vague nod at Erne's words. Was that really true? I had a feeling she was also hesitant about going to the fort.

Famu finally picked up the corn. It was so black I couldn't tell if it was from the sauce or from being burnt. She took a bite. She chewed for a moment. Then she grimaced.

"It's bitter. I put on too much sauce. Master, please help me eat it."

I took a bite of the corn she offered.

The thick sauce had completely erased the corn's sweetness, and the skin stuck between my teeth made it feel like even my teeth had been coated in sauce.