From the third day, as Orca had said, monsters began to appear, perhaps because we had entered a safe zone.
Their numbers weren't large, but it was a significant change compared to not seeing even a single wild animal during the entire journey.
The monsters also possessed demonic energy, which made me feel unpleasant, but they weren't as potent as demonic beasts, so I didn't lose my reason and go berserk.
When monsters appeared or tried to get close to me, my face would contort involuntarily, but there was no need for me to step forward.
Because the formation had been changed, with Theo, Orca, and me, the main forces of the Knights, positioned in the center of the formation, most threats were dealt with by the knights at the front or rear.
Occasionally, some would deliberately send monsters our way, but Theo and Orca were aware of it and didn't show any particular reaction.
I, too, could ignore that level of malice, like childish pranks. However, that was the limit. That was all I could tolerate and overlook.
Had it always been like this? Here, where monsters and demonic beasts could appear at any moment, had Theo always had to doubt everything, unable to trust anyone while being with those who hated him?
The thought that these people were among the many things that had made Theo lonely made my stomach churn.
We hunted every monster we found while moving, and when the sun set and it grew dark, we found a place to camp and cleared the area around it. During that time, I circled the area widely to check for any nearby monsters before returning.
"There's nothing nearby."
"Thank you for checking."
As before, after confirming the safety, we set up tents and had dinner. After the meal, some of them began to dismantle the monster carcasses that had been piled up in one corner.
"What are they doing?"
"Some parts of the monster carcasses are considered valuable byproducts. They're dismantling them to sell."
In other words, it was a way to earn pocket money. To think they're taking care of that in this situation… What's the point of money when you're dead? As I stared at them, Orca casually added.
"Normally, that would be considered independent action and subject to punishment… but we're just overlooking it. If we were to catch every single one of them, there probably wouldn't be anyone left."
Although he said it playfully, it essentially meant that almost no one was following the rules.
Theo and Orca were probably overlooking it because they understood their situation, but it was absurd that they would even resent them despite the leniency.
Sensing that I was becoming displeased, Theo quickly stroked my back and offered me something.
"I found this while passing through the forest earlier. It's a fruit that Shuian used to enjoy in the forest, right?"
I stared down at the light pink fruit he offered. This innocent fool… I'll protect you, so don't worry! Of course, that was separate from what I had to say.
"That's not it. That's poisonous. You can't eat it."
"...Oh."
"Thank you, though."
I threw the fruit far away and chuckled at Theo's embarrassed expression.
ꕥ
Perhaps because we were getting closer to the rift, the number of monsters increased from the next day.
Moreover, as the demonic energy intensified, stronger, beast-like or flying-type monsters resembling bears or wolves appeared, causing casualties.
Dealing with flying types was even more difficult because we had to attack them with arrows or magic, and if the firepower was insufficient, we had to force them to the ground before dealing with them.
Whether it was true that they weren't a formal knight order and had only trained together a few times, their teamwork was nonexistent, and it was more like individual combat, making them seem more like a disorganized rabble than a knight order.
If they returned alive, it would only be thanks to Theo and Orca, and a few other skilled individuals.
Most of them were too busy running away to even think about fighting properly, so what could be done with them?
I tried to reduce the damage as much as possible by targeting the flying types, but they persistently fled as if they sensed my divine power, so it wasn't very effective.
Inevitably, I chose to quickly fly after the fleeing ones and tear their wings or cripple them to bring them down to the ground, rather than chasing after them one by one.
Thanks to me taking care of the winged ones to some extent, the hunt sped up, and soon the seemingly endless number of monsters began to dwindle, and before long, the battle was over.
After confirming that there were only a few monsters left, I circled the area widely to check, and it seemed that there were even fewer remaining monsters.
After clearing all the monsters, we were exhausted, and according to the map, we were scheduled to enter the danger zone around tomorrow, so we moved to a nearby river and set up camp. We decided to tie the horses to a long line here.
"Will the horses be okay until we return?"
"We've cleared all the monsters nearby, so they should be fine. Sometimes they become targets of demonic beasts or monsters and get attacked, but it doesn't happen often."
"I see…"
"It's already been four days. Aren't you tired? You haven't come down into my arms even once."
"No, I'm still okay. What about you, Theo? You have to walk from tomorrow."
"Of course, I'm fine."
Orca, who had checked the map and scouted the campsite, sat down and tilted his head.
"That's strange."
"What is?"
"Normally, the demonic energy should be quite strong by now… but I don't feel anything unusual."
Demonic energy accumulates in the body like poison, and the longer you're exposed to it, the more severe the symptoms become.
I hadn't noticed any difference yet, perhaps because I was protected by divine power, but it seemed to be quite harmful to ordinary people even at this level.
"Shuian, do you feel any pain anywhere? The symptoms of demonic energy don't appear immediately, so think carefully."
"Me? No. Honestly, I didn't even know there was demonic energy here until Orca mentioned it?"
Theo stared at me intently, then pondered something before suddenly taking out my feather that he had kept in his pocket. It was a gift I had given to Theo and Orca as a wish for a safe return.
Since it was a gift from me and plucked from me, it would have been safely kept in Theo's pocket to avoid dropping it on the ground, but the feather had turned black. It looked as if it had been partially dipped in black paint and then dried.
"This is…"
Orca also took out the feather he had kept in his pocket. It was also discolored black. Not only that feather, but also the tassel hanging on Theo's scabbard, which I had given him as a birthday present, had also turned black.
"Huh, is my feather acting as a shield?"
Wow, being a divine beast makes even a single feather capable! Orca also nodded with a bewildered expression, but Theo didn't seem happy at all.
"Theo, what's wrong?"
"...The gift Shuian gave me is ruined."
Ah, is that what it was?
"There's another one in the display case."
"But…"
"If it gets ruined, I'll make you something even better than this."
Even so, he still looked gloomy, so I chuckled and transformed into an eagle, plucking two new feathers and giving one to each of them.
"Thank you. I'm relieved that I don't have to worry about being poisoned by demonic energy, thanks to you."
"If you keep plucking them like this until the subjugation is over, won't you end up bald like you have alopecia?"
I didn't think a divine beast could get alopecia, but Theo seemed genuinely worried, so he urged me to transform back into an eagle, so I just laughed it off.
'But really, they will grow back, will they…?'
ꕥ
From the next day, we left the horses behind and traveled on foot. Fortunately, we hadn't traveled far before we entered the danger zone, and low-level demonic beasts began to appear.
It wasn't to the extent that I would lose my reason and rush at them like at Count Elmore's exhibition, but it was still very unpleasant. I was about to shoot out immediately, but Theo called me to a halt and cast a strong protection spell on me.
"Okay, go ahead."
"Screech-!"
Now that I can rampage as much as I want, Theo can rest assured too. I answered bravely and immediately flew off, snapping the neck of a demonic beast that was trying to attack Theo.
Demonic beasts basically have strong vitality, so breaking their necks rather than completely separating their heads wouldn't kill many of them, but they melted away in my divine power before they could even struggle.
Since they died just by touching my divine power, it was obvious that they couldn't harm me.
I suppressed the rising unpleasantness and tried to help by flying around Theo and Orca whenever there was a dangerous situation, but it didn't seem like they needed any help since they were cutting down multiple demonic beasts with just a swing of their swords, so I decided to rampage as I pleased.
I grabbed a demonic beast that was fleeing from me with my beak and threw it far away, then quickly twisted my body and tore apart the one next to it with my claws.
In fact, it was more like being torn apart by divine power than by sharp claws, so it felt like slicing through tofu, and I shook my feet to get rid of the fluids and flesh of the demonic beast, feeling unnecessarily uncomfortable.
Theo and Orca will take care of themselves… I flew high into the air and looked around. Most of them were dying pathetically while panicking rather than fighting to the death.
Most of the slave soldiers had died in the previous subjugation, and new slave soldiers had been filled in during the break, so it was only natural.
Those who hadn't received much training and didn't even know how to wield a sword properly couldn't possibly survive.
Has the Empress, who thinks of the Ruina Knights as a trash can that empties itself, ever properly seen this scene even once?
They're struggling so much even with low-level demonic beasts, so if they go deeper, dozens of people will die every second. Does the Empress feel no guilt even after seeing these light lives?
What's clear is that there might be innocent people among them.
For example, Liam Elmore.
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