Chapter 127

Chapter 127 - Omen (1)

Returning to Tripol City, Eugene's army received the warm hospitality of the city nobles who came out past the entrance.

"We did not imagine you would actually eradicate their entire lineage before returning."

"How could the Rakshasa bastards escape the knight who pursues them to the Demonic Forest? I believed in you from the start."

The city nobles smiled broadly looking at the severed heads newly going up at the entrance. Because the Rakshasa tribe was a nemesis that had inflicted harm for a long time.

Since Tripol was a port city, forests and jungles existed nearby. The Rakshasas traversing that place and ambushing the trade routes were terrifying beings.

A Sain-folk unit aggressively utilizing spears, employing simple tactics, and reproducing rapidly was an opponent no ordinary mercenary group dared face.

Even so, if they raised a large army linked with knights and nobles, the bastards often fled into their territory.

Chasing them pointlessly merely caused the army to quickly become exhausted from wandering lost, taking traps and ambushes, and lacking supply bases entirely. Then, if they suffered from an ambush and retreated defeated, only debt and resentment lingered in the city.

The merchant guild master, pleasantly admiring the matriarch's head, approached Eugene rubbing his hands.

"Do you perhaps have any skinned young Rakshasa hides?"

The fact that he referred to the young individuals as 'cubs' revealed how they viewed the race.

"They were all disposed of on-site."

"Oh dear! What a waste..."

No matter how wicked a race, its appearance was just that, and it was a race equipped with its own unique language and letters.

Unlike Goblins, Orcs, and Gnolls of their equivalent, which entirely held the figures of monsters, they had many similarities with humans. Especially since the young individuals were also profoundly cute.

"Hides of the young ones can be sold."

"Uh... I will decline."

Despite the adventurer's advice, even the vicious Blackhand tribe declined hunting for skins.

"No, how can anyone walk around wearing things like that?"

"We are not that destitute."

Certainly, anything cute received better treatment regardless. Because even if equally hostile, a difference in treatment arose solely due to appearance.

The adventurer acting as a guide had internally clicked his tongue saying, 'As expected, northerners are soft.'

"We prepared the finest mansion... Please go inside and rest quickly."

After delivering a brief report on the expedition's results, Eugene entered the city guided by the magistrate.

Normally, he should have detailed clearly how many bastards he killed and how many escaped deep inside. Because doing so allowed estimating the timing of their return in the future.

However, since he charged into the bastards' territory and eradicated the entire tribe, the report ended simply.

* * *

Samur was comprised of three terrains: deserts, jungles connected to forests, and civilized farmlands.

The green zones close to the coast were affluent, yet were places absorbing much of the ancestors' blood. The desperate wars against native species during early colonization recorded the beginning of Samur's history.

Being cultivated lands, they housed the most humans, and remained safe even now due to fortified strongholds and patrol forces existing everywhere.

The central desert was barren, but sufficient water sources existed, and trade routes pleasant for maneuvering massive numbers crisscrossed in all directions.

It acted as the economic lifeline of Samur, yet humans occupied only a minority of it. The native creatures cast deep into the desert ambushed whenever they fancied it. Therefore, regardless of whether a war existed or not, the mercenary business always thrived in Samur.

Finally, there were forests and jungles. The unexplored regions leading to other continents offered no significant benefits to civilization. These areas, too, were dangerous territories where native species that lost the competition against humans lurked.

"Let's secure a proper fortune!"

Most mercenaries and knights headed towards the desert trade routes. A situation where numerous caravans wandered and suffered ambushes from monsters and Sain-folk. The expected wealth and fame were naturally enormous.

Cases like Eugene's, charging into a forest to eradicate a specific tribe based on previously gathered information, were rare.

"Thank you for saving us! We almost all died! What kind of mess is it for monsters to ambush even up here!"

Naturally, not everyone pursued morality. Mercenary groups were inherently like greedy wild dogs, and knights could easily transform into robber knights depending on their financial status.

"There is no need to thank me... I didn't particularly come to save you, you see."

"Pardon? What are you... Kuak!"

Saving people when there are survivors brings in some rewards and goodwill. However, without survivors, they could claim 100% of the rewards.

"If you all gathered yours, finish it up."

"Captain. Don't worry... Since this is our specialty."

"Hehe! It's not like we're doing this once or twice."

A mercenary group that rescued an ambushed caravan only to butcher even the survivors, framing the scene to look like monsters' handiwork, wasn't strange at all.

While they wouldn't dare commit such atrocities on ordinary trade routes, they certainly could when the entire region was currently chaotic.

While Eugene's army rested in that fashion, the troops that departed towards the other side of the desert began returning one by one.

"Isn't it suspicious they have an unusually large amount of loot?"

At Eugene looking suspiciously at several mercenary groups, the newly appointed magistrate smiled bitterly.

"We have our suspicions as well, but catching proof is difficult. Because they are experts in erasing traces that could get them caught. Besides, it would be troublesome if the momentum of the subjugation dwindled over such matters... The city leadership considers it an inevitable sacrifice."

The magistrate also showed dissatisfaction due to a sense of justice stemming from his youth. However, facing realistic walls, he had no choice but to accept it.

The city folks welcomed the returnees to find entertainment, and the stranded merchants did so to gain peace of mind.

If the forest possessed a high proportion of Sain-folk, the desert possessed a high proportion of monsters. Hideous heads were loaded in the majestic mercenaries' carts.

"Desert Orcs!"

"Aren't Orcs common monsters?"

"You're acting so much like an outsider... It has 'Desert' attached in front, doesn't it? Any monster becomes tough and terrifying once desert gets added to its name."

The Samur locals spoke with pride to merchants from foreign nations.

Average Orcs were about the size of an ordinary human female and did not possess exceptionally strong muscular strength. Any average mercenary could expect a victory in a 1-on-1 battle.

However, Desert Orcs were equipped with massive physiques and brute strength that even robust human males struggled to handle. Unlike impulsive and undisciplined Orcs, they were properly forged under the desert sun. Because they knew the virtues of patience and temperance, they were much deadlier as an army.

Eugene watched the returning subjugation armies from the balcony of his luxurious mansion.

"I have killed Orcs countless times, but I have never fought a Desert Orc."

Rex, sporting smooth skin after visiting a public bathhouse, spoke.

"They won't be pushovers."

"Absolutely... Just glancing at their neck thickness tells they have quite the strength."

In this place where various bipedal races coexisted, encountering a never-before-seen race was common.

When clashing cold weapons like swords, clubs, or axes, grasping the opponent's strength was crucial. Doing otherwise meant meeting death from one's own weapon bouncing back the moment swords crossed.

At that point, what many warriors frequently checked was the opponent's neck. Because looking at the neck of opponents with similar weight classes allowed estimating what kind of human weapon the enemy was.

And all the Desert Orcs brought in right now possessed neck cross-sections thicker than their heads.

"It's not just the neck... I dissected the one that had become kebab in the Rakshasa kitchen... They had solid bones, and not just their limbs, but I could barely find any fat even on their abdomen."

"To think you dug through that one by one, your hobbies are truly splendid, Sir."

When the tribal warriors and mercenaries roamed around looting after the battle ended, Eugene had inspected the Desert Orc's corpse.

"Homi. Butcher knife."

He sliced and rummaged through the bastard fully roasted vertically on a skewer like Döner kebab here and there.

"Homi. Bone saw."

To Eugene's hand extended backwards, Homi placed an appropriate tool in it.

Befitting a Rakshasa kitchen, terrifying tools that shouldn't exist in an ordinary cooking room were scattered everywhere, making dissection easy.

Passing subordinates misunderstood Eugene to be trying to taste it at first glance and recoiled.

"They are bastards we might fight later, so it is good to understand them in detail."

Eugene learned interrogation techniques through his life as a soldier operating in the shadows.

Therefore, while not at a physician's level, he thoroughly understood the athletic abilities and mechanisms stemming from human physical characteristics.

Because the better one understood the human body, the easier it was to inflict pain or kill.

Eugene utilized that experience to dissect humanoid monsters he had never fought before upon encountering them. Because there was plenty of information impossible to know simply by clashing swords.

"Their heart is situated close to the center, but the muscle in front of it is over 10cm thick... It is also very tough."

"... Thank you for the good information. I should aim for the neck if I end up fighting them."

Meanwhile, another cheer could be heard.

A giant scorpion Eugene had once killed was brought in. Spears were lodged in every joint between its carapace, and the area was soaked entirely in bodily fluids, suggesting it was a considerable bloody battle.

"Uuum."

Amidst the noisy people's voices, a cute mumbling could be heard. It was Homi, asleep resting her head on Eugene's thigh while he sat diagonally on the long sofa.

Despite having ample space befitting a luxurious sofa, she remained curled up in a circle biting her tail as usual.

Eugene carefully brushed away the hair settled on her face by the wind.

Mumble.

"She seems to be dreaming."

"This is something I was always curious about... why does the squire bite her tail?"

Rex crouched down in front of the sleeping Homi as if intrigued.

"I actually asked before."

"Please do tell... I am curious."

"She said it's to filter her senses."

Eugene placed his index finger close to Homi's sharp nose.

Twitch!

Sniff sniff!

Her nose reacted immediately without even touching it. She moved as if chasing the scent of her revered Lord.

"As you also know, she's a girl with exceptionally sharp senses, isn't she?"

"It's a blessing received from God... Outstanding martial prowess protects one's own body, but keen senses save the lives of the entire unit."

Rex, who had benefited from it numerous times, nodded with respect.

That was the reason she received treatment akin to a mascot under Eugene's command, separate from her position as Eugene's squire.

"But this also acts as stress... Because as sensitive as she is, all sorts of senses act annoyingly. When severe, she said it feels like bugs transform into various senses like hearing, smell, and touch, buzzing loudly, right?"

"It sounds tiring just thinking about it."

Her senses particularly peaked during ovulation. To the point where even the clothes she wore felt annoying.

"She said biting her tail then distracts the heightened senses... Like closing one's eyes."

She restricted the cocktail of smells, the excessively expanded spatial awareness, and the exactingly irritating sense of touch solely to her mouth and tail.

"To Homi, biting her tail is an act of closing the world... In other words, you could say it's another version of human's closing their eyes."

"So that is why she naturally bites it even during sleep."

Twitch twitch.

Her nose continued reacting even in her sleep. Over the scents wafting from the myriad groups entering the city entrance.

Considering barely any group returned empty-handed, it seemed the entire trade route had indeed become dangerous.

However, it wasn't always just tidings of victory coming through. Battles invariably entailed sacrifices.

"Kuhhh."

"Captain! Hold on just a little longer! We've arrived!"

"Why are you just watching?! Quickly call a physician!"

Warriors who suffered horribly were also brought in. They were those who engaged in combat with fellow humans or were hunted by monsters in reverse.

Normally, this was well within expectations, but it became a problem as the shattered Jackdaw mercenary group entered groaning.

Mercenary groups in Samur commonly borrowed their names from animals, and naturally, the cooler or fiercer the animal appeared, the stronger the mercenary group.

If a weak mercenary group used a name like Rattlesnake, it would be ridiculed by other strong mercenary groups. Their name could even be outright usurped.

A name like Jackdaw was incredibly popular, and naturally, the mercenary group was also a formidable force with a scale of 400 members.

And yet, the survivors barely numbered 50, and even they were all severely injured.

Rex narrowed his eyes. It was because he saw the wounds on the injured decaying black. Homi had also already woken up due to that dangerous stench.

"Just what in the world happened? How could a mercenary group of your caliber!?"

The magistrate rushed out breathlessly. The free city always required military prowess, and large mercenary groups friendly toward the city were always targets needing careful management.

"A champion! A champion appeared!"

The centurion of the Jackdaw mercenary group, who newly ascended to the captain's seat after both the captain and vice-captain died, shouted with a trembling voice.

A champion or a hero. That was not humanity's exclusive property. It was a blessing and right of all races living in packs.

An existence equivalent to the Gnoll Chieftain Eugene's army knocked down in the Shield Mountains had appeared in Samur as well.

"A champion?! Are you certain about that?"

"Look at our state! Do you think we would spew nonsense in this situation?!"

"A-ah, no! Of course not! Let's take them to the clinic immediately!"

The magistrate escorting the injured while leading clerks and guards momentarily looked up at Eugene on the balcony.

"Just when we thought we could rest a little, it seems more work is coming."

"If what the Jackdaw mercenary group said is true, it is an emergency."

A champion was strong in themselves, but the true threat was that they united bastards that normally acted separately like oil and water.

"Even so, it feels too frequent."

While saying that, Eugene had his suspicions.

"The present world and another dimension constantly draw closer and move further apart like the tidewater... Summoners call the period when they draw closer a Spiritual High Tide... During a Spiritual High Tide, events beyond human cognition increase."

Remembering the conversation he shared with Marbas in the past, he looked up at the sky. Because it was a world without pollution, the sky was clear regardless of the weather.

However, since some point on, he felt a sensation as if an unknown veil was draped over the sky.

Once, he even tried closing his eyes again thinking 'Is it still night?' on a morning when the sun had dawned brightly.

Because even though the light had cleared the darkness, something still lingered pressing down from the sky onto the ground. It was certainly not a good omen for the people of this world.

"I have never seen such a Lamia! Everyone fell endlessly without even being able to resist!"

A terrified member of the Jackdaw mercenary group babbled out half out of his mind. The disaster that struck Samur this time appeared to be a female warrior containing the body of a snake.

As a mage understanding the mysteries of another dimension, Eugene pondered the changes inching upon the world.

Sniff sniff.

Recalling the snake smell wafting from the survivors, Homi prepared for the future battle.

Rex looked toward where the Moving Castle was located and toward his kin operating in Roman.

'I've taken all the precautions I can.'

It was truly an ominous climate, but he was not afraid. Since as a sub-chief, he had secured an ark capable of protecting his tribe.

All that remained was to stand tall as a warrior alongside the knight he chose to follow.