Butcher Demon
Chapter 288

"By any chance, do you have any idea what's happening right now?"

"Well..."

Haruka asked me, and I instinctively crossed my arms.

"To be honest, I don't know what's happening either. At first, I thought I'd get information from you... Well, at least now I know we're near Australia, so that's progress."

It's hard to believe, though.

Anyway, it's fortunate that we managed to replace water and food. It was worth saving her life. Clean water is especially invaluable.

Yakumo started to rock his body back and forth As I patted his head, then Haruka stood up resolutely.

"Then...!"

"Hmm?"

"Then, why don't we help each other??"

"Help each other?"

"Gevaudan, you want more information, right?"

"Yeah. Besides Natsuki, there are other people who got separated too. I need to understand what's happening. I also want clues about Yakumo's illness. I need more information."

"And you want to protect Yakumo-kun too, right?"

"That's right. I'm fine with survival anywhere, but I'm worried about taking this kid with me. Especially when it comes to water."

A broken SUV caught my eye.

Since Harka and the other girl had apparently left the cabin in a hurry, and the car was only loaded with a small amount of supplies. At this rate, it won't last another two days.

"We need your help."

Haruka said.

"There are still people trapped in the cabin..."

"....and you want me to rescue them."

She gulped and nodded.

"Yes..... you seem very, very strong."

"And you, what will you do for me?"

"If you help us, I can guide Gevaudan and Yakumo-kun to the city, I'll talk to them on your behalf. The city has a wired network. That way, you can investigate what you want to know. I can also provide food and a place to sleep for Yakumo-kun."

Impressive. She's really smart for a college student.

But again...

I nibbled on a goblin's head and told her.

"Like I said before, I'm not your enemy, but I'm not an ally either. I'm not asking for your permission to use the city's facilities. If I want supplies, I'll just take them. And I can just use the network however I want. If anyone gets in my way, I'll eliminate them, no matter who they are."

"That's....."

Haruka seemed to get what I meant and faltered.

I thought she would give up at this point, but she immediately looked at Yakumo "But..." and continued.

"What will you do if Yakumo-kun's condition worsens?"

"...?"

"Gevaudan. You're not a doctor right?"

"Well, that's..."

"With those claws, it must be difficult to perform delicate tasks."

After saying that, she made a show of removing the food crumbs from Yakumo's clothes.

――I guess she's right. These claws are really troublesome when it comes to taking care of someone. I have to be real careful when attending to girls at night.

I can grow my claws with my skill, I can make them shorter, but they won't get any shorter after a certain length. I want to trim them. I have been bugging about this for some time now.

It seems Haruka watched me struggling with the cup ramen earlier.

"No matter how strong you think you are, there's always a limit when you're on your own. That's why we need to support each other in times like this. It's what humans do, right? I think there's a reason why we met. So please, Gevaudan, lend me your power, and I promise I'll have your back too."

She seems to have been raised well. Even though she's showing her midriff. It's pretty convincing when she says it so seriously.

――Well, fine then.

Since we don't have any plans at the moment, there's no downside to cooperating. Plus, I don't even know the way to that city. Instead of aimlessly wandering through the forest, it would be better to help Haruka's friends. The cabin also should have a lot more supplies.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's work together."

I nodded heavily, and Haruka's tense face relaxed at my agreement.

"I'm glad..."

"Do you know where the cabin is from here?"

"Well... Since I was driving like crazy, I'm not really sure. I think we were in the car for about 30 minutes..."

"I see. Well, we can follow the tracks left by the tires. Since it didn't rain, we should be able to manage. By the way, can I ask you something I've been curious about?"

"Yes."

"You were being chased by goblins even though you were in a car?"

"Goblins..."

After being told that, Haruka looked at the remains of the goblin fires and nodded quietly.

"Yeah, they looked like goblins."

"Goblins... Aren't they supposed to be slow?"

Even in the mountains, they managed to catch up with a car. Goblins are too fast. It's a little scary to think.

Then she said something interesting.

"Maybe it's because..... we somehow got lost and ended up going in circles, going around the same place multiple times."

"Huh?"

Even if they were in a hurry, is it really possible to keep going in circles so many times?

Well, whatever. If it takes about 30 minutes by car, we should be able to reach the mountain hut by tomorrow."

Haruka, can you do me a favor while we're working together? Can you put Yakumo to bed?"

"Huh?" She looked like she wanted to say something and stared at me.

"Let's take everything out and sleep in the car together tonight. We'll wait until morning before we start moving."

"Um... Aren't we going now?"

"I understand your eagerness to go and help them immediately, but... well..."

My gaze swept the surroundings.

It was pitch black. No moon in sight. The SUV's axle was busted so it was useless. We had to continue on foot. Yakumo is sleeping. Haruka is also very tired.

Even if I could carry someone, I can only carry one person with my hand. With the 20mm, both my hands will be occupied. Haruka will have to move on foot to the cabin, but she's just an ordinary person. And with her outfit revealing her stomach and legs...even trained soldiers avoid night marches like this――

"It's no use, alright? If we rush now, you won't be able to move after an hour. So rest well and prepare for tomorrow. I'll keep watch."

"...Okay."

Reluctantly, Haruka accepted my decision without arguing.

So, I left Yakumo in her care and let them sleep in the car.

Once I made sure they were covered with blankets and settled down, I sat by the fading goblin fire, contemplating our future.

Where could Titania and the others be?

The worst-case scenario is that they went straight to the Demon King's lair without me and started a fight. But something tells me that's not the case. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in Australia. I didn't get left behind; they moved forward. Maybe we all got sent to some other place. That could be it.

Then, I couldn't help but worry about Abigail and Natsuki.

The four girls will be alright. They're tough. Titania is pretty amazing too. It doesn't matter where they were sent, they will be fine. But Abigail and Natsuki are in trouble. If they suddenly ended up in some alien place, they'd be in serious danger. I hope they all got sent together.

But there's nothing I can do about it, though. Right now, all I can do is gather info and protect Yakumo.

For the time being, Yakumo is my top priority. It may be possible if he's a normal child, but it is impossible to survive in the alien's territory without proper preparations, especially with Yakumo, who is silent and unpredictable. As Haruka pointed out, I can't take care of him properly.

First, I have to save her friends, peacefully enter the town, gather supplies for the, and if necessary, consider entrusting Yakumo to someone else.

That's why I won't threaten Haruka. She might be the lifeline for Yakumo. I don't want to make more enemies right now.

――So, what should I do?

Should I look for Titania and the others? Or should I take the shortest route to fulfill my promise to her?

The most important mission for me, the soul of Oberon trapped in this butcher's body, is to get it back to the Great Dungeon Tartarus.

After thinking about it and considering what to do next, I checked the supplies in the car, checked the contents of my four-dimensional bag, walked around a bit to observe the surroundings, checked the constellations, and the plants, and searched for something that could be breakfast. I kept myself busy.

All I have is in the four-dimensional bag. Inside are the butcher knife, butcher hammer, apron, spare paper bag, tropical clothes, small guns, ammunition, explosives, and so on.

――Oh.

As I rummaged through the bag, I suddenly felt a strange sensation on my fingertips. I took it out——It was a bundle of grass. The same grass the store manager gave me. Ah, I wonder how the store manager's doing.

As I pictured the store manager's friendly face, I started eating the grass. *Munch munch... Crunch*

"?"

There was something metallic stuck in my teeth.

I picked at it and found a U-shaped metal. What's this?

――Oh, right...

Come to think of it, the store manager said, 'It's my piercing, something something' Is this what he meant?

Piercing ... Or rather, isn't this a nose ring?

It's the kind of thing that cows wear on their noses. Yes, that's right. Now that I think about it, it's a piercing too. A nose ring. I can't just say 'thank you' for it, can I?..... What should I do? Should I try wearing a nose ring too? Although I don't have a nose to pierce. Well, because it seems to have some effect, I'll keep it for now. I'll hang it on my neck like a pendant or something.

The horn I got from Garnier, the one I was wearing for a while is now in Yakumo's pocket. It seems he liked it, so I let him keep it for now. I know this may sound a bit whiny, but the reason I'm in this mess is because Yakumo went to pick up Garnier's horns. Seriously..

I have no idea how he spotted me dropping the horns from that far away. His stare is crazy sharp.

While I was doing this, before I knew it, it was time for the sky to starts to turn bright.

The pure darkness of the night turned into morning dew and fogged up the car windows, and I could hear two people breathing inside.

――Alright.

In that case, I'll make breakfast and prepare to leave. It's better to take action than to worry.

By the way, even though it's winter, it feels warm.