Volume 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Tepid darkness The at in water

I suddenly found it hard to breathe, so I raised my head and slowly opened my eyes

I heard a beastly coo fawning over me close by I had apparently fallen unconscious on top of Eru, who had steel-colored fur At first, I could only see the darkness, but s eventually became clearer

The scene reflected beforefaint darkness A fog, stagnated in a different way than the fog in heaven had been, hung over the area

”……Where are we?”

My foolish-sounding voice, free from any hint of caution, ed by the faint darkness without leaving any echoes behind

”Eru……do you knohere we are?”

I was so perturbed by the strangeness of the world before my eyes that I could not help but subconsciously ask the beast who could not talk Eru looked back at me for a bit and twitched his lion-like nose, and I felt that he was troubled and did not knohat to do withon his back

”Is this Evelier, by any chance?”

I dropped word after word into the darkness as I talked to myself I couldn't stand the anxiety if I didn't

Thank goodness that Eru ith me, even if he couldn't speak If I had been left behind in his oone crazy from fear

Eru growled quietly froeted cautiously, likely because he was stimulated by the ominous air around us He looked back htly stiff fur as if he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible I guessed that Eru was anxious too, after having been separated from his master, Olin

Since I, the person acco him, was not only unreliable but was actually more of a burden, it was no wonder that he was scared

Still, Eru seeent and loyal beast and did not try to move before I instructed him to It was probably best to trust his bestial instincts and move away frohtly pat Eru on the back and signaled him onward Eru obeyed, noticeably relieved

I let Eru, who seeer in the air, decide on where to go and devoted s There was probably no doubt that this was Evelier

”Olin brought e……”

That would ed upon the covenant between the Gods He had refused to tellpunished Was the penalty so cruel that he couldn't tell me?

My entire body stiffened under the weight of the responsibility that had been bestowed to me

Two Gods had sacrificed themselves in order to pour their power into me I had to answer to their expectations, no matter what

Eru and I were apparently in a thicket A dull, greyish ht was so sorrowfully weak that I couldn't see into the depths of the woods

The dusty stars that studded the night sky, too, only gave a weak shi+ne as if they were on the verge of death If I strained my eyes, I could just barely make out an outline of the area around ht was

”It's too quiet……”

The air was heavy It was as if the sky, the trees, and the earth had gone silent from fear of the despair and death that spread across the world There was no wind to carry over a cool breeze, and, apart fro as we moved on, only silence prevailed

”The world is rotting away,”

I subconsciously whispered The world was so broken down that it would be difficult to save The trunks of the trees scattered around us were thin and dry The leaves that feebly hung limp from their branches had already withered

A grave of trees A stupid idea came into my head

”I wonder if other places are desolated like this too?”

——Could I really save this place?

My feelings suddenly plummeted I felt like this job was too much for me

——……This ht be impossible, Olin

To think that the world was this dark No ht, I couldn't believe that I had the power to return this ruined world back to its true form

Sensing that I had lost rowled softly to cheer me up

”……This isn't the time to be a coward”

I encouragedrepetitive deep breaths If I threw the towel here, there would have been no point to Silvai and Olin breaking their covenant I didn't want to do anything that would disappoint the two Gods who had entrustedto give up, I could do it when I truly had no more cards left to play

”But, I at least wish I had a bit more detailed information about this world……”

My real feelings leaked out a little In all honestly, I had basically zero knowledge about Evelier

In any case, according to Olin had said, I just had to cut down the revenants with this sword……but I didn't knoield the all-i to be different fro fish

”Besides, will I be able to tell if so at it?”

If I couldn't figure out where in Evelier I was right now, then I'd have no idea where I was supposed to go from here on out My anxiety increased with the mysteries I faced Just as I was about to lose heart and bury uard and lowered his posture He was preparing to dash I grabbed on to Eru's mane in a panic

”Eru?”

Eru didn't let out a single growl as he readied himself to rab er?

Still nervous, I ran e behind me

”Is someone there?”

There was no way there was There were only supposed to be revenants left in this world

Besides, what do revenants even look like to begin with? ……Like slimes?

Just as I had tilted ine what revenants looked like

I abruptly sat up straighter and looked all aroundhere!

A black shadow squirmed next to the skinny tree that was to the left and in front of me

”Eru”

The intelligent beast sprinted vigorously as if he had understood when I quietly called out his narabbed on to Eru's round I would be hit by the wind resistance if I sat up straight I realized this along the way and pushed ed to kept s

I heard the sound of rass We were being chased

When I looked back, I saw pronounced shadows crossing over to us from between the scattered trees

I grew even olden lights floated in the darkness They blinked like fireflies They weren't revenants They were probably wild dogs or wolves or so like that

——We're being attacked

The black shadows had closed in the distance between us and were in line with Eru by the time that I clearly discerned this

Eru ran even faster I burned the ied the to jus

They were creatures with limbs that I had never seen before They were quadrupednecks They had , rabbit-like ears They looked like they were sneering at us

They cried jarring, metallic threats as they chased after Eru

Eru was at the absolute disadvantage since he had to carry e, with him All of the monsters were starved I felt their intense drive prickling on my skin as they refused to lose their prey……us

”What do we do……?!”

——I didn't know that it would be this dangerous!

”Eru, run!”

I felt unwanted sweat onwas ragged We had no other choice but to turn our backs and flee It would be the end of the road if they caught up to us This wasn't soain

Eru lived up to his title as Olin's beast and knew precisely what he had to do even in a tense situation like this We were going so fast thathorizontal in one cluhtest

He ran as if ere literally sliding across the ground There was no hesitation in his footsteps when he kicked against the earth as he could apparently see well in the dark He ju directions constantly while trying to throw off the monsters behind us The monsters could evidently see in the dark as well, but they apparently weren't as intelligent as Eru was Eru toyed with therew farther away from the monsters thanks to his efforts I looked backbehind us

”Good job, Eru!”

I called out to Eru before I knew it Eru didn't slon even though we had put enough distance between us and the monsters that I didn't think they'd chase after us anymore

It e arrived at a clearing in the thicket that I felt a presence that was different froe that I could perceive it

It ht have been the power that Olin and Silvai blessed me with at work

”Wait”

Eru was obviously hesitant when I told hi that he shook his ht that it was best to keep putting more distance between us and the monsters

But still……there, just now, I most definitely heard a beast's death cry from somewhere else

”Eru, did you hear that voice just now?”

Eru shook his head and growled His urgent cry see, we don't have time to care about that!

”——Go to where the voice came from”

Eru balked quite a bit at ave up and turned around once he realized that I was stubbornly refusing to back down

He seemed somewhat desperate, or maybe he was mad atin a soh manner that was clearly different from before

He probably thought that going back e had finally et away from the swarm of monsters was suicidal, and it made all of the effort that Eru had put to run this far to waste

But if, just ht

Indeed, I had heard the monsters' unnatural death cries before

That's what I decided to bet on

”It smells like blood”

The thick scent of blood s on, probably noticed it too

Eru continued to run in a straight line through the stifling faint darkness

”Wait, Eru, over there”

A beast's fierce cry, fierce enough to make the trees shake, echoed from in front of us It was close

Eru didn't stopas he followed rowl He was probably coer

”Oh! Over there!”

The place where I pointed Eru to veered sharply off to the right from where we had been earlier

There were a few round here Eru deftly slipped through the trees and dashed to where the noise was co from

Before long,the black figure of a beast that towered like a huge rock in the pale darkness The beast howled violently enough toelse Eru slowed down and crept closer to the giant beast that continued to roar

I squinted and observed the other shadow as it held back the ferocious beast

——It's a person!

I know that person I subconsciously made a fist

It was thethe violent howling beast

His large sword drew an arc underneath the feeble light of the dull e was unsteady, as if to indicate the waning stamina of its wielder

At this rate, the beast would push it aside and it would fall to the ground

The giganticthe man had extremities that didn't exist in s were long like a spider's The way it lowered itself to the ground, as if to gather up strength, and sprang up to attack was eerie Its moveh the air as it swung the was strong enough to cut down the trees in its path

Theoff the beast's persistent attacks with his sword, finally becaered painfully He fell to the ground on his knee

Upon closer inspection, the beast ounded and the man looked dreadfully tired Nuround around them Had he defeated them all on his own?

”Eru, let's help him”

Eru lowered his body to the ground as if he was about to pounce on his prey as I rode on his back

The ferocious beast re-oriented itself and brought up its long ared breath The man was unable to brace himself properly for its visually simple attack

”Go!”

Eru leapt the moment I shouted He landed forcefully in between the beast and the man

Both parties were surprised by the sudden intrusion and stopped ed it in advance

The ht within them were opened wide in shock

”Get on!”

The ot up and moved as if on reflex

The beast grasped the situation the moment that the man jumped on behind me and closed in on us in a panic

Eru nimbly moved away and circled around the h arm at us The man, seated behind me, failed to react in time to Eru's sudden movements and nearly fell off

”Hold on!”

Eru changed directions before the irritated beast could and vigorously ran forward But then, he suddenly stopped and warily braced himself

——The beasts froht up to us!

Appearing between the trees before us was the swarold eyes Behind us was the wounded ferocious beast Eru turned around without hesitation and ran back to where the gigantic beast aiting for us, but I didn't knohy

The ht up to us drew closer to where Eru was——in other words, to where the giant beast aiting——as if they were being drawn in

”You're gonna ht each other!”

I was impressed once I realized what Eru had !

Apparently, the o after the wounded beast, which was in a similar condition as them, than it was to chase after the santic beast reactedwith the intent to kill than it did to us, especially e had already proved that ere hard to bring down

Eru didn't slon in the slightest even though he carried both thefarther away from the monsters

The hideous howls of their fight reverberated after us

Eru continued to run in silence He kept running until we could no longer hear the er see the thicket

Eru finally stopped running ere deep inside a basin far away from the thicket

We stopped right next to an old tree that had lost all of its leaves Its branches were spread out nicely,eyes if we sat on its roots

I ju that it was the perfect place to rest

”Thank you, Eru Good work”

I caressed Eru's face as if I was trying to console him I orried that he was still mad at me, but Eru narrowed his eyes and purred, and then he nuzzled his lion-like nose against my shoulder

I think he understood that I ained some of his trust

”You should come down too,”

I said to the hesitant man as I pat Eru's ears

He obediently clilued on me

”Wanna sit?”

I beckoned to the upright e from Eru and sat down on the roots of the old tree Eru laid down next toto do

It was like he was guarding me Truth be told, Eru looked just as ferocious as the ely found him cute now that he'd cozied up to me

”Over here”

I pat at the dried earth next to me The man approached me in a daze and sat doith his sword still in his hand Yeah, he really is pretty big Putting Olin aside, he was probably had the best body out of all of the people I'd ever known But he was now covered in more wounds than he had been e first met

”Let's get you patched up”

I thought that he couldn't understand what I was saying, so I reached out forfor him to reply

”——Who are you?”

”Huh?”

I thought that Eru had spoken for a moment

But that wasn't possible My hand stoppedas I turned to look at the man's face

——Why can I understand what you're saying?

But I couldn't before!