We took a detour all the way around the Great Forest. It was the usual route that connected the east and west without offending the denizens of the Great Forest.

Of course, considering what we had done this time, cutting straight through the Great Forest wouldn't have been a big problem.

After all, it was none other than the Great Chief who owed us a debt.

However, he had just ascended to the position of Great Chief. He would be busy announcing the truth to the other tribes and coordinating this and that.

Rather than putting him in a difficult position, we chose to take a slightly longer route.

It was also a route prepared against any demon worshipers that might appear.

ROAR!

"Uwaaah!"

Well, what we actually experienced along the way wasn't an ambush, but the true danger of the Great Forest.

I didn't realize it when traveling with the people of the Great Forest, but there really were a lot of wild beasts here. The same went for venomous insects and dangerous plants.

Of course, this might be because we were getting closer to Camberer than Hudelen.

"This is already the third time today!!"

The reason we were heading to Camberer in the first place was precisely because of these beasts.

Apparently, their population had surged recently.

"You lazy bum, stay still!"

"You crazy bastard, how am I supposed to stay still with this here!!"

"It's hard to hit it because you keep moving!"

"Waaah! It's going to bite me, it's going to bite!!"

"Wahahaha! Wait for me, young hunter!"

"Uwaaaaaah!!"

Meanwhile, as DeB screamed, the Inquisitor and the Berserker rushed at the beast. Both were covered in blood, having just finished off other creatures.

SLASH!

"Wah, uwaaah!"

"Be quiet."

However, I was one step faster. I cleanly severed the nape of the beast that was about to bite DeB.

A massive amount of blood poured all over DeB, but since it didn't get on me, it didn't matter.

I walked past them with a perfectly dry body. Standing right in the middle, the Archmage, who had barely managed to avoid the mess, looked somewhat exasperated.

"Are you alright?"

"... Does this look alright to you?"

Meat Dumpling asked, pointing at his blood-soaked body. The Archmage did not answer.

"To think you'd be terrified by a mere leopard. Your training is lacking."

"Young hunter, you must have let your guard down!"

"No, guard down or not, how many humans can actually fight a leopard one-on-one?!"

That was true. If I had my real body right now, I'd be in the same situation as DeB—no, an even worse one.

I agreed with his words as I strode forward.

"Oh my. Are you leaving already?"

"Ah, Demon Knight! Let's go together!"

"Ahaha! Let's go, hunter!"

"... Couldn't you at least give me a moment to wring out the blood?"

But so what? Agreeing was one thing, but we had a road to travel.

Besides, thanks to my item's effects, even if I didn't feel hot, the sensation of humidity remained. Plus, I hadn't been able to wash properly for days, so I felt completely gross!

Seeing as there hadn't been any ambushes from anything other than beasts so far, it was safe to assume there were no demon worshipers in this forest.

Since Camberer wasn't far off, I wanted to get out of these woods as soon as possible!

"Ugh, fine. It's my fault for being weak. Boss, let's go together!"

Let's go, full speed ahead!

"Ugh. You guys are really too much."

Fortunately, not long after—right around the time we needed to set up camp—we found a river.

Having been relentlessly targeted for the past few hours because of the blood covering him, it was only natural for DeB to jump into the river.

It seemed he hated the beasts drawn by the smell of blood more than his dislike of water.

"Uhaha. It's fun, so what's the problem, young hunter!"

"As long as you're having fun, that's all that matters, huh?!"

While his wet clothes were hung up to dry, the Berserker slapped DeB on the back as he sat rolled up in a blanket.

Thanks to DeB acting as bait, the Berserker definitely hadn't had a chance to get bored. Though from DeB's perspective, it was infuriating.

"Still, we did get our food for today, didn't we."

"I've finished preparing it all!"

"I shouldn't even bother talking..."

DeB wriggled around, pulling his blanket tighter. Curled up into a ball on top of a rock like that, he really looked like a dumpling. A rather pathetic dumpling.

"Now, now. Don't be like that, try eating this."

The Archmage gently coaxed DeB and handed him a candy. Considering this was a world where sugar was precious, it was an incredible gift.

"Do you think I'm some kid who gets won over by food..."

"Still, eating something delicious will make you feel better."

Knowing that, DeB grumbled but didn't refuse the candy. The sugar high must have hit him immediately, as his expression softened noticeably.

"On another note, there really were a lot of wild animal attacks today. To think we'd be attacked seven times."

"Do you think this is related to the issue in Camberer? Or maybe it's the work of that entity who approached that lazy bum?"

"Either way, there's a possibility."

"Priest, the meat is burning."

"Ah."

Meanwhile, the Archmage and the Inquisitor had been diligently boiling stew and roasting meat.

Normally, DeB took turns with the cooking, but since he was in that state today, the Inquisitor was working hard in his stead.

Me? Surprisingly... I had never been assigned to cook. I wasn't sure if they knew I wouldn't help because of my concept, or if they just assumed I'd be bad at it.

Honestly, it was convenient, and since I was terrible at cooking anyway, I had no complaints. Even in modern times with easy heat control, I always burned my food, so how could I manage here?

"Ah, hunter. Your clothes are dry."

"Really?!"

By the time the food was ready, his washed clothes were fully dry. DeB quickly changed into them.

He must have been too worried about wild beasts to go far off to change, so seeing him squirming around under his blanket was pretty hilarious.

Not that I had any intention of putting up a privacy screen to make it easier for him, though.

"You should eat too."

The Archmage smiled warmly and handed out the food. The stew, which at some point had started containing less meat, was easy for me to eat.

"Comrade, I've been wondering since before, but do you not eat meat?"

Wait a second. I paused while drinking my soup and met the Berserker's gaze. His amber eyes, sharp like a wild animal's, seemed to observe me closely.

"That's none of your business."

Well, since I always picked the meat out whenever I chose what to eat, it wouldn't be strange if he noticed. The others seemed to have half-guessed it too, seeing how they'd often filter the meat out for me.

"If you don't eat meat, your body won't hold up."

However... I really didn't want to eat it.

"I told you, it's none, of your, business."

Even originally, I wasn't fond of it due to digestion issues and personal taste, but now... after coming here...

I recalled the things that would often end up in my mouth while fighting. I remembered the things reeking of blood.

My appetite vanished instantly.

"Oh dear."

As I put down my bowl, the Archmage looked somewhat pitiful.

But my appetite was already gone. I didn't feel like eating anymore.

"Then you won't grow taller."

"... Excuse me. How old do you think the Boss is to still be growing..."

"Isn't the Demon Knight tall enough already? I've only seen exactly one other person among the Middle race as tall as the Demon Knight."

"But, isn't the Demon Knight still at the age to grow?"

"The Slender race grows until thirty, but not the Middle race."

"... Is that so??"

Instead, I left my seat. I finally found a river, so I needed to scrub myself clean.

"Ah, I see the city."

"Wow, look at that fog... I guess they don't call it the Blue Kite's Nest for nothing."

A little more time passed, and exactly two weeks later, we arrived in Camberer.

ROAR!

"Ugh, right up until the end!"

"Uhaha, die!"

Whether we were lucky or not, the attack from demons or demon worshipers we had worried about never happened. We just acutely experienced the surging number of wild beasts.

"They aren't tainted by demonic energy... How bizarre. It's quite suspicious that the majority are felines, too. Just what on earth is happening?"

"Tell me about it."

It was a relief they weren't demons, but a sudden increase in apex predators wasn't good news either.

Nor was the fact that they were leaving their usual habitats and swarming in droves, regardless of overlapping territories.

So, carrying a slight sense of worry, we entered the city.

After passing the identity checks, the Camberer we entered seemed less beautiful than Hudelen, but larger in size. Even though it was noon, the fog flowing throughout the city gave it a strange, otherworldly feel.

"Wow. There are a ridiculous number of adventurers here."

Meanwhile, armed individuals could frequently be seen roaming the streets. Given their unstandardized equipment, there was a high probability they were adventurers.

"The city must have placed a bounty on beast subjugation."

"Isn't hunting demons more fun than beasts?"

"This side is safer, isn't it."

True, ordinary people struggled even against goblins. They also had to risk the danger of demonic energy corruption.

In that case, it made sense that people would flock to the relatively safer beast hunting, even if the pay was lower. Though the Berserker, an anomaly in terms of skill, didn't seem to understand.

"The Berserker finds demon hunting more fun."

"You'll get to experience it plenty if you keep traveling with us, so don't worry."

Anyway, we headed to the Temple to unpack. We also obtained our initial information there.

The Temple, where all sorts of people gathered, collected information just as well as the Adventurer's Guild.

"Have you found the cause of this abnormal situation yet?"

"Unfortunately... we don't have any leads yet. We've confirmed that the land has been drying up recently, but to call that the cause..."

"The land is drying up?"

"Ever since the Flying Stream Tiger disappeared, the mountains and fields often dry up around this time of year. The air becomes parched, and sand blows in from the desert."

However, it seemed the religious order hadn't found a clear motive either.

"The intensity of the drought seems a bit stronger this time, but it's not at an unprecedented level. It was just like this seven years ago, after all. Above all, the aftermath of this phenomenon affects Ednium more than us. Because they are closer to the desert."

"Then what is the situation in Ednium...?"

"They are not being attacked by beasts. We've been in constant communication recently regarding the Young Lord's marriage, so its authenticity is certain."

"In that case, it would be difficult to point to the drought as the cause. We'll have to consider other possibilities."

"Yes... We will keep it in mind, but the probability is likely low."

"Then, what about the direction the animals are swarming from..."

"Unfortunately, they aren't coming from just one direction..."

Leaving their conversation be, I leaned against the wall of the parlor-like space.

The Archmage, the Inquisitor, and DeB were gathered around a desk in the middle of the room, conversing with the Bishop.

"This is delicious!"

"Would you like some more?"

"Oh!"

The Berserker was also hanging around near the desk. Though it seemed his goal was the snacks rather than the conversation, anyway.

More importantly, this place was feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

I crossed my arms as I looked at my HP window, which was dropping at an even faster rate. So far, it was regenerating more than it was dropping, but going forward...

[Excuse me...]

At that moment, a priest wearing a white veil spoke to me. He was quite tall, and the face visible beneath the veil gave an overall pale impression.

[You seem to have a lot of pent-up emotions, so please keep this glory by your side and find peace of mind.]

Just as I was thinking his appearance was strangely bothersome, the other party said those words. I guess my grumpy face had caught his attention.

'That son of a bitch.'

Well, despite his consideration, I was an atheist who doubted that wearing a piece of cloth would bring me peace.

[May eternal rest come to you, brother.]

Still, it was definitely nice that wearing a veil meant I had to worry less about my facial expressions.

'Kill him. Kill that damn bastard!'

Despite feeling a strange sense of discomfort, I placed the veil on my head for now.

Weren't veils originally white? Are there black veils too? I pushed those questions aside.

'You fucking idiot!'

I vaguely remembered hearing that black veils were worn during funeral masses, and since the person who gave it to me was a priest, I had no reason to doubt it.

"Huh? Demon Knight, where did you get that veil?"

Was I wrong? I met eyes with the Inquisitor, who had been talking with the priest, and withdrew my hypothesis upon seeing Kimchi Dumpling's horrified face.

My eyes reflexively darted to where the priest had been, but he was already gone.

"Black isn't exactly... an ominous color, but the religious order still never uses black veils. Just how did you end up with something like this..."

Your people gave it to me...

I refined that sentence to fit my concept and answered bluntly. Everyone around me froze with stiff expressions.

"A black veil is an item used by demons when baptizing their contractors. Or..."

"They also gift it to an opponent they resent enough to want to kill. As a way of saying that a black veil meant for demons is fitting for you."

However, at the next sentence, my face stiffened as well.

Crazy.

"Please tell us the face of the priest who gave you the veil!"

I gritted my teeth as I glared at the black veil, which had already passed into the Inquisitor's hands.

Then, I slowly spat out my words.

"Give me some paper."

I didn't know if they had police sketches here, but if not, I'd make the very first one. You bastard, how dare you mess with my concept's temper.

"H-Here you go."

At my murderous expression, the Bishop stealthily handed over some paper. My hand quickly snatched it, and I started furiously scribbling with a pen.

"Ah!"

When you draw webtoons for about ten years, even the slowest person naturally picks up drawing speed. Thus, in less than three minutes, a portrait of a person emerged.

The opponent's features were so distinct that there was nothing to get confused about.

"This person is..."

But DeB looked like he strangely recognized him.

Swallowing a groan, he whispered softly in a somewhat hoarse voice.

"That's the guy... who approached me last time."

Crazy. Absolutely crazy.

"Are you saying he followed us all the way here, as if Hudelen wasn't enough...?"

"Wait, if he approached that scoundrel... Could it be the one we heard about when leaving Hudelen?"

No wonder I felt so bothered!

CRUNCH!

"A mere bug, how dare he...!"

"Are you telling me a demon crawled into the land of God?!"

Anyway, with this incident, the fuse was lit for both the Inquisitor and me.

I didn't know how this episode would unfold, but it meant that if this guy was caught, he was truly going to die.

'Leviathan, I'm absolutely going to crush that bastard.'

Absolutely.

[Kuhuk!]

[I knew this would happen. That's why I told you going into the religious order's territory was too much. You're not even good at hiding your demonic energy.]

Looking at the one vomiting blood, the purple-haired entity clicked their tongue. Beside their hair, which darkened to black at the ends, a crow was flapping its wings.

[Heh, hehe. Well. If you had seen what I saw, you wouldn't be saying that.]

[Sure, I bet. I'll never have a reason to see the inside of a Temple anyway. You're the only one who'd go see it, Moby Dick.]

Sitting on a low wall with their smoothly curved legs crossed, the entity listened to those words apathetically. At that, the one coughing up blood, Moby Dick, chuckled.

[If you had seen that bastard quietly accepting the black veil without recognizing me, Pandemonium, do you think you'd be sitting here like this?]

[... What did you just say?]

[Haha, hahahat!]

At the reaction of the purple-haired entity, Pandemonium, Moby Dick burst into loud laughter.

Imagining Pandemonium's entranced expression, unable to hide their greed, and recalling the stupid face he had just seen made his current pain feel infinitely trivial.

It was worth enduring the unpleasantness to set foot on the religious order's land.

[Stupid Gretchen. Serves her right. To think she couldn't even swallow a single vessel, failing to recognize even me while meekly taking my insults.]

[Ah... So it's to that extent. I had my suspicions after what Duke said, but... how tempting. Should I try to take it this time?]

Enduring the pain that had yet to subside, Moby Dick spat out more blood.

Since it was like swallowing several cups of poison while heavily suppressing his power, he wouldn't be able to escape this state for a few days... but it didn't matter.

[Leviathan]

He even ignored the boiling heat forming in the shape of letters on the back of his hand, indicating that his true name had been called from somewhere.

Hating to experience this kind of thing every time he was called, if this name—manipulated to be remembered only by the King and the Great Demons—was suddenly called out.

Especially if he had just run into Wrath and provoked him.

The list of people who could have called it could easily be narrowed down.

Moby Dick—or rather, by his true name, Leviathan—ignored the heat radiating from the back of his hand and tickled his snake's chin.

His laughter wouldn't stop.

[I'll definitely kill you this time, Gretchen.]

[Ah, no way. He's mine.]

[Hmph. If you want him, try claiming him first.]

That damn Gretchen, who was granted all sorts of freedom and rights for just a single price because he was a powerhouse on par with the King. That damn Gretchen, who always looked down on him from above, calling him nothing but a mere fish.

[But you should know. I will absolutely not miss this opportunity.]

Always wanting to win against him, yet unable to win. Making him constantly bite his lip—

[Mephistopheles, I'll make sure to kill that son of a bitch.]

That fucking Mephistopheles.