Deathbringer looked at those who stubbornly stayed up all night searching and let his shoulders droop.

He was naturally more accustomed to the night than the day, and he had completely adapted to staying up all night while traveling with them... but hard was hard. His body was slowly growing heavy.

"Are they not even hungry?"

It wasn't just sleep deprivation; hunger was also a problem.

Prolonged starvation was his friend, and moving around all day on an empty stomach was his closest companion... but that didn't mean it wasn't agonizing.

If they were going to stay up all night, he wished they would at least feed him something. He did not welcome being hungry.

"..."

But what right did he, the most incompetent one here, have to discuss meals? Especially when this wouldn't have even been a complaint back in his hometown?

Deathbringer swallowed his rising discomfort.

Then he reflected on his past. The days he went without food for more than a day, or the days he spent unable to close his open eyes solely for the sake of revenge.

He reminded himself of his resolve that the convenience and abundance he had been enjoying lately came entirely from their wealth, and that he shouldn't get used to it.

At that, he felt a little better inside.

RUSTLE.

"...?"

However, it seemed he had been too distracted firming his resolve.

He only realized it when the beast's presence reached his immediate vicinity. He couldn't dodge this. His long experience whispered in his ear.

Then he should at least reduce the damage. As long as he didn't die, the softie would save him.

Deathbringer skillfully lowered his body and protected his vitals. It was a posture ready to sacrifice an arm or a leg.

SQUELCH!

SMASH!

However, the pain never came. There was only the sound of flesh bursting.

The two eyelids he had closed reflexively opened again.

"You let your guard down, young hunter!"

Berserker, who had gone not just ahead but over ten meters away, was guarding his front.

"Uh... thank you, Boss."

"Hah, you slacker. How stupid. Look properly behind you. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"If you're going to scold me, just scold me."

'She's as funny as the softie. Anyone can see I'm not hurt, so did she really need to ask?'

Deathbringer twitched his ticklish ears for no reason and stood up with Berserker's help.

Unlike the two who had approached, he could faintly see the Demon Knight continuing to move forward. It was typical of the man who had said he would leave behind anything that became a burden.

"... Let's hurry up and go."

He felt a strange bitterness in his mouth and dusted off his clothes.

"Yeah, let's go!"

But wait. He looked at the wild beast that had tried to attack him, only to be struck by Berserker's fist and sent flying.

Comically, there was a hole the size of a circle made by bringing a thumb and index finger together in its head. It was a piercing wound.

"Ah, that's right. Comrade, Berserker is hungry. Let's eat and then move."

"You must have a baby pig stuffed in your stomach."

"Let's roast and eat that thing that just died!"

"Tsk."

"Ah, a meal? I didn't bring any tools or seasonings..."

Deathbringer scratched his head. Honestly, he had no idea what that knight really wanted.

"Phew. I figured as much. Step aside. I brought along some seasonings and hardtack at least."

"Oh!"

"For the record, I'm going to roast it all. I didn't bring a pot because it's too heavy."

If he didn't want anyone interfering with him, he shouldn't be so kind himself.

"Ugh, the fire isn't catching well because of the fog. Ah, that's right. Hey, Softie. Can't you push the fog away with that piss-colored barrier?"

"P-Piss-colored?! And do not try to use a divine power barrier for such a thing!"

"What do you mean 'such a thing'? What's wrong with using it for this?"

"Eek!"

I silently prayed for the puma that had tried to eat DeB but ended up being eaten instead.

Of course, I didn't feel sorry for it. Our Meat Dumpling almost got hurt.

"Ooh, the fog is retreating."

"I-Is it really not blasphemy to use it for something like this..."

"Be quiet and just light the fire. Boss Fighter, cut the meat as small as possible too."

"Is this good?"

Meanwhile, Meat Dumpling's skills were far too good. Knowing that using wet branches would create smoke, he peeled off all the bark to find and use only the dry parts inside.

"Wow, Boss Fighter. I've thought this every time, but you've never learned how to butcher, right?"

"I haven't!"

"It looks like it. Give it here. I'll take over now."

I was amazed every single time I watched him debone and prep the meat.

It was a skill that neither I nor the Inquisitor could manage, let alone the Archmage, who subtly relied solely on magic.

"Now, if we slice it thin like this and roast it..."

"Oh!"

"Is it fully cooked? Already?"

"It's a way to eat quickly. It doesn't taste good if you use other parts, and there's usually so little of this part that people don't often cook it."

I always thought this, but what would we have done if we hadn't recruited our DeB? Even with the Archmage's magic, everyone's survival skills were at rock bottom...

"Keuh, it would have been great if we had booze!"

"T-The smell is..."

"What on earth is wrong with you? Of all pieces, you managed to pick the one that was touching the guts. Put that down and eat this instead."

At first, our outdoor camping was nonexistent or at least short, but considering how the frequency of sleeping outdoors kept increasing...

Mm. As expected, our Meat Dumpling was the best.

"Comrade, are you really not going to eat any meat?"

Meanwhile, Berserker, who had been excitedly stuffing her face with meat, asked.

To be fair, since I was the only one chewing on dried fruit instead of meat, I probably looked quite pathetic. Without a pot, I couldn't even boil any soup.

"Mind your own business."

But I'd rather shovel grain powder into my mouth than eat meat. I replied dryly and popped a dried berry into my mouth.

Was it because I didn't consider intensely sweet things to be a meal? It just felt like I was snacking.

"Hey, Boss Fighter. Come here for a second..."

After a little bit of time passed like that, DeB dragged Berserker away, claiming they were going to the bathroom.

Suddenly, I was left all alone with the Inquisitor.

Still, it was pretty okay since the Inquisitor wasn't the type to strike up useless conversations—even if he did babble to himself a lot. The topic that did come up was at least demon-related, so I could answer to some extent.

So I was waiting quite comfortably for DeB and Berserker to return, but...

"Uwaah, uwaaagh! Softie, barrier, barrier!"

"Wahahaha! We're back!!!"

The guys who said they were going to the bathroom came back dragging something bizarre.

"Oh God, give me strength!"

The flustered Inquisitor urgently drew up his divine power. THUD. The massive shield that he never left behind, even if he didn't bring any luggage, slammed into the ground.

"We're in!"

"Please protect these young lambs!"

And right as DeB and Berserker slipped behind the shield, a white light burst outward. My HP chipped away like an annual event.

CRASH!

It was blocking the charge of the beasts just outside the barrier.

"What is going on!"

"Heu-hat, can we kill them now?!"

"Aigoo, hold on a second! At least explain the situation before you go!"

They weren't demons, just mere beasts. There were just an overwhelming number of them.

Thanks to that, the Inquisitor easily maintained his defense while asking about the situation. I wanted to hear it too.

I wondered how they managed to draw their aggro.

"We were catching fish by the water when they suddenly attacked."

"Fish?"

"That's not the important part, is it?"

"Ah, right. So they attacked suddenly?"

"Yes."

That was strange. Wild beasts pouncing when they found prey was natural, but it wasn't exactly common to see so many different species mixed together and attacking like this.

"Berserker tried to fight. But she couldn't protect the young hunter. So we ran back."

"I see."

"More importantly, do you sense any demonic energy or something? No matter how you look at it, that's not normal."

"I don't really sense anything yet... Ah!"

We couldn't just stay like this just because we didn't know the cause of the situation.

So, just like Berserker, I drew my sword to dispose of the beasts.

"They are eating, the divine power."

However, the sight unfolding right in front of me made my sword hesitate. Some of the animals were relentlessly scratching at the barrier, trying to eat it.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh."

First things that ate demonic energy and mana, and now entities that ate divine power. That's pretty hip-hop.

"I-Is that okay?!"

"They aren't eating enough to cause a problem. I layered it multiple times, so even if it cracks, it won't be breached. But, but..."

"Divine power is something that can be eaten?"

Regardless, this was a crucial discovery. I needed to capture at least one, or two or three if possible, alive.

"You."

Only, I needed a little cooperation to do that.

"Did you call me?"

"Capture two alive. You're not such an idiot that you can't tell the difference, are you."

"Keu-hat! Capture alive! Understood, leave it to me!"

I was slightly anxious, but there was no other way. Besides, if I stayed here, my HP would just keep dropping. It was time to head out.

"Are you heading out? I will assist you!"

I stepped out of the divine power barrier.

BOOM!

At the same time, a rectangular golden plate materialized, knocking back the beasts that had surrounded the barrier.

He mentioned practicing various things at the Magic Tower; this must be a new skill he created. It was an excellent knockback skill.

"I'll take the rear!"

It seemed he could even take it a step further and use it to press down. The Inquisitor squashed the beasts behind us completely flat.

He must have been trying to capture them alive in his own way, as they didn't burst. They just whined as they tried to squirm out.

SLASH!

Regardless, it was excellent backup. Using the distance the Inquisitor had bought us, I casually swung my sword as soon as I left the barrier.

The heads of two beasts flew off from my blade, and the mana spears formed in midair completely pierced the ones trying to pounce on me.

"Keuhahahat!"

Berserker was similar but slightly different.

Gripping her halberd long, she swung it just like that, completely sweeping away everything in her radius. She aggressively took on the ones that jumped in between. It was an attitude of not caring whether her own body got hurt or not.

"Capture, Boss Fighter, capture!!"

Look at that. I knew she'd forget.

I found the animal that had been gnawing on the divine power and kicked its body. Then I stepped on its nape so it couldn't get up.

The surrounding scene was far too brutal to cry out, 'Humans are sorry,' so I temporarily tucked my conscience away.

SLASH!

Next, I cut down the beasts nearby, found another one that seemed to be eating divine power, and snatched it by the scruff of its neck.

Since the thing conveniently lunged right at me, grabbing its neck with my hand wasn't particularly difficult.

That made two. Adding the ones the Inquisitor had caught, that was about eight.

ROAR! ROAAAR!

I was careful not to let the leopard's claws scratch my leg. The one whose neck I had stepped on was at least quiet, but I didn't know why this one was struggling so violently. Though this was actually normal.

"Ah, one died."

"Wouldn't it be weirder to expect it not to die after swinging a halberd like that..."

"No. I didn't hit this one. Look. There are no wounds."

"Huh, you're right."

Perhaps not content with just being protected inside, DeB, who had just lowered his shortbow, stepped out of the barrier.

Perhaps feeling it was no longer necessary, the Inquisitor withdrew his power, causing the barrier itself to melt away.

All that was left now were dozens of carcasses and nine captured beasts.

"...?"

But what was up with this? I checked and saw that the beast I had been stepping on was dead. It was a bizarre occurrence. I had been constantly careful not to break its neck, and it had no other injuries.

Why did it die? Just as I was about to fall into thought, DeB let out a gasp. "Uh!"

"This one is dead? This one too."

"Ah, I only applied enough pressure so they wouldn't die...?"

Keeping a firm grip on the one that was still alive, I joined them over there. It seemed some of the ones the Inquisitor had captured alive had also died.

"Why did they die?"

I didn't know the reason, but five more of the nine we had captured died.

We carefully bound the mouths and limbs of the remaining four so they wouldn't die. We would transport them to the city like this.

"Seriously... what kind of disaster is this?"

Tell me about it. They say you shouldn't even bother a dog while it's eating, but an incident just had to happen during mealtime.

"I don't sense any demonic energy... They might be a similar species to the snake we saw in the Great Forest."

"Groan. Then will this at least be a clue?"

"I'm not sure. However, it's not something we can just ignore... so we can probably consider it a clue."

"Berserker used her strength, so she's hungry again..."

"Ah, is that so? But I think all the meat has gone cold..."

"We have to haul these to the city anyway, so let's just head back and eat a proper meal, right?"

"Hm?"

"... You aren't going to say we're not heading back, right?"

"No, I didn't mean that..."

I was momentarily bewildered by the gazes that naturally gathered on me.

We hadn't found the demon, but we did find a clue highly likely to be connected to it. On top of that, it was inconvenient to keep dragging these guys along for the search.

So even with my concept, I would naturally say we should go back. But why were they looking at me? Did they seriously think I'd suggest continuing the search while lugging these things around?

"Are we heading back?"

... Does my concept really look that toxic?

"Here they come."

Just how far did the bad personality of my concept go? Harboring such misgivings, we returned to the city. The Archmage coming out to the castle walls to meet us was a bonus.

"Hey, did you guys return from that forest?!"

"What, adventurers came back alive?"

"There are adventurers who came back alive?"

However, while the Inquisitor waved his hand upon spotting the Archmage, I noticed a bizarre fact.

Wasn't the top of the castle walls... a bit chaotic? Like something had happened overnight, the city gates—which were usually left open in the morning—were also firmly shut.

"Is there a problem?"

"Did beasts happen to invade this side too..."

"Is it a war? Has a battle broken out?"

While the gates were opening, we seriously exchanged opinions. Most of it revolved around whether some incident had occurred.

"You lot, are you sure you came from that forest?"

"Yes, but..."

And when the people finally came down.

"Then, did you also see the black pillar ascending to the heavens last night?"

Three gazes turned toward me.

"I-It shot up five times with a roaring sound. Did you see what caused it?"

T-Thaaaaat...

I felt like I saw it far too well.

From the front row, at that.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Amidst that, the Archmage, who had hurried down with the guards, whispered softly. Seeing our expressions, it seemed he had roughly guessed it.

"Perhaps a demon is near this land..."

"N-No, it isn't that."

"Phew, it isn't a demon."

No, well. That.

Isn't this too much of an overreaction? Besides, the sound wasn't even that loud, and since it was black, it should have melted into the night sky and barely been noticeable. How on earth did they know?

"Did you actually see it yourselves?"

"Well, we did see it firsthand, but..."

"Hahat, this guy did it!"

Cutting off the Inquisitor and DeB, who were stuttering through the conversation, Berserker shouted cheerfully.

"It seemed like there was a demon in the sky, so he shot it! Is there a problem?"

"Huh?"

As for whether this was the right choice... Well, I didn't really know either. "I-It was that man's doing?" The guards stiffened in shock.

The Inquisitor and DeB hurriedly added to her words to clarify.

"I have quite a bit I'd like to say, but..."

Meanwhile, the Archmage cast his gaze toward the animals in our hands. His intention to postpone the nagging and grasp the situation first was clearly visible.

"Is your body alright?"

"Hm? I'm fine."

"The others too?"

"As far as Berserker remembers, no one is hurt!"

"That's a relief then. So what are those...?"

"They're beasts we encountered in the forest! Dozens of them swarmed us, so we killed a few and caught a few."

"Is that so?"

"Ah, the Priest also said that these things ate divine power. Do animals these days eat divine power too?"

"... What did you just say?"

But could he really keep nagging after hearing that?!

After confirming that the topic had completely shifted, I tossed the leopard I was carrying onto the ground. The beast, tightly bound with vines, squirmed around.

"Is it okay to put them down?"

Berserker also laid the beasts she was carrying on both shoulders down on the ground. Thanks to keeping a close eye on them to ensure they didn't die, they were all perfectly alive.

"... I'll have to examine them immediately."

"Ah, right. Mage Boss, some of the animals just dropped dead even though we didn't even touch them, you know? Just mentioning it just in case."

"Mmm. Yes. I'll take that into consideration. Thank you."

Ah, is the explanation over? Seeing DeB turn back to look at us one last time, I shifted my steps inward.

The guards stared at me with rather anxious eyes, but perhaps the explanation had gone well, as no one tried to stop me.