For a moment, I thought that Senri and I were being watched. But I was wrong.
At the sound of my hairy scream, Senri, who had been blushing underneath me, turned her head, slipped out, grabbed her sword, and ran out of the tent.
I felt a little shameful, but I turned into a dog and followed her.
A warm wind blows in the wilderness at night. My nose, strengthened by my dog form, caught a repulsive smell. The strong smell of blood.
A number of people had been injured on the long journey so far, but this smell was not on that level.
He ran after Senri. Other mercenaries who had been resting heard the screams and came to join them.
And then they got to the source of the smell.
"...... What the hell is this?
It's ...... awful.
What lay there was a scene that could only be described as horrific.
Flesh and bones scattered in such a way that you can no longer tell how many people were there. The spattered blood formed a puddle, and the wind caused crimson ripples to rise.
One of the mercenaries who had gathered here took a step back at the sight of it. I walk carefully, trying not to let the spattered blood get on my white hair.
The wagon of the Gustar Trading Company was left nearby. It's a medium-sized business with about ten employees.
This was the resting place of the ...... Gustar Trading Company.
The merchant corps participating in this event is a large one, consisting of more than ten merchant associations. They are not that far apart from each other, but some of them are secretive, so when they rest, they usually rest in groups of merchants or merchant associations.
If they were attacked, they were supposed to call for help immediately, but apparently there was no point.
There was no one alive. There must have been guards and mercenaries guarding the place, but judging from the scattered pieces of flesh, they must have been wiped out.
The head of a man lying on the ground, half bitten off, belonged to one of the mercenaries I remembered. The horses had been killed, and only the wagon remained unlooted.
Even with my sense of smell, I couldn't tell how many people had died from the mangled pieces of meat.
But I went to all the merchants' houses during my break, so I must have seen some familiar faces. Is it fortunate that I can't identify them?
I let out a small whimper and mourned the death of the kind merchant who had given me so much.
"A beast, ......? If it was a man, his goods would have been looted.
"But for a mere beast - was it you who screamed?
One of the mercenaries spoke to an odd-looking woman who was sitting near the scene of the tragedy.
She is a red-haired woman, dressed modestly, but with well-defined eyes and nose. Her face was as pale as if she had seen a monster, and her limbs were trembling.
Her face was pale as if she had seen a monster, and her limbs were trembling. She seemed to be choking, and despite her slender figure, her ample breasts were rising and falling with her heavy breathing.
I'll go get the captain. The person who did it might still be nearby! Keep your guard up!
Are you okay? What happened to ......?
One mercenary runs out to the other merchant's resting place, and the others approach the witness of the carnage.
They peer at the corpse from a distance.
Dismembering a human being is too violent and ...... too futile. If humans are going to kill humans, there are more efficient ways.
The scars are not from swords. They were caused by fangs and claws. I wonder if a beast as big as Arbatross would make such a sight.
The outside world is full of danger. I'm sure the guards and merchants are aware of this, but in this way, how fragile life is.
But I can't just sit back and watch.
I tapped the leg of Senri, who was standing in front of me with a grim expression on his face, with my paw.
Senri looks down at me. I looked at the woman who had found me and made a small noise. I can't speak now, but Senri's expression changes as if she understands what I'm saying.
There was a strong smell of blood.
Naturally, it was coming from the place where blood and flesh were spattered, but more than anything - it was coming from the woman who was the only witness, surrounded by mercenaries and sobbing.
There is no blood or flesh on the clothing of the woman who witnessed the incident. It's not the smell of blood on her person.
Mouth and fingernails. It's obvious to me as a dog even if it's not to my human sense of smell.
Above all, the woman's performance was so realistic that even a seasoned mercenary wouldn't notice it, but there was no scent of ............ 'fear'.
I know. I can smell fear, I can smell anger, I can smell joy, I can smell sadness, I can smell pleasure.
Senri looked ahead and drew the sword at his hip with ease.
There was little hesitation. He was surrounded by several other mercenaries, and turned to the woman who had taken him by the shoulders and was about to stand up.
"............, who are you?
"What? What ...... are you talking about?
The woman shuddered and opened her eyes wide to stare at the holy sword.
It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
The mercenary who had been lending her shoulder was stunned by the sharp voice of Senri, who was becoming known as the goddess of victory. Senri said in her usual flat voice amidst the countless stares.
You can't smell human from you. ............ Baron's nose can't be fooled.
"...... Kyun.
You can't fool the Baron's nose." " Kyun!" Senri soberly tried to blame me, and I squealed sadly.
I never said I didn't smell human. I said it smells like blood. Apparently it's just my imagination that made me think we were on the same page.
I'll have to take the time to suck his blood and get to know him.
The mercenary who had been lending her his shoulder shook off his arm and hurried away. The woman suddenly lost her support, but did not fall.
She looked back into Senri's pale purple eyes with astonishment.
"You're under arrest. If you have any objections, produce your credentials. If you're from the Gustar Trading Company, your name should be on the list. If I'm wrong, I apologize to .......
"......
The woman gasps. She took a few steps back, as if she was about to collapse.
She had no idea what was being said and looked as if all hope had been taken away.
The mercenary man, who was watching her from nearby, looked at Senri and almost opened his mouth.
At that moment, the woman's arm pierced the man's body.
It was as fast as a gale. There was a dull thud.
A short muffled voice. The mercenary man opened his eyes and looked down in dismay at the thin fingertips that had pierced his metal armor and protruded from his body.
I don't know if I can avoid it, it's so fast.
Senri rushes forward. The woman quickly pulls her arm out and unleashes a roundhouse kick on the nearby mercenary, who still doesn't understand the situation.
A body two sizes too big is blown away as if it were a piece of paper or something. There was a sound like something popping that should not be heard from a human body.
The woman took a few steps backward to avoid Senri's sword as he swung down.
Her expression had changed completely. The woman's face changed from a weak expression to a deep smile of cruelty.
I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure what to do.
I'm not sure what to make of it. But the only one the woman sees is Senri.
The woman twists her lips and squints her eyes at Senri. Her eyes, which had been brown a moment ago, turned gold.
"Hmm. I'm surprised you noticed. But if you go after me, they'll die, won't they?
"What?
Senri swung his sword with all the spunk in the world. In one second, several sharp slashes, like lines of silver, rushed out. But the woman evaded all of them with her light body language.
She may not be as athletic as Arbatross, but her movements are sufficiently extravagant.
"She's still alive, but barely. If we cast a healing spell right away, it might help. What do we do?
He was right. The man with the fatal wound was still alive, as was the man who'd been kicked away.
No, the woman must have done it on purpose. To stop Senri's movement.
The woman turns and runs. She takes a huge leap and runs several meters in just one step.
Her tiny form vanishes into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
There aren't many wielders of restorative magic. There are probably one or two in this company.
He's far less skilled than Senri. If we wait, people will die. Given Senri's nature, there was only one choice.
Senri did not choose to pursue.
Without hesitation, she put down her sword, helped the mercenary up from the pool of blood, and cast a healing spell.
Her recovery spell is powerful. By channeling her own positive energy, she can heal even fatal wounds if she is not dead. It seems to be exceptionally difficult for her to work on herself, and in principle she would die if she used it on me, but this time the power worked well. The large gaping hole in my face closed up quickly, and my complexion recovered.
The mercenaries called me and the merchants gathered around.
I glared once at the woman as she ran away with a sharp look in my eyes and secretly licked the blood spattered on the ground.
The bitter taste of the blood made my limbs tremble.
After all, he couldn't suck blood in dog form. What's more, the blood seems to have been drained of all life force.
I don't know what it is, but it's the enemy.
I remember the smell. It killed the merchant who gave me candy and food.
And I'll never forgive him for interrupting my meeting with Senri when we were in such good spirits. ......