Chapter 267: 267

Checking my surroundings with [Presence Perception], I run around the village. Nothing shows up at all. With all the residents taking shelter, the town feels empty like an empty ghost town.

I notice a large concentration of human presences, and when I go to check it out I find a large building similar to the meeting hall. Probably, the basement of that place was also prepared as a shelter. After all’s said and done, the Lithovars really used to dealing with the abysses… Though, they did gather around the shelter entrance earlier. Once that happens, it’s a war of attrition.

I sense an abyss-like presence, so I go closer to check it out. I find an abyss corpse pierced by a large number of spears. It has dried out, so it probably wasn’t killed today. I wonder if it’s got an effect of warding them off. I know a lot of animals are supposed to sense danger and flee when they see one of their species’ corpse. But for those guys, I get the feeling they’re more likely to come closer when they smell the corpse of their ally…

After hurriedly leaving the abyss corpse, my partner starts sniffing. Just as I’m wondering what’s up, she stretches out her head as if to guide me.

“Gaah! GAAah!”

Hmm? What is it? What’s up? Is something there?

『This, it’s this!』

No, rather than use a pronoun, please actually say what it is. What did you find?

Even though I don’t know what she’s found, since I’m all I’m doing otherwise is just wandering around aimlessly, I play along and check it out. I find a simple warehouse made of just a roof for shade, and under that roof, barrels of sake lined up.

C-could she really have been lured here by the smell? There’s no way… Is what I thought, but then she stretches her neck out with great force. I brace my body to resist.

What are you doing, having the dragon-god be a petty thief!? If we’re seen, there’d be an uproar beyond just disillusionment! Besides, we’re not sure the abysses are all gone yet!

“Gaa…”

Understanding my thoughts, she raises her head., crestfallen. There’s no need to be so disappointed… Next time I see Hibi, I’ll request it from her, okay?

Hearing my words, she nods her head as though struck by the idea. She licks around her mouth… If I forget to ask, she won’t stick her head into the conversation, will she? That could make things complicated, so please spare me from that.

After that, I go around the village for a while, but don’t notice any abysses. Along the way, I pick up an old lady who was trembling behind a box, and a boy who was alone in a house. He was crying when I found him, but stops when he sees me, and when I put him on my back, he laughs happily. The reaction I get here really is different from in other places.

As I’m stealing a glance back at the kid, I notice my partner staring at me. I get the feeling my face has been loose for a while now, so I need to harden myself somewhat. Though, there’s Dragon Scales, so I don’t think it’s strange for me to check on him.

We encounter his father, who had been desperately searching for him with spear in hand. About three hours have passed since I started my patrol. I’ve more or less gone everywhere, so I’ll take the three of them back to the meeting hall.

“GuoOOOH”

When I call into the remains of the meeting hall, the metal door opens and Hibi comes out.

…The scattered piles of rubble are painful to look at. Abyss corpses are rolling around, too.

Well, the one who destroyed it was me, though. I wonder if I should help them out with the rebuilding. I get the feeling I should be able to build a house faster than humans can. Though I don’t know if the residents here would accept my help.

Following Hibi, some people climb the stairs and chatter happily upon seeing me. I want to wave back with my foreleg, but Hibi motions them back and they return down the stairs. I suppose she has yet to here my report from my patrol, after all.

After hiding her face with a mask, she recites her incantation. I’m grown used to hearing it, so maybe it’s meant to be a signal she’s about to use [Telepathy]. It could also be to help focus her concentration though, too.

『How was it?』

I picked up the three people on my back. I didn’t see any abysses. I’m not familiar with their habits, so I don’t know if they’ve retreated or are hiding.

『They’re probably…not hiding, I expect.』

Why’s that? When one of them came to the shrine, it sneaked into a tribute. Is there something like a rule for their attacks? Something like they’ll always retreat by the time the sun sets…?

『No, if there was an abyss in the village, it should be devouring one of their corpses.』

……Ah, I see, right.  

『As gluttonous as they are, while we’re hiding under the ground, they should be indulging in the corpses of their allies. Their presences are exposed at the time of predation, so if dragon-god-sama is unable to sense them, there must be none left in the village, I expect.』

I-I see. I see… I see…

『I am sure they must have fled in fear of fear of dragon-god-sama’s overwhelming strength.』

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I hate to miss out on the adoration, but since today was so high-tension, I’m worn out and would rather go back to the shrine… I want to wash myself in the river, since I’ve got to remove the abyss juice.

『Are you leaving already, dragon-god-sama?』

Ah, yes… Can we leave it here for today?

『What do you want us to do with the abyss corpses? Should we bring them lat…』

No, no need! I don’t need them! I shake my head with all my strength.

My partner, who doesn’t seem has heard much of the conversation, shakes her head vigorously too. As a result, our heads collide forcefully.

Hibi looks at me in concern. But bumping our heads doesn’t matter. More important is the matter of the abyss disposal.

I don’t need them! Feel free to burn, bury, stab, decorate, or dispose of them. Honestly, I don’t want to see them.

Hibi tilts her head in curiosity. No, it’s nothing to be curious about. Just don’t bring me any abysses, please.

『…I understand. I’ll convey that to the other Lithovars.』

…I’m glad that got through. If I was surprised by abyss corpses lined up as tributes, I’d have run away from the village in tears, thinking I was being bullied.

Ah, how many abysses are there? I killed about twenty of them today, so could they already be on the brink of annihilation…?

『Unless their hive is destroyed, annihilating them would be difficult. That would be necessary to find the cause for their strange increase in numbers, too.』

…An abyss hive must be hell. For that matter, there’s still a lot of them. Unless their strange increase in numbers is stopped, the damage from them is just going to increase.

『However, it would be better if you didn’t consider going after their hive. There’s a precedent of Lithovars forming a team to go in search of it. However, there’s no information about them entering the hive remains.』

Is it difficult to find?

『None of those that followed them came back.』

…Hmm? They were all…wiped out? 

『I’ve heard that a hundred years ago, when the Hero Gagaza-sama was here… alongside dragon-god-sama’s strength, he succeeded in completely annihilating the abysses whenever they attacked.』

Ooh, heroes really are a thing here. The Lithovars’ average fighting ability is high, so people who’s strength stands out must show up every now and again.

『However, pleased by the results, our Lithovar ancestors foolishly compelled Hero Gagaza-sama to search for their nest. As a result, soldiers were gathered from the village under the name of Gagaza-sama, and left the village.』

…I suddenly get a bad feeling about the direction this is going. 

『They pierced an abyss that they captured alive with a spear and bent it’s legs before setting it free, thinking it would lead them to its nest. All the woman, children, and elderly who stayed behind sent them off with their blessings.』

… 

『From then on, the sun rose and set many times. Finally, the abyss breeding season ended… But no one came back. Dragon-god-sama also disappeared at that time for a while, apparently…』

Eh? A-aah, I see… N-now that you mention it, I get the feeling that something like that might have happened…

However, to do what the Lithovar tribe can’t is…the dragon-god’s role… N-no, but…

『In the best of times, it’s a frightening prospect, but to do it now when the cause of their strange increase in numbers in sleeping in their nest… To search for their nest now would be… 』

As she says that, her body trembles. I can tell that it’s a lesson that’s been passed down. Just talking about it must be terrifying for her.

『Hey, let’s stop here.』

My partner calls out from the side… Right, I’d like to stop talking about it too.

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