Butcher Demon - Chapter 292

“Ugh…”

Oops, looks like there’s one survivor.

A man. He was lying there covered in organs, so I didn’t notice him. He’s covered in so much blood that I can’t even tell the color of his skin.

Anyway, I pulled the man into the kitchen and poured water over his head to check on him.

The man was completely naked and tied up. His body showed signs of being beaten, and half of his face was burnt and scarred. One of his eyes was probably useless now. Nevertheless, the injuries seemed manageable, and he appeared to be out of immediate danger.

“Ugh… ah… guh――”

By the time my examination was over, the man’s consciousness gradually returned.

He paid no attention to me and dragged himself across the floor, trying to get away. I thought he was trying to escape, but he seemed to be heading to the living room instead. When I listened carefully, I heard him calling someone’s name in a muffled voice. Perhaps he intends to help his friends. Admirable courage, I approved.

“All right, mission complete.”

Four survivors, two dead. The goblins that occupied the cabin have been wiped out. I stood up, savoring a sense of accomplishment.

I rinsed off my apron that got dirty and returned to Haruka. Time to report the mission’s success.

“Is everyone all right?”

Instead of answering, I took her hand. Because I need to find out for sure if they are all okay or not. I’ll let her check with her own eyes.

The inside of the cabin is in a terrible state. To maintain an R-15 rating, I had Yakumo and Haruka wait outside while I carried the survivors out from inside. First, I brought out the two passed-out girls, both covered in semen.

“Jessica… Sarah… the help is here…”

As I pulled what I could use out of the cabin and lined them up, Haruka started to wipe the two girls with a towel. She seemed very concerned about their faint breathing.

“They are both alive, just unconscious.”

“That’s a relief…”

Next, a naked man with serious injuries.

“Ed…”

So the man’s name is Ed. I will take care of this one.

And lastly, the rude girl who fainted after seeing my face. She was still unconscious in the backdoor. I carried her over as well and laid her near Haruka.

“That should be everyone. There are two dead bodies in the basement, but you shouldn’t see them. I’ll bury them later.”

“I see…”

Haruka’s eyes briefly lowered, but she immediately noticed something.

“Jessica, Sarah, Ed, Peggy….but what about the others?”

“Others?”

“We are a group of fifteen, including the professor that came here for a microbiological investigation in this region. Therefore, there should be five more…..”

Haruka plus the three who died at the cliff plus the four survivors in the cabin plus the two bodies in the basement. That makes ten. There are still five missing.

They might have already been eaten, or…

Suddenly, a high-pitched sound took my attention.

When I turned around, Yakumo was sitting on a rough chair in the yard, playing something like a flute. I couldn’t recognize the melody, but for some reason the tone was captivating.

――Huh? A flute? Did I have that?

As I approached, I noticed he was holding something like a whistle. It was about the size of a thumb, then I recognized it.

――Eh, you can use that as a flute?

“That’s Garnier’s horn, isn’t it?”

Yakumo was using the horn I received from Garnier like a hunting horn. Well, in a way, it might be the best mourning tribute.

This kid is really hard to read. A free spirit.

“Oh well.”

It’s harmless, and it’s not something that will diminish, so I’ll leave it in Yakumo’s care as a source of comfort. When I want him to be quiet, I can just say “Shhh,” and he will obediently listen. It’s not like we can’t communicate with each other at all.

“Don’t lose it. It’s very important for me.”

When I said that, Yakumo released the whistle from his mouth and nodded. He probably understood.

“Ugh…”

The injured man, Ed, twitched. Did the sound of the whistle wake him up?

“Ha-Haruka… is that you?”

“Ed, you’re awake!”

He tried to sit up with a pained expression, but Haruka stopped him.

“Haruka… what about the others… ran out to get help, what happened?”

As Ed asked in a groggy voice, Haruka sealed her lips and shook her head. Then, she asked him in turn.

“Ed, what about the others in the cabin?”

“I don’t know… I lost consciousness right after getting beaten… When I woke up, I was locked in the basement, and… Ugh!”

Ed began to gag, I think he just remembered what happened there.

I decided to observe their conversation from a distance for a while, chomping down on a goblin’s leg for a snack. When I feel hungry, edible goblin comes in handy. *Crunch*

“Harka….. what the hell is that?”

It appears that Ed can no longer ignore my presence any longer.

“Gevaudan. He’s with me. He helped me when we were caught by the monsters.”

“Gevaudan…?”

“Ed, can I ask you something? Can you give me a rough estimate of goblins that attacked this place?”

“I think there were more than 50 at the end…”

At first, Ed looked a bit confused, but when he saw how nicely Haruka and I were interacting with each other, he quickly changed his behavior. He cleared his throat as he searched his memory.

“At first, we could handle the attack by ourselves. It’s like we’re dealing with a child. But then, as more and more of them surrounded us, we were totally outnumbered and couldn’t do anything. Still, we kept fighting back. Then, out of nowhere….”

There, Ed swallowed his saliva.

“Out of nowhere?”

“Out of nowhere… a weird horse-looking monster appeared. And after that, one by one, the guys started getting taken down. Someone got dragged outside the cabin, and the professor went after them, everything turned into chaos…”

“A horse-looking monster?”

As I tried to ask for more details, Peggy, who had been unconscious, also woke up.

“Ugh… Haruka…?”

“Peggy, are you hurt?”

“I… ah!”

Seeing me, Peggy turned pale.

“How are you? I’m Gevaudan. I won’t harm you. I just want to ask you a question.”

“H-Haruka… What is happening… I… I can’t take it anymore…!”

Peggy seemed super scared, almost on the verge of freaking out. She was the type I had a hard time dealing with.

“Calm down, Peggy. I need you to answer his question.””

“H-His… question…?”

“Peggy, did you see the goblins that were in this cabin move somewhere else?”

“Goblins… ――ah!”

In response to my question, Peggy seemed to remember something and grabbed Haruka’s shirt.

“That’s right! Everyone! They were taken away!”

As I thought.

“They almost took me too… I managed to hide when Rocket went berserk… But everyone else… They keep hitting Rocket until he stopped moving… I could hear Jessica’s screams from inside… I was all alone, hiding….. I didn’t know what to do… I… I…”

Peggy continued to switch between confession and excuses, and Haruka looked at me with a troubled expression. I understood what she was implying.

“You want me to go help?”

“Please, if that’s possible.”

According to Peggy, the others were taken this morning. Those little creatures didn’t even bother trying to hide and went off as a group. We should catch up to them soon enough.

From the battles so far, it’s clear that goblins are not my level. I could take on a hundred of them and come out without a scratch. This is an additional requirement, but I think I can manage it, even if it’s a bit tough. The real problem is…

I scratched my head while watching Yakumo play with the horn.

――What should I do?

Should I take him with me or not?

There’s no way I’m leaving him here in this cabin.

In fact, they were already overwhelmed by the goblin attack once. And now, only Haruka is capable of moving properly, it’s hopeless. Other girls won’t be able to contribute anything after having their dignity trampled. The injured man can’t move. They won’t be able to prevent the next attack or escape.

As for whether to let Haruka take him back to the city and then follow them later….I’m not sure about that either.

After all, he has a third eye. If people find out, there’ll be chaos, and they might even think he’s an alien and get burned at the stake. I doubt Haruka alone can control the mass hysteria of humanity.

There’s no choice but to take him with me, but this abnormal weather…

It may be calm now, but I don’t know when it will suddenly change again. Being outside takes a toll on your stamina, even if you’re not doing anything. And for a kid not used to it, they could get sick real quick.

We don’t know where the goblins headed, but well, if we assume they took them to their nest or some sort of settlement, it would be worrisome to leave Yakumo alone there. This kid is a free spirit.

But if I were to go out of control with him in my arms, there’s a real danger of getting hit by stray bullets. It’s not feasible.

As I pondered, Haruka stood up and said, “I’ll go with you.”

“That would be helpful, but it might be dangerous, you know?”

“Somebody has to go with you. They might not listen to what you say if it’s only Gevaudan. I’m also worried about Yakumo-kun.”

Ah, I see. That makes sense.

Peggy’s reaction to me was normal, but to prevent panic and ensure their safe return, we need someone they are familiar with.

If Haruka comes, I can leave Yakumo with her. Although we’ve only known each other for a few days, her sense of responsibility is evident. She even ate a koala when I told her to. Not complaining also gets her a point. She’s a strong-willed girl.

“Okay then, I’ll count on you.”

“Thank you.”

Haruka deeply bowed her head.

And so, it was decided that the goblin hunt would continue.

During the night, I made sure both of them got a good rest. I asked Haruka to help bathe Yakumo. He seems to have nothing but a good time on this journey. Taking a shower with such a nice, tanned beauty. I was envious.

I pulled out the sofa and turned it into a bed for everyone. Once they settled down, I inspected the cabin that had become a scene in a horror movie. I picked out things that might be useful, ran the washing machine to clean Yakumo’s clothes, and looked for those goblin tracks. It was a busy night.

If I know things would end up like this, I should have let goblins escape and tracked them down with the <Prey Brand>.