Butcher Demon - Chapter 308

◇◆◇ (Gevaudan’s Perspective)

An abandoned railroad track cut straight through the forest.

I was pulling a pickup truck along the man-made road, with a rope slung over my shoulder, resembling a scene from a slave’s life.

With its engine off, the clattering sound of the truck’s tires crushing gravel and the popping of small pebbles was annoying. However, the flatness of the tracks made it relatively easy to tow the vehicle. It was much more comfortable than navigating through the forest.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous about the possibility of running into a train, but it quickly became clear that the tracks were broken in many places and not properly connected. So, there was no danger of getting run over by a train.

Thus, the track turned into a long, quiet, peaceful stroll.

The chirping of birds from both sides kept us company as I strolled along. The gentle breeze carried the rustling of leaves and the fragrance of soil, soothing my heightened spirits.

Walking leisurely along the clear tracks, I inexplicably felt a sense of nostalgia, even though I had never seen train tracks before. Maybe it was the influence of an old movie I once watched. What was it called again, that movie where children go searching for corpses? I’d love to show it to the corpse-hunting Gofrat. Maybe he can relate to it. Standby by~ me~.

The existence of these tracks meant that this area is still in Earth’s Australia. It was dry and pleasant, and inside the pickup truck I was pulling, Yakumo and Kyo were dozing off with the windows wide open. It was peaceful.

It was now the third day of our journey along the tracks.

Yakumo’s deteriorating health had been a cause for concern, but thanks to Kyo taking good care of him, he had recovered. It was a relief. Feeding him soft meals with a spoon, changing his clothes frequently, wiping his body, and singing lullabies ––All of the above is beyond my capability. I had come to realize that this journey would not have been possible without her help.

“Ummm, mmm…! Mmmmmmmm …”

A loud yawn came from the car.

“Time, Yakumo, lunch.”

“Alright… But then again, it feels like we’ve been seeing the same view over and over again.”

The two woke up just as the sun was starting to set.

I parked the car by the side of the tracks for a late meal.

After finishing the kangaroo barbecue, the familiar sound of a flute echoed through the forest. Listening to it had become a post-meal routine.

“It sounds almost like Ryuteki… I guess you could call it <Oni Flute>. I’ve never seen someone use an Oni’s horn like that before. Quite innovative, I must say.”

With coffee in hand, Kyo listens in relaxed fascination.

I, on the other hand, wandered around….. holding my phone up to the sky as if drawn by the sound of the Oni flute.

“What’s with that plate? Your eerie behavior is a bit unsettling, so could you please tell me your purpose?”

“Signal, Searching. Signal, not found. Signal, Signal, Signal.”

“Sygnal?”

I handed my phone to Kyo and told her along the line of. ‘It’s a communication device for Earth. It’s similar to a skill you guys call <Wind Talker>’ or something like that.

“Wow… by the way, Gevaudan-san seems to be quite proficient in their language. Why is that?”

“I, Earth, Born.”

“?”

She didn’t seem to get it, so I explained my origins. A former Earth subhuman, and, now Butcher.

“???!”

She seemed even more confused.

I continued with the explanation. I died in a war and my soul was transfused to become a Butcher.

“Hmm… I think I understand what you’re saying, but it’s just that… it’s kind of hard to believe. I mean, for someone who was born on Earth, you’re quite resistant to my skill…”

Kyo was lost in thought. It seemed she didn’t reject the fact about my Earth-born status. She had mentioned earlier that she wasn’t a soldier, so perhaps she didn’t have much hostility toward Earth in the first place.

Still, I hoped to get a signal, but I’ve been out of range since the other day. Australia is vast, after all…

Wait a minute…?

“Kyo, hear, blow?”

“Huh? Of course, I can.”

Haruka could hardly hear Yakumo’s flute. I thought it was like a dog whistle, but it seemed to be something else entirely. Maybe it’s only audible to aliens? Bhagwan heard it differently and had said it gave him a headache.

“Yakumo, do you like art?”

“Love. Free time. Paint. become. Maestro.”

“Hmm… Hey. Isn’t this a naked woman? ――Wawawa~! Isn’t this… really suggestive? Why even…..wait, isn’t this me?!?”

Kyo flipped through the notebook, her eyes wide in response to the maestro’s taste.

“Surely this is not the….. the other day? Were you peeking, Yakumo-san!? You pretend to be asleep!?”

I also looked at Yakumo’s notebook after a long time.

A nude woman. But not erotic at all. It’s a highly tasteful nudity. So, I used my imagination to fill in the gaps. I looked at Natsuki’s image, recalled her when she was actually having sex, and visualized it by overlapping it inside my memory…Erotic!

As I was checking my female conquests that way, I suddenly noticed that there were also goblin drawings.

“This, this, Goblin.”

When I showed Kyo the goblin page, she furrowed her brow and examined the picture closely.

“Goblin…? The goblins I know are more muscular and intellectual.”

“Goblin, muscle head?”

“If you mean Hobgoblins, then yes. Hobgoblins are larger. But this picture is a bit strange. I mean, the face, it doesn’t look intelligent…. and their eyes are scary!”

The goblin in Yakumo’s drawing had pitch-black pearl-like eyes, like the eyes of a Gray alien.

“Head, good, goblin?”

“It’s quite smart. They can have regular conversations, and there are even some who become legendary warriors. By the way, that particular one is still active.”

“Amazing.”

“Yes, it’s amazing. That individual has been an adventurer for a long time, and they were a renowned figure. But since becoming the current Demon Lord, he’s been serving as a Destroyer.”

“Destroyers, a lot?”

“Rumors say they can only be counted on one hand, but I’m just an ordinary adventurer, so I have no way of knowing for sure.”

So there are plenty of guys like Papameyan. How troublesome.

As we continued discussing goblins matters, the conversation shifted to the text next to the drawings.

E-la-m?

It seemed to be written in the common language of Earth as “Elam.” I didn’t understand the meaning.

There were many other drawings, including those of wild animals and magical beasts, each with some text next to them. I could see words like “koala.” “kangaroo.” “emu.” “dingo.” and others. It looked like these were the names of the creatures in the drawings. Yakumo’s notebook was becoming like a travel journal.

“But this child is awfully quiet, don’t you think?”

Kyo said as she poked Yakumo’s cheek.

“We haven’t spoken a single word to each other since we met. He’s been completely silent the whole time, even in the car. I’ve met my fair share of shy people, but this is a bit much. It’s making me feel lonely, like a sad, ignored big sis…”

She started to look genuinely disheartened, so I explained Yakumo’s situation, along with some information about Earth.

“I see. So, this silence is a condition from birth, huh? That makes me feel sorry for him even more.”

She patted his head with a touch of pity as if she were projecting her own unfortunate fate onto him. Who was destined to be unhappy from birth.

“This, illness, Do you know?”

“Disease that makes him silent?”

“No, illness?”

“Hmm, it’s like a third-eye thing. I’ve never heard of it before. However, there’s someone in the town acting as a coordinator and quite well-informed. They might have some insights.”

“Town, what’s like?”

“The town is called <Hazafungi>. It’s a small place that makes some extra income by selling rare mushrooms that grow in Hyperborea. Rumor has it that the person running the town used to be a noble, and they’re super educated. Honestly, the reason I can get in there is thanks to their kindness. They’re just really kind and wonderful.”

“Mushroom.”

When I pointed at her mushroom hat, she blushed slightly and adjusted her own hat.

“This was made by a friend, they made it for me as a joke….. but I like it, so I’ve been using it for quite a long time.”

So she’s not some kind of city mascot or something, apparently.

And so, our peaceful journey finally came to an end.

Suddenly, the tracks were interrupted, and moss-covered rocks began to appear.

The forest invaded from both sides, with only the sun’s rays creating deep contrasts in the few places they had not reached. It was an untouched wilderness. Before us, a formidable enemy stood in our way.

We had entered Mifosis again. It is going to get cold.