Chapter 113 : Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Through the <Future Diary>, I learned that monsters were flocking to this place, where the Temple of the Minotaur was located.
And the diary hinted that Jereuth and Barut would fight and die to buy time for me and Grondar to escape.
It wasn’t explicitly stated that they ‘die.’
Anyway, as soon as I read that, I was about to get up from my seat to say we should leave this place.
But at that moment, the <Future Diary> began to rewrite itself.
Sassasasak—.
The <Future Diary> rewriting in real time.
‘……Let’s read it first. See what it has changed to.’
I stopped getting up and read the diary again. Jereuth, Barut, and Grondar were still far away from me, each doing their own thing.
…….
The content of the <Future Diary> about the monster attack.
It was a clear warning. A warning to escape quickly.
Seeing that warning, I couldn’t waste any more time here. So I told my companions that we should leave.
At my words to descend the mountain, Jereuth immediately prepared to leave.
But Barut was different. He was slow to act.
“……Can’t you go on ahead? I need to mourn Philip’s death a little longer here.”
He wants to stay here?
He can’t do that. Soon— before long, monsters will reach this place, and no matter how strong Barut is, he will die alone. That is certain.
“Now that you’ve become king, you must have a lot to do. I understand your desire to return to the kingdom as soon as possible. So I won’t ask you to wait for me. But I need to soothe my sorrow here for a while.”
“It’s dangerous to be alone in the Monster Mountains—.”
“It’s not dangerous. I’m not weak like you. Even if monsters appear, even if it’s several monster chieftains, I am confident I can face them alone.”
“…….”
“I want to mourn the death of my friend.”
I couldn’t think of how to persuade Barut, who insisted on staying here. I couldn’t tell him that the <Future Diary> said monsters would attack this place soon.
Still, I couldn’t leave Barut behind, so I spoke to him pleadingly.
“……Please, get up. We have to go!”
…….
Chwak—!
I immediately turned to the next page and continued reading.
…….
Despite my pestering and nagging, Barut didn’t get up.
Only after a long while did Barut let out a sigh and raise his heavy body.
“I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry to leave. Aren’t you sad that your father died?!”
“……!”
“What’s the rush! What is it!”
At Barut’s words, I almost flared up. It was as if he was talking about me like I was trash.
But I knew that getting excited now would do no good, so I held back. I had neither the time nor the energy to argue with Barut right now.
Flap, flap, flap……!
Birds were fleeing from not so far away. The monsters must have reached that vicinity.
“In front of Philip, you acted like a good son, but now that he’s dead, you don’t seem sad at all. I’m disappointed, new ‘king’ of humans.”
“…….”
“I’m starting to think it was a big mistake for Grondar to have you as a friend. Someone who doesn’t value their family won’t value their friends either!”
Barut, after sneering at me coldly, started to pack his belongings and descend the mountain.
It was a relief that Barut had started to go down the mountain, but on the other hand, I remembered that I had wasted time.
‘……I shouldn’t have just whined like a child about leaving quickly. If I had said that the birds fleeing all at once was strange, that it seemed like something was heading this way, and suggested we leave for now, Barut would have moved quickly too.’
“It’s not that I’m not sad. It’s just… please, let’s just go quickly.”
“Enough. I don’t even want to talk to you anymore.”
“…….”
“Philip left a will for me to help you. And I was going to honor it. But now, I don’t have a goblin’s jizz-worth of intention to do so. And it seems my wife’s prophecy was wrong too. There’s no way an unfilial son like you could become such a great being… Tsk, I won’t even bother.”
Not only did I waste time, but my relationship with Barut had also soured.
However, the water was already spilled, and it couldn’t be undone.
The only thing I could do was my best to get out of the Monster Mountains as quickly as possible and get to a safe place.
It didn’t seem like much, but this page contained quite a lot of important information.
‘I shouldn’t force Barut to leave this place quickly. I should say that the birds fleeing seems strange, and that while I understand his sadness, we should leave this place for now.’
That was what my future self had regretted and thought.
‘Of course, this is also something my future self predicted, so it’s not certain. But at least it’s better than just whining about leaving quickly.’
Apart from that, there was also some eye-catching content.
‘What is this ‘wife’s prophecy’ that Barut mentioned? And what’s this about me becoming a great being?’
Questions arose, but I decided not to worry about them for now.
The important thing now was to get out of here as quickly as possible.
Tak.
I closed the <Future Diary> and put it deep inside my backpack. Then I immediately got up from my seat.
Flap, flap, flap…….
The moment I stood up, I saw birds flying up all at once in the distance. It was quite far, but still a clearly visible distance.
‘Are the monsters in that area? The unknown monsters that are attacking us?’
I didn't know the monsters' identity, number, or skill level.
But considering the contents of the <Future Diary>, it was certain they were strong enough that even Barut and Jereuth together couldn't guarantee victory.
So, whatever it was, I had to run away quickly.
“Commander! Lord Barut! Grondar!”
When I shouted, the three of them looked at me all at once. Jereuth had a calm expression, and Grondar had a look of not knowing what expression to make.
Lastly, Barut had a face with all his muscles tensed, trying hard to hold back tears.
Jereuth approached me and asked.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“We need to leave this place right now.”
“Right now… you say?”
“Yes.”
At my firm reply, Jereuth didn’t ask any further and just nodded his head.
“Understood. I will prepare immediately.”
Barut, who was staring at me and Jereuth, let out a deep sigh and tried to speak calmly.
“……Can’t you go on ahead? I need to mourn Philip’s death a little longer here.”
It was the exact same line from the <Future Diary>.
“Now that you’ve become king, you must have a lot to do. I understand your desire to return to the kingdom as soon as possible. So I won’t ask you to wait for me. But I need to soothe my sorrow here for a while.”
After speaking, Barut looked back into the air as if he had no intention of moving. I understood his feelings, but I couldn’t let him be.
I approached Barut and looked him straight in the eyes and spoke. Barut and I had such a huge height difference that even with Barut sitting on the ground, I had to look up at him.
“Lord Barut, thank you for grieving my father’s death. And thank you again for grieving even more than I have.”
I first spoke as if I understood Barut’s feelings.
Because I couldn't make the same mistake my future self did.
“But we must leave this place right now. The birds fleeing from the distant mountains are unusual.”
“……Birds?”
“Yes. If you look over there, the birds are continuously fleeing towards where we are. Birds fleeing like that is no ordinary matter.”
“…….”
“It's just my feeling, but it seems like the birds are warning me. To run away from this place quickly.”
“To say the birds are warning you, what kind of absurd talk is th—.”
“It’s not absurd talk. My father told me. The blood of an Elf flows in my body, so animals or trainable monsters would be friendly to me.”
“…….”
“The animals’ warnings are just a feeling, so it’s hard to explain in words. But you must trust me. The birds are warning us. This place is dangerous, so we must flee.”
Barut stared at me for a moment, then nodded his head.
“Hmm… someone with Elven blood like you might be able to feel the animals’ warnings. Just like Victoria did.”
Feeling animal warnings, my ass. There was no such thing.
A pure-blooded Elf might feel something like that, but I couldn’t feel anything at all.
I had just vaguely recounted what the King had said.
But anyway, it seemed Barut found my words credible. That was enough.
Barut got up from his seat and said.
“Even in the situation of losing your father, you are observing the surrounding threats…… You really resemble Philip. That fellow always predicted danger for us.”
“…….”
“Your father asked me for a favor before he died, so I will follow your words. Let’s leave this place for now.”
Unlike what was in the <Future Diary>, Barut agreed to leave this place too easily.
It was a good thing for me, but I felt something strange.
‘……The crisis is ending too easily.’
This crisis was a ‘crisis where Jereuth and Barut might die.’
Although it wasn’t explicitly written in the diary that Jereuth and Barut ‘died,’ the nuance was practically the same.
A crisis that big couldn’t end so easily. I instinctively had that thought.
“Then let’s depart immediately. But Leonardo, what kind of enemy is coming that you’re so worried?”
“I don’t know what kind of enemy it is. However… it seems to be a lot of strong monsters.”
“A lot of strong monsters, huh. A vague enemy. I understand.”
Barut spoke briefly and then took the lead, starting to descend the mountain. His walking speed was slow, but it was still a relief that he was going down the mountain.
‘Hmm……. Something feels off, but anyway, getting out of here is the priority, so it should be okay.’
As I was thinking.
Flap, flap, flap, flap……!!
The sound of birds taking flight grew quite close.
With it, my heart grew more urgent.
And a sense of unease for some reason was added.
I had that kind of feeling. A so-called ‘hunch.’
Based on my experiences so far, uneasy premonitions had always come true, so I had no choice but to be more cautious.
Hmm…….
As I was quietly pondering what I had missed and why I was having such uneasy thoughts.
“Your Highness.”
“!”
Jereuth suddenly spoke to me, startling me. I cleared my throat and answered calmly.
Hmm, hmm—.
“Yes, Commander.”
“I will erase our tracks and disguise our path of travel as I go. Your Highness can descend the mountain with Barut.”
Being able to disguise movement tracks, that was Jereuth for you.
‘If he erases the tracks and disguises them, can he prevent the monsters from pursuing?’
At the hopeful thought that suddenly came to me, my expression brightened without me realizing it. If Jereuth’s disguise technique prevented the monsters from finding our tracks and they couldn’t follow us, it was as good as having escaped the crisis for now.
But as expected, that was not the case.
“If the disguise is thorough, most pursuers can be shaken off. However, it is difficult to shake off monsters with a developed sense of smell. Monsters like werewolves or hell wolves will pursue their prey no matter what. On the continent, they are called ‘Werewolves’ and ‘Hell-Hounds.’”
“…….”
“In any case, erasing tracks while moving is basic in the Monster Mountains, so I will do so.”
“Ah…… yes, I understand. Then I will go on ahead.”
“Yes!”
Jereuth answered firmly and then went to the place where Grondar had made a campfire earlier. It seems he intended to erase the traces of that campfire first.
‘Hmm…… Even with a disguise, the monsters can still follow?’
Hearing Jereuth’s words, the uneasy feeling grew even stronger. My experience, all the information I was getting now, and my intuition all seemed to be sending signals that I had not yet shaken off the monster attack.
It was unsettling. Like taking a dump in a subway bathroom in the summer and finding no toilet paper, then walking around outside and feeling sweat on my butt.
‘I need to read the <Future Diary> quickly. To see if this crisis is over or not.’
Barut was already far ahead, and Grondar was following him at a moderate distance.
Seeing Grondar, who was always stuck right next to me, by Barut’s side, it seemed that kid was also worried about his father’s grief.
Anyway, having no one near me was a good situation for me who needed to read the <Future Diary>.
I took out the <Future Diary> from my backpack.
Swish—.
With familiar hand movements, I opened the diary. The ‘future closest to the present.’
…….
As soon as I realized that monsters were chasing me, I started to descend the mountain.
It wasn't certain, but I seemed to have at least one mountain's distance from the monster pursuers. Judging by the distance from which the birds were fleeing in unison, it seemed to be about that much.
Because of that, I thought I could shake off the monsters' pursuit.
The distance between me and the monsters was a difference of 'at least one mountain.'
Moreover, since Jereuth had erased our tracks and even disguised them, I thought I would be even more able to shake off the monsters' pursuit.
However… the monsters' pursuit was more relentless and faster than I had expected.
-Flap, flap, flap!!
The birds right above my head fled.
Along with that, the angry and rough voices of the monsters were heard.
—……The smell is getting closer! It's near here!!
—……Grrrr! Woof, woof!!
—……The order was to capture them alive!! Find them!!
Monsters charging on giant wolves.
Their sounds gradually grew closer.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they caught up to us.
‘……What should I do?’
Should we fight back from here? Or should we split into two and let those who can live, live?
I ran frantically, looking only at Jereuth's back. If it weren't for the 'health necklace' the King had given me, I would have collapsed long ago.
Thud!
Suddenly, Jereuth stopped.
I almost bumped into his back, but I managed to stop just in time.
“Gasp…… cough…… C-Commander. Why did you stop?”
“Your Highness, the pursuit is getting closer, so it seems we must split up here.”
“……Yes?”
I asked blankly, but Jereuth did not answer me. Instead, he spoke to Barut.
“Barut! I will lure those things here and take them down one by one. You take His Highness and continue to move.”
“What?! You want me to abandon you and go?!”
“It’s not about abandoning—!”
“Cut the crap! I will never again lose my friend before my own eyes!! Never again!!”
“……!”
At Barut’s firm words, Jereuth was about to say something, but as if there was no time for an argument, he looked back at me.
“Your Highness! Then Barut and I will buy time here. Your Highness, please turn northwest from here……. No, turn northeast!”
“Northeast? That’s towards Foothill's Rest—.”
“Yes, you will reach the land of the Elves. The Elves do not allow other races to enter there, but Your Highness should be safe for now. Do you remember what I told you before?”
Jereuth asked me, but without waiting for my answer, he spoke to Grondar.
“Grondar! I entrust His Highness to you!”
“Right, Grondar! You must never let your friend die! Never!”
At the command from Jereuth and Barut, which was more like a roar, Grondar hurriedly nodded his head.
“Yes, yes! Brother, let’s go!”
“No, wait—!”
Before I could even speak.
Grondar picked me up with one hand and started running.
—There he is…… Gack!
—I’ve seen this human before! He’s definitely a very strong human…… Gack!!
—Kuaaaargh!
—Surround them!! Do not kill them!!
—Clang! Claaang!
—Thwack!!
—Do you know who I am!! I am the Giant elder, Barut!!!
Even as I was being dragged away by Grondar, the sound of battle could be heard from afar.
From the direction where Jereuth and Barut had remained to buy time.
‘Jereuth. Barut……! Will they be able to…… return alive?!’
I asked myself the question, but I knew the answer.
That those two would not be able to return.
……
Reading up to this point.
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
Haa—.
‘……Fucking hell, really. If it was going to be like this, it should have just said from the start that we’d get caught by the monsters even if we ran away immediately.’
I didn't know if the <Future Diary> was playing a joke on me or trying to lead me in the right direction.
‘So in the end, even if we go down the mountain now, we’ll be pursued? No matter how fast we run?’
The first <Future Diary> entry said we would be attacked by monsters on the mountaintop, and Jereuth and Barut would face them.
So I tried to avoid that future by attempting to descend the mountain much earlier.
But if we were going to be pursued even if we descended the mountain quickly, then wasn't it a meaningless act?
‘……Let’s keep reading the back pages for now. There might be content about Jereuth and Barut returning.’
With a little hope, I turned to the next page.
But the content of the next page was even more despairing.
…….
—Woof, woof!
—There! They’re there!!
—We must capture those ones too!!
—Do we really have to capture them alive?! Over forty monsters were killed by that human and Giant earlier!! We must have revenge!!
—That revenge will be taken by Lord Krokas!!
After separating from Jereuth and Barut.
Grondar and I were running away, but the pursuers' voices were only getting closer.
Grondar quickly surveyed the surroundings. Then he looked at a cliff—not a very high cliff, but about 5 meters high—and said.
“Brother, do you know how to swim?!”
“……What? Why swimming all of a sudden?!”
“Do you or don’t you!”
“I can just about float! But why!!”
“Then just float!! You’ll drift away on your own!”
Drift away on my own?
Grondar said something I couldn't understand, and then.
“Sorry, brother! It’s going to be a little cold!!”
With those words, he threw me off the cliff. I thought Grondar was trying to kill me.
But.
Splash—!
Below the cliff, there was a rather deep river that I hadn't seen.
“Puhh……! Wh-what the hell!!”
After falling into the water and coming back up, I could see Grondar looking down at me from the top of the cliff, giving me a thumbs-up.
“Brother! Let’s definitely meet again!! I’ll try to get rid of all these monsters here!!”
Grondar was smiling, but.
I had a hunch that it was his last smile.
…….
‘……I’m going crazy.’
According to this content, it seemed I couldn't shake off the pursuit even with the sacrifices of Jereuth and Barut. Moreover, it seemed even Grondar was about to sacrifice himself for me.
‘For now… let’s keep reading. There’s no time to be annoyed.’
…….
Grondar threw me into the river to save me. Sacrificing himself.
But the winter river was unusually cold—
I had no choice but to get out of the river not long after. I felt like I would die of hypothermia if I stayed in the river any longer.
‘……First, I need to find a place to escape the cold. I need to find fire too.’
The fortunate thing was that I had a flint in my backpack. A flint could make fire even if it got wet, so… if I found a safe place, I could at least make a campfire to get warm.
‘Jereuth, Barut, Grondar…….’
The three who sacrificed themselves for me came to mind. My heart felt heavy.
It was then.
Pyung—!
An arrow flew past my face. It was a good thing I dodged it reflexively; if I hadn't, the arrow would have completely torn through my cheek.
A voice was heard from the direction the arrow came from.
“……Finally found you, human.”
It was a black Orc riding a giant wolf. The wolf was drooling, and the Orc was covered in wounds, but it still looked robust.
At a glance, that Orc was on a completely different level of strength from the Orc I had luckily defeated in the Minotaur’s dungeon.
“How dare you seal Lord Minotaur for 1,000 years……. I want to kill you right now, but since the order was to bring you alive, I’ll let you live for now.”
“…….”
“But you will suffer more than death. Just like your other three companions, I will skin you every day until your skin turns black like mine. Even if you beg me to kill you after I bring you alive, I won't kill you. Never.”
Scared. I was truly scared. There was no need to describe this sense of fear in more detail.
Cold. It was really cold. I couldn't tell if my body was trembling from the cold or from fear.
—Kuaaaargh!
The wolf barked fiercely and charged at me.
I had to draw my sword. But my body was stiff from the cold, so I couldn't draw my sword.
Perhaps my body had frozen in fear.
“Since I’m going to drag you by a leash anyway, a leg or two won’t be necessary!!!”
Just as the Orc was about to swing its cleaver-like sword, as big as my torso.
Swaeeek—!
Swaeeek—!
I felt something swift brush past over my head. I couldn't see what it was, but the Orc and the wolf that were charging at me were knocked down in mid-air.
‘……An arrow?’
What? I don't know what it is. Am I saved?
—While I couldn't even form that thought, a calm voice was heard from behind. An incredible baritone.
“I didn’t care what happened to the other three, but you cannot die. You are my sister’s son and my precious family.”
“……?”
“Follow me. Let’s dry your body first.”
When I turned around, there was a man as handsome as me, no, as handsome as ‘Leonardo.’
It was a man I had never seen before, but I could recognize his identity at a glance.
“……An Elf?”
“Yes, an Elf. I’ve been following you since you entered Foothill's Rest, but you didn’t notice. It’s to be expected. If I hide, it’s hard to find me even with magic.”
This was all the content that appeared in this <Future Diary>.
It was despairing content.
But… a little hope could be seen.
‘Perhaps this Elf is the answer.’
According to the <Future Diary>, no matter how fast I ran, I would eventually be pursued by the monsters. So running away was not the answer.
In other words, I had to fight back. Finding a way out in the midst of death, that was the answer.
But with just the four of us—Jereuth, Barut, Grondar, and me—our forces seemed insufficient.
‘But with the help of an Elf who can kill a giant wolf and an Orc with an arrow in a single shot… it might somehow work out.’
The Elf's combat power was not detailed in the <Future Diary>. But judging from the fact that he killed a giant wolf and an Orc instantly with an arrow, he was clearly a person of considerable skill.
‘According to the diary, the Elf has been following us from Foothill's Rest. That means… he must be around here now. I don't know it, but he’s definitely near me.’
***
The Elf who had followed Leonardo's party from Foothill's Rest.
He was hiding in a tree, watching his sister's son, his nephew.
‘He really likes books. Is he really my sister’s son? My sister really didn’t like books. What kind of book is it that he’s reading so intently?’
He was an Elf with very good eyesight, but not so good that he could read the letters of a book from afar.
‘From what I heard him say earlier, it seems he knows that monsters are coming this way. I don't know why he’s dawdling like that instead of running away. Well… since I can save that child anyway, it doesn’t matter.’
To the Elf, only family was precious.
He didn't care if the other Giants and humans died or not.
It was then.
“Come out. I know you’re watching.”
“…….”
“You’ve followed me all the way from Foothill's Rest, why did you follow me?”
Suddenly, the boy spoke quietly. The Elf was so surprised that he broke out in a cold sweat.
‘……Did he sense my presence? He shouldn't be able to feel my presence even with magic, so how?’
The Elf got goosebumps.