The Subjugation seems to have ended in two days. I heard that there were lots of adventurers that the time it took to finish it was short. After all, the number of snakes in the outbreak were quite a lot. When I left the village I saw a snake that had been defeated, but there were a considerable number of snakes.
...In reality, the forest was more dangerous than I thought?1 I have to be more vigilant.
I go buy dried meat and then leave the village. The village roads should have been somewhat safer after the subjugation. Today we'll head to the next village, Ratom. Somehow, there are many surprises happening in Ratto village. Like me meeting Sora and tame him, and like figuring out what he eats and the amount of food he needs….. The price of the snake surprises me.
Oh, there were a lot of good things. Sora became my partner. I look at the trembling Sora in my arms. He is at his own pace, still, he's cute. Words of gratitude from the butcher and the pharmacy store owner. That makes my cheeks loose every time I remember it.
I'm happy! I'm Happy!
Right now, remembering it makes me can't stop grinning. Composure is important when on a journey, so I need to calm myself. Take a deep breath and calm my heart. Alright, Let's head to Ratom.
....
It's been six days since I depart from Ratto. I almost came across a monster, but it's mostly a smooth journey. However, I'm worried about Sora's food….. only five left. Isn't it about time we arrived at the next village?
...?
What is this, I can somehow smell something burnt. Is something burnt?
I stop and look around. Sora in my hand is also trembling harder than usual. There is no sign of monsters or people, but I sometimes missed it if it's the presence of an adventurer. I walk while being cautious and check my surroundings. Should I leave the village road? As I walk down the village road, I see smoke rising in the distance. ...My body then became stiff and I feel nervous, it's the first time I'm in this kind of situation.
As I approached little by little….. I realized that the thing raising the smoke was something like a box. And there's someone lying in the shadow. I approach him2 with a quick step, while being cautious and checking the surroundings3 I don't feel the presence of someone lurking.
I turned my sight to the fallen person and hold my mouth. He is already dead. I can see traces of his body being gouged by something. And the traces of battle that remained in the surrounding area. The traces suggest the possibility of multiple people. I then put Sora that's in my hand inside my bag, as they might be bandits. There's a chance that they will target Sora who is a rare monster.
I feel bad for the dead person, but there's nothing that I could do. I leave him as it is, and while being cautious of my surroundings, I leave the place quickly. However, I can see a carriage a little farther. I stop and take a deep breath to calm down. After all, I can't feel the presence of anyone.
When approaching the carriage, there were several corpses, all of which were severely damaged. There's a horse that falls a little away from the road, but I can see that it already died.
Apparently, they were attacked by monsters instead of bandits. Bandits never kill horses, and the scars are not from swords. There may be ferocious demons around here. The people who died are too severely damaged. It's not the first time I see a person who is killed by a monster, but it's a bit shocking. It will be better to leave this place soon.
I then leave the carriage quickly. After a while, I notice that I was running, so I stop my feet. When I run, my attention is disturbed. I might overlook the presence of monsters. After taking several deep breaths, I finally calmed down.
"Haah~... That's surprised me"
I want to sit down, but this place is not good. With a quick step, I walk towards Ratom village while carefully checking presence around me, and soon I heard something. While being nervous, I listen to the sound and it was a human voice. Adventurer? Traveler? Merchant? While cautious of my surroundings, I approach the sound.
"Ah, it's Ratom village"
Hearing many voices means that I have arrived at the village. Feeling relief, strength leaves my body. First of all, I have to let them know that someone has died at the village's government office4 in Ratom.