Chapter 233 – Penance.
It is threatening just to hear the vibrating sound of countless overlapping buzzing sounds.
“Mister! How are you doing?!”
In the end, Usher was frightened by the appearance of the guys who came down near them. Each of them reflects a different light, and their upper skin glows coolly.
“Wait a little longer and you’ll find out.”
Indeed, Krikaliev seemed calm even though he had descended right on top of them.
“I think I’ll die if I wait any longer!”
– Boaaaaang!
Eventually, Usher closed his eyes at the sound of the flapping wings approaching faster. It was impossible to catch and kill them all in a situation where I couldn’t move properly. But the expected pain never came.
-Kick!
-Kick!
“Uh?”
Instead, the sound of flapping wings passed by my ears, and when I opened my eyes curiously at the sound I heard, what I saw were the larvae that were clinging to the corpse, stabbing them with their pincers, piercing them, grabbing them, and eating them as they were, or flying up.
“How did this happen?”
I thought they would definitely run towards them, but for some reason they were aiming for the caterpillars that were quietly eating rotten meat.
“We’re not the only ones with fresh meat here, are we?”
“You’re saying they’re also targeting their larvae as food?”
Even the larvae of the same kind as themselves. The caterpillars that burrow into the corpse had spines that looked hard in their own way between the wrinkles, but it didn’t work on the adult insect that covered the entire body. Because of this, the larvae, which have no means to protect themselves except for the thorns, tear off the flesh and shed body fluids and faint intestines. What was even more terrifying was that the larvae of the same kind would attack the trail again.
“Are you really not a monster?”
Rather, it was even more unbelievable that it was not a monster.
“You seem to get confused often. What do you think the criteria for a monster are?”
“I know what a monster is! You’re talking about things that reproduce with humans as hosts, right?”
Ordinary creatures would not breed for humans.
“It’s not quite wrong, but it’s not even the right standard.”
“Why?”
“Have you ever heard of dragons breeding with humans?”
“Uh?”
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a thing.
“A more accurate description of monsters refers to those that act to eliminate humans more effectively than to maintain their own lives or species.”
Krikaliev said that breeding by using humans as hosts for monsters was just an act. That’s why not all monsters use humans as hosts.
“What do you think is the most easy prey here?”
By that standard, of course they were caterpillars.
“If it was a monster, it would have ignored that and rushed right at us.”
“But he’s still his own baby.”
“It will be good for these guys. They have good fertility anyway, so the overflow is their own larvae, and the larvae are the easiest.”
Even so, it seemed more strange that the Karambisks did not go extinct. No matter how fertile they are, they will eat their own offspring.
“That’s not necessarily the case. If you eat the offspring of other people, not your own, isn’t it like getting rid of a competitor?”
“Ugh, I’m not sure.”
“It’s just that these guys survived because it was advantageous for them to live like this. That’s all you need to understand.”
-Kick!
Even while they were talking, the cries of the caterpillars continued to sound like screams.
“Anyway, let’s get out of here quickly. Staying around for a long time won’t do us any good.”
That was the moment. Usher almost gasped in surprise at the blue-green light that swept in front of him. However, he bumped into the silver light that blocked his way first, and Kang! A voice rings out. Looking at it blankly, I could see that the silver color was Krikaliev’s sword. Subsequently, the identity of the blue-green light was also known by the appearance of the things protruding from the side of the sword.
– Snuggle Geek! Kiki!
I couldn’t help but notice it when I watched him move his clawed feet back and forth and scrape the sword. Looking closer, it seems to be about the size of his face, beyond the size of his fist. With the claw jaws like a large knife, he bites the sword as if competing for sharpness, regardless of the sharp blade.
“Guys, weren’t they attacking us?”
“There are mutants everywhere. And if the others have eaten all the larvae and still feel they’re not enough, we’re next.”
Usher saw that the number of the many caterpillars was steadily decreasing, and he hurried his words, and they went faster.
“But what about him?”
However, Karambisk, who was about to attack Usher, kept biting Krikaliev’s sword as if he had no intention of giving up. Then, as if he had decided to change his method, he stopped biting the sword, pulled out the jaw of the claw, and aimed at Usher again, but luckily Krikaliev pulled the sword, grabbed him by the back, and removed it.
“Even if I let it go, it’s obvious that it will annoy me, so I have to hold it so that it cannot fly.”
“So you’re taking me?”
“What happened. This guy has a pretty expensive body?”
“It’s not that kind of problem!”
Fortunately, they were able to find their way up to land shortly after. Although thanks to this I was able to stay away from the hordes of Karambisks.
“I ended up bringing it with me.”
“Isn’t it okay? If you look closely, it’s cool?”
“…That’s nice.”
Certainly, an insect called karambisque was cool on the outside. The upper, which looked shiny like metal, looked like it was wearing solid emerald-colored armor. It was only terrifying to think of those sharp claw jaws pointing at him and the sight of them flying in groups over a ravine full of corpses.
“I’m still biting.”
Moreover, seeing how busy he was, biting his arm with his chin even though he was caught and held by Krikaliev’s arm, he wondered if he could ever be tamed.
“It’s a little annoying.”
Let Krikaliev hit the night! The movement of Karambisque slowly stopped with a sound. Seeing that the guy’s eyes didn’t have a structure to close separately, so he stopped as it was, he asked just in case.
“Did you kill him?”
“I just knocked it out. Just in case. I’ll keep it for emergencies.”
“For emergencies. Where is it useful?”
“These guys’ uppers are a bit thin, but contain metal, so they can be hollowed out to be used as simple armor, and the claws can be used as daggers.”
Usher was relieved to hear that.
“I knew you would use this guy for emergency food.”
“I’ll do it while I’ve been told, but don’t even think about eating this guy as emergency food.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Even so, it was reluctant to see that larvae eat human corpses and adult worms try to eat living people.
“That’s true, but you don’t know what disease or parasite this guy has.”
“Ugh, it was dirty.”
Mal and Krikaliev had been soaking there, and the smell still stings their nostrils. In particular, in the case of horses, only the part where the white hair was soaked is visible.
“Is there anywhere I can wash up around here?”
“As long as it doesn’t rain while I’m in Lagado, I can’t even dream of such a thing.”
“Why? Because there was a lot of water. If it’s just washing.”
“Once you go up, you know.”
They had barely come ashore from the bottom of the cliff, where there was a lot of rotting water. At least the end of the valley between the cliffs was gentle enough to go up, so I was able to follow it. And when you come up the hill Usher felt that the stench stinging his nose had intensified rather than lessened.
“Uug…! What the hell are you doing here?”
It wasn’t just that the smell got stronger, it was that a new stench mixed with the stench they had buried as they passed by, making it feel even stronger.
“Lagado is under a thin but wide cloud cover. It’s not like the thick cloud cover doesn’t block the light at all, but it’s also difficult for plants to grow.”
It is said that there is no chance of dying due to being covered with clouds, but that was not luck, but misfortune.
“The roots rot before the plant even grows, and even if you are lucky enough to stretch out the leaves, the soil will be damaged. The land of Ragado is like this.”
It wasn’t completely pitch black, but the gloomy sky and the earth stained the same color. It was a world where everything was gray and decaying. In such a place, the first thing they prepared was none other than a shelter. The ceiling to block it out in case it rained was made by tilting the raft that had been carrying loads until now, and the supports were made of mangrove trees that Krikaliev used to train Usher and tied with the ropes that the mermaids had tied. Lastly, if you put a rug on the floor, you can barely make a space to lie down.
Usher was the only one who was able to get there.
“What about you?”
“I have to watch something.”
The world, which quickly became dark while building the shelter, was dyed as black as under other cloud regions. In the meantime, Krikaliev and the horse did not come under the raft, but sat or leaned on the ground watching the fire.
“How about rice? If it’s dry, it’s there.”
“It’s okay. I feel a little sick.”
A rug was laid out, but the smell of this place continued to rise. It was less than the smell of rotting animal fat or flesh, but the smell of rotting soil was not too bad. If I ate something in a place like this, I felt like I would vomit right away.
“I see. But when you wake up, make sure to eat at least tomorrow morning. Otherwise, your body won’t be able to withstand it.”
“Yes.”
Is it raining little by little? I saw raindrops blazing and brushing against the fire, and I saw him build a support for the shield he used against Usher and put it up so the fire wouldn’t go out. A quiet night with no one speaking. In the blur that almost fell asleep, Usher blankly watched the back of Krikaliev, who was guarding the fire. His iron armor, which was clean before coming here, had black lumps that exuded a nasty fishy smell, but the rain that began to fall pushed those lumps away little by little.
– Purr.
The sound of horses breathing exhausted from being dragged and walking all day, and the sound of thin raindrops hitting the ground resonate along the ground with their ears attached to the rug. I fell asleep little by little, listening to the sound of the rug pounded on top of the raft standing at an angle to block the rain, and the occasional sound of sparks knocked out by rainwater.
