Chapter 103

It was fortunate for me that the body of the man whose head had been torn off fell backwards.

It’s not because of the bloody waterfall that director Quentin Tarantino would have liked very much if he had seen it, but because he didn’t have the confidence to look at the cut surface of the guy who wasn’t even cut perfectly.

No matter how often there are stabbings, cuttings, and decapitations, anything that is not aesthetically pleasing is not good.

The blood that splattered all over the place... Maybe it’s because the afterglow of the curse still lingers on me, it passes right through and falls to the floor without asking me. I wonder if it is considered death only when all cell activity is stopped, but it is absurd that I can be cursed to such an extent if I do something.

His past was a part of which I was very curious, but now I can’t afford to be immersed in the afterglow of victory while worrying about that.

I pushed unnecessary questions to one side of my consciousness and inspected my battered body.

“It’s written... It’s become a rag.”

Not only the arms stretched forward, but also the right shin and left thigh, where he knelt, are not very healthy. Since he saved his life in return, complaining can be considered a luxury, but unfortunately, in reality, it was not enough to clear the stage just by defeating the boss, like in a game.

The captain the guys at the gate were talking about must be that guy. Leaving aside his strength, he was a guy who couldn’t even touch him in a normal way. If that guy was just a soldier or a mid-boss, I’m confident I’d cry while peeing.

Anyway, I think the reason why their pursuit hasn’t continued until now is purely because of the trust in that guy’s abilities. Whether you capture or kill me, you must believe that you will be able to deal with me.

However, a normal group would sense something strange within half a day and organize a pursuit party. Until then, if I go around bleeding profusely like now, of course I will face a situation that will make it difficult to guarantee my life.

Before that, you need to finish treatment and find a place to hide as far away as possible.

“Since it’s early fall, at least you won’t have to worry about hemostatic agents.”

I was so exhausted that I couldn’t raise my mana any more, but I couldn’t even rest for fear of dying from excessive bleeding if I stayed still.

Fortunately, the artery didn’t seem to be injured, but it might be that I simply couldn’t feel it because my physical condition was not making sense. I walked into the woods with a desperate longing for the medicine pouch I usually wear and began to search for medicinal herbs, grateful that it was midday with the sun rising.

“Spirits. This isn’t a battle, it’s an after-effect, so I’d like to ask for your help.”

I spoke out of my mouth to change my mood, which kept getting depressed even after winning because of my body aches, but the spirits had already understood my intentions and were moving.

What you are looking for are plants called black thistle and bubble nettle. The former has the same appearance as thistle, but as a plant from another world, it has an extraordinary hemostatic effect, while the latter can be used as a simple disinfectant by soaking its leaves in water.

If you want to use black thistle as a hemostatic agent applied to the affected area, you need to dry it and grind it. Now that it’s an emergency again, they’ll dry it off without saying anything.

So even when I saw the red hair rolling on the floor, I didn’t think it was the captain.

“Yeah, he was a hero after all. There’s no way he could have killed the captain without that, right?”

“We’ll never catch them with our skills. This mission is a failure. We must go back and report to the military.”

“But... Judging by the traces, he’s also seriously injured. Rather, now might be an opportunity. I think we should hunt him down and kill him or capture him alive.”

“Didn’t you see that he was seriously injured? Didn’t you see him swinging his sword as soon as he entered the gate? I don’t know what happened, but the other side’s plan was completely exposed! It would be correct to see all of them as traps!”

Those who belonged to the elite accepted the scene unfolding before their eyes and began to analyze the situation as calmly as possible, but there was no sign of unification of opinions.

All opinions are valid and all claims lack adequate evidence.

As a result, the analysis, which consisted only of predictions and assumptions, gradually began to degenerate into an argument.

“Even if he’s a hero, he’s an 18-year-old boy! He’s even wasted years in the Empire because of his uncooperative attitude! It’s surprising that he killed the captain, but do you think that’s why we should fear him blindly!”

“It’s not a problem that will end simply by killing the captain. I don’t know what happened at the end, but the captain’s attack hurt him only once until he came here. Avoiding the invisible captain’s magic like that Do you think it makes sense? We’re all being fooled right now!”

“stop!”

The leader’s cry felt like a deliberate scream, but there was no problem in conveying his intention and achieving his goal. Anxiety and doubt filled his eyes as he looked at the bloodstains leading into the woods, leaving the silent pursuit party behind.

It had been a forest he had been wandering around like a front yard for the past few weeks, but the forest reflected in his eyes now was no different from a labyrinth of terror inhabited by an unknown demon.

“...Humans, collect the captain’s body and return. And erase the traces of the camp and finish preparing to leave. We will pursue him.”

“...are you okay?”

“Of course it’s not okay. I don’t think it’s okay to have the captain who was thought to be immortal die and have no certainty. I just don’t want to think that someone as big as the captain died without doing any damage to him.”

It’s a problem even if the opponent is a hero, but it’s a problem even if it’s not.

In the meantime, it was clear that if the captain had dealt a blow of conversion, and if he was scared and missed it, it would come with ridiculous repercussions.

“We’ll be back before dawn. If...if we don’t return by then, assume we’re dead and return.”

There was no questioning, so the six demons followed the trail and went into the woods.