Overlapping with the Sacrifice
A little less than an hour. Moving at a slow pace, but making it look like we were hurrying, I hid from the monsters and safely arrived at a small, beautiful spring with the Elf girl.
During that time, we encountered monsters several times, and only once did we encounter the monster that was parasitized. At that time, the one that was parasitized was a Vexas Spider, in other words, an insect-type monster, so it’s safe to assume that my hypothesis that the Night Beetle was a parasitic entity was correct.
I quenched my thirst at the spring, washed off the blood that had flowed, and rinsed the blood and flesh off my weapons.
When I told the Elf girl to wash off the dirt, she honestly started taking off her clothes, so I wet a towel and threw it at her.
If I were to calmly conceal my true strength, I think I should build a camping base here and prepare to sleep... but given the situation, I can't move.
The initial condition for defeat was the spread of the abnormality to all the Elves, and then to all of humanity, but now it has changed to the abnormality spreading to the Elf in front of me who can communicate with Spirits.
No, of course, I wouldn't struggle against Spirits. Even if thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of millions came at me, I could kill them all without suffering any significant injuries.
If anything, I have experience killing Spirits who were charmed and driven mad by the combined efforts of Succubi and Incubi back when I relied on weapons... I could kill them even more easily now.
However, the fact that the space where Spirits live is in another dimension, a gap in this world, is extremely troublesome. If that were the case, the parasitism from contact between living beings could suddenly occur anywhere in the world.
If that happens, it's over. It would become a race between the parasitic creatures dominating this world or me destroying everything in this world first.
“…Hey.”
“What is it?”
“Tell me about the abnormalities that have been happening in this forest recently.”
“I don’t know.”
“…What?”
“I just came out of the shrine for the first time today. So, I don’t know about that abnormality either.”
“…I see.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
...Wouldn't it be quicker to kill her? No, I won't do that? I'm not so barbaric as to unilaterally lay my hands on an innocent person who has done nothing.
But even so, the fact that she came out for the first time today is extremely troublesome. If we are found together, it will almost certainly lead to a conflict with the Elves.
I was planning to get caught anyway, so I don't care about the conflict itself, but if it comes to being killed, I will have to resist, and if that happens, I will have to hold back until the very last moment so as not to kill them, which is incredibly troublesome.
“For now, let’s move.”
“Where to?”
“To the place where you were… don’t run away because it’s a lie. We’ll go look for a place where we can hide from the monsters, and just keep hiding there.”
“…” Pout
“Don’t puff out your cheeks, don’t look at me with those glares. I’m telling you, this place isn’t safe forever, so it’s better to look for a place where we can escape and hide in a pinch.”
“…Monsters don’t come here, you know?”
“Normal monsters don’t. There are abnormal monsters, and I came to this forest to deal with them. There’s a chance they could get in.”
“I see… then, please.”
“…”
“…”
“…You want me to carry you.”
“Won’t you carry me?”
“…Haa, relax your body and put your arms around my neck.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t shout in the forest. You’ll be found.”
...I feel like I've seen this situation before.
Well, whatever, I've memorized a rough map of the forest. I'll try to avoid approaching the areas where there are many Elf presences, and investigate the places where we can hide and the current state of the forest.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
After going around about twenty or so places and looking at places where we could hide, I found five places where we could continue to hide if we held our breath. The spaces were not suitable for long periods of time. If I were to act as a decoy, the Elf girl could hide alone for a while, but it would be certain that we would be found and attacked by other monsters, so it could only be used as a temporary shelter.
Well, that's fine. I was planning to keep running anyway, and if my life is in danger, I can stop pretending and use my full power to deal with anything.
The problem is the current state of the forest.
First of all, regarding the parasitized monsters, there were roughly a hundred and several dozen of them. A wide variety of monsters, from small mice and insects to huge bears and boars, were parasitized, and they were moving around the forest in a dead state, killing other creatures for no reason.
Next, regarding the animals in the forest, I hardly saw any at all. Perhaps they sensed the abnormality, and the cannibalism between monsters has stopped, and instead, the monsters are hunting animals. It's possible that the collapse of the ecosystem in this forest has begun.
And then, regarding the plants and trees. It would have been good if they hadn't been parasitized as I had expected, but the worst thing was that as we got closer to the Great Tree, the number of plants and trees showing signs of parasitism increased. I know about monsters that mimic plants to trap and eat monsters, but I don't know about plants that pierce branches and suck the life out of living things. They were like being crucified.
It's likely that the Great Tree is done for.
The forest itself may be beyond saving.
“…What is happening?”
“I don’t know either. I’m here to investigate it.”
After looking around, I decided that there were no places to hide, and returned to the spring where we had replenished our water and so on.
This place was the cleanest, the air was clear, and it was the best place. For now, let's spend the night here. It seems that the Elf in front of me has noticed something strange, and her complexion looks bad.
“…What should I do?”
“I don’t know, ask a Spirit or something.”
“…What should I do?”
“I don’t know, ask a Spirit or something.”
“What should I do?”
“I don’t know, ask a Spirit or something.”
“Please tell me, human-san.”
“…You’re stubborn.”
“I heard that girls should be this assertive.”
“How old are you?”
“I celebrated my eighteenth birthday yesterday.”
“…Haa?”
Eighteen?
She's young, or rather, she's younger than me. In the first place, by Elf standards, isn't she practically a baby or something?
“…You’re young.”
“That’s why, please tell me. What should I do to help everyone?”
“…What can you do?”
“…Become a Sacrifice.”
“Haa? A Sacrifice for what?”
“The Elder-sama said. A woman like me who can communicate with the Spirit-sama is to become a shrine maiden of sacrifice, abandoning all worldly things and growing up pure to become a Sacrifice to God.
If I do that, everyone will be happy and be able to live in the future, so you are to grow up and fulfill your purpose as a Sacrifice to be offered to God.”
“…Ah, I see.”
...Should I kill that bastard?
Killing a child and being happy and living in the future? I don't like that, hey. I thought I'd let them live, but should I kill them all?
Ah, no good. My killing intent is getting out of control, let's change the subject and quickly calm down. I was about to make her needlessly scared.
“So, do you have a name?”
“…Ina. My brother-sama calls me Ina.”
“Do you have a name… what else do you know? Ah, you don’t need to remember anything about being a Sacrifice. Even small things are fine, is there anything you know?”
“Umm… it’s better to eat a lot of food to grow bigger. Girls should be assertive. If you fall in love, that person will become even more beautiful. The fruits that grow in the forest are very delicious. There are people outside the forest who can make people smile, and then, umm, and then…”
“It’s okay, take your time and calm down.”
...She knows quite a bit. It's shallow for knowledge, but she's not completely innocent and ignorant, or rather, there are several people who care about her.
It's good that not all Elves are rotten to the core... but it's not a good feeling at all.
“—There are beautiful stars and a sun in the sky.”
‘—I want to go see that sky someday.’
...Ah, I see.
Indeed, they are similar, they resemble each other. The circumstances are completely different, and the treatment they receive is completely different, but even so, the stubbornness, the closeness, the willingness to sacrifice themselves... and the way they express their longing is exactly the same.
...I can't abandon her now.
“Then, let’s finish this quickly and go see it.”
“…Eh?”
“Let’s finish everything, the situation you’re in, the cause of the attacks on your beloved people, and the abnormalities surrounding this forest, and go see those beautiful stars and the sun.”
“…No, because I’m for God.”
“There’s no reason for you to die, and a God who can’t give salvation unless he kills you, who has the right to live a beautiful and shining future, has no value.
Don’t worry, I’ll finish everything, save everything, and make everything come true.”
“…Is it okay for me to wish for that?”
“Of course, that’s what it means to live.”
“More importantly, tell me what you want to do. I have to remember everything and make it happen after it’s all over.”
“……Okay!”
I’m overriding her, but I don’t feel any guilt.
She’s similar, but completely different. This girl can wish for things and live. And on top of that, I have the power to remove everything that surrounds her.
What was missing is here, and what was here is not. So, overriding her is nothing but a mistake, and it’s only natural that it should be denied.
But, I will override her.
To avoid piling up my few regrets, to avoid repeating them.
I will save this girl and fulfill her wishes. I will do what she couldn’t.
As a substitute for the confession I had almost forgotten.