Ever since I became stranded in the Witches' Forest, I'd thought about this from time to time. Weren't the others wandering through the forest looking for us too? If so, wasn't it possible we might run into them by chance? In conclusion, it was a pointless illusion.
By no means.
Imagination and reality were never the same. When I saw there were three occupants, I let my hopes up, but I smiled bitterly. After all, miracles weren't for me. Tragedy, rather.
"...Bjorn." Missha climbed onto my back and whispered very softly in my ear. "What are we going to do now?"
Well, I'm thinking. I never thought I'd run into these bastards here, either. His name was... Davis?
Once I was ready to smash his head in with my mace at any moment, I took a closer look at the sleeping man, Davis. The religious fanatic had a necklace, bracelet, and buttons covered in symbols of the Reatlas religion. In short, he was the leader of the group of explorers who had attacked us using Elisa's ruse in the past.
Why the hell is this bastard here?
The more I looked at this guy's face, the more my doubts grew. Why was he resting here? What on earth did he do with Elisa when there were only three of them? And why on earth did he look as battered as we did?
After clearing up my doubts, I looked back into the cabin through the window. Fortunately, the other two were still sleep. When I learned they were his teams, I was able to deduce their identities based on their body type and hair color.
Then it must be the one with the bow and the one with the sword.
The great warrior with the shield and the red-haired archer were nowhere to be seen.
...Could it be that they had also become separated from their group?
It happened to me suddenly, but I wasn't sure. Damn it, what should I do? This was making me anxious. Should I smash his head in while he slept?
As I contemplated this, Missha whispered to me, "Bjorn, we may even be able to hear about Hikurod and the others."
Hmm, that was true. It seemed a conversation was in order. Before that, however, we needed to create an atmosphere leads to conversation.
"We're going to knock them all out first, and then tie them up with clothes."
"Good idea."
After reaching an agreement, I led Missha to the cabin so that, if they woke, she could subdue them before they regenerated consciousness. Once the preparations were complete, I exchanged glances with Missha through the window and nodded. Then, raising the mace in the air, I structure her on the head with half my strength.
Bang!
As expected, the clergyman collapsed without making a sound. I let out a long sigh and wiped the blood and bits of flesh from my clothes.
One less.
Now it was time to stun the next one.
When I sneaked into the cabin, I saw the other two completely passed out from the hard journey and lost in their dreams. Which one should I take care of first? After thinking about it for a while, I saw one of them tossing and turning in bed.
«Ugh...»
Yes, this guy must be good. Just as I was about to lower the dough, Missha hurriedly grabbed my arm and shouted in a hoarse voice: «You said you were just going to knock him out!».
I tilted my head, then belatedly understood the meaning of his words and nodded. «Don't worry. Even in fighting games, flying low was my specialty. I hoped to control my strength. And, well, if he died, it was a disgrace. That's how the world worked. Don't you think?
Hit!
The moment the mace hit, the man resting in the rocking chair collapsed. At the same time, the man in bed heard the sound and raised his upper body.
«W-who...?»
Of course, there was no problem. Awake or asleep, my mace was the same for everyone.
A slap!
Without needing to sneak up on him, I lunged and inserted the mace half relaxed into his face. Since my goal was to knock him unconscious, I named this ability «Blow». It sounded pretty good.
The first suppression was completed with a successful Bash. I said to Missha: «What are you doing? Attalos».
Missha looked at the three bloody bodies and replied: «Is it necessary...?».
Well... Prevention is better than cure.
There was nothing to lose by being meticulous. That's my rule.
***
«Wow, they really are alive...»
The three were hit with a mace one by one and fortunately survived.
«I told you, don't worry...»
«But I think they're going to die soon.»
Watching their breathing become shallow and irregular, it seemed that they would soon meet their end. The one who was hit in the face was in the worst shape of them all. But as long as they were alive, there shouldn't be any problems. After all, wasn't this a fantasy world?
«I found it». I grabbed one of the bags from the floor and took out a potion jar. Then I poured the potion over their unconscious heads.
They can't be very lively, so just a little.
Czzzzzz!
The reactions followed one another.
«Ahh! Aaaaah!»
«Ahhhhh!»
The broken heads slowly healed, and the three of them dropped onto the grass like live fish. I pulled the rocking chair closer, sat down, and waited for them to come to their senses.
«Ignorant Barrrbaroo...» Missha saw it and condemned me, but what could she do? Elisa may have cheated on them, but they still tried to kill us once. The barbarian heart that Bjorn possessed had no sympathy for the enemy.
«You...!»
«That barbarian!»
«It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! We are not your enemy!»
As time passed, the three came to their senses. Since they were all shouting at the same time now, he was becoming a little agitated.
«One by one», I murmured as I cleaned the blood from my mace, which silenced the room.
The three of them, tied like a line of fish, looked at each other and reached an agreement with just their gaze.
«Look, it's all a misunderstanding. There is a misunderstanding». It was the chief and religious fanatic who was chosen as representative. «I'll explain everything so please-»
«Uh huh, and what's the misunderstanding?»
Davis went on to say things like this was unfair. «That bitch! She used us. We had no idea she was fucking Karui's slave!»
Oh, so you found out now?
Something definitely happened to them.
«So why don't you free us and we can talk about it slowly?»
«Stop talking about it.» What mattered now was not how unfair and difficult they had it. «Tell me, from beginning to end. What the hell has happened since we ran away?». Confirmation of causality. This was the only reason he used Bash instead of Smash.
«Uh, that's it...»
«Don't even think about lying.»
«Okay. In the end, it's our fault for trusting her, but I'll tell you the truth».
«I am the one who decides if it is true or not».
The religious swallowed. Then he threw up the part of the story that I didn't know. «When we fell into that evil villain's plans and caught up with your group, for some reason there were only three of you».
Yeah. That was when they had left us behind.
Crunch!
Really, it was shocking. What kind of fucking timing was that?
«Should I say something else...?» davis asked.
«Of course. Keep going».
«It would be difficult for us if you kept running away, so we attacked and wounded the man who looked like the explorer first».
«Are you talking about Rrrotmiller?!»
«I don't know his name. But do not worry. With a wound like that, he will still be alive».
Anyway, reconstructing the remaining story, it was like this. The surprise attack left Brown in a state of incapacity, truly a desperate situation. The dwarf would have judged it that way. They would have had to defeat the enemy scout in order to escape safely.
«I don't know what it is, but just like that time, there was a burst of light that made us retreat. When I woke up, Anderson had been pierced in the head by an ice spear. Ah, Anderson is the name of our explorer. He wasn't the type of person to let himself be attacked by something like that... Maybe it was because we had a numerical advantage, but we couldn't help it because we weren't attentive».
Whatever the details, the moment the dwarf gained some time, Dwalkie defeated the enemy scout. Without looking back, they fled with the injured brown man.
As soon as we heard this, Missha patted me on the back. «As I thought, it was all thanks to Hikurod! Hikurod killed his scout for us!»
Well, I didn't know what the dwarf thought, but I couldn't deny that thanks to him we were still alive. Anyway, returning to the main point of the story.
«Anderson's death also left us wandering in the woods. We couldn't chase anyone».
The religious fanatic and his group pursued us enthusiastically, but when their explorer died, they were left in a situation similar to ours. Of course, they were still better than us. They had five people on their side and even a priestess. But...
«It was about two days after we got lost.»
While they were doing night guard shifts to regain strength, Elisa's fox revealed her true nature and killed one of them.
«When I saw it wither and dry, I knew right away. That she is a worshiper of the evil Karui».
«Okay, and why did that bitch kill your friend?». asked.
«I don't know either... Meanwhile, the moment we witnessed the horrible spectacle, the three of us had no choice but to leave and inform the audience».
Lie. You only ran to survive while abandoning your teammate.
Anyway, they skipped the story after that. Except for the fact that there were three of them, it was no different than what Missha and I had been through.
«So now that the misunderstanding is clear...»
«I think I already told you not to bring up that topic?». I sighed at the third request for defense.
«Bjorrrn, what will you do now?»
«Ahem. It seems like you are in a similar situation. Why don't you work with us?»
«Keep your mouth shut».
There was more to think about. Of course, he had no intention of accepting that guy's proposal and joining forces for the remaining two days.
«Come to think of it, I still haven't apologized! Let me apologize! We were stupid enough to fall for that bitch's tricks. Sorry!»
However, there was room to accept that apology. Could I really judge these guys? Of course, much of our suffering was caused by these bastards, but as a result, no one died. It seemed that the dwarf and the others were also alive.
«Of course, we will also compensate you for the damage we have caused!»
And they even offered material compensation. Did he still have to kill them?
«Bjorrrn, I'll do what you say.»
I had killed several until now, but at that time, my life was at stake. And those people were garbage with no capacity for salvation. But these guys? It was doubtful. Yes, as I said before, there was room for consideration. My modern mind, that of someone who had not yet learned the ways of this world, postponed making a decision.
«What are you contemplating! I... It was a mistake! I never imagined that a priestess would lie...»
«Hush. Keep talking and I might accidentally crush your skull».
Davis closed his mouth.
I responded harshly so as not to seem weak, but I still worried internally. Was it right to kill them? I finally asked myself.
The barbarian warrior Bjorn Yandel responded. Does good or evil matter? It's easier to just kill, so why should I leave room for anxieties?
A really absurd answer. Hansu Lee, 29, born in Seoul, also spoke. Idiot, what is there to think about? Of course, killing someone for making a mistake is pointless. But...
For once, their opinions coincided.
But that's when you're in our world, Hansu concluded.
Killing someone for making a mistake was completely unreasonable, if they were still in the place where I was born and raised.
Grip.
I grabbed the dough. However, he still couldn't make a decision. I accidentally asked: «Missha, what do you think?».
Missha, who had been born and raised in this world, replied: «I can't trust these guys».
«AND?»
«Mistake or not, they tried to kill us. In that case... my father taught me to never stop someone like that».
Hmm, I see. That's normal in this world.
Like a clearing fog, my mind sharpened. When you are in Rome, do like the Romans. The reason is simple: Otherwise, you could end up dead.
Slide.
So I raised the mace up.
«I said it was a mistake!» The religious monstrosity shouted from the ground.
«Mistake, huh?» I nodded.
It may have really been a mistake, but for some reason, I think you'll make the same mistake again next time.
Crunch!
So I struck the dough, as hard as I could, as if to erase all hesitation.
Crunch!
Successively.
Crunch!
After three blows, the surroundings fell silent.
[Achievement
Condition: Death count of 10
Reward: Permanently increases your spirit stats +1.]
I had no intention of justifying my actions. If that were the case, I would have dug a trap and waited for them to make a mistake. The worse the bastard I killed acted, the better for my mental health.
Now is the time to throw all that overboard.
Since I woke up in this body, I knew it.
Bjorn Yandel.
From now on, I must live by this name. No, not just the name, but it had to really be this wild one. That was the only way to survive here.
Drip, drip.
Blood and flesh dripped from the dough.
«Bjorn... are you okay? Your hands are shaking».
If you are weak, you die. If you make a mistake, you die. In this world, you die if you're not lucky.
«Don't worry. This is nothing.» Soon, my hands stopped shaking. I took the equipment from the religious fanatic and then dragged the body to the cabin in my underwear.
«Hey? W-what are you going to do with it?!» missha asked in disgust.
I answered: «What I have to do».
It was something I had to do, even if I didn't want to. Without hesitation, I threw the body into the half-extinguished heat.
Whoosh!
The fire came back to life in an instant. At the same time, a disgusting smell emanated. Actually, it was just what I thought. The body of a good-natured barbarian couldn't feel the difference between that and the smell of meat.
Whoosh!
Seeing the burning fire, I let out a sigh. This also matched the game.
[A new sacrifice has been made. The duration of the Witch's Cabin is increased by 8 hours].
Since there were two more pieces of firewood left, my calculations told me that there were at least 24 more hours that we could rest in the cabin.
«What are you doing? Go rest». Saying that, I lay down on the bed. Missha answered me something, but honestly, I couldn't hear it. «...How comfortable».
I closed my eyes and counted from a meaningless one. My tired body slowly fell asleep as if it had just found rest.
Crunch.
The sound of burning fire gradually faded from my consciousness.
After all, you have to sleep in a bed.
It wasn't even ironic anymore. The more I lost my modernity, the more human I became in this world.