Chapter 202

Gently caressing the footprints with my fingertips, I checked the condition of the earth .

[By the looks of it…… It’s already been a long time since these people passed through here . ]

If they’re on the move, it doesn’t seem like they would be around anymore huh .

I stand up .

[We should go . ]

[Yes . ]

We began advancing with caution .

Like that, we made our way through the dense bushes……

[……This . ]

Seras gasped .

There were several Golden-eyed monsters before our eyes .

There were around twenty of them…

And all of them were corpses .

Blood was splattered all around .

They were splashed on the trunks of trees and the grass .

Fragments of flesh were also scattered about .

If this was a scene of a crime, it would have been quite a “gruesome scene” .

Kneeling down in front of the nearest corpse, I examined it .

I then raised my gaze and looked at the other corpses .

[What a surprise . ]

This isn’t within the depths .

But even if it wasn’t, the monsters in the Golden Demon Zone were feared in this continent .

Even so…

[Some of these monsters tried to get away . ]

There were signs that they had tried to escape .

A monster from the Golden Demon Zone had been frightened so much that it tried to flee .

The people responsible for this carnage, they were at least—–

People that don’t have any problem fighting against Golden-eyed monsters in the Demon Zone .

I can see it in the bodies and the conditions of the scene .

All in all, these monsters were killed without being able to fight back at all .

Moreover—— they weren’t overlooked .

It’s not just one or two monsters that tried to escape .

There’s also one that had its defenseless back slashed……

They didn’t overlook the monsters that tried to escape and went out of their way to chase them down and kill them .

[There are a lot of monsters that seem to have been slashed with swords…… From Seras’s eyes, how good are they?]

[They must have been quite experienced in the way of the sword . ]

Seras guessed without a second thought .

[Even more than you?]

[——I’m not sure without seeing them myself . However, I’m sure that their abilities aren’t average . Most of all……]

[It doesn’t seem like they were seriously fighting these monsters huh?]

[Yes . ]

[……………………]

Who are they?

What the heck are these people doing here?

We followed more footprints .

Looking at the direction of the footprints…

For now, it seems that they were headed in the same direction we’re heading .

The corpses of monsters lying around became a familiar sight for us .

There were even some corpses that were being pecked by a bird .

Judging by the footprints, there must be at least eight of them .

Speaking of which……

I haven’t encountered any monsters since I left that ruins where we interacted with Erika’s familiar .

Were the monsters within this area hiding in fear of the people who did this?

[If they were on the opposing side, it may be quite troublesome . ]

[……The closest forces from here would be Mira and Urza but…]

Speaking of proximity—– the Faraway Country is also around this area .

The Magic Knights?

Or the Brilliant Squadron?

Or perhaps……

There’s another group around .

[Speaking of being curious, we still didn’t receive any information at all……]

*rustle*

As we passed through the bushes, I stopped talking .

Seras’s eyes opened wide .

*Gulp*

And then, she gulped down .

[This is———-]

Different from a while ago…

Seras reacted differently than when she saw the group of Golden-eyed monsters .

This time, she could feel surprise from seeing something beyond her imagination .

[…………………… . ]

Well, it can’t be helped .

Corpse .

No matter who looks at it, it would be a corpse of “that” .

I look towards “that” .

With a slightly dry voice—— Seras spoke out what “that” is .

[———-A Human-Faced . ]

Sogou Ayaka’s name has recently been spreading out in the public .

However, it was once thought that one would have to rely on the Goddess or on the “Humanity’s Strongest” to defeat these vicious beings .

[………………… . . ]

I check the corpse and its surroundings again .

Judging from the traces I found, this Human-Faced’s opponent was a humanoid using a weapon .

It most probably doesn’t seem like a fight between two Human-Faced .

Nevertheless .

This Human-Faced has been miserably torn to shreds……

I don’t know how strong this Human-Faced was when it was alive but——

[This Human-Faced tried to run away once . ]

That Human-Faced with someone holding strength that made it try to escape .

Speaking of the powerful people that I know of…

The Goddess .

The Heroes .

Alion’s Sixth Cavalry .

White Wolf Knight Commander, “The Black Wolf” .

The Mad Emperor .

Other than them, yes……

There are also some people we haven’t heard anything yet .

I think I first heard of him from Eve?

He’s apparently one of the powerful people .

However, there was very little information about him .

Eve, Seras, and even Erika don’t know about him that much .

If I remember correctly, his name is——

[It may have been that “Heroic Sword” fellow huh . ]