The Case of Being Reincarnated as a Heretic Mob Character in an Eroge Where Everyone is Extremely Determined - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: The End of the Village Turmoil

As the sun sets in the forest, darkness takes over the world with the sound of the rustling wind.

The only sources of light are the twinkling of the sparse stars and the torches scattered throughout the village.

The flame of the torch held in my left hand is distorted by the wind, stirring up the unease caused by the approaching horde of Magical Beasts.

There was no sign of other villagers outside. The villagers were trembling inside their homes. Even the strongest men had given up on fighting the horde of Magical Beasts too soon, focusing on securing the safety inside the house by closing windows and doors.

Makena-san must be doing the same. I had made an excuse to check on the fields, but she should have realized by now that I hadn’t returned.

She must be too mentally cornered to realize the poor excuse.

The last time I saw Makena-san, she was engrossed in locking up and reinforcing the windows and doors…

As I walked through the spaces between houses, the sound of the bushes scraping from the direction of the forest I had come from began to intensify.

Shivering at the eerie sound that seemed as if the forest itself was laughing, I drew my sword to encourage myself.

The sword, taken from the barn, was sheathed and covered in dust, but as I drew it, it asserted its glossy light.

The blade was still unblemished by rust, a beautiful sword that seemed to have been waiting all this time for the moment to cut something.

It must have been used in battles in the past, but perhaps it had become nothing more than a decoration since the villagers started relying on the soldiers of Kenneth Orthodox to deal with the Magical Beasts.

Maybe it was neglected because it was known that it couldn’t win the fight.

I don’t know the details, but anyway—

“Let’s do this… come at me anytime!”

Feeling as if the sheath was the safety lock of my heart, I threw it towards the shadows.

A hollow clang echoed, and then the darkness of the night silently spread at my feet.

Anxiety crept up from my feet as if I was about to be swallowed whole by some unknown monster.

It was all well and good to stand ready with my sword, but I had no idea where the Magical Beast would come from.

Brandishing my weapon and intimidating my surroundings only highlighted the emptiness of my bravado.

With feelings of “Don’t come” and “Bring it on” coexisting within me, I heard a slight, abnormal noise mixed with the sound of rustling bamboo leaves. Right front diagonal.

There was no sight of anything emerging through the gaps in the trees nor any movement in the bushes.

The tension inflated like a balloon. In an instant, under the influence of the light from the lantern hung at the village entrance gate, I saw the shadow of the beast I had seen that time passed by.

(He really came tonight!)

I shake my head, trying to center the shadow in my field of vision, but the enemy’s movements are too fast to keep up with.

The sound of something creeping up from behind. I’ve been outflanked.

As I swing my sword carelessly, a massive response runs through my right wrist. It’s an unimaginable weight.

My vision hasn’t caught up, but the thick smell of the beast tells me the identity of my enemy.

As I draw my long sword and flash it in a single stroke, a high-pitched scream ensues.

As I complete the swing, my vision finally catches up. Beast fur, torn by the steel blade, grazes past my eyes.

A moment later, I pass by a Magical Beast, which falls forward, letting out a breath filled with heat.

My blade had deeply slit the Magical Beast’s throat. Unhindered by the thick fur, my sword had swiftly ended the life of the enemy and was then swung against a second and third Magical Beast, leaving bodies rolling over without a moment’s breath.

“So there was a scout in the pack after all…!”

After killing three Magical Beasts, I was surrounded by a large pack of over thirty Magical Beasts.

The enemy was intimidated by the loss of their vanguard, but I was not calm inside.

After all, the sharpness of my sword was diminishing with each Magical Beast I cut down.

I knew that blood and fat could dull the blade, but I hadn’t expected it to degrade so quickly.

Perhaps a weapon that doesn’t rely on sharpness is better suited for group combat.

While wiping the blood off my side, I dodged the attacks of Magical Beasts coming at me from all directions.

If it’s just evading, I can manage. After all, they have to come close to attack me, so I just have to wait for that moment to land a counter.

As we pass by each other, I aim for the base of their limbs or their necks with a diagonal cut, aiming to kill them by causing massive bleeding from the destruction of major blood vessels.

For those that open their mouths wide, I deliver a kick under the jaw, and when they recoil and expose their throat, I pass my blade through it.

A Magical Beast attacking from behind with its front paws is deflected with the flat of my sword while I slash its flank.

The Magical Beasts that receive the sword attack stagger greatly, and eventually, they collapse like a doll that had its string cut.

When I first encountered it in the forest, my movements were sluggish due to hunger.

In the midst of confusion, I had unwittingly weakened and couldn’t predict the movements of the Magical Beast any better than now.

But now, things are different.

Thanks to the nutritious meals provided by Makena-san and her nursing, my body is in perfect condition.

Perhaps due to my past self being an experienced swordsman, I can fight without faltering, even in a group battle against thirty opponents.

My body moves on its own.

It’s as if I’ve fought enemies that make the horde of Magical Beasts seem cute by comparison. If I were to describe it as an example, it would be… a monster in the form of a cute little girl.

A creature that cannot be killed no matter how many times it’s slain, reviving from any remaining piece of flesh.

A monster that can deflect a full-powered sword strike with just the tip of a finger and embrace a full-force attack as if it were child’s play.

Yet, that girl is someone I absolutely do not want to kill, a girl I’ve come to love so deeply that our hearts are profoundly connected—

“…!?”

Headache.

An unpleasant sound like grinding teeth pierces my eardrums, and my movement stops.

Taking advantage of the moment, a Magical Beast lunges and shaves off a part of my left shoulder, and the shock causes the torch to be thrown far onto the ground.

“Ah, ugh…!”

Magical Beasts, twenty-five remaining. The remnants of memories lead me astray.

The Magical Beasts that cannot engage in direct combat with me dash towards the houses and fields, beginning to destroy the village’s culture.

The remaining five Magical Beasts surround me, gauging the situation to deliver the final blow.

The wound on my left shoulder seems quite deep, and I’ve completely lost strength from the left shoulder down.

A throbbing heat and the pain of cold sweat seeping out plead with me.

My left hand, hanging limply, is no longer of any use. There’s no time to apply the ointment endorsed by Makena-san.

At this point, the Magical Beasts seem to take on a reluctant stance, as if to say they will take their time tormenting me.

They are far beyond the reach of my sword but close enough that they could close the distance in an instant if they decided to leap.

Are they waiting for me to bleed to death…?

No, they know I cannot allow them to destroy the homes of my fellow villagers, and if I don’t move, they will simply destroy the houses and kill all the humans, their actions seem to suggest so.

In any case, their pitch-black eyes were filled with malevolent experience.

Faced with the Magical Beasts baring their fangs and wearing mocking smiles, I take a deep breath, feeling as if my guts are boiling.

Behind me, the houses of the villagers are being destroyed.

The Magical Beasts that climbed onto the roofs are tearing through walls and roofs, visibly destroying the dignity of the residences.

The villagers had been diligently reinforcing their homes, so they might not be breached for a while… but it’s uncertain how long they will last.

At least not for the remaining four days—until the soldiers of Kenneth Orthodox arrive.

I only have about ten minutes left at best.

If I can’t kill off the horde of Magical Beasts by then, this village and I are done for.

“Damn――”

When my brain is filled with danger signals, I’m tormented by a fierce hunger.

That sensation again. An odd heat in the lower abdomen, like wanting to tear into raw flesh, craving human meat.

What is this discomfort?

I’m losing my mind.

I have to fill my stomach. If I don’t eat meat, I’ll die――

Driven by impulse, I dash forward, kicking up a stone at my feet.

The stone threads through the air as if sucked into the eye of a Magical Beast, blending into the night and destroying the enemy’s eye.

The Magical Beast cries out as I swing my sword overhead and bring it down vertically.

I aim for the shoulder to avoid the blade losing against the skull, and I turn the Magical Beast into a bloody sacrifice.

A cornered rat will bite the cat. The group of Magical Beasts, which should have been the ones cornering their prey, receive a painful counterattack and howl loudly as they employ group tactics.

I, on the other hand, swing my sword carelessly.

Letting explosive impulses take over, I move my body right and left, leaping and dodging.

Having likely come through life-or-death situations, extreme movements were ingrained in my body.

I fend off simultaneous attacks from all directions. Twisting my body, jumping, dodging claws by a hair’s breadth.

I can’t afford to take a fatal blow. In return, when they extend their limbs to attack, I sever the tips, throw them off balance, and thrust my sword into them.

Throat, cervical spine, heart. I accurately target and stab the vital points of the Magical Beasts, one after another.

I understood. This Magical Beast has killed many humans. It knows how to destroy the human body.

The joints of the limbs, the chest, the neck, the head—it instinctively knows where to attack to bring a human to their knees. That’s why it’s predictable.

The more precise their attacks, the easier it is for me to avoid them.

Ordinary humans can’t dodge, so they probably aim for the body’s weak points—but to me, who is completely absorbed, their attacks are far too simple and feeble.

(I know a girl who is much stronger. She should have been able to knock down such a Magical Beast with a flick of her finger—)

It’s like I can remember, and yet I can’t.

Fighting while my brain is being scrambled by a headache and hunger, listening to ‘his’ gospel urging me to hurry to the Holy City Sasfect, I feel like my personality is about to split between wanting to rush out of the village right now and wanting to help Makena-san and the others.

I feel like my head is inhabited by the wills of three other people besides myself, trapped in discomfort, on the verge of destroying my ego and going mad——

Before I knew it, there was a mountain of Magical Beast carcasses lying in the village square.

27… that is, there were three Magical Beasts left. The remnants had headed towards the residential area of the village.

“Haah, haah…!”

When I came back to my senses, my knees were spasming violently.

I was out of breath and already at my limit. My body was covered in wounds, and the skin on my upper body was torn in many places.

Most of the wounds were shallow, but it seemed I had lost too much blood.

“Ev-everyone… just a little more…!”

I don’t want a tragedy to occur in this village that helped me.

I know I’m a nuisance. But I can’t let anyone die.

Once someone’s dead, it’s all over. As long as you’re alive, you can somehow manage—that’s what I felt like my former self was saying.

I pursue the whereabouts of the remaining three Magical Beasts.

Dragging my feet, I head towards a house, only to have my worst premonition come true.

“Noooo!! Help meeee!!”

A small house was completely destroyed. And from inside, a child was struggling to escape, and a Magical Beast leisurely pinned down its prey on top of them.

Nearby, what appeared to be a human arm lay scattered, and the figure of a Magical Beast pulsing its throat was present.

Probably the child’s parents had been eaten.

There are three Magical Beasts here.

If two members of a family of three are missing, then that means—

“Uo, oooohhhhh—”

I didn’t want to think about it. I leaped at the Magical Beast that opened its gaping mouth, attempting to swallow a child whole.

Don’t mess with me. Coward.

Why did you attack that child’s family?

Attack me first.

It’s unfair.

That human flesh…

Kill. I, too, want to eat the flesh of someone important to me. You dared to taste it first.

(Ah, ahh—my head, it hurts—)

A dangerous desire that couldn’t be disguised as a mere headache was swirling inside.

I faced this torrent of emotions head-on, and despair struck my core.

I am a freak. Normal humans are fragile beings, merely trampled upon by Magical Beasts.

I can stand up to foes that even soldiers cannot fight without forming squads.

The driving force behind this is my twisted appetite. This vile, abnormal predilection that could never adapt to human society.

Enduring the sensation of my brain’s blood vessels nearly bursting, I threw blood in the eyes of the two Magical Beasts blocking my way to blind them.

Then, I slashed the Magical Beasts that had lost sight of me and slaughtered them simultaneously.

The last remaining Magical Beast tried to slip out of sight by ducking between my legs, but I thrust my blade into its back and ruptured their artery.

As it writhed in agony, I delivered the final blow. I stabbed my sword into its heart, twisting it to ensure it was thoroughly dead.

A sharp, howling scream rose.

The last of the pack met a similar end to the individual I had encountered in the forest.

It looked up, leaving behind a hollow echo of a cry, and slowly collapsed to the ground.

And with that, it ceased to move.

“Ah, ah… Mother… Father…”

But it wasn’t just the Magical Beast that died.

A family of three, the father and mother were eaten by the Magical Beast.

――I couldn’t protect them.

People died――Lives ended.

If I were Kenneth Orthodox’s Executive, a Magical Beast wouldn’t stand a chance.

If the soldiers had arrived immediately, I could have helped them and thoroughly defeated the Magical Beasts.

(…Nothing goes right. The Magical Beasts that harm people, Kenneth Orthodox who lets people die, the damn Heretic who takes away the manpower for hunting Magical Beasts… and even myself, who wants to eat that child… I hate everything…)

I couldn’t bring myself to approach the child who had lost their parents.

This cannibalistic desire is too dangerous.

I can’t live in this village anymore.

This village, where I’ve become too close to many, has become a land too difficult to suppress my urges.

Recognizing the moment I clearly wanted to eat human flesh, I thought I wasn’t even allowed to feel sympathy.

I have to head for the Holy City Sasfect.

But…

…For what purpose?

The villagers who ventured out from their homes upon sensing the situation had settled were first met with the sight of a heap of Magical Beast corpses.

At first, they seemed unable to believe they were still alive, but upon seeing me covered in blood and my sword nicked and battered, they seemed to understand everything.

To the villagers, what am I? A hero? A monster? Or perhaps a foreign object that brought calamity?

Surely they do not see me in a good light. It can’t be helped since they don’t even know my name.

“…Thank you for your help, Makena-san… I will leave this village.”

To avert my gaze from the torment of not being able to save the child’s parents and the still-growing cannibalistic urge, I hurriedly prepared myself and took up the torch again.

The villagers seemed uncertain whether to stop me, but there was someone clinging to my waist. It was Makena-san.

“Wait! Why are you leaving!?”

“…I’m sorry. I just have to go.”

The cannibalistic urge stirred by the blood-soaked battle. Even Makena-san could become a target of this desire, which was edging into dangerous territory.

It’s a perilous current that threatens to engulf even my own sense of self.

Perhaps sensing the undeniable aura about me, the villagers cleared a path for me.

Amidst them, Makena-san cried out with tears.

“…! You can always――you can always come back! Remember!”

Without responding to her voice, I left the village behind.

The scenery wavering in the darkness of night was terribly distorted. No matter how many times I wiped my eyes, the patheticness and frustration kept brimming over.

……

TL/N: The comment on Chapter 62 is correct! It’s Oakley. By the way, I think the timeline of Chapter 63 is before the timeline of Chapter 62 if you’re confused.