Hero's Coffin Chapter 43

Chapter 43

He was worried about water and food, but he thought Noi would probably take care of that. Since he still had his navigation duties, he hoped they would provide employee welfare. He wasn't even expecting the four major insurances.

Whoosh—

The desert wind blew coolly. Though it was a rocky desert so his feet didn't sink into the ground, it was quite cold and difficult to walk. He swallowed a sigh and wrapped his robe tighter. Since he had told Harenir he didn't need any supplies, he decided to endure without saying he was cold now.

In his previous life, he had mostly stayed at home, but in this world, he was traveling to many places. The problem was that none of these were places he wanted to go...

"Be careful not to fall behind, it's over if you do!"

Noi took the lead in setting the direction. With his genius-level memory, he moved confidently as if he had memorized all the paths in this vast desert. He followed, envying Noi who had snugly wrapped a thick scarf in preparation for the wind.

They passed countless large trees and cacti. They encountered rocks so huge they had to tilt their heads back to see the top, and observed traces of weathering created over long years. It was a journey that would be hard to endure without distracting oneself somehow.

After walking for a few hours, an old signpost came into his view. Curious about the signpost that appeared in the middle of the desert, he fumbled to read it. Most of the letters were erased.

"Grimo... village...?"

"Ah, it's Grimodia Village. There used to be a big village here!"

Noi quickly answered. With his talkative nature, his eyes even sparkled as if he had been wanting to chat with someone. The holy knights were all focused on surveying their surroundings while crossing the desert, so he probably couldn't bring himself to disturb them.

For someone always hungry for information like him, Noi's story was only welcome. Noi subtly came to his side and started the conversation.

"Until about 20 years ago, before the Dium appeared, desert tribes lived here gathered together. They were ethnic minorities. But with the appearance of the Dium, they all died..."

"All of them?"

"Yes. Many countries and ethnic groups disappeared when the Dium appeared."

Noi shuddered as if it had truly been a terrible time. It was a period when countless people died, many countries and cultures were reduced to ashes, and the entire continent was devastated.

As they entered Grimodia Village, a desolate landscape came into view. Abandoned buildings, objects eroded by sand storms, and so on. The old cloth fluttering in what must have been a market alley long ago looked eerie. Though the sky island they had visited a few days ago had also been uninhabited for a long time, the atmosphere here was completely different.

"Then no one lives here now..."

"That's right. It's too barren to live in, isn't it?"

Noi's answer made him feel quite relieved. While the ruins looked lonely, the absence of residents meant there would be no zombies, that is, no missing persons to encounter in the Encroachment Zone.

"So we'll have less trouble with zombies in the western Encroachment Zone..."

"...Why do you sound disappointed?"

He was bewildered. He was curious about why Noi guessed there would be fewer zombies rather than none at all, but more than that, Noi's tone sounded strange. As he looked down at the back of Noi's head surveying the abandoned village without a single person in sight, unexpectedly, the answer came from behind.

Harenir spoke in a calm tone.

"Because it's difficult to find a way to get information about this Encroachment Zone."

"Ah."

"The Encroachment Zone is so vast, and now the probability of Dium existing there has increased, but we have no way to grasp recent changes. We have no choice but to stay here for a few days and observe directly."

The Encroachment Zone was visible where Harenir pointed with his index finger. At the end of the village, a huge rocky canyon visible from the top of a high hill had faded to black and white.

If it were just a wasteland, they could grasp the terrain from afar, but unfortunately, rocks stood like defensive walls in various places, and black fog was thickly spread. He had felt a sense of dissonance with the black and white land before, but looking down from above made it feel even more alien.

To use an analogy, it was like pasting a piece of black and white newspaper in a colorful magazine. Even the fact that just one area stood out, catching the eye, felt ominous. As he looked at that place anew, he belatedly found something even more ominous in Harenir's words.

"...Did you say we'd stay for a few days?"

"Yes. We should observe for at least five days."

So they even had to camp out?

Ah, he should have guessed why his companions had packed supplies once more. Swallowing a sigh while making his 43rd belated regret of the day, he felt overwhelmed. Though there were many abandoned buildings so they wouldn't have to stay in a completely open field, he felt at a loss.

His companions started preparing for the camp with familiarity. They bustled about, saying they needed to finish before sunset, and he was given the task of finding firewood, which he obediently set out to do. He desperately wanted a bonfire as he had been cold.

However, contrary to his expectation that he would find it quickly, firewood was not easily found. He had intended to just gather a few branches, but even those were nowhere to be seen. If he went back with just some cloth scraps, he'd only receive pitying looks. He moved his steps with a sense of futility.

Was it usually difficult to find firewood in a rocky desert, or...

"It's as if someone took everything..."

–Meow.

The cat's cry rang in his ears. When he turned his head, he saw En walking daintily on top of an old wall. As the cat usually didn't meow much, he was puzzled at first, but then he exclaimed, "Ah!" Could it be that the NPC was showing him the location of firewood?

Full of expectation, he followed En. Though he was moving away from his companions, he decided not to mind since they knew well that he wouldn't, or rather couldn't, run away anyway.

However, after moving for about 20 minutes, there was nothing visible at the place where En stopped.

"...What? Is this the right place?"

He followed En and lifted the old cloth covering the entrance of an abandoned stone house, but only an empty interior greeted him. Even when he took out his flashlight, his only possession brought from the sky island, and looked around, there was still nothing suitable. Only trash was piled up on the floor, and when he poked here and there with his toe, only dust rose hazily.

It ended up looking like he was drawn to a gloomy place again. Don't be so faithful to the setting, he thought. En had already gone back outside the building, so he followed with a deep sigh. This wasn't dog training, so why...

Swish—

"Entering this place, how brave. Did you come to get robbed voluntarily?"

As soon as he lifted the cloth at the entrance and came out, a knife was pressed to his neck. What, was there some kind of knife-attracting wave flowing from his neck? He dazedly checked his opponent. The long face of the man wearing a hood was full of scars, and tattoos were visible between the tears in his worn-out clothes.

It seemed he was developing a talent for reading faces, and this guy had the look of a thief.

"I was hungry because no one to rob had come for a while, but you came at the right time!"

"Hand over everything you have!"

Before he could react, two men jumped out from both sides, grabbed his arms, and kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel. A group of thieves appeared en masse, having apparently been waiting outside while he was in the building.

So there were no residents in this abandoned village, but there were thieves. Perhaps they were targeting adventurers who searched for dangerous places on the continent.

"It's better if you cooperate. We're very sensitive because we're hungry."

The one who had first held a knife to his neck, probably the leader of the thieves, snarled menacingly. Watching with distaste as he licked the blade with his tongue, as if he was really hungry, he held out the white stick he had been holding.

"If you mean what I have, it's just this..."

"What? What is this?"

"It's an object from a truly beautiful and sacred place that everyone wants to go to..."

"Ohhh?"

"Press it and light comes out of the end."

"Are you mocking us, you bastard?!"

Click, he showed them how light came out when pressed, but the thieves were indignant. He had even done some storytelling, but perhaps his marketing skills were lacking. As he consoled himself for the disappointment, the leader pressed the knife to his neck again.

The blade grazed his neck precariously.

"You seem to think our threats are a joke, but we have no intention of playing with the likes of you...!"

"I have nothing, but my companions have a lot. Money, food, supplies, everything."

"...What?"

"Actually, I'm in a position of being dragged along like a slave by them. Look, there's even a collar on my neck. So... I'll tell you their location, just spare me."

The thieves hesitated when he lowered his robe's collar to show the collar. Then, following the leader's eye signal, the men who had forced him to kneel searched his body but only confirmed that he had no possessions.

The thieves exchanged glances, and those who had been hungry for a long time nodded, seemingly very tempted by the possessions of his companions. His statement that "there are only four of them" probably contributed to their decision.

A little while later.

Seeing him and the group of thieves arrive at the hill at the edge of the village, Harenir smiled gently. Though a group of over a dozen men had drawn their swords, his smile spread only serenely.

"You have quite a peculiar talent."

Though he knew it was closer to sarcasm than a positive meaning, he just shrugged. It was true that he kept getting tangled up in such incidents, and more than anything this time...

"I brought information. Guys who've been staying here for a long time."