Butcher Demon Chapter 317

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Desperate Elf

Butcher Demon Chapter 317 Owl Message

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Since this morning, she is not talking to me.

"No, injuries. No, eat. promises kept."

"That's not the issue."

Silence. She won't even look me in the eye. Lonely.

Last night, Kyo apparently watched from a distance as Faye and I had intense lovemaking. When I released Faye, she arrived and took her away in a dazed state.

And today, even though it's well past noon, Faye still hasn't shown her face in Tavern.

Apparently, Kyo is preventing her from meeting me. She says she can't let Faye breathe the same air with a rotten banana. I had to admit that her metaphor was tactful. I wanted to argue that bananas taste better when they are rotten, but I held my tongue.

Outside Tavern, things are bustling, unlike yesterday.

It seems the residents have taken matters into their own hands and started doing things themselves.

As for me, I had hoped that by putting them in such extreme conditions, Faye would grow tired of their inability to do anything and leave, or they would come to kill me, and I'd have to wipe them all out in self-defense. But instead, it resulted in a third outcome. The residents got motivated and spent the whole night discussing. I watched this scene through the window.

It's a sunny afternoon. The temperature is low, but the clear sky makes it pleasant. The sound of an oni flute drifting into the clouds high above. Perfect weather for traveling.

I'd like to leave for the next town while the sky is still clear, but the guide was in such a bad mood. For now, I have to wait for Kyo's temper to get better.

Yakumo is, as usual, playing his flute, folding paper, and drawing. Watching him, I start to care less about Kyo's mood, the village, the world, or what happened to everyone. I actually start to calm down, really.

I casually flip through the notebook that was left carelessly on the table. Flip, flip. I found an illustration of a two-headed rhino. It's the Lunacy Rhino. It's already in the catalog. What a fast worker. Is he planning to record every creature he encounters in his notebook? Am I witnessing a modern Pliny?

　――Oh, I can't read this one?

The picture of the Rhino has what appears to be a title, but I can't read it. Why...?

I turn the page. Oh, the bandaged woman. The texture of the veil has gone beyond the realm of amateur artists.

Come to think of it, that woman is strange. Sitting alone in a dangerous forest, looking at something while perched on a tree, but more peculiarly, her entire body is wrapped in bandages. One arm is missing, and the other one is rotting. Very strange. Moreover, what's with that leg movement? It's way too sexual. Definitely strange.

"Ae..da?"

The title of the bandaged woman is short.

"Ida...?" Despite the messy characters making it hard to read, I think that's what it says.

Did they somehow manage to talk while I was struggling with Lunacy Rhino? How? He's usually silent. Anyway, it seems the bandaged woman is Ida. Don't get too close to this seductress Yakumo. You might develop a foot fetish. Feet is such a mysterious thing.

The flute music stopped.

Immediately after, a shadow descended onto the window of the Tavern.

Silently, like the air enveloping IT, a small owl landed. Upon closer inspection, it was a horned owl, a small owl with its ears perked up.

The owl remained on the window frame, turned its head all around to look the inside, and then fixed its gaze on me.

It hopped onto the table with a little jump, *tap-tap-tap*.

*Jump*, *tap-tap-tap*, *jump*, *tap-tap-tap*.

The horned owl skillfully ran across the tables in the Tavern.

　――I didn't know owls can run...

　It's like a jogging, which I didn't expect. It was cute, like a young lady who picks up her skirt and runs.

I'm genuinely impressed by this unusual information not found in the guidebook. While I was feeling this simple wonder, the owl continued to run to me and eventually stopped at my table.

Hoo-hoo...

The horned owl stared at me without moving.

As an experiment, I reached out my finger. I'm not scary, come on over, I won't attack you or anything, I said jokingly in my mind. And, the owl landed on my finger. How cute!

This owl is really amazing, like a world-class idol. Its majestic grace and charm seemed to purify the evil within me. I must be careful, I might get purified and turn into a salt pillar.

This owl is surprisingly light. It feels like they're just one feather when they sit on my finger. But their talons are sharp. If you want to be popular with the opposite sex, you should trim your talons. Trimming my nails changed my life. I'm invincible now.

"W-what is this♡!"

Kyo's eyes sparkled as she rushed over.

"Me too, me too♡!"

Forgetting our argument, Kyo sat right next to me, our shoulders touching.

In this high-tension state, Kyo reached out her finger, and the owl jumped.

"Kyaah♡! So cute♡!"

Her voice rose. I didn't know you could make such a voice. I was also genuinely impressed. I hope you will let me hear that voice when we have sex.

"Ahhhhhh~♡!"

Every time she lightly stroked the owl's fluffy belly with her finger, Kyo's face melted more and more. Her eyes, which were already droopy, seemed about to melt onto the table.

I want to pet it too.

Kyo is touching its belly, so I'll pat its head. Thinking this, I reached out my finger, but for some reason, the owl decided to attack my finger with a light peck. Ouch.

The horned owl arched its eyebrows, as if its horns were raised, entering an angry mode.

"Lecherous womanizer is not welcome here. Right? Owl-san~?"

I was given a cold shoulder. Ouch.

As we continued this exchange, the owl eventually spread its wings wide and began spinning around on the table. A dance?

"Wow, this owl seems unusually talented. Someone's pet, maybe? But in Hazafungi, I don't think we have anyone who keeps owls."

　――Something feels off...

My brain is itching in a corner. Like I was forgetting something.

"Huh? Gevaudan-san, this creature isn't a normal bird."

"?"

"I can read the minds of animals, you see..."

A shocking revelation. Kyo can apparently communicate with animals. What is this fairy-tale ability? I want it too.

I see. So that's why she looked so devastated when her pet died. I decided to be a bit kinder to her.

"This bird also doesn't seem to be scared. It might be a high-level magical beast or maybe even a spirit."

"That so?"

I tilted my head.

Seeing my movement, the owl picked up a net from the corner of the Tavern with its beak and held it in front of me while looking at me with its big round eyes.

It's a present.

Owls give their gift like this to their partners. In other words, I've been chosen as a mating partner by this owl, but that's definitely not going to happen. Still, I'll accept it. After all, this is another world. There might be a way. Plus, the owl is cute. I reached out my hand while thinking about ways to mate with a bird.

However, the owl distanced itself from my hand and wrapped the net around itself. Self-bondage art. It looked just like a pitiful bird trapped in a spider's web.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

"W-what's wrong?!"

I remembered now!

This bird, it was stuck in a birdcage with Diamond in Lydia's room!

I think it was Tiriel's familiar. There was a brief mention of it with 88. I remember seeing it fighting Ripley in the underground storage, so it wasn't just an ordinary bird. A spirit, huh? What's a spirit...?

"Tiriel, familia."

I clapped my hands and said it, and the owl let out a satisfied hooting sound.

Unbelievable. I've reunited with an acquaintance in this vast world without any warning. Is this kind of luck even possible? But how did this owl, of all things, spot me in Tavern from the sky? Maybe because it's a spirit.

"Tiriel, is that someone's name?"

"Me, lost, find."

"Oh, right. You said something like that. Does that mean Tiriel is nearby?"

I want to ask the same thing.

Unfortunately, this owl seems to be the type that possesses human-like thoughts but lacks the ability to speak, making it difficult to extract information from. What should I do?

*Rustle.*

Suddenly, the owl spread its wings and landed on Yakumo's shoulder. Both their gazes focused on the notebook on the table.

I was drawn to look at the notebook too, and on the paper, O and X were drawn.

The owl landed on the notebook and used its sharp talons to kick the paper ―― a circle.

"circle?"

"Isn't that a response to my statement about Tiriel being nearby?"

I see. So, Tiriel is nearby.

"Others, everyone, together." ――X.

"So she is alone?" ――X.

"Does that mean she's with others, but not exactly? Ah, I get it. She's with people who are not acquaintances, right?" ――O.

"Fine?" ――O.

"Did they need help?" ――O.

Again, my and Kyo's questions contradicted, but the answers were both circles.

They're fine but in need of help? What does that mean?

Kyo and I exchanged puzzled glances.

Seeing our reactions, the owl seemed to lose patience. It puffed up its body, as if it wanted to say something, and then flew to the kitchen. There, it pecked at a barrel.

"Help, About, Barrel." ――X.

The owl kicked the cross hard. It was an angry X.  It seemed quite frustrating because we couldn't get the right question.

――It's even started to peck at the barrel furiously, Does the barrel have anything to do with it...?

I rested my chin on my hand. I don't understand.

Then, we heard a voice from the entrance of the Tavern.

"There's an orc settlement a little ways from here, in the Ancient Grove."

It was Faye. She looked somewhat lethargic, but she seemed to have recovered. That's a relief. I had been ready to marry her if she couldn't get back up.

"Ah, an oak barrel! An orc!" ――O.

O O and O. The owl jumped on top of a circle.

"So, that means Tiriel is with the orcs?" ――O.

"Elves, orcs, not get along." ――O.

"Huh? But that's such an old story. What era are you from, Gevaudan?" - Kyo teased me, half-smiling. Is that so?

Then Faye added some context.

"There's no more hostility between the two races nowadays. In fact, not just elves and orcs, but in the current Mifosis, most racial conflicts have been resolved. It's the result of the assimilation policy that successive Demon Lords have been pushing forward."

　――X.

The owl's answer to Faye was X. Incorrect.

Then, the owl tore the paper with a circle with its beak and pressed it against my face ―― a big circle.

"What in the world does this mean?"

Faye also furrowed her brow, not quite understanding.

Could it be...

"Tiriel, in trouble, with orcs?" ――O.

Which means that...

"Raped?" ――X.

I breathed a sigh of relief just as I was about to say it. But then, Kyo added, "It also means she's about to get..." ―― and this time, a circle was pressed onto her face.

Oh, dear.

"Ah, so Tiriel is fine right now, but she really needs help, right?" ――O.

"You, guide?" ――O.

It seems that I need to complete another task before leaving this town.

I stood up. The owl was excited and fluttered onto my shoulder.

"Are you going to help them?"

In response to Kyo's question, I shrugged.

Of course, if my friends are in such a situation, I'll go and help them. It's also that she might know the whereabouts of the others.

"Kyo, come. Together."

"Wait, do you want me to come too?"

I can't leave Yakumo behind in this town. So, if she's coming with us, someone needs to look after him. We might need to negotiate with the orcs over there too.

"If it's the location of the settlement, I can guide you."

Faye made a simple map for us,  and we quickly got on Yakky to rush to Tiriel, who was waiting for help. We need to hurry.

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