Butcher Demon Chapter 328

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Butcher Demon Chapter 328 Moon

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Even when everyone falls asleep during the midnight hours, for me, it's no different from daytime.

I watch the fire, make sure my tools are in good shape, and look around. As my nocturnal daily life continues, I spend more time looking at the stars.

Even back when I was human, I often observed the stars and I know how to read constellations. What I find interesting is that the constellation of Mifosis is quite similar in arrangement to Earth's constellations.

—— Nope, let me say it again.

They are the same. The night sky of Mifosis and Earth is identical.

However, there are differences between them, like constant shooting stars and stars that have the shape of "☆". The biggest difference, though, is there are just way more stars.

If you look closely, the major constellations are the same as Earth's, but there are some unknown stars mixed in, making Mifosis' night sky seem different at first.

Moreover, what surprised me the most was the presence of a black comet in the night sky.

Comets, unlike shooting stars, stay almost still in the night sky and have a white tail. But this comet was black. A black comet in the night sky. So, it's kind of invisible. It doesn't shine on its own, so it's not visible during the day either.

So, why did I notice it? Because the black comet becomes visible in silhouette when it passes in front of the moon. Really close.

During the day, both worlds have a sky that doesn't change much, with the sun in the sky. But at night, Mifosis is more active, and there are many interesting discoveries.

Also, I noticed something amazing.

The moon of Mifosis has no blemishes.

It's almost completely clean.

Just the other night, on the full moon, I saw it. Could it be that I've made an incredible discovery? I can't wait to tell someone. I'm eager.

I hope someone wakes up soon. Kyo won't work, she's all about food. Not really into romance. She'd probably just say, "Oh, is that delicious?"

What about Tiriel? She might find it interesting, but she's a bit different.

If only Abigail were here!

She seems like a science-minded person, so she would surely get excited about this topic!

"Do you like the moon?"

The voice belonged to Faye.

"Woke, you up?"

"No, I couldn't sleep, so I came out to feel the night breeze."

Faye's silver hair fluttered in the breeze, lightly falling on her face. She casually brushed it aside with her fingers, then stood next to me and let out a sigh while checking out the moon, just like I was doing.

At this point, I didn't care who, so I decided to spill the beans to Faye about my great discovery.

"Does the Earth's moon have spots?"

She looked surprised. Happy with her reaction, I couldn't help but feel delighted, so I shared with her some stories about the markings on the moon from Earth.

Since Fort attracts people from all over the world, I've had the chance to hear different moon legends. Some see a crab, an old lady, a crocodile, or a lion. People around the world see the moon in various ways, but recently, the story that Natsuki told me about a rabbit living on the moon caught my interest.

"Is there really a rabbit living on the moon?"

She looked stunned. With a surprised expression, she looked up at the moon and asked.

"What do rabbits do on that then?"

"Make, rice cakes."

"Rice cakes? Rabbits making rice cakes on the moon? ――Uu-fu."

In an instant, her perfect face crumbled.

She covered her mouth and giggled. She couldn't hold back her laughter. Apparently, the idea of rabbits making rice cakes on the moon tickled her funny bone. She held her stomach with her hands.

"Many rabbits, many rice cakes. Rabbits make rice cakes."

"Hahaha! Why are there so many rabbits making rice cakes on the moon? Oh, it's so funny."

"Different, but interesting."

"Yes, learning about completely different cultures is fascinating... fufu."

She's been on edge from morning till night, so seeing her laugh like this made her seem young. Probably about the same age as Abigail. Aliens are ageless.

Since we're at it, I figured I'd throw a bunch of questions at Faye.

"The shape that looks like a floating pentagon is called <Star fruit> I heard the elves in the Crystal Desert use magic to collect it and eat it like a fruit. The thing that looks like a shooting star is <Thunderbird>. It's actually a bird and is often used for communication between cities. With all the commotion in Mifosis right now, more Thunderbirds are flying around than usual. And the black comet is <Quetzal>. Recently, it has been getting unusually close to Mifosis, something that rarely happens in its history. There have been rumors for about half a year that something important might happen.

"Something?"

"Quetzal is a celestial enigma. Legend tells of it as a sowing bird traversing the stars, devouring aging life, and spreading seeds, navigating the universe. Whether it brings calamity or blessing is uncertain. They say it's like a wild god."

Normal birds cross trees, eat fruits, and scatter seeds in their droppings. I guess you can imagine the cosmic version of that. On a grander scale.

　I then pulled out a wedge from my pocket and asked what this was. I had taken it away in case Dark Tiriel appeared on a moment's notice and thought something stupid.

"....It might be a <Dragon Fang Wedge>."

"What?"

"There's a rock called the <Key Stone> that can suppress leyline(dragon veins ), and this top quality wedge that can break it open. It can destroy or process any magic stone, making it a very precious item. However, only a few can master its use. The <Wedge Blade> that hero Desmond wielded was supposedly made from a bunch of dragonfang wedges."

"Treasure chest, Pick up"

"A treasure chest? Finding precious things in a chest like this... excuse me."

She took the Dragon Fang Wedge from me, closed her eyes, and held it close to her chest like it was something super important.

She seemed to be whispering to the wedge, kinda like offering a prayer or something. I remembered what Kyo said about Faye having something like a psychometry ability and could read memories from things that belonged to the dead.

"――It seems there are no lasting memories I can read. It's undoubtedly brand new."

"Read?"

"Yes. If it's someone's personal item, I can read the last memories of the person who used it. However, it appears this wedge truly came from an item that emerged from a treasure chest. Dragon Fang Wedges are said to only manifest from dungeons of the highest class, like Tartaros..."

Faye tilted her head in apparent disbelief.

At that moment, I noticed her casually lifting her hair, using her fingers.

"Headband, gone."

I realized that the headband she usually wore was missing.

"Yes. It seems I dropped it during the recent chaos. Probably somewhere in Hazafungi...  It was something precious my mom gave me..."

Faye said with her eyes downcast. Maybe it happened when she was roughed up by the goblins.

"Faye, help, Hazafungi, why?"

"..."

"Too, much."

After a while of silence, Faye muttered.

"I understand what you want to say. However, I want to find the duty I must fulfill. Even though I was born into a warrior's lineage and couldn't wield a weapon,  I also want to be able to say proudly in my last moments that 'This is how I lived,' even if it's just one thing."

She said that and smiled sadly. The moonlight glinted in her eyes.

——Her thoughts were something that resonated deeply with me.

I understand that feeling too well.

"Moon, beautiful."

"?"

"I find, headband, give."

"No, thank you. It's just a piece of cloth without any special function. Thank you very much. Right now, Gevaudan-sama, it's more important for you to lead this group. If it's to safely deliver the people of the city to Meteor Lake, you can use me again. Please stay with us. We need you here."

"Friend, do terrible things, not."

Certainly, Faye's evaluation of me must be at rock bottom. I did publicly fuck her, after all.

But at that time, the folks in Hazafungi just looked like walking dead to me. Faye seemed tied to that town as if haunted by many spirits. So, I thought it was necessary to take her away from those residents. Being Kyo's best friend, I thought she could handle that responsibility. Well, in the end, both sides seem to have turned in a positive direction.

"Me, bad Butcher, not, good Butcher, yes."

"Fufu... I don't think you're inherently evil you know."

Faye smiled and looked up at me with upturned eyes.

"Actually, when I heard about you from Kyo, I secretly read the horn that Yakumo-sama had. I thought that by reading such a precious memento, I could quickly understand what kind of person you are."

That's interesting.

"Then?"

"It seems that the owner of this horn has been watching someone's back in his last moments. Hearing that voice looking back from behind the light and smiling, a calm relief, a genuineness that prays for happiness. Then he breathed his last in intense disappointment and regret."

"..."

"Surely, Gevaudan-sama knows the love of people. I don't doubt it from the beginning. Please violate me whenever you want. I want you to pour your hardships into my hollow body to calm your fire within. That is probably the only contribution I can make."

——She's a bit hard to handle...

It's grateful that you interpret my actions in such a positive light, but isn't this a bit too much glorification? As a Butcher, I feel more at ease when people fear or find me disgusting. That way, I can do whatever I want.

Faye returned to the tent, and the morning came.

For breakfast, I served dry bread with grilled meat.

It's the simplest menu ever, but the dry bread gets softened by the meat juices, so it's decently edible. Just grill the meat, it's easy, and you can customize it however you like. Easy to eat while standing. Kinda like a burger?

Pi!

Tiriel whistled.

Immediately, an owl glided down from the sky. No noise at all, smart bird.

"Food's here!"

"How cute! By the way, what's its name?"

Kyo, who was petting the owl, asked with a downturned smile.

"This one is my familiar, Mu—"

"Mustachio."

Tiriel and my voice overlapped.

I stayed silent, and Tiriel just stared at my face without saying anything. It seemed like I should start first. So, without any particular reason, I asked about the one that popped into my head.

"Mustachio, know?"

"............Why............?"

"I, remember, frustrating, for a long time. Annoying, tricked, suspicious, Mustachio, your friend, invisible, spy. Nickname spy, Knows. Tiriel, know, Mustachio?"

"I-If that's the case... then what...?"

"Know, dangerous. Yakumo, everyone, dangerous. Everyone, Mustachio, fake. Hate spy, confront, found, dead. Can't trust. Man, woman, relationship, useless. Tell everything. Spill, everything."

"..."

"Eat. Not, leave, bones. Annoying, torture. Loud, kill. If betrayed, revenge."

"..."

Saying it out loud made me feel a bit better. Even though my words were a bit choppy, the way those bitter and resentful terms flowed out showed just how deep my frustration went. I've been through a lot of tough times. Mustachio, though, I won't forgive.

"Sorry, interrupt, what, talk, continue?"

Tiriel was drenched in sweat. She held her staff tightly, enduring as if her legs were about to give out. Even her breathing became rough, and she seemed unwell. Does she need more injections? Looking closer, even the owl on her shoulder has hunched down and looks weird.

"M.....Mugi..."

Tiriel said.

"This little one's name is Komugi(wheat). Yep, Komugi. It's Komugi. Hey, Komugi-chan, say hi to everyone."

When Tiriel opened her eyes widely and spoke to Komugi, it flapped its wings more energetically than usual.

"Komugi-chan. What a cute name~! Is wheat your favorite?"

Kyo seemed to love animals in general, and her voice rose an octave higher when she touched Komugi. Komugi desperately pecked at the grains Kyo offered. Do owls eat grains? But this one is just a spirit.

With the group of Hazafungi in tow, the days of the journey passed.

The meat of the rhino was running out. It was a journey of over a week with dozens of people after all. Along the way, it became necessary to secure food.

Should I go hunting or something? At that moment, the strange deal I proposed the other day came back to bite me in the ass.

"I-I'll also... please use me!"

Finally, some woman offered herself instead of Faye.

"Haa... I guess I'll do it. Just use me."

Kyo also steps forward.

Then, Tiriel, who had been gauging the reactions of those around her, said,

"W-well, then... me too...?"

The peer pressure of the girls is unbelievable.

Everyone raised their hands, wanting me to take them. An unexpected harem.

"No, everyone. This is a burden I should bear. Gevaudan-sama, please take me."

Faye firmly declared, completely interrupting the rhythm.

Initially, I had no reservations about taking Faye, but she steadfastly stuck to the initial agreement, but she stubbornly kept her original deal and went through with having everyone at the dinner watch her. I felt a sense of empathy for her sincere attitude. So, I decided to keep my promise. However——

""......""

Kyo and Tiriel's glances hurt. It hurts so much.

Every day, their expressions got more serious, lasting from morning to night. It started making me uncomfortable. Eventually, taking Faye became difficult for me, and I began avoiding hunting altogether, just eating the canned food I had. The days when I didn't fuck her increased.

If this was her strategy, it was a complete defeat for me. What an iron will. Faye, you've bested me. To~hoho.

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