Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 47
Suspicious Scent
Kakaros went on ahead, sniffing the ground like a large dog.
Following him, we reached the stone wall that encircled the village. Sure enough, there was an enormous hole there as well.
“A rat made this? Must have had some serious fists…”
Even Gerard, seeing the hole for the first time, sounded incredulous at its ridiculous size.
“That’s why I said it’s a monster. Not even a bear could make a hole this big.”
Gerard, who had been following without understanding, finally nodded as if he now got it.
“Kakaros, does it look like we’ll have to go far?”
Kyle asked as he stepped outside the wall through the passage.
“I don’t think it’ll be that far.”
But although he’d said we’d find it soon, we ended up having to walk for quite a while. As a result, we got a good look at the wide lands of the Caindel Barony.
“The soil here is really fertile.”
We passed through abundant fields and paddies that even Elonen admired, and Kakaros led us toward the forest in the northeast.
But this forest felt different from the ones we’d passed so far. The reason became clear—there was a marshland.
“It looks like the swamp is poisonous. It’s dangerous if you fall in, so step only where I step.”
After scanning the swamp with a sharp gaze, Kakaros added a warning. I snapped to attention at his words.
“Are swamps usually poisonous?”
Having grown up in a region without swamps, I knew nothing about them. When I asked Elonen, he shook his head.
“Normally, no. This probably isn’t a natural poison.”
He said it as if it were obvious, which only made me more anxious.
Earlier, Gerard had been selling potions that supposedly built up resistance to poison, so maybe I should ask him for one. But thinking about how much of a fuss he’d make over giving me a single bottle made me shake my head.
“How far are we going, anyway? Are you saying the rats carried all that food out here?”
Gerard, who’d been quietly following to avoid the swamp, started complaining as if his patience had run out.
“The smell’s getting stronger. We’re close now.”
Kakaros crouched down and began sniffing the ground. The rest of us, for some reason, started sniffing along with him.
Then, unable to help it, I covered my nose as the stench seeped into my nostrils.
“Ugh, the smell.”
The stench here was different from the foul air of the marsh. It was so intense that it was hard to breathe properly.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this. Lysian, stay in the back in case there’s something dangerous up ahead.”
Kyle blocked my way as he said this. I had no desire to be at the front anyway, so I obediently moved to the rear.
Plugging our noses against the mysterious stench, the group started walking again, but soon stopped.
“What’s that?”
I heard Kyle mutter. Being at the very back, I craned my neck to see what was happening, but Elonen blocked me.
“Lysian, it’s better if you don’t look.”
“What is it?”
The more someone tells you not to do something, the more you want to do it. I tried to peek past the others’ shoulders and then froze.
“…What is that?”
I hadn’t meant to, but I ended up muttering the exact same thing as Kyle.
An ancient tree that must have stood in this forest for hundreds of years was now left with nothing but bare branches. Long ropes were hanging from those branches.
Following the rope down with my eyes, I saw the shape of a person dangling at the end.
“Ugh!”
Now I realized that the source of the stench that had plagued us was exactly that. Bile rose in my throat and, unable to help it, I covered my mouth and stumbled back.
