Gravel walked for a while along a forest of towering red trees, heading toward Mount Latela in the distance.
"The signs are growing fainter... This is troublesome."
A hint of anxiety crept into Gravel's steps as he focused more intensely on the mana he used to sense his surroundings.
He noticed that the trees around him had changed. He was no longer in the redwood forest near the farmstead. The deeper he ventured toward Mount Latela, the more he saw twisted, stooping trees. The dark, eerie aura he had been tracking led to this place.
This forest was entirely different from the redwood grove. Thick fog, heavy with moisture, swirled as if lingering in dense clouds, wrapping around the trees and parting only to reform elsewhere. Rivers of mist flowed through the forest.
With each step Gravel took, clumps of sticky fog scattered, parting to make way for his path.
From somewhere in the forest came a sound like an old woman's cackle—a bird's cry. Pushing through the dense fog that blocked his view, Gravel followed the trail of the dark, murky aura as his guide. Then, far ahead, he spotted a massive black shape.
"What is that? It's enormous... The fog makes it hard to see."
Discovering the giant black form beyond the hazy mist, Gravel channeled the power of his Mana Vein to enhance his vision, trying to discern the shape in the distance.
"Hmm? A house in a place like this? A cabin used by the farmstead folk?"
What appeared through the fog was a modestly sized wooden house. Small windows adorned it, and vines with delicate purple and white flowers climbed its wooden walls, blooming beautifully.
"The trail leads to that house... So, what exactly attacked Gallad?"
Gravel had been imagining a monster with a massive maw, capable of leaving such large bite marks and tearing flesh from a human body. The sight of the wooden house, where the dark trail led, left him bewildered.
Faced with an unexpected situation, Gravel paused, staring at the house in the fog, then pressed forward, parting the mist once more.
"Whatever it is, I'll have to face it directly..."
The most terrifying thing, Gravel thought, was an enemy conjured in the imagination, placing oneself in the worst possible scenario. Determined to confront the foe as soon as possible, he moved on.
"It's inside the house..."
Approaching the vine-covered house, Gravel emitted mana to probe the sinister aura seeping from within, trying to identify its source.
The house's interior, sensed through his mana, was simple. A single large room held a long dining table at its center, flanked by two large chairs. On one of those chairs sat the being emanating the menacing black aura.
Surrounded by a haze like black smoke, its form was hard to discern, but it had long, slender fingers and thin arms, picking at food piled high on plates spread across the table.
As Gravel tried to examine the presence more closely, a voice reached his ears.
"Why don't you come inside instead of lurking out there~?"
The chilling voice sent shivers down his spine, like nails scratching against a glass window. Yet, it carried a strange warmth, as if welcoming a long-awaited guest.
"Hm..."
Gravel approached the house and pushed open the door. As he stepped inside, he recalled the image of Gallad, lifeless and fallen, devoid of the spark of life. The death of someone he knew, someone he'd spoken with, was never a pleasant experience.
The loss of a familiar acquaintance left Gravel's emotions teetering somewhere between displeasure and anger. The one who could answer for Gallad's death was here, before him. After a brief hesitation, Gravel resumed his steps, entering the room.
"Sihehehe. I wasn't expecting a visitor in a place like this while I was eating. Want to join me? If you don't mind what the ingredients are, you're welcome to eat. It tastes good, you know."
As Gravel entered and came into view, the figure at the far end of the long table spread its arms wide, gesturing toward the room.
"No, thank you..."
"Really? Sihehehehe. You're not even curious about the ingredients? I'm very curious about you, though."
The creature spoke with a wide mouth that stretched to its ears, grinning at Gravel. Its large eyes were slit long, with tiny pupils like mere dots within them. Its teeth, unlike any creature Gravel knew, were dense and elongated, and its broad, flat jaw curved outward at the edges. Its dark red, leathery skin was covered in coarse, dry fur that draped over its shoulders and legs.
Gravel stood at one side of the room, closely observing the grotesque appearance of the being before him.
"Why stand there? Take a seat. These are the only two chairs in this house, you know. Sihehehehe."
"Alright."
Gravel pulled out the chair closest to the table and sat down.
On the table were dishes of dark brown roasted meat slathered in sauce, a scarlet stew with chunks of fatty meat, and a small cast-iron pot filled with vegetables and slow-cooked meat.
Scattered across the table were bottles of wine and deep plates piled with fruit.
Without taking his eyes off the being across the lavish spread, Gravel spoke in a calm tone.
"How about we introduce ourselves? I'm Gravel, a human adventurer."
"Si... an introduction? I like that. I've got many names. Tempter of Evil, Demon, Fiend, Evil Spirit, Beast of the Hooked Claw, Resident of the Eight Thousand Rooms in the Thousand-and-One Palaces. But the combination of sounds that truly names me is... O~h! Kavnak. That's my name. So, from now on, call me Kavnak, Gravel."
The demon's talkative introduction slightly eased the heavy tension in the room, but Gravel kept his eyes fixed on Kavnak, ready to draw the sword at his waist at any moment.
"Then, Kavnak, may I ask a question?"
"Hmm? As many as you like~! I'm in a good mood today, with my belly full of tasty food."
Kavnak scratched a horn on its forehead with a sharp black claw and replied.
"About Gallad... No, the human killed in the forest of red trees nearby. Was that you?"
"Oh? Ah... yeah, that was me."
"Was there a reason?"
"There was. Want to hear it? You do, don't you? That's why you asked. Listen closely, then. It might be hard to understand."
"..."
"Ready? Don't get your hopes up—it's not some grand reason."
Kavnak leaned back, flicked out a long tongue, placed a piece of meat on it with two sharp-clawed fingers, and swallowed it in one gulp before continuing.
"To put it simply, I was hungry. Or maybe it was a whim? When you eat finely cooked meals like this all the time, you start to miss... how should I put it? The raw resentment of prey, the sensation of sinking your teeth deep into a life, and the taste of flesh steeped in fear..."
Kavnak gestured at the table and mimed biting the air, continuing its explanation.
"So, the moment the thought struck me, I rushed out, hunted, and came back here. Sihehehe."
Kavnak bared its long, thin teeth in a grin.
"Then, the family in the wagon..."
"Tch, tch! No, no. You can't keep asking all the questions. It's my turn now."
Kavnak interrupted Gravel, its tone shifting to a low, humorless growl.
"What are you? You look human, but... you're not, are you?"
"I look human enough to me. Inside and out."
Gravel replied, glancing at his own arms and legs.
"Then...!"
Kavnak leaned forward, extending an arm toward Gravel.
From its thin, skeletal arm, sharp gray and black bones pierced through its leathery skin, shooting toward Gravel, followed by its pointed black claws.
Clang!
A deafening sound echoed through the room.
"See? If you were human, that hand would've pierced your heart."
Black blood dripped onto the floor from the bones that had torn through Kavnak's thick, leathery skin. At the end of Kavnak's grotesquely extended arm, Gravel held up his sheathed Sword of East End with his left hand, blocking the attack.
"May I ask another question now?"
"Sure. I didn't get an answer, but go ahead."
Kavnak sneered, rubbing its arm, which had reverted to its thin, withered state, leaving broken bones and claws scattered on the floor.
"The family traveling in a wagon near the farmstead recently—did you hunt them too?"
"No. That hunt was my first in a long time. And I think I prefer cooked food anyway. I probably won't hunt again for a while."
Gravel let out a small sigh, processing Kavnak's unexpected response. He touched the hilt of the sword he'd placed on the table after blocking Kavnak's attack, lost in thought for a moment.
"Having someone to talk to today is fun! Sihehehe. The chef who brings these dishes is always so quiet. Just stares at me without blinking while I eat, then leaves. Today, though, the chef had something urgent and left early, so I was feeling lonely."
Kavnak poured deep purple wine into a large copper goblet, raising it high as it spoke.
"Hmm... Since you've joined me at this table, how about I tell you an interesting story? What do you say? It's not too long—give it a listen."
Without waiting for Gravel's response, Kavnak set down the goblet and began its tale.