22

Having killed my former comrade, I first worked on grasping my own position.

Fortunately, it seemed I had been circling around the same area, and since I hadn’t strayed far from the cave where I had left my belongings, I was able to return before dawn.

That said, more than two full days had already passed, so I worried whether my things were still safe, but apparently no one had come here—everything was just as I had left it.

I checked inside, found nothing missing, and for the time being drank some water and gnawed on dried meat.

It was a bit salty, but I ate it all anyway.

Since I hadn’t had a proper meal, I figured anything would be better than nothing.

I decided to wait until daylight before setting out again—hopefully there would be a water source somewhere.

Drinking the blood of hunted animals should remain a last resort.

So I chose to rest here until sunrise.

While dozing off, the sun rose.

It came at a good time—I had nearly fallen asleep.

I thought maybe I should sleep properly, but I wanted to put something more in my stomach first.

And so I began hunting.

This time, I caught a deer.

I bled it and hacked it apart roughly with my magic sword, which had the edge of a superb kitchen knife.

Compared to butchering with brute strength, it went smoothly.

Not knowing what to do with the entrails, I dug a hole and buried them.

After washing my hands with a little water, I set the venison on the iron plate I had prepared.

(Ah, this makes me wish I had tongs.)

I realized too late I needed something to grip the meat with.

If I got the chance, I’d have to drop by another shopping mall.

But then I would probably want other things too.

While thinking, “Can’t I get some magical item to carry lots of stuff?” I flipped the venison over.

Since it was wild game, I had to cook it thoroughly or it would be dangerous.

In the end, I ate it all.

“Ah, I want salt…”

I muttered, stretching out and lying down.

Even though my body could finish almost an entire deer, the bland taste was unbearable.

After draining the last of my water, I finished my meal break and noticed the area had grown completely bright.

Just as I was about to set out again, a problem arose—the iron plate was dirty.

It was painful how many things I lacked.

Of course, living near a water source would be ideal, but the real problem was how few such places there were.

With no other choice, I shouldered my pack and prepared to move—though before leaving, I had a sad announcement to make.

Blue tarp… your journey ended here.

To be honest, its color stood out too much, so I couldn’t keep carrying it.

So I left the blue tarp behind in the cave.

Then, as planned, I aimed for the town of Glenda to the northwest, heading first toward the highway.

From there, I proceeded along the highway through the forest.

On the way, I passed what looked like a caravan, but by using my camouflage ability to hide my belongings, I managed not to be noticed.

Eventually the forest gave way to grassland.

From here there was nowhere to hide.

So I boldly crossed the highway and headed straight toward the northern mountains.

Luckily, I reached the foot of the mountain around noon without being spotted.

At the end of the winding highway stood a town, surrounded by mountains and thriving as a mining city.

Climbing the mountain, I searched for a river.

After about an hour of climbing, I reached my destination.

From the cliff, I could overlook the town of Glenda.

I lay low instead of standing and used my farsight ability to scan the town, and one thing immediately struck me.

(Why is it so desolate?)

What had happened to this city, once counted among the Kingdom of Canaan’s three great cities?

Answer: the silver and rare ores ran out.

“Well, after 200 years it’s no wonder…”

I muttered, having found an abandoned mine nearby.

Still, if I remembered correctly, the Kingdom of Canaan had once boasted of “a great vein that would last 500 years.” But I had never heard of them mining it even 200 years ago.

Well, no country would honestly reveal the reserves of its strategic resources, so this was completely my mistake.

Regretting my oversight, I scrubbed the meat stuck to my iron plate at a small stream I found.

Using picked-up dead branches as a scrub brush, it took quite some time.

I also boiled water to fill my bottle and roasted the fish I caught.

By the time I finished eating, the sun had set, and I sat down at a suitable spot, nodding off.

The place itself made me wary of sleeping, but after the past few days of activity, not sleeping was also dangerous.

Before I realized it, I had dozed off, and when I woke, it was already bright.

“I fell asleep, huh…”

I muttered, patting my head, and nervously sipped the bottled water.

No odd taste or smell—it should be fine.

Before breakfast, I looked over the town again.

As expected, there were very few people.

Frankly, it was so desolate there was nothing worth seeing.

The soldiers who should have been on the walls were sparse, and their equipment showed nothing distinctive.

Even if I couldn’t see details, I could still examine the towers and walls, but I found nothing resembling proper defenses.

If I had seen a ballista or something, I could have judged their level of fortifications, but finding nothing meant I had no sense of the defensive technology of this era.

(Well, it’s not a total waste. I should at least discover whether they’ve built anything new.)

I had to check again at noon, when the city would be liveliest, before writing it off completely.

So I passed the time fishing and roasting until nearly noon, then once more observed the town.

(No good. This place is worthless.)

Even at this distance, my ability couldn’t read faces, but I could still tell.

This town had no vitality, and its residents had no hope.

Above all, there were few children.

I guessed that no proper industry remained here.

There were few soldiers, and none showed any motivation. Even their yawns went unpunished.

Low morale, low training—it was all obvious.

Completely worthless.

Not even worth looking at.

That meant the women I had passed on the highway were probably refugees from this town.

(Yeah, I can’t blame them for abandoning a place like this.)

Better to go to the frontline towns of the southern campaign than stay here.

So what should I do next?

I might as well keep going west, maybe even head into the elves’ country.

There was something I wanted to confirm.

I clenched and opened my left hand, feeling the lingering sensation there.

There were other genetically enhanced soldiers besides me.

If so, there might be more.

I could return to confirm it.

But if I found them, what then?

I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

(Besides, searching for a research facility somewhere in that vast Imperial territory turned into forest—it’s basically impossible.)

I didn’t even have a lead.

To comb the entire Empire blindly?

(Not realistic, not even with my physical ability…)

I tried to live up to the pride of an Imperial soldier, but for something that might not even exist, I couldn’t justify that much effort.

The cost far outweighed the gain.

If I could, I would.

But this was beyond my ability, and at best just a possibility. The only thing waiting for me would be endless forest survival.

Sadly, I had to bow my head and admit it wasn’t meant to be.

So I set my next destination.

From here I would move further and further west, to the frontline against the elves—Emeriēdo.

Honestly, it felt like going too far, but nothing less would ease my mind.

Two hundred years had brought far more change than I expected.

If so, I needed to go somewhere unchanged and see with my own eyes.

Why was I certain the front hadn’t changed? Because the Kingdom of Canaan could never defeat the elven nation, the Einhel Republic.

The elves had been the only ones to truly humble the Empire during the war. They wouldn’t lose to a backwater like Canaan, and besides, Einhel had no interest in seizing others’ lands.

Hearing this, one might think there was no need to maintain forces on the front, but there was.

As a race, elves worshiped nature and developed their land only minimally.

As a result, their territory became a breeding ground for monsters.

But it wasn’t a problem.

Elves’ combat strength was incomparable to humans.

Mere monsters posed no threat—if anything, they fled to surrounding countries, making border defenses necessary.

If left unchecked, monsters could gather in swarms and attack towns, so culling them was essential. But the elves allowed no one to cross their borders.

For these reasons, it was only natural that human nations bordering the elves would be hostile.

As I had been taught as a recruit, those with no direct dealings might hold no ill will—in fact, they often idealized elves for their beauty.

Yes, that was me to a T.

And since the season meant lighter clothes, I figured I might as well see them for myself.

Not out of lechery, but to see how the elves who had once been the Empire’s great threat had changed in 200 years.

So my course was west.

If I had nowhere to hide, I could always cut through Imperial territory instead.