Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive-Chapter 63 - 61 - Dark Thoughts

For the first time in a long while, I saw the sun shining in all its glory, unburdened by the gloomy clouds and smoky stretch.

We were traveling along the road, with grassy plains stretching on one side and a swathe of trees covering the other. It wasn't corrupted or sickly—rather, it gave off a fresh, natural scent that filled my body with energy and vigor.

Pyra and Tania walked ahead, conversing in low voices and stifling their giggles. They seemed to have bonded over the cooking session, and I was genuinely happy to see them becoming friendly with someone other than me.

Amara trailed behind us, quiet and lost in thought. She hadn't spoken since we had left my father's house. While I was eager to understand her thoughts, I wanted to wait until we arrived somewhere more suited for conversation before bringing it up.

For a brief moment, I looked ahead and imagined our group—small as it was—and what it might look like in the future. This moment, this particular moment, felt blissful and satisfying, yet I couldn't help but wonder what direction we were heading in. Where exactly did the end of the road lie?

I blinked, noticing a herd of sheep grazing on a hillside, then shook my head. Life was unpredictable—it always had been—and I would deal with things as they came. For now, I truly wanted to live in the moment.

The realization made me pause as my hand involuntarily reached for my chest, where my heart lay, and held firm. I could feel its steady, forceful rhythm—so different from the erratic song it had played before the transformation. It was calming in a way, yet I couldn't help but wonder about the changes it had brought.

Changes I was still struggling to come to terms with.

My eyes flickered to the duo walking ahead, and I felt my heartbeat quicken. If it had been a month ago, I might have rejected the change—perhaps even been horrified by it. But now...

"Hey Markus, do you think it's fair that the next summons get to share you as well?" Pyra asked, her sudden question interrupting my thoughts.

I paused, tilting my head as I considered the answer. "Well," I said, "if you think about it, wouldn't it seem unfair to them too—the fact that you had more time with me and came before them?"

Pyra pursed her lips, hands on her hips as she regarded me with a flat stare. "You're just saying that because you like to be surrounded by beautiful women, isn't that right?"

"I know a trap when I see one," I said pointedly. "I'm not going to answer that."

Pyra huffed, and I caught Tania with a hand over her mouth as she giggled. But when I turned around, all I saw was the stoic expression with which Amara watched us. I briefly wondered if she was jealous or simply unable to find humor in our exchange. I had thought we had cleared the issue properly, but clearly, I had been wrong.

Well, it's something to work on, I thought, and strolled ahead.

We arrived near the battlefield in the evening, having walked the entire way. Even before setting foot in the area, my extra-sensitive nose had already caught the sickening stench of monster blood lingering in the air.

I saw men loading corpses onto wagons and dumping them in the middle of the camp. The place seemed even livelier than yesterday, and I could tell the soldiers carried themselves with more confidence—their heads held high, shadows of smirks adorning their faces.

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"Hey, what's going on here?" I asked, catching one man by the arm.

The soldier paused, frowning as he glanced at where I held him before shifting his gaze to my face. I released my grip, and he blinked.

"You're that guy from yesterday?" he asked.

I nodded tentatively.

"You're the one the Captain said would take care of the problem?"

I had no idea what problem he was referring to, but I was fairly sure it had to do with a B-rank monster. I offered another nod.

The soldier tilted his head back and let out a shallow laugh. "I knew it! I told 'em you weren't dead, but you were gone for two days, and everyone started believing you'd already kicked the bucket."

I hadn't expected my conversation with the Captain to spread through the whole camp. Already, I could see soldiers clustering around, pointing at me and my companions. Their eyes lingered especially on Amara, whose growing irritation wasn't helping matters.

"Well, it's good to be back from the dead," I said with a slight smile. "Now, would you take me to your Captain? I have some things to discuss with him."

The laughter died down, and the soldier's smile faded. He frowned.

"The Captain ain't here."

"Oh? Where is he, then?"

"Back at the castle," he said. "The Baron arrived yesterday."

When we left the camp, the air was thick with the smell of smoke and charred meat. I glanced back to see a smoky trail rising into the sky, forming mushroom-like clouds of gray that obscured the area.

"Gah!" Tania cried. "This is horrible."

It was horrible—the smell, that is. But considering this was the only way to safely dispose of the corpses, I wasn't entirely against the policy. That didn't mean I found it any less revolting.

We decided to hurry to the Baron's castle.

Feylance Barony bordered End Forest to the south, Greystone County to the west, and Leroux Barony to the east. Its northern border was shared partially with Greystone County and partially with Leroux Barony, but in the center, it connected directly to the kingdom's capital city—Vaelin.

The Baron's castle, however, lay closer to Leroux Barony, in the northeast. To reach it, we had to retrace part of our path, though only halfway back.

Perched atop Red Hill, the Baron's castle overlooked both Red Town and the distant Oak Town. It wasn't garish by any measure—simple, even. Built from bulky square stones stacked atop one another, it rose only to about two and a half stories. However, it sprawled across nearly the entire hilltop.

The road we traveled was well-trodden cobblestone, cleaner than most roads I had seen in my life. Even Erdwatch was dirtier than this. I suspected the Baron had the roads swept daily.

"That's quite a nice view from up here," Pyra remarked, standing near the boulder as she gazed at the valley below. In the distance, we could make out a sprawl of trees stretching endlessly to the horizon—End Forest. A faint wisp of smoke rose in the distance, barely visible against the backdrop. I smiled and stepped closer.

"If everything goes well, I think we'll be able to appreciate this scenery daily," I said, looking ahead.

"Better yet, we could forsake everything and camp here—just the four of us," Pyra suggested, offering a smirk. "Can you imagine the fun we'd have, stranded here, alone?"

Truth be told, I didn't have to imagine at all. Though I was inexperienced in that department, I wasn't the same as before. Things had changed after the Dragon Heart fully assimilated into my body. Even now, I could feel those changes—urging, pushing me to take action. To take her.

I restrained the impulse and turned away. "While it's nice to enjoy the breeze, we should get moving. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest. And the sooner we can address the elephant in the room."

No one responded verbally, but I caught Amara flinching while Pyra fell silent. Tania, in contrast, looked conflicted—understandable, considering she suspected tensions were rising between us. I wondered if she thought we were a powder keg, ready to demolish everything we had worked toward these past few weeks.

Of course, her worries were unfounded. Nothing that drastic would happen—or at least, I was sure it wouldn't. The point was, I didn't intend to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Rather than addressing her concerns directly, I steered the conversation elsewhere, urging them to focus on the view of the castle instead. It worked—partially.

"Hm." I caught sight of two guards stationed at the large wooden gate. The castle wall itself was simple, with a narrow battlement and a row of iron braziers spaced intermittently. No men stood guard up there, though I suspected at least one was stationed within the turret.

"Halt," one of the guards said, holding out a hand, palm facing us. "State your business."

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," I said, stepping forward. "We've come to meet Captain Aldrin—we had an agreed-upon meeting. Could you take us to him?"

The guard frowned, exchanging a glance with his partner before shifting his gaze back to me.

"Right," he said. "Captain Aldrin can't meet anyone at the moment. You can come back tomorrow."

"That would be inconvenient, my friend," I said, taking another step forward, watching as the guard tensed. "Why don't you let us in, and we'll find our own way?"

"I—I can't!" He shook his head. "Captain ordered that no one is to be let inside."

"Not even me?" I asked, feigning mock hurt.

"No one," the guard repeated.

"Well," I said with a shrug, "that certainly makes things inconvenient for you."

"Wha—"

The guard never got the chance to finish. His eyes widened in shock as I took another step—suddenly, I was right in front of him, locking eyes as my palm came to rest on his chest.

"You should've just let us in."

My hand morphed, scales sprouting along the back, nails extending into claws. I was moments away from puncturing his chest, ready to rip out his heart, when—

"STOP!"

The world snapped back into focus.

I frowned, glancing down at my hand.

What a bummer, I thought.

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