Welcome to Hell!

Chapter 296: Independent Investigation (1)

We retraced our steps back the way we had come. With the temperature rising, we made no stops to collect plants or for anything else. As a result, we managed to return in less than half the time it had taken us to get there.

“Bumo? Welcome back~”

“Ah, we’ve returned. But…”

“There are more of them now.”

The ones who greeted us upon our return to the temporary base were Shuu and a noticeably increased number of small animals compared to before we left. There were only cats, small birds, and squirrels, so while the types of animals hadn’t increased, their total number had surpassed thirty.

The three types of small animals each had their own unique way of gathering. Cats, with their large ears, seemed to prefer living in groups. They were the most numerous and huddled together in the shade. They got along quite well, which might indicate that they were a family.

Next were the small birds, which grouped together in mating pairs rather than in flocks. They seemed to act in pairs rather than in groups. Finally, the squirrels were completely individualistic and they kept their distance even from their own kind.

Unlike the cats, the small birds and squirrels were out in the sunlight. The birds stood on one leg while intently watching the ground, and when they suddenly moved, they aligned their lifted foot like a spear and swiftly stabbed it into the ground.

The tip of the leg they withdrew from the ground held a small insect, which they pinned to the ground to peck at with their mates. It appeared they were hunting. I had not expected them to use their long, slender legs in such a manner.

As for the squirrels, they made a more striking visual impact. This was because their already long and thick tails had spread out like fans.

There was shade under the spread tails, and under them the squirrels seemed to be sleeping with their eyes closed. It was surprising that their tails could serve as natural sunshades… though one might wonder why they wouldn’t just sleep in the shade.

However, these small animals did not panic at our presence like they had the day before. Although they did stop moving and glared at us warily, none of them attempted to flee or hide behind Shuu. It seemed that since none of the animals from the day before had shown alarm, they assessed that there was little danger.

“Before I knew it, I noticed they had increased in number Bumo.”

“Hihiin! You were probably just too busy eating to notice!”

“Bumooo…”

Shuu tried to gloss over it, but Apao cut him off sharply. It seemed he had hit the mark, as Shuu groaned in an indescribable way.

Nevertheless, I felt no need to drive the small animals away from here. In fact, Chris was gently stroking the cats. And the animals were clearly quite fond of her too.

However, they still avoided Woodsorrel just like before; the animals would flee to keep their distance whenever she approached. Could they instinctively sense that she has a voracious appetite?

“Oh!”

“Muuh! Why do they run away?”

“I wonder why. It’s supposed to be their first time seeing her…”

The squirrels fleeing from Woodsorrel seemed to find my body as a refuge and started clinging to my back and neck to hide from her. While Woodsorrel stamped her feet in frustration, Lorenz was genuinely curious about the cause and started observing the situation like a scholar.

After some initial difficulties, we decided to engage in free activities while discussing the day’s accomplishments with Shuu. However, due to the high temperature, everyone except me, who has a high tolerance for heat, decided to relax in the shade.

“Hmm, hmm, I see, I see…”

Lorenz took out the plants we had collected, except for the cactus, and studied them intently with his eyes as wide as saucers. He probably planned to sketch them later, but he couldn’t help making notes on his first impressions.

The only plant he hadn’t taken out was the cactus, which immediately attracted the attention of a squirrel. It seemed to feed on the cactus, just like the rats that had been hunted by the Hades scorpions. For the squirrels, the cactus was such a treat that they jumped on it as soon as they saw it.

I couldn’t let the cactus, which I intended to bring back, be eaten. I quickly took it from the squirrels and made a box out of sand to keep them from touching it.

The squirrels tried to dig through the box I had made, but they gave up in front of the hardness that wouldn’t even let a single grain of sand fall off. However, they hadn’t completely given up. They kept glancing at the box of sand.

“Nyaon. Grrr, grrr, grrr…”

“She’s so cute, and her fur is soft and feels nice.”

“Hssss!”

“Kiiiiiiii~! Why am I the only one they hate!?”

Among the small animals, the friendly and curious cats gathered around Chris, who was resting in the shade. She was petting the cats and admiring them with a smile. The cats seemed to be providing her with comfort.

However, there was no change in the way they fully threatened Woodsorrel whenever she tried to approach. To my compound eyes, it seemed an unreasonable dislike, and Lorenz speculated that perhaps they instinctively recognized her as a natural enemy.

There was little difference in appearance between Woodsorrel and us. If anything, I might be considered the most grotesque in appearance. Even with my tail reduced to a minimum length, both my arms and legs were encased in an exoskeleton, my lower jaw had small pincers, and I had several compound eyes.

“Maybe it’s better not to raise your voice too much? Anyway, I’m heading out.”

“Take care. Can you see him off too?”

“Nya?”

I had given Woodsorrel some bland advice on how not to irritate them, but I decided to act alone during my free time. Even under the scorching sun, I was free to move about on my own. I was about to set out again if only to gather some more information.

My destination was to the north. I planned to head further north from the location where we had turned back at the salt mine. I wanted to see what it was like closer to the mountains.

Fortunately, the initial goal of the northern exploration, the salt survey, had been smoothly completed. So, I decided to freely investigate a wider area by myself.

When I was leaving, Chris who was holding a cat’s front paw waved it as if to say goodbye. The cat did not seem to understand what was happening, but Chris seemed to think the cat’s behavior was cute and smiled gently, as one might with small children.

I left behind the sulking Woodsorrel, Lorenz who was busy observing plants, and Shuu and Apao who were enjoying their nap, and set off on my own. In order to cover as much ground as possible, I picked up a decent pace. The morning had passed slowly, but at my pace it wouldn’t take long to reach the site of the salt mine.

“From here on, it’s uncharted territory. There doesn’t seem to be any particular danger, but I’ll stay on guard just in case.”

I was about to step into an unknown area. Although I didn’t detect any strong presence within my range, there was a chance that something was cleverly concealing its presence. I was alone, without anyone to rely on. I had to be cautious, and I braced myself for whatever might come.

However, nothing particularly dangerous occurred. In fact, it had been a while since I’d seen any unusual animals or such. The area was overrun with low-growing plants, and the only signs of life were the familiar insects and small rodents hiding in their shade.

“Oh, what is that…?”

I finally discovered a new creature just when I was about to return empty-handed. Entering my field of view was an animal resembling a fox with black fur. It was walking northward with a squirrel in its mouth.

At first, I thought it might be a member of the demon fox race, so I tried to communicate telepathically with it, but there was no response. Instead, it looked around confusedly. It appeared not to be of the same species, nor did it seem particularly intelligent.

But in a way, I felt I understood why the small animals at our temporary base avoided Woodsorrel. It was likely that they instinctively knew Woodsorrel was of the demon fox race. They feared her who was a close relative of their natural predator, the fox.

It seemed difficult to ease the wariness that arose from the instincts and experiences of the local animals. If Woodsorrel wanted to befriend the small animals, it would certainly be a thorny path for her.

“I feel like it’s unfair to Woodsorrel. I’ll just talk to Lorentz about it… What’s that?”

As I intently watched the black fox to etch its image in my mind, I noticed a strong presence approaching from above. Without moving my head, I focused my attention through the compound eyes atop my head on the source of this presence. It was a bird of prey plummeting towards us at incredible speed.

My knowledge identified it as a hawk; its feathers were generally dark brown, but there were some nice orange feathers mixed in here and there. The white feathers around its eyes resembled antennae …. they looked good, though I’m not sure if that would be taken as a compliment.

As it folded its wings and continued to accelerate, it seemed to propel itself by shooting flames from its tail feathers. Just before it collided with the ground and the fox, the falcon extinguished its flames and spread its wings to slow down and swoop down with its clawed feet to strike the black fox.

“Ah, impressive.”

The bird of prey struck with its claws right at the base of the fox’s head, snapping its neck with overwhelming speed. It was a hunter of exceptional skill and it secured its kill with a single decisive blow.

It seemed to be aware of my presence as it held the squirrel, the fox’s prey, in its beak and stared intently at me. But when it realized that I had no intention of interfering, it grabbed the fox firmly with its paws and took flight into the sky.