The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 60

Episode 60: The Spider’s Thread

---

“Ah, um… since it’s for nine people, the fare will be quite…”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Keep the change.”

Saying that, I handed a few silver coins to the coachman.

We had hired a fast carriage and arrived at a rather distant village.

After asking the coachman to pick us up in a week, we were dropped off and decided to stop by the village.

“This place is… well, pretty run-down.”

“Nishi-kun, that’s kind of rude, you know.”

“That being said… this is… way worse than I expected.”

The group—Nishi, Azuma, and Minami—each spoke while surveying the village.

Honestly, they were right.

It looked less like a village and more like the setting of a horror game.

The wooden buildings had holes here and there, and the villagers worked in scattered clusters, their faces devoid of life.

What the hell is this place?

“E-Excuse me… Are you the Walkers who came to hunt the ‘Demon’?”

One of the villagers noticed us and cautiously approached, speaking hesitantly.

Their gaze was fixed entirely on Airi and Annabelle.

As expected, black armor seems to be despised even here.

“Yes, we are Walkers who have come here on a certain request. We’d like to hear more—could we speak with the village chief?”

Airi responded, and the villager hurriedly replied, “I’ll report this right away!” before running off in a panic.

What the hell is going on in this village?

And just now, they mentioned something about a Demon?

What the hell is this…?

“Thank you for coming, Walkers. I am the chief of this village.”

The one who appeared, saying that, was a frail old man.

He looked so weak that without support, he probably wouldn’t even be able to stand.

Is this village really going to be okay?

With a sigh, I opened my mouth.

“Our clan is ‘Hearty Eater.’ We’ve accepted a request and will be entering the mountains beyond this village. We don’t need lodging or food. We just need passage—that’s all.”

That was all I said, yet the village chief turned to me with an astonished expression.

As expected, someone clad in black armor doesn’t seem to be recognized as a leader.

“Ah, my apologies. So you are the leader. Welcome to our village. You say you don’t need lodging or meals, but… are you certain?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no problem at all. It’s just… Well, actually… The Walkers who entered the forest ahead of you are struggling against the Demon, so the inns are full, and our food supplies are nearly depleted…”

Things were starting to sound more and more suspicious.

What’s this about a Demon? We weren’t told anything about that.

Our mission was to stay in this forest for a week and save the girl we were supposed to encounter.

That was it.

“What’s this about a ‘Demon’? Mind explaining in more detail?”

“Huh? Didn’t you come here for the Demon hunt?”

“If you share information with us, we’ll sell you food at a discount. Nakajima, you’re up.”

“Yes, Leader. Here’s the list of the food supplies we currently have—”

As a result of Nakajima’s negotiations, we lost some of the ‘regular meat’ and wild vegetables we had brought to feed the outsiders, but that was a small price to pay.

In exchange, we learned that a ‘Demon’ currently resides in this forest.

A group calling themselves Walkers had entered the forest to hunt it and had taken over the village’s inns, staying there for days.

Apparently, their behavior was growing increasingly reckless, with frequent fights that resulted in property damage.

The villagers, exhausted from dealing with them, were now in this sorry state.

Even our branch leader hadn’t mentioned anything like this, making me doubt whether these so-called Walkers were even the real deal.

“What do you think, Kitayama-san?”

Airi turned to me, eyes serious, though tears streamed down her face as she chopped onions.

This was supposed to be a serious discussion, yet there was no sense of urgency at all.

“When you crush an onion, it releases irritating juice. Your knife is sharp—don’t crush, just slice. That’s all.”

“That’s not what I meant! I’m talking about the request!”

“…Yeah, I know.”

Honestly, this smells fishy.

First of all, what even is a ‘Demon’?

Why is everyone so afraid of it?

And who exactly are the people that were sent to hunt it down?

Do they really need enough people to fill the village’s inns just to hunt a single Demon?

So many unanswered questions.

Though, in our case, we camp outdoors, so we don’t need an inn at all…

“Kita, are Demons really evil?”

“Hah?”

While stirring the stew that Nishida had been put in charge of, Shiro muttered quietly.

“I mean, we’ve never seen a Demon before. If we just assume it’s evil without knowing anything, wouldn’t that make us the bad guys instead?”

“…You’re saying we might be the villains here?”

Shiro gave a small nod.

Honestly, she had a point.

We don’t know what a ‘Demon’ even is.

We know about Beastkin, who are looked down upon, and Witches, who are shunned.

Yet, when we meet them, they’re just people—no different from us.

So maybe blindly pointing our weapons at something just because it’s called a ‘Demon’ is wrong.

And most of all, if it looks like a person, I don’t think I’d be able to raise my weapon against it.

Not that it’s something to be proud of.

“If Demons really are humans who’ve transformed into something else… Then they’re the same as me, aren’t they? Just like I am as a ‘Witch.’”

Annabelle lowered her gaze in sadness as she tore lettuce into pieces.

She, too, had been treated as an outcast just because she belonged to a different race.

But let me ask—what about her is so different?

She eats the same food as us, laughs, cries, and lives alongside us.

How is that any different from the rest of us?

What is it that people in this world fear so much?

“However, I can understand their feelings to some extent. A different appearance, a different way of life, different traits—just those alone make ‘humans’ fearful beings. Until I met Master and the others, I was terrified of ‘humans.'”

Saying this, Minami cast her eyes downward with a sorrowful expression.

For someone currently keeping watch, crossbow in hand, she seemed unusually unfocused. That was likely how deeply rooted this issue was.

“The gods gave each being distinct characteristics, intending to create a world where everyone could take pride in their own abilities. However, this only became the seed of conflict, leading people to reject those different from themselves. We ‘humans’ are the most balanced race, the chosen race. That is the teaching of the church. Truly… what utter fools.”

Even Kua, as she fed firewood into the flames, let out a rare sigh and clicked her tongue in frustration.

Has there ever been a campsite as gloomy as this one?

Even though we were in the middle of cooking a meal, this atmosphere would make it impossible to enjoy anything.

Damn it all.

The villagers, struggling to survive in their declining village.
The so-called Walkers, forcing unreasonable demands upon them.
And the rumors of the Demon.

On top of all that, the anxiety and frustration of possibly encountering ‘it.’

And now, even questioning the very meaning of its existence—this was the result.

This was the current state of our group.

What a damn mess.

“Doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“Kitayama-san…?”

Right beside me, still struggling with the onions, Airi looked at me with a puzzled expression.

No, seriously. It doesn’t matter.

“Our job is to find and protect the ‘girl’ mentioned in the letter. Whether we run into the Demon or not is irrelevant. We just need to do our job.”

“Kitayama-san!”

“Airi, what if the Demon appeared right here, right now? Would you immediately start a fight?”

“Um…”

With all eyes on her, Airi hesitated, shifting her gaze uncertainly.

No one was going to help her out.

That being said, I really wished she’d put the knife down.

Seriously, it was making me nervous—stop pointing it this way.

“If it were me, I’d say: ‘Good evening. Care for some dinner?'”

“Huh?”

At that moment, laughter broke out around us.

“Kita-kun, you always used to talk to foreign workers, even though you only spoke Japanese. I don’t know if ‘curious’ is the right word, but you never ignored them when you saw them. Ever since we were kids.”

“I still remember when you helped that lost tourist. You kept yelling ‘Ikebukuro!’ and ended up escorting them all the way there. And at the end, you high-fived them while shouting ‘Here! Ikebukuro!’ like an idiot.”

Nishida and Azuma were openly digging up my past embarrassments.

I’ll remember this, you bastards.

“Well, in the end, you never know until you actually talk to someone. No matter the race or environment, good and evil aren’t determined by ‘species’ but by the ‘individual.’ If someone attacks us, we’ll retaliate. But if someone asks for help, even if they’re a ‘Demon,’ we’ll extend a hand. We’re riding a ‘Black Ship’ named ‘Hearty Eater,’ after all.” 

(TLN: American commodore Matthew Perry’s Naval Expedition 1853-1854)

“Nakajima, that wasn’t clever at all.”

“My apologies. I just thought Kitayama-san might appreciate the reference.”

Nakajima chuckled lightly before returning to his watch.

Seriously, what was he expecting?

If the other party showed no hostility, I’d interact with them peacefully.

And if they harmed my comrades, I’d fight.

That was already decided.

But reality rarely works out so neatly.

“Well, in any case, our job doesn’t change. One week in this forest, then securing the ‘target.’ Got it? Don’t overthink things.”

“…Haah, understood.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Airi returned to her cooking.

The others had similar looks on their faces, but at least the heavy atmosphere from earlier had lifted.

We weren’t heroes, nor were we the protagonists of some grand story.

That’s exactly why we could only respond to things as they happened.

Worrying about things that hadn’t even happened yet wouldn’t change anything.

And of course, we wouldn’t be able to save everything either.

So for now, let’s just eat.

“Alright, should I make another dish? What do you guys want?”

“Master, I’d like chicken.”

“Kita, egg dishes.”

“I’m craving horned bison again…”

Jeez, these guys were all sulking just a minute ago.

I let out an exasperated laugh.

Well, I guess just for tonight, I’ll make whatever they want.

With that thought, I started preparing their favorite dishes.

…………

………..

“Hey, did you find them?”

“No, not at all. Maybe they’re not in this area anymore.”

I could hear voices nearby.

Walkers.

That was the most likely answer.

I had always been taught that they were violent and dangerous.

And in reality, they were trying to capture me.

That’s why I held my breath, desperately trying to stay hidden.

I couldn’t let them find me.

Because without a doubt, they were searching for me.

“Aah, damn it. We’d still get a reward just for reporting a sighting… Should we just say we saw it here?”

“You idiot, we’d be screwed if we got found out. The king and the other soldiers are already on edge as it is.”

“You’re the real idiot here. Haven’t you been told not to use certain words out in the open?”

Hurry, hurry up and leave already.

My body trembles uncontrollably, but I desperately suppress it to avoid making any noise.

“That being said… in a few days, the ‘Hero-sama’ is supposed to arrive, right? We’d look pretty bad if we still haven’t found anything by then.”

“Hah! As if he’d actually be of any use. Maybe he’ll just wipe out the entire forest with that so-called ‘Light Sword’ of his.”

“Haha! No kidding. But, well, I hear he has been leveling up, so hopefully, he’s at least somewhat competent now. I don’t want another disaster like the last defense battle, for real.”

With those cheerful voices, their conversation gradually fades into the distance.

Just a little more… I need to wait until they’re a little farther away before I can feel safe—

“Gasp!“

Even so, I couldn’t hold my breath any longer.

I quickly cover my mouth again and strain my ears… but I don’t hear any footsteps returning.

Good. They didn’t notice.

“Sigh… How many days has it been since I last ate?”

Now that the tension has lifted, my stomach growls loudly.

Our village was attacked, forcing us to leave with nowhere to go, traveling with my family.

And then, along the way… we got separated.

Not just lost—captured.

By the Walkers.

I somehow made it to this forest, surviving off the little rations I had left, only to be chased down again by more Walkers appearing out of nowhere.

Now, I have no food left. My clothes and shoes are in tatters.

And more than anything, I’m at my limit.

It’s painful. It’s exhausting. I’m starving.

Everything is cruel. Everything is unfair.

Tears well up before I even realize it.

Why is it always us?

We didn’t do anything wrong.

My parents always said:

“We were born under such a fate. Run from everything. Hide for dear life.

And within that, find small moments of happiness.”

That’s our way of living. The only way we can survive.

“…It’s frustrating…”

As a tear drips onto my palm, I quickly gasp and wipe my eyes.

Wasting any more water is a bad idea.

I don’t know when I’ll be able to drink again.

“I’m so hungry…”

Pressing my forehead against my knees, I curl up on the ground.

At this point, moving feels like too much effort.

It’s not like I can survive on my own anyway.

If I get attacked by a beast in this forest, I’ll probably die in an instant.

And yet, maybe…

That’s still better than being caught by the Walkers.

Just as I begin to sink into despair—

“…What is this smell?”

A rich, fragrant aroma I’ve never encountered before.

I don’t know what it is, but my stomach is growling, urging me to follow it.

“…Oh, whatever.”

Half-conscious, almost as if my mind has shut down, I begin to stagger forward.

I imagine this must be what it feels like to be an animal, lured by the scent of bait.