Chapter 46: Temporary Freedom.

It is not uncommon for troops to be destroyed during an expedition. The human side doesn’t get beaten up all the time either. The odds of winning a head-on collision against a well-prepared human force are about sixty percent, I think.

Whenever such a tragedy occurs, I am the only one who skillfully survives, thus gaining a moment of freedom. This was one of the real joys of the expedition.

But I can’t just walk away. If I don’t return to the alien city within a certain period of time, I’ll be punished with the usual brain bomb. And since I’m constantly being bombarded with commands to come back inside my head, I can’t help but be annoyed. Frustrating.

This time, it took me five days to get there by horse-drawn carriage. It would probably take us about twenty days to get back. Abigail’s collar must have a similar time limit set on it.

But I can usually get home a lot faster than any butcher. I know the general geography of this area, and I know how to read the terrain and weather. I am a former scout.

In my spare time, I’ve built a secret base.

The secret base is located in between my old Fort 88 and the former Fort 89, which is now an alien city.

In other words, it is right in the middle of the front line. So it’s a place where there’s no surveillance from either side and a lot of room for freedom of action. Now that humans can’t easily deploy aircraft or satellites, there are many empty areas like this.

This place is deep in the forest in the mountains.

The entrance is a small, plain rocky opening.

We removed the camouflage that covered the entrance and removed the wooden board.

Once inside, there is a large cavern with light falling from a crack in the ceiling. It was a hollow cave.

Both drainage and ventilation are good. The inside was so dry that it was hard to believe it was a cave, and there was a small open space and waterhole nearby, with an abundance of wildlife. It’s a perfect hiding place.

“Amazing....”

Abigail was dumbfounded at the sight of my collection, which was neatly arranged in that underground space.

There are various kinds of guns and ammunition, of course. There are also backpacks taken from humans, and even some mysterious alien weapons and devices.

Some of these items belonged to engineers. I believe there were tool kits and the like.

— six, day, here —

It took us four days to get here. Even if we hurry to get to the aliens’ city from here, we need at least ten days. At best, I’ll have six days of leisure time. I can’t do more than that.

“All right. I’ll do it.”

I nodded my head in agreement and headed out.

“Gevaudan? What’s wrong?”

I’m going to find you some food. I can’t be bothered to tap something every time just to say that.

And it’s slow, Morse code is too slow. It was a relief that Abigail could talk now.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll start by examining the stuff we have here.”

I nodded and went outside.

The possibility that she would miraculously take off her choker and run away first crossed my mind, but there was nothing I could do about that. She was the one with the upper hand.

Now, I’m a fresh eater, so I can just eat the wildlife as I see fit, but Abigail can’t do that.

As I walked along a stream in the forest slightly further away, I spotted a deer. It was drinking water from the river in the distance. I’ll take that one.

I’m a big guy, so it’s hard for me to sneak up on it and kill it.

In fact, I have a sniper rifle at my base, but I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention with the sound of gunfire. So I just went for it.

I smashed the deer’s head by throwing a stone. Yay, as expected of a former sniper. Ahem.

historical

Using my claws as knives, I cut off the deer’s head and soaked it in the stream to drain the blood and cool it down. This is another area where my experience as a former scout comes in handy.

The wind was blowing. The sound of leaves rustling in the breeze lingered in my ears.

I think about it every now and then when I come to this base.

Abigail is right. I wonder if it would be better for me to live peacefully, alone somewhere, in harmony with nature.

There’s no stress here, and if I spend all day looking at the sky, I’ll never be bored.

In the spring and summer, there are all kinds of creatures and plants, and I actually like to observe them.

In the fall, I prepare my food storage for the winter and get ready for the winter. When it snows, I build a fire and relax in the midst of my perfect winter setup. Once in a while, I take a walk in the snowfield to hunt or catch fish under the ice. When I return home, I hold my gnarled hands over the fire and think about the coming of spring.

If I do that, I’ll soon forget everything I hate. Because the Butcher is an idiot. That kind of life.

As for women, I’m sorry, but sometimes I have to kidnap them from somewhere.....

But in this base, I haven’t suffered much from sexual desire, so maybe I can live a calm life without women in my sight. I won’t know until I try it.

I sat for a while at the edge of the river, thinking about this.

The deer had been skinned and gutted. How skillful. That’s the Butcher of Slaughter for you. Leave it to me when it comes to meat.

I’ve got six days, so I might as well make some smoked meat. I don’t have a casing, so I can’t make an intestine stuffing. I can make a simple ham, I guess.

Abigail looks at me as I carry the venison back to the base.

“Did Gevaudan catch that ?”

“It’s amazing....even the bleeding and gutting is so clean.....”

— because, meat, shop —

I tapped Abigail on the shoulder.

She paused, then put her hand to her mouth and let out a laugh.

“Pfft–ha! that’s right!”

— clothe, beautiful —

Abigail changed her clothes. They were from the luggage that I took from the aliens.

It’s a man’s dress, but it looks good on her, like beauty in men’s clothes. I’ve never seen her dressed like this before. It’s very nice. My secret desire is to rape her while she is dressed.

“Yes. Thank you!”

Abigail smiled broadly, spun her body around, and said happily.

She seemed to have gotten right to work and was examining the medals to see what she could find.

“I think I know what it is You can open locks that have the same pattern as this medal or a pattern that is similar to this medal. The pattern on this medal is engraved in an intricate pattern with a hexagram at the center, so I think we can open quite a few different locks.”

So that’s how it works. I was honestly impressed.

“Gevaudan, when you get back, remember the patterns of the keys in the facility. Any shape in this pattern will open. The door to my room will probably open with this key. I can’t remember for sure but I think it looks similar. If your cell opens with this medallion, then maybe this will fit most of the locks in that facility.”

Seriously? Isn’t that amazing?

Maybe it’s the authority of the elf girl. She certainly seemed like the daughter of a powerful person.

Abigail picked up the medallion and held it above her head, shining it in the light.

“This is awesome..... I have to thank her for this.....”

Yes indeed. The sauvage girl has been hiding it for me for a long time.

Seeing that I nodded my head, Abigail asked me cautiously.

“Hey, Gevaudan. Can you write Human letters?”

....I’ve never thought of writing.

“Try it.”

Abigail gave me a stick and pointed down.

Mmmm......

*scratch* *scratch*

『H,E,L,L,O』

“Aha!”

It’s very .... very hard with my brain

It’s like a rusty part of my brain is starting to work. I’m on the edge. But this is much faster. That’s good.

Abigail’s expression faded, and she put her hand on her chest and continued.

“Hello! My name is Abigail. I used to be a liaison officer in AASPINT’s intelligence division. I was also an occasional intelligence officer I guess?. Now I’m just a prisoner of war. I’m from Fort 74. And you are?”

『I am』

Watch out, watch out. I almost accidentally wrote former Fox soldier at Fort 88. I am just a butcher now.

What a tricky woman you are, trying to extract information about me under the guise of introducing yourself.

『Gevaudan. I don’t remember much else.』

I’m pretty sure I don’t even remember my own name.

“Oh....I’m sorry.”

Abigail paused, then quickly grabbed my fingers.

“Hey, can you tell me more? about Gevaudan”

Another story?

I’m trying to sift through what I can and can’t talk to you about, and it’s really tiring on my brain.

『Let’s eat.』

“What? Hmm, yeah.”

Okay. I’ve evaded it with your appetite.

“Let’s talk while we eat.”

I can’t escape!?