302 Corpses Piled High

At the destination, a mountain of corpses had been erected.

No, seriously.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

The corpses forming the mountain were the end result of the imperial army's assault on the elven village.

The imperial army led by Natsume-kun had been defeated in battle against the elves, then attacked from behind by the demon army, and ultimately shattered.

Of course, some survivors remained, but they had suffered damage approaching total military annihilation.

Was it total destruction once casualties exceeded thirty percent?

Or was it forty percent?

Regardless, the extent of the damage was undeniable.

The unit directly led by Natsume-kun had faced relatively ordinary opponents—Yamada-kun and the others—so their casualties were relatively low.

But other units—those not led by Natsume-kun—ended up facing Potimas’s secret weapon. Some were completely annihilated, literally wiped out.

The "secret weapon" wasn't like Uni, whom I fought, or Gloria, whom the Demon King supposedly faced. It was mass-produced.

The same thing I dismantled repeatedly during the journey.

Still, while I saw it as nothing more than scrap, to people in this world, it was an unprecedented threat.

A weapon so powerful that ordinary humans couldn’t resist it. And it was mass-produced. Naturally, there were countless of them.

Yeah. People died easily.

The result was this mountain of corpses.

Apparently, surviving imperial soldiers and Mel’s subordinates had spent the entire night recovering bodies from the battlefield.

While I complained about the uncomfortable ground, they’d already worked through the night, the same day as the battle.

Sorry about that.

Apologies for the extravagance.

Just being able to sleep was already a favorable condition.

In the other world, soldiers fought until death. If they survived, they were forced to work through the night. A truly extreme, exploitative occupation.

To those who dream of the other world—would you not consider becoming a soldier there?

...I suddenly feel immense pity.

Originally, the imperial soldiers were meant to be disposable. This outcome was predictable.

We deliberately summoned soldiers loyal to the decaying nobility of the corrupt empire—those who would die for the sake of their lords. But the soldiers themselves bear no guilt. Just because their superiors are rotten.

Some may have drunk the sweet nectar dripping from above.

Still, they fulfilled their designated roles precisely.

Therefore, they deserve an appropriate memorial.

Carrying corpses back to the empire from here is out of the question. Either retrieve their belongings, or cremate them and bring back only the ashes.

Either way, they must be buried with due respect.

In contrast, there are no elven corpses here.

All of them have been consumed within my abdomen.

More precisely, my offshoots divided the remains and ate them.

Is this not, in my own way, a proper burial?

After all, in nature, consuming a defeated opponent is a form of ritual respect.

Their bodies become my blood and flesh.

Indeed, splendid.

Potimas, too, will surely weep with joy, knowing his kin has become divine blood and flesh.

"Shiro-sama. Good morning."

As I gazed upon the pile of corpses, Melia approached and offered a greeting.

"Have you finished breakfast? If not, I can have it prepared."

Her promptness in offering morning meal arrangements was unusual.

No, not really.

Melah is attentive in her manner—normally, such a remark would not stand out. But now, she is here as commander of the legion.

To act so considerately toward me—someone formally equal in rank—while subordinates still stand nearby… that feels misplaced.

Melah is capable of clearly separating public and private roles.

She would not display such overt deference to her subordinates.

…Though I doubt it, Melah-kun?

Are you genuinely concerned I might consume a corpse?

If I had been awake, I’d have been glaring.

She sensed that atmosphere—her eyes flickered slightly.

A tremor so subtle it would escape a normal observer, but not me.

You fool.

Still, it’s true I haven’t eaten breakfast.

I’ll have it prepared as Melah says.

If she can’t manage that much, I won’t be satisfied.

“Fuuuoooooo!”

I began to nod in acknowledgment when a peculiar object approached with an odd sound and an even odder motion.

The sheer peculiarity of it caused me to pause mid-motion.

But Melah, standing beside me, reacted immediately.

She drove her hand knife into the advancing peculiar object.

“Goff!?!”

The object, struck with genuine force, was slammed into the ground, spitting blood—but still on its knees!?

Remarkably, despite the blow, the object maintained an equally peculiar posture, refusing to fall.

That posture—known as seiza.

“What are you trying to do?”

Melah spoke, half anger, half confusion, addressing the odd figure.

“Make me your disciple! Make me your disciple!”

The object, still bizarre, uttered another strange statement.

I don’t understand.

Sophia's expression remained confused, unable to comprehend Mel's words.

That’s understandable.

Being suddenly confronted with someone demanding to become a disciple—what else could one do but blink in disbelief?

Probably speaking to me, but Mel doesn’t understand the situation either. Doesn’t make sense.

I grasp the circumstances, but still—no clarity.

This thing reeks of incomprehensibility.

I feel a strong urge to avoid deeper involvement.

My instincts are triggering an emergency protocol.

This is not something I should engage with.

What is this?

Something… I can’t name it.

Still, I secured the strange object with string, rendering it immobile.

Then I spoke to Mel.

“Let’s go.”

“Um… are you certain?”

I gave a firm nod, confirming my decision to a visibly bewildered Mel.

This is the only viable course.

In fact, there’s no other option.

Without further delay, I continued walking toward breakfast, leaving the strange object behind.

Melia’s eyes flickered toward the peculiar object, but she hurried after me without hesitation as I walked forward without pause.

A voice from behind—“W-wait, please!”—faintly reached my ears, but it was likely a trick of the mind.

The strange sound passed through my ears as dissonance, nothing more.

It must not be processed in the brain as meaningful language.

Before meeting the reincarnated ones, a sudden wave of fatigue overwhelmed me.

No… not possible.