Berserk: The Prophet

.........

dawn.

As the cicadas chirped, the croaking of pond frogs echoed their calls, and following the sounds, Green and Jacob arrived at a small river.

This place is quite deserted...

Last night's drizzle left the ground damp and muddy, the paths were sparse and overgrown with weeds.

Pine trees with coniferous leaves and a few elm trees grow here, and occasionally yew trees and other unidentified trees also take root here, forming a small forest.

The river water looked very clear, so Green decided to replenish his water supply here in case of emergency. He took out his pots and pans to boil the water.

However, after spending so much time in these two worlds that were almost like the Middle Ages, Green had come to a realization about obtaining clean water:

Boiling water is such a hassle, I might as well just drink alcohol.

Drinking raw water can cause diarrhea, while alcohol can kill bacteria without any problems.

...I wonder if riding a horse after drinking alcohol counts as drunk driving?

"Sigh." Green shook his head and sighed.

Jacob squatted by the river, washing the dagger that had been stained with blood, the blade reflecting Green's sighing expression.

"Sir, drinking too much wine can lead to trouble."

As if knowing what Green was thinking, Jacob spoke up, then tied the dagger to a stick, preparing to spear two fish as provisions for the journey.

It seemed like Beligat had slept for a long time this time. Green felt the little dragon on his chest, but apart from the scale-like skin moving with his heartbeat, it showed no reaction.

"Can you sense where Derian is, Jacob?" Green asked. Although he couldn't sense Derian's whereabouts, Jacob, who had also been summoned, could, seemingly because they had some kind of unusual connection.

“Your Excellency, I can’t quite sense where he went, but he is indeed still alive. I can feel his presence in this world,” Jacob answered truthfully.

“Alright, as long as we’re alive, we’ll meet again.” Green gathered firewood, a spark from his fingertips igniting the wood, then forcefully extinguished it. White smoke drifted away, but within it, one could vaguely see tiny, miniature figures, complete with tiny tails…

...Is it still very weak?

It's much better than before, and I estimate that after a few more practices, it will burn even more intensely.

“Tap tap…”

The sound of a single horse's hoof, the smell of blood...

Green's ears perked up, and a faint yet intense smell of blood reached his nose. He closed his eyes tightly, as if peering through some unseen force to pinpoint the source of the odor.

After leaving Grant, some of his five senses became quite acute.

The blood was filled with a familiar scent, sweet... and possessed an irresistible allure.

Is it...? The cavalry he summoned earlier?

As the sound of hooves drew closer, Jacob also noticed this unusual situation.

Also imbued with the summoned soul power, he could even sense that the cavalryman was now near death, his eyes tightly closed, able to communicate without hindrance solely through telepathy.

"Cavalryman, you're not in good shape. What happened? Are you being pursued?"

The cavalryman, a hundred meters away, received Jacob's inquiry, but Jacob's condition prevented him from giving an accurate answer.

"Captain... there's an enemy... a monster..."

Monster? Jacob directly probed the cavalryman's memories and found that after retreating from the camp, when the cavalryman and another cavalryman were heading towards Green, they were suddenly intercepted by a man.

When the two men asked the man for his identity, he did not answer, and drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth, as if he was not mentally sound.

Just as the two were debating whether to take a detour or ride directly there, the man's body underwent a sudden transformation. His form instantly swelled several times its original size, resembling a winding miniature hill as he lunged towards them.

Just as Jacob was reading the memories, the dying cavalryman suddenly let out a shrill scream, his voice filled with indescribable fear and despair.

The sound of horses' hooves came to an abrupt halt, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object falling to the ground, and the crunching sound of a giant meat grinder gnawing at hard objects.

Jacob broke out in a cold sweat, then snapped out of his telepathic communication. He even sensed the cavalryman's ribs being crushed at the last moment.

"What happened, Jacob?"

Green kept his eyes fixed on the dark forest as he questioned Jacob, sensing his adjutant's nervousness.

“There is an enemy, but…not human, more like a demon…? But…” Jacob couldn’t find the words to describe it; it was something he had never seen before.

More like... disgusting insects?

Green clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, as if recalling some unpleasant memory. He decisively armed himself with all the equipment in his spatial storage, even equipping his left arm with the mithril gear given to him by Casarian, using it as a temporary shield and a life-saving charm.

"Go! Go and see!"

Before he finished speaking, Green had already galloped toward the source of the sound, with Jacob taking his dueling sword from his horse and following closely behind, putting on his helmet.

Pushing aside the last clump of bushes, the sight before them made the two slow their pace.

The dying cavalryman lay convulsing in a pool of blood, his chest a bloody mess, half of his intestines dragging on the ground.

Meanwhile, the undulating, hill-like monster bent down, its mouth revealing several long, scarlet tongues covered in suckers, greedily sucking the blood gushing from the cavalryman's wounds.

Green's pupils contracted sharply. The disgusting monster was comparable to a grotesque insect made of deformed flesh, and it was emitting some strange groan.

Immediately afterwards, the two huge "insect eyes" on its back fixed their gaze on Green and his companion.

"Ugh!!" A sharp hiss came from the monster's blood-stained mouth, and its three pairs of forelimbs, still writhing as it stood upright, resembled a gigantic, fleshy caterpillar!

Despite the churning in his stomach, Green pulled the trigger on the black steel cannon on his left arm.

The foolish insect apostle made no attempt to dodge and was shot through the "head," its blood, indistinguishable from that of a human, gushing out.

The tiny hole that had been pierced was accompanied by wisps of white smoke and a hissing sound.

The terrifying insect crashed to the ground, but Green's tense nerves did not relax.

The black steel cannon was still warm, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder residue and the stench of blood.

Jacob gripped his greatsword warily, the tip pointing at the monster's remains. His knightly instincts told him the monster was not dead.

Just as Green was hesitating whether to check if the monster was truly dead.

Sure enough, the monster that had just collapsed suddenly began to convulse violently, and a terrifying, distorted human face was hidden directly beneath its enormous mouth, staring menacingly at Green and Jacob.