Chapter 184: The Great Sinner Follows Up

* * *

"I'm going to completely conceal my presence now. Even if I'm not here, I am, so don't worry."

Emi, who had spoken those words, vanished without a trace the moment Giovanno blinked and opened his eyes again.

"Huh!? P-[Presence Concealment], you say!?"

Giovanno had heard that term before.

It was supposed to be an advanced stealth technique passed down by hunters or......those whose livelihood involved shady activities.

"H-How......"

However, in Giovanno's understanding, that technique was supposed to be a type of technique for posture and breathing methods to make it "difficult" to be noticed by prey.

It was definitely not some magic for vanishing!

But in reality, no matter how much Giovanno hurriedly looked around, the girl who should have been there just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

(That girl......Emi, just who in the world is she......?)

Giovanno couldn't help but think that, along with a sense of awe.

Abnormal monstrous strength to easily tear through chains, a mysterious unique ability to mow down large trees, excessively advanced [Presence Concealment]......

Her specs were way too high.

He couldn't possibly think she was the same as himself, a human.

However, Giovanno's contemplation about Emi's true nature was quickly cut short.

Within less than a minute of her disappearance......the forest had somehow become noisy!

"Migyaa! Migyaa!"

"Gyaoooh!"

"Gaa gaga! Gaa gaga!"

"Chiwawawaaa!"

"......Mm, mmmm!?"

A jumble of cries, screams, and bloodthirst!

The presence of the monsters that had been suppressed by Emi's constant [Intimidation] swelled in an instant and overflowed from the forest like a burst dam!

And......the true face of the unexplored forest bared its fangs all at once at Giovanno, who had been left alone at the base!!

"""Migyaaaa!"""

The first to leap over the tree trunks with such screams and invade the base was a horde of Forest Topopolocks!

With their three red eyes gleaming, they all rushed toward Giovanno!

However!

"Gyaoooh!"

A black shadow charged into the horde from the side!

This large wolf with black fur was a Grim Reaper Wolf!

"Migyaaaa!?"

"Gyaoooh!"

The Grim Reaper Wolf nonchalantly devoured two Forest Topopolocks, then glared at Giovanno.

It had not helped Giovanno at all.

Both the Forest Topopolocks and Giovanno were equally prey to the Grim Reaper Wolf......!

But Giovanno wasn't even given the luxury of trembling in fear at the Grim Reaper Wolf's bloodthirsty gaze!

"Gaa gaga! Gaa gaga!"

Suddenly, something huge descended behind Giovanno!

What entered Giovanno's eyes as he turned around in surprise was a giant frog.

The frog was a dark green color and boasted a massive body that could easily swallow a person whole!

Its name was Zamago Toad! It was a monster species unique to this forest!

The Zamago Toad tried to extend its long tongue toward Giovanno, but noticing something, it abandoned that attempt and leapt.

"Chiwa! Chiwawa!"

A monster with a creepy voice that sounded strangely cheerful attacked the Zamago Toad!

It was an Assault Chiwanwan with a muscular physique and a cute face perched on top!

"Chiwawa! Chiwawa!"

"Gaa! Gaga!"

The Zamago Toad resisted while spitting poison at the attacking Assault Chiwanwan!

"Migyaa!"

"Gyaoooh!"

"Migya! Migyaaa!"

"Gaa gaga!"

"Chiwawawaaa! Chiwawa!"

"Gaa gaga! Gaa gaga!"

"Hii......hieee......"

Giovanno collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, unable to do anything else.

It was understandable.

What spread around him was the storm-like world of the true unexplored region's daily life, with blood splattering everywhere.

If an ordinary human like Giovanno got caught up in it, he would be reduced to a lump of flesh in an instant.

Yes......this was the true face of the unexplored region.

The reason Giovanno wasn't attacked by monsters on his first day of exile in the Zamago Forest was because Emi, who had descended from the mountains that day, happened to be rampaging (hunting) in the forest, causing the monsters to take emergency shelter halfway up the Nanga Mountains.

But, however.

This commotion quickly subsided.

"Gah!?"

The first to fall silent was the Zamago Toad fighting the Assault Chiwanwan.

Something that had flown from somewhere blew off the giant frog's head.

"Chi......"

Next, without even being allowed to cry out, the Assault Chiwanwan's head was similarly blown off.

Dododododo......!!

And with such thunderous sounds, the Grim Reaper Wolf and Forest Topopolocks were also riddled with holes by something incessantly flying in and they all died.

"Huh......?"

The base, which had been in a chaotic situation just moments ago, fell eerily silent as if it had all been a lie.

And once again, a reassuring sense of intimidation could be felt.

Turning around, there stood Emi, fiddling with a pebble on her palm.

"Th-Thank you......for saving me, Emi."

Giovanno somehow squeezed out a voice with his parched throat.

But, however.

"............"

Emi was silent.

Expressionless.

And clearly in a foul mood.

She crushed the pebble she had been fiddling with in one hand, turning it to sand.

"Eh, Emi......?"

"............"

While slightly unnerved by her demeanor, Giovanno somehow lifted his hips, stood up, and called out to Emi.

Emi remained silent for a while, but eventually.

"The walls, were useless."

She muttered in a whisper.

......She had been clearly shown the reality of her wall-building failure and was feeling down.

(Well......it was an obvious outcome, though......)

Just look at those gap-filled walls.

Giovanno felt the urge to retort like that, but if he honestly expressed such thoughts and she sulked or flew into a rage, it would be troublesome.

He carefully chose his words.

For now, let's try praising and flattering her.

"No, no no no! But it's amazing! You're the one who slaughtered all those monsters, right Emi? As I thought, you're incredibly strong! Wow, how reassuring! I'm impressed!"

"............"

"I couldn't even comprehend what happened! I'm really glad I could ask such a strong person like you to be my bodyguard!"

"But, the walls, were useless."

""............""

The shallow praise strategy had failed spectacularly.

(Gnnh! What do you want me to do!!)

As both fell silent, Giovanno held his head!

He had no wife.

He never had children either.

He had never tried to appease a sulking little girl.

He glanced at Emi.

She was staring at the walls she had made.

Clenching her fists tightly.

Her profile remained as expressionless as ever.

But an aura that seemed like she could burst into tears at any moment was leaking out.

Her appearance was so much like an ordinary girl that one would never guess at a glance that she was the mighty being who had instilled awe and trampled monsters just moments ago.

At this moment, Emi was all too much just a little girl.

(............Argh!)

So, one could say.

Giovanno's body naturally moved the next instant, not as a weakling to be protected.

Not as a villain either.

Just as an adult.

He casually approached Emi and......lightly tapped the top of her head.

"......What."

Emi glared at Giovanno in a foul mood.

Emi's [Intimidation] was immediately directed at Giovanno.

But Giovanno did not avert his gaze.

Because Giovanno was an adult.

"You fool."

And he muttered that in a whisper, roughly tousling Emi's hair.

"......What?"

Emi was bewildered by Giovanno's unexpected action.

Her head was being patted.

It was a sensation she rarely experienced in her life, including her previous one.

Confused, perplexed......and for no reason, feeling a little relieved, Emi's [Intimidation] vanished.

"Don't be discouraged."

"............"

"So what if you failed."

"............"

"Failures happen too......because we're human."

"............But."

"No buts."

Stopping the hand patting her head, Giovanno crouched down to meet Emi's eyes.

"Anyway, don't be discouraged. Brooding over it is just pathetic."

"............"

"You remember how I was last night, right? Right? I was pathetic last night, wasn't I?"

"............Indeed."

"Hey!"

Giovanno stood up with a wry smile.

The air between the two had considerably lightened.

It seemed this adult had succeeded in soothing the little girl.

"But what should we do?"

However, the fundamental problem had not been resolved.

"The fact is, I couldn't make the walls properly. I can't protect you old man. It's troubling, right?"

In the end, she couldn't build the walls.

Emi couldn't create a base where Giovanno could live with peace of mind.

However, Giovanno laughed off Emi's doubts.

"Kuku~, Emi, you're too rigid in your thinking."

"What did you say?"

"I learned for the first time from that recent assault, but Emi, if you're around, perhaps monsters won't even approach much?"

"That might be true. If I don't consciously hide my presence, that might be true."

"Then we don't even need walls anymore, do we!?"

"............Ah."

Emi opened her mouth blankly.

Giovanno said with a hearty laugh:

"Hahaha! Therefore, Emi, change of plans. You don't need to do wall-building that you're not good at! From now on, stick with me 24/7 and protect pathetic, frail me!"

"Don't brag."

"It's my nature!"

"But what about hunting? Are we just going to eat grass from around here?"

"You fool......calm down and look around."

Around them lay the corpses of the monsters Emi had slaughtered earlier.

Among them were many corpses of the quite delicious Forest Topopolocks.

Also, in fact, if the poison was properly processed, the meat of the Zamago Toad was a delicacy that circulated in the market as a high-class ingredient.

"We just need to do the same thing as earlier. You temporarily conceal your presence. Then, lured by my scent, the monsters will come. And you hunt them."

"......I see!"

"With this, we have a prospect for food! In other words, it's no exaggeration to say we have triumphed over the great outdoors of the forest! Let's have a toast!"

"Oooh!"

Giovanno, who had survived the monster assault and was strangely excited, shouted such things on a whim and raised his right fist high!

Emi also imitated his actions and innocently raised her right fist!

The force was tremendous, and just by thrusting her arm upward, it made a terrifying "Byuu!!!" sound that startled Giovanno!

Also, afterwards, while saying "Cheers!, cheers!," Emi eagerly chopped off the heads of two Forest Topopolocks lying around and brought one to Giovanno.

While biting the other head and sucking up its blood.

......Needless to say, he refused.

For ordinary people, the raw flesh and blood of monsters was definitely a deadly poison no matter how you looked at it......

Well, after all that.

The unexplored life of the great sinner and cursed child began.

Incidentally, for a while after this, monster hunting for food procurement would be conducted using Giovanno as a decoy.

He had made such a proposal on the spur of the moment, but that meant being exposed to life-threatening danger and fear over and over again like earlier......

He greatly regretted his thoughtless proposal.

And this hunting method was named "Old Man Hunting" by Emi.

That seems kind of wrong, doesn't it?

Even though influenced by her previous life's memories, Emi is quite childish in some ways since she lacks adults to scold her on a regular basis and has been overpowering everything with force.