At that, Kishian nodded with a slightly hardened expression.
"I heard that the one in the baronial domain has a very human-like appearance."
If what Kishian said was true, it would certainly be better not to see the monster directly.
The monsters he had hunted before were in the shape of animals.
So, I didn't feel anything special when I saw the corpse.
But if it has a human form.
"It would be best if you remained quietly at the Baron's residence until the hunt was over."
At that moment, I nodded in agreement with what Kishian was saying.
I knew it wasn't human, but I wasn't confident that I would be okay seeing a dead monster that looked like a human.
It's going to be quite a mental shock.
As I thought about it that way, another question suddenly came to mind.
"Are you okay?"
"Is that me?"
"Yes. Have you ever hunted a monster in human form?"
He paused for a moment after hearing what I said, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Kishian gave me a simple answer I was dumbfounded by the laughter as if it were a joke.
"I've killed more than a hundred of them."
After all, the number of monsters he hunted in the field must have been in the hundreds.
Among them, wouldn't there have been any monsters in human form?
I readily admitted that I had asked a stupid question.
"I've already caught several of them, so I'm not really worried, but it could be quite a headache."
"Why?"
"Unlike those in the form of beasts, those in the form of humans sometimes use magic to perform tricks. For example, they can put their targets to sleep, brainwash them, or drive them mad. That's what we call mental contamination."
I think I've also heard stories about monsters that perform unusual tricks.
Suddenly, an ominous feeling sent a chill down the back of my neck.
"...Isn't it dangerous? I've heard that it's a monster that only causes land pollution, but still..."
"It'll be okay. Just don't let your guard down."
Some people are so worried that their mouths are drying out.
For some reason, he seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
He muttered softly with a smile on his lips.
"It doesn't sound bad."
"What is it?"
"The sound you're worried about."
It's only natural to be worried when you're hunting a dangerous monster.
Kishian seemed pleased with that fact.
It was hard to understand, but I thought, well, what's the point?
If you feel better, then that's good.
***
Arrived at Baron Valdek's residence.
As we got off the carriage, the servants of the mansion came busily to help us carry our luggage.
They all had faces that were covered in deep depression.
I thought it might be because they said the damage from pollution was severe.
As we entered the cold and dark interior of the mansion, Baron Valdek came down a little late to greet us.
His face, like the other servants, was dark and gloomy.
"Thank you very much for coming all the way here. If you need anything to help us defeat the demons, we will do our best to provide it."
Baroness Valdek, a middle-aged noblewoman with the marks of time clearly visible on her face, bowed slightly and greeted me politely.
I'm going to follow you for a moment."
As the hem of the Baroness' green dress swayed gently, Kissian replied.
"First, I would like you to show me to my room. My wife is very tired."
"I see. Then hurry up and guide me..."
The Baron continued speaking.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
A terrible scream came from somewhere inside the mansion.
I looked at the Baron in surprise, and he opened his mouth with a somewhat embarrassed look.
"I'm sorry for surprising you."
"What was that noise just now? Are you detaining a prisoner?"
The Baron shook his head cautiously in response to my question.
"No, the one who just screamed was my son. He set out to hunt the monster himself a few days ago and..."
"It looks like he's been mentally polluted."
As Kishian continued speaking, the Baron nodded.
"That's right. You don't have to worry, he's receiving treatment. I'll show you to your room first, so make yourself comfortable."
The Baron, seemingly unwilling to continue talking, cut off the conversation and called over the man who appeared to be the chief chamberlain.
Afterward, he guided us to our guest rooms and gave us orders to provide a place to rest for the soldiers who had come with us to subdue the monsters.
The attendant nodded and began to guide us with quiet steps.
The room we arrived at looked like it had been furnished with a lot of care.
The interior was filled with high-quality furniture and the view outside the window wasn't bad either.
I stared blankly out the window until the servants had finished packing up our luggage, and when it was all over and I was left alone with Kishian, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"It seems to be a monster that can even cause mental contamination."
"Do you care?"
"Of course. I don't think I heard this story before, but did you already know about it? I clearly heard that it was a monster that only caused land pollution."
Polluting the land may not have been all that dangerous, but polluting the mind was definitely dangerous.
If you are affected by the mind contamination of a demon, you can go mad, as Kishian had explained on the way here.
Since monsters usually only cause one type of pollution, I thought I only had to be careful of the land and the grains that grew there.
Unlike me who was flustered, Kishian had a calm face.
"I heard."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was afraid you might worry for nothing."
"..."
"Of course, it's nice to see you worrying, but I don't want to see you constantly anxious."
Should I thank you for your concern?
But I still felt a little bad about hiding the truth from me.
The already dangerous task of hunting monsters felt even more dangerous.
No matter how well-versed this man is with monsters, dealing with a monster with such strong contamination abilities is...
"Let's take it easy for now. You must have been tired on the way here."
As they were talking, another eerie scream was heard.
"Ahhhh!! Let me go!! Damn it, let me go!!"
I wanted to ask if it was really okay, but my mouth wouldn't open because it seemed like Kishian didn't want to hear anymore.
As he said, I was tired from the long journey, so it seemed better to rest first and then think about it.
After washing up properly, I lay down on the bed.
It was only in an instant that my consciousness was swallowed up by the waters that surged forward with out any way to stop them.
***
When Kishian came out after washing himself, the Grand Duchess was already in a deep sleep.
After confirming that his wife had fallen asleep, he sat down on the bed with a quiet gesture and checked the sleeping person's face.
Her golden eyelashes, which had fallen gently like a butterfly folding its wings and landing, occasionally fluttered.
It seemed like he was dreaming.
He looked at her smoothly straight nose and red lips and impulsively reached out and caressed them.
Her lips, warm and soft to the point of ecstasy, were gently pressed against his fingertips.
The Grand Duchess twitched her lips several times as if she felt a hand caressing her in her sleep.
He thought for a moment that he wanted to kiss her.
He wanted to suck and lick those lips that had been muttering their worries about him the whole time.
But on the other hand...
'You're not someone I can open my heart to.'
That persistent distrust still lingered in a corner of his heart.
Kishian felt sorry for her trying so hard to act strong, and he wanted to give her his heart, but sometimes the past would come to mind.
The Grand Duchess was with another man when he fell off a cliff after being shot by assassins' arrows and barely managed to survive.
She must have whispered words of love to him with those small, soft lips.
"..."
Kishian tried to suppress the resentment that was slowly rising again, but it lingered for a while without going away.
Even if they get married and have sex with each other several times, it's not something that can easily disappear.
The sense of betrayal once engraved.
And the Grand Duke seemed to feel the coldness of that persistent distrust and resentment as well.
The Grand Duchess's eyes, which had been tightly shut, slowly opened.
“Kishian.”
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