Chapter 17
Was Isis also “scanning the surroundings” back then?
I’m not sure. Probably, yes.
Then when did Isis decide on that “goal” of his?
He was definitely a good person, but not someone you could call purely righteous.
Anyone might wish “to eliminate all creatures and return the world to how it was before they appeared,” but few could ever act on it.
You’d have to risk your life — and even then, the chance of success would be slim.
There must’ve been some reason, some powerful motivation that drove Isis to act.
A desperate one.
I glanced sideways at Jade.
Could he know the answer to that question?
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I just suddenly feel really lucky… that I met you guys.”
When I smiled, Jade coughed awkwardly and jerked his head the other way.
But no matter how hard he tried to hide it, those bright red ears gave him away.
I stifled a laugh and pretended not to notice.
When I looked up, the calm night sky spread endlessly above me, soothing my heart.
Even if Jade knew Isis’s motivation…
I want to hear it from Isis himself.
Once again, silence fell between us.
This time, Jade was the one to break it.
“…Aren’t you curious?”
“Huh?”
“About your lost memories. Don’t you wonder about them?”
His sudden question caught me off guard.
Honestly, it wasn’t something I’d given much thought until now.
“Well…”
Larianne Bellot’s memories, huh?
Actually, I wasn’t even sure if “Larianne Bellot” existed before I came to this world.
Judging by how naturally people accepted the surname Bellot, the family itself must exist, but…
“Maybe I am…? I don’t know.”
My vague answer made Jade frown again.
“So are you curious or not?”
“I just… don’t think my past would help me now.”
Larianne’s past wouldn’t decide whether I live or die today.
“I’m barely surviving as it is, focusing on the present. I don’t really have time to worry about the past.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
The silence stretched again until Jade spoke.
“I was thinking… when we get the chance, maybe we could visit the mansion where you were found.”
“…Why there?”
“If we go, maybe we’ll find out why you lost your memories. Or how you ended up there.”
Oh—
That was something I hadn’t even thought of before.
“So… you’ve been worrying about me?”
“You’re imagining things.”
He answered immediately, and I couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Once we return to the base and things calm down a bit…”
“…”
“Let’s go.”
The place where I was first discovered.
Maybe I’d finally learn why I ended up possessing this body.
Of course, I kept that last thought to myself.
The moment almost felt warm—
Until—
KUUU-THUUUM!
A deep rumbling echoed from far away, sending shivers crawling down my spine.
Every muscle in my body tensed. My arms and legs felt frozen stiff.
Jade and I instinctively fell silent, straining to hear.
Thud. Thud. Thud!
That’s… not just one creature.
Three? No—at least five.
“Hey,” Jade whispered.
“…”
“Wake Isis and Luca. Now.”
His voice was low, all traces of humor gone. His expression was completely rigid.
“That’s the sound of a creature pack.”
A creature pack?!
Not five—more like dozens!
I jolted to my feet and shook Isis and Luca awake.
Still half-asleep, Luca rubbed his eyes, and I shoved his bag into his hands.
With a quick gesture to the door, I signaled Isis.
That was all it took—both of them immediately understood and moved with practiced precision.
In less than a minute, we were ready to go.
“The pack’s about a hundred fifty meters away, moving east—”
“Run the opposite way!”
At Isis’s shout, we all bolted.
Even now, with every passing second, the creatures were closing in on us.
I’m exhausted…
We’d been running for thirty minutes.
At first, the fear of being chased and the shock of the sudden attack had me sprinting without thought.
But as time went on, my breath grew ragged and my legs heavy.
I’m reaching my limit.
My stamina was one thing—but my breathing was out of control.
And no matter how hard we ran, the creatures weren’t falling that far behind.
They’re closing in faster than I expected.
Those furry beasts were moving on all fours, almost lazily—
Yet their pace wasn’t much slower than our desperate sprint!
Screeeech!
KU-KU-KU-THUUUM!!!
A distant scream cut through the night.
Someone was being attacked by the creatures, no doubt.
It was too late to save them. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed my legs even harder.
“Haah… haah… Isis…”
When I looked toward him between gasps, he pointed to a strange warehouse-like building ahead.
The four of us dashed inside and hid.
“Let’s buy some time here.”
I nodded quickly.
Luckily—or unluckily—it was night, when the creatures’ vision was weakest.
They wouldn’t easily find us by sight alone.
What we did have to worry about was sound and smell.
We each took a position away from the entrance, crouching low and holding our breath.
Bit by bit, I calmed my racing heart.
Then—
Thud. Thud. Thud!
The sound of the creatures outside.
My heart pounded in rhythm with their steps—
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
I clasped my hands together and prayed with all my might.
Please… don’t find us.
We could stay silent, but there was no way to mask the human scent.
And we were in no condition to fight.
We’d used too many skills yesterday and were already worn out.
Luca and Isis hadn’t even gotten proper rest.
Even though I’d managed to sleep a little, I still felt drained—so they had to be worse.
THUD! CRASH!
The creatures prowled just outside the building.
I strained my ears, tracking every sound.
At least they haven’t found us yet.
Yeah—
They hadn’t, but they must’ve caught a faint whiff of us.
That’s why they wouldn’t leave.
Thankfully, they hadn’t tried breaking in yet.
If we could just hold on a little longer…
Hold on?
No—
Eventually, we’ll have to fight.
Once we’d regained enough energy to move, we’d have to face them to escape anyway.
Realizing that, my heartbeat slowed.
A cold calm spread through me.
We’d have to fight sooner or later. There was no avoiding it.
The fear that had been choking me faded, replaced by clear, sharp focus.
Until now, avoiding battle at night had been our best strategy for survival.
But with no proper rest, and creatures surrounding us… fighting might be inevitable.
Thinking logically—it was actually better to fight at night.
Creatures had decent vision, but their perception wasn’t as sharp as humans’.
They had no real intelligence—only instinct to devour.
Once our eyes adjusted to the dark, that would actually give us an edge.
Through a small window near the ceiling, I saw the still-dark sky.
We had at least four hours before dawn.
If we could recover as much as possible in that time, we’d have the best chance at surviving.
When I met Isis’s eyes, I knew—without a word—that he was thinking the same thing.
Jade and Luca nodded quietly too.
Everyone here had fought creatures far longer than I had.
So for now… my job was clear.
