Chapter 209

The next morning, Denos stood at the door, tidying up his equipment.

I need to get myself organized now, as I have work to do today.

Although a lot happened yesterday, life goes on. Even if he doesn't know what the point of patrolling is under these circumstances, it is indeed his job, and he needs to do his best.

He frowned, looking at himself in the mirror.

There was no way to look in a mirror while in Ark's carriage. It wasn't that they couldn't afford sperm, but with carriages being changed frequently, mirrors were out of the question.

Looking in the mirror isn't a pleasant experience because you always see changes in yourself. If you couldn't see them, at least you wouldn't feel heartbroken about getting older and more tired.

But right now I just feel a little tired.

He fully armed himself, then went back into the house and looked at Nina, who was still fast asleep.

She lay on a white sheepskin, covered by a blanket with only her head sticking out.

This sheepskin was such a great purchase. I guess the reason I couldn't sleep well for a while was because I didn't have a comfortable animal skin under me.

He lay down on a very comfortable animal skin in Ark's carriage.

He was still missing a coffin, as he had rarely slept in a bed before. He mostly huddled in coffins lined with animal hides.

After getting used to it, I really felt uncomfortable sleeping in the bed.

"I'm leaving." Denos kissed her head, and then Nina opened her sleepy eyes.

"Huh? What time is it now?" she muttered softly, yawning.

I went to bed really late last night, but my biological clock has made it impossible for me not to get up.

While I am indeed very sleepy, being sleepy is never something that needs to be thought about.

"Don't worry, I'll figure out breakfast myself." Denos patted her head, wondering what kind of things he would encounter today.

I thought that changing to a stable job would mean I wouldn't have to risk my life, but I later realized that there's no such thing as a safe job. Even though it's just daily patrols, I haven't had a single day like this in a year.

Not to mention that big thing is sitting there outside.

The church did not provide any explanation, and no one asked.

The danger level is divided into three levels.

The highest level of evacuation proceeds in tiers towards safe zones, based on age, health, and physical condition. Prioritizing rescue efforts applies a cost-effectiveness formula based on the ratio of human lives to medical supplies.

This is the consequence of the last disaster—the most inhumane approach.

Secondly, those with combat experience were instructed by the church to remain vigilant and defend themselves at home, using any means necessary to ensure their safety. Simultaneously, the wounded were temporarily moved to a safe zone.

Level three is the normal situation: be careful when going out, and seek medical attention immediately if injured. Emergency resources are prohibited.

There's another exception: the church doesn't issue any warnings or notifications. There are just some scary-looking things happening outside.

Do what you think is best, don't do anything reckless. If you die, just remember to report it.

That's roughly the situation. This kind of situation, where it seems like we might not see tomorrow, is almost a daily occurrence.

Even yesterday's wave of disasters was only the lowest level of alert, because the nearest disaster point to residential areas was nearly a kilometer away, a very safe distance. Unless a long-range attack was used, it would not cause any damage at all.

Denos went outside and looked at the giant dragon standing in the distance.

That thing was so conspicuous, especially since it was daytime.

He straightened his clothes and paused, stunned.

The temperature is very comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold.

I've never seen a sky like this before. It's a hazy blue sky, clear yet bright.

It's not glaring either.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the unprecedented feeling of comfort made him stand frozen at the doorway.

It also provides a more intuitive view of the city's current overall appearance.

It's no longer an apocalyptic scene, but a different feeling.

Denos hesitated for a moment, but he was quite certain that he felt the same way as if he were in the safe zone.

“Do we really still need to patrol?” a man said softly as he walked down.

Denos looked at him; he was a very tall human, easily two meters tall, carrying two large axes on his back. He was fully armored.

He had already removed his mask, revealing empty eye sockets beneath.

He was wounded in half of his head during a battle, and completely lost his sight. As an ordinary human being, recovery was impossible.

Fortunately, he still had fairly good hearing, and combined with his previous combat experience, he could do what he needed to do even in the dark.

"You said you could hear dangerous sounds, so what can you hear now?" Denos asked as he walked past him.

“Peace, I’ve never heard such a sound before,” he said softly. “We haven’t encountered any monsters since this morning.”

"Have the number of ordinary monsters decreased?" Denos asked casually.

It sounds like the same thing, but in reality, the inner guards don't care about low-level monsters. Basically, only those things with calamity-level combat power or who are calamities themselves can be called monsters.

Because only church personnel can handle such matters; if it were encountered under normal circumstances, it could only be delayed.

While dealing with a Cataclysmic event shouldn't be a problem, deaths are inevitable. We have very few survivors left, and nobody wants anyone to die.

“The monsters I’m talking about include ordinary monsters,” he said softly. “Nothing that should have alerted us has come near us, and we’ve even taken in a humanoid monster with sentience.”

"Is she a girl?" Denos asked with some curiosity.

“I can’t see. I heard it’s a humanoid insect with two infected limbs that were just removed. It’s in a coma and I don’t know if it will wake up.” He said, “We’ve done everything we can.”

"I've never seen anything like this before. Am I dreaming?" Denos said softly. "I've never seen anything like this before."

“I don’t know, but I’m a little sad that I’m blind. I want to see this kind of scene that only exists in my imagination. I’ve never seen a safe zone; I grew up outside. I come from a city in a very small safe zone, where there’s not even a place for a child to stand. I grew up in the church, but I didn’t even become a regular clergyman.” He casually added, “Luckily, I was born strong.”

“Being born strong is a good thing.” Denos pounded his muscles with his hand. “I’ve always dreamed of having a body like yours, so that you could hold on for a while even if you were injured.”

"There is no corruption now."

"Huh?" Denos paused, thinking he had misheard.

When he came to his senses, he just felt like it was all an illusion.

He took out a dagger and, without thinking, cut a wound on the back of his hand. Blood gushed from the wound and dripped onto the ground.

Thirty seconds later, he quietly took out the bandage and bandaged the wound.

If before it was just like a safe zone, then when this scene appears, it is completely consistent with the safe zone.

The wounds will not decay, so you don't have to worry about the most troublesome problems or about becoming a monster and a menace after being injured.

“I might really be dreaming, or I might already be dead and have come to heaven,” Denos said. “I never thought of that.”

He looked at the enormous dragon again, but felt a little afraid.

"Do you think that thing will become our enemy?" the big man asked Denos in a low voice. "I'm not smart, but I want to know the answer."

“It wouldn’t be surprising if he turned against us at any time. Even if he suddenly started killing everyone right now, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Denos hesitated for a moment before saying, “He has no reason to do this, absolutely no reason. Not even a little bit. Rather than saying that his sudden turn against us is a sudden event, it’s more accurate to say that we are currently in the midst of a sudden event. It’s possible that things could return to normal at any time.”

"Really? That's the Demon King." He sighed and said, "Last time, even an incomplete Demon King almost made us disappear from reality. This Demon King is much stronger than the last one. Are we supposed to live under the Demon King's protection?"

“We have always lived under the protection of the clergy. Do you really think those saints are human?” Denos asked casually.

“I have never for a moment treated them as one of us. They are no longer human exemplars, just things that resemble humans.” The big guy laughed at himself: “I simply cannot regard something that can grow arms in seconds as the same thing as me.”

"Aren't you afraid of our retaliation for talking about us like this?"

Both of them were startled at the same time. Denos slowly turned his head and looked at the swordsmith following behind him.

The only difference between this guy and yesterday is that he unexpectedly didn't bring any equipment with him today.

Or perhaps she's simply become like a normal ascetic. Originally a combatant who fights bare-handed, she's become so powerful with weapons that even ordinary clergy are no match for her. She's already exceptionally strong even among high-ranking clergy.

If this guy brings along Karl, plus the remaining two high-ranking priests, the four of them could easily handle a demon king.

"Good morning," Denos greeted her.

Suddenly, I paused, realizing that this guy might actually be quite beautiful.

Normally, when this girl is fully armed, only her head looks like that of a cute girl. But now, with her heavy armor off and dressed in sportswear, it's clear that she has no flaws as a woman.

However, since I already have Nina, I can only lament how much reality can push people to their limits.

"Good morning." She glanced at the big guy, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I need to speak with Denos. Cardi is waiting for you to return to the assembly point. You go ahead."

He nodded, quickened his pace slightly, and distanced himself from the two people.

When only the two of them remained, Denos remained silent for a moment.

"If I have done anything to offend you, please consider it unintentional. If that doesn't appease your anger, then let's just end it quickly." Denos sighed, completely relaxing.

Last time, a guy who doubted his abilities got half his bones broken. This guy is extremely irritable; he's the kind of person you can do business with as long as you don't provoke him, but if you do, no one can stop you, and he'll beat them all up.

However, this seems to exceed the linguistic limits of the word "beat up," since once a fight breaks out, it's rare for anyone to survive. It can't be called a duel either; after much thought, the only word that comes to mind is slaughter.

“We have a pretty good relationship, so there’s no need to be so reserved.” She wasn’t surprised at all by Denos’s fear of her: “If you make me angry, I’ll warn you three times in advance.”

"Thank you so much. I still don't want to be killed for no reason." Denos relaxed. "Was there something you needed?"

“No rush. Have you eaten? The church is preparing food. You’ll have to come with me to eat now.” She looked at Denos and said, “If you’ve eaten, you still have to come with me, but the difference is that you’ll just stand by and watch us eat.”

"The church's breakfast?" Denos was intrigued. To be honest, he didn't know what these powerful guys ate every day.

When he arrived, he regretted not coming.

To put it simply, it's a soup made from sawdust mixed with a little rice, some strange meat, and some plant roots and stems, including things like tree bark and tree trunks.

"Don't worry, your food is fine." The knifesmith brought over a sweet cake: "Enjoy your meal."

Denos looked at the cake placed in front of him and sighed helplessly.

This stuff is indeed a good thing; or rather, portable food has always been considered a very expensive item in caravans.

This is something you give yourself, but it's food you give to others.

“I remember our resources aren’t scarce.” Denos hesitated for a moment, watching her eat things she wasn’t even sure she could swallow. “You don’t need to do this.”

“You’re discussing whether we’re human or not.” She paused and said, “We are indeed not human, and in that respect, you’re not wrong. Eating is something only humans need; we feel hungry, but whether we eat or not makes no difference.”

"So you can eat something normal now."

"It's just for the pleasure of the mouth, and those things are easily digested, so you need to eat several times a day to avoid the effects of an empty stomach." The swordsmith paused and said, "However, these things can stay in the stomach for a long time. I've tried eating stones, but I underestimated the acid in my stomach. And even if I wanted to crush a stone, it would be a bit of a struggle."

Denos remained silent, watching the other guys who were also eating the same things.

They make the greatest contribution, yet they eat this kind of food.

There's really no reason to blame them.