Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Mmm, mmm~…… Aaahhh…… I’m so sleepy.”
“Weren’t you just asleep not long ago, Arje?”
“Twelve hours isn’t enough sleep. I need at least twice that much.”

For some reason, Behaki’s movements stopped for a moment.
After snorting, “Buh-huh,” he started walking again. Did I say something weird?

My journey is going perfectly now that I’ve got legs that keep moving even while I sleep. Waking up to find myself already on the move is just too ideal.
The breeze blowing across the grasslands feels pleasant—it’s the perfect weather for a nap. Hehehe, I think I’ll sleep a little longer.

“Mmn, nya…”
“Are you going to sleep again?”
“If anything happens… mmm, please wake me up…”
“Wait, Argento.”
“……What is it……?”

Since he’s speaking to me, I pulled my consciousness back from the brink of sleep.
Listening to Behaki’s low, calm voice makes me a little sleepy, but if he tells me to wait, I’ll talk with him.
We’re traveling together, after all, so we should communicate. He’s a horse, but thanks to my translation skill, we can talk.

“Would you make a blood contract with me, too?”
“Mmn… Sure. Just give me a moment.”

I didn’t understand Behaki’s intentions, but since there were no downsides, I agreed without hesitation.
Since it would improve his abilities, it should be beneficial to both of us, if nothing else.
Especially if his stamina improves, the distance we can cover while I’m sleeping will increase significantly. Making things more convenient than they are now would just make me happy.
I lightly bit my finger to draw blood and let it drip onto Behaki’s back. All that’s left is to speak the words.

“Blood Contract”

Just like when I did it with Oswald-kun, I feel a sense of connection between us.
Unlike with the Pisces the ship, using the Blood Contract on a living creature allows us to perceive each other’s presence more strongly.
It’s a slightly strange sensation. Somehow, we can sense each other’s physical condition and mood.
By the way, I can sense that Oswald-kun seems a bit tired right now, but he seems to be in a good mood, so he must be training. It would be great if he could overcome his speed issue, but that’s up to him.

“Hm.”

Behaki didn’t react as dramatically as Oswald-kun.
He simply stamped his four feet on the ground one by one, as if checking his own condition, uttered a single grunt, and that was it.
It was a cool reaction, typical of him.

“Are you satisfied?”
“Ah. I’m grateful, Argento. Now I can run even faster.”

Ah, so that’s the reason after all.
I did feel a bit bad about not doing anything while riding on his back, so I’m glad he’s satisfied.
After sealing the wound on my finger with my usual ‘Pain, pain, fly away,’ I closed my eyes. Phew, now I can finally—

“—Argento.”
“Yes, I know.”

It smells like something’s burning. More specifically, it smells like charred meat.
A horse’s sense of smell is far keener than a human’s. A vampire’s, too. Because we both detected the burning smell, the message got across immediately.

“What do you think?”
“It’s definitely concerning.”

I’d like to ignore it, but if it’s a wildfire or something, that would be a bigger hassle. I guess I should check it out just in case.
Looking around, I see no flames or smoke. However, there’s a patch of black in the distance. Since the surrounding area is covered in short grass, that must be where it’s burning.

“From what I can see, it looks like it’s already burned out.”
“Indeed. Looks like it’ll be fine if we just leave it alone.”
“It could be dangerous if it’s still smoldering, so let’s just go check to make sure it’s completely out, okay?”
“You realize I’m the one running there…?”
“Please do, Behaki?”
“…Understood.”

.

If I had to go on my own, I’d probably find it too much of a hassle and just leave it be, but since I have his legs to carry me now, taking a detour isn’t a bother.
With a loud snort that sounded like a human sigh, Behaki started walking in that direction.
If he didn’t want to, he could just say so. This guy—-err, horse is such a pushover.
If he were human, he’d probably just go along with my request and end up taking care of me in the end. Too bad he’s not human.

“Argento, are you thinking something weird?”
“I was just thinking what a magnificent horse you are, Behaki.”
“Hmph, I see.”

Yeah, he’s pretty easy to manipulate.
Rocked for a while on Behaki’s back as he seemed to pick up the pace slightly, we arrived at the scene.
The first thing I thought was, “It’s beautiful.”
In the area where I could tell the flowers and plants—whose names I didn’t even know—had burned, the traces of combustion had vanished at a certain point. The unburned plants didn’t even have scorched edges; they didn’t even look like they’d been dried out by the heat.
If I had to describe it, it felt as if a lid had been placed over that specific area and set alight. Only a certain section had burned, while the rest remained unscathed.

“…That’s a strange way for a fire to burn, isn’t it?”
“It’s probably the result of some kind of spell.”
“You can tell that kind of thing, Behaki?”
“You’re just clueless.”
“True, I’m slow, dull, and practically the epitome of a slacker.”
“I didn’t say that much?!”

I dismounted Behaki and stepped into the scorched area.
When I concentrated, I felt a tingling sensation on my skin. It was an unsettling feeling, similar to a sunburn that’s starting to heal.

……The remnants of a spell?

Is this the sensation Behaki is feeling?
I thought about asking him, but Behaki was eating some unburned grass. I didn’t want to interrupt his meal, so I decided to leave him be.

……Could this be the source of that burnt meat smell?

Amid the scorched remains, there were several charred figures resembling humans. They were probably living creatures at one time.
Though crumbling, I could make out that they had arms and legs. The facial bones resembled those of a dog. Should I call them werewolves?
They resemble the kobolds I saw in the forest, but those were only about waist-high. The remains before me are much larger. Perhaps a little smaller than an adult man.
The human-like figures had been completely burned away, leaving only the vague outline of their skeletons. The way the remains crumbled with every gust of wind suggested they’d been incinerated by an incredibly intense fire.

“Mn…”

Amid the smell of burning, I detect a scent of something animalistic. It doesn’t come from the charred remains before me. It’s fresher, or rather, more distinct.
If I concentrate a little harder on my sense of smell, I might be able to figure out what it is—

“—Mnya?”

The moment I caught a strong whiff of the burnt smell, a flame struck me directly.