He had already prepared for a fire. Considering the possibility of staying out at night, he had gathered some charcoal and dried branches.
After swiftly opening the fish with his blade, he discarded the guts into the river, and then made a fire. The organs would feed the other fish and bugs. It was the way they did things in the village.
‘Is fishing your main skill, Sheto?’
“…Such a thing. Why do you ask?”
‘Ah, uh… Just out of curiosity. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’
“I am hunter. Catch fish, shoot birds, rabbit, deer. Hunt them all.”
‘I see…”
The goddess was silent again.
However, this time it was not because he found her a nuisance.
The skin sizzled as the fish cooked over the fire. He moved it away a little and waited for heat to harden the insides.
As the goddess watched him, a thought entered his mind.
“You.”
‘What?’
“Are you hungry?”
‘Huh?’
It was so unexpected that she did not know what to say. Sheto sighed as he poked at the flames.
‘Why…would you ask that?’
“Because you keep staring.”
‘But you…surely you can’t see me?’
“I cannot. But it felt like you were.”
‘Phew… Hah. Haha. Hahahahahahahaha!’
Her laughter echoed around him.
The world seemed to grow a little brighter, and the air refreshed. And he could smell something pleasant that was not coming from the fish. The goddess sounded very happy indeed.
‘Ha, hahaha! Did I really look like I was hungry then!’
“My little brothers. Reminded me of them.”
‘I see… Hehe…I see…brothers…’
Once the fish was ready, Sheto picked it up and looked at the sky.
‘If it’s just a little…I will share.”
‘Don’t worry about me. Eat up.’
Lured by the oils that seeped from the flesh, he bit into it eagerly. The crisp skin and sweet flesh were delicious. He felt the heat and the mild bitterness on his tongue as he tore through it.
“Ho…ha…ho…ha…”
His throat burned as he swallowed, and it warmed him from the inside. It was his first proper meal in a day, and so it did not take long for the fish to be merely bones. And even then, he crushed it along with the head and swallowed it all down.
“Phew…”
‘Satisfied now?’
“No. But it is better.”
‘…Things really are different in this world.’
“What is?”
‘Your village weren’t the only kobolds. They are usually created to be weak, but in some worlds, they are no different than wild beasts.’
Now that he was no longer hungry, he naturally wanted to lie down. The goddess then started to talk to him, as if telling a bedtime story.
‘In this world, there is a Demon King. A being who lives in a floating castle and threatens the lives of humans. And you monsters were created to help in that goal.’
“I know. But we are the weakest.”
‘And in order to save the world, we gods send a Hero. To protect everyone. To protect the humans.”
“I know that too. That…he…”
His sense of fulfillment after eating was quickly painted over by black rage. That man who had laughed while killing his family and loved ones.
‘What if I told you that it was all a deceit.’
“A…what?”
“Made up. A trick. Complete fabrication. In other words, a lie. What then?’
“You really are strange. As you say, there is a Hero and Demon King.”
He thought he could see the goddess sigh and shake her head.
‘All…no, not all. But it is a farce. Indeed, the Demon King will destroy the world. However, it is the human world that is to be destroyed. Not the world itself. And the gods too… They do not send Heroes in order to serve the humans of the world.’
“I do not understand! Say it in simple words!”
‘Sheto, when you were a child, did you not play with your friends? Perhaps you made bets with rare stones found at the river, or with delicious fruits from the trees. And the winner takes it all.’
“What…about that?”
The sun was starting to set. The fire had died out, and he could feel the cold winds coming from over the river. In the shadows of this world, the goddess’s voice deepened.
‘The Demon King and gods are using this world for their games. This world is overflowing with a spiritual resource that satisfies them. They play and take. Heroes and monsters are their pawns.’
“Play…tools…”
‘Because if gods and devils were to war with all their power, it would end in simple destruction. And so they made some rules. An agreement, you might say. Though we do not get involved with each other directly, we are connected behind the scenes.’
“I…see…”
This in itself was not terribly strange. He had seen the Demon King’s castle several times. And he had thought it, why make weak monsters like us, instead of using that great power to bring the end of the world?
‘The Demon King increases the number of subordinates and covers the world. The gods use a representative, who strengthens the faith of humans. In the end, a victor is decided, and that victor rules the world.’
“And what of it? Rock kicking games. We start with the same number of rocks. If gods and devils play games, then they have rules. It is normal.”
‘Then Sheto, what would you say if you were told that you were ‘one point.’’
“…What do you mean?”
Her voice now had that tense sound, like it had when she first spoke.
‘There is one other agreement between the gods and devils. If the gods send out a Hero with the greatest power, then the enemy would be at a disadvantage. And so the Hero has one limitation cast on them.’
“You use too many words! Say it simple.”
‘The Demon King attributed points to his subordinates. A rating of their strength, if you will. And every time they are killed by the ‘human chosen by the gods,’ then he acquires an appropriate reward. Like this, the Hero gains power and they are sent down to the surface.’
The sun reached the outline of the mountain, and the world rapidly grew darker. His pupils narrowed, and the heat around him seemed to sway.
‘The invisible numbers grow every time the Hero kills a monster. Just as the victor acquires stones in the kicking games. With high enough numbers, you acquire a greater power. …Sheto, what did I say to you just earlier?’
“One…”
The small monster could say no more. He just clenched his fist.
‘Of course, that was an example. However, your numbers are lower than any other monster. Because there are many of you, and you are weak.’
“Are…all of us weak?”
‘Not all are the same. But the differences are small.’
“…”
Sheto closed his mouth. He tried to stop it, but his body shook.
His friends, family, loved one. All of them were like one single stone. There had been a price on them without their knowledge. And so their lives were exchanged.
In this world, their existence had always been about being used.
While he felt like giving up, Sheto’s heart returned to the first question that he had.
“Then, it really is strange.”
‘The reason I chose you?’
“Why…me?”
‘I cannot tell you now.’
His spirit darkened, just like the sky. Sheto curled up on the ground.
Thankfully, after such a fire, no monster or animals would come close tonight. And he had fur and tall grass to keep him warm.
‘However, it is true that I am in need of your life. A monster who has the will to defeat the Hero. A being who I can lend my power to.’
“…”
He did not know how to answer that. He was just one point. Like dust in this world.
With such bleak thoughts, Sheto plunged himself into the shallow pool of oblivion.