My Friend’s Harem Is Obsessed With Me – Chapter 187

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Diana had to leave for Dragon’s Boundary, and beast-kin tended to be hostile towards dragon-kin, so we decided to leave her behind.

Our final party consisted of an unusual mix which was Rin, Sen, Adriana, Kurika, and me.

“Hmm, eating late-night snacks makes you fat.”

Adriana said that as she continued to stuff her face with meat. I was about to scold her, but she looked so happy that I decided to let it slide.

Food was scarce in the Demon Realm Forest. There were more things you couldn’t eat than things you could.

They couldn’t raise livestock in the forest, so they had to buy meat from outside or hunt monsters, which was too dangerous for the witches.

They avoided leaving the forest unless absolutely necessary, and they couldn’t risk their lives hunting monsters just for a piece of meat.

Of course, this didn’t apply to Kurika.

He could chew through steel, so he could probably eat anything.

Anyway, Adriana was devouring the meat Rin’s parents had packed for us. Back at the academy, she had a rather intellectual image, but now…

She was almost feral.

“She’s changed a lot.”

Sen’s words echoed my thoughts. Adriana paused for a moment, then continued eating.

“Try eating only grass every day. You’d go crazy for meat. Grass porridge, pickled grass, stir-fried grass… It’s the worst.”

“Your tongue must be numb from all the herbs you eat in the Demon Realm Forest.”

Adriana immediately latched onto my casual comment.

“Exactly! My tongue is numb! The despair I felt when I had my first meal after returning to the village… I almost wanted to leave again.”

They say good medicine tastes bitter.

The Demon Realm Forest was full of medicinal herbs, but there weren’t many that tasted good.

“Growl, it’s true that the forest isn’t exactly a culinary paradise for humans.”

Kurika agreed with a low growl.

Adriana, who was still a bit wary of him, smiled brightly at his support.

“Exactly! That’s why I have to eat as much as I can when I’m outside. It’s a survival instinct.”

I almost said that her village was gone anyway, but I stopped myself. I might consider their fate karma, but for Adriana, it was the death of her family and friends.

Adriana continued to eat enthusiastically. I was about to stop her before she ate more than her share, but then Kurika reached out towards the ground.

The earth swirled, and a bag emerged from the ground.

“Ooh?”

“Whoa, what was that?”

We looked around in amazement, but it was just ordinary ground. Kurika pulled something out of the bag and handed it to Adriana.

“Try this.”

“Um… Yes?”

“You’ll like it.”

Adriana, surprised to receive such a gift from the imposing Kurika, hesitated for a moment, then took it with her fingertips.

It was red and soft, and at first, I didn’t recognize it. The darkness obscured its shape, but a savory aroma filled the air.

“Roasted meat?”

Rin, recognizing it first, spoke up. Adriana, glancing at Kurika, cautiously took a bite.

Her initial frown slowly transformed into a bright smile. She began to chew faster, her eyes sparkling.

“It’s… It’s delicious! Delicious!”

Adriana exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

Kurika smiled, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

“It’s the meat of a Bellaros, a beast from the Demon Realm Forest. I’ve eaten many kinds of meat, but that one was the tastiest.”

It was a statement befitting the King of Beasts, who had consumed almost every creature in the Demon Realm Forest.

“Wow, this is amazing. This is worth risking your life for. Bellaros? I’ve never heard of it, but it’s so good.”

Rin and Sen, intrigued by Adriana’s enthusiastic praise, looked at Kurika.

He smiled kindly and offered them some meat as well.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks.”

“Would you like some?”

Kurika offered me some, but I smiled awkwardly and shook my head. The three girls continued to eat, enjoying the unexpected feast.

As they finally reached their limit, their stomachs full, I cleared my throat to get their attention.

“Bellaros are large beasts, so what you ate was just a small portion. They’re delicious and plentiful.”

The girls nodded, seemingly impressed.

Adriana hadn’t recognized it, so Rin and Sen probably didn’t know either, but…

“But there’s one problem with Bellaros.”

“Problem?”

Rin tilted her head, her brow furrowed. I took a step back and said,

“……They eat monster dung.”

Silence.

This was why I hadn’t told them what they were eating. I didn’t want to ruin their appetite.

Even in the dim light, I could see their faces turning pale.

As they started looking for a place to throw up, I moved away and stood beside Kurika.

He scratched his head with his claws and asked,

“Did I feed them something they shouldn’t eat?”

“It’s not inedible, but… it’s not exactly appetizing, is it?”

When he had offered me Bellaros meat before, his expression had been like that of a dog looking at its own poop. He had been a bit offended when I refused.

Well, beast-kin weren’t picky eaters. I couldn’t fault Kurika for his taste.

In this case, it was the humans who were being pretentious.

“Well, as long as it tastes good, right?”

Of course, I wouldn’t eat it.

I was a refined human.

Besides, I was more interested in the bag that had emerged from the ground.

“The way that bag appeared… it was the same as when you summoned your sword during the fight with Sharcal.”

I had assumed it was a unique ability of the Sword of Rest, but the bag had appeared in the same way.

It wasn’t the sword’s power, but Kurika’s own ability.

“That’s right. It’s the power of the Earth Goddess. A gift I received in exchange for protecting the gods’ treasures from the world.”

I see.

I had only known Kurika as a drinking buddy, so I wasn’t aware of the details of his powers.

That made me curious.

“Kurika, how many apocalypses are there?”

“Hmm.”

Kurika stroked his chin thoughtfully. He seemed to be pondering the same question.

“I’m not sure. But one thing is certain, even if many gods desire the apocalypse, only a few have the power to bring it about.”

“Really?”

“Only the most powerful gods can initiate the complete destruction and rebirth of the world. And there are gods like the Goddess of Time and the Earth Goddess who are trying to protect the world.”

“The Earth Goddess is trying to protect the world?”

I looked at Kurika in surprise.

He chuckled at my reaction and adjusted his large robe.

“That’s right. She may not have given you a mark, but she wants to protect this world. She’s not the only one. There are other gods who have bestowed their marks upon chosen individuals to protect the continent.”

“So what the Priestess said wasn’t entirely a lie.”

She had called Ares a savior. I wondered if the Sun God was also on the side of protecting the world, but…

Kurika couldn’t answer that question.

“I don’t know all the gods, so I can’t say for sure. Whether it’s the apocalypse or salvation, they all receive marks. No one knows for sure who they are.”

“……”

Those who bear marks could be harbingers of either destruction or salvation.

Not only Rin, but Ares could also be a potential threat.

My head spun with the implications.

“Don’t worry too much. There can’t be that many apocalypses.”

“One apocalypse was enough to destroy the continent. The thought of there being more than one is terrifying.”

Only someone who had witnessed the world’s destruction could understand the true weight of those words. Kurika, sensing my fear, didn’t offer any more words of comfort.

Looking at his drooping ears, I patted his shoulder and said,

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Hmm.”

He didn’t reply, but…

It felt like old times, and I was enjoying the moment, but then…

I felt a weight on my shoulder, followed by a pair of hands grabbing my arms.

Rin was holding onto my shoulder, and Sen and Adriana were gripping my hands. I was trapped.

“You feed us that kind of meat and expect to get away with it?”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

I tried to break free, but shadows emerged from the darkness, binding me even tighter.

Even if I stopped time, I couldn’t escape.

“Kurika, get us some more meat.”

“Don’t!”

Kurika hesitated, glancing at me, but Sen’s unwavering demand forced him to pull out more meat from his bag.

“Here, say ahhh.”

Sen, her face now a mask of cold determination, started shoving meat into my mouth.

“Mmm! Mmmmph!”

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