30 Lazy Cannibal!?

The two days at home were relatively peaceful for Yuuma. In most cases, during the waking hours, Yuuma would be snoozing off. The siblings couldn't even get into the room with Kenji sticking around to shoo them off.

Ami desperately wanted to get a word in with her brother, and in the rare chances she caught sight of him he would avoid her.

Yuuma knew she was capable of staying in her position but when will the capability turn weary? Plus the best place to learn about how things are run is to go to the heart of it. In this life he has no track to run on, all he can do is wonder until he can find it. There is no internet to make a living out of doing practically nothing in this world.

"The carriage is here," Kenji informed him leaning over the bed.

Yuuma grumbled but slipped out of its confines anyway and sluggishly tried putting on some decent clothing.

Kenji sighed looking older than he really was, "how will you do anything if you're like this?" Again with the nagging, Yuuma had heard it all too many times.

The butler reluctantly helped with his clothes and carried his bag to the carriage. As Yuuma followed behind someone yelled his name, he looked behind him to see Ami. Her head was down and with a complicated expression she said, "be careful." She then turned and left, Yuuma eyed where she stood for a while but said nothing and walked away. He didn't know how to feel.

"Before being appointed anywhere you have to go through a 3-month inspection. It will consist of magic aptitude, mental evaluation, fitness evaluation, and moral fitness but you don't need to worry about that one." Kenji then looked Yuuma over and with a scowl finished, "You just need to survive."

Yuuma felt he should have gotten Kenji a separate cart.

"You were once a soldier weren't you?" Yuuma rested his eyes and tapped his index on his crossed leg in a relaxed manner.

Kenji's eyes widened a little in surprise, "yes, how did you know?" He hadn't ever recalled telling Yuuma or anyone in the Oxblood family mansion. When no response came he realized Yuuma had fallen asleep. Only Yuuma would have the ability to fall asleep in the midst of conversation.

He wasn't really asleep at first and realized how explaining how he knew would be too tiring, but he shortly fell asleep for real.

The ride was rather long and tedious. Yuuma kept waking from sudden bumps in the path that magic couldn't smooth over. Not to mention the rather loud snores Kenji released during his sleep in the carriage. The old man was impossible to wake up, Yuuma bit his lip and kicked Kenji's shin but alas, he would not wake!

'What in the hell..." Yuuma sighed thinking this is a sort of karma for giving Kenji such a hard time. Since he couldn't fall asleep due to the bumpy road and loud background music he could only lean back and contemplate life at midnight hours.

A strange scent casually filtered through the carriage. Yuuma couldn't put a finger on exactly what it smelled like exactly, so he brushed it off. A minute later his stomach woke up and demanded food. Yuuma patted the endless black hole of a gut and opened the small window where he saw the shadow of the coachman taking his break.

The man made a small fire probably going to eat something or warm up a bit.

"Excuse me," Yuuma got his attention and waved a little. The man looked shocked and also a little afraid as he pointed to himself and looked around. It was laughable really, who else would calling the man in the middle of nowhere?

"Yes you, where did Kenji put the snacks?"

The man hesitantly went to the front of the carriage and crabbed a leather bag shoving it into the window. "Is this what you want young master?" Yuuma checked the inside and nodded giving a brief thanks.

"Uhm...young master we'll be coming up to a field hospital shortly to rest for the night and tomorrow's journey."

Yuuma looked up in surprise, "I thought we would camp..."

The man laughed awkwardly and shook his head, "too dangerous in these times its best we have shelter lest any demons come out- not that there is any! Were just being cautious." He quickly changed his words like he would scare Yuuma and went back to what he was doing previously.

Yuuma closed the window and opened the bag. The dried beef looked very appetizing at the moment and quickly snacked on a few pieces, it also helped keep him awake.

Not long after they arrived at the field hospital and the strange scent he had smelt half an hour away had finally gotten a name. It was blood. The rusty smell would typically have one feeling nauseous. Looking at a sleepy Kenji whose face turned pale at the smell and could hear his stomach doing flips, he knew that was the natural reaction. But oddly enough Yuuma didn't mind it.

Yuuma thought it was strange how the smell of blood being so pungent his body didn't reject it. There was also a certain scent in particular that had his stomach growling. After eating all those snacks from the bag, he was hungry again.

Not wanting to think of him suddenly gaining the title cannibal any longer, Yuuma stuck behind Kenji. The coachman helped unpack a few things and then we were directed to a few open rooms.

Yuuma noticed something. The sanitization of this place was horrendous! How can these people ever heal if they die from the conditions of this hospital? He frowned and a nurse appeared to notice the look and explained quietly next to him.

"These people were attacked by demons and have been injured by them. One whose in contact with a demon will die eventually. That's why no one focuses on healing these people."

Demons?

Yuuma has been hearing that word a lot lately. Of course, he has studied some monsters but hasn't gone into detail on demons specifically. With narrowed eyes he abruptly stopped to stare at a particular patient who was all bandaged up, the only thing that could be seen was the face. The color was an unnatural black inky color and wafts of that unusual smell came from the person. It was somehow delicious.

Yuuma caught up with Kenji, wiping the saliva that gathered in his mouth, and said nothing to the confused nurse who wanted to question why he had stopped so suddenly.

He will really become a cannibal if he stays here any longer! What's gotten into him? Yuuma bit his nails, an old habit coming back.