We had found ourselves in a comical situation, with monsters that call themselves humans and on the contrary call us the real monsters.
«How interesting».
«Interesting? What did he say?»
«He says we are the monsters and he is human».
«Oh... so the monster is missing a screw or something?».
Unlike Ainar, who took it as a joke, the others had mixed reactions. Some seemed to find it interesting as did I, while others showed curious glances, and others seemed quite irritated by it all.
Unexpectedly, our magician, Versyl, had no reaction. Was it because she was a player? If Raven were here, she probably would have lost her mind and immediately demanded that we ask the monster why he thought that way.
«(What... what are you all saying?)» the monster boy asked, which let me know that he was not completely oblivious to the situation he was in.
«(We were discussing what you meant when you said you were a person)».
«(...Is that something you need to talk about?)»
«(Of course.)»
«(Well, what are you then?)»
I paused, thinking for a moment about my answer. Then I realized I knew a word that could be used to describe humans, barbarians, elves, and beasts alike. «(We are adventurers.)»
«(Adventurers?)»
«(What's happening? Is it a word you've never heard before?)»
The little monster raised his right hand and moved his thumb towards the ground. It seemed like a gesture equivalent to a nod in our culture. «(Adventurer... What is an adventurer?)»
«(He is a person who goes through the maze looking for new things and hunting monsters)».
«(...Okay. So that means you all came from off the island, like I thought)».
«(That's right)», I said, lowering my thumb. The monster boy imitated me, lowering his thumb twice in a row.
This was fun.
«It looks like this conversation is going to last longer than I thought. Be attentive».
«Understood.
Once my clan changed formation to form a perimeter, I got to work building a relationship with our prisoner so we could have a more open conversation.
«(Do you want to eat this?)»
"(¿What is eso?)"
«(It's jerky. It is made by drying the meat)».
«(No, I didn't mean that)»
«(What?)» I asked, tilting my head.
The boy responded with identical confusion. «(Eat... What does 'eat' mean?)».
I was momentarily dumbfounded by the question, but he didn't seem like the kind of person to play pranks in a situation like that. I gave him the best explanation I could muster. «(Eating is when you chew food in your mouth and swallow it down your throat)».
The birth.
To prove it, I chewed the jerky and swallowed it, but the monster boy just made a disgusted face.
«(...Ew. That's weird. Teeth are only used to kill enemies...)».
«(So you all don't eat anything?)».
«(Of course not! How can you... put something like that in your body?)»
I mean, that judgmental look of his is making me feel a little weird right now....
«(I-I've heard that sometimes you accidentally swallow things while fighting... but that's not supposed to happen!)»
Now that was quite strange. Well, actually, I assumed the same thing happened with almost all monsters.
«(So you can live without having to eat anything?)»
«(Obviously. People like me don't die as long as they can drink Living Water)».
«(¿Water of Life…?)»
Noticing my obvious confusion, the boy took out a ceramic bottle from his bag and drank from it. «This is Water of Life».
«(Can you give me some?)»
«(...Of course.)»
It seemed like he didn't really want to give me anything, but maybe he understood that he was currently our prisoner because he pushed the bottle towards me.
Alright, I have a mysterious object.
"Versyl. ¿Sabes qué es esto? ⁇
«Give me a second... The mana density is very high...» I handed it to him just in case, but to my surprise, Versyl managed to identify it immediately. «That is... I think they are ground mana stones mixed with water».
«...Mana stones?»
«Yeah. This is how the mana water we use in the city is created, and this looks identical to that».
Mana water was an essential material component for making magical items. But have that as the staple of your diet...
«(Hey, is this Water of Life maybe made from the mana stones you get from monsters-or, made from stones?)»
«(Yes... so what if it is? And I'm not 'Hey'. My name is Marupichichi)»
«(I got it, Marupichichi. I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.)»
«(...Your name is strange.)»
Says the boy named Marupichichi...
Still, Maru timidly pushed his thumb towards me as he spoke, so I pushed my thumb too so as not to leave it hanging.
«But... what is he doing with that monster?».
«I don't know. It looks like a handshake or something».
«How much information have you obtained?» Amelia demanded. «Did you find out where the village is?»
Oh right... I should have done that first, but I ended up having fun talking nonsense.
«I'm still asking him».
«I see... Well, not even a child would reveal such vital information to a stranger. Tell me if you need my help».
«...Of course.»
At that point, I put aside my personal curiosities and instead began digging for important information.
«Marupichichi, where is the entrance to your village?»
Contrary to what worried Amelia, Maru, who was so kind that she helped the prisoners escape because she felt sorry for them, did not even try to allege the Fifth. However, the answer he gave me was not what I was looking for.
«(There is none. For now, at least...)»
«(¿Eh?)»
«(Until the adults open it, no one can enter the village... N-Not even me...)»
Hah, I was wondering why he had hidden in the woods by himself. «(Is it normal for the entrance to the village to be closed?)»
«(No... Normally it is never closed unless it is rainy season.)»
A rainy season... So it rains here too? I mean, I guess heavy rain would be a problem for an underground village.
«(So why is the entrance closed right now?)» I asked.
«(That's... probably my fault.)»
«(Your fault?)»
«(Yes. The adults probably noticed that the monsters they captured escaped...)»
Wait, but then they should have formed a hunting party instead. Why would they close the entrance? That was my knee-jerk reaction, but thinking about it, I could understand his logic. The villagers had no way of knowing that the adventurers had completely escaped from their village. They probably assumed they were hiding somewhere inside, and had sealed the exits to look for them.
It's been about four hours since they escaped. The monsters should soon realize that they are gone and leave the village...
For now, I shared the information obtained with my allies. Next, we held a vote.
«The topic to discuss is «What will we do with monsters that can talk and call themselves human?» and there are two options to choose from».
«¿Dos?»
At Amelia's question, I moved my thumb.
«One: make friends».
The of…
«Kill them all».
Either would undoubtedly be an adventurer's choice.
«Did you say... friends? With the monsters?»
Some of them clearly found my suggestion ridiculous, while others seemed to be genuinely considering whether or not it was a possibility.
«The real question is, why do you want us to become friends with them?».
«They live here, so they probably know a lot about this place».
«Can't we ask that monster over there if we want to know?»
Well, how much would a child know? In the end, we needed to have a conversation with an adult monster if we wanted to gain more valuable information.
However, Amelia remained skeptical. «If that's the only reason, we can take an adult monster and interrogate it».
«That's true, but it may not be easy. This guy freely shared things with us because he's young, but adults might not be so loose-tongued.»
«Don't you trust me to do the job?»
«It's not that. It's just that we don't need to go to such extremes. We don't even know how strong his forces are yet. Besides... Weren't you the one who said we shouldn't kill people for no reason?».
«When they are people, yes.»
«Ah...»
«...It doesn't matter. So what if we can't make friends with them?». Amelia asked bluntly.
I also gave my answer without missing a beat. «We will kill them all». After all, there were only two options. If Plan A didn't work, we would naturally proceed with Plan B.
«Well, in that case, I'm on the side of making them our friends».
«That's a little unexpected.»
«I'm also a little intrigued by them.»
In any case, the voting began, starting with Amelia. In the end...
«Three to 'make friends', three to 'kill them all'.»
For some reason, I once again found myself in the position of being the deciding vote. I turned my head to look at Marupichichi, ready to announce my decision.
¡Fwip!
Then my warrior body, always prepared for the fight, perceived a premonitory sound.
Who? Who? Because?
Before I could consciously ask myself any of those questions, I was already moving.
¡Woop!
A mysterious arrow slammed into my shield as soon as I raised it to cover my upper body. Honestly, I was a little surprised.
...It really went through me.
Although it did not go through it completely, the arrow had broken several layers of the shield and lodged inside. Judging by the arrow itself, it seemed that the blow had been one hundred percent physical damage, without any magic.
«Prepare for battle!»
I shouted the words out of habit, and then looked in the direction the arrow had flown from. There, a few monsters armed with various weapons came out of the forest.
If I had to guess... Your only goal is to save this boy.
They probably shot an arrow to confuse us and create some kind of opening. As soon as I realized what they were trying to do, I let go of my shield and stretched out my arm to grab Marupichichi by the neck.
«(¡Uwak!)»
He was my new shield.
«(¡S-Suchtame...!)»
Although he began to shake and scream, he proved to be a fairly effective piece.
The monsters that emerged from the grove in unison as a kind of special forces team all hesitated upon seeing my new shield.
«(Cowardly bastard...)»
«(Using a child as a hostage...)»
So much praise coming from guys who were stuck now.
«(¡Joven Maestro Marurati!)»
«(Rest assured that we will save you. You have my word.)»
Judging by their conversation, they all knew each other.
But why are they being so polite? Is this guy high status?
I wasn't sure, but that would be even better. I raised my newly acquired monster shield high as I shouted: «(Throw away your weapons or this boy will die!)».
«I'm surprised», Amelia murmured next to me. «I thought you were on the side of making friends».
«Hey? But am I trying to be his friend?».
Amelia stared at me for a long moment. «...And you're still doing this nonsense?».
Wow, call it «nonsense...».
I cleared my throat. «...Many people become friends by fighting».
After all, that's how we became friends, right?
Silence fell on the battlefield.
«(Speaks our language...)»
«(A monster... How can it be?)»
«(Is that the village chief...?)»
The dozens of monsters did not drop their weapons, but they did not approach me either, preferring to stare at me. I waited, without relaxing my combat posture either.
Step step.
A minute later, a monster that seemed to measure about three meters emerged from the trees. He carried a huge bow hanging from his shoulder that matched his enormous size.
I see, so this guy was the Archer.
«(Are you the leader?)» I asked, speaking first.
Instead of answering, the bow monster responded with a question of its own. «(Monster, how can you speak our language?)»
«(Drop the gun. I'll tell you if you do)».
The one who answered me was, surprisingly, my shield. «(P-Father! Do not do it! I'm fine, so...!)»
Wow... is he the dad?
«See that? Bjorn's evil smile? Those monsters are like dead! Hahaha!»
...Wait, did I smile? I hadn't realized it, but I tried my best to soften my expression as I disconnected Ainar and focused on the conversation at hand.
«(Don't interrupt, Chichi.)»
«(But...)»
«(¡Cállate!)»
The mouth of my shield slammed shut at his father's reprimand.
That's how it is. There is no need for children to get into a conversation between adults.
«(I will say this one last time. If you want your son to live, drop the gun now-)»
«(Monster, I wish to invite you to our village.)»
"(...¿Que?)"
I thought I heard him wrong, but it seemed like my hearing was fine. «(I said that I wish to invite you to our village. You haven't understood? I think it shouldn't have been too complex a phrase)».
I don't think it's a vocabulary problem?
«(Did you think I would accept a sudden invitation in a situation like this?)»
Considering only the strength of this bow monster, he couldn't underestimate these people. We were overwhelmingly outnumbered, and things would get worse if we were attacked in a remote location.
Such an offer was not even worth considering unless our safety was guaranteed or this breed somehow demonstrated that it was trustworthy.
The goalkeeper seemed upset. «(Declining our invitation... How barbaric.)»
«(And hanging bodies on trees is human?)»
«(...All your relatives who were taken to the village are safe. They won't be hurt, so you can rest assured.)»
How could I trust that?
«(If you want, you can even stay with my son...)»
«(Me him.)»
Faced with my final harsh veto, he abandoned the matter completely. However, he made a peculiar request of me.
«(So could you wait here a moment? I won't be long.)»
Was he going to ask for reinforcements? Although there was a small risk that this would be the case, I decided to accept his request. There was a chance he was misunderstanding, but he couldn't feel much hostility from her.
...This whole interaction took a turn as soon as they realized I could talk.
We had been in an uncomfortable confrontation for about ten minutes when something finally changed.
«(The village chief...)»
«(Abran passport.)»
Hearing the murmurs rising from their rear, the warriors parted like the Red Sea and made their way. From its depths emerged a monster with a long white beard that walked using a staff.
«(Hello)», he called with a pleasantly soft voice. «(What's your name?)»
«(I am Bjorn, son of Yandel)».
«(That's a good name. Nuiachichi! Take the warriors and retreat! I have something to discuss with these people)»
I didn't know anything about the cultural practices of these monsters who called themselves humans, but under the orders of the village chief, they immediately retreated and gave us space to talk privately, without asking questions.
«Oh, sorry. There are things I want to discuss that wouldn't be good for you to know)».
«(Good for them...?)»
I couldn't help but tilt my head at the strange formulation, but the boss just smiled, his protruding fangs shining.
«(Now that I think about it, I haven't introduced myself. I am the head of this village, Bruingrid)».
«(¿Bruingrid?)»
The name sounded familiar.
«Emily, have you heard of a Bruingrid?»
«I think that was the name of one of the Great Sage's companions.»
Oh, so I had heard that name there before.
I went back to my original conversation with the village chief and discovered that he had extended his hand to me. I tensed instinctively. «Ah, don't be alarmed. I'm just offering you a handshake».
«Ah...» I smiled awkwardly and shook his hand.
A moment later, I realized it.
«Did you say you were Bjorn, son of Yandel?».
The chief was speaking, but not in the ancient language.
No, Rafdonian spoke.
«I'm glad to see you, really. And I assume you are an adventurer from Rafdonia?»
What was happening?
«So how much time has he spent in the outside world?»
Who the hell was this guy?