I explained the situation to her, and...
Lyra-san nodded, her expression serious.
"A magic sword, huh? I’m surprised such a thing exists."
"Please keep this matter confidential."
The magic sword holds great power, and anyone can become stronger by wielding it. However, it also has a cursed side, such as driving its user insane.
What would happen if it were to be made public that such a weapon exists? Even though it’s dangerous, there will still be people who might seek it out.
I’ve reported it to the higher-ups of the Adventurers' Guild, but I haven’t made it public to the general public. It’s to avoid accidents and incidents.
"Got it. Don’t worry. I’m the tight-lipped type, after all."
"Thank you."
Sofia smiled brightly, but there was a certain pressure in her smile. It felt like she was warning what would happen if the secret were to be revealed.
But Lyra-san acted as though she didn’t care, maintaining her usual attitude. In a way, she might be someone of great importance too.
"So... these people who are using the magic sword, they were after this girl?"
"Yeah. I wanted to ask you if you knew anything or noticed anything about it, Lyra-san."
"I see, I see."
While nodding, Lyra-san stared intently at Aisha.
"Ugh..."
Aisha seemed a little uncomfortable. Maybe she was frightened by Lyra-san’s earlier high-energy attitude.
"Alright, alright, no need to be scared."
"But..."
"It’s fine. This woman’s just a little strange, but she’s not a bad person. Probably."
"Is that so?"
"Even if she’s a bad person, I’ll take care of it. Like this—whoosh, whoosh! Licorice-chan's punch can break rocks!"
Licorice demonstrated a punch above Aisha’s head. Rather than being reassuring, it felt more endearing.
Still, it seemed to calm Aisha down, as the tail that had been anxiously swishing around stopped moving.
"I’m not a bad person. I’m just very interested in beastmen."
"You won’t do anything painful, right?"
"I won’t, I promise. Instead, I’ll give you some sweets."
"Wow."
After receiving some candy, Aisha smiled.
"So, do you have any idea why Aisha is being targeted?"
"Hmm... I don’t have any particular idea."
Lyra shook her head in response to Sofia’s question.
"I just learned about the magic sword. I have no idea how it might be related to beastmen. I can’t say for sure."
"I see..."
"However, I think I can figure something out if I investigate. It’ll take some time, but I’m interested, so I’d like to give it a try... What do you think?"
Sofia looked at me.
I nodded.
"Please."
"Alright, I understand. I’ll look into the connection between the magic sword and beastmen. Oh, and you two should help by providing information."
"Got it."
For now, the conversation seemed to be settled.
Still, since I had the chance, I wanted to hear more.
"Could you tell me about beastmen?"
"Oh? Are you interested in beastmen too, boy?"
"Yes."
Although my interest is different from Lyra’s...
It’s true that I’m curious. Since it involves Aisha, I figured there’s no harm in increasing my knowledge about beastmen.
Sofia seemed to think the same and asked to hear more.
"Alright. Then, let's begin the lecture on beastmen. I'll be the teacher, and you two will be the students."
Lyra-san seems to be enjoying herself. As a researcher, maybe she’s happy to present her findings?
"Now, I’m going to start the lecture on beastmen, but... before that, I have a question for you two. How much do you know about beastmen?"
"Eh, why am I being ignored?"
Licorice grumbled in dissatisfaction, but Lyra-san didn’t seem to mind.
"So, how much do you know about them?"
"Well... They’re a species similar to humans, but with animal ears and tails."
"They have high physical abilities and live for a very long time. But their numbers are few, and they’re rarely seen... I think?"
"I see, something like that."
Lyra-san nodded thoughtfully as she listened to our answers.
After a short pause, she spoke.
"Your understanding isn’t wrong, but there’s a bit more information missing. Let me add the details I’ve gathered from my research."
Saying that, Lyra-san began listing information about beastmen.
When and where they were born? That’s unknown, but beastmen have existed since ancient times.
They look almost identical to humans, except for the animal ears and tails. Their physical abilities and vitality are exceptionally high. They can lift large rocks with one hand and live for several centuries.
However, their population is extremely small. They mostly live in isolated villages deep in the mountains, rarely showing themselves to humans. There’s even speculation that they might dislike humans.
"...And that’s the basic information I have on beastmen."
"Based on what you’ve told us, the reason Aisha-chan is being targeted is still unclear..."
Like Sofia, I couldn’t think of a reason either.
However, it seems Lyra-san has a different idea, and she continues speaking.
"I don’t have any solid evidence, but... I can make one hypothesis."
"What is it?"
"They’re after her soul."
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