The journey progressed smoothly without any major trouble.
And so, they arrived at the Beastkin village a day earlier than planned.
Deep, deep within the forest.
The Beastkin village was located in the very depths where not even a sliver of sunlight could reach.
Up until then, the path had been completely covered above and to the sides by thick vegetation, but suddenly the view opened up.
A clearing within the vast forest.
There, many buildings made of wood stood in rows.
Surrounding the village were a wall and a gate.
Watchtowers had been set up in four directions, and Beastkin armed with bows could be seen on them.
"So this is…"
"Yes, this is our village."
A hidden sanctuary deep within the forest.
It was the perfect phrase to describe this place.
"Who goes there!?"
A Beastkin guard at the gate noticed them and drew his sword.
The Beastkin in the watchtowers also reacted, aiming their bows at them.
To clear up the misunderstanding, Claudia stepped forward.
"It's me."
"Claudia? Why are you with humans…?"
"Wait, no! That person is…"
"Princess!? And the Divine Beast too!?"
A large crowd of Beastkin rushed over all at once.
Their goal was Aisha and Snow.
They were clearly very excited and hurried toward the two girls—
Zan!
Suddenly, the ground in front of them was slashed.
It looked as if a giant had swung a blade down, leaving a deep gash, and the Beastkin came to a complete halt.
"I understand your surprise and excitement, but…"
Looking over, Sofia had already sheathed the sword she had drawn without anyone noticing.
"Aisha and Snow are still children. If you get too excited like that, you’ll only end up scaring them."
"…"
"As their guardian, even if it's unintentional, I will eliminate anyone who poses a threat to them by force. Now then—how would you like to proceed?"
"We're sorry!"
A large group of Beastkin bowed in apology!?
How should I put it…
Sofia looked just like a Beast Tamer.
――――――――――
After that…
Thanks to Claudia acting as a mediator, we were able to enter the Beastkin village without being misunderstood.
We were then led directly to the elder’s house.
The elder’s house was about three times the size of the other houses.
And with its open ceiling, it felt incredibly spacious.
I wondered if elders were expected to have homes this grand.
Thinking about that, we were shown to the guest room.
We sat in the seats we were directed to, facing the elder and Claudia across a long rectangular table.
"Thank you very much for protecting the princess and the Divine Beast."
The elder and Claudia bowed their heads together.
They bent forward nearly 90 degrees…
Being treated with such deep respect made us feel a bit embarrassed.
"N-No, it really wasn’t that big of a deal…"
"No! If the three of you hadn’t protected them, who knows what could’ve happened… I heard the princess had been captured by slave traders. We are truly, truly grateful!"
Now they were bowing so low their heads touched the table…
"Ahaha…"
Sofia let out a wry chuckle.
"Fufuun!"
Licorice puffed out her chest in pride.
Their personalities really show in moments like this...
"Let’s begin the celebration right away. We must hold a grand feast to welcome the return of the princess and the Divine Beast. And of course, to thank our benefactors."
"That would be wonderful, but…"
Claudia had said there was no problem with Aisha and Snow staying with us.
But what about the other Beastkin?
Would the elder readily allow it?
Could this turn into a disagreement…?
"Now, now, no need to worry."
Sensing our concern, the elder said with a cheerful smile.
"I’ve heard the princess and the Divine Beast are like family to you three. We would never forcibly separate family members."
"Um… I appreciate you saying that, but are you really okay with it?"
"Yes. However… as Claudia may have mentioned, we’d appreciate your help with purification and setting up barriers…"
"Of course. We have no intention of withholding that kind of cooperation."
"Then there’s no problem at all."
He was incredibly reasonable.
Am I being deceived? That thought did cross my mind…
But I didn’t feel any malice from the elder.
Or from Claudia, either.
I think… it’s okay to trust them.
Even if we are being deceived…
In that case, I’ll just focus on protecting Aisha and Snow.
Besides, it’s better to trust than to doubt.
"Thank you."
"No, we are the ones who should be grateful. Now then, let’s begin preparations for the feast…"
"Elder! Trouble!"
The door burst open with a loud bang, and a young Beastkin man rushed in.
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