"Phew…"
We somehow managed to drive the monsters away.
Individually, they weren’t all that strong…
But there were just so many of them—it was tough.
It wasn’t simply about defeating the enemy.
We had to fight while protecting the village, making sure no harm came to it.
Since I haven’t had much experience with defensive battles, it ended up being a bit of a struggle.
If possible, I’d like to train for situations like this in the future…
But how do you even train for defensive battles?
"I’ll try asking Sofia next time."
That aside…
"Thank you so much! Not only did you save the princess and the sacred beast, but you even protected our village!"
"You’re the heroes of this village!"
"Alright, everyone! Let’s start preparing for the feast!"
Many of the beastkin were smiling at us.
It’s a shame the village was attacked…
But thanks to us driving the monsters away, it seems they now trust us.
A silver lining in a bad situation… maybe?
"Um… is it really okay to be preparing a feast? Shouldn’t treating the injured or repairing the houses take priority…?"
When I asked the elder that, he smiled and replied.
"Thanks to you all, there are hardly any injured. Just a few scrapes from people falling while fleeing. And the damage to the homes is minor—easily repaired. Precisely because of that, we want to welcome you properly right now."
"Thank you very much."
After being told all that, refusing would be rude.
So we decided to accept their warm hospitality.
While preparations were underway, we waited in the guest room of the elder’s house.
The guest room was spacious, with four beds set up.
As I sat on one of them, I called out to Sofia.
"Hey, Sofia."
"Yes?"
"About that monster attack earlier…"
I hesitated a little.
But then decided to go ahead and speak my mind.
"Didn’t it feel kind of similar to what happened on Blue Island?"
I had no solid proof. It was just a gut feeling.
That’s why I hesitated…
But if it’s Sofia, she’d take me seriously.
Thinking that, I decided to bring it up.
"On Blue Island, a person who got their hands on a cursed sword went insane… and I just felt like the atmosphere this time was kind of the same."
"…So Fate thought that too."
"Which means…"
"Yes. I’m thinking the same thing."
Sofia nodded slightly while making a thoughtful gesture.
"Normally, monsters don’t form groups. Monsters of the same species might band together, but when it comes to different species acting in unison, that’s not possible unless there’s a strong entity organizing them. If there were such a powerful monster behind it, it would be a different story, but…"
"There wasn’t any monster that strong."
"Exactly. Which is why it’s so strange that so many monsters attacked the village all at once. It just doesn’t make sense."
"So… just like with Blue Island, someone must have been leading them?"
"Yes. And that culprit is…"
"That cross-dressing brat, right?!"
And with that, Licorice jumped in and stole the conclusion.
"Ah, Licorice."
"Dad! Mom!"
"On!"
"Aisha and Snow too!"
We had already heard that all three were safe...
But since we were focused on checking the village and gathering information, we hadn’t had a chance to see them yet.
"Judging by how you look, nothing happened to you, huh?"
"We’re fine. The monsters were driven off by the two of you, right? Well, even if they had gotten to me, Licorice-chan would’ve crushed them with her miracle power!"
…Is that reliable? Maybe?
"So, Licorice, you reached the same conclusion too?"
"More or less. The situation’s pretty similar, and I got the same bad vibe as last time. It’d be weirder not to suspect a connection."
"I see."
The three of us were in agreement.
Well, even so, we couldn’t say it was definite...
But it would be better to proceed under that assumption.
In other words…
That Rena is involved in the attack on the beastkin village.
"We can’t say for sure, but the chances are high."
"Still, what’s the goal?"
"Maybe the target is the beastkin? Like, 'let’s crush those guys' or something~?"
Where does she even learn those kinds of phrases?
"If Rena... if the Dawn Alliance’s objective involves the beastkin, then I’m sure they’re somehow connected. But the question is why."
"Well, yeah..."
"Why target the beastkin? Why go after Aisha? Why go after Snow? It all feels like we’re close to understanding, but not quite there… hmm."
It was really hard to judge.
The best thing would be to talk to her directly, but… hmm?
"……"
I think.
And think.
And think.
"Ah!"
A lightbulb went off.
TL Note: Idea?
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