Ch.106Ominous Shadow

After leaving Riverside and heading north, we were able to find a clue leading to the Catfolk village after hours of searching.

The problem was that this clue wasn’t something gentle like the scenery around the village that remained in Seti’s memory, but rather traces of a large battle carved into the forest by the river.

“This is…”

“Looks like there was a fight.”

The deep gouges carved into the trees were undoubtedly made by firearms.

Since the Catfolk don’t use guns, these marks were left by another race.

If they were targeting wild animals or monsters, it wouldn’t be an issue, but if they were firing at the Catfolk, that’s a different story.

“Footprints are scattered all over. Some look similar to Will’s boots, but others are completely different.”

“These ones are similar to the shoes Seti is wearing. Seems like some Catfolk were attacked by outlaws.”

“Let’s follow the trail. If the Catfolk village was attacked by outlaws, we’re in trouble.”

The various footprints scattered chaotically led into the western forest.

Was the absence of bloodstains because too much time had passed since the incident, or because no one had sustained injuries severe enough to cause bleeding?

Hoping for the latter, we hastened westward, following the traces left in the forest.

Signs of battle were discovered in several more places afterward.

Most were penetration and friction marks from large-caliber firearms, but occasionally there were cuts from sharp weapons.

Each time such traces were found, Seti’s expression at the front of our group grew darker, and her worry and anxiety took a clear form before our eyes in less than five minutes.

“A Catfolk spear!”

“Did someone drop their weapon and flee, or…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say “were they kidnapped or killed by pursuers with guns.”

The Catfolk village we were heading to was Seti’s hometown, and if someone had been shot and killed here, the victim was likely someone Seti knew.

She was probably desperately praying in her heart that her family or friends hadn’t been harmed.

“The trail continues westward.”

“…I recognize this area from here on. I’ll guide you to the village.”

“Everyone stay alert. Jessica, save your magic power as much as possible; you might need to use healing magic.”

Seti ran through the forest with an extremely tense expression, moving at a speed that was difficult for us to keep up with even at full strength.

For about ten minutes, we desperately followed behind Seti, hoping that this journey to her hometown—which should have been a triumphant warrior’s return with the Guide Feather, a visit to introduce her lover to her parents—wouldn’t lead to the worst outcome.

Finally, we arrived at the entrance of the Catfolk village, surrounded by a wooden fence.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

“Seti Lu Elem, daughter of Gashu Bi Elem and Dain Ran Lu. I’m from this village.”

“Daughter of Elem and Lu…?”

The young Catfolk who had pointed their spears at Seti lowered their guard momentarily upon hearing her name, but when they saw us following behind, they readjusted their grips on their spears and resumed their combat stance.

“These people are my companions. They’re not bad colonists.”

“But they are colonists. Can they really be trusted?”

“Yes. They’re all precious companions to me. So please let us in.”

“…If a warrior who has obtained the Guide Feather says so, we have no choice but to believe you. Hurry home.”

“Did something happen to Mom and Dad?”

“Many people were injured fighting against the Humans who attacked our village. I heard Elem’s life isn’t in danger, but his wounds aren’t light either.”

“I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

Seti briefly greeted the young men standing guard before leading us into the village.

Upon reaching a modest wooden house in the corner of the village, Seti flung open the front door to confirm her family’s safety.

“Dad! Mom! Aunt Rona!”

“Seti?”

“How are you here…”

Inside the house, two Catfolk women with healthy brown skin and glamorous figures were changing the bandages of a much shorter Catfolk man.

Though startled by Seti’s sudden entrance, they welcomed her warmly, stroking her head and patting her back as she ran to them with small steps and embraced them tightly.

“Thank goodness. You’re all safe. I was passing by and stopped in, but I heard something terrible happened…”

“We’re fine. Thanks to your father’s strength, no one died or was captured.”

“My goodness, is that what I think it is in your hair?”

“Yes. It’s the Guide Feather. I defeated a monster and earned it.”

“Oh! As expected of my daughter. When you ran off saying you wanted to become an adventurer, I was worried, but to think you’d return having achieved such a feat.”

“Ah~ Excuse me.”

The three people who were rejoicing over Seti’s return and her achievement only noticed our presence at the entrance when I spoke up.

Upon discovering the unexpected visitors, especially humans, they moved to protect Seti and tried to stand up, but Seti was quicker, grabbing their clothes to stop them.

“It’s okay. These people are my companions. They’re not bad people.”

“Not bad people? Even that colonial gunman over there?”

“Yes. That’s Will. He’s my benefactor who helped me achieve my dream, and the man I’ve decided to spend my life with.”

“Hmm, I see. Decided to spend your life with…WHAT?!”

The man, belatedly realizing the meaning of Seti’s words, glared at me with a mix of fury and shock.

Oh no, father-in-law. Isekai gunman death.

“It’s not much, but here are some fish, vegetables, and fruits we brought from Riverside.”

“Oh my~ Thank you. You didn’t have to…”

“Hmm~ He’s quite polite and nice for a colonist, isn’t he, brother-in-law?”

“…Hmph.”

After formally greeting Seti’s family and presenting the gifts we had bought in Riverside, the two women’s wariness easily subsided.

The woman with slightly drooping eyes and an alluring mole beside her lips, sporting long hair, was Seti’s mother, Dain Ran Lu.

Conversely, the woman with upturned eyes and twin tails was Lu’s younger sister and Seti’s aunt, Dain Ran Rona.

The small-statured man sitting between them with a sullen expression, glaring at us, was Seti’s father, Gashu Bi Elem.

Both women were taller than Jessica, while the man was only about 150cm tall, making it look like a “short husband with sister harem” genre, but apparently Seti’s father is the strongest warrior in this Catfolk village despite his appearance.

“Consider yourself lucky, colonist. If my body were in perfect condition, your head and neck would already be rolling separately.”

“Haha… I understand that people here don’t welcome colonists.”

“If you know that, why did you come?”

Seti’s father Elem grabbed his spear with a ghostly expression and tried to lunge at me as soon as I mentioned that I was dating Seti with marriage in mind and that I had another lover.

If he hadn’t hesitated due to his leg injury, and if the two women beside him hadn’t stopped him, my adventure might have ended right here.

Though Elem had calmed down thanks to the desperate persuasion of his wife and sister-in-law, his gaze toward me was far from friendly.

To soften his heart, I needed to show proper etiquette as a person before discussing romance or marriage.

“I came to pay my respects and show you how successful your daughter has become. I heard that obtaining the Guide Feather is the highest honor for the Catfolk, and it seemed impolite to just pass by when we were in the area.”

“Hmph, pretending to be polite… Still, your attitude of respecting Catfolk customs is commendable.”

“Of course! The man our Seti has chosen couldn’t possibly be a terrible person, right~?”

Unlike Elem, who openly displayed hostility, Lu and Rona were treating us in a friendly manner, which was fortunate.

For them, the fact that their daughter had obtained the Guide Feather seemed more important than the fact that she had brought a man, especially a colonist.

“Thank you for bringing our daughter all the way to this remote place. Normally, there would have been a festival just for bringing back the Guide Feather, but as you can see, the village atmosphere is quite unsettled right now…”

“I noticed that. I heard Humans attacked—was it from Riverside? Or slave-trading outlaws?”

If I were to name individuals in Grantis who might show explicit hostility toward the Catfolk, I would point to the war bereaved families in Riverside or the outlaws.

However, in the former case, I think the possibility of them taking such bold action as attacking a Catfolk village is low.

So it might be the work of an outlaw group trying to kidnap beastkin to sell as slaves.

But my speculation was denied by Elem, the victim himself.

“I think it’s neither. If they were slave traders, they would have targeted women or children who are easier to capture, and if they were people holding grudges from the war, they would have attacked in groups. But last night’s attacker came alone and targeted only warriors, including myself, without even glancing at those who couldn’t fight.”

“He came alone? Against beastkin who are skilled in direct combat?”

“Yes. And he had the skills to back up such reckless behavior. Several warriors, including myself, were utterly defeated without putting up a fight, and the attacker left without killing anyone, as if he had grown bored.”

Jessica couldn’t hide her surprise at this unexpected information, and Mina, Phyllis, and I felt the same.

Having witnessed Seti fight up close, it was hard to believe that someone could single-handedly achieve an overwhelming victory against close-combat specialists like her.

“That man said he would come back tonight. He told all those who could fight to prepare and attack him. He said if we disappointed him again, he would shoot and kill villagers indiscriminately. Truly, this is the first time I’ve experienced such humiliation.”

“It certainly doesn’t seem like slave trafficking is the goal. Is he simply a pleasure killer… wait.”

A man who has no clear purpose and sees fighting itself as the goal.

I had met such a person relatively recently.

“Do you remember the man’s name or appearance?”

“I don’t know his name. He was a scruffy Human man wearing a black coat.”

“!!”

Jessica held her breath upon hearing Elem’s answer, and Seti raised her tail in anger.

“Crow…”

The crazed fighter who had picked a fight with us at Cotton Tail Trading Post.

The shadow of that ominous man had fallen over this Catfolk village.