Ch.145Testing NPC. (5)

[-Forest Knights- Level: 239]

[Conversing with the people of this country. (4/5)]

I slammed the Ganf who had rushed at Chikuyo first against the wall, but unfortunately, physical dialogue doesn’t seem to count as actual dialogue.

Or could it be that this isn’t a Siltra Ganf? Is it an invasive species? That can’t be right?

“De-Deputy Commander?!!”

“Ambush!! It’s an ambush!!!”

“Human!! That one!! His ears are round!! He’s an evil human!!!”

Oh, so the one I slammed was their deputy commander. The Ganf creatures immediately redirected their hostility from Chikuyo toward me, and I check their levels.

Hmm. None higher than the deputy commander?

-Grab!!

“Y-You! I was deliberately stalling for time! Why?!”

“Huh?”

I tilt my head at Chikuyo’s words as she suddenly grabs my collar.

Huh? Deliberately stalling? Why?

“Kuh! Miho told me! If you fight with the elves now, your strategy…!!”

“Ah, that? It’s fine. No problem.”

“…What?”

When has my life ever gone according to plan? Not in my memory, at least. And if my life had gone as I thought, neither Ray, Ragni, nor Goru would be by my side right now.

If everything had gone according to my plan, I’d probably still be in Aigram with that one suicidal heavenly horse, working as an adventurer and saving money.

I probably wouldn’t have even dreamed of leveling up Ira until now.

Right. My life has never gone according to plan, but even so, most of the “results” haven’t turned out too badly.

So this is right too.

Following my heart, just enough not to hurt my conscience. What plan could my brain level even come up with anyway? Life is about practical experience. Damn right it is!

“Chikuyo, Miho. Both of you go inside the house. I smell something delicious—did you prepare dinner?”

“Uh, yeah? Huh? Uh, um…?”

“Sis! Come this way! Trust Jack!!”

“Chikuyo!! Miho!! You two!! Are you planning to betray Siltra?!!”

“Protecting a criminal!! A human who raped beastkin and killed elves!! Have you two sisters gone completely mad?!!”

Why interrupt when we’re talking? And what exactly did these two do to “betray Siltra”? Plus, me, a virgin, raping beastkin? They’re really pissing me off.

And wasn’t Siltra originally a country formed by elves, beastkin, and demon tribes?

These bastards talk like elves have total control over Siltra, clearly brainwashed salt-pickled brains.

At least Salt Lawn from earlier today tried to talk first, but drawing swords and spears against your own country’s citizens first thing is beyond redemption.

“Hey. You.”

“Wh-What, human?!”

[Conversing with the people of this country. (5/5) Complete.]

[new! -Siltra- Mountain has been registered.]

[Mountain Manager Effect: All stats increase within mountains you manage. As a veteran mountain keeper, you can intuitively sense events occurring within a 5KM radius around you in the mountains.]

[Mountains under management: -Ponia- -Ottoman Empire- -Aigram- -Naty- new! Siltra- (How to register surrounding mountains: View details)]

-Thwack!!

“Don’t spew whatever crap comes out of your mouth just because it’s open, you pointy-eared bastard.”

After the deputy commander flew away, I approached the one who had been shouting about evil humans and accusing Miho and Chikuyo of betrayal, punched him square in the philtrum, and slammed him into the ground. The other elves froze, unable to react, staring at both the fallen one and me.

Indeed. This is a different class of movement compared to when I was just a veteran mountain keeper.

“Wh-What…”

“The 2nd commander with o-one blow? He couldn’t even react…!!”

“He j-just disappeared…?!!”

What? This one’s a commander too? What kind of levels are these?

Actually, even the deputy commander who flew away earlier had a lower level than Salt Lawn whom I met during the day.

I’m starting to wonder. Is the elf knight order some kind of civil service system? A structure where rank increases with age? Is that how it works for long-lived species?

“Now, your commander and captain are both embedded in trees and ground. Whoever thinks they’re next, raise your hand. I’ll let that one see the sky… of Seoul. If you don’t want that, then kne—”

“Eek?!!”

“U-Uwaah!! Th-The rumors about humans being evil were true!!!”

“The e-elders were right!! Humans are getting stronger to enslave elves again…!!!”

-Boom!!!

-Crack!!!

“””!!!!!!”””

Again, again, AGAIN!! Damn it, can people just listen to the end of what I’m saying!!

Seriously, is interrupting others and spewing whatever they want the default for Ganfs in this world?

To cut off their nonsense, I strike a nearby tree, causing the armored Ganfs to collapse to the ground, hiccup in surprise, or drop their swords.

Really. Why do they make me resort to violence when I’m trying to talk nicely?

“You have two choices. Drop your weapons, kneel down, and put both hands on the ground—those ones I’ll spare. Anyone who doesn’t, dies on the spot. Choose. I’ll give you three seconds to think.”

“Y-You’ve got to be joking…!!?”

-Thwack!!

“I’m not joking. One second left.”

When the bastard who accused me of raping beastkin opened his mouth, I sent him to Hong Kong with a blow to the solar plexus. As soon as I finished speaking, several of them threw their swords and spears to the ground and knelt, pressing their heads to the ground.

Hmm, three still standing? Well, if they want to say goodbye to this world, I won’t stop them.

I rotated my shoulders casually and approached the three, who each let out shrill screams and tried to turn and flee.

“Like hell you will.”

I lightly kicked off the ground to chase them, about to swing my leg to smash their heads like bowling pins…

“Wait!!!”

-Pause.

“””Eek?!!”””

-Crash!!

My shin, which must have suddenly appeared in their eyes.

The fleeing ones fell backward, landing on their butts with a clatter of armor, without my attack even touching them.

I stopped mid-kick and looked at the woman who had called out to me.

“What is it? I explained properly, and this was their choice, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. I was watching, so I know, but please wait a moment.”

Chikuyo, the owner of the voice that stopped me, approached with a sword and gently placed her hand on my leg, slowly lowering it.

What’s this about?

“You three. Remove your helmets.”

“Ugh! Th-That’s…!!”

“If you refuse, shall I cut them off with my sword? Want a line drawn across your face?”

“!!”

I tilted my head at her, who had uttered such frightening words in a refreshing voice.

Why ask them to remove their helmets?

However, my question was answered as soon as the elf “women’s” faces were revealed, along with Chikuyo’s explanation.

“Since you’re human, they probably thought you’d rape them. All those who knelt first are males. And all these ones trying to escape are females.”

“…Ah.”

“I stopped you because you said you’d spare those who surrendered. Was that unnecessary?”

Worried that she had interfered unnecessarily, Chikuyo spoke with her tail and ears lowered. I immediately shook my head at her.

Well, her perspective was mostly correct.

“No. Thank you. I wanted to end this with as few deaths as possible. Could you and Miho please bind these three female knights? I’ll take care of the ‘knights’ who couldn’t even protect their own country’s ‘women’.”

-Flinch!

-Perk! Perk!

“Sure! Miho!!”

“Uh, y-yes! Sis! I heard! I’ll get some rope!!”

At my words, the elf knights kneeling on the ground flinched, but none dared raise their heads. I made eye contact with any who tried, silently pressuring them to speak if they had something to say.

Garbage bastards. Not one of them tried to stop or speak up when the women were fleeing.

And they have the nerve to rant about humans kidnapping and raping elves? Seriously, selective hatred. What’s with this anger management?

I tied their wrists and ankles tightly with rope, hoping they’d all get gangrene, and the male elves began to emit low groans.

“Hey. Shut your mouths. What kind of men make sounds like that? My ears are rotting.”

“””……”””

After binding them all, I check the surroundings with my veteran mountain keeper senses.

Good, no one escaped, and no one is watching us.

As I turn my head, checking the surroundings, Miho approaches after finishing binding the female knights.

“What now? Should we go to the beastkin village? If the elves have already moved…”

“No, it’s late now. We can go tomorrow. By the way, where did that Green Stone person go?”

Chikuyo and Miho being exposed to danger is partly because I moved to register the mountain, but also because that old man, my trusted deus ex machina, disappeared.

How did a human who was just drinking at home go somewhere without being detected?

“I don’t know. He was already gone when we returned. Come to think of it, he’s late. Sniff, sniff.”

“What are you doing?”

“Hm? Trying to check which direction he went by scent.”

Saying that, Miho sniffed around here and there.

“Huh? He climbed up a tree? I can’t track him like this.”

“Well, it’s his country, so maybe he had some business. He’ll come back when he’s hungry; he’s not a child.”

When he returns, I’ll have to scold him, including how his predictions were wrong.

He’s always just drinking and not really helping, and if I leave him be, he’ll really develop bad habits.

I approached Chikuyo, who was watching over the bound elves with Miho. She suggested putting them in an unused storage shed behind the house.

Hmm, not a bad idea.

“L-Let us go!! Do you know who we are…!!”

“Who? Pointy-eared bastards who immediately kneel to enemies and don’t even protect their own country’s women.”

“…Kugh!! If I’d known this would happen, I would have rather died fighting…”

-Crack.

“Want me to kill you? Just say the word. I’ll snap your neck right now and send you to your grave. I’ll even put a sword in your corpse’s hand so it’s not embarrassing. How about it?”

“””……”””

When they try to act up again despite my civil words, I crack my knuckles, and they immediately lower their eyes again.

Indeed. In games, elves were portrayed as being controlled by demons of rage, attacking aggressively even if they or their comrades died, even using corpses to attack humans. But now there’s no sign of that.

But is it just a Ganf trait to look cowardly and pathetic even without doing such things? Am I too much of a chuunibyou for thinking they’d look more dignified if controlled by demons of rage?

I kicked them all into the storage shed, and Chikuyo locked the door with a chain she had brought from somewhere.

And then.

“We kept the females separate, but what should we do with them?”

“Huh? What do you mean, what should we do?”

Perhaps feeling resistance to putting female and male knights together in the narrow storage shed, Chikuyo and Miho had separated the three elf women, who were now just swallowing dry saliva while looking at me.

Hmm, is there nowhere else to put them…

“P-Please!! Human sir!! Anything but rape!! I have a child!!!”

“I-I have a husband! Please!!”

“D-Don’t sell us!! I’m sorry!! I’m sorry for attacking you!!!”

“……”

I was just looking at them, thinking about where to put them, but these Ganf women are making me out to be a rapist and human trafficker, and I can feel my blood pressure rising.

Ah! Calm down, calm down. They don’t know me as a person, that’s why they’re acting like this. Anyone can make mistakes. Right. Including my past life, I’m easily in my forties. I need to handle this like an adult.

“Chikuyo.”

“Yes?”

“Is there a cave with monsters around here?”

“Uh, yes? There is one where we have to clear out monsters once a week, but… why do you ask?”

I smiled as kindly as possible at Chikuyo, who seemed a bit confused while answering my question.

“Oh, I was thinking of giving all these ugly, noisy Ganfs to monsters as breeding stock.”

At my words, Chikuyo let out a small gasp, while the Ganfs screamed loudly.

My statement, intended to show them in a very adult way how easily words can hurt people, was enough to make these deficient elves tearfully apologize.