Ch.206206. Thank you. For not calling me a demon beast.

“I-Is that true!?”

“Yes, Rebecca told me about the poisoning, and there was a mage specializing in poisons among Brond and his group. I cross-checked with Clara, so it’s certain.”

On the road to Pandera territory.

After I revealed everything, including the fact that Clara’s mother had been poisoned, Jawil Wilson raised his voice with a stern expression I had never seen before.

“Those bastards!! Not even chewing them up would satisfy me!! They bullied me when I was young, and now they dare to target Clara’s mother too….”

“Calm down. I’ve already killed them all anyway.”

Jawil Wilson hesitated before grinding his molars.

“I should never have left my hometown. If I had stayed, they would have continued to torment me instead of Clara’s mother….”

“Then wouldn’t you have died?”

“I’m not afraid of death.”

“Not afraid? Who was it that cried and begged not to go every time we went to the Forest of Death?”

Jawil Wilson stared at me with an expression that said, ‘Is this really the time for such talk?’ but then seemed to give up and sighed.

“…I didn’t cry.”

“Right, but you did beg.”

“I-I admit that.”

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that nothing would have changed even if you had stayed in Pandera territory.”

“I suppose so… I wouldn’t have become as strong as I am now either.”

The atmosphere grew gloomy.

I casually threw another joke at Jawil Wilson.

“You’re not suggesting you’re strong now, are you?”

“N-Not compared to you, young master, but I’m fairly strong in my own right, aren’t I?”

“Haha… anyone listening would think you’re the second-in-command of Lake territory.”

“Ahem! I apologize.”

“Apology accepted.”

My joking remark seemed to work, as Jawil Wilson appeared somewhat calmer than before.

Then, as if something seemed odd to him, he tilted his head.

“Could it be that Clara refuses to return to Pandera territory not because of her mother’s treatment, but because of that incident?”

“Yeah, would you want to live in Pandera territory after experiencing something like that?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but… Pandera territory was everything to Clara.”

“Now Lake territory will become her everything.”

At my words, Jawil Wilson stopped in his tracks, startled.

“D-Does that mean Clara will be living in Lake territory from now on?”

“That’s right. I promised her a house, so she won’t have to worry about where to live.”

“So Clara is now a resident of Lake territory…?”

I don’t know what Jawil Wilson was imagining, but his face turned bright red.

I sighed before speaking.

“So, try approaching her slowly this time. You’ll have plenty of time.”

Jawil Wilson stopped walking again and bowed deeply, as if his waist might break.

“Young master, I will never forget this kindness.”

“Let’s do well.”

When I patted his head with my palm, Jawil Wilson straightened his back.

“Knight Jawil Wilson, I pledge my life to—”

“I’m tired of that kind of talk, just don’t cause any trouble.”

“Thank you….”

As he was expressing his gratitude, Jawil Wilson tilted his head.

“T-Then what will you tell Village Chief Loris about Clara?”

“For now, I’ll say that her mother’s treatment is taking longer, so she needs to stay in Lake territory a bit more.”

“And after that?”

“I’ll tell Village Chief Loris, ‘I finished the treatment and sent her back, but Clara didn’t go to Pandera territory?'”

“Hmm… Village Chief Loris will be suspicious of you….”

“Suspicious?”

Jawil Wilson continued with a serious expression.

“Didn’t I tell you before? In Pandera territory, they sort of ‘brainwash’ those who show talent from a young age.”

“That’s right.”

“Clara must be a talent they don’t want to lose. They might secretly send someone to investigate Lake territory.”

“It’s fine. Even if they do, there’s nothing Village Chief Loris can do about it.”

“…Pardon?”

Surprisingly, the solution was simple.

If Village Chief Loris wasn’t involved in the disappearance cases, he would enter into a contract with me.

He wouldn’t create unnecessary problems.

He would prefer the immediate ‘money’ over Clara.

Besides.

If he was involved in the incidents, I would find a way to remove Loris from his position as village chief.

Either way, he wouldn’t have time to worry about Clara.

I looked at Jawil Wilson, who was walking diligently beside me with a sullen expression.

“I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, I’d like to bring Wortman and Berik to Lake territory too. What do you think?”

“Wortman and Berik?”

“Yeah, when we hunted together last time, they seemed quite skilled.”

“If they’re skilled, wouldn’t they be able to make a living in Pandera territory? Why would they want to leave?”

“They probably aren’t getting the treatment they deserve. With Wortman’s skills, living in that kind of house doesn’t make sense.”

For me, living in a cozy space with someone I love would be a dream come true, but Wortman’s house was quite cramped considering his skills.

The difference was even greater compared to Village Chief Loris’s house.

Of course, Wortman might prefer a comfortable home like I do, but that’s something I’d have to discuss with him in person.

Jawil Wilson spoke with a dejected expression.

“I only realized how unfair life in Pandera territory was after I left my hometown, but it’s so upsetting that things are still the same.”

“Bad practices only get worse unless someone breaks them; they don’t fix themselves.”

“…I guess so. Since things are like this, it would be nice if Wortman and Berik could live with me in Lake territory….”

“I don’t know how it will turn out, but let’s talk to them.”

The mountain path we faced again was essentially the gateway to Pandera territory.

Even with my good physical condition, it was quite challenging, so I walked carefully.

Finally, we reached the bottom of the cliff.

Now we just needed to climb up to reach Pandera territory.

“Shall we rest for a bit?”

“Alright.”

Before arriving at Pandera territory, I needed to go over things with Jawil Wilson one last time.

I sat down on a rock and took a deep breath.

“Phew… this is my second time here, but I still can’t get used to it.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“How is the Forest of Death with its monsters less tiring than this?”

“Come on, the Forest of Death is definitely more difficult. One wrong move and you could lose your life.”

“I find this place harder because of the altitude.”

After wiping the sweat with my sleeve, Jawil Wilson chuckled softly.

“Well, I’ve been wandering these mountain paths since I was young, so it’s less tiring for me, but it’s interesting to hear you say it’s difficult.”

“Am I not human?”

“From what I’ve seen of your actions so far, you’re closer to a monster than a human.”

“Thanks for not calling me a beast.”

After letting out a hearty laugh, Jawil Wilson leaned forward with a serious expression.

“Then I’ll try to speak as little as possible in front of Village Chief Loris.”

“Not just that, try to keep quiet even when meeting Wortman and Berik.”

“…What? But didn’t you tell Wortman and Berik to investigate Village Chief Loris?”

“To be precise, I asked them to investigate the possibility of a connection between the missing persons and Village Chief Loris.”

“Then shouldn’t I speak up?”

“You can just say you asked me for help with the case. I’ll handle the rest.”

Jawil Wilson snapped his middle finger and thumb, raising his voice.

“Ah! That makes sense!”

“So no matter how happy you are to see them, stay quiet.”

“But aren’t you trying to bring Wortman and Berik to Lake territory? Wouldn’t it be better to tell them the truth…?”

“No, telling them everything right away would only confuse them. We can tell them after the investigation of Village Chief Loris is complete.”

“…Understood. If that’s what you say, I’ll follow your lead.”

I looked up at the cliff again, sighed, and got to my feet.

“Let’s go to Pandera territory.”

“Yes!”

About halfway up the cliff, unlike my first visit, the knights guarding the entrance seemed more alert, perhaps because Wortman wasn’t there.

In particular, some knights looked suspicious seeing how Jawil Wilson, who had been here before, had returned with significantly more muscle.

Therefore.

Only after multiple checks were we allowed to enter Pandera territory.

The problem was that the knights were accompanying us.

“Young master, it seems the knights will escort us until we reach Village Chief Loris’s house.”

Jawil Wilson whispered quietly.

I looked around once and nodded.

“I suppose so. Unlike you, I’m just an outsider, not a native of Pandera territory.”

“This will make it difficult to contact Berik and Wortman.”

“It’s fine. Once I become acquainted with Village Chief Loris, the security will loosen up.”

Suddenly, Jawil Wilson saw something and stopped in his tracks, startled.

“Y-Young master. Over there….”

“I see it too. Just act natural.”

However.

My plans turned to dust the moment we entered Pandera territory.

There, in the distance, Berik was being dragged away somewhere, tied up with Pale Fruit rope.