Ch.294294. Mountain Lord (3)

And so, after we cast the arranged version of “Bring Your Parents,” which was “Guide Us to Your Parents.”

[That… seems difficult.]

“Oh? Why is that?”

Naturally, the demonic beasts were hesitant to take us to their stronghold, where their Mountain Lord was sick and their defenses had plummeted to rock bottom. But then again, we had no particular reason to be considerate of them.

[B-but… if we do that…]

“Listen well, demonic beasts. Don’t you understand yet that this is your only way to survive?”

[…Y-yes?]

“If you refuse to speak… then we would have no particular reason to let you live, would we?”

As I pressured them with this forceful attitude, they finally seemed to understand what kind of situation they were truly in…

“Let me be clear, just in case you’re thinking about it—don’t consider sacrificing yourselves here. Since you can’t take responsibility for your own transgressions, we’re simply going to visit your guardian.”

[…Is that so?]

“It is. We have no reason to kill your lord, nor do we need to. Nothing like what you’re imagining will happen.”

Using a carrot-and-stick strategy—pushing hard but then easing up slightly—I managed to persuade them. Somehow, after cooking and boiling them down, I finally got them to agree to lead us to their stronghold.

And so, as we followed these demonic beasts into the otherworld that was their homeland, I couldn’t help but inwardly sigh at their immaturity while observing them.

‘These guys are really young, aren’t they…?’

[…Yes. In many ways, they’re quite young.]

They were indeed very young individuals. Not just in terms of age, but their mental immaturity characteristic of young people was constantly evident.

Of course, they already possessed the minds of mature adults and fully developed bodies, but what Sophia and I considered childish was… their mental aspect.

To draw an analogy… they were like pampered greenhouse flowers, unaware of the ways of the world.

Having never experienced truly wicked and ugly malice, they felt guilty about being suspicious of others, while simultaneously trusting and believing in others too easily.

If we were to judge purely by character, this was certainly better than being evil… but in reality, this couldn’t exactly be called a good thing.

In this harsh world, excessive naivety is the worst trait that can put not only oneself but also those around you in danger.

I don’t particularly want to say this, but in this world, even being deceived can be considered a sin.

Therefore, during our telepathic conversation, we were able to reach several conclusions.

First, these individuals were likely still treated as children in their society, not yet having attained social positions similar to adults.

Second, their appearance here and attempt to raid passersby for medicines was probably an impulsive act born from their ignorance of the world.

And third, this raid was likely not sanctioned by their otherworldly dimension but rather an incident carried out on their own initiative.

‘They’re not… adults, are they?’

[…That’s right.]

The attitude they displayed was comparable to that of children trying to prove to adults that they could do something—more precisely, it was like someone who knows they aren’t recognized as a full member of society trying to prove themselves.

…It resembled my own immature self from my previous life, which made me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Anyway, while we were conversing with each other…

[T-this is the place.]

‘…I see.’

Finally, guided by Woong-jin the Asiatic black bear demonic beast, we arrived at their hometown in the otherworld… or more precisely, at the village located there.

※ ※ ※

To be honest, when I first heard about the demonic beast village in their otherworldly homeland… I didn’t have high expectations.

Even though they called it a village, I imagined at most a collection of pit houses or cave-like dwellings… perhaps something like the Silver Deer Village in the Aleinos Forest. I only had such simple and vague images in mind.

However, after I actually laid eyes on the village landscape.

‘Oh, this exceeds my expectations!’

[…Indeed. This village is… quite impressive in its own way.]

The demonic beast village we witnessed with our own eyes was a rather splendid sight, perhaps due to the gap between my low expectations and reality.

Unlike what I had anticipated, the houses here weren’t at the level of pit houses or caves. Rather, they were like trees grown in the shape of houses, with the inhabitants living inside them.

Each home was a living plant… specifically, a giant tree with a hollow stem, structured to accommodate the physical characteristics of each individual demonic beast… plants that showed signs of being artificially modified by someone.

Additionally, the village contained various tools and equipment that bore traces of magic, and the ground had well-maintained paths designed for easy running.

And if there was one more peculiar thing, it would be the absence of “walls”—something almost essential in the villages and civilized areas of this world.

Unlike Earth, in this world where humans cannot definitively reign as the apex species in the ecosystem, humanity possesses something akin to an instinct that yearns for the formation and maintenance of “safe zones.”

Well, to be precise, one could say that those who didn’t possess such instincts all perished… Anyway, the important point is that in this world, building walls to demarcate safe areas is not an option but a necessity.

In important cities where many people live, high stone and brick walls are erected and enchanted with magic. Even in rural villages surrounded only by farmland, setting up wooden palisades is considered virtually essential.

The wild animals of this world can easily kill even armed adult men, and in the forests, goblins that are extremely hostile and ferocious toward humans commonly appear.

In short, without at least a wooden palisade, there’s always the risk of invaders attacking from outside, making walls practically a necessity.

Of course, since they themselves are the wilderness and… this is where the ruler of the forest lives, walls wouldn’t exist here. But knowing this, and also knowing the “common sense” of this world, it still felt quite strange.

Anyway, while I was admiring the village scenery…

[Humans? Why have you brought humans here?!!]

A being that was clearly an owl bear, appearing to be a mid-rank demonic beast, visibly flinched upon seeing Sophia and me, who were obviously emanating high-rank auras. Then, perhaps as a form of reality avoidance, it immediately began scolding the animal friends who had brought us here.

And the content of that scolding proved to anyone listening that the fundamental cause of this entire situation indeed lay with them… and furthermore, that our conjectures had been correct.

The demonic beasts who attacked me were children not yet recognized as adults in this otherworld, who had acted impulsively and rashly after only partially understanding the situation, overstepping their authority.

[How could you do such things…!]

So while the owl bear-like mid-rank demonic beast, apparently responsible for educating these young ones, was severely reprimanding them,

I, who had been standing aside as an outsider, stepped forward with a deliberately arrogant attitude.

As I approached them, those young demonic beasts looked at me with sparkling eyes, perhaps hoping I would take their side, but…

“You’re a mid-rank, aren’t you?”

[Y-yes, High-rank one.]

“Good. I’ve come here to hold them accountable for their foolish actions. If possible… could you call the person in charge?”

[…Person in charge. Yes, understood.]

As I deliberately spoke to him in a reproachful manner while glancing at them, the low-ranks who had attacked me were looking at me with eyes full of despair…

“They attacked me for the sake of your lord, the Mountain Lord. So… I should meet him directly.”

[…Understood. I will arrange that immediately.]

I spoke to them mercilessly with a touch of spite, guiding them toward receiving appropriate punishment for their transgressions.

Of course, the responsibility for attacking me… naturally lies with the leader of this village, who is their guardian.