Persuasion (2)

There was a peculiar atmosphere unique to military camps at night.

The shadows of the protruding tents stretched long in the moonlight, naturally creating an oppressive mood. Moreover, the atmosphere of the war that should have ended today had become even more severe, and at the temporary guard posts set up with fires lit here and there, pairs of guards were standing watch.

“…Why have you come?”

So it was natural that these five people were spotted.

It’s a bit of a misnomer to say they were spotted, as they boldly approached the main gate of the camp, so they might as well have revealed themselves.

Yona managed her expression as best she could while looking at the Lizardman who asked in an awkward posture, unable to point his spear at her.

After all, they hadn’t come to fight, and in a way, they had come to make a somewhat desperate request, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Your tribe’s chief… I mean, um…”

“Atilamancha.”

As Alec whispered in her ear, Yona continued speaking as if nothing had happened, lifting her head high.

“I’ve come to meet Atilamancha.”

“Why does the Saintess want to meet our chief?”

Ah, so many words.

Yona felt something surge up inside her for a moment, but she couldn’t help it. If she lost her temper here, nothing would be accomplished, so she had to endure. Yona spoke to the Lizardman, forcing a gentle smile.

“About what happened this afternoon, something felt strange. I came because I wanted to talk to Chief Atilamancha.”

“Isn’t that too many people for such a thing? Five… and one of them is a snake from that damn Azrami tribe.”

“What’s with this hatred for your own kind…”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Snakes or Lizardmen.

They look similar and are both reptiles, aren’t they?

Yona pushed such thoughts deep into her mind and put on a serious expression.

“I didn’t come to say strange things like mediation. Besides, even though I look like this, I’m a Saintess. Should I be talking to you like this? Get someone higher up to come out.”

“That’s…”

“Ah, forget it. Do you think we’re doing this because we lack power?”

Yona’s temper finally reached its limit.

There was no time to waste here, and there was no reason to quarrel with the lower-ranking soldiers anyway.

“Yona, be patient.”

At that moment, Kairoc grabbed Yona’s shoulder.

Yona seemed like she might use force even here, but this wasn’t the place for that.

There are places to lose your temper and places not to, and this was definitely not one of them.

“Listen, young Lizardman.”

Kairoc stepped forward and called out to the Lizardman in a calm voice.

Because of his large build, even though all Lizardmen are large, they looked a bit small compared to Kairoc.

“We’ve come to see Chief Atilamancha. I don’t know if you saw earlier, but we weren’t involved in this incident at all. Our Saintess here is the same—”

“We clearly saw you harming Lord Adinimu and Lord Barikian! If it wasn’t for the plot of those Azrami tribe bastards, our Meadow Gill tribe wouldn’t have fallen so easily!”

Not Yona, but when another Lizardman stepped forward, the guard Lizardman seemed to find courage.

Despite the difference in build compared to Kairoc, the young Lizardman charged forward, shouting angrily. Kairoc tried to soothe him with what he thought was a warm smile.

“That can’t be. The Azrami tribe didn’t do such a thing, and we certainly didn’t—”

“What’s impossible is impossible! Our Meadow Gill tribe will surely remember today’s shame!”

“This green little bastard…”

Veins bulged on Kairoc’s forehead.

As Yona looked at Kairoc with a somewhat pitiful gaze, other Lizardmen began to gather around.

“So it ends up like this after all.”

Alec sighed and drew out his shield and hammer.

With Yona and Arami in the center, Kairoc, Alec, and James formed a wall around them, glaring at the surrounding Lizardmen with unfriendly eyes.

“What’s all this commotion?”

Along with a deep bass voice, the shadow of a figure even larger than Kairoc fell upon them.

It was Atilamancha.

“Being a Saintess doesn’t mean you can enter any place you want.”

Although it was the chief’s tent, it wasn’t that large.

It wasn’t much different from other tents, but at least it was befitting of a chief in that he used it alone.

A bed with wooden legs attached, and a low table tightly woven from reeds.

And around it, they sat on the bare ground with cups of water in front of them, glaring at each other.

“I came because I have something to say.”

“I’m sure you’re going to say it’s a misunderstanding, that the Azrami tribe didn’t do such a thing.”

“You know well.”

Alec instinctively almost drew his hammer.

As soon as Yona finished speaking, a burst of killing intent erupted from Atilamancha, and not only Alec but also Kairoc and James sensed it.

—And so did Yona.

Her adventurer life wasn’t for nothing. Yona had been an adventurer for several years, and during that time, she and Alec had crossed the line between life and death countless times. Yona couldn’t help but notice that Atilamancha was emitting killing intent.

“Lizard.”

A low, downcast voice.

Yona was staring straight at Atilamancha as she spoke.

“Do you think I came all this way to speak nicely? Don’t get cocky.”

Black smoke was rising from Yona in wisps.

That power stolen from Damian, the magic.

That magic was rising from Yona as smoke.

Not only that, but from where Yona sat, a black, slimy mud-like substance was slowly spreading out with her at the center.

“If I came all this way to resolve this nicely, you should at least pretend to listen. I was surprised earlier and didn’t do anything, but not now. I can crush you here easily.”

Yona picked up the water cup and leisurely took a sip.

Even as she did so, her orange eyes were fixed on Atilamancha, and Atilamancha, after glaring back at Yona’s gaze, slowly lowered his eyes. He didn’t understand why himself, but it was like an instinct. There was no reason.

“If I wanted to resolve this by force, I would have already done so. I could solve this alone. Even Catsy, whom you Meadow Gill tribe worship as a god, can’t treat me carelessly. This way you’re treating me now—”

With a ‘tok’ sound, the water cup shook.

Ripples formed in the water in the rough wooden cup, and the cup, which seemed about to fall but ultimately didn’t, barely returned to its place.

“This, I mean. It wouldn’t take much effort to clean up ill-mannered lizards who offer such things to a Saintess. But I came all this way to try to resolve this nicely, and you dare to emit killing intent, so ill-mannered.”

Yona’s eyes gleamed.

Alec swallowed hard as he watched Yona.

He was unconsciously tense at this side of Yona he had never seen before.

“What I want to say isn’t very long. Atilamancha, as you know, no one at that meeting place was carrying weapons. Of course, my companions were carrying them, but it would be troublesome to lump them together, wouldn’t it?”

Yona’s eyes were blazing.

She had been patient until now, but basically, Yona wasn’t very patient, and she believed that if someone treated her carelessly, she should return the favor.

Moreover, while there hadn’t been such incidents before, Atilamancha had just now emitted killing intent towards Yona, and that had directly triggered Yona’s temperament.

“I am a Saintess. I should be fair. From what I saw, the Azrami tribe didn’t do anything, so I came to try to calm the situation. Don’t you understand this now?”

“…I do.”

Atilamancha’s voice was subdued.

It was good that he had shouted boldly at first, but Yona’s ignition point was lower than he thought, and Atilamancha, retaining the sensitive senses characteristic of beastkin, was instinctively feeling that this Saintess named Yona before him was far from merciful, literally closer to a predator.

“So that’s why I made this troublesome trip, you lizard.”

“…What should we do?”

Satisfied with Atilamancha’s response, Yona finally opened her mouth slowly.

With a sense of satisfaction that she had scared him enough—

“Show me the corpses. I need to investigate what caused the bleeding.”

“Show the corpses, Saintess? What do you mean? They have already left the prairie.”

Atilamancha suddenly lifted his head, which had been lowered at some point.

They hadn’t been buried yet, nor had they been given the sky burial (風葬) according to the Meadow Gill tribe’s funeral customs.

However, Atilamancha couldn’t accept Yona’s request to examine the corpses.

“There’s no need to react like that, I’m not going to do anything strange even if I examine the corpses. I just want to see how they died, that’s all.”

“Even so, that’s an insult to our dead brethren…”

“Isn’t dying without knowing the cause an insult?”

At Yona’s words, Atilamancha closed his mouth.

He had already concluded that they were killed by the Azrami tribe, that was the cause.

Even now, it was difficult for Atilamancha to accept examining the corpses again.

“They died unjustly. That’s how I see it.”

Arami, watching Yona speak like this, thought the atmosphere was turning strange.

Until now, that is, from when Arami met Yona until now, the Yona she had seen was a somewhat lacking woman.

She was called a Saintess—and undoubtedly was one—

But she seemed to lack common sense somewhere, was hesitant, and didn’t seem very capable.

That’s why she thought there was no way she would be caught when she inflicted wounds on Adinimu and Barikian’s necks and poured in the poison.

But now that Yona was insisting on examining the wounds again, Arami had no choice but to come along.

‘…He should refuse, refusing is the right thing to do. No matter how stupid these prairie lizards are, they… can’t accept this.’

This Saintess was casually spouting crazy talk about examining corpses.

And Atilamancha looked like he was about to accept it.

If that happened, it would surely be discovered.

That Adinimu and Barikian had died due to the intervention of someone other than the Meadow Gill tribe or the Azrami tribe.

Arami grew anxious.

Alternately fondling the short branch and dagger neatly hidden in the inner pocket of her servant’s clothes, Arami chewed her lips nervously.