episode_0070

We quickly lit a fire and sat around it.

Only then did a thought pass through my mind: how amazing this group’s composition would look if someone saw it.

The peoples and empires of this land, vampires, centaurs, dragon soldiers, ancient spider demons and even cursed rabbit women.

Moreover, the last three were half-tied.

Doesn’t it seem like the beginning of an old folk tale?

The more relaxed atmosphere after work was somewhat completed also added to that feeling.

“So… what do you all plan to do now?

Now that I have finished everything I received from the oracle, I plan to return to the village with this child…”

In this quiet atmosphere, when all the firewood that had been thrown into the bonfire was about to burn out, the female warrior threw in another tree branch and asked at the same time.

“…Kooo…”

As she asked that question, a druid girl was sleeping on her lap with her head resting on her back.

He must have been very nervous at a young age and waited for us all day, so it was natural that he would break down now that the tension was gone.

I heard that the ritual to awaken Alle failed and the tribe she belonged to was almost wiped out, so it was fortunate that the female warrior seemed to be able to take care of her.

“Similar. We have successfully completed the requested hunt, so we must cross the wall and return to the empire.

There’s just one thing I’d like to ask you…”

I glanced at Alle, who was now curled up next to the fire, seemingly resigned, asleep, and continued.

“Please spread the word about this hunt as widely as possible.”

One of the biggest reasons the Empress asked me for this hunt was because of the monsters running rampant in the border area, bringing untimely war clouds to the Britannia region.

Some tribes in this land thought of Ale, who had long ago been cursed by the goddess of war they worshiped and turned into an immortal monster, as a messenger from God who announced the start of war.

In order to calm the situation on the border, which had been extremely unstable, it was necessary to spread the word that Alleh had been captured and break their trust.

“Of course. Our tribe also does not want war with the Empire.

First of all, this is an achievement that I can brag about to my descendants.”

The female warrior readily accepted my offer and smiled with pride.

However, looking at Aladikh, who was still busy gazing at the stars, a bit of worry appeared on his face.

“…What will you do when you return to the Empire?”

Still, since it was now up to me to decide what to do with her, it seemed like I was asking around instead of asking directly what to do with Aladikh.

I decided to give her a clear answer to ease her worries, which must have been worrying ever since she signed the contract with Aladikh.

“I will head to the islands to present the captured Ale to the emperor I serve… and interrogate the captive.

And Aladikh… will be a useful asset to the Empire. He will use his abilities for the Empire.

I can’t go into detail, but there are already such cases.”

I spoke while thinking of Lesala of the Scylla race, who is one of the Empress’s confidants and manages the giant bathhouse Thermae in Aquaris City.

Of course, the two cases were not exactly the same.

“However, since this did not begin with voluntary cooperation, there will be more surveillance.

At least you don’t have to worry because what you’re worried about won’t happen.

…There are many ways.”

I wouldn’t say this is a positive aspect of the empire, but…

The empire, where the slave business had originally developed, had related technology and magic at its peak due to the influence of the Catenis family.

So much so that even dragons can be trapped and traded as goods if you catch them.

Of course, this did not mean that he would use Aladikh as a slave, but that he had an abundance of means to control her.

If she continues to be as cooperative as she is now, there will be no need to use those methods.

I also smiled bitterly and sighed towards the female warrior who seemed reassured by my words, but couldn’t help but frown at the evil practices of the empire implied in those words.

He then turned his gaze towards the mercenary who had always been interested in the conversation, but could not participate and was only looking at us, and spoke.

“You also faithfully fulfilled your role as a guide until the end, so I will ask the governor to reduce the punishment.

There won’t be any major problems making a living as a mercenary again.”

“Thank you. Nari!”

He, who had been staring at my mouth with a nervous expression, finally lowered his head as he answered in a brighter voice, as if he was completely at ease.

“I’ll have to run busily again starting tomorrow, so I think I should take a break. Owner.”

After the discussion about the future schedule was somewhat over and I leaned against her, Emma gave me advice, anticipating the forced march ahead.

Of course, since the urgent situation had been resolved, there was no need to rush as much as when heading to Britannia, but the long journey still had to take place again.

Moreover, we were already very tired from the long fight here.

Among our group members, Luvia, who had used up too much energy, was already fast asleep.

Fortunately, it was at night so even she, a vampire, could rest in peace.

“Okay. You’re right. I guess I should stop talking and take a break.”

So, I decided to take Emma’s advice and take a break.

Of course, I did not forget to discuss with my companions and take turns standing guard.

If you overcome all the dangers while hunting but lose your life because you neglected your guard at the last minute, it would be so ridiculous that it can’t even be called a comedy.

Fortunately, there were quite a few people to share the time with, and the vacant lot where we were seated was an open space that made it easy to spot danger in advance.

Thanks to this, staying on watch would not be such a burden even on tired bodies.

I yawned a little when my turn came, but that was it.

While everyone else was asleep, Emma and I took turns picking up the spear and settling down.

Soon, Emma also lay down and fell asleep again, and there was silence everywhere except for the sound of the sleeping people breathing.

Thanks to this, it became easier to notice right away if something unusual happened, but to put that thought in vain, nothing happened until the time I had to stand guard was over.

Just when I thought I could soon put down the window and go back to sleep, I noticed that one of the sleeping companions had woken up.

The young druid girl who was sleeping in the female warrior’s arms began to struggle under the thick arms that were hugging her.

After struggling for a moment, she soon managed to get the arms out of the way and stand up.

I yawned, rubbing my still sleepy eyes.

And the child’s blinking eyes looked at me.

At first, I thought I just woke up briefly or had to go to the bathroom.

So I just nodded that I understood and that it was okay, but…

The druid girl shook her head as if that wasn’t the case and walked towards me.

Until you can stand right in front of me and look up at me.

‘This is so… I don’t even know what’s going on all of a sudden, and I just want to tell you to go back to sleep…

‘What are you going to do?’

Normally, a female warrior who could speak the imperial language would have been there to translate, but she, who had been on watch before me, was sleeping without knowing anything about the world.

If you want to wake her up, you have to wake her up, but there’s no way that girl doesn’t know that.

Is this a business where the language aspect is not a big problem?

For a moment, I was worried that maybe it was because I sensed something dangerous with my druid abilities, even though I was inexperienced, but…

For the same reason, if he had done that, he would have awakened a female warrior of the same race as himself, rather than coming to me.

The child just kept looking at me and said nothing.

In the end, when I decided to ask, even if it was just a gesture mixed with words that didn’t make sense to me.

“This is what the best hunter in the empire looks like.”

The voice that came out of the child’s mouth erased all those thoughts.

I could understand it perfectly.

The druid girl didn’t suddenly learn the imperial language.

My ears were clearly aware that it was still a word used by the people of this land.

It was just that the meaning was easily conveyed as if there were no problems.

But what was even more disconcerting was the fact that, at first glance, the voice seemed the same as the girl’s, but was completely different.

It was the voice of a being that was very old and as powerful as the times… no, it was voices.

Such strong beings were talking to me, not just one, but many.

If what was contained in their voices was hostility rather than kindness and curiosity… they would have had to make an effort not to inadvertently pull out their spears and throw them.

But since I confirmed that wasn’t the case, I also had to make efforts to maintain the current situation.

I also ask, trying to soften my tense voice as much as possible.

“I hope it is not an undeserved title and I will always try my best. Who are these people who call me that in the middle of the night?”

The voices laughed softly, as if they were happy that I had controlled myself and asked the question.

I myself couldn’t understand what it meant to see voices, but at that moment, I had no choice but to explain it that way.

“Then let us introduce ourselves as hosts to the guests who come to this land.”

The moment they finished speaking, light bloomed and enveloped the entire area.

As the light faded, the empty space disappeared, and only a white space surrounded it, with no end in sight.

With new people you’ve never seen before.

And I was able to realize it simply because they came without any process of understanding or rationalization.

The gods of this land came to visit me in person.