Chapter 20: Dragon Cradle, and then to the Beastmen Village – 28
It was something I felt as soon as I entered this village, but the Beastmen as a whole gave off an impression of being passionate people.
So, when Mr. Zendar told me,
“It’s only natural to make a ruckus at times like this! In fact, it’d be a waste not to have a feast!”
I could readily accept it when he said it so forcefully.
I wonder if the atmosphere is similar to the Dwarf Village I visited before. However, while the Dwarves tend to focus more on drinking, the Beastmen seem to put more effort into eating. Also, fueled by alcohol, several groups had started fighting.
According to Mr. Zendar, though, that’s apparently a unique Beastmen way of communicating and fostering relationships – using the feast as an opportunity to say things they normally can’t, and getting it all out of their system. As someone who just commuted between home and work for a long time, I find learning about different cultures very interesting.
Anyway, the feast itself is being held in the village square, but I and the members of the Guidance of Sol are sitting at the main table of honor around a bonfire, along with the chiefs of the various tribes.
With Mr. Zendar on my right and Ms. Māri on my left, they’re fussing over me quite a bit, making me feel rather humbled.
“No, no, when we had our strength contest, I thought there was no way I could win, but you weren’t even serious back then!”
Mr. Zendar, who had kept his arm around my shoulder since the feast began, laughed heartily, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Ah, well, yes, that’s about right.”
“Why’re ya whisperin’ like that? You’re a strong man, act more confident! You’re a noble, ain’t ya?”
“I’ve always been like this, so I can’t change immediately. To be honest, being a noble doesn’t really suit my character.”
“I see. But I find guys like you more trustworthy. Means I can entrust Karma to you without worry.”
Mr. Zendar shook my body as he laughed. His body language is intense; if it weren’t me, I bet some people would get seriously injured.
“By the way, Māri, what happened with that girl of yours? You’re entrusting her to Mr. Soushi, right?”
“After seeing that kind of power, there’s nothing I can do, really. If Lani traveled with him and saw that all the time, even she’d probably end up happy to wear his collar.”
Ms. Māri said this in a half-exasperated tone, but the worries that had flickered across her face before were gone, replaced by a rather refreshed expression.
“Mr. Soushi, she might be that kind of girl, but please take care of her. We’ll handle things with the chief over here.”
“Thank you very much. Um, well, Lani-san… I will definitely treasure her.”
When asked so directly and clearly, I find myself struggling for an answer. Is it because I still lack resolve? Honestly, regarding Lani, the age difference still bothers me quite a bit.
“But to think Lani will become a noblewoman… Same for Zendar’s girl, but does that mean we’ll be treated as relatives of a noble too?”
“I believe so. However, I’m not the kind of noble who governs a territory, so I don’t know how much significance that holds. Speaking of which, are there no Beastmen nobles, or any who have married into nobility?”
“Not that I’ve ever heard of. There’s been a lot between Beastmen and Humans since long ago, you see. This country is good because there’s less of that, but there are still some noisy nobles out there.”
Ms. Māri is being quite vague, but it likely means there are things like conflict and discrimination between the races.
Considering that, as a Marquis who has Humans, Beastmen, Elves, Ogres, and Majin… I seem to be quite an exceptional existence. Though perhaps I’m already exceptional in terms of ‘numbers’ even before that.
“So, are you guys leaving tomorrow already, Mr. Soushi? Karma mentioned something like that.”
I nodded at Mr. Zendar’s words.
“Yes. It really seems like that ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ might be involved behind the disappearances of the Beastmen freed from slavery. We plan to head towards the Armand Duchy tomorrow.”
“That’s helpful for us, but… Mr. Soushi, you’ve been traveling around like this, solving incidents here and there, haven’t you?”
“Somehow, it just ends up that way. It’s related to the Skills I possess; it’s not really about me myself.”
I’ve certainly experienced various incidents and battles up until now, but I strongly feel that for all of them, I’ve merely managed to get through events prepared for me by ‘Celestial Fortune’.
Although, well, the fact that I end up standing out is largely due to the extraordinary power I possess.
So, while I don’t intend to act particularly humble, Ms. Māri seemed a little dissatisfied.
“What are you talking about? Putting together what I heard from Lani and everything, it’s clear you’ve gotten through things thanks to your character and wisdom, Mr. Soushi. Lani seems to like that part of you too, you know. I dislike nobles who act all high and mighty just because they’re nobles, but I think you could stand to act a bit more imposing, Mr. Soushi. Otherwise, people will look down on you.”
“I think what you’re saying is quite right, Ms. Māri. It concerns Lani-san’s well-being too, so I do want to try and change.”
“Well, I can’t imagine anyone looking down on you after seeing that Mace, though!”
Mr. Zendar slapped my back hard and laughed. At the sound of the impact, two young men who had been fighting turned to look this way with surprised faces.
As we were talking, a thick rope was carried into the feast area. It was the same kind of rope I used in the strength contest with Mr. Zendar.
“What’s about to start over there?”
“A strength contest, of course. It’s a standard event at feasts among the Beastmen. The young ones show off their strength, trying to catch the eye of the girl they like.”
“Ah, I see. That kind of culture is really nice.”
“Right? I participated in that and won Marza. Come to think of it, Norekka was strong too.”
As Mr. Zendar said this with a slightly distant look in his eyes, Ms. Māri also wore an expression of nostalgia, saying, “That’s right.”
What Wahid of the Netherworld Candlestick did is unforgivable, but perhaps there was some small meaning in it, in the sense that he returned Mr. Norekka, who had fallen into the river and was treated as missing, to his homeland.
While I was feeling a bit sentimental, a few drunken young men approached us.
One of them, a young wolf beastman, bowed his head.
“Excuse me, everyone’s sayin’ they wanna see Mr. Soushi’s strength, so could ya participate in the strength contest?”
“Eh? No, I…”
“We wanna see the strength of Mr. Soushi, the one Karma and Lani fell for!”
“No, ‘fell for’ is…”
As I hesitated, Mr. Zendar whispered in my ear.
“The young guys saw how cute Karma and Lani have become and fell for ’em. It’d be better if you showed your strength, Mr. Soushi, to make ’em give up.”
Since he put it that way, I decided to accept the young men’s request, thinking of it as the duty of a sinful man.
Naturally, no one could match me one-on-one, and somehow the Beastmen got heated up in a different way, leading eventually to a 1-versus-20 tug-of-war.
Seeing me win easily even then brought the feast to its peak excitement, which was fine in itself, but the way the Beastmen girls there were looking at me seemed to hold a certain fervor… I can only pray that was just my imagination.