Chapter 20: Dragon Cradle, and Then to the Beastmen Village – 25
The next day, we brought Lani and Karma along and cleared D and C-rank Dungeons.
Unlike the day before yesterday, large numbers of small fry started appearing, but it seems we’ve reached a point where we can’t feel settled unless we’re in these kinds of Dungeons.
Furthermore, Sphenia said, “With such a large group, it’s a little worrying if we don’t obtain a lot of Magic Stones and materials,” and I found myself agreeing with her.
Just looking at our assets, we have enough to live comfortably in that house in the Imperial Capital for 10 years as long as we don’t live too extravagantly, but perhaps the reason I still feel uneasy without an income is because my commoner sensibilities remain.
We stayed another night at Māri-san’s house that day. The next day…
After finishing breakfast, as I was telling Māri-san that we planned to leave tomorrow, we heard voices coming from the entrance. It seemed there were visitors.
Māri-san said, “Excuse me for a moment,” stood up, and headed towards the entrance.
From the voices we could hear, it sounded like some neighbors had come by for something.
“…I’m telling you, it’s true!”
“…True? Norekka died over five years ago.”
“…But they never found his body, right? So then…”
“…He fell into the river with his neck nearly severed. Even for an Adventurer, there’s no way he survived.”
“…No, but I’m serious. Just come and see.”
“…Honestly. This prank is going too far. Just because Lani came back…”
“…Lani would want to see her father too, wouldn’t she?”
Both the man who visited and Māri-san were speaking loudly, so we couldn’t help but overhear their conversation even without trying to eavesdrop.
But even picking up just fragments of words, it sounded like they were discussing something serious. Lani, whose ears had been twitching, couldn’t stand it anymore and went towards the entrance.
Freynil, who had been watching Lani leave, turned to me with a worried expression.
“Soushi-sama, that conversation just now sounded very important.”
“I agree. It’s about Lani’s family, but I feel like we should get involved too.”
“Yes, I thought so too.”
Sphenia and the others nodded as well, so I stood up and headed for the entrance.
At the entrance, besides Māri-san and Lani, there were two young Beastmen, a man and a woman, continuing the conversation.
Lani sensed my presence and came closer.
“Ah, Soushi, what do you think?”
“I couldn’t hear the details. What are they talking about?”
“Um, well, I think I told you the day before yesterday that my father died, but apparently, someone who looks just like him is outside the Village. They’re talking about what to do.”
“I see.”
It seemed the conversation was just as I’d overheard.
“Um, is this story true?”
When I asked the young man and woman who brought the news to confirm, they both nodded.
“No doubt about it. He himself says he’s Norekka.”
“Then why can’t he enter the Village immediately?”
“Well, the thing is, he looks exactly the same as he did back then. And also, there’s his smell…”
At those last words, all the members of ‘Guidance of Sol’ who had followed me exchanged glances.
Māri-san sharply asked again.
“What about the smell?”
“Ah, the guy claiming to be Norekka-san, he has this strange smell, like rotting meat. That’s why we thought something was off and asked him to wait before entering the Village.”
“Hmm… So, Lani, do you know anything about this?”
“Yeah. In both the Kingdom and the Empire, I’ve met guys similar to that.”
“Similar in what way? You don’t mean there are multiple people claiming to be Norekka?”
“No, no. I’ve met guys with that rotting smell several times. They’re terrible villains called the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ who manipulate the Undead, and they’re the ones we’re chasing.”
When Lani said that with a serious face, Māri-san and the young man and woman who had come to call her all wore troubled expressions.
In any case, nothing would start until they went to see him, so it was decided that Māri-san would go meet the person claiming to be Norekka.
Given the flow of the conversation, it seemed likely to be the work of ‘Celestial Fortune’, so naturally, we intended to go along too, but…
…we were told, “If they’re plotting something, it’s better if you aren’t there, Soushi-san,” so Lani and I decided to hide and watch.
If the ones manipulating the person claiming to be Norekka were people we’d dealt with before, like Isnani, Wahid, or Sarasa, there was a chance they’d flee if they saw our faces.
Still, we were worried about Māri-san and the others, so I asked Marianne to use her ‘Stealth’ Skill to act as a nearby bodyguard.
“This is amazing. I know she’s there by her scent, but I can’t see her at all,” Māri-san remarked, deeply impressed, as she headed outside the Village.
We followed them as far as the Village’s City Wall and decided to watch the situation from the edge of the wall.
Being the plainest and least conspicuous member of the group, I decided to monitor their exchange from behind the City Gate, keeping my face hidden just in case.
Lani was stuck close behind me, fidgeting with a face that was half worried and half wanting to see for herself.
“Lani, do you remember your father’s face?”
“Mmm, sort of. But if anything, I remember his smell better.”
“That’s very like you, Lani. But if the person is someone manipulating your father’s body, you wouldn’t be able to forgive that, would you?”
“It’s not that I don’t feel that way, but we Beastmen judge others by smell first. If the smell is different, I don’t think I’d feel like it’s really him, no matter how similar he looks.”
“I see, so that’s how it is…”
It’s very typical of Beastmen, or rather, a very interesting sensibility.
But thinking about it, even among humans, if someone only looked similar but their words and actions were completely different, we probably wouldn’t treat them as the same person. In that sense, perhaps it’s not such a different way of thinking after all.
Anyway, Māri-san and the guides walked over to where five individuals were standing on the road.
One of them was a mature wolf beastman around 30 years old. His eyes resembled Lani’s, so he was likely the person claiming to be Norekka. His grey, shaggy hair gave him a rugged impression; he was quite a handsome man.
The other four seemed to be guards from the City Gate. There were two Tiger Beastmen and two dog Beastmen, and they clearly looked wary.
When Māri-san and the others arrived, the Soldiers exchanged a few words and then withdrew.
The distance was over 100 meters, but Māri-san’s and the others’ voices reached my ears.
“You… are you really Norekka?”
“Yes, I am. I wanted to see you, Māri.”
“Is that so… I wanted to see you too. So, what have you been doing all this time? You look exactly the same as when you were swept away by the river.”
“About that, it seems I lost my memory for a long time. I continued being an Adventurer and fought strong monsters many times, so maybe that’s why my appearance hasn’t changed. Besides, judging by looks alone, you don’t seem to have changed either.”
“That’s not true. I’ve been acting as the chief in your place all this time.”
“I’ve caused you trouble then. But I’m here now. I won’t let you suffer anymore.”
“That makes me happy.”
After that exchange, Māri-san and the person claiming to be Norekka embraced and then started walking this way.
We quickly hid behind a building.
Lani poked me in the side.
“Soushi, how did it look?”
“It seemed like Māri-san acknowledged him as Norekka, for now.”
“So, does that mean it’s really him?”
“I wonder. Judging by Māri-san’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like she believed him wholeheartedly yet.”
“Mom has sharp intuition, you know. I don’t think she’ll be deceived.”
“Then she probably intends to ascertain the other party’s objective first.”
While we were talking, Māri-san and Norekka entered the City Gate side-by-side, chatting. They headed straight for Māri-san’s house.
Lani’s nose twitched, and she wrinkled the bridge of her nose.
“It really is that smell. The smell of the Netherworld Candlestick. I never imagined my father would end up like this.”
“Yeah… Lani, if this bothers you, you can sit this one out.”
Having her father’s body used as a puppet… how much of a shock must that be for Lani, who is still just a girl?
She had said earlier that if the smell was different… but the heart isn’t something that can be compartmentalized so easily.
Despite my worries, Lani’s attitude didn’t falter at all.
“It’s fine. Like I said before, if the smell is different, he’s a different person. The outside is my father’s body, but the inside is that weird sludge, right? Whatever happens, I won’t let it bother me.”
“I see… Alright then.”
“More importantly, what do we do now? We’re keeping watch, right?”
“For now, let’s keep watch around the house. But we can’t all do it.”
“I’m doing it, you know.”
“I know. How about you, me, and Frey? Against the Netherworld Candlestick, Frey’s ‘Saint’s Eye’ Skill is crucial.”
“Understood. I’ll have everyone else go to Karma’s house for now.”
“Please do.”
And so, the three of us—me, Lani, and Frey—hid in the shadows near Lani’s house, while the other six waited at Karma’s house.