Author's note: I have added 'Talent's Index' to volume 0. It will contain the official names.
"Now, tell me! How could you hear what we were discussing from such a distance?"
The beastkin girl sure wouldn't back down. I looked at her companions, but they only shrugged.
"I can just...oh..."
"Ooh, what?"
No wonder she was so aggressive. Would you hear what two are whispering two meters away from you? Maybe. How about ten meters? Well, you wouldn't.
So was I. Maybe it was a talent. Nr 76, Enchanted hearing.
Although I had an inkling of what each image meant, I named them after I understood their use, just like in that case.
"I just have had good hearing since I was a child. I didn't realize it since most people here knew about me. I apologize for peeping on you."
I bowed my head. There wasn't much I could do. If not for my heightened senses, I would have been already dead. That girl was dangerous.
The rest of the team consisted of three men and two women. They didn't comment much while I was interrogated. A pair has even started cooking.
What's that smell? Meat? Bread? Soup? It smells divine! I want some...
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
"Lelei, leave him alone. Do you want a bite?"
Said another woman while giving me a bit of bacon wrapped in some bread.
"Wait, Aria! Why should we feed him..."
*Grumble**Grumble*
I blushed, hearing the embarring noise. It was so loud that it put a stop to her words.
"Sorry, I didn't eat anything decent in a long time."
I wanted to grab the offered food, but I had forgotten that my hands were tied. I somehow used my fingers and brought it to my mouth.
Mmm. This... this is a true feast! Huh, where did it go?
While slowly savoring it, the food had disappeared. I looked on the ground, but I couldn't find it. Did I drop it?
"Pfuhaha! You already ate it. Here, another bite."
"Thank you!"
Aria gave me another bite. It was so good that I ate it in one move.
*Grumble**Grumble*
Ugh. After not tasting meat for so long, my stomach started to hurt badly. Just wait; I would hunt a beast and eat it until I would be full.
"Here, the soup should be ready. Careful, it's still hot!"
She undid the restraints, enabling me to hold the scorching hot bowl properly.
I didn't care about the heat and gulped it down. It was only soup, so it went down quickly.
"Another one, please!"
I drank around 4 bowls until one of the men put his hand on my shoulders, squeezing it with a lot of force.
"That's enough! This is not a charity. You should have been thankful for what Lady Aria had given you! How dare you beg for more?"
I looked at him, not understanding what did he want to say. Isn't it food? How scarce can it be?
"I would make sure to pay you back."
"Ha, you? How dare you say that with such a skinny body? Just take a look at how you are dressed. Who would trust you?"
Was there a problem with my clothes? I made sure to soak them in water from time to time.
But still, he was right. They were pretty old when I took them, and now there were many holes in them. It was probably because they were poorly made, making the fabric unable to cope over time.
"I will change them when I have time. Now tell me, what should I do to get more food? I can hunt and bring you prey."
The 6 people turned towards me in unison and looked at me as if I was a crazy person.
"Wha-at?"
"Do you know what you have just said?"
"I said that I am good at hunting? What's wrong?"
"F*ck! This guy is pulling our leg! We should just kill him!"
Leilei intervened in our conversation once ago while threatening me.
"What is wrong with you!? Did I do something wrong to you? Why are you so mean to me?"
"Because you are lying! Some people would have believed you a year ago, but not now. If you were able to hunt, why would you starve? So stop spouting so many lies!"
"A year ago? Did something happen?"
"This guy is really faking it!"
"Wait! I was trapped in a cave for a long time, so I don't know what happened."
"Leilei, let's give him a chance to explain himself."
"Fine! But I won't take responsibility if he is a bad guy."
I started telling my story while omitting some details about the crystal, soldiers, and even about me being sold as a slave.
There was no good for them if they knew about it. Those people would surely come after me sooner or later.
"Around a year ago, contact with this village was cut off. The King decided to investigate, so he sent many knights. After that, many followed in its steps. After a long time, it was discovered that a long line of spider nests had appeared, separating us from the depths of the forest."
The man from earlier started explaining the rest after seeing that Aria stopped, unsure how to better explain it to me.
"That's because, even if you could hunt before, it would be impossible to do it now. Most of the weakest beasts had perished, leaving only the strongest ones and those spiders. We tried to destroy some nests and advance toward the forest. But we were once again blocked by another nest."
"He is right. It was as if the monsters had built a barrier to block us from discovering what was happening inside. Our mission here is to recover anything that can give us useful information."
I see...many things happened while I was away. Were the monsters preparing to attack our territory? No wonder the King did...
"Wait, the King? Since when did we have a king?"
"You really don't know? It was around six months ago. The wandering lands were included in the Izazia Kingdom. To be truthful, few could stand against their army. Many tribes were annihilated."
In the end, it seemed that all those who wanted to claim this region as theirs were defeated. Then for what reason was my home destroyed?
"Oh, right! I forgot to ask your name. I am Aria. And you?"
My name... right, I had one. I almost forgot after spending so much time trapped in that place.
"My name is Baruld, son of the fearless Hungus!"