When we arrived at the beastkin village, we immediately started bartering.
Lay a rug made of woven grass on the ground, and arrange crafts and behemoth materials for exchange on it. As soon as we did that, we were surrounded by beasts. Just a little beastly.
"It's been a while since I've had Behemoth meat."
"Oh, look at this skin! It's almost intact!"
"I want fangs, but I can't afford them."
"Hey, I want some salt. Will you stop by on the way home?"
Elmina-san and Rifana are in charge of negotiating, and I'm in charge of loading and unloading luggage. A bleeder is someone who keeps an eye out for anyone taking your luggage away.
The beastkin chimikko were caught by the neck by the mothers when they seemed to be innocently approaching me. Mothers' gazes are often poured on me, so maybe they're wary of me as a human.
I take out the luggage as instructed by Elmina-san and store the bartered items again. And Rifana records it, and Breeda keeps an eye on the whole thing. While doing such work endlessly, the sun went down and the bonfire was lit. The banquet begins in the square illuminated by the bonfire.
"I have to do it quickly when a guest comes."
What did the tiger man say? He usually lives modestly.
Most of the commodities traded in beastman settlements were animal skins, wool, and firewood. Well-dried firewood is quite valuable for the birdmen who live on the quay, and it seems to be very popular.
Fruit wine and mead made from fermented forest fruits will be served, and grilled behemoth meat will smack your lips. I and the elves also participated in a corner of such a feast.
While I was thinking that the banquets of the beastkins weren't that different anywhere, a few beastkins approached me. There was a slightly sly atmosphere in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was in trouble.
"Hey, human! Fight with me!"
"Why white?"
I instinctively ask the monkey beastman who seems to be drunk. Let me hit you, instead, hit each other.
"I hate humans! I want to hit them!"
Busy! A monkey man pointing his finger. Instinctual motivation indeed!
"But it's not manly to hit one-sidedly! So hit you too!"
"OK! But I'm strong!"
"As much as you want! Human!"
"So, let's play for a while."
"Make sure it doesn't affect tomorrow"
"... Humans are barbaric after all."
"..."
Elmina-san pointed a nail at me, Rifana looked at me with an astonished expression, and Breeda silently stood up. It seems that the breeder intends to come to me.
I came to the side of the large bonfire that was lit in the center of the square while applause was flying. For the time being, some beastmen stand beside it so that they don't fall in the direction of the bonfire.
"Are you prepared, human!"
"Oh, I have a name Taishi, nice to meet you."
"I'm Golba. Let's go!"
At the same time as I set up, Golba, a monkey beastman, rushes in. Its speed is fast, and its figure illuminated by the swaying bonfire appears blurred for a moment. I didn't dare to avoid the right fist that was aimed at his face, but on the contrary, I gained momentum and received it with my forehead.
"Gi!?"
I also take damage, but Golba's fist would have taken more damage than that. As evidence of that, he pulled his fist and made a disgustingly painful face.
"Sorry!"
I grabbed Golba's left arm, which I hadn't been able to pull off, and tried to forcefully swing it around and slam it into the ground. But I'm still holding onto Golba's left arm. This time I pull him in and aim for his leg with a low kick.
"Huh!"
However, Golba jumped lightly and avoided my kick when I tried to brush off his leg, and twisted his body as he tried to entangle my body with his leg. I feel like I'm going to be taken to the joint technique, so I swing around with all my might and throw Golba away.
"Chee! Don't do it, human!"
"No, I think you're pretty good too."
I'm not very good at joint techniques. Now, he threw Golba on the spur of the moment and got out of trouble. It seems better to avoid infight here and set up a striking battle from out range.
Change your stance and use your footwork to change to a tingling attack style. I'm superior in fist speed and explosive power, and above all, Golba, who hurts his right fist, which is his dominant arm, became a defensive battle.
"Olah! Humans are dirty!"
"No, it's a good move. That beastman seems to be a strong type when grappling."
"Go, Golba! Jump in!"
Is it Breeda who has a calm opinion among the jeers? This style seems to be unpopular, so this time I will jump in and move on to short-range batting. The point is, you just have to be careful not to be mastered even if you are assembled.
I sharply brush off Golba's gripping hand with the back of my hand, and aim at the clavicle with my hand sword. I stepped further into Golba, who pulled back and dodged, and made him sink his fist into his body.
"Goff!?"
Golba's body broke into a dogleg. He immediately threw his fist at his jaw, jolting his brain. No matter how strong a beast man is, as long as he has a brain in his head, there's no way this wouldn't work.
As expected, Golba went down. He seems to be still conscious, but he seems to be quite hazy. Several men came out from among the onlookers and dragged Golba along.
"Okay, is there anyone else? I'll take on any number of people!"
The beasts murmur at my challenge. Next came a bear beast man. Unlike Golba, he was attacking from the front, so I also received it from the front and sank it with a batting battle.
Even after that, when I knocked down about two people, another guy appeared.
"Hey, you too"
"Wouldn't it be better?"
It's Breeda who takes off her hunter's coat and exposes her toned upper arms. Elves have the image of being fragile, but in reality, their toned bodies are well-muscled.
At the same time as I took a stance, Breeda closed the gap and released a fist. It was a quick, but innocuous thrust, so I tried to hit it with his right hand - I had a bad feeling about it, so he immediately turned half his body to avoid the fist.
Boo! A fist passes right next to my face with a terrifying sound. It shouldn't have hit, but a sharp pain runs through my cheek. It looks like it's been cut now.
"Hey, using magic is a forbidden move!"
Breeda smiled faintly at my words, but this time he silently kicked me. In response to that, I put magical power in her arm and knocked out the kick. My magic arm and Breeder's wind magic leg collided with each other, and the sound of heavy blows resounded.
Without even having time to breathe, the kicks attacked me continuously. Is kicking the main focus of elf-style martial arts? Maybe it's because the weapon is a bow. If it's a kick, you can hit it while holding a bow.
It can't be helped if I'm on the defensive due to the kicking distance, so I step forward and try to close the distance. At that moment, I received a tremendous impact and was blown backwards.
"I... eh!?"
Both arms that guarded immediately went numb. The moment I stepped forward, a fist that was unleashed at unstoppable speed hit me. Raising his face and glaring at Breeda, he had already released his stance.
He also frowns and waves his hand, probably because his right hand that hit me went numb.
"If it's accepted, it's my loss."
"I'm not convinced..."
I was hit almost one-sidedly, and I didn't land a single effective hit. However, I can't beat the opponent who is declaring defeat. I can't help it, so I heal my numb arms with recovery magic. By the way, the beastman I hit away is also healed with recovery magic.
While I was doing that, the beastmen seemed to have accepted me, and they treated me to food and alcohol. It's good to have brain muscle thinking that you can hit each other and get along. It's a little troublesome.
When I returned to Elmina-san's place, there was a tiger man. That's right, this guy didn't hit me.
"Because I already know your strength."
Did the tiger man notice my gaze and shrugged his shoulders? Come to think of it, this guy fought me once, and he also saw Elmina-san and I fight. Convinced of that, he sat down and purified his body and clothes. Yeah, for the time being the smell of sweat and dust disappeared.
"So what's going on with your bed today?"
"Rifana and I are in that house, Taishi-kun and Breeda are in that house."
What Elmina-san was pointing at was a normal, ordinary house. Well, there's no way there's an inn there. Anything is fine as long as you don't sleep on the ground without being exposed to the elements.
After a while, the banquet ended, and I headed to the house that was my bed with Breeda. Tiger Man is leading the way.
"Well, you didn't say your name. I'm Tiga, you were Taishi."
"Oh, nice to meet you."
A tiger man whose name is Tiga? He's got a name like that. When I entered Tiga's house, it was a neater house than I expected. Mixed with the smell of wood, it smells like some kind of herb.
"I'm sorry, but there is only one bed.
"Enough"
The bedding was a fluffy woolen fabric. It seems that several layers of this are layered to make bedding. The Great Forest is located on the north side of this continent, so the climate is quite warm. It doesn't seem like it will be cold even if you don't put anything on it.
"Breeda, what time are you leaving here tomorrow?"
"It should be before noon. Considering today's pace, we should be able to reach the next village without encamping."
"Next village. What kind of people live in this village?"
"Harpie"
"Harpie. When you say harpie, do you think that the face and torso are human-like and the arms and lower body are bird-like?"
"Yes. Do you know? It should be a race that humans don't know much about."
"Well, it's a bit related."
After answering that, I cross my arms and think.
I only know one Harpy. He is one of the illegal slaves held by Viscount Saiden in the Kingdom of Micronia. Are you sure his name was Piruru? He said when he was a kid he was caught by humans while flying through his home forest. It seems that it was about ten years ago, and I remember him laughing sadly because he didn't know the location of his hometown forest.
Maybe that Harpie settlement is Piruru's hometown.
"Hey, is that the only Harpy village?"
"I don't know. That's the only village I know of, but Harpies might know other villages."
"I see. Hmm...Actually, an acquaintance of mine has a Harpie child, but he was kidnapped by humans 10 years ago. He doesn't even know where his home forest is, so he looks lonely. It's okay."
"...I see. What are you doing now?"
"I rescued him from being captured as an illegal slave for some reason. Now I am living in the city of Taikikai with the other children of the illegal slaves who were also captured at the time. If nothing happened after I was blown away by the Great Forest, I should still be there."
Clover's defenses are sufficient. If the other party becomes a god, it may be helpless, but unless something extraordinary happens, it will still be safe.
"I see. It might be a good idea to ask about it when you get to the Harpies' village tomorrow. I'll help you out."
"Really? That's bad."
Now that I know where my hometown is, there's nothing I can do right now, but if she has a family, just telling her that she's safe will help. I'd like to meet him sometime later. If I regain my original power, I can let you meet right away.
☆★☆
"Isn't it a long time since you brought a human with you?"
"Good boy? Apparently he's my son-in-law."
"Is that so?"
While Mr. Elmina was chatting with Mr. Harpie, who seemed to be gorgeous, I took out my luggage just like yesterday. Many of the Harpies are slim. Or rather, I can't see men as far as I can see, but is it a race that only has women? how will it increase
For some reason, I'm really worried about the gazes that Harpy-san and the others are pointing at me. Isn't this what you're aiming for? I feel something close to Marle who has turned into a beast.
"Be careful"
Bosori and Breeda whispered in my ear.
"what"
"If you let your guard down, you'll be eaten. In a sexual sense."
"Oh, is that so?"
"There is no problem with elves and beastmen unless they are in heat, but humans are always fine, right? They are perfect prey."
"I'm scared"
"Why don't we get along with shameless creatures that are always in heat?"
Rifana glares at me with eyes that look dirty. I don't think such discriminatory remarks are good! I can't help it because my body is made like that.
"Just be careful not to be alone"
"Understood"
I was a little curious in my heart, but I tightened my mind that I couldn't betray my wives. I will never lose to the Harpies! If you set the flag, it will be like a two-frame drop immediately, so let's be cautious.
Before I knew it, Elmina-san was in secret talk mode with a long, gorgeous Harpy-san and a whispering whisper. It's kind of disturbing to see it here and there. Is it likely to be sold? am i going to be sold? No way, my mother-in-law would never do that.
"I won't be sold to Elmina-san, will I?"
""...""
Can you please stop looking away? Anxiety is MAX? oh?
It's not like it's life-threatening, and if you're in trouble, it's okay to cooperate a little. But it's a boulder to feel like that without even contacting Marl and the others.
Oh no. When I start thinking about this kind of thing, my thoughts become clogged and I'm addicted to it. Let's just let it be and stop thinking too deeply. I don't think it's a good idea to give up thinking, but it's also stupid to get stiff from worrying too much. There is a saying that bad thinking is similar to taking a rest.
For now, let's focus all our energies on regaining my strength and somehow conveying that I'm safe. Let's go with the spirit of doing anything for that.
"Taishi-kun? Are you okay?"
Before I knew it, Elmina-san was looking at my face worriedly. It seems that the hand of the work has stopped because I was thinking too much.
"No, it's okay. I just thought about it."
"Is that so? You may be tired from being in an unfamiliar environment. You should rest early today. I've also prepared a bed for you."
"Yeah, yes. Um..."
When I tried to open my mouth, Elmina-san put her index finger in front of her lips and made a gesture telling me not to speak.
"Don't think too much and go with the flow"
"No."
"Okay. Do it."
After making sure of that, Elmina-san tapped me on the shoulder, talked to Breeda and Rifana, and then walked away. Breeder approaches in exchange.
"It seems that tomorrow's departure will be in the early afternoon, just like the first day.
"Are you going to rest?"
Breeda smiled wryly, tapped me on the shoulder, and was led away by Harpie. Rifana also glances at me with a sharp gaze and leaves.
"Dah... I can't leave it alone."
Even though I thought I was used to it, this world is still a different world. I looked up at the forest sky as twilight approached, while trying to understand the difference in culture or way of thinking.
☆★☆
I stare vaguely at the ceiling woven with grass and branches while wrapped in the feathers of Mr. Harpie, who is sleeping softly and gently. Harpy's house is like a spherical bird's nest woven from grass and tree branches.
When I asked if this would prevent rain from leaking in, it was said that it was made well and that the rain would not seep in. It seems that Harpies will be recognized as full-fledged once they can weave a house that does not leak.
Harpie-san, who was sleeping with me wrapped in feathers, asked me to talk about things outside the Great Forest as a sleeping story, so I told them about the capitals of each country and the lives of the people. It seems that Harpie-san was quite intrigued by the way people lived, which was completely different from the life in the forest.
While I was at it, I tried to talk about Piruru, but unfortunately the Harpies who shared the bed with me didn't know about her. Her companions will ask about it, so if you stop by the village again on your way home, the harpies in the village will tell you the results. While we were talking, Harpie-san wrapped me in fluffy feathers and fell asleep.
Harpie-san has a slim body, but the tolerability of her fluffy feathers is amazing. I feel warm and relieved to be wrapped up. She almost cried, or rather, she cried. Why am I here separated from my wife? I want to go home.
I feel a grudge against the gods who put me in this situation. It would be nice if all the useless gods perished.
"Wait a minute, it doesn't matter to me, does it? 』
It's been a long time since I've been out. Right now I'm ruled by sadness and I'm in a very bad mood.
"I dived a little deeper and investigated various things. Various useful information, etc.』
Various things.
I muttered that in my head, and sighed at the sweet voice of a useless god that I hadn't heard in a long time.
"First of all, the reason why you couldn't accept me was a small parameter setting mistake! I just fixed it.』
Wait a minute, I've heard words that I can't let go of. If I set those parameters, will I suddenly fall in love with you? Stop feeling sick.
"I was told I was sick! ? I don't want to suddenly become like that. It's just been abnormal until now, it's just that I'm back to normal.』
I don't think it's a good idea to be tampered with. Aren't you crazy?
"I didn't mess with your heart. It's just that I found a parameter setting mistake in something a little spiritual and fixed it.』
Worse! There is no good factor anywhere!
"I don't think so, Colonel."
who is the colonel
"In the end, skill acquisition using skill points is the same as the level up system, right? It's not too late to change a little parameter.』
That reasoning is funny...isn't it funny? mosquito? No, it's funny. There's a completely different meaning between me changing things with my own initiative and being arbitrarily changed by you.
"It's okay, now we're one in body and soul, both in name and reality. It will be much easier psychologically than being with an absolutely unacceptable existence, right? 』
That's why... Oh, no. Anyway, no matter what I say, it won't get any better.
"It works, it works"
Shut up you bastard. Send me more useful information.
"Nfufu, that's fine. First of all, about how to regain my power.』
Is it your power?
"If I regain my power that was stolen by Gaina and the others, I can get your power back as well. OK? 』
OK, so?
『First of all, the stolen power itself is protected, so it is impossible to take it back. If I put my hand out and my position is found out, I won't be able to do it. So I have to bring it from somewhere else."
another place. What is power in the first place? It's a divine power, isn't it? Is it different from magic?
"Energy means the same thing. However, the divine power is more highly refined, and the density is far higher.』
Should I refine it from my magical power?
"I can do it, but it's not enough. If I were to refining the divine power from your magical power to the point where I regained my original power, it would take 500 years even if you squeezed it to the point where you couldn't use magic at all. It's a different story if you offer your soul itself.』
I refuse.
"right. Well, I'm still borrowing little by little and making a positive balance, but it's impossible to regain my original power no matter how much time passes. That's why I'm taking in the pseudo-gods sleeping in this great forest.』
Giggle? what's that.
『Hmmm...ancient super-energy thing』
You're too lazy to explain, so you're saying it properly, right?
"If you want to hear a detailed theory, I will tell you, but it will take about a whole week, is that okay? 』
no thanks. But a little more detailed explanation please.
"Eh, it's troublesome… so-called gods are like lumps of energy. However, since they are in a different dimension, they are usually only able to apply a small amount of power to this world in response to prayers. The ancient humans of this world tried to obtain infinite energy by dragging the gods down into the world and making them appear.』
It's a big scale story. But well, in a developed society, there will be many troubles with energy resources, so it's a story that I don't understand. In the original world, things like zero-point power generation, antimatter power generation, Dyson spheres, and so on.
"Well, do you feel like that? As it turns out, the attempt was a success. The gods of this world were dragged out one after another into the world of the living, teased by humans, degraded, and enslaved. Humans have thrived on it. That's right, because you've become able to wield the power of God. Beastmen, elves, and other service races were created during that time.』
Service race? A beastman or an elf?
"This is true of all intelligent races other than humans. Beastmen, demons, and dwarves are both simple labor and pets, harpies and night demons are completely pets, elves are humans' assistants and pets, and Akito is both admiration and pets.』
Isn't it just for pets?
『It's better to guess that mating is possible around here. Conversely, most of the service races that weren't meant for pets have perished. The only survivors are the kind of bioweapons that can self-replicate, and special cases like human-based Arkenia. That one was also originally for weapons, but the design and imprinting were rough and it's a mouth that regained reason. It's ironic that thanks to that, we didn't perish.』
I feel like I'm hearing the unknown truth of this world.
"Actually it is. So, going back to the topic, all the gods of this world were dragged into this world by ancient humans and used in some way. But well, you can imagine the fate of a human being with such a mighty power, right? 』
Well, as you can imagine, the current situation speaks for itself. I heard something like that even in the white ruined city. A war broke out that destroyed civilization.
"that's right. A tragic war broke out between humans with divinity in their bodies, service races created only to kill enemies, and weapons that used divinity to kill humans with divinity. After destroying civilization and wiping out many continents, the only things left in this world are three continents that are too small to be called continents, and small islands floating in the vast ocean.』
So, that pseudo-deity remains in this great forest.
"Yeah, it seems that there are still some military facilities in this great forest that escaped the destruction of the Golden Age, and I was able to detect some pseudo-divine waves. If you take in some of it, you can regain your original power.』
I see. But don't they also check such dangerous things?
"It's okay"
I'm pretty confident.
How can you find out things they don't know? You said you were a god, but who are you really? I can imagine that their true identity is a human with that pseudo-divine character, but if that's the case, your existence is unnatural.
Your existence is clearly superior to them. It's even more funny if you include the fact that I was pulled from my original world.
"You said that from the beginning, didn't you? I'm a god, my god A true god, not fake. Should I respect you more? 』
In other words, you're not a human being with a pseudo-divinity, you're a genuine god of this world. But all the gods in this world were used by ancient humans, right?
『That's right, the resource called God has been depleted. By the way, what do you think people will do when they run out of resources? 』
ah? That's right... Steal from someone who has it?
"Yeah, so the war started."
Ah... looking for new resources?
"Yeah, so they got their hands on it. to me. By the way, what do you call me? 』
Useless god.
"Not over there"
An evil god? You're an evil god, aren't you?
"Former, former. Gods who were friendly or neutral to humans were hunted first, and hostile evil gods were subjugated and hunted. But it seems that I was too strong to subdue. That's why it was left alone, but finally a desperate idiot reached out. Of course, when I was made to appear, I didn't want to be subjugated and forced into service, so I acted violently.』
Hey. No way that ancient civilization was destroyed.
"When I realized it, the world itself was on the verge of being destroyed. I couldn't help it, so I took the surviving pseudo-divine humans and worked hard to regenerate this world. No, it was really hard. I lost a lot of power because I abandoned my duty as an evil god and focused on regeneration.』
you.
"It's been a pleasure for the last 1000 years or so to throw in a human whose parameters have been adjusted from another world and throw a stir into this overly stable world☆"
It's completely evil.
I knew that, yeah. Just plain. From the beginning, it was a nuance that you were just staring at it as your hobby.
"Yeah, it's too late. By the way, what were you talking about? Ah yes, let's find a pseudo-god. So, pseudo-deity is basically a military facility, so let's get an ancient weapon and prepare your equipment. After all, there must be anti-god equipment.』
I see, killing two birds with one stone. And do you know where it is?
"You can pick up waves if you go near it. But isn't it too early to ask the locals? If you go to the front of the ancient ruins, you'll know if it's a hit or not.』
I see. Then, after finishing this peddling and returning to the village, let's look for ruins. Isn't that the shortcut to regain power?
"Yeah, definitely."
Then it's decided. i go to sleep
"Yeah, good night. I hope you have a good dream.』
I let go of the voice of the bad god laughing and lost consciousness.