"Tanya, it's been a while," she greeted.
"Ah, Marcha! I didn't expect to see you here. It's good to have you. Our supplies were running low, so this is a timely arrival. I'll guide you back to the village now, just follow me."
Upon realizing that the person before her was Chairman Marcha, the female centaur, Tanya, relaxed her guard and took the lead, guiding us toward the village.
However, her vigilance wasn't entirely gone. She watched us with a keen, observant gaze.
"By the way, who are those individuals?"
"They are bodyguards I've hired just for this occasion," she replied.
"What happened to Glory and the others?"
"They… failed their last adventure and have disbanded their party."
Glory—she was likely referring to the 'Path to Glory' party that usually served as our protectors.
"I see. That's unfortunate. Since you're not with your usual guards, I took some precautions. Please forgive me."
"No, that's part of your job," she acknowledged. "Is it alright for them to join us?"
"Yes, at the moment, I see no reason for concern."
"That's good to hear."
Well, it's only natural for her to be cautious; she was, after all, security.
But seriously, what kind of village has centaurs as its guards?
Moreover, this female centaur clearly differed from the monstrous centaurs we'd encountered before. Was she not a monster…?
"Look, the village is coming into view," Tanya announced.
"Bodyguards, welcome to the village of Architipa, home to the anthropomorphic beasts."
I was astonished at the sight before me. To my utter shock, every resident of the village was a monster—lamias, harpies, and centaurs.
"To borrow Tanya's words, they are indeed beastmen, a genuine part of the human race known as primitive beastmen."
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"First, we need to greet the village chief. Baiin and Baina are in the midst of negotiations," said Chairman Marcha, leading us to the chief.
Since this was our first time in the village, it was essential for us to meet the chief. Given the village's unique circumstances, a meeting with the leader was necessary, even for bodyguards like us. By the way, Tanya had gone back outside the village for security purposes.
Typically, Chairman Marcha wouldn't need a guide since he had visited multiple times, but it seems he was on alert—or perhaps observing—us.
As we made our way to the chief, Trinity kept expressing her astonishment, particularly at the feathered people. The feathered beings, with their bright red hair and pure white wings, certainly looked different from ordinary feathered people, especially since they all walked on the ground instead of flying.
While observing one of these beings, Trinity asked Marcha, "Hey, is that feathered person from the Chikil species?"
"Yes, that's correct. They belong to the endangered Chikil species. Because of this, we could only rely on trusted adventurers for protection in this village," Marcha replied.
"Hey, can you explain it to me in a way I can understand? I'm from another world, so I'm not exactly familiar with everything here."
"Ah, right. I can see how it might be confusing for you, Suzanne. First, the inhabitants of this village are called primal beastmen, a clearly distinct species from the monsters you've fought before."
According to Trinity, primal beastmen, much like dog-people, evolved from monsters that gained intelligence. However, they resemble half-human, half-demon beasts, which led to severe persecution by humans during a time when their existence was not widely recognized. As a result, they tend to live away from human towns, often in hiding, and this village is one of those places.
Nevertheless, it's unusual for a village to have three different tribes of primal beastmen living together.
"I can't believe there's a village like this," I said.
While the awareness of primal beastmen has increased, leading to a reduction in persecution, the bird-people of the Chikiru tribe still face discrimination, having only recently been recognized as beastmen. In fact, it's not just persecution—it's more accurate to say they are hunted. This is supposedly due to their unique traits.
"They lay golden eggs," Trinity explained.
"What? Golden eggs? Are you serious?"
"Ah, a real golden egg. An egg with a shell made of gold.
Because of this, the Chikiru species are targeted by certain individuals—especially the nobles.
But these nobles aren't from the elegant capital of the Kingdom of Elgantia; they come from Halemia, the shadowy fourth satellite city of the Premium Republic's second city, Secret.
This village was formed to protect the Chikiru species, gathering serpent-folk and centaurs together for that purpose."
Chairman Marcha adds this clarification.
The feathered folk, who lay golden eggs yet cannot fly, are indeed vulnerable to such predation.
To safeguard these fragile beings, brave centaurs and magic-wielding serpent-folk established this village.
Clearly, they can only trust specific adventurers as their guards.
A greedy individual might even sell the village's location.
"That's why we ask you to keep this village a secret."
"Oh, you can rest assured. I won't do anything to disrupt this scenery."
As we walk to the mayor's house, we see children—serpent-folk, feathered folk, and centaurs—playing throughout the village.
The laughter of these children reflects a rich environment, a testament to the adults who have protected this place.
I would never dream of ruining something so precious.
"I truly appreciate you saying that."
As we made our way, we finally arrived at the village chief's house. It seemed the chief had been informed of our visit beforehand, as we were smoothly escorted to the room where he awaited us.
The chief of Architipa Village was a humanoid bird of the Chikil race, just like the villagers we had seen outside. However, his presence was strikingly different. His fiery red hair and glossy white wings radiated a soft, warm aura that enveloped the room.
"Welcome, adventurers. I am Patty, the chief of Architipa Village. You may be surprised by what you see here, but as you can observe, this village is home to beastfolk. I hope you won't hesitate to engage with us."
Patty's gentle voice, combined with his soothing aura, captivated me. I wasn't the only one; Ava and Trinity also gasped in awe.
"Oh, uh, we're fine. Our group doesn't hold any prejudice against beastfolk," I assured him.
"Is that so? Thank you very much. There isn't much here, but please feel free to relax until Lord Marcha's caravan departs tomorrow."
With that, Chief Patty slowly bowed to us. We hurriedly returned the gesture and left the chief's house.
"We'll be here for business throughout the day, so we won't leave until tomorrow morning. You don't need to worry about guard duties while you're in the village; you can move about freely," she added.
After my meeting with Mayor Patty, President Marcha said that, but there wasn't much to do, really. Although meeting with Mayor Patty granted me permission to act within the village, it's hard to expect the villagers to warm up to a stranger like me suddenly showing up. After all, they are on high alert against outsiders to protect the birdfolk, the Chikiru.
"Well, I guess I'll just train outside. What about you, Ava?"
"We're going to explore the village. Besides our deal with President Marcha, there might be some hidden treasures waiting to be found."
"True. You never know what unexpected Ava items might be for sale in places like this. And gathering information is also part of it."
With that, Ava and the two ladies from Trinity set off to wander through the village. It's like window shopping, isn't it? Thinking about it, it dawns on me that, aside from Ava, the women from Trinity are girls too.
"Hm? Are you thinking something strange?"
"No, not at all."
To evade Trinity's probing gaze, I hurriedly made my way outside the village. It wasn't far—just the outer perimeter where I could train without drifting too far from the village. If I went too far, I might interfere with Tanya and the others who were guarding the village, so I decided to find a suitable spot nearby to train.
"Well, as long as I have enough space to move my feet and swing my sword, that's all I need. By the way, Snow has been captured by the two women. Because she's shrunk, their affection for her has gone overboard. They probably have her wearing ribbons or something...
First, I start my training with the usual Shippuuzanryuu footwork. After that, I move on to sword techniques combined with steps, imagining how to integrate magic into my swordplay, and then I continue to repeat my sword dance, swinging my blade while maintaining those steps. Before I know it, the sky has begun to turn to dusk.
Having arrived at the village just before noon, I've been swinging my sword continuously for about five hours now.
"Ah, splendid swordsmanship. Your footwork has reached a level of mastery," a voice calls out. It's Tanya. Although not as noticeable as Ava, I could sense her watching me while I practiced, so I'm not too startled by her sudden words.
"Tanya, is the village guard already taken care of?"
"Just call me Tanya. I'm not the only one on guard duty. It's simply time for a shift change."
Now that she mentions it, there must be others helping with the guard. Given how much time has passed, it's not surprising that it's already time for a switch.
"Still, that was quite an intense training session. Those movements... could it be the Kenki Ni Tenryuu? No, considering I only have one sword, it must be from a different style."
"It's not exactly a different school. It's a derivative of the Kenki Nitentsu-ryu called the Kenki Ittoryu. Originally, my master practiced the Kenki Nitentsu-ryu and developed the Kenki Ittoryu from it."
"Oh, a strong enough individual to create a new school. I'd love to meet them at least once."
"Ah, that's unfortunate. My master is no longer with us..."
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."
Tanya quickly caught on to what I wanted to express and apologized. Still, the fact that creating a new school requires considerable skill is quite clear. This makes me realize that my master became such a formidable figure because they learned directly from the priestess Fenris.
"I believe it was Suzanne, right? Suzanne was fortunate to have found a great master. If you don't mind, could you tell me about them?"
"Sure. After all, this person is strong enough to be on friendly terms with the old Drake."
"Really? Is that true?"
I shared with Tanya how I met my master, the circumstances under which I sought their teachings, and the intense training I undertook to hone my abilities.
"Ah, I see. So, Suzanne is the first and last disciple of Nico. Perhaps Nico felt a sense of destiny meeting someone as strong as Suzanne in their final days. That's likely why Nico entrusted the Kenki Ittoryu to Suzanne, so they could find a childhood friend."
"I can't say for certain whether it's fate, but I am grateful to my mentor who taught me the One-Sword Style of the Sword Princess. That's why I intend to conquer this Angel Quest while spreading the name of the swordsmanship school."
"Indeed, I believe Sir Nico is also keeping an eye on Suzanne as she searches for her childhood friend. By the way, was that friend called Deep Blue?"
"Yes, in another world, she goes by Yuki. In the realm that supports heaven and earth, she calls herself Deep Blue."
Tanya, deep in thought, asked me about Yuki—Deep Blue's features, which I relayed based on what Ms. Mibiha had told me.
"Hmm, so it's Blue after all. Suzanne, Blue has visited this village in the past."
"Is that true?!"
"Yes. She once came to this village with other adventurers. They discovered it while exhausted from a fierce monster attack in the Deep Green Forest, on their way from the Night Country to an underground city."
It dawned on me then. It was fortunate that their destination had been off this time, but since Yuki was also pursuing the Angel Quest, there might be people here who remember her. Although Yuki was likely in Arcadia now, I realized that by gathering information about her, I could potentially find a way to help her from there.