Chapter 205
Convince Alvy's clan and establish friendly relations. Simple when put into words, but dispelling the bad first impression we'd made would be difficult. Then the first thing we should do was show them that we posed no threat.
"Eiji, could you return that child to her guardian?"
"Of course. Shall we get down, Alvy?"
"Okay! Big Sis~!"
Eiji gently set Alvy down on the ground and lightly pushed her back, encouraging her to return to her sister. Alvy ran toward her sister with a radiant smile and threw her arms around her. Her sister hugged her with an expression of profound relief, then turned her back to us as if to protect her. Oh my, they really had come to hate us.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Izamu, a wanderer and the leader of a clan called 'Nightwalker.' Everyone behind me is one of my companions. May I ask who you are?"
Though I had merely asked them a question, they began murmuring among themselves. They clearly had not expected us to approach them in a friendly manner. That was only natural, given that we were a group of monstrosities.
After that, they discussed something in low voices, then a man who seemed to be their representative stepped forward. His hair and skin color, clothing, and face paint were almost identical to Alvy's, but his stern face and heavily muscled physique were closer to Eiji's.
"I am Setun of the Nadeara clan! What is your purpose in coming to this land?!"
"Our purpose... Let's see, if I had to name one, I suppose it would be adventure. I'm sorry for the vague answer."
"A-adventure? For something like that...?"
It was my honest answer, but they furrowed their brows suspiciously, apparently unable to believe me. That was only natural, since that was what wanderers—in other words, players—were like.
"Adventure...? Don't you know how strong the monsters roaming around here are?"
"Monsters? The Air Blade Weasels and such were fairly strong opponents, but not so strong that we couldn't defeat them."
Setun and the others gave an impressed "ooh." They might be quite formidable opponents for them. Looking closely, none of their weapons were made of metal; most were simple implements consisting of sharp stones like obsidian lashed to sticks.
Some were made from monster materials, but they were all materials from weak monsters by the standards of this continent, such as the Air Blade Weasel's tail. The one carrying such a weapon was Setun, who appeared to be the strongest among them.
From these facts, I could infer that they were among the weak on this continent. We were probably in the same position for now, but our equipment and the like made us presumably stronger than them. It was precisely because they were weak that they were so wary of outsiders approaching their territory.
"As I said, our purpose is to explore the continent of Timbrica. We have no intention of becoming enemies with you members of the Nadeara clan—or at least, with Alvy, who has become friendly with Eiji."
"I'm sorry, but I can't take your word for it. I have a duty to protect everyone in my clan."
Of course. If outsiders stronger than themselves had come, they couldn't simply be coaxed into making friends. Now, how should we act to win their trust...?
"Big Brother Eiji and everyone else are kind! So you should be friends too, Setun-sama!"
"Alvy!"
Whether she understood the uneasy atmosphere among the adults or not, Alvy slipped out of her sister's grasp and went over to Setun's side to say that. Her sister hurried over to pull her back, but Setun himself stopped her.
"Alvy, were these people kind to you?"
"They were! They were really kind! They even helped me earlier! They were my life... um, uncles?!"
"Unc...? No, lifesavers?"
"That's right!"
Setun apparently wanted to hear Alvy's honest impression, as someone who had actually interacted with us. She had mixed up the word for lifesaver, but he understood her meaning. Even now, as she waved innocently at Eiji, there was no sign whatsoever of wariness or fear. To Alvy, the fact that we posed no danger was apparently becoming a matter of course.
Giving us her trust so easily might be questionable, but we had received unexpected support. Even now, her sister was leading her by the hand while she cheerfully waved at Eiji. Eiji gave an awkward smile and waved back.
"Very well. We'll withdraw for today. I'll accurately report what happened here to my father... the chief."
"Much appreciated. If possible, we would like to build a good relationship."
"Hmph, very well. Come on, everyone, we're heading home!"
The power of children was tremendous. Setun must have decided that being excessively wary was foolish. He erased the severity from his face and even showed a faint smile before leading the others away. By the time they disappeared from sight, no one even found it strange anymore that Alvy was calling out bye-bye to Eiji.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
"That is what happened."
"Alvy-chan's clanspeople? How interesting."
After the members of the Nadeara clan left, we explored as usual before logging out. The next day, I told those who had not been present about what had happened yesterday.
"It's a good thing Jigoro wasn't here. He'd have made even a conversation that was coming together fall apart."
"Huh? Ain't no way that's true."
"Really? Then what would you do if that strong-looking Setun-san were right in front of you?"
"I'd obviously have a contest of strength with him."
"See? Just like I said."
"Urgh...!"
Ruby had bested Jigoro in the argument, and although I did not say so aloud, I had been thinking the same thing. Jigoro's tendency to pick fights too quickly was his flaw. Realizing he had no allies around him, Jigoro sat deeply on the sofa with his arms crossed, a sullen expression on his face.
"We should remain friendly with these natives, now that we've finally made a connection."
"Yes, I agree. If we maintain friendly relations with them, we'll be able to obtain a great deal of information about this continent."
"You really are being strictly businesslike..."
Ruby gave an awkward smile, but it was not as though I lacked feelings. A good relationship was healthier than a bad one, and even if necessary, I had no intention of tearing Eiji and Alvy apart. On the contrary, I intended to take their side if the need arose.
However, they had not completely let down their guard yet. That was precisely why my strategy, lacking a solid bond like the one between Eiji and Alvy, was to act in ways that benefited both sides and instill in the Nadeara clan as a whole the idea that 'it would be better to maintain ties with these people.'
"Come to think of it, Iris, were you able to make Eiji a new suit of armor?"
"Yes! It's a hybrid that uses monster materials as well as metal. I used Thunder Iron, made by grinding Thunder-element magic stones into powder and mixing them in, so I adjusted it to prevent 【Thunder Attribute Vulnerability】 from appearing even when monster materials from aquatic creatures were used."
"Oh... That's impressive."
"Also, Eiji-san's shield was close to breaking, so I made a new one for him. This one is metal-based, with several kinds of monster material that resist various elements attached to it."
Iris concluded by saying, "There's no way I could make something like this in real life." A human-carried shield in the real world was generally made from wooden boards or leather that had been tanned and hardened. Even when metal was used, it was only a thin iron plate attached to the surface.
In modern times, there were duralumin and polycarbonate shields like those used by police, but none had metal making up most of the material. The reason was simple: they would be too heavy for humans to use. A metal shield large enough to conceal Eiji's huge body was a weapon that could exist only because this was a game.
"That's fast work, as expected of you."
"But because I prioritized Eiji-san, it looks like updating everyone else's weapons and armor will be delayed. I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about it! We're just grateful to have you making things for us!"
Ruby was right. Iris's exceptional ability had been proven at the event, making her effectively our dedicated craftsperson. Since a player of her skill was making our equipment, no shameless person would complain over a slight delay. If anyone did, the others would chew them out. At least, I would!
"So, what are we doing today? It's unusual for just the original members to all be here..."
"Speaking of that, brother, I found a suspicious hole a little way upriver from here. Why don't we go take a look?"
"A hole? There was something like that?"
"Yeah. It was a hole just big enough for Jigoro and Grandpa to squeeze through, in a really hard-to-find spot."
Ruby answered my question. I see, it was a place she could discover precisely because she was a scout. This might be a hidden area, something we had not encountered in a while. It seemed worth checking out.
"If it's close enough to reach now, let's go with this group for the first time in a while."
"It's settled!"
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Thus, Ruby led us to our destination. The great river where Shiratsuki floated belonged to an area called 'The Great Arterial River Circling the Land: Downstream,' and the hole in question was between a large rock by the riverbank and the ground.
As expected from the information we had received, it was large enough for us to somehow make our way down through. However, there seemed to be no way Kal could get through it.
"Sorry, Kal. Could you wait here for just a little while?"
"Grrr..."
Kal gave a sad growl, then obediently sat down where he was. What a smart boy. He had seemed to enjoy the taste of the fish from this land when he ate one before, so perhaps tomorrow we could hunt fish like fishermen.
Feeling sorry for Kal, we followed Ruby down the hole. It was a steep slope covered in stones, so difficult to walk that it could hardly be called a passage. I nearly fell several times, but my staff saved me. It was a catalyst for magic, but this was the staff's original purpose. Thank you for being useful!
As we descended, the surroundings became increasingly damp. Water droplets dripped from overhead, and the moss-covered stones on the ground grew even more slippery. What in the world was waiting deeper inside? I really hoped this would not turn out to be nothing more than a naturally formed hole...
"Wait. There's something ahead. It's quite large... I think it's a monster."
"Heh heh, now that's more like it."
Hearing Ruby's warning up ahead, Jigoro flashed a savage grin, looking delighted. I doubted his Battle Junkie nature would ever be cured, even until the day he died. In any case, I proceeded, prepared for a battle as well.
"Huh? Is this a dead end?"
We proceeded through darkness in which nothing would have been visible without 【Night Vision】, only to reach a dead end. There had not been a single fork in the path so far, which meant that our exploration of the hole would end here unless...
The thing Ruby's senses had detected must have been another monster nearby. There was probably another hole somewhere else, and the monster was there. Had this hole been a complete bust?
"No, that's wrong! This isn't a wall at all!"
As Ruby shouted, the dead end we had mistaken for a wall began to move with a dragging scrape.