Chapter 259
After about twenty minutes of making our way toward the 'Hidden City of the Mist-Weeping Princess' with the Centaurs, we finally made it back. It had taken a little longer because we had avoided monsters with the many noncombatants in mind.
At first, they had hesitated to step into the areas covered in ash, but they seemed relieved to learn that there truly were no hostile monsters left. By the time they entered inside the Black Wall, they had completely relaxed. It was hard to tell whether these people were highly vigilant or not vigilant enough.
"All the houses here are unused, so please choose any place you like. There isn't any furniture inside, and some places may be dirty, but..."
"No, this is more than enough. We could never have houses of our own, after all."
"Yes, Lucite-dono told me about that."
Because of their body shape, Centaurs are poor at construction work and the like. Though their bodies are sturdy enough to make houses unnecessary, they must still feel safer beneath a roof.
They inspected the simple houses made merely by piling up stones. Each family then entered a house of a size they liked. Apparently, the spacious rooms were popular precisely because there was no furniture. As long as the entrance was large enough for them to pass through, there seemed to be no problem.
Once their homes had been decided, the adults went hunting in groups. They normally hunted as couples, but there was also the matter of the Hellbeasts. Now that they had a place where they could leave the children, they set out to obtain food to fill their own stomachs.
The children left behind all swarmed around Kal. I'd vaguely sensed that they looked at Lusin with envy, but apparently they had wanted to play with a Dragon too. Kal looked happy, but played carefully so as not to hurt them.
...Kal probably won't let me go for a while. I'll enjoy the sky with Kal another day. It was a little disappointing.
In any case, people had finally come to this city as well. It might only be temporary, until the Hellbeast problem was resolved, but the place seemed likely to develop a more city-like atmosphere. It had changed from a mere ruin into a ruin where people gathered; next, I wanted to work toward turning it into a city where people gathered.
"Huh? What's this? Heaven?"
"There are lots of tiny fluffy things here..."
While watching Kal play with the children in the plaza, I saw that Ruby and Shio, who seemed to have just logged in, were standing there dumbfounded. They clearly had no idea what was going on. If I had been in their position, I probably would have reacted the same way.
"Oh, you're here. I was just about to contact everyone—!?"
"Izamu?"
"You're going to explain, right?"
The two of them rushed up to me and interrogated me as if they were ready to pick a fight. This was certainly not a sight where I could tell them not to worry; children with all kinds of animal features were playing around, looking like oversized stuffed toys. I hadn't expected them to come on so strongly, but of course they would be curious.
So, while explaining the situation to them, I also posted in clan chat that a group of Centaurs would be staying here for a while and that the Hellbeasts had invaded. I added that we would tackle the problem as soon as the event ended.
"Centaurs... I'd heard about them, but there are so many different kinds of animals."
"I don't know about the adults, but kids are cute no matter what Race they belong to!"
"Whoa, there are more of them now..."
Perhaps he had noticed Ruby and Shio, because Abert-kun muttered this with a faintly displeased expression. The boys and girls around his age had not joined the hunt and had remained in the city. Apparently, they had decided that the current field was too dangerous to bring half-grown children into.
Being on the boundary between adults and children, they seemed hesitant to play with Kal alongside the younger children, so they had gathered a little farther away. Some had gone off to explore the city, but most were loitering in the plaza. Those who remained kept stealing glances in our direction.
Apparently, we had piqued their curiosity. Fine, then—I would be the one to talk to them!
"Hey! Long time no see, Abert-kun!"
"Hey! Don't come over here!"
"I've certainly become unpopular. How sad... Boo-hoo-hoo."
Abert-kun naturally brushed me off when I addressed him in that theatrical manner. Since his reaction was exactly what I had expected, I pretended to grieve in an overly dramatic fashion. It was obviously an act, and everyone there surely understood that. Even so, Abert-kun hurriedly tried to stop me.
"Stop the fake crying! What if Lusin sees you!?"
"Hm? Your little sister is absorbed in playing with Kal. She seems to have taken quite a liking to Kal."
"That's exactly why! Ever since then, Lusin's been pestering me, saying, 'I wanna play with Kal-chan!' If she saw me yelling at you..."
"Big bro!"
"Gah!?"
While Abert-kun was raising his voice at me, Lusin had somehow emerged from the mass of furry children and was now standing at his feet. She held her ears and tail straight up, her fur bristling as she puffed out her cheeks and glared at her brother. That alone was enough to leave Abert-kun completely flustered.
"Big bro! Be nice to Skeleton-san! Promise!"
"Y-yeah. I'm being nice..."
"Keep your promise! Huh? Skeleton-san, who's that?"
"Oh, let me introduce you. These are my companions, Ruby and Shio. Please be nice to them."
Apparently, she had thought we were fighting and had deliberately left the others to mediate between us. It must have saddened her to see Kal's owner and her own brother arguing.
Perhaps she had been looking only at us, because Lusin had noticed Ruby and Shio only now. She looked up at them with some unease, so I introduced them in a way that would not frighten her.
"I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you?"
"I'm Shio! Nice to meet you!"
"The squishy one is Ruby-san, and the birdie is Shio-san? I'm Lusin!"
When the two of them cheerfully greeted her, Lusin smiled and introduced herself. Perhaps she had let down her guard, because she began poking Ruby's glossy body and touching Shio's wings enviously.
Perhaps she was having fun, because Ruby began bouncing around with Lusin riding on top. Shio went even further, carrying the two of them while flying low over the ground. Lusin squealed with delight, while the other children watched with sparkling eyes.
"Lusin-chan, can everyone play with us too?"
"Yeah! Everyone's friends!"
"Yay!"
"All right! We'll fly nice and safe~!"
Ruby won the children over with the distinctive texture of the slime body, while Shio did so with the ability to fly. More than trying to build a good relationship with the Centaurs, they simply seemed to be enjoying playing with the children, who resembled stuffed toys.
It wouldn't be just those two who became captivated by the Centaur children. Shiitake in particular would surely be ecstatic, considering how wildly he had acted when Alvy appeared. I would send a message warning him not to get carried away later.
"...You guys are surprisingly normal."
"Players—no, wanderers come in all sorts. Of course, my companions are varied too."
"There are still more of you...?"
"Hey, hey! What other kinds of people are there!?"
"Tell us! Um... Izamu-san, right?"
Ah, the boys and girls seemed more interested in the players than in Kal. They would probably meet the others soon, and some of my companions had appearances that could startle people meeting them for the first time, like me without my mask or Mikero. It was necessary to tell them about that in advance.
I went on to explain my companions' appearances and personalities in detail. It was only natural that their distinctive appearances would surprise the children, but I hoped they would understand that I didn't want them to avoid anyone for that reason.
After I finished explaining about my companions, they wanted to know what kinds of adventures we had experienced. Their world probably consisted only of this grassland, so wanting to learn about the outside world was only natural for young people. I told them about the path I had traveled, without lies or exaggeration. ...I kept that part to myself, but as I spoke, I thought that it really had been quite an adventure.
"Look. This is a feather I received from the Titus boy I met along the way. Big and beautiful, isn't it?"
"It's huge!"
"It's so white and pretty!"
"It's nothing like the feathers from the birds Mom and Dad hunt."
To keep them from thinking I was all talk, I also remembered to take actual items I had obtained out of my inventory. A few of the children could use 【Appraisal】, which helped corroborate my story.
Abert-kun had shown little interest in stories about my companions, but apparently the outside world was different. He not only listened intently, but even asked questions of his own.
"I heard the Titus live on flying sheep so enormous they could be mistaken for huge clouds. I'd like to go there myself someday."
"That's awesome! I wanna go too!"
"Idiot. We'd only die out there, half-grown as we are."
"Even going outside the Wall is dangerous now, and crossing the sea is a dream beyond dreams. Aw, I wish we could get strong soon!"
They chattered excitedly about the outside world. It was a very youthful reaction, which was wonderful to see. Naturally, Abert-kun was among them. He was deeply interested in the other continents as well.
"That's true... With the Hellbeast problem, even going outside is dangerous. Since we've finally gotten inside the Wall, your parents will surely forbid you from wandering around outside."
"Yeah..."
"Don't worry, boy. I've gained a fair amount of experience, and my companions are very strong. If we can also enlist the help of your parents, the Scars, and Metallica, we will definitely be able to drive the Hellbeasts away. If you want to go adventuring, you can hone your skills afterward and enjoy it to your heart's content."
We still did not know how strong the Hellbeasts pouring out of Hell were, nor how many there were. However, now that a dangerous enemy had appeared, we could not simply ignore it as fellow inhabitants of the same continent. I thought we could ask for their cooperation.
...Or could we? The Scars could use their crests and excellent concealment to hide, while Metallica might be able to wait things out in the mountains. It would be difficult to drag people who believed themselves safe into the middle of a battle.
At worst, the Centaurs and we might have to deal with it alone. I should prepare myself for that possibility.
That being the case, expanding our fighting strength was an urgent task. Fortunately, I had several ways to prepare disposable pawns, such as 【Necromancy】 and 【Spirit Summoning】. However, I was the sort to make doubly sure before crossing a bridge, so I wanted to borrow my clanmates' wisdom and make thorough preparations. Naturally, that was only as long as real-life circumstances permitted.
"I know about the Scars, but does Metallica really exist? I've never seen one."
"My mom says she saw one when she was a kid!"
"Have you ever met one, Izamu-san?"
"Yes, just the other day. Want to hear about it?"
"We do!"
Their eyes shone as they waited eagerly. To meet their expectations, I began telling them what I had seen and heard at the 'Spear Rock Fortune Mine.' In the end, until it was time to log out that day, I talked about my adventures and the players with the adults who had returned from hunting.