Chapter 31
"...No, you can't."
It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that I hadn't volunteered as a sacrifice out of some deep love for the mountain god.
I had volunteered as a sacrifice to kill the mountain god.
Realizing this immediately, Pina shook her head and adamantly refused to allow it.
A mixture of displeasure and fear flashed in her eyes, and as if it were contagious, elves burst into the tent from outside.
Their bloodshot eyes trembled more with fear than anger.
The trembling was so intense that it reached their chins, rendering them speechless. It was easy to see how shocked they were.
"Y-you're going to kill the Mountain God?!"
"Yes. I'm going to kill it."
If a god is as malevolent and useless to humans as that evil deity, it's better off not existing.
Moreover, unlike that evil god, this one isn't even a real deity, just something that looks like one.
I didn't feel the same sense of powerlessness I'd experienced when meeting a real god in my memories.
I'd seen plenty of large magical beasts and spirits in the demon realm. This was nothing new or particularly surprising.
"No matter how beneficial something might be, if it harms humans, it must be eliminated. Besides, there are 20 sacrifices now, but who's to say it'll stay that way next year?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Isn't the current number of sacrifices 20 because any more would affect population maintenance?"
"..."
"The pioneer group I lead has over 30,000 people."
Anyone with half a brain could figure out that if this so-called mountain god learned of this, it might demand more sacrifices in the future.
For the safety of the people I lead, I can't allow such a being to live.
"I'm going to kill that mountain god. Whatever it takes, I will definitely kill it."
"That's right!!"
"Ugh!!"
With a voice that seemed to tear through the tent, the knights roughly threw open the flaps.
At the forefront, Baron David nodded with a more determined expression than usual and shouted.
"Family is just as important to demons! So why the hell are you serving such a monster?!"
"You bastards who've only been here a day, what do you know?! Do you have any idea how we've felt sacrificing our families?!"
"You're right!! We don't know!! But we understand the pain of losing family better than you do!!"
"Shut up!!!"
Just as it seemed fists and magic were about to fly, the tension was broken by a small hand, like a maple leaf, slamming on the table.
Pina, who had stood up while hitting the table, glared at me once before turning her back and approaching the elves.
"Let's go."
Her calm voice seemed to bring the elves back to their senses. They followed Pina out of the tent with angry expressions.
Before leaving the tent, she turned back slightly and said one last thing to us.
"...The Mountain God will awaken in a month. Meet with them and decide for yourself what choice to make."
The elves were obedient.
We could only watch them leave, unable to stop them or say anything due to the strange pressure in her words.
A moment after they left, Baron David and his knights crowded around me with excited expressions.
"Well said, sir! We can't let such a being live!"
Everyone agreed, chiming in with "That's right!" Eventually, someone suggested the extreme idea of going to subjugate the Mountain God and the elves right away.
Of course, I couldn't allow that, so I forcibly calmed the knights and diverted their attention elsewhere.
"...Come to think of it, I said I'd explain everything later before we left the tent."
Now might be the most appropriate time, having just encountered a fake god.
At first, I was reluctant to bring this up, but after spending time with them, I started to think it might be okay.
It's a bit awkward to say, but judging by their usual behavior, they don't seem to be particularly devout followers of the Goddess religion, so it probably won't be too shocking.
"What I'm about to tell you should remain a secret from outsiders for now."
"What kind of story are you going to tell...?"
"It's about the gods. But before that, I should tell you my real name."
"Your real name?"
"...My real name is Elang Meister."
Since I was somewhat known on the battlefield, no one questioned what this name meant when they heard it.
The eyes of the gathered knights momentarily flickered with hope, then darkened with despair.
They seemed to assume the worst about why I had returned to the human realm.
When I finished speaking after about 30 minutes, a chilling silence fell over the tent.
Fortunately, no one disbelieved my words outright, which made it much easier to explain.
"Now that I've said it all, I feel surprisingly relieved. Do you have any questions?"
"...W-what happened to that woman?"
"Woman?"
At first, I thought they meant Bel Zuma, but surprisingly, they were asking about Karin.
Questions poured down like a heavy rain, mostly inappropriate for this setting, like whether there were signs of infidelity from the beginning.
"She's probably out of prison by now. But why are you curious about that?"
"Who wouldn't be curious about what happened to that bitch? If she were here, I'd give her a good smack!!"
"No..."
"Your Excellency... You can't expect them to immediately accept talks about the truth of the Goddess. A common story about a cheating woman is more relatable."
As Baron David chimed in, I started to wonder if I was the strange one, and my head began to ache.
Was gossip about a common affair more interesting than the truth about the Goddess?
I had hoped they would take it lightly like this, but it was going too far. On the contrary, I was at a loss for how to proceed.
"More importantly, what about the shadow you saw, sir? Is that the Mountain God?"
There was no concrete evidence that the shadow in my memory was the Mountain God, but circumstantially, it couldn't be anything else.
If they could control such magical beasts, they wouldn't need to rely on the Mountain God to protect the tribe, eliminating the need for sacrifices.
While we couldn't rule out the possibility that the Mountain God was controlling the magical beasts with its power, given the statement that we'd understand when we met it, that seemed unlikely.
"In other words, they have a way to summon the Mountain God before next month."
"So in your memory, we summoned the Mountain God by killing elves. Should we go deal with them now?"
"Don't say such brutal things. They're also victims in this land."
I wanted to maintain a good relationship with them, if only for future considerations.
It might already be a hopeless situation, but I didn't want to let go of even the slimmest possibility.
"We have about a month. During that time, I plan to make contact with the elves."
"...Isn't that too dangerous?"
"If they pose a threat, how am I supposed to fight the Mountain God?"
"Well, I suppose you're right."
Baron David chuckled, finding his own concern amusing, but then said with a serious face:
"Still, just in case, I'll accompany you as an attendant. Miss, that's alright with you, isn't it?"
He asked Ivanna as if seeking permission. Ivanna, who had been listening intently from a corner of the tent, nodded and said:
"Yes, I'd only be a hindrance on the rough mountain paths. However, I have something to discuss related to this, so please spare me a moment of your time."
"Something to discuss?"
Baron David tilted his head.
I planned to return by mealtime, so was there something to hand over in the meantime?
Ivanna tends to worry a lot...
Well, it must be something.
I didn't think much of it at the time.
*****
I thought it would be difficult to find the elves who had suddenly returned to the forest, but contrary to my worries, we found them surprisingly quickly.
It wasn't because I had some unknown talent for searching.
Habitable environments are generally predictable, and it was simply a matter of searching for mana around such environments.
For example, water is essential for survival, and being far from water sources would cause various inconveniences, so they'd likely be near rivers or lakes.
Focusing on such areas, we searched for places suitable for habitation from the air, and found them unexpectedly easily.
After discovering the village, we immediately descended to the ground and approached them.
"Halt!!"
Perhaps because our last interaction had been so unpleasant, their reaction was understandably negative.
We waited for a moment with arrows aimed at us, and then Pina, the girl who had led the delegation, appeared.
"...What business do you have?"
Given how our last conversation had ended, their expressions couldn't be described as pleasant, even as a formality.
Not just Pina, but all the elves, including those aiming arrows at us, showed open hostility.
"The Mountain God won't awaken for another month. There's no point in coming to our tribe now."
"I know. We didn't come today because of the Mountain God issue."
"Then why...?"
"We came for exchange."
"...Pardon?"
What we initially wanted from the elves was a healthy exchange.
Although our relationship had soured because of the Mountain God, that wasn't reason enough to give up on it now.
"I'm not sure if you'll be satisfied, but we brought some iron. Even if you send us away, would you at least accept this gift?"
"..."
Pina's eyes filled with confusion and concern, as if she hadn't expected this approach at all. For a moment, her thoughts seemed to freeze.
Seeing her expression of not knowing what to do, Baron David's face twisted into a mischievous grin, as if he felt like being a bit naughty.
"...Come in."
"Is it alright for us to enter?"
"Elves are not so ill-mannered as to treat guests bearing gifts so poorly."
As Pina bowed her head as if to welcome us, the hands holding the arrows began to lower.
Visiting a demon village wasn't particularly uncommon in the demon realm, but in the human world, we were probably the first.
I tried to hide my excitement as I stepped forward.
It was a day when the pounding of hearts behind me was particularly noticeable.