Chapter 74

"Roar!"

The bear beastman at the front, who had charged in, raised the axe in his hand.

His body was large.

Unlike Beowulf, his face and arms were more human-like, but the bear ears on his head clearly indicated that he was a beastman.

In other words, he harbored a grudge against humans.

His hostility and murderous intent were pure.

"Whoa"

I used alchemy to create a "pipe" in my hand.

Infusing it with magic power, I swung the pipe, which was about 1 meter long, and struck the bear beastman's raised arm.

"Ugh!"

The shock caused him to drop the axe.

I instantly struck his other arm and both legs with the pipe, and then bound his immobilized body with a chain I had created.

"Sorry, but you'll have to stay still until things calm down."

I then locked the chain with a padlock I had created, immobilizing him completely.

"Alright, Mawr, Meala, and Reyle too."

I created "sickles" for the three of them using alchemy.

After confirming that the handles were wrapped with cloth to prevent slipping, I got off the cart.

The scene had already turned into a battlefield.

However, the battle was one-sided.

"Ugh!"

"Damn! What are these guys? They're not just humans!"

The beastman bandits who had attacked us had appeared to block our path and prevent us from retreating.

In other words, they had surrounded us.

There were about 10 to 20 of them.

A considerable number... but most of them were already lying on the ground.

First, Gurai's strength was unmatched.

As a half-orc, Gurai's muscles were different from those of ordinary humans.

Even the large bear beastmen, who might have had considerable strength, were no match for Gurai, who had spent most of his life in the blood-soaked underworld.

His experience and the number of battles he had faced were different.

Almost in one blow—Gurai had knocked out the bear beastmen by striking their jaws.

"Oof! ..."

Suaro's sword draw did not give the bear beastmen any chance to attack.

She destroyed the axes and swords in their hands with her first strike and then delivered a second strike to their necks.

Unconscious beastmen were scattered at her feet.

"Whoa!"

"What, what is this guy? He's using bombs!"

"Don't get close to the cart!"

On the other hand, Delphi was keeping the beastmen who approached the cart at bay.

As a half-salamander, Delphi could breathe high-temperature flames using magic.

He could create makeshift bombs by trapping the heat in glass balloons.

He created bombs and threw them on the ground nearby, preventing the beastmen from getting close.

He was protecting the non-combatants like Mawr, Meala, and Reyle.

"Hey! You beastmen! Calm down!"

"I'll give you a little shock."

Furthermore, Enzia and Kuro, who had been released from the cart by Iksa, also joined in the suppression.

Being attacked by two giant beasts over 2 meters long left the beastmen helpless.

They were pinned down by the two beasts, and Kuro delivered a weak electric shock to subdue them.

The battle was over in an instant.

"Alright, that's it."

Before we knew it, the bear beastmen were bound with my chains and had no choice but to surrender.

The beastman bandits were suppressed.

"Damn... Damn... By humans..."

The bear beastmen, unable to move, let out regretful groans.

"You guys aren't just merchants or travelers, are you?"

The beastman who had charged at us with an axe said.

He was probably the leader.

"Did you pretend to be something else to deceive us... Are you adventurers?"

"Yeah, pretty much, but... we didn't come here to defeat you on a mission or anything."

I said.

"To be honest, I didn't want to fight at all. I came here to talk to you. Things just turned out this way."

"Hmph... Can you trust what a human says? What do you plan to do with us? Turn us over to the knights? Sell us as slaves?"

Hmm... They're pretty bitter about this.

"No, we won't do that. We don't have any intention of treating you cruelly just because you're beastmen."

I pointed to the cart.

Mawr, Meala, and Uga got off the cart.

"Wolf... beastmen?"

"Beowulfs. We're from Abatos Village, where Beowulfs live, far from here. We came here on a trip and happened to hear about you."

"You live with beastmen?"

"Hey, Bushi! Don't fall for it! It's a trap to make us let our guard down!"

The surprised beastman leader, Bushi, was warned by one of his companions.

"No, no, what's the point of making you let your guard down in this situation?"

"Ugh..."

The companion beastman was speechless.

"... What's your purpose?"

Bushi continued.

"What I want to know is whether the rumors being spread in the city are true."

At that moment, Iksa stepped up beside me.

"Who are you...?"

"I'm the Third Prince, Iksa Raven Grouga."

"What! A prince!?"

Bushi's hostility flared up instantly.

"Are you one of that lord's allies!?"

"Not at all. We're more like rivals for the throne."

Iksa sighed as if troubled.

"And I want to say one thing. Depending on the situation, I'm willing to be your ally. I want you to tell the truth. It's said that the reason beastmen disappeared from the tourist city of Vizer is due to an increase in crimes and the way you've been treating humans—"

"It's a lie!"

Bushi shouted.

Not just Bushi, but his companions also shouted.

"We were driven out of the city with false information! We lived by fishing in that city! We got along well with humans! But one day, suddenly—"

"Was there any sign of such things happening before?"

"No idea! Sure, there might have been some minor conflicts or incidents, but they were on par with what happens between humans! Nothing that would cause such a big issue! That's why it was sudden!"

"..."

I put my finger to my chin and thought.

"Mako, this is just a guess... but..."

"I understand, Iksa."

Iksa's point was clear.

"One day, suddenly"

When a sudden, inexplicable event occurs, a certain word comes to mind.

—The Demon Race.

A mysterious race that deceives, confuses, and corrupts people.

"We were driven out of the city and forced to this remote, cursed land... a dead land where only fierce wild animals and poisonous plants live, where the royal family once took away the power."

Bushi whispered in a pained voice.

"Who took away the power...?"

"I don't know the details, but it was a princess named Antimishka and her royal army."

Again, it's her.

Even after disappearing from the story, she continues to leave a negative impact.

After all, she once rose to the third position.

She must have been doing things like this.

"We are forced to live in poverty on such land... If that's the case, we have no choice but to attack and rob anyone. If the target is human, there's no need for mercy. It's all the humans' fault that we've become like this."

"I see. Then, I have a request."

I said to Bushi, who had lowered his head.

"Can you take us to the village where you live now?"

"... What?"

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"Wow... This is terrible."

I couldn't help but say.

The village they led us to was in a terrible state.

It was even worse than the poor village of Abatos.

The houses, scattered randomly on the barren land, were more like shacks.

Most of them had holes in the walls and roofs.

The smell of death and decay filled the village, and the crows' cries and the buzzing of flies could be heard.

"Is there a water supply?"

"There's no water here. We fetch it from a nearby river."

It was even worse than Abatos, which had a well.

"... Do you understand? One day, we were suddenly thrown into this situation."

Bushi, who had led us here, said resentfully.

By the way, the chains that had bound them had already been removed.

"Can you still have good feelings towards humans after being treated like this?"

"No, I can't."

I looked at an old bear beastman sitting on a chair in front of a house that was barely larger than a doghouse.

From another house, a small, emaciated child peeked out and looked at us.

... I don't want to use this expression, but.

It was a poverty-stricken area, fitting the description.

"Huh?"

Uga made a sound.

In front of us, at the edge of the forest surrounding the village, stood a young child.

(…Huh? …)

However, the child had a peculiar appearance.

He was a beastman, but not a bear beastman like the others.

Gender... a boy, perhaps?

Hair as white as silver.

A small body.

Red eyes.

And a pair of long ears extending from the top of his head.

(…A "rabbit"? …)

"Hey, you... Ah!"

Just as Uga was about to call out, the rabbit beastman child disappeared into the forest.

"What was that?"

"Who knows?"

Uga and I tilted our heads in unison.

"Alright, I've shown you. Can you leave now? Get out of here."

The bear beastmen said in hoarse voices.

Their deflated tone indicated they had no intention of fighting us anymore.

Iksa had said they were originally gentle beastmen.

They viewed humans as enemies out of anger and resentment, but deep down, they wanted to live in peace.

"No, I can't leave yet."

I said to them.

"What? What more do you want from us—"

"First, we need to repair the houses. We also need to burn the garbage and other unsanitary things."

I said, looking around the village again.

"Uga, there were still vegetables in the cart, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then we can provide a meal. Healthy food is important too."

"What... What are you talking about? You guys..."

The bear beastmen were stunned.

But it was hard to leave after seeing this situation.

"Do you have any unnecessary wood or tools? Even if you don't, we'll start with what we can fix."

Gurai stretched his arms and said.

"This village is completely lacking in artistry. The smell is making me sick. I'll burn anything that looks bad for your health."

Delphi said, though he looked puzzled.

"Mako, can you create cooking utensils?"

"Sure."

"Alright, Mawr, Meala, and Reyle, help out. First, we need to fetch water from the river."

Uga also started moving.

I turned to the still stunned bear beastmen and smiled.

"So, we'll be doing some volunteer work in this village."