Chapter 36

Summary of the previous chapter:

Gerbera's age was revealed to be 18.

At first, I was confused by Shiran's request to attend the funeral, but after hearing the circumstances, I decided to accept the offer.

"Then, I'll count on you."

To proceed with the necessary procedures, Shiran left the room with Kai.

We were advised to have lunch in the meantime. Shiran arranged to bring the meal to the room.

Since the procedures wouldn't take long, we were asked to come at an appropriate time after having lunch and resting a bit.

While the younger group, including Ayame and Asarina, were playing freely without being seen, the older group, including me and Lily, adjusted our situation as we did when we first arrived.

"Our strategy from now on is—"

Lily, who sat in the chair Shiran had just vacated, said to me, who was sitting in the other chair.

"To obtain the translation magic stone while hiding the master's ability as a monster tamer, learn how to use it, leave the fortress, and establish a supply route in a village or town where no one knows the master is a transferer, and then find a place to protect Kato."

Lily counted on her fingers and looked up at me.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. If that doesn't work, we'll have to hide in a remote place or, in the worst case, return to the forest."

"Hmm. That's a tough one."

Lily groaned with a troubled expression. I felt the same way.

"This is just a confirmation."

Lily extended her slender, well-shaped hand.

"There's a much easier way, but we're not going to use it, right?"

The tip of her hand melted into a transparent slime, losing its shape.

"If we find a human corpse in this world, we can quickly get an interpreter."

The extended tentacle swayed in front of my eyes. I shook my head.

"Eating people to gain language ability is out of the question."

"Yeah, I know. I was just saying."

If that option had been available, I should have let Lily eat the ghouls' corpses when we found them, and she would have eaten the corpses of the exploration team and the remaining group, including Kaga.

I had considered this when Kaga was eaten. Lily's predation and mimicry abilities come with risks.

Lily's mimicry is excellent. She imitates everything about the target, not just the appearance. Abilities and even the inner self.

From my perspective, Lily seems to have been influenced by the Mizuhashi Mihō she absorbed.

Unlike eating a mindless monster, absorbing a human comes with the risk of being influenced. If we get an interpreter and, as a result, lose Lily, it would be meaningless.

This applies to the other familiars as well. I don't want to lose any of my companions, in any form.

I don't want to survive alone. I want to live together in this world.

"Being worried about Lily is a given, but there are other issues. Even if it's a corpse, eating a transferer could unnecessarily provoke their hostility. ...Well, maybe it's too late for that."

At this point, as a monster tamer, I might already be considered an enemy by the residents of this world.

The transferers are the only ones who can stop the forest's invasion, but if they become enemies, the threat is not low.

From a broader perspective of protecting human society, a country is not something that can be opposed by an individual or a small group like us. If we are seen as enemies, we will be forced into a hopeless battle.

If that's the case, we should secure the possibility of dialogue in case my true identity is revealed. In that sense, eating humans is too risky.

However, according to the circumstances surrounding the elves, the possibility of being treated as an enemy just for having monsters is not low. In that sense, it's too late.

"Then, we need to find a way to obtain the translation magic stone and learn how to use it."

Lily, who had returned her hand to a girl's, said thoughtfully, and I nodded.

"That's a problem, though. It will take time."

"If it takes too long, Gerbera and the others will worry. I mean, they might come here and be found by Shiran or someone."

"Stop it. If you say it out loud, it might come true..."

It seems we were all thinking the same thing. Even Ayame was sniffling.

I wonder how they are doing now. Are they behaving? Especially Gerbera. I was worried.

"Well, we don't have to move immediately. We were planning to gather information for a few days anyway, so just keep that in mind for now."

"...Okay."

Lily's response was somewhat absent-minded. She seemed to be deep in thought. I tilted my head.

"Lily? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No, nothing."

Blinking as if she had just woken up, Lily waved her hands in front of her chest.

"I was just thinking."

"Alright. If you have any ideas, let me know. In this situation, Lily is the only one we can rely on."

"Got it. —By the way, it's been a while. Should we go to Shiran's place now?"

Now that she mentioned it, it had been a while. We had spent quite some time talking.

Following Lily's suggestion, I decided to go to Shiran.

Following the route I had been told in advance, we arrived at the designated room. I thought about relying on Lily's nose if necessary, but it wasn't needed.

I knocked on the door and entered the room. There were several simple, cheap wooden desks lined up, with stacks of paper piled on them.

"I'm sorry, Takahiro-sama."

Shiran, who had noticed us, came over quickly. Kai was also behind her.

"The procedures are progressing, but we still need the final approval from the commander."

Shiran lowered her slender eyebrows. It seemed the situation wasn't going as planned.

"Is something wrong?"

"Perhaps. The meeting should have ended by now."

While we were talking, a male member of the guild, who seemed to be returning from outside, passed by and called out to Shiran.

"Deputy. If you're looking for the commander, I saw him at the training ground."

"Really? What was he doing? No, which training ground was it?"

"Number seven. The heroes are training there. After the meeting, the other commanders might have invited him to watch. It's hard to refuse when you're in his position. He's busy, but it's a problem."

The man seemed to be on good terms with Shiran, and the rest of his words were complaints.

"The content of the meeting itself is about the empire sending troops to fill the gap left by the rescue of the heroes. We already have a shortage of personnel..."

"I understand. Thank you, Marcus. I appreciate it."

Shiran smoothly cut off the man's complaints, which seemed to go on forever. She seemed to be used to it.

She turned to us with an apologetic look.

"I'm going to get the commander's approval. It won't take long... um..."

"Shall I go with you?"

"Is that alright?"

"It would be a hassle to meet up again. Besides, the commander is watching the other transferers' training. I'm a bit interested."

Satisfied, Shiran nodded.

"Understood. Then, will you come with me?"

Led by Shiran, we headed to the training ground.

"...?"

For some reason, Kai seemed to be paying particular attention to us on the way.

When I looked at her, her pointed ears turned red, and she looked down. It would be better not to say anything. If she fainted and rolled her eyes in the middle of the corridor, it would be a problem, and if she did something like a dogeza, it would be even worse.

After descending several flights of stairs, we were led to a large room with a dirt floor. This was the training ground, probably on the first floor of the fortress. About twenty people were moving their bodies.

"Commander"

"What is it, Shiran?"

A tall woman with silver hair turned around from a group a little away from the crowd.

She was the commander of the Allied Knights, whom I had met at the welcome reception yesterday. Her stern blue eyes glanced at me for a moment but quickly turned away.

She began a formal conversation with Shiran. A boy behind the commander noticed me and waved. It was Kansuke. He was here but, as he had said, was not participating in the training. He was probably accompanying the commander, who had been invited to watch.

I waved back to Kansuke and then turned my gaze to the center of the training ground.

About ten boys were holding sticks wrapped in cloth in one hand, facing a trainer each.

Not all of them seemed to be participating in the sword and magic training to recognize their own cheat abilities, but most of them were.

Among the participants was the blonde Sakaue. I had thought he would decide not to participate, thinking it was irrelevant, so I was a bit surprised.

Two of the exploration team, except for Iino, were also there. Iino had gone to the forest to rescue survivors, as he had said this morning.

Recalling the students who had looked at the exploration team with admiration yesterday, the only reason they were not here was probably due to illness or absence.

It was a good thing they were motivated.

However, I also felt a bit resentful.

The exploration team seemed to be fully committed to living as heroes.

The remaining survivors who admired them were also getting caught up in the idea.

Perhaps by envisioning a glorious future as heroes, they were avoiding the reality that they could never return to their original world, or the unique sense of solidarity in an emergency was causing this. In any case, they had started walking towards becoming heroes.

The same was true for the transferers. If anything, they were the ones who had created this atmosphere. Shiran and the others naively believed that we, the heroes, would fight with them. Because that's what the heroes in the legends had always done.

As a result of all these factors, a natural atmosphere had been created where fighting as heroes was considered the norm.

Atmosphere is strong. Group psychology comes into play. Without it, there would have been people who were reluctant to fight. In fact, even Sakaue, who was participating in the training, was quite something.

Bound by this atmosphere, I was now unable to move.

If I took a different action from others, I would be suspected to some extent. I would be questioned. For someone with secrets, that would be fatal.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

Shiran had returned. It seemed she had successfully obtained the approval.

"Then, this way."

"Understood."

I waved to Kansuke one last time and followed Shiran out of the training ground.

***

We walked down a brick corridor. At the end was a staircase leading underground.

After a brief conversation with a guard, we descended the stairs.

At the bottom, a long, narrow corridor stretched into the darkness.

When Shiran touched the magic stone, a lighting stone, on the side of the entrance, the corridor was filled with light.

"...This is the mausoleum for the fallen. It was built about 250 years ago, and those who have died at Cheria Fortress are enshrined here as heroes alongside the heroes."

Listening to Shiran's solemn voice, I took a small breath.

Embedded in the walls of the long corridor were countless rings with blue stones.

They were the same as the rings I had given to Shiran.

However, there was one difference: the color of the embedded stone.

The ones here were blue, while the one I had given to Shiran was yellow.

These rings, I learned, were identification tags distributed to knights and troops. Although they were made of worthless stones, the embedded stones were magic stones. After confirming death, they were collected and enshrined in this mausoleum. Meanwhile, the bodies were cremated and buried in a cemetery elsewhere in the fortress, or sometimes sent back to their hometowns with their belongings.

A few items related to the heroes, such as swords, shields, and armor, were also enshrined here. In this world, where heroes are revered, being enshrined here is the highest honor.

However, the mausoleum we needed this time was not this one.

"Let's go."

Instead of the straight corridor, Shiran led us down a narrow path on the side.

This corridor had no rings embedded in the walls and had a low ceiling, creating a sense of oppression.

At the end of the corridor was an altar carved from a glossy black stone. On it were several large plates.

Stacked on the plates were rings with blue stones, the same color as those in the mausoleum we had just seen.

Siran took out the ring I had given her, which had a yellow stone.

"May the purifying flame be granted to the poor souls."

Siran placed the ring on the plate and rubbed the edge of the altar.

The altar itself seemed to be a magic tool, as green flames rose up.

Not only that, but the color of the ring Shiran had just placed on top changed from yellow to blue in the green flames.

Siran offered a silent prayer. Behind her, Kai also closed her eyes.

The ceremony itself was simple and solemn, but it was sad that there were only four of us.

According to what I had heard, there were usually more steps, but they were not performed this time because the owner of the ring had become a ghoul.

—The rings we wear in the forest are said to have originated as a way to identify ghouls.

While looking at Shiran's slender back, I recalled her poignant voice when she asked me to attend the funeral and explained the situation.

—It is known that each monster has a unique pattern of magical energy. This is also true for those who have become ghouls from humans. The magic stone embedded in this ring is engraved with a pattern that can identify the unique magical energy of ghouls.

In this world, not all deaths are final. Occasionally, people become ghouls. This is especially true in the forest, where the density of magical energy in the land is high.

In battle, the rate of ghoul creation is even higher. This is because the density of magical energy in the land temporarily increases in places where many corpses are found.

As was known in the colony, magical energy resides in the soul. When a monster is defeated, this magical energy can be obtained, which is one of the reasons why the exploration team in the colony hunted monsters and why I sought contact with monsters.

However, only a part of the magical energy is stored, and most of it dissipates. Therefore, when a person dies, the magical density in the surrounding area temporarily increases. As the number of corpses increases, the already high magical density in the forest rises, leading to the mass production of ghouls.

—When the color of the ring changes from blue to yellow, the person is no longer treated as a warrior. In the past, they were not even mourned.

Ghouls are monsters. Monsters are the enemies of humanity.

In this world, becoming a ghoul is the greatest dishonor.

The current ceremony is more about purification than mourning or appeasement. It is a ritual to convert the dead from a monster back to a human by reformatting the magic stone.

No one attends the funeral of a ghoul. Or rather, it is tacitly understood that they should not. The dead are quietly buried without being widely known.

However, that does not mean that those who knew the deceased are not in pain.

"Ugh... hic"

A sob echoed in the quiet corridor. Kai was crying.

Siran, who turned around, hugged Kai's shoulder. Her eyes were also red.

"Oh, your face is a mess. Go wash it here."

"...S-Sorry"

Siran's usually strict voice was now gentle. This was probably her true self, not as a knight but as a "sister."

Kai, who had lowered her head, turned and walked back down the corridor. Shiran, who had seen her off, turned to us.

"I appreciate your attendance, Takahiro-sama, Mihō-sama."

Siran bowed deeply.

She, too, was mourning the dead. Asking us, who had a connection to the deceased, to attend the funeral must have had meaning. It was the responsibility of the one who had brought their rings here.

"...Were they close to you?"

When Lily asked, Shiran nodded.

"Yes. Kai was particularly close to one of them. She had hoped that there was still a chance as long as the body was not found. However, I am sorry. I apologize for the unpleasant sight."

"There's no need to apologize."

Lily shook her head.

"She's a good kid. And she seems to really look up to you. Is she your sister