It was because Cecilia was being held hostage that Philiana accepted the request.
“What?! Cecilia is a hostage?!”
Nina scoffed with a half-smile, disbelieving. The others also looked skeptical.
“I know, right? It was my oversight. Fortunately, we were sent to the same place. Still, we wandered the wilds for about two days. Along the way, we found some edible-looking berries, but we didn’t eat them and looked for a village that might help us.”
“Were they the ones with white pulp?”
“Yes, they could have been poisonous. And it was when we were near death that the Nagas saved us.”
That makes sense… Was I the only one who ate my fill and passed out?
“That’s when I let my guard down. After such a long time, I let my guard down with food and a bed. Before I knew it, I was in a prison. The Nagaraja has poisonous fangs, which is why Cecilia couldn’t move.”
Philiana clenched her fist with regret. Is there no other way, then? Hmm, I feel complicated.
“If that’s the case, then we should go defeat that Nagaraja ourselves!”
Everyone’s eyes widened at Nina’s words. T-that’s true, but… Sharin cautiously extended her hands.
“I-is it alright? He’s your king, isn’t he? If word gets out that you did something like that, Nina, you’ll be cast out from your race.”
“Y-yes. If we’re going to do it, we should exclude Nina.”
Pauline is right. It would be bad if Nina got involved. She’d become a traitor to her race. Even if their king was holding someone hostage, the villagers would probably side with Sarakka. From what I could tell, he was well-respected.
“Even if you say that, are you going to do it without me?”
“No, we can’t do that. We can’t risk anything happening to Cecilia.”
“T-then you’re saying it’s okay if we get into danger?”
Gradually, everyone’s voices grew louder, and an argument started. It was probably because they cared about each other, but problems would arise no matter which way it turned. In that case, should we try to negotiate with the Dark Harpies? No, battle is unavoidable.
“Everyone calm down. Let’s go to Quetzal first. We’ll talk again, and it won’t be too late to act after that.”
My words stopped the argument. However, they still turned away from each other with harrumphs. To think that we, a group of companions, would end up fighting.
After that, we continued on in silence. As Sarakka had said, tall trees began to increase, and the scenery quickly changed to a dense forest. Only the sound of Philiana pulling her cart could be heard on the unpaved road. I walked behind, pushing it to ensure the wheels didn’t get stuck.
“Arisugawa, what do you think?”
Sharin, who had started pushing alongside me, quietly asked.
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know what kind of race Quetzal is, and perhaps they have their own circumstances.”
“That’s true.”
That one word ended the conversation. Then, the silent journey continued. No one even suggested taking a break, which they probably should have. Piyo and Pauline were panting heavily.
“H-hey, shouldn’t we rest for a bit? It seems like we still have a long way to go.”
“You all rest. I will go on ahead.”
“Then me too!”
For some reason, Philiana and Nina started walking faster.
“I wonder if Piyo is okay. Ehehe, I’m used to it!”
Pauline sighed and started walking as well.
As the sun began to set and the surroundings grew dark, we saw a building that looked like ruins among the overgrown trees. The giant stone staircase was impressive. On the side wall, there was another entrance. We could enter from here as well.
“We’ve arrived, but it’s night, and I think it would be rude to intrude.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s actually convenient, as there won’t be any other disturbances.”
With that said, Philiana put down her luggage and started climbing the stairs. Nina followed suit.
“W-what’s gotten into her? Philiana-san, she’s not acting like herself.”
Lauren is right. She’s not her usual calm and gentle self. Since the two of them had gone, we decided to follow.
