Cedric and I spent a little time talking about each other.
I almost brushed it off as a good thing that the battle ended safely. Speaking of which, how did Cecilia defeat Cedric in the end? That part remains a mystery. It looked like she simply ran through him, but I don’t think that’s enough to outmaneuver him.
“Hey Cecilia, what kind of technique did you use to defeat him at the end? It wasn’t just running, was it?”
“Huh? Oh, that. Cedric asked me too. Apparently, it’s called Sukimachihou. I only learned it once before, so I don’t know it well.”
Sukimachihou? Is that some kind of magic too?
“But yes, like you said, it was just running. It’s a technique that makes it look like you’ve closed the distance in an instant by leaning your body and using gravity. I learned it from someone called a Samurai. When I was little, I saw a vagrant in town. Normally I wouldn’t talk to them, but I noticed the long sword the person had.”
So, she defeated him with a technique learned from a samurai without using any magic. Perhaps it only looked like an instantaneous movement from my side because I was watching from the side, and from the front, it may have looked like instantaneous movement.
“I asked how they planned to defeat enemies with such a long sword. I said they couldn’t even defend themselves. The samurai replied, ‘It’s either fight or be fought, fight with one soul.’ Even now, I don’t really understand. But the man who taught me, the Samurai, was human.”
A human’s technique. It’s a mystery why a samurai is in this world, but I suppose similar people exist everywhere.
As we walked and chatted, the road gradually widened, and we could see a village amidst the dense greenery. I believe it was the Flower Harpy village. Many small houses made of wood were built on the ground and in the trees.
As we approached the village, we immediately made eye contact with some residents. They were Harpies, but slightly different from the Flower Harpies I had encountered before. For one thing, they had three fingers, including their thumbs. Piyo only has one finger, a thumb. Their wings were also short. Conversely, their tail feathers were long, and they were brightly colored overall. They looked like colorful tropical birds such as parrots.
“Um, hello.”
“Ooooh, everyone come and see! Weird folks are here!”
With just a simple greeting, a crowd of people gathered. Until now, I had only encountered cold stares looking at outsiders, so this was a new feeling.
“Who are you? Where are you from?”
“Are you a traveling merchant?”
Everyone asked who we were and looked at us with curiosity. Then, the crowd parted, and a man emerged from within.
“Hey there, brother. Welcome. Where are you going with such a beautiful lady? Heh-heh, just kidding. Come on in, come on in.”
The man, with a small mustache, pushed me into the village.
“I’m the village chief here. Nice to meet you, brother. This is Southern Paradise… or it was. Sorry, but I can’t really entertain you right now.”
He pointed to a place where several out-of-place tents were set up.
“A plague is spreading through this village right now. Oh, don’t worry, it’s not that serious, just a prolonged common cold. But with all this fuss, it feels like it’s gotten worse. Well, please make yourself at home.”
Was that the village chief just now? They seemed like very friendly people. And I remembered, this village was currently suffering from an epidemic. However, they all seemed fine, so perhaps it wasn’t that serious.
I approached the strange, standing camp. There, people in equally peculiar clothing were working busily. They wore hoods shaped like bird heads and long black coats. They resembled the outfits doctors wore during the plague. But because everyone wore them, it was impossible to read their expressions, or even their gender, which was unsettling.
One of them looked at me. I felt a sudden jolt. Then, they strode towards me.
“You’re not from this village, are you?”
“Ah, y-yes. Um.”
She spoke, and it was a woman’s voice. I knew there was someone inside, but it was still scary.
“We currently have an infectious disease alert in effect. If you’re going to be here, wear this.”
She handed me a mask. It wasn’t a bird’s head, but a regular white mask, the kind you wear for a cold. I put it on as instructed.
“An infectious disease is spreading? That must be tough.”
“Yes. Did you have contact with any villagers?”
“I did, yes.”
Hearing that, she let out a muffled sigh from within her bird-like headgear.
“Contact confirmed. There’s an incubation period, so please wait here for a while.”
“Huh? Wait a minute, I have companions. Look over there.”
My companions, finally freed from the welcoming committee, returned.
“Oh dear, that’s why we should have issued a travel ban.”
She pressed the space between her brows over her hood.
