The capture operations in Rorie Village were entirely unexpected for us as well.
I never imagined that Streihait Fraihait would be hiding in Rorie Village.
There were no mansion-like buildings when I came before, but it looked like something was being built.
I certainly didn’t realize or even think that it was Streihait’s hideout.
Fiana, who told me, also only recognized that something was being built, and her father, Dusk, was unable to participate as usual, so it’s understandable.
“The irony is that because of that, Fina’s family is proven to be uninvolved.”
“Truly.”
Rorie Village abhors having slaves from within its own kin.
The village chief spouted plausible excuses, saying that living off the money from selling family members is against human decency, but it’s not a statement that someone who stole all that money can make.
That’s why Fina’s family struggled not only with work but even with their daily lives. However, it is precisely because of this ostracization that it proves Streihait was not involved.
“Depending on the results of the interrogation, even children will become criminal slaves. Be aware of this.”
The treatment of the villagers will be decided by His Majesty Gumnos himself.
After all, they harbored Streihait, so it’s understandable if they are judged to have plotted rebellion against the kingdom.
Furthermore, the fact that they attacked Mana and even tried to kill him will be treated as a major issue not only in diplomatic relations with Amister but also in international conferences.
“Then, Your Majesty, I will open the gate.”
“Mmm.”
The interrogation of the villagers will take place in Centro.
This is in line with the original plan, but in reality, only the village chief and a few others were supposed to be taken in.
However, with Streihait in this village, the villagers’ involvement is suspected.
Therefore, it is necessary to transfer all of them, including the children, to Centro for thorough interrogation.
The number of Royal Beast Knights is not enough, but Mana is using Traveling to take a messenger to Centro and call for reinforcements.
Those Beast Knights escorted the village chief, who was the first to be bound, back to Centro, and then proceeded to escort the other villagers.
The village chief will be treated as a criminal, but the villagers may be released depending on the results of the interrogation, so they are allowed to take some of their belongings.
However, their freedom of movement will be restricted for a while, and they have a significant chance of becoming criminals, so their faces are quite pale.
The children are the same, but some are looking at the village chief and their parents with contempt, and a few are cursing them.
“Were the children uneasy about the situation in the village?”
“It seems that the children they were friendly with were shunned and forbidden from even talking to them just because their kin became slaves. Furthermore, after those children left Rorie Village with their families, they became suspicious of each other, and petty disputes among the villagers were endless. It would be unbearable for anyone with normal sensibilities.”
Not only His Majesty Gumnos, but also Fate and the Beast Knights look at the children with pity.
After we brought Fina’s family out, the villagers’ disputes increased because there was no one left to vent their anger on, and the children were also subjected to more physical harm.
The adults were grumbling with resentment towards Fina’s family, but the children seemed disgusted with such adults.
So, the children themselves were considering leaving the village.
“Fate, please take care to prevent children from carelessly interacting with adults in Centro. Also, do not forget to be mindful not to be overbearing during the interrogation of the children.”
“Understood.”
His Majesty Gumnos seems to be thinking about the children as well, so it’s best to leave it to him.
“Then Your Majesty, I will escort you to Centro.”
“Thank you.”
It was announced on the spot that Rorie Village would be廃村 (abolished).
However, if the buildings were left behind, demi-humans and thieves might move in and worsen public order, so they will be dismantled.
Dismantling in front of the villagers would be discouraging for those doing the work and could evoke feelings of guilt, so Beast Knights and Crafters will be dispatched at a later date.
“Then, after the interrogation at the headquarters of the Beast Knights, the village chief will be taken to the prison. As for the villagers, temporary accommodations will be prepared in the training grounds, and they will be prohibited from leaving without permission for the time being.”
“Understood. We will prepare it immediately.”
Upon arriving at Centro, His Majesty Gumnos immediately gave instructions to Fate.
It is understandable that the village chief is being sent to prison, but why are the villagers being housed in temporary accommodations?
If their guilt is confirmed, they will likely be sent to prison.
“Regarding the children, if there are no problems, place them in an orphanage. Eventually, they will be relocated to lands governed by the Basilus Family, but for the time being, they must be cared for in Centro.”
“We will make arrangements for that as well.”
If their parents are criminals, they cannot live together, so this is unavoidable.
We almost thought of it too, but it might offend Fina and the others, and the children would feel awkward, so it’s probably better not to.
“We will return to the Royal Castle. Fate, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes!”
We left the villagers to the Beast Knights and headed towards the Beast King Castle in the center of Centro.
This is my first time in Centro, but it doesn’t look much different from Float or Bestia.
Since the Haura Great Forest is nearby, wooden buildings are prevalent, but that’s about it.
“Centro is the largest city in Valentia, but it’s not as large as Float or Bestia. Isn’t it not much different from the capital of a Baronial territory?”
“Indeed. It was originally the capital during the Six Kingdoms era, so there’s not much difference in scale. After the founding of Valentia, it was expanded, but it only maintains the appearance of a capital.”
I see.
Valentia is a United Kingdom, so Centro is not called the capital but the Central Government.
This is also a remnant of the time when the union was formed, and it is still called that.
“Perhaps because the Haura Great Forest is nearby, most of the shops and houses are made of wood.”
“In Valentia, if you want to get stone, it’s almost all imported from Amister. On the other hand, high-quality lumber is available at a bargain, and the Gagun Great Forest is the Fusang Forest, so it’s easier to get there too.”
Fusang Forest?
I’ve never heard of it, but what is it?
“I’ve never heard of it before, is Fusang a type of tree?”
“Yes, it is. It’s not as good as a cherry tree, but it’s impervious to High Class magic. I don’t know about Ancient Class, but it’s probably tougher than ordinary lumber.”
Were there such trees?
But since it seems to be found only in the Gagun Great Forest, wouldn’t felling it be quite difficult?
“There are stories of giant trees called Fuso trees on Earth too, but they exist in Helios Orb.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, the country I lived in, Yamato and I, should have called itself that in the past.”
I didn’t know that either.
There’s a book called the Fusang Ryakki, was that what it was about?
“That’s an interesting story. The Fusang in Helios Orb is also a giant tree, but it rarely grows as large as a Treasure Tree.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmm. In one of its hollows, there is an entrance to the Gagun Labyrinth.”
That’s interesting.
The Gagun Labyrinth is located about an hour into the Gagun Great Forest.
The current depth is apparently 19 floors, but P-rank monsters appear from around this point, and it’s an undead floor, which is why there aren’t many Hunters who want to go down.
“Undead, huh? It’s a grassland area, so it should be better than the Instant Labyrinth, but I don’t really want to go.”
Upon hearing “undead floor,” Prim made a very displeased face.
The 5th floor of the Instant Labyrinth was a maze-like enclosed space, and the monsters that appeared were undead. I thought my nose would rot from the smell, but for Prim, an Ancient Foxy, it must have been even worse.
I wonder what would have happened if Flam hadn’t created the Tenma Stone by fusing wind-attribute magic and Supplication Magic “Deodorizing” with Fusion Magic.
“However, the number of Hunters entering the Gagun Labyrinth is also decreasing. This is unavoidable given the civil war that occurred until recently.”
“Ah, right. Labyrinth expulsion or Labyrinth floods might occur?”
“Indeed. Labyrinth expulsion seems to be already happening, and there are reports of monsters that should not inhabit the Gagun Great Forest being confirmed.”
That’s another troublesome matter.
The Fusang trees in the Gagun Great Forest seem to grow from the bottom of the sea, so there is no ground.
Therefore, there are many insect-type monsters, most of them S-rank or higher, and in some places, even sea monsters appear.
Beast-type monsters like Garum also inhabit it, but they are said to be G-rank or higher, which makes it even more troublesome. And to top it all off, there are rumors that Demise Species nest in the Treasure Trees.
Although it’s a rumor, the presence of Demise Species seems to be confirmed. About 100 years ago, most of the Hunters who tried to enter the Gagun Labyrinth were ambushed and attacked, and all of them were wiped out except for a few who managed to escape.
“I believe it’s called Hanuman, but wasn’t the last sighting about 20 years ago?”
“It’s probably been about that long.”
Hanuman, wasn’t that the monkey god from Indian mythology?
More importantly, what kind of monster is its final evolution?
“It’s the Rock Kong. There are higher species called Grand Kong in the Gagun Great Forest, and they are difficult opponents for archers because they shake the ground and trees with earth-attribute magic.”
“Seriously? And if the ground shakes, wouldn’t it be dangerous not only for archers but also for melee combat?”
“In fact, many Hunters have lost their lives because of it.”
Shaking the ground sounds like a very troublesome opponent.
Rock Kong is a B-rank Monster, so even if it shakes the ground, the range is narrow, and it’s said to be a tremor that high-ranking Hunters don’t even notice. However, depending on where you fight, even High Class adventurers are said to be in danger.
They seem to evolve as S-U rank Grand Kong, G-R rank Shaker Kong, P-I rank Quake Kong, and M-C rank Mega Quake.
Speaking of which, Mega Quake? That’s a giant earthquake.
“So that Demise Species is Hanuman. That means it uses earth-attribute magic, and also earthquake attacks.”
“Moreover, if it’s a Demise Species, it should be able to use other elemental magic. Depending on the magic it uses, it would be invincible in the Gagun Great Forest.”
Water-attribute magic is also bothersome, but fire-attribute magic is the most troublesome.
Even the earthquakes caused by Quake Kong are said to cause devastating damage to a town in a single blow. If that’s the case, the Demise Species Hanuman would surely cause fissures.
With tremors strong enough to cause fissures, combined with fire, you definitely wouldn’t be able to escape.
At worst, wouldn’t the damage be comparable to a volcanic eruption?
The only saving grace is that the Gagun Great Forest is on the sea.
If it were to use such magic carelessly, it would get caught up in it too, so it wouldn’t be unharmed.
Well, I don’t know if Hanuman can use fire-attribute magic.
“That’s the problem. But we probably won’t have to fight, so there’s no point in thinking about it too much, is there?”
“It sounds like a trope, but indeed, unless we go out of our way or it comes out on its own, we won’t have to fight.”
Demise Species generally do not leave their territory.
Although they occasionally venture out on a whim, it happens at most once every few decades. And it’s said that Hanuman has never left the Gagun Great Forest since it was first sighted 100 years ago.
However, that doesn’t guarantee future safety, so the Gagun Great Forest is constantly being monitored, and Hunters entering the Gagun Labyrinth sometimes scout deep into the Gagun Great Forest if they have the opportunity.
As long as they don’t approach the Treasure Tree unnecessarily, they won’t be attacked, which is why they can do this. However, there are only a handful of Hunter Raids that have managed to reach the Treasure Tree, less than can be counted on one hand.
That’s natural, as other monsters will attack without hesitation, even if Hanuman is not a threat.
There is a Transfer Stone Tablet in the Treasure Tree of the Gagun Great Forest, so I wanted to get it if possible, but knowing that Hanuman was such a monster, I might have to give up on it.
If I were to go, I would need to level up much more first.
