I met a Hunter Harpy youth, but he didn’t say anything.
Philiana and I watched his retreating figure as he flew away.
“As expected, it’s no good. We can’t help her like this. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?”
She was right. Waiting like this would get us nowhere. It couldn’t be helped, he probably had a family and a life. If his defiance was discovered and he was driven out of the village, it would be unbearable.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s leave this village soon. It’s tough, but we have our own journey too.”
She silently nodded at my words.
The next day, when I went out to work, the village was in an uproar. I could hear the voices of many people, including the village chief and his wife.
Approaching, I saw a girl swaying as she was carried by a woman. Her clothes were simple, like a single cloth wrapped around her, and it was questionable if she was even wearing underwear.
Her face was pale, her beautiful feathers were torn, and she was skin and bones, looking sickly. Her whole body was covered in wounds, and in some places, it was smeared with dirt.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s our daughter.”
The village chief answered with a trembling voice. Could it be that the Hunter Harpy had released her?
The emaciated girl was led by her mother into their home. I told Philiana and the others about what happened.
“Really? That’s good news. We should ask her what happened. Perhaps others are being held captive too.”
“Indeed, but will she talk?”
As Sharin said, I didn’t think a girl who was shocked both mentally and physically would talk now.
“However, it’s worth a try. If she dislikes it, we’ll withdraw immediately.”
We visited the village chief’s house on a whim. His wife had a worried expression, but she led us to the front of her room.
“Lily, we have guests. They want to talk to you.”
I knocked on the door, but there was no reply. The wife quietly shook her head.
Just as we were about to leave, a small voice came from beyond the door, “Please come in.” Gently opening the door, I saw Lily lying in bed. Her complexion had slightly improved, but she still had a frightened look on her face.
Her skin, peeking out from the floral sheets, showed bruises and scratch marks.
“I’m Arisugawa, and this is Philiana and Sharin. We’re travelers who just happened to stop by here. We thought we might be able to help, and if you don’t want to, you don’t have to say anything.”
Then, Lily looked at me with tear-filled eyes.
“No, I’m fine. I came back for this.”
