We arrived at Sheep Island while talking with Mizukazu and the others.
We pulled our luggage onto the quiet beach of Sheep Island. There was nobody on the beach, only the sound of gentle waves repeating. Everyone else looked around, searching for any signs of people.
“Hmm, there’s no one here. I hope there’s a village nearby. Oh, look over there, there’s a sheep.”
In the direction Philiana was looking, a single sheep was standing. As expected of Sheep Island, perhaps even the greeters were sheep. The sheep, moving its legs rapidly, came this way. Without any signs of wariness, it stopped right in front of us.
“Did it get separated from its flock? Where did you come from?”
As I spoke to the sheep, I suddenly saw the figure of a girl in the distance. Was she this sheep’s owner? She looked bewildered by the unfamiliar people.
“Excuse me, is this sheep yours?”
“Ah, yes, it is. Um… who are you all?”
I explained to the girl, who was looking at us with suspicion, that we had been sent here by the Capricorns.
“I see, so that’s what happened. But why would you come to an island like this? I can’t really recommend it for sightseeing.”
The sheep returned to the girl, who had approached us.
“We have business in Zetsuky, but we couldn’t get on a ship going there. Are there any ships departing from this island?”
“Hmm, there are some, but for various reasons, there aren’t many right now. But let me ask for you. This way.”
We followed the friendly girl. She wasn’t human, but rather resembled a Satyr in appearance. However, unlike Karubene, she had curled horns, and her leg fur wasn’t straight but fluffy. A long tail with similar fur texture dangled behind her. Perhaps this Sheep Island was named so because the inhabitants here resembled sheep.
The island’s atmosphere was generally quiet, like a peaceful rural road. Wide grasslands stretched out endlessly, with a forest visible in the distance, and unpaved roads. It would be exhilarating to ride a horse along here.
After a while, we spotted a village in the distance. Old houses made of wood stood in rows. Then, from behind us, a large woman carrying lumber overtook us.
“Oh? Customers are unusual. Your attire isn’t something you see around here, but what brings you to such a rural place?”
She also resembled a Satyr, but her large horns growing from the sides of her head and her sturdy build reminded me of a cow. She seemed suspicious of us, outsiders.
“Nice to meet you. We plan to go to Zetsuky. We’re traveling around the world.”
“Hmm, there are ships, but it’s not a good time. Well, make yourselves at home.”
With that, the woman went ahead. It was natural for us to be viewed with skepticism. A group of unknown people had suddenly shown up out of nowhere.
“Here we are. This is our village, everyone calls it Sheep Village. That’s because there are more sheep than people here. Please wait a moment while I go and find out about the ship.”
She smiled kindly and entered the village, leaving us at the entrance.
