Karubene teased Philiana, who was scared on the bridge.
The first to notice was likely Sharin, who was walking at the front. Her cat ears surely gave her superior hearing compared to humans. Amidst the tension, Sharin called out towards the bushes.
“Who’s there? Show yourself. We are mere travelers, not suspicious individuals. We wish to avoid conflict if possible and promise not to venture any further.”
Then, a small beastman jumped down from a tree. He resembled a monkey and was a girl. She grins mischievously as she confirms our presence.
“Hehehe, you found me. You guys are quite something. What do you plan to do with such a large group?”
“We don’t plan to do anything, we just want to pass through here.”
Just then, a large wolf beastman appeared from behind, smashing through the vegetation. He looked down at us with a fierce gaze filled with anger.
“Suspicious! Take them away!”
“Please wait a moment, we are…”
Before Philiana could explain, Pauline was caught by the monkey girl who was in front.
“Now, hurry up and walk. Do you not care what happens to you, insect woman?”
A sharp dagger was pressed against her throat. With a hostage, we couldn’t rashly make a move. They said kobolds were dangerous, and it seems that was indeed the case. We were led away by the two beastmen as they commanded. Is there no chance to escape? There are two of them. Perhaps we could use Pauline’s poison needle to escape and somehow counter-attack.
“Don’t even think about escaping. I’ll kill her immediately.”
A low voice came from behind us, as if reading our thoughts. The wolf woman rivaled Philiana in height. With thick fur and developed muscles, the threat of killing didn’t seem like a lie. As I watched the monkey in front to make sure she didn’t mistreat Pauline, a village appeared within the deep forest.
When the residents saw us, they all stopped their work and looked up. Even among beastmen, their races seemed varied, with tigers, cats, dogs, sheep, and goats present. Also, they weren’t entirely beasts; some were half-human like Sharin. From among them, a female beastman with a face like a hyena approached us. She observed each of us as if licking us with her gaze.
“Hoh, so these are the intruders. Humans, of all things. Aren’t they adventurers?”
“They are merely disguised as adventurers. Look at this one.”
The wolf woman said, pointing at Elana. The hyena grinned.
“Hahaha, I see. So those dogs are capable of thinking. And now a cat? Does it matter what kind it is if it’s a woman?”
Dogs? Cats? I had no idea what she was talking about. Perhaps she was mistaking us for someone else.
“We are just travelers…”
“Shut up! Hurry up and walk!”
A piercing voice echoed through the deep forest. Without a chance to explain, we were thrown into a cage. The only good thing was that Pauline was safe. By the way, while walking through the village, I noticed something strange. I saw absolutely no male figures. Almost all, if not all, of the beastmen living here were women.
