I heard from Chamber that the orphanage where Piyo is located has a reputation for being shady.
“Even if you tell me we have to do something… I can’t do anything if I can’t move. What am I supposed to do?”
“Um, so basically, we just need to get proof of child abuse, right? Hmm, you’re a bit too old for this.”
“What? What am I supposed to do? Infiltration is a bit too risky.”
Chamber, who had been following us, arrived then.
“Hah, hah, wait a minute. It’s not nice to just run off like that.”
“Do you have something in mind, Chamber?”
He wagged his tail happily, addressed by his beloved Nina, who mispronounced his name.
“M-me? Well, let’s see. Come to think of it, Navis often said that rich people hold children. Maybe we can get to the bottom of that?”
“Navis? Who’s Navis?” When I asked, it turned out he was the young camel-centaur who saved me. I was too caught up in my own problems to notice, but he himself seems to be quite wealthy and apparently participates in such parties.
“Well, I’m not going, but… I guess it’s pretty ridiculous that people come all the way to this desolate place for sightseeing, just for that.”
“I see, so they’re doing whatever they want where headquarters can’t reach. And I bet it’s the bigwigs from headquarters who are doing it.”
“Hmm, so you’re going to participate in that party. Well then, introduce me quickly.”
“Uh, well, I guess so. But, um, excuse me for asking, but wouldn’t I look out of place if I suddenly showed up as a stranger?”
“That’s true. Even with Navis’s introduction, I can’t just wander around.” So what should we do?
“Well, for the time being, I’ll try to negotiate with Navis. I’ll see you again tomorrow, around evening.”
We parted ways after making plans to meet Chamber again. I returned to the hotel and rested on the bed. The bed I had been so eagerly awaiting felt uncomfortable now. I wondered how Piyo was doing now. Did they really want to stay at that facility? If so, all our efforts would be in vain. Conversely, if Chamber’s testimony was true, we had to rescue them as soon as possible.
I closed my eyes, wishing for this operation to succeed.
The next day, I decided to explore the town further to learn more about it. The main races here are Land Harpies, Nagas, and Satyrs. There are also Centaurs. The Centaurs here are smaller and more slender than those I’ve seen before, with beautiful bodies.
During the day, perhaps due to the heat, everyone seemed sluggish, resting in their homes or in the shade. Amidst this, I suddenly spotted a woman half-buried in the ground, reading a book. Was I mistaken? Was it the heat distorting my vision? As I quietly approached to avoid suspicion, I saw that she indeed appeared to be growing out of the ground.
“Is there something you need?”
“Wha—?! I’m sorry, it just looked like you were growing out of the ground.”
I was surprised that she noticed me approaching from behind. The woman then chuckled as if amused. Suddenly, the ground around her feet began to shake. I quickly jumped back as several black legs emerged from the soil. As the dirt fell away, a giant scorpion’s body was revealed. Could this be the scorpion-human I saw in the arena?
“It’s hot during the day, so I spend my time buried in the ground like this. See?”
She pointed, and I saw others half-buried in the ground, napping or knitting. The woman then submerged herself back into the earth. It was incredible how skillful she was, despite her large size.
“Um, what kind of race are you? I just came here for sightseeing and don’t know much about this region.”
“We are the children of Serket. We’ve gained the power to rule scorpions, or something like that. This huge body is hardly useful, which is quite funny.”
Children of Serket. I don’t know who Serket is, but it must be some kind of powerful god. I recall hearing that scorpions are related to spiders. Does this mean they are a race close to Arachne? As I wandered around, I encountered a young man from the guard corps that had been looking after me.
“Hey, Hiroaki. Unfortunately, we haven’t received any information about your companion since then.”
“Is that so? By the way, may I ask your name?”
He introduced himself as Kyle. I asked him what kind of race Land Harpies were.
“Hmm, let’s see. In a word, they’re Harpies that can’t fly. I don’t think there’s any need to fly, though. After all, other races live without flying, right?”
That’s true. Not being able to fly, or rather, being able to fly, is the special thing.
“Do you know the Harpy sisters? Everyone talks about three sisters, but there’s actually a fourth. Her name is Botalge, which means ‘swift runner.’ As her name suggests, she was said to be faster than a horse and could run without sleeping.”
“That’s amazing. What would a world faster than a horse be like?”
“Also, most Harpies are not good with earth attributes. But we are born with an adaptation to that attribute. We don’t have wings, but we do have beautiful feathers.”
The feathers on his wrists and tail were as beautiful as if they had been painted with vibrant colors.
“The more colorful ones are popular with women,” Kyle whispered with a smile.
