I met Noah, the commander of the White Crow Wings, an infectious disease control team.
I couldn’t refuse what they had prepared for me, so I started eating the fish. It was then that I noticed there were no forks. So, you eat with your hands. I had encountered races that ate with their hands before. The Melusine were like that, too. They probably live near water, so they can easily wash their hands.
I washed my hands with the disinfectant I received earlier, just in case. In front of me, southern Harpies were spreading their beautiful wings and performing a dance. Looking around, I could see villagers scurrying all over the dense forest. They climbed on roofs and tree branches like monkeys with their three-fingered hands. Their short wings were probably to allow them to pass through the narrow spaces between the trees.
We were swept along by the villagers and ended up staying until sunset.
“So, we’re departing tomorrow morning.”
“Ah, it’s exhausting to have one thing after another.”
Philiana laughed at Nina, who drooped her shoulders dejectedly.
“Heh heh, I understand. I miss the inns in Shindo.”
“If you’re looking for lodging, it’s right here.”
They had even prepared a place for us to stay. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was some ulterior motive behind such good treatment. Were these people always like this?
“What did you say?! Don’t be ridiculous!”
Suddenly, I heard an angry shout. I couldn’t help but stop and look in that direction. There, a furious villager was arguing with a squad member of the White Crow Wings. Philiana hurried to mediate.
“Now, now, what’s the matter?”
“He’s saying we should kill all the chickens.”
“No, that’s not what I said. I said that if the inspection shows they are positive, we will euthanize them.”
Ah, I remembered they said this virus was transmitted to birds and mutated. In such cases, it might be unavoidable, unfortunately.
“I will never allow that. My chickens will not be inspected.”
With that, the man who owned the chickens left in anger. The other squad member sighed.
“It seems to be quite difficult.”
“It is. These people don’t follow our instructions. People are dying, yet they blame us. Although, I must admit, so far, it only appears to be caused by the virus; it hasn’t been confirmed.”
Huh? It hasn’t been confirmed as the cause? So, there’s a possibility it could be another disease.
“Perhaps it’s also because the Captain couldn’t come this time. He’s away for a conference, and this happened while he was gone. His son came instead, but I don’t know how capable he is.”
He muttered complaints and walked away in the opposite direction. I supposed it couldn’t be helped. These things often happen in places like this. Even if you offer help, they look at you with suspicion and don’t trust you. For now, we should probably leave as quickly as possible, making sure not to get infected ourselves.
I entered the room they had prepared and took off my mask. The day had been very stuffy.
“Haa, I can’t stand wearing this.”
“Indeed, my ears are starting to itch.”
Like Sharin, the area behind my ears was itchy.
“Arisugawa, where are we headed next?”
“Let’s see, there are two Hunter Harpy villages ahead. From there, if we go further east, there’s a country. If we go west, there’s the land of the Flower Harpies, and if we go even further, we’ll reach Spring Harbor.”
Given that, I was hesitant about whether to proceed. Hunter Harpies didn’t have a very friendly image. I’ll ask the villagers tomorrow morning if there’s any problem with going there.
Or so I thought, but the next morning, when I went outside, the situation was worse than the day before. A large number of villagers were swarming the White Crow Wings’ tent. They were all crowding around, demanding to know what was going on and who they were. The squad members, on the other hand, seemed overwhelmed by the situation.
“Well, this is difficult. Everyone, please calm down. Shouting won’t solve anything.”
Philiana interjected. With her large horse body, she forcibly pushed the villagers back.
“Customers, this is troubling, this concerns us.”
“As we have explained many times, the cause is currently under investigation. For now, we are only treating the symptoms.”
“Didn’t you bring it with you?”
Even when she pushed them away, they immediately started again. Despite that, Philiana didn’t give up and tried to soothe the villagers. Meanwhile, Nina yawned.
“Why don’t you just leave them be? Ugh, I hate this kind of troublesome stuff.”
“Everyone, please calm down. You know, getting angry won’t solve anything. Ah, don’t push, violence is not good. Uh, please listen to the explanation, we need to listen to what people are saying to solve this, ugh…”
The villagers’ anger did not subside to the point of pushing Philiana, who had intervened.
“What do you mean, you’re going to kill our chickens!”
“First, after the inspection…”
“I can’t wear this strange thing. I can’t breathe.”
“W-well, calm d-down… Ahhh! It’s noisy! Be quiet for a moment!!!”
A thud echoed as hooves struck the ground, and the surroundings fell silent. Her companions were dumbfounded by Philiana’s unusually loud voice.
“Ahem, then let’s do this. We will listen to your concerns and make a fair judgment. Sometimes, having an impartial third party involved allows for calmer consideration of matters.”
No one could object to Philiana, who was surely smiling beneath her mask.
