I had my wounds from the bear treated at Noah’s tent.
The villagers saw us off as we set out for the next village.
“I’m glad they found the cause of the illness. By the way, no one drank from the river, right?”
“Yes, we didn’t drink it directly.”
“I only drank what I was given, too.”
It seemed the other members hadn’t drunk it either. Except for one.
“Karubene, you didn’t drink it, did you?”
“Eh, nope, nope, I didn’t drink it.”
“He seems suspicious, though.”
But if he had drunk it, he should be sick by now, so it was probably true.
“But I might have gone into the river, to pee.”
Everyone looked at Karubene all at once. Cecilia was angry, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“What is it, you don’t have to make such a big deal out of it. Brother, you do it too, right?”
“I do not.”
“Liar, doesn’t everyone do it once? Hey, Philiana, you do it secretly in the bushes too, right? You horse.”
What vulgar things he says. He really says the most unnecessary things. Philiana’s face turned red because of him.
“You’re the only one who does that!”
“Hmph, why are you saying such nice things?”
Karubene, who talked too much, was literally throttled by Nina. He should reflect on himself a little.
It didn’t seem like a long distance to the next village. However, since we can’t move through trees like monkeys, it’s likely to take time. We walked towards our destination, taking breaks along the way.
“I’m getting used to this rough road.”
“I don’t know about that. I hate it, though.”
Philiana, who had struggled quite a bit at first, seemed to have learned how to walk. Lauren, with her large body and many legs, must have had a hard time.
“If you move them little by little like this, Ouch!”
“Fufu, w-watch out for the vines. Y-you’re tall.”
“Ah, I envy Elana.”
I envied her too. She could slip through obstacles like trees and grass without any trouble.
“Hey, you guys.”
Suddenly, a woman’s voice was heard from somewhere. We looked at each other involuntarily. The voice was a little low and steady, but it didn’t sound like anyone we knew.
“It’s up here, in the trees.”
A tall Hunter Harpy woman descended with a thud. She was probably on guard duty near the village.
“Are you travelers?”
“Yes, we came from the village over there. The illness has been resolved. You can come and go as usual. Is it okay to visit the village?”
“I see. That’s for the best. Alright, follow me.”
We decided to be guided to the village by the escort. We were guided like this when we met the Flower Harpies too. The Harpies living around here all have healthy, tanned skin. Some of them draw patterns on their skin with dye.
Gradually, the buildings where the Hunter Harpies lived came into view. Compared to the Flower Harpies’ dwellings, they gave the impression of being plainer and sturdily built. They tended to decorate things with garish colors. Decorations made of feathers and thread were displayed everywhere.
“Hey, we have guests. They say the illness is cured.”
She spoke to a man waiting near the gate.
“Oh, that’s good. Hahaha, you guys were lucky to survive. Bears come out around here, you know. Really big ones.”
“In that case, well, we encountered one.”
The smile disappeared from the man’s face. The woman also furrowed her brow and turned to look at us.
“You encountered one? You met it?”
“It attacked the village. It was a King Bear with cubs. Emmet defeated it.”
“I-I see. We apologize for what happened.”
Both of them turned pale. It seemed they hadn’t intentionally driven the bear towards us.
“It must have been angry.”
“W-well, yes. But if it wasn’t intentional, it’s okay. Besides, a doctor happened to be there.”
“Emmet dislikes us. But his father… was punished. After being exiled, he was found dead.”
Divine retribution, perhaps. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel sorry for him.
“There are many carnivorous beasts. We don’t know which one killed him. That was a grim story. Follow me, I’ll give you a place to rest.”
Does he know this story? Well, even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have any reaction.
The villagers looked at us outsiders with curiosity. They had a somewhat scary impression, but they were no different from other races. In fact, they might be more friendly. Children came up to our feet, pulling at our trousers and playing with us.
“I’m sorry. Hey, don’t scratch with your claws. If you tear my clothes, you’ll have to pay for them.”
“Hehehe, hey, what did you come here for? A big spider!”
“Kyaa, why don’t Flower Harpies have hands?”
They didn’t listen to the adults at all. Piyo was also perplexed by the pushy children. Since she doesn’t live in the deep forest, she only has one finger.
“Hey, that’s not allowed.”
The escorting woman lifted a child and put him on her shoulders. I thought she was a stern person when we met her, but she’s quite kind. With their large bodies and sharp claws, they were just like us, kind people.
