A group unwelcome in a town not on the map
The punk Dark Elves retreated from the Hunter Harpy, a man a full size larger than them.
“Tsk, don’t get cocky. You monster.”
The punks left the shop, spouting insults. The once pleasant atmosphere turned cold.
“S-Sorry. Thank you.”
The waitress with three eyes bowed her head to the man.
“No, it’s natural. I’m a member of the vigilante group. More importantly, I’m sorry for showing you such an unpleasant side.”
He turned to us and apologized. Well, I wasn’t particularly bothered. Actually, I had other things on my mind, I couldn’t focus on that. Did those Dark Elves not know who we were? Or were they pretending not to notice while knowing?
“Ah, no, it’s fine. Are there Dark Elves in this town?”
“That’s right, there’s a Dark Elf town nearby. Guys like that come around often. Their behavior is terrible, it’s such a nuisance.”
The man sat on a chair and took a sip of his coffee. I slowly sat down in a similar manner.
“Um, we’re travelers and just happened to stop by. What kind of place is this?”
“Hm? Ah, I see. I thought you looked like unfamiliar faces. Well, this is a town not on the map. It’s called a ghost town. More formally, it’s a town not recognized by this world, I should say.”
Not recognized? Was it for the same reason as the Bugfolk? But everyone here, I knew their races.
“You must have been surprised by the residents. This is where all the outcasts gather.”
“You mean the half-bloods?”
What I saw were people called mixed-bloods. Some people struggled with their lineage and found it hard to live.
“Half-bloods? Well, if you put it nicely, yes. Children between beings of different appearances can be wonderful. But it doesn’t always work out. Some children are born in an incomplete form.”
I see, now that you mention it, that might be the case. If a Harpy and a Centaur had a child, their body structures would be vastly different. In what form would the child be born? I only imagined children with humans until now, where the difference was only in race. But in this world, the shape itself is different.
It would be good if they turned out well, as he said, but it’s likely that’s not always the case.
“Generally, it’s difficult for children to conceive between different races. Even so, they are sometimes born. Besides that, there are various kinds of people in this town. Everyone has some kind of complex.”
Is that why this town isn’t on the map? A place where those turned away by the world gather, that’s this town. I almost asked “Then what about you?” but swallowed the words. From my perspective, there seemed to be no problem at all. He looked like a perfectly fine Hunter Harpy.
“Well then, please be careful. It might feel strange, but it’s a good place.”
Saying that, the vigilante man left some money and departed. The waitress with three eyes offered to let him off, but he shook his head.
Come to think of it, that child had three eyes. Because of the Dark Elves, I had completely forgotten about that. It’s true that living might be difficult with such an appearance. And the shop owner, who was called three-armed earlier, did indeed have three arms. One grew from his back.
“Um, you don’t have to pay.”
She offered it as a service to us. The waitress was fidgeting, looking like she had something to say.
“…Um, you’re from outside, right? You were surprised, weren’t you?”
“Eh, ah, well. It’s just that I was being stared at. But I understand the reason now, so it’s fine.”
“It’s not that, I, I have three eyes.”
She’s probably worried about how outsiders see her. She’s a girl of marriageable age.
“Yes, I was surprised. But I’ve seen many people before, so it doesn’t seem strange.”
Pauline nodded in agreement. There are races with four arms, even beastmen, so at this point, I’m not surprised by much.
“I see, that’s good. Sometimes, visitors from outside come, and they get surprised every time they see my face.”
The waitress smiled happily. After a short break, we left the shop. When I casually looked back at my companions, Karubene was, as expected, not there. Lauren suddenly burst out laughing for some reason.
“What’s wrong, Lauren? Did something funny happen?”
“Nfufu, n-no, if it were me before, I’d have definitely said, ‘what a creepy place.’ But why… now I don’t feel that way. Let’s go find Philiana and Nina.”
That’s right. If it were Lauren from before, she would have made a disgusted face immediately. Cecilia too. I would have too. Perhaps the long journey has changed us.
