By desperately persuading, we were able to slightly lower the Hummingbird Harpy’s guard.
The Hummingbird Harpy crossed the swamp without even a ripple and looked up at us. The swamp, where we had almost drowned, was now eerily still, as if it were something else entirely. It was like a painting placed before our eyes.
Her emerald eyes, devoid of emotion, were turned towards us. However, we were not reflected in those pupils; it was as if she were gazing at some distant sky.
“Uh, um, my name is Hiroaki. You’re a Hummingbird Harpy, right?”
“……”
My words can be understood, can’t they? It seemed my shout from before had gotten through.
“Do you live around here?”
“……”
“Do you have a family?”
“……”
What? No answer is coming back. She’s like an ornament. It wouldn’t be strange if she were a stuffed specimen. Even if her hair is dirty with dirt and she only wears rags, I find it all beautiful. In the first place, is this creature alive? Perhaps it’s something close to a spirit.
Ah, this child might be deaf. If so, she might just be bad at talking. But can she write? She doesn’t look like she goes to school. I need to ask questions one by one, and they must be answerable with a YES or NO.
“Are you hard of hearing?”
I crouched down to meet her eye level. After a short wait, she nodded once. Because her hair is long, I assume she’s a girl, but I can’t be sure. After all, these small races tend to have childish faces, making them difficult to distinguish.
The Yukidango Tribe’s females were larger, but is the Hummingbird Harpy the same? The Puzu Tribe’s males seemed larger.
“Do you live alone?”
She nodded again. She lives alone in this forest. As expected, her spirit is this entire forest. She’s not using magic to manipulate plants. That’s why she was able to fight against this large group alone. And she wasn’t using her full power. She attacked with the intent to kill, but she must have been holding back.
With the forest on her side, she can escape from hungry animals and satisfy her hunger with fruit.
“Are you the guardian of this forest?”
This time, she shook her head. Huh? It’s not that? I had assumed she was the guardian, preventing bad guys from entering.
“Um, so you’re just living here? You attacked us because we came in.”
There was a slight pause, and then she nodded. Well, if the entire forest is her spirit, it might be a comfortable place to be, but what about her family? If her children or siblings lived like this, wouldn’t they have some opinion?
“Where do other Hummingbird Harpies live? If you don’t mind, I’d be happy if you could guide us.”
How about this question? She won’t guide us with a “yes, please.” She remained frozen, staring in the same direction.
“Then, how about your home? Where do you usually sleep? Let’s talk there at our leisure.”
Then, she turned and started walking. Glancing at the swamp, I saw our discarded daggers placed on a large leaf. Nina picked up her sword.
“This means she’s returning them, right? It’s not a trap or anything.”
“I think so.”
For the time being, we collected our belongings and decided to follow her. The forest moved leaves aside for her, creating a path. At first glance, it seemed to be swaying in the wind, but it was subtly showing us the shortest route.
After walking a little, a giant tree with a hole at its base appeared. This must be her home. Around it, stones were piled up, and animal bones were discarded. This means she also eats meat. Cloths were hung on the branches.
“She lives here. There’s water too.”
Nearby, a spring was bubbling. And it’s not cold, similar to a spirit’s spring. She lives here alone? She quickly went into her home and came out with a notebook.
Its cover was tattered, and it read “Ryoku.”
“Your name is Ryoku, isn’t it?”
Flipping through the pages, I found many drawings. Trees, fruits, fish, deer; she seemed to be sketching the scenery of this forest.
“Your drawings are amazing. Ah, this is…”
There was a drawing of that giant hippo. It was sleeping comfortably in the stream. It even showed little birds cleaning its mouth. It seemed to have a completely different personality from what we saw. It was gentle and unhurried.
As I flipped through the pages, the beautiful green forest began to change. Dead birds, withered trees; the fear she felt was palpable just from the drawings. It was like watching a recorded video.
And then, the spirits, tinged black. This child seemed to have met many spirits. A red-eyed wolf, and an even more crazed hippo. That great beast wasn’t originally that ferocious.
“I see, you were scared. You’ve been running away alone. You couldn’t do anything as the forest died.”
Even with the entire forest on her side, if it was being destroyed, there was nothing she could do. She herself had no power. She could only hear the voice of the forest. How lonely and terrifying it must have been to spend each day hearing the forest’s screams.
“Don’t worry, we’ll help you. But we need your help for this. Will you do it with us?”
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded slightly.
