Chapter 33: More trouble?

  "This one's the st one! Let's do it, Liese!"

  ?

  "Yes! Yaaaaah!"

  ?

  Regulus stabs the Captain Sand Goblin in the leg with his spear, robbing him of his mobility, and Liese swiftly pierces his head and heart to finish him off.

  And thus the st of the attacking Sand Goblins is defeated.

  ?

  ?

  "Fumu, it's true that both of you are moving better than before."

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  "Hehe, hearing Uru-nee-san say that makes me feel better."

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  "Yeah. All the hard work was worth it."

  ?

  On the way to Airo Vilge, a group of sand goblins attacked us.

  Don't underestimate them as mere goblins. They appeared in the daytime, the time of the creator god, and were slightly cd in miasma. They were certainly strengthened.

  However, there weren't that many of them, and Uru suggested, "Let's see the results of Regulus and Liese's training," so Uru watched while Fricka and I participated modestly.

  And so, we successfully defeated them.

  It's not that either of them got particurly strong or their attacks faster. If they had parameters, the numbers would have gone up a little, but unfortunately I can't see them.

  But how can I put it... I feel like their decisions have gotten faster. How to move, what to do next after completing one move, those things seem to be seamless and retively faster. I'm not a martial artist, so I can't really say. Back in my gaming days, I basically relied on equipment and items to brute force it, so I need to learn from them when it comes to technical aspects.

  Although, Regulus sometimes got his feet stuck in the sand, so he probably has a long way to go. But then again, I guess I'm not in a position to say that. It's just that in my case, I mainly use a bow and don't move around much, so I don't stand out, hehe...

  ?

  "Even so... This is a harsh pce. Even though the sun is out, so many monsters have appeared."

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  "... I agree."

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  I nodded in response to what Fricka, who was helping me collect materials, muttered.

  Monsters are generally weak in the day and are active at night. That's why the day is known as the time of the creator god and the night is the time of the God of Destruction.

  But it's different in this nd. Monsters can be seen here and there even during the day. Some of them were seen cd in miasma. It shows how much of a crisis this nd is in.

  Still, I can't help but feel something is off.

  If monsters are cd in miasma, that means there is a pce nearby where miasma is occurring. But I can't find any miasma nearby.

  If that's the case... Where are these monsters spawning?

  It could be that I've overlooked it or it's buried underground, and I simply can't find that pce. I don't have cirvoyance or a radar after all, so that's a possibility.

  However.

  ?

  "..."

  ?

  I look in the direction the monsters came from. There is nothing there.

  But... Up ahead is Airo Vilge.

  And if I'm not imagining it, all of the monsters that have attacked over the past few days have come from the direction of Airo Vilge. In fact, it's the same direction as that Amphisbaena came from.

  Is this just a coincidence? Or are they fleeing from the Miko of Airo Vilge?

  ?

  "Rion-sama, we've finished collecting everything."

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  "Oh, yeah. Thank you."

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  Fricka's voice shook the unpleasant thoughts from my head.

  I'd be cautious, but there was no point in dwelling on something that couldn't be answered at this point.

  ?

  "Well then, shall we move on?"

  ?

  ?

  ?

  Two more days passed. Finally, Airo Vilge came into view.

  There's a miko over there.

  It will be the first time I'd met a miko other than myself.

  I took one step at a time, trying to suppress the growing tension as I got closer.

  ?

  As I went along, the view of Airo Vilge gradually became clearer.

  That said, it is well protected by a wall all around, so I couldn't see what the vilge itself looked like.

  But that wall was incredibly long. That alone gave me an idea of ??how rge the vilge was.

  I thought about stacking some stone blocks to see if I could see inside, but being so close I'm sure they'd be able to see me from the other side. It would be one thing if they treated me as a suspicious person, but I didn't want them to mistake me for a monster and fire attack magic at me, so I decided not to.

  ?

  "Wow... That's a big, long wall."

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  "Yeah, but there must be an entrance, so let's look for it."

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  After walking along the wall for about ten minutes, I finally see a gap in the wall. There are several people who appear to be guards standing there with weapons in hand, so I guess that's the entrance.

  Oh, it seems they've noticed us too. They are looking my way and discussing something. We approach without changing pace, so as not to arouse suspicion.

  ?

  "Stop right there! Who are you?"

  ?

  A voice called out when we were only a few meters away. Since we were clearly people, they weren't pointing weapons at us, but we could see that they were on alert and ready to attack at any time.

  I took off my hood with a smile, hoping to appear friendly.

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  "Nice to meet you. I'm a traveling--"

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  But before I could finish saying 'miko'.

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  "You?! How dare you, a Lizard, show your face so brazenly!"

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  "Eh?"

  ?

  An angry voice rang out, and in the blink of an eye, a weapon was pointed at me.

  Huh? A lizard? I'm not that... I thought, but then, is he talking about Uru?

  I took a quick gnce out of the corner of my eye and saw Uru, who had her hood off like me, with her eyes wide open. I see, her hood made it difficult to tell what species she was at first.

  Ah, this is not the time to analyze things like this.

  ?

  "But attacking from the front is foolish! I'll capture you as you wish!"

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  "W-wait, wait, just wait!"

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  I stand in the way with my hands outstretched as if to hide Uru from the murderous guards who are pointing the tips of their spears and swords at her.

  They seemed to lose a little momentum when they saw me, but they didn't go so far as to sheathe their weapons.

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  "Hmm... You may be a hyuman, but if you're a friend of the Lizards, we won't show you any mercy!"

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  "Please calm down! I have no idea what you're talking about!!"

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  "Don't pretend you don't know! They've attacked this vilge so many times, and yet you're talking nonsense...!"

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  "This is the first time we've been here!"

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  To be honest, it's getting more and more tedious, but with the Miko here, we can't just pass by.

  I guess this vilge is currently hostile to the Lizards. But we have nothing to do with it, so I patiently continue to talk to the angry guards.

  Even so, their suspicions remain the same and I can't get anywhere. Maybe if I prove I'm a Miko, they'll back off.

  I'll use my creation skill in front of them, and take this opportunity to appeal to the guards who have stopped moving.

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  "L-look, I'm a Miko--"

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  "What the heck! A Miko is on the enemy's side!!"

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  ... It seems this just caused more confusion than necessary.

  They all reacted in all sorts of ways, from holding their heads to turning pale.

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  "We need to hold a countermeasure meeting immediately!"

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  "No, we should just capture them here before that...!"

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  "You idiot, it's a Miko! Even though she's an enemy, it's too much to ask!"

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  When the word capture was spoken, I was about to raise my weapon as well, but I held back because I thought doing so would only make things worse. Everyone else reacted slightly, but I was relieved that they followed my example and held back. For now, I'll just be prepared to run away at any time.

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  "Anyway, let's inform Kassim-sama! Someone send a messenger!"

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  "You guys, no, esteemed guests! Stay still right there!"

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  Maybe because he was in a hurry, he was calling us by strange names, but I don't really care.

  Kassim must be the miko of this vilge, or someone important like the vilge chief. There's no sign of the misunderstanding being cleared up, but if the conversation is going to move forward, that's fine. I'm sure the miko will handle it calmly... It will, right?

  Having heard the commotion, other vilgers had begun to gather at the entrance. Some people just looked at me curiously, while others pointed at me… Or rather, at Uru standing right behind me, and grimaced in disgust.

  ?

  But why are the Lizard people, both in Alness Vilge and here, always being hostile...?

  They may be considered monsters by other people, but they themselves don't particurly enjoy destruction.

  Or are they forced to become hostile towards others because they were the first to being targeted? Hmm...

  As I was frowning, thinking, Uru muttered, "... I'm sorry Rion, it seems I've caused you unnecessary trouble again..."

  No no no, it's not your fault.

  Lizard race, I really wish you guys would stop causing troubles (pinning false accusations) on the harmless (as long as you don't attack her first) Uru-san!

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  ?

  Maybe it was about 30 minutes. I was getting tired of waiting.

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  "Miko-sama have arrived! Everyone make way!"

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  It seemed I would finally be able to meet the Miko.

  I took a deep breath and steeled myself once again.