Chapter 94 - Reports from Mulg
Chapter 94 – Reports from Mulg
Translator: ranzan
With the day done, we returned back to Mulg.
Shiggy flapped its wings happily when it saw Cruz.
「ryaa!」
「Welcome back!」
「Thanks. I appreciate you taking care of Mulg…Huh?!」
「No problems here! How was the dungeon?」
Cruz asked with a smile.
However, there were 10 hydras lying dead around her.
「You say there’s no problem, but…」
「Well, it wouldn’t be hard for you to kill these either…」
「What the hell happened here, Al?」
Luka, Vi-Vi, and I were surprised, while Cruz seemed confused.
Then, it seemed that she noticed why we were surprised and said,
「Oh, sorry. I forgot to collect battle spoils from them.」
「The battle spoils isn’t the problem.」
「Well…for you being the only guard here, Al, there sure are a lot of monsters!」
「…yeah, it’s become one hell of a dangerous village!」
Cruz seemed to make the mistake of thinking that 10 hydras attack the village every day.
I thought that Vi-Vi would correct Cruz, but she ended up agreeing.
「When did the hydras attack?」
「Um…right around sunset.」
It seems they attacked after all the villagers were back in the village.
I still had to ask,
「Are all the villagers okay?」
「Um…they all came back from the fields. Millet helped check on everyone, so I think it’s okay.」
Cruz said proudly.
It was good that Millet did her best to help.
Cruz really didn’t understand guarding duties, and she didn’t know what all the villagers looked like.
「Wow, good job, Cruz.」
「Heh heh」
I complimented her and Cruz was clearly happy.
While this was happening, Luka was checking all the bodies of the hydra.
Cruz and I started to help her.
As we started to cut open the hydra for spoils, Femm’s tail stuck straight up, and looked around cautiously.
Even without saying anything, Femm knew to look around and be ready for an attack. Femm was a good guard.
Shiggy stood on my shoulder and looked around as well.
「Moo MOooo」
「Moofy wants to be scratched.」
On the other hand, Moofy wanted Cruz to rub her head.
As we cut up the bodies, I asked Luka,
「Zombies again?」
「…seems so.」
「Ah…not again.」
A zombified stone naga had collapsed the dungeon. At the same time, zombie hydras attacked the town.
There was no way this was a coincidence. We had to think it was connected.
「There has to be some connection here.」
「Yeah.」
If you didn’t know that Mulg was connected with the capital by a magic transport circle, then there was no meaning to this attack.
Maybe they were cautious because they knew there was a warning for air attacks, so they used land-walking hydras instead.
At least we should consider that whatever it is knew about both the transport circle and the air attack warning.
「You think we should be worried about a spy?」
「No, I don’t think so.」
I refuted Vi-Vi’s question.
No, we needed to be cautious, but we needed to do so on our own.
If everyone’s trying to figure out who the spy is and searching for a scapegoat, then it’s going to make matters far worse.
No need to jump at shadows.
「Even if there is no spy, we need to watch carefully what’s going on and make judgments from that.」
「Yeah, you’re right, Al.」
Cruz and the others, who are in the capital during day, were here at night. If you knew that, then a magic transport circle is obvious.
The wyvern attack proved that there was some kind of warning against air attacks as well.
「But, it is really annoying.」
「…yeah.」
It didn’t seem that this was done to threaten the village.
With the dissection done, I went over to the village chief.
「Alfred…what is it?」
「To be honest…」
It seems that someone was trying to steal Shiggy.
The monster attacks would continue to that purpose.
「I see…that is terrifying.」
「Yes.」
If that meant that I would be fired as guard…well, I was prepared.
However, the chief smiled at me.
「As long as you can beat them back, it’s no worry.」
「They will attack again, I’m afraid.」
「Well, we’ve been attacked before.」
「Yes, but these creatures are quite strong.」
I explained the monsters that we had fought recently.
Even so, he smiled again.
「Don’t worry about it. You beat them back, right? You’ll do so again, right?」
「Yes, that’s what I’m expecting…」
「Then, no worry. It’s scarier to be attacked by them without you here.」
He had a point.
It was possible that the attacks would end if Shiggy was gone. But there was also a chance they would continue.
「Yes, well, I think we need to talk. Please come inside.」
The chief led me into his house.
He poured some tea as I sat down.
Smelling the tea, Shiggy jumped from my pocket.
「ryaa?」
「Maybe Shiggy would like something as well?」
「No, don’t bother. Shiggy’s still young, so I don’t think we should feed it the same thing humans eat.」
「I understand.」
「ryaaa…」
Shiggy sounded unhappy. However, I wasn’t sure it could eat snacks.
I should ask Luka later.
The chief drank the tea and then looked at me seriously.
「I’m sure the question has probably occurred to you, Al. Why, in forsaken place like this, threatened by beasts and with little good soil, do people still cling to a village such as this.」
「Well, I guess I was wondering.」
「This is the last place that people with no other place to live have.」
「Which means?」
The chief pointed his finger to his beastlike ears.
「As you can see, I am a manbeast. My parents were escaped slaves. Millet and Collette are elves, but their grandfather was one leader in the Demon Lord’s army.」
「…I had no idea.」
「Millet’s story begins 300 years ago with her grandfather, because elven lives are so much longer. She doesn’t know of him. There are probably many other things you don’t know about this place as well.」
「I see.」
「She never did anything bad. Her mother, grandmother and grandfather most certainly did. She was a slave. She was the final remainder of a fallen family. This town is the final safe place of people such as these. That’s why this town was created, actually.」
The chief scratched Shiggy’s head.
Hearing all this, I had a question for the chief.
「Um, can I ask you something, chief?」
「What is it?」
「You said that when I made friends with Femm, that there was a hero that retired in this village 300 years ago, right?」
「Correct. Because you showed us the magic wolf king’s tooth that was the treasure of this town.」
「And what relation does that have with the hero 300 years ago?」
「After the hero defeated the magic wolf king 300 years ago, there was no place for him to live in peace, so he created this town.」
「I see.」
Compared to the hero 300 years ago, Cruz seems to be a much better hero.
She was well rewarded for her achievements as well.
The chief smiled kindly.
「You and Shiggy can remain here as long as you’d like.」
「…thank you so much.」
「I will say one thing…that quest request I sent out.」
「The one to guard the town?」
「Yes. I was thinking someone that was strong, yet couldn’t live in the capital any longer would accept.」
Then he laughed.
『Need a guard in Mulg Village. Wolves and boars attacking village. Payment is food, clothing, and board. *Village has a hot spring.』
True that a true adventurer wouldn’t accept a quest like that.
「Even as a joke, it was an adventure guild quest. I guess any criminal interested would avoid the guild.」
「I see.」
It was kind for the chief to tell me everything. I guess I shouldn’t hide anything any longer as well.
「Chief, I guess I have something I didn’t tell you.」
I told the chief the real reason I came to the village.
「I see…that’s why you’re so strong. You were a member of the legendary hero’s party. And Cruz, it seems, is the hero.」
「Sorry to hide it from you, but I have a request.」
「I know…tell no others.」
「Yes, thank you.」
「No problem, and since we have a group of very strong adventurers, it’s a bonus.」
The chief laughed at himself.
「Well, I hope to work here a long time.」
「And I hope you do as well.」
I bowed deeply to the chief.