Amidst the air of tension and anticipation, a critical situation unfolded.
The archers of Darangdae had their bows aimed directly at us.
The swordsmen of Darangdae were threateningly brandishing their blades with low growls.
And maintaining a slight distance.
“H-hey…?”
Renatel began to stutter as if broken.
I decided to push on a bit more boldly.
“Heroes? Please wait. Do not provoke us.”
“Meow….”
“Arc, isn’t this dangerous…?”
“I’ve explained everything already. This is the best option.”
I walked calmly towards Renatel, step by step, while everyone watched me.
“Renatel, please accept this. It’s my heart.”
Shall we make a draw?
You all did wrong too.
After feeding me such garbage…!
Renatel hesitated at the sight of my gesture of reconciliation (feat. contract).
“Is this… a contract…?”
As the leader of Darangdae, she seemed conflicted between the difficulty of accepting that and the necessity to comply as a hero candidate.
In the end.
Shara-lak──
Brilliant lights enveloped Renatel and me.
Silver cuffs with a significant authority, almost like bracelets, clicked onto our wrists.
At that moment.
“Ugh──”
Renatel let out a slight m*an.
“Lady Renatel?!”
“Is there a problem?!”
“Grrr, grrrr…!”
The Lagain tribe friends glaring at me from behind Renatel bared their fangs for an instant.
“…It’s fine. I was just surprised by a feeling I’m not used to.”
It seemed Renatel regained her composure.
Then, she came closer in steady strides.
No.
That’s too close.
Excuse me?
Slurp──
“?”
Renatel suddenly performed the unhygienic act of licking my cheek.
I felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
“That, that girl…!”
From behind me, Lumi growled angrily.
What’s this? You put saliva all over my face too.
As if hearing Lumi’s words.
Renatel’s gaze shifted from me to Lumi.
“I see. The one who left the mark was that Lagain. Isn’t it the same for both Lagain and Darangdae to share males? Is it really something to be so angry about?”
“Grrr…!”
What does that mean? Share what?
But before I could dismiss my doubts, Renatel changed the subject.
“As a hero blessed by the goddess, it is only natural for me to serve as a revealer, but the damage you caused to our Darangdae cannot be erased. What do you plan to do about this?”
Tch.
Isn’t taking down one leader enough?
Looks like I’ll have to bring out my last card.
“I sincerely apologize for that. As a gesture of reconciliation, I will prepare a feast. Could you spare a moment?”
“A feast? Unlike the Lagain, we Darangdae do not have gluttonous tendencies. Do you mean to bribe us with food?”
“Grrr…”
Why are you looking at Lumi as you say that?
“Ah come on. We’re a family now, right? Just wait a bit. I will create a day you’ll never forget.”
“Wh-what?!”
I don’t know at which point they got startled.
But I began to prepare for a field meal as nonchalantly as possible.
Trace, on.
…No, opening the inventory.
I took everything I had prepared out.
Frying pots, oil, batter.
Along with seasoning for sauce making.
And finally.
Not mackerel…
Minotaur meat!
Tormented fried dishes representing a declaration of war.
I will show them the taste of military-style sweet and sour pork.
A little later.
“Darangdae swears loyalty to the Revealer!”
“Long live the Revealer!”
“Long live Sweet and Sour Pork!”
Indeed, nothing tames wild animals like food.
Mission accomplished!
“Hey, Tynia! Didn’t I tell you not to pour the sauce directly, but to serve it in a separate bowl?”
“Eing.”
After scolding Tynia, who was trying to commit such heinous acts on the food as a server,
I wiped my continuously dripping sweat.
Even though my body was trained by mass cooking, it’s tough doing it alone…
Next time, I’ll need to bring Renatel along for such occasions.
I need a junior, a junior.
“…I didn’t know food could be this delicious.”
Whoa, geez.
I was surprised.
Renatel had suddenly come up to me, shooting me a gaze filled with wildness.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
I don’t know why she says “give me more” in such a lengthy way.
Looking around──
“Ah, is that what you’re asking about? It’s something called soy sauce. The Lagain probably hasn’t had it before.”
“That’s not how you eat that! That’s something called ‘red pepper powder.’ It’s spicy if you eat it raw!”
Lumi happily yapped about while bouncing around, performing the role of the otherworldly hero.
She’s excited, really excited.
For some reason, it seems like she was letting out her earlier frustration on the Darangdae friends regarding what happened with Renatel.
After the chaos of the sweet and sour pork party ended.
“Revealer! I ate well! Please do it again next time!”
“No! Tomorrow! Tomorrow too!”
“The day after tomorrow too!”
“Hahaha…”
The Darangdae friends, fully satisfied from a single meal, repeatedly thanked me as they left cheerfully.
So easy, so easy.
At this rate, should I conquer the tower with cooking?
With a proud expression.
As I was busily massaging my overworked wrist and forearm.
The leader of Darangdae, having devoured an oversized portion of sweet and sour pork, approached me with an awkward look.
His tail, which had been standing straight, was now flicking merrily, suggesting proper training had taken effect.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Darangdae friends smile so brightly.”
That’s right.
“It’s not exactly the most livable environment. Opportunities to eat until full are almost non-existent.”
“Why is that? I saw plenty of animals living in the great forest today.”
“Some of them could become someone’s ancestor, or someone’s child. So hunting is prohibited in the great forest, except for a few species.”
Ah, I see.
That was the reason…
“I’ve seen hunting wild boars.”
“Wild boars fall under that few exceptions. Have you heard of the wild boar beastmen?”
I think I’ve heard of them.
Are they not in this world?
Renatel shot me a gaze that seemed to ask, “Is that your preference?”
It was degrading.
“…I doubt they’d exist.”
I couldn’t agree otherwise.
“U-uh, Renatel? I saw some injured Lagain tribe members earlier. Would you like me to heal them a bit──”
“Oh, are you referring to the injured members while subduing the Pocorons’ rampage? I would appreciate that, saint of humans.”
“……”
Without thinking, the face of Yo-hena, who had delivered a treatment while being a little indifferent, flushed noticeably, and then she hurriedly fled while holding onto Ari’s arm.
After that, we sat at a makeshift table and relaxed, chatting.
Unlike the other heroes gathering in Celestia, I needed to share more information and knowledge to communicate effectively with Renatel, who had lived her whole life in the great forest.
The Demon Tribe?
They’re not relevant.
Even now, Tynia was seemingly bored, playing with Lumi’s hair and braiding it.
Moreover, it seemed like there was a ban on speaking about anything related to the demon realm, which provided no useful information.
“Though it’s barren, the environment itself can be considered a natural fortress. Without Lumi, we wouldn’t have discovered it.”
“Woof!”
Lumi barked with an expression overflowing with pride.
“Compared to the overall scale of the Lagain army, Darangdae is relatively small. So we must hide our base well to carry out guerrilla tactics.”
“Indeed.”
As the commander of the knight order and the leader of Darangdae continued on with their boring discussions of city defense and patrol.
Why isn’t it ending?
Isn’t this enough to have established a cooperative relationship with Darangdae?
Since the area clear notification hasn’t appeared yet.
I frowned while looking at my smartphone.
Did I miss something?
How does the story unfold after this?
“Heh heh. It’s a place where one can work peacefully. Those who can track Darangbunggo are few. It can be said to be safe.”
Just then, as I was deep in thought.
I heard Renatel’s voice reciting a phrase that seemed to function similarly to “Did we clear it?”.
Oh no.
That phrase shouldn’t be spoken aloud…!
Sure enough.
“Renatel! The Lagain tribe is approaching!”
“What?”
Renatel’s face turned pale with surprise.
Wow.
The recovery rate of the flag is remarkable.
“Are you not going to run away or anything?”
“What do you take me for…! The Lagain don’t turn their backs!”
But she’s not running away at all.
Wait, is it customary to escape while saying that?
I looked at Renatel with slightly perplexed eyes.
But whatever she interpreted my gaze to be.
“Don’t worry. I will protect you so that you are not kidnapped again.”
Her face slightly flushed as she pledged to keep us safe.
“Grrr…!”
Lumi growled from the side.
“That was said with good intentions, Lumi.”
“Yip…”
We shouldn’t undermine each other at times like this.
Love and peace!
Unity and cooperation!
Scythe and hammer!
…?
In an instant, I tried to shake off the feeling of a red wave of revolution rising in my heart.
The flow of consciousness can be so terrifying.
“It might be dangerous, so wait here. …Heroes, and friends too.”
Renatel struggled to use the term friends.
What? Do you have no friends?
“We’ll help too.”
“Meow. My black dragon is starving…!”
But our bl**d and flesh—let’s call them meat machines—simultaneously pulled out their weapons in a show of force.
Renatel, looking flustered, said,
“W-was that really necessary…?”
Stammering, yet.
“Don’t worry, Renatel. Now you’re also my hero. Helping my hero is the role of the revealer.”
“I will help too!”
With our superficial offensive.
“If so…”
Renatel, with a reddened face, ultimately yielded.
“Let’s go.”
The moment she made up her mind.
[★★★: Assist Darangdae in repelling the Lagain tribe’s attack.]
The victory conditions changed in real-time.
I see now.
Forming a cooperative relationship with Darangdae was a mission from the previous area.
It seems like the trigger related to clearing the area has finally activated.
But it doesn’t matter.
I just need to take them all down.
This area doesn’t have any time restrictions.
“This is an unexpected yield.”
I thought it was just some stupid act of foreign parties reclaiming their tributes.
But that Darangdae group was hiding here.
Enya smiled slyly at the corner of her mouth.
Darangdae, the rebels.
They dared to defy the supremacy of the great King Cat.
Ugh, their heads…
Refusing the dominion of the great King Cat…
To add insult to injury, they even abduct their own kin for bizarre ideological indoctrination.
They pillaged the crops we painstakingly cultivated.
Even bringing forth female Pocorons and enticing the males to kidnap them.
But their atrocities end here, today.
“I’ll prepare for battle.”
It appears they lured in outsiders.
Using the beauty of males to enchant themselves was surely part of their scheme.
I will capture them all and shave off every bit of their fur.
Then boldly take the males right in front of them.
Hehehe.
Hehehe…
“M-ma’am? You’re drooling.”
“d*mn.”
Wiping away the drool that had unconsciously dripped down her chin, Enya quickly regained her composure and gave the order.
“They must have caught our scent as well. It will take time for reinforcements to arrive, but let’s strike while our morale is high and attack now.”
