I unwittingly ended up with a gift while on my way.
The contents of the gift were three warriors from the Blue Cat Tribe who had invaded our territory. Just a few months ago, they had been perfectly fine and engaging in trade, but suddenly their behavior changed, which raised suspicions.
“What in the world happened…?”
“It can’t be too big of a deal. Don’t worry too much.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Amy’s mood didn’t improve throughout our travel.
I wanted to scold the beastmen, but it wasn’t the right moment to ask.
The mansion appeared in the distance.
We had to take a long detour due to the attack by the beastmen.
“Hurry up and prepare!”
The mansion was bustling with activity.
People donned armor and grabbed weapons, hastily assembling at the entrance.
While they moved urgently, the small size of about ten people made them look quite pitiful.
“The bell has already rung for ten minutes! Think of the people who might be under attack by beastmen at this very moment!”
A middle-aged man wearing simple armor held a sword and led the group.
He was dressed differently from the others, making his rank obvious to all.
“Lord, we are ready.”
“Great, then let’s move out!”
When everyone was prepared, Parker, the lord and Amy’s father, shouted with energy.
But only the lord seemed resolute.
The faces of the others were filled with fear.
Looking at their appearance, they didn’t seem like soldiers; most were servants working in the mansion.
Handing weapons to people who usually handle household chores would lead to this kind of reaction.
“Father!”
“?!”
As Amy rushed towards them, Parker turned around in surprise.
“Wait… am I seeing things? There’s no way Amy would be here.”
“No, it’s definitely her. It seems she came with her friends.”
Amy arrived in front of the two, who were blinking in disbelief.
“Where is everyone going?”
“Amy, we need to fight now. You should wait inside the mansion with your friends.”
“No need for that.”
Amy pushed the beastmen she was dragging forward.
“I brought all these people.”
…
Amy then disappeared somewhere to talk to her father, and we were led to the reception room.
“Please wait a moment, and I will guide you shortly.”
A warm-looking butler gave us a proper greeting before hastily disappearing somewhere.
The servants who had just been in armor hurriedly returned their weapons to the storage room and rushed back to their duties.
It seemed to take some time to prepare a guest room.
“…Why did the beastmen attack?”
While we waited on the sofa, Lucia suddenly recalled the recent events.
There was nothing clearly known.
All three who could tell us had fainted, and the beastman who was injured by Amy had his severed wrist healed with a potion, leaving it in a half-healed state.
Now, reattaching it would be even harder.
Injuries like that should be treated quickly at a church or hospital, but there was none in sight around here, so I did what I could for first aid.
Having lost one wrist, he might want to commit suicide once he wakes up, but that’s not my problem.
Why would warriors from a tribe launch a surprise attack?
As I tried to piece together my thoughts, Casey suddenly jumped in.
“They’re not thieves; they called themselves warriors! Just a few months ago, they were buying grain from the locals.”
Despite looking small and childlike, Casey is an officer in the Royal Knight Order.
Sometimes she seems really young, but I confirmed she was a competent knight capable of standing on her own, so I left her alone.
“Just because they call themselves warriors doesn’t mean they care about honor. There are some beastmen who do, but the moral standards of tribes living on the plains differ from humans.”
“Didn’t they say something like ‘It was your fault first’ to the farmers?”
“Exactly. We might need to hear both sides of the story.”
“Ugh… it’s complicated.”
Gemma, who had been listening to Casey and Lucia, crossed her arms and looked distressed.
Judging purely from the situation, it seems the beastmen who attacked first were in the wrong, but there must be something we’re unaware of based on what the beastmen said.
“…”
“Is Uncle having strange thoughts again?”
“Me?”
I had been lost in thought, and Casey began to suspect me.
I wasn’t having strange thoughts, but I was pondering a simple solution.
“Strange thoughts? I was just considering charging into the Blue Cat Tribe Village, knocking them all out, and getting them to speak the truth.”
“Ah… no, Atlas… the plains are beastmen’s territory. Are you suggesting we start a war?”
Lucia gasped at my reckless idea.
A war with the beastmen is something one could only say if they hadn’t deeply studied history.
Once, there was a single event when all beastmen united and retaliated, significantly impacting all human factions.
However, things are obviously different now.
Back then, the great chieftain of the tribes was a Dragon Beastman, but now a different race holds that title.
If we were to wage war again, everyone would hesitate and try to withdraw.
Unifying several tribes isn’t a small feat, and controlling them is no easy task.
So even if I charged into the Blue Cat Tribe Village alone, I could handle the aftermath.
“And… if those beastmen have been wronged, wouldn’t it be pitiful?”
“How kind of you to worry about that.”
It’s possible the Blue Cat Tribe may feel wronged.
They likely have no reason to attack humans they were trading and communicating with peacefully.
Since it wasn’t an act of robbery, there has to be some circumstance involved.
“Ah, this is giving me a headache. It seems like chaos breaks out wherever I go except in Shimoa.”
There, all I would have to do is duel River’s father or something trivial like that, but everything else is a mess.
During the travel, an airship crashed, I discovered secret weapons of the Demon Church hiding underground, I had to punish stubborn brats… my head is spinning.
“Maybe I should have stayed longer?”
“No, if you came any later, there would have been five more corpses to deal with. You came at the right time.”
…
After a while, Amy returned from her conversation.
She didn’t come back alone.
Amy’s father, Victor, also entered the reception room.
“Ha-ha, it seems I’ve shown you something unpleasant right after you arrived, esteemed guests. I am Victor, Amy’s father.”
He greeted us with a friendly smile and used formalities.
In terms of ranks, he was the lowest rank, a Baron.
He likely acknowledged we were children of counts or higher nobles, though I’m unsure whether it was out of respect or simply treating guests politely.
“What happened?”
“I hear you helped subdue the beastmen? Thank you. For years, we have had exchanges with the Blue Cat Tribe, but it seems misunderstandings have piled up recently, leading to this incident. We’ll talk with their chief soon, so there’s no need to worry.”
Victor laughed as if it was trivial.
I observed Amy’s expression instead of his face.
“…”
Unlike Victor, who was smiling, Amy’s expression remained dark.
…
After a brief discussion with Victor in the reception room, he quickly prepared to leave for the attacked village.
Though he was a lord, the scale was small enough that he resembled a rural village chief.
After being victimized by the Demon Church, the population was small, and with no children, each person was precious. It seems he couldn’t just sit idle now that more damage had occurred.
Even though Amy said she would go with him, I heard her being told to stay in the mansion.
“Alright, let me guide you to your room.”
Just then, a woman opened the reception room door and entered.
At first, I thought a servant had come to see us, but my assumption vanished the moment I saw her.
“…Are you Amy’s mother?”
“Hehe, can you tell?”
The woman smiled warmly, and her bright red hair resembled that of Amy, like an apple.
While her impression was slightly different, they looked undeniably alike.
“If you tell Mom, I’ll take care of it…!”
“No, you brought your friends, so I must guide them.”
