43 – Elders
After Kaa took a brief rest and recovered her mana, we headed to the forest in the middle of the night with her.
We all wanted to go in and rest, but we had no choice but to leave the monster’s corpse behind, as it would attract the evil beasts.
Fortunately, the carnivorous warriors had done some of the disassembly of the monster.
They were tired too, so the state of the materials was not very good, but it was not a big problem as long as we could recover the meat.
I grabbed the flame oil from the materials that were piled up and started working.
While the beastmen slowly cut off the bones with their claws, I used an electric saw to cut them cleanly.
So it was natural that there was a difference in the speed of work.
Eventually, the warriors entrusted me with the disassembly of the monster and focused on transporting the materials.
I disassembled the monster and piled it up in one place, and the warriors moved busily to carry the meat and materials to the city.
Such a sticky and hard work continued for a long time.
It was a really boring and hard work that no conversation was exchanged because it was so hard.
In the end, we were able to return to the city after the sun rose.
I washed off the blood and fat with clean water and lay down on the fluffy bed.
I closed my eyes for a moment and felt like I opened them, but when I came to my senses, the sun was already high in the sky.
“Lord Gaul. Would you like to have a meal before you leave?”
“No. I feel like throwing up if I see meat right now.”
“Yo, you have worked hard. Then I will offer you a glass of cold water.”
“Thank you. Please give something to drink to Pii as well.”
I drank the cold water that Evi handed me and cleared my dazed mind.
Next to me, Pii was bubbling in the water with his head submerged.
Just as I had a hard time dismantling the monster, Pii must have had a hard time healing the patients.
I picked up Pii from the water and opened my mouth.
“Last night was really tough. I think I need to ask for compensation.”
[Buee… Do you have any compensation you want?]
“Well. Don’t you have anything you want?”
[Hmm… Then I want Kaa’s tail.]
“……I’m a little tempted by that too.”
Pii and I laughed softly as we joked lightly.
Then, the gate of the mansion opened and a silver-haired Lycan, Kaa, appeared.
She showed up as soon as we mentioned her. She must have been a bad lady too.
[Oh~ There’s our compensation.]
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
[Pii and I are going to ask for Kaa’s tail as compensation for this support.]
“Hmm?! Wh, what do you mean by that?!”
Kaa blushed and hid his tail behind his back.
Despite his pure and honest impression, and his blunt way of speaking, his actions were so cute that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“…Don’t tease me.”
Kaa, who was embarrassed, soon realized that he had been played with and glared at us.
Then he cleared his throat and told us the reason why he came.
“The elders of the city have granted you an audience. If you don’t mind, can you come with me right now?”
It seemed that the plan we made last night was successful.
There was no reason to delay or refuse, so I nodded and got up from my seat.
The hanbok I was wearing instead of armor rustled and brushed against my body.
The material of the hanbok was somewhat slippery, so I didn’t put Pii on my shoulder, but held him in my arms.
“Then I’ll guide you.”
As I got up with Pii, Kaa naturally took the lead and Ibi followed behind.
I followed Kaa’s swaying tail to the streets of Cheongcheongyeongwol.
“Oh…”
The Cheongcheongyeongwol in the daytime had a different charm than the one I saw at night.
It was a beautiful scenery of autumn leaves starting to fall as the season changed.
It was truly a refined and elegant sight.
In such a beautiful atmosphere, the old man’s autumn sentiment rose up.
“The face of the maple forest dyed red~ It doesn’t cool down even in the autumn wind~.”
[Pfft!]
I was wearing a splendid hanbok, and around me there were tiled houses lined up.
Krrr! If this is not elegance, then what is elegance?
[Wow!]
I walked leisurely, enjoying the feeling of being a scholar.
Pii slipped and fell from my arm, but I didn’t care.
I was the epitome of a scholar right now.
Who would dare to mock me?
“Huhu. You are a very interesting human. You are the first outsider to adapt to Cheongcheongyeongwol.”
Kaah said softly, smiling at me.
I felt embarrassed by his kind words.
I coughed to change the topic of the conversation.
“Ahem! More importantly, Kaah. How do people in Cheongcheongyeongwol view druids?”
[Yaa! I’m falling! Catch me!]
“Oh, sorry.”
I finished my sentence and hugged Pii again, who was hanging from my clothes.
Then, as Pii started to bite my arm angrily, Kaah, who was lost in thought, matched his pace with me and answered.
“It’s not much different from what the elves think. They are well-known as the guardians of nature and wildness. They are a very famous legend.”
“Elves regard druids as the best warriors, right? Do beastmen think the same?”
“Hmm… It seems a bit different when you say that. If elves see druids as symbols of power and authority, we see them as symbols of mercy and devotion.”
“Mercy and devotion?”
“It means they are fond of you. They see you as a hero-like figure who helps us when we are in danger. You do look like one, I must say.”
‘Your actions now are worthy of being called a hero.’
Kaah added softly, smiling and looking at me.
I didn’t deny it, but I felt a bit embarrassed.
I tried to shake off the awkwardness and asked the next question.
“Then, what is my position in Cheongcheongyeongwol?”
This was an important question for my plan.
Even if I had enough popularity, if I lacked eloquence, the success rate of the plan would drop drastically.
Kaah seemed to know that well, and gave me an answer after serious consideration.
“You are a guest now, but as a druid, you can expect to have an influence comparable to that of a warrior chief.”
“That’s more impressive than I thought.”
“Who else but a druid? If you officially join Cheongcheongyeongwol, you will rise higher, but as a guest, that’s your limit. And don’t worry if things go wrong. I’ll support you and give you strength.”
“Thank you. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
I now had an influence comparable to that of a warrior chief.
There was only one warrior chief in Cheongcheongyeongwol, so this was a truly exceptional treatment.
If I could persuade the elders, the success of the plan would be as good as done.
I stopped walking and asked the last question.
We had arrived at our destination, and a huge gate was looking down at us.
“How are the elders’ personalities?”
Kaah opened the gate and looked back at me.
“`text
Then he made a complicated expression and gave me a vague answer.
“He likes polite people.”
* * *
As I followed Kaia’s guidance, a huge pavilion with a clear view of the geomagnetic lake came into sight.
There, twelve elders were sitting in neat postures, waiting for us.
The Wolf Clan (狼), the Fox Clan (狐), the Rabbit Clan (兎), the Ox Clan (牛).
They were the elders of the Blue Sky Moon, the pillars of the beastman society.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Gaul Cruddra, a druid candidate.”
I greeted the elders after climbing up to the pavilion.
Since he said he liked polite people, I bowed my head and showed the most courteous attitude possible.
Then, Pii, who poked his head out of my arms, waved his hand and shouted brightly.
[Hi! My name is Pii!]
It was a greeting that seemed to have no sense of the situation.
Even if he showed a sharp look, it would be insufficient, but he dared to use informal speech?
I slapped Pii’s head and scolded him sternly.
“Hey! What kind of language is that in front of the elders?”
From Noble mtl dot com
[Ouch!!]
Pii wrapped his head with his hands and looked up at me.
He had a look of pain and confusion, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.
[What… why did I get hit?]
Please sacrifice yourself for the sake of my manners.
I apologized inwardly and stroked Pi’s head gently.
Then, laughter began to spread among the elders who were watching us.
“hehehe. What a likable young man.”
“That’s right. He didn’t even step on our shadows on the way up. He seems to be a very polite youngster.”
It seemed that Pi’s sacrifice had paid off well.
I hugged Pi, who was feeling betrayed, and thanked the elders.
“I’m glad you think well of me.”
“hehehe. How can we treat a druid harshly?”
“Don’t be too shy and come here and sit comfortably.”
As I maintained my manners and courteous attitude, the elders smiled and offered me a seat.
At that, Kaia made a surprised expression and gestured me to sit quickly.
It seemed that this kind of reaction was not common.
“Right. I heard you want to make the herbivore beastmen into warriors?”
The plan to save the Blue Moon.
It seemed that the first button was well sewn.