I hadn’t planned on getting closer to them. A group with a flag appearing out of nowhere clearly screamed, “We’re important people!”
I’d planned just to pass them by, but…
【Come closer, Outsider.】
My mistake was underestimating how sharp their eyes were. Even as I tried moving away from their expected path, they had someone call me over.
【It really is an outsider!】
The person riding atop what appeared to be a leopard eyed me with curiosity.
Considering I had been equally fascinated with their six arms, I couldn’t exactly say anything, but it still felt like a bit much. It was as if… They were looking at a monkey, or something even less than a monkey. It was like I was a curious display piece.
【Aah, was that too rude?】
However, I couldn’t afford to be reckless. Although there were about thirty people in the group, only three were riding on leopards, and they were dressed in rather elaborate attire.
No matter how I looked at them, those three were obviously of high status, given those intricate clothes. I focused my gaze on them until they showed some signs of comprehension.
“Sorry, my apologies. In Vigabol, we don’t really see outsiders unless they are official envoys.”
This person’s tone was apologetic yet firm. I understood the delicacy of this situation, so I simply nodded, maintaining my respectful posture.
He sounded slightly awkward, like a foreigner speaking Korean, but I had no difficulty understanding him.
“Erm, well, can you understand? I practiced hard.”
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So what if he could communicate with me in my language? I knew nothing about the people here or this region, so I couldn’t just talk to this guy carelessly.
As such, I decided to avert my gaze from the confident-looking man before me.
I saw a kid on the leopard conversing with those who’d followed me.
【What happened?】
【Well, it’s a long story…】
The person I’d been speaking with was pretty flashy, but his style differed slightly from that of this village’s people. Conversely, the kid seemed to be from here; while his clothes were a bit colorful, their style was very similar. 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔢𝔴𝔢𝖇𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔢𝔩.𝖈𝔬𝖒
That they still rode a leopard despite being the smallest in the group suggested they held significant status.
But I couldn’t do much with that information alone. I had no idea what I should do next.
【Ah… Could it be that he didn’t understand me because of my poor pronunciation?】
【That’s unlikely. Chief Atarte’s fluency is beyond question. However, please also consider the outsider’s position, being suddenly faced with leaders of multiple tribes.】
Meanwhile, the last person on a leopard spoke up. Their calm, resonant voice somehow felt reassuring to me despite the evident language barrier.
“This is the chief of the Vigabol Tribe. They are interested in connecting with the outside world and are very curious about foreigners. Would you mind joining us?”
Moreover, that person also spoke my language. In fact, they were even more proficient than the man who’d spoken to me first.
“Not interested—”
However, that was beside the point. While I did need some form of distraction, I had no desire to join their conversation.
To repeat, I knew nothing.
“Actually, the chief was eagerly looking forward to speaking with you. However, there hasn’t been a chance yet.”
[Please, save our tribe’s and chief’s dignity.]
“…!”
No, but… I didn’t know anything…!
[I don’t know how you ended up staying with our tribe, but I will ensure that your favor will definitely be returned.]
I looked at the woman whose voice was echoing in my mind, then at the kid… wondering whether he was the chief.
She’d glanced at the kid while saying that ’the chief was eagerly looking forward to speaking with you’, so it was highly likely.
Why was a child their tribe’s chief? Well, it might be due to some tribal customs, so this wasn’t anything I could figure out immediately.
“…”
It was pretty difficult to refuse when they were asking me to preserve their chief’s dignity—especially since he was a kid—so desperately. But what if I agreed? Maintaining my persona aside, I lacked the confidence to handle being caught between two chiefs.
What a predicament.
【Priestess, while it’s true that I looked forward to conversing, I don’t wish to strain our benefactor, who is still in recovery. He was injured while saving our hunters from the Chibineng and got poisoned, after all.】
【…The Chibineng? Did you say that he was poisoned by the Chibineng?】
【Yes, Chief Atarte. So, I suggest we delay the conversation. I understand your curiosity about outsiders, but…】
【In that case, we certainly should postpone it! But more importantly, is it safe for him to be out here after getting poisoned? Is his body alright?】
Why were they making such a fuss over me?
“…I momentarily forgot that you were still recovering from the venom due to your strong presence. Please forgive my oversight.”
I deliberately kept silent while they talked among themselves for quite some time. Soon, the woman turned her head to me. Although she seemed unaware of it, she’d given me a reason to refuse the conversation, which I had no reason to decline.
“How about we accompany you? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
In the end, I couldn’t avoid being taken back to the tribe.
* * *
* * *
“Why did you come back together with them…?”
Although I’d been caught and returned to the village, I’d bought some time to assess the situation under the pretext of recuperation.
And when the group of chiefs moved to the largest building in the village, the Archmage, who had been hiding somewhere, came running and dragged me somewhere else.
It was perfect timing, I would say, both to clear my mind and because I wanted to understand what was going on.
“I only paid back what I owed.”
Following the Archmage into an empty building, I answered him bluntly. Moreover, that one sentence was to preemptively avoid seeming out of character for accompanying them.
“Haah…”
Meanwhile, the Archmage held his forehead at my unkind words. No matter how smart he was, there was a limit to how much information he could glean from that comment.
【Erm, is there a problem?】
Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one here at the moment.
The hunters who’d been with me supplemented my explanation.
“So that’s what happened…”
The Archmage, who somehow looked five years older, handed me a bowl of porridge. The porridge he’d boiled while we spoke contained finely chopped ingredients, seemingly taking my physical condition into consideration.
I wasn’t sure whether it was to aid my digestion or something, but I really appreciated the complete absence of meat.
“Eat this while you listen.”
It appeared that this culture didn’t use eating utensils, seeing as I was only given the bowl containing the porridge.
“As I’d mentioned before we came here, the Great Forest of Chiria is home to many ancient tribes, each with their own language.”
Ah, that. He’d explained this to me after we’d confirmed that the snake had fled into the Great Forest.
He’d said the forest was home to many secluded tribes that avoided contact with the outside world. I’d thought we wouldn’t encounter them, so I hadn’t paid much attention to the details.
I was only vaguely aware that these tribes were the ones he’d been talking about.
“Most of them are hostile toward outsiders. They often try to kill anyone who invades their territory, claiming they wouldn’t ever let trespassers get away.”
So that was it? Did I help them out for nothing, then? But considering that they saved me, not all tribes were like that.
“However, the tribe we’re indebted to now, the Serhan Tribe, is a bit different. Given their location on pretty much the outskirts of the Great Forest, they’ve always had some contact with the outside world. As such, they are less hostile toward outsiders.”
So, what was he getting at? I intently listened to the Archmage, waiting for him to get to the point.
The porridge was quite hot, but I still ate it, enduring the pain with all my might. Blowing on it to cool it down wouldn’t look cool at all.
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“What I want to address here is the delegation from the Vigabol Tribe that just arrived. Until a few years ago, the Vigabol Tribe wasn’t friendly to outsiders.”
I see… But hadn’t I already come across the chief of the Vigabol Tribe not too long ago?
“Fortunately, the current chief wants the tribe to move out of isolation and believes they should open up to the outside world. That’s probably why they didn’t react adversely upon seeing you.”
Only then did I understand the odd favor the Vigabol chief held toward me. As the chief and the person beside him had told me, they really wanted to know more about the outside world.
“The problem is that right now is the ‘Katina’ Period.”
As I drank it, sip by sip, the porridge was almost gone. I wasn’t full, but my stomach didn’t feel empty, either, so I simply put down the bowl.
“During Katina, a new warchief is selected to take the vacant position of the previous warchief, who was either dethroned due to causing problems or died after reaching the end of their lifespan. Anyone who holds the position of chief has the right to try and take it.”
“So?”
“Serhan is a relatively weak tribe, so their chief would never participate in Katina if they could help it. On the other hand, Vigabol is one of the strongest tribes and holds significant power. Moreover, as I said, the current chief is quite the reformist. He’ll absolutely try to take that position, even if it means changing old customs. This alliance is likely for that purpose.”
As I began to grasp the situation, I felt a sense of urgency.
This meeting was incredibly crucial. So, if I hadn’t gotten involved with them…
“It would have been better if we hadn’t gotten between them to begin with, but seeing that the other party is already aware of us, it would be rude for us to leave without a word… You’ll have to sit down with them at least once. Of course, I will accompany you there, but… you know? I’ll do whatever I can to help you, so please… erm, well. I’m begging you.”
I had to handle this situation properly. So, I shouldn’t show any resentment.
We weren’t formally invited guests of the Serhan, but we’d somehow ended up like this, and if we treated the Vigabol carelessly, that could spell trouble for the Serhan.
“Is that okay?”
I inwardly lamented a little at seeing him make a request despite his expression being devoid of trust.
Just because I came across some people, how did I end up getting involved in politics? Seriously, couldn’t I just take some more poison and lie down??
“If… If it really is impossible, it also wouldn’t be too bad if you just pretended to be suffering from severe side effects brought about by the poison. It would delay our return time significantly, though…”
Ah, right. Suppose I told them that I had to return to the city while I was supposedly suffering from severe side effects. The way back wasn’t easy to traverse and was filled with all manner of insects and wild animals.
Seriously. Were my only choices to participate in their conversation, which definitely wouldn’t go all too smoothly due to my character settings, or lie and stay back comfortably, which would delay our return?
What should I choose? I was already in a situation where I had to get back as quickly as possible since I’d left without my other party members knowing I was gone.
“…I won’t say much.”
I couldn’t adapt to others’ circumstances with this personality, but wouldn’t it be even more regretful if we wasted any more time than this?
After some intense rounds of analysis and deliberation, I’d come to a decision.
The Archmage nodded.
“Thank you.”
It felt strange seeing the person who was actually working the hardest here express his gratitude to me.
【Ah, Lady Priestess!】
At that time, I felt a presence outside our building. Some people often looked our way, but this was the first time someone approached us so directly.
“It seems the Priestess of the Serhan Tribe is here.”
Who? I had no idea who that was.
Guessing that the Priestess was someone of slightly higher rank, I waited for that presence to enter this place.
Soon, someone opened the door, pushing past the guards surrounding the building.
It was the woman I had met earlier who was impressively fluent in our language.
Though I’d initially mistaken her for another tribe’s chief due to her attire, she was actually from the Serhan Tribe. I had been quite curious about why she rode alongside two chiefs on a leopard.
“I apologize for the late greetings. I’m Vivia of the 6th Branch of the Rising Swamp.”
She looked down at me with her eight eyes, their color a mysterious blend of purple, teal, and yellow.
Given this place’s sedentary culture, I was sitting on the floor while she was standing, so it was inevitable that she would look down on me.
“You may refer to me as Priestess, as that is the closest equivalent to what I am in your language.”
The Priestess didn’t maintain her position for long.
She plopped down in a somewhat drafty spot we had deliberately avoided earlier. Her half-closed eyes were fixed on the fire in the center of the room.
“Before we proceed, I must thank you for saving our hunters. Without your help, we would have lost many young and skilled hunters.”
She then bowed deeply, a gesture of utmost gratitude.
Although I hadn’t really intended to help them, any mild resentment I’d felt for being made to participate in a conversation between high-ranking people vanished from my heart almost instantly.
“I didn’t do anything. It was all him, so please don’t thank me.”
“Is that so?”
I copied her posture and straightened my back as I watched her put away the pot and make tea.
In an attempt to appear dignified, I hadn’t been slouching originally, but the Priestess’ posture was so stiff that it made me sit even straighter.
“Chibineng… The Swallowing Green River has been a major nuisance for our Serhan Tribe. Not only now but also in the past, it has claimed the lives of countless hunters and warriors. The entire tribe will be deeply grateful to the warrior who managed to kill it.”
After expressing her gratitude once more, the Priestess offered me something.
“This is a small token of our gratitude. Normally, the chief would be the one to bestow it, but as he is currently receiving the envoy, I have been tasked to give it to you on his behalf.”
Just as the Archmage had pushed the credit onto me, he also showed no intention of accepting or rejecting this gift. It seemed he wanted to leave the decision up to me. So, the answer to this was obvious.
“I don’t need it.”
I didn’t know what was wrapped in those leaves, but I wouldn’t be accepting it. I hadn’t even helped them expecting a reward.
“Dear benefactor, please accept it.”
“I said I don’t need it.”
This exchange didn’t last long. As I repeated my refusal, the Priestess took back the gift even without the Archmage intervening.
“If that is your wish, I shall accept it.”
The tea was ready.
The Priestess poured the tea into a cup and handed it to me.
“It’s medicinal tea. Although the poison has already been expelled from your body, there might be lingering aftereffects. It also has quite a few benefits for your health.”
This was quite difficult to refuse. While… it might seem fairly insignificant, some teas were worth more than a car’s weight in gold. Regardless, it was just a cup of tea, so shouldn’t it be easier to refuse?
“We gratefully accept the Priestess’s kindness.”
Following his lead, I carefully took a sip of the hot tea.
“…!”
The tea was very delicious. Though I only knew some bits and pieces about tea ceremony etiquette from a friend who practiced it, I couldn’t properly appreciate the taste of tea.
“The aroma is wonderful.”
“It’s made from leaves that only grow in the Great Forest. I’m glad it suits your taste.”
They say good tea can relax the body. Sipping the tea, I could feel my previously tense nerves easing up a bit.
Paying no mind to the conversation between the Archmage and the Priestess, I focused entirely on the tea. Soon, the cup was completely empty.
“Considering the help we’ve received, I wonder if it might be rude to impose on you any further…”
The perceptive Priestess poured me a second up. At the same time, she finally began speaking about what she really wanted to say.
Thanks to the tea, my previously tangled thoughts had completely cleared up, and I was in a much better mood. I felt more inclined to listen to whatever she had to say.
Crack, snap.
Bang!
【We have guests. Just who is being so rude as to interrupt us right now…】
【Lady Priestess, that isn’t important right now. Jatav warriors have been spotted nearby!】
I was calm, but the world was not. Even though I couldn’t understand their language, the sound of an urgent quest falling into my lap was unmistakable.
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