NOVEL WEB Chapter 341 (Self Edited) – Learning about Situation of Current Location
Chapter 341 (Self Edited) – Learning about Situation of Current Location
When they stepped out of the house, they saw several figures in the village which they weren’t there previously.
There was a buzz of anxiety in the air, and people’s faces were both impatient and tense. And the moment their eyes caught sight of Soma and Aina, they were thinking the two were strangers or they just knew he had arrived. A clear hostility was lit in the eyes, and the glare showed a sign of accusing them of bringing the intruders here.
“Hmm… well, I supposed that’s how it usually goes.” (Soma)
“You’re right… given the situation, everyone would think so.” (Aina)
That was why Soma and Aina needed to lend their hands here. They didn’t think that alone could dispel the suspicions, but at least, it could make them think they were different. All they had to do at the moment was to gradually win their trust.
While they still didn’t know what they were doing here, they did intend to cooperate with them in the future. If that was the case, the discord should be crushed as soon as possible.
Anyhow…
“I see… there are certainly many non-humans.” (Soma)
A quick glance revealed that most of them have features outside of humans. It seemed that there were only ten people who had come out outside, but it wasn’t uncommon to find people who could be identified as other species at a glance, with some having feathers growing out of their backs and others having tails.
It certainly seemed to be a village made up of people other than humans.
In the meantime, Cecil went into the midst of all this, and she heard from each of them. Apparently, she was asking what exactly happened.
“Hmm… by the way, is Cecil a human?” (Soma)
“…That’s what I thought. And she is the village head too.” (Sheila)
She wasn’t saying it was strange, but if there were many non-humans, it seemed to be more normal to have a non-human village head.
Besides, Cecil was honestly young. She was probably older than Soma and Aina, around twenty years old.
They turned her gaze to Sheila to see if she knew anything, but she shook her head.
“…She was already the village head when I met her.” (Sheila)
“Hmm… well, I’ll ask her later. It may not be necessary depending on the situation.” (Soma)
As they were talking about that, Cecil came back. They could tell at a glance that her complexion was bad, and the situation wasn’t good.
“Did you have a full picture of the situation?” (Soma)
“Yes… there seems to be no intruder for the time being.” (Cecil)
“Your complexion isn’t good because of that, right? Are you telling us that it’s going to be worse than that?” (Aina)
“Yes. According to those who were observing the surroundings, a group of about fifty people just appeared around this village. In addition, their movements were clearly looking for something.” (Cecil)
“…Hmm, looking for something?” (Sheila)
“At least, I think they are aware that there’s a village nearby. I also think it’s only a matter of time before they find it.” (Cecil)
“Hmm… by the way, what kind of barrier has been put up in this village?” (Soma)
“It’s a simple concealment barrier. It’s not that they are spatially isolated. It’s just that people can’t notice we are here. However, the concealment is the highest form of concealment, so even if people can notice it is there, it’s difficult to penetrate inside.” (Cecil)
“So, what is the specific way to get in? Difficult doesn’t mean impossible, right?” (Aina)
“You’re right. If the barrier is disabled in some way, people will be able to break in. Other than that, it’s impossible to enter unless they are guided by a resident.” (Cecil)
“I see… that was how we got in.” (Soma)
If that was the case, then the situation looked bad. Soma didn’t know if the opponent could invade, but at least, using manpower would enable to locate the village at some point.
If they managed to do so, these people were done. The other side only had to keep an eye on the surroundings of the village.
This village seemed to have some fields, but as expected, they couldn’t provide everything for themselves. They could be slowly approaching death or killed in one fell swoop. The future left in this village was only one of them.
However, depending on why this village is hidden, they might be other options.
“By the way, why is this village hidden in the first place?” (Soma)
“…Well, I should talk more carefully, but… it’s not the case. This village was originally one of the secret bases of the Resistance.” (Cecil)
“Resistance…?” (Aina)
“It’s a bit exaggerated to say that, but… Veritas is unfairly treating non-human. It isn’t uncommon for them to be treated as slaves, and it’s also not uncommon to be untreated as livestock or worse. This is an organization that was formed by people who felt resentful about the treatment and choose to resist. Some of them even protect non-humans, and this was one of them.” (Cecil)
“Hmm… I have a feeling you were speaking in the past tense, yes?” (Soma)
“It was more than five years ago.” (Cecil)
“More than five years ago… I see.” (Aina)
“…Yes, the mess started in Veritas.” (Sheila)
No matter what they did, it was nothing if the foundation wasn’t broken.
And of course, if the story was over at that point, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
“Originally… it was possible to escape the country when there was confusion, but… everyone chose not to do so. It was because one of the princes was supporting us that we were able to operate as an organization in many ways, including this village. I was there because of it, so everyone chose to help him by returning the favor.” (Cecil)
“Hmm… there were certainly three princes in Veritas, and now, there is a civil war to decide who would succeed, right?” (Soma)
Of course, that wasn’t only the reason for the war. It was also due to the combination of various factors, but at least, that was still the main reason. If someone decided to take over, the civil war would naturally stop. Conversely, if no one succeeded, the civil war would never stop.
The first prince was unable to forget the former glory and insisted that continuing to see it was the way forward for Veritas. The second prince decided that the former glory was already irretrievable and insisted that they should reorganize themselves to suit the current stature.
It was said that these two men were considered to be the most influential, not only among countries, but also within Veritas, as could be seen from the fact that they had heard what the first and second princes were claiming. However, they hadn’t heard yet what the third prince was claiming.
“…The third prince makes a different claim from the two. It’s not about the former glory nor the status quo, but he wants the opportunity to improve the country.” (Cecil)
“Ooh…? I’ve never heard of that before, but it doesn’t sound like the Veritas that we know for.” (Aina)
“Is that so… is the third prince the prince who is supporting you?” (Soma)
That was what he judged from Cecil’s appearance, and it seemed he wasn’t wrong. Cecil nodded without showing any pretense of surprise, as if his guess was something to be expected.
“You’re right. However, as you know, the third prince has less power and influence. Therefore, the civil war is practically between the first and second princes. That being said, since both sides are still standing against each other, now is the situation where we are grabbing profits from both parties when they are in conflict.” (Cecil)
“Hmm… if you aren’t careful, you will attract the attention of both sides.” (Soma)
“But it doesn’t affect us much. Both of them are overlooking us probably because they are occupied.” (Cecil)
“…That’s reasonable. To be honest, we’re not in a good state in many ways, but if we interact with each other head-on, we will definitely lose, so we have to compromise. However, we’re trying to hinder them at the same time.” (Cecil)
“…Hmm, if they find you, you’ll be crushed.” (Sheila)
In other words, that was the current situation. There were no other options.
However, that was only true if they had no way to repel who was coming.
“Well, in short, it’s fine to repel them without hesitation.” (Soma)
“That’s how it is.” (Aina)
If they could do that, they could prove that they were useful, and it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Cecil looked somewhat uneasy, but it was natural because she didn’t know what they were capable of. But…
“There’s no need to worry. My skills are pretty reasonable for this.” (Soma)
“Pretty reasonable huh… if that’s true, there would be no strong man in this world, you know.” (Aina)
“…Yes, I agree. So, you don’t have to worry.” (Sheila)
Sheila’s words were more effective than Soma’s and Aina’s words, and Cecil nodded slowly while looking uneasy.
Well, it would be a good idea to quickly prove that anxiety was useless.
“Now… shall we scatter them lightly?” (Soma)
That way, the gaze that had continued to be directed at them, would also soften a bit.
With that in mind, Soma led Aina and Sheila out of the village.