“Oh, I can see it, I can see it…!”

Is that… a worm? No, an Earth-Dragon, maybe? The thickness is different.

It seems the thing kicking up a dust cloud as it moves is a dragon that lives underground, a being I’ve arbitrarily dubbed an ‘Earth-Dragon’. That said, it’s not exactly a creature out of some fantasy epic. If anything, it’s more like a giant earthworm. It’s a dragon that probably lives its life digging through the earth, with some individuals occasionally coming to the surface for a meal. This is great! A jackpot! This is gonna be an easy hunt.

These things called Earth-Dragons are pretty weak, probably ‘cause they’re a species that moved underground to escape surface predators. In the first place, worms and earthworms, which they resemble, basically live in swarms. The ones that can’t survive without numbers are fundamentally weak, y’know~. Meaning, whether the opponent is an Earth-Dragon, a worm, or an earthworm, it’s a monster that I could take down by myself if I wanted to. Some of them set traps like an antlion’s pit, but today’s individual is energetically running around outside. Even if it’s got a huge body and high attack power, if its hide is weak, it’s just ’an easy mark’ to us, y’know!

“You guys, circle around! This way-!”

“““This way-!”””

There’s only one thing to watch out for: don’t challenge it from the front. That thing’s mouth is big enough to swallow a whole luxury mansion. Therefore, challenging it head-on is something only a simpleton would do, an ostrich moron who’s forgotten its wild instincts. A clever ostrich would detour and launch an all-out assault on its soft torso. If we tear its body apart there, the match is over instantly. One half, top or bottom, might flee like a lizard ditching its tail, but just one of the severed parts is more than enough to fill the bellies of the flock.

To set an example for the ostriches following behind me, I spread my wings and lean hard to the right. The dust cloud is too thick to see what it’s chasing yet, but there are no obstacles around. It probably can only go straight. I thought it was one of our own kind at first, but for that, its running speed feels way too slow. Just in case, I’d better not let my guard down after we take down the Earth-Dragon, so we don’t get ambushed, y’know.

I change direction to slam into the thing’s side, and just as our speeds and its speed overlap, I make a left turn.

Alright, the rest is auto-battle!

“CHAAAARGE!!!!!”

““”WAAAAAAAH!!!!!”“”

Following the principle of the commander leading the charge, I run at the very front, leading the assault on the Earth-Dragon.

The distance to the beast gradually closes, and just as my predictions said, by the time we make contact, there’s nothing but the Earth-Dragon’s soft belly meat. All that’s left is for me to give it a full-power kick, and my job is done. The rest I can leave to my idiots. Now then, I’d better check on the Earth-Dragon’s movements.

I soar into the air from the recoil of my kick, then drift back to watch them from above as they begin their attack on the Earth-Dragon. These guys might be idiots, but they’re not so moronic as to have completely lost their wild instincts. If an enemy is in front of them, they’ll keep attacking until it stops moving, and if they take a harsh counterattack, they’ll start retreating on their own judgment.

But they have a habit where if one of them retreats, the other individuals start running away too, so in that case, the battle line will collapse instantly. Therefore, as their leader, I have to gauge the timing, the moment to pull back.

I land behind the flock, out of their line of sight, and move back to a position where I can keep both the Earth-Dragon and the flock in view.

I think we’ll be fine for the most part, but some of ’em do fight back, y’know…

The speed at which the ostriches can sever the enemy’s torso versus the speed at which the enemy can counterattack. Ours is faster. Our base specs, the speed bonus from our charge, plus our numbers mean that even a monster that can swallow a mansion whole is nothing to fear. But the only things my lovable idiots can understand are “charge” and “retreat.” If it looks like we’re going to take casualties, I have to order an immediate retreat and come up with the next plan, but…

“Oh, looks like we’ll be fine this time. Lucky me~!”

My worries were needless; before me lies a bisected Earth-Dragon. This time, the lower half seems to be the one retreating, kicking up a huge cloud of dust as it burrows back into the ground. Whoops, gotta give the signal to gather, or they’ll get separated. I shout to make them aware of my presence behind them and have them move from the prey over to me for a moment. If I don’t do this, some of them will seriously just wander off somewhere, y’know…

Praising the efforts of my companions, now covered in splattered blood, with easy-to-understand words, I gently stroke a few of their bodies. Still, they’ve gotten themselves filthy. We’ll have to head to a river later. Hey, hey, I get that you’re happy to be praised, but don’t rub your body against me. I get it, we’ll go for a dip after we eat, ’kay? A group of humans could probably split up and act, but in their case, the moment I send them off, they forget everything… Moving all together at times like this is a real pain, y’know.

“Well, good work. Next, we’re going to see what was being chased.”

“Food?” “Is it food?”

“We eat?” “The big one!”

“That’s for later! Now, follow me!”

And so, with the massive, downed Earth-Dragon in our side view, we begin moving toward the object that was being chased until just a moment ago. Thanks to our attack, the thing that was an Earth-Dragon, which must have slammed on its brakes, is now just a grotesque, bright red cross-section that we all patter past, wiping the drool from my idiots’ mouths as we go. Thanks to our attack, the one being chased hasn’t already been chewed to bits… or at least, I doubt it…

“Whoa, distance-wise, this should be about it. Halt-!”

“Halt?” “Halt!”

“Halted!” “Was I good?”

“Yes, yes, good job, good job. Now, there might be something here, so, search-!”

As I shout, they start saying to each other, ‘Search?’, ‘Search!’, ‘Gonna search!’, and begin looking around. They’ll probably forget my order in a few seconds, but it’s fine as long as they move their gaze in that time. Even if they don’t know why they’re looking in that direction, they’ll call out if they find something.

Now, what’ll we find? Preferably, some tasty prey. These guys don’t seem to mind much, but to me, the meat of this Earth-Dragon isn’t all that great. There’s a lot of it, and it certainly fills you up, but the taste is a bit too rich. Probably because it lives in the dirt, it must not eat very good food… Sigh, I miss the supermarkets back on Earth.

I’d prefer that round, capybara-like monster, but it’s a long shot since they don’t live around here. That stuff is pretty creamy and delicious, y’know. Can’t eat it raw, but it’s pretty tasty if you grill it and sprinkle some crushed rock salt on top. Well, the salt itself is insanely delicious, though. Oh, by the way, we ostrich beast-kin have ridiculously strong stomachs, so we can basically digest anything we eat. Hyper-omnivores. You could also say we wouldn’t survive here if we couldn’t.

It’s better now that we can hunt in a group, but it was pretty tight back in the day. We burn a lot of calories, after all.

As I was lost in thought about my as-yet-unseen prey, an ostrich who had been watching the Earth-Dragon’s direction of travel called out. It looks like they found something. And it’s pretty close. It was right where we’d find it with a normal search, are my eyes just for decoration? Looking closer, I can see some human-like heads. There’s more than one… they’re not very big. But a little bigger than an ostrich beast-kin.

Could it be them? I had ruled them out, thinking they were too slow-footed for ostriches, but maybe some individuals separated from their flock were running from the Earth-Dragon? Well, in my flock, I know everyone’s face, so no one gets lost, but I hear some other flocks forget their own members’ existence.

“They stopped for some reason and got lost when they realized it. Well, that happens. Guess we’ll have to take ’em in.”

“Friends?”

“Oh, you figured it out. Yep, new friends. I bet they were lonely without any friends, so be nice to them, ’kay?”

“Okay-!”

I chat with the ostrich that had sidled up to me at some point as we move toward the newcomers. I don’t know how long they’ve been lost, but this environment isn’t kind enough for just a few of them to survive. At worst, they probably haven’t eaten anything, so I’ve gotta feed them some meat. Eat up and become part of my flock’s fighting force~.

“Friend! Friend!”

“Friends, indeed.”

Ah~, but maybe increasing our numbers too much is a bad idea. Thanks to running all over the highlands for the past ten years, I’ve scouted out most of the hunting grounds. I’ve got it all in my head to the point where I can make yearly rotations that don’t upset the ecosystem’s balance. There are also monsters that destroy the environment, so it’s common for the ecosystem in this area to be destroyed on its own, but even taking that into account, we can probably get by on this information for a few more years. But that’s just it, ‘a few years’. A time will come when we can’t provide for everyone. We’re gradually pioneering new hunting grounds, so we probably won’t completely run out, but as the leader of the flock, I should always keep this possibility in mind.

Our food budget is just going to keep rising exponentially, y’know…

We normally form flocks of about a dozen, but when over a hundred of us gather in one place, a proportionate number of couples are born during mating season. And ostriches lay about four to five eggs per individual in one birth. Normally, the numbers would be greatly reduced by parents forgetting to incubate the eggs or by predators, but in a large household like this where I can give orders, that doesn’t happen. I’ve never compared, but we probably boast an abnormally high hatching rate.

Because of that, my flock has a fair number of children. Not nearly as many as adults, but probably more than the average flock. Well, even the children are strong enough to be a fighting force, so I don’t have to worry too much about ‘protecting them’. But providing food for them is another story… We’re still okay for now, but if the children start breeding, the flock’s numbers will jump again. It’s not a bad thing, but as the one entrusted with the flock, I have a responsibility to fill everyone’s bellies.

Well. With their brains, they probably don’t even worry about such things~.

For now, the Earth-Dragon should fill their bellies quite a bit. It was moving around making a lot of noise, so other monsters should have fled. There should be enough time to check on the newcomers’ condition, and then we’ll move to the next hunting ground…

“Friend! Friend! Fri…end?”

“Oh, what’s wrong…-!!!”

The voice of the ostrich girl next to me turned into a question, and I finally snap my consciousness back to reality.

Lying before me were creatures with arms instead of wings.

They were holding clothes and weapons that were clearly made under some kind of civilization—

There, without a doubt, were creatures that could be identified as human.

It’s a human, a human. A non-ostrich human. The kind I’ve been searching for, for ten years!

“YEAAAAAHHHHOOOOOO!!!!! And there’s a long-eared one toooo!!!”

“Pyah!”

“Ah, sorry. Did I startle you, little one? There, there.”

“Ehehe~”

◇◆◇◆◇

“So, you guys… you’re human, right?”

“Y-Yes.”

“We are.”

“Yeah…”

Yeeessss, shaaaa!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! An encounter with civilized beings! And they speak the same language! YES! I’m on a roll! I’m the strongest! Worship me! I am the chieftain of the ostriches, am I not? Practically the ostrich queen! The queen! A supreme, invincible, great genius! Kyaaa!

I can’t help but jump up, clenching both my wings. The civilized people look on, bewildered. Ah, of course! You wouldn’t get it! You were attacked by an Earth-Dragon, passed out, and woke up in a river getting water splashed on you! But try to understand how I feel! I’ve been living a primitive life looking after these idiots for ten years! I’m allowed to get this excited!

Hey, you lot! It’s a festival, a festival! You must be tired from hauling the Earth-Dragon all the way to this riverside just to secure the meat! Eat as much as you want! There’s no booze, but there’s water! A grand feast of drinking and eating! The more noise we make, the more the monsters around here will flee, y’know!

“Food?”

“Food!”

“Food! Food!”

Responding to my voice, the members of the flock charge toward the Earth-Dragon’s carcass all at once. The long-eared woman, probably an elf, is looking at my flock with eyes of disbelief, but I wish she’d cut me some slack. We don’t have hands, so all we can do is bite into it directly, you know. I’m the only one who can even start a fire, so eating it raw is the norm for us. It looks bad and has an unpleasant warmth, so it takes some resolve at first… but you’ll be fine once you get used to it! Your heart just stops feeling anything!

“I-I see…”

Oh, are you perhaps a hungry little thing? Please wait a moment, I’ll have it cut up… no, that’s impossible. They’ll forget such a complex instruction while they’re listening to it! Hey, you guys, move it! I’m cutting up some meat for these people!

I shoo away some of my flocking kin, use their shoulders as a launchpad, and leap into the air. Then, I swing my leg with all my might at a part of the Earth-Dragon’s meat that no one has touched yet. The trick is to use the claws on my toes. The kick, unleashed with a whip-like flexibility, creates four lines, carving out a chunk of meat a little too big for three normal humans to eat. All that’s left is to deftly catch it with my wing and carry it over to them.

“Oh, my apologies for not noticing! I did it with my foot, so the outside is a bit dirty, but the inside is fine! Oh, should I start a fire or something? You can’t eat it unless it’s cooked, right!?”

“Ah, no. Please don’t trouble yourself…”

They refuse, saying they have preserved food. Oh, is that so? And the reason your faces have gone so pale is… ahh, I see, civilized people don’t eat worm-like Earth-Dragons… Well, this is another world, and you came all the way to a place where I couldn’t even find a trace of civilization, so I thought maybe you’d be okay with it. My, my, my apologies! …Hm? What’s wrong, my lovable little idiot? Ah, you want to eat this? Go ahead.

“Yay-!”

The moment I give my permission, she immediately dives face-first into the chunk of meat. Blood and flesh scatter around, a sight I’ve long grown accustomed to, but it must be a bit much for civilized people. No, seriously, I’m sorry. We’re not smart enough to make pretty clothes or nice tools like you all, and no matter how much I try to teach them, they’re too idiotic and all… y’know?

“Ah, no. Really. It’s quite alright… S-So. Who are you?”

“Me? I’m the chieftain of this flock…”

It’s one of the first questions I’ve been asked since I came into this body. A question that clearly has multiple meanings packed into a single word. Ah, amazing, we’re having a civilized conversation. It’s not just tossing single words like ‘Food!’ back and forth…! It’s the first time in my life I’ve been asked a proper question! A conversation! We’re having a conversation! Oh, what should I do, I’m starting to tear up…

“Are you okay?”

“Okay?”

“Enemy?”

“No, no, I’m fine. And these people are friends, okay? You can’t attack them.”

I got a little too emotional and started crying, but some of my kin saw me and came over, worried. These kids, being a bit hot-blooded, are quick to label these guests as enemies. That’s not it, I’m crying because I’m happy. Since they’re not our kin, you’ll probably still have your doubts, but they’re friends, so you can’t attack them.

“Friend!”

“Friend?”

“Fri…end?”

“Friends, friends. Be nice now.”

““”Friends-!”“”

When I say that, they forget they were about to label them as enemies and go off to play with the guests. And, their mouths are bright red from eating raw meat just now. Ah, no! Don’t nuzzle them with tha—… ahh…

Faster than I can stop her, one of the females in my flock starts nuzzling the elven woman. She seems to have taken a liking to the unfamiliar scent of a non-ostrich human. Ehehe, she says, joyfully rubbing her body against her, savoring the new smell. Heard on its own, it would be an adorable scene, but the elven woman’s face is turning redder and redder with blood…

I-I’m so sorry, you see? We’re basically dumber than three-year-olds. We seriously mean no harm, so please forgive us. Ah, and also, please don’t attack her, even if you don’t like it. Right now, I think they’re judging you as allies, with a ‘they seem kinda like our kin’ feeling, but if you become hostile, they’ll all go in for the kill until I stop them…

“I-I understand…”

“Whoops, sorry for the interruption. To reiterate, we’re ostriches. And I’m the one who’s the chieftain of this flock. My name… well, I didn’t need one, so I don’t have one. I’ll think of one later. I’m the only ostrich in this flock you can have a proper conversation with, you know?”

“I-I see.”

The man who seems to be the leader of the trio replies. It looks like the guests are two men and one woman. The elf-san is dressed like a mage, the man who seems to be the leader has a sword, and the other man has a dagger. Are they, perhaps, adventurers? That one common other-world profession!

“First, allow me to thank you for saving us.”

“Not at all, don’t worry about it! For us, it’s no different from a normal hunt! Please don’t mind it~”

Right, they really don’t need to worry about that part. Originally, if it was a fight between monsters, we’d have just approached to reap the fisherman’s profit, and if it was our own kind, we would have just protected them to expand our flock, so that’s fine. It’s true that the more we grow, the more food problems we’ll have, as I was just thinking, but with more numbers, we can target prey we couldn’t hunt before.

This highland is harsh, but it’s also a rich place. We’ll still need to find new hunting grounds, but with our legs, it’s no trouble at all. Protecting about three people is a trivial matter, and in fact, I’m the one who should be grateful. I learned that there are other humanoid species besides ostriches in this world! And we can even have a conversation! There’s nothing that could make me happier.

“Ah! Then, as thanks… or I don’t know if this counts! But could you tell us about yourselves? Like, where you’re from? We’ve never seen any people? Beast-kin? Bird-kin? Or anything like that around here besides us! I wanna know that kinda stuff!”

◇◆◇◆◇

“Uh, so, for starters. The frontline, sword-wielding party leader, the human ‘Kurudius’-san.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I see, I see, so you’re from a crazy huge country called the ‘Empire’ across the sea, and just as I thought, your profession is adventurer, huh. Hunting monsters, keeping the peace, and getting paid for it, an expert in anti-monster warfare. …Hmm, sounds like something we could do. The monsters living around civilized areas are apparently much weaker than here. If we were to move in that direction, we could probably make money pretty easily.

“You came here on a request to survey the highlands, but were lured by your intellectual curiosity about what lay deeper in, and pushed forward. Then the monster level shot up, and you were on the run. While wandering around looking for a route back, you were attacked by an Earth-Dragon. What a disaster, huh?”

“Ahaha, that’s exactly right… I’ll never do anything outside a request again.”

Kurudius-san says with a distant look in his eyes. Well, I can imagine. I don’t understand mysterious powers like magic, but I can get a sense of physical strength and specs. Since that sense is telling me these three are ‘super-duper weak!’, I’m actually more impressed they survived in this highland long enough to meet us.

From what little I’ve heard, it seems they were wandering for quite a while… my, oh my. I’m glad we were able to protect them while they were still alive.

“And, the scout, or rather, the all-around skirmisher. The half-dwarf, ‘Zadd’-san.”

“That’s right! Well, to be precise, I’m a quarter, a quarter-dwarf.”

Whoa, so there are dwarves too, huh. According to him, they’re a race that’s a bit shorter than humans and has a stocky build. He himself is only a little shorter than the human Kurudius-san, but dwarves are apparently even smaller. It’s starting to feel very fantasy-like, which is nice.

So because his race is dexterous, he can do all sorts of things, huh~. The complete opposite of us handless ostriches. Also, he’s apparently from the continent where these highlands are. It seems there’s an ocean to the north, and he met Kurudius-san and the others at a port town there.

“And finally, the long-range specialist, ‘Amelia’-san. An unmistakable mage elf.”

“Well, that’s true, but… how do I get this child to let go of me?”

Hm? You mean our female? Impossible. She’s a yandere type, more clingy than the other individuals. I think she’ll be like that until her interest shifts to something else. Even if I call her and she’s out of my sight for a moment, the moment she finds you again, it’ll be back to square one.

“Well, even if she were to leave, it’d be about five kilo… ah. Do you understand units of distance?”

“Yes, more or less. The metric system, is it not?”

“Right, right. I think she’ll probably forget if she’s out of your sight for a while, but it seems she’s taken a liking to your scent, Amelia-san… so you’ll have to give up while you’re in this flock.”

No, seriously, my apologies for my child’s behavior. …Hm? Why does a distance unit from Earth work in another world? Well, if it gets the point across, it’s fine. It’s convenient. Anyway, back to the topic, that female, she’s a relatively rare type in the flock, the type to get absorbed in one thing. I remember her because a long time ago, I noticed an individual who was just sitting and staring at an egg for some reason. Apparently, that white, round thing was extremely fascinating to her, and she stared at the egg 24/7. During our ostrich breeding season, we don’t wander around different hunting grounds like now, but build a nest in one place and protect the eggs.

Normally, a female would try to incubate the eggs, imitating the other individuals, but this one just kept staring, so she stuck in my memory. Well, when the shell broke and a chick came out, she misunderstood that her favorite thing was broken and cried her eyes out.

“…How cute.”

“Right? Hey! You there! Amelia-san is in a bind, so go take a dip in the water, will ya?”

“Water? Water…”

She reacts to my voice, glancing for a moment toward the river. …This is getting tedious, I’ll give her a name. Let’s take it from yandere and call her ‘Dere’-chan. Dere looked at the water for a second, but then immediately looked back at Amelia-san, and then back at the water again. She wants to go to the water because she was told to, but she wants to stay close because she likes Amelia-san’s scent. But she also needs to drink water.

As she’s hesitating, she forgets what she was thinking about and just continues the motion of looking back and forth without understanding why. Ugh, what an idiot. At least hold on to your memory until you make a decision.

“…I understand. Shall we go? I’ll wipe your mouth for you.”

“Mouth?”

“The water, you see.”

“Water!”

I don’t know if she found the repetitive motion amusing or if it struck a chord with Amelia-san, but after a faint smile, she motions to take the girl to the river, seeking my permission with her eyes. My, my, I’m sorry about this. Please take care of my child. Oh, she’ll be happy if you scratch her under the chin.

“Now then! What were we talking about?”

“…Ah, um. Er, what should we call you?”

“Hm? Oh, what to call me, huh? Anything you want. Chieftain, Patriarch, Queen… wait, is that going too far? It’s easier to call me by a name, right?”

The party leader boy starts to say something, then stops. When I ask, it’s clear that’s what he was thinking. I mean, calling me by a title is fine, but it doesn’t quite fit, huh? After all, from an outside perspective, I’m a super-beautiful girl (ostrich). I totally get that ‘Chieftain’ or ‘Patriarch’ doesn’t suit me. Usually, those titles belong to buff old guys or feeble grandpas. …Ah, our species stays cute even when we get old, so you won’t find any handsome old men. Sorry about that.

Right, a name. Let’s see… I’ll go with ‘Reis’. From ‘Hōyorosutereisu’. Cute, right? Perfect for the Ostrich Queen~! Oh, by the way. That’s what ostriches were called when they were first introduced to Japan, you know? Not that ‘Japan’ would mean anything to you.

“Then, Reis-dono. Thank you again for saving us.”

“C’mon~, I already said it’s fine~! …OK, you’re a serious one.”

As I say that, I match his straightened posture and begin to act accordingly.

I let out a light breath, shifting my consciousness. I envision and act as ‘myself as the leader of the flock’. I suppress my own desires with reason and show only the face of a chieftain. No matter how idiotic everyone else is, no matter how carefree their personalities are, I must fulfill the responsibilities I’ve placed upon myself. If I’m going to jokingly call myself a queen, I’ll at least show that much.

“As the chieftain of this flock, I shall accept that gratitude. Now then, Kurudius-dono? I have heard about you all, but there is something I wish to ask next. By your standards, how are we treated?”

In truth, that’s the most important thing.

Beast-kin, no, natives of an uncivilized land. I cannot act without knowing how we are treated in their cultural sphere. If it is their custom to look down on us and treat us like slaves, then I must eliminate these three here and now. From our earlier conversation, I have gathered that they came to this region as adventurers on a survey. And also that they acted outside the scope of their request.

In other words, if their civilization is one that would harm us, I should avoid letting them return home and revealing our existence. This environment is harsh, but the fact that they reached here means others can come too. If they came in greater numbers, it would be even safer.

And then, there’s us. No, to be precise, my utterly idiotic flock mates. If an enemy were to approach with ill intent and they were to let them into their fold without eliminating them, it would be the end. They would be immediately deceived and taken away, probably to be put on display. And if things were worse, it’s conceivable they could be eaten as livestock. After all, on my previous world, Earth, the ostrich was a type of livestock. I cannot say for sure that the same won’t happen to us.

Even if it’s not my own flock, I have no intention of letting my kin suffer such a fate.

“If we were to visit your side, what would happen? Would we be treated under the same framework of ‘humanity’ as you, or would we be treated as ‘monsters’ like the Earth-Dragon lying over there? I am extremely curious.”

If it were just me, I could manage somehow. Thanks to my previous life, I understand human malice, and I’ve learned from history how the human race has treated those it considers inferior. I could probably get by if I make full use of the physical abilities this body possesses.

However, I am not alone now. My beloved idiot flock members would surely follow me wherever I go. And it is plain to see that if left to their own devices, their lack of intelligence would quickly make them prey. My personal desire is to live in civilization, but if that leads to the detriment of my kin, then I will kill my ‘self’ and make a choice as their chieftain.

“Well, which is it?”

◇◆◇◆◇

In an instant, the pressure swells. Her atmosphere, which had been so friendly and cheerful just moments ago, completely transforms. The adventurers had straightened their posture to ensure their party’s survival, intending to show their respects to the one who could be called the clan’s chief, but… the thought that it might have been a mistake crosses their minds. Given that they were saved by them, it was unavoidable, but is this regret due to their own weakness of heart? Or is it because the presence of the woman before them is simply too overwhelming?

That’s right, in this land, they are weak. Hopelessly so.

It was true that back where they came from, in their home turf, they were a fairly well-known party. Their rank in the guild was closer to the top, and they had the achievements and skill to be directly requested by the guild to survey unexplored areas.

But, that was all just for show. The moment they stepped further into the hinterlands, the environment changed drastically. An individual that would be called the lord of its territory in the areas near where adventurers lived was treated as a mere grunt in these highlands.

A demonic region where monsters that, by their common sense, should not swarm, must gather and protect each other to survive.

And, an existence like that Earth-Dragon, something that humans can do nothing about.

And them, who, although in a group, defeated it with ease and acted as if it were a matter of course.

The difference in power is obvious. If they were to displease her, what awaited them would be death. If Amelia, an excellent spellcaster and an elf who lives many times longer than humans, had enough mana left, they might have survived, but even if they escaped from the ostriches, all that awaits in this highland is death. It’s hopeless.

Therefore, Kurudius tried to proceed with courtesy. He is entrusted as the party leader. He believed that was the only way to protect his party as their leader. Beyond fulfilling human etiquette, he challenged the clan chief with strong will, purely for the sake of survival.

However, her will is so much stronger that his efforts seem like child’s play. As the chieftain of her flock, of her species, she retorts. ‘I can do whatever I please with your lives.’

She doesn’t say it in words, but she has a fearsomeness that makes them misunderstand it as such. A simple ‘power gap’ that they, who had dealt with monsters and associated with the strong as part of their profession, had never felt before, was there.

I must choose my words carefully, and be honest. Otherwise, we all die!

“As… as humans, I believe you would be treated. However…”

“However?”

“There is… some discrimination between the races.”

There are two continents in this world, called the ‘North Continent’ and the ‘South Continent’. They knew that there were other continents and more formal names. But for these people, whose civilization was not advanced enough to travel long distances in a short time, the only familiar continents were these two, and most people distinguished them by north and south.

They are currently on the South Continent. Most of the nations there are multi-ethnic, with a wide variety of races such as humans, beast-kin, elves, and dwarves living together. There are other races besides those listed here, but they are all basically humanoid, and the state treats such ‘humanoid’ beings as ‘humanity’. This way of thinking originated from the ‘Empire’, the nation where Kurudius was born.

This Empire is a huge nation with territory spanning the North Continent, located across the sea, and the South Continent where they are now. In terms of racial distribution, it is mainly composed of ‘humans’ as a race, the same as Kurudius. Its history is long, and the Empire has existed since hundreds of years ago when conflicts between races were fierce. In the past, it had strong ties with nations led by non-humans and was a pioneer of the ideology that led to the current multi-ethnic nations, but… the emperor who led the empire eight generations ago switched to a policy that gave ‘humans’ the upper hand. This completely broke the conciliatory flow that had continued until then, and they regressed to the past.

The current national policy seems to be to once again prohibit discrimination between races, but since the majority of the population is ‘human’ with limited lifespans, they have lost the understanding of other races they should have had in the past. Therefore, it cannot be said that the rights of non-‘humans’ are completely protected.

The Empire is the largest among the surrounding countries, in a state of near-monopoly. Its culture, customs, and systems are surely spreading to other countries. Therefore, with the Empire not fully protecting non-‘humans’, it cannot be said that there is no such damage. Also, many of the nations on the South Continent were born after the era when this Empire regressed, the era of the emperor from eight generations ago. It would be difficult to assert that the lost understanding of other races has been fully recovered.

As long as they are people created by God, they have a similar appearance to that God. And they handle the ‘language’ given by God. In that respect, he could declare that there was no way they would be judged as monsters instead of humanity, but there is a high possibility of being caught up in such racial friction.

“I see… the information that we would be recognized as people, for the time being, is appreciated.”

The air loosens just a little, but it’s not a situation where they can be relieved. As if reacting to the chieftain’s pressure, the beast-kin called ‘ostriches’, who had been engrossed in their meal until a moment ago. All of their eyes are turned this way. The innocent figures gobbling up meat from before are nowhere to be seen. Their clear, innocent eyes, so pure it’s terrifying, continue to wait for the command from their leader.

“…Hmm, hearing that has raised further questions. May I have a little more of your time?”

“That’s… fine.”

After that, the time of answering her questions with the utmost care continues. The structure of the state, the current ruler, what kind of statuses exist, and what kind of lives they lead. About races other than their own, and about religion. They answer Reis’s questions, she digests them, and new questions are thrown at them. The amount of information that Kurudius, born as a citizen of the Empire and living as an adventurer, possesses is limited. But, for Reis, it must be a clue to grasp ‘something’.

Either way, they, the adventurers, cannot survive this environment on their own. Therefore, they have no choice but to answer her questions. Fortunately, they hold no discriminatory feelings towards other races. And it is unlikely that the state would oppress any race as a nation. If they start excluding something, it would only stir up anxiety that ‘our race might be next’. Considering that, the possibility of them not being accepted is low.

Rather, an existence with this much power should be welcomed. The area around the Empire aside, the South Continent where they are now is in a state of warring states with small countries dotted all over, and everyone is hungry for the strong. If they could just find a good patron, they should be able to receive protection from the state.

Still, I can’t let my guard down. I must respond to each and every thing carefully.

◇◆◇◆◇

Hmm, I see.

“Yeah, thanks. Sorry for taking up your time~”

I dissipate the intensity I had put in, relaxing my whole body and stringing words together languidly. Yeah, ‘Chieftain’ mode is rough after all, huh? It’s tough to keep that intensity up. Even though it’s convenient for me, I scared them a bit. As an apology, some Earth-Dragon meat… Ah, you don’t want it?

Well, I asked about adventurers, the country, other races, religion, and all sorts of things, but…

I don’t get it at all!

Well, it’s not like I really don’t get it… but there’s just too little information, so it’s hard to make a judgment yet. But it wasn’t a total bust. It’s a judgment based on limited information, but I’ve learned that it’s probably okay to let these people go home as they are, and that if we ostriches go over there, it won’t immediately become a problem. Compared to having no information at all, isn’t this a pretty big haul?

What else did I learn… religion. Religious values, maybe?

The guy in front of me, Kurudius-san. I don’t know for sure since it’s just his story, but it seems like religion in this area is basically unified. They receive the same teachings, and there’s a premise that even complete strangers believe in the same god, so conversations can be established to some extent. It seems there are people who dislike other races, but since there’s this idea of equality under that god, it doesn’t seem like it would suddenly turn into a persecution route.

From the sound of it, it really felt like he ‘doesn’t know of the existence of other religions’. Therefore, it seems he thinks ‘we ostriches also believe in the same god’.

Putting aside whether that’s good or bad, well, since that’s the premise, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be treated like, ‘Ostriches bad! Not human! Meat is healthy! Become livestock!’. I guess I can be relieved about that point.

Oh, by the way, we ostriches can’t comprehend difficult things like faith. Here, try asking this male ostrich who just came to my side. ‘Do you believe in God?’. He’ll probably answer, ‘Food? I’ll eat it!’. He’ll naturally try to devour God, so no questions like that, ’kay?

…For now, this issue is a taboo. I can’t touch it until I gather more information. At worst, I might be able to get away with ‘Our sect is different,’ but I need to act cautiously.

“Hmm, let’s see. Kurudius-san?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“From what I’ve heard, it seems like it’ll be fine if we pop over, so I’ll see you home. To your home.”

“R-Really!?”

“Yeah, of course. I want to see that civilized world of yours, and these guys will get bored of the same old highlands, right? It’ll be a good experience, so my flock will take you. You guys can be the guides, and we’ll be the escorts. Sound good?”

“Yes! Of course! Thank you so much!”

You’re welcome~. Well, from what I’ve heard, the area they live in, aside from the enclave of the Empire that has its headquarters on the continent across the sea, seems to be a jumble of small, independent nations. While the Empire was dealing with its own issues, a warring states period seems to have begun, with everyone trying to seize each other’s land to gain the power to drive the Empire from this continent. In other words, border disputes are frequent and things are getting tense. It seems like an era where military power is needed.

If they’re considered pretty high-level with their strength, that means our specs, aside from our brains, are quite high compared to other races. Even without a food-rich area like this highland… we could probably make a living by raiding as mercenaries over there.

Well, I have no intention of letting even one of my flock be sacrificed. So I’ll have to think carefully about that. We’re all equipped with reckless cavalry charges as standard. There are quite a few individuals who become like berserkers in battle or during a hunt. They probably can’t distinguish friend from foe, so I’ll have to manage them well, but if I’m just thinking about earning money, it might work out somehow? Well, their brains are too weak, so there will be difficulties.

But I guess we’ll start as adventurers after all. It seems you can get money for monster materials, and you’d need some achievements and capital to work as mercenaries. Starting as adventurers is by no means a bad choice. Well, for my kids who’d eat any prey they lay eyes on, I’d have to make them hold back a lot… but hunting good monsters, getting money, and having a civilized meal. Just that alone is enough to make one’s dreams expand.

-sigh-, I wonder what it’s like. An otherworldly town, cuisine. The enchanting cultural life.

Mhm, I’m really looking forward to it.

◇◆◇◆◇

“By the way,”

“Hm? What is it, Amelia-san?”

I was in the middle of some skin-to-skin contact, ruffling the head of a fellow ostrich beast-kin, when Amelia spoke to me.

As everyone (except the ostriches) probably knows, she’s a member of the adventurer party we’re escorting. The elf-san with the pointy hat that looks so good on a mage. She seems to have gotten along with the one I named ‘Dere-chan’ the other day and is riding on her back as we move. It looks awful, like an adult woman riding a toddler, but from our ostrich perspective, you know? Even if someone rides on our back, we’re just like, ‘Huh? Something’s heavy…? Oh well! Hm? What was I doing just now???’ Our memories reset so quickly that it just ends with ‘something’s kinda heavy’. And besides, a single person is on the lighter side for us.

“Hasn’t your flock… grown?”

“Ah, it has~. By about fifty?”

As she says, my flock is currently in the middle of a slow proliferation. In fact, the ostrich whose head I was just petting is a new face who just joined. Despite that, he has a look on his face like, ‘Huh? I’ve been here the whole time, haven’t I?’. And the others have stopped thinking, content with ‘Lots of friends! Happy!’. This generosity? This idiocy? That’s what it means to be an ostrich, y’know.

“Well, ostriches basically move in flocks of a dozen or so, but if there’s a place where ostriches are clearly gathering, they seem to come to the conclusion that they should go there too. So, as we travel in a group, our numbers automatically increase.”

“……….Eh?”

“Even if they get separated, if they look around, they can see this flock. They’ll definitely forget where they were going midway, so I can’t let my guard down, but they come back on their own to some extent. From a leader’s perspective, it’s a relief, y’know.”

As I said before, an ostrich-chan’s eyes are leagues better than their brains. The difference is like a toddler who can’t even throw a ball and a top-tier major league player. An ostrich’s memory basically lasts for three seconds, so the moment something distracts them, they forget what they were thinking, and the next moment, they forget what distracted them. When they have nothing to do, they look around to ensure their own safety, but… then they see my massive flock.

They naturally start thinking, ‘So many friends! That way is home!’ and start running. Even if they forget what they’re doing while running, if they see the same flock in their field of vision, they’ll reboot and try to merge with it, and as they get closer, we can notice them too, so it’s easy to go and meet them. The highlands are a place where you die even in a flock, you know. It’s common for a flock to be wiped out the day after I refuse to take them in, so I’ve made it a rule to accept them if I find them.

“That’s… quite something.”

“Aha! Adorable, aren’t they?”

Should I say she’s amazed, or impressed? Since she’s riding on the back of the ostrich I named ‘Dere’, she must have experienced firsthand just how crazy we ostriches are. I mean, the one I named ‘Dere’ has already forgotten her own name. Every time, this elf-san,

‘Your name is Dere, okay?’

‘Dere? …Dere!’

‘That’s right. Now, Dere. I have a favor to ask. Could you come with me to bathe in the water?’

‘Dere? What? …Food?’

…has to teach her her name, but it’s immediately erased from her brain. I’m really, truly sorry about my kid… You know? I do think that on some level, a trace of the memory, like ‘there was a word with that sound,’ is recorded in her brain’s storage. Since they have some language ability, they should be smarter than their source material, the ostrich. But their brains are so weak that it takes an absurd amount of time to find the information they’re looking for, or rather, they forget what they were looking up while trying to consult the dictionary.

Well, that’s basically how it is. When I first got my memories back, I was constantly having these kinds of interactions and it drove me crazy, but once you get used to it, you can manage. Or maybe I should say I’ve been contaminated by the ostriches.

“I was just thinking… is it really a good idea for you to come to a town?”

“…And what do you mean by that?”

“The human world isn’t as pretty as you think it is. You’ll definitely get caught up in something bad. Considering the mental age of these children, I have some reservations.”

“Ah~”

I see, you’re saying that it’d be better for them to be happy saying ‘Food! Food!’ in these nature-rich highlands than to go out into the world and be battered by the rough waves of a society stained with human malice, right?

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Well, I get what you’re saying. Even I only know about humans and society as knowledge; I’ve never experienced it ‘in this body’. And I don’t know if that’s really a good thing for these guys. In that case, it’s better to avoid strange challenges… I get it, though.”

In reality, the will to ‘go to town, to touch civilization’ is mine alone. These guys don’t even understand the words ‘town’ or ‘civilization’ in the first place. It’s true that my will is part of the reason for taking these people and leaving the highlands this time.

“This might be wishful thinking, but… we don’t know that world yet. Maybe it’s a more comfortable place to live, and maybe it’ll be a good environment for the other ostriches besides me. It wouldn’t be right to deny that possibility from the start, would it?”

“…I suppose so.”

“Their brains are weak, but they have the physical specs. We’ll try it out for a bit at first, and if it seems doable, we’ll stay for the long term. With our legs, even if it’s hopelessly incompatible, we can just run back home~. …Besides,”

“Besides?”

“From what I’ve heard, it’s definitely a better environment than these highlands…”

“Ah,” Amelia-san says, looking at me with a face full of deep understanding, or rather, strong pity. I don’t know what my own face looks like right now, but a few of the ostriches who were looking this way are approaching worriedly, so it’s definitely not a normal face. Ah, yeah, I’m fine. It’s okay, you guys are really thoughtful of your friends, aren’t you? If someone’s making a weird face or looks like they’re having a hard time, you come right over. There, there, let me pat you~.

“I don’t think you guys know this, Amelia-san, but… there are more enemies here that even we can’t handle than I can count on both hands.”

“Hands…?”

“Ah, your hands, not ostrich wings, you know? Meaning there are more than ten. Among them, the relatively numerous and troublesome one is… the ‘Biku-Biku’.”

““”Biku-Biku!!!”“”

All at once, the ostriches start panicking. Eh!? What? An enemy? …No, there isn’t one. …Ah! Did they misunderstand because of what I said? Oh~, my bad, my bad. Forgot you guys were around, huh? It’s okay, it’s okay, the Biku-Biku ain’t here~. Here, look around, see? Nothin’ there, right? We got lotsa pals, so baddies won’t come near. We’re safe, y’hear?

““”Not here? Not here? Really?”“”

“Yep, yep, it’s fine. It ain’t here, it ain’t here.”

“…………Wh-What is that… thing… whose name must not be spoken?”

“It’s a monster. A flying dragon that controls lightning. I don’t know what you call it, but I suppose I should call it a Thunder-Dragon.”

A dragon, but a world of difference from an Earth-Dragon. A Thunder-Dragon is a natural enemy to us.

An opponent that flies faster than we can run, and manipulates lightning that easily bypasses the defense of these wings, which nullify most lightning-based attacks. I’ve faced them countless times in the last ten years, but I’ve basically only ever been able to run around pathetically. Even if I try to get close, the enemy is flying, and on top of that, it surrounds itself with electricity at a level that would electrocute my flock’s children to death. What’s more, it’s fast, so even if I run, it catches up, and because there are still stronger things in the highlands, they breed frequently, so there are a lot of them. If it was just one, there would be ways, but they also hunt in packs like a roundup… It’s an enemy at a level where if I find its nest, I have to charge in prepared to die to destroy the eggs (also the eggs are delicious).

The last time we were chased, a fair number of our people were too slow to escape, so I had no choice but to force a charge and buy some time. I managed to slip through a gap in its attacks, endured some really bad pain, and managed to slam my foot against its scales… and my claw just broke. I can’t even win in a simple physical defense contest against that thing. I ended up completely charred because of it. Well, I did gouge out its eyeball in retaliation, though.

“The first time we met, the flock was half-destroyed. After that, we dedicated ourselves to running, but there have been very few times we’ve escaped without any casualties. We’ve somehow figured out their habitat, so we haven’t seen them recently… but I don’t want to see them again. Ever.”

By the way, the reason my kids call it ‘Biku-Biku’ is likely because of the sight of an ostrich, struck by the Thunder-Dragon’s lightning, convulsing and dying with a ‘biku-biku-biku-biku!’. Even individuals who have never met one seem to understand by instinct or something that it’s an opponent they must be seriously wary of, because the other individuals panic to an impossible degree.

“Elder, no, Ancient? …Wait, is this place actually hell?”

“Well, for that reason, a safe place is something we want so bad it hurts. If we have to live in a dangerous place, we might as well go over there, that’s how we feel.”

“Just answer me…”

No, if I put it into words, it’ll just make me sad… To think that after living my whole life thinking this was the only place, there’s a peaceful world outside. Well, it’s true that we’re strong now. But there’s always someone stronger. The fact that the ostrich breeding season comes every year, and they lay a fair number of eggs each time, shows that we are by no means strong creatures in the highlands. Leading them and gaining the power of numbers has made things better, but what’s impossible is impossible. I’m confident we can survive, but it’s not an absolute.

“Hm? Wait a minute, you, you just charged into that Thunder-Dragon…? Really bad pain???”

“Ah, the lightning barrier, right? Normally I think I’d be burnt to a crisp, but I somehow endured it.”

“…………You’re quite the anomaly yourself.”

◇◆◇◆◇

“…………You’re quite the anomaly yourself.”

“Nah~, not at all~!”

The girl who called herself ‘Reis’ laughs cheerfully. She, who clearly holds an amount of magical power that seems impossible for a living creature, misunderstands it as a compliment and smiles. From what I’ve heard, the existence she calls a ‘Thunder-Dragon’ seems to be vastly different from the draconic ecology we elves know. There are some similarities, but it is stronger. And a dragon, which should not normally form a flock, is forming one, albeit a small one. In other words, a dragon more powerful than the information on dragons that elves possess, the Elder Dragon. I understood that an Ancient-class existence is forming a flock. A single Elder-class is a threat level capable of easily destroying a small country, and I know of humans who can easily slay them, but this is a rank above that Elder.

That level of individual is crawling all over the place, and even such beings have no choice but to form flocks? You’ve got to be kidding me.

I once again thank God for the absurdity of this highland’s level, and for our own good fortune in being discovered by them. As a result of detouring around opponents we could never hope to win against while fleeing, we ended up in such a remote place. We have some food to spare, but there’s a limit, and there are no opponents we can hunt in this highland. Even if we had managed to escape from the Earth-Dragon, we would have starved to death or been eaten by something else anyway. We were truly, truly lucky.

Still, these feathers… they’re amazing.

The individual named ‘Dere’. Well, she herself doesn’t seem to remember the name yet, but I received a single feather that fell from her. I got her permission, and I also got permission from her, the chieftain of the flock. I took a quick look during our travels… and its performance is unbelievable.

It’s larger and more beautiful than the feathers of other bird beast-kin, giving it high value as a decorative item. And above all, it boasts extremely high performance. The abilities her chieftain taught me, the effect of retaining heat and blocking electricity, of course, but I also observed resistance to ice and light flames. I won’t know its exact power without asking a specialist to investigate, but… with just this one feather and some simple processing, it’s a material that could become an excellent magical tool requiring several gold coins to obtain.

It’s a part of a person, so nothing will be done openly. But behind the scenes…

If it gets out, it’s certain to become troublesome. The unpleasant word, ‘abduction’, crosses my mind. The chieftain of these children is definitely trustworthy, but I don’t know what will happen to the others. No, if they were alone, they would surely be used in any way possible. Now that we’re going to a town, troublesome matters will definitely arise. Since I owe them for saving me, I should deal with such troubles as much as I can.

…Maybe this is a bit nostalgic.

A case where trouble is clearly on its way. But for some reason, the corners of my mouth turn up.

It was before the two party members, the human and the dwarf, were born, but there was a time on the North Continent, across the sea, when discrimination between races was worse than it is now.

It was common for elves to be called ‘long-ears’ and be seen as creepy beings. As a result of the struggles of the politicians of the time, things got much better, but I remember that time. I must prevent these innocent children from becoming like we once were, from becoming someone’s prey. I’ve had enough of seeing those who can understand language being treated like lab animals. Such villains, and the research and ideologies connected to them. I thought we had eliminated as many of them as possible with the humans of the time, but it wouldn’t be strange if new ones had been born.

I’m weaker than them, but as an elder, I should act to protect these children.

Even with their legs, it will still take time to reach the town. I should share some information.

The wisest being among them, the ones called ostriches. No, perhaps she possesses a higher intellect and knowledge than us, that child who calls herself ‘Reis’. It should be proper to give as much information as possible to that child who leads these children as the flock’s chieftain.

This highland is pretty awful, but human society is awful in a different vector. In the capital of the Empire across the sea, there is a certain amount of ‘reason’ due to it being the emperor’s seat. Or in the Holy City, the headquarters of the church forces within the Empire, it is definitely safe due to the nature of evil people being eliminated as soon as they are discovered. With such exceptions, human society is basically full of malice.

Especially recently, as various countries seek power to oppose the Empire and continue to wage war. The country we are in is still safe, but we don’t know when we’ll be dragged in. Considering their strength, it would be difficult to even scratch them, except for some exceptions called ‘monsters’, but the deeper the battle, the more human malice increases.

Certainly, if they choose where they go, the danger to their lives will be reduced, but there’s no way to say they won’t get into trouble along the way. In that case, in the first place… No, that’s for them to decide. My role is to constantly give warnings, and to protect them with my life when something happens. I’ve lived quite a long time, and I don’t think I can repay the debt of having my life saved otherwise. …Besides, she’s grown quite fond of me.

I think such things as I stroke the head of the girl named ‘Dere’, who has taken a liking to me for some reason. Would my kin back home call me a goody-two-shoes for this? Or a weirdo who decided to live in ‘human’ society while knowing the age of persecution? …Oh well, I’ll do what I can.

…Come to think of it, why is she so smart? No, is that rude to the other children? Or rather, can they even understand ‘rude’?

If I’m not choosing my words… they are, basically, very stupid. Thanks to their personality, or rather, their nature as a species, they are very lovable idiots. Therefore? It seems like a species to which I cannot convey what I want to say in language, no matter how hard I try.

They seem to understand the meaning of simple words, but they immediately forget the content of the conversation, and they immediately forget what they were doing just a moment ago. A conversation really can’t be established. To describe it, their forgetfulness is on the level of an elf who has lived too long, and they are as innocent as a human baby. Thanks to this nature, they probably wouldn’t understand any insults thrown at them, and they’d forget them immediately, so I can rest easy on that front, but…

Then why did she alone, why did ‘Reis’ alone, come to possess intelligence?

I tried to bring it up, but she said she has never met any humans other than us, humans of a race other than the one called ostrich. In other words, it’s not that she received an education from someone. And education doesn’t work without a certain level of specs. Their species, no matter how you look at it, doesn’t seem to have reached that level. It’s a harsh thing to say, but it’s hard to imagine ‘Dere’ becoming ‘Reis’. In that case, is she a unique individual who was born with that intelligence? Or does she have the protection of a god, or is she a great genius born with a probability of one in tens of thousands of years among the ostriches?

Well, any of those are probably things I wouldn’t find out even if I asked her directly…

An unbelievable level of intelligence for them, for ostriches, and an overwhelming amount of magical power to the level where I hesitate to classify her as the same human. I was planning on accompanying them for a while after arriving at the town to repay the debt of having my life saved, but…

“It seems there will be many hardships, but it’s a bustling and fun world. A much better world compared to us who stagnate because we live too long. …I’m really looking forward to it. Don’t you think so too, Dere?”

“? Food?”

“That’s not it… ‘I wish you’d try a little harder.’ I get it. I get it, Reis…!”

◇◆◇◆◇

A few weeks later!

“Ah, by the way, Zadd-san. We’re completely naked… is this, like, okay?”

“…Reis-san, that’s definitely something you ask someone of the same sex. Don’t ask me, a man…”

Our journey out of the highlands has progressed quite a bit, and we’re almost at our destination. I pose a question to Zadd-san, the half-dwarf scout of the adventurer party that we’re escorting, who are currently on a short break.

No, I thought about asking the same-sex Amelia-san at first, you know? But she’s away from her seat right now. If I have a question, I have to say it out loud and resolve it right away, or I can’t rest easy, me. Because, you see, I’m an ostrich. I’m fine for now, but our ostrich memory is seriously unreliable… I might just go ‘poof’ and become a simpleton myself at some point.

“Ahh…”

“So, how is it really? Is it better to hide it?”

If you’d take a look at my flock, you’d understand… but everyone is completely naked. Perfect nudists. Of course, including me. Hey, you there! Don’t call us perverts!

N-No, you see? Let me make an excuse… First, at our level of civilization, making clothes is seriously impossible. Spinning thread is impossible with these wings, and these guys don’t have that kind of intelligence in the first place. If there’s no one who can make them, a culture of clothing naturally doesn’t emerge. And, if I were to add another thing, it’s that we ostriches don’t need things like clothes.

The feathers we have are very multifunctional. I learned this from the elf Amelia-san a while ago, but these feathers themselves are apparently quite valuable. Therefore, it’s also a fact that people who target us will definitely appear. …Well, that’s only natural. Because we’ve never once felt cold or hot in our lives. …It’s not because we’re stupid, okay?

The feathers’ performance is just too good. It’s meaningless against the Biku-Biku, but it also has resistance to lightning, and of course to impact and cuts… though it didn’t mean much in the highlands.

The feathers protect our bodies from the cold and from the harsh sunlight. In short, our resistance to temperature is very high. Ostriches themselves originally have high environmental adaptability, but our plumage has evolved to adapt to this other world. That’s why we didn’t need clothes as protection against the cold, and if we can’t make them in the first place, ‘clothes’ are just not going to be a thing…

“Ah~, I think it’s probably fine? Not all beast-kin are like that, but I’ve heard that those with thick fur don’t wear much clothing. From the looks of it, you all seem to have your important parts covered by feathers…”

“Huh, so that’s how it is.”

Asking a little more, it seems there are beast-kin who don’t feel the need for clothes, just like us, and such people live according to their own culture. Apparently, most of them wear a loincloth or cover their chests with cloth, but it seems that ‘stark-naked people’ like us are not entirely unheard of. Well, they still seem to wear accessories like necklaces or belts around their waists, though.

“In my hometown, there’s a crazy fast monkey beast-kin, and he spent all year with just a loincloth and some intimidating face paint. Well, us dwarves, elves, and humans basically wear clothes, but I don’t think you need to worry too much about it.”

“I see, I see. So at least the moment we set foot in town, it won’t be like, ‘A group of perverts has arrived~~!’ then. What a relief!”

“…………If you go as you are, I have a feeling they’ll be surprised for a different reason.”

Is that so? I ‘pretend’ not to understand the meaning of his words, and tear off a piece of meat, today’s lunch. As expected, I don’t really want to devour it straight from the mouth, so I skillfully use my wings or grab it with my foot to eat. It’s a scene that screams ‘to hell with table manners!’, but please forgive me!

…Hm? What am I eating, you ask? Don’t be surprised when you hear it.

What I’m eating right now is… an ‘Orc’! It’s an Orc-chan! That pig monster!

Yeah~, we didn’t see them in the highlands where we lived, but maybe because we’ve left the highlands and are getting closer to town, the types of monsters have started to change. Yep, yep, it’s not as good as the pigs I ate in my previous life, the ones that were bred to be delicious, but it’s one of the tastier meats I’ve had since coming to this world. It’s a bit fatty, but if you grill it lightly to render the fat, it’s exquisite~!

“…Why are you eating an orc? It’s a humanoid, even if it’s a monster that ‘doesn’t understand language’, you know? You all are amazing, and covered in blood.”

“Aha! Isn’t it a bit late for that? It was pretty bad with the Earth-Dragon too. Well, we’ll eat anything other than our own kind, y’see~”

In other words, we were in an environment where we couldn’t survive unless we ate anything other than our own kind. But… let’s put that aside.

Our party has come to the point where we’ll be arriving at the town soon. But the number of times the flock members say ‘Food!’ has increased, and we’ve come to the conclusion that we should probably get some proper supplies. That said, my knowledge and experience are unreliable in this place, far from the highlands. So, I asked the adventurers if there were any monsters, any at all, that had a lot of edible parts.

After that, we had the scout Zadd-san search the area, and as luck would have it, he found an orc settlement. We immediately crushed it and turned it into food.

I couldn’t really tell the difference, but apparently there was a high-ranking individual among the orcs, and if we had left it alone, it would have caused considerable damage. There were easily over two hundred of them, so they might have indeed been a troublesome opponent.

“At first, I was excited, you know? The sight of you all blowing away orcs that are difficult for me to defeat alone with a single kick. Reis-san, you split about three of them in half with one kick, it was really cool. But, the moment you annihilated them, everyone started diving headfirst into the dismembered orcs and the orcs that were still twitching…”

“Ah~, sorry about that?”

My flock has no casualties, not even minor injuries. But we’re covered in blood from the splatter and what not, and some individuals have what you might call a blood-pack facial. It’s grotesque. I have considerably less blood on me than the others, but both my feet are stained with blood, and my mouth is probably a little bloody. Well, this can’t be helped… There’s no way an ostrich can understand manners.

“About what I said earlier, we have a very strong sense of kinship. Considering our ‘weakness of mind’, our ability to distinguish between our own kind and others is abnormally high. There were humanoid monsters in the highlands too, but we ate them without a care. At first, I felt some aversion too, but when it came down to ‘eat or starve’, well, y’know?”

Be generous to allies, be harsh to enemies. That’s us, the ostrich beast-kin. When we first discovered the adventurers, what do you think my kids said when they saw them? ‘Food?’. If I hadn’t stopped them, I’m sure every last one of them would have tried to eat them, thinking, ‘I wonder if I can eat this~?’. We ostriches are the kind to try and stuff a blubbery orc standing on two legs like a person into our bellies without a second thought.

Well, I’d probably hesitate a bit if it were a human… no, do I really? I do, right? I want to believe I do… It’s scary, so I’ll stop thinking about it. Well, they’re all the type to attack with all their might the moment I declare something an enemy. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing, but I have no choice but to remember it as their characteristic. To me, they are my lovable kin, but for those who are not, it must be unbearable. That’s what it means to be an ostrich beast-kin.

“In other words, to us, everyone other than an ostrich is a ‘potential meal candidate’!”

“Ehh…”

“Ahaha! You don’t have to be so scared, it’s fine! As long as I’m here, I’ll definitely stop them unless you’re an enemy, and if we were to attack, we’d aim for something tastier and easier to eat, right? It’s fine, it’s fine!”

Just as ‘Dere’ has taken a liking to the elf Amelia-san, there are ostriches who are interested in the half-dwarf Zadd-san and the human Kurudius-san in front of me. We ostriches are a super-dangerous group that turns anything into ‘food’, but at the same time, we instinctively understand that if we eat or break something our friends cherish, our precious, precious friends will come to dislike us. For us, who have ‘getting along with everyone’ carved into our instincts, that is an act to be avoided at all costs.

“Well, that’s how it is! Hang in there~!”

◇◆◇◆◇

Now then, after we safely finished off the orcs and cleaned everyone up, myself included, in a nearby river, we were heading towards the town where our companions live. Kurudius-san says, ‘The road is becoming familiar, so we should be there soon,’ but…

“? What’s that!” “Is it big?” “I dunno!”

“Startling!” “Mysterious!”

“Huh? What’s wrong… oh. That’s it.”

Just as I was thinking that my lovable idiots were making unusual noises, I saw a clearly man-made object in the direction of their gaze. It’s probably a castle wall or something of that sort. It’s several kilometers away, but even from here, I can see that part of my vision is blocked by a stone wall.

Given the ostriches’ memory retention, it’s certain that everything they see is new, but there’s no word in their mental dictionary for such an object. They must be truly curious about something they’re seeing for the first time. Hey, everyone, pay attention. That thing, that big thing. That’s called a ‘castle wall’, okay? You probably won’t remember, but do your best to remember, okay~.

Inside there, you see, there are lots of humans living there, you know? We’re going to go say hello now. We’re going to say, ‘Let’s be friends~’, okay? Got it~!

““”Okay-!!!”“”

Well, they’ll probably have forgotten everything by the time we arrive, but there’s no harm in telling them. Sometimes, really, just sometimes, they remember things from a few minutes ago. There will come a time when I’ll have to leave the flock and act on my own, so for that time, I have to educate them properly. The things inside there are not food, you see~.

By the way, Kurudius-san? That town is your home, correct?

“Yes, that is our home. The town of ‘Plaque’. It’s the southernmost city in the human sphere of influence, a town where industries related to monster materials from adventurers flourish. We have few connections, but we have them, and if we can sell ‘that certain thing’ well, I think it will become sufficient funds for our activities.”

“I hope so. …I just hope there’s no weird interference.”

Hm? What’s ‘that certain thing’, you ask? Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t explain. Even I’m not ‘ostrich’ enough to think I can enter a town penniless. I’ve brought a few things from the highlands that can be converted into cash. Basically, the proof-of-subjugation parts of the monsters we turned into food along the way. The things I had the adventurers collect for me.

And then there’s that. Earth-Dragon materials. I’ve brought dozens of the teeth that grew in its mouth. I don’t know much about it, but Amelia-san said, ‘It has a very high affinity for the earth attribute. It can be used as a material for magic tools. It’s also quite sharp, so it could be made into a weapon. I think it will be a good source of income.’ I don’t know how much it’ll all be worth, but… I wonder how many days it will last against the appetites of my beloved compatriots. At worst, I might have to make an immediate U-turn out of town to go earn some more.

“Ahaha… in that case, after we’ve enjoyed Plaque a little, how about we head to the grain-producing region a little further northeast? It’s another country, but it’s a nation of beast-kin, and above all, it’s called the ‘Continent’s Dining Hall’, so you should be able to purchase foodstuffs cheaply.”

“Hoh~, ’cause there are no transportation costs. I get it.”

Our basic supply method will probably be turning nearby monsters into food, but eventually we’ll hunt all the ‘food’. If we run out of things to eat, visiting there doesn’t seem like a bad option. Well, if we do go, I’ll somehow have to teach them, ‘You can’t just eat what’s growing in the fields!’. …Ah, no good. They’ll never understand. Impossible.

“W-Well, anyway, our first civilization. Let’s enjoy it.”

I say that as we proceed at a pace that would make our usual selves yawn. It’d be dangerous to go running at full speed when we’re about to say, ‘Let’s be friends.’ We walk at a speed that allows them to understand our existence, and to decide how to respond to us.

“Reis-dono, how does it look?”

“Ah~, the people guarding up there? The soldiers are starting to panic a bit. Were we too large a group, I wonder? Is this something we should have sent a messenger for? Well, my kid would just wander off somewhere if I sent them, so I’d have to ask you.”

“Your eyes are as sharp as ever… Understood. I will ask Zadd to go and talk to the soldiers.”

“Sorry about that. Hey, you guys, stop! And sit!”

“Sit?” “Sit!”

“Break time!” “Good night!”

I have my kids sit on the spot to kill time. At the same time, as I see Zadd-san off as he runs towards the town, I also take the opportunity to discuss the split of the money from the monster materials with Kurudius-san. I’ve been a lot of trouble, and the knowledge of stripping and appraisal of parts is theirs. They deserve a proper share. Hm? What’s wrong, Kurudius, aka Kuru-chan? You don’t need money? Hey, hey, did the stupidity rub off on you from spending time with an ostrich? You can’t do that. Proper labor requires proper payment.

While I was talking with Kurudius-san, watching Amelia-san get her head gently nibbled by Dere-chan, and calling back ostriches that suddenly stood up and tried to run off, Zadd-san and several armed people came running from the town. One of them is on horseback. …Yeah, we’re faster. I wonder if there are horse beast-kin? Or is that a copyright issue? ’Cause they’re pretty.

“Kurudius’s master! Reis-san! I’ve brought them!”

As Zadd-san arrives, the soldier who was on horseback jumps down to match him. Ah, not being on horseback is appreciated, but could you move that child back a little more? Yes, that horse-chan. Because my kids might mistake it for prey… Hey, you! That’s a living thing you can’t eat! I told you to sit down just now! Sit!

Ah, no, my apologies for my idiots. It’s the first time they’ve seen a horse.

“No, my apologies as well. I had no intention of provoking you… To reiterate, I am one who has been granted the rank of ‘Knight’ from the Heed Kingdom. My name is Matilde. I have been ordered to ‘Guard’ Plaque.”

…Whoops, I thought she was a security captain at best, but she comes with a ‘Guard’ title. And she has a ‘peerage’. I might be getting the nuances wrong, but this female knight is probably someone important, like a noble.

The woman named Matilde, wearing iron cavalry armor, stands before me. Is she wearing a helmet over her beautiful blonde hair, which is tied back? Her gaze is a bit sharp, but she doesn’t seem hostile. And Zadd-san, you brought back a big shot. Were you acquainted? Ah, you were just lucky she was nearby, I see. Whoops, my bad, I haven’t introduced myself.

“I’m Reis, as you can see, a beast-kin. An ostrich, a bird-type beast-kin. I’m the leader of these kids, well, the chieftain. I just came to play today.”

“…Play?”

“Yeah, well, sightseeing. I could have come alone, but… we can only act as a whole group.”

I say this with a gentle demeanor, trying not to alarm her, smiling as usual. Now is not the time to show the face of a chieftain. We are the ones being allowed to visit. It would be trouble if I were taken too lightly, so I won’t bow my head easily, but acting overly important and complicating things would also be a problem. This should be just the right balance.

“I heard from the adventurer there, Zadd-dono, that there is a possibility of you migrating?”

“Ah, you told her that much, that helps. About that, well, eventually. If it’s a place where we can live comfortably, I was thinking it would be nice to get some space, even if it’s a little outside of town… If it doesn’t work out, we’ll either go back to where we were or go look for another place.”

“I see.”

She says, showing a slight gesture of contemplation. …Still, this female knight is interesting. She seems to be acting natural, but she’s properly wary of us. The presence I can feel, or rather, her standing as a living being, is lower than the adventurers, but in its place, the power of her will, the power dwelling in her eyes, seems extremely strong. Hmm, very good material. I’d like a child like this in my flock. I’ll pay whatever you ask, so come to my flock, be my conversation partner. And take care of the flock while you’re at it ♡.

My ostriches are all the epitome of innocence, so I don’t often see such a strong will, y’know. I wait for her reply, thinking such strange things. I can pretty much guess what she’s about to do from the luggage one of the soldiers who followed her is holding. But the conversation won’t proceed unless you speak up.

…Ah, are you going to speak? Please, go ahead.

“I understand your wish. As one entrusted with Plaque, I am very pleased that the town’s population will increase, and above all, that a person who can be a fighting force is coming. The suspicious movements of the surrounding countries are also increasing, so the more fighting power we have, the better… But whether you are truly worthy of trust. That proof has not yet been given.”

As she speaks, she slowly changes the atmosphere she’s wrapped in. It’s different from the ‘bloodlust’ I felt so many times in the highlands, something that could be called ‘fighting spirit’, which doesn’t involve the exchange of lives.

“Therefore,”

She gestures behind her, calling over one of the soldiers she had held back, and has him open a wrapped bag. What comes out is a wooden spear.

“I wish to have a match with you.”

“…………I like it. I love that kind of thing. However,”

I’d love to accept immediately because I love this kind of development, but… could you wait a sec? The atmosphere is getting to my kids and they’re starting to say things like ‘Is it hunting time?’, ‘Gonna beat it up!’, ‘Defeat it!’. Just, just a moment! You guys calm down! Calm down~!!! It’s not a hunt! It’s not! I’m just going to play with this lady for a bit! Friends! We’re friends, so~~~!!!

◇◆◇◆◇

“Hunt?”

“Beat it up!”

“Defeat it-!”

Whoa! Hold on! Stay, stay! You guys stay… but there’s no way an ostrich would understand English, right! Ahh, fine, I get it! I get it! You guys calm down! It’s okay! It’s not a hunt, okay!? Right now, I’m just going to play with this lady for a bit! Everyone sit down! C-C’mon~? Who’s going to be the first good kid to sit down~? Who’s the kid who’s going to get praised~?

“Good kid?”

“Good kid!”

“Sit! Sit!”

“Praise me-!”

Yes, yes, you’re all very good for listening so well. Yes, yes, let me give you some pats. Ah, Dere-chan, you’re sitting properly too, good girl~. Get some praise from your beloved elf Amelia-san too, okay? Could you help me out a bit? Praising this whole overgrown flock is going to take too much time. No, seriously.

“Reis-dono, while a sparring match may be like play compared to actual combat, I must question your choice of words…”

Whoa! W-Wait! Knight-dono, I get how you feel, but you can’t project that kind of fighting spirit! My kids don’t really get that stuff! The things that attacked us were basically predators, so they don’t understand that sort of thing! Ahh, geez! My kid is reacting again!

“Enemy?”

“Enemy!”

“Beat it up!”

“Waah!”

“DAAH! I told you to sit your butt down! C’mon, sit! Sit! Sorry, but Matilde-san, be quiet! SIT!!!”

“…Somehow, my apologies.”

It’s fine! Just be careful from now on!!!

◇◆◇◆◇

“Ahem! A-Are you ready, Reis-dono?”

“Seriously sorry for the wait. Yeah, I’m good.”

I stand before Matilde-san and reply. No, really, sorry to have kept you waiting. A knight-sama must be busy, yet I’ve held you up… My kids’ memories really don’t last. Even if I pet them until they’re satisfied once, they immediately forget and come back asking, ‘Pet me again!’. I intended to praise them all equally, but there are probably some kids I pet a few extra times.

Ah, and sorry for scaring you a little. These kids are quick to switch into combat mode… When I’m nearby, they’ll wait for my command, which is good, but if they’ve already been attacked or a friend has been injured, it’s at a level where even I have trouble stopping them… So please be careful. They’ll really keep kicking until their opponent stops moving.

…You, who have seen their serious eyes, should be able to understand, right?

“Ghk! …Yes, I’ll take it to heart. I will inform my subordinates as well.”

“You will? Thanks!”

Now then, let’s get to our match. In ostrich terms, ‘a rather intense friendly squabble’. Let’s begin.

I understand why this female knight challenged me to a fight. From listening to her and watching her demeanor, her core is probably that of a ‘warrior’. Rather than going through complicated negotiations over and over to find a compromise, she’s the type of person who tries to teach each other their fundamental ways of thinking and deepen mutual understanding through a single match. That’s the kind of person she is.

Honestly, that’s more helpful for me, y’know.

She must have sensed that my atmosphere changed, as she slowly gets into her stance. I may be the sole great genius among the ostriches, but since everyone around me is an idiot, my ‘discussion’ experience is practically zero. I can make some inferences based on my memories from my previous life, but I don’t know their common sense, their basic ways of thinking, or any of their other various things. Even if they’re conversing based on some premise, I, who knows nothing, might proceed with the conversation under a misunderstanding. It’s plausible, isn’t it?

Therefore, this kind of conversation using body language is extremely helpful. The difference in our basic physical specs is so huge that the moment I land a full-power kick, this female knight is likely to literally ‘see stars’… but I’ll hold back in that regard. I’ll be serious, but not at full power. That’s this battle.

Whoops, it’s probably rude to think about unnecessary things any further.

“I don’t have any hands, so I’ll be using my feet… Don’t call me ill-mannered, okay?”

“I understand. I will also be using a weapon, albeit a wooden one… Is that acceptable?”

The woman before me is holding a spear with both hands, her hips slightly lowered. I’ve never had an opportunity like this in my previous life; it’s a truly new experience. Before me is a person who has spent time acquiring the art of fighting. In the highlands, it was all opponents who just steamrolled with their specs. …I’m a little, no, a lot, looking forward to this.

I want to see what she’s got, so I’ll let her have the first move.

I avert my gaze slightly, yielding the first move.

The moment I do, she takes a large step forward. The spot where she was just moments ago explodes. A phenomenal step-in, something I could never have reacted to back when I was just a human in my previous life. She advances surely, moving to her optimal distance, putting all the kinetic energy of her step-in into a spear thrust. That thrust, carrying the force of her entire body in a fluid motion without a hint of deviation, is so beautiful that, having spent my time in the highlands, I’m captivated.

That thrust, aimed squarely at my brain without an inch of error, was…

…a thrust so slow it made me want to yawn.

I dodge the thrust with a slight tilt of my head, a minimal movement. I’ve seen attacks like that countless times in the highlands. It is indeed beautiful; I can tell it’s a thrust achieved at the end of unbelievable training. Just this alone is enough to make me respect her. But for an ostrich, it was surprisingly slow.

I think this as I watch her face, slightly surprised at the fact that her attack was so easily dodged right in front of her. We ostriches have good eyes. That doesn’t just mean seeing things far away; it also includes kinetic vision.

It’s true that we’re weak creatures in the highlands. We’re organisms that can’t survive without gathering in numbers and being vigilant of distant enemies. But at the same time, we are beast-kin, blessed with bodies specialized for combat. After all, if we, who run around at 60 km/h, had poor ‘eyes’ in that high-speed world, it would be problematic, wouldn’t it?

“Hmph, in that case!”

Well, she probably understands that much. The fact that I’m looking at her means she’s also looking at me. She accepts the fact that her thrust was dodged and immediately moves on to her next action. The fact that she can immediately shift to the next move here shows that ‘technique’ is amazing. Truly no wasted movement. For us, who don’t know, or rather, can’t use, any tactics other than ‘surround and pound’, it’s truly respectable. It’s a feat that, aside from me, the other ostriches could never perform.

It feels kind of bad to overcome something she’s spent so much time honing with a simple difference in specs…

I feel a sense of apology towards her as I parry her fierce assault. She intended to finish it with the first strike, but she also has plans for if it’s blocked or dodged. I can see the effort she must have put in, repeating various scenarios over and over, from her spear-handling. And at the same time, there are no dirty tricks to speak of. She doesn’t use any eye-pokes or the like, which I often use against superior opponents.

Hmm, ‘sincere’. Whoops, guess it’s about time I ‘showed her’ my moves, too.

I’ve seen enough, so it’s time to switch offense and defense.

I parry her thrust with my wing, deflecting it lightly so as not to send her weapon flying. Thrown off balance, she immediately moves back. …Whoops, did I do it a bit too hard? Her hands are shaking quite a bit. I give a light signal with my eyes, and the moment her stance is ready, I go on the offensive.

“Ghk!”

My attacks are basically with my feet. The main axis is slashing with my claws. But this is a ‘match’, and she’s brought a wooden weapon as a sign that she won’t harm me. It would be wrong to shatter that consideration head-on, wouldn’t it? I’ll slash with my claws as usual. But not to hit her weapon, but to stroke it. I’m usually just slamming it down, so I have to be pretty careful, whoops!

Thinking that, I unleash a flurry of attacks. It’s an attack that doesn’t even have the ‘tech’ of technique, since it was hammered out in my life in the highlands. But I layer on the polite body language so my way of thinking gets across.

“…Heh.”

“What, ghk! Is so, funny!”

“Ah, sorry. It’s my first time doing something like this.”

Ah, this is truly, truly fun. I could never do this in the highlands, after all. It’s just my opinion, but I’m glad I came here.

We ostriches don’t do this. We don’t even have the concept of a ‘match’. The original ostriches, I believe, fought over leadership in the flock… but ostrich beast-kin don’t have that custom either. They’re kids who extremely dislike being disliked by their own kind. For these kids who don’t even have a concept of martial arts, there’s no way they could understand this ‘conversation via body language’ I’m having with the female knight. That’s why I’m having so much fun right now that I feel like I want this moment to last forever. The conversation with the adventurers, and the conversation with the woman before me. I realize now just how much I’ve been starved for ‘conversation’.

I want my flock kids to understand this fun time too, but… well, that’s probably impossible.

Now then, if this continues, the woman before me will get exhausted. She’s probably sized me up by now. Shall we settle this? Matilde-san is out of breath, likely due to my fierce attack. I place my claw on the tip of her slightly wavering spear and send it flying high. The spear naturally leaves her hands, her wooden spear spinning as it flies into the sky. Before I knew it, the tip of my foot was resting at her throat.

“Is this ‘the end’?”

“Hah… hah…! Yes, it was a good match. My thanks.”

“N-Not at all.”

“To think Matilde-sama could be handled so easily…”

She replies, catching her breath. Her subordinates voice their shock. Whoops, I got so engrossed in our ‘talk’ that I forgot to look after my kids. Have they been good…? Yes! They’re all sitting! Good kids! So good! I’ll give them more pats…

Hm? What’s wrong? ‘Not gonna eat her?’ …Like I’d eat her! That person is a friend. A friend, you get it? You get it, right?

Look, you know the kid I’ve been calling ‘Dere’ recently? The relationship between her and the elf Amelia-san, that’s what a friend is. Got it? A friend. …You don’t get it. For now, if you attack or try to eat her, I’ll get angry. Got it? ‘Angry!?’ ‘No, no!’ ‘I’m sorry-!’ Ah, I’m not angry now! I’m not angry, okay-!

“Fufu, ahaha! Hahahahaha! You are an interesting one, milady!”

“Eh, ah? Am I?”

“My apologies! After being shown so much, none can voice dissent! Please, enjoy this town!”

“Ah~, yeah. Thanks.”

She declares, happily swinging the hand that was trembling from having her spear knocked away. Eh, what? Were my kids that funny? Want to look after one? My flock is always recruiting zookeepers! Let’s aim for a two-day weekend! (Currently a one-person, 24/7, no-holiday operation, ten years and counting).

Ugh~, bring on the vacation!

“I’d like to continue with a post-match discussion, but… my apologies, I have work to attend to. I shall take my leave!”

“Oh, that’s a shame.”

Just when I found someone I could probably get along with through body language… Oh well, if it’s work, it can’t be helped! Hey everyone, let’s say bye-bye to Matilde-san~. When you part with a friend, that’s what you say~. …Well, for these guys, ‘parting’ with a friend or kin isn’t a thing, so they probably won’t understand.

“Bye-bye?”

“Bye… bye?”

“Bye-bye~?”

“Aye! Bye-bye to you, her subjects! And to you, Reis-dono!”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ll be in the manor in the center of town or on the walls! Come see me anytime! Now then!”

With that, she leaps onto her horse and quickly returns to town with her subordinate soldiers. It was a really sudden departure, but… she had a happy look on her face the whole time, and I had fun too, so it’s a win-win, I guess. Now then! A lot happened, but we got permission from the town’s top brass, so let’s slowly go and do some sightseeing in town.

◇◆◇◆◇

“Matilde-sama, was that wise…?”

“What is.”

As we entered the inner side of the defensive wall and headed for my manor, I noticed that several of the soldiers were acting strangely. Thinking it would be bad to leave them as is, I called out to them, and that was the question that came back. Hiding an arm that had not yet stopped trembling, my subordinate asks his question. I look at him and, careful not to let my tone become too harsh, I ask back.

It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel, though.

Hehe, still, she was a truly fine opponent. Her skill was overwhelmingly superior. Those who possess power usually become arrogant in proportion, but the first emotion I sensed when our spears met was ‘apology’. She had probably never held back before. Her feeling of apology towards me was conveyed in spades.

Truly, interesting.

“That Reis person seemed fine, but the others…”

“Hold your tongue. Do you wish to die?”

…Ah, have these men not seen it? Their eyes. Those disturbingly clear, innocent eyes. Eyes like a mirror, that simply reflect back our own emotions. If we show them a welcoming intent, they will return it. But if we face them with hostility, what awaits is nothing but ruin.

“Each and every one of them over there is an opponent that could easily repel a thousand soldiers, you know? And on top of that, they are my friend’s subjects. Do you intend to insult them?”

“N-No! My sincerest apologies!”

“…Were you a human-supremacist? Being born in a village near Nagan in the west, you may have your thoughts, but this is the Heed Kingdom. Under the law, the King, and the name of God, all races are equal. Be discreet.”

There are few who would openly say such foolish things, but there are differences in ideology between nations. My Heed Kingdom, as I said before, treats all races as equal, but I hear that in Nagan, humans are considered superior to other races.

God stands above all living things and has decreed that all of ‘humanity’ is equal. However, long before this Heed Kingdom was established, there were those who arbitrarily changed the framework of ‘humanity’. Fearing races different from themselves, they excluded them. The effects of that continue even now, hundreds of years later, and the problems between races are endless. It’s strange how much regional difference there is, even though we all serve a human king.

“Issue a decree immediately. That they are our friends. And that any who harm them will be punished by the laws of the land.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Watching one of the soldiers run off, I delve deeper into my thoughts. They called their race ‘Ostrich’. I’ve never heard of them, but from their appearance, they are bird beast-kin. And they are birds that run on land. From the weight of each of their attacks, I could infer that they have bodies many times heavier than a flying bird race. And seeing the bodies of the others, that is likely their basic ability.

I have seen warriors stronger than myself, those who could be called the pinnacle, but I have never seen those whose racial standard is at that level. Considering the impact of their attacks, which made me feel as if I were fighting a giant, their leg strength and movement speed must be considerable. I don’t understand all of it yet, but it wouldn’t be strange if each of them had a hand on the title of ‘monster’.

Truly, interesting.

From the way Reis-dono was panicking, it seems that she is the only one who is very smart. But it was clear that they were united under her. Given the difference in physique between Reis-dono and her subjects, their strength is likely somewhat lower than hers… But that doesn’t change the fact that they are a threat. Faster than cavalry, with the power to overwhelm a group single-handedly. If they were to clash with our kingdom…

Even if we could suppress the damage to the absolute minimum… the country would be finished. Yes.

I am of common birth, a person who received the ‘Knight’ peerage, the lowest rank of nobility, directly from the king through military might. My skill is probably one of an early few. In the first place, our kingdom has a very thin pool of talent compared to that most powerful nation, the Empire. Compared to the Empire, where people called ‘monsters’ are a dime a dozen, not a single one belongs to our country.

I once brandished my spear aiming for that myself, reaching for the top, but that is impossible.

They’re really ‘monsters’. So dangerous you wouldn’t think they’re the same human race. And the Empire is even more dangerous. There’s a country that was recently destroyed for trying to defy the Empire, and their prince, you know? He was alive even after his head was cut off. It seems he has an ability called ‘Regeneration’… His body grew back from below his neck. Even though he’s just a human!? And his strength is insane; he apparently slaughtered enemy soldiers in the triple digits with a single swing of his sword. The Empire is what can casually destroy a country with such a dangerous guy in it. You really shouldn’t mess with them.

Whoops, I’ve strayed too far. And my tone. I must make it befitting of a knight.

If our country, which lacks such ‘monsters’, also known as ‘special war potential’, were to clash with them… yes. There’s no way we could win. At best, the current His Majesty would abdicate, and a new Queen Reis would be born. At worst, the Heed Kingdom itself would be reduced to scorched earth, something like that. No matter how I think about it, I can only see a future where we’re blown away. The end would be us all getting run over while thinking, ‘God, did I do something wrong?’.

Therefore, we say, ‘Let’s be friends! Please don’t attack us because we’ll be friends! We’ll do anything!’

Well, I won’t really do ‘anything’, nor can I.

The personality of Reis-dono, which I came to understand through our spar, is very likable, and as an individual, she is an opponent with whom I would like to foster a friendship if possible. But as one entrusted with the ‘Guard’ of this town and as a ‘Knight’, I have a corresponding responsibility. It will be a little difficult to associate with her as a simple friend.

“At times like this, I get nostalgic for the time when I was just wandering the various provinces to heighten my martial skill…”

I haven’t even turned thirty, yet I find myself envying my past self. Oh well, I suppose that’s life. In any case, my policy is to earn their favor and make them think well of this country.

If I were a high-ranking official of the country, I could have taken measures such as immediately enclosing them, but I am merely the ‘Guardian’ of a single city; I cannot interfere in matters that could sway the country. Considering what would happen if we became hostile, my role is to form a friendship with them, betting on the possibility of dulling their spearhead even a little.

Fortunately, this town has little discriminatory tendencies.

And so, once the policy is decided, the things that need to be done come into view. I’ll have to put my usual duties on the back burner for a bit and quickly send a secret letter to His Majesty the King to ask for his judgment. While waiting for his reply, I’ll make arrangements for them. First, since there are no lodging facilities in this town that can accommodate that many people, they will have to sleep outdoors. It would be heartless to have them sleep on the bare ground, so I should lend them tents and other items from the military’s supplies.

“And then… food, I suppose.”

They might be able to provide for themselves, but I should proceed with preparing meals on our end as well. It’s impossible to prepare every meal as the budget is insufficient, but a few days a week should be well within an acceptable range. Many other supplies will also be needed. I heard it was under the pretext of ‘sightseeing’, but in reality, they were looking for a ‘place to migrate’. Given that a long-term stay is conceivable, the current market scale of this town will likely be insufficient for some supplies. Food, of course, but it may be necessary to place large orders for other things as well. If I leave it to mere merchants, there may be imbalances, so it may be necessary to summon the purveyors now and make some arrangements.

Just as I was thinking that, I hear the sound of running towards me. …! Could it be!

“Matilde-sama!”

“What is it!”

“I-It’s about! The ostriches from before are crying and screaming in the middle of the road!!! They’re all saying, ‘We’re sorry!’! What should we do!”

…………Come again???