"That's ridiculous!!"
Serry's mother was shocked when she heard the details from Mile and the others.
"She refused the help and stayed behind? That girl would never say something like that!"
Well, it's no wonder that it's hard to believe.
When a child said, "I would rather live with the kidnappers' accomplices than with my own family," it was hard to believe, or rather, impossible for a parent to believe.
But…….
"Is she treated the same as the children of a noble family?"
"Eating delicious food, wearing nice clothes, a life of luxury?"
"We want to go there too!!" (Sherry's sisters, x3)
As expected, the boys kept quiet, but all of Serry's sisters shouted in unison. ...They shouted...
Serry's parents were stunned, and rightly so.
Here at the village chief's house, the only people gathered were the mayor and his wife, Crimson Vow, Serry's family, and a few other important people in the village.
It was not a story that should be told to a large audience, and it would be dishonorable for Serry's parents, so the number of people who heard it was limited to a minimum. The villagers also knew that this was probably something bad, so they didn't say anything. And the members who had gathered had prepared themselves for something bad to say, but they never expected it to be something like this.
However, the parents did not understand, so they had to be properly explained. Therefore, Mile had no choice but to convey a message from Serry to explain the situation.
...It's always Mile who explained things in these situations.
"Umm, well, 'I don't want to end my life being exploited by men in an inconvenient, deserted rural area where I'm treated poorly just because I'm a girl. I'm going to live happily here,' it was what she said, ahahaha..." (Mile)
…Even so, Mile was considerate and rearranged Serry's words into something quite Mile-like. The original was even worse.
"Huh..." (Sherry's parents(?))
"Not fair, it's just her!" (Sherry's sisters(?), x3)
"......" (Sherry's brothers(?) x2)
Reactions were clearly divided among her parents, sisters, and brothers.
And then....
"Well, we should just leave the village!"
"Instead of being kidnapped, why don't we leave the village on our own and live a normal life working in a human town..."
"They say beastkin are discriminated against, but it's probably a lot better than the male superiority system here..."
"How about becoming hunters like these kids? We have better physical abilities than humans, so I think we could do well. I think it's probably a world that depends on ability..."
"That's right! Just invite us and one or two others..."
"What?" (Parents)
The parents turned pale in response to their daughters' rebellion.
"Then, who's going to take care of us? I can't forgive that!" (Sherry's brothers)
Then, the sons, who were worried about what would happen if the slaves disappeared, made insensitive remarks.
"Ahhh..." (All CV)
The village chiefs also seemed to have frozen in place.
What if this story spread throughout the village?
And what if all the young girls started saying the same things as these sisters?
...The village would end.
Then the village chief spoke, followed by the leaders and the parents.
"Gya..." (Everyone, x6)
"Gya?"
"Gyaaaaaa~!!" (Everyone, x6)
After that, Mile explained that in Serry's case, she had been incredibly lucky, that Salisha had been a prisoner, and that although Shurana had been treated the same as an ordinary human servant as a "menial servant," this was only temporary until she "grew a little more mature," and that after that her fate would likely have been somewhat harsh, and somehow they managed to escape unscathed.
Still, Serry's sisters didn't seem ready to give up, and kept saying things like, "Well, we should go to Serry's place..." or, "Maybe Serry's master could help us find a job..."
...Well, it's not surprising. The lifestyle of her younger sister that she had just heard about was far too appealing for the girl from this village.
The sisters' parents and the village chief were terrified by their behavior.
It would be a disaster if such a story were to spread to all the women in the village.
And then…….
"Huh? You were explained about the fate of being kidnapped and sold and understood, but there was no mention of anything negative being said about forming a Hunter Party with just the girls from this village, right?
In the first place, if weak human minors have grown into adults and are trusted enough to be entrusted with the task of defeating a kidnapping organization, doesn't that mean we can earn more?"
"Ugh!" (Everyone, x6)
The adults, as if struck in a sore spot, looked dismayed when Serry's sisters brought up the issue again...
"…Come outside."
Reina said this in a sulky manner.
"Copper coin cross slash!" (Mavis)
"Copper coin folded in four!" (Mile)
"Burning hell!" (Reina)
"Spiral piercing bullet!" (Pauline)
"Sorry!"
"I was getting carried away!!" (x2)
...The conversation ended safely.
"I have no words to express my gratitude this time..."
After Serry's family left, the village chief and the three leaders bowed deeply to Mile and her party.
Probably 40% of the children were rescued and 60% of the village was prevented from collapsing.
Thinking this, everyone at Crimson Vow grimaced.
"The contract has been completed, we’ve signed the certificate of completion and notified the guild, but even though it was something unrelated to the request and something we did on our own accord, if we don’t receive any thanks or compensation, it will be a disgrace to us as beastkin. If other villages find out about this, our credibility will plummet. So, I have to make sure you accept my thanks here. Considering what happened when we caught the kidnapper last time and how you left without negotiating the reward with us, we know that you have no intention of demanding a large reward for this. …But that would be a problem for us, can you understand that much?" (Chief)
It was something that beastkin who valued honor and integrity would likely say.
Mavis, who aspired to be a knight and also valued honor and integrity, would understand this completely, and the other three would understand as well.
Therefore, they should probably receive some sort of reward, but they felt uncomfortable receiving a large amount of reward for something they did on their own, and they knew that this village didn't have much cash income...for the same reasons as the elf village...so they were reluctant to accept cash or anything that could be converted into money.
Reina and the others looked at each other, wondering what to do, but...
"That's right! In exchange for the reward, I'll have you contact the ancient dragon!" (Mile)
"Eeeh?" (Other 3)
Mile started saying something strange again.
"Didn't the beastkin say something before? 'We have a way to contact the Ancient Dragon-sama!'" (Mile)
"Ah, they did say that..."
"They did say that..."
"That's certainly what they said..."
Everybody seemed to remember it well.
"So, as a reward for the success of the rescue mission (quest), I'm asking you to 'contact the ancient dragon'! That way, there won't be any financial burden on the village, and we'll be able to get help in a situation where we have no other option, so it will be a perfectly good reward!" (Mile)
"Hmmmm..." (Mavis)
What Mile was saying did make sense. However, as Mavis groaned, there was one point that was questionable. And Reina confirmed this.
"So, what are you planning to do by summoning an ancient dragon?" (Reina)
Yes, that's it.
What were they planning to accomplish by deliberately summoning an ancient dragon?
And Mile answered with a big smile.
"Of course, to take us to the demon's village!" (Mile)
"Huh?" (Other 3)
Reina and the other two were left dumbfounded...
Author's Note
Late at night on October 7th, it will be exactly one year since the "Noukin" anime began airing.
As a writer on "Narou," my dream is to have my work published as a book or adapted into a comic.
It goes far beyond that, a dream within a dream, a dream that seems even further away than winning the jumbo lottery: having it made into an anime...
It has already been a year since that dream came true.
It was quick. It went by in a flash.
It feels like it was only two or three months ago that I went to the dubbing studio and the wrap party.
I owe it all to all of you readers for allowing me to have such a fun dream.
With gratitude, I intend to continue writing for a while longer.
If possible, I hope that I, and everyone else, can continue to have happy dreams... (^^)/