"This is terrible! It's a monster stampede!"
A guard on the outer fence of the village shouted with a look of terror on his face as he rushed into the center of the village.
"Whaaaaaaaaat?!" (Villagers)
The villagers screamed, but there was nothing they could do.
If this was news sent by an investigation team from the royal capital, there was still something they could do.
Strengthened their defenses or evacuated somewhere...
However, if the guards on the outer fence had spotted it, the time lag between the report and the monster's arrival was only a few seconds. At best, it would be a dozen seconds.
In such a short time, all they could do was get into their house and close the door.
And in the face of a monster stampede, a shabby wooden house had no more defensive power than wet shoji paper.
We're finished…… (Everyone's mind)
Just when the villagers were thinking this and had given up everything, then that... no, that sled came along.
...A sled.
It was pulled by several dogs...no, wolves.
Behind it, there were about twenty wolves.
And on the sled were four familiar girls and a pure white wolf cub.
It seemed that the earlier "Demon Stampede" was a misinterpretation of this.
The villagers were relieved to hear this.
"...There's not a single bit of reassurance in this!"
"What is this situation?!"
The noisy villagers.
Then Mile spoke up.
"Where is the bad village chief? Where is the bad boss?!" (Mile)
"Gyaaaaaa~~!!" (Villagers)
"...So, you heard the story from the wolves?"
Afterwards, most of the villagers gathered in the square where a discussion took place between Crimson Vow, the village chief, and the village leaders.
The wolves were not allowed inside the building, and those who were in conflict with the village chief's faction, as well as other neutral people, had also demanded to be present and would not leave, so they had no choice but to hold the discussion here.
…In other words, the majority of the villagers were gathered here at the moment.
The villagers, who were initially afraid of the wolves, appeared to have calmed down for the time being, although they had not yet completely let their guard down, as they were now obedient to Mile and her group, and a white cub, who appeared to be the leader of the pack, was sitting next to Mile.
"That's right! The wolves say, 'We haven't gone into the human village.'
Submitting a false quest to the Hunters Guild is a serious crime that deceives the Guild and puts Hunters in danger. It's not something that can be resolved with a fine or a reprimand.
Not only you will be punished by the guild, but you will also be charged with attempted murder for intentionally putting a Hunter in danger. You will also be subject to arrest and criminal slavery by the authorities." (Mile)
The village chief and other leaders looked shocked by Mile's words.
Of course, even a child knew that much.
"N-no, but the damage to the livestock..." (Chief)
The village chief desperately insisted, but...
"What? That's strange." (Mile)
Mile interrupted him in an annoying tone.
"In the Forbidden Forest, there were many animals and monsters suitable for the wolves to hunt. Still, I don't see any need to go out of your way to hunt such a long distance... Besides, you explained to us when we came to this village, right? That the livestock were killed one by one during the night, and the bodies were left there the next morning...
It is weird, is it not?
A herd this big, one each time? And they don't even drag the carcasses home? There are babies in the nest and a female who has stayed behind to protect them... Is that really the work of wolves or monsters from the forest?" (Mile)
"......" (Everyone)
The members of the village chief's faction fell silent and their faces grew pale.
And, as if they were beginning to understand what Mile was trying to say, looks of anger began to appear on the faces of the other villagers.
"Wh-what evidence do you have to say something like that..." (Chief)
"So, can you provide evidence that it was wolves, not humans, that attacked the livestock? There's no way that they insisted that it was the wolves' doing without any basis or evidence, and sent a false request to the guild..." (Mile)
The village chief's rebuttal was smashed by Mile.
"Besides, that was completely denied by the original wolves themselves, so there's no need to discuss it." (Mile)
Here!!
The village chief, who had been forced into a very dangerous position, seized a chance to turn things around.
The other person made a mistake and told a lie.
In that case, all it took to expose that one lie was to insist that all the others were lies as well.
Thinking so, the village chief charged there without hesitation.
"How could you possibly understand the language of a wolf? What I'm saying is that everything you're saying is a lie, a lie!!" (Chief)
...she grinned.
The corners of Mile's mouth quirked up a little.
Yes, it was a hole that had been deliberately made.
Just as the village chief thought, "If only this one lie could be exposed," looking at it from the other side, it meant, "If only those who had confidently argued back could be completely crushed."
"No, I can talk to them properly." (Mile)
"Well, let's prove it here!" (Chief)
There's nothing that could be done, said the village chief triumphantly.
And…….
"Fine. Then I'll prove it." (Mile)
"Eh?" (Chief)
Ignoring the village chief who looked dumbfounded...
"Zalm, it's your turn!" (Mile)
There was no one here by that name.
Mile was muttering something to himself that the village chiefs couldn't understand.
Yes, yes, I understand!The nanomachines then, with a slightly dissatisfied look on their face, transmitted this to Zalm, who was waiting near the village.
A few seconds later, two ancient dragons appeared in the sky above the plaza.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" (Everyone)
Everyone was in a panic and screamed, but all they could do was tremble violently; no one moved.
...It's understandable. Even if you tried to run away, if an ancient dragon attacked, there's no way a human could escape on foot.
Besides, the villagers had no way to escape, and the best they could do was to run into their houses and bolt them down, but that wouldn't do them any good against the ancient dragon.
When the villagers began to realize that the village was going to be destroyed and that they were going to die, one of the ancient dragons
spoke up.
"THERE ARE BAD PEOPLE. THERE ARE BAD VILLAGERS..."[1]
Yes, the two ancient dragons had been flying extremely low to avoid being spotted by the humans, and then had been walking slowly and silently until they had come very close and were lurking.
And Zalm, who had been taught his line by Mile, was really into it...
Author's Note
This is an announcement. (^^)/
...
Thank you very much! (^^)/
Translation Note
[1] 悪い人間はいねが〜。悪い村人はいねが〜 (Warui ningen wa ine ga, warui murabito wa ine ga)