Chapter 169 "Beast Man"

The forest landscape drifts by below me.

　I am currently enjoying an elegant flight.

　I can fly by myself, but a vehicle is better.

　I can devote my attention to my surroundings and enjoy the scenery better than anything else.

　Now, what I'm riding on is, of course, the Savage.

　But it's different from what it used to look like.

Its body is now twice as huge, and its overall muscle mass has increased.

　I've used my previous know-how to make modifications.

　Naturally, the contents have also been modified, so the performance has been greatly improved.

　Well, to be more specific, the amount of magical power stored has been greatly increased, and, taking advantage of the lessons learned from Kongamato, it is able to move through the air without wings, although it would be a misnomer to call it flying as if it were kicking and bouncing through the air.

　The saddle has also been modified and a backrest added.

　If you keep a barrier magically activated to protect you from the wind, you can say that elegant air travel is complete.

　I can't just keep flying, so I have to take breaks periodically, but I'm getting good speed.

It won't be long before we'll be out of the forest.

　Now, the place we are going to is called the territory of the beastmen for convenience, but strictly speaking it is a melting pot where various races live together.

　Beyond the forest are gently undulating hills, and on the plains beyond them is a settlement called Torqrutusarb, where the beastmen live.

　The surrounding area is vast and flat, but it is dotted with small mountains, which may be sources of water, and rivers extend from the valleys, so it seems to be a land blessed with no shortage of water.

　Naturally, the presence of water means that there are many natural blessings and the food situation is stable.

　So, then, why were the elves driven out?

　The cause is the buried resources.

　Stinking water.

　It is a black water that can be found in the vicinity of so-called rocky mountains where there are not many trees.

　It has a strong smell and is not suitable for drinking, but it has a certain use.

Fuel.

　It burns easily when set on fire and is in high demand for weapons, daily life and various other uses.

　Naturally, it is only natural that someone would take notice and acquire large quantities of it, perhaps aiming for a monopoly.

　Oil, in other words.

　Unfortunately for the elves, there were rocky mountains near their forests with large reserves of stinking water.　

　They were forced to leave their homes because they were caught up in the struggle for it.

　Food and other supplies were available in abundance, so they had to fight for this kind of hard-to-obtain item.

　However, that was then and it is unclear what is happening now.

　After all, several decades have passed, so the information should only be used as a reference.

　Next, let's talk about beastmen.

　As the name suggests, they are a mixture of beasts and humans, and it is said that their heads are not so different from those of humans.

　The most obvious feature is that instead of normal ears, they have beast ears, which is an easy way to identify the race.

Incidentally, the ears do not seem to grow from the head, but from the part of the body where the human ear is located.

　The only other difference is that the constitution varies from person to person.

　For some people, the only part of the beast is the ear, but in some cases, it is said that there are people who are completely beastly.

　This is knowledge of elves, so there is much that is doubtful.

　Maybe they can change their bodies.

　Let's look into that as well.

　Thanks to all the processing I had to do, my departure was delayed for quite some time.

　The season has passed winter and spring is approaching, but the air is still cold.

　According to the occasional reports from Fatima, the economic situation in the territory is improving considerably, and she is getting to know the merchants and is thinking of setting up her own trading company or not.

At any rate, she seemed to be doing well, so I praised her appropriately and she was full of motivation.　

　Keep up the good work and lose interest in me.

　As for the forest, they are going to cultivate it around the elven villages, but they need to look at it in the long run.

As for the last of the elves that escaped, apparently they scattered and fled in several groups.

　It appears that they found some and took these down, but they were clearly outnumbered.

　Considering the composition of the group, it seems that a High Elf child was leading the action.

　I wondered why they were making the kids do the hardest work, but then I understood.

　The High Elves are the ones who lead the Elves, according to their common sense.

　How dependent are they?

　To be honest, I even think they're idiots.

　Even the High Elves are under the leadership of a child. They will reach their limits at some point.

On top of that, they have the double burden of living on the run while avoiding forest monsters.

　They'll probably be wiped out in the near future.

　Personally, I'd be grateful if only the High Elf child would die, as it wouldn't feel good...

　It would be no problem if Riley and the others could take care of it.

So I throw off my thoughts and return my attention to the landscape.

Well, it's a forest as far as the eye can see in all directions, so it's not very spectacular - or is it?

　Looking into the distance, I could faintly see a break in the forest.

　We got there quicker than I thought we would.

　To be honest, I thought it might take longer, but ......... it's been about a month since Shudras?

　The snow that had fallen so much on the way here was decreasing in frequency and the temperature was rising, albeit gradually.

　This makes it a bit of a hassle, but it's not so difficult to get here and back, is it?

　Is it just a few more days until we arrive?

The wind caresses my cheeks as I loosen the barriers a little.

　A good breeze blows because there are no barriers.

There is no sign of either monsters or beastmen around, and it is very quiet.

　The place where we passed through the forest was hilly, just as we had learned.

　The rolling terrain spreads out before my eyes, and small mountains of various sizes can be seen in the distance.

　I let Savage slow down and enjoy the scenery and the wind on my body.

　The scenery is different from what I know and what I actually see.

The area is relatively safe, as there is nothing in the area and it is not particularly inhabited by monsters.

That is until we pass through here.

After a few days of passing through the hills, I see a vast plain below me and the object I am looking for.

　...Is that Torkulu Sarb?

　From memory it looks like a cluster of settlements, but in front of my eyes it has been transformed into a splendid city that gives the impression of progress in civilisation.

　There were also buildings, including private homes, what appeared to be shops and even a factory-like facility that was emitting a lot of white smoke from its chimneys, as if it was some kind of joke.

The most striking of these facilities is what appears to be a huge arena.

　It is a magnificent metropolis that bears no resemblance to the settlements the elves remember.

　The site area alone rivals that of the royal capital.

　Looking at the surrounding terrain, this area is just as I remember it.

　There are rocky mountains, then a series of small mountains with lush greenery a little further away, and a river stretches between the mountains towards the city.

　I don't remember any rivers in that area.

　Maybe you guided the flow?

　The other thing that I'm noticing is that there are a lot of strange depressions.

　Rather than being unnaturally sunken ......, I have the impression that they were gouged out over a long period of time.

　That being said, that area itself is a huge depression...

　In fact, the city is spread out quite a ways down the hillside.

　I thought it was an odd piece of land, but I didn't have any answers, so I decided to throw the question away and head towards the city.

...By the way, should I wear a disguise or something?

　I thought about it, but then I reconsidered.

　It's a hassle, so let's just go with it.

Torklusarb.

The name of the city and state where the beastmen live, and the category seems to be a city-state rather than a collection of settlements.

　How can a nation be monolithic in a place where so many different species live?

　The answer is the huge arena in the middle of the city.

　Every two years, the country holds a tournament in which anyone is eligible to participate.

　The winner of the tournament becomes king.

　It is easy to understand: whoever is the strongest steers the country.

　...but the strongest man in the area is the king.

　It is said that the change is not likely to happen anytime soon.

　In fact, it seems that the king was replaced at a tournament six years ago, but the previous king had held the throne for nearly 20 years before that.

　The current king seems to be running the country well and there are no complaints.

　...Well, the security situation is not so good.

As soon as I entered the city, I was faced with a problem.

　I don't understand the language.

I was in trouble, and as I was walking around in an unpopular place, blatantly chirping my bag of gold coins, a kind beastman idiot approached me with a weapon in his hand, and gratefully gave me his memory and some money.

　I learned this language, which I call the beastman language for convenience, and I was also able to get a rough idea of the situation in this country, so let's go sightseeing right away.

　I wander around the town.

　Everyone I pass is a beastman.

　By looking at their ears, I can tell what kind of race they are.

　Dogs, cats, foxes and... bears?

　There are even some interesting ones with rabbit ears, completely humanoid elephants and rhinoceros-like creatures.

　It's really interesting, by the way.

　I wonder where they came from, and if possible, I'd like to read some history books.

　The lifespan of a beastman is slightly longer than that of a human being, so even the oldest beastmen are probably barely involved in the rise of this country.

I'd be interested to see how things were before the time when it was a community gathering.

　As I was thinking about this, I noticed the hot eyes on my wallet.

　I casually check my surroundings and a dog-eared kid comes up to me and tries to grab my wallet.

When he reached for it, I made a natural move to sidestep and avoided him.

　The hand reaching for my waist pouch cuts through the air.

　Sigh.

　No matter where you are, there are always people who hit other people.

　I check my surroundings and see a few people looking at me in the same way as the dog-eared one just did.

　They are all kids.

　A group of pickpockets? What a pain in the ass.

　Well, I must have looked like a sucker as I scurried around.　

　They must have thought I was a target, because I looked like a complete up-and-comer from the side.

　It was troublesome, so I pretended not to notice and tried to walk away, but the dog-eared kid didn't give up and came up to me to attack me again.

How should I deal with them?

It would be troublesome to make a fuss, so should I lure them to an unpopular place like the people who just came in?

　The place where I am now is a busy thoroughfare.

　The area is lined with food stalls and street stalls, and there are a lot of people around.

　There is an organisation called the Military Police, which corresponds to a police force such as the Knights, but they don't seem to be paying that much attention, so there seems to be no problem in ignoring that area.

　In fact, it seems that a certain number of murders and missing persons occur on a regular basis.

　Is it too much to ask for a Japanese level of security?

　I look for the kids who seem to be his friends while devoting my attention to the dog-ears that aim at my wallet.

　They're here, they're here.

　There are six in all.

　Four with dog ears and two with cat ears.

　I watch them for a while, and if they persist, I deal with them.

　If they give up, leave them alone.

　I let out a small sigh, and my pace strengthened a little.