248 – Contact

Following my directions, my partner heads towards the presences I found.
We’re about to make contact.

I’m begging you, partner.
Even if you feel hungry, don’t sneak a bite from the village.
I’ll let you eat to your heart’s content later.

“I got it~”

She replies sloppily, humming as she walks.
I’d prefer it if she was just a bit more cautious… No, I guess it’s fine that she’s seen like this.
It’s fine, but… Her complete lack of tension is somehow suspicious.

Is there anything we can do about the contrast between the elegance of her appearance and the sloppiness of her speech? It’s a part of me, too, so maybe it can’t be helped.

The three presences I noticed earlier don’t seem to be reacting to us at all.
I thought it was the ones we ran into earlier, but it seems the miko hasn’t noticed us.
Since we’re humanoid, perhaps she thinks we’re a fellow villager, or maybe she’s not paying much attention because they’re so close to the safety of the village.

This miko also has a telepathy-type skill, so we need to be cautious.
[Telepathy] involves an exchange of thoughts.
If her skill level is high, she might be able to pick up on our emotions and be able to tell we’re lying.
Next time I see her, I should check her status.

With [Presence Perception] and [Telepathy], she makes for a very troublesome opponent.
How everyone was saying miko-sama, miko-sama earlier makes sense.
She’s probably saved the village countless times.

Even if the other side is aggressive, please act with restraint, okay partner? Even if you make a mistake, don’t go biting them or hitting them.
If you use too much power by mistake, we could end up with a mountain of corpses.
That’s what I’m most afraid of.

In the worst case you aren’t able to endure it, please say something.
If that happens, I’ll suggest an escape route, or maybe even undo the humanisation.

“No need to worry so much…”

I have no idea what the situation is in that village, nor what their numbers are.
I have to assume it’s the worst.

“From my point of view, I can’t see why you’re willing to stick your head so far when you’re so scared.”

She says that without any sort of deep meaning, as far as I can tell.
It seems like she doesn’t quite understand, but is just going along with it because it seems fun.

“Isn’t it fine? We get to eat the foods those humans bring, go hunting every now and again, and raise the spiders as a way of killing time.”

…That’s fine and all, but I’m still nervous about it.

She might be more draconic in her way of thinking than I am.
She eats what she can eat and satisfies her curiosity where she can.
In that way she’s like a wild animal, or rather a monster… She’s cooperating with me for now, but I’m worried that one day we’ll disagree on something.

“I only said it, there’s no need to think so hard.
It’s your body after all.”

If she’s willing to do what I want to an extent, then that’s a relief.
Though making her do something she doesn’t want to would feel bad.
I’m sure the reason she’s so excited because she’s gets to move her body around by herself for the first time.
Perhaps I should try and find more opportunities for her to be in charge of our humanised body like this.

…For that matter, next time we evolve, what’ll happen to her? Will we still be a two-headed dragon next time? What would be ideal would be getting two separate bodies, but remembering that shitty god, I can’t imagine it’d go so well.
I wouldn’t like it if we combine in the next evolution… If that happened, it’d be just like she disappeared.

Either way, I need to focus on what’s in front of me.
We’re getting close to the three presences, so I need to brace myself.

Perhaps hearing her humming or her footsteps, the lump of presences stop moving.
Thanks to my partner straining her eyes, I’m able to make out the figures of three people in the distance.
It seems they’re waiting to see who we are.

Alright, I’m counting on you.
If they seem suspicious, please retreat right away.
I don’t know how they’re going to react to the horns after all.

Perhaps thinking it would be bad if they hear, she nods her head in assent.
She seems to have at least some sense of caution, then.

What should she say to start with? At a minimum, she needs to convey that she’s a traveller.
The fastest way to get in would be by pretending to be injured like the manticore, but they’d notice she’s not right away.
Besides, any minor wounds would heal right away.

Should we try begging for food, saying she was attacked while bathing and lost her supplies? With her pretty face and slender frame, they shouldn’t be too suspicious.
It’s clear she doesn’t have any weapons, too.

We’ve only got about fifty minutes of humanised time left.
If we get delayed too long we’ll have to run away when there’s a chance.

Partner, please focus on getting across that you mean them no harm, and that you’re a traveller.

“Gaa?”

I feel her expression becoming tense.
A bead of sweat trickles down her cheek.

…This feeling, she doesn’t know what to say, does she? Should I do it after all?

A-anyway, just try not to look hostile.
I’ll tell you what to say later.

The trio come close enough for me to see their faces.
All three of them are half-naked, well-built men.
Two of them have their bows ready, the leader his spear.

Seeing my partner, the spearman lowers his weapon, visible relief showing in his expression.

“It’s a woman.
She’s unarmed.
Drop it.”

Persuaded by the spearman, the two bowmen lower their weapons.

“…That’s good timing.”

“Yeah.”

The two bowmen whisper between themselves.
Good timing? What’s that about?

“Hey, shut it.
I’ll talk to her.”

The spearman glares at the two of them.
They shudder, their mouths snapping shut.

“Girl, why have you come to this forest?”

“Umm, I’m…on a journey.”

Probably from nerves, she stutters a bit in her reply.
She was talking loads earlier, but there’s none of that fluency any more.

The two in the back leer at her, doubts clear in their eyes.
I start to panic, but the spearman glares at the two, and their faces become expressionless, their shoulders trembling.

“How many are with you? Where are they?”

Who’s with us, huh.
He would ask that, right.
This area is way too dangerous for solo travellers.

I think it was a group of two that came across my home way back.
But this area is a hundred-fold more dangerous, so a group of eight would be about right.
Abysses are crawling all over this area after all.
If she says she came here as a pair, they’ll question just how strong she is.

“…Umm, I-I came here with my partner, the two of us.”

She’s no good, I’m at my wits end.
Maybe she half-picked up on my thoughts and relayed them as-is.

“Just the two of you?”

The spearman frowns, looking around my partner’s body for something.
This is bad.
Now the leader’s suspicious too.

Ah, I’ve got it! Let’s say she’s a famous white mage! I think Miria had a white mage title skill.
Probably, that’s a mage who specialises in healing magic.

This way if they ask for proof we can use [High Rest], and if that goes well they might even feel in debt to us.
If they think her personal combat strength is low, then that should get them to lower their guards.

“I-I may look like this, but I’m[1] quite famous as a white mage, you know.”

Ah, you should also say that your partner has died.
If they think he’s still nearby, they’ll be on their guard.

“My partner… Umm, he got eaten by a big bug and died.”

The abyss suddenly shows up.
It became a trauma for her after all, didn’t it.

“An abyss? I see.
That’s quite unfortunate.
You must be tired – you should come rest in our village.”

Not only does he lower his guard, he also invites her into the village.

Eh? N-no, I’m grateful for that and all.
But didn’t that move forward a little too fast?

Ah, it must be the beauty effect.
I thought this guy was ultra stiff, but he’s unexpectedly smooth.

“Girl, come this way.
Rest your body in our village, then we’ll guide you to safer parts.”

The spearman turns around and starts heading back to the village.
This guy, he’s so cool.
It’s great that they’re being kind, but that also means that it would be just as easy for the manticore to get in.

The two bowmen stand up straight, their backs rigid.
However, when the spearman passes between them, they exchange a glance and raise a hand to their mouths, calling out to him.

“Hey, Y-Yarg…” 

“Later.
I told you, I’m doing the talking.
Until we get back to the village, neither of you are to open your mouths.”

It seems the spearman’s name is Yarg.
The two he called out to frown, as if they find something difficult to accept.
But Yarg walks on in silence, and the pair soon follow.

“Girl, come quick.
If you stand around like that, you’ll get eaten by an abyss.”

It seems they’re the natural enemy of this village, too.
Those guys are all over this forest after all.
I never want to meet one again, but I doubt I’ll be so lucky.

“R-right.”

She nods her head and sets off after Yarg.

…I’m a bit suspicious of them, but there’s no reason not to follow.
That was our objective from the start, anyway.

[1] She’s still referring to herself with ore.