Published at 2nd of January 2021 02:50:24 PM

253 Information Gathering

Theres some stuff I want to ask about. That okay?

My partner ask, and the girls around her nod their heads, looking at her with tense expressions. Were finally getting to what Ive been yearning for in the minutes since we got here.

Theres two villages here, right? This one and the other, howre they related?

Our village separated from that one.

Separated?

My partner asks, and the girls all nod their heads. This time, a different girl opens her mouth.

Originally I heard that our village used to worship a double-headed dragon god. Through the decades, it would stay in the area for a few years It would protect us, and reduce the enemies that would harm us.

I was wondering where the dragon-god had gone, but I guess it always left after a few years. It would go when the number of abysses dropped, then come back when theyve multiplied Rather than a god, isnt it just an abyss hunter? No, the people here were super grateful for it though.

However, I still have no idea what the dragon-god was thinking. If youre going to be here, then just stay here all the time. If the dragon-god were to unexpectedly come back, I dont know what face I should have.

The man-eating monster[1], the manticore, first appeared before I was aware of my surroundings It was over twelve years ago, apparently.

Twelve long years, that creatures been here

Three years after it appeared, the dragon-god came back. Everyone thought that we were saved, but It seems the dragon-god fled upon seeing the manticore. Not only that, but a miko of the dragon-god proposed that we offer live food to the manticore to limit the damage And so

Three years after that, the dragon-god came back. Everyone thought that we were saved, but It seems the dragon-god fled upon seeing the manticore. Not only that, but a miko of the dragon-god proposed that we offer live food to the manticore to limit the damage And so

That was heavier than I was expecting. At the most important moment, you werent any help at all, dragon-god-san.

Guaa

My partners also displeased to hear that, as she lets out a low groan Hey, your dragon is showing.

At that time, a faction who distrusted the dragon-god emerged and became unable to stay in that village As a result, they all migrated here.

I see

So those are their circumstances. The people of that village treat these people with coldness, and the people of this village dont like the dragon-god, I understand.

Though, since the manticore came here, in the end this village has had to do as the hated dragon-god miko suggested and offer up sacrifices.

A person with strong blood of a dragon-god miko was poached from them, so our relations became strained. For us to fight monsters, a mikos power is necessary, which is why

Id thought there was a miko in this village, but I guess shes not the religious type. Shes simply being treasured thanks to her ability to detect monsters. She looked the same, so I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Well then, now theres the matter of the manticores whereabouts But were seriously reaching the limit of our MP. Thats all, partner. After asking, withdraw.

It might have been better to prioritise asking about the manticore. Though, if I didnt know about their circumstances, I couldve messed up somehow later. Im glad that I properly understand now, but

All thats left is to hear its direction, then quickly escape.

Got it.

After sending me a message, she faces the children.

Hey, which ways the manticore?

Eh? Umm The entrance is here, so its that way. But, umm, on the way theres the river and mountain, so Umm, Ill draw it on the ground

The direction is enough

It sounds like the route is complicated Thats not good I have [Presence Perception], so I should be able to find it, but if the manticore notices us its over.

Our fathers said they build a shrine to put it in a good mood,which should be obvious if you see it. But, why do you want to know?

Theyve done that much for it?

My partner turns away from the girls, looking at the hole she came in from.

Oi, you lot. My partner will do something about it, so theres no need to look so down. Ill be taking my leave here.

She says that, then immediately starts to move.

Y-youre going outside?

Th-thats impossible! The hole is that high And besides, youd need someone to remove the boulder covering it first

Even if youre somehow able to get outside, theres the guard Even for onee-san, thats impossible!

She kicks off the wall, nailing the boulder covering the hole with a flying kick Not only does the boulder not budge at all, she is sent slamming into the ground by the recoil of her kick.

Oww! Shit. Grrr

Wh-why!? Even with our status halved, that should have been plenty of force to send a rock like that flying Could our human body be getting weaker the less MP we have? We overstayed after all.

Onee-san!

Are you okay?

Please pull yourself together!

The girls all rush around her.

S-something, I need to think of some way of escaping. Judging from how she moved, she should still be stronger than an average human.

Partner, the ceiling! Theres all those gaps in the ceiling, right? Do any of them look weak enough to break?

Hey, partner? Umm, partner-san?

She raises her arm. Its shivering.

My bad. This is the limit.

Nooooooo! Thats bad! Like, really bad!

It might be best to undo it ourself My bodys becoming really heavy

This is why I said we should leave right away! No, I was okay with it too, but still! What should we do!? Whats the right thing to do!?

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C-calm down, me. Lets abandon plan A and go with whats next best. From what I heard, if I can stop the manticore, this villages hate for the dragon-god should fade.

Should we break the ceiling by returning to dragon form while being careful that the entire cave doesnt collapse? I wont like it, but Ill threaten the guard to get him to guide us to the manticore. When we get close enough, well humanise again to lower its guard. Lets go with that.

Though if I make the guard into a guide, theres a chance he could lead me into some sort of trap. The dragon-god isnt trusted here, so I have to be ready for something like that. Also, if I take the guard but leave the sacrifices, the manticore might notice and run away.

Its not a perfect plan, but itll have to do. If I can drive the manticore away from this village and improve their impression of the dragon-god while Im at it, its not terrible.

Im undoing it, partner.

My bad

Y-you dont need to apologise that much. I also miscalculated, or rather I made the wrong decision in the spur of the moment.

Besides, its not like the manticore has run away yet. I know what to watch out for.

We were able to grasp their circumstances, so I no longer have to worry about misreading the situation later. This time, well be able to beat down the manticore.

GaaaaaAH!

Our Humanisation Technique is undone, and our body swells as though being pushed from the inside. Our skin becomes stiff, and a second head sprouts from our shoulders.

My vision cuts out, and then I open my eyes in the darkness. I glance at my partners head beside me.

Great, I returned without problems.

Kyah, kyaah!

No way! O-onee-san is dr-dragon-god

The girls start making a lot of noise I knew this would happen. The peaceful atmosphere from earlier has inverted, becoming murky. Among the girls standing in shock, one of them glares at me and picks up a stone from around her feet.

Y-y-you were deceiving us!

She throws the stone, hitting the knee of my foreleg. No damage is done. My ouroboros body surface carelessly reflects it.

Oi

My partner throws a thought at me.

No point feeling sorry for yourself. Lets go already.

I was worried she was going to attack them for a moment. She really is strong. She was enjoying being with them so much, so Id thought she would be a bit more depressed by this reaction.

Im not as weak as you.

Most of the girls are either bewildered by us, or else are terrified. The rest are, like the girl who threw to stone, glaring at us in hostility.

No wonder. Growing up in this village, the adults around them must have always been sharing their grudges about the dragon-god. I was also the one who drove the manticore towards their village.

I was really hoping to be able to get along with them, but theres no helping it. After all, from a humans perspective, a dragon is always going to be some giant monster.

Liar! Liar!

The girl from earlier is crying as she shakes her arms.

Please stop!

One of the girls shouts out. Its the girl who announced herself as the next sacrifice when we first entered the cave, the one who seems like the eldest.

The girl who was shouting in anger twitches, indignant.

B-but But the dragon-god

Who do you think it was that healed us? Who healed the arm you used to throw that stone?

But, but

As shes talking back, she lets her arm fall loosely to her side. The stone shes holding drops to the ground. Then she collapses on the spot, bursting into tears.

at this rate, isnt there a chance well be able to make amends somehow? I thought so at the start too, but that girl, she really is mentally tough.

[1]The word used to describe the manticore isbakemono, rather than the more commonmamono, both of which can only really be translated into English as monster.Bakemonoimplies a folklore creature that might be able to shapeshift, whereasmamonois more associated with modern fantasy.