The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 295 Request for relief

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

Upon returning home, we moved to the living room.

Tina brewed tea again...

In the meantime, everyone else gathered together.

Since Rifa's story seemed quite important, I thought it would be best to hear it properly with everyone present.

"Surprise."

Rifa looked at Tania and Nina, eyes widening.

"There are dragonkin and godkin too."

"I'm Tania."

"Nina... is my name."

The two greeted followed by everyone else.

Then they took their seats.

I sat across from Rifa.

Sora and Luna sat on either side, while Kanade and Tania sat diagonally across from each other.

Nina and Tina moved next to Rifa.

We formed a circle.

"Meow... I've been taken away from next to Rain..."

"Those twins, they're already at it..."

"Hehe."

"The competition has already begun."

For some reason, there seemed to be sparks between Kanade and Tania, and Sora and Luna...

But since it didn't seem like a fight, I left it alone for now.

"Well then, would you mind telling us your story?"

Rifa nodded in agreement and voiced her purpose.

"I want you to help the oni."

The content was more important than I had thought... Yet, it was still unclear.

What did she mean? I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion.

Seeming to notice such doubts, Rifa moved on to a detailed explanation.

"I am an oni. Among them, I am known as a vampire."

"Ah, I've heard of that! The evil oni who suck human blood, right?"

Kanade narrowed her eyes warily.

However, I couldn't see Rifa as someone who would do such a thing.

"There are oni like that. But that's just a small part. Generally, we oni are peaceful. We live harmoniously with humans."

"Is that so... Sorry, I said something weird."

Kanade seemed to feel that Rifa was not lying and apologized sincerely.

Shaking her head as if she didn't mind, Rifa continued speaking.

"I live in a city called Krios, which is a little way into the eastern continent."

"Krios... I've heard of it."

Tania seemed to have an idea and spoke up.

"As far as the size of the city goes, it's not much different from Horizon. But, the population is about one-tenth... no, even less? Anyway, it's a city known for the coexistence of oni. The city's characteristics include the utilization of oni abilities, and it's quite lively... That's what I've heard. Well, I've only heard about it, I haven't seen it myself, so I don't know what it's like now."

"Hmm. Tania is knowledgeable."

"Before meeting Rain, I traveled around a lot. I heard about it then."

"What Tania says is correct. I have one less thing to explain."

A city where humans and the strongest species coexist...

I'd like to visit if I had the chance.

However, perhaps there was no time for such leisurely talk.

Rifa's expression was very serious.

"Currently, Krios is... facing destruction."

"Not a peaceful story... What do you mean?"

"A Stampede is happening."

"A Stampede...?"

Nina seemed to not know, tilting her head curiously.

But everyone else seemed to know, their faces becoming stern.

"Hmm, so a Stampede is happening..."

"What... is that?"

"A Stampede... it's a phenomenon where several factors overlap, causing a rapid increase in monsters. Just like a swarm of locusts ravaging crops, if a Stampede occurs, surrounding cities will be destroyed."

"We may not know much about humans... but since Spirits are natural enemies of monsters, we know about them."

"Oh... Sora and Luna are knowledgeable..."

"Hehe, praise us. Praise us."

"Which one?"

"Yes, let's keep it quiet, you two."

Just as the conversation began to stray, Tina put a stop to it.

As expected, her timing was perfect.

"A Stampede has occurred near Krios."

"That's... terrible."

"Meow... and you want Rain's help for that?"

"No, that's not it."

"Eh, not it?"

"If it were a normal Stampede, we could handle it."

Oni are one of the strongest species...

Their power has already been proven.

If they were serious, ordinary monsters wouldn't be their enemies.

If a Stampede occurs and they have to deal with thousands or tens of thousands of monsters, they'll undoubtedly have a tough fight...

From what I've heard, there are plenty of oni in Krios. If people there cooperate, although it won't be without sacrifice, I think they can suppress the Stampede.

Given the circumstances, reinforcements will likely come from the capital...

Generally speaking, that's the conclusion one would reach.

However, the fact that Rifa is asking for help in this way suggests that an unusual situation has arisen.

"So, when you say 'normal,' you mean... something abnormal is happening?"

"Yeah. Stampedes are happening consecutively."

"Consecutively...?"

It's a story that's hard to believe.

Stampedes are said to occur once every dozen years or so.

There are often signs beforehand, but...

Just as storms naturally dissipate.

The signs usually end as just signs, rarely evolving into a Stampede.

"The first Stampede happened a month ago. It took three days to suppress it. Then, a week later, the second Stampede occurred. And the third Stampede happened five days after that."

"Three times already!?"

"It's unbelievable..."

"The probability of something like that happening is like winning the lottery consecutively..."

Not just me, but everyone was astonished.

The fact that Stampedes are happening one after another is an incredibly unbelievable phenomenon.

"We oni also have our limits. Humans even more so. Reinforcements won't come endlessly. We've built defensive walls and turned the city into a fortress, but how long can we hold out..."

For the first time, Rifa showed a worried expression.

Surely, she's worried about her comrades and neighbors left behind in the city.

I understand that feeling well.

Just recently, I was separated from everyone...

When you can't see the faces of the people you care about, who are in danger, it's very unsettling.

"Ah..."

Before I knew it, I was leaning forward and patting Rifa's head.

"Um... sorry, I just..."

"Mm... It's okay. It feels... reassuring... more."

Requested by Rifa, I patted her head a little more.

"Mm, I'm okay now."

Once Rifa regained composure, I returned to my original position.

Timing it right, Tania spoke up.

"So, you heard about Rain and want reinforcements?"

"No, not quite."

In response to Tania's question, Rifa shook her head.

"We can still suppress the Stampede. Right now, we're just holding up in the city to minimize unnecessary exhaustion. Rather than suppressing it, we need to identify the cause of the consecutive Stampedes."

"That makes sense, doesn't it?"

"My comrades discovered a powerful magical reaction in a place away from Krios. It was a month ago... from the time of the first Stampede, there was a reaction. It's very suspicious."

"Could it be... Rifa, do you think someone is deliberately causing the Stampedes?"

"Mm."

Nodding as if confirming the correct answer, Rifa continued.

Deliberately causing Stampedes is unthinkable...

But if we say that, isn't the consecutive occurrence of Stampedes also unthinkable?

This event is full of abnormalities.

It's better not to think of things as always being as they seem.

"We concluded that someone with immense magical power is causing the Stampedes. So, we chose to subjugate them. But..."

Rifa's expression turned dark...

She bowed her head as if to hide that expression.

Her hands clasped tightly on her knees.

"...my comrades didn't come back."

"That's..."

"The opponent's identity is unknown. But it was clear that even we, the strongest species, couldn't match them."

There are only a few beings that can match the strongest species.

Legendary S-rank adventurers... or perhaps holy knights, of which there are only a handful in the world.

Or... demons.

"It's just a hypothesis, but we assumed that our enemy had power equivalent to demons. That's why I decided to seek help."

"So... to me?"

"I heard that Rain defeated demons. So... that's why..." 

Rifa's voice trembled with sorrow.

Though she had been expressionless until now...

Her eyes became moist, and her expression crumbled.

"Please... help my comrades... my family... my friends."

TL Note- Rifa sounded sad......I missed my scheule as I was in hospital but everything's normal now.

Next

Prev