The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Chapter 403: Capture Complete
(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)
“W-What is this... my body...”
“Ugh... what on earth...?”
Lin desperately tried to get up.
However, her hands and feet were numb, and she couldn’t muster any strength.
All she could manage was to barely move her fingertips, writhing helplessly.
“This... bee...?”
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bee flying.
She had never seen it before, but she knew about it.
She had heard of it from Arios before.
It was an Arlbee, a bee carrying a paralyzing venom.
Arios had once grumbled about facing it when fighting Lin, complaining about how underhanded their tactics had been.
Remembering that moment, Lin’s face stiffened in realization.
“No way... this... is the work of that lowlife...?”
“Correct.”
――――――――――
They had successfully found Lin and Monica.
Furthermore, they managed to paralyze them with the help of the Arlbee.
It was an achievement that could be called perfect.
“When did you... wait, how did you even find out where we were...?”
“There’s no need to politely explain that to you.”
“Tch...”
Lin forced her unresponsive body to move and tried to reach for the transparent staff that looked as though it was made of crystal.
“Grrrrrr!”
Sakura stepped in and blocked her with an intimidating growl.
“P-Please... don’t move either, okay? Seriously, I’m begging you...”
Finia cautiously tied Monica’s hands behind her back.
Even though her opponent was paralyzed, dealing with people still scared her, and she was visibly nervous.
But that was better than being careless.
Though Finia was frightened, she carefully made sure to prevent any chance of a counterattack.
With this level of caution, even if the enemy attempted to fight back, she wouldn’t lose her advantage.
Resistance was futile.
Monica seemed to understand this and remained quiet.
However... she was someone involved in numerous incidents and schemed from the shadows.
It was hard to believe she’d just surrender without a fight.
Even if she couldn’t resist now, she was surely looking for an opening.
They needed to stay on guard.
“Now then... why are you in a place like this? How were you able to do something like that? What exactly are you plotting? You’ll spill everything.”
“D-damn it... to think that someone like me... would fall to these bugs...”
“That’s what I’d like to say, but... this can wait.”
“Huh? I-Is that okay? I mean, isn’t this a perfect chance...?”
Finia looked confused as she asked this while tightening Monica’s restraints.
Though she appeared timid, she was fundamentally competent.
It was clear she wasn’t just the daughter of the village elder by chance. Impressive.
“You’re right; there’s a lot I want to know. Even though we’ve captured them, there’s no telling what might happen next... This might be our only opportunity.”
“Then why...”
“But right now, we need to return to the village of the Phoenix Tribe. They probably think I’ve been secretly deploying allies. Also, I don’t believe Lin and Monica came here just to mess with me. They must have something more sinister planned. We need to deal with that first.”
“I-I see...”
“Do you disagree, Finia?”
“Uh, well...”
“Take your time. I want to hear your honest opinion.”
Finia hesitated, glancing around nervously before finally looking back at him.
“U-Um... I also... think that’s the right thing to do. Even if we question them now, I’m not sure they’d tell the truth. Instead, we should clear up any misunderstandings first... I think it’s best to avoid unnecessary conflict.”
“Thank you for your valuable opinion.”
“M-My opinion... is valuable? R-Really?”
“Of course. I can’t help but develop a narrow view if I’m deciding everything alone. I value input from others. Besides, as the daughter of Elfin, your perspective is incredibly insightful... It really helps. Thank you.”
“...”
For some reason, Finia seemed dazed.
Did I say something strange?
“Finia?”
“...Huh?!”
She jolted as if my words had snapped her out of a trance.
“T-Thank you... to someone like me... oh no, oh no... Such an overwhelming compliment...!”
“Finia?”
“I-I’m not supposed to feel happy being praised by a human... but, this fluttering feeling... Ugh, is it because this is the first time someone’s praised me like this? But still...”
“Woof!”
“Ahhh?!”
Sakura barked once, making Finia jump. Her eyes refocused.
“H-Huh...? Sakura?”
“Woof.”
“Oh, um... sorry. I guess I lost myself for a moment.”
She seems to have her own issues.
It piqued my curiosity, but...
As I mentioned earlier, clearing up misunderstandings with Elfin and the Phoenix Tribe is our priority right now.
We can leave the questions for later.
“Lin, Monica. Do you know the way to the village of the Phoenix Tribe from here?”
“...”
Of course, they wouldn’t answer honestly.
If it came to it, I might have to resort to interrogation...
Though I’m not confident in my ability to do so.
I’ve never tried something like that before, and I’m unsure if I could get them to talk.
It might be better to rely on my own strength rather than depending on these two.
Once I’d made up my mind, I knew I had to act immediately.
“Sakura, Finia. Can I leave this situation in your hands for a while?”
“Uh... y-yes, that’s fine, but... what will you do?”
“I’ll merge with Hidori’s leader and command the other flocks to search the area thoroughly...”
I paused, noticing Finia’s puzzled expression.
Oh, right. She doesn’t know about merging.
I gave a simple explanation about merging.
“You transfer your consciousness to another being...? That’s... unbelievable...”
“During that time, I’ll be completely defenseless. So, can I count on you to watch over Lin and Monica?”
I explained quietly so Lin and Monica couldn’t hear.
It might be a heavy responsibility for the hesitant Finia.
But considering the current circumstances, this seemed like the best option.
“...I-I understand.”
After a brief hesitation, Finia seemed to steel herself and nodded resolutely.
“I’ll... do my best! I might be unreliable, but... I’ll try. I’m worried about my mother and everyone else too... and I don’t want to dislike you without reason... so I’ll do what I can!”
TL Note- The air force will now scout for HQ......
Comments
Post a Comment