by Fujino Omori
“S-Signor?”
“To be able to shake your hand, I am very happy!”
“Th-thanks.”
“I’m Laura. Good to meet you.”
“N-nice to meet you, too…”
“……”
“Eep!”
The red-cap goblin who called him “Signor” was the first in line as monsters approached Bell one at a time to shake his hand. His face had gone entirely stiff, and at times he would quietly shriek—such as when a silent large-category monster, a formiore, held out its massive hand toward him.
“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Rei, a siren.”
“I’m…B-Bell Cranell.”
“Yes, I am aware…Bell, thank you for saving my comrade.”
The siren from before came to exchange greetings with the young boy as well. She offered her wing, the tip extended out like a finger. Bell clasped it.
Feeling the soft feathers in his hand and noticing Rei’s ravishing smile, he blushed bright red.
“They’re all happy, too. They’re glad to meet a person who doesn’t reject us.”
The lizardman warrior, smiling from ear to ear, watched the monsters approach Bell one after another, sometimes shaking his hand again and again.
Bell looked around after hearing Lido’s comment.
The gentlemanly red-cap goblin, the harpies bursting with emotion, the lamia that spoke in halting sentences, the silent war shadow…It didn’t matter if they could speak or not, or even if they were humanoid or monsterlike, Bell could see consciousness in every one of the monsters who came to shake his hand. Some had tiny palms, others were large and covered in fur, but every one of them was warm.
As an indescribable feeling swelled within Bell, the monsters chanced glances over in the direction of Lilly and the other adventurers.
However, Welf and the others uncomfortably avoided the incoming gazes.
“…Uuuu.”
As for Wiene…
She watched the cluster of monsters surrounding Bell like a child whose treasure was about to be stolen from her.
“Kuuu…”
“A-al-miraj…”
She watched as a new, smaller monster briskly stepped up to Bell. It wore a loose blue battle jacket and had a broken pocket watch hanging around its neck like a pendant. The white rabbit looked up at the boy with cute round red eyes. Bell bent over, the same awkward smile on his face as he held out his hand.
“Kuuu!” The al-miraj wiggled its long ears and leaped at him.
“H-hey, wait, that tickles…! Wh-why are you licking me?”
“Aruru…She cannot speak, but it seems she’s taken a liking to you.”
“When you say ‘she’—it’s a girl?!”
The al-miraj had already jumped onto his chest and was happily licking his cheek when Rei offered an explanation. Bell almost screamed hysterically. Lilly and the other adventurers weren’t sure what to say as they watched the indescribable scene of two “rabbits” frolicking together—and that was when the dragon girl finally exploded.
Rushing out from her hiding spot behind Haruhime, she ran straight for Bell.
“N-no! You can’t have Bell, no!!”
“Kuu?!” The al-miraj yelped as the vouivre girl physically pulled her away and latched on to Bell’s arm.
The monster came bouncing back, hopping adorably to protest. But Wiene let out an “Uuuu!” and wouldn’t retreat even one step, which was when she noticed—
—that she was surrounded by monsters, and they were all looking at her.
The creatures that were as fantastical in appearance as she, the ones she’d been too afraid to face, were now right in front of her.
The siren Rei stepped forward, and Wiene tightened her grip on Bell as she approached.
“Would you please share your name with me?”
“…Wiene.”
“Wiene…It’s a very good name.”
Rei smiled at the quiet voice.
Wiene blushed, squirming as though she were being tickled after the compliment on the name Bell and the others had given her.
A few moments passed before a winged hand was extended to her.
The vouivre girl hesitated, fearfully reached out with her own hand several times, then quietly settling into a grip.
The golden-winged siren smiled with her blue eyes.
“A pleasure to meet you, our new comrade. No one here will hurt you. We welcome you.”
Just as the boy and his familia had done, she had been accepted as a “comrade.” Wiene’s amber eyes opened wide.
Touched by the kindness and acceptance, she quietly wept.
After the soft wingtip reached out and dried her tears, the smallest of smiles bloomed on the girl’s face.
The surrounding monsters howled to the ceiling, as though giving their blessings.
“…Um, please tell me.”
Around the time the echoes started to die down…
Still not fully grasping the situation around him, Bell spoke while still hugging Wiene.
“All of you, and Wiene—what are you?”
It was what they’d been trying to find out ever since the day they met the fantastical girl. Bell and the party wanted to know the answer to that question more than anything else.
Every monster turned to face the adventurers.
As the representative of the group, the golden-winged siren answered.
“We are Xenos.”
“—Xenos?”
Hestia whispered under the light of the crackling torches.
Ouranos, still seated on his throne, nodded in response.
“That’s how we refer to them…Monsters endowed with intelligence.”
In the Chamber of Prayers beneath Guild Headquarters, the elderly deity, who knew everything about the situation, informed Hestia as to Wiene’s true identity.
Xenos…A word that gods and goddesses used to describe heretics.
They were anomalies expunged from the established system.
“You’re saying that Wiene is also one of these Xenos, or whatever you call it?”
“Indeed. All of them share one thing in common: an intellect that far exceeds what is normal for monsters…They possess the capability to understand—but more important, they all have hearts that are in no way inferior to our children in terms of will and emotions.”
“……!”
“Abnormal monsters that aren’t dominated by the urge to murder and destroy…”
Hestia almost forgot to breathe as she listened to Ouranos bring these facts to light.
His voice continued to resound in the Chamber of Prayers, adding that the human-shaped monsters looked almost no different from the people who inhabited the mortal realm.
“As for when the Xenos first appeared, it is not known. However, those of us who have observed them with our own eyes and come in contact with them have ever since offered them support under the pretext of ‘protection.’”
“Support…? The Guild is supporting monsters?!”
What the hell are you thinking?! Hestia was about to embark on a rant when something occurred to her.
She and her followers had done exactly the same thing for the vouivre girl. They had harbored and continued protecting her.
It was just as Ouranos said. That pure, innocent girl had a heart of her own, no different from Bell or any of her other children.
The elderly god did not budge as he watched Hestia’s mouth snap shut. Then he continued.
“This mission’s purpose was to return a Xenos who had reached the surface back to her allies in the Dungeon. That Xenos is none other than the vouivre girl you and your children have been protecting, Hestia.”
“…I won’t bother asking how long you’ve known. Just tell me where Bell and my children are going right now…”
“They should be headed to where the Xenos reside—their Hidden Village.”
The mission had been to take Wiene home.
The unrest spr
eading throughout the city after the other night’s commotion must have been the impetus for creating the mission.
Hestia let that idea sink in. At the same time, a new question arose. The goddess couldn’t stay silent.
“Ouranos, why did you bother asking us to carry it out at all? Couldn’t you have kidnapped Wiene and brought her back by force? Why let us learn about these ‘Xenos’ at all?”
“There are several reasons, including that Bell Cranell and your children have already become aware of monsters that could communicate using language. However, the most important one is…”
Ouranos paused for a moment before he told Hestia.
“I decided it was possible your familia, no matter how minuscule the chance…could become our hope.”
“Hope?”
“Yes,” said Ouranos with a nod.
“To bridge the gap between people and monsters and lead to the path of coexistence.”
“This is a dream, right…?”
“Would you like Lilly to pinch your cheek to check…?”
Welf and Lilly spoke as though they were in a trance.
Bell heard their mutters, unable to hide the cold sweat running down his own cheeks.
“Food! Drinks! Bring out everything we have! Today, we need to celebrate our new comrade and the first people we’ve ever had as guests!”
The monsters erupted with excitement as soon as they heard the lizardman Lido’s booming voice—the room shook from all the noise.
A wide array of food, including fruits, nuts, and herbs found in the Dungeon, was circulating. Barrels of alcohol carved with marks that read RIVIRA were rolled out. People and monster alike sat in a large circle encompassing several bright magic-stone lamps.
The whole scene was reminiscent of the night spent with Loki Familia around a campfire. It was truly a banquet.
“Bellucchi, eat all you like; don’t be shy! Try this!”
“Wh-what is it…?”
“You humans call it ‘mruit.’ Supposed to be a real delicacy on the surface!”
Lido, seated on Bell’s right, held out what looked to be a red fruit in the palm of his hand. Very slowly, Bell picked it up and took a cautious bite. It felt like he was biting through a thick slab of soft meat, but his taste buds disagreed as a mellow, fruity flavor washed over his tongue. The texture was unlike any beef, pork, or chicken and he could describe it only as the finest steak of some sort, eliciting his surprised reaction. “It’s so good…”
Honey-cloud fruits and more were placed in front of Lilly, Welf, and the other adventurers as well. Smaller monsters like the red-cap goblin and al-miraj were in charge of distributing giant mushrooms grilled by hellhound flames atop wide leaves in lieu of plates.
“Um, sorry for hitting you so hard back there…”
“Don’t even sweat it. Everything’ll grow back soon enough. And I didn’t exactly hold back, either.”
Bell gingerly brought up Lido’s left cheek—specifically the painful-looking wound his fist had made. He apologized guiltily, but the lizardman warrior merely brushed off worn-out scales with his arm.
“Nothing to lose sleep over,” said Lido, his sulfurous yellow eyes forming crescents. Most likely, he was smiling.
Bell was getting to the point that he could recognize their facial expressions, even if they didn’t look like people. It had been a real struggle at first, but the young boy felt as though he was getting the hang of it.
Lido’s low voice and ferocious appearance made him seem much more intimidating than many of his comrades, but he was surprisingly personable. It was thanks to his constant laughter that Bell was able to stay somewhat calm despite their company.
He felt proud of himself for adapting so quickly—then again, he might’ve also just become numb.
Those thoughts made him want to laugh in spite of himself.
“Now that I think about it, you guys drink liquor…?”
“Yeah. At first I thought, What the hell is this? but then I got a taste for it, and now it’s become a habit! People really make the most interesting things!”
Lido was drinking from what was most likely a bottle that had been discarded somewhere in the Dungeon. His breath smelled of alcohol as he slapped Bell on the back several times. Around them, a stunningly beautiful lamia was as red in the face as the lizardman, and several other monsters were not far behind, either.
“Never been less drunk in my life…”
At the same time, Welf and the other adventurers weren’t as social.
A troll passed by, giving out wooden tankards filled with the cheap brew. Welf had hoped liquid courage would save him, but to no avail. Lilly sat next to him, sinking further into silence.
Mikoto and Haruhime sat on their heels, incredibly tense, as a group of harpies gathered around them with eyes gleaming in curiosity. They seemed most interested in Haruhime’s scent, sniffing the air around her as the renart seemed on the verge of passing out.
“And then Bell came back to save me.”
“Did he? That makes me jealous. Bell is certainly stra—Ahem, very kind.”
“Yep!”
Wiene sat on Bell’s left. Receiving warm welcomes from all the monsters, despite her bewilderment, she would every so often flash an unworried smile. At the moment, she was speaking with the siren Rei, recounting the events up to the current day.
While it was a little bit embarrassing for Bell to hear his name mentioned a few times, the entire party was overwhelmed by the monsters’ hospitality.
“So then this alcohol and equipment…Is all of it from adventurers…?”
Their hosts continued rolling out more food and drinks. Bell watched in awe, glancing at the armor covering Lido’s body before cautiously asking.
The Guild had posted notices on the bulletin board about monsters seizing adventurers’ equipment. Bell was pretty sure he was looking at the culprits right now.
“Weeell, yes and no. The alcohol was a gift, but these blades once belonged to an adventurer who suddenly attacked me.”
Lido let his gaze fall on the scimitar and longsword lying by his feet as he set his bottle down on the floor.
“But he dropped them and ran away as soon as I started fighting back…Thought I might as well try them out. Adventurers take monster claws and fangs home after slaying them, right?”
“Th-that…Yes, it’s true.”
“People seem to want them back even after they’re dead, so we try to return what we can…But adventurers get angry at us for carrying their weapons. It’s hard to know what to do.”
Lido spoke with a nostalgic air, as if remembering a specific incident in the Dungeon. Bell couldn’t respond.
“I gotta tell you, liquor is amazing, but crafted weapons are really something else! They cut better than those flowers over there and are a whole lot harder. There’s no way we could make those!”
Words excitedly pouring out of his mouth, Lido spoke with tremendous respect for people and their creations.
Many other monsters wore some type of battle cloth, Lido included, even if they didn’t have armor. A few of them wore normal clothing, like the scarf that the red-cap goblin had wrapped around his neck.
Perhaps they were trying to imitate people…copying what they saw.
Bell felt that each of them had grown fond of the handiwork of surface dwellers for one reason or another.
“—Lido, stop this nonsense at once.”
The speaker hurling venomous words toward them weaved through the banquet’s commotion.
“They’re people. They aren’t worthy of trust!”
“Are you still on about that, Gros? You saw how Bellucchi and his friends protected Wiene with everything they had. We only had to go through all that because you insisted on testing them. Ain’t that right?”
Standing apart from the monsters who had joined Lido in welcoming the party, there were others who had separated themselves from the group.
A gargoyle, an arachne, and a gr
iffin, among others, were seated atop a nearby cliff. All of them were glaring at Bell. Its body composed of ash-colored rock, the gargoyle called Gros implored Lido to see reason. Instead, the lizardman turned back to Bell and waved off Gros’s words. “Don’t mind him,” he said reassuringly.
“Sorry, they…All of us have been through a lot. The news that people would be coming here had everyone on edge.”
“Th-that’s, um…It’s okay.”
“From what we’ve seen of you on your way here and in battle, we know that all of you are different from normal adventurers. That includes them.”
“Wait a second, on our way here…? You were the ones watching us in the Dungeon…?”
“Oh, you noticed? That’s right, our comrades kept an eye on you until your arrival.”
Lido went on to say that, in addition to testing them, Xenos members had trailed the adventurers to make sure that they could rescue Wiene in a worst-case scenario.
That explained why Bell felt they were being watched in the Dungeon.
“Were you guys only watching us in the Dungeon? Was anyone on the surface…?”
“Nope, Lett and his team started observing you upstairs, on the nineteenth floor.”
Lido scratched his scaly chin, clearly stating that he didn’t know of anyone going any higher than that.
Bell’s mind began turning again once he realized that those first watchers were someone else.
“…Hey, was that true, what you said a second ago? Are you in league with the Guild?”
Slam!
A wooden jug was set on the floor with more force than necessary.
Welf had been following their conversation and couldn’t hold back any longer.
Surprised that Welf had spoken up on his own, Lido blinked a few times before flashing his fangs in a grin.
“Yeah, all true. They’ve pulled a lot of strings to keep us hidden, as well as provide us with food and equipment…They’ve done more than enough for us.”
“…Lilly cannot take you at your word that the Guild would dirty its hands to keep this secret. The risk of discovery is too great, and the benefit…What benefit could there be?”
“We are not simply parasites that rely on the Guild’s charity. We accept their requests to investigate situations or strange incidents while suppressing uprisings in the shadows…Our relationship is ‘give and take,’ as they say on the surface.”