“It’s something personal.” (Zanga)
Zanga throws a twig into the sunken hearth as the fire grew weak.
“It’s something that has nothing to do with you.” (Zanga)
“What do you need a human for? Moreover, is it something that requires to give him shelter to the point of lending him the village’s vacant house?” (Laboras)
Laboras’ voice gradually becomes lower.
“… What’s making you so frantic?” (Zanga)
“I’m… not.” (Laboras)
Laboras put strength into his fingers, which are grabbing his own knees.
“I intend to respect you as our leader. I believe that you are keeping the villagers together well. If it’s your words, there are many who will listen to them, too. But…” (Laboras)
Laboras, who paused, raised his right hand and two male elves who seized Puuse’s both arms, came entering from outside.
“If you broke a law, I don’t intend to forgive that.” (Laboras)
Puuse was apparently hit badly a dozen times, her left cheek was swollen and large drops of tears ran down from both her eyes. Seizing both her arms is in order to make sure that she doesn’t heal herself with magic.
“Puuse…! You, what are you thinking to raise your hand at your own brethren!?” (Zanga)
“I don’t call someone who has violated the laws, a brethren.” (Laboras)
Once released by the hands of the men, Puuse walked unsteadily and crumbled down on her knees next to Zanga.
“Puuse, are you alright?” (Zanga)
“I-I’m very sorry, Zanga-sama…” (Puuse)
As Zanga wondered what she was apologizing about, Laboras raised his voice which was blurred by his rage.
“We found the corpses of the people who left to greet the human together with Puuse.” (Laboras)
Hearing the situation from Shiku who woke up, Laboras investigated close to the barrier on the wastelands’ side. There he discovered the corpses of his brethren who were devoured by wild animals.
“That’s probably the result of them attempting to treat him violently while ignoring my instructions. I believe that to be regrettable, but isn’t that fine as you can say that they acted against the law?” (Zanga)
“If the opponent isn’t a human, that is.” (Laboras)
Laboras opened his eyes widely and glared at Zanga.
“That alone isn’t the issue.” (Laboras)
Summoning Puuse as the person who’s aware of the circumstances, Laboras had her explain the situation. What he then heard from Puuse is,
“Shiku heard vague talking voices. Breaking the law, they started a conversation with a brethren heading towards death and of all things killed him before he could welcome a gentle death! I called Puuse for the sake of asking her about that!” (Laboras)
Beating Puuse who didn’t reveal the matter in question out of fright, Laboras forcibly extracted the information out of her.
“… Leader Zanga. The human, you invited, killed our brethren and even broke an important law of this village. Do you really think that even this will be finished with ‘it’s a personal matter’?” (Laboras)
Laboras removed his gaze from Zanga who pursed her mouth, and glared at Puuse who has broken down crying.
“At least Puuse has committed the crime of having dishonoured the death of her brethren. In accordance to the laws of the village, this person should be banished into the forest.” (Laboras)
“… She likely only happened to be present at the incident caused by the human by chance. Isn’t that a bit too much?” (Zanga)
While placing her right hand on Puuse’s back, Zanga lined up words in Puuse’s defense.
However, Laboras was unable to agree to either of them.
“It’s regrettable, but I have no intention to listen to your words. Tomorrow morning I will explain the circumstances to the villagers and that will likely result in you being removed as leader. … Soothing the villagers by showing them the human’s corpse, it will probably be also necessary to demonstrate the strictness of the laws by banishing Puuse.” (Laboras)
“You, do you plan to kill that human?” (Zanga)
“Of course. That being a foreign body, it’s a disaster. There’s nothing else left but disposing of it quickly.” (Laboras)
“I wonder, if you will be able to.” (Zanga)
“Even the people moving under my leadership understand the importance of the laws. For that reason they have also agreed to get rid of the human.” (Laboras)
As Laboras’ words revealed his confidence, Zanga answered with a sarcastic smile.
“That’s not what I mean. I’ve asked you whether you can win against that human with the village’s men.” (Zanga)
“Are you telling me that we are falling behind against a single human?” (Laboras)
“T guess the lot who went to greet him, died because they fell behind.” (Zanga)
For a short while the room was wrapped in silence, however Laboras suddenly stood up.
“Anyway, in the morning we will carry out Puuse’s banishment and your dismissal upon the consensus of the villagers. Until then both of you aren’t allowed to leave this house either.” (Laboras)
Leaving he two men who brought Puuse, behind as guards, Laboras went away.
“… As usual, he immediately escapes once he gets defeated by arguments, that guy.” (Zanga)
“Zanga-sama…” (Puuse)
“Look, I will wipe away your tears. Since you have such a cute face, isn’t it a waste to mess it up with tears?” (Zanga)
She grabs one sheet of cloth off the pile nearby and gently wipes Puuse’s face.
“By now I have no interest in the status of something like leader but unexpectedly I ended up getting Puuse and that human involved…” (Zanga)
“I’m really sorry”, Zanga gently brushed Puuse with her still movable right hand.
☺☻☺
Shiku, who pricked up his ears in front of Zanga’s house, learned of Puuse being banished and ran in panic to Hifumi’s place to request his assistance.
It was himself who told Laboras the truth, but by no means did his thinking reach the conclusion of even Puuse having to take the blame. Even if he talks to someone from the village, they likely won’t forgive Puuse, once Laboras tells them that she broke the law.
If it’s a human who possesses that much strength, he might be able to rescue Puuse and take her to somewhere safe, he judged.
He was scared of meeting that dreadful human. He wasn’t able to suppress the trembling of his knees as he recalled Hifumi’s smile at the time he killed Shiku’s brethren, however no other good idea came to his mind. He doesn’t believe that he can win against the men who remained as guards, if it’s only himself.
And, Shiku who sought his assistance, and the assassins who were sent by Laboras, arrived at the hut where Hifumi is staying in, at the same time.
And now, Shiku who once again ended up fainting, came to his senses at last.
“… Huh?” (Shiku)
In the visual field, he saw in his absent-minded state, heaven and earth were upside down.
“Agh, ooouuch…” (Shiku)
As the current situation was inverted, he apparently fainted being hit by a trunk of a tree.
Twisting his body in a squirming motion, Shiku who finally returned to a sitting posture, recalled the situation before he lost his consciousness.
“T-That human is….!?” (Shiku)
In front of his eyes there’s the completely broken hut. On the opposite of that there are several corpses being scattered about.
“Uubuh… Ueeeh…” (Shiku)
Shiku who ended up looking directly at something sticking out from a corpse, which had its body cut in two, threw up until his stomach became empty.
Pulling himself together, he searched for the figure of Hifumi in order to not look at the corpse, but he saw the back of someone doing something while crouching down while being in fact surrounded by
those corpses.
The strange attire which had a beautiful deep blue colour, was riddled with holes all over and was dyed by some deep red stains.
“W-What are you doing?” (Shiku)
Resolving himself and getting close, Shiku notices that Hifumi is holding an arm of someone and his white face becomes blue.
“… The reason why you elves get assimilated and turn into arbour is this after all.” (Hifumi)
Hifumi who cut a corpse’s finger into two, thrust his finger in front of Shiku after running it across the cross-section.
A white sticky something is clinging to Hifumi’s fingertip.
“What’s… this…?” (Shiku)
“Don’t know. What I understood from examining some of the people who were cut apart is only that it’s little-by-little accumulating at the ends of the fingers and feet.” (Hifumi)
Hifumi built a hypothesis upon the autopsies up until this point, but he believed in it with almost no doubt.
“There’s something in your food, your drinks or possibly in the air drifting through this forest, however it probably quickens the transformation by accumulating within the body. Since the way of dying is by the mucus arriving at the head, it piles up in the body starting with the limbs and at the time of your death’s it even enters the head. No, it accumulates there.” (Hifumi)
As result of transforming from the tips of the limbs and having the head encroached last, the body changes while the senses are still clear. It’s a viciousness as if it is for the sake of causing complete dread.
“Th-Then, the people, who turn into arbour and are absorbed by the forest, will…” (Shiku)
“Their bodies’ functions will slowly cease and they will die. It’s probably quite painful.” (Hifumi)
“Such a…” (Shiku)
Shiku who dropped his shoulders as it was 180° different from the custom which formed a belief that it was a nice thing, finally remembered Puuse’s and Zanga’s situation.
Quickly raising his face, Shiku faced Hifumi and exclaimed,
“Help! At this rate Puuse-neechan will get banished!” (Shiku)
“Hmmm…” (Hifumi)
Hifumi who scrubbed both his hands which touched the corpses with a paper, grabbed a corpse which lost both hands and feet, and tossed it into the broken house.
“I’m not particularly interested.” (Hifumi)
Hifumi easily refused Shiku’s teary request.
Chapter 102 – The Kids Aren’t Alright
“I wonder, what shall I do…” (Zanga)
Muttering that in a small voice, Zanga has no real care about what happens to her as, putting the method aside, she had planned to die anyway, but Puuse who was declared to be exiled was completely haggard.
The guards had disappeared from the room a little while after Laboras left, though they were likely waiting outside.
While having her back gently caressed, Puuse got exhausted from crying and fell asleep.
Watching her sleeping face with its swollen face, Zanga was disgusted at her own powerlessness while thinking if only I was good at healing magic.
“Really, in these matters I’m only a leader in name ~nee.” (Zanga)
She looks at the door where Laboras exited.
Before long the day will dawn.
In a distant place she can hear screams and the sounds of things clashing.
“They are at it, eh…? Will that human be alright?” (Zanga)
Which reminds me, I didn’t hear his name, Zanga smiled. Just how scared of transforming and dying am I?
“N… nh?” (Puuse)
“You woke up? Sorry, but can you handle the treatment of your wounds by yourself?” (Zanga)
Puuse, who was painful to look at with the traces of her tears, silently nodded and cast healing magic targeting her swollen face.
Even after the swelling slowly subsided and her originally slender chin and white skin returned, Puuse’s facial expression didn’t clear up.
“Puuse. It was my bad judgement for having you go meet him ~nee. I considered that he might have been injured in the wastelands since he’s a human, but…” (Zanga)
“For that reason there was no other choice but to send Puuse who is good at healing magic”, Zanga apologized.
“That’s already in the past… Besides, if you look at it differently, I survived while the others got killed by that human.” (Puuse)
Zanga averted her look as it was painful for her to see Puuse’s expression of forcing a smile.
“It looks like that human man is currently getting attacked. Now then, I wonder what will happen to this village and us as result of that…” (Zanga)
Even while saying that, Zanga believes that no matter of him having the strength to come here while surviving the wastelands, he will likely end up getting ganged up with offensive magic while being attacked by a large number of people.
“That…” (Puuse)
Puuse lifted her head shyly.
“Even if he won, I don’t think the situation will change for the better, however… rather than that, is Shiku alright?” (Puuse)
“I can’t really say ~nee… I don’t think that Laboras is together with that child though. He will most likely be surprised once he gets to know about your situation, Puuse.” (Zanga)
“Even so”, Zanga revises her thinking.
“With me just inviting a single human, it has turned into such an unfathomable situation.” (Zanga)
If Puuse really gets banished, I will also leave the forest together with her, Zanga decided in her heart.
Even Puuse who is bad at offensive magic will probably be able to escape if I sacrifice myself when we get attacked by beastmen.
“If I’m not allowed to do at least this much…” (Zanga)
“Zanga-sama?” (Puuse)
“It’s nothing. Anyway, for now we can’t do anything but wait.” (Zanga)
As the fire of the sunken hearth was about to die out before she realized, Zanga tossed in a twig.
☻
“What happened here!?” (Laboras)
Laboras, accompanied by several of his followers, searched for Shiku to ask him about Hifumi’s deeds for the sake of Puuse’s denunciation, but since he wasn’t at home, he reluctantly headed out to kill Hifumi.
What he witnessed there were the figures of his comrades who had been minutely dissected by Hifumi.
“Uwaa…”
“Ugu-gueee…”
Even the followers he brought along are vomiting unable to bear it or are holding their mouths shut due to the dense stench of blood and the terrible scene.
Being dumbfounded for a short while, Laboras raised a loud voice at Hifumi who is continuing his work while ignoring Laboras.
“You bastard are the human who was dragged in by Zanga! What are you doing to our brethren, to our friends!?” (Laboras)
“Ah?” (Hifumi)
Turning around, Hifumi’s hands are once again dyed red.
“Human…”
“What a cruel thing to go this far”, as one of the followers mutters that, all of them shiver.
“Did you guys also came aiming for my life just like these fellows?” (Hifumi)
“If that’s the case, you are very welcome”, Hifumi took out a bottle filled with water from his darkness storage and started to care-freely wash his arm.
“What the hell did you do to our brethren…!?” (Laboras)
Hifumi doesn’t even turn his look at Laboras who says that in a low voice as if suppressing his anger.
“I assembled the parts in a good mood. I tried to examine those guys’ bodies. Look!” (Hifumi)
What Hifumi threw was the small white lump of the pinky from before.
“What’s this?” (Laboras)
“That guy’s.” (Hifumi)
Ahead of where Hifumi is pointing at is the figure of an elf which had its hands and feet cruelly chopped into small pieces.
Laboras’s sight swam for an instant, but his look immediat
ely returned to Hifumi.
Summoned Slaughterer - Book 6 Page 4