Chapter 45.2: Space Leap (3)
I answered calmly.
“I’ve been following your trail.”
“Then why did you chase me? I even saved you…!”
“What do you mean, Anne? You saved a human?”
The eyes of others who were looking at me with tense eyes shifted to her.
“Uh, no, that’s not it…”
She panicked and waved her hands.
The noise was getting louder and louder, but we heard a sound from inside the cave.
“Everyone, be quiet!”
Suddenly, silence fell upon them.
The man walking out of the cave was an old man with a strong build. With blue hair and a beard.
An old man who passed the others and walked forward met my eyes.
【Lv. 87]
Is he the chieftain of this tribe?
Although the Seawater tribe was born with a fairly strong affinity for magical powers, that was already a very high level, even if one considered that.
I hid my surprise inside and exchanged glances quietly. The old man’s eyes were as deep as the sea.
The old man who was staring at me immediately burst out laughing and opened his mouth.
“Heh heh, this is true. I guess you’re not a normal person.”
“···”
“Tell me why you came here. It looks like you’ve already had a small encounter with my granddaughter.”
The old man glanced at the woman.
She let out a small sigh and scratched her head.
I looked at the two and asked.
“Are you the chieftain of this tribe, Sir?”
When I said that, I felt awkward.
Because it was the first honorific word I used after possessing this body.
But, now, I had something to ask, and I was the one who came here suddenly, so I had to be polite.
The old man nodded at my question.
“That’s right.”
“I have no intention of harming you. I’m just here to ask that woman a favor.”
She caught my gaze and tried to shout again with an angry face.
“Hey, I already told you I don’t know!”
“Stop it, Anne.”
The chieftain stopped her and spoke to me again.
“Would you like to come in first? If you want a conversation, I’ll offer you a cup of tea.”
I nodded.
The old man smiled and turned back into the cave as if gesturing to follow him.
I looked at his back and furrowed my brow.
…A wound.
Because it looked like he had a pretty big scar on his back.
The wounds were being treated, and herb-like grasses were glued together.
“Hey, if you’re coming in, come in quickly.”
The woman, who was looking at me with a dissatisfied gaze, pointed with her chin.
Well, luckily, it seemed like they were going to treat me like a guest, so let’s go inside.
***
As we entered the innermost part of the cave, a simple space appeared.
There was grass on the seat, and around the bonfire, things like fish bones were gathered and scattered.
“Just take a suitable seat and sit down.”
As Asher and I hesitated about where to sit, the chieftain said that.
So, as he said, we just sat down randomly.
The Seawater person, who gave tea to the chieftain first and set down the teacup in front of me, glared at me before leaving.
The chief clenched his tongue and raised the teacup.
“Please understand. Because of what happened recently, everyone has a lot of hostility towards humans.”
The woman, who was crouching in the corner and looking at me as well, said.
“I hated humans from the beginning, Grandpa.”
“It’s noisy, girl.”
“No, look at that brazen thing. I was the one who saved him from being fish food earlier. But even though I told him not to follow me, he kept chasing me all the way here. Without knowing grace.”
The chief tilted his head at her and asked, as if he did not understand.
“You said you saved that man?”
“That’s right!”
“Did you really get help from my granddaughter?”
He looked away and asked me again.
I shook my head.
“It was just a pointless meddle.”
“Well, then.”
“No, wow! What a shameless…!”
The old man ignored it and continued.
“My granddaughter seems to have misunderstood something, so please ignore it. Although she has a rough mouth, she has a good heart, so it’s probably not something she did with bad intentions.”
How much did this old man know about me?
I nodded my head as I looked at the woman screaming with a face about to die from unfairness.
“Anyway, I have a favor to ask of your granddaughter…”
“Hey, are you going to ask me to show you the place you asked me about earlier?”
“Yes.”
She said, sticking her tongue out.
“I will tell nothing to a brazen bastard like you.”
“Thank you so much for saving me earlier. I’m late to thank you.”
“···Do you think I’m a fool?! I will never tell you, so fuck it!”
It’s not that simple.
I shook my head and turned my gaze back to the chieftain.
Mystery was a mystery, but I also had a question for him.
“By the way, I knew that the Seawater people lived on the seashore, but have you been living in this lake from the beginning?”
At that question, their faces darkened slightly in an instant.
The chieftain shook his head.
“No. Right now, we’re just staying for a while.”
I intuitively seemed to know what the situation was.
“Is it because of the wound on the back?”
“That’s right. It’s been quite a while, but recovery is slow, so it’s still like this.”
“Can I ask how it happened?”
Considering his level, he wasn’t weak enough to be attacked by anyone.
The chieftain replied with a bitter smile.
“I had a conflict with a human like you.”
“If it’s a human….”
“He’s a powerful mage. He called himself the chief mage of the Imperial Family of Santea.”
···What?
A completely unexpected person popped out, so my eyes widened.
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