Chapter 65 - Children of an Unknown Race
After passing through the forest and entering the road from the village, I hurried back to the Fortress. I had to tend to the children who were on the verge of collapse. Even if their appearance was different, they were undoubtedly children.
I asked the Fortress’s communicators to take care of the children.
The widows, who were also mothers, were initially bewildered by the children’s appearance, but they couldn’t ignore the fact that these children had been abused. The greatness lies in maternal instinct. The mothers directed their compassion toward the pitiful children. While I felt relieved seeing this, I made a request to my elder brother.
I informed him that we had protected civilian children who were being led by imperial soldiers in the forest and reported that all of them bore slave marks. I asked if the female head of the medical unit, who had been dispatched to the high countess, could be sent to the Fortress. She should have returned to the town a while ago.
Before this deployment, the high countess and the territorial army had thoroughly absorbed her wisdom and knowledge, and with gratitude, the high countess had declared the mission complete, confident that they could handle the situation in this region. Therefore, the head of the medical unit was no longer needed there. She had been ordered to return to her original unit and had gone back to the knightly house’s guard unit.”
I, too, had once been under her care. It was when I made a vow with Old Man. Eldest Brother not only readily agreed but also personally brought her to the Fortress.
Well, you could say he came to check on the children who had been kidnapped and enslaved. They were living proof of violations of wartime international law. He couldn’t possibly ignore them. So, it was understandable that Eldest Brother frowned upon seeing the children’s appearance.
――― Pale green skin, long ears, jet-black hair. Small horns peeking through their hair. Their slightly open eyes were golden.
These children looked nothing like humans. My elder brother was speechless. The head of the medical unit attempted to remove the slave marks from the children. I should be thankful to God that the spell wasn’t too complex. The empire’s runes were still rudimentary, which worked in our favor.
There were also signs of whipping and beating with sticks.
With a pained expression, she prayed for Divine Assistance and began casting Healing Magic. My elder brother pulled me into the office, and a long discussion ensued.
“What are... those? Monsters... or demons?”
“To me, they look like human children. They were tied up with chains to super-large monsters. Those were probably... the source of the mechanism that enslaved the monsters. I can’t say for sure, but it’s highly likely. They used slave marks to bind the disobedient children and torture to subjugate them... From this, we can infer that they possess some crucial ability. The empire has a policy of ‘killing anyone who’s troublesome.’ But they couldn’t kill these children because they possess a crucial ability. They were kept alive, exploited to the fullest. ...They would say, ‘They’re not human.’ Because of their different appearance, because they don’t look human, they would claim that wartime international law doesn’t apply. That’s how they see it. Eldest Brother... What will you do? Will you make the children’s existence public?”
“......So, you’re saying those are the empire’s trump cards?”
“Yes, they were also tied to the Forest Striders.”
“Forty of them, huh?”
“Yes. Fifteen Cyclopes and twenty-five Forest Striders. The fact that we managed to rescue all of them is a remarkable achievement by the guerilla unit infantry.”
“I see... So that’s how it is. I see... They didn’t find it themselves but exploited the abilities of another race... What exactly is this ability to cross the Demonic Forest? We still don’t know anything for sure. In that case... Father.... I can’t report this to him. This will remain between you and me... in our hearts.”
“.........Understood. But, Eldest brother...”
“What is it?”
“Prejudice is not good. Preconceptions cloud your vision of the truth.”
“I still don’t fully understand. I can’t predict what you see. But I trust that you see things I cannot. I don’t have certainty, but I can trust you. I order you to investigate thoroughly at the Fortress. It’s best to keep them out of the public eye. If you find any information, call for me.”
“Understood.”
Between my elder brother and me, it was decided that the matter of the forty children would be classified as top secret. Or rather, the entire operation became top secret. No one in the kingdom’s military would believe that two imperial brigades had attempted to cross the Demonic Forest.
And there was no way we could admit that we left their fate to the forest.
My elder brother, being the heir, said that it could be interpreted as abandoning combat during wartime. Well, we would report it as the subjugation of extremely dangerous super-large monsters. If we didn’t, there would be no reason to enforce the temporary prohibition on entering the Demonic Forest’s middle layer from the controlled territory for the time being.
A false report mixed with facts.
Normally, this would warrant punishment, but the one giving the order was the heir of the knightly house receiving the report. Given the nature of the matter, concealment was inevitable. In this operation, the guerilla unit simply hunted super-large monsters deep in the forest.
――― Yes, just like any ordinary mission.
――――――
The Healing Secret Art seemed to work on them as well. This meant that, in the eyes of God, these were human children. The Healing Secret Art has no effect on monsters or magical beasts. For the purpose of ecological observation, I had once conducted an experiment at the main residence on a dying small-size magical beast, but the secret technique did not activate.
In other words, the secret art wielded by those with the Skills of a “priest” only works on humans. Therefore, these children could be considered human. I immediately relayed this fact to Eldest Brother. Understanding my true intent, he was pleased that a violation of wartime international law had been established.
The female communicators provided the children with warm food, clean and warm bedding, baths, and sturdy, if not beautiful, clothing. We intended to patiently care for them until they held no hostility toward us.
One day, one of the female communicators brought a child to my office.
“Young Master, it seems they’re finally willing to talk. They want to meet you first.”
“Is that so? Bring them to the office. I want to talk. Sorry, but could you prepare some drinks as well?”
“Sure, sure. I understand.”
The strange-looking child, led by the lady, quietly sat on the sofa, staring at me cautiously. I wasn’t planning to eat them or anything. Now, how should I start the conversation? They seemed to have a tragic past... I sat back on the sofa, sipping the tea prepared by the female communicator, and waited for them to speak.
It’s not like I was in a hurry.
Since the subjugation of those things, reports from the Demonic Forest had drastically decreased. I felt that the forest was regaining its calm. Probably... just the southern part of the Deep Forest. We might get busy again soon, but for now, it was quiet. Yes, I had time. So, I was prepared to take it slow.
I sipped my tea and observed the child. They seemed eager to say something... but perhaps due to various conflicts, they couldn’t find the words. With a determined expression, they finally began to speak.
“@「po@l.;.:@p! i, cha, no. Words are... right, Why did you save us?”
Their words, with an imperial accent, sounded like a foreign language. I realized this wasn’t their native tongue. They weren’t from the empire.
“Children bearing slave marks were accompanying soldiers invading our country. Isn’t it natural to assume they were kidnapped and enslaved? Rescuing victims of war crimes is stipulated in the general principles of wartime international law. It’s the right thing to do.”
“They never said! ;@o@, @ppl,!! such things!!”
“In this world, submerged by the Demonic Forest, the places where people can live are limited. Even if everyone tries their hardest, life doesn’t get easier. Countries like the empire think they can live luxuriously by simply seizing other nations. That country ignores wartime international law from the start. Or rather, they don’t recognize you as human. They are a country that considers invading other nations. If you’re not human, you’re treated like livestock. But... God will not forgive them.”
“There were people who thought like that..., ;.@mlmp.@... I didn’t know.”
“Your appearance is different from ours. Where do you live?”
“......... Deep in the forest. .p@:;, @... A village on the shell of a Grand Turtle. We call it Raven Ville <<The Wandering Town>>. For a long time... a really long time, we’ve been circling deep in the forest.”
“Deep in the forest... You’re saying that you’ve been living in the Deep Forest. Generations have passed, and you’ve continued your lineage. A sudden mutation caused by dense mana. I’ve read about mana-induced transformations in literature, but... to see it in reality... Sorry, there’s one more thing I want to ask.”
“.;;@po;p... Sorry, I’ll answer you, big brother. You seem like a... good person.”
“Thank you. You said generations have passed, but how long is a long time?”
“.........a.[p@.][@p: Sorry... I’m still not used to this language. Um... The elder say it’s been over 3000 years. We’re the descendants of the *Estar* people.”
“Estar... That’s a name that came out of nowhere for me. In our history, it’s an ancient country that unleashed the Demonic Forest upon this world and was itself destroyed by the calamity of the Demonic Forest.”
“We are called ‘Estarians,’ meaning ‘we who are deeply sinful.’ This story has been passed down by the elder, and we’re taught it as soon as we’re born. But God pitied the ‘repentant Estarians’ and granted us Tamer.”
“Tamer? Is that the Skill to control monsters... forming some kind of contract with wild monsters, promising to live together... Is that right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. But nowadays, fewer Estarians receive this gift. .@o@pll... Including me, there aren’t many. Without the gift of Tamer, you can’t hunt in the forest. kgjodfsl;... That’s how I was captured by them while hunting in the forest. Captured, taken into custody?... The 40 of us who were rescued are all who were captured.”
“Hunting? You hunt at such a young age?”
“Young? Is that how I look? I’m actually... just over 80 years old, a ‘maiden’!”
“Huh?”
“What... I’m still a ‘child,’ though!!”
With a pout, the child turned away. Wait, was that a slight swelling in the chest? Was she a girl? ...Oh no. I completely forgot that in any country, bringing up a woman’s age is a taboo.
I apologized, bowing my head.
She burst out laughing.
―――― In that moment, I felt something connecting us, despite the vast differences between us.
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