182 - - CHAPTER XXV -- NEAR WAR

Higu, gusu ......

Ma-ma-ma. ......

I'm hungry."

In a corner of a port warehouse in the Allied Beast Nation, a race of people (humans) gathered through kidnapping and illegal activities were crammed into a warehouse.

There was a window near the ceiling, allowing sunlight to enter, but not enough to illuminate the entire area, which was basically dimly lit.

More than several hundred people were crammed into the warehouse, and they were forced to defecate in jars placed at the edge of the walls.

The stench wafted in the air due to poor ventilation, and the people were unable to eat or drink to their satisfaction due to the unsanitary conditions, so the people crammed into the warehouse were growing weaker by the day.

Since the people gathered there were mainly women and children, it was impossible for them to "join forces to defeat the beasts and escape.

There were guards at the entrance to the warehouse, and even if they could defeat them, they had no familiarity with the area because it was the port of the Allied Beastmen Nation, and there were many hostile beastmen here and there.

Even if it were the men being held captive, it would be impossible for them to escape.

They are also isolated from their families, lovers, friends, and other important people, and are packed into the same warehouse.

If they escaped, they were threatened that their families, lovers, friends, and loved ones would be killed to make an example of them.

Therefore, the will to escape from this place has been broken from the very beginning.

Therefore, the expressions on the faces of the human beings who were crammed into the warehouse were all gloomy.

"-Magic, manifest and form water, waterball.

Among them, only Miya, a red-haired girl with a strong light of will in her eyes, was able to create a lump of water with her magical power and share it with mainly young children, as she was unable to provide them with water.

Thank you, girl.

You're welcome, it's not much, but you'll all have to share."

Using a wooden cup with a chipped rim, the water is shared by all.

Clean water is precious in this place, and Mya watched lovingly as the children drank it with relish.

Some of the others had been injured when they were first pushed into the warehouse.

Mya has mastered the recovery magic - "Elementary (fas) Heal".

She used "Elementary Fass Heal" to heal those who were wounded.

Thanks to this, the girls don't know it, but the environment was still better than in other warehouses.

On the other hand, Quone, who was also a magician and was captured with Mya, was .......

............"

She sat in the corner of the room, crouched on her knees.

Mya fills an empty glass with water and sits down next to her, offering it to her.

Quone-chan, here's your water. Drink it."

......We're fine, Mya, you drink."

I'm still fine. You are the one who hasn't been drinking enough water, so your body won't last if you don't drink.

............"

Mya is not one to shy away from drinking.

She had a firm grasp of her own limitations based on her experience as an adventurer. It is true that it is hard to be locked up without food, but she is far from her limit and has plenty of time to spare.

On the contrary, Quone was clearly worn out.

Her body and mind were unable to cope with the changes that were unthinkable in her normal life: fighting with the beast race, kidnapping, and confinement.

Quone turned his head down and let out a small leak.

He asked, "...... Mya, why were you captured together with Watashi?　You could have escaped on your own if you were up to it, couldn't you?"

Quone-chan ......"

I've been in dungeons as a sorcerer and fought against monsters before. But when I was attacked by a ...... beast race that turned hostile, I was so scared I couldn't think straight and couldn't move. I just pulled Miya's leg by saying "Six Principality Magician Academy 4th Class Magician" and "Red Lotus One-Winged Angel "Violet Foreign Angel"" and ....... You should have left me alone like that. ......

Quone squeezes his arm so tightly that his fingers dig into it.

Mya gently pats her back.

She smiles and speaks to him.

There is no way I could abandon her, you know. We are best friends, aren't we?　There is no way I could abandon my best friend and run away."

Mya, I'm sorry ....... I was almost killed by the beast race, and I was so afraid of dying that I couldn't think straight and couldn't do anything!　I'm so sorry that I put Mya through this..."

It's natural to be afraid of dying. And in fact, I don't think there was much chance that I could have escaped by myself in that situation. Besides, I still have a chance. We are not dead, so there is still a chance for all of us to escape alive. ......

Mya continues to talk to Quone as if comforting an infant while patting his back.

Quone looked up and leaned her body against Mya, tears streaming down her face.

The fear of being attacked by the beast race, the guilt of dragging Mya down, the pain of being forced into a poor environment that she had never experienced before.

She clings to Mya as if to let it all out, and tears flow down her face.

Mya accepts all of her weakness without rejection.

She looked like a holy mother.

For a while, Quone continued to cling to Mya and let out her tears.

By the time she had let it all out, the sun was setting and it was time to go to sleep.

Moonlight shines through the window near the ceiling.

............"

Quone is tired of crying and falls asleep in her arms.

Mya, who is still held by Quone, moves her nose to the night air that enters through the window along with the moonlight.

(It's time for the beast race side to move on. It smells like burning ......)

When I was an adventurer, I have experienced being attacked by other adventurers inside a dungeon. These were not monsters, but people who made their living attacking adventurers who were easy to hunt.

Fortunately, another high-level adventurer intervened and saved my life. ......

The smell of burnt flesh that you could feel at the time, flowing before lives were exchanged, wafted up to the warehouse where they were trapped.

Mya caught the scent and sensed that the beast race side was about to make a move.

As she had foreseen, the battle was near.