Book 4: Chapter 11

I headed to the “Dragonewt Elder Society” with Asha the next day.

The other party wanted to thank us for healing their injured and the Chochoriges’ contribution, whereas I can finally ask the questions I’ve had.

The elders were gathered in a circular, wooden building. The whole building was just one big room. Seven chairs can be seen lined up side by side as soon as you enter the building.

Seven elders, each distinguished by their own colour, sat in those chairs. I thought this was an interview venue for a moment there.

「Oh, thank you for coming, nuro.」

The elders got out of their seats and approached me. I was jostled around for a while as all 7 of them greeted and thanked me. After that, Asha and I finally sat on the two chairs facing the elder society.

「May I ask you about raising livestocks? And I hear that you have something to ask us too, it seems…」

「I will be happy to help.」

「Actually, there was discussion of livestock farming in Dragonewt City in the past, nuro, but before it got off to a good start, the Dragonewt City collapsed.」

「…Collapsed?」

…I thought this was Dragonewt City?

「The city just before this one, nuro.」

「No. Wasn’t it two before this? The last one was short.」

「Then that would make it 40 years ago… No, wait. Maybe it is the two before.」

The elders were talking about something like that.

「Correct me if I’m wrong, but has this city perhaps collapsed over and over again?」I asked.

「Of course.」

They nodded, as if saying “obviously”.

「Oh, come to think of it, underground humans and dark elves have a habit of living in the same place for a long time. They live on trees and in the mountains, where it is difficult for monsters to attack.」

「Does that mean the Dragonewt City was destroyed when fighting against monsters in the past?」

「Yes. It barely holds for 50 years at the longest. At the shortest, it’s just a few years, nuro. That is why it’s better to hunt wild animals than to farm livestock.」

I was surprised and at a loss for words.

Since it was called a city and quite a number of dragonewts lived here, I assumed that it must have a long history.

So the battle with the monsters in this world is just that fierce, huh… To the extent that the city was destroyed.

「I’m sorry… Without understanding your situation, I brought up things like Chochoriges extinction, livestock farming and such.」

I apologized while regretting my insensitivity. It is extremely unfair to tell people who strife to come back from the brink of destruction everytime their city is destroyed to consider the “survival of another species”.

「No, you don’t have to bow your head, nuro. I’m rather grateful.」

「Grateful?」

「We have always hunted to exhaustion when it comes to food. However, if we “thin out” their numbers while leaving the nest intact, we can secure stable meat procurement – isn’t that, while simple, a livestock farming idea?」

「That might work…」

「I always want to catch the whole herd whenever we find a nest.」the green elder said and laughed “Wahahaha”. The other elders followed suit.

It seems that my concerns of extinction gave them that idea. Even when they are in a situation where the city could be destroyed as soon as tomorrow, they are shifting away from their mindset of procuring as much food as possible in a short amount of time.

「I think it’s only natural that you would want to bring back a lot of food for your people.」Asha said.

「Yes. But it’s okay for us to change our policy, nuro. No, procuring stable meat while maintaining the nest is a method that can be used at a new location no matter how many times the city is destroyed, isn’t it?」the purple elder replied, with a smile.

My heart was shaken by how casually he said it.

These people have accepted even the destruction of their city as something natural.

As natural as mushrooms growing after the rain.

As natural as roofs damaged by strong winds.

As natural as the cycle of sun and moon in the sky.

No matter how many times the monsters attacked, each time they changed their policy, changed their way of thinking, adopted new ideas, and rebuilt the Dragonewt City over and over again.

「If you have any knowledge about this type of livestock farming, please teach us even if it’s a little bit, nuro.」

The elders bowed all at once.

They begged someone from another race, what more a child, to teach them, without the slightest hesitation.

「P-Please raise your head. What we know is not even that special, but–」

The dragonewt were amazing people in my eyes.

I thought Kimidori Papa’s reaction and everyone else in the mansion yesterday was amazing, but the elders are even more so.

Asha and I each told them everything we knew about livestock.

A lively discussion about livestock farming continued until lunch time. And after lunch, we faced the elders again.

Lunch was – I’m not sure whether to call it crepe, or naan, or what – flour dough wrapped with vegetables and meat inside. The spices had a strong aroma which stimulated my appetite, and I wanted another serving.

「Now then, we will answer what you want to know, nuro.」

I exchanged glances with Asha.

I don’t know if they will believe us, but I decided to tell them everything honestly.

「Actually–」

I told the elders about everything.

The “Front World” and “Back World”.

How we came to this world.

At first, they were skeptical, but when I mentioned a certain point, their facial expressions changed.

「Wait a minute, nuro. You said you were sucked into the sky, but there are also others who were sucked in the same way?」

「Yes. Two military airships and a large amount of debris. Oh, an airship looks like a ship, but it’s as big as a few houses connected together.」

Then a few of the elders began talking in secret.

「……What’s the matter?」I asked.

「Hmm…」

The blue elder then said while massaging his beard.

「Actually, we received information earlier that something like a huge ship was found in the forest opposite to the direction of our expedition.」

「!」

I reflexively half-rose to my feet.

「I think that is indeed the airship I mentioned.」

With an airship, we can move through the sky. If we have to go through the crack in the sky to get back to the other world, air transport will be a huge advantage. Even without that, it would be a tremendous plus in securing mobility.

「Going by your story, it would seem so, nuro. We are planning to send a reconnaissance unit tomorrow.」

「Can we accompany the unit?」

「We don’t mind, but…」

The blue elder paused his words.

「It seems that the ship was attacked by a monster and is pretty much destroyed. A gigantic goat, “Forest Eater”, has appeared, it seems.」

A memory flashed through my mind.

Beyond that crack in the sky—a goat’s eye was looking down at us.