Chapter 5. Relations of monster, relations of man

As one might expect, the journey to Happiness Village went smoothly. A number of wolf, bee, and orc girls appeared on the way, but they were all sealed with a single swing of my blade the instant the conversations broke down. They did not even qualify as obstacles at this point.

After a few hours of light walking, we arrived at Happiness Village around noon. It was a peaceful and tranquil farming village. Women and girls alike tended to the beekeeping and other farm work. Yes, only women. Without any men to help, the more strenuous physical labor took considerable effort to complete. Additionally, there was just an overall insufficient number of people, resulting in the women slaving away, sweat streaming down their bodies as they tried to get everything done.

"...Hey Alice. There was also a war in this world during the previous Queen Harpy's era, wasn't there?"

"So you knew. You are correct; the previous Queen Harpy waged war after war as if starved for blood. And though they managed to eliminate their enemies, their number also dropped significantly in the process."

"So that's what it was after all..." The reduced population, the stronger prejudice against monsters, and the commandment forbidding intercourse with them. Lining up those conditions, even I could see what was happening.

We were noticed by an older lady who then called out to us. "Oh, travelers. Quite young, aren't you?... Sadly, even if you came all the way here, we don't really have anything that would please you. With the ongoing labor shortage, the amount of Happiness Honey we can harvest also dropped by a lot."

I was about to respond when...

"Aaahhh!" Suddenly, the scream of a young boy resounded.

"Right now!?"

I rushed toward the voice and found a harpy about to take off with a boy in her grip.

"Ahh! Help me!" He was flailing about but seemed unable to break free from the harpy lifting him up.

"Hey, would you mind letting that boy go? Forcing someone against their will is bad, you know."

Since I was able to understand their situation, I wanted to deal with things peacefully, but these girls were faced with their species being in danger of extinction, so naturally...

"Alright, I'll let him go as you say, but in return... I'll just kidnap you instead.~" She let him go and set her sights on me.

A giggle. "You're much better than that boy~... I'll take you back to my nest, and then we can make lots of babies~"

"Ugh... I guess I don't have a choice."

I gave her a light whack with the flat of my blade.

"I-I'll let you off with this much today!" Watching her escape, I was able to get a general sense of where their settlement was.

"What happened?" "A harpy... And the traveler chased her off! Incredible!"

The villagers who saw me chase her away crowded around me. As expected, they were almost exclusively women.

"Hmmm... you must be a quite skilled young man to be able to defeat a harpy." From among them came a face I recognized: the village chief's wife. As she introduced herself, Alice's mood seemed to plummet.

"Hmph, So the deputy village chief is someone who would lock herself in her house and forsake a child being kidnapped. Actually... not a single person tried to help that child."

The villagers were unable to muster a response, their eyes downcast.

"...Alice, unlike monsters, human women aren't all that strong, and they aren't nearly as sturdy either. That's part of the reason why heroes travel the world, dedicating their lives to fighting monsters."

"...Hmph." She turned away, her face displeased. It was a bit sad to see how much this world's Alice's mindset differed.

"Now, traveler, in light of your abilities, I would like to ask a favor..."

"Hah, there it is, oh great Hero. It seems they are planning to push their village's troubles on you as usual."

The old lady looked upset but continued talking.

"As I'm sure you noticed, there are no men in this village. As you just saw, the harpies living nearby will abduct any they can get their talons on."

At those words, the women surrounding started exclaiming, one after the other, how their family was stolen from them.

"What happened to the men who were taken?"

"We don't know... None of them returned. They may be worked as slaves or even used as food..."

Absolutely no contact from the kidnapped side, then that means...

I desperately wanted to bury my face in my hands but kept my composure for now.

Alice mercilessly shut the villager's pleading down, telling them to do something about it themselves. I, on the other hand, had no problem with heeding their request.

"Hmph. Well, aren't you glad? Not only is he strong, but also a goody-two-shoes, helping you with your monster problem and probably anything else you can think of while he is at it. So, just how many travelers have you sent straight into the harpies' nest this way?"

I suddenly had a bad feeling...

"So far, seven people have gone to root out the harpies... none of them came back."

"See? They never thought to mention that. Do you see their despicable nature? If you manage to solve their monster problem, good, but if not, they will just send the next traveler. That is the sort of people you are dealing with here."

Alice's words seemed to carve directly into the villager's hearts. Their expressions grew more and more pained. Nobody said a word, or perhaps couldn't.

"This, I assure you. While the harpies' behavior may be unpardonable, all of you are equally guilty."

That was all I could endure. And thinking about how well everyone got along back over there only made the entire situation feel even more pitiful.

"...That's enough, Alice. Heroes exist to fight for the people, and that's what I intend to do."

People in need, A world in danger, entrusted hopes— any of them were reason enough to fight.

"...Idiot of a goody-two-shoes." Alice sighed. But then...

"...I-I'm going as well!" "M-Me too!"

One lady raised her voice, and, one by one, the other villagers began chiming in as well. Normally, I would have stopped them since they would only endanger themselves, but... Alice's eyes were telling me to leave it be, so I quietly swallowed my objection. As a result, it was decided I would be the one taking care of the leader, and the other villagers would rush in once the harpies fell into a panic.

The operation would begin in the evening; there was still plenty of time until then. The villagers were busy maintaining whatever weapon or farming tool they could find in their homes. I was absent-mindedly wandering around the village, doubling as a guard, when Alice approached me, having just finished nibbling on a piece of jerky.

"Humans are selfish, trampling on the weak with impunity. Valuing their own desires above all else, gladly oppressing others if it means fulfilling them... or so I thought." Alice sighed as she watched the women prepare for the attack.

"Those people exist too, but it's not like all humans are like that... isn't it the same for monsters?"

"...That, I cannot deny," She said, averting her eyes. For this Alice to think like that... something significant must have happened.

"Have you been doing this sort of thing in the other world as well?"

"Yeah, I've helped out a lot of people. Humans and monsters both."

"Didn't you say humans and monsters lived in coexistence in your world?"

"Even with coexistence, some problems popping up can't be helped. Even at the best of times, natural disasters and other strange occurrences still happened. Not to mention that humans can still fight among themselves... as do monsters. You're probably familiar with those kinds of issues too, right?"

Alice silently looked away with a pained expression. It seems monsters fighting one another hasn't stopped here, either.

"And while it's good to solve problems yourself if you can... for some, it just isn't possible."

I still regretted what happened in Luddite Village. The women there obviously needed help, and yet I couldn't do anything for them. The screams of sorrow of that little girl who was turned into a succubus were like an irremovable thorn stuck in my chest, continuing to prick away at my heart.

"It's not just humans either... Monsters are the same. As an example, people tend to bundle harpies together as one, but they differ considerably in strength between species. Do you know how sparrow girls were treated during the previous Harpy Queen's era? Due to their lacking combat ability they were shamed and treated like slaves... Because they were weak— because they couldn't get by on their own—maybe they had no choice."

"..."

"Well, I understand that as the Monster Lord, you have your own circumstances. It's the same for humans. Local autonomy, independence, and such things... I guess those in power have reasons for being unable to make a move at times."

For both Luddite Village and Magistea Village, they may have known about the problems, but were unable to do anything, unable to help. That those sorts of inconveniences exist was something I learned in my journey... and that's why...!

"That's exactly why I want to help whoever I can. As a hero... and as someone who has been entrusted with someone's hopes and feelings..."

I was so innocent when I first left my village, helping people in need and chasing after my father. I was entangled in all sorts of events, grew, was acknowledged as a Hero by humans and monsters alike, and eventually took the literal fate of the world onto my shoulders. There are times when the weight feels like it's crushing me, but...

"I see, so the thing driving you is an intense feeling of duty..." In that figure forging straight ahead, Alice sensed a feeling of strength as well as a hint of danger... and felt envy.

In the evening, I set out into the forest to the east together with the villagers. Back over there, the settlement was right next to the village, but here, it seemed like it was a bit further away. I escorted the villagers through the forest so they wouldn't be attacked by other monsters until, finally, we arrived.

"Alright, I will go in first to take care of the leader. Once the harpies begin falling into disorder, you can make your move."

"Right, be careful! If it gets dangerous in there, you should retreat right away!"

"If I don't make it, please run away. Alright, I'm going in now!" I didn't have the slightest intention of losing, but I still said as much, just in case. I saw off the villagers as well as Alice and infiltrated the settlement on my own.

As I was now, I could probably beat up the entirety of Harpy Village on my own, but knowing these girls made that a rather unpleasant prospect, and I knew Queen Harpy's character as well. Due to that, I erased my presence as much as possible. As I'd been told in advance, there weren't many harpies outside at this time of day. I quietly made my way to a particularly large tree and intentionally let my presence and some sound leak out. I soon felt someone approach.

"...It seems I have been lured out. What kind of business do you have at this hour? Well, I suppose I already have an idea what it might be..."

"I'd like you to return the people you have kidnapped... or rather, at least let them get in contact with their village... if you do something like that, the relations between monsters and humans will become even more strained for no real reason."

I tried to persuade her first. But if this problem could be solved with only persuasion, it likely wouldn't have become this bad. Queen Harpy sadly cast down her eyes.

"...Child of man, you are inverting cause and effect. It is because our relations have collapsed that we are forced to do this. As for communication, well... the men have... not actively made any attempts..."

"..."

I buried my face in my hand. Well, yes, I could certainly understand why that would be a difficult thing to say, but still, the women were genuinely worried.

"Anyway, could you return the men? At this rate, the human village will be the one to perish."

"...That may be so, nonetheless as Queen, I cannot simply back down."

Queen Harpy soared into flight and readied a spear into a combat stance.

I didn't want to fight her, but there was no choice. I steeled my resolve.

Queen Harpy appeared!

"A strike from the sky... Demon Skull Beheading!"

Queen Harpy leaped high into the air, then swooped down to deliver a sharp blow!

COUNTER!

"Got you! Lightspeed Palm!"

Queen Harpy took 15326 damage!

Queen Harpy was defeated! 350 experience points obtained!

"I-Impossible, without being able to do anything, just a single strike..."

It was a palm strike using nothing but my bare hand. The damage wasn't too severe, but it made Queen Harpy lose her will to fight. For the time being, I launched the magic bullet intended as a signal for the villagers, and it quickly became noisy. The harpies started getting up, and murmurs filled the settlement.

I was able to make her lose the will to fight for now, but... now what?

As I was wondering what to do, I heard the steps of villagers and harpies who were approaching from all over.

"H-Hey! Please wait!" "Wait, don't cut down the Queen!" And so were the human men who quickly rallied to protect Queen Harpy. The women were clearly taken aback by this sight, and the harpies peered over with concern.

"Is that... No way, Dad!?" "Marc, you're alright!?"

Wherever you looked, you could see emotional family reunions, the emotion in question being bewilderment.

I exhaled deeply and put my sword away as a surge of exhaustion swept over me. I listened in on the conversations around me. Apparently, one man had three more wives and nine children... Certainly, I'd heard their population took a steep drop but wasn't that a bit too much?

My surroundings quickly devolved into a warzone of marital spats. Some of the women were even raising their hoes and sickles... well it will probably be fine as long as I cast some healing magic afterward.

"...So, how do you intend to deal with this?"

"...Maybe they'll take care of it themselves?"

This was a first for me, so I was a bit out of my depth. Even a regular lover's quarrel was too much for me, so how was I supposed to handle one spanning an entire village? But, well, the words of the village chief, newly returned to his position, would probably be the conclusion of the matter.

"Ergh... Everyone here is family now! Isn't that wonderful!?" He loudly declared, even as he was being strangled. The men seemed to unanimously agree, though a lot of women were unconvinced... Alice and I watched from the sidelines, wondering just what would end up coming out of all this.

"Well then... We pledge that we shall no longer forcibly abduct men from Happiness Village."

"Hmm... We also promise to send as many men as possible to be wedded to harpies. In return, the harpies born of those unions will help with the farmwork."

Thus, the agreement between Happiness Village and Harpy Village was concluded. Thinking the Happiness Village in my world may have also been like this at first, I was deeply moved. The negotiations on the terms of the agreement were conducted solely by the village chief's wife, the men having absolutely no say in it.

After that came the festivities. Humans and harpies alike formed a circle around the fire. They drank, they sang, they danced, having a great time. Alice was also elated, having received a jar of Happiness Honey.

"Hmm, but is this fine with the men? It is almost like they are offered as living sacrifices to Harpy Village."

"No need to worry, young lady. This incident has brought us closer to the harpies. We will likely share a deep bond from now on. And most importantly, once you've had a taste of what a harpy can do, a human woman just won't—"

"Mister, there is a woman, who is likely your wife, quickly approaching with a hoe in hand."

A scream resounded shortly after that. Oh well, he probably wouldn't die.

"...If they discussed things to begin with, this could have happened so much sooner..."

"Hmph, It is likely because of that ridiculous commandment forbidding intercourse with monsters that things came to this point."

There was some logic to that, but...

"You have a point there, but... You saw it, right? The men were happy—forgetting all about their actual family. Intercourse with monsters is just that intoxicating... Though I won't deny those particular men were perverts."

"You also gave me quite a lot."

"Ugh..."

Alice chuckled. I couldn't help it; things that feel good simply feel good. Even if you resolve yourself to not lose against the pleasure, you still end up being swept away. That is the pitiful nature of men.

"Well, harpies and mermaids are very friendly toward humans, so that's not too much of a problem, but... not all species are like that, right?"

"...Indeed."

"I've traveled all over the world, and I can't tell you how many times I've been nearly eaten or sucked dry..."

Giving a hungry monster semen out of the goodness of your heart may end up with you being abducted, squeezed to death, sucked dry, or eaten. When you considered that, it was completely understandable that a warning needed to be issued.

"...Is coexistence between humans and monsters something that difficult? Are monsters... truly that evil?" A small voice whispered weakly.

Seeing her in that state, I frantically denied it. "T-That's not it! It's just that we have a whole heap of problems and have to do our best to solve them! In fact, once coexistence was established in a place, everyone there got along really well!"

There are many problems, to be sure. But not all places have them. There are also countless places where people and monsters live together in harmony.

"I see... There is still so much I do not know. I will have to learn more of the world."

As someone who had lived in the Monster Lord's Castle all her life, Alice had likely never even imagined such a scene, much less seen one. Just she did not tire from watching the festivities; I did not tire watching her face from the side as she did.