Monster?

"Impressive!"

The wyvern is singing my praises but somehow it doesn't bring me any joy.

[Let's go. Get the others then hurry away.]

That is when I realize my hands are shaking a bit. It was my first time taking a human life. I remember the malice in his eyes. Why couldn't we simply talk like civilized beings?

Before long we see the others exiting a hole in the ground. The rat conscientiously covers it up then we are ready to go. We fly for a long distance before finally dismounting. They will be able to repair the barrier in a short while after all. She needs to go back before she gets stuck here with us.

[Later, take care. Let's meet each other later.]

She nods and flies away. That leaves the two shaking humans and the rat with me.

[You guys...]

"We won't tell anyone!"

"*Gesturing that he's mute. *"

[Don't worry. I have no wish to start a war with anyone. As long as no one tries to kill us there won't be an issue.]

"Does that mean…we are free to leave?"

[Yes, try not to get caught. You guys are deserters after all.]

They bow while thanking me then leave.

"Master, aren't you worried they'll sell you out? Maybe to be forgiven themselves?"

I am truly conscious of such a possibility.

[Worried? A bit, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I killed them without a valid reason.]

These guys never showed any ill intent toward me, unlike that swordsman.

"*Sigh* Only someone as strong as you can do something like that, master."

[Well, not really. Fools can too. Maybe I am one.]

I check the direction with the shell piece. We peacefully walk, a man and his rat.

[So, ever been in this part of the world?]

"No, master, I've lived in the mountain my whole life."

Then I can discern some smoke in the distance. Probably a village. Money may be an issue, but otherwise, I should be able to blend in. Time for some information gathering! Soon enough I'm in front of an odd-looking militia. This place is clearly too broke to afford real guards.

[Hey guys!]

A young man instantly starts screaming.

"AH! It's a monster attack! Quick! We need reinforcements?!"

I look around. No threat to be found whatsoever. Soon enough a few villagers assemble before us in a defensive formation. They would look more convincing with actual weapons rather than hoes and sticks.

[What are you guys even doing?]

"Hurry up and come here, young man! There is a ferocious beast behind you!"

Ferocious? I look at the rat. He seems pretty cuddly, no? Few meters long, sharp claws, pointy teeth, red eyes…okay I get it. Ah, now that I think about it, I've gotten used to creatures that look way scarier. I simply head next to him and start petting him.

[What were you guys even saying about a ferocious creature?]

They look on in disbelief. I can hear the term "Dire-rat." Is that how they are called? Soon enough a young man comes forward and calms them down.

"Hey there, stranger! You can call me Leto! I am this village's chief. What brings you here?"

I was expecting an old man.

[Just passing through. Actually, I'm looking for a place called the Reilley Empire.]

"You clearly aren't from here it seems. *Sigh* That empire no longer exists."

Wow, at least he knows what I'm talking about.

"How about we go to my house to talk more about this?"

[Sure, lead the way!]

I follow him.

"Right, your creature won't be able to come inside because of the barrier it can simply-"

Then he sees the dire-rat that is clearly inside the village already.

"H-how?!"

"Master, I did feel something that made me instinctively want to run away. But I'm smart enough to ignore it."

[Well, he says that it only works against mindless creatures.]

"Y-you can understand it?!"

[Well yeah. Also shouldn't you be concerned that your barrier doesn't work against strong monsters?]

"No, there won't ever be one in the area. There is a big base near the deadliest disaster zone known to mankind."

One that I may have fucked up a bit haha. Well, to be fair I killed one man and disabled a few defenses temporarily. It won't affect the base's operations. Before long he welcomes me into a small house. One that looks comfy, but pretty plain. Then he starts boiling some water on a fire. From a small box, he gets a single tea leaf and drops it in there.

[Can you pass me that?]

He hands it over. I simply grab a few more, leaving a single leave in there, then drop it in the water.

"What have you done?!"

[What's up? It will taste better this way, don't you agree?]

"*Crying* That was my tea for the entire year."

[That little box?]

"Yes! It took me a long time to grow these!"

I give a small smile.

[Then you have some more seeds?]

"Yes, a few."

[Hand me some then.]

"*Suspiciously* You won't throw that in the water too, right?"

[Why would I even do that?]

Then before his eyes, I repeat the trick I did with the white flowers. Soon enough he has enough tea to splurge as he likes for the whole year. Well, all of that will need processing anyway.

"Amazing!"

I pour myself some tea.

[So, you said my destination is gone?]

"Yes! Well, the place is still there but the rulers are different. Also, it is now only a county instead of an empire."

[What happened exactly?]

"Well, it got taken over by the Holy Federation."

[I'll need more details.]

He seems confused about my ignorance but replies nonetheless.

"They are the overlord of this part of the world.

For us, they are our saviors. This place used to be ruled by monsters. It is thanks to the blessings that they brought that we managed to prosper here. This place is the Green County. The empire you are looking for used to be in the area of the Purple County. There are also the blue, yellow, orange, and red counties if you must know."

[Is the purple county far?]

"It is just adjacent to ours, but there is still a big distance."

[What's the best way to go there?]

"Probably head to a bigger city and try to hire a carriage."

That's when we hear a shout.

"Emergency! There's been a monster sighting!!!"

What now?