Arc 21: Women’s battle

Chapter 173: Balum tribe, and the Spirit of the Great Tree

We easily won the first day and were able to advance to the next round after getting three victories. Or rather, with the exception of the vanguard Rue, the spearhead Elsie, and the center Yae no one else had fought. All of the matches were ended with three wins. The so-called victories based on straight wins.

As far as I could see, we were blessed with the opponents since those weren’t that great.

「I hope we can keep this rhythm and win tomorrow as well」

I muttered while watching the sunset which brought the day to a close. This is the forest near the river away from the Deity Tree region. All the matches have ended, and everyone starts preparing the meals.

The tribes who lost their matches came back to this forest as well and began to cook their own meals. I guess they are going to watch the matches till the end since they have already come here.

(TL: Wow Touya didn’t you forget about the rule?? they want to see the rule as it may affect them)

We could have returned to the castle and have our meals there, but we decided to partic.i.p.ate in partaking the meal with Rauri tribe since they already went hunting the prey for us.

I take out a barbecue set from [Storage], ignite the charcoal and prepare it for cooking. Then I take out the seasoning like salt and pepper, as well as the sauce.

Eventually, the Rauri tribespeople came back after catching the prey that looked like rabbits and turtle doves. Because the only ones allowed to hunt here when it is not the time of [Pruning Ceremony] are [Referee tribe], there seems to be a lot of prey. Naturally, a large quant.i.ty of prey is hunted during these three days, but it seems to return to its original numbers by the next [Pruning Ceremony].

「Having such cooking which is overflown with rural beauty is nice once in a while, don’t you think so?」

「You are right~ Ah, Touya-san, this one is burning」

Yumina is gallantly a.s.sisting me with grilling. Given that both of us look like women when watched from the third person’s point of view, I hope we are not seen like we have a strange relations.h.i.+p.

Since the nutrition based solely on meat is incomplete, I have taken out the vegetables such as pumpkins, onions and green pepper from [Storage]. After simply cutting them, I skewer them together with the meat and then eat it with homemade BBQ sauce. Delicious.

「Something like this is a first for me, but it looks enjoyable」

Rue smiles while apportioning the meat on her saucer. It should be unusual for her who has lived her life as the Princess of Regulus. I am delighted she is enjoying herself.

As for me, however, I can’t calm down with there are only women being around me after all. The level is a bit too high for me to enjoy it. Though if it was Sen’Ou-heika of Restia, he would likely to happily jump in.

With that said, I heard a voice making a racket behind me. When I turned around, I saw muscular men fighting each other. So it is a quarrel. How irritating. Do that in some other place or something.

「This many tribes have gathered, so one or two quarrels is a daily occurrence」

Having said it, Pam bites into the spit-roasted meat. Accidentally speaking, those who partic.i.p.ate at [Pruning Ceremony] must not do anything if anything happens. Because of that, there is such a rule stating that the companions from the fellow tribes will tidy up the occurring disputes. Then, it means that the ones fighting there are not the contestants. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.

「What is that? I did think there are some weird people here. So they are from the Rauri tribe, right?」

Pa.s.sing next to the quarreling people, other muscular men have come here. Their upper bodies resemble an inverted triangle tempered with brawny muscles. On top of that, their scars and tattoos running along their bodies increase their overwhelming presence even more. In addition to that, their heads are shaved and look like mohawks. The evilest style ever.

「What business you have, Balum tribe」

Pam points her glare at the coming men while chewing meat. Are those guys the Balum tribe?

Certainly, they are looking at everyone here with eyes full of superiority. There are also some guys who are smirking and laughing. I decided in my heart to definitely not become the same as those guys.

「We had considered that you wouldn’t show up at [Pruning Ceremony] this time. Weren’t the prominent warriors of the village done in by the likes of some magic beast as I heard? What a pathetic thing. As one could expect of women, after all」

「b.a.s.t.a.r.d……. Are you insulting the fallen warriors?」

Following Pam, the other Rauri tribespeople lower their bodies a little. They do it in a way to be able to switch to battle at any time. Having guessed their intentions, Balum tribe also nimbly a.s.sumed guard stances. An ambivalent atmosphere gathers between the both sides.

「I don’t have such an intention in particular. I simply think that we of the Balum tribe would have caught such a magic beast with a moment’s delay」

「Ha. Not knowing anything is a foolishness by itself. Even if you from the Balum tribe were grouped up, you wouldn’t be able to match that crystal magic beast. You would end up annihilated to the last one of you 」

「What did you say!」

Now they are exchanging verbal insults. Thumbs are flying here and there. They are exactly like cats and dogs, aren’t they?

「Quit messing around! There is no way the Balum tribe wouldn’t take it down if the Rauri tribe could defeat it!」

「Although it is Regrettable, it wasn’t us who had defeated that crystal magic beast. It was Touya who is sitting there」

「Ah!?」

Oi-oi. Do not wave at me. The gazes of the Balum tribe turned towards me at once.

「This woman?」

A man from the Balum tribe came up to me. This man whose height is probably around 190 cm looks down on me with an impolite scrutinizing gaze. Eventually, he expressed a disgusting smile.

「Aren’t you quite a good woman? I like you!」

「I feel gross!」

「What did you say!?」

I instinctively let out my voice. But it can’t be helped, right !? When you look at it from my view of point, a muscular man says something like that to me!! w.i.l.l.i.e.s are running through my entire body!!

「This b.i.t.c.h!」

The angry man extends his hand towards me and tries to catch my arm.

「Don’t touch me!」

「Guboue!?」

I kicked the man’s abdomen, blowing him a few meters away. There is no way I could adjust the power. I felt the danger towards my body! In a different meaning!

「This b.a.s.t.a.r.d!」

「Get her!」

I nimbly dodge the Balum tribesmen who are attacking all at once and send them flying one by one with a kick. I don’t want to strike them with my hands. Since I am disgusted to even touch them!

I wonder what is it, it is scary to be glared by such muscular men in a s.e.xual meaning. It doesn’t even matter whether you are a man or a woman!

「This b.i.t.c.h……. Catch her with everyone!」

『Uooooooooooooo!!』

A wave of muscles is coming. Ueee!!

「s.h.i.+eld!」

『Guuuuu!?』

I stop them with an invisible s.h.i.+eld and the men who were jumping here fall to the ground just like that. Ah~ it was disgusting.

「Balum tribe is not that big of a deal. Aren’t you in this state with just Touya?」

「Dam…….」

Pam is laughing at the remaining Balum tribesmen like she is provoking them. Oi~, Do not agitate them!

The remaining tribesmen had deeply red angry faces. They were done by only one woman (on the outward appearance). So there is no way they won’t get angry as they are from the tribe where man is the dominating one.

「Take those battered guys and quickly leave. It will be a bother if some incapable men stay here」

I totally agree with Pam on that. I have a feeling I will have a macho phobia if it stays like this.

「d.a.m.n it, we will remember this!」

Balum tribe left while dragging along the collapsed men.

Uu, that was unpleasant. Those eyes of the ill-breed men felt disgusting that much. Let’s be careful so that I do not turn out like that myself.

「Were those the Balum tribe? They didn’t seem that great」

「There were no contestants among them. Those fellows are underlings even among the Balum tribe. They are just brats who haven’t grown up yet」

Pam answered Elsie as such, but I couldn’t believe my ears. If I am not mistaken, don’t they treat those who turn 15 years old as adults in the Great Forest Sea!? Eh, even though they look like that, are those guys younger than me!? They looked like terrifyingly rough ossans!?

That’s impossible…….. There is no way they are junior high school students……. What kind of training are they doing? I somehow lost my appet.i.te………

==================Scene Change==============

After the barbecue ends, several people are going to be on the lookout and retire to sleep in turns.

Though it is to watch out for the forest beasts, it will also serve as protection from the surprise attacks of the other tribes as well. Naturally, it is not like all tribes will try to do something like that, but some of them apparently do such a thing silently as well.

We could return to the castle with [Gate] by ourselves, but disregarding this matter after hearing about it would leave a bad aftertaste.

I have set up [s.h.i.+eld] barrier around us and decided to sleep in turns with several people. That’s because [s.h.i.+eld] is only a temporary preventive measure. The five partic.i.p.ants have been exempted from being on the lookout since we can’t have them be fatigued tomorrow. So we have them rest till the morning. Ah, even if Suu was up, it would be meaningless, so we let her sleep as well.

Right now, several of the Rauri tribe enclosed the bursting bonfire and paid attention to the surroundings.

Next to them, Lindsey and Yumina were making quiet sleeping sounds while being wrapped in blankets after having stood guard till some time ago.

Suddenly, I felt a queer presence. This feeling…….

I stood up and walked to the depths of the forest. The Rauri tribespeople who were standing on the watch together with me turned their eyes towards me for only a moment. It seems they thought it was a toilet and didn’t particularly say anything.

Having advanced deeper and deeper into the dark forest, I understood that presence was gradually getting stronger. There is no mistake, this is the same as Ramisshu…….

I stopped at an open s.p.a.ce deep in the forest.

It exists. Here. In this place.

「Can you hear my voice?」

The moonlight began to s.h.i.+ne on me who was standing in the darkness, and all trees in the vicinity were stirred by the wind.

A s.h.i.+ning green light faintly surfaced in the midst of the moonlight.

『Who are you?』

The green light slowly changes its shape. Before long, it has changed into the figure of a young girl with emerald-green hair. Her whole body is emitting green phosph.o.r.escence including a one-piece-like dress she is wearing. Both eyes also s.h.i.+ne brilliantly like jade.

「Spirit…….right?」

『Yes. I am the spirit of the great tree that govern this Great Forest Sea. I am also the incarnation of the Great Deity Tree』

「As I thought. I thought I felt a presence similar to the spirit of darkness I fought in Ramisshu. Well, that one was more muddy and stagnant」

Though I felt a small presence from the great deity tree as well, it felt more clearly than the one before me. Would I have not felt it so much if it didn’t manifest like this?

『You fought? With spirit of darkness…….? Then, are you the one who freed that child?』

「Did you say “freed”? I just rushed in and purified it though」

『The spirits are immortal existences. The spirit of darkness will eventually return to this world too. More than that……. Who are you? This appearance is a pretense, isn’t it? And what is that power slightly emanating from your whole body…….?』

Eh? Ah, is she able see the divine power by any chance? I used magic such as [s.h.i.+eld]. The divine power might have leaked out at that time. I cancel [Mirage] and expose my original form.

「I am Mochizuki Touya. I am working as the Sovereign King for Brunhild Dukedom to the north from here. Due to slightly complicated circ.u.mstances, I have a strange const.i.tution, but I am a human」

『What exactly you mean by that……?』

The spirit of the great tree expresses a confusion all over her face. Umm, what shall I do? The explanation is troublesome. I don’t know whether she will believe me if I talk about Kami-sama.

But on the other hand, there is no reason to especially ask Kami-sama to come…… say, Ah, there is one other G.o.d. Though I am not sure about that one.

I opened 「Gate」 and dropped here the person who was most likely lying down on her bed.

「Ouch! W-w-what ~nanoyo!? Huh, is it you Touya-kun ~nanoyo?」

The dropped Karen-nee-san looks around in half asleep eyes. What are those pajamas full of pink heart marks?

If I think about it carefully, although she is a low-level G.o.d, I still treated her quite roughly. When I look at this person (G.o.d), I don’t feel she is that important-looking. She is irresponsible, likes to do mischievous things, s.n.a.t.c.hes foods, and she is selfish.

But I can’t bring myself to hate her. Perhaps, I feel like she is also my family. Maybe because she treats me like her younger brother.

「Karen-nee-san, can you do that “Pika~tte” thing like Kami-sama?」

「Hoi? Pika~te? Do you mean the “Divinity Release” 《しんいかいほう》?」

「It is probably that」

A dazzling light is released from Nee-san’s entire body. It isn’t as great as the one Kami-sama has, but it is still amazing. Ah, it feels like that even though she is like that, she is still one of the G.o.ds.

「……Are you thinking of something rude ~noyo?」

「Soorr~y. F~rgiive mee~e. L~et me~e go~o」

She is pinching my cheeks. It hurts.

As I rubbed my released cheeks, the spirit of the great tree was prostrating itself on the ground to the side.

I guess it is effective even against the spirits. The G.o.d’s influence of is strong. Even if that G.o.d is Karen-nee-san.

「Are you thinking of rude things again ~noyo?」

「A~m surrrr~i. F~rgiive mee~e?」

G.o.ds, I can’t make light of them.