When I stepped out of the dungeon, the sun had already fully set, and a strangely round, beautiful moon hung overhead.
(All eyes are on me.)
Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, my wrists bound with vine-like cords, I was escorted toward a particularly large building.
Upon entering, I saw cat-headed men and women seated on a floor woven from green plants.
"I am against this!"
"As if we could ever trust a human!"
"I agree! He's definitely the reason this misfortune was brought upon us! Now that Char is gone, there's no need to show that girl any consideration! Kill him already!"
"That's right, kill him!"
As chants of "Kill him!" erupted throughout the room, Kiji's face contorted as though he had just chewed on a bitter bug. Time was running out for this settlement with every passing second. This was no time for such futile bickering. I could feel his frustration all too keenly.
(Is this hopeless after all...?)
Just as I was about to give up, an unexpected lifeline came from the most improbable person in the room.
"I think we should listen to what he has to say."
Amidst the chorus of malice, Chato spoke up, his face set in a sullen scowl.
"Have you lost your mind?! That's a human—the very thing you hate so much!"
A cat-faced woman with short red hair cried out in sheer disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.
"Shut up! I just think the guy has a point! Besides, all he's saying is that we need to prepare the defenses for Ket Nya right away! That's not gonna hurt us, is it?!"
"Then what about Char?!"
"We capture the bandits and force Char's location out of them! It's not like they've gone far anyway!"
"Are you planning to abandon Char?!"
As the red-haired woman sprang to her feet in a fury, Chato grimaced and threw the question right back at her.
"Then let me ask you: what can we do right now?! If we kill this guy here and pat ourselves on the back, is that gonna guarantee Char comes back safe?!"
"At least we'll eliminate the threat this human poses!"
"Killing one scrawny guy isn't gonna make the danger to Ket Nya go away! Besides, this isn't just Char's problem anymore! Their scouts were lurking around the perimeter! If we don't defend this place right now, every last one of us is gonna end up as playthings for those filthy humans! You know that damn well too, don't you?!"
Chato shouted as he swept his gaze across the room, and everyone grimaced with bitter frustration. Anyone could see it. Chato harbored special feelings for Char. I was certain that out of everyone here, he was the one who wanted to save her most. And because they all knew it, no one could utter another word.
"I agree with Chato. The search for my daughter will have to wait until we've weathered this storm. Preserving Ket Nya's facilities comes first. Besides, something about this whole affair smells far too fishy."
Kiji shot a meaningful glance my way. He wanted me to explain everything in detail to everyone present. I understood. Earning their trust in such a short amount of time had never been an option. Even without it, I should still be more than capable of protecting both Char and this settlement.
"I'll explain what doesn't add up."
With that, I began laying out the truth behind this bizarre incident.