—A Nearby Cave
With Kiji leading the way, we entered the cave serving as an evacuation shelter. A crowd of cat-faced people, young and old alike, stared at us with expressions taut with tension.
Charme still hasn't returned. If so, this incident is still very much underway.
Taking a step forward, Kiji drew a deep breath and declared victory.
"The humans who invaded our village are all dead. For now, the day is ours!"
After a moment of dead silence, cheers erupted.
As the sheep cat villagers embraced and rejoiced, Kiji raised his voice, his expression solemn once more.
"However, there is still a chance the bandits' ringleader is out there! Save your relief and celebration for later! Stay on high alert!"
"B-But, Lord Kiji, didn't all the humans die according to plan?"
An old woman voiced an innocent doubt, casting a sideways glance at me.
Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to think I might feel guilty about killing members of my own human race. Unfortunately for her, it appeared I wasn't that kind of decent person. I hadn't felt the slightest twinge of guilt over killing them. In fact, right now, my interest lay entirely elsewhere...
"Yeah, the humans who invaded are dead. But it's not over yet."
At Kiji's grim, measured reply, the elderly villagers gasped.
So Kiji shares my assessment after all.
"Why is that? Didn't you kill most of the bandits?"
A cat-faced woman with short red hair asked Kiji, her brow furrowing.
"Yeah. But Charme hasn't returned. Which means..."
Kiji trailed off. He probably lacked confidence in his own deduction. It was completely natural to wish that the raid was truly over.
However, there was a vicious mastermind behind this incident. While that mastermind's objective remained unknown, as long as Charme hadn't returned, this bandit raid was still ongoing. The chances of that were overwhelmingly high.
"Are you talking about that mastermind Gil mentioned?"
Chato asked me, his expression grave.
"Yeah, without a doubt."
Chato stared at me for a beat before turning away.
"Hey, we're securing the defenses for this cave right now!"
Rallying the armed young men of the sheep cat tribe, he briskly marched toward the entrance of the cave.
"Gil, thank you for the battle earlier. And I apologize for my past disrespect."
Kiji bowed deeply to me. The surrounding villagers began to murmur at his humble attitude toward me—a human and a captive, no less.
"No, I don't really mind. Besides, we're far from finished."
Honestly, it was completely natural given Kiji's position. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't have let someone so blatantly suspicious run around freely either. If anything, Kiji and the others were far too good-natured to trust me after just this much.
"I want to plan our next move. I'm sorry to ask, but lend us your wisdom once more. What should we do next?"
"Now that we've wiped out the bulk of their forces, all that's left is an all-out clash. They surely realize that too. In short—"
"Tricks won't work anymore?"
"Yeah. Probably not."
If it really didn't end with that battle, the bandits still have a trump card. And if I were commanding them, the trump card I'd save for last would be an individual of overwhelming, absolute strength. Unless we defeat that person, Charme won't be coming back.
"A brute-force clash, then. But you still have a plan, don't you?"
Tucking in my chin, I gave voice to my conviction regarding the coming fight.
"All we have to do is make good use of our advantages."
"Advantages?"
"Yeah. Under normal circumstances, a cave like this is terrible for defense. After all, if they tried to smoke us out with fire, we'd be completely helpless. But that won't happen this time."
"Because of their objective?"
"Exactly. Their goal in attacking is to capture you sheep cats. That means they can't kill you. That will be our greatest advantage."
While the mastermind's true goal remained unclear, the bandits' purpose was simple: capture the sheep cats and sell them off to slave traders for a fortune. If so, they wouldn't dare harm the sheep cats they consider merchandise.
"Understood. We'll follow your lead. What should we do next?"
At Kiji's words, the short-haired redheaded woman paled and confronted him.
"Lord Kiji, have you lost your mind?! There's no proof this guy isn't an enemy spy!"
"If Gil were an enemy spy, he wouldn't have wiped out their main force in the first place. Besides, our backs are against the wall."
Stepping up to me, Kiji raised the spear in his right hand and severed the rope binding my wrists in a single clean stroke.
"Wh-What?!"
The short-haired redheaded woman gaped in sheer disbelief.
"Are you sure you want to set me free?"
"Didn't I say? Our backs are against the wall. This is just my intuition, but... I feel that without your strength, we won't make it through this crisis."
Kiji turned to face the few sheep cat men who had gone scouting with us.
"What about the rest of you who saw him in action?"
He asked for their stance.
"If someone capable of thinking up something that brutal were our enemy, we wouldn't stand a chance anyway, so it's fine by me," a black-haired sheep cat youth chimed in.
"Indeed. Either way, we have no other choice. That said, it doesn't mean we trust him completely. Once this matter is settled, you're going right back in the cell, understand?" a burly, cat-faced middle-aged man declared, glaring sharply at me.
"Fine by me. I have no intention of running away anyway."
"Everyone, you've all gone crazy!"
The short-haired redheaded cat woman cried out in sheer frustration, but an elderly woman caught her by the shoulder and firmly shook her head.
After trembling in agitation for a moment, the short-haired redheaded woman stormed off into the depths of the cave. The sheep cat villagers who remained unconvinced by Kiji's decision followed close behind her.
"Is that going to be an issue?"
"It doesn't matter. Either way, if Charme doesn't return, we'll be wiped out by the demon race currently marching south. Defending the village is our top priority right now."
At Kiji's words, the remaining sheep cats nodded in silence.
Relying on a human like me was sheer madness. From their perspective, that short-haired redheaded woman and her supporters were far more justified. Yet they were choosing to set me free. That was just how cornered Kiji and the others truly were.
"Understood. Then I'll lay out the plan to repel them. We don't have much time, so I need everyone to move efficiently."
I spoke, and the struggle for our final defense began.