"This is the Ket Nya development plan I'd like to propose."
I presented the plan I had spent the past few days shaving off sleep to meticulously refine, but...
"..."
Everyone simply sat there in stunned silence, their mouths hanging half-open.
"Um, did I say something wrong?"
Growing genuinely anxious, I tried asking.
"No, it's not so much that it's bad, but... right?"
Chato looked to Tama beside him, seeking vague agreement.
"Yeah..."
Sure enough, she merely pulled back her chin with an uneasy grimace.
Kiji folded his arms and stared intently at me for a moment before speaking.
"What everyone is wondering, fundamentally speaking, is probably: 'Is such a thing even possible?'"
He translated everyone's reaction quite nicely.
"I believe I can do it with my abilities."
The verification I had done over the past few days was practically proof enough.
"Constructing a defensive barrier that doesn't rely on Charme. Furthermore, developing defense-type items enchanted with several spells and installing them in various locations. On top of that, drastically improving the village's overall productivity to raise our standard of living. If such a thing were possible..."
Kiji began muttering under his breath, running through hypothetical ideas.
"At any rate, as soon as I have your approval, I can get to work immediately. More importantly, there is something else I need you to decide on."
"You mean cooperating with the other tribes, as you mentioned earlier..."
At the cat-faced old woman's words, a heavy layer of anxiety settled over everyone's faces.
"I am against it! Do you know how many of our kin have fallen victim to them in the past?!"
A young man with a cat's head and black hair cut into a bob immediately spat out a fierce rejection.
"However, if things continue like this, we cannot stop Al's Army from advancing south. All the monsters in this Northground will end up as their playthings together. That is an undeniable fact."
The cat-faced old woman shook her head slowly from side to side, speaking as if chewing over every word.
"Even so, joining hands with those barbaric pigs and ogres couldn't possibly go well!"
Tama slammed her right fist against the tatami mat.
"You're right," I said. "If the goal is simply to join hands, it won't work out with battle maniacs like them."
It was strange. Without my memories, I shouldn't know any battle maniacs, yet I could state this with absolute certainty: trying to get along and join hands with them was a complete waste of effort.
For them, the only thing that mattered was whether someone was stronger or weaker than themselves. That was all. They would never listen to the words of anyone they deemed weak.
"Hey now, you're not planning to wage war with them, are you?"
"I don't intend to kill them, so it won't be a war. We're just going to thoroughly beat them into the ground."
Force them into complete submission, and only then extend a hand. That was practically the only way to speak with them as equals.
"You say 'thoroughly beat them into the ground' like it's easy, but our opponents are militant tribes that rival the very strongest in all of Northground, you know?"
"That doesn't matter. With the northern part of Northground almost entirely occupied, there is no doubt that the demon race known as Al possesses power far beyond that. If we keep our forces scattered like this, the south will surely be taken over by them as well."
"No, that's not what I mean. The problem is whether you can actually pull it off or not!"
To Chato's perfectly natural objection, I made a firm declaration in a strong tone.
"It's not a matter of whether we can or can't. We just have to do it."
The mastermind treating this Ket Nya village as an observation subject was a malicious lunatic.
There was one thing that had become clear through this recent incident. The mastermind had no particular desire to destroy us, nor any desire to save us.
In all likelihood, that bastard was pushing difficult trials onto us just to observe whether we could clear them safely. If we cleared one, we moved on to the next stage. If we lost, that was the end. I had a feeling he was playing that kind of game.
That was precisely why, if we stood by idly, we would lose nine times out of ten. And our defeat meant death. In that case, we had no choice but to take action, even if it meant taking risks right now.
"So it comes down to that again after all. But Gil is probably right."
Chato shrugged with a sigh.
"Chief Kiji, I'm backing Gil's proposal!" he declared, his expression turning solemn.
"There's no other way, huh? Considering our current situation, that might indeed be true. I agree with Gil too. You all already know that we can't keep going on like this, right?"
Tama nodded as well, seeking everyone's agreement. The entire group nodded faintly, their faces looking as if they had just chewed on a bitter bug.
"We have to do it... I suppose. Either way, if things stay as they are, there is no future for this village—no, for the monsters of this Northground."
With Kiji's declaration serving as the turning point, the Ket Nya advanced toward the next stage.