Lying on a hill at the edge of Ket Nya, I stared blankly up at the clear blue sky, lost in thought.
I had known it all along. I was a human, a foreign element among them. If anything, the welcoming attitudes of Kiji, Chato, Bū, and the rest were the true anomaly. This outcome was only natural. It was supposed to be expected, and yet...
(I see. I must just be lonely.)
They were monsters. Beings thought to be far less capable of understanding humans than even the demon race, who had feuded with humanity for so long. Believing that trust could ever be built between us was what was truly foolish. In fact, just as Crocodus had said, the way Char and the others treated me was what was actually abnormal.
I understood that in my head, but I think the realization that they would never truly trust me left me feeling hopelessly lonely at that moment.
(Once this situation settles down, I should leave.)
It was something I had been considering for a while now. This was a paradise for monsters. Above all, I wished from the bottom of my heart for it to become just that. To achieve that, I was clearly an unnecessary impurity. Only by removing me would this city truly be complete.
"Still, I really don't like the thought of it..."
Just as I muttered the words to myself, a voice spoke up.
"Indeed. It is good for the young to fret over such things."
That familiar, robust voice vibrated against my eardrums. Turning only my head, I saw the dog-faced man, Mr. Lou, standing there.
"Mr. Lou, is the meeting over?"
"Pretty much. It was just decided that we'll launch the subjugation operation against that southward-marching lizard two days from now."
"I see. If you and the others are on it, stopping its advance should be well within reach."
As long as Mr. Lou was there, there shouldn't be any problem. After all, the depths of this man's strength seemed utterly bottomless. On top of that, he was sharp. I even felt like he could effortlessly defeat the giant blue dragon Cetus, which was still continuing its march south.
"I wonder about that."
Uttering that cryptic remark, Mr. Lou turned his back to me.
"Mr. Lou?"
This was the first time I had ever seen him act so evasive. Because of that, I couldn't help asking what he meant.
"Gil, if by any chance my actions are hindered, you are to carry out the rest of the operation."
Without looking back, Mr. Lou gave the instruction flatly.
"What do you mean by—"
Before I could finish, Mr. Lou gave a slight wave of his right hand and walked away.
A situation where Mr. Lou's actions were hindered? That would be synonymous with losing our greatest fighting force. It was a possibility I really didn't want to consider.
However, Mr. Lou had never been one to needlessly stoke anxiety. Which meant he believed such an event was at least a realistic possibility.
If that was the case...
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. It'll work out somehow."
As if trying to ward off the overwhelming anxiety threatening to crush me, I muttered the words with as much conviction as I could muster.