—The New City of Ket Nya.
Two months had passed since the battle with Cetus.
Word of Cetus's defeat had swept across Northground, and monsters from all over the region soon began seeking refuge in Ket Nya in droves. Naturally, having to secure living quarters for them all meant Ket Nya's expansion proceeded at a breakneck pace. Currently, it was structured with the central Ket Nya surrounded by five other satellite settlements, all linked together by high stone walls.
This grand blueprint had originally been proposed by Mr. Lou. In truth, that monster had only drafted the plan for his own amusement after taking an interest in my Mimicry ability, so I had initially taken it with a grain of salt, but...
"To think it actually worked..."
Kiji muttered the very thought on my mind as he stared blankly at the monsters still streaming into Ket Nya along the stone walls.
"No kidding. If you'd told me this a while back, I never would've believed it."
Bū nodded repeatedly in agreement with Kiji.
"It's all thanks to Gil!"
Char, the red-haired girl clinging to my right arm, puffed out her chest with pride.
"True enough. Gil, the ridiculous stunts you've been pulling lately are starting to look an awful lot like Mr. Lou's."
Tama shot me a half-lidded glance as she delivered her backhanded jab.
"Mr. Lou, huh... Where could that person have gone?"
Ever since that day, Mr. Lou hadn't shown his face. The absence of our greatest fighter was by far our biggest cause for concern. Two months had already passed—far too long. Under normal circumstances, we would have to assume he had fallen to that white-masked monster, but...
"Well, knowing that gentleman, he must have his reasons for staying away."
Not a single soul among us, Kiji included, actually believed Mr. Lou had lost. Or rather, I think none of us—myself very much included—could even conceive of that monster suffering a defeat.
"Bah, it's the boss! He'll pop up out of nowhere when we least expect it. Until then, we've gotta hold down the fort ourselves. So, you really serious about begging those humans for help?"
With an unusually grim expression, Bū brought up the exact matter we were heading to discuss.
"It's the only way left for us to survive. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, I guess..."
To be completely honest, even I knew this plan was a double-edged sword. After all, the current Hero—humanity's strongest asset and the only person in this world who might be able to turn this situation around—was infamous for utterly despising the demon race and monsters. Even with my memories gone, I remembered that much, so there was no mistaking it. At the same time, the Central Church, which held overwhelming sway among mankind, was completely out of the question. Their doctrine strictly dictated discrimination based on whether one possessed a Gift. When even the beastfolk, who lacked Gifts, were being actively persecuted, there was no chance in hell they would lend aid to monsters under any circumstances.
On a national level, the Holy Amelia Kingdom—which had the Hero on its side—was obviously out of the question, while the Glitnir Empire and the great eastern power of Butou were fundamentally driven by human supremacy, making any alliance impossible.
If there was a single faction in this entire world that might actually listen to us, it was the Hunter Guild. They were driven by profit, not ideology. If they determined that the monsters posed no threat to humanity and that dealing with us offered a tangible benefit, there was a chance they might guarantee protection for our settlement.
It was a reckless gamble, of course. But if we simply sat on our hands and did nothing, nine times out of ten, every single monster in Northground would be slaughtered. Looking at our enemy's movements over the past two months, that much was an undeniable certainty.
"To think those fiends would sacrifice their own kind among the demon race..."
Kiji scowled as if chewing on a bitter bug.
These past two months had brought a few new developments—namely, a faction from the demon race that had defected and sought asylum with us.
Naturally, wary of a potential trap, we had strictly quarantined them as prisoners. But the nightmare that poured from their lips was almost too horrific to believe.
"Yeah. Eighty percent of the stationed demons have already been sacrificed in that vile ritual of theirs. That's how they treat their own people. It goes without saying what'll happen to us if we're caught."
Sacrificing humans or monsters would have been one thing. Cross-species relations were rarely civil at the best of times, and that was just the nature of war.
Yet they were ruthlessly butchering their fellow demons—countless numbers of their own countrymen—all to fuel some grotesque, unknown ritual. I had certainly heard tales of Aldebaran's wickedness, but this was on an entirely different level. Aldebaran had crossed a line as a king—no, as a living being.
"Gil..."
I gently patted Char's head as she clung to my right arm once more, looking up at me with worry in her eyes.
"It'll be fine. That's precisely why we need human help."
I spoke with conviction, as much to convince myself as her.
Left unchecked, those monsters would inevitably become a threat to the entire world. That very threat was our only leverage in swaying the Hunter Guild.
I believed that if we brought the defecting demons along and laid out the reality of the situation, we might just be able to persuade them.
"Hate to ruin the mood, lovebirds, but we're here."
Bū flashed a smirk, pointing his right forefinger toward Ket Nya's inner gates.
For some reason, Tama puffed out her cheeks and looked away, while Kiji gave a weary shrug.
Wrapped in an intensely awkward atmosphere, we stepped forward and passed through the gates of Ket Nya.