The place I currently call home is the Land of Death.
Specifically, the woods within this land are known as the Forest of Death.
There’s a reason the word "death" is tossed around so casually here.
It’s because there are almost no birds in this forest.
A forest where no birds fly, a land where no birds fly—hence, the Forest of Death and the Land of Death.
As for why there are almost no birds...
It’s because the monsters and magical beasts here hunt them relentlessly.
I hadn't known the specifics before, but the spiders known as Demon Spiders reign as the ultimate apex predators for anything with feathers.
Usually, you’d expect it to be the other way around—birds eating spiders.
Now, as for why I was reminiscing about all this...
It was because right before my eyes, ten Angels and about thirty Harpies—at least, I assumed they were Harpies, given their winged arms—had been swatted out of the sky by the silk of Zabuton’s children and were currently being thrashed by Kuro’s children.
Ah, confirmed. They are indeed Harpies.
Erm...
"I apologize, Village Head. If you could please... call them off..."
Granmaria bowed her head with a troubled expression.
I listened to her explanation of the situation.
Apparently, when she went to reach out to some Angels she knew, she happened to run into the daughter of the Angel Race Leader.
After being grilled for information about the village, the daughter became enraged upon learning that Tia had given birth to my child.
She had gathered her forces and charged straight here.
...
"So, in other words, they’re enemies?"
At my words, the Angels and Harpies—who had been forced into a formal seiza position after receiving medical treatment—visibly flinched.
"I-It’s not like we had any particular hostile intent..."
I heard one of the Angels mutter that, so I shot back:
"You gathered an armed force and marched on the village, didn't you? That’s clear hostile intent."
"Hie..."
Currently, the only ones present were myself and Granmaria.
Lined up in a row before us were the Angels and Harpies, all sitting in seiza.
Behind them, Kuro’s children were prowling back and forth.
Their job was to pin down anyone who tried to stand up without permission.
When I had called for Tia, Lu, and Flora to treat the wounded, only Flora had shown up.
Apparently, the others felt it was better not to show their faces for the time being.
I suppose they have their reasons.
"Granmaria. Why would the news of Tia having my child make her so angry?"
"Village Head. A word, if you please."
Granmaria led me a short distance away from the kneeling group to explain.
"The Angel Race is fundamentally a race of women."
I recalled hearing something like that from Tia a while back.
"However, we require males to propagate the species."
That made sense.
"Therefore, we seek partners from other races."
I see.
"Usually, we look to the Human Race, but we have a litany of traditions, trials, and screenings... The difference in how those are viewed is the source of this conflict."
"...That’s a bit too summarized. I’d like a little more detail."
"If an Angel doesn't marry someone of high social standing, the rest of the race is looked down upon. To prevent that, they established incredibly strict trials, but the difficulty became so high that eventually, no one could pass them. Now, the race is split into the Trial-Upholding Faction and the Trial-Ignoring Faction, and they spend their time bickering."
"Ah..."
"As the daughter of the Angel Race Leader, she belongs to the Trial-Upholding Faction. Lady Tia, myself, Kudel, and Corone were technically on that side as well, but... well, considering the Village Head..."
"So she got angry and decided to raid the place."
"Yes."
Incidentally, I learned that keeping egg-laying races like Lizardmen or Harpies as subordinates was a way for them to signal that their own bloodlines remained "pure" and "undefiled."
I see.
"For now, I could just impose some kind of penalty and be done with it, but..."
Thinking about the positions Tia and Granmaria held within their race, I felt a bit hesitant.
"What exactly do these trials entail?"
"Eh?"
"I mean, if I pass the trial and prove I'm a worthy partner for an Angel, then there isn't a problem, right?"
"W-Well, yes. Technically... but..."
"Is it one of those impossible tasks? Like flying through the sky or staying underwater for an hour?"
"It's close to that... but I believe you’ll be fine, Village Head."
"Really?"
"Yes. After all, you are Lady Tia’s partner."
"I'm the partner for Tia and the rest of you, too."
Granmaria blushed slightly.
Well, before we got to that, I wanted to hear an apology from the Angels and Harpies.
"Now then... erm... daughter of the Angel Race Leader."
"I am Kierbit."
"Kierbit. I understand your reasons for coming here. That makes you an enemy. And since I’ve captured you, you belong to me. I’m free to do whatever I wish with you. Do you understand?"
"Wait! I-I am the daughter of the Angel Race Leader!"
"I know."
"If you do anything to me, the Angel Race won’t stay silent!"
"Granmaria. Is that true?"
"I suppose... but since Lady Tia is here, I believe we'll be fine."
"How does the power balance look?"
"Lady Tia is the strongest in the Angel Race. The Leader follows her, and we are roughly a tier below that."
"Hmm... So, there are ten Angels here, but..."
"If I cooperate with Kudel and Corone, we can win."
"How many other Angels are there?"
"Total population is around three hundred. But as for those who can be contacted and would act alongside the Leader... perhaps fifty?"
"Fifty. Considering there are ten here, that’s five times as many..."
It took about two of Kuro’s children to pin down one Angel.
If I factored in Zabuton’s children as well...
"I don't think we would lose."
"Then it doesn't matter how I treat them."
"Exactly."
"Wait, wait, wait! I-It’s not just the Angels! We have many other races that cooperate with us! If you lay a hand on me, they’ll descend on this place in the thousands—no, two thousands!"
"...I see."
"It seems you finally understand. Now, hurry up and release me."
Actually, I hadn't even tied her up.
She was just sitting in seiza.
Though, with Kuro’s children standing watch, I suppose it was a form of restraint.
...
I stepped away from Kierbit and stood before the Harpies.
"Harpies. It seems you all just followed her because you were told to. Is that right?"
The one who seemed to be the Harpy representative answered.
"Yes. That is correct."
"I see. In that case, I’ll forgive you if you pledge yourselves to Granmaria instead of Kierbit. I’ll even provide a meal. What do you say?"
"...Our loyalty belongs to Lady Granmaria."
As if they had rehearsed it, they all bowed their heads in perfect, synchronized unison.
"Y-Y-You traitors!"
"Good. As promised, I forgive you. You may stand."
"Thank you very much."
The Harpies waited until Kuro’s children stepped back, then stood up and began stretching.
Was the seiza that painful for them?
"As for the meal... ah, here it is. I'm sorry we can only provide simple dishes, but please, eat."
"No, we are most grateful."
The Harpies began eating the food brought over by the High Ogre Maids.
For a moment, I wondered how they’d manage with wings for arms, but they were skillfully gripping spoons with the claws positioned midway along their wings.
Furthermore, I was surprised by how polite their manners were.
I’d always had an image of birds being messy eaters.
I felt a bit guilty for having such a baseless prejudice.
Now, for the next group.
I looked at the Angels other than Kierbit.
Including Kierbit herself, they were all shimmering beauties.
They must spend a lot of time on their hair.
Their outfits were designed for combat, but the elegance of the design far outweighed any ruggedness.
Then there were the beautiful white wings on their backs, radiating presence.
They were the very image of Angels.
Though they still couldn't hold a candle to Tia or Granmaria. (I’m biased toward my family, of course.)
Right now, however, their hair, clothes, and wings were all caked in mud.
Their beauty was being completely wasted.
Perhaps they were conscious of it themselves, as they kept trying to brush off the dirt whenever they thought I wasn't looking.
"You lot probably just followed Kierbit’s lead as well. If you apologize honestly, I’ll forgive you."
...
No response.
I suppose they had a different sense of pride than the Harpies.
"Village Head. May I?"
"Hmm?"
Granmaria whispered an explanation.
"For the Harpies, as long as they serve the Angel Race, it doesn't matter if it's Kierbit or me. That’s why they flipped so easily. But for these women, if they openly betray the Leader’s daughter, they might be safe for now, but they'll face trouble later."
"They can't even use a 'convenient excuse' for their own safety?"
"Not while Kierbit is right in front of them."
"I see."
Time for a different approach, then.
"The fact that Kierbit attacked this village is an unforgivable crime! Therefore, Kierbit must endure ten punishments. Even a single punishment is likely to be quite agonizing. If she receives ten... well, it might end in a tragedy. No, it will almost certainly be a tragedy."
At my explanation, Kierbit turned deathly pale.
"However, for every person who apologizes, I will remove one of Kierbit's punishments. If two of you apologize, I’ll remove two. If three apologize, I’ll remove three. What do you say?"
"We are deeply sorry."
Everyone except Kierbit bowed their heads instantly.
Granmaria looked genuinely stunned.
"I can't believe Kierbit’s entourage would fold that easily..."
"You just have to give them a valid reason to back down. In this case, the reason is 'to save Kierbit.'"
"Alright, everyone except Kierbit may stand up. We’ll get some food for you, too. You can also use the bath."
Now, for the last one.
Kierbit.
What should I do with her?
"I apologize. I was in the wrong."
As I was deliberating in front of her, she bowed her head first.
...
"...Now then, what should I do?"
"I'm sorry."
She was half-sobbing.
Did I bully her a little too much?
No, no, she did try to raid the village.
She should at least have to go through this.
And since she finally managed to apologize...
"I forgive you."
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Kierbit burst into a full-blown wail.