Raimeiren had come by.
She visited Hiichiro so often that it never felt like much time had passed between her arrivals. It was unusual, then, that her business today was with me rather than her grandson.
"The Wyverns wish to reconcile," she announced.
"Huh?"
When it came to Wyverns, I only had experience with two groups: the ones that had attacked the village and the Small Wyverns that handled our long-distance communications. The former had been defeated and eaten, which left the Small Wyverns...
"Reconcile? I didn't think we were fighting. Did they have some sort of grievance with me?"
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
It seemed I had misunderstood. The one seeking a formal peace was the Wyvern Race Elder. He wanted to offer an apology for the incident where his kind attacked the village and establish a friendly relationship.
"Um... first of all, do Wyverns even have that much intelligence?"
"They aren't on the level of the Dragon Race, but Wyverns that have lived a long time possess high intelligence."
Apparently, because the violent ones were usually hunted down, only the mild-tempered Wyverns lived long enough to grow old and wise. It seemed the Wyverns had been looking for an opportunity to apologize for the trouble they had caused the village for a while now, but the timing never felt right, so they had gone to Raimeiren for advice.
"I don't know about an apology. I already killed and ate those Wyverns..."
Maybe I was the one who should be apologizing.
"Draim told me that you harbor such a deep-seated rage toward Wyverns that you can't help but kill them the moment they enter your sight," Raimeiren said.
"What kind of nonsense is that...?"
I took a moment to reflect on my own actions. The only ones I had ever been hostile toward were the ones that actually attacked us. Granted, I didn't have the highest opinion of Wyverns, but it wasn't like I had a 'kill on sight' policy. For starters, I hadn't touched the Small Wyverns.
It was fine. The claim was completely groundless. What was Draim thinking, telling Raimeiren something like that...?
...Wait.
Come to think of it, Draim had asked me about Wyverns a few times.
"Village Head, what do you think about Wyverns?"
"I'd kill them if I saw them."
Ah... I said it. I definitely said it.
In my defense, Draim usually brought those things up when we were drinking. I had just answered without thinking deeply about the intent behind the question. So that was why.
Draim—he had probably been approached by the Wyverns for advice on when to apologize. I felt a bit bad about it.
I decided to accept the Wyvern Race Elder's apology. I asked if there was any specific etiquette I needed to follow. Raimeiren said manners weren't necessary, but the Wyverns did have one request: they wanted to meet outside the Forest of Death.
...Wait, I was the one being summoned to receive an apology?
I tilted my head in confusion, but Raimeiren explained that Wyverns were physically incapable of flying over the Forest of Death. It wasn't a curse or a restriction; they simply lacked the strength and skill.
Then what about the ones that attacked the village? Apparently, those had been special—Wyverns with power that rivaled the Dragon Race.
I see. Well, if they had their reasons, it couldn't be helped. We settled on the mountain where Draim's Nest was located as the meeting place. Draim made arrangements to take me there when the time was right. That was a big help.
Since it would take some time for the word to reach the Wyverns and for them to arrive, I spent the interval waiting leisurely. I decided to try making some boxes for the kittens. Cats love boxes, after all.
For safety's sake, I avoided using nails and used traditional wood joinery instead. The results were quite good. I made enough for every kitten in the village. Compared to my early days here, my woodworking skills had certainly improved.
"Now then, kittens! Look at these!"
...They didn't even glance at them.
Why? Was the size wrong? Or the material? Would paper bags have been better? Paper was a precious commodity, though.
"Ah, Cat. You don't have to be so considerate. It's probably a bit small for you anyway."
The Cat looked at me expectantly.
"Alright, alright. I'll make a special one just for you. Is this size okay? You prefer it a bit cramped rather than spacious? I understand."
As soon as I finished the box for the Cat, the kittens all piled inside it. Why?
Eventually, the word came that the Wyverns were arriving, so Draim escorted me to his nest. My companions for the trip were Lu, Tia, and one member of the Lamia Race.
Lu and Tia were expected, but the Lamia was one of the workers from the Great Tree Dungeon. She had overheard that I was going to speak with the Wyvern Race Elder and had requested to come along. She promised she wouldn't cause any trouble, so I allowed it, but I wondered if she had some personal business with them.
The Wyvern Race Elder was massive—roughly the size of a Dragon. Behind him, several other Wyverns of similar scale were lined up, all assuming a submissive, prone position. Apparently, they couldn't take human form.
"We are deeply grateful that you took the trouble to visit us. Furthermore, we offer our sincerest apologies for the delay in our greeting."
The Elder's apology was incredibly polite, though his speech was a bit long-winded. To summarize: they were sorry the Wyverns had attacked the village. Those particular Wyverns were outliers and troublemakers even by their standards. They held no grudge over the fact that their kin had been defeated; instead, they hoped to establish a friendship with us from here on out.
I didn't want to make enemies unnecessarily, so I accepted the apology. Of course, this was on the condition that the Wyverns caused no further harm to the village.
"This is a token of our apology. It may seem insufficient to one who associates so closely with the Dragon Race, but it is the best we can offer. Please, accept it."
The Wyverns indicated a heap of stones they had brought. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were raw gemstones. Both Lu and Tia looked genuinely shocked by the size of the tribute, so the value must have been astronomical. I appreciated the sentiment, but I hoped they hadn't bankrupted themselves...
However, Lu and Tia had warned me beforehand that refusing an apology gift in this culture was considered a hostile act. I accepted the tribute. With that, the reconciliation was complete. Draim acted as the official witness.
Relief was visible on the Wyverns' faces. Afterward, the Lamia who had come with me pulled the Wyverns aside for a private chat. Honestly, I started to feel like they hadn't needed to go to such lengths just to apologize.
After the Wyverns departed, I spoke with Draim.
"To be honest, the Wyvern Race was in quite a bind," Draim explained. "They had been forced to reorganize their territories just to ensure they never accidentally entered your line of sight."
"Was it really that bad?"
"Indeed. The areas where they can actually live are limited. You likely saw some appearing near Shashato City, south of the Iron Forest. Being further restricted by the need to avoid you was making life very difficult for them."
"Ah, I see. Still, they seem to keep a very close eye on my movements."
"The Small Wyverns you use for communication report back to them. They are essentially the Elder's kin and informants."
...So the Small Wyverns were that clever, were they?
I suddenly felt a chill. I hoped I hadn't said or done anything too embarrassing in front of them.
...Yeah, I'm sure I was fine. I hoped.
Regardless, the primary reason the Wyverns were so terrified of me was because of Draim's poor phrasing. I told him that I'd prefer if he only asked me those kinds of questions when he was sober.
When I gave him that little jab, however, he looked me in the eye and told me he had asked me several times while he was perfectly sober, too.
Eh? Really?
...My apologies.