It was a strange sensation.
May the Kirin was right in front of me, and I looked around.
At the same time, May also seemed a little confused.
May jumped while in her Kirin form, and when she landed, the cloth on her arms fluttered softly as she touched down.
She was now in her human form, holding her head with her left hand.
"Hmm, that's an interesting Skill. Is it because the tenth one I saw looked completely different?"
May was probably sharing the information I obtained through my Skills.
I understood that this is what being "connected" felt like.
We were sharing the information I had—the map of the surroundings obtained from my Skills, and the reactions of enemies and allies.
If I were to add anything, I could also see the field of view May was looking at.
"...My head is starting to hurt. The amount of information increased all at once."
When I held my head, I saw myself holding my head through May's vision. It was an absurd situation of looking at both my own vision and May's vision simultaneously.
From the Jewel, the Seventh Generation gave me advice.
'Layel, limit the information flow. Can you do it? Stop sharing your vision—your five senses. Right now, you don't need to give the other party the Skill information either.'
Then, May's eyes widened.
"That's surprising. We're really having a conversation."
It seemed May could hear my voice too. I manipulated my Skills by instinct, managing to reduce the information flow.
When I no longer needed to see the other's vision, I shook my head.
The Fifth Generation spoke to May.
"Yeah. This is how Lyle and I have been conversing. The voices don't reach anyone else... but you picked up on it."
At the kind voice of the Fifth Generation, May brought both hands to her chest and began to cry.
"Frederick... I'm sorry. I... couldn't keep my promise."
Watching a girl cry right in front of you was a rather unpleasant feeling.
The Fifth Generation spoke in a gentle voice.
"It's fine. I lied too. Because I probably already knew we'd never meet again."
May wiped away her tears with her finger and answered with a smile.
"But we can talk like this again. That makes me happy, Frederick."
But the Fifth Generation—
"I'm sorry, May. The real me is already dead. What remains in this Jewel is the Skills, memories, and heart of me—Frederick Walt. It's like a recorded facsimile."
As he spoke sadly, May looked bewildered.
That was how much the Fifth Generation's presence within the Jewel resembled the real thing. Enough that even I thought so.
"The one who failed to keep the promise was me. Don't worry about it anymore."
"But... but!"
May reached out and touched the Jewel hanging from my neck. Suddenly, the scenery changed completely.
(This sensation... am I being pulled in?)
It was the cottage that appeared frequently in the Fifth Generation's memories.
Various animals were kept around it, and I stood there alongside May.
"Mikel, Angelo, and Maya... Why? They're all supposed to be dead already."
May, surprised, tried to touch the horses and other animals she had called by name. But she couldn't touch them—they passed right through her.
Then, May looked at the room where she had once lived.
From it, a girl in a white dress stepped out and began speaking to the animals.
The animals seemed to answer her, inching closer to the girl.
A large dog approached May and licked her face, and May beamed with joy.
"...Zeleute."
When she called the name, May's expression turned sorrowful and she looked down. Then, the sound of footsteps reached her.
When she turned around, the Fifth Generation had appeared at the entrance of the cottage.
"I never thought something like this was possible."
I was certain.
"A room of memories? But why is May here as well?"
The Fifth Generation pressed a hand to his head and shook it from side to side.
"Who knows. I can only think you connected with us through your Skills. But it's been a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it, May?"
May burst into tears and threw herself into the Fifth Generation's arms. She had taken the form of a Kirin.
"Frederick! I've grown bigger! I'm an adult now, so I can form my own herd!"
The Fifth Generation embraced the great Kirin's neck and gently stroked it.
"You've become magnificent. So, you're an adult now too... I'm truly glad. I was worried about you, after all. But now I understand. I wasn't able to see you in the end. Well, I'm just happy you've grown up so well."
The Fifth Generation explained to the Kirin, who tilted its head.
"...Our memories only extend as far as the moment we released this blue jewel that is now the Jewel. There's nothing beyond that. So we don't know what happened in the end."
May pressed her forehead against the Fifth Generation and let him stroke her.
Even so was enough—it was as though May was showing it through her actions.
"Hey, May. Could you do me a favor?"
"A favor?"
May leaned in to look up at the Fifth Generation's face.
"...Help out Lael."
The Fifth Generation entrusted May with a request concerning me.
Deep in the forest.
Once I came to, I decided to head back to the village.
May had already blasted the gathered Monsters away with lightning, so there was hardly any work left.
Keeping tabs on the surroundings with my Skills, I advanced toward the spot where the three boys had fled.
"This is it. Seriously, even if you're going to toss them around, at least keep them in one place. It's a pain gathering them all up."
I picked up the last silver coin and dropped it into the bag. Fifty coins in total.
That should be everything. The rest were probably still on the boys.
With a sigh, I turned around and saw May.
In human form.
And despite wearing an outfit clearly unsuitable for entering a forest, she stood there looking perfectly spotless.
No branches or undergrowth had snagged or torn her clothes. Even though the ground was muddy, her sandal-like footwear didn't seem to bother her at all.
She had a completely unbothered expression on her face, following behind me through the forest.
"You're really going to keep tagging along?"
May looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Of course. Frederick asked me to, after all. He's done nothing but help me, and I've never been able to return the favor. Besides, my goal is to take down Monsters too, so working from a human perspective isn't a problem."
I checked the recovered money, tucked it away, and turned to May.
"So, does this mean that if I'm coming with you, I'm becoming an adventurer?"
May looked at me with an exasperated expression.
"That's fine. I mean, among my companions, there are plenty of people who work as adventurers too. It's not like I'm the only one with an overactive curiosity."
Surprised by this unexpected fact, I was met with May's smiling face as she looked at me.
"Ah, but you won't be able to tell the difference. See?"
She touched the horn that grew from just behind her ear, and it shrank until it disappeared from sight.
"Now my appearance is just like a human's. There are some humans who occasionally have Skills, but... if anyone tries something, we'll fight back."
I stared in amazement.
"You should be able to tell with Skills, though."
"You'd be surprised at how hard it is to spot us. In reality, even when people do figure it out, most of them just pretend they didn't notice. There are idiots who don't, of course."
I didn't need to ask what happened to those kinds of idiots.
(So they flee if they're found out.)
No one with modest abilities could capture a Sacred Beast. And anyone with enough power to capture one would surely have enough power to make a living without going through the trouble.
May's gaze dipped slightly.
"Besides, if what Frederick told you is true, we can't stay out of this either. For your kind, it was roughly three hundred years ago. Back then, our numbers were supposedly reduced drastically. All for the sake of a single human."
Agrissa —.
Tracing grandmother's bloodline back to its origin, it led to Agrissa, who was said to be a beauty so stunning she could topple a kingdom.
And Ceres, who shared that same bloodline, was attempting to move an entire country in a similar fashion.
"Was the reduction really that severe?"
May told me about it, though she said she didn't know all the details.
"There was one of our kind who let their guard down. They got captured, stuffed into a taxidermy display, their horns and scales turned into human tools, and their flesh and blood were eaten, apparently. Humans aren't exactly short on food, so it's quite the thing to do, isn't it?"
It seemed like a sentiment May couldn't fully comprehend.
"Is that the only reason you're helping me?"
May placed a hand on her chin and studied me with a serious expression, her gaze traveling from my toes to the top of my head.
"Frederick Walt isn't around anymore, so I thought I'd ask his descendant — you. Hey, why don't you have children with me? Two would be ideal, if possible. Really, I'd like about five, though."
I nearly spit out my drink, and from inside the Jewel, the Fifth Generation erupted.
"Mayyyy!! You need to treasure things like that more!! Don't just say stuff like that!"
There was quite the commotion going on, while the Sixth Generation grumbled.
"She told us animals get this kind of treatment, yet she keeps telling us to hurry up and make babies... I just can't accept that, you know?"
I looked at May, who was tilting her head to the side.
"Do you even understand what you're saying? And besides, why not ask a male of your own kind?"
May snorted at me with a scoff.
"What about you — are you sure you're fine? Us creatures that you call Sacred Beasts don't have males, you know. Besides, I know a thing or two about making children. That's why I can take human form, right? Ah, but... if someone told me they'd prefer I stay in my Kirin form, that would put me in a tough spot too. I've never heard of anyone with that kind of particular taste before."
Watching May blush and scratch her head, I shouted at her.
"Are you stupid?! Who would say something like that?!"
"Oh, good then. Man, when you live as long as we do, the numbers just keep dwindling no matter what. Lately Monsters have been multiplying, so if things stayed as they were, the balance would've been thrown off. So, when we get back, let's make some kids, okay?"
I shook my head vigorously.
"Why not? Do you already have a partner? Come to think of it, you did have a lot of girls with you... Ah, wait — is it some kind of harem thing? But that's weird. I heard humans don't really build harems on that scale. Ah! I've got it!"
May seemed to have reached her own conclusion.
"Frederick had a harem too, so you must be the type of humans who build harems. Yeah, yeah, there are definitely human males who build harems, that’s for sure!"
"You’re full of mistakes! Can you even live in human society with that kind of understanding?!"
I tried to correct her misunderstandings—but—
"But the girls around you were all attracted to you, right? I don’t really understand humans. Anyway, I want your species, so I’ll keep following you. I’ll lend you my power, and you’ll spread your seed with me. That works, right?"
"That does not work! It’s wrong in so many ways, I don’t even know where to begin correcting… Anyway, you can only do that with someone you like, right?"
Then, a voice came from within the Jewel.
Starting from the Third Generation.
'What do we do? I can’t agree with Ryle’s values.'
'Wait, if we can borrow the Kirin’s power that way, isn’t that fine?'
'The adorable May is… wait, aren’t Ryle’s values weird?'
'Seventh Generation… didn’t you educate him wrong?'
'Well, Zenoa and I were a perfect married couple. I suppose it’s natural for Ryle to envy that.'
It irritated me that the Seventh Generation was casually boasting, but I had heard my grandmother giving him a hard time about it before.
She had gently taught me to be careful with things like that.
(It’s not like we’re nobles anymore, so there’s no political marriage or anything! And talking about just making children… who’s going to explain that to the companions?!)
On the way back, I wore a tired expression as I returned to the village after hearing May’s outrageous request.
"Listen, absolutely do not talk about making babies! Seriously, don’t! Especially in front of Novem, never ever talk about it!"
Then, May remembered something.
"Novem? Ah, the one with her hair tied up. That girl… she seemed really curious about you. Your harem seems to have all sorts of unusual members, but she’s especially so. I wonder why… it feels like I’ve known her for a long time."
What was she talking about? Just as I was about to ask her to repeat that, I stopped because my companions—Novem and the others—burst into the forest entrance looking for me.
After returning from the forest, I went to the village chief's house to make my report.
Sweat dripping down his face, the village chief let out a deep sigh after hearing my story.
"So, the Kirin won't be destroying this village after all?"
"Yes, I've settled the matter with it. The Kirin also agreed to keep its threats just that—threats—so long as we don't further upset the balance of the forest."
I couldn't tell them that May was the Kirin.
The trio, it seemed, were locked up in the village storehouse.
Apparently, when the returning trio told the story of angering the Kirin, the village had descended into chaos.
Naturally, the village chief had been blamed.
He was in the middle of figuring out how to handle it when I arrived, so we were discussing it now.
"That's a relief. But how do I make the villagers understand... There are some fools who'd say we should kill those three and offer them to the forest."
Even if I explained that doing so would be pointless, the village chief didn't have the means to stop the panicking villagers right now.
My gaze fell on the village's money placed on the table.
Then, from within the Jewel, the Third Generation spoke.
'Ah, I've thought of something good.'
Thinking it was absolutely not going to be good, I still touched the Jewel and asked the Third Generation to explain.
'This is the best way for both Lyle and the village chief. We'll have May help us, but first, let's make a deal with the village chief, Lyle.'
The Sixth Generation must have found it interesting too, as he agreed with the Third Generation.
'That sounds good. Is the reward reporting the results of the Guild examination?'
The Fourth Generation chimed in as well.
'I was thinking of waiving the commission fee later as well, but... In such a dire situation, the village chief might indeed be willing to lend us a hand. And we'd even get to do him a favor!'
The Fifth Generation.
'I don't want to drag May into your shady dealings, but I suppose it can't be helped.'
The Seventh Generation.
'Both sides stand to benefit. Laiel... this is helping someone in need. The village chief will earn the village's trust, and you'll gain the reputation to take on the Dungeon. It's a win-win deal.'
What were these guys scheming in their heads as they stared intently at the village chief right in front of me...
But I couldn't come up with a way out of this situation either.
"Village Chief, could I have a word?"
"What is it?"
And so, I struck a deal with the village chief.