42 – I…….was not able to communicate with the monster!! (Zamaa)

――Martz Town.

We had left the members of the Monster Protection Society, The Order of the Bear Guardians, behind in the forest and made our way to the town. When we offered them some drinks, they started boasting, saying things like, “We can totally have a conversation with the Bloody Bear!” or “It’s too cute to be killed!”—going on and on with their complaints.

Since they were so confident they could communicate with monsters, there should be no problem leaving them in a monster-infested forest, right?

That being said, Omonel and the others’ flattery skills were top-notch. With just a few nods here and there, they managed to get the members drinking more and more!

Now we were invited to the mansion of Otto, the mayor of Martz. It was during the dinner party when it happened.

Were those children his?

They peeked at the dishes served to us from behind the door, their fingers in their mouths, watching longingly. As soon as their mother noticed, she shooed them away. Even though the town clearly wasn’t wealthy, they were putting their all into giving us the best hospitality they could. It was touching.

After we’d gratefully finished the meal, Otto began to speak.

“So, you wish for us to handle a monster?”

“Yes, there’s a particularly dangerous one with cubs. We call her Elizabeth, and she’s been so violent that we can barely venture into the mountains anymore…”

“Then that’s impossible!”

“Please, we’re desperate…”

“If it’s a monster with cubs, it’s already in my stomach! Ha ha ha!”

“How reassuring!”

“Though, it wasn’t exactly me who killed her. She and a Wild Boar ended up killing each other.”

“Even so, I’d love to share in Prince Blood’s incredible luck.”

“My luck is not something that can be shared, but I’ve got some smoked Bloody Bear and Wild Boar. Care to try?”

“What a generous offer. We’d be honored to partake.”

Omonel and the others handed out sausages and bacon to Otto’s children.

“Ha ha ha! Kids, eat up and grow strong! One day, I’ll make you my soldiers!”

“Yeah! I’ll be the fwoundation (foundation) of bwat… Bwath’s fwores (fortress)!”

Construction material, maybe?

The kid’s lisping response was just too adorable. Seeing children like this made me fear that Freesia would start saying things like, “Let’s have one of our own right away!” in that terrifyingly eager way she does.

But this heartwarming moment was interrupted by an unwelcome arrival. As Otto and I were enjoying our conversation, we were suddenly surrounded by that suspicious group again. The Monster Protection Society.

“Monsters have hearts too!”

“Make peace with the monsters!”

“We can understand monsters!”

“We must be able to communicate with them!”

Peeking out the window, I saw the rabble holding up placards, chanting their slogans. It wasn’t even something directed at me, but I still found myself clicking my tongue in annoyance.

Otto let out a deep sigh.

“They’ve been coming every day now, just like this… Since this is a direct royal territory, even when we file complaints to the officials, they just bow to their pressure and dismiss it with a, ‘You deal with it yourselves.’ And the number of townspeople who have been sacrificed because of this… it’s more than just a few.”

“I see… However, you lack the resolve required of a ruler. Leave this to me.”

“But I can’t trouble Your Highness with such matters…”

“Think of it as some light exercise after a meal.”

Stepping out of Otto’s mansion, I gave the order to Omonel and the others.

“Do it.”

Without hesitation, Omonel and the others surrounded the members of the Monster Protection Society.

“You’re going to silence us with force?!”

“Did you just ask if I intend to silence you?”

“That’s right!”

“No, I’m simply telling you to leave.”

“If you think we’ll leave that easily, you’re sorely mistaken!”

Instead of heeding Omonel’s warning, the group members sat down in protest. Omonel and the others had no problem; they swiftly rounded them up and locked them in a cage. Meanwhile, soldiers who had been practicing driving off bear cubs as part of their training happened to approach us.

The bear cubs, pursued by the soldiers, were running frantically toward us.

A soldier, presumably the commander, approached and reported to me.

“My deepest apologies! We failed to catch them, and they’ve escaped towards you!”

“No need to apologize; you’ve done excellent work. I’ll see that you are rewarded for this.”

“E-excuse me?”

The commander looked shocked, but as we herded the cubs, they ended up running straight into the cage where we’d imprisoned the Monster Protection Society members, joining them inside.

“Good luck talking it out.”

Though it was still a juvenile, the cub already stood over two meters tall. It had a somewhat chubby build, but its size wasn’t much different from the brown bears of my previous life.

Having killed its mother, the cub was understandably agitated. It bared its sharp fangs and growled menacingly at the members of the Monster Protection Society.

“I-it’s okay… We’re not your enemies. We’re here to protect you. So, please, don’t be mad…”

The leader of the group stepped forward, trying to make peace with the bear cub, using exaggerated gestures to calm it down.

But the cub continued its growling and intimidation.

The man, clearly nervous under the gaze of the others, cautiously took a step closer to the cub.

“So, how’s it going? Can you talk to it? If not, say so quickly, or else your lives will be in danger.”

“S-shut up! We’re talking to the bear right now. Don’t interrupt, just—wait, what the!?”

Distracted by me, the man failed to notice the cub biting down on his arm.

“Aaaaghhhh! It hurts! It huuurrts!”

“Get off me, you damn bear! Let go! Let go, I said!”

“Let go? Don’t you mean ‘talk’?”

“There’s no way we can talk to this monster!”

One of the other members accidentally blurted out their true feelings, and by the time they realized it, it was too late.

“Look, there’s a weapon right there. If you don’t want to die, shouldn’t you be doing something more important than trying to ‘talk’?”

Despite all their talk of dialogue, the man whose arm was being bitten immediately reached for a dagger and thrust it towards the bear cub’s forehead. The sound of the blade striking the cub’s tough skull echoed, but the cub paid no mind, continuing its attempt to tear the man’s arm off.

“Somebody, go help the leader…”

“N-no way… I don’t want to die.”

“Who was it that said we could talk to monsters…?”

A fight among the group was about to break out, but to the bear cubs, it was just feeding time. The other cub began approaching the rest of the members, leaving the leader behind.

“Ahhhh! Stay away from me!”

The members were running around in circles, being chased by the cubs while the leader was still being bitten in the middle of it all.

“We have to protect the monsters!”

“We can communicate with monsters!”

This was the true nature of those who had so boldly made those claims…

If there were livestreams in this world, I’d be tempted to broadcast this for everyone to see.

“I’ve heard from the mayor. Because you interfered with the monster hunt, many people from the town were killed or injured. But I am merciful. If you manage to take down the cub, I’ll forgive all your sins.”

Even without me saying anything, the members of the “Monster Protection Society” were fighting for their lives. But the outcome was clear before it even happened.

Once they were all dead, the name “Protect the Bears Society” felt nothing short of ironic. Maybe they should have called themselves “The Society to Be Protected From Monsters.”

Given that so many innocent townspeople had become victims of the Society’s foolishness, I felt no sympathy for them.

“Well, at least you got your wish. You’ve become the bear’s favorite snack.”

With the trash cleaned up, I started on my way back home. Just then, from the distance, a cavalry and carriage bearing the crest of Liebenlassia appeared.

“Braaaad-saaaaamaaaaaaa!”

A familiar voice called out from the carriage window.

“Freesia!?”