Spatial Leap (3)
The Haerin Tribe.
One of the many rare races that exist in this world. The woman standing before me was unmistakably one of them — they were the only people who wore the appearance of ordinary humans on land, yet became sheathed in scales from head to toe the moment they entered the water.
I never imagined I'd run into a race this rare in a place like this, so I was a little taken aback.
"What're you staring at? Never seen anything like me?"
"......"
Before long, the scales that had risen across her skin had all but vanished. She wasn't wearing so much as a thread, leaving her completely naked, so I discreetly averted my gaze.
Come to think of it, theirs wasn't a race that felt much shame about baring their bodies the way humans did.
The woman looked me up and down, then clicked her tongue and went on.
"How long are you gonna sit there spacing out? I just saved you from becoming fish food, and you don't even have a thank-you?"
I shook the water from my hair and got to my feet.
"You didn't need to save me."
"......What?"
"I wasn't in any danger. You stuck your nose in where it wasn't wanted."
I could have just said thanks and left it at that, but her tone had gotten under my skin. Courtesy goes both ways.
"Wow. Unbelievable!"
She let out a gasp of sheer incredulity.
"That wasn't dangerous?"
"That's right."
"You've got some nerve. Is a simple thank-you that hard? What, you think I'd demand some kind of payment just because I saved you, like you humans would?"
"I was just stating the facts."
"Fine. Whatever. Ugh, this is exactly why you humans are..."
She shook her head and turned away. I watched her retreating back.
Have the Haerin been living in Lake Gaitan too?
That was news to me. They were so rare I'd only encountered them once even while playing the game. And I'd always known the Haerin as a coastal people... so what were they doing in a lake like this?
It had been such an unexpected meeting that I was still turning it over when a thought suddenly struck me.
Then she'd know this lake pretty well, wouldn't she?
Which meant she might know where the place I was looking for was. The moment that occurred to me, I called after her.
"Hey. Haerin."
She stopped at my shout and turned back, looking a little startled.
"What's with you? You know about our race?"
"I do."
"How?"
"I read about you in a book. A legendary race that looks human on land, but covers itself in scales like a fish in the water."
"......Le-legendary?"
For some reason, the corner of her mouth twitched.
"Hmmm. Legendary, huh. So that's how we Haerin are known among you humans?"
"......"
Is she actually pleased about being called legendary?
I just meant they were incredibly rare.
I was staring at her with a faintly incredulous look when her expression shifted, as if she'd caught herself.
"Ah—no, wait. I'm not a Haerin. You saw wrong, human."
And now she's doing this?
"You are, though."
"Ugh, I said I'm not. Don't you go around telling people you saw us, got it?"
She started grumbling that she never should have bothered saving me. I wondered if, like the vampires of Elrod Forest, she was worried about their home being discovered. Still, she hadn't tried to kill me — she'd tried to save me, if anything. Her mouth was rough, but her nature seemed to be the opposite.
"So what? Why'd you call me?"
I asked her.
"Do you know of any terrain in the lake where sharp rocks jut up? Or a place with a cave, maybe."
A peculiar look crossed her face, then she frowned and answered.
"No idea. Why're you asking?"
I didn't miss that subtle shift. Ever since I'd acquired Super Senses, I'd gotten better at reading people's faces — and she, in particular, was terrible at hiding what she felt. I was half-certain. She knew the place I'd just described.
"You do know it."
When I pressed her, I felt her flinch slightly. Yeah. She knew.
"I'm asking you. I'd like you to guide me there."
"I told you, I don't know."
"If there's something you want, I'll repay you however I can."
She snorted and turned away again.
"Yeah, right. Don't waste your breath trying to stop me. Follow me and I'll throw you back in the lake, so don't even try."
Then she bounded off and vanished into the forest in an instant. I shook my head once more and stared into the trees.
I wasn't worried about losing her. She seemed to have settled somewhere near the lake anyway.
How am I going to talk her around?
I'd head back for now and come looking for her again later.
After returning to the carriage, drying off, and finishing a meal, I took Ashel straight back to the place I'd met the woman. I followed the traces she'd left behind — footprints pressed into the earth, patches of trampled grass. That was more than enough to determine which way she'd gone. They were the kind of signs you'd normally struggle to even notice, but with Super Senses drawn up, it wasn't particularly difficult. The ability was proving incredibly useful for tracking, too.
Following the trail, we arrived at a cave deep in the forest. Two men stood chatting at the entrance. They looked to be standing guard, and the moment they spotted us, their expressions went rigid.
"......Humans?"
Looks like we found the right place.
One of them hurried into the cave, while the one who remained shouted at us as we drew closer.
"Halt, humans!"
I stopped without protest. I could sense others pouring out from inside, so I waited quietly. A moment later, a crowd of Haerin spilled from the cave. Fortunately, they were all clothed this time, so I didn't have to worry about where to look.
"......Hey, you!"
Among them, a familiar face spotted me, pointed, and shouted.
"How the hell did you find this place?!"
I answered evenly.
"I followed your trail."
"That's not what I asked — why did you follow me?! I save your ass and this is what I get...!"
"What's this about, Anne? You saved a human?"
The others, who'd been watching me with tense eyes, turned their gazes on her.
"Uh, no, that's not — I mean..."
She flailed her hands in a panic. The commotion was growing when a voice rang out from deeper in the cave.
"All of you, be silent!"
Silence fell at once.
The one who emerged was a powerfully built old man, with blue hair and a matching beard. He walked past the others, came to the front, and met my eyes.
A level closing in on ninety.
The chieftain of this tribe?
The Haerin were born with a considerable affinity for mana, but even accounting for that, this was an impressive level. I hid my surprise and quietly held his gaze. The old man's eyes had a depth to them, like the sea itself.
He studied me for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh and spoke.
"Haha. Well now. You are no ordinary man."
"......"
"Tell me why you have come here. From the looks of it, you and my granddaughter already know each other."
As he said this, the old man glanced at the woman. She let out a small sigh and scratched her head. I looked between the two of them, then asked.
"Are you the chieftain of this tribe?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a flicker of awkwardness. It was the first time since arriving in this world that I'd spoken with any real formality. Then again, I was the one who'd shown up uninvited with a request to make. A little courtesy was in order.
The old man nodded.
"I am."
"I have no intention of harming any of you. I came because there's something I'd like to ask of that woman."
Catching my glance, she flushed with indignation and started to shout again.
"Hey, you — earlier you—!"
"That's enough, Anne."
The chieftain stopped her and turned back to me.
"Would you come inside for now? If it's conversation you want, I can at least offer you a cup of tea."
I nodded. The old man smiled faintly and turned back into the cave, gesturing for us to follow. I frowned as I looked at his back.
A wound?
A rather large injury was visible across his back. Herbs of some kind were packed thickly over it, as if it was still being treated.
"Hey. If you're coming in, hurry up."
The woman, still glaring at me with open displeasure, jerked her chin toward the entrance. Well, at least they seemed willing to treat us as guests. Might as well go in.
The innermost part of the cave opened into a modest space. Grass had been spread across the floor, and around a campfire, fish bones and the like lay scattered in piles.
"Just sit wherever you like."
The chieftain spoke as Ashel and I hesitated over where to sit. We sat down across from him as instructed, and someone brought tea. They served the chieftain first, then set a cup in front of me — and the Haerin who'd brought it shot me a sidelong glare before heading back outside.
The chieftain clicked his tongue and lifted his cup.
"Please understand. After what happened recently, no one here feels particularly kindly toward humans."
From a corner, the woman who'd been squatting and glaring at me just as hard spoke up.
"I've always hated humans, Grandpa."
"Quiet, you."
"No, look at this shameless bastard. I saved him from becoming fish food in the lake earlier, and even after I told him not to follow me, he tracked me all the way here. Doesn't even know gratitude."
The chieftain tilted his head, looking puzzled.
"You saved this human?"
"That's what I said!"
"Did you truly receive help from my granddaughter?"
He shifted his gaze and asked me again. I shook my head.
"It was just unnecessary meddling."
"I thought as much."
"Oh, come on! This guy is seriously shameless...!"
The old man ignored her and continued.
"It seems my granddaughter has misunderstood something, so please let it go. Her mouth is rough, but she's a good-hearted girl. Whatever she did, it wasn't with ill intent."
Has this old man already figured me out to some degree?
I nodded, watching the woman throw a fit with a look of utter injustice on her face.
"Anyway, as I said, there's something I'd like to ask of your granddaughter..."
"Hey. You're gonna ask me to tell you about that place from earlier, aren't you?"
"That's right."
She stuck her tongue out at me.
"I'm not telling a shameless jerk like you anything."
"I really am grateful you saved me earlier. Sorry the thanks is late."
"......Do I look like an idiot to you?! I'm never telling you, so drop it!"
Not quite that simple, then.
I shook my head and turned my attention back to the chieftain. The Mystery was one thing, but I had questions for him as well.
"I'd always known the Haerin as a people who lived by the sea. Have you always resided in this lake?"
At that question, the woman's expression darkened, just slightly. The chieftain shook his head.
"No. We are only staying here for a time, due to certain circumstances."
I had a pretty good idea what those circumstances were.
"Would those circumstances have anything to do with the wound on your back?"
"They would. It's been some time now, but the healing has been slow, and I'm still in this state."
"May I ask how it happened?"
Given his level, he wasn't someone who'd go down easily to just anyone. The chieftain answered with a bitter smile.
"There was a clash with a human. One of your kind."
"A human..."
"A tremendously powerful mage. He called himself the Imperial Archmage of Saintia."
......What?
A name I hadn't expected in the slightest had just dropped, and my eyes went wide.