The People of the Summit (1)
Black Wind punched aside the friends barring his path, then strode up to Chester, offered a greeting, and explained the situation.
"I see. Understood."
Having grasped the circumstances, Chester accepted the pile of ore Black Wind handed over and nodded.
Even while claiming he wanted to investigate whether he was harming the island's nature, Black Wind had still gathered every last piece of the promised ore with everyone's help and brought it all here.
Good-natured at heart.
They had lived on this island maintaining their own culture and society. The reaction of such an isolated community to the outside world usually came in two flavors: curiosity, or else fear of the unknown. Most of the time those two responses mixed in some proportion. These people showed none of that.
Probably because of the humans they met and casually killed before they ever ran into me… and because they've reigned as the absolute apex predators of this island.
Fear only arises when something poses a threat. Unless someone carries a deep trauma about dogs, no human feels terror toward a newborn puppy.
Chester kept talking with Black Wind while surveying the surroundings. Some of the People of the Summit simply stared at him. Others mimicked the gestures he and Black Wind made, clearly trying to learn their way of conversing. A few watched him with thoughtful expressions; others gazed curiously at Monia or Ant.
So that boast about becoming a great warrior someday wasn't empty talk after all.
Chester had been measuring all the People of the Summit against Black Wind, and he now realized how badly that had skewed his view. Black Wind was far larger than the average among them. Judging by seated height, ordinary People of the Summit stood around two meters thirty, while Black Wind was a giant who slightly exceeded three meters.
Even by human standards he'd be well over two meters.
The only one among them close to Black Wind's height was the one introduced as the "Little Warrior," and even he was smaller. Chester could suddenly understand the arrogance. Still young, yet already so uniquely massive—it was only natural.
Big means strong. Just like that rhinoceros.
Black Wind had claimed he walked away fine after being charged by a rhino, so Chester had assumed they were all monsters. Perhaps Black Wind simply stood out even among them. A being born with an extraordinary body and power, who had walked a different path from childhood by displaying that might—people called such individuals, who scarcely seemed the same species, by a certain name.
Hah. A hero, then.
That also made their current approach somewhat understandable.
They want to raise Black Wind as the next great warrior. They'll want to show him a certain consideration and preferential treatment. That's why they came prepared so carefully—and so excessively.
They were deliberately making sure Chester and Monia understood exactly what kind of being Black Wind was, to prevent any chance of the outsiders using or harming him. As proof, several of them had been deliberately projecting a threatening air for a while now.
Well, that's the leadership's thinking, anyway.
The problem was that Black Wind was still young. He had no idea of these undercurrents and couldn't even begin to guess at them. He had been grumbling the whole time that the leadership of the People of the Summit didn't trust him and were acting this way because of it.
The funny part was that the People of the Summit themselves looked stunned. Something along these lines:
—Black Wind is speaking so politely?!
—Good heavens! Is the island about to end?!
—He matured after the rite… I'm so glad…
The thought slipped naturally into Chester's gaze as he looked at Black Wind.
Just how much trouble did this bastard cause when he was little?
Chester felt a faint worry that he might have made friends with the wrong person. Though coming from someone who had once led the village kids on rampages through mountains, rivers, and fields, he probably had no right to talk.
While Chester and Black Wind exchanged greetings, the one who would one day lead the People of the Summit—the Little Elder—quietly observed Chester, Monia, and Ant together with his friend the Little Warrior.
Sharp minds. No doubt about it.
The mere fact that they could communicate already left no room to question their intelligence. And then there was their home… that, too. All the various objects they had casually left lying around as if they were nothing looked, to the Little Elder's eyes, like treasures concealing unknown secrets.
The Ba-ju had clearly held tremendous value as well! Everything here must hold even greater worth!
So healthy trade was more than welcome. In particular, the little sun Black Wind had mentioned had thoroughly piqued the Little Elder's interest. Black Wind's description alone left far too much to the imagination; he wanted to see it for himself.
"Hey. What do you think?"
At the Little Elder's question, the Little Warrior—who might one day have to compete with Black Wind for position—stared at Chester with a sullen expression.
"Weak."
"Well, of course he'd look weak compared to you. That's not what I'm asking."
"Weak."
"Come on, don't be stubborn. Even a snake has venom."
Even a snake has venom. It was a proverb among the People of the Summit: don't look at only one side of someone—see the hidden strengths as well. A snake was incomparably weaker than the People of the Summit, yet it possessed a weapon they lacked—venom—and could bite and kill a careless child. Once grown, their thick hide and fur kept a snake's fangs from sinking in. For reference, the snakes in this proverb were the ones from the upper levels whose body length had to be measured in meters.
"I know you're worried about Black Wind. I know that if he brings back a big gain from this, he'll instantly become a candidate for Little Warrior and put you in a tough spot. But whatever the reason, this is the task the Great Elder entrusted to us."
"…True."
The Little Warrior gave a reluctant nod and looked at Chester again.
"Then I'll put it this way. Strong."
"Oh?"
"Not physical strength. Biological strength."
The Little Warrior glanced around.
"I looked over the surroundings on the way here. No traces of any creature that had marked out its own territory. That means this entire vast area is under that one's control."
"Right."
"And that hide he's wearing—looks like bear. If he can take a bear down on the lower levels, that alone is enough to call him a strong warrior."
"Hmm. And?"
"His techniques are varied. He wears the hides of other beasts to cover his own hairless body. He crafts fangs and claws to carry because he has none of his own to protect himself. On top of that, he has techniques that let him hunt prey without even moving himself."
The Little Warrior listed the strengths he had noticed while glancing around earlier, then let out a small sigh.
"His hide is thin. No fur. No fangs, no claws. His body is weak. Even so, he is clearly a strong creature and a strong warrior."
The Little Warrior nodded.
"I like him."
At the honest assessment the Little Elder began to chuckle.
"I like them too. Plenty of the techniques they have are useless to us, but plenty more would help. I want them."
The Little Elder had to govern all the People of the Summit and guide them in the right direction; the Little Warrior had to lead and manage the warriors so the people could eat. That was why both of them had instantly grasped the benefits they could gain by connecting with Chester.
"Honestly, I'm surprised that thoughtless Black Wind actually thought of trading with them."
"Keh-heh-heh. True, true. He grew a lot after the rite. …And yes. To build a good relationship, you have to know whether the heart deep inside is good or not."
The Little Elder signaled to the Young Head who attended him. There was an Adult Head present as well, but even the Little Elder could not freely order around someone older and more experienced than himself.
When the Young Head approached, the Little Elder looked at the Beast-making Water the youth had brought on a large leaf. He carefully sniffed it, confirmed that the Beast-making Water had fermented to just the right degree, and nodded.
"Good. Well made. You've managed it properly."
"Thank you!"
The Little Elder watched Chester and Monia as Black Wind introduced them one by one to the People of the Summit and they exchanged greetings.
"That violent Black Wind turns into a crybaby when he drinks this. I wonder what they'll be like?"