Chapter 549: Secret Room (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 549: Secret Room (2)
A giant hamster that spoke like a person.
Even in this fantasy world with magic and nonhuman races, this was a fantastical creature. You couldn't just talk to monsters. There were a few rare instances where they could talk, but most of them only repeated specific lines.
"(Unhand me! Unhand me this instant! You damn traitors!)"
So then, what the hell was this thing?
My brow furrowed. This thing was talking in the ancient language. And I'd had the misfortune of meeting a "monster" who spoke in the ancient language not too long ago.
Was this a coincidence?
Doubt began to fester in my mind.
"Mr. Yandel, what is it?"
"Is there a problem?"
Huh? What was with these reactions?
Confused, I quickly asked them in return, "Can you guys not hear what this thing is saying?"
"...Pardon? Is it talking?"
"I didn't hear anything like that. It's just screaming rather unpleasantly."
"Ah! That's what I hear too!"
Huh, what was this?
I glanced back down at the hamster, which had gotten even more suspicious, and noticed that it had stopped struggling at some point and was now looking back up at me.
"(You...! Can you perhaps hear me?)"
What, was it asking if I could understand it? Something like that? I didn't see any point in answering the question. Instead, I tightened my grip so that it couldn't struggle even if it wanted to and initiated a conversation of my own. "(You.)"
"(Ugh...! Let me go...! You barbarian bastard... Don't you know who I am?!)"
I did not, in fact, know who or what it was, no matter how high and mighty it acted.
"(What's your relationship to the village chief?)" I demanded, getting right to the most important question. I decided that the first thing I needed to find out was whether this thing was an agent sent by the chief or not. However, it stared back at me like it had no idea what I was talking about, so I gave it the chief's other name. "(Cornelius Bruingrid. What, does that name not ring a bell at all? Even though you're both monsters who speak the ancient language?)"
If it once again pretended not to know what I was talking about, I was planning on calling in a specialist and turning this into a formal interrogation.
"(You wicked bastard! I am not a monster...!)"
"(Shut up. Just answer my question.)"
I flexed my hand to give it a warning squeeze, and the second my grip loosened, it blurted, "(I— I don't know! I don't know! So don't squeeze me! I'm going to throw up...!)"
"(You don't know? That's unfortunate. Then I'll have to look into it myself.)"
"(Look into it... yourself...?)"
You'll know soon enough.
I called for Amelia, and she drew her blade and made a show of examining its razor edge for imperfections.
It seemed that the hamster saw its future flash before its eyes. "(W-Wait!)"
"(Did you already remember something?)"
"(The a-ancient language...! If we're talking about a 'monster' who speaks the ancient language, I can think of one! You're, uh, you're talking about the one that flies around on the dragon!)"
...The one that what?
It was true that the chief's title back when he was a person was the Dragon Knight...
"Emily, hold on a second." I sent Amelia back before continuing our conversation in the ancient language. "(You, tell me more about this monster flying around on a dragon.)"
"(I-I don't know much! But it came here before. It had blue skin and a huge eye on its head! It had a lot of subordinates... And it spoke! It spoke the same language I do!)"
Blue skin and one huge eye. That description did match the chief's appearance. The odds of there being another race of monsters who looked like that and also spoke the ancient language were incredibly low.
This means that the bastard lied about something else after all.
He had told me that they couldn't leave the island and as a result knew nothing about the outside world. But those were all just lies.
"(When did they come here?)" I demanded.
"(So long ago that it would be pointless to try to count.)"
"(I'll decide whether it's pointless or not. Give me a number.)"
"(I-I don't know exactly! The sky's opened up tens of thousands of times since those monsters last came here...)!"
The sky had opened up. That was probably the rainy season. If that was the case, I could agree with the hamster that it was pointless trying to count.
Ten thousand rainy seasons...would be about 833 years in the outside world.
But it had opened tens of thousands of times. That would mean the chief had visited this place thousands of years ago.
After running the numbers, I asked more questions. "(What did you mean by flying on a dragon?)"
"(Exactly what I said! Whenever it came here, it rode on a huge dragon and brought a bunch of buddies with it!)"
"(By whenever, are you saying it came here multiple times?)"
"(It used to come here pretty regularly, but at some point, it stopped showing up for some reason...)"
"(What did the chief do while he was here?)"
"(The same thing you're doing! They ripped out all the books I painstakingly organized and tossed them around willy-nilly! Really, you—!)"
"(Wait, you organized the books?)"
"(...Yeah?)"
What was this thing?
My gut was telling me it hadn't lied to me yet, and to be honest, my suspicions that it was a spy sent by the chief were melting into pure curiosity. Now I just wanted to know more about whatever this thing was.
"(Why do you organize the books?)" I settled on asking. The most important factor in understanding people was their motivations, after all.
The answer that I received was unfortunately too vague to tell me anything conclusive. "(Th-that's...! Because I need to!)"
"(What...?)"
"(Organizing the books... is what I need to do. That has been the case ever since I was born in this place!)"
"(So... the reason you exist is to organize the books?)"
"(I-It's not that grand of a reason, I know... but that doesn't change that it's my duty.)"
It didn't seem to be trying to hide something from me. I asked it several more times to confirm, but its answer didn't change.
"(...Ugh! You fool!)" it huffed. "(Do you think there needs to be a deeper reason for everything? Some things are exactly what they look like! They just are! And I just need to organize the books!)"
...The one that what?
It was true that the chief's title back when he was a person was the Dragon Knight...
"Emily, hold on a second." I sent Amelia back before continuing our conversation in the ancient language. "(You, tell me more about this monster flying around on a dragon.)"
"(I-I don't know much! But it came here before. It had blue skin and a huge eye on its head! It had a lot of subordinates... And it spoke! It spoke the same language I do!)"
Blue skin and one huge eye. That description did match the chief's appearance. The odds of there being another race of monsters who looked like that and also spoke the ancient language were incredibly low.
This means that the bastard lied about something else after all.
He had told me that they couldn't leave the island and as a result knew nothing about the outside world. But those were all just lies.
"(When did they come here?)" I demanded.
"(So long ago that it would be pointless to try to count.)"
"(I'll decide whether it's pointless or not. Give me a number.)"
"(I-I don't know exactly! The sky's opened up tens of thousands of times since those monsters last came here...)!"
The sky had opened up. That was probably the rainy season. If that was the case, I could agree with the hamster that it was pointless trying to count.
Ten thousand rainy seasons...would be about 833 years in the outside world.
But it had opened tens of thousands of times. That would mean the chief had visited this place thousands of years ago.
After running the numbers, I asked more questions. "(What did you mean by flying on a dragon?)"
"(Exactly what I said! Whenever it came here, it rode on a huge dragon and brought a bunch of buddies with it!)"
"(By whenever, are you saying it came here multiple times?)"
"(It used to come here pretty regularly, but at some point, it stopped showing up for some reason...)"
"(What did the chief do while he was here?)"
"(The same thing you're doing! They ripped out all the books I painstakingly organized and tossed them around willy-nilly! Really, you—!)"
"(Wait, you organized the books?)"
"(...Yeah?)"
What was this thing?
My gut was telling me it hadn't lied to me yet, and to be honest, my suspicions that it was a spy sent by the chief were melting into pure curiosity. Now I just wanted to know more about whatever this thing was.
"(Why do you organize the books?)" I settled on asking. The most important factor in understanding people was their motivations, after all.
The answer that I received was unfortunately too vague to tell me anything conclusive. "(Th-that's...! Because I need to!)"
"(What...?)"
"(Organizing the books... is what I need to do. That has been the case ever since I was born in this place!)"
"(So... the reason you exist is to organize the books?)"
"(I-It's not that grand of a reason, I know... but that doesn't change that it's my duty.)"
It didn't seem to be trying to hide something from me. I asked it several more times to confirm, but its answer didn't change.
"(...Ugh! You fool!)" it huffed. "(Do you think there needs to be a deeper reason for everything? Some things are exactly what they look like! They just are! And I just need to organize the books!)"
But why do you need to organize the books?
It sounded just as confused as I was when I kept asking it the same question, almost like this was the first time it ever had to think about it, and it eventually blew up on me.
It seems like even it can't understand its own motivations.
I probably wouldn't be able to get anything more out of it even if I kept harping on this, so I moved on.
"(Is there anything else here?)"
It blinked up at me, even more puzzled.
"(You know. Things like special books, treasures, or special monsters. Maybe a hidden area... If not, maybe something you want to hide from outsiders.)"
Its expression then went blank.
"(Nothing?)"
At my low, quiet question, the hamster blurted, "(N-N-No!)"
Sometimes, a strong denial was in itself a powerful confirmation.
"(As I thought... You do have something like that, don't you?)"
I felt my mouth start to water. From there, the conversation proceeded to go in circles for a while.
"(I-I told you I don't! What are you talking about?)"
The hamster continued to deny everything like a parrot.
"(Ah, I just want to take a look.)"
And I ignored him like any barbarian would.
"(H-How many times am I going to have to tell you? There isn't a-anything like that here!)"
"(You know, we never said we would take it. I really just want to take a look at whatever it is. You're starting to piss me off.)"
Really, why couldn't this hamster just do as I said? I concluded that being nice to this hamster wouldn't get me any closer to getting what I wanted.
"(Hey.)" I lowered my pitch ominously, and the hamster flinched before looking up at me nervously. "(Do you think we're buddies or something? Do you not understand the situation you're in?)"
"(...No, that's not it. Th-there really isn't anything... R-Really...)"
"(Ah, so tell me something else then.)"
"(Something... else...?)"
"(Yeah. for example, a way to get out of here. Do you know of one?)"
"(...No.)"
"(The chief's weakness or a secret of his?)"
No response.
"(Then what do you want me to do? I need a reason, you know.)"
"(A reason...?)"
"(Yeah. I need to get something out of you first if I'm going to let you go or whatever. Actually, you know what? Should I just check if you drop an essence?)"
Oho. It had nothing to say to that, so it was keeping its mouth shut. Was whatever secret it was guarding really that precious?
Seeing as threats also weren't working, I altered my approach a little. "(Hey, then at least tell me about yourself. What are you? Why are you here, and how did you learn to talk like a person?)"
"(Ah, that's...)"
Maybe that topic was a more approachable one. It responded to my question quite agreeably, though there wasn't much substance to its answer.
But why do you need to organize the books?
It sounded just as confused as I was when I kept asking it the same question, almost like this was the first time it ever had to think about it, and it eventually blew up on me.
It seems like even it can't understand its own motivations.
I probably wouldn't be able to get anything more out of it even if I kept harping on this, so I moved on.
"(Is there anything else here?)"
It blinked up at me, even more puzzled.
"(You know. Things like special books, treasures, or special monsters. Maybe a hidden area... If not, maybe something you want to hide from outsiders.)"
Its expression then went blank.
"(Nothing?)"
At my low, quiet question, the hamster blurted, "(N-N-No!)"
Sometimes, a strong denial was in itself a powerful confirmation.
"(As I thought... You do have something like that, don't you?)"
I felt my mouth start to water. From there, the conversation proceeded to go in circles for a while.
"(I-I told you I don't! What are you talking about?)"
The hamster continued to deny everything like a parrot.
"(Ah, I just want to take a look.)"
And I ignored him like any barbarian would.
"(H-How many times am I going to have to tell you? There isn't a-anything like that here!)"
"(You know, we never said we would take it. I really just want to take a look at whatever it is. You're starting to piss me off.)"
Really, why couldn't this hamster just do as I said? I concluded that being nice to this hamster wouldn't get me any closer to getting what I wanted.
"(Hey.)" I lowered my pitch ominously, and the hamster flinched before looking up at me nervously. "(Do you think we're buddies or something? Do you not understand the situation you're in?)"
"(...No, that's not it. Th-there really isn't anything... R-Really...)"
"(Ah, so tell me something else then.)"
"(Something... else...?)"
"(Yeah. for example, a way to get out of here. Do you know of one?)"
"(...No.)"
"(The chief's weakness or a secret of his?)"
No response.
"(Then what do you want me to do? I need a reason, you know.)"
"(A reason...?)"
"(Yeah. I need to get something out of you first if I'm going to let you go or whatever. Actually, you know what? Should I just check if you drop an essence?)"
Oho. It had nothing to say to that, so it was keeping its mouth shut. Was whatever secret it was guarding really that precious?
Seeing as threats also weren't working, I altered my approach a little. "(Hey, then at least tell me about yourself. What are you? Why are you here, and how did you learn to talk like a person?)"
"(Ah, that's...)"
Maybe that topic was a more approachable one. It responded to my question quite agreeably, though there wasn't much substance to its answer.
"(So to summarize, you've been here from the moment you were born, and you were already able to talk like a person back then as well?)"
"(Y-Yeah... That chief! That chief was the first other creature I saw.)"
"(Does the chief know about you?)"
"(He probably doesn't. I saw that he could talk, so I tried to go up and talk to him... but that fool couldn't understand a word I was saying.)"
"(Like the other people here who can't understand you except for me?)"
"(By the way, what are you? How can you talk to me, and why are you not afraid of me?)"
What the... why was it acting so ballsy all of a sudden?
"(That's my line. Are you the one asking the questions here?)"
Again, no response.
"(Whatever. Let's deal with that first. Why are people afraid of you? Do you have some sort of ability that lets you scare them?)"
"(...I don't know. That's just how everyone acts around me. Even that chief guy pulled out his sword and swung it as soon as he saw me. You guys didn't seem any different... That's why I tried to scare you off...)"
"(But then you got caught.)"
It went quiet again.
"(Then why am I fine? To me, you just look like a tiny little hamster.)"
"(A h-hamster?! I'm not anything like a hamster!)"
"(Then what are you? Does your species have a name?)"
"(Well, I... No...)"
"(Then what about a name? Do you have a name?)"
"(...I don't need something like a name.)"
I sighed. "(This is why hermits like you who are out of touch with society are so... Well, whatever. Names exist to make things easier for everyone. So I'll just give you a name now.)"
"(...Give me a name?)"
"(Yeah.)" I found myself pitying this lonely creature that had lived in this library for thousands of years by itself, so I thought long and hard about what to call it. "(...Hamsick. Yeah, Hamsick. That's your name from now on.)"
It stared at me in silence.
"(What? Do you have a problem with that?)"
"(N-No... Not really...)"
"(I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Yandel is my surname, and Bjorn is my name. You can call me Bjorn.)"
"(Bjorn... Got it.)"
All right, then we'd officially introduced ourselves.
However, just as I was about to continue our earlier conversation, Hamsick suddenly asked a question of his own.
"(Then... are we friends now...?)"
It sounded both cautious and nervous.
As I tilted my head in question, Hamsick avoided eye contact as it mumbled, "(Well... from what I know, people who call each other by name are friends...)"
"(Where did you learn that?)"
"(I don't know. I just knew it from the moment I was born. Like how I knew how to talk.)"
"(Really?)"
The more I talked to this creature, the more mysterious it became, but I also had a separate thought.
I think I understand how to handle this thing now.
I let the thought go and helped it back to its feet. And then, I met its eye and extended a hand. "(Hamsick, I'll be in your care from now on.)"
It stared at my hand in confusion.
"(What, weren't you the one who pointed out that exchanging names makes us friends? New friends usually shake hands. Ah, do you maybe not know what a handshake is?)"
"(I-I do! Why wouldn't I?" With that, Hamsick shyly reached out a furry hand. "I-I'll...also be i-in your care...?)"
Just how desperate for companionship was this little thing? But I'd successfully secured myself a new friend. Which meant...
"(All right, then tell me. Where is it? Where is that treasure you're hiding?)"
It was time to start collecting my "friend tax."
Hamsick looked up at me with eyes that screamed betrayal before scurrying back a few steps.
Hey, you're going to make your new friend cry.
"(Hamsick, just to let you know, friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other.)"
"(B-But...)"
"(Am I not your friend?)"
"Eep..." Hamsick squeaked, troubled by my question.
I didn't say anything else, instead choosing to wait.
"(G-Got it... I'll show you...)" it finally conceded. "(B-But when you're in there, don't touch anything! Got it?)"
"(Ah, of course.)"
Hamsick seemed to have calmed down now that it had come to a decision. It twirled its index finger theatrically, almost like it was trying to show off for its new friend.
Swoosh.
All around the room, random books on the shelves began to slide out a bit, just enough that there was a noticeable difference between the books that were moved and the books that had been left alone.
Is this some sort of lock where you need to pull certain books out to reveal a hidden room?
While I stood there in a daze and watched all this unfold, the books suddenly stopped moving.
Rumble!
And then, the stone door opened to reveal a hidden area.
"(So to summarize, you've been here from the moment you were born, and you were already able to talk like a person back then as well?)"
"(Y-Yeah... That chief! That chief was the first other creature I saw.)"
"(Does the chief know about you?)"
"(He probably doesn't. I saw that he could talk, so I tried to go up and talk to him... but that fool couldn't understand a word I was saying.)"
"(Like the other people here who can't understand you except for me?)"
"(By the way, what are you? How can you talk to me, and why are you not afraid of me?)"
What the... why was it acting so ballsy all of a sudden?
"(That's my line. Are you the one asking the questions here?)"
Again, no response.
"(Whatever. Let's deal with that first. Why are people afraid of you? Do you have some sort of ability that lets you scare them?)"
"(...I don't know. That's just how everyone acts around me. Even that chief guy pulled out his sword and swung it as soon as he saw me. You guys didn't seem any different... That's why I tried to scare you off...)"
"(But then you got caught.)"
It went quiet again.
"(Then why am I fine? To me, you just look like a tiny little hamster.)"
"(A h-hamster?! I'm not anything like a hamster!)"
"(Then what are you? Does your species have a name?)"
"(Well, I... No...)"
"(Then what about a name? Do you have a name?)"
"(...I don't need something like a name.)"
I sighed. "(This is why hermits like you who are out of touch with society are so... Well, whatever. Names exist to make things easier for everyone. So I'll just give you a name now.)"
"(...Give me a name?)"
"(Yeah.)" I found myself pitying this lonely creature that had lived in this library for thousands of years by itself, so I thought long and hard about what to call it. "(...Hamsick. Yeah, Hamsick. That's your name from now on.)"
It stared at me in silence.
"(What? Do you have a problem with that?)"
"(N-No... Not really...)"
"(I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. Yandel is my surname, and Bjorn is my name. You can call me Bjorn.)"
"(Bjorn... Got it.)"
All right, then we'd officially introduced ourselves.
However, just as I was about to continue our earlier conversation, Hamsick suddenly asked a question of his own.
"(Then... are we friends now...?)"
It sounded both cautious and nervous.
As I tilted my head in question, Hamsick avoided eye contact as it mumbled, "(Well... from what I know, people who call each other by name are friends...)"
"(Where did you learn that?)"
"(I don't know. I just knew it from the moment I was born. Like how I knew how to talk.)"
"(Really?)"
The more I talked to this creature, the more mysterious it became, but I also had a separate thought.
I think I understand how to handle this thing now.
I let the thought go and helped it back to its feet. And then, I met its eye and extended a hand. "(Hamsick, I'll be in your care from now on.)"
It stared at my hand in confusion.
"(What, weren't you the one who pointed out that exchanging names makes us friends? New friends usually shake hands. Ah, do you maybe not know what a handshake is?)"
"(I-I do! Why wouldn't I?" With that, Hamsick shyly reached out a furry hand. "I-I'll...also be i-in your care...?)"
Just how desperate for companionship was this little thing? But I'd successfully secured myself a new friend. Which meant...
"(All right, then tell me. Where is it? Where is that treasure you're hiding?)"
It was time to start collecting my "friend tax."
Hamsick looked up at me with eyes that screamed betrayal before scurrying back a few steps.
Hey, you're going to make your new friend cry.
"(Hamsick, just to let you know, friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other.)"
"(B-But...)"
"(Am I not your friend?)"
"Eep..." Hamsick squeaked, troubled by my question.
I didn't say anything else, instead choosing to wait.
"(G-Got it... I'll show you...)" it finally conceded. "(B-But when you're in there, don't touch anything! Got it?)"
"(Ah, of course.)"
Hamsick seemed to have calmed down now that it had come to a decision. It twirled its index finger theatrically, almost like it was trying to show off for its new friend.
Swoosh.
All around the room, random books on the shelves began to slide out a bit, just enough that there was a noticeable difference between the books that were moved and the books that had been left alone.
Is this some sort of lock where you need to pull certain books out to reveal a hidden room?
While I stood there in a daze and watched all this unfold, the books suddenly stopped moving.
Rumble!
And then, the stone door opened to reveal a hidden area.