"Uh, so... Mr.Shimo...?"
"Just call me Shimo. Be casual. I'll call you Ars too."
"Ah, I see. So, Shimo, you... came from the other side of that cursed mountain range, right?"
"Sort of." Saying I'm from another world would be too complicated, so I simply explained that I came from the other side of the mountain they call the cursed mountain range, in search of a human city.
Although I struggled with the name of this other world for over a month, when it came time to give my name, I felt my familiar name was more natural, so I used my real name from Earth.
Having someone call me by my given name without any honorifics and just speaking plainly is a bit... well, what does it matter!
As long as we can talk!
Anyway, they don't understand this culture.
Besides, I'm in horse form now, it wouldn't be appropriate for someone to suddenly call me "brother."
Fine, call me whatever you want!
As long as we can talk! "Hmm...it feels a bit unbelievable...and what's with the name?" Lisbeth's fear had completely vanished, but her eyes still held a hint of suspicion as she scrutinized me.
While her appearance was a bit fierce, it didn't warrant this much suspicion...
"Ugh...I saved Lisbeth, so why can't you trust me?"
"I didn't tell you to call me whatever you wanted, okay? Can you call me Miss Lisbeth? Judging by your ability to talk, you shouldn't be a monster, but you managed to cross that monster-infested mountain..."
"Ah, not cross, I just went around the foot of the mountain. Miss Lisbeth."
Since she insisted on being addressed that way, I'll comply. What's the harm! The newly-adult Lisbeth, though sharp-tongued, was still able to converse, allowing me to smile and tolerate this level of behavior.
"No need to emphasize it, okay? Hmm...going around such a vast mountain range...but at that speed...no, the pollution is still..." Lisbeth muttered, continuing to cast her suspicious glances.
"Stop it, it's hurting!" *cough cough*. Put that aside for now. So, Shimo wants to go to a village with people, right?
"Yeah. That's right. To be precise, I want to live somewhere where they won't chase me away or attack me, and also be a horseman and adventurer..."
"Adventurer? Monster~ Ugh..." It's not a monster... I lowered my head in frustration, and Ars chuckled.
"Anyway, Shimo saved you, Liz, and since he can talk, he's definitely not a monster. Because monsters can't talk. Although I can sense Teser's aura, it wasn't contaminated during this conversation, so it must be a rather special Teser aura. Anyway, there are several high-level heroes in Radia, so even if something unexpected happens, it shouldn't matter, right?"
"That's true... but there's nothing I can do even if I'm annoyed... Ah, but it's already getting dark. If I go back now, it'll definitely be late at night... and the guild office will definitely be closed by then..." Although many words I'd never heard before came out, it seemed like he was going to take me to a village.
"Oh, I only asked because it's so late. Is the village far from here?"
"It takes about half a day to walk from here. By the time we get there, the city gates will probably be closed."
"Uh...does that mean we can't get in today?" Ugh, I'm so close, and I can only watch...what is this...I was so excited, and all I got was this disappointing talk.
But if the horse I'd just met suddenly wanted to go into town in the middle of the night, I'd probably...wait, right?
"Um, if both of you ride on my back, maybe we can get there before dark?"
"What!? Riding on my back!?" Lisbeth stared at me with a strange expression that was hard to tell—surprise or disgust.
Ars also looked surprised for a moment, but quickly sized me up and nodded.
"...Hmm. This size should be more than enough for the two of us, though I don't know how fast it can go..."
"Ugh...but I hate sleeping outdoors..."
"Since it's settled, let's go! Try riding on it! I've never carried anyone before, but it's definitely faster than walking!" Saying this, I squatted down, turning my body 90 degrees from where I was facing them, indicating they could ride from the side.
After a slight hesitation, Ars immediately lifted one leg and straddled me, while Lisbeth hesitated, bringing her legs together and lifting her hips.
"Hmm. Ars is fine, but Miss Lisbeth, I'm not sure if this position will work. Just say so if you fall off."
"If you understand, stand up and walk a few steps." The girl who had been trembling and ready to die just moments before was gone, replaced by an arrogant, domineering young woman.
It seems that once we can communicate, the fear dissipates.
But it's better than being scared out of your wits.
'Hmm... I was worried it might be too heavy, but carrying two people isn't so bad.' After standing up, I felt their weight; it was just right, like carrying a backpack.
This horse's muscle strength is truly remarkable.
I couldn't help but admire my own physique again.
'Wow! This...this is much taller than I imagined…'
'Yeah...but the suddenly wide-open view is really nice.'
'Let's go slowly for now, and let me know if we feel too fast.'
............ Carrying them along, we gradually increased the speed, finding that a jogging pace was most suitable.
I'd heard that riding a horse was more difficult than imagined, and I thought they'd both have sore backs, but surprisingly, it was very comfortable.
Is it because of their broad backs?
Or do I have some special skill?
After confirming they were alright, I asked them about some terms I hadn't understood before, and they gave me a 'you don't know?' look and began to explain.
The two names called Ethel and Tessel.
This is an energy source; simply put, monsters possess Tesel, while other creatures possess Ethel.
I roughly understand Ethel as similar to the power of light, while Tesel feels more like the power of darkness.
Where Tesel gather, monsters appear, and these monsters spread Tesel, polluting the surrounding area.
One of these Tesel gathering places is the Cursed Mountains I just left. It's said that the mountaintop is the source of Tesel's spread, and the higher you go, the more dangerous the monsters become.
I explained that the corpses that turned to dust in the mountains are monsters, while the mad bull monsters and the like are monsters possessing Ethel.
When I described the monster I captured and mentioned catching a crazy, woman-like flower fairy, both of them looked quite shocked.
They said that crazy woman flower fairy was quite troublesome near the entrance to the mountains… but considering the overall level of the mountain range, she was relatively weak. If I had continued upwards, I probably would have been dead.
It seems that taking the long way around at the foot of the mountain wasn't a waste of effort; it was actually the right answer.
"Was that why you called me a monster when we first met?"
"Yes. The stronger the monster, the more naturally it emits Taser pollution around it. There's a barrier set up by heroes around that mountain, so the Taser doesn't leak out further, trapping the monsters there. But thankfully, Shimo seems to have come from the almost unpolluted foot of the mountain."
"Hmm… thankfully I didn't eat those strange herbs. But is it because I stayed on the mountain for so long that my Aether gives off that feeling?"
"Hmm… the aura hardly changes, so that shouldn't be the reason. Although I'm not a priest, the aura Shimo emits—if it were completely unpolluted—is so similar to Taser that it could be mistaken for one. Of course, everyone's Aether is slightly different; beings like demons sometimes emit a similar aura, but the similarity isn't nearly as high. Shimo… if you really close your eyes and sense it, it's almost identical…"
In short, because of this Taser-like aura and appearance, my first impression score with everyone I meet is guaranteed to be zero. At this rate, I'll have to desperately explain myself every time I go somewhere. It's really troublesome. "But demons, huh. They really do exist. Hearing such otherworldly names makes me inexplicably more excited."
"Oh, and the place we're going to, Radia, is the most vibrant of the regional cities in the Kingdom of Reinhard. It feels like a second capital. It's the city with the most adventurers besides the capital. I wonder what their reaction will be when they meet Shimo, but it's the perfect starting point for becoming an adventurer."
"Oh, that sounds good..."
Although I don't know exactly how big the Kingdom of Reinhard is, judging from their continued description, it seems to be a pretty good city.
As long as we can get through this smoothly.
I'll just trust Ars to explain things properly.
"Haa...we might be stuck in the guild office for a while. If we're going to explain this, Director...the Lord might even get involved."
"Hmm...that's true. But isn't it good to experience something so rare? How many chances are there to encounter a divine beast?"
"I still can't believe this is really a divine beast." I expected it to get noisy, but I didn't expect a noble to get involved.
"I can't just shout 'Kill them!' and then chop off my head the moment I see them, can I?"
But it's a divine beast?
"What's a divine beast? Am I one of those?"
"A divine beast is... a talking monster. Also known as a spirit, they usually have long lifespans and are friendly to humans, so they are treated with reverence. Besides humans, only divine beasts can talk."
"Ah, so if I can talk, I must be a divine beast..."
Hmm. Since I'm treated with reverence, I can just claim it's a divine beast if anything happens in the future.
"Uh, absolutely impossible. A divine beast with this kind of aura. I've never even heard of one at magic school. Judging by its inability to even transform into human form, it might be a rare monster... I've never even heard of a monster with this kind of appearance before."
Uh... judging by Lisbeth's cold reaction, even if I claimed it was a divine beast, it probably wouldn't work.
Why is there no more talk here?
I didn't expect to hear someone say they'd never seen anything like this before... Listening to various questions and topics, we arrived at the city called Radia about an hour later.