Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax
The Hidden VillagePart 3
After a few minutes, the two won returned to inform us that dinner was ready.
When we arrived at the rear hall on the first floor, we were greeted by an elevated platform with so kind of hearth set in its center.
A huge steaming pot hung from the ceiling right above the hearth and the sound of simring food could be heard coming from it.
Please sit anywhere you like, Arc-dono. When Chio told
you were from the sa country as the first head, I never would have imagined that Arc-dono was a mber of the elf tribe.
Hanzo called out to
as he sat down in a cross-legged manner on the opposing side of the hearth and stroked his gray beard.
His comnt was expected since I had taken off my helt and was now revealing the dark-skinned, elven face that drinking the spring water gave .
There is a slight problem with my mory. Sothing that Ive just recently learned. Its uncertain if the lord Hanzo you speak of and
actually share a place of origin.
I sat down on in a similar crossed-legged manner on the opposite to Hanzo and gave him an ambiguous reply while picking up Ponta by the scruff of her neck.
Unfamiliar with the sitting posture, Ariane had to practice it a few tis before she was able to take a seat beside .
Hanzo watched Arianes stumbling with a heartwarming smile on his face before he suddenly turned to
and began to speak.
Regarding the present matter, Ive heard that Arc-dono is a rcenary. As long as it is a reasonable price, what is it that you would like to request as your reward, Arc-dono?
Being reminded that we were here because I agreed to accept Chios request, I thought about a suitable reward.
Since I had only been thinking about helping Chio at the ti, I hadnt really put much thought into a reward and I couldnt think of anything at the mont.
We can hardly call our village a rich one. Even though Arc-dono is a handso one, would you like to have your pick of the beauties the village has to offer? Muhoho.
Hanzo raised one of his long eyebrows and started laughing like a dirty old man.
While it was a tempting offer, the hard stare I felt pointed in my direction prevented
from accepting it even as a joke.
So I decided to go with what I originally had wanted to ask for.
Hanzo-dono, that wont be necessary. In fact, I believe you already learned that we found the forr residence of your clans founder. Due to certain circumstances, I would like to acquire it. How about making it the reward of for this task?
I already had the Dragon Kings permission to live in the area anyway.
Hanzo was taken aback when he heard my proposal and crossed his arms, nodding before he replied.
After the founder passed away, Hanzo the 3rd decided to abandon the area completely, so even mbers of the clan have forgotten about it. Since Chio has already retrieved the treasure that had been resting there, its not necessary for Arc-dono to get our permission to live there. The area we intend to move to is quite a distance away from the residence Is there nothing else that you want Arc-dono?
I crossed my arm and thought about what Hanzo had asked of .
Ponta looked up at
with eyes questioning
for the promised dinner, and seem to be thinking as hard as I was.
Sothing I needed apart from the residence near the hot spring
Im grateful for you handing over the residence to , but considering how deteriorated it has beco from lack of use, how about your clan repairing it for ? Since this village seems to house skillful carpenters, it shouldnt take much difficulty to gather so, right?
The residences roof had already collapsed and the floor had cracks in it, it would take various repairs before I could live there.
Even if I bought the necessary material with the money I had, I didnt have much confidence in my ability to repair the place.
The best option would be to utilize this villages carpenters.
When I conveyed this to Hanzo he quietly stroked his beard and nodded.
If its sothing that simple, were more than willing to help you, but is that really all you desire? There are busty girls as well, muhoho.
For a mont, Hanzos eyes shifted to Ariane next to
as he spoke and once again laughed like a lecherous old man.
Perhaps he had been staring at Arianes chest when she had been struggling before.
Was this grandpa really the head of the Blade Heart Clan? I wouldnt be surprised if this guy was a substitute.
Even though the conversation had been derailed a bit, I was able to get the help I needed.
At the sa ti, that strange feeling of coercion I felt coming from my side increased. Wasnt I supposed to be immune to negative emotions with this body, or was it the other one?
While I thought it over, Ponta, with no regard to the situation, began jumping up and down on my knee demanding dinner.
Youre just a peaceful one, arent you.
Stroking Pontas head helped calm
down and allowed
to move the conversation along.
No, the repairs should be fine.
I see. I will dispatch a few skillful carpenters then. Chio.
Hanzo nodded once to signify his agreent to my request, before calling out to Chio.
The cat-eared ninja girl silently bowed her head at the halls entrance before she entered.
As I looked over my shoulder to watch her, I noticed other silhouettes were accompanying hers.
One of the massive n that was accompanying Chio was about two ters and thirty centiters tall.
The man with hair like a mackerel tabby was nad Goemon, one of the six strongest ninjas.
Though he had been shirtless back then, he was currently wearing tight fitting ninja clothes like Chio, and he too nodded silently before entering.
Then soone even taller than Goemon entered the room.
The man was two ters and seventy centiters tall he had to bend down to avoid hitting the ceiling as he walked into the hall.
The mans biceps were thicker than an average persons thighs and his rounded ears were in stark contrast to his deeply wrinkled face.
A small middle-aged man followed behind the giant.
Unlike the two before him, the man was only about a hundred and sixty centiters tall. However, a single glance at him was enough to clue people in that he was not to be ssed with.
Many scars lined the bits of his forearms that peaked out from his rolled-up sleeves and while he had long rabbit ears, one of them had been torn in half.
When he caught sight of , a brutal smile appeared on the mans face.
The four of them took a seat on both of Hanzos sides and offered a slight bow to Ariane and .
Hanzo choose that mont to clear his throat and introduced our new guests.
Lets move own to the migration. Since youre already acquainted with Chio and Goemon, theres need to introduce them. As for the remaining two, the larger man is the acting head of the village and a mber of the bear tribe, Gouro.
At Hanzos prompting, the large bear slamd his fists into the ground as he lowered his head to the floorboards.
Im Gouro of the bear tribe and elected chief of the village. No words can express my gratitude for you accepting this request. I am forever indebted to you
Gouro introduced himself in with a slightly monotonous voice before he thanked
for my help.
Huh? I thought that Hanzo-dono was the leader of the village, was I wrong?
When I heard that Gouro was the chief of the village, I turned towards Hanzo with a questioning gaze.
While the Blade Heart Clan certainly helped building this village, there are several like it scattered throughout the continent. Were based here for now, but that is simply a temporary setup.
After Hanzo explained his clans situation, I turned my eyes on the small man that sat beside Gouro.
The rather brutish rabbit-eared man lowered his head to
when our eyes t.
I am Pitta of the rabbit tribe. Im the villages head of security. Im here on behalf of the advance team for the upcoming migration. Ill be in your care, Arc-dono.
The man who introduced himself as Pitta spoke in a rather gruff tone and gave
a vicious smile Ponta shrunk back when she saw that.
She was fine with
and my skeletal body, but the yakuza-like Pitta was too much for her. I guess spirit beasts didnt care for beast n unconditionally.
When he saw Pontas reaction, Pittas eyebrows fell and he allowed his head to droop before he retreated from the hearth.
It must have really affected him
Maybe tough looking rabbit uncles werent in high demand.
While I had that thought, I tried to move the conversation to the main subject.
Pitta-dono ntioned sothing about an advance party?
Yes, according to Chis report the Dragon King has given us his blessing to occupy a particular section of land, but its still necessary to survey the area. We can take advantage of a nearby lake after the land is surveyed well rely on Arc-donos power to send the first settlers to conduct the minimal land cultivation, then the remaining people.
Hanzo stroked his beard as he explained the relocation plans.
Judging from the what I saw when we climbed up the mountain with the hot spring, the lake they ntioned must have been a good distance away.
If I morized the location around the lake, I should be able to transfer the settlers there next ti.
Since the area would lack a defensive wall like the one this village had, the advance group might need to stay overnight to establish a defensive periter.
I assu that the advance party will need a few days to prepare for the settlers. How will the relocation of the rest of the village be handled?
There wasnt much I needed to actually to fulfill this request, but it was still necessary for
to had an idea of the schedule.
Hanzo raised an eyebrow as if he noticed sothing and looked directly at .
Itll be a month or two at minimum before the main relocation. It would be for the best if half of the villagers are relocated then.
So the village wasnt being abandoned, they were just relocating their excess numbers.
I was under the notion that this village was being abandoned.
At my mutter, Hanzo nodded in confirmation.
This village was set up as a refuge for my people. My brethren flee to mountainous regions should they manage to escape human nations because of the difficulty for humans to follow. I heard that the only reason the residence you attend to live in was abandoned was because the third head was incapable of mastering spatial-temporal ninjutsu.
The area wasnt easily accessible, to say the least. Without the use of spatial-temporal ninjutsu or transfer magic, one would need to traverse a monster-filled forest on foot.
The robust n in front of
would be okay making the journey, but there was a large number of won and children to consider. If there was no other option but relocation, they would need to be prepared for a large number of sacrifices.
However, why was such a destination chosen in the first place
Why are you returning to a land thats already been abandoned?
Hanzos eye reflected understanding as he slowly shook his head.
During the founders ti, there were still many of my peoples villages scattered about. Those that were caught by humans were forced to bring them to those villages. As the human population increased my people were driven into the mountains. Now there is no place where human influence doesnt reach, and my people are on the decline. Its rare for anyone to even travel between the hidden villages now.
Only the sound of the hearths crackling firewood and the simring pot could be heard as everyone beca silent.
If there was little flow between the villages, then a situation where everyone was related to everyone else would eventually co up.
The basin was located between mountains that humans had no access to, and the plains could be expanded if certain sections of the forest were cleared out.
If a new village could be built, then more people from other hidden villages can be moved there, thus solving the population problem probably.
Ariane had said that the People of the Mountain and Plains had built an impressive country on the Southern continent. However, humans held the power on the Northern continent, which made it difficult for the people here.
I understand. Would the advance party be ready to set out tomorrow?
Well be in your care. Huh!?
Hanzo bowed his head to
again but his expression beca stiff when he looked up.
The talk had proceeded smoothly till now, but at the sudden change of atmosphere I took a look around.
Hanzo wasnt the only one with a strained expression as both Chio and Goemon stared at
in shock.
I could only see a slight change in Goemons expression but a remark from Ariane clued
in as to what had happened.
Arc!? Your face turned back!?
When I touched my own face I realized why everyone was looking at
strangely.
The effect ti for the hot spring water was shorter than it should have been. Maybe the effect of the spring water started to diminish after a parting from its source.
If the freshness of the water had to be considered, then my use of it was more inflexible than I thought.
Undead!?
The people that had been sitting around the hearth shouted in utter confusion as they started to rise.
This conversation is becoming familiar was the thought crossing my mind as I began explaining my situation to everyone.
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