The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 80
“…… Voruu garuooa.” [… Very well, state your purpose.]
With an indignant look, I urged Ernesta to speak.
“Everyone, put your swords down!”
The Knights surrounding us lowered their weapons on her order to keep the intimidation down.
“I’m sorry if we came in such a manner, but we don’t have much time… I apologize if we started with threatening you, but I want you to know how serious and ready I am to negotiate.”
“Guoru, kuauon, guruoaaooh?” [So you’re saying that you’re not bluffing and are prepared to convince us with brute force?]
“Yes, since empty threats will only make one look bad.”
(…Well, if you put such a level of preparedness forward, then I can surely see your will to succeed with the negotiations no matter what the cost. Hmmm, I wonder if we can take advantage of this situation?)
“… I only have one request, and that is to hunt the monster running amok in the Royal Capital.”
“Gurua woaan… garuaooon, guruu?” [Can’t you do it yourselves? Didn’t you say they were strong?]
“…”
I could tell from the atmosphere that the Knights who are silently observing the course of events here are quite skilled.
“It’s impossible. That thing is built so that humans cannot take it down.”
“… Garuou?” [… What are you up against?]
“You wouldn’t happen to know of the disease-spreading monster, Alvesta of the Black Rain, would you? It’s what we humans call it, but…”
Isn’t that one of the Seven Plagues…? So it’s a threat level S monster. As I recall, there were records of its appearance 140 years ago in Constanzia, the capital of Athos.
During that time, the Holy Church and the Heavenly Moon religious sect were not on good terms. The Holy Church back then did not share information with the religious sect about the white-masked monster, thus catching them unprepared and causing extensive damages to the latter.
For now, I’ll pretend not to know about it and see if they are lying or not…
“Gugaoa guorun?” [What are the characteristics of this monster?]
“It’s a white-masked entity that causes sickness and death to humans through the reddish-black rain of blood that it casts all over the city. If we tried to get near it, then it would spew forth a cloud of blood and incapacitate us on the spot, but you guys…”.
“Guuaaon.” [You have no proof of that.]
I affirmed Ernesta’s statement and interrupted her mid-sentence.
As far as I know, the records have indicated that the blood disease caused by Alvesta of the Seven Plagues has not affected anything else other than humans, but I cannot say if there is no risk of infection to our kind either.
“Kuarugu guugurua worugaruaou?” [You want me to risk my life and my people’s lives on pure speculation?]
“I know there’s that too, but… according to the records, except for the first case, all the other cases of the blood disease after that only affected humans, so I cannot guarantee that there is no danger to your lives either.”
Losing her mother from a young age, Ernesta understood that no matter how much the other party is willing to pay, no amount of compensation could match the value of a life.
That’s why they have not yet decided how to mitigate the damages in the Royal Capital, but… while it may be a matter of convenience on the human’s side, the Kobolds’ lives are likewise irreplaceable.
As a student of medicine, she values just not people, but “lives” as a high priority. And because of that belief, she ended up in the current situation.
