Chapter 259: Aligerous Tribe
As I looked at the man dangling and swaying stupidly, I wondered what we should do with this guy.
Though it was an attempt, there’s no mistaking that he attacked us. Well, we knew that he was no threat right from the very beginning though.
Was it because the monster nests in this island didn’t have that many strong monsters, plus being a solitary island that has never been attacked? The level of this Aligerous man was only in the mid-20’s. The Agility and Magic power on his status were around there too, so he might not have been suited to being a vanguard.
Did the Aligerous man, who had threads coiling around his body and covering his mouth like a gag, tire out from struggling? He swayed limply.
While I was worrying over what to do with the Aligerous man who was absolutely no threat to us despite having almost been attacked, I sensed multiple presences approaching.
Around 10 Aligerous warriors led by a man in his 60’s descended, approaching us with vigilance.
「People from the outside world, we apologize for the rudeness of the warrior of our village. If possible, we would like for his release.」
「……Ah, yeah, Kaede, let him go.」
I was surprised because I wasn’t expecting them to apologize so suddenly, but I asked Kaede to release the bound man.
「We are in your debt. I am the village chief, Valkan. We are the survivors of the ancient Aligerous Tribe.」
「I am Takumi Iruma.」
After introducing Sophia and the party, the Aligerous Tribe’s village chief named Valkan guided us to the base of the mountain.
「Our dwelling is located at a place inconvenient for the non-flying races.」
That’s what the elder said, but he probably didn’t want us getting near the women, children, and elderly who can’t fight. Unlike the man who became a bagworm a while ago, the elder had some clue as to how strong we were.
「First of all, what should we talk about…………」
Valkan-san began talking about the Aligerous Tribe.
He said that they originally lived in a place different from this island.
It was an island in the sky.
The lifespan of the Aligerous Tribe was long, for 500-600 years. That Aligerous Tribe lived on a huge island floating in the sky called the 『Sky Island』.
It was the paradise of the Aligerous Tribe. The Sky Island floating in the sky protected the Aligerous Tribe from other races and they lived there in peace.
200 years ago, monsters suddenly began pouring out in the Sky Island. The noncombatants of the Aligerous Tribe of that time were gathered, and they escaped to this island, which was close to the Sky Island at that time.
「Did the monsters suddenly overflow?」
「Yes, it is related to the mechanism that keeps the Sky Island afloat.」
Surprisingly, the place that the Aligerous Tribe refers to as the Sky island was a floating island made by the Ancient Aligerous Tribe.
「……could it be that the monsters that overflowed were monsters that escaped from a dungeon? Was a dungeon core used to power the floating magic?」
「?! You are well informed! That is correct. What the mechanisms and technology of it were are lost to us now, but the our ancestors, the Ancient Aligerous Tribe, utilized the power that the dungeon core had for birthing monsters into a power to make the island float.」
The Ancient Aligerous Tribe made the Sky Island, but the system of utilizing dungeon cores were now a lost technology.
The flood of monsters was clearly a monster stampede from the dungeon. The system that made the Sky Island float in the sky probably had a flaw.
「We call ourselves the Aligerous Tribe, but we are unable to fly long distances unhindered.…… even though we wish to help our brethren……」
Valkan-san said that as he lives in this island, he dreams of the day he would return to the Sky Island.
From its still state, the Sky Island was apparently circling a fixed orbit after the flood of monsters happened. That orbit had shifted, and now Valkan-san and the Aligerous Tribe could no longer reach it with their wings.
「Condemn us if you will, we do not even know if our brethren are still alive.」
After listening to all that, I somewhat understand the reason why Valkan-san brought us this far and talked about their history.
「Are you saying you want us to carry you to the Sky Island?」
「I’ve heard that Iruma-dono possesses a flying ship that let you come all the way to this island. Please take us to the Sky Island with that ship.」
I’m certain he heard it from the bagworm dude who we talked to a while ago, so it wasn’t surprising that the topic about the Ouranos was brought up by Valkan-san.
「We have nothing of equal value to compensate Iruma-dono. For that reason, we would like to pay you back with our labor.」
「Are you saying that the compensation will be manual labor?」
To me, this might have been a godsend. The mobility of the Aligerous Tribe is something we would be grateful for when we search for the remnants of the former Sydnia. And I wanted to go to the Sky Island. I really liked that Gh*bli anime[1].
***
Footnotes:
1. Reference to Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
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