The day I met those people, I prayed as usual in the village and went to sleep in my house. I was curious about those strange people, but for the time being, there was no point in thinking about them, so I went to sleep.
When night fell, things had changed again.
When I woke up, Dong and the others were having a difficult discussion. When I approached them, Mr. Dong told me what the situation was.
Last night, those people who were exhausted were watching to make sure they would not be attacked. In the midst of all this, they told me that they had been attacked. When I heard that they had been attacked, my mind went blank. I guess Mr. Dong must have understood my thoughts about who and for what purpose, even if I didn't say them out loud. Mr. Dong's expression turned grim.
The people I helped attacked me because they thought I was mistaken.
Mistake?
Mr. Dong looked grim. We were watching over them to make sure they didn't get attacked. But their friends didn't understand that. They attacked us because they thought we were the beastmen surrounding them.
What happened to them?
I became uneasy. Being attacked is a dangerous thing. I wondered if someone had been hurt if they had been attacked. I was afraid to think so.
I was afraid that someone would get hurt. --I was afraid that someone would get hurt, and I was also afraid of losing someone.
I caught the attackers this way. And I explained the situation. No one was hurt, so you don't have to look so worried.
I see. Then why that look?
The raiders were chased by the same people who live here as us. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new person. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take in the village. However, there is no place in this village to accept them. We cannot accept them in such a state. This village could collapse.
We listen to Mr. Dong's story.
Since the death of Mr. Athos, Mr. Dong has been working very hard to pull us along. Mr. Dong is a kind man. I know that. I think that because of his kindness, Mr. Dong also wants to help us if he can.
He said, "---We were able to accept Lelunda and Lan because Lelunda had Master Griffon and the others with her, and as for Lan, she was alone. And---that our village was just a receptacle. That was the reason. But this is a freshly built village that could go bad at any moment."
We don't even know what those people are thinking. We can't accept them in the village under those circumstances. But just poking and prodding won't help. They might try to take the village away from us. --If they are going to stay here, there is a good chance that it will not go peacefully.
It's not likely to go peacefully.
They may try to take away our peaceful village. If they would leave this place, but if those people stay here, there might be a problem.
It was me, of all people, who directly brought Mr. Dong's problems like that to this village.
Maybe I should have ended up just helping them. Or maybe I should have not helped them just because they were being attacked. I don't know what is the most right thing to do. No, maybe there is no option that is the most right. In the end, I don't think we can decide what is right and what is wrong. What is right and what is wrong may differ from person to person.
How should I act in this situation? I helped those people and said the village exists there. That is something I have already done. I can't do anything about what I have done. Then, what should I do?
I said, "Mr. Dong,...... I'm sorry to say that it's not going to be easy."
'We may have to fight. If you have to fight and at least there is a fight, you might as well make sure that those people don't come back to us again. If we do things halfway, if there is a conflict, the conflict may go on and on and on. As a result, someone on our side might die. --That's a good possibility. We asked the attackers to explain the situation to us, but I don't know what will happen.
I think I'm afraid of what might happen if there is a conflict. I don't want everyone to get hurt. No, I don't want anyone to get hurt, if not everyone. Maybe I am still naive.
Maybe I am a god child. That is why I have lived my life without seeing many situations where people get hurt. That's what Oshashio-san said. But in order for me to create a place where everyone can feel safe from now on, I must not just be naive like that. ---To cut someone off, to hurt someone else, these are things that are commonplace in the world.
Us and them.
We have to keep thinking about how to do it.
To protect me and my loved ones.
That noon, while I was thinking about this, I received a report from Raymer that those people were moving suspiciously.
---- girl and the ethnic group 1
(Maybe the girl, who is a godchild, learns about the attack and thinks deeply again. Then the griffon reports to the girl)