Chapter 321 Confusion or Relief?
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The story returns to the moments just before the meeting between Neil and Espera began. A lone figure was sprinting through the forest surrounding the frontier settlement.
The shadow belonged to a member of the Lycus¹ race named Forutis. She had come following a scent clinging to a letter sent by Bearty. To conceal her characteristic ears and tail, she remained wrapped in a robe that covered her from her head to the tip of her tail, moving with calculated stealth to avoid any prying eyes.
”So this is the Empire’s frontier settlement. The letter definitely came from here,” Forutis murmured. “It took a bit longer than I expected. I just hope Betty is still around.”
In an era where the Item Boxes² developed by Neil have become common, the idea of tracking a letter might seem impossible. Since items sent via the box essentially warp to their destination, there should be no trail to follow. However, this particular letter hadn’t been sent directly from the settlement to the Lycus lands; it had been routed through several different towns. Forutis had reached this location by meticulously narrowing down those transit points one by one.
”Hm? What’s that?”
Forutis’s eyes were drawn to the northern edge of the settlement, away from the bustling center. A specific area was partitioned off by high wooden walls. Because the walls were taller than a grown man, it was impossible to see what lay behind them. Intrigued, Forutis scaled a nearby tree, perching herself high enough to peer over the barricade.
”A farm?”
Inside the walls was a field managed by the settlement. She watched as slaves harvested crops that were heavy with fruit-clearly the result of Earth Spirit³ magic-and packed them into wooden crates. The walls had been built so high because the settlement’s ability to cooperate with spirits (beings previously thought to be impossible to communicate with) had become public knowledge.
The barrier was there to prevent unauthorized researchers from trespassing and to protect the slaves working the land. Forutis, ignorant of these details, strained her eyes and ears, wondering if they were cultivating something illicit. The distance between the tree and the field was significant, but it was nothing to the superhuman senses of a Lycus.
”Phew! Finally finished!” one worker shouted.
”You say ‘finished,’ but we only did the potato harvest,” another grumbled.
”Ahaha… but seriously, the potato yield has been insane lately. They take up three times more space than any other crop.”
”Our shipments to Harvest Hoe⁴ are up, sure, but consumption in the dining hall has skyrocketed too. It’s all because of that ‘Fried Potato’ debate.”
”No way, it’s the ‘Potato Fry’ debate!”
”You’re both wrong, it’s the ‘French Fry’ debate!”
”Huh?” “What?” “Excuse me?”
The three men suddenly began snapping at each other, the air between them practically sizzling with petty rage. Forutis, watching from her branch, let out a long, deflated sigh.
(It’s just normal vegetables. I guess that kind of stupid argument happens in every country.)
Because frying potatoes in oil was such a simple concept, similar dishes existed across the globe. This led to constant, meaningless disputes over names, cutting styles, and dipping sauces-and the frontier settlement was no exception. To make matters worse, the presence of Ihomonos⁵ meant that names and cooking methods from their various home worlds were all mixed together. With nearly a hundred different regional terms in play, it was factually impossible to settle the argument.
”And just what are you all arguing about?” a sharp voice interrupted.
”Eek! Diana-sama!?”
Diana had arrived, putting an abrupt end to the fruitless bickering. The three men turned pale, their faces twitching with anxiety.
”G-Good morning! Wait, wasn’t Lewya-sama supposed to be the supervisor this week?”
”Good morning,” Diana replied. “Lewya is currently handling another matter today~desuno, so I have come as her substitute for the day.”
”I-I see…”
The three men quickly turned their backs to Diana, huddling together to whisper urgently.
”Hey, what do we do!?”
”Of all the days for Diana-sama to show up… Maybe we should just wait and ask Lewya-sama tomorrow?”
”Are you an idiot!? When the moms ask ‘How did it go?’ tonight, do you want to tell them ‘I was too scared of Diana-sama to ask’? Diana-sama is terrifying, sure, but my mother’s wrath is ten times worse!”
”What is all this whispering?” Diana asked, her voice cold. “If there is a problem with the harvest, report it immediately.”
”Oh, no! It’s nothing like that! Hehehe…”
The three broke into hollow, dry laughter. Just as Diana’s gaze sharpened, a man approached the group.
”Good morning, Diana-sama.”
”Good morning.”
”Is something the matter?”
”I was just about to find out,” Diana said, radiating the aura of an inquisitor about to break a suspect.
As the trio cowered under her gaze, Madison let out a weary sigh and turned to them. “What did you guys blow this time? You’d better just spit it out.”
”We didn’t blow anything, Madison! If we messed up the work, we’d admit it! It’s about… you know, last night!”
”Ah, that.”
”You know about this?” Diana asked, shifting her focus to Madison.
Madison, catching the pleading looks from the three workers, decided to explain on their behalf. “Actually, we have a request regarding the food rations.”
”Rations? You mean the weekly distribution?”
In the past, Diana and Lewya had managed the slaves directly. However, as Neil’s projects expanded, their workload became too heavy to manage daily meals. They eventually decided to let the slaves manage themselves. Ordinarily, giving slaves such autonomy would be unthinkable, but the treatment of slaves in this settlement was so high by global standards that they harbored no resentment. A bond of trust had formed. Specifically, the women handled meal planning and inventory, submitting a request for supplies every weekend. Diana and the others would simply approve the request if the numbers added up.
”Yes,” Madison continued. “The thing is… we ran out of potatoes. We were wondering if we could get an early supplement, even though it’s not the weekend yet.”
”Ran out? Was a mistake in the inventory request?” Diana asked, glancing at the three men who were looking increasingly sheepish.
”No,” Madison said. “You know about that ‘fried potato’ debate in the dining hall? Well, it got a bit heated among some of the men last night…”
”……I see.” Diana pressed a hand to her temple, suppressing a headache. “The last distribution was two crates four weeks ago. You should have had plenty left.”
”Right. The women planned the menu to use up the stock by this weekend. But these three and a few others decided to ‘test’ some recipes last night and used up the entire supply. The women are furious because the meal plan is completely ruined.”
”And so you want an early handout? I hope you haven’t forgotten your status here.”
”N-No, of course not!”
”We’re so sorry! We just got carried away!”
”It’ll never happen again, please forgive us!”
The rations in the settlement were never meager. Per Neil’s instructions, they made sure no one went hungry. However, a slave complaining about food-or asking for more because they “ate it all”-was an act of such entitlement that it would usually warrant severe punishment.
(What should I do? Master Neil would likely say it’s fine, and I don’t mind moving the schedule up, but letting them off with no consequences at all is far too soft.)
”How many were involved in this?” Diana asked.
”Uhh… eight people.”
”I see. As punishment, I will reduce the liquor ration by one bottle for those eight at the next Star’s End⁶.”
While the treatment was incredibly generous for slaves, the settlement provided three bottles of liquor five times a year during the Star’s End distribution. It wasn’t enough to get truly drunk, but for the twenty-some drinkers, it was a prized luxury. Diana’s ruling meant the culprits would be going dry.
”No booze this weekend…”
”Well, it’s our own fault. We messed up.”
”Yeah…”
(Well, it’s currently the Harvest Star⁷, and this Star’s End is the New Year celebration, so they’ll likely get their hands on some drinks regardless of the ration,) Diana thought to herself as she watched them mope.
Watching the exchange from afar, Forutis was completely bewildered.
”Slaves? Those are slaves?”
The slaves Forutis knew were “living corpses”-people who had lost the ability to sustain themselves and were stripped of everything in exchange for mere survival. The people in front of her looked like ordinary, well-fed laborers.
”They look like regular people to me… Wait. This scent…”
The scent of tilled earth, ripening crops, and the salt-heavy sweat of slaves filled the air, but a faint, floral fragrance-wholly out of place in this wasteland-drifted on the wind to Forutis’s nose.
(No mistake. That’s the same scent from the envelope.)
The perfume belonged to Diana. She was the tenth of the eleven people whose lingering odors Forutis had been hunting, leaving only the person who had actually penned the letter. By now, however, Forutis didn’t even need to track the scent to know who that final person was.
Judging by Diana’s attire, she was clearly a servant, and in a frontier settlement⁸ like this, the only person capable of clearing such vast tracts of land would be the noble overseeing the territory. Forutis shifted her gaze toward the manor house on the western edge of the settlement.
”Betty…!”
She might finally see her. Praying she was still there, Forutis dropped from the tree. She moved through the woods like a grey blur, circling counter-clockwise to the rear of the estate. In a heartbeat, she was perched in a tree overlooking the back of the house, scouting the perimeter.
(Hardly any cover. This is as close as I can get.)
The perimeter wall had been built with a wide berth around the manor to ensure it didn’t provide cover for attackers. A ten-meter dead zone lay between the stone and the house. While the front was meticulously landscaped with hedges and paths, the rear was bare and exposed. Further approach was impossible.
(I wanted to get closer, but at this distance, I can still see what’s happening-)
As Forutis peered through the glass, a flash of silver-grey hair identical to her own entered her vision.
(There!)
Her heart surged with a momentary, rapturous joy at finally finding Betty, but that joy was instantly smothered by a cold, visceral dread.
(An Inquisitor⁹…!?)
She saw the young Imperial noble and the Inquisitor sitting across from Betty, who sat with her head bowed. Forutis’s mind raced to the darkest conclusion: the Empire¹⁰ was selling her out to the Theocracy¹¹.
If she could have heard the conversation, she might have realized her mistake, but the windows were sealed tight. Forutis had spent the entire journey wondering why anyone would “protect” a Lycus¹²; now it seemed clear. The noble was using Betty as a bargaining chip.
”Filthy Empire nobles!”
The urge to storm the room nearly overcame her, but she knew the stakes. If a Lycus attacked an Imperial manor, the Kingdom¹³ might sacrifice her entire race just to keep the peace.
(Deep breath… calm down…)
(Steady. The Inquisitor will have to move her eventually. I’ll snatch her back during the transport.)
She whispered the lies to steady her nerves, never taking her eyes off the room. She couldn’t make out the words, but the muffled vibrations allowed her to track the argument.
(The Inquisitor is fighting with someone? It looks like one of the two people behind the noble… Are they haggling over her price?)
Suddenly, a familiar frequency pierced the air.
(Is Betty speaking?)
She strained her ears, focusing every sense on that room.
(She’s definitely talking, but her voice is shaking. She’s terrified.)
Forutis leaped from branch to branch, repositioning herself for a direct line of sight. When she finally looked up, she saw the shimmer of tears on her cheeks. Her grip tightened reflexively, and the thick branch beneath her snapped with a sharp CRACK.
”For making her cry… I’ll tear you apart!”
Ignorant of the context, Forutis assumed she was weeping in terror. Her hatred for Neil and Espera burned white-hot, yet she forced herself to stay put.
(I want to rip their throats out, but that would destroy the peace. Priority one is securing Betty-)
”-Huh?”
A hollow, confused sound escaped her throat. Through the glass, she saw Betty’s face. She wasn’t pleading.
She was smiling.
Why? Why was she laughing? Was she not about to be hauled off? Usually, such a sight would breed bewilderment, but the emotion that surged in Forutis was far more volatile.
”Ugh… ah-“
It wasn’t relief. It wasn’t hope.
”UWAHHHHHHHHH!!”
With a roar that sounded more like a death-shriek than a battle cry, Forutis kicked off the trunk. She hit the ground in a dead sprint, turning herself into a living projectile aimed directly at Neil. The moment she saw Betty’s smile, the emotion that flooded Forutis’s soul was a rage so absolute it felt as if her very blood had turned to fire.
—
Summary:
Forutis, a Lycus woman, infiltrates the frontier settlement tracking a scent on a letter. She observes the settlement’s high-walled fields and witnesses a group of ‘slaves’ arguing about the name of fried potatoes. Diana intervenes to discipline the workers for consuming extra rations, revealing a surprisingly humane slave management system.
Forutis follows a scent trail to a noble’s manor in a frontier settlement, where she discovers her missing sister, Betty. She mistakenly believes she is being sold to the Slane Theocracy by an Empire noble and an Inquisitor. Seeing Betty cry drives her to the brink, but seeing her smile triggers a violent, inexplicable rage that sends her charging into the room.
—
Trivia:
- The letter Forutis is tracking was sent by Bearty, but she is looking for ‘Betty’.
- Item Boxes warp items, leaving no scent trail, making Forutis’s tracking feat extraordinary.
- The walls are high not to keep slaves in, but to keep ‘spirit researchers’ out.
- Diana and Lewya delegated management to slaves because of Neil’s expanding workload.
- The settlement treats slaves so well they feel comfortable bickering in front of their masters.
- Forutis has been tracking 11 specific scents on an envelope; Diana was the 10th.
- The setting involves a ‘frontier settlement’ which is heavily cleared for crops by slave labor.
- A ‘dead zone’ of 10 meters exists between the manor and the perimeter wall for security.
- Lycus are viewed as ‘troublesome things’ or cursed beings in this world’s social hierarchy.
- Forutis is grey-haired, a trait shared by his sister Betty
—
Character Insight:
Diana shows a blend of strict discipline and underlying compassion; she punishes the workers with a liquor reduction but knows they will likely get alcohol anyway due to the holiday. Forutis’s worldview is shaken as she realizes these ‘slaves’ are healthier and happier than common laborers.
Forutis’s loyalty to his sister is his primary driver, but his psychological state is fragile; he interprets a smile not as a sign of safety, but as something so offensive or ‘wrong’ in this context that it snaps his remaining restraint.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Fried Potato’ debate is a meta-commentary on real-world regional naming disputes (Fries vs. Chips vs. Wedges), amplified by the ‘Ihomonos’ bringing modern concepts to a fantasy setting.
The ‘misunderstanding’ trope is used here to create a collision between the protagonist’s bias against nobles/Theocracy and the reality of the situation inside the house.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Espera – Middle‑rank Pentis Inquisitor, crisp‑tongued and brutally honest, charges high fees as ‘fair compensation’ to fund aid. Cool, assessing gaze spots Bearty, studies her unique traits, then departs quietly. She is also an object of Forutis’s hatred, present in the room.
• Neil – A young Empire noble managing the frontier settlement.
• Forutis – Female Lycus beastman with grey hair, arrow‑fast movement, animal ears and a hidden tail under a heavy robe. She possesses superhuman sight, hearing and a keen sense of smell, and protects Bearty as a younger sister, currently tracking a scent from a letter he sent while searching for her missing sister.
• Bearty – Gray-haired Lycus girl from a remote settlement, ran away from overprotective family, appears after collapsing from exhaustion, becomes the girl Neil protects and mentors.
• Foru – Female Lycus beastman with grey hair, arrow‑fast movement, animal ears and a hidden tail under a heavy robe. She possesses superhuman sight, hearing and a keen sense of smell, and protects Bearty as a younger sister, currently tracking a scent from a letter he sent while searching for her missing sister.
• Betty – Grey‑haired Lycus tribe member, born missing her left arm and labeled a malformed child, ignorant of sexual education due to the tribe’s eugenics. She is Forutis’s younger sister (gimai) and was missing for weeks before being found inside a noble’s manor.
• Diana – A servant whose perfume was used to track the location of the letter writer. An authoritative supervisor at the frontier settlement. She is a substitute for Lewya. She is known for her ‘interrogator’ aura and is feared by the laborers/slaves. She maintains a bond of trust with the workers despite her strictness.
• Madison – A male worker/slave at the settlement who acts as a spokesperson or intermediary for the others. He is more level-headed than the trio arguing over potatoes.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply