Chapter 22

"Oh, it's you guys again,"

Suddenly a green figure of a human appeared before us. A familiar face and one I bet Satou isn't happy to see. I wonder if she will make him feed her again. The figure turned out to be the dryad who helped us escape the Cradle. She beckoned us forward with a wave of her hand. She should put on some clothes because she is as bare as the day she was born.

"Mrrr, go away," But before we can get close, Mia stands between us. Stretching her arms out as if she is protecting us. "Drain."

By "Drain," Mia must mean the dryad's ability to suck up magic. She shouldn't be that worried. Satou has fed her before, and I have plenty of MP. But then again, I don't want to have to kiss her. Hopefully, Satou will take one for the team again if it comes down to it.

"Oh my. Don't be rude, child,"

Mia didn't seem to like being called a child. I could hear her let out a growling sound. She looked like she was going to start a fight, but I put my hand on her should before anything could happen.

"So, do you need something?" I ask.

"Oh, the chief of the Forest Giants just asked me to find out who trespassed through the barrier. But since it is you, though, I'm sure I can bring you straight to him. The youngling there can come too,"

Somehow that doesn't sound like a good idea. If I leave them, everyone, with Satou, I am sure they will make it to the village in one piece. Still, it is at least a full day, maybe two days' worth of travelling, to reach the village from here. I could go if I had to and made arrangements for the other's arrival, but I would rather all of us arrive together.

"Would it be okay to take all of us?"

"Sure, but I don't have enough magic for that, so you will have to give me some of yours,"

"Okay,"

"Don't," Mia tries to stop me, but I pat her on the head.

"Don't worry, I will be fine," I tell her before stepping around and offering my hand the dryad.

"Boo, this way isn't as fun," She pouts as I begin transferring my magic to her.

The dryad was more greedy than I thought, and I was lucky I had a fast mana recovery rate. I started off with four hundred and forty MP. By the time she was done, I had only twenty left. If I had added the amount of MP, I would have recovered during the process. I estimate that the dryad took roughly seven hundred MP.

I should have let Mia stop me. I felt so tired afterwards that I could barely stand, even with Pearl supporting me. Even after drinking an MP recovery potion, I still took a while to recover. I know one thing for sure now. I will never give a dryad any of my magic ever again. I completely overestimated my own abilities. Mia and Nana almost attacked the dryad, but I managed to talk them down.

"Well, that was stupid," Arisa comments as the dryad starts.

"Yeah, I underestimated how fast she could absorb my MP,"

"Alright, here goes, everyone. Please step inside the circle,"

The dryad instructs with a cheerful voice as a circle of mushrooms sprouts from the ground. Mia mutters the word "Fairy Ring" as we all group together in the middle. At least my Mp is going to good use. I can feel powerful magical energy beneath my feet a split second before we are teleported.

"Dryad, who have you brought here?!"

Chaos. Chaos erupted as soon as we arrived at wherever the dryad teleported us. Men and women the size of buildings stand and reach for weapons that could crush a castle with a single swing. Several other people closer to our size looked just as panicked. One of them, a man riding on a giant's shoulder, instantly demanded answers from the dryad as soon as we arrived.

No. Now that I get a better look at the man shouting, he looks too small to be a human. Oh, he's a brownie, and he's level forty. I wish my Appraisal skill worked like Satou's. He seems to be able to use it at will and gather more information than me, while I have to focus on something to get it to work.

The room itself is nearly seventy feet high. It is circular in shape with only a hundred-and-fifty-foot radius. The walls are made from wood, and it looks like we are inside a giant tree. The whole room is lit up by a gentle white light hanging high above even the giant's head.

"Answer me, dryad!" The brownie continues to demand.

"They're humans,"

"That's not what I mean!" The brownie jumps up and down. "I'm asking who they are."

"Oh, I dunno. Besides, I'm not going to listen to anyone except that kid Stonehammer. He's the master of this mana source."

"BOH-YAH, MEEROH,"

One of the giants suddenly spoke up, and it felt like there was an earthquake. The ground lightly shook, and my whole body trembled. Some of the younger girls even looked frightened after hearing the giant speak. I don't understand what the giant is saying, but maybe… ah, yes, I learned the skill. I quickly max out the Giant Language skill.

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN THIS VILLAGE?"

The giant's voice shakes the ground even harder this time as his voice echoes through the room. The brownie on the giant's shoulder quickly translates into the language of the Shiga Kingdom. I am glad that even when that guy is shouting, his voice is nowhere near as scary as the giants.

"I AM SATOU, A TRAVELING MERCHANT. THE WITCH OF THE FOREST OF ILLUSIONS ASKED ME TO DELIVER A LETTER TO YOU, WHICH IS WHY I CAME HERE,"

It turns out Satou put some points into the giant's language too. His voice may not shake the room like the giant's, but he speaks loud enough that they can hear him.

"Wait, was that… giant language?"

"Yes, Sir Satou seems to be quite knowledgeable,"

"Goodness, is there anything he can't do,"

I was probably the only one that wasn't surprised when Satou spoke. I thought everyone would have been used to Satou's suddenly gaining new skills, but I guess I was wrong. Still, the ones most surprised were miss Karina and Raka.

"OH-HO, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND US? HOW SPLENDID. LET US SEE THIS LETTER FROM THE WITCH,"

The giant seems a lot happy now. He smiles and laughs after hearing Satou speak their language. The giant lowed his enormous hand. I wouldn't want to get into a fight with him when this giant's pinky finger is twice the size of me. The giant ends up giving the letter to the brownie to read for him, and I try not to listen despite the temptation.

"IT SEEMS YOU HAVE COME QUITE FAR. THANK YOU, LITTLE CHILD, FRIEND OF MY OLD FRIEND. MY NAME IS…."

I wasn't expecting him to have such a long name. It took him twenty minutes to introduce himself. I didn't think it was possible to have a name that long. By the time he was done, Pochi and Tama looked like they were about to fall asleep. It made me feel tired too. His name was more like listening to an easy rhythm song. Nana almost did nod off and fell over at one point. If it wasn't for Pearl noticing, she probably would be fast asleep by now.

"… BUT THAT MAY BE TOO LONG FOR YOU TO EASILY SAY. YOU MAY CALL ME STONEHAMMER,"

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WELCOME. SINCE I HAVE ALREADY, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MY COMPANIONS,"

"Mia…"

Mia was first since she was standing closest to Satou. Her voice sounds so tiny and soft compared to the giants. She keeps her ears covered and looks upset. The giants, powerful voice probably hurt her ears.

"OH-HO. AN ELF OF BOLENAN FOREST, ARE YOU? NOT SINCE SIR YUSARATOYA VISITED OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO HAVE I SEEN YOUR KIND. ALLOW ME TO WELCOME YOU ON BEHALF OF OUR ENTIRE VILLAGE,"

Pochi and Tama introduced themselves next, running to the front of the group and waving up at the giant. Liza scolded them before introducing herself and dragging the duo away. Then it is my turn. I step forward and bow.

"MY NAME IS KURA SUOU. I AM A HERO AND KNIGHT SERVING EARL SEIRYUU,"

"A HERO, YOU SAY. AND YOU CAN SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE,"

I didn't mean to. I spoke how I usually do, but it came out in the giant's language. Does the skill activate automatically? No, I don't speak to Mia in the language of the elves. I must have activated that skill unconsciously.

"IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I SEEN A HERO,"

The giant smiles, leaning down to get a closer look at me. I wish he hadn't. His breath is like a gust of wind, and Arisa's and Lulu's dresses get blown up. Arisa never changes. The only thing she was mad about in that situation was that Satou didn't try to sneak a peak.

"WHAT BRING YOU TO US, YOUNG HERO,"

"I HAVE COME TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF THE MUNO BARONY AND DEFEAT A DEMON WITHIN THE TERRITORY,"

"A DEMON? IF YOU NEED OUR AID IN DEFEATING THE DEMON, THEN WE WILL BE GLAD TO OFFER IT TO YOU,"

"I APPRECIATE THE OFFER, BUT RIGHT NOW, WE CAN'T ATTACK THE DEMON. IT IS SPLIT ITSELF INTO MULTIPLE BODIES, AND THEY ARE TO SPREAD OUT TO ELIMINATE ALL TOGETHER,"

"SO IT IS ONE OF THOSE KINDS. WHEN THE TIME COMES, WE WILL AID YOU,"

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT,"

I turn to find miss Karina staring at me. I give her a smile as Pearl and Nana introduce themselves to the giants. Arisa and Lulu are next, followed by miss Karina.

"M… my name is Karina Muno… I'm the second daughter of Baron Muno…."

Miss Karina's introduction gets a different reaction. As soon as they heard her name, the giants went silent. At first, I thought they were surprised to see the baron's daughter, but then I noticed the looks of anger and disgust on every one of the giant's faces. The brownie on Stonehammers shoulder is practically red in the face with rage.

"Muno, you say! So a relative of that rotten Marquis has strayed into our village to lose her head?!"

Miss Karina hides behind Satou as the brownie continues to call for her death. For a split second, I could see a smile on Satou's lips as miss Karina pressed against his back. But despite Satou's happiness, something needs to change. Several more people have started calling for miss Karina's death, and if no one says anything, she really will end up dead. I step forward, putting myself between the giants and Satou and miss Karina.

"PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT!"

Silence fills the room as all eyes fall on me.

"Hero Kura,"

I hear miss Karina mutter as but I don't look back. Still hearing her voice did encourage me to continue.

"MARQUIS MUNO'S FAMILY HAS BEEN DESTROYED. HER FATHER HAS ONLY INHERITED THE NAME AND IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO THE FORMER MARQUIS HOUSEHOLD,"

"That doesn't change anything! Anyone with the name Muno must answer for their crimes!"

I tried to defend miss Karina, but brownie refused to listen. He shouts and waves his arms around, not even considering anything I say to be true. But it looks like I have at least won over one person.

"THAT IS ENOUGH,"

"BUT…."

"ENOUGH I SAID,"

Stonehammer speaks up, causing the brownie to finally go silent. He stares at me for a second before finally speaking again.

"LITTLE HERO, I WILL NOT ASK YOU WHY YOU HAVE BROUGHT A YOUNG WOMAN BEARING THE NAME MUNO TO THIS LAND. HOWEVER, THE WITCH'S LETTER SAID BOTH YOU AND SATOU HELPED MY OLD FRIEND IN HER TIME OF NEED. ALLOW ME TO PREPARE YOU A ROOM IN THE MANSION OF OUR VILLAGES, LITTLE GIANTS. IT IS MY THANKS TO YOU FOR HELPING MY OLD FRIEND,"

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY, BUT MIGHT I ASK FOR MY FRIEND MISS KARINA TO BE ALLOWED TO STAY AS WELL?"

"… VERY WELL, THE MUNO WOMAN MAY STAY WITH YOU,"

After a short pause, Stonehammer agrees to my request. Hopefully, Miss Karina will be safe, and we can take her to Muno City when we leave this place. This might even give her a chance to prove she isn't as evil as the brownie claims she is.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY,"

I bow before we are led out of the hall by a different brownie. This one still gives miss Karina a dirty look, but at least he isn't threatening her. Then we were left alone and told to wait until someone from the little giant village came for us. Liza and Pearl stand by the door on guard while everyone relaxes in the seats provided. We asked them to join us by both Liza and Pearl said someone needed to keep an eye out for trouble.

The room isn't that bad and seems designed for people more our size than the giants. There are no paints or decorations, but there is a fire pit in the centre of the room. Soft sofas circle the pit. Any noble would kill for these chairs. I haven't felt anything so soft and comfortable in a long time.

"Hero Kura. Thank you for speaking up on behalf of miss Karina,"

Raka thanked me for my aid, but I didn't do much. I just ensure her safety here. I didn't end the hatred or change the minds of many people who sought to end miss Karina's life. Miss Karina still looks shaken by what happened back there, but she manages to mumble some words of gratitude. Her face was pale, and I could still see traces of fear in her eyes. That must have been the first time in her life that she has had such hatred thrown her way.

Pochi and Tama are worried about her. They sit on either side of miss Karina letting her pat them on the head. Animal therapy must work in this world because I see a small smile on miss Karina's lips when Pochi and Tama press their heads into her hands.

"Don't worry things will get better,"

Arisa pats miss Karina on the back, making the noble lady jump. I guess Arisa was talking about her past when she was known as the Mad Princess. She didn't tell me much about her passing, but from what I heard, it was terrible. Apart from Arisa, only Pochi, Tama, and Liza have had a crowd calling for their blood before.

"There is no benefit to being disheartened, I advise," Nana is next to offer advice. She slaps miss Karina on the back too, but the noble lady is nearly thrown to the floor this time. If you have time to feel downcast, you must use it to move forward instead, I recite."

"That's right, Lady Karina! There's hardly anything that can't be solved with a proper meal and a good night's sleep,"

Lulu does her best to cheer miss Karina up too. She smiles and assures her things will get better. Satou looks like he wants to say something but can't get a word in and quickly gives up. He sits back, watching as Lulu and Nana take turns offering advice to miss Karina. I'm surprised Nana can give so many helpful tips since I constantly have to correct her behaviour.

We don't have to wait long before someone comes to fetch us. The same brownie that led us to this room returns and guides us outside, where the little giants are waiting with a palanquin to carry us to the village. They aren't as big as the giants in the hall, only about a third of their size. Still, they are friendly and even greet miss Karina with a smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, daho. It took some time to prepare the palanquin, daho,"

The one who appeared to be in charge spoke to us as they carried us out of the tree… we were in that giant tree. I thought that giant hall looked like a tree. It is even bigger now that we are so close, but Mia told me it was small when I commented on the size of the tree. For some reason, she looked annoyed by the motion that this tree was the biggest in the world.

"World Tree,"

"Is it bigger?"

"Much,"

So there are trees bigger than this one out there. I can't wait to see it when we take Mia home.

The little giants carry us down a trench between the tree roots. Those roots have to be twice as tall as the walls around Seiryuu City. The village is still a mile away, but the buildings are so big it looks to be so much closer.

Above us, the sunlight somehow manages to penetrate the tree's canopy. The lower branches are at least three hundred meters above us, but the tips still reach the ground. At those points, I can see towers and more little giants doing some kind of work. Satou must have also noticed them because he asks the leader of the little giants carrying us about them. According to the little giant's leader, they are harvesting fruit from the tree.

When I see one of these fruits, I am shocked by the size. It takes two little giants to carry and could feed a city for a week. If I could help miss Karina mend her relationship with the giants, then maybe we can trade for some of these fruits to help fight the famine in the territory. But before I can devise a plan to help miss Karina, an alarm suddenly rings.

"What's happening?"

Satou asks, but the little giants look too relaxed for anything terrible to have happened. They simply look up and move us closer to the roots.

"A fruit must have fallen from the mountain tree, daho,"

That sounds bad. This tree is at least a few miles high, and even a fruit falling from the lower branch could cause severe damage. Looking up, I can see branches shaking and wood snapping. It must have fallen from an upper branch because it takes a full minute before I can even see it.

"The defence lid will cover us soon enough, so please do not worry, daho,"

They place the palanquin on the ground and remain calm even as the younger girls start to panic. Pochin and Tama dive onto Satou's lap while Arisa and Lulu hold onto his arms. Meanwhile, Mia hugs me while Nana readies her shield, thinking she can stop something like that fruit from crushing us. I don't tell her that her action is pointless. I don't panic. We can't be in danger if the little giants are this calm. If we were, I'm sure my Danger Sense skill would have been activated by now.

I continue to look up, stroking Mia's back as I feel her shake. A semi-transparent barrier forms overhead. It shines in the sunlight and looks thin, but the massive fruit bounces right off. Liza, Pearl and Nana don't take their eyes off the fruit, watching it roll away. We were never in danger… well, at least most weren't. When I look down, I see miss Karina hugging Satou from behind. With her arms around his neck, she must have accidentally activated her strength enchantment ability because Satou looks like he is struggling to breathe. It takes both Pear and Liza working together to pry her off of him.

"Uh-oh, must be a bouncer daho,"

The ground shakes when the fruit hits the floor. It isn't bad, but it causes Mia to hug me even tighter, making it hard for me to breathe. Several more termors follow before things settle down. We saw the entire thing. The fruit bounced until it crashed into a building sending several people running away in a panic. The house looks completely totalled, but it doesn't appear that anyone was hurt. I let out a sigh of relief before I pry Mia off of me. She's still shaken by the fruit but looking better now that the shaking has stopped.

"Oh, dear. That's the spriggan generals house, daho. We'll all have to aid with repairs tomorrow, daho,"

They make it seem like an everyday occurrence. I'm surprised no one is more worried about the falling fruit after seeing an entire building crushed. But things carry on as if nothing had happened. The barrier above us disappears, and the little giants pick up our palanquin. But that only made the situation seem more server. Three fruits had fallen in total, but only the one we saw caused any damage. I can also see spots where craters had been filled in.

"Does fruit fall like that often?" Satou asks as we start moving.

"Oh no. Aside from during harvest season, there's usually no more than one a month, daho,"

We must be in the middle of the harvest season. I can see the damage the fallen fruit has caused all around us. Buildings under repair, craters, and defensive walls being rebuilt or erected. If I hadn't known about the falling fruit, I would have thought this place was in the middle of a war.

"Normally, the elder sparrows eat the fruit at the top of the tree, daho. But in the last month, there hasn't been that many, so lots of ripe fruit has been falling, daho,"

I wonder if this is where the witch got her elder sparrow. The demon might have something to do with their decrease in numbers. I am sure the elder sparrows have very few natural predators to worry about.

"I recall those birds being quite large," Satou comments, looking up again. "Is there some sort of dangerous predator around here?"

"Not anymore, so don't worry, daho," The little giant shakes his head before continuing in a more sorrowful tone. "But during the last new moon, a flock of hydra's breached the barrier. Many sparrows were eaten, daho."

A flock of hydras. I thought they would be more solitary creatures. They must be a pain to deal with. Fast and powerful, and now they travel in packs. They make dealing with the wyverns of Seiryuu City look like an easy assignment.

"The great forest giants drove them away by throwing hard shell fruit at them, but several were hit by the hydras poison breath, daho,"

"That sounds terrible,"

Hydras are becoming my least favourite thing in this world. Massive pack hunters that now breathe poison. I'm glad Satou defeated the one at the border before it had a chance to fight back. If we were to fight one in the future, we would need to one-shot it. I'm sure Satou and I could make the antidote to the poison, but I don't want to see anyone suffer while they wait for us to make it.

"It was, daho. That was the first time in the three hundred years I have been alive we were attacked by monsters, so I really panicked, daho,"

I am starting to think the demon has something to do with this. If the giants got attacked by the occasion hydra every now and then, I wouldn't think anything of it. Still, the hydras aggression doesn't seem natural to me. But why would the demon attack them? The giants hated the people of the territory already, so he didn't need to weaken them unless… unless he was up to something. It is possible that whatever the demon is doing here is bad enough that the giants may put aside their differences with miss Karina's family and team up to stop it.

"The adult forest giants were treated by a gnomish antidote, at least, but there are still three children bedridden from the poison, daho,"

I wonder if there is anything I can do to help. Those children must have suffered after having that poison in their system for the last month. My Healing Aura spell might work, or I could make the antidote myself if I have a recipe.

"Does the antidote not work on children?" I ask.

"Well… I heard they only had enough materials for a snake venom antidote, so it wasn't very effective, daho. So now one of the forest giants, Lord Braidbeard, is off hunting hydras so we can make the real antidote, daho,"

I'm not sure I can help without the ingredients. I can still try my magic, but that isn't guaranteed to work. I hope Lord Braidbeard returns with the required items before it is too late.

The little giants cover the ground between us and the village in a surprisingly short amount of time. We are brought to the largest building in the village. It's a little concerning that it is close to the house that was just crushed, but I try to ignore the thoughts of giant fruit squishing me in my sleep.

"Welcome home, dear. So these are the guests of the great forest giants?"

"Yes, daho. There is an elf and hero among them as well, so please treat them with courtesy, daho,"

"Oh my, I think it has been over a hundred years since we welcomed an elf into our home. My name is Whitefinger, wife of the village chief, Lank,"

So the village chief came to greet us. We never really had a chance to introduce ourselves before we left the tree. The names they gave we most likely shortened versions like the forest giants. It was probably a good thing they didn't give their full names, or several of us might have fallen asleep. But we have one problem. The little giants look at Mia, who hides behind me, waiting for her introduction.

"I'm sorry, Mia is rather shy," I say in her place. "I'm Kura Suou. A knight in the service of earl Seiryuu and a hero."

"Oh, you're the hero. I thought it was the young man over there," Whitefinger says. "I'm sorry for assuming you were just one of his wives."

"Oh no, we're just friends," I chuckle as Arisa gives me a death glare.

"While anyway, Lady Mia, you don't need to worry. We are well aware that elves are often silent," Whitefinger smiles, leaning down closer to Mia. "Lord Yusaratoya only said two words when he stayed with us."

I didn't think she was joking when she said that. Yusaratoya makes Mia seem like a chatterbox when I compare the two.

"Mia…" Mia mutters, her name peaking out from behind me.

"My elves have such wonderful voices. I'll make you a meal with fruit from the mountain tree. Is there anything you don't like?"

"Meat," Mia makes a cute gesture by crossing her fingers in front of her mouth.

"I'll make sure not to put any meat in the dishes,"

Whitefinger replies, causing dread to form on the faces of the beastkfolk in our group. I'm sure Pochi and Tama would have cried if Satou didn't ask for meat in everyone else's dishes.

<0>

We all ended up splitting up. Lank went to gather mountain tree fruit with Satou, and Liza accompanied him. Lulu wanted to learn some of the dishes the little giants ate and joined Whitefinger in the kitchen. Arisa, Pochi and Tama take a nap. I felt like taking a walk and looking at the local shops. Mia, Pearl and Nana ended up joining me, along with miss Karina who asked to come at the last minute. I plan to see if they have anything that could be useful to us when we confront the demon. If I can find something for miss Karina, I wouldn't mind buying it for her. She doesn't seem like the type of person to sit back and do nothing when the fight begins.

We leave the part of the village made for giants of all kinds and head to the area for fairyfolk. Walking past some of the stores, I can feel the magic coming from some of the items on sale, so I am sure we will find something here. But our first stop was a food stand after miss Karina's stomach started loudly rumbling.

"It tastes better than it looks,"

Miss Karina comments as she finally takes a bite. We ended up buying some sort of beetle-like creature that was fried and served on a stick. It didn't look appetising, but it was our best option. The other dishes were spiders, worms or some sort of large fly. At least it tastes good. It isn't the best thing I have ever tasted, but it is far from the worst.

Mia is the only one not eating the beetle. I gave her some dried fruit I had in storage. I offered some to miss Karina, but she insisted on trying the beetle after the rest of us brought some. I probably would have eaten the dried fruit myself if it wasn't for the customers' smiling faces.

"It's a bit too chewy but not unpleasant," miss Karina says between bites.

I'm sure Liza would love this. She seems to like chewy, meaty foods the best. I'll tell Satou about it later. I would buy some on my way back, but I am sure dinner would be ready by then, and I don't want to ruin everyone's appetites. Although I doubt I could ruin Pochi's and Tama's appetites, those two can eat none stop if you let them.

"Did you hear they let a Muno witch into our village?"

Miss Karina tenses up and nearly drops her food. It is that same brownie who first called for miss Karina's head. I can see him talking loudly down the street with a few other brownies.

"What was Stonehammer thinking? Just because some hero spoke up for her, he just lets her in. I swear if Stonehammer hadn't guaranteed her safety, I would kill her myself,"

Before I can stop her, miss Karina runs off. She will probably get lost in her state and run into trouble, so I give chase asking the others to wait for us there. She didn't get far. I was expecting her to a least make it out of the village, but instead, I find miss Karina collapsed against the side of a nearby shop. Crying and hugging her knees to her chest, she doesn't even notice me as I sit beside her.

"You shouldn't listen to people like them," I tell them, causing miss Karina to raise her head.

"Why?" Miss Karina asks as she looks at me. "Why do they hate me? I have never met these people before. Why do they want me dead?"

"It isn't your fault. I have heard that the previous marquisate Muno did some terrible things. I don't think the people here can forget or forgive those crimes so easily,"

Most of what I heard about the previous marquisate Muno came from the undead king Zen after he kidnapped Mia. He told me how he was murdered, his family killed, and his wife kidnapped, raped and eventually hanged. If the previous marquisate Muno was capable of that, then I can barely imagine the other acts he could have committed.

"Why? I have no ties or blood relations to that person!"

Miss Karina suddenly moves, grabbing me by the collar. She moves her face close to mine, and I can see the anger and sadness in her eyes. I hate seeing people like this. It isn't right that people hate her just for having the name Muno. This world is similar to my old world. Back there, people would hate others for small things like that all the time.

"Why?" Miss Karina cries, burying her head in my chest. "Why?"

I hug miss Karina as I hear her sob. I can't make the hatred disappear, but I can at least be there for her. I'm sure she can win at least some of the people here over if she has the chance. Miss Karina is a lovely person who doesn't have the same prejudices as other people I have met.

"You should just be yourself," I tell her. "I'm sure not everyone feels the same way those jerks do. If you just treat the people with respect and kindness, I'm sure some of them will forget the hatred they hold for the Muno name."

"Is it really that simple?"

"No," Unfortunately, I shake my head. "Emotions are never simple. All you can do is be kind, and at least some people will treat you the same way. As long as you don't give up and keep trying, you can at least make a few people here drop their hatred."

"I… don't know… I'm not a hero like you… I can't make miracles happen,"

"I wasn't always a hero," I tell her. "I was a mon hunter before I became a hero." That last comment seemed to catch miss Karina by surprise. She looks at me, so I continue. "I would work day in and day out and sometimes not even have enough to eat."

That last part is partly true. Back when I first started working, I could barely pay my bills. There were days I would skip meals and even a week when my electricity was shut off. I was jealous of my neighbours back then. They had everything. They had a happy family, plenty of food and always seemed to have the time of their lives. It took me two years of hard work to get a well-paying job.

"I never gave up no matter how bad things became," I tell her. "I only became a hero less than a month ago. A demon attacked Seiryuu City. It created a maze, and I had to fight my way out. I met Pearl there. We worked together and met up with other people. But just when we were about to escape, a Greater Hell Demon appeared. I had never felt so scared before. At first, I could barely move, but I eventually joined the fight and somehow managed to kill it. I ended up becoming a hero after that and a knight."

"You beat a… a Greater Hell Demon?"

"Yes," I nod. I didn't fight it alone, but Satou wants his involvement a secret, so I don't mention his help. "I won because I never gave up no matter how terrified I was or how big of a challenge I faced. I'm sure if you keep fighting, too, the people will come to like you."

"Okay, I won't give up," Miss Karina weakly smiles, but I can see the fight in her eyes. "But how can I make them like me?"

"I don't know," I reply. "But let's go back to the others. We can probably find something while we walk around the village."

I take miss Karina by the hand and lead her back. It looks like that brownie is gone, so I don't need to worry about him making miss Karina cry again. Still, I have to worry about Mia. She frowns when she sees my hand in miss Karina's and quickly takes hold of my other hand with a pout on her face. At least Pearl and Nana give us a warm welcome back. Even if Nana is looking like she wants to hold my hand too.

We find ourselves in an alchemy shop first. It is a small dusty place but by a tiny gnome that is even shorter than Mia. He greets us with a smile despite the bags under his eyes and looks at Mia as if she were a goddess.

"If you are looking to buy, I can't help you," The gnome quickly says after we exchange greetings. "But I will gladly trade if you have some alchemy ingredients."

Satou had most of our ingredients, but I did manage to trade the Regal Angelica we had for some Luminous Cane. From what I learned from the witch, Luminous Cane is used in potions that restore both MP and HP. I couldn't get much, but I managed to get a great deal, thanks to Mia. I also managed to trade him some of my vials for a few strands of Feather Grass that can be used in low-grade healing potions.

"Thank you for your patronage,"

The brownie smiles as soon as our business concludes. But I'm a little worried. Mia seemed to have made a secret deal with him. It's probably nothing, but it still caused my Danger Sense skill momentarily activate. But just as we were about to leave, the ground shook as if there were an earthquake.

"GNOME!" By far the biggest forest giant I have seen so far. He is at least a few meters taller than Stonehammer. "GNOME, I HAVE BROUGHT YOU A HYDRA HEAD. USE IT TO MAKE THE ANTIDOTE."

Without hesitation, the gnome comes running out of the workshop. So this giant must be Lord Braidbeard, who went off to gather ingredients to cure the children. I hope he made it in time. If I had a map skill as powerful as Satou's, I could check on them to make sure, but mine just shows locations.

"Lord Braidbeard, I'm afraid I cannot use this head," The gnome replies, and I feel a sense of dread. "The poison glands have been destroyed. The poison I needed to make the cure has drained away."

"WHAT?!"

Even the gnome shook when he heard the giant roar. Mia and miss Karina stood closer to me, but I stepped closer to the giant. If the gnome can't save them, then maybe I can. I am not sure if this will work, but I at least have to try.

"I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP," I say, stepping forward. "I HAVE A SPELL THAT COULD SAVE THOSE CHILDREN."

"LITTLE ONE. CAN YOU REALLY SAVE THOSE CHILDREN?"

"I'M NOT SURE IF IT WILL WORK, BUT IT IS WORTH A SHOT,"

"VERY WELL, WE WILL TEST AND SEE IF IT WORKS,"

Braidbeard ends up carrying us on his shoulder back to the mountain tree. He only walks, but with his massive body, he travels at the speed of a car. It takes us half the time to reach the tree than it did for the little giants to take us to their village.

Mia and Pearl clung to me, with Mia almost begging me not to let her fall. Miss Karina was no diffefernt. She clung to my back as Pearl and Mia held onto my arms. Nana was the only one who enjoyed the trip. She watched small birds sitting on the branches and asked to take one as a pet. She nearly fell several times, trying to catch on.

By the time we reached to tree, I was sure the girls squeezing me left multiple bruises, but at least I was less fearful of fulling giant fruit. A few fell during our trip, but Braidbeard simply swatted them away.

Braidbeard led us through the tree and into what appeared to be the living quarters for the forest giants. Stonehammer appears to see what is happening and joins us after Braidbeard tells him what we are doing. Several more giants started following us. I am starting to get worried about disappointing them if this doesn't work.

"WE FOUND HELP FOR THE CHILDREN,"

"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?"

"ARE THEY CAPABLE OF HELPING US?"

Several forest giant women, who I assume are the mothers of the children, voice their concerns. I don't blame them for being protective. From up here on Briadbeards shoulder, I can see how weak and helpless their children look.

"LADY KURO IS A HERO AND FRIEND OF THE ELF LADY MIA. WE CAN TRUST HER,"

Reluctantly the mothers agree, so we start with a child who is faring better than the rest. Braidbeard lowers us down, but even the childer are so big, he ends up having to hold me in his arm so I can work. I take a deep breath and max out my Life Magic skill before casting the spell.

Healing Aura. The spells description says it treats all problems, but I have never tried to treat a status effect with it so far. Usually, I would have been able to heal groups of people with this spell, but because of how big the children are, I need to do them one at a time.

Thankfully it works. The child is still weak and tired, but when I used Appraisal on the kid, I found the poison was gone, and his HP bar rapidly rose. It was surprising how effective the spell was, but I'm not complaining when I see the child sit up.

"IT WORK! YOU'RE OKAY!"

The mother of the child cried as she hugged her kid. She looked like she wanted to hug me but stopped when she saw Braidbeard move one so I could treat the other kids. One by one, they are all cured, even the child on the verge of death. I am glad I helped. I'm sure that child wouldn't have made it more than a few days. The children are still tired, but they should all be okay now.

Unfortunately, with no more treatments to administer, the mothers seized the chance to thank me. I feel like a doll. The mother passed me around, hugging and kissing me. It wasn't very pleasant since their mouths were bigger them my entire body, but I accepted their thank yous. When they put me down, I was all sticky and slightly out of breath after being smothered into their chest.

<Title Acquired: Friend of the Giants.>

Nice, I haven't earned a new title in a while. But I should take a bath before I start celebrating. But before I can escape, more giants arrive to give their thanks and Stonehammer approaches.

"WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR HELP. IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU WISH FOR, YOU NEED ONLY ASK. IF IT IS WITHIN OUR POWER, WE WILL GLADLY GRANT IT,"

I'm not sure what to ask for. I have everything I need. Friends, food and plenty of entertainment. I don't need anything more than that. "The demon has disguised himself as a magistrate and a fake hero…." Miss Karina's words suddenly come back to me. If the demon is close to her family, they could get hurt when we move against it.

"IF YOU HAVE ANY TOOL OR ITEM THAT CAN WEAKEN A DEMON, MIGHT I BORROW IT FOR THE COMING FIGHT? AS MUCH AS I WOULD PREFER IT NOT TO, I WILL MOST LIKELY FACE THIS DEMON IN MUNO CITY. I WOULD LIKE TO LIMIT THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE,"

"WE HAVE AN ITEM YOU MIGHT FIND USEFUL," Stonehammer quickly replies, singling one of the giants to go fetch something. "IT IS AN ITEM CRAFTED LONG AGO BY THE FLUE EMPIRE KNOWN AS THE DEMON SEALING BELL. IT IS SAID THAT A SINGLE RING WILL REVEAL A DEMONS IDENTITY AND TEMPORARILY LESSEN ITS POWER."

That sounds just what we need. If it comes down to us fighting the demon next to miss Karina's family, then their chances of making it out unscathed will increase. And if I give it to miss Karina, then maybe it will delay her from rushing straight at the demon.

The giant returns with a group of brownies, pulling a cart carrying several crates. They open up one of the crates and pull out countless magical weapons. It must be a magical storage device because they pull out far more weapons than should have been able to fit inside. Swords, spears, bows and axes. They have multiple of each type of weapon.

"CHOOSE ANY WEAPON YOU LIKE. WHILE WE CAN'T GIVE THEM ALL TO YOU, ANYONE SHOULD SERVE YOU WELL,"

My eyes quickly fall on the bows. I don't need any new weapons, Pearl has my old magical sword, and Nana has a magical shield gifted to her by Earl Kuhanou. Mia is the only one without a practical item against the demon. I ask Mia if she can use any of them, and she quickly picks up an elegantly carved bow made from pure white wood. Runes have been carried into the bow, and when she tests the string, it snaps back with more power than I was expecting.

"THE ASHWOOD BOW, IT IS FITTING YOU PICK THAT LADY MIA," Stonehammer says when Mia makes her choice. "IT WAS GIVEN TO US BY THE AN ELF OF BOLENAN FOREST, LORD TRAZAYUYA. I'M SURE THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO KNOW IT HAS RETURNED TO THE HANDS OF AN ELF FROM BOLENAN."

Trazayuya. So he was here too. I don't know much about him, but he built the Cradle while Zen held Mia prisoner.

"THAT BOW INFUSES ANY ARROW FIRES WITH MAGIC," Stonehammer explains. "ITS ARROWS CAN PIECE MITHRAL AND SHOOT FAR FURTHER THAN ANY NORMAL BOW."

"Perfect,"

Mia says after she finishes examining the bow while a Brownie hands me the Demon Sealing Bell. It doesn't look any different than a small brass bell.

"I AM GLAD IT IS TOO YOUR LIKING LADY MIA," Stonehammer smiles. "WE SHALL HAVE A FEAST TONIGHT!" Stonehammer declares. "LET US INVITE EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE!"

"YES!"

The giants were surprisingly excited at the children's recovery. They must be a tight community. They even surprised me with how fast they set up their feast. Before I know it, brownies have set up tables and begun to cook food alongside the little giants. More giants than I can count came up to me to thank me for saving the kids, and by the time Satou and the other girls arrived, I was starting to lose my voice. I have never had to reply to so many people before.

I wish they kept our size in mind when serving our food. Some of the pieces of meat were nearly as big as me. I think Pochi and Tama were the only ones not to complain and ate until their bellies were full. Mia had her own problems. Several giants offered her more fruit than she could handle, and she struggled to refuse them. In the end, they started placing the fruit on a nearby table for us to take on our travel.

On the other hand, Miss Karina should try talking more to the giants when they are in such good moods. I'm sure if she shows how friendly she is, they will realise she isn't as evil as they think. Instead, she hides behind Satou and me, quietly nibbling away at her plate of food. It's probably that same brownie that keeps calling for her life. I have seen him multiple times giving miss Karina a dirty look.

But despite the problems, it was still a fun night, and miss Karina even smiled and laughed by the end of the feast. The food was delicious. Pochi and Tama ate tunnels through giant pieces of meat, while Pearl and Liza ended up competing over who could eat the most meat.

There were some problems. Arisa and Mia tried scooping out the insides from one of the giant fruits, only to end up falling in and nearly drowning in the juice. Satou also almost ended up owning half of the mountain trees' giant fruit after jokingly asking for them. The giants were pretty drunk at that point and told Satou he was free to climb the tree and pick some from the top.

There were a lot more people at the feast than I expected. Walking around mingling, I ended up learning multiple new skills. Birdfolk, Pantherfolk and Weaslefolk Languages. After drinking for a while, I even learned the Poison Resistance skill, so I put some points into it.

<0>

When I wake up, I feel something heavy on my chest. Pulling back the covers, I find Mia lying on top of me. I don't remember her there when I went to bed. She must have crawled into my bed by mistake after getting up in the night. I hate to wake her up when she looks so peaceful, but I have no choice.

"Where were you?!" But before I can do anything, Arisa's voice wakes Mia for me, causing her to jump and nearly fall off the bed. "Were you with another woman again?!"

It sounds like Satou is having a rough morning. I'm not sure why he keeps disappearing at night when it always ends with Arisa lecturing him.

"Why do you smell like dirt?! Were you fooling around in the forest?! You could have been with me in a comfy bed!"

"Mrrr, lewd," Mia comments as we get up.

We get dressed and join the others for breakfast. Everyone is already there, apart from Satou, whom I saw kneeling in the hall and lectured by Arisa. I'm not sure what he was up to last night, but I heard him try to explain something about a mine and a Kobold girl that only made Arisa angrier.

"H… how…?" Before I can even sit down, I am approached by miss Karina. "How can you make people like you so quickly? You were only here for a few hours, yet you got the giant's support… while I couldn't…."

"I didn't do anything special," I tell her. "All I did was help them with a problem. I wasn't expecting them to be so happy afterwards myself."

"But you treated those children so quickly," Miss Karina continues. "Even priests who have trained their whole lives could only treat one of them a day."

"I had the power to help them, so I used it," I reply. "You need to stop putting yourself down. You have the power to help people too. When we defeat this demon and free your land, you will be able to help far more people than I did yesterday."

"But… I'm useless… I'm nothing like yo…."

"You're right. I'm me, and you are you. We have different skills, strengths and weaknesses, but that doesn't mean either one of us is useless. You will soon have the power and resources to change so many lives for the better. Don't focus on what I can do. Just remember what you can do."

"But my father has that power. Not me,"

"That doesn't mean he won't listen to you. If you need resources to help people, from what you told me about your father, I am sure he will find a way to get those resources. Take this," I hand miss Karina the Demon Sealing Bell. "When the time comes, you will have the power to protect your land and family."

"Thank you…" Miss Karina stares down at the bell before looking at me. "When you beat this demon, I will ensure the Muno Barony gives you a fitting reward."

"You focus on you people," I tell her. "I'm not doing this for the reward. Just promise to help your people. That will be enough for me."

"Very well," Miss Karina nods before standing up straight. "I, Karina Muno, second daughter of Leon Muno, swear on the ancestral king's name to ensure the prosperity of the people in my family's territory."

"Did we miss something?"

As soon as miss Karina made her vow, Satou and Arisa returned.

"Nothing much, just sorting out a few details," I answer.

"Now then, as soon as we are done eating, how about we tour the village?"

Satou suggests, and we all agree. I never did get to finish visiting all the shops yesterday.

<0>

We didn't see anyone in the village apart from a few children playing. It seems that everyone is still sleeping off last night's party. We end up exploring the forest around the village. We don't go in that deep, but we find some interesting ruins and crumbling statues covered in greenery. We didn't find any treasure amongst the ruins, but there were some herbs and plants we picked that would be useful in alchemy.

When we entered a clearing, we were in for a pleasant surprise. A flock of unicorns graze in the field and drink from a small pound. They were surprisingly friendly and didn't try to escape when they saw us. They even let up pet them, but only Mia was allowed to ride on their backs.

We ended up spending two days exploring the village, with the second day spent buying supplies and gathering information. We didn't learn much since the people here kept to themselves, but we brought more than we could handle. Satou even found the material to make underwear in the style of our old world. I don't know how he got all our sizes, but he made enough for everyone, and it all fit perfectly. Unfortunately, Arisa and Nana wanted to show theirs off too much, and we had to stop them from showing off to Satou.

Apart from the underwear, Satou also gave some of us new armour made from Iron Fruit Shells and hydra leather. It is rigid and flexible but a bit heavy. Liza, Nana, Pearl, Pochi and Tama received the armour alongside me. Everyone else received only armour made out of hydra leather. Satou should really make some for himself. Right now, he is only only one without any armour, and I doubt his overpowered skills will be enough to save him from one lucky blow.

Unfortunately, during our two days of fun, the situation in Muno City changed. A knight posted by the demon led a large part of the territories army against a massive group of bandits. Before Satou and I knew it, they were all dead and being turned into zombies. The goblins have also exploded in size of their population, now numbering nearly twenty thousand. One of the demons' bodies is currently in their village.

The goblins and the zombies were now moving toward Muno city, led by the demon. We quickly decided we needed to head for Muno city right away. With their army gone, only a hundred soldiers are left to defend the city.