Then Go Ahead And Try

“Orphe.”

“What.”

“I don’t want to lie, so I think I should be honest.”

“You’re beating around the bush.”

“I came here on an investigation request. How am I supposed to report this?”

“How should I know?”

“Honestly, I don’t want to see fairies and humans become enemies. But if they came here, you’d fight, right?”

“Of course we would.”

“No matter what, it’s unavoidable that humans will come here from now on. That’s why I want to do something about it.”

To be honest, Kikori did not want to hear a story about the fairies he had gotten this involved with dying.

That was exactly why he had been thinking about whether something could be done, but…

“You’re thinking about something pointless.”

“You think so…?”

“I do. Have you already forgotten how you ended up here? Are you an idiot? Is your head empty?”

As Orphe tapped on his head and said, “Hellooo, is anyone in there?” Kikori had no rebuttal.

It was true that Kikori was here because someone had tried to kill him.

“To begin with, it’s not like we only started killing each other yesterday or today, you know? Even if humans reached out a hand and said let’s get along, it’d be so suspicious we’d kill them.”

“…That much, huh.”

“That much.”

If that was the case, then there was nothing that could be done.

…Nothing, and yet. Even so, wasn’t there something?

“So basically, if humans don’t come here, then there’s no reason to fight, right?”

“Well, we wouldn’t go out of our way to kill them.”

“Then they just shouldn’t use the route that connects to this place. That way, it results in non-aggression.”

“Can you do that?”

“Huh? Do what?”

“I mean, what kind of position do you even have in human society? Are you important?”

“…No, I’m not important.”

“You’re weak as hell and your status is trash, so what kind of influence do you have?”

“I’m part of the investigation team, so if I report it that way—”

“Hm? Well, then go ahead and try. It’ll probably be pointless, though.”

Kikori felt a little annoyed at Orphe, who was obviously grinning above his head even though he couldn’t see her.

“You won’t know the result unless you try.”

“I’m not stopping you. So go ahead and try.”

“…If you’ve got some thought about this, then tell me.”

“No waaay.”

Orphe laughed, cackling away, but what exactly was she predicting?

That the negotiations would fail?

Certainly, the idea that you could negotiate with monsters would sound dubious…

“Don’t tell me it’s because no one but me can even talk to you, or something like that?”

“That’s part of it, but still. It’s fine, isn’t it? Go ahead and try. Maybe it’ll somehow work out, unexpectedly?”

His anxiety only kept growing.

He should probably add that the only reason he had been able to negotiate was by chance, and that normally they had no intention of talking with humans.

The important people in the Fortress City should know more than he did about how dangerous fairies were.

They should, but… a strange uneasiness had been born within Kikori.