"What is that—!"
"Amazing—!"
"Food?"
"Food!"
"Waaaah!"
"Agh! Don't move on your own! Come back here right now!!!"
A few days after the big meeting, having finished their preparations and a quick "cleanup" of the surrounding monsters, Reis and the Ostrich Kindergarten departed from Plaque. They were heading north toward the Royal Capital at a steady pace. Given an ostrich's natural speed, they could have covered the distance in less than three days, but this trip had companions. Furthermore, the ostriches were constantly distracted by "interesting new things," leading to frequent desertions from the flock, which slowed the march to a crawl.
Just now, a group had spotted a horse-drawn carriage for the $n$-th time and decided, "I don't know what that is, but someone said 'food,' so it must be food!" The "Principal," Reis, had to sprint at full speed to intercept the charge. No one had been hurt yet, but they hadn't even been away from Plaque for an hour. Reis was terrified they were going to cause a major international incident before the day was out.
The March of Five Hundred
"As a representative of the state, I have to ask... should we have just called this off?"
"Honestly, I'm starting to think so too. Reis said this was a 'sightseeing trip' to give the kids experience, but it might have been a bit premature."
Matilde, the Guardian of Plaque, and Amelia the Elf exchanged weary glances as they watched Reis dash away in the distance. Having spent so much time with the ostriches, they were no longer part of the "potential food source" category—unlike poor Alan, who was still at risk of being tackled on sight. However, Matilde's voice didn't reach the birds, and Amelia's voice only worked on Dere, who was currently giving her a ride.
Neither of them had the power to help Reis with the chaos. In fact, if they tried to help and messed up, it would likely make the situation even more uncontrollable.
"Still, look at the progress," Amelia noted. "Even with this many birds, they haven't charged at the soldiers once. If this were the first time we met them, my men would have been literally trampled into the dirt by now."
"I suppose we should be grateful for their growth," Matilde replied with a pale face.
Matilde looked back at the 200 soldiers following her. It was a massive group: 300 ostriches led by Reis and 200 soldiers under Matilde. Normally, the ostriches didn't need guards—if anything, the guards were a hindrance. But since the Queen had officially invited them, the Kingdom had to provide an escort to maintain its dignity.
Matilde had hand-picked these 200 soldiers specifically because they had a good "compatibility" with the birds—meaning they were the ones the ostriches hadn't immediately labeled as "Lunch!"
(Though we call them an escort, they don't need protection. We're the ones being protected. We're armed, but in reality, we're just a glorified supply unit. Almost every wagon is filled with nothing but bird feed.)
Matilde turned the situation over in her mind. She didn't mind being a supply unit, but she couldn't understand the Chancellor's numbers. Fifty men would have been enough to manage the food. Why take 200? That was nearly half of Plaque's defense force.
(Leaving only 300 men to guard the town... that's the bare minimum to survive an emergency. The Chancellor must know that. Why pull 200 men and specifically name me as the commander?)
It was no secret that Matilde had the best relationship with Reis. Using her as a bridge made sense. But the sheer number of soldiers didn't. She had heard of the new military alliance between Nagan and Heed, and that the previous invasion was being "erased" from the records. If there was no war, why gather so many troops?
(Alan reported that the weapons market is moving... Is the Queen planning to invade somewhere? Or are other nations planning to attack us because they hate the alliance? And why bring the ostriches to the capital right now?)
"By the way, Lady Governor?"
"...Hmm? Ah, sorry. What is it, Amelia-dono?"
"We never did get the 'behind-the-scenes' scoop on that meeting the other day," Amelia said.
"Ah! That! I was so busy getting ready to leave that I forgot, but I've been dying to know."
Matilde remembered the strangely heavy, terrifying atmosphere the girls had projected during the negotiation. Usually, after such a big event, there would be a banquet, but the Chancellor had received a sudden message from the capital and rushed home immediately. He had simply handed Matilde a set of orders: Take 200 men and the ostriches to the capital within a few days. She'd had to spend the last few days hunting down every monster nest around the town with Reis just to make the area safe enough to leave.
"The way Reis-dono acted... and the way she treated you like a servant, Amelia-dono. You even hid your ears and identity as an Elf..."
"I trust you, Governor, but I don't trust the State. That was my idea," Amelia said with a smirk. "The 'Dread' aura was all her, though."
"Heed isn't that bad," Matilde defended. "The Queen is a genius despite her age, and the Chancellor is a man of high character."
"Maybe as individuals. But a country seeks the profit of the country. Kings often can't move freely even if they want to. ...Besides, when I arrived, I caught a glimpse of that Queen. Can you really trust that girl?"
"I am a knight appointed by the Crown. I'd prefer if we avoided that topic."
"Fine. If it's just my paranoia, that's great. I've been through a lot, so I might just be oversensitive."
The Moving Woods
"Huh? What?"
"Wood?"
"Tree! It moved!"
"Lots! Lots of them moving!"
"What's that—!"
"Listen, you guys. I know you want my attention, but lying about—wait, the trees ARE moving! Amelia! Matilde! What is that?! A Treant?!"
"Correct," Amelia called out.
"Reis-dono! It's a plant-type monster! Slashing attacks are effective—oh, never mind. Too late."
Before Matilde could finish her explanation, the ostriches had already kicked the Treants in half. To a human adventurer, a Treant is a massive, diameter-wide wooden monster that requires a heavy axe and a team. To the ostriches, they weren't even toys.
"Is this food?"
"...Food?"
"I don't know."
"...Eat?"
"E-Eat?"
Munch munch...
"Is it good?"
"Disgusting..."
"HEY! That's a tree! Spit it out! Ptooey! Ptooey! Ugh, why is this happening and we aren't even at the first town yet?!"
The Evening Camp
Yes, hello, I'm Reis.
Look, I know people think this trip was premature. But when the other side says, "Won't you come to the Capital? Let's have a signing ceremony for the contract! We've even prepared a sightseeing tour!" what am I supposed to do? I have to go!
The contract I made with Grandpa Chancellor was pretty much in our favor. Heed provides food and a home, and in return, we act as a "shield"—though we reserve the right to say no to specific battles, and we warned them we'd literally erase them if they attacked us. It's the kind of contract that would never exist between equals. Since they agreed to it, I felt like I had to at least listen to their request to visit the Capital.
(I wish I could have told them: 'If I make one mistake, my kids will desert and destroy the entire ecosystem along with the people.')
As long as I lead them, they can't live a wild life anymore. By following some rules, they get stable food and safety. Refusing the invitation would have been bad manners. Plus, the kids are getting used to humans, and I was curious about how developed the Capital is.
"Waaaah!"
"Food!"
"Pu-pu-pu!"
"Delicious!"
"Yes, yes, I know. ...Sigh."
I am exhausted.
The sun was setting by the time we reached the first town after Plaque. We set up camp outside the walls. We started cooking using supplies from town and what we brought from Plaque. The ostriches were happily eating everything in sight. Usually, they scatter to eat, but because I look visibly drained, a bunch of them are crowding around me.
"I don't know if you're worried or just want attention... but I guess it's not so bad. Except for the part where you dragged me around all day."
We were supposed to cover three towns' worth of distance today. We made it to one. One-third of our goal! All because of these kids. I'm not blaming them—I'm happy they're curious—but spending an hour stopping them from biting horses and another hour explaining that the wagons "moving" wasn't a threat... it adds up.
"I feel bad for making the soldiers wait... I should go apologize later."
"? Eat?"
"No, I didn't want a bite. Eat your own portion."
"Okay!"
They're good kids at heart. If I explain things, they stop (even if they forget immediately). Their brains just lack the specs. ...Wait, I just told you to eat your own portion! You already forgot? Oh, you're giving it to me because it's delicious? Fine, I'll take one bite. You eat the rest.
"My, Reis. You look awful. I hope you can sleep well tonight."
"Haha... me too."
Amelia walked over, holding several empty platters. Dere followed behind her looking very satisfied. "I don't mind looking after them, Reis. I'm here because I want to be."
"Waaaah!"
Dere suddenly lunged at me, pouncing for a hug and accidentally pinning the smaller ostrich who was already on my lap.
"Dere! That's dangerous! ...Are you okay, little one? Just startled? Good. There, there, Dere. You want pets? Did you say thank you to Amelia for the food?"
"Tha... tha...?"
Yeah, still too hard. We share everything in the flock, so the concept of "gratitude" doesn't really exist to them yet. They see sharing as the collective will of the flock. We'll learn eventually, right Dere?
"By the way, Amelia-san, how was Dere? Was she a bother? I was so busy with the others I couldn't watch her."
"Not at all. she was a very good girl. ...Though, she spent the whole day watching you."
"Watching me?"
Wait, really, Dere? You usually only watch things you're about to pounce on. Were you watching me from a distance because you thought you'd be in the way? Oh, my heart! You've grown so much! Mama's going to mess your hair up with pets!
"Hmm~?"
"I guess you don't understand even if I praise you."
As I petted Dere, I felt eyes on me. Several other ostriches were staring.
"You guys too? 'Yes!!!' Okay, okay, line up behind Dere. One at a time! And no cutting back into line because you forgot you already had a turn! I'm counting!"
"Yay!" "Got it!" "Pet me!" "I love this!" "One more time!"
"Yes, yes, good kids! Hey, you're on your second turn! If you can remember that I'm petting you, remember other things too! ...Wait, did you really forget in the last ten seconds? Fine, fine! Last time!"
Gosh, rubbing these guys is like animal therapy. My stress is just melting away.
Ostrich Monster Review
Earth Mole: "Chewy." / Expert translation: Tough but filling. High ranking for "belly satisfaction."
Orc: "Delicious!" / Expert translation: Very fatty. Reis taught them to roast it to melt the fat. They want to sell this to the town.
Wyvern: "Light!" / Expert translation: Leaner than Orc. Good for eating in bulk. The wing membranes are an acquired taste.
Treant: "DISGUSTING." / Expert translation: Just wood. Dry and flavorless. The flock now ignores them entirely.