"It might not be polite to ask such a question suddenly... Can you two communicate with the old woman?"
"Not just the two of us, anyone can."
The answer seems to be a matter of course, but people don't know how to react.
"What did that old woman mean when she said we are different from ordinary soldiers?"
"...We didn't ask too much in detail. He said he smelled like a compatriot..."
"So, I want to invite you to the village and have a few words with you. What do you think?"
Akid and Anna were hesitant about the village chief's proposal, but decided to accept it.
If there were people like Misty around, he might have caused a big fuss out of irrationality when he broke into an unknown village, but at least he didn't feel any ill will from the village chief.
Ajit and Anna's answer was that since they were also very concerned about what the young man said just now, it would be best to accept the proposal now.
While being moved around by the village elders, he observed the situation in the village to a degree that would not cause discomfort.
Because it is a village in a mountainous area, the scenery has the feel of a traditional village in China, and the air is very calm.
There are definitely not many residents here, but they are not all old people like the children I saw just now.
At best, it's just a leisurely rural village, with nothing special about it.
From the look of the village, it is impossible to imagine that they would believe in others.
After walking for a while, we came to a large Japanese-style house backed by a mountain. Looking at the house number, this seems to be the home of the village chief and his wife.
"I can't let you see the old woman, nor can I entertain you. You'd better come in first."
At the urging of the village chief, I entered the house.
Not to mention the appearance, even the interior of the house has an antique Japanese atmosphere. Akide thought of his old home in Kyoto and felt nostalgic.
Aki and Anna were brought into the spacious Japanese-style room, separated by a low table, and sat down face to face with the village chief and Daisuke.
Green tea was also served, and Xiaojing and the others looked like they were being served, but thinking about the situation calmly, they still felt that something was not right.
"...Excuse me, is this village really abandoned by the human army?"
The village chief and Daisuke couldn't see that the other party was about to speak, so they took action from Aki. In response to the village chief's question, the village chief and Daisuke's eyes widened for some reason.
"...Aren't you here to ask about the old woman?"
Daisuke's question seemed to be unexpected, and Aki also understood the reason for their surprise.
They probably thought that Akito and the others were here to inquire about the Gray No. 1 they believed in - the original Lord Mibolo.
So I was surprised that the first question asked was not about the old woman.
"Of course, I also want to ask about the existence of the old woman... If the human army does something it shouldn't do, I can't turn a blind eye."
If it is true that the human army that exists to protect people has abandoned the villages where people live, then corresponding countermeasures should be taken.
From Ajid's personal perspective, this issue that violates the meaning of the existence of the human army has a higher priority than Gray 1's information.
"...That was three years ago."
Daisuke stared at Xiaojing and Anna inquiringly, and then began to speak.
"Three years ago, at this time, there was a large-scale commotion in this area where dark clouds appeared. ... Especially in this area, intruders did not appear so frequently, so at that time the central branch caused a lot of commotion. Big commotion."
Since the appearance of invaders is rare, of course the local human army is not used to dealing with them.
Just like the seventh artificial island, the human army here was also thrown into chaos due to the sudden appearance of the invaders.
"However, there is a large human military base facing Suruga Bay near this village. Although there is a distance, if it is a mobile armor with a flying unit, it will not take twenty minutes. If a reaction is found near the village, the troops will also Will attack immediately..."
Following these words, Daisuke's hands on the table were clenched tightly.
""The emergence of a large scale that has not been seen so far cannot be predicted. In order to concentrate combat power in the densely populated area of the bay, the dispatch of mobile armors to the mountainous areas will not be carried out. "…The branch chief of the base said that without hesitation!"
The originally calm tone suddenly became as violent as burning. Xiaojing and the others could only be surprised by this sudden change.
"It would be understandable if we just transferred the combat power to a place with a larger population. However, it is impossible to accept being told that "there is no spare power to transfer to a cold village with not even a hundred people"! And that man can't even arrange transportation for the villagers to evacuate. No tools!"
Daisuke huffed, then exhaled deeply, trying to calm his breathing.
When he calmed down a little, Anna spoke.
"...You seem to understand the situation very well. Could it be that you were a soldier at the time?"
"Yes. I worked as a communications officer at the human military base in Suruga Bay...I resigned the day something went wrong."
The way he talks is as if he's taking instructions directly from him, and the fact that he's a soldier in the human army is also convincing.
Moreover, judging from his testimony within the human army at that time, the credibility is quite high.
Of course, I don’t want to entirely believe his testimony, but Ajid doesn’t think his visceral anger is a lie.
But there was one thing in his testimony that I could not for the life of me understand.
"If there was no rescue from the human army, why could this village survive safely?"
Daisuke said there was a reaction near the village. If the defensive combat power is not directed there, the village with no other villages around it will be attacked defenselessly.
There is obviously no hope of help from anyone, so why does this village survive like this?
"It's the old woman who protects me."
The person who answered Xiaojing's question was not Daisuke, but the village chief who had remained silent.
"On that day three years ago, the black and big monster did come to this village... Everyone was convinced that the village had been destroyed, and they could only watch the monster approaching. At this moment, he appeared."
I don’t know if the village chief remembered that time, but his eyes seemed to be staring somewhere instead of here.
"The silver hair illuminated by the moonlight was very mysterious and beautiful. Then the old woman instantly fought off the monsters and protected the village."
"Is this why you believe in the old woman?"
The man who saved himself when he was abandoned by the human army. As a process of faith, I find it very easy to understand.
However, in response to Anna's question, the village chief tilted his head slightly in disbelief.
"I didn't do anything special. I just cleaned the shrine on the mountain and made offerings every day."
"The old woman is most afraid of making a fuss. She will be hated if she believes in something as rigid as this."
"oh……"
Because I heard in advance that it was a religious ceremony, I thought that a more mysterious ceremony would be held, but I always felt that it was not that kind of atmosphere.
Although there is little information, it can be felt from the words of the two that the distance between them seems to be closer.
The so-called belief may just be the impression given to him by the branch head on his own initiative.
"I must have heard something from the branch chief of that base... That bastard was the one who abandoned this village three years ago. It's best not to believe what he said."
It seems that the branch director three years ago and the current branch director are the same person.
When he said nonchalantly that he would ignore this village, I felt that something was wrong with him. It seemed that he was a man with a good background.
"At this time, please allow me to make it clear that the people in this village do not believe in the human army... The reason why we hired two of them was just because the old woman said it might be okay."
"I know you're not bad people, but I'm not going to run away."
"But if this continues, this village will be involved in the fighting..."
"Having said that, I can no longer trust the human army. ... If trusting the old woman leads to destruction, then that will be the fate of this village. The other villagers feel the same way."
Faced with Anna's accusation, the village chief always remained calm.
Always calmly rejecting Xiaojing and the others.
"You two will fight with me... I hope you two and me can end the battle safely."
Facing the village chief's determination, he could not say a word. Ajid and the others could only return to the base speechless.
