Chapter 24 - Encounter with the Beastfolk and Protection of All Survivors
~Gialpha Galaxy Uncharted Space Region (Fourth Planet of an Unregistered Star System)~
Sangou, paying no heed to anyone's eyes, landed on the surface of a planet located in an uncharted space region that was a frontier for the Gialpha Galaxy Empire, and waited there as is.
Incidentally, that space region, when viewed from the Empire's side, is located further beyond the old Alliance's dominion territory.
Around the waiting Sangou, only a desolate wasteland spread out.
A landscape of nothing but the brown of the earth, devoid of the green of plants or the blue indicating water.
Why did Sangou penetrate the atmosphere, land in such a place, and wait?
Let us trace the events leading up to that point in chronological order.
First, Jin and Sangou were navigating through so-called uncharted space regions for which the Gialpha Galaxy Empire possessed neither star chart data nor course data, in order to satisfy Sangou's intellectual curiosity, so to speak.
And so they arrived at the aforementioned location, a certain space region, but there Sangou detected the presence of lifeforms on the planet's surface.
As common sense in outer space goes, spontaneously occurring organisms and plants are extremely rare.
Of course, since the region was an extension of what was once the old Alliance's dominion, there was a slight, though not zero, possibility that the planet was one the now-defunct Gialpha Galaxy Free Democratic Alliance had colonized in the past and was still developing.
However, according to Sangou's judgment, the situation was odd for that.
Around the planet and even in its external appearance within optical observation range, there was not a trace of scientific technology.
In the first place, according to the data provided by the Free Democratic Alliance, even when searching for the current star system and planet under the broad category of "region," there was no information at all.
Therefore, the fact that life reactions indicating animal movement could be detected on a planet where not even the existence of water, let alone plants, could be observed would itself be a matter of interest for Sangou.
Moreover, the total number of life reactions larger than a human size detectable from the entire planet was less than one hundred thousand.
That number, even if not enough to suggest the ability to venture into space, hinted at the possibility of lifeforms with a certain level of intelligence.
Given this, it was only natural that Sangou became interested and reported the situation to Jin, the captain.
From such a premise, it connects to the situation at the end of the previous chapter where Sangou informed Jin.
Furthermore, Sangou then endeavored to gather information and reported additional findings to Jin.
"Captain. I have confirmed space beasts on the planet's surface. Judging by their appearance and behavioral characteristics, they are likely the species called 'Space Locusts' by the Deltania Army. They are currently pursuing prey creatures. Shall I exterminate them?"
The space beast Sangou referred to as 'Space Locust' has a habit of preferring to eat plants.
But once they devour those, they also eat living creatures, and they consume water as if it were food as well.
As for dietary habits, they would probably fall under the category of so-called 'omnivores.'
For humanity, they are a mere pest.
Therefore, they are a recommended space beast for extermination.
Hence, Sangou's query was not particularly strange.
Also, some of the questions Sangou had felt previously were resolved with this discovery.
With this pest confirmed, Sangou grasped that almost all of the life reactions detected from within the planet were of the same species, and inferred that they had likely devoured all plant life and water on the planet.
However, in the current situation, the actions of the Space Locust swarm, judging from the number Sangou could sense, had probably already moved on.
That is, the Space Locusts remaining on the planet now were likely a small number that had failed to keep up with the swarm's movement.
But then again.
Even so, can a number reaching the tens of thousands be called 'a small number'?
That point may be open to debate.
We've digressed a bit, but aside from that, Jin replies properly to Sangou's question.
"Yeah. They're vermin, right? Then, take them out while descending into the atmosphere. I think you'll be fine, Sangou, but make sure not to hit any creatures running away from them."
"Yes, of course."
With Sangou's attack, the extermination of the said Space Locusts ended easily.
But that doesn't mean everything was over.
Naturally, it couldn't be that way for Jin, who possesses the fateful power of a Hero.
"Atmospheric composition analysis is complete. The carbon dioxide ratio is slightly low, and the nitrogen ratio is high. The oxygen ratio is about the same as inside Sangou now. There are no toxic components. Therefore, it seems 'there will be no problem for the Captain to breathe.'"
"I see. Then I'll go see firsthand the state of that beast-like creature collapsed over there."
Jin wanted to see the creature displayed on the monitor in Sangou's bridge with his own eyes, up close.
And Sangou does not stop him.
This is influenced by Sangou's evaluation of Jin, its captain, in terms of combat capability.
Normally, a bio-spaceship prioritizes the captain's safety, but from Sangou's perspective, knowing part of Jin's power as a Hero, the trust is at a level where 'Safety first? For whom?'
At the very least, descending to a surface where no external enemies are detected is no problem at all.
And so.
The words Sangou offers in response to the captain's declaration are fixed.
"Yes. Have a safe trip."
Jin, using short-range teleportation and flight magic, lands on the ground closest to the target.
Less than three minutes had passed since Sangou detected the target's life reaction until Jin arrived at that location.
Jin approaches the beast, which appears to be breathing heavily and painfully.
Is it a large cat-type animal?
Jin had that impression from the creature's appearance.
The creature must have sensed Jin's approach.
Evidence of this was that its ears moved in response to the sound.
Still, it probably wasn't in a condition to move due to fatigue.
As Jin approached, recalling a wildcat, the creature showed no signs of fleeing or threatening him.
No sign of moving. It looks pained. Maybe I should give it some water?
With such a thought, Jin first took a deep wooden plate from his Storage Space.
Next, he created drinking water with water magic, put it in the deep plate, and gently offered it.
Would milk have been better?
The man, a mass of goodwill, watched while thinking such things.
Then, the beast, managing to open its eyes, seemed to notice the plate of water in front of it.
From there, Jin witnessed a surprising sight.
The beast's entire body slowly began to change.
Watching it gradually transform into a humanoid shape, Jin remained cautiously alert.
But inside, the Hero's heart was filled with cries of joy.
So, what exactly was this 'cry of joy' that was at a level remarkable for not being uttered aloud?
Oh! A female cat-eared beastfolk! And a beauty, at that. A beautiful beastfolk lady! A beautiful beastfolk lady, yes!
That was it.
Attached to the left chest of Jin's clothing was Sangou's sub-unit.
Therefore, it was a good thing that Jin kept such remarks, which would have exasperated Sangou if overheard, only within his heart.
That aside, regardless of Jin's inner shout, events moved forward.
The cat-eared woman who had transformed from the wildcat-like beast form into a humanoid was, naturally, naked without any clothing prepared.
Was she embarrassed?
The cat-eared woman, who in Jin's subjective view appeared to be a young adult female, covered her chest with her hands and, sitting in a flat-legged woman's posture, spoke.
"Um, may I drink this water?"
"Of course. Drink up without hesitation. And, here, this is for you, since I don't know where to look."
Jin handed over a large cloak he took from his Storage Space to the beastfolk woman, who had a wonderfully feminine figure that made him want to stare unabashedly.
This item, which Jin had in his Storage Space, was something he had found useful during rests in labyrinths while active as a Hero in the Louvre Empire.
The stunningly proportioned cat-beastfolk beauty covered her unclad form with the cloak Jin gave her and drank all the provided water.
The scene: a man who has eliminated dangerous space beasts, set up the current situation, and silently waits.
To put it modestly, that might be the very image of a hero.
Well, aside from that, Sangou, who had picked up the audio of their conversation through the sub-unit, unlike Jin who hadn't noticed one of the problems with this incident, realized something.
The words the beastfolk spoke differed from any language Sangou knew.
In other words, Sangou could not understand what the beastfolk woman was saying.
Of course, from the captain's subsequent words, Sangou could infer that the woman had likely asked for permission to drink the water in the placed vessel.
But regardless of such thoughts on Sangou's side, events on Jin's side continued to unfold.
"I saw you being chased, so I exterminated those locusts. Are you alright now? This must be fate. I'll do what I can for you, so if there's anything you'd like me to do, don't hesitate to say so."
Just by glancing around, it was easy to imagine that the beastfolk woman was in a hopeless situation.
And would it be permissible to simply eliminate the space beast attacking her, give her water, and then leave her be, without fundamentally rescuing the cat-eared beauty?
Jin's answer to that question, no matter what anyone said, was decided.
By the pride of a Japanese male otaku, it was 'not permissible.'
Therefore, even using the vague reasoning of 'fate,' Jin extended a helping hand to the cat-eared beauty.
"Are you from the monkey race? I haven't seen your face around here. Did you save me from being chased? Thank you. I've caught my breath for now. I am Miu, of the cat tribe. I came out looking for water and food, but on the way, I was found by those creatures."
"I see. From what I can see, this area is nothing but wasteland. So I don't think Miu-san will find what she's looking for. Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is 'Jin.' Nice to meet you. Also, I don't think I'm from the 'monkey race.' I came from space."
Jin's words ended up confronting Miu with a harsh reality.
With that remark, almost a comment on the surrounding scene, the cat-eared beauty's expression turned instantly depressed.
But even so.
Miu did not stop telling Jin about her situation.
"That's right. There's nothing left. About a month ago, suddenly a lot of those big bugs appeared and ate all the plants. The water sources must have been sucked dry by them too, the water dried up."
"That's... quite a terrible situation."
"Yeah. By the way, Jin, are you 'not from the monkey race'? Then, are you from a race I don't know? And what is 'space'? Is it the name of a neighboring continent or something?"
From Miu's words, Jin realized that the technological level of the planet in this uncharted star region he was visiting had not yet reached the point of venturing into space.
If so, how far was he allowed to intervene?
Of course, Jin had more than enough desire to help.
He had that feeling, but according to the knowledge of the Deltania Star System implanted by Sangou, intervening with humanity that had not independently advanced into space was a 'prohibited matter.'
Of course, since the rules of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire differ from those of the Deltania Star System, the situation changes.
In truth, there is no precedent for this in the Empire yet, so there are no particular regulations.
But with the word 'prohibited' lingering in his head, Jin was troubled for a moment about deciding 'what to do.'
However, regardless of lives lost in places he didn't know about, Jin could not now abandon a life capable of communication right before his eyes.
Especially when that person was his long-awaited 'beastfolk.'
During his time active in the Louvre Empire, Jin had yearned endlessly to see them, even just once.
And a beautiful cat-eared woman at that.
Although the situation had changed a bit from the time of his earlier decision, was there even an 'option to not help the beastfolk here'?
No, there was not.
Absolutely not.
Under no circumstances.
For a Japanese male who prided himself on being an otaku.
From the values he naturally held, such a thing could not be permitted.
And so, the words that came from Jin's mouth were overflowing with kindness.
"You might not understand, Miu, but I came from beyond that sky. But that doesn't matter now. What you need is food and water, right? How much do you need? I might be able to help. No, I will definitely help."
"Really? You'll really help me? In the cave where everyone from the village fled, there are thirty other cat tribe members besides me. It's a lot of people, but can you handle it?"
"No problem. If there's anything 'you can't eat,' tell me in advance. At worst, I can at least provide water. As for quantity, it's fine. You can leave thirty people to me. So, where is that cave? Sangou. Are you listening? In the meantime, please exterminate all the locusts you can over there."
"Yes. Already in progress. Extermination of locusts confirmed on the surface is complete. As for the rest, it is difficult to distinguish solely by life reactions, so those in locations where their forms are unconfirmed are on hold. However, there aren't many life reactions left anyway."
After sending off the captain, Sangou had already begun exterminating the Space Locusts, even before receiving orders.
Sangou had been granted authority from the start to make attack judgments on exterminating pests and vermin, as well as on approaching bonuses, without awaiting captain's orders.
After all, Jin was not always inside Sangou, and communication was not always possible to give precise instructions under every circumstance.
Therefore, from Jin's perspective, this was a necessary delegation of authority.
"Understood! Then I'll leave it to you. I'm going to help this girl and her companions a bit."
"Yes. See you later, then."
Miu felt fear at Jin speaking into the void and at the voice coming from the left side of Jin's chest, whose meaning she could not understand, despite seeing no visible speaker.
But Miu had no choice but to believe Jin's words that he would help.
The cat tribe woman, who had no option but to rely on Jin, forcibly suppressed her fear.
From there, with Miu leading, Jin reached the cave in question.
The thirty people in that cave consisted only of young women and children; there was not a single one who seemed to be an adult male or elderly person.
Probably, the older ones, including adult males and the elderly, took on the role of decoys to fight the locusts and buy time for the women and children to escape. They must have been sacrificed and died.
Just a glance at the situation was enough to make the easy guess, and Jin felt a pang of sorrow.
But rather than dwell on that, what took priority was alleviating the plight of the people before him.
Realizing that, Jin took out a large amount of food from his Storage Space.
And while checking if it was safe to eat, he provided it.
Of course, he did not forget to provide drinking water by producing cups for each person and filling several pitcher-sized vessels with magic.
Miu was surprised by Jin's actions of producing supplies from nowhere, but in the end, she repeated words of gratitude with tears in her eyes.
"Miu. I'm going to leave here once. I want to help if there are other survivors. Use the food and water I've given for now. I'll definitely return here within a day. Also, for safety, I'll make sure the locusts can't enter this cave. You won't be able to go outside either, but please bear with it just until I return within a day. If it goes well, it might only be a few hours."
"Yes. I'll wait. Please come back without fail."
The look Miu gave Jin at that moment was equal to that directed at something divine.
Hence, her speech changed, showing her intention to follow Jin's words.
With all this and that, after thoroughly fortifying the cave where Miu and the others were with a shield magic set to last twenty-four hours, Jin returned to Sangou for now.
From there, it became a race against time.
Sangou detected life reactions, and Jin went to those locations to carry out rescue operations. The beastfolk who had hidden and survived, like Miu's cat tribe, were without exception in a state where the limit of 'survival' was extremely close.
Being able to realize that other places were similarly dire at the initial stage must have been nothing short of good fortune.
Since he could not spend time at one location, Jin chose the extremely forceful method of 'abducting them by putting them to sleep with magic.'
This was unavoidable, as there was no time to leisurely discuss, persuade, and explain until the beastfolk were convinced.
To add, at the places Jin visited, there were also cases where Space Locusts still remained alive.
Exterminating those was also mandatory, so Jin's burden became greater than initially anticipated.
Nevertheless, the heroic actions worthy of Jin's title of 'Hero' were realized with the full cooperation of Sangou.
Sangou's activity within the atmosphere became a necessity in this flow.
This ultimately led to Sangou's state at the beginning of the chapter.
Incidentally, after parting from Miu, Jin rescued a total of twenty-eight people: eight wolf tribe women and children, eleven bear tribe women and children, and nine tanuki tribe women and children.
The rescued total of twenty-eight, still sleeping, were transported by Sangou, and together with them, Jin returned to Miu just six hours after their temporary separation.
Near the spot where the opening scene's Sangou was stationed, Jin used earth magic to create accommodations for the immediate livelihood of the fifty-nine beastfolk.
Thus, even if temporary, he produced dwellings sufficient for the fifty-nine to use, meeting their necessary needs.
"Big Brother, amazing!"
Jin felt a bit embarrassed by the respectful gazes from the beastfolk children, but he pressed on with the magical construction of the living environment.
However, contrary to the children who readily accepted Jin's presence, what the adult women excluding Miu directed at him was only fear.
Needless to say, Sangou, stationed nearby and an alien existence to them, 'reinforced that fear.'
Fortunately, the Hero, displaying obliviousness due to his somewhat dysfunctional side, did not notice this, and built a huge water storage tank, filling its interior with water.
Next, after installing water pipes and a sewer system, he magically constructed a communal kitchen, dining hall, bath, and toilets.
For now, is this enough?
Jin finally stopped working and addressed the young adult women who had been silently watching the developments.
"Dinner will be served in the dining hall from now. Eat as much as you like. After that, I want everyone to take a bath and get cleaned up. As things are, there are hygiene issues. And after the bath, the children should go to bed immediately. You must be exhausted from all the strain. However, for the older ones, I'm sorry to ask this when you're tired, but please gather in the dining hall again to discuss things from now on."
It was still bright out, but the sun would set in about two hours.
It might be a bit early for dinner, but considering the bath time as well, Jin's statement was not particularly unreasonable.
Well, the problem here might have been the lack of 'consideration in phrasing towards the young adult women.'
Hearing Jin say this, the older ones blushed with embarrassment.
There had not been enough water even to wipe their bodies.
Even if that was true, they were young women, so this reaction was natural.
But the under-trained, insensitive, disappointing Hero had no such delicacy to notice.
Fortunately, the children were simply delighted with 'Meals and a bath!'
Incidentally, the older women including Miu were thirteen, and the children were forty-six.
The gender breakdown of the children was eleven boys and thirty-five girls, with a overwhelming majority of females.
Well, since beastfolk are originally a race where more females are born, these numbers are not particularly unusual.
By the way, at this time, Jin handed over the fabric he had in his Storage Space to Sangou, who mass-produced makeshift poncho-style garments to distribute.
Even for a Hero who could do all sorts of things with magic, clothing was, after all, outside his expertise.
Regarding this, it might be an episode that highlights the versatility of a bio-spaceship capable of handling it.
Though he could not manage considerations for body odor or physical dirt, Jin had enough presence of mind to prepare clean changes of clothes.
With that flow, the scene shifts to the gathering of only the older members.
The important meeting to decide the beastfolk's future was about to begin.
"So, about the future. In the current situation, 'I think it's impossible for you all to continue living on this land as it is.' Therefore, I recommend 'migration.' Of course, I intend to support the establishment of the destination and the means of livelihood after migration as well. But this could end up as imposing my own ideas. So, 'I want to know your opinions,' or rather 'your thoughts.'"
In response to Jin's statement, each person exchanged looks, unable to hide their confusion.
Among them, Miu spoke with a tearful face.
"'Migration' to where? What kind of place is it? We understand that 'we can't stay here anymore.' There's no way we can live without water or food. There's no more game to hunt either! But, you know. If you don't tell us about the destination, we can't feel at ease. Everyone probably understands that we have no choice but to rely on Jin. But we want 'peace of mind.' Even a little peace of mind is fine."
Miu's words were like a heart's cry, hurling her anxious feelings.
That was likely a common sentiment among all twelve other people there besides Miu.
At least, Jin felt that way.
Therefore, the Hero tried to explain carefully.
"I see. Understood. I'll explain so you can feel at ease. You can see the stars in the night sky, right? Among those stars, there are several where plants grow, animals exist, and of course, humans live. I intend to take you to one of them. However, the humans there are a different race from you. The language they use is different, and their customs are surely different. So, living together might be painful."
Jin paused for a moment and confirmed the expressions of all the women.
Fortunately, there were no faces that seemed unable to understand the conversation.
Confirming that, Jin continued his explanation.
"First, I'm considering a method of 'taking you on that spaceship over there and bringing you to a certain planet owned by my father-in-law.' Since there are almost no people there, problems are unlikely to arise. However, I haven't obtained permission yet. If that planet doesn't work out, you might stay at my house until you get used to a different world from this one. When that time comes, we'll think carefully about what to do next then. That's the only answer I can give for now, but could you decide based on this?"
Jin's explanation had an error: in reality, most of what is visible in the night sky are stars, not habitable planets.
But there was no need to explain that in detail for them to understand.
At least for Miu and the others, such an error was trivial.
In this case, even if the details were wrong, as long as the explanation gave a rough image, it was enough.
Jin, the speaker, was resolved on that point.
"We, riding on that thing over there, will go to a world of stars in the sky, right? And at the destination, there's a place where we can live in peace, right?"
"Yeah, we'll go on that spaceship. I will definitely make sure there's a place you can live."
"Thank you. I think 'it's worth betting on Jin's idea.' Either way, we'll die if we stay like this. What do you all think?"
The other twelve, who had been listening intently and thinking, looked determined at being asked, and all briefly gave the same affirmative reply: 'We'll go.'
What needed to be decided was decided, and they dispersed.
Miu and the others returned to their respective dwellings and went to sleep, but Jin and Sangou were different.
Jin returned inside Sangou and discussed matters, assuming the sudden plan of 'departure tomorrow morning.'
"Sangou. There's the language issue, but can you teach them even a little by the time we reach the Empire?"
"Yes. If you provide commentary on the recorded conversation content with the captain, language analysis of those beastfolk should likely be complete by departure. Once translation becomes possible, I can inject the reverse-translated knowledge into all of them, so they will soon be able to speak the Empire's common language. I will also inject the reading and meaning of the Empire's characters, as well as grammar, so I believe they will be able to read and write as well."
"I see, I forgot. There was that method. Then, I'll explain the meanings of words while listening to the recorded conversation to enable language analysis. Let's do it from now."
"Yes. Let's proceed that way."
Regarding the matter of Sangou being too capable.
Jin, who honestly felt that way, felt nothing but gratitude for his partner's abilities and high intelligence.
The next morning, after everyone finished the breakfast provided from Jin's Storage Space, they boarded Sangou.
In that situation, Jin looked at the kitchen that had never been used.
Making the kitchen was a waste.
Even as he thought that, considering that 'even for just one night, it provided the peace of mind that living facilities were in place,' it wasn't completely meaningless.
Once that thought occurred to him, Jin accepted it and stopped thinking.
Regretting it wouldn't change anything anyway.
Thus, Sangou left the atmosphere and began navigation toward the imperial capital for the time being.
After navigation began, Sangou immediately started injecting knowledge into the beastfolk using sensory waves.
Once that was completed without incident, the language issue for Miu and the others was resolved.
Of course, this matter wouldn't end just with that.
The knowledge Sangou injected into the beastfolk was wide-ranging.
Metaphorically speaking, this became 'a transformation equivalent to a Jomon period human suddenly adapting to the Reiwa era.'
So, would the beastfolk who acquired such knowledge desire a leisurely rural life on the planet in the Betasia Star System that Jin and Sangou had created?
It might be harsh to criticize Jin and Sangou for not having the imagination to foresee this point.
This becomes a bit of a future story, but they would temporarily live at the Asada Marquis's residence in the imperial capital until Jin finalized the arrangements with his father-in-law.
As a result, it became a trivial matter that all of them, having grown accustomed to that life, desired a civilized life at the imperial capital level.
That aside, during the journey of Sangou toward the imperial capital, a small incident occurred between Jin and Miu.
It involved the following statement.
"Miu. I want to ask you something. Very much. It's something very important."
Also, where did the swarm of Space Locusts that had turned Miu's planet into an uninhabitable dead world go?
The fateful power of a Hero likely draws various incidents.
Thus, Hero Jin and Sangou succeeded in rescuing beastfolk of a primitive civilization level, who lived by hunting and gathering, from the brink of complete annihilation by a Space Locust attack, in the uncharted space region on the old Free Democratic Alliance's side.
As a result of Sangou injecting knowledge via sensory waves, civilized people with phenomenal physical abilities that set them apart from the ordinary humans of the Gialpha Galaxy Empire were born.
The beastfolk have a future ahead of them, utilizing those superior physical abilities to make a living, but that is a story for a little later.
However, welcoming a group including thirteen adult women into the Asada Marquis residence cannot possibly go without some issues.
What kind of situation will arise when Jin brings beastfolk women and children, new to Rouj and the others, to his home?
What was the content Jin asked Miu to teach him?
No one knows the future.
In the past, from his time in the Louvre Empire, the Hero had always harbored an urge to touch and fluff beastfolk to his heart's content, but upon actually encountering them, he could only forcibly suppress it with reason.
From that urge, Jin mutters something ominous: "Adult women are probably off-limits, but if I could pat the back or head of beastfolk children, no, if allowed, also their ears and tails incidentally."