Midorikawa led me to a giant tree looking to be the largest of them all, its branches and leaves stretching out could cover several Earth households with ease. As we arrived at the roots, a rope ladder rolled down from the same hole in the middle of the trunk, and along with it, a warm voice echoed:

”Climb on.”

I turned to Midorikawa, who gave out a nod of approval and a snide grin, as if poking fun at me by asking if I wanted to ride that awful flight again. No thanks, I’m good.

I grabbed the ladder, climbing slow and steady steps. The higher I went, the more my head spun due to the lack of oxygen. My breathing grew haggard, while my hands sweated like a river. A single lapse of concentration could make me slip and fall.

As the thought crossed my mind, my fingers gripped onto the steps, letting the splinters pierce my skin and the tiny crimson stream flow. One step. Two steps. The pain was keeping me conscious. Realizing this, I bit onto my lips, spurting out another trickle of blood. Deep breaths. Three steps. Four steps. My feet grinded down the trunk, as if ready to break the rope at any moment’s notice.

I didn’t know how much time had passed since I started climbing. All that remained as I finally pulled myself up into the hole on the tree was a rush of adrenaline and elation, so much that I would have screamed out the top of my lungs in triumph had I not been wrung out to near death.

Instead, I threw myself on the wooden floor, wheezing for every bit of air I could muster. The act jolted Akari, who was nodding off on my head mid-way up the climb, resulting in her letting out a cute shriek while jumping onto my chest instead.

“Too tiring for you?” Meanwhile, the same voice that called me up greeted me on the side. As I turned around, Akabane was sitting in seiza, in front of him was a small block of wood resembling a table with two clay mugs on top, each containing a steaming liquid of sorts.

The red-armored man stood up and extended a hand towards me, which I accepted only after a moment of respite for myself. As I sat up, Akari moved to my lap and curled up like a housecat, leaving the two of us to finally start our conversation.

“Tea?” Akabane gestured. A soothing scent wafted in the air as I brought the cup closer to my nose—it was a hint of floral freshness and nectar-like sweetness, almost like…

“Is this…” I mumbled, my eyes widened in shock.

“Shinbachira honey, yes,” nodded Akabane. “While its toxins can be dangerous for your nerves if injected directly, its honey, especially in small amounts, is a wonderful solution for a tired mind. It even comes with the extra benefit of recovering muscle features too.”

“Is that why you were at the hive back then?”

“Of course. It’s an invaluable ingredient for maintaining a long-distance trip. Try it; you’ll feel a lot better.”

I brought the cup up to my mouth with hesitance. Now that I knew what it was, the sensation of a thousand needles puncturing… no, more like a thousand spears stabbing against me was clearer than ever. I flinched for a second at the imaginary pain, all while slowly placing my lips on the cup’s edge.

Breathe, Yakushi. It’s only the same smell and taste. You’re not being stung.

As the tea touched the tip of my tongue, my body shivered in ecstasy. It was unlike anything else I’d experience—even the raw honey paled in comparison compared to this. With just a single sip, my mind was already walking on air, while every fiber of my being loosened like a deflated balloon, almost as if turning into mush.

“Kuri!”

A sharp pain from below woke me up from my trance. As I turned my gaze down, Akari had already woken up, and her scythe-like front limbs were clamping down my thighs tight—not enough to cause bleeding, but still plenty impactful to jolt me into awakening.

On the other side of the table, Akabane’s mouth curled into a half-smile—one that was half relieved, but also half troubled.

“It seems like that was too much for you to handle,” the man concluded with a shake of the head. “Sorry for putting you through all of that, but rest assured; now you’re officially welcomed in our village?”

“... Huh?”

“It seems like you’re still in a bit of a daze, Yakushi-kun,” from behind me, a sweet voice sounded. Before I knew it, the rest of the group had already appeared next to me, with Yamabuki leading the troop. Or rather, it would be more appropriate to say that they were surrounding me.

“Let me explain,” answered Akabane. “Stand down, everyone.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Yes, sir.” The four other members bowed in unison, before stepping away from the tea table and retreating into a corner.

“Now, where were we? … Right, this stuff,” raising his own cup, Akabane continued. “I wasn’t lying; this solution is indeed our life-savior in long trips. But because of its potency, we never use it like this. Instead, just a tenth of this cup is already enough to keep us going for days.”

“Then… why did you give me the whole cup?”

“Because you survived a Shinbachira assault.”

Even through the helmet, I could see that Akabane’s face meant no joke. And his next few words only confirmed my suspicion:

“Like I said back when we met in the woods, there has never been a case of survival upon contact with a horde of Shinbachira, ever. Some of us,” his eyes glanced towards his teammates, but I couldn’t make out which one among them, “contemplated killing you right then and there when we were moving out, but it wouldn’t be in line with our principles. So I decided to give you this test—to see whether or not you possessed some kind of immunity, or worse off, power that could be used against us. If you hadn’t shown any of the symptoms, I would have had to kill you after that drink.”

I broke a cold sweat at the thought. I should have known better to place my trust in people, even if they had saved my life. It’s just human nature—we could never place our trust in one another, nor come to an understanding with one another. It was a lesson that I had learned all too many times.

“But,” unaware of my inner thoughts, Akabane nodded with a smile. “It seems like you’re harmless, though your luck is incredible indeed. So, once again, welcome to our village, Yakushi.”

I wouldn’t fall for it again. This time, I only raised my hand just enough to accept the shake, then retracted as fast as I could. “Thanks.”

“Which leads us to another problem, shishishi.” From behind me, Midorikawa replied with a chuckle. “You’re… what’s the word, now? Ah, right, useless.”

I took another deep breath, suppressing the flames of anger ready to burn bright once more. “What do you mean by that?”

“The test was meant for another purpose,” Akabane continued. “Depending on how much of the tea you could drink before clocking out, we could have a more valid assessment of your physical capabilities. Our village lives with nature, as you can see.”

It didn’t take a genius to realize the truth behind that statement. After all, even at a glance, I could tell that agriculture in this village was a concept unknown, and considering their natural location, trade would be out of the question as well. Which meant that their societal behavior was that of cavemen—a hunter-gatherer community.

“Then the test just now was to measure how I would fare?” I asked.

“You could say that. The whole cup would put you as a threat, but if you had comparable strength to us, you’d be able to ingest around a fourth with no problems at your current conditions. And I did take a peek at you when you were climbing the tree too. Of course, you can figure out our conclusion towards you.”

“... That I’m pathetically weak.” I concluded, my hands gripping onto my thighs with rage.

“It’s the truth,” Akabane sighed. “Unfortunately, all you had was unbelievable luck. In terms of strength, even among the Unknowns, you were weak enough to be mistaken for food by the lowest in the food chain. Having you around in our scouting and exploration team would be like carrying deadweight.”

“Geez, thanks for the consideration,” I let out a sarcastic smile.

“But there are no free lunches in life, do you get what I mean?”

If you wanted to stay, then give us a reason to keep you, was what he meant.

“Before I give a reason, I want to ask… how much of it was your idea?”

“... Like I said, some of us here didn’t agree with my initial intention. Believe me when I say that I truly wanted you to remain here without any strings, but others… well…”

Without another word, I stood up and headed towards the hole, poking my head out just enough to look around.

How could I have not noticed it?

This giant tree was at a separated spot from the others’ living quarters—not enough to be called “secluded”, but enough to say that people would need to make an effort to come here.

And yet, there they were.

People. Armored people, just like Akabane and the others. All gathered around the base of this giant tree. Right below me were around ten or so people. Another group of four on my left, while a quintet was stationed on my right side. With just a single moment of eye contact, I could feel their malice and doubt tearing me apart.

I clenched my fists and bit my lip, opening up the old wound I got from climbing the tree.

“Thank you, but I’ll be leaving now.”

“Yakushi, wait! It’s okay now, we can negotiate…”

“Even if you’re their leader, Akabane-san, it’s never a good idea to enforce your values on others.”

They would never get it anyway.

“Don’t worry about me,” I continued. “It does seem like the woods are plentiful in terms of food. I’m sure Akari and I can manage somehow, and if we’re lucky enough, we can find a new village…”

A sudden ringing sound interrupted my words, followed by a giant symphony of buzzing from the villagers’ wings. Turning to my side, I could see that the rest of the squad was in the same preparation stage.

“Omushi alert!” Shouted Akabane, who had already jumped down to the ground and shouted orders towards all of the villagers in his sight. “Mujins, move out! Protect the village and the Unknowns at all cost!”

“Yes, sir!”

With a hurricane of dust and leaves, the group disappeared, leaving only me behind.

“Well, guess it’s time for us to… Akari?”

“Kuri! Kuriri!” The critter was grabbing my sleeve with her scythe arms again, pulling me outside as if urging me to go.

“Are you saying that we should help them?” I asked.

“Kuri!”

“But… What can I do? I’m not even that strong.”

“Kuriri!” The answer I got was more pulling.

“Well… if you say so. Let’s go!”