Chapter 30: ...Not
Back in the Happiness Village, the current traveling party was being grouped once again; of course, minus Victor. The commotion that the villagers had made up when they saw Victor getting kidnapped away didn't alert only Eva, but also everyone else who were doing their things.
Eva, Granberia, Luka, Alice, and Penny were once again together to discuss the situation in hand.
"We can't leave him like this! Who knows what those Harpies are doing to him…!" Luka suggested with a worried and angry tone while his fists tightened. Eva nodded at him and replied. "I understand where you are coming from, but you can't underestimate the flying speed of the Harpies. We can wait until the promised time at dusk and then storm the village. If we go there right now, the Harpies will storm at us all at once."
"Can't we simply attack them back? I mean, they shouldn't be a problem for you…" Luka asked, and Eva shook her head.
"Not in a way that won't cause a river of blood. Subjugating a foe is harder than killing it; of course, I won't have any problem if you wish for me to kill them all."
"..." Luka stood silent at Eva's words, powerlessness surging within his body at each second that passed.
"What is there to talk about?" Granberia asked with a raised eyebrow, while holding a closed book in one hand. Her words attracted Luka's attention as he stared at her. "Victor certainly won't die. If the previous generation of Harpies, who were also reputed as the most violent, released their men, then the current generation will certainly not put them in danger. After all, just like my lord had said, they are gentler than the previous generation. There is no need to compromise the plan just because you feel like it."
"But…" Luka tried to rebuke her, but Alice interfered.
"What are you worrying about? It's Victor we are talking about."
"Huh?" This time, Eva also looked at her with curiosity along with Luka.
Alice merely stared back at them with a blank expression and elaborated. "That guy is on a wheelchair and still followed us all the way there without even a scratch. To begin with, you two had encountered more than 10 monsters within 24 hours, including Granberia, and yet you are all still safe.
He even escaped from a Grizzly Bear Girl, known to be the physically strongest species in the entire Ilias Continent. I don't really care what sort of end he will reach depending on his actions, but I think you are underestimating him a lot."
Her words brought some reasoning within Luka as he blankly stared at Alice. Thinking about it, she was right… Yeah, maybe Victor has some tool that will let him escape from Harpy Village, just like he did against the Slug Girls, Granberia, and the bear monster.
"...Well, I guess we can wait until then…" Luka sighed as he scratched the back of his head. Although the meeting was really short, it gave him a new perspective of his actions. "I hope that Victor is safe over there, though."
…
Anyway, remember the 'flame' within Victor that has been fueled by the sexual intercourse between him and Olliana?
It was a fever…
"Oh Founder, what do I do…" Olliana was currently panicking as she walked back and forth through her living room. She had found out about this very late, and Victor was currently lying on her bed in a truly bad state; he couldn't even hold his eyes open, too tired and pained to move while intense heat surged in every inch of his skin.
Harpy Village is still lacking out on Harpies, and as such, there isn't anyone in the entire village versed in medicine. Besides, they all learned how to utilize the Healing Dance in emergency cases.
Unfortunately, when she had tried to use it to ease Victor's fever with her own Healing Dance, it seemed as if her magical wind was being engulfed by Victor's body and entirely negated. Something was incredibly wrong, and a weird idea entered within her mind. Was Victor perhaps immune to magic?
Even if it couldn't help, the Healing Dance should have caused a minimal effect of relief. However, while it enveloped Victor like it normally should, the magical wind was immediately devoured by his body and disappeared from existence without changing anything out from him.
If he wasn't immune to magic, even by calling the Queen Harpy, it would be impossible for her to aid Victor, because the queen's Healing Dance would also try to heal his leg and ultimately worsen his state from bad to worse.
What is she supposed to do? She didn't notice Victor's state and tired his body even further through mating and dehydration, which resulted in a very bad fever. The worst part is that Victor was telling her to stop recently, but she was too caught up in the mood and didn't react to his call or contact.
She just got a husband within half an hour and she already fucked up… As a recently-turned wife, that is certainly a great failure from her side. If she couldn't even help her husband, what about when they will have children?
But how could she solve this matter? She doesn't even know what kind of illness is affecting Victor!
Her magic doesn't have any effect, the Queen is both too busy warning everyone else about the matter they had spoken beforehand and unable to aid them even if she has the time, and there is no doctor in Harpy Village that could help Victor…
Maybe she could ask for help from Victor's friends? That sounds like a good idea! They must know what is going on with Victor, since they are friends; right?
"Wait here, I'll bring some help!" After Olliana had said that, she stormed off the house without waiting for Victor to answer her.
As for Victor, he truly felt like shit… It was indeed strange for him to feel tired even after he slept, so it was because he actually caught a sickness.
Thinking about it, he wasn't born here, and he certainly doesn't have ancestors here. His immune system is different from everyone else's who is born here, that's certain.
But why didn't it happen sooner? This is the 10th day in this world, and with his exposure to other people, he should have caught whatever illness he has much sooner than today…
What was it? Was it the frequent contact with another person? To be fair, in these last three days, because he was forced into this stupid journey, he had been in contact with Luka more frequently. Maybe he has been in contact with something that Luka possesses that passed the disease on to him.
But is that really it? Could it be a disease that has been transmitted from a monster? If that's the case, then it would be Alice's fault; after all, monsters are stronger than humans...
...However, she is royalty. Whether she has caught a disease or not, he greatly doubted she was someone who wouldn't care about her own hygiene. If not her, then Penny was another candidate; after all, no matter how cute and fluffy she is now, she was living like a wild animal before they met. Still, following that thought, the most potential infect would be the Earthworm Girl who raped him this morning.
But what if it wasn't a disease related between species, but between locations? Eva could be the one to pass the disease, but that was less likely. In this case, then the other members would have shown a reaction to it. Besides, she would have noticed it if she was sick and already healed herself, she should have been here for at least more than a year considering that Alma Elma is supposed to be guarding the sea between Ilias Continent and Sentora for a whole year.
Anyway, he is the only one visibly devastated by it, which means that his origins mattered in this case.
...Yeah, at this point, looking through all the possibilities, the greatest candidate who could have infected him is certainly the Earthworm Girl… That dirty crawling worm...
He could go through the system to find a cure, but he couldn't even open his eyes before the intense pain he is feeling forces them to stay shut. A painkiller would be God's gift at this moment… Seriously, though, can't he have one nice day without anything wrong going on?
…
Olliana is currently flying back to Happiness Village with a worried expression on her face. Even though she and Victor had met in less than an hour, she felt responsible for what happened to him.
By nature, Harpies are cheerful creatures by nature, although still far from the extremely social creatures that are Dog Girls. However, that didn't mean that she wouldn't help someone who was in a problematic situation.
In fact, the adult Harpies that still lived in the village were all part of the previous generation, where they were warmongering monsters. Many of their siblings, families, friends, and even their previous queen had died for nothing but satisfying the queen's lust for battle and power.
It might not seem like it, but she is actually strong enough to fight 5 Bee Girls by herself, and that was without any equipment. Her speed and experience was enough to beat almost any monster within this continent, and maybe some few ones in the south of Sentora.
Not just her, every single Harpy in the village had her same level of power. However, there was a small group between them that held a much greater power; they were the Queen Harpy, of course, and the Sky Knights that were loyal to Lucretia.
Unlike the other Harpies, they were all truly monsters thorough, the elites of the elites. They were all people who were worthy enough to fight alongside the Queen. However, because of Refletsia, their number also drastically fell down. There were only 9 of them, while the previous generation held an astounding number of 200 Sky Knights.
Although they were genetically good natured, something that was hidden very deeply during the rule of the Queen Harpy Refletsia, the trauma they had after her death was something that scarred them in their very memories.
Their filed talons and clean feathers were stained in 'blood' that they couldn't wash off no matter how many times they go in their bathhouse; their extremely light bodies that permitted them to soar the skies were being weighed down by the countless grudges collected and filling up the space inside their empty bones; their clear sight that is comparable to that of an eagle is being blurred by the faces of the suffering humans and monsters alike…
By the time the remaining 54 Harpies had realized what was going on, it was too late to fix it…
Yet, they couldn't keep going in that way, and the new Queen also agreed with that thought, leading them out from the deepest parts of the abyss that was their guilt.
Instead of using their wings to announce war like they were flags, they would use their feathered wings to hug and make their new mates comfortable.
Instead of using their talons to grab weapons or lacerate their victims' flesh, they would use it to help their husbands and children go up and down through their houses.
Instead of pillaging and looting from others, they would share their husbands between each other. There is no need to shed more blood, everyone agreed to it.
Of course, that didn't mean that she suddenly became a normal Harpy. In fact, she is still quite good at kidnapping people, showing how she was able to kidnap Victor while he was sitting down on a wheelchair.
However, unlike the other 'toys' she had brought from Happiness Village after every small-scaled war, Victor didn't struggle at all. He merely let out a surprised voice at being kidnapped without any warning, but he didn't struggle or shout.
Victor wasn't her actual target, but it was one of the two remaining boys that were in the village. They were small, so there was a great deal of room from where they could grow up. However, she liked Victor's blonde hair, so she had picked him instead.
And the decision wasn't something that she regretted at all for a dozen seconds. He smelled nice, his body was quite tough for a teenager, and he was also somewhat fearless.
However, it was then that things spiralled back down to her guilty abyss… Victor was a crippled man, his left leg is broken in multiple places. Although she was guilty of disturbing a cripple, she had hoped that the Queen could possibly fix it, because her own Healing Dance could barely heal scratches.
And yet another bad news came… Lucretia couldn't heal the leg, because it would cause further damage instead. However, Victor seemed to have it covered, and seeing that someone as weak and fragile as a human cripple was happy in his conditions also made Olliana happy. If he can stay strong in those conditions, then she can't simply cry over her own guilt.
Coexistence between Harpy Village and Happiness Village? Upon hearing that it might be possible to accomplish that in this instant, Olliana didn't know how to feel about it.
Of course, she was happy about it. After all, she can repay the great debt that was placed on her by her own life choices through labor. If she can help more people, then it would be awesome for her. However, she is also in disbelief, knowing that it should be impossible to actually proceed with that.
However, it seems like both her husband and her queen know what to do, so Olliana could simply leave it to them. She is a warrior and a training-to-be housewife, she doesn't know about things that require a lot of intelligence.
And then, everything seemed to have returned to the previous tranquil and dreamy atmosphere once the queen left her house. Her husband was there at her side, she was here at his side, both of them are on a bed…
Even though Victor seemed to be refusing at first due to shyness, he eventually told her that she is free to do whatever she wants as long as she doesn't hurt him. That was her opportunity, and she will certainly not let it go.
However, the fish she caught with her bait seemed to be hiding a new problem that brought out her previous guilt… Victor is sick and she helped with fueling his fever…
In the end, it was her fault… If she had picked one of the boys instead of Victor, he wouldn't be harmed. If she had brought him back to his wheelchair instead of carrying him to Harpy Village, he wouldn't be harmed. If she had truly stopped when he said that he was tired, he wouldn't be harmed…
Everything she did ever since they met was harming him. Even with the promise that she would be a good wife to him, she merely worsened his situation.
However, this was not the time to fall into her spiralling guilt. Her husband is now sick, there is no time to cry over it until he is safe. After that, it will be his decision to see what will be her punishment for hurting him…
Olliana quickly reached Happiness Village and flew over it. In half an hour, the Queen and the rest of the Harpies would arrive in this location. But without Victor's presence, it will probably be harder to make up an alliance between the two villages, and it will be her fault if something bad happens.
If she can solve this case before the meeting happens, it would truly be the best outcome she could get from this bad situation.
As she landed, her appearance caused more screams than she would like to hear, and the villagers in Happiness Village began to panic and rush back within their houses.
However, she ignored them and faced towards one direction in particular, where she saw a small group made up of 3 people approaching her location. Seeing that there was one boy, she assumed that they were the travelers that came with Victor.
It was quite an interesting group. The apparent leader of the group, the boy who was walking ahead of the other two, is carrying a really ugly sword that even a veteran like her wouldn't like to stay anywhere close to it.
Then there is the little girl behind him, dressed in cute clothes and carrying the wheelchair where Victor was once sitting. Judging from her presence, she was a monster with no capability to transform. Still, she is very cute…
And then there is the other girl in the group, with long brown hair that looks like the mane of a lion and a rather curvaceous figure, much more than hers… It is ironic that she is baptized, because she could make up a truly great succubus with that body of hers. However, even with that thought in mind, Olliana could taste the danger she was giving off with her own tongue.
"What are your intentions here?!" Luka asked Olliana as he pointed the sword at her direction and held a serious expression.
Olliana simply extended her wings upwards in a surrendering pose, surprising the three people once she took a worried expression. The Harpy put herself on her knees to show that she isn't here to harm anyone and begged out. "Please help me!"
"...Huh?" Luka blinked in surprise and lowered his sword. As for Eva and Penny, they looked at Olliana in curiosity.
"Are you perhaps the travelers who came here with Victor?"
"You know him? ...No, wait. Are you the one who kidnapped him?" Luka suddenly had an idea and immediately spoke out about it. Olliana nodded at him and replied.
"Yes! I did, and I am sorry for it. However, he is in danger now! Please help me save him!"
"Is he hurt?!" Penny asked in panic as she stepped closer to Olliana, with the other two also approaching her.
Olliana still looked worried, but she was more relaxed upon seeing that they were willing to listen instead of fighting. "He is currently having a bad fever and is resting on my bed. I didn't know he was sick so I mated with him, which brought out the fever from him. I know it is my fault, but I only wish to help my husband recover right now!"
"I know this isn't the right time to ask that question but… You two already got married?" From the side, apparently hiding behind a sidewall of a building, Alice and Granberia emerged, with the former carrying a surprised expression.
Olliana blushed a bit and looked at the side with a shy smile upon hearing that question. "Well, it's not an actual marriage; we simply call our chosen mates as husbands since we had lost most of our culture during the reign of the previous Queen Harpy… Huh?"
Just as Olliana was looking up to Alice, she was surprised to find a rather familiar red symbol tattooed over her white hair bangs. "Wait, aren't you…?"
When Olliana got an idea about what that eye-shaped symbol meant, she began to sweat bullets once she realized who was standing in front of her. However, Alice simply interrupted her with a scoff. "Anyway, you said that Victor was sick?"
Once the argument was brought up again, Olliana's expression shifted to a worried one once again. "Yes! Our village doesn't have any doctor, and our Healing Dance doesn't seem to work. I hoped that you people might know what is going on…"
"Can we first see him?" Eva suggested, also worried about the situation. Victor was sick, he has a fever, and there is no doctor or healer capable of helping him? That pretty much spelled death for him if no one steps forward.
"Thank you!" Olliana smiled at them once again as she got up on her feet. "So Victor was right, there is still hope…"
"What do you mean?" Luka asked as he curiously tilted his head.
"Well, before he fell sick, my husband and the queen made a plan to push forward the idea of coexistence between Harpy Village and Happiness Village. While we can share the men in the village so that we can reproduce and cover up the large gap in our population, we will offer labor."
Under everyone's surprised expressions, Olliana looked at Eva. "At first, I didn't know if it was possible to accomplish that. After all, humans always had been repulsed at the idea of living with monsters and making children together. However, after seeing you, a Hero, willing to lend me your ears and listen to my request, maybe it will be possible after all."
"He's doing WHAT?!" Alice was the one showing the greatest surprise. However, that surprise wasn't without reason.
After all, Victor made it pretty clear that he would not have anything to do with this. Even if he wasn't sick to begin with, he is not someone who would throw himself in danger. Rather, it was as if danger was looking out for him…
Anyway, hearing that Victor was pushing up an idea that should have been impossible to achieve before, Alice couldn't help but be shocked at that. It was actually a good idea, and probably the best outcome both she and Luka hoped for in this case; but it was still quite surprising knowing that Victor out of all people was the cause.
Alice exasperatedly facepalmed and shook her head. "...Let's talk later. For now, take us to your place to see Victor."
"Well, I can only carry one person at a time. If we take too much time, we will only make my husband suffer even further…"
Eva stepped forward and said. "Carry me, I am capable of using holy magic and I know quite some stuff about medicine. Even if I can't cure him, I can still hold him in a stable situation."
"Okay!" Olliana nodded as she flapped her wings and landed on Eva's shoulders. "We'll take off, then."
After saying that, Olliana and Eva started to fly away, leaving the rest of the group behind as they stared up to the two flying people quickly making up distance between them.
After a couple of seconds of silence, Granberia suddenly spoke out. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to see what the situation is over there."
Upon being called out by Granberia, Luka nodded and the remaining four started to go towards Harpy Village, while the villagers that hid themselves in their houses stared at the back of the group from their windows or doors.
"...Did the monster just say that they want to coexist with us?"
"Share our men? Are they really safe?"
"We must report to the village chief. If she is right, then sooner or later they will send their envoy to our village."
…
Victor Luis' (future) Trivia Book: Wing Harpy
Wing Harpies are one of the greater harpy species who further strengthened and enlarged their wings through generations. They are as fast as Sparrow Girls and just as mobile; however, they lack the problem of stamina and their bodies are even stronger than natural harpies.
Basically, the Wing Harpies is what the Sparrow Girls aimed to be and failed.
However, despite being a Harpy, she doesn't live in the Harpy Village, but has rather abandoned her home for a better life in the north. More precisely, at the Gold Region north of Sentora. That is because their natural strength permits them to live comfortably almost everywhere, and also catch the men over there.
Even if she is a greater species, she is generally like other inferior Harpies, social towards everyone in general and quite helpful. However, because the Wing Harpies live in isolation in the Gold Region, they might appear shy towards strangers. But as soon as you break that barrier, there won't be any difference between her and the others, to the point that she will treat her friends very intimately.
This is something to take in mind, though. Unlike other Monster Girls, the Wing Harpies don't make it clear if you are a lover or a friend for them, so you can either ask first or let her gather courage to ask you out before your mind goes to the gutter.
Of course, the advantage of having larger and stronger wings is not the only reason why they are a greater species. Within their wings, they store massive amounts of energy that takes the properties of wind.
Not only are they physically superior to the harpies, to the point where they have no problem fighting against physically-powerful monsters at the south such as Minotaurs or Sandworm Girls; but they also have extremely great quantities of magic, making their overall combat prowess a match for the very known Sky Knights serving the Queen Harpy.
Of course, despite their natural strength, they still fall behind divine monsters like Phoenixes and the Garudas. As for the Queen Harpy, she is a unique case that can't be even used as a comparison for other normal monsters.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone