「Haa….」

Uncharacteristically for him, Murgai was lost in thought. He wondered if he was really the wrong one.

He thought that while he did say that he acknowledged the Baron, maybe he was being swept away by his jealousy toward him. He wondered if that was the reason why he had been steadfast in opposition to the idea. However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

The matter of cooperation this time. As expected, he was still unable to accept it somehow.

「–It’s so not like me. It has been decided, so it can’t be helped…. Oh, crap. It’s already about time to begin, huh… I have to pull myself together. Now that things have come this, I’ll just do what I have to do.」

He stood up briskly, as if to blow away his worries. And then headed to the plaza once again.

◇ ◇ ◇

「What in the world is….」

The horned tribe members gathered in the plaza were in a tizzy. In the midst of this, Baron Almond, who was participating in the event, spoke to the Patriarch.

「Patriarch. The air has become somewhat unusual here, is there something the matter?」

The air among the horned tribe was filled with anxiety. The Baron, who looked no different from usual, asked as such. 「Normally, the new barrier should be erected right away, but….」

「Hmm, you mean the barrier isn’t erected again? … I see…, it seems that everything went smoothly.」

The baron smiled broadly, while the patriarch looked at him suspiciously.

「What do you mean by that?」

「Actually, once we’re done with this event, I thought about offering you a lavish congratulation. As a treat, I’ve ordered a large amount of wine and food to be brought over for you to enjoy.」

「What on earth are you talking about? To begin with, I heard nothing about it.」The Baron continued his explanation with a relaxed expression.

「Worry not. It’s not something worthy of the trouble of telling the patriarch. At least, I believed that was the case. However, I’ve properly asked her to lend me a hand.」

The baron’s gaze turned toward Shijimi, who was showing a complicated expression.

「U, umm… I thought about giving you all a surprise, so…. Ehehe…..」

Shijimi smiled awkwardly. 「What have you done so deliberately, Shijimi? No, let’s leave this matter aside for the time being. Baron-sama, now isn’t the time for this, we can discuss about this matter again later….」

Even as the patriarch harbored some suspicions toward the baron, who brought up such an unrelated matter out of the blue, he tried to end the discussion. However, the baron continued to speak without being concerned about it in the slightest.

「The story isn’t over yet, you know? Moreover, I think this has a lot to do with the occurrence that is happening right now. That’ because the contents of the goods I ordered to be brought here, it has for some reason been switched with my soldiers.」

「What did you say?」

Then the Baron’s soldiers arrived.

「Sir, we’ve intercepted the one who was trying to set up the barrier. Also, please accept this–.」

The objects the soldier was handing over to the baron were several horns. Those were the source of the powerful barrier that protected the village. The horns were left behind by the deceased members of the horned tribe. So it could be said that the horned tribe had been indirectly watched over by their predecessors.

「I see. So this is the true nature of the barrier. But still, since they can erect such a powerful barrier with these, it looks that the horns of the horned tribe would be able to generate an enormous amount of wealth, after all.」 With the horns in his hand, the Baron smiled ear to ear. Seeing such a reaction of his, perhaps finally realizing the situation, the Patriarch fell into rage.

「You… you tricked us, didn’t you?! Return the clan’s treasure at once!」

He was about to jump at the Baron, but a soldier, who had appeared before he noticed it, stood in his way.

「As the barrier has vanished, the soldiers that had been on standby at the forest are already on the move. It’s only a matter of time before they encircle this area.」

The Baron’s smile turned into a crooked grin.

「It’s okay, there’s nothing to worry about. All you’ll have to do is move into the housing I’ve prepared for you. Well, we normally call it a ranch, though.」With the Patriarch as the beginning, one after another, the rest of the clan members assembled there realized it. There was nothing they could do about it. However, there was one person who didn’t realize, no, didn’t want to realize what was going on.

「It’s a lie…. It’s a lie, isn’t it, Baron-sama? You said you wanted to get along with the clan…. You said you wanted to enrich the clan….」

Shijimi tottered unsteadily toward the baron. Still with an ugly smile on his face, the Baron said to her.

「Oh, yes, I did. Let’s get along, shall we? I’ll be sure to manage, raise, and breed you with care.」 「No! That’s not it! That’s not it, isn’t it?! I won’t agree with something like that!」

The Baron’s eyes were filled with contempt.

「Yeah, I bet you won’t. That’s why I’ll have you to help me for the last time. To convince your clan, I’ll have you die here.」

「Wha, what are you talking about….?」

Still with a smile on his face, the Baron turned to the Patriarch.

「Patriarch. I know you and your clan are not convinced with this. However, we can’t just let you go either. But putting our long lasting relationship from now on into consideration, I don’t feel comfortable simply forcing the matter to you. That’s why, as unworthy as it may be, let me help easing your spirits a little.」

The soldiers surrounded Shijimi.

「By executing the traitor who has sold out your clan….」

The patriarch was about to speak up and stop them, but restrained himself in the end. The current predicament was undoubtedly the result of her indiscretion. And then, he also realized that he had been no less foolish. Because he had forcefully pushed the event ahead of the scheduled time due to his wish to make his son his successor. In the end, however, his son himself was opposed to the idea, and as his wish was left unfulfilled, he had no choice but to do what he could do, but everything wound up with the current situation. He realized that he too was another fool who deserved to be executed. Before he knew it, tears were trickling down his face.

「Are you certain about this? She has been very obedient to you, Baron-sama. So I thought there might still be some use of her.」

One of the attendants whispered to the Baron.

「Hmm. A traitor you see, you have to first treat them well until they accomplish their purpose, but then they have to be promptly dealt with right after, that’s the basics. Such a dim witted thing. I’d rather avoid her being taken advantage of by someone, and stab me in the back later.」

The attendant bowed his head and quietly stepped back. He was simply asking to make sure, as the attendant himself appeared to be not too concerned about her.

After all, to them, the horned tribe was merely an object of value. That was all there was to it.

「Do it!」

At the Baron’s command, the soldiers surrounding Shijimi set up their lances. Quite a lot of soldiers had already gathered and restrained the clan members there. There was no one who could do anything to stop it now. And then, just as the execution was about to take place…