ch11

The giant Golb, I don’t remember much after that.

Only that I charged recklessly and said whatever came to mind out of fear.

“Are you trying to fight or dance?”

“Are you so confident in your strength, or is your tongue as big as your body?”

At first, it seemed like she was trying to make us feel powerless by knocking down or parrying our attacks, as if she were playing with us.

But the way she spoke, which didn’t suit her small stature and was usually used by the old fogeys of the village, gradually began to change over time.

“I’m still growing, it’s just that I haven’t grown yet because I’m an Elf with a long lifespan.”

“Boobs? I don’t particularly want them, but I’m Ati and Anya’s sister, when the time comes, I’ll…! I’ll…!”

At some point, she started talking to herself.

“Why! Do you! Make me! Remember! What! I! Wanted! To! Forget!”

After that, emotion began to seep into the Elf’s reddened fist.

The intensity increased from then on, and every place she hit resonated with pain that went straight to the bones.

“Ughaaaa!”

It hurt so much that I couldn’t stand it, so I swung my fist, expecting her to dodge or throw a strange punch like a sorcerer.

Thwack!

Excruciating pain, as if the entire bone was breaking, shot out from the fist I swung.

“Come at me…? Come at me…?”

After that, the Elf, who had lost her reason, started beating us like crazy, shouting, “Die! Die!” and my brother and I gave up resisting and curled up like caterpillars to reduce the impact.

And soon after that, I lost consciousness.

◈ ◈ ◈

After impressing (?) the two giants, I was curious about their lives and headed to where they lived.

I drove Rudolph between the two giants, listening to Golb explain as he pointed around.

Golb explained in detail the answer to the second question, which I hadn’t been able to hear due to a slight unfortunate accident.

“The human territories are over there, all over the place.”

“Until about 5000 nights ago, there were just groups of about 50-100 of them scattered around.”

“The territories weren’t that big either. Humans are weak individually, so they had a hard time dealing with the beasts around here.”

“Actually, those were the good old days. They would scream and charge at us with toy-like things, but even if we got stabbed, it would only sting a little, and there were a lot of good things where humans gathered.”

“But at some point, those groups of 50 or 100 started to band together and build thorny walls out of wood, and it became difficult to deal with them.”

“Well, since humans travel between territories, we started doing this to target those things.”

Golb said politely with a swollen face.

I listened to Golb’s information and thought carefully.

‘The orbital period of this planet is about 360 days according to Saras. So, they must have already been established here about 14 years ago?’

“Are those humans also subordinates of a being like Mother or Terato?”

“I’m not sure. Humans came from a much more eastern territory. But they’re weak, have thin skin, no fur, and no fangs like humans, so since they appeared so suddenly, wouldn’t some god have created them?”

“They came from further east?”

“Isn’t that how nature is? Even within the same species, the loser in a territorial dispute gets pushed out. Natural resources are limited.”

Golb said with a bitter expression.

Golb, who was explaining to me, was also a being who had been pushed out of the territorial struggle in the society of the Titan species.

The Titans, created by a being like Mother called Terato, who deviated from the normal flow of life, settled in the place where they were created, like the Elves.

Titans are also too strong as single individuals and consume too many resources, so their overall population is as small as the Elves, perhaps because they disrupt the balance.

And because of Terato’s influence, almost everything near the village is transcendentally large compared to normal, and it is said to be the only space in this world that can handle the resources that giants can consume.

Even in the giant village, the population gradually increases, but they can’t keep up with the consumption, so they kick out giants who aren’t superior through duels.

Golb’s father lost the duel and died, and his family was kicked out of the village, and they live in a suitable cave as a family.

These giants are usually called Wandering Giants among themselves.

‘There are beasts, there are humans, there are giants… Considering the species, the beginning of the Elves seems too late.’

I don’t know what other beings will appear in the future, but even listening to Golb’s species, the Titans, they are a species that is over 100 years old in the history of this planet.

In Golb’s case, he is said to be a third-generation giant.

In comparison, the Elves are only 10 years old.

And just at the point where the second generation is ‘starting’ to be born.

Even in the case of humans, I don’t even know yet.

The groups of humans that were attacked by this giant 14 years ago, if they are average humans, it would be fine, but they are just marginalized beings like slash-and-burn farmers, and if the mainstream human group starts to establish a proper national system, I need to be careful.

At least I know from my memories of my previous life how destructive humans are as a species, even if they are not particularly strong beings in the natural world as individuals.

Of course, there are no monster wolves in the Central Plains that are 8 Elte tall and 20 Elte long, and there are giants who pick up and throw stones of hundreds of Halgerd.

Above all, there are beings like Mother and Terato.

The environment is different, so the results may be different, but the strength of humans is not physical strength, but the wisdom and endurance to achieve results somehow, and the prosperity of their population.

If stability is secured and there is enough food, isn’t it easy for the population to double or triple in 10 to 20 years?

And if there is a transcendent being who created humans, they will also be able to receive that support.

‘If there is an established system as a nation, it would be at the level of the Xia dynasty at the earliest. Even if there is development after that, it’s not something I can’t handle to some extent…’

Golb’s hunting method is based on the movement of human logistics.

Also, the fact that they build large villages with wooden fences to stop giants shows that they have surpassed the stage of barbarism.

I glanced at the clothes the giants were wearing.

Clothes made by sewing together several tanned large animal hides.

One of the reasons I’m going to where these two live is because it’s hard to know the level of humans with just this.

I’ll be able to know their level from the looted human items.

‘Since I’m out anyway, I should go around to a few more places.’

“Hehe…”

“What are you laughing about?”

“Elf is pretty…”

“You empty-headed bastard…”

Whoosh!

Rudolph, who was walking wearily, was startled by Silb, who suddenly knelt down as if bowing to match her eye level.

“Elf… are you really a girl?”

“…Yes, Silb.”

Even with his face swollen from being beaten like that, he still thinks well of the person who made him that way, which shows that he has an innocent side.

“Um… will you marry me?”

Even as Rudolph frantically moved in shock, he crawled after her on his knees.

“Um… that would be difficult because of the difference in species.”

“If we love each other, wouldn’t it be okay?”

It was a pretty romantic answer for someone so dull, but

“Silb. I’m sorry, but your face isn’t my type.”

Silb was shocked as if struck by lightning and froze with a shocked expression.

I guess he was more confident in himself than I thought.

It took him a while to come to his senses and catch up.

◈ ◈ ◈

“Sons, what’s going on?”

“Um… well…”

Her sons, who had gone hunting, had swollen faces as if they had been beaten, and their clothes, which were already like rags made by sewing together various hides, were covered in dust and torn in places.

And seeing the large deer that followed them in, walking weakly, she thought they had hunted because the humans hadn’t passed by today, but there was a human child riding on the deer.

Bronya, the mother of Golb and Silb, had seen many humans that her sons had captured, but she had never seen a human as beautiful as this one she was seeing today.

Hair that looked like it was made by melting down the golden ornaments that the leader of the giants who ruled the exiled giant village wore on his head, and eyes like green jewels.

Her ears were long for a human, but she was an child who felt beautiful beyond the giant race, from her eyebrows to her lips.

The green-tinged clothes suited her well, even though it was a material and style she had never seen before. It felt logical, you could say.

When such a being approached riding a magnificent deer, she momentarily mistook her for an envoy of the gods.

However, her confident eldest son, who had confidently promised to defeat the village’s warrior someday and bring her and her sister back to the village, was looking at this beautiful and seemingly fragile creature with a swollen face, unlike in the morning, and her slightly dim-witted second son, who was her sore spot, was looking down with a sullen look.

Bronya’s mind couldn’t interpret this unknown and bizarre situation at all.

And as if to resolve that question, the human, who was the cause of this situation, opened her mouth.

“I am a guest who has become acquainted with your two sons and wishes to stay for a while. May I stay for one night?”