My Eldritch Horror Wife Followed Me To Another World
Chapter 53: Meeting Continued

Chapter 53: Meeting Continued

Basla’s words both settled the matter and moved them onto the next subject, the Outsider. Basla was also expressing his intentions to bring down Sosora with it since he had failed with his last attempt.

"I assume everyone here already knows about the Outsider staying at the center of the forest," Basla said, glancing around to see most people nod. Those who didn’t nod just couldn’t be bothered since it was obvious that they all knew about it.

"Currently, we have forbidden anyone from making contact with the Outsider, but we were a little slow. Several individuals have already had frequent contact with the Outsider, putting all of us at risk. They even guided two humans through the forest to meet with the Outsider!" Basla paused for dramatic effect. It was a short pause. He then pointed at Malak and Sosora.

"Sosora of the Aer tribe and Malak of the Bawin tribe, what do you have to say for yourselves?!" He demanded.

Elder Atarak’s eyes shone. Elder Kobo tilted his head and glanced at Malak behind him. Tair looked at Sosora with a gaze Sosora couldn’t decipher. Malak looked at Sosora with concern. He was worried about being put on the spot and accused of something he definitely did.

Sosora turned to Basla with a confident face and her arms behind her back as she stood proud and tall.

"You say that like we did something wrong. But we didn’t. But all of that is irrelevant. Everything we did, we did on land that has nothing to do with the Lowat tribe. What gives you the right to question our actions?"

"Yeah, weren’t you preaching about the autonomy of the tribes just a few minutes ago?" Malak chimed in, trying to be helpful. Sosora had already made her point, and most people got it. Almost everyone in the room understood what she was getting at. Malak had just stated the obvious.

But he helped clarify it for Basla, who was a little caught by surprise by her rebuttal, and Muhso, who wasn’t fully aware of what Basla was trying to achieve.

Basla was frozen for a few moments while his mind spun. He quickly came up with a rebuttal.

"Your interactions with the Outsider have jeopardized the safety of this forest. As a resident of this forest, of course, I have the right to question your actions. Everyone has the right!"

"Aha! Then I have the right to question you!" Sosora pointed at him triumphantly.

Basla frowned. He wanted to say no, but he would be contradicting himself.

"That depends on why you want to question me."

"You are jeopardizing the safety of this forest with your actions. What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked calmly, a stark opposite to Basla’s heated demand.

Basla frowned in confusion.

"I’m afraid you might have used your head to beat up my tribe’s youngsters. You aren’t making any sense, Sosora of the Aer tribe."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Sosora repeatedly clicked her tongue with pity.

"You don’t even realize what you’re doing. I can’t tell if that makes it worse or better."

"Speak clearly!" Basla demanded impatiently.

Sosora finally looked straight at him.

"You keep talking about the danger of this Outsider, which, first of all, you’re doing without proof. You’re saying he’s dangerous because he’s an Outsider? Then, I’ll say that you’re dangerous because you...wore a green tunic to today’s meeting—"

"That doesn’t even make sense!"

"Sosora," Tair interjected before Sosora got even more off track.

"Ahem." Sosora cleared her throat.

"As I was saying, you keep talking about the danger of associating with the Outsider. What exactly are you saying is the danger? Is it associating with the Outsider? Is it the Outsider’s existence?"

"Both! The Outsider is dangerous, and associating with him puts the forest at risk!"

"Oh, do you perhaps know that because you’ve talked with him yourself?"

"Nonsense! I wouldn’t enter that cursed part of the forest if you threatened to stab me."

Sosora’s eyes widened in a deliberate display of surprise.

"I see. How, then, do you know that the Outsider is dangerous? Perhaps he visited you?"

"Not to my knowledge. But it’s obvious he’s dangerous! He’s an Outsider."

"We’re going in circles, Basla of the Lowat tribe," Sosora said sternly.

"Can you back up your argument? If you can’t, your words hold no weight. If you can, you are putting this forest at risk by intentionally antagonizing a ’dangerous Outsider,’ as you so eloquently put it."

"..." Basla was stumped. He did not think he was going to lose an exchange of words against a hot-headed warrior. But he was not giving up yet.

"Ah! The fact that he’s staying in the center of the forest is proof of the threat he poses!" Basla couldn’t believe he had forgotten such a simple fact. It was obvious.

"We have confirmed that it is not a change in the behavior of the monster kings," He said proudly.

"How have you confirmed it?" Sosora asked.

"The same way everyone else has." Basla could feel the atmosphere shift again just when he started getting it back in his favor.

"By...?"

"...Having people try to stay the night in the center." It wasn’t something he could lie about. Besides, it wasn’t like it was anything wrong with it. If they had been successful, they could have taken part of the wealth of resources in the center of the forest. But only if they had been first.

The fastest way to confirm the theory that the monster kings had changed was to have someone try to stay the night in the center.

Since nothing had changed from the past, several people had ended up dying.

"The Outsider has not laid hands on a single member of our tribes," Sosora pointed out.

"How many have died at the hands of your doubts, mistrust, and greed?" She asked, glancing at not just Basla but the others as well. The Lowat tribe wasn’t the only one that had tried to replicate Nick’s miracle of staying alive more than a day in the center of the forest.

Her question was answered with a heavy silence.

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