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The return voyage feels like a dream; you move underwater, walking with the colors of the militia's men ahead to keep your path as your mind swirls, churning from all the new details brought by this strange fox, all the implications... According to Shigeko, this Hanabi appeared in the village sometime last year. <span class="mu-i">An agent of the Demon Lord!</span>
Could this be the true reason behind the repression of the Mamonos? Fishing her out?
The war between the Allied Kingdoms and the Demon Lord never officially ended. Hostilities grew cold, the size of the conflicts changed from armies to squads, and now highly trained individuals seek each other in battles of subterfuge for all kinds of reasons and philosophies. Is that what's happening? Your home being another battleground of ideals about the humanity of monsters? <span class="mu-i">No. It doesn't explain the presence of that Outsider. The Brazen Tusks are almost acting like a cult...</span>
Cults have been a touchy subject for the church and the Demon Lord. Both suffered their share of violent inner strife from divergent creeds, with two particularly prominent ones making history. Épanouissement was a belief that rocked the foundation of the Mamono capital. Biased books about them were the only ones you found, and they described that cult as little more than an embrace of hedonism. <span class="mu-i">Eichenwald village doesn't have anything like that growing.</span>
The Child is a much more insidious problem for the Allied Kingdoms. Those who believe in a third god, the third manifestation of mankind. Nobody knows how Father Sky came to be, only that he shed his emotions and humanity to protect mankind. Mother Earth was born from the goodness of all sentient souls, positivity made divine. Naturally, an embodiment of negativity should follow... They try to manifest it with blood magic.
<span class="mu-i">Surely the Inquisitor wouldn't be incompetent enough not to have inspected the mercenaries? Or perhaps there is a connection with this Lady White because someone called for her?</span>
The crowd of late Eichenwald blurs together into masses of colors as the gears of your mind keep on rolling. The dark fur of Hanabi cute presence briefly anchors you to the present; she has taken charge of directing the militia's escort during your silence. Usha has returned to your bag, too intimidated by the movements and the crowd to keep herself atop your head. <span class="mu-i">Hanabi made good points.</span>
Demon Lord connection aside, you have to accept her logic. The widespread comas afflicting humans should have had a strong reaction from the church. This mess with the Pearls of Power shouldn't account for this lack of presence, nor should the awful, horrific Outsider...Around 300 people live in the Mamono village. 25 of them are mothers, and from that group, Hanabi expects to escape with only 6. <span class="mu-i">What kind of numbers are those? Can this Corruption problem only be solved like this without a sacrifice? Gods above, how can Mamonos ever hope to grow communities on their own?</span>
