"According to those two, only members of the royal family live in the stone castle. I just don't know whether she's royalty or a royal guard." Mousse was more inclined toward the latter, since the female giant had gone to fight the monsters alone. However, judging by the number of people he ruled, Elbaf's king was really only equivalent to a town mayor. It would not be strange for the royal family to go about without attendants.
Either way, Mousse's old question had been answered. "The reason Elbaf's royal family has endured for so long isn't because their bloodline is that much superior to commoners'. It's mainly because they have the advantage of being closer to the water. By fighting the monsters on that giant vine, they widened the gap between themselves and ordinary people, who could only spar with their own kind, right?"
That said, climbing that Sky-Piercing Giant Vine to fight monsters was arduous and dangerous. Rather than enjoying special privileges as royalty, they endured hardship and charged into battle first. Even Mousse, who had always been unafraid to judge others with the utmost malice, had to admit for the moment that the Elbaf Giants were indeed simple and honest by nature.
But after recalling more information about Elbaf, Mousse understood that the Dwarf King had only demanded that particular right because it was the only right he could possibly obtain. The Giant race of Elbaf had maintained a primitive communal system to this day. Strength and honor were among the few private possessions they could strive to acquire.
Moreover, fighting the beast hordes on the Sky-Piercing Giant Vine could earn them meat, which was growing increasingly scarce on Elbaf Island. Unlike the island's wild beasts, which dwindled the more they were hunted, the ferocious beasts on the