Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

The boy asking us for help was now leading the way.

His jet-black hair has a lock tied in a tuft, and he was dressed like a typical boy of this region.

To recap, he became stranded in this town one month ago with no idea of where he had come from, but a woman he referred to as “older sister” picked him up and took care of him.

While listening to his story, we were walking along the hills away from the town, guided by him, toward the place where his sister usually collects medicinal herbs.

“Uh, are you sure you’re okay to bring this slow-looking Nee-chan along?”

“Ahahahaha…”

The boy stared at me in suspicion.

Well, I couldn’t deny that I’m slow…

“Well, we’re trying to avoid combat as much as possible… It’s not like we’re starting something big down there, we’re gonna be fine… If anything goes wrong, I’ll carry you and run, don’t worry.”

“I appreciate that, but please be gentle, okay?”

“S-Sure.”

Actually, when he runs at full speed, I get really dizzy… so let’s hope that scenario wouldn’t come to pass.

“…Are Nii-chan and Nee-chan dating?”

““NO WAY!!””

We shouted in unison at the sudden question.

The boy who asked was looking at us with a cold stare, while Nii-sama shook his head from a distance…

“Are we really okay with those two around…?”

The boy’s suspicious gaze was painful…

“…Uh, it feels kind of uncomfortable walking around without armor.”

“So do I…”

The two people who usually wore full armor were now only clad in fabric clothing and a little leather. This was a stealth operation, so light equipment was preferred, but it was still of high quality, nonetheless.

I was dressed as usual, but with a lower-ranked staff because my usual one would make noise when I walked.

In any case, the fighting power was much reduced. Therefore, we must avoid combat as much as possible.

“That aside, I want to ask you something…”

“My name? Hayato.”

“Hmm… Sounds like an Eastern Islander name if you ask me.”

“…I don’t know, I don’t remember anything.”

“If you say so.”

Nii-sama let the matter slide without pursuing it further.

I had some doubt about the boy’s story, but I guess there is no need to pursue something that he does not seem to want to say.

“By the way, is the person you’re looking for… Aini-san who runs a pharmacy in East Street?”

The name “Aini” that Nii-sama spoke of was a rather famous NPC back in the game.

She was only a simple questgiver sometimes showed up, but her beauty, style and gentle demeanor made her a huge hit among the playerbase.

People who wanted a break from the daily grind went out of their way to get into this remote area, and as I recall, there was even a fan club…

“…Yeah, but why did you ask?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to ask you if you knew her or not.”

Nii-sama simply shrugged his shoulders.

He’d been talking with Hayato-kun quite frequently since a while ago… Well, I’ll just let him be, he’s better at this kind of thing than I am.

Then, after walking for a while through the hilly terrain, we came to a wooded area slightly off the beaten path.

“Here they are, these footprints. She used to collect medicinal herbs around here, so I’m probably right.”

Hayato-kun pointed to footprints that looked like they belonged to a woman and a smaller child.

The ground was muddy and wet from the melting snow, and the footprints were clearly visible.

If she was really taken away by goblins, then I had a really uncomfortable feeling about this.

“Though, I didn’t see any signs of struggle around here… and she seemed to walk on her own two feet.”

“Right. If she was forcibly taken away, there should be no footprints, or she should have resisted and been more disheveled… These footprints were heading straight in a specific direction.”

If it turned out that the goblin in question was a hobgoblin like the ones we met the other day, then it’s no big deal, but we should always expect the worst.

“Now that you mention it, I’d been too upset to notice it… But doesn’t that mean…”

“Yeah, while we don’t know why a goblin is accompanying her, she’s probably safe for the moment.”

“Nee-chan…!”

Hayato-kun tried to run off as he saw a glimmer of hope, but Nii-sama caught him.

“Hold it, I’m just saying that we have a better chance of saving her, but we’re still headed to a tunnel full of monsters you know?”

“Y-Yeah…”

He reluctantly obeyed, but his gait was thick with impatience.

Saul

That kid was definitely not normal, I thought.

Hayato, still overeager, tried to hurry ahead. That alone would be normal… if he wasn’t walking so fast.

We’d been walking for a good while. Any normal kid should be getting tired by now, but this little boy was fast enough to leave Iris and even Reiji in the dust.

If he was really a local boy, he might be used to traversing this area, but he said he was found collapsed in this town one month ago.

The timing was nearly identical to ours. So far, we had enough clues to turn our suspicions into certainties.

…Or I should say, I was convinced of it a long time ago.

“…Hey, Hayato.”

“What’s the matter, handsome Onii-chan?”

“…Are you a player?”

“?!”

The small body in front of me visibly shook.

“…How do you know?”

“The first thing I noticed was the way you walk. You have a weapon hidden in your waistband, don’t you?”

He was wearing a long tunic, which was perfect to hide a weapon within. However, unlike in the game, weapons had considerable weight, especially for a small boy like Hayato, and that was reflected in his slightly shaky gait.

No normal kid walked around while hiding a weapon in his clothes.

“Moreover, when we asked about Aini-san earlier, why didn’t you question how we knew her name, despite we having just arrived in this town and never met her all this time?”

“T-That’s…”

“Because you immediately recognized us as fellow players but simply hid it, correct?”

After a moment of hesitation, he gave a small nod as if giving up.

“You look rather young. How old are you over there?”

“…I’m a first-year in middle school. I started playing when I was a fourth-year in grade school.”

As I suspected. In the game, when creating a character, you couldn’t set them too far away from their real-life height. The exception would be if you switched characters like we did.

Afterward, it was optional for them to grow their avatar to their own height, but as far as I know, I had never heard of anyone doing so, because they did not want to ruin the integrity of their avatars.

The boy was only just tall enough to be at the lower end of the height limit for avatar creation, so his real-life age was also roughly predictable.

“…Well, it’s hard to be thrown out into a world like this and asked to fight for your life, isn’t it?”

It’s a bit much to ask of a child who has just graduated from grade school. The harsh attitude was also unavoidable, considering the circumstances.

“…You don’t think I’m a wimp or anything right?”

“No, that’s perfectly normal. It’s us who are heretical for having adapted to this world.”

I said that, but I was only able to do that because circumstances forced me to do so. As a result of throwing myself into battle with all my might for the person I want to protect, I somehow managed to adapt.

…If we had reunited with Onii-chan in the first town without incident, I think there’s a good chance that we would have continued to live an ordinary life in that town.

“…Then I have something to ask, Nii-chan. Are you afraid of fighting?”

“…Yes. We’d gone through a lot of pain to reach this point.”

It was especially bad when I fought the goblins in the previous town. I cried all night long in the chest of a little girl, now much smaller than I was, and I still smirked in embarrassment when I remember it.

“Of course I’m still scared… but I have to fight if I want to protect the people close to me in this world, so I’m trying really hard to push myself to pick up the sword, that’s all.”

“That’s because you are adults… I just can’t…”

The look of frustration on his face made me decide to leave him alone for now. Because a child shouldn’t develop the resolve to kill others…

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

It wasn’t until late at night that we finished dealing with the aftermath of the attack… We had to spend the night in a corner of the soldiers’ quarters next to the outer walls, gracefully provided by their commanding officer.

The next morning, at the mayor’s summons, we travelled all the way across the town to his mansion, which was located in the area where the wealthy lived.

Apparently, he had a dispute with everyone in the mercenary company the last time they visited this town, so they weren’t invited this time.

Only Nii-sama, Reiji-san and Milly-san accompanied me to see the mayor while the mercenaries stayed behind to discuss future operations with the stationed soldiers.

“Good grief… I don’t expect him to do anything funny in our first meeting, but be prepared to run in any case. And do not touch whatever is offered to you.”

Nii-sama warned me again, for the umpteenth time today.

I’d already applied magic to increase resistance to abnormal statuses such as poison and paralysis, but you can never be too careful.

…Because this mayor didn’t look friendly at the slightest.

If what the soldiers told us was true, it’s obvious that he’s hiding something he doesn’t want anyone to find in the goblin-infested mineshaft. Perhaps he called us here to warn us against investigating it.

This meeting could very well be a trap of some kind.

“…Let’s get this over with. Iris and Milly, stay close to Reiji at all times. Reiji, I trust you can look after them?”

“Gotcha.”

After Reiji-san nodded as a confirmation, Nii-sama knocked on the extravagant door… At this point we already know very well about the nouveau riche taste of its owner.

When the servant led us into the parlor, the mayor was already there waiting for us.

…At first glance, it was hard to believe that this was the home of a town mayor whose major industry was stagnant and in trouble, with its soft, expensive-looking carpets and large amount of furnishings.

“We’ve finally met, travelers. Come, take a seat.”

Acting overly friendly, the mayor guided us to our seats. However…

“…Five of them.”

“Not too many to deal with, then.”

Nii-sama and Reiji-san whispered to each other.

It seemed that the mayor’s goons were already in place. But they weren’t enough to make the two of them panic. The only problem was if there’s something in the tea or air, that had already been taken care of unless there was something wrong.

The mayor started asking us questions. How we acquired our current abilities at a young age, where we were born and where we lived.

Nii-sama was entrusted with the responsibility of conversing, and the talk proceeded smoothly, even if it was only on the surface.

“…Now that I’ve heard of your heroic deeds yesterday, I would like to extend an offer of working under my command to you.”

So this is what he’s trying to do. Unfortunately, we don’t want to become anyone’s pawns here.

“Of course, I’ll reward you nicely…”

For us, whose money in the game didn’t transfer over to this world and only had the reward money from the previous town, it certainly looked like a huge sum.

Since we weren’t present during the mercenaries’ previous stay in this town, he probably judged us to be their newest recruits and wanted to lure us to his side with money.

However, Nii-sama quickly interrupted the mayor by raising his hand.

“Pardon my interruption, but if this is what you’re after, then we respectfully decline. If you ask us to lend a helping hand for the time being to protect this town, I am willing to cooperate, but I have no intention of being employed by a person who is in charge of the town but has no intention of doing his job.”

Suddenly, at Nii-sama’s words, which could be described as impolite, one could see the blood vessels rising on the mayor’s forehead.

“…It’s wonderful that you youngsters are being so brave, but I’m only telling you this because I see you as skilled mercenaries… Yes, it’s just business, no need to make it personal…”

“You seem to have misunderstood something… We are simply travelers and not mercenaries to begin with.”

Nii-sama interrupted the mayor again.

We were only cooperating with the mercenary company, and not strictly their members.

“B-But you are with those mercenaries, aren’t you? I don’t think you were with them when they stayed here before…”

“We are only accompanying them on their journey as a favor, out of a personal relationship. Their employer is acquainted with us.”

The mayor was at a loss for words. He must have realized that the person employing the “La Cercueil” is the Count ruling over this region.

To mess with the Count’s guests meant inviting trouble, I’m sure the mayor knows that much.

Well, calling us the Count’s guests was kind of a bluff. Fortunately, we had the power to back that up, as shown yesterday.

“Not to mention…”

Nii-sama took a sip of the tea that was offered to him… and immediately spat it out.

His eyes narrowed quickly, taking on a menacing hue.

“Serving your guests tea spiked with Dreamgrass nectar is the peak of etiquette, don’t you think?”

“Guh…”

Dreamgrass… When I was unable to unveil my wings due to trauma, I had to take medicine with it as an ingredient to be able to sleep. Since Nii-sama was the one making that medicine, he was able to detect the slightest discomfort when tasting that particular nectar… After all, I had to take that medicine for a while.

…Come to think of it, Ayame was good at tasting water and rice for some reason.

“It seems that we’re not welcome here. If you leave us out of whatever you’re plotting, then we won’t pursue this matter. Now, if you excuse us.”

We all got up from our seats.

There was a sense of killing intents around us, but when Reiji-san crawled his hand to the sword at his waist, they seemed to pull back.

“…If you don’t have my approval, it would be easy to make it impossible for you to even get lodging in this town. You’re going to regret this.”

“Who’s going to regret it, we shall see about that.”

My brother left such a parting remark with his most wicked princely smile, and we left the mayor’s house.

“Good grief… I had a hunch this would happen, but that wasn’t a negotiation from the beginning…”

Nii-sama went limp as soon as he was out of human eyes. His inner Ayame was leaking.

“Ahaha… Good work back there, Mr. Ambassador.”

“I’m so tired…”

As soon as he said that, he wrapped me in for a hug.

“Can we keep like this for a while? Ah… I feel like I’m being healed…”

At the sight of Nii-sama acting so silly, I smile wryly, pat him on the back and let him do as he pleases.

“…But you know, that was still a pretty dramatic way of telling him to sod off. You literally declared war on him.”

“Sorry… But there’s no doubt it’s going to happen sooner or later.”

“For god’s sake… They could have hidden the greed in their eyes a bit better when they looked at Iris and Miriam.”

“I know right…”

“To be honest, it creeped me out, nya…”

Just like yesterday, the mayor, let alone his underlings, looked at me as if I were a merchandise to sell for money.

“This country bans the trading of slaves, but it’s very likely he’s got some outside connections… Do not travel alone, at all costs.”

I nodded deeply at that.

“…Anyway, where are we going to stay?”

“I wish we’d found accommodation earlier, nya…”

With such an ominous statement from Miriam-san, we began to stroll around the town with a gloomy feeling.        

Several hours later

“…I didn’t expect that mayor to act this fast.”

“We got turned away everywhere we go…”

The sun was high in the sky, even beginning to set, and we were quickly at our wit’s end…

The town’s main street ran alongside a mountain stream that flowed through the valley, and the sights and sounds of the gentle stream would normally soothe my soul, but I was in no mood for that right now.

“Looks like we don’t have much choice other than borrowing the soldiers’ quarters again.”

“Yeah… but that would only be a temporary solution.”

“I agree… I wish someone would let us rent a room.”

Such a slim hope that was.

At least the townspeople weren’t being completely hostile to us, since they did know we saved the town yesterday.

“Well, can’t exactly blame them for that. We have no idea what tricks that mayor has up his sleeves… Huh?”

“Is somebody arguing?”

Someone was arguing with the soldiers at the gate.

“I’m telling you, Nee-chan is kidnapped, so please hurry up and rescue her! Please, I beg you!”

It was a young boy, clearly in distress.

We looked at each other and quickened our steps toward him.

At the scene, we found the officer and Zeltis-san arguing with a boy about ten or twelve years of age.

“Is he a kid from this town?”

“I’m not so sure…”

“He said his sister was kidnapped right? Depending on the situation, we could have an emergency on our hand.”

“In any case, we should hear him out immediately.”

Nii-sama seemed to be thinking something, but we all nodded to each other and approached the officer.

“Excuse me, everyone, what’s going on here…”

“…?! It’s you guys?! You all are strong people, aren’t you?! Please, help me…!”

Upon seeing us, the boy immediately drew closer with a fierce look.

After somehow quieting him down, we listened to what he had to say.

He wasn’t originally from this area, but a woman who worked as a pharmacist in this town found him lying around here alone and picked him up… he had been living in her care since.

“Nee-chan was out of town collecting medicinal herbs because she needed a lot of medicine right now… but she still hasn’t come back. When I looked for her, I found some goblin-like footprints!”

“Well, as much as we would like to help you, we are not allowed to move on our own without permission from the higher-ups…”

The officer told the boy apologetically.

“It’s a shame to say it, but so are we. It would be unwise if I act rashly and jeopardize the company in this place where we had an earlier dispute with its ruler… Maybe the Captain will approve of it, though.”

Said Zeltis-san.

Soldiers on official duty and mercenaries with a reputation to protect. Neither of them could act on their own, that meant…

“Oh well, guess we’ll just have to go… Saul, you okay with that?”

“……No objection. But… we’ll have to talk with you later, okay?”

The boy’s shoulders shook with fear at the words directed at him, and his gaze wandered.

“Nii-sama, you don’t have to say something that threatening…”

“…Hmph.”

Nii-sama turned away grimly. Clearly something had been eating at him for a while now, but he didn’t seem to be opposed to going to help.

“It’s settled then. Me, Saul and…”

“I’ll pass. I’m simply no good in an infiltration mission, nya.”

Milly, who is a magician specializing in firepower, was simply not suited for action in tight places such as tunnels.

“That leaves…”

“Yeah…”

Reiji-san and Nii-sama turned toward me.

“Iris, do you mind waiting here with everyone else…”

“Thanks, but I refuse.”

“As I expected…”

I answered immediately with a smirk, and Reiji-san and Saul-niisama’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Normally, they would fiercely oppose my decision, but…

“Of everyone here, Iris is the most useful for infiltration.”

That’s the reason. Bishop class was actually second only to the Assassin or Archer series of classes in this type of covert ops, because they possessed a spell that conceals the appearance of those around them.

Milly-san also had a magic that makes her disappear, but it only applies to herself. Instead, it has the advantage of being able to prepare magic while being unseen, although it is a difference in class design and not the superiority of either.

For once, I had the right to choose whether or not to accompany them, and I would not accept a rejection.

So, an operation to rescue the boy’s older sister was hastily decided.

I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear Nii-sama muttering “Alright, excuse get” with a bad expression.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

My healing magic spread across the battlefield, and one by one, the fallen soldiers rose up, their faces bewildered.

…However, only half of them came back to life.

The other half were left lying there with nothing happening to them.

I thought I was prepared for this, but it is excruciating to actually see the bodies of the deceased in front of me. However, there were things I have to do now. I only offered a silent prayer and pushed it away to the corner of my thoughts.

“Can you keep going?”

“…Yes, I’m a little tired, but I think I can still cast a few more area-of-effect healing spells.”

“Alright, I’m going to let you down now. Don’t stay too far from me.”

Saul-niisama slowly descended and gently lowered me to the ground. Reiji-san, noticing this, joined us once more.

“Reiji-san, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Those things barely landed a single strike on me. So, what’s next?”

“Can I entrust you with cleaning up those still inside the town? I’ll work with the remaining soldiers to prevent any further incursions.”

“Loud and clear!”

They clapped their hand together and split off in opposite directions, Reiji-san toward the town and Saul-niisama toward the gate. I followed the latter suit.

“…Is anyone left in command here?!”

One soldier raised his voice in response to Nii-sama’s loud call.

“Me! I’m their commanding officer!”

“Rally the surviving soldiers and gather them at the gate. My companions are coming to the rescue, so please don’t panic and hold the line until they arrive. Reiji… our friend, was already on his way to deal with the enemies inside the town.”

“Roger that!… I really appreciate your assistance.”

“Okay, if you or anyone gets wounded, just retreat and stay back alright?”

“…Understood. You heard the man! All hands, regroup!”

The soldiers, having come to their senses, took up their positions.

Outside the gate, Milly-san and Lenny-san high-firepower magic was bombarding the enemies, drawing their attention away from us, so only sporadic attacks came this way…

The cleanup did not take much time.

“…Is this… over?”

A soldier mumbled.

As far as the eye can see, there was no more monster left standing.

“Yeah, it’s over…”

“We’ve won… We’ve endured…!”

The soldiers, finally realized that the battle had ended, let out a few cheers of victory.

Soon, however, their voices faded, and once the survivors were identified, they began recovering the bodies of their comrades.

…Many people had died. These were people who had been with them just yesterday. How much regret must they be feeling right now?

“It’s not your fault, miss. If anything, it wouldn’t have been like this if it weren’t for you.”

“Yes, I probably wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t come along… Thank you so much for that.”

The people who were working with a somber look on their faces still called out to me not to worry as they passed by.

“Um, can I help…”

I was about to approach when a soldier stopped me. He was the one who collapsed near Reiji-san at that time… I think.

“No, you’ve helped us enough. We would be sorry if we had to bother you any longer… Please take a rest, you’ve earned it.”

“…Yes.”

With that admonition, there was nothing more I could do. I turned on my heel to leave.

“Allow me to tell you this too! I was about to give up on everything back there, but thanks to you… I can still return home, and I won’t make my soon-to-be-married girlfriend cry! I’m forever grateful to you!”

“That’s…” 

I turned my head around, and gave him the best smile I could muster…

“That’s good to hear! I hope you return home safe and sound!”

…After squeezing those words out, I walked away.

As I stood there, standing helplessly outside the circle of soldiers who were seeing off the corpse of their comrades, who were to be taken to the capital for a funeral, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“Now that I think about it, this is the first time since we’ve been here that we haven’t been able to save someone right in front of us.”

“…Nii-sama.”

“Let’s not get in their way here. Come with me.”

With that said, he pulled back his hand and took me to the shadows of the outer wall, to an empty place.

Then, when no one could see us, he held me close to his chest.

As much as I was surprised, I also felt that Nii-sama’s body was trembling slightly, and I realized that I was not the only one who is frustrated.

With only him patting on my back for comfort, I cried in silence…

After having calmed down, we looked around the area where the battle had taken place, tilting our necks as we reflected on what had just happened in the battle.

By the way, Reiji-san, who was the first to burst into the scene, was currently surrounded by the soldiers and looked troubled by their praise.

As for me, I was desperately trying to stave off the embarrassment of hearing those looking at me from afar occasionally calling me “Saintess…”.

Nii-sama looked at me with a wry smile.

But I digress. The sun had set, and the area was in the midst of cleaning up the battlefield, with fires burning the bodies of the goblins in various places. In the town, the fighting had stopped, and the townspeople were beginning to show up on the streets.

“…But those goblins were certainly weird, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, it’s like fighting undead or something… I couldn’t sense any will from them when we fought.”

Unlike the goblins from before, they lacked any kind of tactics and just charged at anything in the vicinity. Thanks to this, they were attacked from two different sides, and their forces were dispersed in a disorderly manner, so in the end they were easy opponents…

As I walked past one of the goblin corpses on the battlefield… I felt a sharp pain in my head. I turned the corpse over and examined it…

Immediately, I found the anomaly.

“What’s this…”

“Iris, did you find something?”

Nii-sama noticed the situation and peeked from above.

“…Take a look at this, Nii-sama.”

I rolled up the edges of the clothes the corpse was wearing, and there was a previously familiar crystalline body of something that had lost its luster and cracked, buried in the body.

“So it’s just like that time… No wonder those goblins acted weird.”

The shadowy monster formed from the bandits’ remains some time ago also had a similar-looking crystal in its body. So it seemed likely that this attack was related to the “Wound” that opened up a few days ago…

“Excuse me, officer, can I ask you something?”

“Oh, it’s you… Thanks to your help, the damage was minimal. Please, ask away.”

Nii-sama called out to the officer who happened to be passing by. He was giving instructions to those around him, but still, when he saw us, he gladly complied.

“Do you know if there is anything unusual or different going on in that direction?”

“Oh, that…”

Looking in the direction I pointed, the captain looked as if he was biting a bitter bug.

“…So there’s something?”

“Yes… A stone’s throw away in that direction will lead you to a new mineshaft occupied by goblins. There were a lot of people walking along that path, so you’ll be able to find your way easily… However, we haven’t been able to investigate due to the strong opposition from the mayor in charge of this town. We sent a message to our headquarters in the capital and were waiting for the reply from the lord to give us permission to investigate… then all of this happened.”

“That’s strange. When the town’s main industry was taken away and there was even a goblin raid, I’d expect the mayor to be more cooperative…”

The mayor’s actions were awfully suspicious no matter how we look at it.

“…Is there something he doesn’t want anyone to see?”

As Nii-sama mumbled something, the officer, who was staring at his profile, called out to him fearfully.

“Um… I’ve always wondered about this… but are you His Highness Saulquez, by any chance?”

“…?! N-no, what are you talking about…?”

Uh oh, Nii-sama lost his cool. Don’t worry, I understand how you feel.

Come to think of it, it’s not often that Nii-sama get caught in this kind of situation…

“…I’m sorry, I have my own reasons. I would appreciate it if you would do your best to keep this matter as private as possible.”

“I see… If you really are… then the young lady here must be…”

“Ahaha… Sorry, I have my own reasons too.”

“Uh…”

“I’ll talk about the details later on when I have the chance, so please keep it to yourself for now.”

“Please, I ask of you.”

“O-okay, I get it, you don’t have to bow your head like that! I’ll keep this matter a national secret!”

When I bowed my head, the officer got flustered and quickly made a promise to us.

Nii-sama, who had been caught off guard because these developments usually come to me until now, hurriedly put on the hood of his own cloak, and I laughed at the sight of him.

The fleeting moments of tranquility were interrupted when the town became more noisy and bustling. For some reason, all the soldiers around us turned tense.

“Ohhhh… I had heard that some unknown travelers had joined you, but I can’t thank you enough for protecting our town…!”

A middle-aged man in a very rich-looking costume and accessories walks toward us from the back of the town, shouting loudly. When his gaze turned to me for a moment, hawking his surroundings, I felt a chill run down my back. It was like he wasn’t looking at me as a person, just how much money he could get from me.

As I huddled closer to Nii-sama, he nonchalantly changed his position to hide me behind his back, perhaps noticing this.

…What a nasty gaze. I tried to hold back my knees from shaking as bad memories that I thought were long healed haunted my mind again.

Behind us, the officer whispered to our ears.

“That’s the mayor… He was the one who brought in a large number of ruffians from who-know-where disguised as miners in his service, so be careful around him. Neither he nor his cronies are pleasant to be around.”

“…If that isn’t obvious enough.”

Accompanying the mayor was someone who definitely looked more like a gangster than a governor’s attendant, looking at those around him menacingly… And to think that he didn’t even lend a hand to help in the battle just now.

People change as places change. Because the people in the previous town had been so kind to me, I was now keenly aware that this was not going to be the case here.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

“……ey!!… ake up! Hey!”

I was woken up by someone shaking my shoulders.

I think I was dreaming about something, but I could no longer remember… What was I doing just now?

My vision was blurred from sleep, and for some reason I saw everyone peering at me anxiously. I tilted my head to look at them.

“…For now, Iris-chan, take this.”

With that said, Philias-san held out to me… a handkerchief?

“Wipe it away, will you?”

When she said so and pointed to my cheeks, I involuntarily touched them… and felt something wet.

“Eh…? Is this… tears?”

“Yeah. You were crying in your sleep just now… Are you really alright?”

In the past few days, I had been waking up more and more often like this. I think I was definitely dreaming about a certain thing… but no matter how much I tried to remember, I could not retrieve that scattered memory.

“You don’t get much sleep at night, do you?”

That’s kind of true, I felt myself sleeping less or sleeping much less due to the constant dull pain in my head. Therefore I often fell into a shallow sleep during daytime, just like this…

“I’m fine. I just have a little trouble sleeping, that’s all.”

“Well, I’ll take your word for it… If there’s something wrong, just tell me right away, okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about me that much… Rather, aren’t those two the ones you should be worrying about?”

I was talking about the two who were taking turns to drive the carriage. They were the only ones with experience in driving a carriage, and I was more worried about their fatigue than myself.

“So, where are we now?”

“Um, let me see, just one more hill and we’ll reach the town we’re heading to…”

It had been a day since we crossed the border and parted ways with the merchant party. We were finally about to arrive at our destination, the next town.

When we passed the hill and were about to see our destination…

“…?!”

All of us gasped.

The town that was our destination… Small shadows crowded around the exterior walls that were set up to block the canyon, as if the gray walls were covered in black.

“…Hey, aren’t those goblins? Let’s hurry up and kick their asses!”

The first to spot the goblins, Weiss-san, shouted in agitation.

I activated “Eagle Eye” myself to take a good look at the situation… The gate had already been breached, and the reddening figures being trampled upon by the black shadows… are those people?

“No… are we too late?!”

“…I don’t think so, it doesn’t look like it has been breached very long yet. We must hurry nonetheless.”

“Even if you say that, I can’t go any faster…”

The vibrations in the interior of a rented carriage were quite severe, and even if the horse still had some strength left, the carriage could topple over or disintegrate if it is not handled properly.

While everyone was feeling impatient, a hand went up… Reiji-san’s.

“If that’s the case… I’m going to break past those gobs somehow and save anyone inside. Iris, can you use your support magic on me?”

“…Understood. I’m going to do that to everyone as well. Since I can’t expose my wings when I go outside, let’s get it done while I still can.”

I nodded in agreement and apply as much support magic as possible to everyone currently in the carriage. Just this much wasn’t enough to make me fatigued, and there was still plenty of time to spare.

However, Reiji-san, who was sitting directly in front of me, still looked uneasy. The small shadows that could be seen on the way to the destination were so numerous and crowded.

“Please take care of yourself out there.”

“Of course. I’ll try to save as many people as possible until you arrive. After that… it’s your job.”

“…Yes.”

After patting me on the head a few times to calm my worrying mind, Reiji-san flipped up the top and jumped down from the back of the carriage, and with explosive acceleration, the overtook the carriage and moved away from here.

“And off he goes. Reiji-san is really fast, isn’t he?”

“Agreed… I don’t think I’m a match for him anymore… so don’t worry about that, Miss Iris.”

“…Pardon?”

As I looked off at Reiji-san’s back, which was quickly fading into the distance, a voice called out to me unexpectedly.

“He’s strong. Or rather, he got way stronger than before. Remember how we often spar with each other? The first few days, I had the upper hand… however, he’s caught up considerably since. I really can’t be careless when fighting him anymore…”

Zeltis-san had a bitter smile on his face, as if he were troubled. Did that mean Reiji-san had been winning more and more of their duels?

“It’s frustrating of course, and I don’t intend to keep losing to him like this… but that’s what makes him your fated knight, don’t you think so?”

“N-No, what are you talking about?! He’s just a friend!”

I firmly denied that statement. Between Reiji-san and I, there’s no such master-servant relationship. He’s just a friend… whom I trust more than anyone else… yes, just a friend.

“…Still, you think of him as my knight instead of you, Zeltis-san? That’s nice of you.”

“Aww, thank you! But I’m always ready to offer this sword as your knight whenever you ask me to- Ack! That hurts, sister!”

“Oh, shut up, we don’t have time for any more of your nonsense. Stop fooling around and get ready to leave, idiot brother.”

As usual, Zeltis-san tried to take my hand, and Philias-san grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the carriage. I couldn’t help but chuckle at such a comedy routine. But it also made me feel a little more relaxed.

“Well then, Iris-chan and her brother, we’ll be departing soon. You two take care of the townspeople, leave the rest to us.”

“Got it. I’m going to carry Iris and approach the town by air. By the looks of it, there’s going to be a lot of damage to the whole town, so I’m going to rely on you, Iris… can you do it?”

“Yes, Nii-sama, I’ll leave the escort to you.”

I held out my hand, and Nii-sama quickly grabbed it and began carrying me in his arms. We then went out to the driver’s seat, where Weiss-san was concentrating on his arrow. The arrowhead was filled with wind magic.

The arrow was released, and as if guided by something, it shot through a small shadow that was holding a bow in the distance.

That was “Guided Arrow”, which is a technique that requires wind magic qualities in addition to archery, and apparently Weiss-san had a small amount of those qualities.

“I’ll try to cover for you. Now go.”

He told us bluntly and began to aim again.

“Thank you very much, I’ll be counting on you then.”

“…Hmph, just doing my job.”

We’d gotten to know each other a lot better, but he was still not being honest with me, I thought so while shrugging my shoulders, when suddenly Nii-sama switched positions to separate me from Weiss-san.

“…No matter how many points you earn, my sister is a no-go, you know?”

“I told you I’m not into her! Just go already!”

“That’s rude to Weiss-san, Nii-sama! And stop treating me like a child!”

It’s true that our first meeting was a little awkward, so I could understand Nii-sama’s wariness toward Weiss-san, but this was too much, even for a joke.

“Yeah, uh, sorry…”

Weiss-san fired another arrow and struck another goblin that was climbing up the outer wall.

“Anyway, Reiji’s waiting for us. Hold on right, we’re leaving.”

“Please do.”

Saul-niisama picked me back up firmly, and with a flap of his wings, he leapt into the air.

We got further and further from the ground… If it hadn’t been for this situation, we might have enjoyed the aerial walk, but now we were in a time sensitive situation.

While still directing the extended gaze of “Eagle Eye” toward the town in the distance, I raised my concentration to be ready to use magic at any time.

“…Would we be able to make it if we were faster? We could have saved this town from taking so much damage.”

“Probably, but we can’t predict the future. We can only do what we can… I’m going to speed up, so keep holding onto me.”

“…Yes.”

I squeezed my arms around his body, and all the scenery seemed to flow backwards, as if I was being blown away. It wouldn’t be long now before we entered the town. No matter how horrific the scene was, I would do what I could. I started chanting to save the wounded, who would surely be in great numbers.

Reiji

I sprinted across the ground while keeping a low profile. With each step I kicked the ground, there was a sound and a feeling of something hard cracking underfoot, but it was quickly left behind.

To be exact, I was more like “jumping” than sprinting. My stride was much longer than if I just sprinted normally. The scenery blew backward in a flash at a gut-wrenching speed.

This was one of the ideas I came up with in order to become stronger, which I tried, albeit only for a few days in training before departure.

What I’m applying to my gait now was the way I move when I use my skill, “Skanda”. However, I was not using the skill. Using it as a reference, I tried to control my body posture, as well as the concentration and release of the fighting spirit into my feet kicking the ground.

It’s my own body that uses skills after all, so if I could reproduce them, I could achieve the same effect… After practicing it through trial and error, I was able to confirm that it is indeed possible to some degree. And unlike skills that for some reason cannot be used continuously, as in the game where there was a cooldown time, I could confirm that it is possible to continue using this technique as long as my strength and concentration lasts.

That being said… it’s no easy task running at several times the normal speed. Unlike when using skills, I had to handle all the information by myself… I had to think with my own head and body how I was going to move my body. It was as if the most efficient macros are being scraped and everything was being entered manually, and it put a huge strain on me. My current speed wasn’t comparable to what I used to normally, and at first I was quite dependent on potions as I fell over and crashed into trees because my brain could not keep up with my reaction time.

However, after countless failures and repeated use in mock battles to simulate actual combat, I had now brought it to a level where it can be used in actual combat to some extent as a result of that trial-and-error process.

…And simply “moving faster” had a further effect by itself already.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!”

When the enemies noticed me and the first one raised its sword, I had already readied my own. The poor victim’s body was easily cut in two, and not only did the upper half of its body fly up in the air as if it had been hit by a truck, but the impact caused by my sword moving at high speed also blew away several others who were caught in my path.

High speed could be transformed into destructive power when used this way.

I readjusted my sword. Its tip scraped the ground. Sparks flew from the stone padding due to the friction.

I charged headfirst into the enemy group. Nothing could stop me now!

“Promotion… Bazookaaa!!”

While gouging the ground, flames gushed out from the tip of the sword as it slashed upward, and since the sword was moving at a super high speed, the fire became like an explosion. That was an intermediate skill of my secondary class, “Promotion Bazooka”.

The fire that was like an explosion swallowed up the small shadows that were swarming in front of the gate and pushed forward, turning those caught within into charcoal and paved the way past the enemies.

I could see the town, with its walls broken and its gate breached now… Let’s go!

The landscape blew away with explosive speed, and after easily leaping over the still numerous goblin hordes, I skidded on the cobblestones with the soles of my boots and landed in the town.

I was welcomed… with the thick smell of blood. The town was a hellscape. The soldiers were falling down in a heap, overrun by the goblins, who seemed to have no regard for their own lives, let alone those of their allies. The wounds seemed to be deep, and some of them were still breathing, but they would not survive… under normal circumstances, that is.

As long as they were still alive, Iris could save them. All I needed to do was to keep as many lives as possible from being scattered further until then.

Some small shadows turned around at the appearance of the new intruder… too slow!

“You’ll become test subjects for my new move, come at me!”

I took a step forward with my left foot. The nearest enemies were a few steps away. Pushed by the strength of my legs and the fighting spirit exploding beneath my feet, I instantly rushed up to top speed, reaping off enemies along the way as I passed them.

That was unstoppable. Next, I stepped forward with my right foot and kicked the ground in the same manner. The forceful change of direction placed a tremendous load on the legs, but this “Reiji” robust body of mine overpowered even that and ran. The rapidly changing vision was so intense that it is almost intoxicating, but I desperately processed the information and looked for the best next step.

Faster, faster, faster!

One slash, one kill. Each time the ground beneath my feet was kicked by my own foot and exploded, a flower of blood bloomed in a flash, but by then I was already on to the next enemy, and the next, and the next.

Colors disappeared from my field of vision, which had focused all its attention on information processing and prediction, and the world began to flow in slow motion.

Frantically calculating and drawing in my mind the most efficient route of extermination, I scrambled through the myriad of deadly weapons, weaving in and out of the gaps between the hordes of enemies, cutting down anything that stood in my way and laying waste to them.

I quickly lost count of how many times I’d swung my sword.

The last enemy was killed when it was about to swing its machete at a dying soldier. But not letting my guard down, I checked my surroundings while keeping my stance.

There was already no enemy in sight, leaving a void around me. A new shadow was approaching from the gate, but I still had a little time to catch my breath.

Originally, the swordsman series was a relatively well-balanced vanguard position, but while powerful against single opponents, it is a typical boss-killer style with the disadvantage of weak crowd-control capabilities, which could become disheartening in this situation where I had to fight off a horde of goblins.

So my answer to it was… “Just do as many one-on-one fights in as short a time as possible”. It was quite a muscleheaded answer, if I say so myself.

“It’s like coming up with my own swordsmanship style… Not a bad idea. Well then…”

I waved my sword to rid it of the blood, but as a matter of fact, I felt quite fatigued at the moment. It’s not so much that I can’t move, but I guess I’ll just have to fight normally from here on out. I inwardly clicked my tongue.

I looked down over my back at the soldier whose head was almost split open by the last enemy I cut down. He was pierced here and there, and looked mortally wounded, but he still had some breath left in him.

“Hey, are you still alive?”

Even if it’s just one person, the more lives saved here, the less tears she would shed…

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Diamant Valley, the westernmost point of Nordglacier’s southern border.

The local town, which was formed more than one hundred years ago as a lodging place for miners excavating the largest ore reserves in the kingdom, developed in such a way that that the bottom of a deep canyon was blocked from east to west.

The town had only two entrances, east and west, and as long as these two gates could be defended, an invasion would be difficult.

However, it seemed that all the ores had been mined out in recent decades. The number of abandoned mineshafts was increasing, and the area was gradually becoming desolate… Yet, with the discovery of a new vein of a certain ore that could nullify magic, for which demand had surged in recent years, had suddenly brought the area back to life once again.

Such a boom only lasted for a few years until goblins suddenly attacked the town’s mines, the key to its industry, and even the town itself.

As a result of repeated attacks by organized goblins, the west gate, which had been gradually accumulating damage over the years, was finally wrecked by an explosive device brought out from somewhere.

Count Roland, who ruled the surrounding area, took the situation very seriously and dispatched troops to the region. The town’s military forces were greatly expanded, and its defenses were well prepared until the repairs were completed.

…Or it was supposed to be.

The west gate, which had been half destroyed in the previous attack, was no longer able to fulfill its role effectively, but the troops dispatched by the Count should be more than enough to defend it.

…Or it was supposed to be.

Unnamed Soldier

Since the arrival of the dispatched soldiers, there had been sporadic attacks, but they had stopped for a few days. While there were whispers that the leader of the goblins had been killed somewhere along the way, there was no denying that the peaceful days had left the people feeling somewhat at ease.

To be honest, I was not very comfortable being stationed in this town. The reason was that the town mayor, who was supposed to be in a position to ask for help… had been very uncooperative so far. He wasn’t the most likable type of person in the first place, and reeked of vulgar nouveau riche. Sometimes, men posing as thugs would even try to make things difficult for us, and he did nothing to stop them.

However, even these days were somewhat peaceful as we waited for materials to arrive and repairs to the outer walls to begin, and then we would be able to return to the capital within another month. 

I was one of those people.

The third son of a merchant family, I volunteered to become a soldier as soon as he came of age at 15, thinking that there would be nothing in the family business that I could take over. I did not have any deep purpose or ideal in mind, but only because being a soldier looked kind of cool, and the treatment was generous.

Nevertheless, I completed the training, which was so rigorous that I was disgusted with it, with a moderately excellent grade, and it has been five years since I officially became a regular soldier of the Count Roland’s territory. As of now, I was often looked up to by my juniors as a senior who can be relied on to a certain extent.

I even got a girlfriend. It was nothing extraordinary like in a storybook, she was just an ordinary town girl, not a princess or anything, but I fell in love with her and finally won her approval with sheer perseverance, that’s the most important thing.

She even promised to marry me when I returned from this mission.

But what had I gotten myself into…?

“Ronnie! Anson! Are you still alive?! Answer me!”

I called out the name of my colleagues, with whom I was playing card games just yesterday, but there was no answer. The only voices that could be heard were those of anguish and pleas for help.

“Curses!”

I couldn’t back down any further, I was a soldier who volunteered to protect the town and its people, and now behind me was a town whose residents were trembling and hiding in fear.

However, as if to ridicule such pride, the front line was slowly falling back against those who, with sheer numbers, were rushing to attack in a straight line without regard to their own lives.

Our comrades fell one by one to the onrushing tide of small creatures, screaming in agony and lost sight of their allies who should have been beside them.

Our spirit was being driven into a corner by the screams and decimations coming around us.

Concerns kept popping up, but I couldn’t look back for fear that if I took my eyes off the front, I would be the next one to be swallowed, so I just kept on swinging my spear.

Just what were those creatures? Weren’t they just a bunch of goblins and other small fry monsters…?!

It wasn’t supposed to be such a tough fight. If each of us showed our strength as we had been trained to do on a daily basis, the goblins, each of which was only a small fry, would not have caused much damage, even if we were outnumbered a little. But the difference was…

“Why… WHY WON’T YOU DIE?!”

Normal goblins certainly did not keep on attacking me with their dark, lifeless eyes as if pain didn’t exist to them.

No matter how many of their own fell down in front of them, no matter whether their arms or their legs flew off, they would keep on attacking even if they had to crawl all the way. When a goblin latched onto us, the other goblins would thrust their weapon straight through its allies, paying it no mind whatsoever.

The same was true of the enemy’s covering fire. No matter how crowded the battle was, they just kept raining arrows down on both sides without any regard to friendly fire, and the enemy frontline just kept on advancing.

This was not a tactic that these cowardly little imps can take. No, I wouldn’t even call it a tactic. This was just the work of a berserker who simply rushes to the target at the cost of his own life.

Just what kind of opponents we were dealing with…?!

They were less living creatures and more of undead hellspawns at this point!!

The fear that spread quickly and easily disintegrated our battle lines, leading to an avalanche of chaos.

“Dammit! Dammitdammitdamnitall!! Ack?!”

Now it’s my turn to fall.

A flurry of arrows struck me in the shoulder, and I fell with a jerk from the impact. A few moments of writhing in agony from the intense pain in my shoulder. When I looked up, I was already surrounded by a small herd of goblins.

“Eek?! N-no, s-stop… RAAAAAH!!”

In a panic, I thrust out my spear and felt it pierce something like a hard shell in my hand, but this time it was entangled in the flesh and bone, and I could not pull it out…

The next moment, hot, sharp pain coming from multiple places pierced through my entire body as if a bunch of burning tongs had been plunged into me.

“Ah…”

My body shut down from the pain.

With each moan and spasm, hot liquid rushed up from the back of my throat, making breathing difficult.

It was supposed to be an easy job.

My girlfriend was still waiting for me.

I still had to introduce her to my parents.

My brother wrote to me in his letter that his wife just gave birth.

There’s still so much I want to do, I can’t die in a place like this…!

The weapons were then pulled from my body, and a horrific amount of viscous liquid flowed out of it. I was lucky to still be conscious… no, that was the worst luck ever. Every second, I felt my death coming closer.

No, I still have so much to do, I can’t die, I can’t die, I can’t…

However, even though I was barely conscious because my head was intact, I understood that I could no longer survive. If I had to live only to be made to feel such things, I would have preferred to end my life in an instant, without any consciousness left, and without being tormented by pain and regret.

Resignation robbed my world of color, sound, and all five senses. And yet, I felt cold, as if my whole body was frozen.

What a cruel fate. Just yesterday it was supposed to be smooth sailing, but how did it come to this?

O Goddess from above, did this poor soul do anything to offend you?

Resenting the Goddess for my cruel fate, I gave up on everything and closed my eyes when a machete was aimed at my head.

Finally, some mercy. Now I would suffer no more.

Just before my vision completely closed, I thought I saw something flaming red twinkling at the edge of my darkening field of vision.

……

………..

……………

……………….

……………….The killing blow didn’t happen.

“Hey, are you still alive?”

A voice I didn’t recognize.

I pried open my heavy eyelids, which were tempting me to close them, and saw the back of a young man with fiery red hair tied back in a messy bun and a large sword in a swinging stance. Behind him were countless small bodies that seemed to have had their heads or torsos chopped off and were spewing some kind of liquid from their severed surfaces.

Is this a dream?

Or perhaps this person is a messenger the God of War Ares-sama sent to pick up my soul after my death?

As I was thinking about the dignified back of the young man, who looked as if he were the protagonist of some heroic tale, I heard a small sound of glass breaking with a crack.

The young man roughly broke the mouth of a vial and came pouring its contents on me… a potion? Like it would do me any good.

As I was thinking about this with a sense of resignation, he grabbed me by the collar and pulled my upper body up.

“Don’t give up just yet. As long as you stay alive, you’ll be saved… Look, she’s coming.”

Save me?

How?

With these injuries, there was no way to save me unless one of those “Saintess” who were protected by the Church passed by so conveniently.

But the way he talked to me, at such a close distance that I could almost touch his forehead, his eyes were full of conviction, and there was enough power in them to tilt the scales slightly from despair to hope. Sound and color returned to the world.

There was the sound of arrows cutting through the wind.

But they suddenly stopped in midair and fell from a high place, as if hitting an invisible wall.

The red-haired young man, who had already taken his hand away from me and disappeared before my eyes, also splattered blood and flames around him one after another with blinding speed.

Behind him, a crowd of goblins, which had been swarming and hanging on to the narrow outer gate, was swallowed and obliterated by the red flame and dazzling purple lightning that rushed in a straight line. The situation had turned around so quickly in just this few blinks of time that I couldn’t believe my own eyes. 

Then I saw “that”.

A young man in knight’s armor with an androgynous beauty, fluttering his pure white feathers as he flew over the outer wall and descended with the setting sun in the background.

And… another person was being held in his arms with great care.

Even in the backlight, a beautiful girl with silver, iridescent hair wearing an azure robe was praying, a dazzling warm light surrounding her form.

“Gyss”

At first, I did not recognize that as a voice. It sounded as clear as if it were a musical instrument made with the utmost care by the finest craftsmen. Whenever her dainty little mouth made a sound, a warm, intricate, gigantic formation of light would form around her.

“Afzelia”

The tremendously huge, complex, three-dimensional formation of lights that filled my field of vision convinced me, for no reason at all, that somehow we would be able to return home. We were saved.

“Dilete”

The surroundings were enveloped in a dazzling light. But even though it was dazzling, it didn’t hurt my eyes. The light was like a gentle embrace.

My whole body was enveloped in warmth, and the pain melted away.

“Ah… Ahhh…!!”

I found myself reaching out to the light, as if clinging to its warmth.

If I had been able to move now, I would surely have knelt down and hung my head without hesitation. I’m that I would never forget this scene in my life.

Suddenly, I felt ashamed that I had resented the Goddess earlier.

Because the Goddess had sent me a helping hand right in front of me.

My eyes happened to meet the girl’s.

She looked back at me with a complicated expression, both crying and smiling, as if she were relieved to see life returning before her eyes, while at the same time she was filled with sadness and sorrow for the life that had been lost.

I couldn’t stop the warmth from flowing from the corners of my eyes.

(TL Note)

Outsider PoV wasn’t supposed to understand Iris’ chant.

Well, that was simply the AoE heal skill, but seen from the eyes of a random soldier.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

The merchants surrounding me were staring at me with bated breath, but also with some anticipation, and I spun my usual familiar chants while feeling a strange tension.

“3^rd Purification Mantra: Breath of Life… ‘Heal’”

As soon as the chanting ended, a faint light appeared in my hand.

Although most of the injuries were minor, quite a few people were injured, so I’d been using my elementary healing magic over and over since before dawn… However, unlike in the past, I did not feel particularly tired or fatigued at the moment.

Looks like my magical power had grown considerably after all.

I gently approached the horse, which was sitting on the ground because of an injured leg, and held out my hands, covered in a pale glow. The swollen and heated area quickly receded as if nothing had happened, and the horse, sensing that the pain was gone, firmly stepped on the ground and raised itself up.

Although the horses pulling the merchants’ carriages were probably not as delicate as the racehorses of the original world, an injury to a horse’s leg was still a serious matter for both the merchants and the horse itself, so everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief at the sight.

“All good now. We’ll be counting on you for the road ahead, okay? Kyah?!”

After stepping on the ground a few times with its healed leg to check, the horse pampered me by rubbing the tip of its nose against me as a way of thanking me. Although the force was gentle, as if it was trying to keep me from falling down, the way it rubbed my chest was really ticklish.

“Ahaha, it tickles! Come on, stop it already! (pouts)”

When I pretended to be a little angry at the horse, it seemed to get the message and hurriedly pulled itself away. Since I wasn’t actually mad, I stroke its neck a few times until it was back in a good mood. As this was happening, a well-dressed man, who said he was the leader of the merchants, came forward to represent everyone.

“Thank you, that was a life-saver… I was so afraid I had to abandon that horse. We can now move forward without incident.”

“Yes, I’m sure it’ll be fine for the time being, but we should keep an eye on it and let it have some rest… Are those all of the injured?”

After last night’s ruckus, when the disturbances happened… the horses that had been tethered went berserk, resulting in several merchants and a few horses were injured, so it was up to me to heal their injuries.

The most severely injured person suffered a broken bone when he failed to avoid the leg of a rampaging horse… I had already completely treated him, and he was now back on the job.

“Will do. I can’t thank you enough, miss.”

“It’s my pleasure. I’m just glad that I could help to make this trip a pleasant one.”

Yeah, a cushioned carriage seat would be much better than walking or riding directly on the back of a horse… my buttocks were still sore from sitting on a rock for such a long time.

“I really meant it! Without you, miss we would have had to leave our horses and luggage behind! If possible, we would like you to stay with us after this job is over…!”

Uh oh, this conversation had taken a suspicious turn.

“M-My apologizes, but I have to discuss this with my companions, and I’m afraid we have our own plans to fulfill first…”

“That’s not a problem! Considering your ability, we’ll pay as much money as you need…!”

“Aaaand stop. For the sake of our future business relations… I would like it if you don’t try to headhunt our guest without permission.”

Fortunately, Philias-san, who was acting as both my liaison and escort, quickly intervened before the situation escalated.

The glare she gave the merchant was much colder than the cold of this northern continent… She was usually like a lively and kind older sister, but I vowed inwardly to be careful not to offend her.

Last night, I sensed a “Wound of the World” opening.

Somehow the pain that pierced my entire body at the time subsided, and I informed Captain Walter, who rushed to the scene. Everyone’s expressions turned grim, and they began to act. Soon, a reconnaissance team from the mercenary company was assembled in the vicinity and quickly dispersed.

Because we already had the means to remove the “Wounds” since we arrived here, I didn’t really get the full picture of the situation, but after the Lightwing race became extinct, the people affected by the “Wounds of the World” had been unable to do anything other than defeating the monsters that spawned from them to somehow mitigate the damage, and the areas where the “Wounds” appeared had to be sealed off.

When I thought about it, in this world where the sphere of life was gradually shrinking, the fact that I’m a one-of-a-kind existence weighed heavily on me.

Reiji-san and Nii-sama had gone to join the reconnaissance team, so the only people remaining at the camp were me, the merchants, along with Philias-san and a few mercenaries as escorts… One hour after daybreak, some of the people who had already finished their search returned to the camp and began to eat breakfast.

The smell of the broth, which was made by boiling salted dried meat in boiling water, adding vegetables and simmering some more, filled the air around us… and Philias-san just had to choose this timing to reprimand me about what happened earlier.

My stomach growled as if in protest.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Iris-chan. If you show weakness by giving ambiguous answers to those merchants, you could end up being forced to sell yourself to them.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right… but I can recognize it before it happens… I think…”

Those people didn’t look all that bad…

“That’s naïve. You’re so naïve that it hurts, Iris-chan. It is true that Nordglacier, by policy, has prohibited the slave trade since the reign of the previous king, but prostitution is still not yet off the table. Fooling a naive young lady is a piece of cake to those smooth-talking merchants, and just one sign of a contract is enough to land you into a brothel… That can totally happen, you know!”

The seriousness of the situation made me realize that this is not the world, not the peaceful country I used to live in, and that such dangers could be lurking anywhere… No, that might actually happen in my original world too, had I been a girl from the beginning. The thought of that sent chills down my spine.

“…Well, the Count have entrusted those merchants with this mission, so he must have some confidence in them, so I guess I overreacted a little back there. But from now on, please be careful. Especially when no one is around.”

Did Philias-san just hurriedly add the last part at the last minute?

At least I got out of her lecture earlier than expected… Lately, I’d been getting lectured so much that I felt like I’m getting used to it…

“What, did you do something wrong again?”

“Hyaaah?!”

Reiji-san’s voice suddenly came from behind me, and I yelped in some strange language.

“…In conclusion, there seems to be no such anomalies in the vicinity. It’s as you said, the source must be somewhere far away… How about you? Still having a headache?”

“Yes, a little… but I can manage.”

The intense pain like last night had already subsided, but there was still a creeping, dull ache that seemed to linger in the core of my head.

Philias-san and Lenny-san told me to take a break because of my pale complexion, but as long as I’m near the “Wound of the World”, this pain would not fully go away, as I’d experienced the last few times I have been there.

Leave, or put the anomalies to rest… In any case, it is not something that can be done immediately.

And my “Wound” sensory range this time was terribly far compared to the past. It is as if something is calling out to me, directionally announcing its presence… I have a bad feeling about this.

“Really, you don’t have to worry about me so much. It’s not something unbearable.”

“I see… If you’re having a hard time, just let me know, okay?”

“Yeah, you keep things to yourself a little too much.”

The two of them still look worried… Was my complexion that bad?

“Almost forgot. Walter-san wants us to get together for a minute because he needs to talk to us. We’re going to be a bit late for breakfast, but let’s wait for Saul and the other to return first…”

At that moment, something rustled the bushes right next to us.

“Who’s there?!”

Instantly reacting to the sound, Reiji-san drew his sword and leapt into a position to protect me. Just behind me, I heard Philias-san drawing her weapon as well.

Growing impatient by the presence that didn’t show itself, Reiji-san flashed his sword into a bush where something was lurking. Emerging from it was…

“Goblins, here of all places?!”

“Hold on!”

Seeing them, Reiji-san readied his sword to strike, but I hurriedly stopped him.

Unlike the goblins we fought earlier, these goblins were better dressed, but on closer inspection they were covered in injuries. They seemed to be siblings… the smaller of whom apparently had an injured leg, and perhaps that was why they didn’t run away from us, or to be more precise, couldn’t run away from us.

The larger of the two embraced the one with the injured leg as if to protect it, and the color of fear was in their eyes as they stared at us, shaking themselves. Malice, hostility… I sensed neither.

“Hey, Iris, that’s dangerous!”

“Don’t worry… I think these little ones are actually hobgoblins… They aren’t bad children, so leave them to me, okay?”

Hobgoblins… Unlike normal goblins, who are barbaric marauders and thus classified as monsters, they are more civilized and closer to fairies and zashiki-warashi, as they sneak into people’s homes and perform household chores unnoticed. I think I’d read a story where someone brought hobgoblins into Japan to replace the local zashiki-warashi as they migrated away.

In the game’s lore, which probably applied to this world as well, hobgoblins are an integral part of the daily lives, as they’re useful in cleaning the house and tending the garden when the householder was away, as long as people hang alcohol and a small amount of food at the front door as reward.

Some of them also peddle their wares in human villages and play a role in supplying the bounties of mountains and sea, while others engage in mercenary work, serving as scouts and baggage carriers.

They can be pranksters, which can cause trouble, but they are not so vicious and are accepted in some regions… However, judging from the appearance of the two in front of me, they seemed to have escaped from somewhere.

“Hold still, you’re going to be fine… Let me heal your wounds.”

“H-Hey!”

Now, it was Reiji-san who is trying to stop me from approaching the hobgoblins.

I sent him a reassuring look. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.

“…Alright. But the moment I sense you’re in danger, I’m dragging you back, whether you like it or not.”

With an air of reluctance, Reiji-san lowered his sword.

Slowly, step by step, I approached them while smiling… I didn’t know if this works on demi-humans, but I tried anyway.

Their trembling stopped and they remained still, quizzical but somewhat alert.

I bent down, made eye contact, and gently stepped forward to touch the hobgoblin that was protecting the smaller one. It jolted once, but there was no further resistance. After confirming that it’s safe, I used “Purification” to clean the mud caking its body and checked its condition. The main injuries were lacerations from a not-so-sharp knife and bruises from a blunt object… Apparently, it was engaged in battle with something.

I chanted “Heal” again, and the wound disappeared from its body. From the way it looked at its own body in surprise, the spell seemed to work. I couldn’t fix its torn clothes, but its body was healthy now.

“…Allow me to check on you as well.”

I called out to the slightly smaller one who was being sheltered, and after looking at me and the other hobgoblin a few times, it came forward with a nod. A light examination of its condition revealed that its  injuries were generally the same. The most severe leg injury was nearly infected, but it still did not appear to be bone-deep.

“Okay, you got roughed up a bit, but it’s all over now.”

As before, I purified and healed it. After walking a few steps to check on the suddenly healed leg, it hugged the other hobgoblin with a smile on its face. I breathe a sigh of relief at the sight.

“…Well then, be careful from now on, okay? Don’t get yourself hurt again.”

I then took out some portable rations… something like hard biscuits with dried fruits mixed in… and gave them to the hobgoblins. They accepted the food and moved away with light steps, bewildered but completely healed from their wounds. Just before they disappeared from sight, they looked back at me and bowed, so I gave him a small wave and watched them disappear.

As I watched them leave… I remembered that I was supposed to have a meeting with Walter-san.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting… Reiji-san?”

I hurriedly adjusted the hem of my skirt, stood up and turned around, but Reiji-san was still gazing at me blankly.

“Um, Reiji-san? Reiji-san?!”

“…Woah?!”

Because of the considerable difference in height, it was unavoidable that I had to tug on the belly area of his clothes and looked up to him from below when Reiji-san suddenly restarted all of a sudden and backed away with full force.

“Such motions… somehow they both look calculated and natural at the same time… Just what is this girl…?!”

Philias-san was mumbling something from a little distance away. What on earth was she on about?

“…Huh? Sorry, I was out of it for a bit… Thought I never expected you to approach them like that without any hesitation. Weren’t you afraid?”

“They aren’t bad children, and I just couldn’t look at them being in so much pain… so the fear just kind of disappeared before I knew it.”

Or perhaps… it was because of last night’s dream, where “she” was adored and surrounded by various animals.

“…Um, weren’t we supposed to be back at camp already?”

“Ah! We’d better hurry!”

“Wah?! Don’t so suddenly, it’s bad for my heart…”

“HEY! Wait for me! And you, treat girls with more courtesy, will you?!”

Reiji-san suddenly came back to himself, picked me up and ran at a great speed. Philias-san’s scolding voice, who was supposed to be following slightly behind us, gradually moved away… Oh my god, slow down! There’s someone in front! You’re going to run them over!

It’s terribly scary to be swung from side to side at a completely different speed than what I’m running on my legs, and all I could do was hold on tight to avoid being swept off my feet while breaking out into a cold sweat and having my stomach churn with fear.

“…Uh, sorry ‘bout that, I was a little rough, wasn’t I?”

“Gnnnnnnnnnn…”

It wasn’t until a full minute of terror later that I was finally put down.

He dragged me all the way across the camp, bypassing the entire crowd of merchants. My knees were still wobbling, and my ears were still ringing even after the “ride” ended.

I glared at Reiji-san with tears in the corners of my eyes, and he looked away in embarrassment.

With trembling legs, I entered the tent where Captain Walter was, and sure enough, everyone was already there.

“You’re here at last… Uh, milady, are you sure you’re healthy enough to join this meeting? Somehow you looked even worse than before.”

“P-Please don’t mind it… I just got off from a rollercoaster, that’s all…”

“Is that so? Well then, let’s get started, I suppose…”

Walter-san cleared his throat and began to speak.

“After resting a night at the planned accommodation in the checkpoint, I would like all of you to rent another carriage and go on ahead to the next city. If you stay with the merchants, their wyrm wagons are just going to slow you down.”

With his first words, he addressed everyone present in the meeting… namely us, the fours reincarnators, along with Zeltis-san, Philias-san, Lenny-san and Weiss-san.

As a side note, the “wyrm wagons” he mentioned were pulled by, well, wyrms, instead of oxen or horses. A wyrm is a dragon subspecies, herbivorous dinosaur-like creature with body the size of a large horse-drawn carriage. It’s very strong, and its gentle temperament and ability to move somewhat faster than oxen make it very reassuring when pulling heavy loads… but its speed is still much slower than that of a horse-drawn carriage. The purchased lumber was being carried by the wyrm wagons.

Incidentally, I was shown one of those wyrms once during a break… I’m actually a little bit uncomfortable with it because I was caught off guard by its adorable, lazy movements as they grazed and its gentle colored eyes, and it licked me with their cushion-sized tongue, making my face all sticky… It was cleaned up with purification magic, so it did not become important. What’s more important is Reiji-san rolling on the floor laughing at that time, and I would never forgive him for that. I wondered if he would have to go through the same thing one of these days.

Oops, looks like I digressed too much.

“The direction of the ‘Wound’ milady talked about is almost in line with our path, which has a really fishy smell to it. I’m sure the local troops will join you as reinforcements, but even that’s not reassuring. I have to take command here, so I want you to head over there first and use your own judgment if anything goes wrong… Can you do it?”

Myself a healer, three swordsmen, a tank, two magicians, and an archer, making a total of eight people. Certainly, this group would be able to cope with a fairly wide range of unexpected situations.

Zeltis-san, who was originally in command as a squad leader, nodded his head without any particular sign of concern, while Weiss-san and Lenny-san seemed to have no problem either. This inevitably leads to the four of us being the focus of their gaze.

“Milady… I really don’t wish to send you out into battle… but you’re our only chance against the ‘Wound’. My apologizes for asking, but can you lend us your power?”

I could still remember the influence of such a “Wound” on the surrounding areas. This time, It was not only the town we were heading to now, but also the town we left the other day, and I did not know when it would extend its fangs elsewhere. If this is the case, I couldn’t leave it alone now that I had sensed it.

Not to mention… the dream of a “girl” with the same hair color as mine yesterday. It is easy to laugh it off as just a dream, but I couldn’t help but feel a tug. And above all, I felt a certain attraction to the current matter, a feeling I didn’t understand, similar to nostalgia.

There was a sense of duty. A sense of fear, too. But more than that… I wanted to see what awaits me.

I looked at Reiji-san and Nii-sama on either side of me, and they both nodded. I turned around, and Milly-san put her hand on my shoulders.

If everyone’s on board, then…

“I understand. This is something that concerns me as well. And I’ll gratefully appreciate everyone’s help.”

Yes, I hung my head in gratitude.

(Author’s Note)

Afterward, she was lectured again, saying “In your position, it is not easy to bow to others”, and breakfast was further delayed.

Then it’s decided that she has to be trained in nobility’s etiquette.

The wyrm mentioned in this chapter is based on the Apceros from Monster H*nter.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

???

“The Sacred Daughter hid herself again! Find her, find her!”

“Why is she always pulling this kind of prank?! You, over there, did you find her?!”

“Like hell we did! Dammit, we can’t afford to let her in danger! Find her, quickly!”

With the commotion beside me as if someone had just poked a beehive, I slid myself into the maintenance walkway that was set up on the exterior wall.

I learned the route to my destination after “she”, who proudly showed it to me the first time with a proud look on her face, led me on many escape runs together. For someone in her position, she was surprisingly quite the tomboyish girl.

Following a complicated but well-defined route, I ducked into a small crack in one of the outer walls, which had apparently been overlooked during repairs after a battle long ago, and into which a single person could somehow dive. It was easy for her to proceed, but a little tough for me, but at least I could pass through, one of a few things I appreciated about not having been blessed with much physique.

When I went under there, past the outer wall and looked down… I could finally see the ground far below for a hundred meters.

Without hesitation, I leaped into the air, and as I did so, I felt my wings appear on my back, shining as usual. With a single swipe, I immediately soared up, catching the wind and launching myself into the sky with a mighty leap.

She… the girl they referred to as “Sacred Daughter”, for some reason, was good at finding these secret paths, and causing the guards a lot of headache. However, I had no obligation or duty to report her, so I had not told them about it, in fact, I was an accomplice to her, since I used this secret pathway myself from time to time.

Suddenly, I looked down and saw the structure that had just appeared… A huge tower taller than mountains and more than 10 kilometers in diameter, painted in a chalk-white color… The so-called “Fully Environmental Multi-Layered Enclosed City”, which was said to have been built with the pinnacle of magical science. It was built as a last stronghold for the people to prepare for a crisis that might one day come, but in reality, it was a city full of self-worshipping bigwigs and clergymen, along with those conceited Highborns who believed themselves to be the descendants of messengers of the Goddess.

“…How arrogant. Did they actually aim to bring down even God when constructing that tower?”

I spat out hatefully at the city, which they called “Acropolis”, and flapped my wings toward where “she” might be.

It didn’t take long to find the person I was looking for, just about 30 minutes of flying away from the city, which amounted to nothing more than a short walk to me.

As for her… she was in a flower garden that was well-lit by the afternoon sun, while surrounded by numerous animals, sleeping soundly at the center of it all.

The same was true for the animals around her, some snuggled up together for a nap, some just staring at her, and there was even a little one that climbed up her sleeping body and enjoyed itself in silence.

This moment of peace seemed to last forever.

“…You always have this fairytale-esque air around you, don’t you?”

How carefree of her, not knowing the hardships of the guards who were probably desperately searching for her right now. I sighed in dismay, feeling sympathy for them, even though I usually didn’t think well of them.

I landed on the ground a short distance away in a steep descent, then extinguished the shining wings on my back and walked up to her.

Perhaps because they sensed my anger, the little animals left like spiders scattering.

A huge wolf was offering its fur in place of her bedding… Phantasmal Beast Sirius, also known as the Celestial Wolf. It was definitely not the kind of being that could just appear around human settlements like this.

The disturbance just now seemed to cause it some annoyance, but it merely sighed and then returned to sleep.

Unfortunately, perhaps sensing various movements around her, she, who had been sleeping peacefully, let out a troubled breath, and her closed eyelids quivered.

And now the wolf was enraged. So I hastily tried to quell its anger.

Fortunately, it seemed to be devoted to its role as her pillow. Because we both knew she would be sad if we started fighting each other.

Eventually, she snapped her eyelids open, revealing her clear, amethyst eyes with long eyelashes. As she drew back in surprise, her long silver hair, which was shimmering with a pale iridescence, slipped down and immediately became a curtain that framed her well-featured face.

The girl, whose beauty was praised by the populace as “heavenly”, sleepily looked around her surroundings, and finally noticed my presence.

“…Ah, it’s you! Hi~”

She wiped the tears on the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and greeted me in a relaxed manner.

I almost shuddered at such a sight, but managed to pull myself back together.

Then, as if trying to give off as much “I’m so mad at you” vibe as possible, I put one hand on my hip, covered one eye with the other, and sighed as loudly as possible.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and tried to mock a glare.

“Ahahahaha, how many times did I tell you already? That pose doesn’t suit you at all.”

“Shut up. Try putting yourself in my shoes for once… At the very least, you could have told me before you left.”

Truth be told, I wasn’t even that mad. I just didn’t find it funny that she went out without even telling me… I was just sulking, if I do say so myself, but what’s not funny is not funny.

I moved closer and slumped down next to her. After staring blankly at me for a moment… she slid in next to me, intertwined my arms with hers, and leaned her soft body on mine.

“But you did take your sweet time to look for me, so I’m grateful for that, my fiancée.”

“…Hmph.”

At the sight of her smile, carefree and full of joy, I could no longer say anything… because I had already fallen in love with that smile.

“Come here, I’ll take it all in

Like warm light shining through the trees

I’ll surely become your sun

Don’t be afraid, give it all to me

Seeds of hope I’ve gathered so much

I’ll surely bring them to you…”

…I could hear her singing. Her song was like a gentle embrace to everything in the world.

I laid there in a daze, admiring her figure, which I was afraid might pass into fantasy at any moment… until I felt asleep.

When I jumped up in a hurry, it was already dark around us, and the stars were beginning to twinkle overhead. Next to me, she was smiling and looking at me in a good mood.

I suppose there would be no point in making an excuse if I took her home now, so I sat down again with a sense of resignation, thinking that a few more minutes of delay would not make any difference.

“The stars are so beautiful… We couldn’t see them in the city because of the ceiling being in the way, though. That makes today’s trip worth it, don’t you think?”

“Not so worth if we caused uproar throughout the entire city , if you ask me… I’m sure the maids are going to give you one hell of a sermon when we get back.”

I could see it in her eyes. That sermon was well beyond the time she usually slept, and I am sure she would wake up tomorrow with a drowsy look on her face.  Then she would doze off again on official business and get scolded.

“Ugh… Can we not go home? I want to stay here until morning.”

“…Sounds good to me. Actually, not just until morning, but forever, just the two of us, somewhere no one knows you.”

“…Pardon?”

She looked back at me with a slightly surprised look on her face, probably not expecting an affirmation. But the truth is, this was my true intention. If we didn’t want to go back, then we should never go back.

“Rather than just a walk in the neighborhood like this, I wish we could run off to somewhere far away…”

“That’s not going to happen. If we did that, everyone would be in trouble, wouldn’t they?”

“Like I care about that… ‘Sacred Daughter’ this, ‘Sacred Daughter that’, you shouldn’t have been sent out into the world to deal with such trivial matters.”

There, I spat it out.

She was one of the last… no, she was the very last confirmed bearer of that white healing light. A “prodigy” with unblemished, pure white wings that occasionally appeared only in her bloodline, with far superior capabilities than others. She should have been revered and live modestly and peacefully as an inviolable being, as did her ancestors generations ago. In fact, she was supposed to.

The reason why she became the last of her kind was because… we, the Lightwing race, exchanged our birth rate for longevity, and even that not-so-high birth rate had decreased significantly nowadays. Coupled with the fact that we were wounded and fell in battle in the midst of dealing with the “Wounds of the World” that had become more active recently, our number continued to decrease further.

She herself… was ill-suited for fighting. No matter how hard we fought to protect her, somebody would eventually get hurt, and eventually they might even die. Whenever there was a casualty, she would raise her sorrowful lamentations alone in a secluded place. She, who was better at purification and healing than anyone else, also had the kindest heart of anyone.

“The reason you were sent out in the first place is because those bigwigs have been using our people like disposable tools, caging us in their hands and making us bleed recklessly. Only after our numbers became too low and no more children were born did they rush to protect us… They only start making a fuss when it’s already too late.”

“…Pfft. You really hate people, don’t you?”

“Why shouldn’t I?! I really mean it, you know, why don’t we run away together? I’ll take you anywhere, as long as you want to…!”

She held up a finger to stifle my words, her face on the verge of tears.

“…Hehe, I like it when you care about me so much, but I still can’t do it. If there’s no one left to do that ‘duty’, who would protect the people… Wah?!”

“It doesn’t matter! You only have to nod once, and I’ll go to the end of the world for you…!”

Impulsively, I grabbed her shoulders hard and pushed her down onto the soft field of flowers, raising my voice. The petals flew into the air from the impact, and I immediately came back to my senses and panicked at what I just did.

In the midst of all this, her eyes widened in surprise… gradually, her cheeks turned cherry red. However…

“…I’m so sorry, I still can’t do it. They all believe in me, and that’s why I’m able to keep going. The food I eat, the clothes I wear, the people who serve me… I can’t betray them, after all these years they’ve been giving it to me.”

Again, as usual, she only smiled sadly.

No matter how many times… I told her over and over again… I couldn’t change her gentle mind.

Until the bitter end…

A bundle of parched paper fell down with a thud, waking me up from a shallow sleep.

I looked around and found a book on the floor next to my bunk, which I had been using to shield my face from the light.

“…Another sweet dream.”

I shook my head and raised myself up. Looking around, I saw a room with crude bunks and simple desks that looked like a miner’s rest room… It was, however, quite cluttered with books and laboratory equipment that I brought in from outside without permission. Not that anyone was left to give me permission, though.

However, from a few minutes ago, I felt a fine vibration, as if something large was going haywire. It seemed that this is the reason why the book fell down.

“…How noisy.”

I strained my ears and heard the high pitched squeaking of goblins outside my room. This was an old mine shaft that had been turned into a goblin den, but at the beginning, I had made it clear that I was the one in charge, and I had given them strict orders not to go near my room, which I had offered them in exchange for a small boon of technology.

“…Come to think of it, their boss is dead now, and these loser dogs are now running back. I went to the trouble of giving them knowledge of the latest magical explosive, but looks like even such a toy is too much for those barbarians.”

Shrugging, I started shoving my stuff into my bag. If the boss had been killed, a subjugation force would be coming here soon. It would be a shame to let go of the hideout I had just begun to get used to, but there was nothing I could do.

Just as I was thinking this, someone unceremoniously burst in, making noisy footsteps and kicking open the door with a loud thud.

“Huh? What da human doing here?”

A dark-skinned, muscular body, well over two meters tall…

“Just a troll…”

I instantly lost my interest in the intruder. Trolls were a warrior-like race who excelled in muscle strength and self-regeneration ability and were often devoted to their own training first and foremost, but this noisy specimen of a troll seemed to have no sense of propriety.

Well, I heard most of the information from my partner, which I did not want to hear anyway, so I was going to summarize by saying that he was wandering around after being chased out of his village, and found a settlement of those weaker than him in just the right place, so he decided to take it. Simply ridiculous.

“…Tch, there’re misfits who fall behind the rest, no matter the community, after all.”

I spat out in self-mockery.

“Da hell ya say, weak-lookin’ human?!”

The surprisingly sharp hearing troll raged and raised his fist in the air… but it would never be swung down.

As for why… the moment he took hostile action, a dark-colored serpent appeared out of nowhere, instantly constricting him in the blink of an eye and completely immobilized his body.

“Nice one, Crom.”

“W-What dis thin’ doin’…?! Lemme go…!”

“Huh? Savages like you… should just grovel.”

“Gaah?!”

The serpent, still restraining his movements, forced the troll in front of me to kneel down, while shattering his supposedly strong body with a cracking sound.

I finally began to see the fear in his eyes. Looking down at him like some roadside filth, I said what just suddenly came to mind.

“Since I’m in a very, very good mood after seeing ‘her’ again after so long, even if it was just a dream, I shall refrain from simply strangling you to death and give you a choice. Either become Crom’s food… or bow down to me in apology for your rudeness, and be granted power in return?”

He hesitated for a moment at my words, and then, more quickly than I had expected, he submitted, albeit reluctantly. That was easy.

These savages had so little pride that they’d take the bait right after I dangled it in front of them… without even suspecting the possibility of poisoning.

Well then, let’s continue this little game for a while longer… I even heard one of the companions of that accursed “Sorcerer King” who gave me such a hard time before was nearby, so if I could get him caught in the chaos and make him suffer, all the better.

With a casual flash of my right hand into the air, a high-pitched, crystal-shattering sound rang out from a space that should have been empty.

“…? W-What you doin’… guh, argh?!”

The troll looked up with a question mark in his eyes at the sudden high-pitched sound, and something crystalline sprouted from behind his eyes. It quickly ate through his head and upper body from inside out, the troll screaming in agony each time it did.

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, right? Though I can’t guarantee how much of an ego you’ll have left if you survive… Let’s go, Crom.”

With the giant body dancing around in the middle of the room, sprawled out in extreme pain, and the small goblins moving right and left around it, I left the room with the now-miniature serpent that had come up to me entwined in my arm.

When I glanced behind me as the door closed, the room had already turned into an alien world covered in mysterious crystals.

Glowing a dark, murky color like darkness of night, the three tattered wings, as if they had been bitten off, opened behind me, and I took flight into the night.

To the southeast… I stared in the direction of the far-off abominable enclosed city that I couldn’t see now.

“…It took me quite a long time, but I’ve mostly recovered now… and that ‘Sorcerer King’ nuisance is no longer in this world… Just a little longer… then you will all pay… for taking ‘her’ from me…!”

I reached out my arm in that direction, as if trying to catch her shadow, which was now far out of reach. However, the feelings slipped through my fingers along with the dream and scattered into the starry sky.

All what remained in my heart, was this flame of anger, as dark and gloomy as the wings on my back.

Even after all these years, it was still scorching like an inferno.

Iris

I felt like I was having a warm, but sad dream.

When I awoke unexpectedly, before I knew it, tears were running down my cheeks, and they did not stop for a while, even after I wiped them away.

Eyes still completely blurred by tears, I quietly went outside and sat down on a comfortable-looking rock, so as not to wake up the other women assigned to the same tent as me… Milly-san, Lenny-san and Philias-san.

The cool night air was clear and pleasant to my red, swollen, feverish eyes.

There was nothing around except the light of a bonfire, which seemed to be standing guard in a distance.

In the midst of all this, the cloudless night sky was lit by two moons, proving that this was another world, whether I liked it or not, and there was a starry sky all around, as if jewels had been crushed and scattered.

“So beautiful…”

At night, my breath was still white, and the cold made me clutch the front of my cloak over my nightgown, and when I looked up at the sky, I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of admiration.

Lying on my back atop the flat rock, there was no obstruction to my view of the sky, now that we had left the forested area, I felt as if I were floating in the starry sky above…

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’d ever had the time to leisurely look up at the stars like this ever since I came here…

Suddenly, a sense of loneliness that I don’t quite understand took over my heart.

I thought back to the dream I just had. A dream of a girl with the same hair color as mine now, looking at the sky intimately with an unfamiliar boy.

I felt something nostalgic about these two people, whom I was sure I had never met before.

It was not as clear as my memories of my mother, but rather a nostalgia that is somewhere far, far away, faint as a haze.

But I was left with the impression that the girl looked somewhat forlorn and the boy somewhat pained, which still grips me to the bone when I wake up.

“Who could the two of you be…?”

I reached for the starry sky and clenched my fist as if clutching the memory of a dream that is dissipating. However, such an action meant nothing, and it slipped through my fingers and scattered into the night sky.

(TL Note: omg the parallels)

But I guess it’s just my own instincts… I couldn’t help but somehow understand that those two are “the same” as me. And that… neither of them was here anymore.

“Extinct race…”

I was the only one of my kind in this world.

I hadn’t paid that any thought because I always had Reiji-san and Saul-niisama by my side.

However, when finally confronted with it, I could not help but feel that this fact, of which I had never been aware before, pierced my heart like a knife.

“Rrha ki…… tie…… ni en nha……?

Wa……a……mea yor……al……”

As if to fill up the loneliness in my heart, I tried to remember the memories of the dream and hum the song “she” sang in the dream, hoping to reproduce it somehow. But it was an unknown language to me… probably the old magical civilization language at the time of the game… Most of it had slipped from my memory, and I could only stammer out the lyrics and melodies. Still, I kept repeating, over and over again, seeking the shadow of “her” who should not be here.

I mulled over such a sentiment for a while, when…

“…! AAAAAARGH?!”

Intense pain suddenly pierced my entire body, making me scream and curl my body, trying to endure it… This was the third time I’d had this pain. There was no question about what caused the pain.

Around me, the tethered horses, perhaps feeling uneasy because of their unique animal senses, began to run amok, and suddenly the caravan was in an uproar. The commotion caused all of the mercenaries, who had been sleeping, to jump out of their beds. Then…

“Iris-chan?!”

“Iris-sama, are you injured?!”

“I’m… fine…”

I somehow managed to tell everyone who rushed out, apparently having heard the earlier screams, that I’m not injured, although I was dripping with greasy sweat. However, the matter might be much more serious than that.

“…I think… a new ‘Wound of the World’… has opened… somewhere…”

I could feel the people around me gasp at my words as I barely managed to hold back the pain.

(Author’s Note)

For convenience, “her” song was described in Japanese, but as Iris sings, it is actually in a special language.

I have no talent for writing lyrics.

Including the troll race this time around, the setting for the monsters in the work was greatly influenced by the TRPG “Sword World 2.0”.

(TL’s Nonsense Rambling)

Sacred Fireflies, Forgotten in Dreams is a certified banger, but the song that comes right after it is the most epic thing in existence.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

It was early in the morning, when the eastern sky was just beginning to turn white.

I put on the brand new “Clarte Iris” and wore a cloak on top of it as usual. My nightgown was neatly folded and stored in my magic bag.

…No longer was there anything to do in this room.

“Iris-sama, you didn’t forget anything, right?”

“Of course. We went over everything last night.”

One last time, I looked back at the room where I had been sleeping for the past month and a bit. Since we were aware that it was only a temporary accommodation, we didn’t add anything bulky to it. Therefore, we only had to do some sweeping and dusting to clean up the room, and overall, the room wouldn’t look very different after we were gone.

But the room, completely cleaned up, sheets and bedding folded, was no longer a place to return to. Perhaps because of this state of mind, I felt a sudden chill… the very room I was standing in was no longer the room I once knew.

“We should get going. Your brother and the others are waiting for you downstairs.”

“…Yeah, let’s go.”

Shaking off the sense of regret and loneliness that still gnawed at my back… I walked away, leaving the room behind for good.

The morning air was chilly enough for my breath to turn white.

It was still early in the day, so not many people came to see us off, but I could recognize some familiar faces among them, like the families whose daughters I had healed.

“Thank you all for all you have done for us in the short time you have been here. We will never forget the many things you have done for this town.”

“It’s us who should be thanking you for all the accommodations. Everyone in this town has treated us well, and we’re grateful for that.”

 A short distance away, mayor Rudolf said his goodbye to Nii-sama, who represented us. Then, I…

“Thank you… Thank you for everything…!”

I think my voice was trembling a little. Was I going to cry after all? No, I should hang in there. It’s better to say goodbye with a smile than with a crying face, after all.

“I’m going to miss you, you know… Stay strong out there. I think you should take this.”

Auntie Miranda handed me a considerably thick book that resembled a bundle of paper put together.

“This is…”

I flipped through it, and what I found on the first page I opened was a recipe for a dish. As I flipped through the pages, I found many recipes for dishes and medicines handwritten on them.

“Auntie Miranda…”

A recipe book, not printed, but filled with newly handwritten notes. I wondered how much time and effort it took to write all this down.

When I looked up, auntie Miranda was smiling, scratching her cheeks in embarrassment.

“I really wish that I could teach you more… and I hope you could take it along in your travels.”

The unexpected gift from the kindly smiling lady was too much for me to bear. The tears I had been trying to hold back for so long reached their limits and began to spill. I clutched the book in my chest and jumped into her bosom. I heard a slight panic in her voice, but I couldn’t stop myself anymore.

“I… I’ve already… learned so much from you…! This is the first time… I’ve ever… felt like my mother was here with me again…! I’m… I’m so glad that I’ve met you…!”

My mother had been gone since I was little.

As an older brother, even if “I” had to rely on others because of my crippled legs, I couldn’t afford to show such a weakness… especially in front of Ayame, I couldn’t say that “I felt lonely” in front of her. However, this feeling must have accumulated at the back of my mind before I even realized it.

When auntie Miranda was teaching me things, I must have subconsciously thought of her as the mother I had lost. To me, it was like experiencing an opportunity that should have never come. That’s why I enjoyed it so much.

I understood very well that it would be a nuisance for everyone if we remained here. But parts of me didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to say goodbye!

Those feelings must never be spoken. Instead, I was held in her bosom for a while and cried. There was no rejection. A hand was gently placed around me and patted me on the back.

I kept crying like that for a while until I gradually calmed down and merely sniffled… Then the shame of having done it began to creep up on me, and I hurriedly pulled my face away… I didn’t let out any snot while I was crying, did I?

“S-Sorry for causing you trouble, please pardon me… Kyah?!”

This time, it was auntie Miranda who pulled me into a hug.

I gently looked up and saw a sad smile on her face. She was also crying, albeit slightly.

“I’m glad that you feel that way toward me. Don’t say that you caused me trouble, you’re always welcome as my cute daughter. Come visit me again whenever you feel like… Because as this child’s older sister, you’re always welcome here.”

“……Eh?”

The words suddenly jumped into my ears, and I involuntarily raised my tear-stained face. Auntie Miranda was holding her own lower abdomen area with one hand…

Wait, does that mean…

“Hahaha… No matter what we did, we were still unable to have children… but at last…”

“To be honest, I’d already given up halfway through my 30s… I’m sure it’s all thanks to your blessing.”

Behind me, the mayor scratches his head in embarrassment, and auntie Miranda remained lightly holding me with her other arm.

The meaning of this conversation was slowly percolating through me.

“So… the reason you haven’t been feeling well lately is…”

“Looks like I’ve made you worried… That’s right, do you want to touch my belly? With your blessing, I have a feeling that this child will be born healthy.”

“Y-Yes, I’d love to!”

Wiping the tears with my fingers, I gently touched her still unchanged abdomen without prompting, praying for the child growing up inside.

…I still didn’t know how it feels like to touch a pregnant belly. But I couldn’t help but think about the mystery of life when I thought about a new life growing inside it.

And it is a bodily function that I should eventually acquire in the near future, even if not now. I don’t feel it at all now, but I wonder if one day I will carry a new life in my belly like this and become a mother.

“Amazing…”

“One day, you’ll become a mother, too.”

“Erm… actually, I can’t imagine that time ever coming at all… but this is still amazing regardless…”

I felt like my vocabulary was declining, which is shameful, but I couldn’t come up with any other words.

“Just take it easy for the time being. On your travels, you should meet a lot of people, see a lot of things, and eventually find the person who is really important to you… Just remember to take care of yourself, okay?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do fine in that regard.”

“……?”

When I looked where auntie’s eyes were looking with a question mark above my head, I saw Nii-sama smiling bitterly and Reiji-san scratching his head while looking the other way… and why was everyone else looking at me so warmly?!

I instantly felt embarrassed and quickly took off leaving. It was an unladylike thing to do, especially when many people were here to see us off, but my emotions were running so high…!

Fortunately, Reiji-san moved toward me and tapped on my shoulder to calm me down before I died of shame, though not after letting out a chuckle at my expense.

“Well then, everyone, have a safe trip. If there’s a next time we meet, you’re always welcome in this town.”

“I hope you come back someday… the three of us will be waiting.”

At these words, I made a smile as best I can on my face, which had yet to stop crying. I didn’t want to cause them any more worry.

“Yes… Someday, I’ll come back to see your child’s face! By that time, I’ll make sure to master these recipes and cook for you, auntie! It’s a promise…!”

“Well then, please excuse us… Let’s go, Iris.”

At Nii-sama’s prompting, we started walking out of the town, where the merchants and mercenaries were waiting for us. I could hear warm voices filled with gratitude coming from the people around us.

I found myself impulsively removing the hood of my cloak, which I basically wore all the time when I was outside in public. My hair, glistening in the morning sun and shimmering in a pale rainbow glow, fluttered in the air at the edge of my field of vision. Next to me, Reiji-san and Saul-niisama looked surprised… but even so, I wanted to express my gratitude with my own will at the end, not through the hood, but with my bare face.

And as soon as I turned around, all eyes were on me at once.

For once, there was no fear.

I gathered strength in my stomach and spoke as loudly as possible.

“Everyone! Thank you for everything!!”

I bowed deeply, and after a few moments of silence, the crowd started to send cheers back to me… uh, I could hear a “Please marry me” mixed in somewhere! Who did it?!

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh at that.

With that, I looked up, smiling as brightly as I could, and then we left.

After leaving the town and meeting up with the merchants and mercenaries, Reiji-san and I were sitting next to each other in a corner of the carriage seat that was kindly provided to us by the merchants. Somewhat off to the side, Lenny-san, who seemed to have been asked to take care of me, sat quietly, as inconspicuous as possible.

We were currently sitting in the merchants’ carriage, positioned in the middle, flanked by the carriages of the mercenaries who were escorting us. I, who could use healing arts, was unanimously assigned the safest place, with Reiji-san and Lenny-san as my escorts.

Now that I had been given special treatment in this way, I must do my best when something happens. It is best, however, that the time for something to happen doesn’t come. A healer is never too busy.

Meanwhile, Nii-sama was accompanying Walter-san in the rearmost carriage because he had a meeting with the mercenaries, alongside Milly-san who was also assigned there due to the distribution of forces.

…Initially, there was some dispute over who got to sit with me (mainly from Nii-sama, Milly-san and Philias-san, who all claim ownership of the hug pillow named Me), but Walter-san quickly put a stop to that nonsense and gave a seat to Reiji-san, who had been the least nosy, with a single word, and the rest had to accept taking turns after each break. So, except for the occasional curious glance from the merchants who were allowed to ride with us, the ride was quiet.

“…They’re good people.”

“…Yes. They really are…”

To be honest, it would not be an exaggeration to say that I had suffered a lot in the past month. So many wounds. So many painful experiences. But there’s still warmth in this world. Mayor Rudolf, auntie Miranda and the other townspeople had treated us so well. That’s why I was so reluctant to part ways with them.

I wondered if to travel means to repeat these goodbyes…

As if sensing my anxiety was about to act up again, Reiji-san placed his large hand on my head as usual. The warmth and loneliness I had felt earlier, mixed with feelings too complicated for me to process, seemed to calm down just from that single gesture, and I leaned myself on his sturdy arm.

It wasn’t until I experienced my first separation in this world that I suddenly realized something.

I had little to no lingering attachments to my “original” world. The only person who could be called a relative was Ayame, and the only person who could be called a friend was Reiji. But what about Reiji, who left his family behind? What about Ayame, who, unlike “me”, was supposed to have friends on the other side?

“…Reiji-san.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“…It’s nothing. Forget I asked.”

I couldn’t ask him. No, I was afraid to ask. I wondered if he missed his family on the other side and if he felt any resentment at being involved in this situation.

As if he could see through my doubts, he lightly tapped me on the head.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m staying with you until the end. Maybe Saul too.”

“Yes…”

The horse-drawn carriages that proceeded along the road, which was maintained as a distribution route for lumber and was surprisingly clean and neat for its remote location, did not sway as much as expected and transmitted only rattles and gentle vibrations.

The Kingdom of Nordglacier, linked to us by fate.

Three days until we reached its border.

(TL Note)

It’s Old Choked Memories ~ BEGAN time.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

For the final week that I would still be in this town, I decided to spend these days in peace. Asking auntie Miranda to teach me about cooking as much as possible, getting the things I need for the trip, watching over everyone’s training, and sometimes socializing with others.

When I told the people of the town that I was leaving, they all expressed their regret about my departure. Each time I told them, the realization that I was about to leave this place deepened, and I often felt a sense of loneliness that tightened my chest.

In the midst of all this, however, there were some joyful moments.

One day, on my way home from delivering lunch to Reiji-san, Saul-niisama and others who were training as usual, I was stopped by a familiar voice that I had not heard for a while.

So, after returning to the accommodation in a hurry, I asked Lenny-san to prepare a tea table in the garden and thus meet the people who had approached me.

“…Are you getting married?”

“All thanks to you, miss. I can’t ever thank you enough…”

It’s been a long time… Scott-san. Behind him, a woman I had probably seen somewhere before was bowing her head. A beautiful woman in her early twenties, not spectacular but with a reassuring atmosphere. I searched my memory, but could not recall her.

“Thank you so much for saving me. At that time, I had long given up on happiness… Without you, I could have never returned to being an ordinary woman, let alone marrying someone like this.”

“I remember now! Yeah, both of you returned to a neighboring village since then…”

I’m so sorry for forgetting about you until now… That period of time was a turbulent part of my life that I wanted to forget.

She was one of the women rescued from the bandit hideout, and probably who suffered the most… losing one of her eyes and having severe burns on her face due to brutal abuse, alongside broken bones and bruises all over her body like the others.

Even in this situation, she was still kind enough to be concerned about the other captives… In the end, I was able to heal her back to normal with “Restoration”.

“I’m glad that you two are doing so well, but marriage…?”

“Hahaha… That’s kind of embarrassing, isn’t it?”

Then they proceeded to explain to me about what happened.

After the incident, Scott-san was wondering what to do with his life when his would-be wife offered him to go to the pioneer village where she lived. Even after revealing his background, he was still accepted into the village as a member, and lived his life hunting and cultivating the fields.

Putting aside his criminal past, he had experience being a scout and doing various oddjobs, and some of his knowledge and skills were useful in the village, such as tracking and trap-making techniques. He had a gentle temperament, but he also had some fighting skills, and in the pioneer village, where there is never enough manpower, he was now relied on to a certain extent, and had become a fully accepted member of the community.

And so, after getting the approval of the people around them, they were going to get married next month.

“She’s my savior. She was the one who convinced the captured women to forgive me, saying that no matter what they had to go through, I was still partly responsible for their rescue.”

“Oh, come on, don’t say that… You were the only one who treated us with decency in all those hellish days, you know?”

“You…”

“Yes?”

Uh, should I say something here? They seemed to have wandered off into a world of their own… but I’m glad that they both seem happy.

For now, I sipped my tea while waiting for them to return.

…The moderate tartness was just right.

I didn’t add sugar, come to think of it, but it felt very sweet, I think, and I looked at the beautiful clear sky.

Before I knew it, the lingering snow had melted, and the sun was shining warmly. Soon the short summer would arrive in this town much later than expected. But the ambient temperature seemed to have already increased…

As I was enjoying the view and tea alone, they came back to their senses, blushed together, and quickly moved away from each other. Yes, yes, thank you very much for the treat.

“Uh, sorry ‘bout that, miss.”

“It’s fine, I’m just glad that you two are getting along so well… Congratulations on your marriage, and I wish you many years of happiness.”

They had found their own happiness and were on their way to a new chapter of their lives together. I couldn’t be any less happy about it.

“You too, miss, you’ve changed a lot since then.”

“…? Is that so?”

I tilted my head at his words. I didn’t really get what he said…

“You seem… kind of livelier. Before, it would have been impossible to have a nice chat with you like this…”

Well, a lot had happened since then, and I wasn’t the same person as before, quite literally.

I took a sip of tea while thinking about the many hectic events that I’d gone through in the span of just a month or so that I was here.

“…And no matter how I look at it, with the maid behind you and your ladylike gestures, you really do seem like a princess from somewhere.”

“…?! (chokes)”

He suddenly said that just as I was swallowing my tea, and some of it entered my airway…ugh…

“Woah, are you okay?!”

“Iris-sama, here.”

Lenny-san, who was immediately behind me, wiped my mouth with a handkerchief.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it… It was just bad timing, that’s all.”

“Phew… I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m sorry, too.”

Since I couldn’t say “Well, I’m actually a princess” to him, I had to force myself to smile…

“And that’s about it. We’ve come here to say our thanks to you and tell you the news… Once again, thank you for everything, miss, and sorry for deceiving you at that time…!”

“I’ll never forget this favor for the rest of my life. If you ever come back here again, please don’t hesitate to visit us.”

“She’s right! If you have any problems, I will help you to the best of my ability!”

“…Yes! I wish you both the best of luck!”

Thus, after having tea with me for a while, they returned home.

We all had painful memories of that time, but we could laugh together like this now, and that fact brought me a lot of joy.

I kept waving at them until I couldn’t see their backs as they left, looking back at me from time to time.

Some days later… Just before the day of departure.

While everyone around me in the common room watched with bated breath, I was facing Weiss-san, who was sitting quietly in front of me with his eyes closed. Bandages and other items that normally covered the wounds had been removed, exposing the cruel burn scars.

Raising my hand to the scars, I fearfully chanted the spell.

“3^rd Purification Mantra: Breath of Life… ‘Heal’”

I gently recited the “Heal” chant that I should have been used to using, but it felt like it had been a long time. For some time now, I’d failed to get any response, but now it produced a warm green glow in my hand.

When I woke up this morning, I felt a flow of magical power that I had not felt in my body for some time, so powerful that it seemed as if it was about to overflow from my body.

I called everyone in a hurry… and was about to run out of the room in my nightgown when Lenny-san caught me red-handed. She got really angry at me for that.

So anyway, after getting ready for the day and gathering everyone, I decided to check on Weiss-san’s condition and tried to treat his scars again… Sorry for making you a test subject, Weiss-san.

The pale light from my hand seeped into the wound, and Weiss-san’s scars were getting smaller and smaller… I wasn’t able to completely remove the scars, but they were much less noticeable now.

“…It’s done.”

“I have to admit, your healing arts never ceases to amaze me.”

The keloid-like area had been cleaned up to look much closer to normal skin. Weiss-san looked curiously at the scars and expressed his admiration.

Honestly, I was amazed myself, too. The limit line of what could be healed was now much wider. I just decided to give my healing another try since there was no harm in it, but the effect was dramatic.

Does this mean that the potency of my healing magic itself is increasing…?

“…Um, are you sure you’re fine with just ‘Heal’? I could have just removed all the scars with ‘Restoration’…”

“How many times have I told you about this, kid? I’d rather keep those scars than losing the experience I’ve had for a while now.”

While “Restoration” can erase all wounds, it was rather inflexible, as it merely returned the body to its previous state without question, thus erasing any growth and training results gained from combat.

Since Weiss-san had already made his choice, I should respect it.

“Well, at least they look way less unsightly on me now, so don’t sweat it, kid. I say it’s fine, so it’s fine… Geh?!”

I think he was about to lightly smack my head, but his hand reaching toward me was slapped off by another just before it did.

“Well, congratulations for graduating from a rookie hoodlum to become a slightly scarier hoodlum with those scars. Isn’t that just awesome?”

“YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!!”

Looks like those two were at it again.

Since recently, Weiss-san had been casually keeping watch near my vicinity, and him butting heads with Lenny-san, who always served by my side, had become a regular sight.

I couldn’t help but chuckle while looking at the two of them.

“So… Iris-chan, how are you feeling now?”

“I’ve never been better, it seems… probably because I had a good night’s rest.”

Compared to before, I felt a flood of magical power coming from deep within my body, and I think I could even use the top-level area-of-effect recovery magic I used the other day multiple times in a row.

“Well, I think that’s because your magical power has significantly grown compared to before.”

“…Eh?”

“What do you mean?”

Suddenly, Philias-san decided to drop the bombshell. Saul-niisama and I turned to look at her with interest.

After pondering for a while, Philias-san prefaced her talk by saying that there are still few examples of this story and that there is no proof of it.

“There have been reported cases of people’s magical power growing considerably after recovering from magic depletion. The most plausible reason for it is that it’s a defensive response of the body trying to prevent the same thing from happening… Unfortunately, I haven’t come across such a case before.”

“It’s kind of like a broken bone getting stronger after it’s healed…”

“Then, if I repeat this process, I might- Ack! It hurts! What is everyone doing?!”

I was getting enthusiastic about the thought that I could be of more help to everyone if I could increase my magical power, but all three of Philias-san, Saul-niisama and Reiji-san whacked my head with their knuckles in quick succession, applying way more force than usual.

Holding my painful head, I looked around at them with tears in my eyes…

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN, EVEN AS A JOKE!”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU MADE US WORRY WHEN YOU ALMOST KILLED YOURSELF?!”

“This one’s entirely your fault. Reflect on what you did, dumbass!”

I didn’t dare to breathe in the presence of those three’s furious expressions. What I said was really bad, wasn’t it?

“(sniffs) Sorry…”

“Oh my god, where do I even start… There are very few examples of complete recovery from magic depletion to begin with. What makes you think you can even repeat doing it? Didn’t I tell you to stop being so reckless?”

“I’ll be careful, sorry for making you worry…”

Philias-san’s shoulders drooped in dejection as she admonished me.

I felt disgusted with myself for having entertained the thought of taking the easy way out. However, if I looked at it from another direction, I was truly blessed to have so many people willing to get angry with me when I tried to go down the wrong path. That thought made my cheek loosen even at a time like this.

“Well, well, well… A little short on remorse, aren’t you?”

“Eep?! N-No, this is something else…!”

Then Nii-sama caught me smiling and added time to my reflection session… (sobs)

“I didn’t mean it, really… I never meant to make light of what everyone was saying…”

“Ahahaha… What a disaster. Well, consider that your tuition if you’re really serious about it.”

After what felt like a very long lecture was over and everyone had disbanded, Reiji-san, sitting next to me, chuckled as I wilted from the sermon that lasted for about 30 minutes… if possible, I wanted him to stop, so I glared at him in protest.

Reiji-san groaned and looked away. Success.

“In any case, we should get ready for departure soon.”

“…Right. By this time tomorrow… we’ll have already left this town.”

I tried not to think about it as much as possible, but I suddenly remembered it and the feeling of loneliness tightened my chest again.

I felt a sudden longing for human contact, and I laid my head on Reiji-san’s arm.

The peaceful time passed in the blink of an eye, and for the first time since I arrived in this world, I had to say my farewell.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

“…Looks like an unexpected person is starting to improve, too.”

“What?”

I looked where Walter-san was looking and saw that person a short distance away, drawing his bowstring in the midst of the bustle around him… The burn scar around his neck that still pricked my chest with guilt every time I saw it and was noticeable even from behind.

“Weiss-san…? Wait, is he overexerting himself?! We should stop him!”

“No, hold on a moment.”

It was indeed Weiss-san who was before my gaze. However, there was something wrong with him. His breathing was ragged, and he seemed to be having difficulty lifting his arms.

He was clearly overworking himself, so I tried to tell him to take a break, but Walter-san stopped me.

“Just wait and see. Maybe this time… he’ll make it.”

“Eh?”

His arm quickly rose, and he placed an arrow on the string… His movement was so natural and beautiful that the voices of the mercenaries who were buzzing around him died down, as tension enveloped the room.

Then, with what little strength he had left… he released his bowstring in a flowing motion… I saw his arrow clothed in the familiar glow of fighting spirit.

There was a tremendous sound as the arrow cut through the air at breakneck speed.

Not only did it shatter the target, but it also gouged out the trunk of the tree to which the target was attached… The arrow pierced deep into the tree, right up to the feathers.

Such power… did he just activate something like a skill in the game?

“Wha…”

The person in question was stunned and could not believe what he was seeing.

I watched the whole turn of events, and Walter walked toward him, I hurriedly moved my staff to follow him.

“Good work, recruit.”

“C-Captain?!”

While Weiss-san was astonished, Walter-san seriously observed the situation around him.

“It’s something that people often just awakened by chance. Well, in your case, as a result of you unconsciously trying to draw the bow with something other than raw muscle power to make up for the strength you lost, you awakened to better utilize the energy that flows through your entire body. As for why your arrow became so destructive… Well, let’s not get into the nitty-gritty details, shall we? Just don’t forget what it feels like to use that new technique of yours.”

“Yes, sir…”

Technique? Is that what they call skills in this world?

If I recall correctly, there was a skill called “Strike Arrow” that somewhat resembled his earlier technique.

“And by the way… ‘they’ seem to be skilled technique users, so if you want to catch up, you’ll have to work on that in the future.”

“U-Understood!”

Even I could realize that, since Reiji-san saved him from the goblins the other day, he’d developed a rivalry with him and Saul-niisama. His joy at finding a clue to catch up to the two of them was clear to see even from the back of the room.

“Now that I think about it, I still haven’t rewarded you for protecting my esteemed guest. Here, take this.”

He talked as if he just remembered about it just now, but Walter-san had been carrying a large package on his shoulder the entire time, which he took off and tossed to Weiss-san in a casual manner.

“Woah?! This thing’s heavy!”

Weiss-san almost stumbled under the package’s weight.

Did you seriously almost forget about it even if you were carrying it all this time, Walter-san?

“This is a magic bow called Dreadnought. I know it’s hard for you to master at the moment, but I’ll give it to you.”

“Magic bow?! Uh… could I draw it?”

“Go ahead.”

Weiss-san fidgeted as he unwrapped the package and opened it to reveal a large, intricately designed, yet elegant-looking white bow. At first glance, I could sense that it was an exceptional product.

“Huh? What’s happening, why can I draw this thing?”

Weiss-san’s hand stopped as he immediately tried to place an arrow on the unusually thick string. No matter how much force he put into it, it hardly seemed to move.

“One does not simply draw a magic bow with force alone. You have to let the fighting spirit spread through the bow, just like the arrow you just fired earlier.”

“If you say so… Damn, it’s still too heavy…!”

A pale green light began to leak from places on the bow, and the string was being pulled just barely, inch by inch, while greasy sweat dripped from his forehead.

But eventually, the strength left his hand, and the string slipped from his fingers, firing the arrow from his bow… The arrow pierced through the wood and disappeared deep into the forest.

“Holy sh-!”

“That’s… amazing, isn’t it?”

Weiss-san was absolutely mortified at how powerful it is, and I barely managed to squeeze out a few words. What in the world would happen if he mastered using his magic bow?

“Hahaha, you may not know how to use it yet, but when you learn to use this thing, you’ll be a valuable asset against the big monsters. Keep it up, you’ve got this.”

“…Thank you, Captain!”

Weiss-san bowed his head with tremendous force, and Walter-san returned the gesture with a wave of his hand.

“Good for you, Weiss-san.”

“Oh, yeah. I must work harder from now on…!”

“…That’s enough.”

When I came to congratulate Weiss-san, who was renewing his determination, Lenny-san suddenly cut it between us and interrupted. Her eyes were a little harsher than those of the others, and Weiss-san, who was facing me, involuntarily drew back.

“Iris-sama, you’re being too close to the opposite gender. If you let your guard down against a man in such a rowdy place like this, what would happen if he suddenly turned into a wolf and attack you? Especially one like him.”

“D-Don’t you dare slander me with your delusion!”

“That’s rich, coming from someone who assaulted her at the first meeting.”

“It was just a prank! Besides, I already said at that time that I’m not into children like her! I’m more of a… uh…”

At the mention of “children”, I involuntarily slapped myself in the chest area… I couldn’t deny it. I slumped my shoulders in disappointment.

Weiss-san suddenly trailed off at the middle of his sentence, but I couldn’t miss the very moment he shifted his gaze to Lenny-san’s powerful “mounds”, then immediately averted his eyes.

…I see. So he swung that way. Come to think of it, he did complain about me being too “scrawny” to hug before.

“A-Anyway, can’t we just drop this topic already?! Curses, why does she have to be here of all places…”

“Fine by me, but I would still advise you to be careful around this man, Iris-sama.”

Oh, no. I shouldn’t let them continue their shenanigans, else we’d all be late for lunch!

“E-Everyone must be hungry by now, right?! So let’s have lunch! Weiss-san, you’re welcome to join us, too.”

“O-Okay…”

“If Iris-sama says so, then it can’t be helped.”

After confirming that they had (reluctantly) agreed to have lunch together, I returned with them to where everyone was.

“By the way, do you two know each other?”

“…As much as I hate to admit it, he and I have the same hometown.”

“To be precise, she’s the daughter of the guy who ruled over where I used to live, dammit.”

Weiss-san didn’t expect to meet Lenny-san again, as fellow mercenaries in the same company even.

Small world, isn’t it?

The lunchbox’s contents were several kinds of sandwiches, including ham and eggs, and what resembled German fries in my original world, which was fried potatoes and salted meat. There was also pickled vegetable as side dish. In fact, it would have been nice if I could have added more green into our meal, but fresh vegetable was rare and precious in this cold region.

“What do you think…?”

“Mmm, you did well. It was tasty.”

“…Well, actually, most of the seasoning was done with auntie Miranda’s instructions, hehe…”

I giggled at Nii-sama’s compliment and confessed it while scratching my cheek. Reiji-san patted my head when he heard that.

“Still, it was you who did most of the cooking, right? I look forward to the next one.”

“Y-Yes! Let me prepare lunch for you tomorrow!”

“Thanks…”

I’m so glad that my hard work had paid off.

“Thanks for the meal! …Hey, brother, are you okay?”

“Hmm, did you just call me? Well, it’s good that they’re getting along, but…”

“So you’re thinking what I’m thinking too? Yeah, that’s rough…”

At some distance away, Zeltis-san and Philias-san were having some kind of conversation… What could they be talking about?

My eyes then happened to meet with Zeltis-san’s.

“By the way, princess.”

“Not again…”

“Oops, pardon me, Miss Iris. Anyway, since you and your friends seem to know a lot about those mutated goblins the other day, I was wondering if you could tell me something about it.”

I see, they were talking about the boss goblins we had just fought. Judging from their reaction, they seemed to be a rare occurrence in this world. In the game, it was not uncommon to see in high-level hunting grounds and such, but that part of the game didn’t seem to apply here.

“Oh, I was wondering about that myself. Something tells me you three know a lot about monsters… May I ask who knows the most?”

“That would be…”

“Iris, right?”

“M-Me?!”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward me.

Certainly, support players often have a bird’s eye view of their surroundings from the rear and are often entrusted with overall command, but…

“Then, milady, could you enlighten them about those mutated goblins’ characteristics?”

“O-Okay. First of all, I would like to say that my knowledge is based on written sources, so there may be some discrepancies with the actual situation…”

Various parts of this world are completely different from the game, and I’ll take insurance against the possibility that there are differences between the game and reality… It’d be embarrassing if I get the facts wrong. From memory, I recalled the descriptions on the strategy site and organize them in my brain.

“Ahem. So the mutated goblin, which I shall temporarily refer to as the High Goblin… it receives healing and various enhancements from the goblin sorcerers…”

As I spoke, I gradually grew excited and began to describe the enemies’ characteristics in a rambling manner with hand gestures, using my fingers as if they were a conductor’s stick.

“…While I couldn’t use it myself, it would be nice if there’s a high-level Enchanter on our side, who could dispel the enemy’s buffs… Otherwise, the most effective means would be somehow cutting through its sturdy skin and destroy it from the inside like Reiji-san and Zeltis-san did…”

As my explanation neared its end, blood gathered in my face as I realized that I got too overexcited and started talking like a teacher.

Oh god, I really went and did it, didn’t I?!

“Ahahaha, don’t be so shy, you made quite a fine teacher… Honestly, I didn’t expect you to go into so much details.”

“Gnnnnnnnn…!”

Walter-san ruffled my head again. The thought of teaching knowledge to a bunch of people who made a living by fighting made me so embarrassed that I could feel my face on fire…

“Excuse me! I want to hear about something else from you!”

“Good idea… How about the differences between the dragon species, apart from the size?”

Philias-san’s statement was followed by an additional question from Walter-san. Uh, dragons…

“Erm… Compared to lesser dragons, dragons are more intelligent and can use higher level magic… their scales can repel all kinds of magic below a certain strength… I think?”

“How do I deal with slimes’ mucus?! It ruins clothes and other fabric upon contact, what a nuisance!”

“Um… Quickly rinse it with water then squirt it lightly with alcohol, that should neutralize it-”

Starting with the widely known knowledge, the questions gradually headed toward another direction as they enthusiastically asked me one after another. We were talking about the Cyclops race at the moment.

“…Contrary to the public’s image of the Cyclops as rough and brutish, many of them are respectable craftsmen, their delicate and powerful metallurgical techniques produced very high quality weapons… It’s difficult to earn their cooperation, but if you can, you’ll get some hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind equipment.”

“I see… I’d want to meet one too. By the way, has any of you met a Cyclops before?”

At Zeltis-san’s question, Reiji-san and I turned to look at each other.

“Yeah, we did… kind of…”

“Ah, ahahaha…”

Since Reiji-san’s “Arsley” was a jet-black sword with a dragon’s eye at its core crafted by a Cyclops, it’s true that we had met him before… But the mere memories of it made me blush bright red.

When I glanced sideways to Reiji-san, he was blatantly looking away from me… I only went along with the project because it was absolutely necessary to meet the conditions required for the production.

No one, not even Saul-niisama, should hear about what happened.

…I wondered if “he” was in this world too.

“Ah, yes, respectable craftsmen, pfft…”

In the midst of all this, Walter-san remembered something and laughed with amusement… Oh, no.

“If you wish to do so, I have contacts and can make introductions… Well, he wouldn’t say no if you’re with us, milady.”

“Yeah, I know right, ahahaha…”

His words, which carried a slightly apologetic undertone, elicited a dry laugh from me. I knew it, that person existed here too… Nevertheless, it would be reassuring if we could get some help… I should be prepared to put up with a little embarrassment by that time…

This exchange of information started out lively, but as I answered the questions, other people started coming to listen, and yet the number of words around me gradually decreased.

…I felt like the purpose of this had changed. Were they testing how far I could answer the questions? I found it hard to focus if they kept focusing their gaze on me like that.

“Could you tell me about the Arachne Queen? After all, your current clothes were made from her threads.”

Walter-san looked exhausted.

A little, I tried to picture the information in my mind and assemble in my brain how to explain it…

“Yes. First of all, the threads that are in contact with the main body have a strong ability to absorb mental energy, and even a large adult will fall into a coma after 3 minutes of contact, and will die after about 10 minutes. But the victims are often unaware that they are touched by the threads, so we must stay vigilant. And the Queen doesn’t act alone, she always has escorts lurking nearby…”

“Okay, that’s enough… You got it all correct.”

For some reason, Walter-san interrupted my explanation while holding his head like he was tired. But if I didn’t tell the whole story, it would be difficult if we had to face the monster in question.

“…And while all Arachne has a humanoid half, the Queen is different in that her nervous system is spread evenly throughout the body, so in the worst case scenario where either half is destroyed, she’s still able to reproduce and recover her swarm.”

“Now that’s something I don’t know… That explains why she caught me off guard from behind after I had already decapitated one of those Queens.”

Walter-san’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, and a question mark appeared above his head. I looked around and saw that everyone in the mercenary company, including Zeltis-san and Philias-san, who had initially gathered to listen with great interest, were smiling dryly in exasperation.

“…To be honest, I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

“…What a coincidence, I’m the same. How is it even possible that you know so much about the phantasmal beasts that only eyewitnesses of them existed?”

Weiss-san and Lenny-san were already hanging their heads limply.

“U-Um, did I do something wrong…?”

Perhaps there was something wrong with my answers? Or did I get too carried away?

“N-No! Nothing like that at all! I just admire your vast knowledge!”

“Y-Yeah you’re amazing, Iris-chan! Did you guys have to remember all of that…?”

“Of course not, I didn’t expect my sister to be able to do that either… It’s just too much, even for me.”

“I should have studied that site more seriously when I still had the chance… I’d always left this kind of thing up to her.”

“I’m fairly confident about my knowledge too… but only when material drops are concerned, nya…”

Now even the players’ side was saying all kinds of stuff… Was I the only one being weird here? I had been told on a message board I happened to look at that it was natural for a support player to be able to do this, so I tried my best to remember every bit of it.

“…Well, in any case, I appreciate your knowledge. When I need your wisdom in any case, please do me a favor.”

“Y-Yes!”

Seriously, was it such a big deal? I only knew a bit too much about monsters, that’s all.

“You’re thinking it’s not that big of a deal, aren’t you?”

I felt like I had seen a jumpscare when said exactly what I was thinking right now. With one deep sigh, Walter-san turned to me with a serious face, so I straightened my posture and waited for him to speak.

“Allow me to tell you one thing. Knowledge is a treasure. Just from what I’ve just heard, there are many ways to put it to use, such as compiling it into a book or starting a new business using the knowledge. Even without your healing arts and species, that alone is enough reason for you to be targeted… Don’t be so careless about showing them off. That includes you too, tailor girl.”

“Uh… I understand?”

“Nyahaha… I copy that.”

…So I was too much of a showoff just now.

The knowledge on strategy sites is a compilation of information brought together by countless people, but when it comes to actually playing the game, it takes a tremendous effort to actually utilize said knowledge. Having the so-called “knowledge cheat” is both a blessing and a curse.

“…Well, Miriam is more solid and reliable on that front than Iris, so I think she’ll be fine.”

“Reiji-san?!”

“So be careful alright, Iris?”

“Nii-sama, you too?!”

How could they say such a terrible thing to me?! And why is everyone nodding in unison?! Argh!

As my mood had been terribly soured, I grabbed one of the sandwiches and violently bit into it.

(Author’s Note)

Iris’ narration: “I violently bit into the sandwich.”

What really happened: Iris opened her mouth as wide as possible and bit into the sandwich.