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Merlin's Side
"Tenma seems to have fallen asleep already."
"It looks that way. He yawned hugely the moment he got off the carriage."
We had found a good spot to camp and enjoyed an early dinner together, but Tenma kept yawning throughout the meal.
"He fell asleep in the bath, and he was still sleeping when he came out... He must have been quite exhausted."
"That's for sure. Between the martial tournament, the Border Baron's wyvern extermination, and even building a fortress on top of all that, any normal person would have collapsed from overwork long ago. And then there's everything with Kukuri Village on top of it all..."
Chris said this while gazing worriedly at the tent where Tenma was sleeping.
"I worry about whether it's right to take Tenma to Kukuri Village in his current state, but I don't think turning back now is what he'd want."
"I think so too. If we leave at the usual time tomorrow morning, it's close enough that we should arrive at Kukuri Village by early afternoon... And the graves of Ricardo and Celia are still in Kukuri Village, aren't they?"
"Yes. After that incident, we waited for Tenma to return from challenging the Dragon Zombie, but given the condition of the injured and everyone's mental state, we needed to move to town earlier. We couldn't leave the remains exposed indefinitely, either. Most of the villagers who had died—including Ricardo and Celia—had either been born and raised in Kukuri Village, or were spouses of people who had been. A few took the remains of their deceased family members with them, but the remains of those two were buried near the graves of Shiromaru's parents."
Truthfully, I had wanted to take their remains with me as well, but my injuries were so severe that I couldn't make that decision. Mark and Martha were also in a state of confusion over their deaths and Tenma's disappearance, so I suppose it can't be helped—but that is still something I carry as a regret to this day.
"Tenma-kun probably has all sorts of things on his mind too, but... I hope he'll be able to overcome them."
"Indeed. There may be little we can do, but let's start by believing in Tenma's"
"strength."
"That's the first step."
I didn't know what kind of change the current Kukuri Village would bring to Tenma, but I resolved to do everything within my power for him.
End of Merlin's Side
"Grandpa, there's a party of adventurers up ahead. Looks like they're coming from the direction of Kukuri Village."
Yesterday, I had finished setting up camp and immediately passed out, and before I knew it morning had come. Night watch had apparently been handled by everyone except me, so in exchange I was taking the reins from morning onward.
We had only about two or three hours left until we reached Kukuri Village when we spotted a group of adventurers—a party of several people—heading in the opposite direction, away from Kukuri Village.
"So this is the first time we've run into other adventurers since coming all the way from Shellhide, huh."
"Yeah. We do have that promise with the Margrave, so let's go ahead and talk to them."
As I drove the carriage toward the direction of the adventurers, they seemed to notice us right away. As we got closer, I could tell they were wary, but they probably figured that fleeing from a carriage wouldn't do much good—we'd catch up quickly—or that it would just make us suspicious—because they stayed right where Lion had spotted them and kept their eyes fixed on us. The adventurers were a group of five, and all of them looked younger than me. They had probably come to gather medicinal herbs in the Great Old Forest.
"We've come from Shellhide, but are you lot on your way back from Kukuri Village?"
I stopped the carriage a short distance away so as not to spook them too much and called out, and one of the adventurers answered, "That's right."
"We've been asked by the Margrave to keep an eye on adventurers operating near Kukuri Village."
When I said we'd been asked by the Margrave, they clearly didn't believe it at first and their wariness increased, but when Lion held up the flag bearing the Margrave family crest from behind me, they seemed to decide that even if they were still suspicious, it was worth hearing us out.
"Because of that, it would be best to stay away from Kukuri Village as much as possible."
When I told them about the recent increase in missing persons around Kukuri Village, the adventurers went pale and started talking among themselves, saying things like "I knew it" and "I did feel something off."
"I knew it? What do you mean?"
"All of us grew up in villages right next to forests, like Kukuri Village. So even though we're new to adventuring, we're confident when it comes to forests. We heard that medicinal herbs from the Great Old Forest were going for high prices, so we came to gather them, but... it gave us the creeps, so we turned back."
As they explained, the group had moved close to Kukuri Village during the night to rest, with plans to start searching for herbs in the Great Old Forest first thing in the morning. They had begun collecting herbs right on schedule a little before sunrise, but they felt an eerie aura unlike any normal forest, so they abandoned the gathering midway and headed back.
"That sounds like a good call to me, but on the way here we ran into a horde of Goblins twice and a horde of Orcs once. There may or may not be a pack of Monsters in the direction you're heading, but I'd be careful on the return trip too."
Hearing my warning, the adventurers' faces went even paler. They didn't seem like a party confident in combat, so they were probably imagining what would happen if they were ambushed.
After that, Grandpa exchanged information with the adventurers—sharing what he knew about a relatively safe route (though it was from quite a while ago, so it was more of a comfort than anything) and recent news about Kukuri Village—before parting ways. The adventurers seemed eager to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Kukuri Village before nightfall, because they departed the spot in a hurry.
"We should probably assume that something abnormal has happened in the Great Old Forest."
"Yeah. It was only a brief conversation, but those adventurers seemed pretty knowledgeable about the forest, so the strange aura they felt might be real. And the fact that we encountered monster hordes three times just getting here is pretty worrying too."
For the time being, based on the information gathered from the adventurers, we decided to set up today's camp not in Kukuri Village, as originally planned, but in a "fortress" located outside it. The fortress was a remnant from an old battle against zombies, where people had holed up. While the walls were quite damaged, the moat remained intact, and it was apparently a popular camping spot for adventurers visiting Kukuri Village.
"We finally made it."
"Yeah, we did."
After encountering those rookie adventurers, we hadn't run into any other adventurers or monsters, and arrived at Kukuri Village right on schedule. No, I should say, at the place where Kukuri Village once stood.
The buildings of Kukuri Village I remembered were almost all destroyed—either by the zombie invasion during that incident or by our own magic. The only structure still standing was the church, which had been made of stone. Even then, "standing" was a generous description; it lacked a roof and was half-ruined, so it would be dangerous to even enter, let alone use for camping.
"That's where my house used to be, right? Next to it were my uncle and aunt's houses, and over there was where the villagers often held feasts."
Other memories flooded back—the house Grandpa used to stay in, the place where I first used magic. However, the spot I pointed to, which should have held those memories, was now utterly unrecognizable. Only the faint remnants of a pillar, some floorboards, and a flowerbed outline hinted at what once was.
"And here was my room..."
Taking in the drastically changed village, I reached the spot where my home once stood. Lost in memories of the past, I walked from what used to be the entrance into the house and made my way to my old room.
"It's really all gone, isn't it..."
I had harbored a small hope that maybe something from the past remained, but nothing was left.
"Could this charred remnant be part of the bed? If so, that might be the chair, and that the desk?"
Even if anything had survived the battle with the zombies, the adventurers who came afterward would have taken anything of value.
"Tenma. Shall we go to Celia and Ricardo's grave soon?"
"Yeah, let's."
As I stood reminiscing, Grandpa called out to me. Only he, I, and Slarin's group were here. The others, perhaps trying to give us space, were preparing the camp over at the fortress.
"Over there. They rest there, alongside the villagers who sacrificed themselves."
Leaving my former home, we walked through the village for a while and arrived at our destination.
"Isn't this spot close to Shiromaru's parents' graves?"
The area was a barren wasteland, but Shiromaru's parents' graves were just a short walk from here.
"Yes, that's right. This place used to have trees standing here, but they were burned flat by Tenma's magic. And since there was enough room to bury those who perished, this spot was apparently chosen."
At the time, Grandpa's injuries had been too severe for him to move, so the survivors had built the graves here on their own. Still, when leaving Kukuri Village, he had apparently managed to visit the graves with help from Uncle Mark.
"Here we are. This stone is Celia and Ricardo's gravestone."
Where Grandpa stopped, there was a stone roughly forty centimeters in size, and carved into it were my mother's and father's names.
"It's been a while, Mom, Dad…"
I pressed my hands together as if telling the two of them about everything that had happened after defeating the Dragon Zombie, and finally took out the thing I had been making for this day. It was a gravestone with the surname Ootori carved behind both their names.
"I'm sure they're both happy."
"I hope so."
After finishing our visit to Mom and Dad's graves, Grandpa and I paid our respects to the other villagers' graves as well, cleaning each one carefully. There were quite a few of them, and sure enough, Chris and the others came looking for us partway through. When they saw what we were doing, they all joined in with the cleaning.
When we finished and headed to the fortress that served as our campsite, sure enough, just as the adventurers we'd passed on the way had told us, most of the wall had crumbled from the battle and weathering, and the moat was buried under collapsed sections and overgrown grass.
"We decided to set up camp there for now, so I've already made the preparations."
Chris had chosen a spot inside the fortress that appeared to have been used by other adventurers before. There was what looked like a stove built by a previous group, along with earthen walls for wind shelter, so apparently not much had needed to be done.
"Jeanne and Aura handled the meals, so all that's left is to decide the watch rotation."
"Before we do that, though, I'm thinking we should leave Kukuri Village tomorrow morning."
We had been planning to stay in Kukuri Village for several days, so even Grandpa was surprised by my statement.
"I'm not sure what exactly is going on in Kukuri Village right now, but something strange is definitely happening. There's the increase in disappearances around the village, and the presence that the adventurer we met on the way here sensed. Honestly, I think we could turn back now, but unless we ourselves can feel part of the cause or sense that strange presence, there's no way we can report it to the Guild."
Fortunately, everyone present right now had influence in various fields, so if one of us reported it as a firsthand experience, it would be possible to assemble a military force and send it in for investigation.
"There's truth to that as well."
"Well, even if we go back and just file a report, the Guild probably won't believe us. If anything, they might think we're cowards?"
Even with the disappearances, the Guild would only go so far as to dispatch adventurers to
It costs money,
and there are already organized operations in place, so they're highly unlikely to accept a report based on nothing more than speculation.
"I don't mind. I want to know what's going on in Kukuri Village too."
Grandpa and Chris were convinced, and once Lion agreed, the rest all nodded as well. In truth, none of them besides me and Grandpa had any particular attachment to Kukuri Village, so you could say there was no reason to oppose a shorter stay.
"So, about the watch rotations — the first group will be Chris, Albert, and Cain. The second group: Grandpa, Lion, Amour, and Reni. And the last group: me, Jeanne, and Aura. How does that sound?"
For the first group, as long as Chris took command, Albert and Cain would carry out orders faithfully. The second group would be safe with the experienced Grandpa leading, and while pairing Lion and Reni together left some concern, having Grandpa and Amour along meant nothing should go wrong. As for the last group, Jeanne and Aura would be lacking in combat power if things went south, but when I'm there,
the bonus
comes along too, so this group actually has the most combat power of all.
As for the order, I could have swapped the second and third groups, but when I considered breakfast preparations and getting Raiden ready, I decided it was better for me to be in the third group.
I explained all of that, and everyone was already convinced before I even finished. However, I only told Grandpa and Amour about my concerns regarding Lion and Reni, and asked them to keep a discreet eye on things. As for why I put Chris in a group with Albert and Cain — the three of them seemed to understand without needing an explanation.
After that, everyone gathered to discuss shift times and emergency protocols, then each group held their own meeting, and it was decided that the time until dinner was free. However, since we didn't know what might happen, we agreed to avoid going off alone and to stay as far away from the Great Old Forest as possible.
Jeanne's Side
"Good night, then."
"Good night. Get some rest and make us a delicious breakfast!"
After saying goodbye to Chris and the others who had begun their watch preparations in earnest, I climbed into the carriage that served as the women's quarters. Being careful not to wake Amour and Reni who were already asleep, I slipped into my futon — and noticed that Aura, who had entered the carriage a short while earlier, was already fast asleep.
Come to think of it, Tenma had gone to sleep early today too.
As we got closer to Kukuri Village, the amount of time Tenma spent looking uneasy had been increasing — even I could tell. If even I had noticed, everyone besides Aura must have long since realized that something was off about Tenma.
It's been a while since I had a watch shift with Tenma, but Aura and I wouldn't be much help in a real fight. Still, with Slarin and the others there too, I just need to summon the Golem, wake everyone right away, and get back inside the carriage.
I lay down, closed my eyes, and ran through everything I'd need to do during the watch, over and over in my head.
"It's cold..."
I had dozed off without realizing it, and was jolted awake by a sudden chill. To ward off the cold, I decided to throw on the jacket I'd left draped over my chair. Something in the pocket clattered as I put it on, but I was too groggy to bother taking it out.
"Water..."
Feeling parched, I climbed out of the futon to find the water pitcher that should have been on the table.
Amur and Reni, who had been asleep when I entered the carriage, were nowhere to be seen. In their place, Chris was lying on his side — so the second watch shift was on duty.
"How much longer until the next rotation?"
Depending on how much time was left before the switch, it might actually be easier to just stay awake.
Thinking that, I looked out the window to try to gauge how dark it was outside —
"Tenma?"
Swaying unsteadily,
heading straight toward the forest —
I could see Tenma's figure stumbling away.
"Why is nobody stopping him?!"
I wanted to chase after Tenma right away, but decided it would be better to wake Chris first and shook his body. He showed no sign of waking at all, so I tried slapping Aura on the cheeks instead, but she was no different from Chris — she wouldn't wake up either.
"Why?!"
Both of them were still breathing properly, so they weren't dead, but this was far from normal.
"What about everyone outside?"
I hurriedly jumped out of the carriage and ran to where the others keeping watch were, but every single one of them was sitting in place, fast asleep.
"Merlin! Tenma is—!"
Even Merlin, who I thought I could count on most, was the same as Chris and Aura — no matter how hard I shook him, he wouldn't wake up.
While I was scrambling, Tenma had already made it a considerable distance away, and by the time I decided to chase after him alone, he had already disappeared into the forest.
"He definitely was walking this way, though."
I'd barely set foot in the forest before I lost track of Tenma. When I'd first started chasing him, I'd thought, "There's some distance between us, but Tenma's staggering around like he's sleepwalking — if I run, I should be able to catch up!" But once I actually entered the forest, it was far harder to run through than I'd expected, and because it was a forest I wasn't familiar with, I kept tripping again and again.
"Tenma, where are you...?"
Having lost Tenma in this dim, eerie nighttime forest with no way of knowing when Monsters might ambush me — that was nothing but pure terror. But I couldn't just leave Tenma to fend for himself, and more importantly, I wasn't even sure of the way back. So all I could do was press forward in the direction Tenma had apparently gone.
"Tenma... there he is!"
As I wandered through the forest, I emerged into a small clearing. When I stepped out and looked around, I spotted Tenma quite a distance from where I stood. It seemed Tenma had arrived at this same spot at almost exactly the same time I did.
The gap was probably because I'd gradually veered in a slightly different direction while chasing him. Finding Tenma here was incredibly lucky.
After all, if I hadn't happened to come out at this exact spot, I would have continued in completely the wrong direction and ended up lost.
"Tenma! Why are you all the way— eek!"
The instant I rushed toward Tenma to grab him, I saw
what
he was heading toward — a sinister
creature
shrouded head to toe in a hood.
Being far away and having its whole body hidden under a hood, it might seem like a leap to call it a "sinister creature," but there was simply no other way to describe the aura it gave off. More importantly, the hand reaching toward Tenma was a bone — not a metaphor like "thin as a bone," but literally a bone.
Instinctively, I knew I couldn't let Tenma get any closer to that creature, and I thought about using magic, but with my level of control, there was a high chance I'd hit Tenma instead.
"What should I... wait, that's it!"
I'd thought about throwing a stone if magic wouldn't work, but the moment I hesitated — knowing I couldn't possibly throw one that far — I remembered the slingshot Tenma had given me.
It was the one I'd left sitting in my pocket when I threw on my jacket. What a play — I almost wanted to praise myself for not having taken it out earlier.
"Here goes... take that!" I scooped up a small pebble from the ground, loaded it into the slingshot, pulled the band back with all my strength, and sent it flying straight at the creature. The pebble shot toward the creature in a perfectly straight line, just as I'd planned...
Up until that point...
The pebble, having suddenly veered upward, struck a branch extending over the creature, deflected once more, and hit Tenma head-on.
The creature noticed something flying toward it, realized that I was the one responsible, and thrust its hand in my direction.
It was clearly about to cast some kind of magic on me, yet I couldn't move a single step. Part of it was because everything happened so suddenly, but more than anything, I had seen the creature's face head-on. The creature's face — just as I'd imagined from the moment I saw its hand, it wasn't human. It was a human skull.
The instant the creature took a step toward me as I stood frozen, it was blown backward. The one who cast the magic was, of course...
"Jeanne, are you alright?!"
It was Tenma.
Jeanne's Side — End
Volume 6 of the book edition of "The Adventurer Reborn in Another World" goes on sale May 10th.
I hope you'll check it out as well.