Vermillion

Come on.

The sound of spreading leaf rubbing is carried into the wind.

Meadows. Continuing to the end of the horizon, the green earth.

A twisted cloud drifts in the blue sky like it falls out.

(... you're at peace)

Kay, straddling Sasquatch and looking around, vaguely thought so.

Eye-friendly, resting landscape - it may be called.

But behind the chest. Keep smoking, something resembling a rush.

A gloomy emotion wrapped around her stomach stings at her chest.

Even if the breeze blows through the refreshing wind, it should be noted.

Kay's heart didn't clear.

- and.

End of sight.

Little shadows of brown crept with grass.

"……… I found it"

"Again.... That's fast."

To Kay's groaning, Mandel, who was lining up next to him, made a grumpy look. In the saddle of his cross village walrus are bracketed many ravens that have been drained of blood. Somewhere around Mandel with a dry grin, Kay kicked Pong and Sasquatch in the belly with his legs and led an arrow to the bow.

Hang on, on a horse that slowly started moving forward. Kay, firmly targeted, squeezes the strings together.

Pleasant sound.

Suddenly a sharp noise echoed, an ear-lined raven slipped out of the grass and looked around. There, a silver light pierces the momentum.

Cui, a short scream and the arrow feed, the companions who were around literally escaped as a detachment.

"Stopped."

"The wind is blowing.... How well, I can do it at that distance"

To Kay's casual report, Mandel's words holding his forehead are no longer close to mourning. They both moved their horses forward, and picked up the ravens that were bent on kicking the sky with their hind legs.

"Sorry about that."

Pulling through the arrow that was stabbing him in the torso, Kay, paying for his blood and flying. Mandel immediately gave him a knife from the side and cut off his rabbit's neck.

Kay feels her little life lose its warmth in her own hands as she looks at the red liquid that spills over into the green earth.

"…… Well. Something like this."

"Right.... it's time to go back to the village"

Mandel looked over the meadow and said as he bracketed the raven he had received from Kay in his saddle.

Headed to strip the bandits, the morning after that.

Originally, Kay would have already fled the village.

For some reason - in the meadow, I was hunting for ravioli.

†††

About last night.

Kay, who realized that he had missed the bandit, was turning back to the village chief's house as he toured his thoughts to say oh, say this to Eileen.

"Hey, Irene, I need to talk to you."

Bang, and without even knocking, opened the door and jumped into Kay's eyes as he entered the living room, but

"Ooh, ooh."

"Mm-hmm, this is delicious!

"Jessica, we're gonna spill this."

"Dear Eileen, please don't hesitate to eat as we have an alternative."

"Oh, thanks!

He had Jessica on his knees and looked at Irene, who was feeding him dinner, Bennett, who had become the face of one of his grandfather's favorites, and Cynthia, who looked to mercy those three.

The sight of a soothing reunion, surrounded by a table, as if it were a family -.

"Ah, Kay! Welcome back!"

Looking at Eileen's innocent smile, with her breadcrumbs stuck to the edge of her mouth, Kay couldn't say anything.

"Welcome home. How about Kay, too? Dinner won't be ready yet."

"Oh, oh... thank you"

As Cynthia prompts me, Kay also takes another seat directly across from Eileen. Bennett, sitting next to him, noticed Kay's long-sleeved sword as he was aiming, but he finally turned away without saying anything. In front of my beloved granddaughter, she wants to remain one grandfather, not a calculated village chief.

(... Well, I can't even cut out the conversation in this situation anyway)

In the meantime, Kay took a small breath, conscious of her shoulder tone.

"Go ahead. I hope it fits your mouth"

"Kay, Mr. Cynthia's soup is delicious!

Salted pork broiled in vegetable soup, firm bread or fire. Cynthia, who lined up those plates, said, go ahead. Simple but nutritionally balanced menu. A cute scent irritates the nasal cavity.

But even before them, there was no appetite at all.

Rather than being rude if he eats, Kay was forced to pack his meal, with little idea of the flavor, in the spirit of eating while he could.

Cynthia, who cleared the dishes quickly, left the house to send Jessica to Kronen, so only Kay, Irene and Bennett are left in the living room.

"Mayor, about the bandits' supplies, but I'll take this sword and silver coin. Instead, I decided to leave everything else to you."

"Ho...... that's, that's"

To Kay's offer, Bennett, who looked unexpected, strokes his mustache slowly, whining, "It's a thankful story," he said. Rather than a delightful color in its eyes, the color of suspicion. Why did you make such a convenient offer? and as if trying to read behind Kay's story.

"- In the shadow of the people of this village, we were saved for a long time. If you think of it as a thank you, it's still cheap."

With a loving laugh stretched out to an extent that was not too daunting, Kay uttered a floating dialogue of teeth. But I'm not lying. Ironically, in one respect, 'too cheap compared to the price of life', it was an unmistakable sincerity.

"... it's a bad word."

For once, Bennett nodded as he was convinced whether he interpreted it as due to Kay's good intentions.

"No, wait a minute, Kay, but aren't swords and silver coins too little?

So it was Eileen who sandwiched her mouth from the side.

"I don't think I need armor or anything bulky. Why don't you take the arrows and the supplies?

…………

The arrows secretly selected good quality items for replenishment when collecting the artifacts, but they were right about the supplies.

Kay blinked her eyes, and when she looked at Bennett with a troubled face, the old village chief laughed at her throat as if unexpectedly.

"No. Your lady is better served, Lord Kay."

"……… Uhm."

"However, I understand how you feel. Instead, let's do some work here on supplies."

"……… thank you"

Honestly, keep your head down. As for Kay, he said, "We will only have swords and silver coins!" Only shortly after I said it with a Doya face, I was plain embarrassed, but I had no choice.

Eileen starts laughing at her teasing and trying to be in tune with it, whether the muddled look Kay was ridiculous or not, and Bennett also leaks a disgustingly inclusive laugh.

After the wave of laughter drew, there came a quiet silence.

"……… I don't know what to do after this"

Pompous, Irene with her cheekstick on the table, whimpers small.

"About that, Eileen."

All I'm saying is I've been waiting for that topic, Kay, and I'm getting on with it.

"I'm going to Wolvern."

"... What, Wolvern exists!?

Irene, who raised her voice unexpectedly, looks at Bennett and holds her mouth down "Ah". Bennett showed no particular reaction, except he moved his eyebrows tingly. The way "exists" might have been a slightly strange statement to the inhabitants of the 'here' world.

"Mayor, I'm sorry, can you show me the map for once now?"

"Yes, sir."

Ask Bennett to pick up the map and show it to Eileen. While explaining the location of the "village of Taaf", "fortified city of Wolvern" and "port city of Kitene", he also told them that the terrain of "here" was ten times the size of the game ratio.

"Heh..."

Irene looks intriguingly on the map as she strokes her lips with her fingertips.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to leave for Wolvern as early as tomorrow morning. What do you say, Irene?"

I succeeded in intriguing. If we keep pushing this, we can leave the village early, keeping the facts down on Eileen.

That's what I thought, Kay, but expectations are betrayed.

"…… sorry, Kay. Actually, a little bit,"

Sounds sorry, badly chopped Eileen.

"- I don't know, I can't help myself."

Kay was hardened by the words.

In conclusion, Kay and the others stayed in the village for another day or two.

The cause is Eileen's illness. Eileen has no pain in her body and has a clear consciousness, but she continues to have a severe and tiresome body, whether it is a sequelae of poison or her health is not well recovered.

"If I can, I want to rest some more before I do. As it is, it's too much, Kay's foot clump..."

"Is that so………"

Eileen lays on the bed in her bedroom and casts a shadow on her expression.

In a dim room. Kay, alone with Eileen, gets lost.

To travel from the living room to the bedroom, Eileen also walked fluffily and powerlessly with her hands on the wall. I can't rely on you to tell at a glance that this is serious. As it stands, Eileen can be described as inferior to the average person in her physical abilities if she walks a few steps. Even a young girl (Jessica) would be a good match.

Kay thinks. I had planned to travel for two in Sasquatch, but in case I was in a state of battle with someone, Irene would be in trouble if she couldn't move on her own. Fight, not until, at least, to the extent that you can escape or hide.

It's a little risky to take them outside while they're at it.

Of course, as long as you stay in the village and get a bandit backlash, it's still better to escape. At least some rest is mandatory.

(I'm leaving tomorrow, either way tough,)

Phew, and Kay took a breather, summing up his thoughts.

"- Yeah, right."

I look up and have a flamboyant smile.

"Well, for the last day or two, shall we see how it goes? I've been asleep all day, so I guess I'm weak. It could be a side effect of the potion, and if you eat slowly and sleep slowly, you'll be better soon."

"Oh, wow."

Suddenly, Kay said something positive, and often Eileen blurred her eyes,

"... Well, you are! Let's get some rest and get better! All right, then I'm going to bed, Kay!

Hihi, and I smiled in tune, and the duvet slipped up to my face.

- Now, about the bandits, I'm gonna lay low.

That's what Kay decided.

The likelihood of a raid is that Irene can't help but worry about her now than she can barely move. Keeping unwanted labor will also slow the healing.

So now, don't let Eileen worry.

While he was aware that it included self-righteousness in the pre-construction period, Kay decided so.

(... Well, I need you to focus on getting better now.)

I don't know what's going to happen, but Kay strokes Pompong and Irene's head and stands up, "Well," he said.

"Then I shall return to Cronen's house.... I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

Kay blows out the light on the lamp and puts her hand on the knob on the door, looking back as if she remembered.

"Speaking of which, Eileen. In the meantime, I was distracted by the fact that the old lady was here, but it was about magic. We got catalysts over here, right?

"Hmm?... For once, before I got here, I had enough to use. I mean, can't you really use magic?

"You can use it on me, you can't use it on you."

Kay shrugged her shoulders small, staring at Eileen,

"When you're feeling better, you should try it. How much do you think you can use? [Expression] How many times can you use it?

"[Expression] or alle consumption big no. Using magic on all the catalysts, maybe twice is the limit, right?

"…… well, well, you know what?"

When that happens, we can also [track] twice. Three times even with Kay.

(Should the catalyst be kept warm……)

I don't think I can [track] the bandits who escaped, or draw a hit in just three of the massive supplies left behind. Eileen's catalyst was easier to obtain than Kay's emerald, but it was also not something that could be constructed in large quantities in a small village. It would be better to keep it on hand than to place a bet here.

"Still, why are we suddenly talking about catalysts?

"No, even if we're going to Wolvern, we have to think about the route. I've been thinking about the supplies we're going to have."

Answered Irene leaning down her little neck with a half laugh and misled.

"…… well."

Was she convinced, fluff, that Irene lay sideways from her back while she made a small stretch,

"Good night, ……… Kay"

"…… Good night. Eileen."

Shut the door.

Kay, who resigned from the village chief's house as it was, returned to Cronen's house.

The greetings with the Kronens are there, and they pull into the assigned small room and quietly begin to wrap themselves up.

(Probably fine tonight......)

I fastened my belt from the top of the curtain and then put on some leather armor while I circled my thoughts.

I don't know where the two bandits fled, but even if they were to join the main team and join the rest of the team and set up a counterattack, there wouldn't be enough time in just one day.

And no matter how quickly they get their gestures together, it's hard to imagine them coming daylight grandiose.

Early, tomorrow night.

Kay's idea is that the more time passes after that, the more dangerous it will be.

(Fortunately, the villagers are organizing a night police...)

With the beast out or not, the inhabitants of the village of Taaf are now on alert. Since the men are burning fire and taking turns watching at night, they are in a state of readiness for night raids, even if they do not want to.

(So even if they set up a night raid -)

Guh, and Kay stares into the dark, making sure the leather gloves are in good shape.

(- While the villagers are resisting, we can escape)

Where we are besieged, the darkness is on Kay's side. If you drill a hole in the siege net with continuous sniping and smear other villagers, it's not hard to escape.

It's not hard...

…… Shit. "

Shaking her head off to shake off her gloomy mood, Kay weaves her buckwheat and cloak and wears a helmet.

With an arrow barrel on his hip and a bow, a fully armed warrior was there.

Exhaling thinly, Kay slowly lowers her back to the crude sleeping table, holding her bow.

Gishy...... and passed through a slightly anxious lumber stir, softly keeping his back on the wall and closing his eyes.

…………

Quiet.

(…… may be worrying in the first place)

As I immerse myself in the darkness in plenty, the thought comes to mind. What floats behind the lid is last night's battle, which can no longer be felt long ago.

(All, I was going to kill them)

Feel stuck in your hand. There was no one left, I would have slapped an arrow in or knocked it off with a sword. That's enough to think I killed him for sure. The two of us who escaped this time would just have been lucky to have breathed. Seriously wounded or dying - it's not even Locke's condition, no doubt about it first.

(In the meadows, in the woods, there are beasts. Doesn't mean you'll make it out safely......)

By hand, there are two humans with no means of movement. If you even encounter a bunch of wolves that have been attracted to the smell of blood, the prospect of being helpful is unlimited.

(So... everything would be fine without...)

Gradually.

I feel my thoughts go wild.

As is.

Repeating his melancholy and awakening, Kay said,

――――

In the thin light I plugged through the window, at some point, I realized that I had revealed the night without anything.

"……… Did you not come?"

When it comes to relieving sighs, it's a little heavy.

Fatigue has accumulated, but I don't even feel like sleeping right now. I just wanted to get some air outside. Kay leaves the room, dragging her unstoppable body.

"... that's fast. What's wrong, that outfit"

Going outside, he was blamed by Kronen, who held the farm tools in his hand. More importantly, a stunned, surprised look at Kay, a fully armed man with unconscious eyes.

The sun is not up yet and the sky is still dim. Already getting ready for work in spite of this means that the farmers are early in the morning?

You're a worker, and while I admire you with a diagonal mind somewhere, I can think as blurry as any other human resources about how you explained this possibility.

I thought I'd go hunting in the meadows.

Show him the bow on his left hand and say.

"... you're heavily armed."

"Not really. It's normal."

I said it out in the face, and walked away from the blackness and the spot.

It's the stables where they keep the sasquatches. With the village walrus, he takes out Sasquatch, who was falling asleep and relaxing and eating hay, and leaves the village.

The sound of a hoof approaching from behind Kay's back, where Kay was wondering if he could even grasp the surrounding terrain as he hunted through the trees.

"Hey, Kay."

It was Mandel who had crossed the village's waste horse that had chased him.

"Kronen told me. … you're going hunting."

Mandel, accompanied by Kay, who slowed down, stared straight at Kay's face,

"……… May I go too?

†††

Kay, who ran around the meadow to grasp the terrain and then also planted a raven, was turning back to the village with Mandel.

Hold tight, set foot in the village's waste horse, and the Kays slowly move on to the tree.

"……… Uhm."

Shaken by the saddle of a bareback, Mandell roared with one hand a short bow that didn't turn up until the end.

"Kay is amazing.... Normally, hunting this many ravens takes more time"

Beat the ravioli that came together in the saddle and pounded it.

"Really?

"Yes. … normally."

Mandel shrugged her shoulders small to Kay's attitude, which was too flat.

Originally, meadow rabbits are not that easy to hunt.

First of all, it's hard to discover. Although the number of inhabitants is high, it is very difficult to see them when they hide behind the grass because they have smaller bodies than the species that live in the wild mountains.

And even if I were found, this time it would be harder to finish with a bow. The meadow rabbit is very timid, and when you acknowledge the proximity of an organism bigger than yourself, you immediately escape. Mandel says it is more common to use traps than bows to ensure that meadow rays are retained.

"With all these bow arms, you would pull them, both as hunters and warriors. … you can eat enough just to hunt"

"…… I guess."

"I suppose so. This is amazing, Kay. … you can provide for your family at any time with your own arms."

"I see.... family, huh?"

To Mandel's words, Kay looks up.

"What about Mandel, the family?

"Now, I live with my two daughters.... My wife died of a fever when she had her second daughter."

"That is……"

"No, that's okay. … it was ten years ago."

Mandel waved to Kay, who seemed sorry, not to care.

"My mother fell into epidemic disease before I got married.... My father was an active hunter until last year, and he was doing well."

Mandel, who rubbed his beard, looks behind the woods with a quiet eye.

"One day, as soon as I went out to the woods and said, 'I'm going around for a little while,' I didn't come back. I can't find one of the artifacts, one of the bones, even if I look.... Well, it's not such a rare story that people get swallowed up in the woods. I decided to think he was dead."

"Is that so?"

"Well, here's what I am.... What about Kay?

"Is this my family…………"

Kay looks far away when Mandel tells the story and shakes him on the horse. How many years ago was the last time I met my family in person?

"To my father, to my mother, I have one brother. It was nothing like a normal family."

"Ordinary family, huh?

Mandel's eyes are suspicious.

With this, Leo will be able to establish himself as the fourth faction in the current three-ways succession war.

But without wishing to do so, Kay just nodded.

Really, the word 'flat out' suited me, it was a normal family. Rather, it feels like in that 'normal', only Kay's presence was floating.

To the father of a salaried man with a slightly weak spot, a well looked after mother who worked part time.

As for my brother, who tended to pull it off, he said, "If I was like my brother, I could have played a thoughtful game." I don't know what I'm doing now because I haven't heard from Kay properly since he ran out of time.

"Hey, Kay. … Is Kay from the people of the meadows?"

and Mandel asks where he was putting his thoughts on his original life.

…… Uh, that's, "

Since I hadn't thought about the "settings" there yet, Kay was stuck with the aggressive answer. If you were to answer the choice of origin when setting up the game and making characters, you could have said 'people of the meadows'.

"No, if you can't tell me, fine."

But Mandel can quickly pull in his remarks about how he interpreted Kay's hesitation.

"You're talking to yourself. Well, I don't know why you're dressed as a meadow folk. … at a time when there is no tribal tattoo on his face, at least he has not received an adult ritual, he is definitely an outsider."

That's what they say, and I reach out to my face unexpectedly. At the same time, NPC of the meadow people in the game remembered that they had all had tattoos on their faces.

This way, and Mandel looks at Kay on the side. Kay remained silent and encouraged the conversation to continue with her eyes.

"It's been over a decade now. To Lord Krause of" Wolvern ", who ruled the Darya meadow strip, the people of the meadow wreaked civil strife, whether to show deference or not.... there are many people in the plains who have suffered all that strife. Because of this, the people of the meadows are not receiving very well."

"……… Hmm."

"For once, even now that the settlement has been reached, they can still rub it between the tribes, and I hear that there are people in the meadows who work the iniquity of banditry. They don't take hostages. Grievances are also easy to buy. That's why. … If I were to travel through the Lilleil region, I would be careful not to dress as a meadow folk."

"…… I see."

When I first entered the village, I was convinced that even though I was on alert, the attitude of the villagers was hostile if I did it, for some reason.

Although many of Kay's wrapped protective equipment originally belonged to the "meadow people" style, this was simply because the character originated from the meadow people and a familiar leather protective equipment artisan preferred such designs.

Kay's preference was for distinctive prints and ways of using more blade decorations, but if that affects others, the story changes.

"If so, should I remove this blade ornament or something?"

"Right, that would mostly... somehow make it better. I think it's okay to keep the helmet."

The distinctive decorations attached to the various parts of the leather armor, especially the shoulder area, play a role in creating an exotic atmosphere. Just taking this off would look a lot more qualitative.

"……… and stop using the face cloth, that one is obviously suspicious"

"Yes, you are."

Facecloth had the advantage of not being read in combat, but it might be better to remove it for normal travel.

Kay takes a small sigh of relief when she thinks about it. Nevertheless, I had no idea that the people of the meadows hated me here.

"Thank you, Mandel. I don't know what's going on there."

"I thought so.... Never mind."

…… Nothing, I'm not hiding my origins, but Eileen and I are a little special. It's harder than not being able to explain. Sorry. "

"No, fine. … so don't worry about it"

With an unpretentious attitude, Mandel waved flirtatiously.

The compassion that kindly advised such a stranger to himself, hurts.

The bandit thing broke through my brain. Kay's heart is filled with indescribable sorrow.

Mandel sees Kay's dark, depressed face with a worried expression.

"…… yes, Kay. I wanted to ask you one thing."

"Mm, what is it?

"That bow. …… let me touch it."

"Yeah. It's cheap."

To Mandel, who turns an intriguing gaze, Kay hands-on "Dragon Scale Throughout" from side to side.

The moment I received it, Mandel's hand jumped. Ho, and Mandel raised his voice low, his eyes rounded at the lightness of the bow that betrayed his appearance.

And enough to betray that lightness,

"Gu......"

Stiff. A mandel with a "dragon scale through" attempted to draw a string in a breath. A bow that lifts the stiffness. Mandel squeezed close to his chest, however, turning his face bright red couldn't keep it, and immediately undone the string.

"What tension. It is very unusable for me.... Thought I'd cut a thousand fingers."

"If you use it without gloves, the meat on your fingers will become a mess."

The most damaging thing you can do with a bow is pull a string of fingers. The tension of the "dragon scale through" is especially stronger than that of a normal bow. The pain didn't exist in the game, so even my bare hands could handle it until the meat on my fingers shredded off, but if it was real, it wouldn't be something I could use in pain.

"But with this lightness this tension. I've never even seen the texture of the skin on the surface.... What the hell is this bow made of?"

That's more of an exclamation than a question. Kay, who pushed and killed his apologies and couldn't help but smile small,

"It uses the tendon of the flying dragon (Wyburn) to frame the arm tree of the ancient tree giant (Elder Trent). The epidermis is the skin membrane of the wings of the dragon."

To the words I answered honestly, for a moment, Mandell, who stopped moving, looked twice at the bow in his hand.

……

He slowly returns "dragon scales through" to Kay in a fascinating way.

"…… That's a hell of a substitute."

"You believe that?

"There is no reason to be in charge of me here, and this bow is too monstrous to be called a lie. … and,"

Fool, Mandel's eyes went away.

"-" Dragon scale armor, "" Dragon Skyle Mail, "which Lord Krause was wearing as a costume of war, and the color of this bow's epidermis is exactly the same."

"Lord Krause is... noble, isn't he? You've met him before?

"No, I've just seen it in the long run. … more than ten years ago."

I miss it, and I miss it somewhere. Mandel smiled thinly at the edge of his mouth, shrugging his shoulders small.

"No, still, Kay is amazing. I have no idea how valuable the bow is. A warrior capable of obeying the Spirit of the Wind, with the Dragon's Zhu strong bow in his hand? He emerges from the midnight darkness of the Crescent Moon, conquers the bandits of evil, and saves the lives of Reiki Girl. … the bard seems to like it"

It was like a fairy tale, and Mandel laughed quietly.

- It's not that splendid.

If you're the protagonist of a fairy tale, you'll even defeat evil as it is.

"I see."

Pushing up emotions to kill.

Kay could only smile like a pull.