TNZKMA 126

１２６

 

We ate the cate and ras, and now we’re leaving the forest with some cate as a souvenir.

During this time of year, which is like having one foot in the monster season, the rate of monster appearances was crazy. Saine said it was because we were deep in the forest. Apparently, we crossed the path of some incredibly strong monsters several times, as Dole had taught us. Luckily, we didn’t encounter any.

Strong monsters are dangerous, but in a way, they also provide safety. They keep weaker monsters away.

So, in the territory of strong monsters, we didn’t encounter any other creatures. When we strayed off the path, swarms of lesser creatures appeared, but none dared come near the stronger monsters’ domain.

I walked alongside Saine, who was carrying the cate. It was still early morning, and we’d reach the town by noon. The bugs I had bought earlier were probably spoiled by now, so we’d have to hit the market first. I’d buy some more bugs and rice.

Before heading to the market, I’ll have Saine butcher the cate, and we’ll take the meat to Haruka’s husband. Then tomorrow night, we can have grilled meat.

I chuckled to myself but then suddenly realized something.

“Hey, what happened with Dole’s Ceremony?”

“It should be over by now. If a reincarnated man showed up, I’ll laugh,” 

Saine slightly smiled mischievously. They were close, after all.

“If it’s a reincarnated guy who died young like me, we’d probably be friends. I was waiting to eat with him if the Ceremony failed and he popped up. How long has it been since then, anyway…?”

“You fell on the final day of the Ceremony, didn’t you? Then it’s been three days.”

“Three days?! I met you yesterday, so that means I was in the underground passage for about two days… No wonder I was so hungry.”

I had eaten most of the ras that Saine had caught for me. We also ate a whole cate between the two of us in one sitting. I ate the white fruit that the moving tree gave me too, and finally, I felt back to normal.

Rather, it felt like I had more strength than ever.

“I hope Dole’s Ceremony was a success.”

That weird blue crest still bothers me, though.

“Yeah.”

Saine is really thoughtful when it comes to his friends. He smiled softly and nodded.

At the farm, a red-and-white celebratory cow mooed, as if congratulating Dole’s Ceremony success. This was the fifth time I had passed this road. Were there fewer cows than usual today?

As we got closer to the town, I started to feel like something was off. There were a lot of people gathered in the vacant lot on the outskirts.

“Saine?”

Saine took hold of my hand. When I looked up, his pitch-black eyes were as alert as they were when we were in the forest.

“Stay close to me.”

He gave the order in a low voice, and I nodded. Even I could tell this wasn’t normal. The people in the vacant lot didn’t look happy or relaxed. They all seemed tired, sitting there.

“Oh! You’re safe!? Thank goodness… If something had happened to you while Saine wasn’t around, I would have… I would have…”

The old man from next door spotted me as I walked through the path between the vacant lots, trying to enter the town. He came running over, almost tripping over himself.

“Grandpa! What’s going on?”

“You don’t know? Monsters appeared in the town!”

“What!? How!?”

“I don’t know how, but it was sudden… I managed to escape from the East-East section, but the people in the East-West section…”

Grandpa trailed off and closed his eyes in pain, unable to continue.

“So, if there were casualties in the East-West section, did the monsters come from the West section?”

“I don’t know. This area is where the people from the East section have gathered, so I don’t know about the other sections. But someone who came from the Southeast section said that people from the South section are also taking refuge in the vacant lot.”

“I see…”

Saine went quiet, as if deep in thought, and then looked at me.

“Mind if I give the old man some cate? Looks like he’s starving.”

“Yeah! Of course! Grandpa, eat some cate and get your strength back!”

How long had it been since they last ate? Everyone here seemed hungry.

“That’d be a big help! I haven’t eaten anything in three days!”

At a glance, there were around 300 people gathered nearby. If there were people in every vacant lot surrounding the town, one cate wouldn’t be enough to make a difference. But it was better than nothing.

Though the old man and others tried to stop him, Saine headed into the town. Naturally, I followed. Saine seemed hesitant but decided to take me along. He must’ve been weighing which was more dangerous—the inside or outside of the town. In the end, he must’ve decided they were equally risky.

“Don’t leave my side.”

Saine said it again. Right now, when we had no idea what was happening, the safest place for me was by his side. I nodded and stuck close to him.

We entered the East-East section. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The streets were just as empty as always.

But…

“The sheep aren’t here.”

I murmured softly. The sheep weren’t here, nor were the old goats. There were no stray horses, dogs, cats, or even birds.

“They’re more sensitive to the presence of monsters than humans. They must have fled.” 

His words reassured me as we walked along the eerily quiet road without the animals.

Even though the streets were usually empty, I felt really uneasy. I’d thought it was quiet before, but now I realized there had always been sounds—birds chirping, goats and sheep bleating. Now, there was no sound at all. It was true silence. And more than anything, the wind wasn’t blowing.

“Saine… there’s no wind.”

Saine nodded at my observation. It had been a year since I reincarnated here, and this was the first time there hadn’t been any wind.