episode_0006

As the day darkened, Victor and Maesa set up their truck for camping.

The open field, about 2km away from the building forest, was today’s camping spot. They had camped at this field before and had never been attacked. There was a nearby stream with clean water, making it easy to fetch water.

They unloaded three sleeping bags and cooking utensils from the truck and arranged them on the field. With minimal items taken out for camping due to their familiarity and quick mobility, setting up the campsite was a breeze.

For dinner that night, they had instant pasta with tomato sauce and canned pickles. It was one of the food items they had found near the food warehouse in the vicinity of Libreville a long time ago. The preservation techniques of the ancient people were far superior compared to other technologies, making the food safe to eat even after many years.

Although preserved foods, including canned goods, were produced in the grocery factory owned by Manchester, the taste of the ancient people’s products far surpassed those from Manchester, despite being nearly twice as expensive. Many people sought out the ancient-style preserved foods.

The nobles among the Ameha people, who primarily consumed dishes made from locally sourced fresh and nutritious agricultural products, looked down upon these preserved foods as the fare of the poor. However, Eliza found great value in preserved foods as she traveled around the Ameha region in her van.

Vegetables and meat favored by the nobles would quickly spoil and were unsuitable for long journeys. Eliza carried a small refrigerator but had no space for food as she used it to preserve ingredients for alchemy and animal materials.

The three of them sat around the fire they used for cooking, holding plates and eating pasta and pickles.

Eliza, dressed in Maesa’s gray t-shirt and black shorts (both tight in certain areas, and Maesa’s bra didn’t fit Eliza at all), shoveled tomato pasta from the plate into her mouth with a fork, prompting Maesa to laugh and say, “You must have been really hungry.”

With tomato sauce smeared around her mouth, Eliza replied, “I only had a wheat bar for breakfast, so I couldn’t eat anything else.”

“Wheat bar… Are you someone who pursues extreme efficiency in areas like meals and survival?” Maesa asked, smiling.

Eliza shook her head. “There was nothing else left to eat, so I had no choice. Putting that tasteless thing in my mouth was an insult to my taste buds.”

“I like it. But so many people dislike it that when I say this, they look at me strangely,” Maesa said, picking multiple pickles with her fork and eating them.

“Victor, can I ask something?” Eliza inquired, feeling a sense of foreboding.

“Yes. If it’s a question I can answer, I’ll do so sincerely,” Victor replied calmly.

“It might be better not to ask,” Victor advised Maesa before she could respond, but Eliza shook her head.

“No. Keeping it to myself would drive me crazy. Experiencing that fear alone…” Eliza trailed off, her voice heavy with emotion.

“Yeah. It’s better to speak up and feel relieved. I was really curious about your story anyway. What did you encounter or go through that left you unconscious under the scorching sun on the road?”

Eliza opened her mouth and began to calmly recount the events that had taken place at noon today. From saving a young nun on the brink of being attacked by Ailenees to realizing she had transformed into a woman.

Victor didn’t show it outwardly, but internally he thought, “I knew this would happen. It’s better not to know everything.”

Like Victor, Maisa also pondered, but she was drawn to the girl Eliza referred to as the fairy princess whom she encountered in a fantasy before Eliza fainted.

That girl resembled the vanished fairies who once ruled Earth, especially ‘Hada de Sangre,’ the noblest among them.

What could the tarot reading of that nun signify? Was it an indication that the shining era where everyone could frolic carefree was returning, or…

(Shut your trap before I rip it apart.)

“Your complexion doesn’t look good… I’m sorry. Because of me, you ended up knowing things you shouldn’t have.”

“No, no. It was such a bizarre story that it’s hard to express, but it was fine. Yeah, probably.”

Maisa pretended to be okay, enduring a headache to reassure the dark-faced Eliza.

“…I’m sorry.”

Eliza apologized once again.

“No, I’m fine!”

“Maisa, you’ve been having frequent headaches lately. Hasn’t it been happening since a month ago?”

“It’s just simple headaches. Don’t worry, there’s no problem.”

Victor continued to worry.

“What if the lady from the vegetable shop passed away from a brain tumor? She used to mention her severe headaches until she collapsed and died.”

“A brain tumor… Our mother also suffered from that disease before passing away.”

Victor, with a surprised expression, said to Eliza,

“Really? I’m sorry. I brought up painful memories.”

“It’s okay. Besides a brain tumor, our mother suffered from various cancers. It was the result of excessive use of a body enhancement drug called ‘Blue Crown.’”

“Body enhancement drug?”

Eliza replied with a wry smile to Victor’s question.

“It’s a drug that temporarily strengthens the body. Our mother, who was an alchemist and skilled martial artist, frequently used various body enhancement drugs, and I inherited her alchemy skills.”

After finishing her words, Eliza observed the two’s reactions.

As mentioned earlier, alchemists were not viewed favorably in the Merbia region, and this sentiment worsened as one moved towards the borderlands.

If Victor and Maisa harbored strong biases and hatred towards alchemists, they could be chased away from the group or even face death.

Eliza thought that wouldn’t be so bad.

“An alchemist, huh. Hm… interesting.”

Maisa’s response was more friendly than expected.

“…Do you intend to kill us or something?”

Startled by those words, Maisa quickly responded, waving her hands.

“Why would anyone kill over that! There are alchemists in Libreville too! Did you think there wouldn’t be any just because it’s a rural area?”

This time, it was Eliza’s turn to be surprised.

“What? There are alchemists in Libreville too?”

“Yes. There’s a guy named Murian, a bit peculiar in character, but he gets along well with the villagers.”

“If it’s Murian… isn’t he the one who made strange noises on the carriage radio?”

“That’s right. The villagers all call him a witch and dislike him, but he’s not a bad guy.”

“A witch…”

Eliza pictured Murian, the alchemist with the cute name, by the campfire. When she heard his voice, she imagined a slender yet lively girl, but…

“I hope you get along well with Murian.”

Victor advised Eliza firmly.

“What?”

“The Murian evaluation isn’t that great. Preferring to avoid contact with people and going around killing outsiders they don’t like while spouting nonsense about Manchester’s chaotic magical laws.”

“Eek.”

Eliza’s expression turned sour upon hearing Maisa’s indifferent words.

Manchester’s magical laws were filled with nonsensical clauses that defied common sense, leading to many wizards exploiting them to kill people and brazenly escape justice.

“Still, I’d like to have a chat with this Murian person. I haven’t seen another alchemist in five years.”

“I’ll hold out for about ten minutes, then scream and run away, stashing five cans of canned food. What about you, Victor?”

“I’ll last five minutes.”

The trio continued exchanging various stories—updates on Libra and Amehain, encounters with bizarre beings while wandering the wasteland, and more. As they joyfully conversed, Eliza’s terrifying experience and Maisa’s inexplicable headaches gradually drifted from the conversation topics.

Mid-conversation, Victor checked the sports watch strapped to his left wrist. It was 10 o’clock at night.

“It’s about time we hit the hay. Ten o’clock.”

“Already getting ready for bed? I’m still wide awake.”

“I’m feeling a bit sleepy too. I’ll wash up and hit the sack.”

“Well, I guess I should turn in too. Let’s just decide on the order of using the bathroom and washing up quickly.”

They settled on the order by playing rock-paper-scissors. Eliza would go first for the bathroom, followed by Maisa and then Victor. The washing order was Eliza, Victor, and then Maisa.

“…Darn, I wanted to wash up first.”

Maisa grumbled before clinging to Victor.

“Victor? Can’t you shower with me? We’ve already seen each other naked.”

“…I guess there’s no helping it.”

In the end, they decided to shower together.

Eliza reminisced about fetching water from the stream with Maisa’s borrowed sponge, soap, and towel. It took roughly 20 minutes to reach the pond… Considering the distance, she figured she wouldn’t be disturbed while bathing or sleeping due to any moaning sounds.

The dense bushes and the cries of crickets welcoming the night would provide enough cover.

Arriving at the riverside, Eliza neatly laid out her clothes after removing her outerwear and undergarments (she couldn’t borrow a bra due to mismatched sizes, forcing her to endure Maisa’s frightening gaze while changing). She then placed her flashlight, gun holster hanging from her belt, and body enhancement potions on top.

Eliza gazed down at her naked self. Her large breasts with pink nipples made it hard to see her feet clearly.

“Ugh…”

Eliza’s face flushed. She had seen women naked more than a few times and had experienced intimacy several times, but she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed every time.

“…Is this how I have to live my life forever?”

With a gloomy mood, Eliza dipped the sponge into the cold stream and soaked it in water.

“Just this morning, I was riding in a van…”

It hadn’t even been a day since Eliza’s constructed identity of 23 years had crumbled in an instant. Since the day her family was wiped out, her sense of self had been wavering, but now the nun had completely collapsed. It was mercilessly shaking Eliza’s mind to its core.

While they managed to laugh and chatter in front of others, once alone, melancholy and helplessness flooded in.

*Sob*

Eliza placed the sponge on the ground and sat down, starting to cry.

“Why… why…”

Eventually, Eliza broke down. From the prince of Amehain sentencing Rustaga to extinction in the trial to sparing herself due to a small favor, banishing Eliza to the cursed wasteland, Kristina had shattered Eliza’s spirit, leaving her feeling desolate.

“Please live, Lady Eliza.” Those were the last words she left him with. Consumed by anger born from jealousy, Eliza found herself wanting to strangle Christina.

She cursed the nun who introduced herself as Lisa Plague, for her corruption and incompetence that led to the downfall of the family, cursing her father and stepmother, the first dominoes in the family’s ruin. She resented the ignorant stepsisters who tormented Christina, making matters worse.

She even resented her mother, who gave birth to her in this world, loved her, and ultimately laid the foundation for what she had become.

“Nobles are truly selfish,” Lisa sneered in Eliza’s delusions.

“If the nobleman had abandoned you and left cruelly, none of this would have happened. If he had not rushed off to Libra without looking back and met your mother’s old friend, you would have had a much better future than now. Why do you blame innocent people after making the wrong choice? The Bible also says, ‘Do not shift the blame onto others.’

Who was asked to imitate the good Samaritan?

The current situation is solely a result of the nobleman’s own choices.”

“Sob… H-huhuhu….”

Eliza wiped away tears with her hands, containing anger, fear, self-loathing, and sadness within her.

Two beings silently observed Eliza. One hid in the bushes, waiting for the right moment, while the other stood silently across the stream. Eliza did not realize that neither of them was watching her.

“……”

The one who appeared more human-like among the two approached Eliza.

The sound of footsteps on the grass reached Eliza’s ears. She lifted her head towards the source of the sound.

“……”

On the other side of the stream stood a fairy princess.