Ch.58Promoted to a City (3)

I thought I must have seen wrong.

There’s no way Alreina could be here in this situation, right?

Back then, after catching the Scarlet Dragon, she told me to find the Witch of Sighs.

Whether it was a dream or whatever, there’s an entire ocean between Alreina and me.

No matter how I calculate it, Alreina being here right now doesn’t make any sense at all.

Then am I dead? Did I die instantly after being hit by the Mountain Worm’s tail?

“Mister. Are you okay?”

As I stared blankly, Alreina asked.

“Yeah… I’m fine… But…”

“I’m glad. There’s not much time. Mister, listen carefully.”

Alreina, kneeling on one knee, said.

“Just as you told me, I met the Witch of Sighs and trained with her.”

“Well done, Alreina.”

“Now I’ll continue following the strategy guide. So mister, always take care of yourself. I’ll come back here again…”

As the flash of light faded, Alreina, who was reaching out to caress my face, disappeared.

All I could see was the dust obscuring the early summer blue sky. And the three women covering me.

“Ugh…”

Mirella groaned as she slowly got up.

“Brother… are you okay…?”

“Are you okay?”

“As you can see…”

Though covered in dirt, fortunately Mirella appeared to have no major issues from the outside.

“Guardian Angel. It seems you’re safe.”

Liberone moved aside with her armor clanking.

“Phew…”

Adelheid Remugen stepped back while expressionlessly dusting off her clothes.

The 2nd Division Captain crawled over on all fours, grabbed Adelheid’s shoulders and shook her.

“Captain! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine.”

“Hueeeng! Thank goodness!!”

What on earth happened here?

The Mountain Worm was definitely moving toward the village and its tail was flying this way.

Then there was a flash of light and Alreina appeared…

“Mountain Worm!”

I jumped up and stood there with my mouth stupidly hanging open.

What in the world…?

The mountain was gone.

The long, majestic ridge that jutted out from the mountain range, gradually getting lower as it approached the village.

The middle of it had been blown away completely as if shot by a gun.

Between the ridge with a huge circular hole was a perfectly disconnected flat ground.

And in between lay the corpse of the Mountain Worm, cut in half and dead.

“Eek?!”

As blood flowed from the Mountain Worm’s cross-section, the knights frantically fled to avoid touching it.

“Did Alreina… really come and go…?”

“What are you talking about?”

Mirella asked about my muttering.

“Huh? Didn’t you see? Alreina was here.”

“Alreina… that girl…?”

A look of deep suspicion appeared on Mirella’s face.

“Maybe you saw a hallucination right before dying?”

“A hallucination?”

“There’s no way that girl could come here, right? And I was covering your body the whole time but I didn’t see anything!”

The last part was almost a shout.

After yelling, Mirella turned away angrily and ran off alone toward the village.

“What did you see, Guardian Angel?”

“I saw Alreina. The silver-haired warrior I told you about before.”

“I see. I clearly remember you saying she was across the ocean.”

“That’s right… But if it wasn’t her, then who could have done this?”

I pointed at the evaporated mountain.

“Could you have done it, Liberone?”

“I was completely focused on putting up a defensive barrier for you, Guardian Angel. I couldn’t pay any attention to that direction. And holy power cannot do something like that.”

It wasn’t Adelheid, and it wasn’t the 2nd Division Captain, and there’s no way any of the knights had that kind of power. And it wasn’t me either.

Then what on earth blew away the mountain like that and cut the adult Mountain Worm in half?

If it wasn’t Alreina, there’s no explanation. But even if it was Alreina, it still doesn’t make sense.

Maybe it’s similar to what happened with the Scarlet Dragon last time. Like a dream or illusion.

No, that doesn’t explain the mountain being blown away.

My head hurts. Let’s put aside Alreina’s matter for now.

“Is everyone alright?! Please check for any injuries!”

Fortunately, everyone was safe except for minor scratches.

“This strange monster has completely stopped breathing.”

Liberone reported while crushing the Mountain Worm’s eye with her sword.

Good. Everyone’s fine.

But what’s that?

I can see the 2nd Division Captain suspiciously looking around and dragging Adelheid toward the broken part of the mountain range.

“Captain. Come quickly, quickly.”

The 2nd Division Captain whispered quietly to Adelheid.

“This looks like a very rare gem. If we take just one piece and run, it should be enough.”

The 2nd Division Captain picked up a stone rolling on the ground at the bottom of the evaporated mountain’s cross-section and handed it to Adelheid.

“What’s that?”

When I asked from right behind them, Adelheid flinched, her shoulders jerking as if hiccupping, and dropped the stone.

I gaped at the stone that split in half when it hit the ground.

Inside the broken part of the stone, a colorful universe unfolded.

This… this is Gambrinite…?!

Wait, wait. Gambrinite?

I came to my senses and ran to the cross-section that had become an artificial vertical cliff.

At the bottom, almost touching the ground—in other words, the underground that would have required digging dozens of meters if the mountain were still there.

Gambrinite was embedded like stars everywhere, emitting its own light.

This… this is… how much…

Gambrinite.

According to the setting, it’s the second hardest mineral and the most expensive one.

Just mining and selling what’s visible now would easily cover the village’s budget for ten years!

Those crazy game developers hid Gambrinite in the Starting Village?

“Jack! Jack! Look over here!”

The knights urgently called me from the opposite cross-section that I had my back to.

When I turned around, there were colorful stones there too.

That’s iron ore, that’s copper, and that’s gold…?!

* * * * *

“Mister…”

Alreina slowly opened her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek.

In the corner of a half-collapsed stone building.

Alreina, who had fallen into a brief nap with her back against the collapsed wall, met the mister in her dream.

For some reason, the mister was being attacked by an adult Mountain Worm.

When the Mountain Worm’s tail flew toward the mister, three women rushed in to shield him with their bodies.

A red-haired girl, a knight in armor with blonde hair, and a short-haired woman emanating a bad aura.

Alreina descended before the mister who was being protected by the women, and brought down her sword that she had raised above her head.

The magical power that exploded from the tip of Alreina’s sword created a savage vortex that blew away both the Mountain Worm and the mountain behind it.

A violent force that even changed the terrain. The result of 20 years of training in the Subspace of Sighs.

“Mister. Are you okay?”

In the dazzling flash of magical light, Alreina looked back at the mister.

“Yeah… I’m fine… But…”

“I’m glad. There’s not much time. Mister, listen carefully.”

Alreina, kneeling on one knee, said.

“Just as you told me, I met the Witch of Sighs and trained with her.”

“Well done, Alreina.”

“Now I’ll continue following the strategy guide. So mister, always take care of yourself. I’ll come back here again…”

The moment she reached out to touch his face, the mister disappeared.

And she woke up from her dream.

Alreina looked at her hand that couldn’t touch the mister’s face.

I couldn’t tell him after all.

To wait for me until I return to the Starting Village again.

I couldn’t say that.

[Grrrrrrrr-]

An unidentifiable sound came from the darkness.

Alreina slowly rose and drew her sword.

Bluish magical power wrapped around the blade, instantly brightening the surroundings.

The monsters approaching Alreina flinched at the light and backed away.

I want to see the mister again.

Even in a dream, I want to touch the mister’s face.

To ask him to wait for me, not to forget me.

That someday when all adventures are over, I’ll definitely return to him.

I’ll return when I’m strong enough and grown up, so please accept me.

I want to tell him that.

I miss you, mister.

* * * * *

“Mi-Mirella!”

The administrator who had been pacing at the eastern entrance of the village waiting for Jack called out when he saw Mirella walking alone from that direction.

“Jack, what happened to Jack…?!”

“He’s alive…”

“Ah, Mirella… you…”

Mirella quietly entered the village, shaking off the administrator’s hand that was grabbing her arm.

“Mirella! Mirella! I just heard a tremendous noise!”

Brasya came bouncing over with several pigs, her body jiggling.

“What’s going on? What happened over there… Eh… are you crying…?”

Mirella walked past Brasya, tears streaming down her face.

I was the one who protected brother with my body.

But brother is only talking about that girl called Alreina.

If it really was a hallucination he saw before dying, it means that in the end, only that girl is in brother’s heart.

I’ve been hovering around brother all this time, but in the end I’m nothing…

“Mirella, Mirella. Why are you crying? Hm?”

Only Brasya, who didn’t understand the situation, followed Mirella and asked worriedly.