episode_0027

“Hoo… It’s still just forest. Are you alright?”

“Yes~ No problem at all! If you’re tired, would you like to ride on my back?”

“…No.”

Would a man really ride on a woman’s back…? Still, I am a bit tired. We’ve been walking through nothing but forest for five hours now… The sun has already set because of it. Phew… Did we get lost? No matter how far we go, this forest never ends.

“Ugh… Let’s sleep here tonight. I’ll set up the tent.”

“Understood~ Then I’ll prepare dinner~”

Wandering through the forest late at night is akin to asking to be killed… So, there’s no choice but to get some proper sleep here tonight. I took the tent out of my backpack and set it up under a tree. Aria lit a campfire and was making a stew with water, seasonings, vegetables, and dried meat.

“It’s stew made with dried Garuda meat that I caught last time!”

“Uh… Garuda…”

…I still remember it vividly. A Garuda is a type of flying bird and a powerful magical beast. How did Aria catch something that flies? Aria threw a stone to draw the Garuda’s attention, then struck the descending Garuda with her golden staff, catching it in one blow. The Garuda’s talons, known for their strength, were rendered useless. Moreover, she caught it so cleanly that a crystal stone, not a magic stone, came out from inside the Garuda.

“Huh… How on earth did you catch that? I’ve trained too, but I thought a Garuda was impossible.”

“Hehehe… Zeke-nim, you like Garuda meat, don’t you? I kept thinking about how happy you would be when you ate that meat, and that’s how I caught the Garuda!”

“I… I see.”

“So, Zeke-nim, you don’t have to worry about anything; just keep me by your side! If… the moment Zeke-nim’s eyes turn to another woman…!!”

“Mo… Moment…?”

“Pfft… That won’t happen, right! But if it does, I’m going to lightly scold you~!”

…That’s absolutely not ‘light scolding.’ Surely, ‘lightly scolding’ means lightly hitting me with that golden staff? But considering Aria’s strength, while it might be a light attack from her perspective, from mine, it’s like a rock falling!

“Oh my~ Why are you suddenly making such a frightened face?”

“…That ‘lightly’ surely means with the golden staff…”

“Yes~ Just a little bit! I’ll hit you~”

“…To me, that’s death…”

“I know~”

…She’s even scarier when she says that… I started eating to forget, but I couldn’t tell if I was eating with my mouth or my nose. I wonder if I’ll get an upset stomach from this… because I’m too scared to eat slowly… I’m asexual. Just as Aria worries, I have no intention of getting a lover. Yet, it’s still scary… After that terrifying time passed, the next day dawned. We were still passing through the forest.

“Still the forest… It seems we’ve lost our way.”

“Oh my… What should we do then?”

“Well… it seems we won’t be able to visit Probellitu. Even if we keep going this way, it probably won’t appear…”

“Yay…!!”

“Huh?”

I heard Aria’s small cheer. Did she really want us not to visit the elf village of Probellitu that much…? When she saw me looking, Aria pretended not to notice and started whistling. Oh, come on… If an elf were to flirt with me, you’d half-kill them anyway… Not that I want that to happen.

“Hmm… Still, as we passed, I recorded what kind of plants were growing. As soon as I know where we are, I’ll mark it on the map.”

“Hmm… Should I climb a tree and find out where we are?”

“There’s no real need for that. Well… it’s possible we might have accidentally left the Criton region.”

“Honestly, you don’t care, do you…?”

“Well… I wouldn’t welcome just going around in circles like this either, but… Huh?”

As I walked forward, looking at the map, I saw a rocky terrain appearing through the trees. That meant… we hadn’t been going straight, but steadily west. As a result, we arrived at the completely unexpected Ogphoslia.

“This is… Ogphoslia.”

“It is~ But you don’t mind, do you?”

“That’s true. In that case, it’s as if we’ve explored all the forest we passed through. I even prefer it. We won’t have to visit that forest again.”

“Then how will you get to the next destination?”

“Let’s see… The closest place from here is… Probellitu again?”

“…Tsk.”

…She clicked her tongue again… Of all places, Probellitu is a forest located to the east of Ogphoslia, so it’s practically the same. But since we’ve arrived at Ogphoslia, we should explore all of it, right? Ogphoslia isn’t that vast in area, so we should be able to cover it all in about four days.

“First, let’s explore Ogphoslia thoroughly. We need to find out what kind of creatures live here too.”

“Yes… But we have to leave for Probellitu soon… Sigh… If the elves discover Zeke-nim’s charm… with this golden staff, the elves…!!”

“….”

I no longer have the strength to stop her. Why is she so jealous…? Ugh… We need to quickly explore Probellitu and then go to Croa Spring… For some reason, I started continuing through Ogphoslia with the overly enthusiastic Aria. Hmm… A dry wind is definitely blowing. It’s similar to the Radere Mountains. And the weather seems slightly warmer than the Magrion region too.

“Aria, I’ll walk while taking notes. Call me if anything happens.”

“Ah… Z-Zeke-nim is relying on me… It’s an honor! I’ll do my best to watch your front and back!”

“Uh… uh…”

…But why is her face turned towards me…? Her gaze is a bit overwhelming… Ugh… Well, how many times have I taken notes under this gaze…? I endured Aria’s gaze with effort and began to write.

Ogphoslia is generally dry. The weather isn’t very cold, and only small grasses grow among the plants. The rocks have a light brown color, and magical beasts are rarely seen. Ogphoslia doesn’t have such a magnificent view during the day, but…

“Hmm… I’ll only know the rest when night falls.”

“Why?”

“Because they say Ogphoslia has a beautiful view at night. For now, I’ll write this part later… But it’s strange. Are magical beasts normally this invisible?”

“Hmm… That’s true. Magical beasts didn’t appear in the forest earlier either. Could it be that magical beasts can’t live here?”

“If that’s the case, then it’s the safest place in the world… Why don’t humans know about its existence?… Wait a moment.”

I noticed something strange and unfolded the map. This… there’s no detailed explanation on the map? This is clearly a human-made map, but… Should I have asked people around about the Criton region? Looking at the map, I can’t tell what’s here…

“This might be dangerous. This map… only has terrain names written on it. Well… it does show what races gather where, but… what is this ominous feeling?”

“Don’t worry~ Have you forgotten that you have me, Zeke-nim? As long as I’m here, no danger can threaten Zeke-nim!”

“…That’s true. But you be careful too, Aria. Even though you’re strong… I still worry about you… even if you’re a little scary.”

“Z-Zeke-nim is… is worrying about me…!!”

“…Is this the first or second time I’ve worried about you…? Isn’t it about time you stopped that?”

“Zeke-nim says it every time… but it still feels like the first time every time~ Ahh… This Aria can never overcome Zeke-nim’s tenderness, I feel like I’m going to collapse here~”

Right… I think this every time too, but if you’re happy, then it’s fine… Anyway… since there are no magical beasts around, I guess I’ll have to cook with dried meat for dinner tonight… By the way, perhaps because Aria has been cooking for me lately, my cooking skills, which I’d improved for exploration, seem to have disappeared. Well… the physical training I did for exploration has already become meaningless because of Aria anyway…

“Oh! Zeke-nim! Look over there!”

“Huh? Ohh…”

They said there was only a beautiful view at night… but there’s a beautiful view during the day too, isn’t there? The sight of Ogphoslia from atop the high hill was beauty itself. Because of the sunlight reflecting, all the rocky terrain of Ogphoslia looked as if it was glowing. It’s truly beautiful… Does that mean it’s even more beautiful at night?

“The scenery’s nice. The person who made the map probably admired this kind of scenery too.”

“Indeed… But seeing this view with Zeke-nim makes it twice as good for me!”

“…Well… I won’t particularly deny that. From your perspective, it probably seems that way.”

“…Zeke-nim. Do you still not love me?”

“…What if I say no?”

“Hehe… I won’t suddenly threaten you with a knife. Seeing precious Zeke-nim’s body get hurt would pain my heart too… Though, honestly, I do slightly feel like doing that…”

“…Could you please not say such gruesome things while looking at this scenery…?”

“Pff haha… Still, Zeke-nim. I’ll work hard to make you love me. Until then… and even after then… if there’s any woman trying to flirt with Zeke-nim, I will absolutely use this golden staff to hit her head…!”

“Why did the atmosphere suddenly turn like that?!”

“Hehe… This is my vow of love…!!”

It’s such a terrifying vow that I’m speechless!! Is this like…? When people marry, they vow to love until their hair turns white, or something like that?! How many months do I have to live hearing these words…? This is exactly that feeling. There’s something I dislike, but I can’t abandon it… and it’s not truly bad, so I can’t just cast it aside… I wish Aria’s common sense would return soon.

“Well… Shall we keep going for now?”

“Yes~ Zeke-nim! Ah, you need to eat!”

“Huh?”

Ah, my stomach is rumbling. It’s certainly lunchtime. Then Aria immediately took out a fire stone, lit a campfire, and began to cook over it. Her movements are incredibly fast… It’s a speed that makes me gasp in admiration no matter how many times I see it…

“Here, Zeke-nim! I made it with dried Garuda meat! It’s Garuda steak!”

“Hmm… So it’s not thoroughly dried, that’s why it’s so juicy… By the way, Aria. How much food do we have?”

“We can still last three days. Ah… You’re worried because there are no magical beasts nearby, aren’t you?”

“Exactly. I completely didn’t expect there to be no magical beasts around here. Now that I think about it, we don’t have much leeway. Let’s explore Ogphoslia as quickly as possible. That way we can also find food…”

“Won’t there be a village nearby?”

“I hope so…”

“Ah, you’re thinking there might not be any people in the Criton region at all, aren’t you?”

“Exactly. So far, there haven’t even been traces of people. Even in the Radere Mountains, there were signposts and made roads… but the forest we passed through and this Ogphoslia had nothing of the sort.”

“I see… Then we need to move quickly!”

“Yeah. Ah, I’ll enjoy the Garuda steak…!!”

Is this why I don’t dislike Aria? Damn, it’s delicious again. By the way, it’s completely different from the Garuda steak I’ve had before. It’s somehow softer and chewier. Is it because it’s slightly dried? Every time Aria sees me eating her cooking so deliciously, she eats the food she made with an ecstatic expression. It’s the same now…

“Aria, don’t just chew it roughly and swallow…”

“Hehe… Still, it’s more important for me to see Zeke-nim enjoying his meal.”

“Alright. Well… since you do everything for me, I’m not really in a position to say anything.”

“No! Zeke-nim’s words are important too! So please don’t say anything…”

“Alright. Thank you for the meal, Aria. Thank you again today.”

“Ehehe… You’re welcome~”

When I handed her the empty plate after finishing, Aria began to wipe the dish with a bright smile. Is there truly no one else in Aria’s heart but me…? No. That’s right. How much has she suffered for me until now…? Still, I can firmly believe that Aria has no intention of betraying me.

“Aria.”

“Yes?”

“My request not to just kill people. Do you remember?”

“Yes. I remember… But… I’m also afraid I might not be able to keep that promise. Whenever I see someone trying to harm Zeke-nim, I definitely want to kill them. Melian was an exception before. I put her in that state for you to vent your anger whenever Zeke-nim got angry.”

“You said before that you know what I dislike. So, I trust you. Even though you’re scary and extreme… I know that you genuinely want to grant my request.”

“…Thank you, Zeke-nim. Zeke-nim is truly a kind person.”

“Oh? Really? No matter how many times I hear it, I don’t think I am…”

“Yes. It’s a big problem that you’re so kind. It’s a big problem that Zeke-nim forgives other people so easily. Riera tried to manipulate Zeke-nim, and Melian was a woman who kidnapped Zeke-nim. Yet Zeke-nim easily forgives such women.”

“Sigh… Is that so. Still, there’s something I dislike. Shameless people. I dislike those kinds of people the most. In front of them, even I can become cruel.”

“Hmm… While I do want to see that side of Zeke-nim… I still prefer seeing the kind Zeke-nim. So, Zeke-nim… Anything difficult… just leave it all to me…!!!”

“Uh… uh… I mean, I’ll trust you, but…”

I’m afraid you might end up imprisoning me somewhere like this. If Aria’s mind becomes even more muddled to the point of not considering my exploration… Hmm… that would be a bit troublesome. Even after several months, I always have this thought. That way, I won’t let my guard down around Aria. While I was thinking this, Aria finished washing the dishes, put out the campfire, and packed up the luggage. When did she do all that? Was I thinking that deeply?

“It’s all done, Zeke-nim!”

“Alright. Let’s set off again now.”

I took my backpack, which Aria handed to me, and started walking again. Indeed, even looking around, no magical beasts were visible. The plants were only small grass-like ones, so they couldn’t be used as food. Hmm… To miss magical beasts at a time like this… it’s a bit ironic.

“I’ve been wondering since earlier. So, Zeke-nim dislikes people like slave traders, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. That’s right. That’s why I disliked Lobdom too. Same for Boska.”

“Hehe… Then, am I allowed to deal with those kinds of people…?”

“Sigh… Don’t just kill them; just subdue them… Shouldn’t they face the judgment of that place’s law?”

“Hmm… That seems like a lenient choice too. But since Zeke-nim wants that… then… I’ll wait for Zeke-nim to decide.”

“Alright. That much should be enough. That much. Well… let’s keep going north.”

“Yes~ What about other places?”

“We were going straight west and then the path turns north, and if we keep going straight east, we can visit all of Ogphoslia. And if we keep going in that direction, we can also get to Probellitu.”

“Understood~”

Aria took my hand and started walking excitedly. Seeing her so happy makes me feel good too. This might be why. The reason I don’t dislike Aria that much. Yeah… it’s not bad…?

“Huh…? Aria, isn’t that a village?”

“Oh my… It is, isn’t it?”

Why is there suddenly a village? It certainly feels eerie to see a village full of wooden houses in Ogphoslia, where only dust blows. Aria and I slowly began to approach the village. It was quiet. Too quiet. And the condition of the houses too…

“This… seems like a refugee camp. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed… Looking at the size of the houses, it seems like a village where people live…?”

“Uh… you…?”

Why is that person here? In this quiet, eerie village, I met a completely unexpected person. A man dressed in black clothes, black gloves, and even black shoes appeared before our eyes. That person was none other than Rascal, whom I’d seen in Lobdom’s prison.