It's been a week since then. I dived to the deepest part of that dungeon, but there was nothing there, so I'm walking through the twilight world again. But still, what is the point of wandering for a year and not being able to return to one of the warded cities?


　As I was thinking about this, I felt something disturbing.


''Hm?　Is this...?


　Lately, perhaps my senses, which could be called a sixth sense, had become stronger, and I was able to sense a strange presence.


''Warding........is it?''


　And as I continued on through the forest, I felt a ward being put up. The warding is also supported by humans. Maybe there are humans ahead of us. Thinking that, I cut through the warding with the Invisible Blade, the Invisible Blade.


''........''


　I walked slowly into it, and what I found spread out was a village. The style was, as I recall.........was this kind of thing called Japanese style?　It was a different city than the Boundary City, with several houses made of stone and wood instead of bricks and other materials. Judging from the level of development of this civilization, there are definitely humans there. Yes, I thought so, but my prediction turned out to be wrong.


''The wards have been broken!
"Enemy attack?　The number!
'You're going to break those wards!　Don't tell me it's Maxwell's!

　They begin to rustle and fuss. And the one running around looked like a human, but it wasn't human. It was a demon tribe. By the way, although they are lumped together with the demon race, the beasts without intelligence are classified as demons, and the ones with intelligence are classified as demons. Based on that, this is definitely a demon race. And if you look at the horns growing on its head, it's obvious. That's an ogre.

　It has the same intelligence as a human being, yet has fairly high physical functions. It is particularly skilled in the ability to handle swords, and it's too much for human hands.......I remember learning that at the academy.


''You!　What the hell is that?!


　A few ogres surround me. At the same time, I thought. Until now, if we met them, we were fighting immediately. They started killing each other. I was going to run away immediately, but they seemed to be willing to listen to me... or rather, I judged them to be someone I could talk to, so I quietly raised my hand and said my name.


''My race is human. My name is Yulia.


　Hearing those words, the ogres around them were filled with astonishment.

''Nah!　A human being...?　That's impossible!　Where do you think we are?
But look. Isn't that your right hand, the Twilight Man?
'It's true ... that arm ...'
Just get the chief down here!


　I had my arms up, so my sleeves were just down, revealing my arms in full view. Come to think of it, this erosion of my right arm has grown longer and longer over time. It had been from my shoulder to my elbow, and now it stretched from my shoulder to my wrist in an intertwined red-black pattern.

　Did he suddenly react differently to this?　And who are the twilight people?

　As I thought about it, an ogre with a distinctly different atmosphere appeared. The clothes he wears seem to be quite well groomed, and I could tell at a glance that he is a fairly high-ranking person. What's even more notable is his muscles. Even on top of the clothing, you can see the muscularity of the man's muscles. Without a doubt, that person is probably the strongest person in this village.


I'm not sure if I'll be able to find out what's going on. I'm sure you're not the only one. We'll talk to him over here.
You're not going to attack me?　Eating people and...
''........You think all demonkind are the enemy of humans?　Well, I'll tell you about that, too. And if you are a twilight person, we will treat you gently.


　And I followed the person I thought was the chief. I was already trying to get away even as I was walking. But although the ogre around me was jittery, I didn't see any intention to attack.

　Are they used to humans?　But that's when it hit me that such a ridiculous ... human being living in the twilight ... and that's when it hit me. That's right. This is how I am living. It's not surprising that there are other people living in the twilight. Why hadn't I thought of that before?


'Come on, sit down. I'll at least get you some tea.
Thank you very much.

　I sit down on the soft, square cloth I've been provided with and sit upright, as does my opponent.

'I am the head of this place, Edgar,' he says. Now, Julia, or so it seems. What brings you here?　From the looks of it, though, it doesn't look like we're here to attack.
'Well I don't know if you'll believe me, but I was thrown out into the twilight world a year ago and after getting lost, I've been wandering around for a year or so.
'My God!　So you've been out of that warded city for a year alone, wandering around this twilight?
Yes. But Mr. Edgar, do you know about the Warding City?
Hmm you may not know this, but the ogre is neutral.
'What?　Aren't all demons hostile to humans!
'Sure, 80-90% of them would be. But the other ten or twenty percent are not. Some of them are friendly towards humans, like us. Besides, 150 years ago, humans saved my life in the Man-Monitorial War. The ogre said he would remain neutral, but the other races would not allow him to do so, and they attacked us. Since then, we have been very friendly to humans. As I recall, a few years ago ... three years ago, a human came here. Just like you, with a red and black mark on his arm.
What do you know about this arm?
'That's the proof of a twilight man. In other words, it's proof of someone who has adapted to the twilight.
'Adapted to twilight?　Is there anything in the twilight?
Don't you know?　Twilight is poisonous to humans. However, it does not mean instant death. In the world of twilight, humans are slowed down and demons are strengthened. However, there are exceptional individuals who are also strengthened by humans. That is the Dusk People........
Well....


　I gained a lot of heart when I heard that story. When I think about it, how could I, who had no talent, become so strong? It's not like I had a sleeping talent or anything, I was forced to pry open my abilities by the twilight... I could understand it when I heard that.

''So, what is the person who came three years ago doing here?''
He says he's a wanderer. He had nothing to say about it.... But he did leave some books behind. And he asked me to give them to him when the humans came.
The book...?
Hmm. But you, sir you seem to fit in quite well.
Do you know?
'I can see how well Dusk fits in. You're as familiar as, or even more familiar than, the man you were then.
What is twilight in the first place?　I heard that it occurred during the Man-Monster War, and that the humans were defeated by it.
I don't know.
What?
'This twilight is an unknown entity. Where it originates from, or if it's caused in the first place. Or is it naturally occurring, an unknown thing.
Well the world out there is full of mysteries, isn't it?
More importantly, my dear sir. Do you want to return to the Walled City?
"...I forgot about it!　Yes, you know what I mean!　Where am I?!
Of course. We're in the extreme east of the continent. A little further east, and from there, there's only the sea.
'The Far East!　Isn't it the exact opposite!
''That alone is amazing. To think that someone could come here from the Boundary City on foot in just a year...''


　I have a map of the world in my head. Humans are now in the west. The seven bounded cities exist vertically through the land in the west. No wonder we'll never get there. I kept going in the opposite direction and ended up at the end of the continent.


"Can I get a map?
Can't we have a game?
What?
"We are a warrior race, and the Gazans who came three years ago were strong.
Did you win?
'No, we lost. It was an overwhelming defeat. And I've spent the last three years learning more from that defeat. What do you say, why don't you give it a try?
Are you offering me a map if I win?
No, I don't care if we win or lose. I just want to fight as hard as I can with you. When I'm done, I'll give you a book, a map, and some clothes and a briefcase. You'll get your clothes, your briefcase, whatever you want to bring. We can even give you food.
'This is everything ... thank you so much for everything.
So, would you accept it?
'Of course!　It's nice to meet you too.


　Anyway, I was hungry for people now. And I'm glad that he's following something like this practice. I also wanted to know how strong I was becoming in this world.


　And I was going to fight the ogre chief.