Come on, Merle!

　As if played by Iltimina-san's voice, I started running into the forest at night with a lantern in hand.

　The huge body of the red-fanged dragon was approaching the front of the forest hut - about 15 meters away.

　Iltimina-san held the white spear in her backhand and swung it wide.

　The wing decorations were released and a beautiful blade and magic stone appeared from within.

　Its crimson eyes and magic stone emitted light, and she threw it with all her might.

''Shhhh!''

　cubed

　A white flash of light pierced through the right eye of the red fang dragon without missing a beat.

　Dopaan.

　The eyeball popped with the impact - but the red fang dragon didn't feel any pain, or even get upset.

　Like a rusty machine, its head tilted and the remaining left eyeball supplemented the target that had attacked it.

''Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

　A roar cuts through the darkness of the night.

　Kicking the earth, the red fang dragon rushes forward, and Illtimina-san dodges it with a tantalizing leap.

　Dogo-Oh!

　It crashed into a log cabin that was just ahead of him, and the cabin collapsed like a block of wood.

　The wreckage of the pillars and roof rose high into the air.

'White wings, return to my hand!

　The white spear, which had been stuck in her right eye area, became a flash of light again, and returned to her hand in the air.

　As it was, she kicked a nearby tree and spun around like a solitary musician as she struck at the top of the red fang dragon's head.

　Gagiiiiinng.

　The white blade and red scales produced violent sparks.

''Chi........''

　On the red fang dragon, Illtimina clicks her tongue.

　The blade doesn't pass.

　He runs through the earth and crashes into a large tree, trying to pin her down.

　Just before the collision, she leaps again, "Shhhh! and threw a white spear from the air.

　Giiin'

　Sparks flew again.

　The large tree that the unharmed red fang dragon still hit broke off and fell to the ground, causing a heavy dust cloud to rise.

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

　Even from a distance, the battle between the Demon Hunter Iltimina Wong and the Red Fang Dragon Gado was terrific.

　Whereas Iltimina was quick and fast to hit and away in the third dimension, the Red Fang Dragon tried to twist it down with overwhelming power.

　There was no room for me, a novice, to intervene; this was truly a high-level battle.

(But the one at a disadvantage is Illtimina-san, right?)

　Her attacks weren't working, but once the Red Fang Dragon's attack was eaten, it was all over.

(So, as soon as possible, I have to go!)

　My feet run frantically and desperately through the earth lit by the lantern light.

　Dope-dope-o, zzoo-o, zzoo-o....

　The sound of the battle getting farther and farther away was frightening and frightening, so I continued to run as hard as I could, as if I were praying.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　--how much time had passed?

'Huh ... hah ... hah ... hah.'

　I walked through the forest, breathing unevenly.

　I can't tell you how many times I've fallen down since then.

　It was a post-rain forest, and my whole body was already dirty and stained, and the part I fell on hurt like hell.

　But I couldn't loosen my legs.

The red moon...?

　From time to time, I check the position of the two moons through the trees.

　The red moon is on my back side - because I can tell the direction of the red moon compared to the position of the sun in the daytime.

So the north is this way.

　I start running again, taking in oxygen, whipping my screaming heart into my burning lungs.

　No, I think I'm running, but it's hardly the same as walking anymore.

　Oh, why am I in this child's body?

　I'm not strong and my limbs are short.

　Even if it's not quite Illtimina-san's healthy legs, she could run a little faster!

...Good luck!　(More movement, my foot!

　But for now, I'm going to turn those frustrating emotions into strength and run.

　It's the only way.

''--I also believe in Marle, so I'm entrusting her with it.

　Because it's the only thing I can do, the only thing I've been entrusted with.

　Ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah.

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

　The sound of my footsteps and my breathing are the only sounds in the forest at night.

　But when did it start?

　Ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah, ta-tah.

'Hah, hah, hah.' 'Huh, hah, hah.'

　And then there's the sound of something else overlapping.

(What's there?!　He's coming up behind you, isn't he?

　When I notice, I can't relax my feet.

　In the meantime, the different footprints keep increasing.

　Two, three, four........how much more can they add!

　One of them lined up beside me as I was running in fear.

''No way, Evil Tiger!''

　The figure illuminated by the lantern light was an unmistakable, ape-like fox demon!

　He seemed to laugh at my surprised face.

　In the next moment, that black demon leaps towards me.

''Whoa!''

　bang

　The impact of the crash sent me tumbling to the ground - and that left arm was in extreme pain.

　It was the sharp fangs of the evil tiger that had bitten me.

　My brain burned from the intense pain, my skin broke, and I could feel the blood flowing out.

(Hmph!)

　Reflexively, I hit him with my right hand.

　Gasp.

"Gasp!　

　With a scream, the evil tiger moved away.

　Enduring the pain, I jumped up in a hurry.

　But by that time, I had stopped in my tracks, and the other evil tigers were surrounding me.

　There were seven of them.

''Stop it I don't have time to deal with you guys right now!

　I plead, breathing heavily.

　Of course, there's no way to get through.

　The evil tigers just say, 'We're going to eat you', 'Let me eat you?' , with the emotion of 'I can't wait to eat, I want to eat' in her eyes, she shrinks her siege on me.

(d*mn it, Illtimina-san is waiting for me!)

　Another one pounces on me.

　I swatted it off with my right hand.

　But while I was at it, another one bit me on the leg.
　This one!

　With his returning right hand, he strikes again.

　He moves away.

　This time, two of them attack me from the left at the same time.

　I swing my injured left arm around and chase them away.

　But it hurts so much that I feel like I'm going to cry.

''Hah, hah ... get out of my way!

　I ignored them and started running.

　The evil tigers would soon be chasing me.

(No, I can't shake them!)

　The next thing I knew, he jumped on my back and dragged me to the ground.

'Ah.'

　With the impact, the lantern and - the metal tube of a luminescent signal bullet rolled out of my hand.

　Hurriedly, my outstretched arm was bitten as hard as I could.

　Gulp.

I'm not sure...

　With pain and impatience, my vision turned red.

　At the moment, I had unconsciously pulled out a single-edged dagger from my waist belt - 'Marl's Fang' - from my waistband.

　Thud.

　The blade is sucked into the evil tiger's abdomen with surprising ease.

　A heavy hand.

　From the cut flesh and blade, the evil tiger's heartbeat could be felt - and then it suddenly stopped.

　The evil tiger rolled to the ground as its fangs parted and it bit down.

　From its mouth, purple blood flowed out of its mouth in a toktoks.

　In my hand, the silver blade, dripping with purple blood, shone.

　-- Time seemed to have stopped.

(.........killed?)

　Did I kill him?

　I was taking the life that was lying before me, and I was taking it away.

　For the first time, with my own hands, I was extinguishing a creature that was just desperate to live, not even to eat its life, but in anger, as it should be.

　Shocked by this, I stand there with both hands holding the Fang of Marl in my hands.

　But there was no time to mourn.

　The evil tigers who had been killed by their friends didn't even have time to run, their eyes were bleeding with rage and they attacked me all at once.

''Wah, wah, ahhh!''

　I wielded the "Fang of Marl" in a frenzied state of mind--.

　He was attacking me from the right, and I cut off his arm.

　I was bitten by a bite on my left calf. I felt as if my flesh had been torn to shreds.

　He escaped before I could cut him back, and he jumped at me from behind. To prevent it from escaping, I held it down with my left hand and thrust "Marl's Fang" into its neck.

　I throw the corpse at another evil tiger that leaps at me as I fall.

　I pounce on the floundering tiger and swing the Merle Fang at its face as hard as I can.

　At the same time, another evil tiger bites my ear off.

　With my wounded left hand, I struck at it.

　I can avoid it.

　I chased after it and slashed its leg away.

　The two evil tigers bit both of my legs at the same time.

　Crying, I swung the Fang of Marl and slashed at the back of one of them.

　Slashing, biting, hitting, being cut to shreds, and then slashing again--.

　.............
　......................
　

　The next thing I knew, I was lying alone in a sea of blood.

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

　The corpses of the evil tiger are lying around.

　I'm not sure if he killed them all, or if he was able to escape to the rest.

(Yes ... luminescent signal bullets.)

　Mr. Illtimina is waiting for me.

　Mosquitoes crawl over the ground like caterpillars.

　The metal tube glistens in the light of the rolling lantern.

(There it is, thank goodness.)

　I reached out to grab it.

　I didn't have my index finger there, but I didn't care.

　I managed to grab it and try to get up.

　I still had to walk the five kilometers away from Medis.

''Ah...le?''

　But I couldn't get any strength in my legs.

　It was cold, cold, and the strength drained from my entire body.

(No, Illtimina is working hard. I have to keep up the good work, too.

　I staggered to my feet.

　thud

　I fell.

　He was trying to get up again.

　thud

　I fell again.

　No matter how many times I try, I can't get up.

　I don't know why.

　I looked and saw that both legs were in tatters.

　Fingers and flesh, not enough.

　I cried.

　I couldn't walk.

　I couldn't walk anymore.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Ms. Illtimina, I'm sorry.

　I would be betraying the people who believed in me.

　I twisted the underside of the glittering luminescent signal bullet tube.

　Kash.

　The trigger popped out of the side.

　I didn't have my index finger, so I put my middle finger to it.

　I held it up to the heavens.

　Medis might not be able to see it.

　But I had to at least tell Illtimina-san - that I had failed.

　If she saw the light of this luminescent signal bullet, she would know.

　There was no need for her to stop for me anymore.

　Besides, maybe she'd be able to get away to the meds, even if she had to fight her way out?　I had dreamed of such a sweet hope.

''I'm ... sorry, Illtimina. Marle has failed.

　I told him with a sobbing laugh and I pulled the trigger.

　Spop, paaaaaan.

　Like a firework, a glowing bullet shot out and bounced far above the trees in the forest.

　Like the sun born in the night, its brilliance illuminated the Great Forest of Aldoria.

''........Ah, it's beautiful.''

　I forgot about the situation and thought about it.

　The glow shimmered in the night sky for about ten minutes.

　Am I going to die like this?

　Even if I was to be revived with a magic pendant, looking at me and Illtimina-san, it was going to take hours to wake up.

　In the meantime, we would be attacked and eaten by the evil tiger and other forest demons again.

　There was no point in that.

(....Is this where the life of the reincarnated Marl ends?

Haha.....

　With a small smile of despair and resignation, I closed my eyelids - that's when I closed them.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


"-- Huh?　What's going on with the kid?

　I heard someone's voice.

　A little girl's voice, still a little girl.

'Oh?　Was it this little boy who fired the luminescent signal round?

　The voice again.

　This time it's a calmer, more mature female voice.　

　I open my heavy eyelids hard.

　There were two figures there, lanterns in hand, robes up to their heads.

　Hidden in the shadows, I can't see their faces.

　Who could it be?

(No, it doesn't matter who it is.)

　The smaller shadow crouches down and gives me a peck on the head.

'She's dying, isn't she?　Help?
'No, leave them alone. Even if we could help them, the werewolves who are looking for someone can't afford to walk around with a child. I'm sorry.
I know. --I'm sorry.

　A shadow rises up.

　I grabbed the edge of the robe, which was getting farther away as it was, and I grabbed it desperately.

　Clank.

What?

　The shadow that almost fell over screamed.

　I appealed in a scratchy voice to the two who turned around.

''Please ... help me.''

　The two of us looked at each other.

　The small shadow tugs at the robe, but I wield what strength I have left and never let go.

　I look up at the larger shadow, as if in trouble.

'What is it?'
Hmm. --I'm sorry, my boy. I'm sorry, my boy, but they can't help you.

　No......

It wasn't me.
?
We're fighting in the back. You have to help her, Miss Illtimina!

　gasp

　Blood poured from his mouth as he screamed.

　The two shadows stiffened.

　Then the taller shadow crouched down on one knee in front of me and removed the robe that covered his head.

　Long, silvery, shimmering hair spilled out of it.

　Illuminated by the moonlight, what appeared there was a beauty that was as good as Illtimina-san's.

''Boy did you just say Illtimina?''
Please, please help me, please help her, please.

　I repeated as if I was rambling.

　The silver-haired beauty nodded, "Hmm.

'Solstice, cast a recovery spell on her.
Uh-huh!

　A small shadow nods and removes the robe from his head.

　What spills out is beautiful, lightly wavy purple hair.

　Her beauty is still juvenile, and she looks about the same age as me.

　As if in a hurry, she held up the staff she took out from under her robe with both hands.

　It's a wooden wand, much larger than her height, with a twisted appearance.

　At the tip, there was a large magic stone, and the wand was connected to it like a root entangled in it.

　That magic stone began to glow green.

　Kotsun.

　The tip of the wand is pressed against my head.

"You know my sister Irna, don't you?　I'll close the wound and you can tell me everything!　--La Hilliom.

(...Sister Irna!

　With a thud, I felt my heart jump.

　At the same time, something warm flowed in from where the wand had touched me.

　It quickly spread throughout my body, filling me with a numbing heat. As if melted by that heat, the pain that had been burning my brain continuously disappears.

(Recovery magic........this!)

　The cold disappeared and my limbs felt stronger.

　I sat up and sat on the ground, dumbfounded.

　I looked at my hands.

　The fingers I had lost were back.

"Oh, thank you....

　I looked back at the girls like a lamb who had seen a miracle of God.

(No way, these two... maybe...)

　The purple-haired girl looked good, resting her large cane, held in both hands, on her shoulder.

　The silver-haired beauty placed one hand on the girl's shoulder.

''Let's start by saying our names. We are the Demon Hunters belonging to the 'Adventurer's Guild, Gekko no Kaze' - our name is Kirt Amandes.
It's Solstice Wong.

　Is this possible?

　A forest at night filled with a sea of blood.

　In the darkness of that despair, this is how I met Illtimina's friends.