Western Continental Calendar 2813 January 15 [Worthenian Peninsula] vol. 1:

　Gush.

　A dull sound, like the stomping of soggy fruit, echoed through the dim forest.
　A strange smell like rusty iron mixed in with the foul smell of the forest trees and irritated Saara's shapely nose.

'Ryoma-sama.......how are you feeling?　Do you feel any discomfort in your body?

　While saying that, Saara holds out the towel in her hand to the black shadow standing in front of her eyes.

The actuality of this is that it's not a problem at all. It's quite impressive, martial arts. I feel as if my body has been turned into a fierce beast.

''Master Liangzhen has already mastered the basics of martial arts. All you have to do now is gain experience in battle.

"Gain experience... I can kill such a fierce beast with my bare hands. I wonder how much more I could do if I trained myself.

　When I said that, Ryoma lifted his lips and smiled. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.
　The reddish-black splatter on his face is clearly a trace of blood.
　Both of his arms were dyed red up to his elbows, and even now they were dripping on the ground.
　I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to find out what's going on.
　There were five of them in all.
　The length of the body was over 1.5 meters. They are also huge, weighing more than 50 kg.
　In this forest, these wolves are supposed to be one of the strongest people, but right now, they are lying quietly on the ground underneath Ryoma's feet.
　I'm not sure if I've ever heard of it.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a good look at it.

I'm not sure I ever thought I'd be able to kill it with my bare hands as easily as I did, to be honest. It's not simply that my arm strength has become stronger. My senses are sharper and my body is much sharper.''

　Somewhat in a tone of dismay, Ryoma turned his attention to the corpses of the wolves lying at his feet.
　Apart from the elation that bubbles up from the depths of his body, he can't help but feel that the facts in front of him are somehow an illusion created by his own imagination.
　The muscular strength possessed by humans is significantly inferior to that of animals.
　Essentially, even if they were armed with guns and blades, they would never be able to win.
　That's how much difference exists between humans and animals.
　You could kill it with your own body alone. Moreover, this was the result of taking on more than one person at the same time.
　Furthermore, there was no noticeable trauma on Ryoma's body, which he wiped with the towel in his hand.
　It showed that the body of Liangzhen, who used martial arts, was more than a wild animal.
　The lukewarm temperature of the internal organs felt by the hand blade that was thrust into the wolf's belly.
　The feeling of the hand on the wolf's jaw as it opened its mouth wide to bite, tearing it up and down.
　And moreover, what Ryouma killed was not just a mere beast. It's a ferocious creature classified as a "monster".
　The feeling of accomplishment from being able to do what he couldn't do before.
　That kind of feeling was dominating Ryoma's body.

''Of course, it's not something everyone can do. That Ryouma-sama's body itself is well trained. And it's the result of your actual battle experience.

　Just as Saara had said, Ryoma's body had been forged by his grandfather. It was also the first time he had ever experienced the exchange of life on earth.
　I'm sure this is the result of the synergistic effect of these various elements intertwined with the new power of the martial arts.

"In fact, I've heard that the children who have learned the martial arts in the same way are, well I've heard that they're having quite a hard time with it...

　As she said that, Saara turned her gaze to the depths of the dim forest.
　Although she was muddling her expression, her words were unusually revealing some of the accusations against Ryoma.

''Struggle hey.......Saara not happy?''

　At Saara's words, Ryoma raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to Saara.
　The reason is that he sensed the dissatisfaction with his choice contained in her words, and sensitively sensed it.
　It is not so foolish as to think that one's choice is absolutely right, etc.
　But this choice is absolutely necessary, even if it is not right.
　Even if you are condemned by Saara, you have no other choice.
　There is no room for the weak to be saved by Ryouma now.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
　She herself understands that.
　The problem is that even if you understand it in your head, you can't break it down emotionally.

''Of course, I understand why Ryoma-sama brought those children here, but.......''

　Her sister Laura doesn't seem to feel it so much, but Sarra is highly traumatized by the life of slavery she has experienced.
　The greed of the slavers and their despicable faces, tainted with color, and the fear of when they will be sold. She worries about when she will be sold. And the despair of being treated like cattle themselves.
　These feelings rise from the back of her mind whenever she sees children being trained to fight.
　Still, she doesn't criticize Ryoma for ordering her children to learn the art of fighting, because she understands that she has no other choice than to feel more than a debt of gratitude to him.
　The foundation of the Earth 《Earth》 world is that it is a world of the weak and the strong.
　In this world where the only way to live is through one's own strength, being weak is a sin.
　No, if you don't mind being oppressed by the power of others, then it is okay to remain weak.
　We can be robbed, raped, and killed. If you are prepared for those things to happen to you and the people you want to protect, you don't have to be strong.
　If you are prepared to be attacked by ruffians and have your property taken from you, or have your wife raped by a nobleman, or be attacked and eaten to death by a monster, then you will not have to learn how to fight, but you can remain weak.
　But if you want to live with your rights and pride as a human being. If you want to protect something important, you have a choice.
　You can be strong.
　You can do it with money. It can be money. It can be violence. You may use your wits. You may use your power.
　But only power was justice.
　From the point of view of someone who understood that, Ryoma's actions could even be considered gentle.
　He taught the weak slave children to read and write, taught them to read and write, trained them in martial arts, and gave them the power of the legal arts.
　It gave the weak a ray of hope.
　Even if the choice was for Ryojin's own good, the act itself is not to be blamed.
　Children are lucky. It's just that they were given the opportunity to change from being weak to being strong.
　And now they were wandering on the border between life and death, from the weak to the strong, trying to be reborn.
　By surviving in the forest where these monsters roam........　

　Saara turned her gaze to the depths of the dark forest.
　And silently prayed for the children's safety.
　That even one more child would survive this ordeal it was the only thing she could do.
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"Melissa!　What are you doing, you'll die if you don't act fast!　Ready your swords!　They're going to ram us again.

　Melissa couldn't respond to her fellow boy's cries.
　In her eyes, she could see the image of a black beast running at her with its fangs pointed at her.
　It was a black furry tiger.
　Two sharp fangs, curved like swords, protruded from its mouth and were about to tear Melissa's body apart.
　A huge body over 3M rushed through like the wind and attacked Melissa.　

''Kyaaaaaah!''

　A cry of fear spilled out of Melissa's mouth.
　Without a second thought, her hand tightened in her grip on the hilt of her sword.
　But she was too terrified to take any further action.
　The tiger's gaze. Two sharp fangs. And a huge body that far exceeds her own body.
　That fact binds Melissa's mind and body, which have no experience in actual combat, and blocks her movements.

'You idiot!　Clan!　Take Melissa back!　Coyle!　We're going to prevent me and the tiger!

　Pushing Melissa away from the stick figure, the boy held the sword in his hand and intimidated the tiger.
　A killing intent against the tiger emanates from the boy's body.
　It was not something that posed much of a threat to the tiger.
　But it was enough to change his opinion of the boys, who he saw as mere bait.
　The tiger stopped and slowly began to circle the boys as if looking for an opening.

'Melissa!　Now get back!

　The boy called Clan grabs Melissa's body and pulls her back forcefully.

'What!　Ouch!　Wait, wait a minute.

　Melissa, who was pulled with all her strength, involuntarily screamed in protest.
　And the boy, who had been staring at the tiger, unintentionally reacted to its voice.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''d*mn!''

　In the next moment, the boy's clenched sword was thrust into the mouth of the tiger, which jumped at him.
　And the boy's sword, called a coil, gouged out the belly of the tiger, which pushed the boy down with its huge body.

　The moment the tiger attacked him, the boy involuntarily thrust his sword forward.
　It was an instinctive act of trying to protect himself, but the goddess of fate must have spared the boy's life.
　The sword that was thrust out of the tiger's mouth was thrust into the wide open mouth of the tiger.
　However, he was crushed by the huge body of the tiger, weighing several hundred pounds, and his figure was completely underneath the tiger.

''Are you safe!　Kevin!

　Coyle cries out the name of the boy who was pushed down by the tiger.
　The tiger has already been killed by his own sword, but he doesn't have the luxury of being proud of it.
　All that Coyle's mind could do was worry about Kevin's safety.

'Clan, help me!　Move the tiger!　Melissa, watch your back!　Good, there's no guarantee that another monster, a monster, won't attack you. Don't miss it!

　Defeating the enemy in front of you doesn't mean it's the end.
　There are plenty of monsters roaming around in this forest.
　I'm not sure that the blood of the tiger that I defeated will not attract other monsters to attack me.

''U........yes.''

　He may or may not have heard Melissa's words as she nodded forcefully.
　Coyle and the Clan turned their backs to Melissa and put their hands on the tiger's corpse.

'Shit!　What a weight........clan!　Put some effort into it!

I get it.

　The boys lifted the tiger's huge body, which must have weighed over 300 kg, while shouting at each other.

''Kevin!　Kevin!　Now. Crawl out!

　The moment a gap was created between the tiger's corpse and Kevin's body, the Clan called out to Kevin.
　Even though they are using martial arts to strengthen their bodies, they are still not physically mature at the age of 13 to 15 years old.
　Their muscles are not very strong, having been subjected to the rigors of life as slaves.
　The fact that they were able to move the tiger's body, even a little, was the result of four months of training.

''d*mn!　No, Clan!　Kevin's guy could be out cold!

　Coyle shouted at the sight of Kevin, who hadn't moved for hours.

'Melissa!　Pull Kevin out!　Hurry.

'What?　Wait.

'Come on, Melissa!　Neither the Clan nor I can support such a heavy corpse for any length of time!

　The boy's angry voice strikes Melissa.

'What are you doing!　You're gonna kill Kevin!　Just pull it out!

　The boys couldn't hide their frustration at Melissa's inability to move.
　For more than four months, they had been sharing their pain and suffering.
　The bond between them is strong.
　I don't mean to imply that I have any feelings for Melissa. It's only because I'm putting my priority on Kevin's safety that I say this.　

"It's ... it's okay. I'm out now so just give me a little more lift.

Kevin!

　Coyle couldn't help but let out a yelp as the words echoed from beneath the tiger's body.
　Eventually, Kevin crawled out from under the tiger's shackles, shaking his body slightly.

'Are you okay, Kevin!

Yeah, I'm fine except for my shoulder.

　Kevin responded to Coyle's words by holding his left shoulder down.
　His left arm was hanging down with a daran.
　He must have missed the joint when the tiger squeezed him, or worse, crushed his shoulder bone.
　Well, maybe I should say I was lucky that I wasn't mortally wounded by the tiger, but in this forest, fewer people who can fight means that much less chance of survival.

'Melissa, we'll take care of the guards. You take care of Kevin's shoulder.　

　The Clan regrasps his sword as he says this and turns his gaze to his surroundings.
　That is the behavior of a soldier, which has been drilled into me for the past few months.
　Even if he's worried about his comrades, he can't afford to neglect his vigilance of his surroundings.
　Coyle also nodded silently and stepped in the opposite direction from the clan.
　Melissa, who was just standing there, also hurriedly took out the medical supplies from her backpack and checked Kevin's shoulder.
　From what she could see, luckily Kevin's shoulder was only dislocated.
　As a first aid measure, she placed a brace on his shoulder as the mercenaries had taught her, and drank the magic potion, Magic Potion, so within a few days, his shoulder would be able to move as normal.
　It could be said that the loss of strength was kept to a minimum.
　However, Melissa's mind was not clear.
　It was because she thought she had injured Kevin because of her mistake.


'I'm sorry. Kevin.....

　Melissa mouthed an apology as she wrapped a bandage around Kevin's shoulder.
　That the moment the tiger had attacked her, she had squirmed in fear and couldn't move.
　That she hadn't been able to pull Kevin out of the tiger's grasp.
　With all of those things in mind, Melissa wanted to apologize to Kevin.
　But when Kevin heard her words, he replied with a frown on the contrary.

'Fool, why are you apologizing?　We're on the same side, aren't we?

　Blunt words.
　But his words contained a sense of dearness.

''So........but.....''

I told you.　We're a team. We live and die together... right?

　Kevin smiled and patted Melissa's head as he did so.
　It was a kindness that was backed by absolute trust and affection.