Why are you alive?

　I, Mari Kurosaki, stood up, dizzy.
　Was it just a dream, a hallucination, that the wolf had eaten me?

　I thought, and looked around.
　There was a carpet of bright red blood covering the green grass, with pink blobs falling in places.

　It didn't take me long to realize that it was my blood and the pieces of my body.

　'Ugh, geez, geez,'

　Stomach juices flood my mouth.
　Just remembering the green glowing eyes of the wolf makes me shiver and chill all over.

　I scattered the things in my stomach on the ground over and over again.

　'Come on, we have to get away.'

　I managed to stand up, fighting back the nausea.
　When I looked up at the sky, the sun was shining in the east.

　Apparently the sun rises from the east to the west, and other worlds are no different.
　Though, for some reason, the sun seems to be a little different from the earth, too.

　''I don't want to feel like that anymore...''

　I wander through the forest, desperately trying to get my feet moving.
　I don't know if there is a safe place in this world, and if so, I don't know how to get there.

　However, I was certain that this forest was a dangerous place.

　''Ouch!

　A tingle of pain ran up my arm.
　A small worm flew off my arm.

　Only a red swelling remained on my arm.

　''Umm ... we need to get some clothes soon.

　I hug myself with both hands.

　Because of the wolf biting and devouring my entire body, I already had nothing to call clothes.

　The clothes on the upper half of his body were shredded and just barely snagged on his body.
　The skirt had just barely torn off and had lost its ability to hide the lower half of the body.

　The bra was no longer, the shorts had gone away.
　Maybe any of the pink objects that had fallen in the grass were underwear that had been stained red from sucking up blood, but whatever it was, I didn't want to wear it looking for such things.

　''........people, right?''

　I suddenly became concerned.
　I'm sure this world is otherworldly, but I don't know if there are humans in it.

　It is possible that I am actually the first human.
　If that's the case....

　Alone in a world where you don't even know where you are for the rest of your life.

　Don't worry, I'm here!　Meet your sister and Moea!

　I clutched the blue pendant on my chest, a blue pendant that had miraculously not been bitten off.

　I'm unhappy now, hard and lonely.
　But someday, I'm sure we'll get back together.

　Yes, it had to be.
　No, it has to be.

　I told myself that I had to.

　If I didn't, I couldn't bear it.
　I didn't have the confidence to live from now on.

　I struggled to move my legs, which were like sticks, holding back tears.
　My throat was parched and I was dying of hunger.

　Still, I stepped forward, trying to get out of the forest.
　I wanted to get out of the forest.
　I didn't want to have to go through that kind of thing again, to be eaten alive by a wolf.

　And then.....
　Oh, what a prank of fate this was.

　A wide plain appeared in front of him.
　I had succeeded in getting through the forest.

　If I had shifted to the depths of the forest, I would not have been able to exit the forest.
　If my direction of travel had been the exact opposite, I would not have been able to exit the forest so quickly.

　If my direction of travel had been even the slightest bit off....
　If we leave the forest at any different time...
　My fate would have been very different.

　I didn't think about anything at the time.
　I couldn't think of anything.
　The idea of a nearly naked little girl going out into a place where there was even the slightest chance of encountering people.

　What result would it produce?
　Nothing, I didn't think about it.

　If only I'd taken a moment to look at it...

　But I was out of the woods with great joy.
　And .........

　I went out to look for someone or people.






　After a while, as I was walking, I saw something approaching from a distance.
　I winced.
　It could also be a wolf or a wild beast of some sort.

　Cold sweat erupted from my entire body.
　However, that was unfounded.

　It was a person approaching from afar.
　A few people on horseback came galloping over.

　I felt the strength drain from my body.
　At any rate, I was sure they were people.

　I waved my hand widely.

　'Excuse me!　Please help me!!!!

　If only I hadn't waved my hands away...
　I can't help but think so.

　It was really a rash move.

　Perhaps recognizing my voice, the people on horseback came to me at once.
　Three peculiarly dressed men on small horses.

　They surrounded me.

　''Um, excuse me. I've been lost.......could you please tell me if there is a human settlement nearby?　And some water or something...

　But the three men tilted their faces in wonder.
　Then, facing each other, they started a conversation in a language they had never heard of.

　''What are you saying?　You see? You see?
　"Well?　At least I know that's not a Chinese word. It's mostly some tribal slave who escaped or something, right?''
　'Well, well, what does it matter? It doesn't matter. What's important is that we have a guy who is rarely, if ever, naked in the middle of nowhere.

　I have no idea what he's talking about.
　It was a miscalculation.
　If I think about it calmly, the same language is not always used in other worlds.

　However, I must tell them my current situation no matter what.

　''Oh, um.......can you give me some water?　Just water, please.

　I try to communicate my intentions somehow with my body language.

　'He's saying something.'
　"Most of you need water. What do you think?　Do you want to play horse milk wine?
　"You don't need to drink the high-grade stuff to get horse milk. You know what I'm talking about.

　For some reason, one of the men starts laughing.
　Seeing this, the other two men started laughing.

　I felt a strange chill run through me.

　''Yes, yes.......there's more than just horse milk wine for us to drink. Right?''
　'Ha, yeah. Am I right in the beginning?　I was the first one to find it...
　'What do you think a woman has three mouths to feed?　You look thirsty, and don't feel like you deserve it, just drink plenty of it. ........a lot, you know.

　The three men grinned and got off their horses with a smile on their faces.
　And......
　Foolishly, it was only here that I realized that I was completely naked and that the other man was more than one.

　I ran out.　
　Overworking my already stretched legs to the limit, I managed to run and escape.

　But.........

　Oh, shit...

　Pain shot through my ankle and I fell to the ground at the same time.
　There was an arrow stuck in my leg.

　'Hit!　How's that for awesome?
　"Idiot. What are you going to do when you're dead?　You can't save a man's life!
　 Well, okay.''

　Three men are approaching me, laughing.
　I desperately try to crawl away but....

　"Yes, sorry.

　One of the men held my head down with his foot.
　Two of the men grabbed my arms and forced me to stand.

　Then one of the men grabbed my face.

　'Yeah, yeah, you have a pretty face. And what's your name?'

　I said something.
　I had no idea what he was talking about.

　'Hiyah!'

　Suddenly, I feel a pain in my chest.
　One of the men who had been restraining me from behind grabbed me by the chest.

　Then the other man strokes my thighs and buttocks.
　I cringe and get goosebumps.

　'Are your breasts a little small?　But it's acceptable enough.'
　''She has much smoother and cleaner skin than our clan's women and the Chinese village girls. This one is good.''

　Whatever you want, the two guys behind me are playing with my body while saying something.
　I was just embarrassed, uncomfortable and scared.

　'Hey, I heard your name. Can't you hear me?　Since we're going to be friends from now on, I'd at least like to know your name...''

　The man complained about something.
　Then he grinned.

　I felt an intense pain in my stomach.

　'Geez, geez, geez.'

　"Now, say your name. You're not done until you say your name!

　The man punched me in the stomach over and over again.
　My head was spinning and a feeling of pain and vomiting came over me as I felt a rush from my stomach.

　'Hey, are you listening to me?'

　The man punched me in the stomach about ten times before forcing me to pull my hair upwards and look into my face.
　I shouted quickly.

　'Mari, sir!　I'm Mari!

　Then the man laughed with satisfaction.

　'Oh, right, Mari-chan. Then it's nice to meet you, Mari.'


　...and I was raped.






　'Today is the third year since Mari and I met. Cheers!
　Cheers!

　The three men lightly bumped each other's vessels of liquor.
　It wasn't horse milk wine, but the liquor they had looted and taken from the peasants.

　The men giggled and drank the liquor.

　Then the man who was the leader of the group said to the chair he was sitting in, "Hey, Mari-chan.

　Hey, Mari. Are you happy too?
　Yes.

　The chair, the girl replied.
　Beautiful shoulder-length black hair, long eyelashes and two pretty eyes.
　And a well-proportioned face.

　A girl with beautiful skin without a single scar or blemish was on all fours, exhaling wildly as she sat in the chair.

　''Hey, hey, when was the first time Mari-chan learned our language?''

　The leader of the group asked as he shook his body deliberately and widely.

　'I've known all of you for ... two months now.
　What was the first thing you said?
　It's 'help' and 'forgiveness'...

　The girl replied, desperately supporting the man's weight with her hands and feet.
　The leader man nodded with satisfaction.

　'Yeah, yeah, you remembered it well. This one is your reward.

　Boom!
　The short horse whip that the man held in his hand struck the girl's buttocks hard.

　''Ugh........''

　A girl's skin is split. A single worm swelling remains behind.
　The girl clenched her teeth, did not speak, and put strength into her hands and feet to avoid being crushed.

　The man looked at the girl, who was shaking and enduring her body, and looked a little choked up.

　'Are you happy?　Mari-chan.
　...Yes, thank you.

　The girl replied, exhaling roughly.
　The man smiled with a satisfied smile and gave her three more whips before turning to his two friends.

　'Well, since it's our anniversary, I think we should have some special fun with Mari.　Do you have any comments?
　Playin'. You've done most of 'em, haven't you?　I've pulled my teeth out, I've ripped off my nails, I've amputated my limbs to make them masterpieces, I've pulled out my stomach, my intestines, my womb...

　Somehow the girl's body recovers quickly from whatever wounds she's sustained.
　It would recover.
　So the men literally played with the girl's body as they pleased.

　'Oh, the one that made her dance on the griddle, like that one again. It was the funniest thing ever.
　I got you in a lot of trouble. I've burned myself to death. I don't like to burn myself. I love your beautiful skin, Mari. Too much of it slows down your recovery.

　The men didn't play with the girl's body in the dark either.
　How much of the girl's body can be durable?

　That was the extent of the investigation.
　As a result, so far Mari has not died.

　Probably she wouldn't die unless she was killed instantly.
　That's what the men thought.

　However, it has been found that the girl's resilience depends on her own physical strength.
　It is now known that there is a big difference in the resilience of a girl when she is subjected to torture after drinking a lot of horse milk wine and when she is subjected to torture for three days and three nights without eating anything.

　'What about pouring molten lead into her eyeballs?
　I don't need lead. You'll have to figure out what to do with it. I don't want to take the lead out of Mari's eyes, okay?　I mean, you're going to die, aren't you?　We decided that we shouldn't do anything that would hurt our heads and hearts. I don't want to say goodbye to Mari-chan for the rest of my life. I love you so much, Mari-chan.
　Yeah, so am I. You're screwed.

　The men contemplate the torture, the play, that they do to the girl.

　The girl listens to them, gritting her teeth.
　The girl has no choice but to remain silent and be a chair as they tell her to.

　She had tried to run away many, many times, disobeyed, bitten, and received the 'punishment' each time.
　The girl had learned.
　That it was the easiest time when the men were thinking of something, something to play with on their own.

　'After all, it's better to recreate that emotional encounter from three years ago, isn't it?'
　You do it all the time.
　No, no, I understand. I mean, that's what you do, you force Mari to resist. Mari-chan has become very quiet these days.

　The policy was set and the men tried to play with the girl....　
　It was then.

　Gongs and drums rang out.

　'Enemy attack!　Enemy attack!

　I hear such a shout from outside the yurt (mobile tent), where the men were.
　At the same time, the sound of a horse running on the ground.

　'What!　What the hell were the guards doing?!
　"d*mn, those Halifers!
　I'll kill you!

　The smiles and liquor drain from the men's faces and they have the look of warriors.
　He straps on his short bow and sword and immediately tries to run out of the yurt.

　But..........

　No, it's too late. I killed your chief.

　A boy walked into the yurt.
　He's about fifteen years old, or just about the difference between a young man and a boy in appearance.

　I'm sure you're not the only one. I heard you were young.　
　Well, now, do you want to surrender?　You can welcome them to our tribe now.

　The boy threw over the raw head, which he held in his hand.
　It was the head of the chieftain, of the men who had been playing with the girl.

　'Who!　Die!
　Revenge of the Chief!
　Cowards!

　The men slashed at the boy in unison.

　''Hmm, I think one on three is pretty cowardly too...''

　The boy drew his sword and let go, cutting down the three of them in an instant.

　'I have drawn my weapon. No mercy. Your flesh and blood are all dead. It's a shame, really. I just want to create a world where the nomads don't have to die as much as possible, where we can unify the steppe world.

　The boy muttered with a sigh.
　Then the boy turned his attention to the girl.

　'And you are?　Apparently, their wife.......... Kidnapped, aka Chinese.

　The boy approached the girl.
　The girl turned blue in the face and backed away.

　The three of them were the overwhelmingly strongest, doing whatever they wanted to do to themselves.
　The boy who had cut them down with a single sword.

　To the girl now, all people other than herself were nothing but fear.
　The girl's teeth trembled as she clenched her teeth.

　The boy cowered his shoulders as if troubled and then took off his own clothes.

　''Heehee!　Oh, please. I'll do anything and everything. So just don't be violent...

　lightly
　Something was on the girl's head.

　It was the boy's clothes.
　The boy turned his face away from the girl and then said while his face turned bright red.

　''I don't know what's going on, but it's not good for a beautiful young girl of your age to stay naked forever. Put your clothes on.

　The girl opened her mouth in a poke.
　For a moment, she didn't understand what was being said.

　She had not been allowed to wear clothes for three years, so the clothes handed to her did not match the words 'get dressed'.

　After thinking for a while, the girl put on her clothes.

　After confirming that she was dressed, the boy blushed a little and scratched his head as if embarrassed and said

　''Well the reason I saw you naked was because you were naked and I had no intention of seeing you naked. This is true. It's not that I wanted to see you ... no, I mean ... it's not that you were bad naked or anything. You were so beautiful.........oh!　No, I mean, I mean, I guess I was kind of aroused, and I thought you were beautiful, and I thought you were cute, but I wasn't trying to... oh, it's not that I wasn't interested, it's not that I was trying to force you or anything, it's just that I wasn't... Yeah, I mean, it's just that. Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a bad feeling about it, and I didn't come into this yurt to see him naked, but I was genuinely trying to defeat the enemy, so, yes, it was an accident anyway. So don't worry.

　What is he talking about, this guy?
　The girl thought.

　'Well, what's your name?　Oh, this isn't hitting on me or anything, oh!　It's not that, I mean, I'm purely asking for your name. You see, I don't want to get in trouble for calling you, right?
　"My name is Ma..........

　The girl was about to say that and then stopped talking.
　Along with the words 'Mari' and 'Mari-chan', the days until now flashed back to her.

　So the girl........

　Merlin.

　Once, in his hometown, which he still dreams of, he took the name he always used when he played the game.
　And the boy heard it....

　Oh, Merlin. Yeah, that's a good name. My name is...

　Ethel Halifer.

　The boy took his name.
　The name of a young chieftain of one of the many nomadic tribes that now existed.
　Eventually the name of the great king of the world's oldest nomadic empire.

　Thus, in time, he would be called the Champion of the Steppes, and now he and the boy Ezer still are.
　Eventually the world's first systematic system of witchcraft, the great and deadliest sorcerer called the mother of witchcraft, and now just Merlin.

　We met.