It was like a wilderness road with no end in sight.
　I walked and walked and just kept walking on the road with no end in sight, but when I kept walking, I was told that there was no end in sight.
　But when I kept walking, I was told that there was no end in sight.
　From that day on, I didn't even know where I was walking.

　What are you fighting for?
　I've been asked that and I still don't have an answer.

　There was nothing to do but fight, because there was nothing to do.
　That was the only way for the man to escape.

　The man was still on a journey with no guesses.
　It was on such a journey.

　The sound of crushing that came with a scream drew him in, and as he turned his gaze, he saw the shattered wheels scattered in a mess.
　If you looked, you could see a carriage that had fallen limp on the gutted ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

　The smell of blood wafted around the area, so much so that you could tell just by getting a little closer.
　Was it the work of a demon, or was it the work of a man?
　Either way, there is no doubt that there is some kind of trouble going on in the direction of progress. There is nothing righteous about getting involved, but for some reason the option of overlooking it didn't come to mind.
　I'll be able to put out the signs and ask what's going on.
　Quickly, yet without being distracted by anyone, the man was running out to the scene.

　There was a watering hole and flat land. It would be a good place to rest for the journey.
　The devastation he saw in such a place, the nauseating tragedy, was nothing more than a familiar sight to the man.

　In a world where strength is justice, the weak are being weeded out.
　That's all.

　But even so, it was frustrating.
　It's not for some cute little reason, like being inspired by a sense of justice.
　It's just a much more personal, dark and stagnant personal feeling.
　If only the likes of you hadn't appeared that day - it was only an extremely personal, personal grudge, obsessed with such a past delusion.

　Is it because the guards hired by the peddlers were not competent enough?
　Or was it simply the difference in numbers?
　Chunks of human and horse flesh were scattered here and there.

''It's too late...''

　By the time the man got there, it was all too late.
　The sound of footsteps echoed in the bloody pond.
　Huddled together, there were those who had died.
　They laughed at it, and so did the trash.

"Nah, there are still survivors.
　A bandit finally noticed the man's presence and raised his voice fluently.

''Quite a shabby old man - there doesn't seem to be anything to strip off,''

Enough with the sultry old man!　The girl of your dreams is gone!　You're boring!　It's boring!
　The voices that stood around the man reached him, grating harshly.
　Depressed and frustrated, he reflexively drew his sword.
　A single, bladeless sword.

''Heehahahahaha, nah, that's it!　It's rusty!　You're supposed to be a sword, geehahahahahahaha.
　Even the person in question doubts whether it's right to call it a sword.
　So it's no wonder that such laughter arose.
　The tattered portion of the blade is distorted as if it were bent, with cracks running through it everywhere, so it doesn't look like a weapon.
　Instead, its grip is that of a decent large sword.
　The battered blade is somehow supported by a sturdy hilt.
　In its current state, it must be as much of a piece of junk as it is.

''Hahahahahahahaha, that's a lot of junk, eh?　
　But it was enough.
　I don't care what you get when you slaughter a fool who thinks he's strong.

"--what?
　A stunned voice spilled out and his neck bent.
　It was also at this most improbable angle. Those were the last words of the bandit who had been smiling high.
　Before questioning the merits of the weapon, there was no way for a man to deal with a mere bandit.

''Hey, Tenmei!　What the hell did you do?

　It was as if they didn't understand when the man who was supposed to be surrounding them wielded his sword.
　The sword that was swung out as if to vent his frustration, easily extinguished the light of life as they did so.

''This is more of a blunt instrument than a sword........''
　He spilled that out with a sigh.
　His voice was so calm that it was hard to believe that he had killed someone.

''And I'm still in my 20s.
　The man says this with authority.
　No offensive power at all exists in the battered sword.
　But still, the neck, with its cervical vertebrae snapped and twisted, barely dangled from the collapsed bandit's torso.

''Whoa!　What the hell are you doing, guys!
　Perhaps hearing the commotion, a man who looked like a bandit chieftain slithered out from behind the carriage, accompanied by his men.
　But that's just more of an object of stress relief that's almost like taking it out on you.

''No, no - um, your head... the survivor... and that guy from Jirou was killed...'' ...

'Huh?　Who is that guy.................
　The words hadn't been able to be uttered until the end.
　The moment the chieftain saw the man. He was trembling abnormally, terrified, and threatening to run away at any moment.
　He was stunned, as if he were seeing a vision, and shook his head as if to say it was a lie.

'Your head?　What's going on?
　The chieftain didn't seem to have the time to respond to the words of his subordinate who raised his voice in such an abnormal manner.

''Hey, why are you.................in this place!　Swordsman, Duran!
　An exclamation that is close to a scream rises.

'Huh?　This old man?　Head, what was that guy's joke...?
　Duran's brow wrinkled up between his eyebrows.

'It's a joke!　No way!　I'm pretty sure that's your face!　I saw this guy in front of me when I was a mercenary!　I'll never forget, this is the guy who single-handedly ran into the enemy army in Sidonis's coup and cut down dozens of Kingsguard knights!
　There is an upset.
　Those surrounding Duran are trying to reach for their swords in a hurry to pull out their swords, but they are slow enough to miss.
　Duran mercilessly cut down the underlings of the bandits who tried to take hostile action.

''Wait, wait!　Or I'll pay you!　I'm not going to touch you!　So, you know what?　Help me....
　The words did not last again.
　Because a flash of lightning, waved in reply, blew the bandit's chieftain away.
　The limp and prostrate chieftain didn't move slightly.

''I hate to say it, but I don't feel well you'll have to take it out on me. Well, I don't have the right to veto it.　

Yeah.
　Impatience slowed down their calm judgment, and fear made the thieves' bodies stiffen. Duran slashed down without any mercy at all.

''You bastard!''
　The one who attacks in desperation.

''Ahhhhhhhh!
　One who is so terrified that he drops his gains.

'Stop!　Help..........
　Those who turned away and ran.
　They all died out equally. So much for the bandits who lost their heads. It's not uplifting at all.
　The rusty sword, stained with blood and covered with rust, just spilled out empty drops.

　There was nothing but blood and flesh all over the area in blackness.
　Cleave all those who stood in the way, and so for the first time, Duran readied his sword.

　He prepared his breath and the tip of his sword shook.
　The sword strike, which was a mixture of fighting and magical power, tore through the ground without mercy.
　No, I should say it was gutted.
　The clods that had been blown away were torn to dust and a large hole was made there.

　Duran quietly put his sword away and buried the corpse, at least to mourn before the beast ate it.
　Then he finally took a breath and touched the sword on his back.

''You still haven't shown yourself to me..........''
　The sword made no answer.
　With the sword in its scabbard in his hand, Duran was just about to walk away again.

''--Muh?''
　The bushes shook.
　At the same time, there was a hint of someone who had been hiding.
　Although it was a reasonably good covert, there was no way Duran wouldn't notice it once his gaze was directed at it.

''A survivor?''
　He turned his gaze warningly to the spot in the distance.
　Then, as if in contemplation, the guy appeared from behind the greenery that was shaking and swaying.

''Child...?''
　To my surprise, the one who came out of the bushes was a terribly dingy girl.
　I wonder if the raggedy cloth was a substitute for clothing, but there was nothing else present that could be called clothing, and she wasn't even wearing shoes. His hair was somewhat weedy and dry, and his fur was not so good. His appearance, which would have been quite excellent, is now just that of a dirty hobo.

　If you look at it, it has a little cat-like ear on its head.
　A furry tail could be seen on the buttocks.
　That convinced Duran of the covertness he had just witnessed.

　A beastly girl would be able to do that as well.
　If they have five senses that are better than humans - even if they are children, it's safe to say that it's built into their genes, not to mention learning how to get rid of signs.

　They must be corpse vandals or something, Duran guessed.
　Since we are approaching the Seven Kingdoms, the security around here is not as good as in the Kingdoms. There were many of these kinds of stragglers from society, and they were not unusual.
　They were probably hiding in hiding because they wanted food and cargo for the attacked wagons, so they would be looking for the situation.

　Such a child approached on a techie walk.
　He didn't show any hostility.
　On the contrary, the girl who approached with an innocent smile that even felt favoritism--

What--!

　--With a smile on her face, she drew her hidden dagger.

''Nah--!
　I was completely taken by surprise.
　The fact that the blade loomed over Duran's vigilance, which could be called superlative, could be called a true marvel.
　It was a threat that he hadn't felt today - or in a long time.

　The strike, which seemed to glide across the ground, as if it was aimed at the tendons of the foot, approached Duran as if it were being sucked in - and stopped there.
　With the sword still in its sheath, Duran caught the approaching dagger.
　A dull sound rang out.

　Even an unexpected blow would be meaningless if he remained inexperienced.
　If the opponent had not been Duran, it would have worked, but if Duran had a reaction speed that was beyond the bounds of an ordinary human, he could have forced himself to respond with his well-trained physical abilities.
　Catching the dagger with the sword still in its scabbard, he slid the blade with a difference in strength and skill, and flicked the dagger held by the girl with a flow of clashing power.

''H--!
　This time, the girl's face was agitated.
　There was certainly no doubt that she had been caught off guard. Surely that had worked out well so far.
　But he was a little short of training to be acceptable to Duran.

　That's it.
　There was no more to be gained in the girl's hands.
　As it was, Duran assembled the girl as if to push her down and said, holding her thin hands down.

'That's a brilliant blow but why did you attack me?'
　One child who is a hobo and has no place to stay. It's self-defense, and if it's not, there's nothing wrong with killing it. That is the value of a girl's life as this world perceives it.

　If you say the wrong word, you don't have a life, that was the situation.
　However, the girl didn't seem to feel as if she was afraid.

''.......Why?　To live is to take ... or we're all going to die, right?
　I don't know.
　The girl said, as if to say that she sincerely did not understand the meaning.

　The words are terribly tense and thin for an opponent who is pointing a blade at you.
　A natural gesture that is too unsuitable for the tense situation.
　The girl who stood on the ground of death as if she was playing with her friends, as if it was natural, was undoubtedly an anomaly similar to Duran.
　As if to break through such a merely thin tension, gulp. The girl's stomach bug became heaving.

''........I'm hungry.......''

You....
　In this situation, the difference in power is obvious as she is assembled by her opponent with her blade pointed at her. A mere tightening of the narrow throat would easily end the girl's life.
　And yet, it's this lack of tension.
　Duran almost seriously wondered if he was a bigger man than he thought.

''Uncle, I'm hungry ... I'll do something nice for you, give me some food--''
　On the contrary, she even said that to the person who attacked her.
　For a moment, I wondered if she was begging for her life, but the girl's face said differently.
　Holding her stomach and moving busily to find food from the wreckage of the carriage, her eyes are clearly those of a human being controlled by her appetite.

''Where did you learn that word ... what were you going to do if I was a bad person, you--?
　Completely drained of his venom, Duran let down his guard, said so with dismay, and released the girl.
　The girl in front of me didn't feel any hostility, malice, killing intent, or anything else from the beginning. That's why I feel like an idiot for taking her seriously.

''An........evil person?　Is your uncle a bad person too...?

'Maybe--and don't do that, Uncle. I'm still in my 20s.
　Duran points out the only important part of the girl's words and actions.

''...?　Old man...?

It's getting worse!
　Duran let out a big sigh and continued to speak.

'Call me brother, brother,'

"Hmm, my brother--so you're going to feed me?　Can't you give me that?

Really, you're so brazen to the point of being pure, you...
　But before they could eat, the girl would have some things to do first.
　Duran opened his mouth as if he couldn't take it any longer.

'You, do something about your appearance for now. Go take a bath first before you eat. You can smell it?

"...I don't like water...
　The girl frowned blatantly, but Duran didn't want to leave the flimsy girl like this and share a meal with her.

'In the meantime, I'll prepare a meal for you--go ahead and wash up.
　Thinking that it was candy and a whip to discipline a child, Duran placed the reward in front of her.
　Hearing those words, the girl's eyes wavered interestingly between anxiety and anticipation.

''........If you listen to me properly, will you give me a reward?''

Yeah.

Okay, I'll go.
　Seeing the girl walking towards the water's edge, Duran thought that he hadn't heard her name.

'You, what's your name?'

'His name is Nero, you know?　Where's your uncle?

He's not your uncle. I'm your brother--

It doesn't matter which way you look at it--it's all very detailed, so what about your brother?

This is Duran. I'm a traveler now.

Hmmm, Nero is Nero the thief.

　That's how Duran met the bandit girl, Nero.