Two people were introduced as Rona's companions.

　One was a swordsman.
　His armor, ornate in places, reminded me more of a regular army outfit than a mercenary.
　I'm sure he's about the same age as Ardis.
　It seems that he knows how to use a sword, but his movements are too slow.
　I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.

　The other one is a girl whose skin barely even has a tan.
　Although some fraying can be seen, the shine of the trimmed hair clearly shows signs of daily care.
　She carries a shortsword filled with an undeserved amount of magic from her waist, but by all appearances, she is not a fighter.
　This is because of the fact that the man of the swordsman calls her 'young lady', which suggests that she is a wealthy merchant or daughter of a noble family.

I'm not sure if I'll be allowed to follow you until I find a home or a street.

I don't mind if you can keep up, but I'm not going to slow down for a kid's foot.

　Rona offers to accompany them to Ardis.
　I heard that someone has asked her to take care of the girl.

　Normally, she would be outraged.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's going on in the world.

　If she could afford such a request, wouldn't it be natural for her to run to Aldis and the others and join the battle?
　Although I think so in theory, Ardis was strangely not annoyed.
　In fact, a strange feeling of wanting to approve of Rona's actions grew in him.

　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.
　Aldis himself had no idea where he was.
　It is tempting to rely on Rona's keen sense of smell and hearing, but even more than that, the familiar presence can be a guidepost for Aldis to not lose himself.
　It was tolerable enough to have two of the laggards following them.

　While exchanging information with each other, Aldis and the others moved from place to place and began to prepare the camp.
　As a result, it was clear that Rona, like Ardis, was not fully aware of the situation she was in.
　The policy hasn't changed at all, and she has come to the conclusion that she will have no choice but to keep moving, looking for a human village or a city road.

　I don't know who in the world Rona was asked to do this for, but I can see that she is somehow concerned about her two escort targets.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it.

I'm sure you'll be able to get your own drinking water. Rona is not a servant.

　The two men, however, are not their maidservants.
　The arrogance of the two bogeymen, both of whom were willing to spare even the slightest effort, made me wince.

　Despite the man's protests, Rona spoke up in defense.

'Don't do it, Al,' he said. You don't have a choice. We don't have a choice, we just can't handle our magic.

No magic?

　A moment later, Aldis's thoughts stop.
　After chewing on the words and finally swallowing them, Aldis shows his frustration and chides the man.

"Why is a guy who can't even use magic wandering around outside of town?

'I am a swordsman. Even if I can't use magic, I'm powerful enough to fight with this sword.

　The man countered with a logic that wasn't even an excuse.

　He probably thinks he became a swordsman just by learning the kata.
　It's not hard to imagine the hardships of Rona as an escort.

'If you were a swordsman, you'd need to handle your magic even more. How are you going to fight if you can't make a single scaffold?

Scaffolding?　What's that?

　How are you going to fight the beast without even forming a foothold?
　Rona begins to explain, mixed with a demonstration, on behalf of Aldis, who is dumbfounded and unable to speak.

　To the man who shows an expression of surprise at the scaffolding that Rona creates, Ardis coldly says.

'A man who can't even use a scaffold shouldn't call himself a swordsman. If you don't want to die, just put your sword down and think about living in a safe town.

　The way he says it is rough, but what he says is common sense that even uneducated commoners know.
　It's not a good idea for a person who can't make a foothold and can't even put magical power on the tip of a sword to fight against a beast.
　The idea of leaving town without the ability to fight is either very naive, or else it's just a desire to die.

I'm proud to say that I've risen to the rank of battalion commander with a single sword!　I can't keep my mouth shut after being made fun of so much!

A man who can't do a single magic trick?　What kind of country trickery is that battalion of yours?

　Normally, Ardis would not speak with such a thorny tone.
　But now that the general's army has left him helpless, he has lost his comrades, and he has lost the place to vent his anger, he can't control his emotions, which if he had to, would make him want to take it out on everyone around him.
　The painful heat that leaks out slightly is transformed into sharp words that slash at your opponent, and then hits the man in front of you.

''If you want to sell me a fight that badly, I'll buy it!　I'm going to give you a taste of that playful sword you're talking about!

　An enraged man puts his hand on the sword at his waist.

''Enough!''

　It seems that Rona, who had been trying to keep the situation under control, has finally run out of patience.
　The man finally understood his own abilities after being hit with harsh words by Rona.

　As you listen to the conversation with Rona, an unfamiliar word like "Awazora" comes out of her mouth.

(Awazora ......?)

　Suddenly, Aldis was struck by a headache.
　She involuntarily held her temples with one hand as she felt as if something was being forcibly pulled out of her head.

　A curtain of black spread out to seep into the sky.
　Ardis doesn't understand why such a scene has appeared in her mind.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that there is no such thing as an awazora in this world. This is because the world is not the same as the place where Minerva and her friends were born.

The world is ...... different?

　If you're listening to the conversation with an indescribable sense of discomfort and uncertainty, you'll end up saying something incomprehensible like, 'This is a different world.

This is the world I was born and raised in, and Al - this is the world Aldis grew up in. This is the world I was born and raised in, and Al - this is the world Aldis was raised in.

How did my name get in there?

　At the end of the day, Rona suddenly mentioned Aldis' name, so I reflexively interrupted her.

''Eh?　Master?

Aldis?

　It was not Rona who responded to the question, but the man and the girl.
　They were staring at Ardis with confusion on their faces.

For now, let's just focus on explaining it to you two. It's too complicated to explain it all at the same time ...... and I'll explain it to Al properly later.

　Aldis reluctantly withdrew from Rona, who seemed to be half pleading with exhaustion on her face.
　The unexplained pain that assaulted her head was slowly easing.





'Well, and ....... So now it's your turn to explain to Al. Where shall we start?

　Rona, who had finished explaining to the two men, approached Ardis's side and started the conversation with a difficult look on her face.

''I had a number of questions I wanted to ask you originally, but listening to what you just said beside me, it was the opposite and I didn't understand it.

That's right: ...... Well, I guess so. I don't know how to explain it either.

Fundamental, though: ......

Hmm?　What is it?

You ......, Rona, right?

　It was ridiculous, but Aldis felt like he had to check from there first.

'Are you sleepwalking?'

...... Maybe so.

　A blurred, fluffy consciousness, a headache that has been coming on intermittently since earlier.
　I felt as if I wasn't myself, as if I was dreaming.
　And yet, I felt pain, resentment, and vengeance clearly gnawing at my soul.
　She is unsure of her own existence as the source of the problem. Such instability clings to Ardis.

'It's silly to answer, but my name is Rona. A friend of Al and Lou's, a comrade who swore vengeance on that woman. There's no doubt about that.

Well: ......

　Although he was aware that it was a dumb exchange, Aldis breathed a sigh of relief at Rona's answer.
　It's a good thing that you have a reliable partner by your side, even if this is not reality but a nightmare.

But ......

But what?

I think there's a big discrepancy between what Al would have seen in me a few days ago and what I'm seeing now.

What do you mean?

'I saw Al again two days after I broke up with him, and I stayed with him for about five years.

...... What are you talking about?

That doesn't make any sense, does it? Hmmm, I don't know where to start: ......

　Rona's twitching, inverted triangle ears quivered in thought.

'It's going to be a bit long, but listen. The last time Al left me, I was wounded, right?

Yeah, he wasn't in much of a state to fight.

　Rona had been badly wounded in the battle just before she went to defeat the female general's army.
　As a result, she should have given up the idea of accompanying Ardis and others and concentrated on healing her wounds.

''I finally managed to move after being quiet for two days, but as expected, it looks like it's going to be tough to hunt, but I'm still hungry, and Al and the others aren't there. ......

...... Is that story necessary?

　Aldis had no idea why Rona had started talking about it.

"Well, well, don't say that. Our species has a special hunting ground in case of emergencies. That's not only because there are no strong enemies, but also because there is more food there than here, which is perfect for hunting. But we don't use it unless there are special circumstances, because if we stay too long, our life expectancy will be reduced, and we leave the area as soon as we are done hunting.

'Shorter life expectancy?　It's a pretty fancy hunting ground.

'Yeah. I've learned that it doesn't actually shrink, though. Thanks to Al.

　Aldis wrinkled his brow as he listened to Rona's unintelligible story.
　It felt as if the headache was coming back for some reason.

'...... I don't get it.'

I didn't like the idea of a shortened lifespan, but I had no choice but to go into the forest to hunt that particular hunting ground. I didn't want to shorten my life span, but I had no choice but to go into the forest to hunt in that hunting ground. It was the only place where we could hunt without feeling threatened. When I was getting a little hungry and thinking about going home, I heard a human voice. I wasn't sure what to do, but it didn't seem dangerous, so I took a peek. It seemed like a human girl was being attacked by some guy, so I saved her on a whim. Do you know this girl named Solte?

How could I not?

　The name that stuck for some reason while uttering the obvious answer made Ardis feel uncomfortable, as if a small bone had been caught in her throat.

'So?'

　I put one hand on my aching head and urged him to continue his story.

I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing. His name was Ardis.

What?

"If you have black eyes and black hair, use a flying sword, and even though your wounds haven't completely healed, you can still fight me to a tee, and the last thing you need is an understanding of the code 'Otsu no Sanbaku'...

'No, wait a minute!　Who's that?　I mean, it's not like they had the same name, but they just knew the signatures?　You mean there was someone using my name?!

Well, I doubted it at first. But you know what, Al? You think I smelled him wrong?　No matter how much Al was in child form.

Kids?　Me?

Yeah. I guess I'm about fourteen or five years old.　I was getting a lot weaker at my age, so it was a good match for me then.

　Aldis' head starts to hurt again.

'Hey, Rona. Am I having a bad dream?　I have no idea what's going on.

'Dream nay ....... At least I'm pretty sure I'm not dreaming.