'Surely Al is something now, like this ....... What can I say?　Thin?　It feels like.

Thin?

'I can't say it well, but I don't feel like I have much of a presence, or maybe it's too diluted: ....... Well, that's okay.

'Oh, ah, ......'

　It's not that it doesn't matter by any means, but there are priorities now.
　Understanding this, Aldis listens to Rona's story.

'But,' she says, 'this Al says it's been a year and a half since he left me - a year and a half since he went to take down the Mad Woman. Strange, right?

　There's no mystery or anything else, but for Aldis, the very existence of the 'boy named Aldis' that Rona says she met is unacceptable to him.
　For some reason, he is struck with a chill as if his identity is slowly being destroyed.

'Al over there - I'll call him Al-boy for the sake of confusion, but he's hiding a twin girl with a woman named Nere. The twins' names are Filia and Liana, but they don't sound familiar, do they?

No ......, supposedly.

　When she heard the name, Aldis's mind momentarily flashed to the two young children who came running up to her, their platinum blonde hair swinging in the air.
　Her cold, tense heart suddenly lets out a breath of relief, as if she had forgotten the pain.
　On the other hand, an emotion he had never seen before baffled him.

'Then me and the boy Al--'

　Rona continued to talk about Aldis, which Aldis did not know.
　Ardis listens in silence, as if she had wandered into some unknowable world.

　According to Rona, it is a different world from the one in which Aldis exists.
　When Rona, who described it simply as 'another world', finished telling us about the Krol seed she happened to come across, the four years she traveled with Al boy, and the work he did in the war with the neighboring country, she began to explain how they had come to be here.

'That girl is your student?'

'Yes. He didn't seem to like it at first, but for whatever reason, I think he's moved on. It was Al boy who asked me to be Minerva's escort, too.

　Afterwards, when Ardis heard the story of how he was transferred here after being attacked by someone, an indescribable expression appeared on his face.
　If he heard that someone with the same name as him was planning something involving Rona without his knowledge, it was natural to feel an unearthly feeling of disgust.

　I'm not sure I'm convinced by Rona's explanation, but I don't think I'm in a situation to pursue it right now.
　Aldis put the matter on hold, saying that reaching the human village as soon as possible should be the priority above all else.




　But still, their presence, incompatible with Aldis' common sense, irritates him emotionally.

'If you don't want to eat it, don't eat it. No one asked you to eat it.

　Aldis coldly tells the man who spits out Neduro's meat and complains.

'If you choose to starve because you want to, so be it, and if you have something else to eat, go ahead and eat it. I won't stop you.

　The words, uncharacteristically thorny, come out of the girl's mouth as she mumbles to herself with a dark and somber expression even after receiving an explanation from Rona.

　It is true that Neduro's meat is a bad taste that you wouldn't want to eat if it weren't for this situation.
　But now is exactly the 'situation', and if you are a person accustomed to living in the open air, you understand that it is unavoidable to be forced to endure and be patient. That is the world of the outside of the town.

　The words and actions of the man and the girl were the best proof of how little they knew about the outside of the town.
　If you've grown up sleeping in a warm bed in the safety of the town, chasing deliciousness with selective food and never feeling the danger of your life, that's understandable.

　Normally you would be able to lightly dismiss it as someone from a different world than you, but the current Ardis doesn't have that luxury.
　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.
　At the same time, Ardis is not human enough to be able to give consideration to others.





　After the arduous task of eating a meal that only inflates their bellies, the group falls asleep on the spot.

''Night watch?　We don't need to put up all those things, we can deal with them on our own before they attack us.

　When he replied curtly to the man who had interrupted him about the order of the night watch, Aldis looked at the man and the girl without hiding her gasp.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one.
　It's not that Aldis is special, it's just that it's an ability that everyone who works outside of the city has acquired.
　On the contrary, those who are unable to do so will lose their lives sooner or later. That was the way this world was.

　Not to mention, there is even Rona here, who has a keener perception than Ardis.
　A mere beast would not be able to catch you by surprise.

''Don't worry. Minerva will be safe with me by your side. You can sleep or doze off until morning if you want.

　With Rona undertaking to be alert to her surroundings, Aldis saw no need to speak further and quickly laid back down.





　Aldis awoke from her shallow slumber at a time when the starlight was still shining in the full sky.
　He perceived the harm that was creeping in from above his head and his consciousness surfaced.

(Crawling?)

　Perceiving the presence, he slowly opened his eyelids and picked up the sword he had placed beside him and pulled it from its sheath.

　Looking around, Ardis's eyes meet with the man who also woke up and held the sword in his hand.
　Apparently, he's trained to the extent that he can feel a presence.

　But as for the girl--.

(How is it that she's still asleep in this state? ......)

　He was slumbering in his sleep, leaning his upper body against Rona's lying belly.

　Rona is naturally aware of the crawling insect's approach.
　It didn't show any signs of getting up, but its airy, golden tail was swaying as if it were spying on something.
　It seems to be quiet so as not to disturb the girl's sleep, which is probably a pose of entrusting Aldis with the extermination of the vermin.

　Holding back a sigh and a tongue lashing, Aldis slowly walks over to the girl.

'Something's wrong ....... A beast?

　Apparently, the man has woken up when he senses something unusual, but he doesn't understand the cause of it.
　His gaze wanders with his sword in his hand, his eyes wandering in a misguided direction.

(Well, better than my daughter who is carefree and asleep in this state.)

What are you going to do?

　A man asks Aldis, who walks up to the girl with a drawn sword in his hand.
　Ignoring his voice, Aldis stepped to the girl's immediate side and held the sword sideways.

''--Oy, wait!

What ......?

　The girl wakes up to the voice of a man who hurriedly stops her, and her iris-colored eyes catch the sight of Aldis.

　Without hesitation, Ardis swings her sword straight up to the top of the girl's head, who has no understanding of what is happening.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends.
　The crawling insect that attacked the girl fell backwards with a sound, staining its white body with bodily fluids.

''Kyah!''

　The girl, who suddenly shrank from the suddenness of the situation, looked like she was going to cry for a moment when she looked back at the crawling wreckage of the crawling insect, but she immediately pulled out her shortsword from its sheath with a serious look on her face, which was beside her.

''Huh. ....... Sorry, Al. Thanks ...... mnya.

　Rona yawns widely and tries to fall asleep again.
　She may intend to deal with it if the situation arises, but she throws the task of dealing with it to Ardis, even though she said she would take care of it herself.
　If it was typical of Rona, it was typical of Rona.

　Ardis wiped off the insect's bodily fluids from her sword body and sheathed it.
　It was bad enough for the girl who was still wary of her surroundings, but she had already confirmed that there was no other danger.
　Apparently she can't even read the signs of her surroundings, whether she's asleep or awake.

''You can't even handle this level: ......

　It would be suicidal to go out of town with such competence.
　It was inevitable that he would sigh.

''Don't be so reckless towards a kid who had never held a sword until six months ago.

　The man can't see it and interrupts him, but it gets on Aldis' nerves in reverse.

'As long as we're out of town, how can such an excuse be valid? It's a good thing that the prey is weak for the opponent, whether it's a human or an insect. If this is the kind of thing that catches an opponent off guard, it's no good talking about it.

　Wild beasts and insects do not take into account the convenience of human beings.
　It is the fate of living things to be weeded out of the weak. Then the weak should not leave the town where they are safe.

　Without Aldis and Rona, men and girls would be in the belly of the beast in no time at all.
　Maybe there were some circumstances, but as it was, they were just rushing to their deaths.

'Not now ....... But eventually, I'm sure--

It won't matter any time soon. It's a matter of life and death for you to realize that it's now. You can't control your magic, you can't detect any signs of life, and you can't survive in the open air. I'm not going to say a bad thing. When we return to town, don't grab a sword and stay quiet.

　Judging from her behavior, the girl must be from a wealthy family.
　The fact that she is too insensitive to the dangers of life is the best proof that she was born and raised in the town.

　It's not like Aldis, who has no place to go.
　If you have a place to return to, and it is a safe town, then you don't have to jump into danger by choice.

　I don't care if a fool jumps into danger and dies without permission, but I can't ignore the fact that a young girl of inexperienced age is about to scatter her life without knowing anything.
　It would be in the girl's best interest to shatter that naivety, even if it's a tighter way to say it.

'That's ......, I can't approve.

　But the girl, unaware of Aldis's inclination, was adamantly unwilling to relent.

'Do you want to die that badly?'

"I don't want to die. I want to protect myself and the things I care about. What's wrong with seeking that power?

　Slightly, Aldis's mind wavered.
　For to deny the question would be to deny herself as well.

I don't say there's anything wrong with that. But there is a word in the world called 'Bunsoou'. People who don't know their own strength will die in the blink of an eye. Even with that sword--

　In order to avert his eyes from the girl who does not flinch at his wild talk, Ardis let his gaze escape to the shortsword she is holding.

　Ardis can see at a glance that the simple, unadorned sword is filled with quite a bit of magical power.
　It's a good thing that even Ardis can make it if she wanted to, but no matter how you look at it in a favorable light, it was too much for a girl to have.

It's a good thing that you're too good to have. I don't know if it's some young lady or what, but it's a waste of treasure when you have a weapon that's so expensive that it doesn't match your skills.

I know. I know that this sword is not worthy of me. But this is still a precious gift from my master. Even if you're not worthy of being a user now, you'll be able to use it eventually at ......

"Master ......, Master.

　The sound of the word 'master' that the girl had spoken made something buzz inside Aldis.
　She pressed her head down with one hand to stifle it.

'Your master has the same name as me, Rona told me. ......

　According to Rona's story, the person the girl was studying under has the same name as Ardis.
　I don't know what the purpose of this is to deceive the name of Ardis, but it's not nice to have someone do whatever they want.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
　I'm sure you're not going to be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the world.

It's a very overprotective and careless master to give a chick like you such a sword. You look like you have a very lukewarm attitude.

''Don't speak ill of your master!

　The girl, who had been contrary but somewhat reserved until then, suddenly bites Ardis.

''I'm not saying it's bad. I'm just saying you're a sweetheart.'

Shut up!　I will not tolerate any further contempt!

　The girl glared at Aldis from the front as she showed her anger.
　She seemed to be so fascinated by that master.

'Forgive me or not, what are you going to do?'

f*ck!

　The girl raises her sword.
　Apparently, the aim is the sword that Ardis is holding at her waist.
　It is admirable to try not to injure the opponent, even if you are furious, but it is failing at the point where you turn on an opponent of competence that you would never be able to defeat in the first place.

　Ardis deploys a physical barrier in the space where the tip of his sword passes through.

''Ah!''

　Ardis almost unintentionally removed the shortsword that had been played by the barrier, and Aldis reached for it when the girl was caught in her own hands.
　While holding the girl's hand with all his strength, Aldis dared to point out her lack of strength in a sarcastic way.

'That's disgusting. You can't slash at a bare handed human being from this distance and not be able to make a single strike.

Kuhn: "Kuhn: ......

　The girl's movements are those of someone who has not experienced a good amount of actual combat.
　If it comes to a battle with a beast, it's not surprising that she would be the first to be targeted.
　It would be in the girl's best interest to make her realize her abilities, even if a little harshly, and send her back to town quietly.

'Hey, that's enough. You're pretty mature too.

　A man interrupts her from the side again.
　It seems that the only people around the girl, whether it's her master or this man, are those who have a naive idea of what to do.

''Someone should say something like this before you get hurt--''

　Ardis was about to argue that it's one thing to pamper and another to be gentle, when she unexpectedly sensed a change and turned her gaze to the sword the girl was holding.

''--what!

What?

　The reason why she was spilling out her surprise was because this was unexpected even for the girl.
　The shortsword that the girl was holding was surrounded by a white glow.
　The magic power emitted from the sword came into contact with Ardis' magic power and increased the intensity of the light as if it were a chain.

　At the same time, a vast amount of information began to flow into Ardis's mind.

　After being sent away by Erion's magic, she woke up in the forest.
　A strong-faced swordsman, a red-haired sorcerer, and a child-faced archer - three mercenaries who call themselves the 'Myoujo of Byakuya' - met when they were fighting off a strange-looking beast.
　The moon has not risen, and the night sky is expanding as if it were seeping through the horizon.
　The faces of the twins, with their innocent smiles clinging to each other.
　The irreverent woman with pale light blue hair who calls herself a squire.
　The defeat of the three powerful demons known as "Goma".
　A former partner reunited in an unlikely place.
　A noblewoman who reluctantly takes on the role of a tutor for a nobleman's daughter in order to pay her debts in the war.
　In the building of the organization he destroyed to repay for the attack on his student, a strange phenomenon suddenly strikes him.

　It's not the information that a stranger has seen or heard, but rather, it's my own memory, I now understand.

'Ugh ......, what the hell is this?'

　In the hazy consciousness, memories of the old days when he and his friends challenged the female general's army are slowly projected in the back of his mind.
　A sense of humiliation, helplessness and anger reappears, and it disturbs the sense of time.
　Challenged, defeated, and eluded, Ardis wanders like a puppet in search of a human settlement.

　It was as if she was dreaming.

'My head is ......, my dream ......, and now I'm .......

　She kneels down, holding her head in her left hand.
　Confused, not sure if it was a dream or not, Ardis suddenly felt something inside her that was exactly where it should be.

　At that moment, his consciousness began to become clearer.

　It wasn't a dream or a hallucination.
　It was neither a dream nor a hallucination; it was just me wandering around this world for seven days and living for seven years in the other world.
　I understood, not through logic, but through my senses, that both of them were unmistakably me.

　Something that had been torn apart has finally found its proper place and settled down; if I had to put it into words, it would be that.

　How much time has passed?
　Aldis's consciousness is gradually becoming clearer and clearer.
　The pain in her head had subsided.

　When she looked up, Aldis's vision was filled with the image of her student, earnest and dedicated.
　He was looking at me with a hint of fear in his eyes, but at the same time, he was looking at Aldis with a hint of worry in his eyes.
　Aldis naturally asked a question.

''Why are you here, Minerva?''