New Chapter 19: “The Star-Circling Oasis‚ or the Camp of the Incomplete Ones”
Aria: —Dooooon!!
A physical “rhythm (ton-ton)” slammed directly into the bare earth.
From there‚ golden ripples raced outward in every direction‚ quietly coming to a halt at the boundary of the world five kilometers away.
The horrific gray sky that had completely covered the heavens was vividly torn apart.
The residual mist that had clouded our vision was forcibly pushed aside‚ and a clear blue sky peeked through.
An endlessly transparent‚ genuine azure.
The sunlight I could feel on my skin for the first time in so long‚ reaching even the silence deep in my eardrums‚ poured straight down onto the battlefield.
Zephyr: “...The monsters...”
Beside me‚ Zephyr murmured softly.
Her emotionless jade-green eyes precisely captured the darkness beyond the barrier.
Zephyr: “There were so many monsters... they’ve disappeared.”
Aria: “They haven’t disappeared.”
While steadying my heavily ragged breathing‚ I tightly regripped the ebony baton with my whitened right hand.
Aria: “They’ve been pushed outside the barrier.”
A safe zone (save point) ten kilometers in diameter‚ filled with warm golden light.
Outside that glowing boundary line‚ the countless contaminated monsters that had been surrounding us until moments ago stood frozen‚ as if blocked by a thick glass wall.
They clawed at the ground in frustration‚ bared their fangs‚ and roared.
Yet they could not take even a single step into this tranquil domain.
Only the inside of the barrier was terribly quiet‚ as if cut off from the broken world.
On the dry soil‚ a single small yellow blade of grass whose name I still didn’t know swayed gently‚ even without any wind.
Aria: —And that was exactly why I keenly sensed that unsettling sense of wrongness.
Aria: “...Hmm?”
I frowned and sharply surveyed the “inside” of the barrier dyed in gold.
Aria: “No... not all of them.”
Palpal: “Huh?”
The elf girl‚ Palpal‚ tilted her head curiously from under her green hood.
I gave the baton a small wave.
Golden waveforms racing through space flicked out the slightest distortions in the atmosphere as noise.
Aria: “Most of the monsters can’t enter the barrier.
But—”
That was the moment.
Aria: —Dogooon!!
The ground far away exploded violently‚ as if someone had stepped on a landmine.
Aria: “They’re coming!”
At the same time I shouted‚ a massive black shadow leaped out from the swirling dust cloud.
Four thick‚ powerful legs.
A vicious single horn growing from its forehead.
And embedded in its chest‚ a sticky‚ unnervingly pulsing black-purple magic core.
Palpal: “No way...”
The blood drained from Palpal’s mud-covered face in an instant.
Palpal: “A magic core...”
From behind the black rhino-type monster‚ another one appeared with clawing footsteps.
This time‚ a massive wolf with beautiful white fur stained in blood.
In its chest as well‚ two ominous magic cores flickered malevolently.
Then another‚ and another.
I quickly counted on my retinas.
Ten‚ twenty‚ thirty—.
Aria: “...There are nearly fifty of them.”
I murmured quietly.
Aria: “High-concentration individuals that have taken intermediate-level or higher magic cores into their bodies are forcing their way through the world’s rejection (system) and entering.”
Palpal: “No one told me about that!!”
Palpal clutched her head and let out the most pathetic elite scream possible.
Aria: “I only just confirmed it myself!”
Palpal: “That’s not something you say with ‘I only just confirmed it’!!”
As if tearing through her scream‚ nearly fifty frenzied roars overlapped‚ and the earth trembled unpleasantly.
From cracks in the ground‚ black dust rose in thin streams.
Aria: Yet—strangely‚ the word “fear” did not surface in my chest.
Aria: Because deep in my chest‚ a clear body temperature of life was quietly playing a melody.
Aria: —Powan.
Behind the lining of my left chest.
Beneath Rinne’s clumsy stitches‚ soft golden light overflowed from the amber “ancient heart fragment.”
It was Iris’s residual echo (voice).
I quietly closed my eyes.
Aria: “...Yeah‚ I can hear it.”
My right arm moved of its own accord‚ tracing a beautiful trajectory.
Aria: —Piin.
The baton sharply sliced through the air‚ striking the warmest first note in the world.
A golden melody spread outward from my body as pure ripples.
The atmosphere trembled‚ and the dry earth responded gently.
And that living melody beautifully intertwined as invisible threads of light around the bodies of the three—Nagi‚ Zephyr‚ and Palpal.
Palpal: “...!?”
Palpal’s jade eyes opened to their widest limit.
Palpal: “What is this!?”
The magic surging from the wooden staff she gripped began to radiate a vividly different‚ fresh brilliance far beyond what it had been moments before.
Palpal: “My magic is... increasing! No way‚ my body can’t keep up...!”
She tightly regripped the staff once more.
Palpal: “Three times... no‚ more than three times!?”
Beside her trembling voice of astonishment‚ Nagi smiled fondly.
Nagi: “I see.
Aria’s sound isn’t an arrogant score that binds someone to a single correct answer.”
Her transparent eyes turned toward the ferocious monsters charging at us.
Nagi: “That’s why it can be used like this.”
Nagi quietly took one step forward.
Nagi: “Aria.”
Aria: “Yeah.”
Nagi: “You keep maintaining that warm sound (buff).”
Pale emerald wind explosively gathered at Nagi’s slender white fingertips.
Nagi: “I’ll handle the conducting (control).”
Aria: In that moment‚ I clearly understood.
Aria: She is different from Solan.
That man forced everything into his own perfect score‚ fixed the future‚ bound movements‚ and coldly executed only a single “correct answer.”
Aria: But Nagi is different.
She leaves “clumsy blank spaces” for everyone to move freely‚ and tries to layer each person’s unique sound on top of them.
Nagi: “First‚ the left.”
Nagi’s right hand rose elegantly.
Nagi: “Two white wolf-types.
Zephyr‚ can I leave them to you?”
Zephyr: “Understood.”
Aria: —Shun!!!
The next instant‚ Zephyr’s body vanished from the center.
The wind howled.
No—even the wind could not overtake her frictionless speed.
By the time the white wolves tried to turn their heads‚ it was already too late.
Aria: —Zuzaaa!!
A single flash.
Vacuum blades that discarded all air resistance beautifully raced toward the necks of both beasts.
Zephyr: “First one.”
Her voice arrived late‚ and Zephyr’s afterimage was swallowed back into the void.
Zephyr: “Second one.”
Aria: —Zun!!
The two massive bodies collapsed to the ground simultaneously‚ without even being given time to spray blood.
Palpal: “...So fast.”
Palpal murmured completely dumbfounded.
Nagi: “Next‚ the right.”
Nagi’s calm instruction (score) flew.
Nagi: “The black rhino-type.
I’ll leave it to you‚ Palpal.”
Palpal: “M-me!?”
Nagi: “Your techniques have the best compatibility with that mass.”
Palpal’s eyes went wide.
But the next moment‚ with a face that looked ready to cry‚ she firmly regripped the staff with both small hands.
Palpal: “...Understood‚ I’ll do it!”
Around the girl‚ vivid emerald green light fiercely crackled.
Palpal: “Ancient spring sleeping in the earth!”
Precise elf magic circles unfolded layer upon layer in the air.
Palpal: “—Pierce!!”
Aria: —Zudooooon!!!
In the instant the black rhino charged head-on with tremendous mass‚
a torrent of light erupted explosively from the ground and cleanly pierced through its massive body from directly below.
Palpal: “Kyaaaa! I did it!!”
Palpal herself was the most surprised‚ hopping up and down on her mud-covered feet.
Palpal: “I’ve never produced this kind of power in my life!?”
Nagi: “It’s the power of Aria’s sound.”
Nagi smiled gently‚ then lightly waved her slender fingertips toward the air.
Nagi: “I’ll stop the rest.”
Aria: —Piin.
A transparent sound like plucking a harp spread into the new world.
The wind violently reversed course.
The feet of the dozens of charging monsters were all swallowed at once into a vortex of emerald storm.
Nagi: “I’ll seal their movements for five minutes.”
A cage of wind.
Nearly fifty monsters completely stiffened in place‚ as if their feet had sunk into invisible mire.
Nagi: “Now!”
Nagi shouted sharply.
Nagi: “Zephyr!”
Zephyr: “Understood.”
Aria: —Vanish.
Nagi: “Palpal!”
Palpal: “Leave it to me!”
Aria: —Flash.
Nagi: “Aria.”
Aria: “Yeah!”
I forcefully swung the baton.
The golden melody began to pulse even more dazzlingly‚ even more intensely.
Aria: I’m not fighting.
I’m just playing more muddily than anyone else on this battlefield.
I’m only connecting the gaps in their incompleteness so that everyone can shine their brightest‚ so that everyone’s sounds can reach the world.
Aria: (More... spread further...!)
The golden light swelled greatly.
Aria: (Everyone‚ be freer!!)
Zephyr ran.
Palpal shouted.
Nagi perfectly dominated the battlefield.
The monsters’ ominous roars were cut off one after another with pleasant sounds.
Ten‚ twenty‚ thirty—.
And the last one collapsed onto the dry earth with a heavy thud.
Aria: —Don.
Silence.
I slowly lowered the baton.
The golden melody quietly faded‚ and a refreshing wind blew across the ravaged earth.
In the distance‚ an unnamed bird cried once and flew away.
Palpal: “...Is it over?”
Palpal asked while heavily raising and lowering her shoulders‚ wiping large beads of sweat.
Aria: “Yeah.”
I smiled slightly and nodded.
Zephyr checked the magic cores of the fallen monsters one by one‚ then quietly stood up.
Zephyr: “All individuals‚ activity stopped (clear).”
Nagi: “Fuu...”
At that moment‚ Nagi gently pressed her white fingertips to the base of her neck and let out a small sigh of pain.
I could see the blood vessels on her beautiful neck turning a thick‚ cursed “blue.”
Her body had once again absorbed the world’s dissonance (noise) released by nearly fifty monsters as a substitute.
Palpal: “Ah...”
Noticing it‚ Palpal gasped and widened her eyes.
Palpal: (That white-haired person... is she destroying her own body while absorbing the external poison alone...?)
Because Palpal possessed advanced elf medical knowledge‚ she seemed to notice the abnormality of that “blue blood” and the depth of despair Nagi carried faster than anyone else.
Nagi: “...Nice.”
Nagi put on a gentle adult smile as if hiding the pain at her neck and looked around at us.
Zephyr‚ Palpal‚ Nagi‚ and me.
Even though we had only met yesterday.
Aria: Right now‚ our sounds had certainly layered beautifully.
It wasn’t anyone’s perfect score.
We made mistakes‚ fell out of sync‚ shouted‚ and still‚ while each holding our own distorted sounds‚ we arrived at the same single victory.
Aria: “...This is”
I tucked the baton into my chest and smiled slightly.
Aria: “Our first ensemble‚ isn’t it.”
Nagi gently narrowed her jade eyes.
Nagi: “That’s right.
...Though it’s quite clumsy.”
Palpal: “But we won‚ didn’t we!”
Palpal proudly puffed out her small mud-covered chest.
Zephyr: “...Victory‚ confirmed.”
Zephyr nodded matter-of-factly.
Those three voices overlapped a little out of sync at slightly different timings.
It was strangely funny‚ and I laughed out loud.
Aria: —Still.
Aria: The journey of us incomplete ones had only just begun.
Aria: —It was quiet.
The golden purified world showed a peaceful face‚ hard to believe that nearly fifty monsters had been rampaging and violently shaking the earth just moments ago.
The gray poison mist had been cleanly pushed back by the safe zone (save point) with a radius of five kilometers centered on me.
Beyond that glowing boundary line‚ countless contaminated monsters still writhed hungrily‚ but they no longer had any means of invading this side.
Sunlight pouring from the clear blue sky gently caressed the dry soil like thin golden threads.
Only the faint rustling of wind swaying the grass somewhere filled this pure domain.
Palpal: “...It’s over...”
Palpal dropped her staff and plopped down on the spot.
Palpal: “I can’t take another step...
Elves are supposed to be a noble race that elegantly travels the silver forests...”
Aria: “You just blasted the biggest rhino-type with a light spear in a spectacular way‚ though.”
Palpal: “That’s a completely different matter!”
Seeing her protest with her mud-covered face flushed red‚ I couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.
That was when it happened.
Iris: ‘...Aria’
A gentle whisper like the wind echoed by my ear.
When I turned around‚ Iris stood there quietly‚ her entire body wrapped in golden light particles.
The girl who could only be perceived by me‚ whose fingertips even slipped through mine‚ lowered her brows a little apologetically in a troubled expression.
Iris: ‘There’s one thing I have to tell you.’
Aria: “What’s wrong?”
Iris: ‘This barrier... it won’t last forever.’
My smile naturally faded.
Aria: “...There’s a time limit‚ then?”
Iris: ‘Yes.’
Iris nodded small but clearly.
Iris: ‘Maximum of twenty-four hours.’
Aria: “Twenty-four hours...”
I looked up at the sky once more.
It was still endlessly blue.
The sun’s altitude was still high.
Here there was certainly a pleasant wind‚ and the fresh scent of soil.
This clumsy safe zone we had finally obtained in the world of death.
And it would only last—just one day.
Aria: “In other words‚ maintaining this barrier... is using up your time (life).”
Iris: ‘...Yes.’
Iris’s voice grew as small as if fading away.
Aria: “How much?”
Iris: ‘One hour.’
I lost my words.
Iris: ‘If I burn one hour of my lifespan‚ I can maintain the current size... a circle about five kilometers in radius for twenty-four hours.’
Aria: “...One hour.”
Deep in my chest‚ a physical pain tightly squeezed.
Iris’s life‚ one hour.
Just that number.
But for us now‚ carrying a dwindling countdown‚ it was an equivalent exchange that was far too heavy.
I took out the pocket watch and stared at the blood-red digital display.
It had definitely decreased more than yesterday.
Aria: “Then”
After a short thought‚ I quietly asked.
Aria: “For example‚ if not all of it... if we only used ten minutes?”
Iris: ‘Eh?’
Aria: “During movement when we don’t need to maintain the barrier for a full hour— just to advance to the next base (save point)‚ what if we only used ten minutes of life?”
Iris tilted her head a little and earnestly folded her small fingers to assemble the calculation.
Iris: ‘...With my ten minutes‚ maybe about four hours of maintenance?’
Aria: “Seems so.”
Iris: ‘Then...’
She smiled lovably as if patting her chest in relief.
Iris: ‘We can just use a little at a time only when needed.’
Aria: “Yeah.”
Iris: ‘...In that case’
Iris gently placed both small hands on her own chest.
Iris: ‘I’ll make absolutely sure not to waste my time...’
Aria: “I won’t let you waste it‚ ever.
Your time is something we’ll all protect to the end.”
The golden radiance wrapping her body happily increased its brightness with a soft fluff.
That was when it happened.
Aria: —Pip.
Behind the lining of my left chest.
Inside the magic-resistant fiber Rinne had sewn for me‚ a small communicator emitted a low‚ clear electronic tone.
It was the long-distance communication brooch that Kotone had pressed into my palm when we parted.
Aria: “...Kotone?”
When I took it out‚ a pale blue hologram vividly expanded into midair.
Kotone: ‘This is Kotone.
...Can you hear me‚ Aria-kun?’
Aria: “I can hear you‚ Kotone.”
Kotone: ‘Thank goodness...!’
Her face that appeared on the other side of the screen showed some fatigue‚ but deep within it burned a boundless smile of relief.
Kotone: ‘How’s the situation over there?’
Aria: “For now‚ everyone’s safe.”
Kotone: ‘I see.
...Then I have a message.’
Aria: “A message?”
Kotone: ‘Yes.
From the four remaining idiots.’
Kotone tapped her fingertips outside the screen.
The first to appear was Cross‚ with a full-faced grin so wide it nearly spilled out of the frame.
Cross: ‘Yo! My muscles (my soul) are still going strong even in extreme conditions!’
Aria: “Your voice is too loud‚ Cross.”
Cross: ‘Whether it’s the end of the world or anywhere else‚ I’m training like crazy so don’t worry! When you get back‚ I’ll show you pecs three times bigger than now!’
Mark: ‘What kind of reassurance is that’
From the side of the screen‚ Mark’s exasperated voice cut in.
Mark: ‘You really only think about muscles even in a world crisis.’
Cross: ‘Of course!’
Aria: “...They’re the same as ever.”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Next to appear on the hologram was Liam‚ quietly straightening his posture.
Liam: ‘Lord Aria’
His usual sincere‚ pure voice.
Liam: ‘The outside world is a realm I still cannot even imagine.’
He lowered his blue eyes a little‚ but immediately looked straight back at me through the lens.
Liam: ‘So... please‚ live.
The place (home) you all return to‚ we will definitely protect to the end.’
Aria: “...Thank you‚ Liam.”
Finally‚ the expression of Kotone watching the communication softened a little.
Kotone: ‘Last is Rinne.’
Aria: “...!”
Occupying the screen was a red-cheeked girl with her arms crossed‚ pointedly looking away.
Rinne: ‘Aria!’
Aria: “Rinne...”
Rinne: ‘You’re eating properly‚ right!?’
Aria: “That’s... from now on‚ maybe.”
Rinne: ‘Sleep properly‚ okay!?’
Aria: “...Yes.”
Rinne: ‘And then—!’
She turned bright red to the roots of her ears and shouted as if trying to break through the screen.
Rinne: ‘Come back safely!!’
That clumsy voice resounded strangely warmly under the vast sky of the outside world.
Rinne: ‘And eat miso properly with every meal!’
Aria: “Ending with miso‚ huh.”
This time I laughed out loud for real.
Aria: But the moment I laughed—deep in my chest‚ something tightly squeezed.
Aria: Can we really return?
We don’t even know what awaits ahead.
Until the day we uncover the world’s truth‚ save Iris‚ and return‚ will everyone be safe inside that box?
An anxiety resembling weakness quietly spread into the gaps in my chest.
Then.
Iris: ‘Aria’
A voice came from right beside me.
In a place no one else’s eyes could see‚ she turned a smile like the sun toward me.
Iris: ‘It’s okay.
Everyone will keep waiting forever.’
Aria: “...Yeah.
Then we have to properly keep moving forward too.”
The hologram communication light cut off with a pop‚ and I carefully put the brooch away.
Aria: Ten kilometers.
Just ten kilometers.
But if we steadily pile up those steps muddily‚ that’s enough.
There’s no need to try to save the entire world all at once.
For tomorrow‚ to the next base.
To the next spring.
To the next ten kilometers.
I gazed beyond the earth‚ past the gray mist.
Aria: “Within twenty-four hours‚ construct the next safe zone (save point).”
Nagi quietly nodded deeply.
Nagi: “That’s how it is.”
Zephyr‚ still expressionless‚ turned her gaze toward the distant abyss.
Zephyr: “Time limit‚ fully understood (clear).”
Just as the three of us resolved ourselves‚ that was when
Palpal alone was crouching with her head in her hands.
Palpal: “...Um”
Aria: “What’s wrong‚ Palpal?”
Palpal: “Aria-kun.
The outside world isn’t such a kind place that you can just casually advance ten kilometers...”
Aria: “...Eh?”
Palpal pointed with her slender fingertip toward the distant gray sea.
Palpal: “Beyond this‚ there’s a forest of ultra-high-concentration residues.”
The wind suddenly stopped.
Palpal: “And to cross that forest—”
She looked at us with an extremely serious elite face.
Palpal: “First‚ we have to find the next ‘Spring of Life.’”
I looked once more beyond the horizon.
The golden safe zone.
The endless gray sea spreading beyond it.
And somewhere within it‚ the next life base that was said to be hidden.
The sun had begun to tilt slightly‚ and golden light started carving deep wrinkles into the earth.
Aria: “...I see.
Then let’s search.”
Aria: We still know nothing about the outside world.
But if we don’t know‚ we can learn by walking.
If logic can’t derive it‚ we can find it with our own feet.
Aria: And—we will advance to the next ten kilometers.
To take that one step.
Deep in my chest‚ a small sound gently popped once more.
Aria: —Powan.
Aria: It was an unbearably warm living residual echo‚ as if the sleeping girl had gently smiled toward the future.
A golden safe zone (save point) ten kilometers in diameter‚ carved into the world by the First Array Rhythm (Beat).
Beyond that glowing boundary line‚ dense gray poison mist still swirled resentfully.
On this side there was a fresh blue sky with real sunlight pouring down‚ but on that side there was dead air that sucked even light dry.
Separated by only a few meters of boundary line‚ the world itself seemed cruelly torn into two.
Palpal: “...Well then”
Palpal said while gazing beyond the boundary line that looked like a scar on the world.
Palpal: “Let’s search for the next ‘Spring of Life (Oasis).’”
Aria: “Spring?”
I asked back without thinking.
She nodded deeply as if it were only natural‚ swaying her green hood.
Palpal: “In the outside world‚ you see”
She briskly readjusted the small staff on her shoulder.
Palpal: “We don’t move from town to town.
We connect life from spring to spring.”
Aria: “Spring... meaning water veins?”
Palpal: “Yes.
Ancient uncontaminated water veins that still keep welling up from deep underground.
We call them ‘Tears of the Earth (Oasis).’”
For that moment alone‚ the girl’s mud-covered face shone proudly and freshly.
Palpal: “In the outside world‚ places where such pure water miraculously wells up are scattered here and there.
There‚ real green grows instead of rotten plants‚ and animals can live too.
Little rabbits‚ birds‚ sweet tree fruits can be gathered‚ and there are medicinal herbs.
It’s not like the old legends‚ but things we can properly eat still remain.”
I lost my words and let my gaze run once more beyond the barrier.
The endless earth covered in death ash.
Forests standing withered and inorganic.
Deadly residual poison filling the sky.
In the midst of that mad‚ half-destroyed world‚ there was still pure water‚ plants‚ and animals holding their breath.
Among the withered trees‚ I felt something small move for just an instant.
Even when I strained my eyes‚ there was no longer even a shadow.
Aria: “...I didn’t know.”
The murmur that spilled out without thinking made Palpal look at me curiously.
Aria: “Humans inside the Kingdom (Box) had convinced themselves that nothing of life’s remnants remained in the outside world anymore.”
Palpal: “Do the people in the water tank all give up on the world like that?”
Aria: “...Probably.”
Palpal smiled a little lonely.
Palpal: “Then I’ll teach you.
Living in the outside world isn’t shrinking away from death inside a safe box.
...It’s continuing to find places where you can live with your own feet.”
That single sentence fell quietly yet heavily into the depths of my chest.
Aria: Continuing to find places where you can live.
That was a philosophy fundamentally different from the cold mathematical formula named
“optimal solution”
that I had believed in and clung to until now.
It is not calculating perfect safety in advance and trying to arrive at a single inviolable correct answer (route).
From the midst of overwhelming absolute death‚ muddily finding the slight remaining possibilities of life and connecting them with lines to advance toward tomorrow.
Aria: “...Interesting.”
Palpal: “What is?”
Aria: “The way of life of the people living in the outside world.”
I gazed at the distant horizon.
Aria: “There’s not a single calculation (logic) there‚ is there.”
Palpal: “That’s right.”
Palpal chuckled and readied her small staff again.
Palpal: “So we search for the next spring.
But before that... if we take even one step out of this golden barrier‚ we’ll turn into star sand and die in three minutes.
We’ll prepare properly.”
She drew a clean circle at our feet with the tip of her staff.
Palpal: “—Star circuit‚ envelop us (Luna Veil)”
Soft emerald green light crackled and became a thin magical membrane that completely wrapped our bodies from head to toe.
On the surface of my skin‚ I felt a strangely warm texture as if wearing a single transparent silk layer.
Palpal: “The elf residual-protection technique‚ ‘Star Robe (Seii).’
With this‚ survival time in the outside world is extended from three minutes to a maximum of about fifteen minutes.”
With a serious mage’s face‚ Palpal raised one finger.
Palpal: “But be absolutely careful.
This is only a temporary thin film‚ so if you move vigorously in combat‚ fire large magic‚ or step into an extremely dense residual area‚ the time limit will rapidly decrease by the second.
Always keep the remaining seconds in mind.”
Aria: “A fifteen-minute lifeline‚ huh.”
Feeling a tension that tightened my body‚ I nodded deeply.
Wrapped in the Star Robe veil‚ Palpal walked right up to the edge of the barrier and quietly crouched facing the gray sea of death.
Palpal: “We don’t search with magic radar.
First‚ we look at the soil.”
She gently extended a white hand outside the barrier and pinched a handful of gray sand.
She carefully crushed the death sand that spilled away on the wind between her fingertips.
Palpal: “...It’s damp.”
Aria: “Only here?”
Palpal: “Yes.”
Palpal walked a few steps sideways along the edge of the barrier‚ crouched again‚ and touched the soil.
Palpal: “This side is completely dry.
...And the way the plants are withered here is a little different.”
I simply watched her delicate every movement in silence.
The difference in the color of the withered stems‚ the coarseness of the soil grains‚ the angle at which the leaves had fallen—indeed‚ when she pointed it out‚ they were subtly different.
Palpal: “The wind too.”
Palpal held down her long hair with a small hand.
Palpal: “Compared to the previous spot‚ it’s just a tiny bit colder.
Places with pure water veins underground change the surface heat reflection just a little.”
Aria: “...Temperature difference‚ huh.”
Aria: In my mind‚ I could feel the fragmentary pieces of information Palpal was gathering connecting one after another into beautiful construction formulas.
Soil moisture‚ vegetation changes‚ wind direction‚ temperature differences.
All of them were not scattered noise‚ but rose vividly in my mind as the contours of one vast living map.
Aria: “This...”
A voice of admiration spilled out without thinking.
Aria: “It’s far more amazing than magic.
If it were me‚ I’d try to replace everything in the world with formulas and calculate.
But you see the world exactly as it is.”
Palpal: “This isn’t magic‚ just ‘observation.’”
Palpal smiled a little troubled yet proudly.
Palpal: “Because in the outside world‚ that’s all there is to cling to.”
Those words made my chest hurt just a little.
The people of the outside world didn’t abandon formulas.
Cold logic alone simply couldn’t let them survive this hell.
So they look at the wind.
Look at the soil.
Look at the plants.
And muddily search with their five senses for the breath of things that have not yet completely died.
Palpal: “...Right.”
Suddenly Palpal pointed straight into the depths of the gray withered forest.
Palpal: “That way.”
Aria: “What’s there?”
Palpal: “Who knows‚ I don’t know.”
Aria: “You don’t know‚ yet you say that way?”
Palpal: “But you see”
She smiled brighter than anything‚ like the sun.
Palpal: “The wind is gently telling me.”
I couldn’t help laughing out loud.
Aria: “There’s no way that can be calculated.”
Palpal: “That’s what makes it interesting‚ right?”
In response to those defiant words‚ deep in my chest‚ small yet unbearably dear.
Aria: —Powan.
Iris’s golden residual echo gently resounded.
Iris: ‘Yes.
Aria‚ I think so too.’
The voice I love most in the world‚ audible only to me.
Aria: “...Yeah.
I think so too.”
A smile naturally spilled out.
From a little distance‚ Nagi‚ wrapped in emerald wind‚ was watching us with an adult expression.
Nagi: “Found it?”
Aria: “Probably.
The next spring (oasis).”
Zephyr also quietly approached and surveyed the surroundings.
In her emotionless jade eyes‚ the gray world of death was coldly reflected.
Zephyr: “...Wind direction.
Soil difference.
Vegetation change.”
She murmured matter-of-factly and nodded once.
Zephyr: “Extremely rational.”
Palpal: “Right?”
Palpal proudly puffed out her small mud-covered chest with an “ehehe.”
Palpal: “This is the elf way of the outside world!”
I shouldered the ebony baton.
Aria: The golden safe zone will protect us for another twenty-four hours.
But we cannot keep staying in this place.
To the next spring.
To the next safe zone.
And to the truth of the world beyond that.
Aria: “Well then‚ shall we go.”
The four sets of footsteps overlapped‚ and one step was taken from the golden glowing earth into the gray sea of death.
The moment we stepped out‚ the Star Robe covering our skin trembled faintly.
The residual outside was quietly baring its fangs beyond the thin membrane.
Aria: In the midst of this harsh world of absolute death‚ we for the first time—
clearly learned one way of
“searching for a living world.”
Stepping one step out of the golden safe zone‚ protected by Palpal’s ‘Star Robe (Seii)‚’ we advanced across the gray earth of death.
Each time the light of the Star Robe thinned‚ Palpal stopped and layered a new technique.
Fifteen minutes.
Another fifteen minutes.
Each time‚ she carved away her own magic to re-tie our lifeline.
And around the time we renewed the Star Robe for the who-knows-how-manyth time—
Aria: —There it was.
Aria: For the first time in a world without barriers‚ I was practicing a
“searching method that doesn’t rely on formulas.”
The faint moisture of the soil‚ the distorted way the withered grass had fallen‚ the temperature difference of the wind that prickled the skin.
Not calculation (logic)‚ but muddy observation.
Beyond where Palpal pointed with her slender fingertip—from a crack in the gray rock wall‚ a thin water sound could clearly be heard.
At first I thought it was just an auditory illusion of the wind.
But as we drew closer‚ that sound reached my eardrums with a clear contour.
Sarasara.
Sarasara.
A soft‚ gentle sound of life far too mismatched for a completely dried world of death.
Aria: “...Water?”
I stopped.
Beyond the rock wall.
There stood a small spring.
It was transparent.
So transparent that at first I couldn’t even tell water existed there.
Water quietly welling from deep underground gathered in a shallow depression‚ then flowed as a thin stream and was absorbed into the dry earth.
Around the spring‚ tiny plants quietly grew in clusters.
Pale blue‚ light green‚ and small leaves that turned golden and translucent when receiving sunlight.
On the rock surfaces touched by water‚ moss clung thinly.
Dots of deep green spread as if protruding from the gaps in the gray rock‚ making a faint claim of life.
Aria: “...Life.”
A voice of admiration spilled out without thinking.
Beside the spring‚ a small animal with white ears was drinking water absorbedly.
When it noticed our presence it flinched for an instant and tried to flee‚ but when Palpal gently whistled like a bird’s cry‚ it returned its face to the spring as if reassured.
Palpal: “See?”
Palpal smiled bottomlessly proudly with her mud-covered face.
Palpal: “Even in the outside world‚ living things stubbornly keep living.”
I couldn’t say anything.
Aria: That cold‚ despairing gray three-dimensional map I saw in the Kingdom’s forbidden library.
Survival time three minutes.
Ultra-high-concentration residual contamination zone.
Looking only at the inorganic strings of characters written there‚ the outside world was nothing but a
“symbol of death.”
Aria: But right in front of me there was real water.
There was grass.
Animals were certainly living.
Iris: ‘...Beautiful.’
Iris’s voice came from beside me.
A residual echo (voice) with soft body temperature‚ audible only to me.
Iris: ‘Even in a world of death like this‚ water is welling up.’
Aria: “Yeah.”
I nodded quietly and deeply.
Aria: “It seems the world hasn’t completely died out yet.”
In response to those words‚ deep in my chest a small golden light swayed warmly.
But—.
Palpal: “Okay‚ that’s enough emotion!”
Pan! Palpal clapped her hands with a loud sound.
Palpal: “First‚ treatment!”
Aria: “...Treatment?”
Palpal: “You two!”
Palpal pointed alternately at me and Zephyr with a sharp jab.
Palpal: “Just looking at you is so painful it makes my nerves go crazy!”
I traced my right arm with my gaze again.
White.
A translucent pure white skin as if it had completely discarded the colors of life.
Almost no sensation remained.
The right arm of Zephyr standing beside me had already completely transformed into gray stone up to the shoulder‚ maintaining an inorganic silence.
Palpal: “This is...”
Palpal’s face became a little more serious as a mage.
Palpal: “With my healing magic (cure)‚ I can restore it quite a bit to its original form.”
Aria: “Quite a bit?”
Palpal: “Yes.”
She tightly regripped her small staff.
Palpal: “But I’ll properly tell you first.”
Her jade eyes pierced straight through us.
Palpal: “It won’t heal completely.”
Aria: “...”
Palpal: “I can’t completely delete the residual poison that invaded the body from the roots.
The shortened lifespan can only be restored a tiny bit.
Even the broken magic circuits can’t be truly healed.”
It was a quiet‚ somehow sorrowful tone.
Palpal: “But you see”
She pointed the tip of her staff at my white right arm.
Palpal: “Skin.
Muscles.
Blood vessels.
Wounds.
Nerves.
One by one... I can cleanly reassemble the outside (form) as a ‘living body’ once more.”
Aria: “The residues accumulated in a short period disappear‚ then.
And the rest is... just appearance?”
Palpal: “Yes.
Appearance alone—completely.”
Palpal smiled a little mischievously‚ then—took a deep breath.
Palpal: “As I said before‚ it hurts like directly burning the nerve network with a lighter! So brace yourselves for that!”
Aria: “...”
Zephyr and I quietly looked at each other.
Aria: “Please be as gentle as possible...”
Palpal: “Impossible!”
Aria: “...That’s harsh.”
Palpal: “It’s fine‚ you won’t die!”
Palpal shouted energetically.
Palpal: “Even I fainted instantly the first time I did it on myself‚ but now I can endure it!”
Zephyr curiously tilted her ash-blond head slightly.
Zephyr: “What is pain? Do you mean the sense of pain?”
Palpal: “Eh? Zephyr-san doesn’t have a sense of pain?”
Zephyr: “...Is the sense of pain essential for survival?”
Palpal: “Probably essential!?”
Zephyr: “Then no problem.
I’ll discard it as an error message.”
Palpal: “Why do you become so mechanical!?”
Palpal clutched her head.
Palpal: “Are you two really human!?”
I gave a wry smile.
Aria: “Well then... please.”
Palpal: “Alright‚ first Aria-kun.”
Palpal stood the staff vertically.
In that instant‚ the surrounding air suddenly tensed.
The water surface trembled finely‚ and the transparent light of the spring was sucked into the tip of the staff as thin threads of light.
Palpal: “—Purification technique”
A vivid green magic circle explosively expanded at our feet.
Palpal: “《Star Vein Detoxification・Reconstruction (Cure Rebuild)》!”
Aria: —BachiIIII!!!
Aria: “——————!!!!”
It didn’t become a voice.
Aria: My right arm burns.
No‚ that’s wrong.
Deep inside the right arm that should have been completely frozen‚ hundreds of thick red-hot iron needles are violently piercing all at once.
Aria: “Guh...!”
Unable to endure the extreme pain‚ my knees collapsed onto the stone floor.
Iris: ‘Aria!’
I heard Iris’s scream.
Iris: ‘Aria‚ are you okay!?’
Aria: “I’...m okay...!”
Aria: It was a lie.
There was no way I was okay.
A violent pain as if every single bone was being peeled alive.
Every dead nerve was being burned from the inside and forcibly reconnected.
Palpal: “Not yet!”
Palpal let out a scream-like shout.
Palpal: “Don’t stop no matter what! If you stop the technique here‚ the body will break halfway!”
Aria: “Gu... ah... aah!”
The skin that had been white and cloudy gradually regained the colors of a normal human.
Fingertips‚ back of the hand‚ wrist‚ forearm.
Blood vessels returned.
Muscles returned.
Even the pale redness of the nails suddenly revived.
Aria: “...Aah—aaaaaaaaah!!!!”
At last I screamed‚ shattering the world’s silence.
The beautiful water surface of the spring trembled finely at that scream.
The small animal with white ears jumped up as if struck and disappeared into the rock shadows.
And then—.
Quietly.
That despairing extreme pain vanished as if it had been a lie.
Aria: “...Haa... haa...”
I planted both hands on the earth and exhaled rough breaths.
My right hand moved normally.
I bent my fingers.
Extended them.
Strongly clenched them.
Aria: “...It moves.”
I stared blankly at my own palm.
Not white.
A warm‚ living right hand of a human with blood color flowing through it.
Palpal: “How is it?”
Palpal proudly puffed out her mud-covered chest with an “ehehe.”
Palpal: “Perfect‚ right!”
Aria: “...Yeah.”
Wiping the sweat from my forehead‚ I smiled weakly.
Aria: “Amazing‚ Palpal.”
Palpal: “But remember properly! It didn’t heal‚ okay.”
Palpal seriously stared at the right arm.
Palpal: “I only temporarily returned the broken parts to the ‘form from when it was alive.’
The internal system hasn’t returned to normal.
—Alright‚ next‚ Zephyr-san!”
Palpal: “—Purification technique”
Aria: —BachiIIII!!!
Zephyr: “——————!!!!”
In that instant‚ Zephyr’s face rapidly turned pale.
Palpal: “Eh...?”
I had never seen Zephyr like this.
In those jade eyes that had been emotionless like glass beads‚ large tears rapidly welled up‚ and her small body trembled painfully in fine shudders.
Palpal’s detoxification magic had forcibly rebooted the dead nerves‚ and the sense of pain that the system had supposedly ‘discarded’ burned through her brain all at once.
Palpal: “Not yet!”
Palpal shouted.
Zephyr: “Ugh... already... I can’t! ...System‚ limit‚ reached!!”
Zephyr tightly clenched her small back teeth‚ tears falling drop by drop from her eyes‚ and for the first time raised a
“human scream.”
Zephyr: “Error... sense of pain‚ cannot discard... correction! Please continue the technique!!”
Zephyr’s invasion had been deeper than mine.
In proportion to that‚ the despairing extreme pain descended upon her.
However‚ after several tens of seconds—.
Zephyr’s stone right arm rapidly transformed into the soft arm of a single girl.
And the extreme pain completely vanished.
Zephyr: “...”
Zephyr breathed heavily with her shoulders while repeatedly opening and closing the hand that had regained its original color.
Aria: “Sensation... is there any?”
Zephyr: “There is...
It was more painful than I imagined...”
Still teary-eyed‚ Zephyr answered with her usual expressionless face and sturdy resolve‚ and Palpal broke into a broad smile.
Palpal: “Right! But it was a huge success!!”
Zephyr stared for a while at the arm that had returned to human form.
Zephyr: “...Appearance is normal.
Moreover‚ the system has recovered (recover) slightly.”
Aria: “Recovered?”
When I asked‚ Zephyr quietly nodded vertically.
At those words‚ I took out the pocket watch at my waist and switched the display from Iris’s lifespan counter to the ‘residual invasion time (limit).’
Blood-red numbers.
Aria: —It has recovered.
The remaining time‚ though slight‚ had certainly increased.
Deep in my chest trembled just a little.
Aria: “...The possibility that we might be able to save everyone.”
I clenched my hand.
It moved normally.
No pain.
Appearance was also back to normal.
Aria: The body continues to break from the inside for sure‚ and Iris’s lifespan hasn’t returned either.
It didn’t truly heal.
But—.
Aria: —Once again‚ we were muddily repaired so that we could walk.
Aria: “Palpal.”
Palpal: “What?”
Aria: “Thank you.”
The girl blushed a little shyly at the roots of her long elf ears and scratched her mud-stained cheek.
Palpal: “...I-it’s nothing.
I just did the natural work of an elf mage.”
On the face that turned away as she said that‚ a slightly happy color floated.
I gazed at the beautiful water surface of the spring.
Transparent water.
Small grass.
The modest life moving around it.
The sky reflected on the water surface was mysteriously clear blue only here.
A small sanctuary of life (oasis) left alone in the world of death.
Aria: “...Here”
I murmured quietly.
Aria: “Shall we rest a little.”
No one opposed.
Right now‚ it felt fine for us to also share the quiet life (sound) within this spring.
The spring water was surprisingly cold.
Aria: Yet that coldness was fundamentally different from what I had felt in the absolute zero of the Kingdom.
It was not a freezing rejection coldness.
It was a transparent coldness that quietly‚ gently stole away the residual heat of the outside world that had soaked deep into the body.
Aria: “...Feels good.”
Such words spilled from the bottom of my heart without thinking.
I scooped the pure spring water with both hands and poured it over my mud-stained face.
Pasha‚ a modest water sound popped in the silence.
Water droplets that ran down my cheeks fell from the line of my jaw.
In the gray dead outside world‚ there was such ordinary‚ living water.
Just that fact made me strangely happy.
Palpal: “That’s why I said it from the beginning‚ right?”
On a rock a little distance away‚ Palpal proudly puffed out her mud-covered chest.
Palpal: “This is an important place that becomes a lifeline for us elves traveling the outside world.
Even if towns are swallowed by residual and perish‚ as long as these old springs remain‚ we can survive anywhere.”
On that profile with the dirt cleanly washed away‚ a quiet‚ noble strength unique to those who had certainly survived the harsh outside world resided‚ different from the girl who had been crying from extreme pain until moments ago.
Palpal: “We first find a spring.”
Palpal raised one slender finger with dignity.
Palpal: “We make it a new base.
Gather food‚ wash our bodies‚ heal wounds.
And then... set out again to search for the next spring.
That is everything about traveling the outside world.”
Aria: “...I see.”
I gazed at the swaying water surface of the spring.
Aria: Travel in the Kingdom always meant paved highways.
There were accurate maps‚ clear destinations‚ distances‚ and arrival times that could be calculated by the second as logic.
But here it is different.
Simply search for springs where possibilities of life remain‚ live‚ and search for the next spring again.
That’s all.
Aria: That was the muddiest‚ most beautiful
“minimum living”
left after the world broke.
Palpal: “Alright!”
Suddenly Palpal energetically clapped her hands and put both hands on her small waist.
Palpal: “Bathing time!”
Aria: “...Eh?”
Palpal: “Residual poison is still adhering to the surface of your bodies‚ right? Just because we treated with the technique doesn’t mean the external poison is completely clean.
If we don’t properly wash it off with spring water‚ the cells will die again right away.”
Palpal pointed alternately at Nagi and Zephyr.
Palpal: “We’ll use the rock shadow on the left inner side.
...Aria-kun‚ the right inner side.”
And then she glared at me with an obvious judgmental look.
Palpal: “Also.
...Absolutely don’t peek‚ okay.”
Aria: “I won’t peek!”
I immediately denied it.
Aria: “Why is the conversation progressing on the premise that I’ll peek!?”
Palpal: “...Just in case.”
Aria: “What do you mean ‘just in case’!?”
Palpal walked toward the left side of the spring.
After a few steps she turned around again.
Palpal: “Really‚ absolutely don’t peek!”
Aria: “I already said I won’t!”
Iris‚ who had been watching that charming exchange up close‚ giggled with her shoulders shaking right beside me.
Iris: ‘Aria’
Aria: “Nn?”
Iris: ‘Should I go with them too?’
Aria: “...Iris”
Iris: ‘Because I can’t be seen by anyone except Aria’
She mischievously swayed her golden hair and peered into my face.
Iris: ‘If it’s only Aria‚ peeking is no problem‚ right?’
Aria: “There are only problems!”
Iris: ‘Fufu’
Iris laughed happily.
Drawn by that sun-like smile‚ I smiled a little too.
Iris: ‘Then I’ll just go check the situation a bit.
See you later‚ Aria’
◇
Palpal: “Fuu... I’m coming back to life...”
In the left inner part of the spring.
Palpal was submerged up to her shoulders in the pure water behind the rock shadow‚ letting out a long breath of relief.
Beside her‚ Zephyr was expressionlessly scrubbing her body regularly with a cloth.
Palpal: “Zephyr-san‚ you should wash more gently.
Now that it’s back to human skin‚ you’ll hurt it.”
Zephyr: “No problem.
Skin strength is maintained.”
Palpal: “That’s not a physical problem...”
Nagi: “Fufu... Palpal is right‚ Zephyr.
Rest your wings a little.”
Leaning her back against a smooth rock surface a little distance away‚ Nagi had her eyes closed comfortably.
Her semi-transparent beautiful white hair swayed gently on the transparent water surface.
The pure spring water gently‚ affectionately cooled the heat of the ‘blue blood vessels’ on her neck that had been darkly discolored from the earlier melee.
Nagi: “Still... the old water veins of the outside world draw out the body’s pain well and adjust the residual echoes.”
Palpal: “Right? The purifying effect of elf springs is special!”
Just as Palpal proudly puffed out her chest‚ that was when it happened.
Aria: —Powaan.
Palpal: “Hyan!?”
Palpal suddenly jumped up from the water surface and tightly covered her pointed long left ear with both hands.
Palpal: “W-what was that tingling strange sensation just now!?”
Zephyr: “What is it‚ Palpal.”
Zephyr tilted her head curiously.
Palpal: “Just now! My ear! Someone touched it softly from behind‚ right!?”
Zephyr: “No enemy reactions or approach of impurities in the vicinity.”
Palpal: “Then what is it!!”
Palpal surveyed the surroundings with teary eyes.
Nagi sensitively detected the faint ‘pleasant noise like a harp string vibrating—Iris’s presence’ echoing in that closed space‚ and smiled with adult mischief.
Nagi: “Well now... perhaps the old spirit of this spring took a liking to your cute ears?”
Palpal: “S-spirit!? An invisible spirit!? Outside world spirits should be more ferocious!”
Nagi: “Or maybe a cute jealous ghost.”
Palpal: “That’s even scarier!!”
Right behind her‚ Iris chuckled interestingly and extended her white fingertip once more.
Aria: —Powaan.
Palpal: “Hyan!! See‚ again!”
Zephyr: “Palpal.
You’ve pressed your left ear irregularly twice already.”
Palpal: “Because something is definitely there!”
Zephyr: “...Nothing is detected.”
Zephyr answered matter-of-factly.
Iris: ‘...I’m here’
Iris whispered enjoyably by Palpal’s ear.
Palpal: “That’s why it’s scary!!!”
From beyond the rock on the right inner side‚ a flustered soft voice carried on the wind.
Aria: “Ah‚ Iris... even Nagi joining in on the mischief is not okay...!”
Palpal: “See! Just now Aria-kun was also talking eerily with someone over there! There’s definitely something creepy here!”
Palpal’s pathetic scream echoed through the quiet spring.
Aria: We fought‚ bled‚ nearly died for the world.
And yet such stupid comedy was unfolding right in front of us now.
Just that alone made it feel as if the world had returned a little to the dear everyday of the past.
◇
Aria: —Chapun.
The spring’s water surface quietly swayed.
When I looked up at the sky‚ the sun had begun to gently set.
From the small plants growing around the oasis‚ pale phosphorescence like firefly light began to spill‚ softly illuminating the water surface.
Wind gently crossing the water surface.
From afar‚ the living song of an unnamed bird.
The pure scent of soil and grass that seemed to float up from the ground every time night came.
Aria: It was a peaceful‚ beautiful night hard to believe was the outside world.
Before long‚ a small campfire was lit with a bright red flame.
Palpal roasted safe tree fruits she had gathered nearby and boiled edible medicinal herbs.
All of it was far more plain and clumsy than the court cuisine we had eaten in the Kingdom.
Aria: But.
Aria: “...Delicious.”
The moment I put it in my mouth‚ deep in my chest a clear heat gently warmed.
Palpal: “Really?”
Palpal happily lifted her face with a sparkle.
Palpal: “People from the water tank all say outside world food is disgusting like chewing mud...”
Aria: “That’s not true.”
I smiled.
Aria: “Right now‚ this is more delicious than anything else in the world.”
Palpal smiled a little shyly‚ swaying her long ears.
Beside her‚ Zephyr was expressionlessly staring fixedly at the roasted tree fruit.
Zephyr: “...The act of eating has efficiency.”
Palpal: “What do you mean?”
Palpal tilted her head.
Zephyr: “Nutrient intake efficiency.”
Palpal: “What about the taste?”
Zephyr: “System-wise‚ unnecessary.”
Palpal: “It’s highly necessary!”
Palpal shouted passionately.
Palpal: “Meals are something you also eat with your heart!”
Zephyr curiously rounded her jade eyes and tilted her head.
Zephyr: “With the heart...”
Listening to such lively‚ muddy conversation‚ I just kept smiling.
Nagi was in a quiet place a little distance away‚ looking up at the night sky alone.
Nagi: “...It’s quiet‚ Aria.”
Guided by that voice‚ I looked up.
Aria: The real stars that could never be seen inside the false cage (Box) shone piercingly‚ intensely‚ and clearly in the outside world’s night sky.
Countless stardust.
A night transparent to the end without a single cloud.
Beyond the residual mist‚ such a beautiful sky had been quietly sleeping for hundreds of years.
Iris plopped down beside me.
Iris: ‘Beautiful‚ Aria’
Aria: “Yeah.”
Iris: ‘I wish we could have seen it sooner... together with everyone’
Her voice sounded a little lonely‚ and I couldn’t answer anything.
Instead‚ I simply quietly gazed at the swaying water surface of the spring.
Aria: For tonight alone‚ I didn’t want to think about the world’s remaining time.
Iris’s remaining life‚ my own whitening‚ Zephyr’s petrification‚ the collapse of the world.
I wanted to forget everything just once and simply savor with my five senses the dear time that we were alive right here now.
Aria: And—morning broke.
The sky suddenly began to whiten.
The pure morning light gently enveloped the oasis‚ and that was the moment.
Iris: ‘...Aria’
Iris’s voice came.
Right beside me‚ she smiled a little troubled with lowered brows.
Iris: ‘The remaining time of the barrier... it’s out.’
I dropped my gaze to my left chest.
Above the amber “ancient heart fragment‚” golden light numbers floated thinly.
Iris: ‘Remaining 05；13；41’
Those numbers decreased mercilessly second by second‚ regardless of our convenience.
Aria: —05；13；40.
Aria: —05；13；39.
Seeing the cruel blinking of those numbers‚ Palpal bit her small thin lips.
Palpal: “...A little over five hours left.”
Aria: “Yeah.”
I quietly stood up‚ scooped the spring water one last time with my hand‚ and moistened my throat.
Aria: “Let’s search for the next spring (oasis).”
Zephyr stood up with regular movements.
Zephyr: “I will reconfirm the direction.”
Palpal: “I’m going too.”
Palpal tightly gripped her small staff.
On that face‚ there was no longer any trace of the girl who had been crying and screaming in front of the great barrier until yesterday.
Not just a crybaby who only gets protected.
It was the face of a resident of this world‚ possessing the wisdom and resolve to survive harsh hell.
That was when it happened.
In the direction of my gaze.
Beyond the oasis.
Filling the horizon‚ a massive‚ bizarre shadow towered.
Gray.
Silver-white.
And—a malevolent yet massive‚ mad tree large enough to fill the boundary of the sky.
Aria: “...That is”
I stopped walking without thinking.
Aria: “...A forest?”
Palpal’s expression tensed in an instant.
The fresh smile from moments ago completely vanished.
Palpal: “...The residual forest.”
Her voice was extremely low and trembling.
Even from afar‚ I could tell that instinct was sounding an alarm.
Only in that domain was the color of the earth completely dead.
The trees were not ordinary trees.
Unsettling silver-white trunks.
Leaves transparent like glass.
From the gaps‚ pale purple deadly toxic spores were rising in large quantities like heavy snow.
Aria: Beautiful.
Yet so beautiful that it was terrifying enough to make my hair stand on end.
Palpal: “...That place‚ you see”
Palpal gripped her staff so tightly it seemed about to break.
Palpal: “Even in the outside world‚ it’s said to be especially dangerous—an absolute forest of death.”
Zephyr gazed at the silver-white forest with emotionless eyes.
Zephyr: “Danger level?”
Palpal: “...I don’t know.”
Zephyr: “You don’t know?”
Palpal: “Because”
Palpal answered in a slightly trembling voice.
Palpal: “Almost no one in history who stepped into that place... has returned alive.”
The wind quietly blew.
From deep within the forest.
Aria: —Kiiiiiin.
A thin‚ cold‚ metallic eerie sound as if something was scraping like ice could be heard.
Then it returned to silence again.
That silence was rather all the more terrifying.
I tightly regripped the ebony baton.
Aria: If it were the me from until yesterday‚ the one inside the water tank‚ fear might have been greater and my feet would have frozen.
But now it’s different.
Beside me are three clumsy companions‚ each holding their unique sounds.
And—the invisible legendary girl is quietly believing and smiling.
Iris: ‘Aria’
Aria: “Yeah.”
Iris: ‘Let’s go’
I nodded strongly.
Aria: “Let’s go take the next ten kilometers with our own hands.”
Beyond the golden safe zone.
Beyond the spring of life.
Toward the most beautiful and most dangerous silver-white residual forest in the world.
We quietly began to walk.
Aria: —The real journey begins from here.
---
Chapter 19: “The Star-Circling Oasis‚ or the Camp of the Incomplete Ones” End
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