The elf who descended into the empty wasteland removed her gas mask first. It was the first time she had revealed her face outdoors rather than indoors since leaving the island. For the first time in a long while, pure, unfiltered oxygen filled her shriveled lungs.

However, Saya had no time to savor such liberation. She scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes. Only after a long while did she gesture toward us.

“It seems there’s nothing here.”

“Thank you, Saya.”

I caught my breath for a moment, then carefully stepped onto the ground. The warm dirt floor sank, leaving my footprints deeply imprinted.

It was a bad omen. Unconsciously, my gaze kept lingering on the footprints stamped into the ground. Still, I had no choice but to console myself with the thought that this would be the same anywhere on the continent.

“Wow. The ground is ridiculously hot. Did we accidentally descend onto a volcano?”

“Not quite. But it’s clear we need to move quickly.”

“Agreed. So, should we stop by the nearest village and look for what we need first?”

“Let’s do that. Please lead the way.”

Instinctively, I sent Ms. Rebecca to the front of the group. Was it a manifestation of my unconscious desire not to leave my back to her? Even in trivial matters, a sense of guilt pricked at my chest.

But she nodded without a word and stepped forward immediately. In truth, she probably preferred that over walking while staring at the back of my head. In this irrational situation where selfishness masqueraded as consideration, an untimely heat haze rose from the ground.

Everything was going awry. Because of that, our steps couldn’t help but falter little by little. No matter how closely we followed each other’s backs, I couldn’t shake the impression that we were constantly tilting somewhere.

Perhaps that was why. The landscape approaching us was also somewhat subtly distorted.

The world right now was situated at a delicate point between summer and winter, though it couldn’t quite be called autumn. The sky kept declaring winter, while the heated earth stubbornly insisted on summer, creating a contradiction. 

The ones suffering in their pointless tug-of-war were the living creatures on this land. Animals that lived underground like moles or earthworms. Animals that hibernated like rabbits or frogs. All of them were fooled by the earth’s lies, came outside, and froze to death in the cold wind. With every step I took, I frequently stumbled upon their rotting corpses.

Wouldn’t all that scenery come as a shock to Saya, an elf? I stole a glance at her, but she had a surprisingly nonchalant expression. I couldn’t tell if she was trying hard to act okay, or if she really was okay.

Or maybe she had simply grown accustomed to the concept of death itself from traveling with me. Thinking that, another weight of guilt pressed down on my heart. The fact that my ugly hands had tainted Saya’s heart was already an open secret within me.

All those guilts piled up one by one, now feeling like an unbearable burden. It seemed the previous incident had a significant impact. I couldn’t say Erika was the biggest burden in my heart, but because of what happened then, I ended up feeling something like guilt.

Because, after all, it was my fault. No matter how much I deflected the arrow toward Ms. Rebecca, the fundamental cause lay with me.

And because I was at the center of everything Saya and Haru had to endure.

…

It felt like sinking into a swamp. Perhaps this was the cause of my insomnia. A guilt I couldn’t bear no matter how hard I tried to endure and shake it off.

I raised my head, feeling like I would be crushed again if I stayed like that. Then, the small village we were aiming for began to come into view. 

“…It’s cleaner than I thought.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Fortunately, the village’s first impression wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t excessively clean like Bellentel, nor was it a complete mess. There were many broken places here and there, but it seemed like we could find something useful if we searched carefully. Ms. Rebecca agreed as well, letting out a long breath.

“So what should we do? Search together, or split up and search?”

“Should we check if the village is safe first? It doesn’t look like there are any Hatchlings, but we should at least make sure no crazy villagers show up.”

“I don’t sense any presence. Saya, what do you think?”

“At the very least, I don’t hear any breathing. Either no one is here, or at least they don’t know we’ve arrived.”

“Then… should we split up? We need to think about how to divide the group.”

I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth. Saya also looked at me with a slightly troubled expression. But Ms. Rebecca offered a surprisingly simple solution.

“Well. For now, I’m thinking of going to look for medical supplies. I felt like we should slowly start preparing for emergencies. There’s a government office nearby. If it’s a proper place, they would have an emergency facility set up underground.”

“Won’t it be locked?”

“Better locked than empty. Besides, I know how to open them. Didn’t I teach you once before?”

“Ah… the way to open that security room safe.”

“It’s a universal standard across the country, so it should work here too. Anyway, that seems manageable on my own, so you guys look for other things. Clothes or food, for instance.”

“That’s…”

Honestly, it was a welcome proposal. Still, I thought I should hesitate a bit. But before I could, Haru grabbed my arm.

“Great, let’s do that then. Let’s go find some clothes quickly, Senior. I’m sweating from all the walking and I’m dying to change.”

“Is it okay to do that, Ms. Rebecca?”

“Yes. If anything happens, come to the government office. Just in case, you guys hold onto this.”

When I asked carefully, Ms. Rebecca immediately nodded and handed over the Mana Cannon. I was still hesitating, but Haru kept pulling my arm.

“I said let’s go quickly if it’s decided. I’m feeling really stifled right now.”

“Why do you keep doing that when you don’t even know where it is?”

“I told you I really hate sweating. The weather is weird so I feel weird too. Isn’t that right, Saya?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but Ms. Rebecca has already decided. Let’s go, Lope.”

“Yeah…”

With even Saya speaking in a firm tone, there was no reason to hesitate anymore. Besides, Ms. Rebecca had already turned her back and was leaving. In the meantime, Saya’s hand gently wrapped around my arm.

I was eventually led by the hands of the two and walked toward the opposite side. Haru moved her steps recklessly despite not knowing where she was, and I was inevitably dragged along for fear of her falling. If Saya hadn’t set the direction, we might have gone off in the wrong direction.

Fortunately, our faltering steps reached a half-collapsed clothing store. The entrance was blocked so much that we had to duck to enter, but thanks to that, the risk of it being looted seemed low. When we went inside, the condition of the goods was quite intact.

“Here? I’m getting a good feeling already. Are there lots of pretty dresses? Or maybe soft pajamas?”

“It’s just a place that sells everyday clothes. Not a lot of variety either.”

“Ah, okay. It’s better than what I’m wearing now anyway. Pick anything and throw it to me. I’ll put it on right now.”

“Wait, Haru…! Don’t strip here. I’ll help you.”

As Haru recklessly took off her top, Saya was startled and pulled her hands down. For a very brief moment, the body of a prepubescent girl with no curves flashed through my vision, but I didn’t keep it in my memory and turned my back.

Then, men’s clothing placed on the opposite display stand came into view. I hadn’t been conscious of it, but my clothes were also heavily worn and dirty. 

“What are you doing, Saya! A guy should be the one looking at this…”

“Just let me do it for you, so stop. Okay?”

“Ugh…”

“…”

Saya and Haru were still wrestling over the clothes. I quietly hid my body behind a pillar and slowly took off my top. 

“Phew…”

The sweat-soaked clothes scraped against my scarred skin, and a faint pain spread like goosebumps. I glanced toward the mirror in the corner and saw a body full of scars.

I’ve been hurt a lot. Even I thought the condition was terrible. In the meantime, I had lost weight rapidly, so the shape of my ribs was clearly visible below my armpits. If I hadn’t had some muscle, I might have been left with nothing but skin and bones.

Because of that, my pants were actually very loose. I had a belt, but even that wasn’t in very good condition. Fortunately, this store had quite a few men’s clothes, so I was able to find several decent pants and belts.

While I was picking out and putting on one of those pairs, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze. I turned my head slightly and met eyes with an elf who was looking this way.

“…Saya.”

“Sorry.”

I apologized instinctively, but Saya didn’t avoid my gaze and stared straight at me. She was even perking up her ears, so she seemed to be concentrating quite a bit.

“Aren’t you staring a bit too overtly?”

“Am I… sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“For someone who says that, you don’t look sorry at all?”

I smiled lightly and walked over to where the shirts were hanging. Then, as if passing by, I dropped a casual remark.

“And what you’re wearing now, it looks pretty good on you.”

“Ah… yeah.”

At my words, Saya finally withdrew her gaze and lightly grasped the hem of her clothes. It was just a dark blue hooded t-shirt, but because Saya was wearing it, it looked incredibly pretty. 

Still, it was true that my eyes were drawn more to the pure white dress on the other side. If the world hadn’t been in this state, I could have told her that would suit her better.

Saya seemed to have noticed that too, and glanced at the dress. But she soon shook her head and approached me.

“Thank you. What about you? How about trying on a suit this time?”

“It’s fine, but right now I want to focus more on functionality. Something warm and comfortable.”

“Hmm… then do you want the same thing as me? I’ve always wanted to try doing that.”

“I wonder if they have a size that fits me.”

At that, Saya looked at my body once again. Then, with a careful touch, she lightly stroked my back.

“…See. You’re much thinner than I thought.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s the same for everyone. More importantly, stop touching me so sneakily.”

“I’m doing it to look at your wounds. I told you, elf bodily fluids have a disinfecting effect.”

“You seem to be talking recklessly because you think I don’t know. Aren’t you?”

“Am I?”

Saya smiled with her eyes and playfully pressed her lips to my arm. The tickling sensation was quite special, but on the other hand, it felt a bit bitter because it seemed like Saya was trying to cheer me up. I pulled the clothes I had picked up over my head and spoke in a passing tone.

“Okay. Since I know now, stop kissing me secretly at night.”

“Huh? You… you knew…?”

“I told you I haven’t been sleeping well lately, Saya.”

I lightly touched foreheads with the flustered Saya, then walked toward Haru. She was still struggling to stick her arms through the clothes.

“Aish… what the hell is tangled up here… it’s so annoying.”

“I think it went wrong the moment you tried to put your pants on over your top.”

“No wonder. Every time I tried to stick my head in, I smelled the familiar scent of Dad.”

“Give it here. I’ll dress you.”

“Uh… what? Well… okay. It feels kind of nice being served.”

Haru put on a brazen expression by her own standard and lifted her chin. But even so, she kept her legs tightly closed, so she seemed secretly nervous. I tried to refine the words I had swallowed, but gave up and spat them out as they were.

“Haru. Spread your legs.”

“What… what? No, um… couldn’t you have expressed that a bit more delicately?”

“Spread your thighs?”

“…Never mind. You insensitive human.”

Perhaps because she was quite embarrassed this time, Haru couldn’t open her mouth anymore. Then, when I finished putting the pants on her, she brought up another topic for no reason to hide her embarrassment.

“Anyway, it’s a relief those Hatchling guys aren’t here. It’s probably the same for everyone, but whenever those guys scream, my ears really feel like they’re going to split open.”

“We don’t know yet. Whether they’re here or not.”

“You said there weren’t any while we were riding the train. It doesn’t seem like there are any around here either.”

“I wish I knew what criteria those guys use to distribute themselves across the continent.”

I let out a quiet sigh. In fact, that was the biggest source of anxiety on this journey. The fact that we couldn’t predict their behavior at all. Then, Saya, who had approached at some point, offered her opinion.

“No one can know about that. But thinking about it now, I suspect they’re just distributed all over the continent. The dragon that supposedly ruled this land once roamed the continent from a very long time ago.”

“If that’s the established theory… it’s a bit hopeless.”

“Hey. Let’s just think positively. Anyway, they aren’t here right now. Right?”

“That’s true.”

Haru tried hard to see the situation in a bright light. But because we had been through so much, I couldn’t easily agree. Only then did I start thinking about the reason I hadn’t seen a single Hatchling while riding the train.

Why was that? Was it because the population was larger in the east where the Capital was located, so the Hatchlings gathered there? Or was it because the temperature in the western part of the continent was lower than in the east? 

Even excluding such simple distribution, I couldn’t explain why those creatures, which were so sensitive to sound, didn’t follow the train whistle. Maybe they just weren’t interested in that sound. After all, you can’t eat a train.

There were other possibilities as well. Maybe we were really lucky and there were no Hatchlings around. Or maybe they preferred to slowly settle down in a nest rather than moving around to find something.

Or if not that…

…

They just haven’t caught up to us yet.