Intermezzo: Adventure Down Drunkard Way

1

On that day, there was a great tumult throughout the Genos post town from the morning onward. The reason behind that went without saying. Yesterday, Asuta of the forest’s edge, who had been doing business in the town, had been abducted by someone.

While she was helping out at the inn run by her family, Yumi had learned of that fact. And when she first heard it, she thought it was just a bad joke. Once she realized it was true, her head became a chaotic mess of anger and sadness, unable to even form proper thoughts. Still, she somehow managed to get in contact with her buddies and run around town with them till sunset, yet Asuta was nowhere to be found.

Though it was now a brand new day, it was hard to say that her emotions had calmed down in the least. When she woke up she was told to prepare the midday meals for the customers, so she had to head into the kitchen. But the whole time, emotions far hotter than the stove’s flames burned in her chest.

Yumi’s family made a living running an inn known as The Westerly Wind. It was an old, cheap place that served the thugs and poor folks about town. But it at least certainly wasn’t small, so there were no shortage of people who stayed there. And as she boiled up some meat and veggies for those customers, Yumi put together her plan for the day.

“My, the town’s still in such a commotion. Look how long it took me to handle a single shopping trip!” her mother proclaimed as she returned holding a large bundle.

“A commotion? Did they find the guys who took Asuta?” Yumi asked.

As her mother sat the bundle down on a table, she replied, “No,” with a shake of her head. “But the people of the forest’s edge have come streaming into town. And seeing that, the guards have been running about in a fluster, causing a huge mess.”

“The people of the forest’s edge aren’t planning on heading to the castle, are they?”

“No, it seems they intend to search the town themselves for their abducted comrade. If they tried to push their way into the castle, then that really would end in bloodshed.”

“I see,” Yumi said with a big sigh.

Apparently, the people of the forest’s edge were having some sort of quarrel with the nobles in the castle town. Considering the timing, it would make sense to think Asuta’s abduction was the doing of some noble, but they would be seen as criminals if they tried to force their way into the castle town without passes. And so, Yumi felt truly relieved to hear they weren’t flying completely off the handle.

“Anyway, I went ahead and bought fuwano too. Once you’re done with the stew, I’ll need help with that too.”

“Huh? But I’ve got business to take care of after this.”

“What business is that, exactly? With the guards and people of the forest’s edge wandering all over town, this is no time to be going out.”

“But I can’t just leave Asuta be!” Yumi shot back, only for her mother to break out in a worried look.

“There’s really no helping this. If the culprit actually is a noble, nobody will be able to bring them to justice. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s best to just forget about the people of the forest’s edge and giba cooking and all that.”

“But why?! You said Asuta’s cooking was really, really tasty too, right, Mom?!”

That was why Yumi was in the middle of trying to have her parents purchase giba meat cooking to sell at The Westerly Wind. Since her mother had also been eating Asuta’s cooking for some time, she hadn’t been all that opposed to the idea. No, the one who was against it was her father. But she continued trying, and eventually Yumi got her father to agree to meet with Asuta, but then this whole disaster happened and set things back.

“But you know we can’t go against nobles. If the folks from the castle set their eyes on us, they could crush this inn in no time flat.”

“That’ll never happen! And besides, are you saying nobles can just do whatever they want?!”

“Nobles can only be judged by other nobles. We can’t do anything to them at all.”

Now good and truly mad, Yumi threw the firewood she had been holding to the ground.

“I’m not giving up, no matter what! I won’t just let the nobles mess with Asuta!”

“Ah, hold on, Yumi...!”

“The stew’s already cooked! You can bake the fuwano yourself, Mom!” Yumi yelled as she ran from the kitchen.

She kept on going straight out of the inn and toward the main road. These slums had a bad reputation even for the post town, and the guards wouldn’t even set foot in the place. But since Yumi was born and raised in the area, it was pretty much her back yard.

Genos was a prosperous town. According to visitors, it was either the first or second most well off in all of the Western Kingdom of Selva. However, almost all that wealth was gathered in the castle town, while it wasn’t rare at all for folks to die of starvation out here in the slums.

The castle town was protected by stone walls that reached higher than the roofs of houses. Going from one side of those walls to the other was like stepping into a different world. Yumi would likely never step inside them, and it was completely unimaginable that any nobles from the castle would visit this area. To folks from the slums, nobles might as well have been some kind of celestial being living up above the clouds.

So that means they’re allowed to do stuff like this?!

As that thought ran through her head, Yumi dashed out onto the main road, which ran straight down the center of the post town. There were large houses and shops lined up on either side of it, and it was full of people walking this way and that from dawn till dusk. The business carried out by these people really did bring a lot of wealth into Genos.

However, things were different today. Like her mother had said, there was a sense of danger hanging in the air. There were an awful lot of guards out along the road, and also, she could spy hunters of the forest’s edge here and there in their giba pelt cloaks.

It wasn’t as if there was any sort of commotion going on. But the tension lingering about was almost palpable. Any merchants or travelers that had no interest in the situation were all looking down and walking quickly, as if to avoid getting caught up in it all.

It’s just like back then...

She was thinking of the time when the criminals from the forest’s edge had the post town in a panic.

There had been a turbulent feel like this about town back then, too. And it hadn’t gone away until the criminals paid with their lives.

Argh! And things had been really moving in a good direction thanks to Asuta and everyone else... Yumi thought while grinding her teeth, only to spy a familiar face approaching from the other side of the street. It was one of her buddies, the son of a bar owner.

“Hey, you’re late. Did your dad try to stop you?”

“I had a big fight with him first thing in the morning, so we’re not even talking. How are things around town...?”

“Do I even need to answer that? I mean, just look around. Earlier, it seemed like the guards and the people of the forest’s edge were both ready to draw their blades at any moment, so I guess it’s calmed down a bit since then.”

“I see... What about the guys who abducted Asuta? You still haven’t found any leads?”

“Nope. We went around to all the inns, but there was no one who fit the bill. If he was kidnapped by a noble, he’s got to be inside the stone walls, right...?”

With a “Damn!” Yumi kicked the ground. “Isn’t there any way to sneak inside those walls? Is there anyone around who does business with somebody from the castle or something?”

“There’s no way anyone from a place that well off would hang out with guys like us. You’re not thinking of trying to climb up the stone walls, are you? Because that really will get you skewered.”

Yumi glanced about the street, biting her lip.

Though it was a whole lot livelier here than in the slums, the folks doing business were still all commoners. They couldn’t even defy the guards, much less nobles.

And yet, yesterday folks from around the post town really did stand up against the guards. That vegetable seller who was so fond of Asuta, that other inn owner, and several more pushed their way into the guard station and insisted they find the bastards who kidnapped Asuta.

Perhaps as a result of their efforts, the guards soon sent out search parties to find the culprits. It helped that the owner of The Sledgehammer who was there during the kidnapping had seen their faces. Using the wanted posters that had been put out as a guide, Yumi and her friends had searched up until it got dark out... but they still hadn’t found so much as a single lead.

As she trembled with regret, Yumi’s buddy called out, “Hey, for now, why don’t we get something to eat? I’ve been running around all morning, so I’m starving.”

“Yeah, you go do that. I’m not in the mood, though.”

“Really? If you take too long, other folks’ll eat up all the giba cooking.”

“Huh?” Yumi questioned, turning and shooting a glare without thinking. “You’re talking about giba cooking even though Asuta’s missing? Are you seriously drunk this early in the morning?”

“Don’t shoot me such a scary look, geez. The people of the forest’s edge are running their stalls without Asuta.”

That news left Yumi feeling truly, thoroughly shocked.

And she felt something like a glowing ember lighting up in the depths of her chest.

“Why are they taking it easy and running stalls at a time like this? Do they care more about coins than they do about Asuta?”

“I didn’t ask, so I’ve got no clue. Why not ask them in person if you’ve gotta know?”

“Alright... That’s just what I’ll do.”

Yumi headed north down the road. That was the direction where all the stalls were laid out, and Asuta’s two were positioned all the way at the far northern extreme.

As she went, she actually didn’t pass anyone from the forest’s edge. Even though a lot of hunters were in town, they probably only amounted to a few dozen at most. That just seemed to be even more evidence of how lightly they were treating this matter with Asuta, which made Yumi all the more angry.

Before long, a crowd appeared in front of her.

Apparently even on a day like today, business was still booming.

The majority of the customers looked like they came from Jagar or Sym. However, around 20 percent or so seemed to be citizens of Selva. All in all, that was pretty much the same proportions as always.

As she suppressed the rage bubbling up inside her, Yumi joined the line along with her buddy. Though it was frustrating to admit, the smell wafting through the air was still delicious, even without Asuta around.

“Welcome. That’ll be two coins,” the girl manning the stall said when Yumi’s turn came around.

“Hey, you—!” Yumi shouted in a hostile voice, only to suddenly catch her breath.

The one manning the stall was that black haired girl who started alternating with Vina Ruu. Though she didn’t look like Vina Ruu at all, apparently she was the girl’s younger sister. She was small, had a bit of a childish face, and had very well proportioned features. And right now, she was desperately forcing a smile, her eyes red from crying.

“Ah... You’re the daughter of that inn, the one who’s always stopping by. Thank you for coming even on a day like this.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah...”

“Just the one? It will be ready shortly.”

After saying that, she swiftly put together a giba burger.

Once she had accepted it and handed over her coins, Yumi slid on over to the side of the stall.

“Hey, what exactly are you all doing continuing to do business on a day like this?”

“Huh?” the girl questioned, looking confused.

However, since the next customer soon offered their coins, she was left unable to answer Yumi’s query.

With that, the red-haired girl helping out at the other stall slid over toward them. She had been working the stalls for some time now too, and her name was Lala Ruu. From what Yumi knew, she was another of Vina Ruu’s little sisters.

“Reina, I’ll take over. At least for today, it’s important to talk to folks from around town, right?”

“Yeah, thanks. In that case, I’ll leave things to you for just a bit.”

After entrusting Lala Ruu with her work, the black-haired girl named Reina came out from the rear of the stall and approached Yumi.

If she was a relative of those other girls, then that must have meant her name was Reina Ruu. At any rate, the first thing she did was face Yumi’s group and bow.

“My apologies for once again causing a commotion in town. But I hope you’ll believe me when I say that we hold no animosity toward you townsfolk.”

“R-Right. I didn’t think that was the case or anything... But anyway, why are you carrying on with running your business even though Asuta’s been kidnapped?”

“Well, we believed it wouldn’t do to let the bonds Asuta has put so much effort into forging be severed by this. And so, we members of the Ruu are trying to hold those bonds with the townsfolk in place until he returns.”

Until he returns... Yumi felt a shocking amount of warmth behind those words.

“I see. Then you haven’t given up on Asuta either. I thought for sure that—”

“Asuta will absolutely return. He has already overcome great peril, time and time again,” Reina Ruu firmly stated.

And though her eyes were still red from crying, there was a strong light shining in them too. Despite how childish her looks might have been, this girl was still a person of the forest’s edge. And it seemed Yumi still didn’t fully comprehend just how tough they really were.

“Once we’re finished with work, we’ll also switch to searching for Asuta. Of course, we have to prepare to run the stalls tomorrow too, so we can’t spend all that much time... But still, we want to do absolutely everything that we can.”

“Right, I get you. We’ve been running all about town too. We’ll get Asuta back, no matter what it takes.”

With that, Reina Ruu broke out in a brilliant smile.

“All of you have been making an effort, too? On behalf of the people of the forest’s edge, I give you my thanks.”

“Yeah, I definitely want to thank you too,” Yumi said, taking a bite out of the giba burger she was holding. “Man, this is good! It’s about as tasty as the ones Asuta makes.”

“Thank you... However, in regards to the giba burger, we members of the Ruu clan have actually been making them for some time now.”

“Huh?! Really?!”

“Yes. Asuta’s skills are still necessary to prepare the myamuu giba, though, which is why both stalls are only selling giba burgers today.”

“I see. That’s amazing! You shouldn’t have any issues doing business, then.”

“Right. Despite all the commotion, our number of customers hasn’t been dropping. In fact, it seems like it’s been on the rise... It’s all because Asuta overturned the customs of the forest’s edge and formed such bonds with the townsfolk.”

At that point, the violent emotions that had been smoldering away in Yumi’s chest vanished completely. Thinking back on it, there was no way anyone as earnest as the people of the forest’s edge could go and simply abandon one of their comrades. Yumi secretly felt ashamed at her foolishness for thinking so.

“Well then, give it your all! If we learn anything, I’ll come let you know right away!”

“Right. Thank you so much.”

Waving to Reina Ruu as she went, Yumi headed back down the road along with her buddy. Her friend had remained silent the whole time, but now he took a bite of his giba burger and gave a sigh.

“The women of the forest’s edge are all so pretty. Man, I just can’t get enough of that smile of hers...”

“Hey, don’t go looking at people of the forest’s edge like that!”

“What the heck? You’re always looking at Asuta that way, aren’t you, Yumi?”

“Don’t be stupid! That’s not how it is!” Yumi shouted, giving her buddy a firm kick in the rear. “Anyway, we’ve got to help out, too! We’ve got to hit up all the places thugs hang out, not just the inns!”

“Owww... They’ve got other people doing that already. And besides, even the post town alone is seriously huge. We can’t exactly cover the place in a day or two.”

“Then we’ll just have to do it in three or four! Stop complaining about it, already!”

“I’m not complaining. I mean, I’ve got no intention of just leaving Asuta to his fate, either,” her buddy replied, tossing the last of the giba burger into his mouth.

The boy had once been prejudiced against the people of the forest’s edge, too. In fact, when Asuta first started doing business in the post town, Yumi and her buddies had intentionally gone to hassle him.

But before they knew it they had become regulars at his stalls, and were now running around town for his sake. That was just the sort of bonds Asuta had formed with folks from around town.

I’ll never let something like this destroy what he built! Yumi thought to herself, only for her buddy walking alongside her down the road to go, “Ah. Some other people I know were supposed to be checking this street. I’ll meet up with them, so can I leave Drunkard Way to you?”

“Yeah, since that place is dangerous if you’re not a local.”

Drunkard Way was the street nestled deepest in the section of town where The Westerly Wind was located. Even fearless ruffians needed to work up some serious resolve to head that far into the slums.

“Will you really be alright on your own though, Yumi? I can get some men together too if you need them.”

“If we go as a big group, it’ll just put folks on edge, and we don’t need that. And I’m at least as good at running away as the rest of you, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Got it. I’ll see you later, then,” her buddy shot back before taking off running down a side street.

Having finished off her giba burger, Yumi also swiftly headed back down the road. She wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of setting foot in Drunkard Way, but she also couldn’t go leaving the place out of a search for the sort of lowlifes who’d go around kidnapping people.

By the time she had made it back to her starting point, she was suddenly taken aback. That was because there were now people of the forest’s edge just about to walk down the side path toward the slums.

“H-Hold on! Where are you two going?”

The two of them turned her way.

One was a hunter clad in a giba fur pelt, while the other was a woman dressed in the attire of the forest’s edge. The man was quite large and had a robust figure, while the woman was small and rotund.

“Excuse me, but who are you...?”

“I-I’m Yumi, from The Westerly Wind, and I wouldn’t recommend going down that way carelessly. That place is a hangout for drunken scoundrels, even in the middle of the day!”

“A hangout for scoundrels... Then that’s all the more reason we need to search it.”

Though the large man looked quite intimidating, his voice was calm and relaxed. And honestly, his face wasn’t the least bit frightening. Though it was fittingly masculine for his build, his gaze was nice and refreshing and his expression was gentle. Somehow, he had the feel of a large, sturdy tree about him.

“I’m sure you’re confident in your skills as a hunter of the forest’s edge... But the sorts who hang out down that way are seriously troublesome. And you all don’t want to cause a commotion about town either, right?”

“That’s true. But we must be thorough and search everywhere. Otherwise, we won’t be able to convince the folks from the castle town.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“We wish to prove that Asuta is not anywhere outside of the castle town. Then the intention is to negotiate with the nobles in order to gain permission to search the castle town, too,” the hunter of the forest’s edge said, then he suddenly broke out in a grin. “My apologies for the late introduction, but I am Gazraan Rutim, from the Rutim clan of the forest’s edge. This is my younger sister Morun. You have my gratitude for your concern, Yumi of The Westerly Wind.”

That was how Yumi and Gazraan Rutim met.

And also, it was the start of the modest adventure they would have that day.

2

Yumi was walking through the slums, accompanied by two people of the forest’s edge.

They still hadn’t stepped too far in, so it wasn’t as if there had been much change in their surroundings. However, since there were more guards out on the main road than usual, the residents of the slums also seemed to be cautiously holing up in their houses.

“This part of the post town is where especially poor folks and guys with shady pasts gather. It’s the sort of place even guards won’t set foot in alone.”

“I see. It doesn’t appear all that different from the main street, though.”

“That’s because this is just the outskirts of the slums. But you need to be more and more careful the farther in you go.”

As Yumi said that, a familiar signboard came into view: the one for her family’s place, The Westerly Wind. And so, she moved swiftly past, using Gazraan Rutim’s large frame to shield her from view.

“Sorry, but help hide me for a bit. If my parents see me, they’ll try to force me to come back home.”

“You’re trying to help Asuta, even though it means defying your parents, Yumi?”

“Of course I am. That’s what friends are for, right?”

Hearing that, Gazraan Rutim’s eyes gently narrowed as he looked down at Yumi.

“Yes. Asuta is an irreplaceable friend to me, too. It makes me very happy to hear that there is someone in town who feels the same way about him.”

“Geez, you’re making me embarrassed, getting all serious like that.”

And so, Yumi made it past The Westerly Wind, hiding in Gazraan Rutim’s shadow as she went.

Before long, they reached a four-way intersection in the path. By this point, the buildings lined up on either side of the street had started looking rather shabby. The poverty suffered by the folks living there made it difficult for them to scrape together the money for repairs.

“We’re going to keep heading straight, since we already searched the rest of the area yesterday.”

“This is a huge help. Morun and I had been planning on spending the whole day searching the area.”

“The real troublesome bit is Drunkard Way, though, which is up ahead. There are heaps of folks there you just can’t reason with,” Yumi replied as she looked over at the other member of their party. “Are you going to be alright? It isn’t really the sort of place young women should be going, normally.”

“But you’re a young woman too, aren’t you?” Morun Rutim asked back with a truly innocent-looking smile.

She was a very adorable girl, and really didn’t resemble her brother in the least. She was a bit on the plump side, but she was much more charming than some girl who looked like she was wasting away. Her cute little eyes positively sparkled, and her round cheeks looked incredibly soft.

“I’m fifteen. How old are you, Yumi?”

“Me? I’m sixteen.”

“sixteen, huh? You look so very mature.”

Well, by the time you hit sixteen in the post town, you weren’t really treated like a kid anymore. In fact, her parents had started bugging her about getting married lately.

“If your younger sister here is fifteen, then you can’t be all that old either, right?”

“I’m twenty-four. The main Rutim house has four children besides me, and I am the oldest while Morun is the youngest.”

“Five kids, huh? I know it’s the same way with the Ruu, so you people of the forest’s edge sure must have a lot of children!”

“Yes. Birthing many children is an important task for the people of the forest’s edge.”

It was quite the unusual experience for Yumi, chatting away with people of the forest’s edge at the side of the road like this. In fact, this was probably the first time she’d really had a proper conversation with any of them to start with.

“By the way, how many of you are in town today?”

“Roughly 60. We split into pairs of one man and woman each, and have been searching all the way from the Turan land north of the castle town to the plantations south of the post town.”

60 people of the forest’s edge coming into town certainly was a big deal. And half of them were brawny hunters, so it was no real surprise the townsfolk were scared out of their wits.

Even so, Yumi couldn’t help but feel a bit displeased.

“But there are hundreds of you people of the forest’s edge, right? You could only get 60 of them to come?”

“Yes. There were a great many more who said they wanted to assist in the search for Asuta, but they had to be forbidden from doing so. Currently the Ruu and their affiliated clans are in the midst of a break period, so it ended up being 60 of us who’ve come to town, after excluding the very young and old from our numbers.”

“A break period?”

“That’s right. Three times a year, we are able to take time off from hunting giba. The Ruu and those allied with them, like us, happen to be in such a period.”

“Hmm, I see,” Yumi said, considering dropping the matter there. But ultimately, she decided she needed to say it. “Sorry, but let me ask... Are you saying hunting giba is more important than Asuta...?”

“You see, if we put our hunting second for this matter, there’s a concern the nobles from the castle town will attack us over that.”

“You’re not scared of the nobles, are you...?”

“We need to consider the possibility that this whole incident was aimed at creating an excuse to place blame on the people of the forest’s edge.”

The people of the forest’s edge were tasked with the harsh work of hunting giba, under orders from the nobles of Genos. If they neglected that job, then they wouldn’t be able to take issue with the nobles coming after them for it.

“That all sounds like one big complicated mess... So you’re thinking it’s the nobles of Genos behind all this after all?”

“We still don’t know. There’s a possibility it was done by someone wishing to cause a rift between our people and the nobles.”

“Ah, yeah, it wouldn’t be odd at all for there to be idiots like that out there... But I feel like lately more and more townsfolk have been thinking differently, thanks to all the stuff Asuta and the others have done,” Yumi said. Then with a sigh, she stared way up at Gazraan Rutim’s face. “It really is a shame that this had to happen now... The townsfolk may end up feeling terrified of you people of the forest’s edge again as a result.”

“That may be so. However, there are those such as you who are thinking of us, too,” Gazraan Rutim replied with a gentle smile. “This time around there haven’t been townsfolk shouting at us to ‘go back to the forest,’ so I would say a good bit has changed since last time. In fact, more than anything, I have been sensing the townsfolk’s distrust toward the nobles growing.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I mean, this time around Asuta got kidnapped by thugs, so it really would be odd for anyone to attack the people of the forest’s edge over that.”

“It’s very reassuring to hear you say so,” Gazraan Rutim calmly said back as another intersection appeared before them.

At that point Yumi stopped and looked at the truly dissimilar siblings.

“Up ahead is the notorious Drunkard Way. Let me ask again... You really won’t just leave it up to me?”

“We won’t. If it is that questionable of a place, then I really would prefer to check it with my own two eyes.”

“Alright. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly confident I could search every nook and cranny of the place on my own, so I’m glad to hear you say that. But, well... Just make sure not to let your guard down, alright? Without a doubt, this is the most dangerous place in all of the post town.”

Gazraan Rutim just silently nodded back.

He didn’t look timid in the least. Honestly, it seemed reasonable that such a burly hunter might well be able to take down the sorts of villains who hung out in Drunkard Way as easily as a big giiz rat.

“Well then, let’s get going. And be careful.”

Working up her resolve, Yumi stepped into the street.

All of the wooden buildings lined up on either side of the street had a real shabby, seedy look about them. To folks who only knew the bustling main street, the place would probably look run-down and deserted. And on top of all that, there was a lingering smell of rot hanging in the air.

“It’s quiet... But I can sense a great number of gazes on us.”

“Yeah. Everyone must be peering out at the unfamiliar visitors.”

After a quick shiver, Yumi approached a nearby building.

When she knocked on the door, a hostile voice shot back, “What do you want?”

“We’re searching for someone. We won’t cause you any trouble, but could we talk to you for a bit?”

The door remained shut. However, there were some gaps here and there where the boards had rotted, and a human eye peered out of one of them.

“Calling for me like this is already plenty enough trouble. I don’t know anything, so go try somewhere else,” the voice shot back. It seemed like it belonged to an old woman, and her light brown eye looked incredibly untrusting.

“Please, just listen to what we have to say. We’re residents of the same town, aren’t we?”

“A girl dressed as pretty as you are seems like an outsider to me...”

“I see, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m the daughter of The Westerly Wind’s owners, that inn that’s just a little down the road. That makes me a part of the neighborhood, wouldn’t you say?”

Through the gap, the old woman’s eye narrowed suspiciously.

“The Westerly Wind, is it? Then could you tell me the owner’s name?”

“Well I wouldn’t exactly go forgetting my own dad’s name. The owner’s name is Sams, while his wife is Sill. Well, I say he’s the owner, but my dad’s the one who married into the family.”

There was a rattling sound, and soon the wooden door swung open. It seemed despite how rotten the door itself had grown, it had still been properly bolted.

“So you’re Sill’s daughter? Unlike your mom, you’re a real looker, aren’tcha?”

“Hey, don’t go badmouthing her like that. But, well, I have heard I look more like my dad.”

“Hmph. So who are you looking for exactly, girl? And who are those two...?”

“They’re people of the forest’s edge. You’ve at least heard of them, right, ma’am?”

Gazraan and Morun Rutim just gave a silent bow. As she looked at the calm and collected pair, the old woman gave a “Hmph!” and continued on, “This is my first time ever seeing any giba eaters up this close. What are you trying to do, bringing along people like them?”

“Like I said, we’re looking for someone: a guy named Asuta who was abducted along the main street, and the kidnappers who took him. Umm, Asuta has black hair and eyes, and he’s a sort of cute seventeen-year-old, while the kidnappers—” Yumi replied, only to hesitate, so Gazraan Rutim stepped in.

“The ones who kidnapped Asuta were a dark skinned man with the appearance of an easterner, and a firmly built westerner. They are already wanted throughout the post town for the abduction.”

“Hmph. There are troublemakers here and there all throughout the neighborhood, but I can’t say I’ve seen any easterners.”

“Apparently he was born with mixed blood from the east and west, to be more accurate. His name is Sanjura, and he has light brown hair and eyes, which is unusual for an easterner.”

“I don’t know anything about all that. If you wanna ask about something like that, you should go talk to Dattas.”

“Dattas? Who’s that?”

“He’s the one who manages all the scoundrels in the area. When an outsider settles down here, the first thing they’ve gotta do is introduce themselves to Dattas.”

“Is that so? You have our thanks,” Gazraan Rutim said with a bow, while the old lady slammed the door shut before he even finished.

“Where exactly does this Dattas person live...?”

“H-Hold on a moment. You’re planning on barging into a place like that? I mean, there’s no way the guy running Drunkard Way is going to be anywhere close to an honest man.”

“But that would be a lot quicker than going from house to house like this, wouldn’t you say?”

Yumi gave a deep sigh, and then brushed aside her long hair.

“Alright, I guess I’ll put my trust in your strength. Hey old lady! Where should we go to meet that Dattas guy?”

“It’s the house with the red roof, halfway down the street!” a voice shouted back from inside the house.

Relying on that advice, they headed further down the road, and sure enough a very clearly red roof came into view. It certainly wasn’t rare to paint a house, but this stuff seemed to have been put on quite some time ago. And so, the red had darkened and made it look like the house had been splattered in a sea of blood, giving it a real eerie appearance.

After taking a few calming breaths, Yumi knocked on the door to that creepy building.

“Does this house belong to a guy named Dattas? We have something we’d like to ask him.”

For a fair while, there was no response at all.

But eventually, the door ominously creaked open, revealing a man who was even larger than Gazraan Rutim.

“Who are you lot...? What business do you have with Dattas...?”

“We’d like to ask about the new faces who have popped up in the area lately,” Yumi firmly replied, following the customs of the slums. Around here, letting your weakness show could prove deadly. “I’m Yumi from The Westerly Wind, and these two are Gazraan and Morun Rutim of the forest’s edge. We’ve got no desire to cause trouble for you folks. We just want to talk for a bit.”

“People of the forest’s edge...?” the large man questioned, glaring at Gazraan Rutim with a dangerous look in his eyes.

While Gazraan Rutim was already a head taller than Yumi, this man was another half a head taller on top of that. Plus, his limbs were as thick as logs, and his stomach jutted out stoutly. It was like his whole body was a size bigger than Gazraan Rutim’s.

Before the mountain of a man could say another word, though, a cheerful voice called out through a curtained window, “Hey, let them in already! Let me have a look at these people of the forest’s edge!”

The large man didn’t stop facing them down for a second, but he did step back through the door as ordered.

Though her hand was coated in a cold sweat, Yumi balled it into a fist and followed after him.

As soon as she stepped inside, she found herself in a hallway. It was rather long too, and they followed it to the end where it split off to the left and the right. The large man went down the right, and so Yumi and company did the same.

This house seemed like it had been constructed in a really unusual way. The owner’s voice before must have come from a room in the front, but you had to go down this winding complex path to get there from the entrance. Yumi didn’t really want to think too deeply on what the meaning behind that was.

“Welcome, dear guests. This is my first time inviting people of the forest’s edge into my home.”

There were five men in the room, and a round table with chairs circling it like you’d see in a bar. It was the man farthest into the room who called out to them.

He was a short little man. Even if he was standing, he would probably still be smaller than Yumi. His limbs were slender, and it was hard to imagine them having much strength behind them at all. He had a real seedy appearance and his hair was rather thinned out. Only his eyes seemed to be moving. Was he even older than Yumi’s father...?

“I am the owner of this house, Dattas. Exactly what business do you have with me?”

It seemed like there was no need to introduce themselves again, so she skipped ahead to asking the same question she had to the old woman from before.

“I see, a thug with the look of an easterner, is it...? I’ve heard rumors of someone like that coming to dwell in the neighborhood lately, though I can’t say he’s ever come by to introduce himself.”

“Huh?! Really?!” Yumi asked, enthusiastically leaning forwards.

Dattas’s cronies, meanwhile, broke out in amused grins.

“I don’t tell any lies that don’t earn me a profit. But I can’t see any reason to tell the truth if it won’t earn me any coins either.”

“You’re saying you want to be paid somehow? We don’t exactly have much on us.”

“Is that so? You know, it’s not nice to be stingy...”

Yumi stepped forward as if to act as a shield for Morun Rutim, furrowing her brows a bit as she did so.

“If you’re having improper thoughts, you’d be smart to forget them,” Yumi warned. “But if you want my necklaces or bracelets, I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“I’ve got no use for such cheap accessories. Why not try to force it out of me, though?” Dattas said with a shrug of his slender shoulders. “That said, I don’t care to bloody up my house. Instead, how about we have a contest of strength here and now, for a bit of entertainment?”

“A contest of strength?”

“Don’t you men do that at festivals and the like? It’s not like I’d have much of a chance, but this fella here’s pretty confident in his strength.”

Naturally, he was referring to that large man who had greeted them at the door. And the man was glaring straight at Gazraan Rutim now, not even so much as grinning.

“If you can beat him in a contest of strength, I’ll tell you where that thug is. But if you lose, let’s see... Yes, how about you let me have that blade you’ve got dangling from your hip? That seems much more useful than some mere baubles.”

“Dattas, could you get them to throw in that giba pelt? It’d be proof we beat a hunter of the forest’s edge in a contest of strength, so it’d make for a nice trophy,” one of the hangers-on called out, causing Dattas to break out in a grin.

“That’s a fine idea. What do you say, Mr. Hunter of the Forest’s Edge?”

“I don’t mind, but how will it be decided?” Gazraan Rutim questioned, his expression unchanged.

Dattas looked more and more pleased as he replied, “I don’t think we need to worry about anything too complicated. What do you say to the idea that the first one to hit the floor loses?”

“That would be the same as what we do at the festival of the hunt, so I have no complaints,” Gazraan Rutim answered as he took his still sheathed blade from his hip and handed it to Morun Rutim. “Is hitting and kicking acceptable? In our contests of strength at the forest’s edge, such actions are forbidden.”

“That wouldn’t be any fun at all. Just having you two grapple with one another sounds like a real bore, doesn’t it?”

“I’m fine either way. I’m not exactly seeking a thrill or anything of the sorts here,” Gazraan Rutim calmly replied.

On the other hand, the blood was clearly rising to the large man’s face. It seemed Gazraan Rutim’s calm and composed nature was really getting to him.

“Alright, clear a space! This match’ll be a single round! Well, not that I figure you’ll be up for a second go afterwards...”

With Dattas’s signal, the men pushed the table and chairs up against the wall. Dattas alone remain seated, and ultimately the space was cleared up in front of him.

Gazraan Rutim and the large man stepped into the center of the newly cleared space. Without thinking, Yumi grabbed hold of Morun Rutim’s hand, only for the girl to smile back at her.

“You don’t need to worry. Gazraan is in the top eight fighters among all the hunters under the Ruu.”

Dattas shakily raised his arm up above his head, and then swiftly swung it down.

“Begin!”

The large man instantly grabbed for Gazraan Rutim.

The hunter’s fur cloak lightly fluttered... and in the next instant, the large man’s back slammed into the floor.

It was impossible to tell just what had happened. The quake reached all the way to Yumi’s feet, and the large man moaned in anguish.

“Are you alright? You’re quite heavy, so that may have been rather painful,” Gazraan Rutim asked, sounding genuinely concerned, but the man could only groan in response. Looking carefully, his body was partially sunken into the wooden floor.

“I was holding back, so you shouldn’t suffer any lasting injuries. But we can count this as my victory, yes?” Gazraan Rutim asked, slowly turning to face Dattas.

The man’s right arm still dangled where it had swung down, as he wore a baffled expression like that of a child.

3

“I’ve heard a thug from the east settled down recently in old lady Jillel’s rundown row house,” Dattas had informed them.

There was a concern he was trying to get even with them in some way, but it seemed more that he was completely overwhelmed by Gazraan Rutim’s extraordinary strength. In fact, his face actually looked full of admiration.

“I don’t know what sorta thug he is, but as long as he doesn’t go acting like a big man around here, then it’s got nothing to do with me. Still, guys from Sym are trouble, so I don’t want anything to do with them if I don’t have to. And you should take care, too,” he had earnestly added.

As they looked for the place Dattas had told them about, Gazraan Rutim asked Yumi, “What did he mean when he said folks from Sym are trouble? From what I have heard, that Sanjura man is formidable enough to prove a match for even hunters of the forest’s edge.”

“Hmm? Isn’t that because of the poison they use rather than their actual strength? They say you need ten swordsmen to take down one guy from Sym, after all.”

“Poison? That certainly could cause trouble.”

“No kidding. You wouldn’t think they were that brutal, looking at the guys from Sym walking around town. But from what I’ve heard, they wander all over the continent without any bodyguards, so they must not be afraid of beasts or bandits.”

As they were having that conversation, their destination came into view. Since it was ultimately a straight road, there was no real risk of getting lost.

Located nearly at the dead end of Drunkard Way was a row house that looked practically deserted. The building was one story with six units all in a row, and was so old and worn down that it could collapse in on itself at any moment. In fact, it looked so bad that it seemed hard to believe people could really live in such a place.

“But that bastard Sanjura was staying at The Sledgehammer, right? So is this thug who’s supposed to be staying here someone else?”

“I do not know. It is possible he prepared this dwelling in advance so he could run away after committing his crimes at that inn.”

At any rate, they couldn’t exactly turn around without checking after coming all this way. And so, Yumi gathered up her resolve as she had when visiting Dattas’s home, approaching the closest door and knocking on it.

She waited for a bit, but there was no response.

Right when she lifted her hand to knock again, though, she heard the bolt being removed from inside.

“What a racket. All our rooms are full right now, y’know.”

“Ah, are you old lady Jillel? We’re actually not here looking for lodgings,” Yumi replied while forcing down the shock she was feeling.

It wasn’t Jillel’s appearance that was surprising, though. Rather, it was the thick, offensive odor that wafted out when the woman opened the door. It was a strange, sweet smell that was utterly unfamiliar to Yumi and put her in something of a daze.

“Is that an herb from Sym? Did the easterner who came to live here recently share it with you?” Yumi asked, causing Jillel to guardedly furrow her brows.

The woman was terribly old and small. She was bent over at a near right angle, and she leaned heavily on a cane. Her greasy gray hair was pulled up into a bun atop her head, and her skin was like dirty tanned leather.

“We came here to check whether or not that easterner was an acquaintance of ours. Is he here in the row house now?”

“An acquaintance, you say...? He shouldn’t know anyone here in Genos...”

“Do we have the wrong guy, then? He’s got light hair, which is rare for easterners.”

Since it was possible he gave a fake name, Yumi avoided saying it.

Meanwhile, Jillel’s brows furrowed even deeper with more and more suspicion.

“Whatever, I don’t need any trouble... And who are those folks, anyway?”

“They’re people of the forest’s edge. A clan who hunt giba at the base of Mount Morga.”

At that point, Jillel almost shoved her way past Yumi as she moved outside, skillfully closing the door behind her with her cane.

“I won’t know if he’s out or not without checking. Guess I’ll go ahead and collect his rent while I’m at it.”

“Thanks. This is a big help.”

The old lady bobbed along unsteadily, with Yumi and company following after her.

Before long, she led them to the dwelling on the other end of the rowhouse. Once they arrived, she lifted up her cane and gave the door a rough poke.

“Hey, you’ve got visitors! And could I get tomorrow’s rent, too?!”

There was no response.

After a short while, Jillel reached out toward the door with her withered hand. Apparently it hadn’t been bolted, as it smoothly swung open.

It was pitch black inside the room.

And sure enough, there was an offensive odor hanging in the air. This time, it was a sort of mix between a sweet and sour smell, strong enough to seriously turn one’s stomach. And somehow, it seemed to have a sort of animal-like stink to it, too.

“Hey, are you there?! It’s no good... It’s too dark to see a thing.”

“If it’s alright, please allow me to take a look,” Gazraan Rutim said, stepping forward as Jillel moved aside.

However, the young hunter ended up giving a light tilt of his head, too.

“There’s a curtain or something dividing the room, so it’s impossible to see all the way inside. And... there’s some kind of strange presence, too.”

“Whaddya mean, a ‘strange presence’? You’ve got my permission, so go ahead and drag whoever’s in there out. If he went and died in my place, that’d be a real hassle.”

With a single nod, Gazraan Rutim stepped into the darkness without the slightest hesitation.

And as they watched, Jillel gave a curious little, “Oh? What’s this? Can you two see?”

“Hmm? It’s so dark I can’t even tell what I’m looking at,” Yumi answered as she and Morun Rutim peered into the room.

There was a curtain over the window too, so it was as pitch black as night inside. All she could make out was Gazraan Rutim’s back as he cautiously proceeded inside.

“Yeah, it’s just too dark to—” Yumi started to say, only to be suddenly pushed from behind.

Morun Rutim had been in front of her, and so she slammed into the girl’s shoulder as they both tumbled into the entrance.

And then, the world suddenly went dark. The door had been slammed shut.

“Oww... Hey! What’re you doing, you old hag?!”

Yumi hurriedly sat up and searched for the door by touch. For some reason, though, it wasn’t budging in the least, as if it were just another wall. Yumi felt a chill run down her spine as she sat there in that pitch black darkness.

“Hey! Stop messing around! Let us out of here!”

“Quiet, Yumi... Something’s not right...” Morun Rutim chimed in as she grabbed hold of Yumi’s arm.

In the next moment, an eerie cry pierced the darkness.

On top of that, there was a flapping and a sound like a cloth being beaten. It seemed to be the wings from some sort of animal flying about.

“Aah!” Yumi shrieked, holding her head in her hands.

She had felt something swoosh right by her ear.

“Morun! Keep your head down! These beasts are dangerous!” Gazraan Rutim shouted out, which was followed by the sound of something being torn down, followed by an animal’s shrill cry. It seemed the hunter was fighting the winged beasts in the dark.

“Flee outside! These beasts seem to be able to sense where people are, even without any light to see!”

“The door won’t open! It’s probably been bolted or something from the outside!”

“Understood! Then hold on for just a moment!”

The beasts’ constant flapping was all that gave them away as they flew overhead. Though they didn’t seem all that big, apparently there were several of them. And for a moment, Yumi felt as if she was trapped in some sort of nightmare.

Meanwhile, the sounds of battle continued on unabated. Yumi felt out Morun Rutim’s hand and held it tight, praying to the western god for this to end.

“Morun! Don’t move from that spot!”

Gazraan Rutim’s voice was suddenly drawing closer.

Then, something massive whooshed over their heads, and the door flew open. It seemed Gazraan Rutim had come running their way and kicked the door down.

The thick door went flying to the other side of the street, allowing light to stream in once more through the hole it left behind. And wasting no time at all, Yumi and Morun Rutim beat a hasty retreat into that light.

Following soon after, Gazraan Rutim leapt out backwards, brandishing his blade. He stood to guard the girls who were sitting collapsed on the road, pointing his sword straight at the gaping abyss where the door once stood.

“I believe... those were what are known as bats.”

“B-Bats?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that they occasionally appear at night at the forest’s edge, too. They’re dangerous creatures that not only suck the blood of people and beasts alike, but their fangs are also venomous.”

However, those winged creatures showed no signs of trying to leave the dark room. Did they have trouble handling sunlight?

“Morun, Yumi, you weren’t bit, were you?”

“We weren’t, since I kept on swinging this about,” Morun Rutim replied with a smile, holding out a wooden pole. Yumi hadn’t noticed at all, but apparently she had been using that to drive off the bats.

“So you were shut inside, correct? Was that old woman named Jillel the culprit?”

“That’s right! Where did that damn hag go?!”

Yumi hurriedly glanced about, but there wasn’t a single person to be found out on the road. She must have hurriedly booked it as soon as she locked in Yumi and Morun Rutim.

“Still, why exactly was she trying to do us harm? Does she have some sort of grudge against us people of the forest’s edge?”

“We won’t know that without asking her! For now, let’s at least try heading back to that room from before!”

Since her legs were bad enough to need a cane, it was hard to imagine she had run all the way to the other side of the road. But sure enough, once they made it back to the door on the other end, it was bolted from the inside.

“So you really are in here, huh?! Hey, you old hag! You’ve really done it now! What do you have against us, anyway?!” Naturally, there was no response. And so with a click of her tongue, Yumi turned to face Gazraan Rutim. “Hey, this isn’t getting us anywhere, so just go ahead and smash this one down too!”

“Ah... But I can’t say I feel right about kicking down doors left and right...”

“It doesn’t matter if you feel right about it, we can’t just forget about the old hag and leave, right?!”

With a rather apologetic look on his face, Gazraan Rutim went ahead and gave the door a hearty kick. It immediately came loose from its frame, tumbling down into the entrance.

Right inside sat a dirt floor, and beyond that there was an empty room. Off to the left was a stove which had a small metal pot on it. The flame was out, but the sweet smell in the air seemed to be coming from that direction.

Looking opposite the stove, Yumi found a large curtain blocking her view. That must have been the entrance to another room.

After looking the room over, Gazraan Rutim cautiously moved in that direction. And while keeping an eye out to make sure nobody was coming in from outside, Yumi and Morun Rutim followed after him.

Keeping a hold of his blade’s handle with his right hand, Gazraan Rutim grabbed the lower part of the curtain with his left. And when he suddenly pulled it up, an old woman’s shriek filled the room.

Naturally, that had come from Jillel.

She was cowering there in the corner of the small room, her face as pale as a sheet.

And there was someone else there next to her, too. This person wore a long, raggedy cloak, and jangling accessories around his neck and wrists... And he was an eastern man that had to be at least as old as Jillel.

His hair was a mix of its original black and a good bit that had gone white, giving it the overall impression of rusted steel. Plus his face was incredibly wrinkled, and though he would probably be quite tall if he stood up, his body was thin and shriveled.

“Aah, please forgive me! This man has grown so weak that he couldn’t possibly get up to any wrongdoing! It would be far too cruel to take him away as a criminal, wouldn’t it?!” Jillel sobbed as she clung to the easterner’s slim frame. And as she looked at the pair, Yumi gave a disappointed slump of her shoulders.

“So that old guy’s the easterner living here in this row house? Now listen, the man we’re looking for is a young guy from Sym perfectly capable of getting into trouble!”

“Huh? Then you didn’t come here to capture him and take him away...?”

“We’ve got no reason to go thrust some total stranger in front of the guards! Geez, you sure jumped to one heck of a conclusion there...”

As that back and forth was going on, the old man from Sym just sat there, his expression utterly unchanged. Of course, that made sense considering easterners thought it was shameful to let their emotions show.

“It seems you were rather troubled on my account... Jillel is innocent, so please find it in yourselves to forgive her...”

“I don’t know if I’d call her innocent, seeing how those bats or whatever could’ve easily ended up sucking our blood.”

“Those bats were captured to be used for medicine... I truly am sorry...”

“Hmph. You know, you sure are skilled in the western tongue, old timer.”

Furthermore, this man only seemed to be able to see properly out of one of his eyes. There was a dark yet calm shine in his right eye, but his left one was a murky gray.

“We’re searching for a criminal named Sanjura. Just to be safe, let me ask, do you know anything about him? He’s got light-colored hair and eyes and said he had mixed blood from the east and west, but just from looking at him, he seemed like an ordinary young man from Sym.”

“I do not know him... I am a criminal who cannot show his face in Sym, so I cut all ties with easterners... And I can’t say I ever knew anyone with mixed blood from the east and west, either...”

“Is that so? That’s too bad. He’s a heartless bastard who kidnapped a good friend of mine.”

“He kidnapped your friend, you say...? I see...” the old man from Sym murmured, closing his right eye. Meanwhile, his cloudy gray eye alone looked straight at Gazraan Rutim. “Does that friend perhaps lack a star...?”

“What did you say just now...?” Gazraan Rutim questioned, furrowing his brow ever so slightly. His light brown eyes always looked so calm, but now they appeared as sharp as a blade.

“You fall under the hawk star, guarded by three lions... And you all shall face a great shift in destiny under the light and shadow of the starless one...”

“A great shift...” Gazraan Rutim whispered back, taking in the words.

As for Yumi, she had no idea what was going on.

“Since that man lacks a star, even I cannot decipher his fate... It is in the process of shifting even now... Even if you have lost sight of him, the starless one is above you always... And once the clouds clear, you shall be able to see him once again...” Then, with Jillel still clinging to his thin shoulders, he leaned limply against the wall behind him. “That is as far as I can see... If it was enough for you to forgive the trouble Jillel caused you, I would be most appreciative...”

“Understood. You have my thanks for this favor,” Gazraan Rutim said, taking his hand from his blade and turning around. As he let go of the curtain it fell back down, once more hiding the old pair from view. “Let’s head back. I don’t believe we have any further business in this place.”

“H-Hold on a moment! What was all that gibberish about? Was that guy an eastern star reader or something?”

“Yes. A star reader from Sym called Asuta a starless one once before in the past. I can’t say I understand star reading, as it seems like a mere consolation to me... But I do feel it relieved at least a little of my unease.” As they exited Jillel’s home and stepped back out into the bright sunlight, Gazraan Rutim broke out in a gentle smile. “Naturally, that’s not to say we should sit around waiting for Asuta to return. I intend to carry on with whatever I can do to help.”

“Of course! Well then, let’s check down the other way next!”

“Right,” Gazraan Rutim replied with a nod.

Yumi had felt before like she had fallen deep into some sort of nightmare, but as she looked at Gazraan Rutim’s firm yet gentle smile, she somehow managed to pull herself back together.

4

Three days later, at night...

Yumi, Gazraan Rutim, and a great crowd of others had gathered together in front of the castle gates, all awaiting Asuta’s return.

Both people of the forest’s edge and townsfolk were there, all wearing tense expressions. Was Asuta really alright, and would he truly be safely returned to them...? All they could do was keep on earnestly praying for it to be so, despite their doubts.

“It’s alright. If that Jeeda boy’s words were true, we should absolutely be able to rescue him,” Gazraan Rutim whispered from beside Yumi, sounding as if he was trying to persuade himself.

Asuta was in the castle town. The one who had him abducted was the daughter of a noble named Cyclaeus, and she was forcing Asuta to cook for her. That was the message that had been delivered this morning.

It was still unknown if that was even true. But the people of the forest’s edge trusted that it was, and put together a plan. Currently, that Ai Fa woman who was Asuta’s family had infiltrated Cyclaeus’s manor along with some noble.

“We intend to await their return outside the castle gates. Would you mind joining us, Yumi...?” Gazraan Rutim had come and asked her.

“Of course. I’ve got no reason to object. But... why?”

“We wish to make Cyclaeus and his ilk aware that the truth has already spread outside of the walls of the castle town. Otherwise, it’s possible that he will try to cover up this entire incident.”

Though she didn’t really get it, Yumi complied with his request. Over the past several days, she had become painfully aware of the fact that he was at least as smart as anybody from around town, if not more so.

And Yumi had reached out to other townsfolk in turn, leading to the huge crowd gathered now. There were a number of fearful guards surrounding them, but that wasn’t enough to scare off even a single person from the group.

By this point, the sun had already completely set. Right in front of the group stood the white stone walls, atop which a number of flames flickered away in the darkness.

The drawbridge was up, and the gates were shut. On top of that, there was a deep moat in front of the walls, placing the crowd at a distance. It was far enough that you couldn’t even hit it by throwing a rock. And Asuta was being held captive on the other side of those sturdy walls.

“Yumi...” a voice called out as a small figure approached. It was Tara, the daughter of that vegetable seller. She had met the girl numerous times back at Asuta’s stalls. “Is Asuta alright? He’s definitely coming back, isn’t he?”

“It’ll be okay. It’ll take more than this to get rid of him, you know,” Yumi said, kneeling on the ground and giving a firm nod.

With tears in her eyes, Tara nodded back, “Yeah,” and then went running back over to her father.

“There’s no need to worry. Since we asked that Polarth noble for his assistance, they shouldn’t be able to take any extreme actions, either,” Gazraan Rutim stated as Yumi stood back up. All the while, though, his gaze remained fixed on the gates.

“Guess you need a noble to punish a noble in the end, huh? Even though we worked pretty damn hard...”

“Even now, you’re helping us further. We need the assistance of everyone here in order to continue down the proper path forward. To begin with, if we hadn’t caused such a commotion throughout town first, I doubt we would have moved that Polarth noble enough to take action,” Gazraan Rutim said, gently smiling while still facing the gates. “People of the forest’s edge, townsfolk, and nobles of the castle town... It is precisely because all those various groups have come together in their thoughts and actions that we find ourselves here in these current circumstances. Thinking about it, this may just be further proof of the bonds Asuta has formed.”

“Hehe. I wonder if Asuta’ll treat us to some delicious food for making us worry?” Yumi said, putting on a brave front, only for a sound like an animal in its death throes to fill the night air.

The drawbridge had begun lowering.

Without even thinking, Yumi leaned forwards.

With a heavy creeeeeak the drawbridge steadily approached the ground. The guards were all nervously brandishing their spears, looking around to see if anyone present was going to make any trouble.

Then, there was a thump and a rumble as the drawbridge fully lowered.

At the same time, the massive gates swung open.

It was like some huge monster’s gaping maw had suddenly yawned widely before them, revealing pitch black darkness inside.

And from those shadows, a single vehicle steadily emerged: a big box carriage pulled by two totos. And it was surrounded by totos riders on either side, too.

Someone seemed to gulp.

And then, everyone fell dead silent. The crowd was holding its breath, watching and wondering whether or not Asuta was okay. Suddenly, Yumi realized that her knees were trembling.

“It’s alright...” Gazraan Rutim quietly whispered.

The totos-drawn wagon stopped before fully crossing the bridge.

Then, it turned around and headed back toward the gates... Leaving two shadowy figures standing there.

Instantly, there was an explosion of cheers.

One of them was undoubtedly Asuta.

Yumi closed her eyes and gave a prayer of thanks to the western god. It might well have been the most earnest prayer she had ever said in her whole life.

From beyond the jubilation, there was another heavy sound ringing out. Opening her eyes, Yumi saw that Asuta and his companion had already stepped off the bridge, and so it was once more rising up.

There was already a large crowd of people around Asuta, shifting constantly as one person after another pushed forward to see him. Some were hugging him, and some were even sobbing.

“Oh forest, I thank you for the kindness you have shown...” Yumi heard Gazraan Rutim say. When she turned and looked, she found he had closed his eyes and was offering a prayer of his own. “Now then, you should go see Asuta too, Yumi.”

“You want to run straight at him too, don’t you?”

“I’ll take my time later... Sad as it is to admit, I find my legs shaking a bit.”

“What a coincidence. It’s the same for me,” Yumi replied, and Gazraan Rutim smiled back. Only this time, rather than his usual gentle grin, it looked closer to that of a bashful child.

“Yumi, you’ve truly been a great help. Now that Asuta is back safely, I can finally say it...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Three days ago, when I was looking for Asuta with you and Morun, it felt sort of like I was a kid again. It was honestly a bit... fun.”

Yumi shot him back a puzzled stare. But then, she answered his embarrassed smile with one of her own.

“This really is a coincidence! I feel the same way.”

With that, Yumi took off running toward Asuta.

The boy looked like he was laughing and crying at the same time.

Still unsure just what she should ultimately say to him, Yumi simply worked up her resolve and shot him a smile.

And so, Yumi and Gazraan Rutim at last had their precious, irreplaceable friend returned to them.