“Hold on tight, Pero!”

 

“Bu-but there’s nowhere proper to hold onto!!”

 

“If you don’t want to die, just grab onto anything!”

 

“O-okay!!”

 

With a jerk, Pero shut his eyes tightly and grabbed onto anything he could. Under more benign and comfortable circumstances, perhaps ones where he could leisurely enjoy the sensations, Pero would have considered himself incredibly lucky.

 

However, pursued by a giant mutated creature that insistently trailed the group, there was no time for such indulgence.

 

-Roaarrr!!

 

To shake off the mutant that was bellowing through its three heads, Elaine used all four limbs to make her escape. Whenever a massive tentacle came slamming down, she would punch the ground to change her direction by nearly 90 degrees if she was running on two legs.

 

If the burst of speed wasn’t enough, she ran on all fours. Adding the strength of her arms to her legs made her faster…! Elaine was grateful for her talent in using her body. Even though it was her first time running like a beast, she never got the sequence of her limbs confused.

 

A drastic maneuver using all four limbs. Naturally, there was no spare moment to hold Pero without shaking him. To stay alive, Pero had to cling on by himself.

 

What resulted was the sight of the princess sprinting on all fours with the boy desperately clinging on in front of her.

 

It was far from a graceful image, but there are things in the world beyond one’s control. Though her dignity as a princess might be compromised, survival took precedence.

 

Elaine raised her voice in frustration.

 

“The ‘Plain of Meetings’ is supposed to have few mutants, relatively speaking, said to be safe—!”

 

“………!!”

 

“Talking with your face buried in my chest only tickles, I can’t hear a thing, Pero—!!”

 

From Noble mtl dot com

 

Boy Pero was also wrapped in a sense of injustice. It was incomprehensible why such a colossal mutant, the likes of which he had never seen before in this peaceful land, appeared and why it was chasing them.

 

-Wooaah! Ohooohoo!

 

The giant mutant also sounded very aggrieved, as if questioning why someone emitting such a delicious scent appeared in front of it, or perhaps cursing the humans for being disgustingly fast.

 

“………, ………!!”

 

“I said it only tickles!”

 

“Pfft, my bag, there is… emergency bait in my bag…!”

 

“I’m using all fours to run, with no chance to reach for it—”

 

Kooom-!! Thunk!

 

Once again, Elaine’s body made a sharp turn, and the boy was once again caught in a physical silence spell.

 

“—do it!”

 

“………!”

 

“You have to do it, Pero!”

 

“……!!”

 

‘If you don’t do something quick, I’ll use you as bait and run away alone!’

 

She didn’t voice the latter part. After all, the part of Eilene’s brain responsible for a sense of reality was already screaming. She had to focus on making her 46kg burden lighter and run faster.

 

Her eight-minute hesitation, chained to fear, embodied her heart.

 

Phero coiled his legs around Eilene’s waist and squeezed hard. To keep them from being lost due to acceleration, he reached out for the bag he assumed to be between them.

 

But it was not the texture of a bag he touched.

 

“Not there, lower!”

 

“…??”

 

“The bag is above!”

 

“…??”

 

“Phero, are you doing this on purpose?!”

 

Still, there was no fourth stroke in vain. Phero took out a sphere wrapped in cloth from the bag and handed it to Eilene, who sent it flying over the horizon with a picture-perfect somersault kick.

 

The response of the giant mutant was immediate. It turned its direction with a sad whine. To be on the safe side, Eilene ran for about another five minutes before gradually slowing down.

 

She collapsed onto the grassy plain, taking deep and rough breaths. Phero was in the same state. After an intense ride paralleling fear from a roller coaster, he was limp and motionless inside Eilene’s arms.

 

“…It’s hot… Phero, can you move away a bit?”

 

“My… my arms and legs… I can’t move them. I’m sorry Eilene…”

 

“Who isn’t? If I had the energy to move, I would’ve cleaned up myself…”

 

Too exhausted to even perform the simple action of throwing Phero aside, Eilene decided just to endure his small human blanket imposition.

 

After taking a long breather, Eilene looked up at the sky.

 

The sunshine was tolerable, and the sky was blue. If she pushed aside the reality that the world was being taken over by strange monsters and humanity was on the brink of extinction, surprisingly… it was quite alright.

 

She couldn’t explain why everything was alright, but it was. All of it.

 

“…Ha, hahahahaha!”

 

When Eilene suddenly started laughing, Phero, taken aback, looked at her. Confirming that her laughter was not from sudden fatigue-induced delirium, he joined in the laughter.

 

“…He, hehehe…”

 

In a world where survival is foremost, the name ‘Princess’ loses its meaning. In the wilderness, she was just Eilene, and the boy was just Phero. The raw exchange had a refreshingly pleasant taste.

 

They could almost feel each other’s hearts pounding in their chests as they lay entwined. The distance between their two hearts was about 20 cm.

 

It was a pretty wonderful day.

 

The twilight began to settle in the distance.

 

The journey through the ‘Plains of Encounter’ was undoubtedly more pleasant. I could breathe without a grating dry sensation in my mouth, and I could often find things to eat. Apart from the giant mutant, I hadn’t run into any others.

 

On the way, I even discovered wild blackberries and enjoyed a handful. Elleine found herself moved and thrilled by the sourness of the wild blackberries, feeling a strange exhilaration.

 

It was amusing, and interesting, that the dishes painstakingly made by the royal chefs were often left untouched, while a simple wild fruit could bring such joy.

 

After looking around, Fero cheerfully spoke.

 

“We could make salad today!”

 

“…And the dressing?”

 

“If we add some ants, it will give a tangy taste!”

 

“Well, ants are okay… Just serve it as it is.”

 

While Elleine was gathering twigs to start a fire, Fero busily began to gather around. Thankfully, there were large leaves that could serve as plates. Then he placed all sorts of edible herbs on it to create today’s single meal.

 

The group wet their appetites looking at the herb salad on the leaf plates decorated with more herbs.

 

“Hey, let’s eat together!”

 

“Sure…”

 

Elleine picked a thin stalk of some plant and began to chew it. As her molars crushed the tender stem, juice oozed out. There was a slight bitterness, but it was mostly refreshing.

 

She even tasted a red petal. It didn’t necessarily have a distinctive texture or a popping flavor, but the diffusing scent was not bad. It could even make a decent tea.

 

Looking at the clock tattoo on her wrist, 5 days had passed since they were dropped in the wasteland, and 7 days remained. So far, they were doing pretty well in terms of survival. There was no major threat and they had a clear travel purpose.

 

When they return, she could tell the royal chefs to experiment with dishes using plant stems.

 

Such thoughts swirled in Elleine’s mind when they were playing a game of seeing who would eat the last remaining leaf, Fero suddenly stood up from his spot.

 

“Fero?”

 

“…”

 

Fero was staring far into the plains. He seemed deeply immersed, as if intensely focused. His eyes were slightly dilated, and his mouth slightly open.

 

Since a certain time, the little boy showed such symptoms occasionally.

 

When Elleine gently tapped the boy’s shoulder, Fero abruptly snapped out of his strange state of concentration.

 

“Ah… Sorry, Elleine. Did you call me?”

 

“You were spacing out.”

 

“I heard a strange sound again. Something appeared to be… calling.”

 

Upon hearing this, Elleine focused her magic on her ears. Her soul was aggressive, so outside of combat, the effect of her magic was less – yet still, her hearing was significantly superior to ordinary people.

 

She heard nothing. At least, not from the direction Fero was looking.

 

Rather, she felt the presence of something from the opposite direction. The distinct sound of bipedal movement. Steady strides. Judging by the footsteps, it seemed like a trained adult male, if there was no one else hiding.

 

“There’s one person coming from that direction, Fero.”

 

“Ah, from that direction? I must have heard wrong…”

 

Elaine gently stroked the somewhat crestfallen Ferro’s hair.

 

As the day darkened, it seemed someone had seen the campfire’s light and was approaching. Unfolding her hands, she awaited the visitor’s arrival.

 

Would they be a plunderer, or not?

 

Strong, or weak?

 

A gain, or a loss?

 

As the figure’s shadow neared and the crimson light of the campfire swept aside the stranger’s shadow cast upon the face, thin, slit eyes emerged from among the long, ash-gray locks.

 

It was a young man dressed as an adventurer.

 

With a countenance resembling a sly serpent, his slit eyes revealed pupils colored with a venomous green—a green similar to Ferro’s, but the youth’s hue was richer.

 

He was quite well-armed. Clad in sturdy-looking leather armor and, glimpsed beneath the cloak, a longsword and crossbow were attached to his waist. He raised his arms amiably.

 

“Yowza, finally meeting people! hahahahaha! I was starting to worry that the ‘Plains of Encounter’ had seen their day, so this is a stroke of luck!”

 

His voice was somewhat frivolous.

 

The princess watched with her arms folded as the youth’s eyes flickered, pausing briefly on Elaine’s rising chest and the frozen Ferro by her side before he flashed a cunning smile and feigned familiarity.

 

“Little Espero, delighted to see you again. How long has it been?”

 

“…Learo.”

 

The relationship between the two seemed less than amicable. Guilt and gloom flitted through Ferro’s eyes, while the youth addressed as Learo’s eyes held not even a hint of laughter.

 

“It wouldn’t do to rob little Espero of the chance to introduce himself in front of a fine lady… Pleased to meet you, my lady. Might I have the opportunity to introduce myself?”

 

Learo, with a wagish stretch of his arm, bowed his upper body. It was an ostensibly graceful gesture, but to the princess, it seemed hopelessly clumsy, like something a boor would learn from a furtive glance.

 

Furthermore, as the youth bowed his waist, his gaze was fixed straight ahead, staying alert for an ambush. Learo was a survivor as well.

 

Perhaps they were kindred spirits, thought Elaine.

 

Clear distinctions of rank needed to be established to avoid disputes. Elaine slowly stretched out her hand in front of the young man. With apparent delight, Learo grasped Elaine’s hand.

 

And then a crushing force strong enough to crack stones was applied.

 

“Ghk…”

 

“Consider it a fee for your disrespectful gaze.”

 

Learo’s eyebrows furrowed with the pain of his hand being squeezed, his body shrank, yet the corners of his mouth remained turned up in a smile.

 

“…Ha, ha. Well, you’ve certainly let me off lightly. It’s my very first time seeing such beautiful hills and valleys.”

 

“Shall we also set a price for your disrespectful tongue?”

 

“I’m left no choice but to beg for mercy. I can’t lie—I’m just asking to borrow your campfire for the night. I will pay…”

 

“What do you think, Ferro?”

 

Elaine sought Ferro’s input. Since they appeared to know each other, she expected he could provide valuable information about the man.

 

“…and, he is a friend from my hometown, Lea.”

 

Illain slowly opened her eyes. She patiently waited for a more extensive explanation from Pero, but none came. She thought quickly. Allowing a fire around Lea, was that a benefit or a loss?

 

It was a loss. It was high risk to allow an armed stranger into their living space.

 

However, she also saw it as an opportunity to answer some of the questions she had about Pero. Like where he had lived and how he survived. What secrets he was hiding and whether they could harm Illain.

 

If the secret was harmless, maybe, she could really trust Pero… and they could become friends.

 

Despite these thoughts, Illain wasn’t ready to let her guard down and confide in Pero. This was her selfish, weak side. In the end, she allowed the blind young man, Lea, to join.

 

“If you allow me to join, now that I’ve met good companions! I’ll use the salt!”

 

The taste of salt, which had not been enjoyed for 5 days, made a significant contribution to his acceptance.

 

————-

 

The young man Lea, hanging on Pero’s shoulder, whispered a few words, saying he had something to say to his fellow Easterners. Illain put a spell in her ears and listened to their conversation.

 

With a laughing face, Lea spat out harsh words.

 

“Why are you back, Espero… You’re brazen. Did you think you’d have somewhere to come back to?”

 

“…That’s not it, Lea. This… I am searching for paradise.”

 

“Your joke was really unfunny. If there was a paradise, it would be our hometown… which you destroyed. Completely.”

 

“…”

 

Why doesn’t Pero make an excuse? Did he commit a crime that he had to bear harsh words without uttering a word of defense? If so, could that… threaten my survival?

 

Emperor’s words flashed across Illain’s mind. Since that day, from the day she recognized the emperor… the desperate voice that repeats without ceasing.

 

Survive. Our bloodline must continue.

 

And so, an uninvited guest joined the camp.

 

With a tiny spark.

 

————-

 

From Noble mtl dot com

 

Distance left to paradise.

 

About 250km.