I was in the center of a large, dark and eerie room.

There was an expensive carpet underfoot, a disproportionately beautiful chandelier overhead, but all of them were in tatters, and if you looked closely, the entire room was reduced to rubble, and the place where the windows would have been was hollowed out, revealing the pitch-black scenery outside.

The question of why it was here did not arise. However, I squinted so as not to miss the situation in front of me, and I found Usato, Aluk, in the room I was in.

But Aluk looks at Usato, looking very tired, with his sword as a support.

And Usato is also standing with his back to me and talking to someone.

 

"You're an idiot."

『.........』

"If you regret it, you didn't notice it sooner, what you wanted was already in your hands. But I tried to let it go. Regardless of your intentions.'

 

Who are you talking to?

From where I am, I can't see the person in front of Usato. Someone whose face you can't see is apparently injured and has his back against the wall.

If you look closely, Usato was in tatters. The clothes he wears are not torn, but they are heavily stained with soot. You can see what looks like a trail of blood from your temples to your chin, and it looks like it's after a fierce fight.

After saying something to the person in front of him, Usato approaches someone in front of him and crouches down.

At that moment, he saw the figure of a person in front of Usato. For a moment, darkness enveloped me and I couldn't make out his face, but when his mouth twisted like a crescent moon and his sharp fangs peeked out, my vision flickered.

 

"Uhusato! Avoid it!!"

 

"I" screams as I try to jump forward.

At the same time, "someone" with his back against the wall took out a dagger out of nowhere and thrust it at Usato. You can't tell if he was stabbed or not from behind his back.

 

But I could see drops of blood dripping at Usato's feet.

 

Blurred vision.

As if falling asleep, I reach for the scene that is moving away from my eyes, but my vision goes to a place that I cannot reach if I just reach out.

I want to know what the future holds.

What happened to Usato?

Hurt?

Are you okay?

You're alive, aren't you?

 

I'm ...... ...... you're going to be alone?

 

Fearful thoughts swirl around my head, and I get helplessly scared.

My "this" has always been the same. It always ends at the bottom of the line, at the important point. Ignore my will, play only the scene you want to show, and that's it. It doesn't show you anything beyond or before that.

That's why when I wake up every time, I feel helplessly frustrated because I can only see and can't do anything......

I wonder if my mother always had this feeling.

We have to face the irresistible reality and the future...... It ...... unreasonable in the name of fate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What? Did you dream that I was being stabbed by someone?"

"Yes."

 

I frowned in disgust at the dream story Amako told me.

For a few days after leaving Luxvis, we were traveling smoothly without encountering any bandits or demons along the way. The foreknowledge that Amako spoke about was enough to cloud the clouds of the journey ahead.

Amako's prediction is definitely correct.

If she doesn't do it herself, the future will never change. Like when he urged me to avoid a future of kingdom destruction .......

 

"Is that true? Amako-dono."

"I don't know what time it is, but I know it's not far in the future."

 

Amako nods at the words of Mr. Aluk, who is pulling the horse.

 

"Where did you get stabbed?"

「...... Don't understand. I think it's on the stomach or on the side."

 

Belly and flank......

 

"It looks painful......

「...... yes."

「......」

「...... Eh, that's it?"

"What?"

 

Because there's no reason to be scared because you've been stabbed in the stomach right now.

It hurt a lot more when I fought that snake, and even if I was stung by it, it was a fairly small knife, so as long as it didn't hit me badly, I could heal it quickly and fight back.

To be honest, I'm more scared of the leader's fist.

You know, Amako, when people keep getting hit beyond their limits, they don't feel anything.

 

「...... No, no, no, no, no, what if it's poisoned or something......

"You can cure it with healing magic, ......."

 

I've experienced the poison with that snake, so it's okay.

 

"There was blood out ......."

"How much?"

「......... Just a little."

 

If it's just a little, it's within the range of scratches.

 

"No problem."

「......」

"Wait a minute, stop those eyes."

 

I don't know what he's talking about, but I've been looking at him with eyes that look out of the world, like a person who doesn't understand.

Why is it treated as a monster just because it is resistant to poison and injury?

......, if you think about it, it looks like a monster, but I think there is a way to say that it is even more amazing.

 

"But you might as well be careful, considering the circumstances Amako mentioned, it is certain that we will be in trouble in the near future."

"Well, well, there will be a limit to what can be done because it is certain that it will happen...... but Amako, can you change that prediction like I did?"

 

When I asked Amako next to me, she shook her head.

So I'm going to get stabbed by a knife no matter what.

 

"Do you want to work out your abs now?" No, break it before it stings? Wouldn't it be quicker to beat up the person who stabbed you? What do you think, Amako?"

"It's confirmed, so why are you trying to overturn it......

 

That's true, but if listening to this prophecy is also in the process of leading to the future that Amako sees, then you should do what you set out to do.

It's much better than not doing it and regretting it.

 

"It's training for now, Bullin, you're going to do it too, aren't you?"

"Gua!?"

 

Oh yes, do you want to do it too?

As expected, he's my buddy.

I look at Amako while smiling at Bulllin, who punches my leg while walking. I've been thinking about it for a while, but Amako is a little thin. If you're thinking about your future journey, it might be better to train yourself.

 

"What about Amako?" Building strength will help you in case of an emergency."

"Absolutely disgusting."

 

I didn't expect people to hate me that much.

- I am mildly shocked by Amako, who expresses a clear intention of refusal and keeps her distance, and Bulllin, who still punches her leg.

And Mr. Alc smiles when he sees the exchange.

The journey of the three of us and one of the horses was going smoothly like this.

 

 

 

 

 

"Mr. Aluk, you haven't arrived at Samariar yet, have you?"

 

At night, we sit around a bonfire on the side of the road and wait for the morning. When it gets dark, the only thing you can rely on is moonlight, and the monsters become more active. Also, if you walk down a dark night road and fall off a cliff or something, you can't travel, so when it gets dark like this, Alc and I take turns guarding the fire.

Amako rests her back on the lying Bulllin and is already asleep.

It's still early for bedtime, so I asked Alc, who is setting a dead tree on fire, about his upcoming trip.

 

"There's still a long way to go."

 

The next destination, Samariar, is still far away.

Well, there are no cars or bullet trains in this world, so it is natural that it takes time to get to a distant country. I knew that, but there were other problems.

Food and water are indispensable for traveling.

Even if we can get water from the river, food is getting scarcer and scarce, so it would be nice if we could get it somewhere......

 

"Food has been running out a lot, so can't we get it somewhere?"

"That's right...... Well, there should be a village not far away, so let's get some food there."

 

He nodded at Alc's words as he looked at the map he had taken out of his leather bag.

It's exciting to stop by a village because it's like an RPG.

 

"Well, if you have trouble with food, me and Bullin will hunt fish and other animals."

"Gua"

"Don't bother me, you're the one who eats the most."

"Hahaha, it's reliable."

 

He patted his head.

After all, you're the one who eats the most. Hunt like a former wild beast.

 

"But, hmm......"

 

Alc looks at the map again and growls.

 

"What's wrong?"

"I've heard strange rumors around this village."

"Mysterious rumors?"

 

Not in the village, but in the vicinity? What kind of rumors are there? When I was curious and asked, Mr. Alc, who had a rather mysterious expression, turned to me and opened his mouth.

 

"It's about a skilled knight, adventurer, or bandit suddenly disappearing."

"Isn't that strange, isn't ...... a dangerous rumor?"

 

It's quite disturbing to disappear.

Spirited Away in our world? Isekai summoning is similar, but there are many possible causes for disappearing in this world.

You ...... being captured by bandits, attacked by monsters, or falling off a cliff.

 

"No, I haven't heard from him for a few months...... After a few years at the most, they will show up with a blank face."

Were they all right?"

 

Strange indeed...... No, it's creepy from my point of view.

I wonder if the people who disappeared come back as if nothing had happened, or where they were and what they were doing during the period when they were gone.

 

"I only know about it from the rumors of the wind, but everyone has lost their memory of the period when they disappeared."

"Memory...... Lose?"

"There is a lot of speculation that it has transcended time or that someone has stolen its memory...... etc."

"Considering the line of someone's rare magic, it seems like any possibility is possible."

 

If it were the world where I used to live, it would be a case of missing or spirited away, but in this world, there are things that are outside the framework of common sense called magic, so it is not impossible.

To be honest, I'm not good at this kind of talk.

Or rather, I'm not good at horror in general, such as ghosts. It's scary because when ghosts appear in front of you, you feel helpless. And I can't hit it.

Perhaps noticing that my face was slightly blue, Mr. Alc smiled reassuringly and slowly shook his hand.

 

"Well, I haven't heard any rumors that someone has disappeared in the last few years, so I think it's okay, right? As for me, I think it was a rumor spread by merchants and bandits for fun."

"Oh, is that so......?"

 

It was good. If you haven't had it in a few years, is it okay?

As we walked by, I imagined that I would be caught in Spirited Away, but I wouldn't be scared of that.

We don't need horror in a fantasy world, it shouldn't be.

I don't think it's a ghost.

 

"Gu ......"

 

Burlin, who was sleepy and sleepy, let out a small growl and looked into the bushes.

 

"Mr. Alc"

"Yes......."

 

He stands up, keeping an eye on Aluk, who has taken the sword that was placed beside him.

There is something in the bushes beyond Bulllin's field of vision.

Is it a monster or someone who tried to attack you in your sleep...... In any case, it doesn't seem like he's trying to be friendly with us when he's hiding and looking at us.

Leaving Amako still sleeping in Bulllin, he and I put his hand on the hilt of his sword and slowly approached the bush.

 

「......」

 

If you find one, hit it with a healing punch for the time being.

If there was no hostility, apologize later.

If it's a monster, don't hesitate to stun it and leave it alone.

If it's a ghost, it carries everyone and runs away.

I put a healing spell on my fist and took the lead, and I put my hand on the bush.

 

"Ho, ho, ho!!"

"Wow!?"

 

―――Just as I was about to do so, a black object jumped out.

Surprised, he pulls his fist and looks at Sorae as he flies away.

 

"Owl ......?"

 

With its large wings, its round silhouette, and its high-pitched squeal, the black owl disappeared into the woods.

Mr. Alc, who was looking at the owl like me, lowered his hand on the handle and smiled.

 

「...... Apparently, I was a little too nervous."

"Hahaha...... That's right."

 

Perhaps because he was not used to traveling yet, he seemed to be overly nervous as Alc said.

Maybe it's better to move with a little more leeway. If you were so tense from beginning to end that you let your guard down at an important time, you wouldn't be able to see .......

As I was sitting in the place where I was sitting earlier and thinking about this, I suddenly had something that bothered me earlier.

 

"Teka ...... Do owls make that kind of noise?"

 

And why did it fly from the bushes, or rather, from the ground?

I didn't know the voice or habits of a real owl, but for some reason I was strangely curious about it, and I casually stared at the dark forest where the owl had disappeared.