GalaxyTL
* * *
Fenoben Village.
The village where I was born.
The village where my biological father lived.
The village abandoned by my biological mother.
The village that abandoned me.
The village I abandoned.
A village like trash.
Now, there’s no sign of life there.
The crudely made wooden houses are smashed, unrecognizable in form.
The fields are completely trampled, leaving no trace.
The trees, planted like street trees, are broken from their roots.
Instead of the vanished villagers, what loiters in the village’s remains are wolves, probably bigger than adults.
There are more than twenty of them.
In the village square, a lizard with wings larger than a house… is that what they call a dragon? It’s sleeping as if it owns the place.
Looking up, the silhouettes of abnormally large birds dance in the sky.
The village… has been occupied by monsters.
What happened to the villagers?
There wasn’t even a need to pose such a question.
What the wolves are tossing around, tearing apart, and playing with…
Though I don’t want to see it, my enhanced vision clearly tells me what’s happening there.
Ah, that’s Uncle Rand.
<Emi!!!>
And that one rolled over there.
And the one next to it being devoured by wolves.
That one over there, and that one there.
<Emi! Please listen!!!>
All of them, faces I know.
<Emiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!>
…Extra-sama?
<Emi, for now, let’s get away from here. It’s better to flee downwind. Please run in the direction directly behind you, constantly activating 【Presence Concealment】, without making any noise, carefully.>
…Understood.
I started to walk unsteadily.
* * *
<Emi, let’s take a break now.>
…When Extra-sama called out to me, I realized that the sky was filled with stars.
I must have been walking absent-mindedly for a while.
Where is this place?
I’m in a grassland I’ve never seen before.
Having fled in a panic, I’m completely lost now.
…But, well, it’s okay.
The village and the forest, there’s nowhere to return to anyway.
If I’m thirsty, I can produce water with magic, and if I’m hungry, I can eat bugs.
As long as I can hide from dangerous creatures, I should be able to live anywhere.
Finding a large tree nearby, I climb it to make it my bed for the night.
Before making the Kaliva tree my base, I used to sleep on tree branches, so I’m used to it.
Climbing a bit, I lean against a branch big enough for several adults to lie on and take a deep breath, then a wave of fatigue hits me.
I can’t muster any strength in my arms and legs.
I’m trembling.
I realize that my magical power is nearly depleted.
<…Well done, Emi.>
Yeah, I’m tired, Extra-sama.
Despite being exhausted and unable to move my body, my mind is oddly alert, preventing me from sleeping.
I think about this and that.
…What were those monsters?
<…Probably,>
Extra-sama begins to speak.
<An event occurred.>
An event…?
<In other words, the story crafted by the Divine God Laintorlie has advanced. The village was in that tragic state, but… the hero, young Torch, is probably safe. The hero’s village is attacked by powerful monsters and destroyed. Swearing vengeance against the monsters, the hero gains strength and sets out on a journey to defeat the evil Demon Lord.>
Eh? Eh? So, the one who destroyed the village was the Divine God?
<The monsters did the destruction. More precisely, it was the Demon Lord’s army. Those monsters were probably summoned by that suspicious girl named Caro. The Divine God just wrote the scenario.>
But, even if you say it’s just writing a scenario, people died, right?
A “divine” god allowing such things?
<Even if people die, their souls just return to the cycle of reincarnation. The total amount of souls remains unchanged.>
Ah…
That’s something Extra-sama said before, too.
In this world, do gods not care much about the life and death of humans?
…They don’t, huh.
After all, a god who values life wouldn’t auction off souls harvested from Earth.
“…………Haa”
A sigh naturally escaped me.
Though it was summer, the night breeze was cold, brushing against my cheek before rustling the leaves and branches.
The village was destroyed.
…I’m not particularly sad.
Those people who bullied me and drove me out of the village, why should I care what happens to them?
But if asked whether I feel relieved or happy that they’re dead… not really.
It seems my spirit isn’t rotten enough to rejoice in someone’s death.
Yet, I was just shocked.
That village had its own daily life.
There were the lives of the villagers, built up day after day.
And it was all destroyed in an instant.
Trampled by monsters, now only debris and corpses remain.
Something that existed until now was taken away so unreasonably, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
That shock was unbearable.
“…I, am”
I murmured to myself naturally.
“I, am. Ah, I don’t want to become like that.”
<Emi?>
“I don’t want to be destroyed. I don’t want to be taken away. …I don’t want to be killed.”
I’m scared. Scared. Scared.
The irrationality in that place made the thieves who took my home seem insignificant.
What if that irrationality had been directed at me?
…I don’t even want to imagine it.
I was fine facing the thieves, but now, my body shakes…
<…Emi>
…Extra-sama?
Suddenly, the night breeze stopped.
I felt a warmth, as if being embraced by something.
<It’s okay, Emi. There’s no need to be afraid.>
…But, even so…
Facing the thieves and seeing the monsters that occupied the village, I understood.
I am weak.
Sure, a 5-year-old capable of living alone in the forest is unimaginably robust compared to my previous life.
But, I got carried away…
The Naso Forest was, in terms of this world, really just a lukewarm environment.
If I’m cornered with nowhere to run, I probably can’t even defeat those thieves.
And I have to live alone from now on?
In this world where such terrifying monsters roam?
That’s just not possible…!
My body is still shaking.
Before me is a starry sky, terrifyingly beautiful in its vastness.
It felt as if my already small body had shrunk even further.
But.
<…Emi, didn’t I say it before? You are not alone. I am with you!>
Extra-sama said this, laughing cheerfully, to me who was shaking.
<I am weak? Of course! What do you expect from a mere 5-year-old!>
Brightly, probably trying to be cheerful on purpose, she kept talking to me.
<…If you’re weak, then you just need to become strong.>
Extra-sama…
<Leave it to me. After all, I am an unparalleled fan of isekai broadcasts! With the knowledge I’ve gained from those broadcasts! It’s not an exaggeration to say that making you the strongest in the world is not impossible!>
…No, no, no, what are you saying?
That’s a huge exaggeration! A huge exaggeration!
<Hehe, trust me, Emi. Isekai broadcasts… that’s where all the information you need to become strong is!>
Not everything, right!?
<Now, we must act quickly! Let’s start training immediately! First is 10,000 push-ups! In the Muscle God’s isekai broadcast, the protagonist’s training started here! Come on, Emi! Imagine keeping your body straight as you lie face down…>
Calm down, Extra-samaaaa!
You’re getting carried away! You’re being swayed by the information!!
Suddenly doing 10,000 push-ups, a person without any divine protection can’t possibly do that!!
And what’s with this Muscle God? Sounds like another god with a strong character!?
<A man who trained his muscles to the point of reaching godhood.>
I don’t want to hear it! I’m not listening to the Muscle God’s background!!
<A muscular god with a bald head and deep facial features.>
I’m not listening to the physical characteristics eitherrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
As I chatted with Extra-sama, the night deepened.
Wrapped in a mysterious warmth, my trembling eventually stopped.
This was the day 5-year-old homeless Emi set out from her hometown.