“The damage is severe, and they won’t be able to return anytime soon. They also hope Linda can post a quest at the Adventurers' Guild in town to eliminate the remaining Necromancers. There are about five of them, and they retreated to the area near the Myriad Bones Wasteland.”

Eileen read the letter aloud in her lovely voice, then handed it to Linda.

“That’s pretty much it.”

“Sigh~~~~”

But the latter took it with a lazy voice and an expression that said, “What a pain.”

“By the way, Linda, does this country have an Adventurers' Guild?”

“It does.”

“Then what about people like Templars?”

“You mean Paladins? Yeah, we have those.”

I was stunned.

“Then!! What about people like the Demon King!! And heroes!!”

“Uh… Do you mean the evil gods and the powerful figures from the various faiths…?”

I leaned back in alarm, then covered my face.

“No way…”

Adventurers, evil gods, heroes, magic, and monsters.

All the major ingredients of a Western fantasy RPG were here…

This was obviously a game-like isekai world…

“We’ll find some adventurers… I wonder if anyone will take a job like this…”

I blinked.

“Isn’t an adventurer’s job to take out heretics and monsters? Why wouldn’t anyone take it?”

“But they went near the Myriad Bones Wasteland! Nobody wants to go to that godforsaken place!!”

She pointed at the letter and cried out.

Eileen and I exchanged a glance.

“What kind of place is the Myriad Bones Wasteland?”

“Mm… It’s a really strange underground maze…”

Damn, now there were mazes, too… Did that mean there were dungeons as well?

“But it’s different from a dungeon. The monsters inside are all kinds of skeleton soldiers. They attack anyone who enters the maze, no matter what. They’re a real pain.”

“……”

So there really were dungeons…

“Are skeleton soldiers hard to deal with?”

The skeleton soldier that blocked my way earlier had its skull smashed with a single swing of my staff. It didn’t seem like much of a threat.

“Mm, one skeleton soldier isn’t hard to deal with, of course. But the scary thing is that they always come charging in groups. They can’t feel pain, and they never stop fighting. They’re incredibly strong, too. They won’t stop unless you destroy their heads.”

“I see…”

So, something like a zombie. Yeah, that would be a pain to deal with.

But…

“Yeah, I think I can give this quest a try.”

Eileen and Linda: “Huh?!”

Linda looked me up and down a few times, then rested her chin on her hand.

“Ojer, are you an adventurer, by any chance?”

“No. I’m just a passing Kamen Rider.”

“What’s that??”

“Uh… It just means I’m really strong. And my little sister’s a mage, too!! She’s really strong as well!”

I put a hand on Eileen’s head and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Huh? Huh??”

The girl immediately grew flustered. She clutched the staff I’d taken earlier, her face faintly red, and nodded.

“I… I’ll do my best!”

“Emmmmmm…”

Linda hesitated for a moment, thinking it over.

“I suppose that could work. That armor of yours looks pretty sturdy, but are you sure you’ll be okay? If you’re taking Little Ailin with you, can you protect her?”

“No problem. If things get really bad, I’ll just carry her and run.”

Eileen was a Necromancer, after all. She should be able to handle a few skeleton soldiers… right?

“Then how much do you want for the job? The village can only offer two gold coins right now.”

I waved a hand.

“Money isn’t a problem. But there is something I want.”

Linda tilted her head.

“What is it?”

“A travel permit, a letter of introduction, a pass, an ID—anything like that.”

I spread my arms as if to take in this whole land—or perhaps all those rookie adventurers hoping to make a name for themselves with a battered old sword.

“I need an identity. One that’ll let me walk openly around this country!”

Linda nodded as understanding dawned.

“Oh! I can ask Dad to write you a letter of introduction! That’ll definitely get you into the city! He’s got a fair bit of standing there!”

“Then I’d be grateful.”

I walked over and took her hand, my voice bright with enthusiasm.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Yeah!”

“Do you need anyone else? Mm… Now that I think about it, the path through the Myriad Bones Wasteland is narrow, and it’s underground, so there’s no light. It might actually be better to go with fewer people.”

“No need. Eileen and I will be enough. The others should stay behind in case anything happens.”

I’d roughly counted earlier. There were only a dozen or so able-bodied young people left in the village. They were probably a reserve force, left behind in case the Necromancers came back to harass them.

In a situation like this, we shouldn’t trouble them. None of us knew what might happen next.

“Hehe, well, sorry about that. I didn’t expect you, a guest, to have to help us out.”

“It’s fine. I’m the one who’s caused you so much trouble.”

“Then I’ll explain what you need to know about the Myriad Bones Wasteland!! You look like you’ve never been anywhere like that before!”

“Oh, okay…”

And so, Linda spent the entire afternoon enthusiastically explaining how to tackle the Myriad Bones Wasteland and how to take down skeleton soldiers quickly. But before long, she’d moved on to amusing stories from her hunting trips, then started lamenting how she still hadn’t found a boyfriend and how she wanted to make Eileen her little sister, and so on.

Eileen and I could only patiently listen until she was done.

Before we knew it, evening had come.

Linda brought us dinner, and at one point her eyes lit up as she said she wanted to sleep with Eileen. I picked her up and tossed her out.

“Mm…”

I stared at Eileen for a while.

Not knowing the truth about Eileen, it was easy to see why people found that adorable, charming little face so endearing.

And now…

I sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the blood-red sunset on the horizon, feeling a little melancholy.

“Has it been three days already…?”

So much had happened in just three days.

People had mistaken me for a monster and driven me away. Then I’d run into a group of Necromancers and brought this girl back with me.

The road ahead is long…

I sighed softly and glanced behind me at the girl reading with the staff in her arms.

“Eileen.”

“Mr. Ojer?”

I turned around and sat up straight, trying to make my voice as gentle as possible.

“Were the people who attacked that village your companions?”

The girl’s shoulders jerked, and she drew her knees up to her chest.

Then she nodded.

Silence fell.

“Are you going to… punish me…?”

Eileen’s voice sounded frightened. She lightly clutched the edge of the blanket, like a little animal someone had abandoned.

I shook my head.

“No. I saw how they treated you earlier.”

“You saw that…? That’s a little embarrassing. You saw me at my worst.”

She gave a sad little smile and quietly covered the scars on her arm.

I noticed, and put a hand to my head.

Sigh… What on earth had this girl been through…

Of all things, why become a Necromancer?

And she was a rare member of the fairy race, too.

On top of that, she was so timid, and didn’t even know her true identity.

“……”

Silence fell again, and the air seemed to grow still.

The crimson clouds slowly faded. As the sunset made its final stand, the pale-blue moon grew brighter, bathing the world in a clear, cool light.

Suddenly, the girl spoke.

“Aren’t you going to scold me?”

I turned around.

“Why would I?”

“I led them… I led them to that village… Something so terrible happened…”

She curled in on herself like a child who’d done something wrong, trembling uncontrollably.

“And… my identity…”

I patted her head, then turned away to keep watching the two moons, one blue and one red, hanging in the sky. My feelings were complicated.

“Were you forced to do it?”

“Mm…”

“Did you want to hurt them?”

“Of course not!! Even though… even though they cursed at me, they still gave me food and let me sleep in the stable… They’re good people…”

“I see. Then I won’t blame you. Or rather, I have no right to blame you in the first place.”

“Huh…?”

“It’s getting late. We have to go fight skeleton soldiers tomorrow, so get some sleep.”

The girl stared at me for a while, then smiled.

“Mm… Mr. Ojer, you’re a really kind person…”

“Heh.”

I gave a bitter smile.

“Maybe. But the others who’ve seen what I really look like might not agree.”

“That’s enough for me.”

“……”

She took my hand, making me freeze for a moment.

I turned around without thinking.

Under the cold moonlight, the girl tilted her head slightly. Her eyes curved into a smile, her lips were a bright red, and her shining, tear-filled eyes made my heart waver. Yet the smile on her face was unbearably heartbreaking.

I didn’t know how to react. I let her hold my bony hand, feeling the warmth of hers.

“Mr. Ojer…”

“What is it?”

The girl’s voice caught in her throat, and my nonexistent heart gave an involuntary twist.

“Are you willing to believe me…?”

“……”

I didn’t know what she wanted to say, but I answered anyway.

“I believe you.”

“No… I mean, I’m willing to believe you.”

“Mm…”

The girl blinked and managed a sad smile. Her eyes, already red from crying, filled with tears again.

“I’ve never killed anyone…”

She spoke softly.

“I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone…”

“I’ve never done anything bad…”

“I’m not a bad girl…”

The girl couldn’t hold back any longer. She clutched my arm and sobbed. Crystal-clear tears slid down her delicate face, tracing tear-streaks along her cheeks.

“I… I just…”

She sniffled, her voice trembling.

“I… I was bought by them… They forced me to learn necromancy and investigate the village…”

“So… I… I… I actually wanted to tell them… But I was scared. I was scared… scared…”

“I understand.”

Before she could look at me in shock, I gently patted her head. My face couldn’t show any expression, but I still wanted her to know as best I could that I wouldn’t abandon her.

“It’s cold tonight. Get some sleep.”

“Mm…”

The girl tucked her head under the covers, but her little hand still held onto my arm, unwilling to let go.

Before long, her sobbing stopped, and regular breaths began to rise from beneath the covers.

“……”

I didn’t know what to do. I just pulled the blanket snug around her, then leaned by the window and gazed at the moonlight.

“What… will the future bring…?”

I didn’t know.

“What a troublesome job…”

If I got to see the bastard who’d beaten Eileen tomorrow,

I’d like to let him find out what it feels like to roast on a stake.