''Why... why are you crying?'' said Blaze, who was immediately scared.
''baze made him cry'' I said
''eh?!... is my words too cruel?. but if i not say that...'' said Blaze who was in a panic.
''ugh...so...sorry I didn't mean to make you cry like this. And besides, you're a boy, right? Boys shouldn't cry easily,'' said Blaze while turning his face away. It was obvious he felt guilty.
''No... it's okay,'' said Zev while wiping away his tears.
"I don't know why I cried either. But I'm fine now," he said, but because his eyes were red from crying, he actually looked cute now.
''You're right. Of course you don't understand, besides, we just met,'' he said.
''..... I've been alone in the wild for a long time, family..friends.. I don't have any. That's why I don't know how to interact with someone'' replied Zev
"...the first time I met you, there was a warm feeling that seemed to bind me. And when I realized that feeling was due to magic, I became angry..."
''because I don't want to accept it...'' ''that warm feeling is just a fake... I don't want to accept it'' he continued while lowering his head
Zev...
I knew my skills were the worst. What have I done? I unknowingly showed Zev the oasis, but when Zev realized it was just a mirage, of course he would be very angry... this is all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten involved with him in the first place...
''.....huft... you really are stupid'' Blaze muttered.
* grep! '' you can't tell the difference between real and fake. You're such an idiot'' said blaze while pulling zev's shirt
''!?!..baze!?''
''This is not fake. This is real... the warmth you feel is real. That means you are happy, you who are always alone now you have someone to adventure with you that's why you feel happy,'' said Blaze
"That's all you don't understand. You still have a lot to learn," Blaze continued, letting go of Zev.
''I will teach you but...there are some conditions you must fulfill''
''conditions?'' asked Zev
"First, don't betray. Betrayal is the most fatal thing in a relationship. Once you break someone's trust, you can never get it back."
Second, respect others. Not everyone is perfect and always follows your wishes, so you have to accept them as they are.
"Third, make up after a fight. In friendships, there will be times when we disagree and argue, leading to heated arguments. But afterward, we must reconcile. Otherwise, the friendship will end."
"Those are three rules you must fulfill. If you can do them, you will understand that your feelings at that time were not lies. Because this is also the basis of friendship," explained Blaze.
''I will be your first friend. I will teach you more things. Because you are so stupid, I will guide you.'' ''Do you understand?''
Blaze... hmph..who would have thought you would say something like that. I am surprised
''first..friend.....''Zev muttered
''....is that really all?'' asked Zev
''..don't betray each other, respect each other, and forgive each other. Is that all?'' said Zev
''Yes..'' ''Even though it's only 3, in fact it's more difficult. In fact, there are millions of relationships that end because they can't fulfill these three things,'' continued Blaze.
''.....I still don't really understand..but okay. I'll do it'' said Zev
''...hmph!.good!'' Blaze exclaimed while patting Zev's shoulder.
"Then we're friends. Please help me," said Blaze with a smile.
''..yes..I also ask for your help'' replied Zev
(MISSION)
( Combine water and oil )
(SUCCEED)
(Red thread found!!)
***
Amazing!!.. I managed to complete 2 missions in one night. This is so great!!..
I'd guessed that friendships between men were much easier. Compared to women, men form friendships much faster. The important thing is trust in each other.
Thank goodness... this way our trip will definitely be faster and smoother
***
''this is bad...'' said Blaze seriously
.....um...
''WE'RE REALLY LOST!'' shouted Blaze.
''damn! Because of the fog, we've strayed too far from the path. What now!?'' Blaze exclaimed.
Ah..it seems I expected too much..this journey is still not that easy...
''at least if i know where we are i might be able to find a way back'' blaze said while checking his map
''..... if you look from above maybe it can help,'' said Zev then immediately climbed up the tree quickly.
"How? Did you see something?" Blaze asked from below.
''.....yes... I saw a village'' replied Zev
''village?''
*hup!... ''towards the east about 700 meters'' said Zev while jumping down
''Is it a village? But there's no village on the map...'' said Blaze
"Is that a new village? Or maybe it's a village that isn't on the map," Blaze muttered.
Village huh... if so... there is a bathroom and a bed!!.. YAHOO!!
"Anyway, let's try going there first. Maybe we can get some clues," said Blaze while carrying me.
"Lia also definitely wants to rest at home after so long, right?" asked Blaze, to which I responded with an enthusiastic nod.
We decided to go to the village, but before we could even set foot there, our journey was halted by a miko wearing a fox mask, holding two katanas and torches from within the forest, which seemed to surround us from all directions.
!?!...What is this?...
Why are there Japanese elements in a medieval novel!?! What was the author thinking?
***
''...we are surrounded..'' said Blaze while drawing his sword.
''right..'' replied zev
"This might be dangerous. Lia, hide behind me," said Blaze, to which I nodded and ran back
"What's with that appearance? It's the first time I've seen a mask and dress like that. And the sword is also much slimmer," said Blaze.
Miko and 2 katanas. That seems like a strange thing for Blaze. Honestly, I'm surprised something like this exists here.
A 2 sword user...will Blaze and Zev be okay?
The night breeze blew, carrying the pungent scent of death. As the falling leaves touched my hands, the sound of swords clashing began to be heard.
Miko has very agile but sharp movements, she seems to be able to see where Blaze's sword is going so she can avoid all of Blaze's attacks easily and even though Zev has helped Blaze with his magic as well in close-range attacks, in fact the two of them can't even touch the miko and continue to be hit by her attacks.
*if this continues, Blaze and Zev could lose* I thought to myself while observing the situation
*Ai!. Miko's analysis is for me*
(understood)
(miko. mana level: 35, swordsmanship ability at least 5 levels above sacha, currently used skill lock skill which will slowly remove the opponent's magic within a certain time limit and strengthening skill)
*wait!? lock skill!? Then don't tell me now zev..* I thought while glancing at zev who seemed cornered and confused as to why he couldn't use his magic
''???...my magic doesn't work..''Zev muttered until__
*BUAAAAGH!!
''ZEV!'' Blaze shouted as Zev suddenly received a powerful attack that made him slam quite hard.
"You better think about yourself," said the miko who suddenly appeared behind Blaze and immediately attacked him strongly.
''AAAKH!''
!?!...Blaze!. zev!.. ugh.. this is cheating.. no matter what, beating up a kid is already unfair, let alone with that lock skill!. He's cheating too much!
*krek...
Um?...what is that?...
''Cough..cough..damn...'' said Blaze who tried to get up.
''This is the last one,'' said the miko while intending to cut off Blaze's head until
"KYAAA!"
''!?!...what the_'' said the miko who was surprised when she saw that I had found a little girl hiding behind a bush.
''What are you doing! Quickly hide_'' but before Miko could finish speaking, Zev immediately ran quickly towards the girl and made her a hostage.
"Throw away your weapon if you don't want her to die," said Zev while staring sharply at Miko.
Zev...honestly this is a really cowardly trick but if it wasn't like this we wouldn't have had a chance to win...
''!?!... you!.. what are you doing, that's cheating using Sandra'' said the miko
"(cheating? Who is more cheating by locking people's powers and intending to kill small children?)" I said
If it's like this, I'll help you.
''!?!...damn kid !'' she shouted then intended to run and attack me
''!!. LIA!!'' Blaze shouted but..
*SRAAAK! Quickly and without hesitation, Zev immediately cut the child's hair, which made the miko immediately stop.
"I told you to throw away your weapon," said Zev while looking at her seriously.
"Huh? You killed him? You must be joking. How could a child as small as you.." she said, stopping when he saw Zev was serious.
.... *clang... she immediately threw away her sword and raised her hands in surrender
.....''who would have thought I would be cornered by a small child'' she said
''Lia!'' shouted Blaze, who immediately got up and ran towards me.
"Are you okay?" asked Blaze, to which I replied with a nod.
"huwaaa..sis Shinomiya..sob..sob..sorry" cried the child who was being held back
''No...it's okay...'' replied the miko
"You guys, let go of that child, he's innocent. If you want to kill him, just kill me," said the miko.
"With pleasure," said Zev, who was ready to kill him with his wind blade.
''NO!'' someone shouted from behind the bushes and after that there were many children who came out from behind the bushes and now it was clear that the torches were not from the villagers but from these children.
''Please don't hurt Shinomiya'' ''Please forgive us..'' ''Don't hurt Shinomiya...''
''what is this'' said Blaze who was surprised by the current situation
Are they all children? No wonder no one came out during the fight.
"All of you! What are you doing! I told you not to come out!" shouted the miko.
"But..." said the children who looked like they wanted to cry.
''.....what is actually happening here?'' said Blaze.
"Blaze... can I kill her now?" asked Zev
''eh?..ah.. that..''
"No..." I said
''There must be a misunderstanding. How about we talk?'' I offered.
***
"So you're not monsters or looters?" said the miko who was now calm and could be talked to.
"Do you have to ask such an obvious question? No matter how you look at it, we're just a bunch of kids," said Blaze.
"That's... because of the child there," said Miko while turning towards Zev.
''um?''
''Ah... if he... mm... he is a werewolf but he is not evil... maybe'' said Blaze who sounded doubtful at the end
...brother you should be here to convince him that zev is our partner..
''Well.. lately the types of monsters have varied. Sorry for attacking you all at will..'' he said while taking off his mask and now we could see his face clearly. Pure white skin with jet black eyes and hair. Really the figure of a miko like in the movie.
"My name is Shinomiya. I am the miko here and also the mother of the children in this village," she continued.
''Miko??''asked Blaze
"Is this the first time you've heard that term? Miko is a shrine keeper. Mm, maybe you'd understand better if I said priestess?" she said.
''Ah!. A priest, huh?'' Blaze replied.
"I'm Blaze and this is my sister Rosalia and our friend Zev," said Blaze.
"Hey... honestly, I'm quite interested in your sister. How old is she?" asked Shinomoya.
''catu cahun (one years)'' I replied
''WHAT?!.. you must be kidding!'' Seri Shinomiya was shocked.
Is it that weird? Ah... no wait, if I told her about her skills, she'd definitely be surprised. Besides, no one-year-old would say something like that.
"Lia is special...she's different from other children," said Blaze while rubbing my head.
"I see... maybe she received the gods' blessing. If so, there's a possibility she could become a saintess in the future," said Shinomiya.
What's wrong with that, saintess, for whatever reason, I really don't want to be like that.
''No... I think Lia is just special, but that doesn't make her a saintess-like figure,'' Blaze said.
Um?..even blaze realizes that I'm not that holy to be a saintess.
"If Lia becomes a saintess, she will spend her life in the temple and serve the sycophants in the temple all her life. I will not let Lia do something like that," Blaze thought.
"... I see... well that's none of my business either," said Shinomiya as he got up
"It's already nighttime, how about you stop by the village first? It's too dangerous to wander around this forest at night. Monsters are everywhere," Shinomiya offered.
''With pleasure'' replied Blaze
After that, we went to the village with Shinomiya and the other children. Shinomiya's village was a small one that looked like it was on the verge of collapse. Many buildings were crumbling, and some areas looked like they had just been fought.
.... ''not a pleasant sight to see'' said zev while observing the village
"Ahahaha, that's how it is... because of the bandit and monster attacks, this place is on the verge of destruction," said Shinomiya.
''I can see it,'' Blaze replied.
''By the way, I don't see any adults,'' Blaze said.
"Ah... all the adults in this place are dead. I'm the only one left," Shinomiya replied, rubbing the head of the child next to her.
''everyone's dead?!'' Blaze exclaimed.
So, it's no wonder there were only children there. All the adults were slaughtered, showing how serious the situation is in this village.
"This is a temple and also my home. For the time being, you can stay here with me," said Shinomiya.
"We don't intend to stay here long," said Zev.
''....I understand but... it's a shame you guys can't get out of here easily either'' said Shinomiya which made us all gasp in shock