Chapter 87 — The "Monster" and the Outsider
Three thousand years before:
Central Sea Region
Elias sailed eastward, crossing the vast sea.
Along the way, he passed more than a hundred deserted islands—large and small alike.
---
A month earlier…
It had all begun with nothing more than a rumor.
A scrap of hearsay overheard in a tavern, in some nameless town's inn.
Because of that single rumor, Elias ventured deep into the ocean, searching for a spell—
A magic capable of turning demons into humans.
If his guess was correct, Serie was probably mocking his recklessness right about now.
And this time…
He had to admit it.
She would be right.
After landing on a hundred uninhabited islands,
he hadn't sensed even the faintest trace of magic.
It made him start to wonder—
Did the humans of the Central Sea still live like primitives,
rubbing sticks together just to make fire?
Until one day, two months into the journey—
In the far eastern reaches of the open sea,
a massive island rose slowly above the horizon, shaped like a towering mountain.
Near its shoreline, Elias finally sensed something—
A terrifying concentration of magic.
"Heh. So the heavens haven't completely abandoned me."
Locking onto the source, Elias steered toward a jagged, reef-lined beach and prepared to land.
---
"—Die, you monster!"
The harpoon pierced straight through the girl's body.
A dull, heavy sound echoed as it struck.
The girl watched the figures retreating into the distance.
Her vision blurred.
She collapsed onto the sand.
Bright red blood soaked into the pale grains beneath her.
Lying there, she could only stare up at the sky.
If I die like this…
Will everyone finally be happy?
Waves washed over her short brown hair.
At last, the girl closed her eyes.
---
One minute later—
Elias arrived on the beach.
There, he found a girl lying motionless, her eyes shut tight—
The very source of the overwhelming magic he had sensed.
"…Looks like I was too late," he murmured quietly.
Elias cast a sideways glance at the girl.
Compared to girls her age on the mainland, her clothes were pitiful—
ragged, gray, barely more than a beggar's rags.
So nondescript that only the rise and fall of her chest revealed she was female at all.
…Wait.
Her chest was rising and falling.
She was breathing.
Elias spoke up immediately.
"Hey. Are you trying to kill yourself?"
"—Yes. I want to die."
The girl answered without opening her eyes.
Elias looked at the wound in her abdomen.
And instantly noticed—
The violent surge of magic inside her body was automatically stopping the bleeding, automatically repairing the damage.
Elias let out a helpless chuckle.
"Heh… if you don't hurry up and die, that wound's going to heal."
"—Mind your own business!"
The girl still refused to open her eyes.
"When the tide comes in, I'll drown anyway!"
Elias couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
A body that wanted to die—
and innate, overwhelming magic fighting desperately to keep it alive.
What an interesting contradiction.
With a teasing smile, Elias said:
"Trying to drown yourself probably won't work either.
Your magic won't allow it."
"…This is so annoying!"
The girl snapped her eyes open and sat up.
"What nonsense are you even talking about—"
But the moment she saw Elias, she froze completely.
"…Uh?"
"I… you… what are you?"
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"My name is Elias.
I'm a mage."
"—A mage?"
The girl suddenly turned away, muttering to herself.
"A mage… what's that supposed to be?"
"Never heard of it…"
"Is that some kind of pirate nickname?"
She suddenly spun back around, eyes wide, circling Elias and inspecting him from every angle—up, down, left, right.
Finally, she cleared her throat.
"If I'm not mistaken…"
"You're probably…"
"…Who exactly?"
Elias: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"So you stared at me that hard and figured out absolutely nothing?"
The girl scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
Her eyes lingered on Elias's long black robe, embroidered with strange, unfamiliar symbols.
"Well, it's mostly because you dress so weird. Nobody in the village wears anything like that."
Elias took a slow breath.
"That's because I'm from the mainland."
"—The mainland?!"
The girl looked utterly shocked, as if she'd just heard something world-shattering.
"The mainland… which island is that?"
Elias fell silent.
So the humans on this island didn't even know that continents existed?
"…Alright."
"Just think of me as a regular outsider."
"—That's rare."
The girl stroked her chin, pacing back and forth.
"All the nearby islands are abandoned except for pirates.
Didn't expect an outsider to show up."
"So why'd you come here?"
"—Treasure hunting."
"This is the biggest island in the area. I thought I might find something."
"Treasure hunting, huh… can't say I get it."
She suddenly raised an eyebrow and grinned.
"Then you'll need a place to stay, right?"
Before Elias could respond—
"—Come stay at my place!"
"It's on the hillside above the village!"
"Three grilled fish a day will do!"
Elias thought for a moment.
Considering that this girl was the strongest source of magic on the island, sticking close to her wasn't a bad idea.
"Then follow me!"
She eagerly led the way.
"Oh, right—you said your name was Elias?"
"I'm Robin Green."
"Understood, Miss Robin."
"—Miss?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Robin looked confused again.
"It sounds kind of weird. Just call me Robin."
The two walked from the beach into the forest, circling along the mountain's base.
Along the way, Robin bombarded Elias with questions—
each one ending with an expression of utter shock.
In her eyes, Elias had probably already been labeled a compulsive liar.
Under her guidance, they eventually arrived at a hole in the ground.
More precisely—
A hole barely one meter in diameter.
It looked suspiciously like a python's nest.
"…This is your home?"
"Nope."
Robin laughed boldly.
"This is the way home!"
"…The way home?"
Elias felt that both home and the way home were equally outrageous.
But it got worse.
Robin cheerfully explained:
"Don't let the size fool you. Little White and I spent three whole months digging it!"
"When I was a kid, I could walk through standing up.
Now I have to bend a bit."
"As for you—yeah, you're tall, but if you crawl, you'll fit~"
Elias felt his head starting to hurt.
"…And who exactly is 'Little White'?"
"My only family."
"A big white dog. Stole things faster than I could run!"
Her voice suddenly lifted—
Then fell just as quickly.
"But Little White… died five years ago."
"Now it's just me."
Elias silently studied her face, feeling something uncomfortably heavy settle in his chest.
So the 'way home' she talked about…
Was literally a dog hole.
He didn't quite understand.
"If your home is above the village, why not go through the village?"
Robin bit her lip.
She stayed silent for several dozen seconds before answering.
"…Because everyone in the village says…"
She suddenly looked up, smiling in a way Elias couldn't understand.
"That I'm a monster."
Elias inhaled deeply, then turned around and walked away.
"—Hey! Elias!"
"You're not staying at my place anymore?!"
His voice came from his retreating back.
"I'll stay."
"But I'm going up through the village."
Then he turned back, expressionless.
"And you—
will guide me."
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