"Papa!"
A small girl's voice broke through the calm air.
She ran forward with unbreakable joy, and arms wide as she rushed toward her father.
The man crouched, his eyebrows raised slightly and pulled together.
"You shouldn't run like that. You'll get tripped."
But it's too late.
She leapt.
Her father caught her just in time, and they collapsed onto the grass, embracing each
other.
"Papa, I love you!" She held him tightly.
Smiling as if nothing in the world can disturb her happiness.
That warmth does not belong to me.
I looked away, kept walking.
Birds chirped somewhere above the tree.
"Yo!"
A low voice called out from behind.
I stopped.
Turned.
A boy stood there, he grinned, the sword resting casually in his hand.
"I haven't seen clothes like that."
He leaned forward slightly, curious.
"By the way, I'm Mapa."
"What about you?"
I stretched out my hand towards him.
He blinked.
"Huh?"
My gaze turned coldly.
"Pass me a map."
He went silent.
His sword slipped in his grip and hit the ground.
"Wait—hold on!"
He waved his hands quickly.
"I don't have a map with me—but I can guide you around."
"I'm sure you're not familiar with this village."
His name serves no purpose.
I stood motionless.
Then I gave a nod.
He sighed in relief and he picked up his sword.
"Alright… come with me."
We walked.
After a while, his expression relaxed.
"This is the village of Stonehaven."
I observed quietly.
A group of men passed by—working, talking, moving in sync.
Mapa followed my gaze.
"I see, you realize that this village is full of men."
"Most of the men worked here."
"Blacksmith, hunting, woodcutting, mason, carpenter—"
I raised my hand slightly.
"Enough."
He awkwardly scratched his head.
"Right."
All of a sudden a deep voice called out.
"Mapa!"
He hesitated.
He turned to him and waved.
"Chief Wattson!"
He laughed briefly.
"That's my boy!"
Wattson raised his fist overhead.
"I'll give you a smack once you return!"
Mapa gave a faint smile.
"Hahaha…"
"If I had known this could happen… I wouldn't have done it."
About a half hour passed by.
Eventually, we stopped by a tavern.
Mapa placed his hand on his chin.
"That's strange."
"The tavern is supposed to be open from afternoon to evening."
He turned in my direction.
"Anyways."
He glanced to the side.
"That path leads to the Greenhallow."
"It's a one-way path."
"It's called Green Route, you don't need me as a guide.
He offered a fist bump.
"Take care!"
I ignored him and walked away without a word.
Behind me, he muttered.
"...Weird guy."
"I almost peed in my pants."
A detached aura made him freaked out.
He looked back.
"Well, back to work."
Shortly after.
A vivid village stretched across green grass, flowers in bloom, birds calling from above.
"Um... mister, do you want to play with me?"
A child stood in my path.
Small.
Useless.
"Irrelevant."
I turned and left.
"Hey!"
Someone shouted behind me.
I glanced back.
A girl narrowed her eyes towards mine.
"Why are you so rude?"
She stepped forward.
"He's just a kid."
"Relax… Lilia," a girl beside her chimed in.
"Sorry about that."
She placed her hand over her chest, her eyes met mine.
"My name is Mira and this is Lilia."
"That's right! I'm—" Lilia said.
"No need."
I turned my back on them and walked away.
Lilia stared in disbelief, something that she hadn't encountered before.
"Wait!"
Mira called out.
"I know you're not originally from here."
I held back and turned around.
My gaze lingered on Mira.
…
"Report everything about this village. Guide me through it."
Mira's face lit up.
"That's an easy job for me!"
"But first, what's your name?"
Sigh...
"Zerek Ashcroft."
Mira's eyes widened.
"Wow… I haven't heard of someone having two names."
Lilia tilted forward a little.
"Seriously… what are you even wearing."
She lunged forward.
"Hey! are you even listening—"
Mira clapped her hands together.
"it's almost evening, let's get started."
"Hmph!" Lilia turned her face away.
They led me through the village.
Mira began explaining, "this is Greenhallow—one of the liveliest villages around."
I noticed flowing water in the river.
Too much water for a dying world.
"Despite its vast land, Greenhallow had an unusual abundance of water."
"There are a lot of villagers here."
Lilia's face lit up.
"Yeah, it's—"
In an instant, I raised my hand.
She paused.
She glared at me, gritting her teeth.
"Don't puppy eyes me." I turned my eyes away.
Lilia leaned closer and whispered to Mira.
"He's so rude…"
Mira laughed softly.
"Haha.. you'll get used to him."
I cast a glance at the sky.
My target hasn't shown up yet.
I need a place to stay.
I shifted my attention to Mira.
"Take me to the inn. "
She hesitantly avoided her gaze.
"Well… this village doesn't really have an inn."
The wind stayed still.
...
Lilia met my gaze.
"You should've said that earlier. The inn is at the Stonehaven village."
I averted my eyes.
"Fair enough."
Lilia stepped in closer.
"Are you from a foreign country or what?"
"We're offering hospitality and you're so indifferent!"
I instinctively stepped closer to her, my eyes locked on her.
"Mira did, not you."
She gritted her teeth, her fist trembling as it clenched.
Mira scratched the back of her head.
"Haha… you can stay at my house. It's totally free."
Lilia leaned closer to Mira and whispered sharply, keeping her eyes on Zerek.
"Are you seriously letting that weird guy stay at your house.?"
Well, she met my expectations.
A guest room is all I need.
"I despise being disturbed."
I pierced her with my gaze.
"Provide me a guest room."
She looked away, avoiding my gaze.
"There's no guest room..."
A brief silence.
I turned and kept walking.
Mira hesitantly reached out, "wait! Zerek, where are you going?"
"He's going to Stonehaven." Lilia crossed her arms.
"Hahaha, he's a good guy isn't he?" Mira laughed softly.
Lilia stared at the ground desperately.
"Because of his coldness… and appearance… I remembered someone like him."
"I hate it…"
A single tear slipped down her sleeve.
Mira's voice faded for a moment.
"Yeah… I know that person you're talking about."
"So cold, leaving without a single trace."
Lilia lowered her head, her body shaking violently.
"I won't… let him… get away!"
…
A waste of time.
The tavern nearby caught my attention.
It was closed a while ago.
I decided to step inside.
Cobwebs clung to the corners, and dust drifted down as I walked.
Not a single customer was in sight.
"A customer?" the old man croaked, his voice rough with age.
"I never thought I'd get one at this hour."
Behind him, a pile of empty bottles and ale caught my eye.
He glanced over my clothes, frowned thoughtfully, tapped his chin, and finally let out a smirk.
"Heh. Say, kid—how can I help you?"
"Where are your men?" I asked.
"Men?" He scratched his head.
"Ah… you mean my former customers."
His expression dimmed slightly.
"There were three of them. Came earlier—my special ale and beers."
He showed me an ale.
I sighed and pointed behind his back.
"Ah… that's what you meant."
"Those bottles were theirs yesterday."
"They said they were hunting monster-like creatures lurking in the woods…" he
coughed, continuing.
"But now… I haven't heard from them."
It's him.
"Anyway, want some juice?"
I accepted without a word and drank it slowly.
"Hahaha, that's juice for a kid—" He coughed as he laughed.
"Old man… what did they intend with that monster?"
"Well… I don't know. But don't worry, kid—they'll capture it for sure." His expression
tightened.
I stood up and vanished from the tavern.
That old geezer has forgotten where death is.
I headed for Stonehaven without slowing down.
Stonehaven is the only known settlement whose inhabitants wield weapons.
…
In a dying world, that much water made sense.
The old man's words confirmed it.