Night.
The warm sun, which had been shining gently, hides beneath the horizon, and the tranquil darkness settles on the ground.
It is a time of rest when those worn out from hard labor take a breather, and those burdened with worries let out sighs and fall asleep.
But night is not just warm like a mother.
Behind the warm face that embraces everyone lies a cold countenance colder than the harsh winter winds.
“The original plan was just to trade and leave right away to camp, but at this hour, we won’t get far.”
“I guess it’s better to rest here for a day, then?”
“Instead, we’ll leave a bit earlier tomorrow….”
The travelers who left their comfortable homes knew the two faces of the night very well.
No matter how high they raised their torches or used the lanterns of the Tower of Magic, it would still not be enough to illuminate the malice hidden in the darkness.
While the sun is still up, once they complete their business and leave the village, it will be close to sunset, and they will soon have to set up camp and fight against the wild night.
If they were to move a bit and take on the risk, it would be better to spend a relaxing day in the village.
Thinking this way, the merchant group slightly altered their plans to stay in the small village for the day.
Considering the extra payment to the mercenaries and the lost profits due to the delayed schedule, it was quite a bold decision.
Suddenly, the mercenaries found themselves with free time.
Some swung their weapons to hone their skills, while others lay peacefully on the soft fields soaking in the warm sunlight.
And some held the hand of a girl and roamed the village.
Joanie, holding Kana’s hand, came across an old woman sitting on a chair in front of a small house, watching the street.
“Excuse me~ May I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Gasp….”
The response to Joanie’s question was far from what she had expected.
‘That’s right; just a few years ago, this was Grasis territory.’
To the elderly woman, Granic must be more familiar than Arkish.
Realizing that fact again, Joanie recognized her mistake.
“Hello. Could you tell me the name of this village?”
“Oh, you can speak the kingdom’s language. You look like a mercenary, quite rare in this part, huh?”
“I can only speak a little bit, heh heh….”
“Where are you from? Right, you want to know the village’s name? This village is called Blum.”
“Blum….”
Joanie repeated the name given by the old woman.
After murmuring it multiple times, she smiled brightly.
“What a pretty name.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
Making small talk with locals while traveling was something Joanie particularly loved.
Through conversing with the residents, she could feel the culture and life of their homes very vividly.
That’s why she chose to study the language in college.
Of course, her skills were lacking compared to a native speaker, but that didn’t really matter.
When a foreigner visits another country and awkwardly attempts to converse in their language, almost no one would evaluate them strictly or look down on them.
After all, hadn’t she benefitted from this when she first met the cold Kana?
‘It’s not that it doesn’t exist at all. But those kinds of people would dislike whatever you did anyway.’
Is there anything more regrettable than being too scared because of those people and not enjoying the journey properly?
Joanie’s outlook remained unchanged even in the virtual reality game, Silia Online.
“So….”
“Wow, really?”
Creek, creak.
“Hmm?”
While making small talk in her halting Granic with the old woman, Joanie suddenly felt a tug on her hand and looked down.
It was Kana turning her head away as if pretending not to know.
But there was only one person who could pull Joanie’s hand.
“Is she your little sister? Oh dear, it seems I talked too much, and the little lady got quite bored.”
“I’m not a little kid.”
“Oh my, I’m getting old and probably mistook that. Then should I call you a young lady?”
“….”
Watching Kana talk to the old woman, Joanie nodded.
‘Kana, oh Kana….’
She never thought Kana would speak informally even to someone much older than herself….
Was it because of her background as a former commander of the knights? Joanie found Kana’s informal speech quite natural.
Actually, Kana had been using informal language since childhood, but Joanie didn’t know that, so her misunderstanding was understandable.
Still, it was remarkable that Kana didn’t come off as arrogant despite this.
‘Is it because of her voice? Or is it her deadpan tone?’
As Joanie pondered on this, she shrugged her shoulders.
What does it matter? She’s cute, that’s what counts.
She actually thought it would feel weirder if Kana spoke formally.
‘And who could possibly correct Kana’s habit if it felt arrogant?’
I won’t listen to the orders of someone weaker than me.
Joanie confidently imagined Kana wielding her sword and shook her head.
‘…That can’t be the case.’
Kana’s definitely not that kind of child.
Even if she genuinely thought that way, she’s the type to express herself not with words but with her sword.
“I heard there’s a famous flower field around here.”
“Flower field? Of course, we have one. It’s the pride of our village. Want to see it?”
“Yes. My little sister loves flowers. Where do we go to see them?”
“Just walk straight along that path, and you will find it.”
“Oh, it’s not in the village….”
No wonder they didn’t see it while wandering around; it was outside the village.
Having searched for the flower field for a while with a tinge of regret, Joanie said her goodbyes to the old woman and set out again with Kana to look for the flowers.
The path the old woman pointed led beyond the village, up to a gentle hill at the foot of the mountain.
“It wasn’t a maintained place, huh….”
Joanie, who had suggested to Kana, only heard that such a place existed without any details, so she didn’t know much about it.
‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have wasted time searching.’
Sighing, Joanie climbed the hill.
When the uphill path ended, her mouth fell open at the sight before her.
“Wow…!”
A tapestry of varied flowers adorned the hillside.
The flowers, competing to show off their charms, were waiting for Joanie.
Unlike the neatly lined flower beds that Kana tended, the vibrant flowers blended beautifully in nature, exuding a different kind of allure.
No, if a human had intervened, such a scene wouldn’t have emerged.
This sight could only exist, shaped by nature’s own hand.
A gentle breeze carried a subtle floral fragrance, softly brushing through Joanie’s hair.
As she marveled in awe, Joanie suddenly felt her hand being empty.
“…Kana?”
Not knowing when she had let go, she found Kana quietly standing nearby, now gone.
Looking around for the girl, she noticed a small girl squatting not far away, observing an unfamiliar flower.
Joanie quietly walked toward Kana, who was sitting in front of a tiny flower with delightful pink petals.
Even if she moved quietly, it was clear Kana already noticed, but lost in her fascination, she paid no mind to Joanie.
‘What a cute flower.’
It seemed to resemble Kana in some way.
Wanting to let Kana enjoy the moment uninterrupted, Joanie knelt beside her instead of speaking up.
After sitting in front of the sweetly fragrant pink flower for a while, Joanie’s legs began to cramp up.
Just as Joanie felt her legs pinching, Kana stood up.
Joanie stood up with her, smiling.
“What a beautiful flower field, isn’t it?”
“….”
There was no verbal response, but Joanie didn’t miss the faint nod from Kana.
While Joanie still wished to admire it a little longer, the sun had already risen high and was slowly sinking below the horizon.
“I bet some of them bloom at night, right?”
If she waited for night to arrive, she could admire the flowers blooming under the gentle moonlight.
However, instead of waiting for nightfall, Joanie chose to head back to Blum village.
‘Can’t skip meals.’
Especially at her growing age.
It wasn’t hard to return, and she could come back after eating.
Holding the hand of the shy little girl, Joanie retraced their steps.
By the time Joanie arrived in the village, the sun had already dipped halfway below the horizon.
Murmur, murmur.
“…Something feels off, doesn’t it?”
As Joanie reached the village entrance, she suddenly felt a stark difference in the atmosphere compared to when they had left.
Though it was evening and bustling, something felt different.
It was more chaotic, a strangely tense feeling lingered.
“Should we hurry… …won’t matter, right?”
“Even so, should we …stay …and help?”
“It’s not our… …business anyway.”
Both merchants and villagers huddled together, speaking with serious expressions.
Feeling the unusual atmosphere, Joanie instinctively shrunk her shoulders and cautiously walked a few steps.
“Joanie!”
Just then, Catherine rushed over after spotting Joanie.
“I’ve been looking for you!”
“…For me?”
“Yes!”
“Why, why?”
“Because something’s happened, and we can’t talk about it without you.”
“…What happened?”
“Didn’t you hear anything?”
“No. I was outside for a walk and just got back….”
“Ah! I’m so glad you made it back safely.”
Catherine, looking momentarily flustered at Joanie’s words, quickly composed herself.
To Joanie, it still felt like a mystery.
From how she spoke, it felt like welcoming someone home from a battlefield—when did a simple walk become such a dangerous affair?
Seeing Joanie’s confusion, Catherine spoke again.
“There’s a group of ogres appearing nearby! And they’re headed this way…!”
“…What?”
Suddenly, a group of ogres had appeared, and they just happened to be heading toward this village?
…Why?
Completely taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, Joanie blurted out without thinking.
“Did someone smear honey on the wagon or something?”
First, it was a horde of orcs yesterday, now ogres today.
What’s next? A dragon horde tomorrow?
Catherine stomped her feet at Joanie’s words.
“This is no time for jokes!”
“Oh no….”
That wasn’t meant as a joke….
Joanie, rolling her eyes, hung her head low.
“I’m sorry….”
