Chapter 30
“Hold on tight, Pero!”
“But I can’t find a proper place to grab onto…!!”
“If you don’t want to die, grab onto anything!”
“Y-Yes…!!”
GWAH! Closing his eyes tightly, Pero grabbed on to whatever he could. In a less dangerous and more comfortable situation—preferably one where he could leisurely enjoy the textures—Pero would have counted himself extremely lucky.
However, in their current predicament, being chased by an unusually persistent giant Variant, there was no time for such luxuries.
GROOOAAAR!!
To evade the Variant, which was bellowing with its three heads, Elaine was putting all her limbs into running away. Even as she dashed on two legs, when a massive tentacle came crashing down, she would punch the ground to instantaneously change her escape direction by nearly 90 degrees.
When she momentarily lacked acceleration, she switched to all fours. Combining the power of her legs with the strength of her arms made her faster, after all! Elaine felt grateful for her natural talent of using her own body. Even though it was her first time running like a beast, she never got tangled up in the order of extending her limbs.
A sudden maneuver involving all four limbs. Naturally, there was no leisure to securely hold onto Pero to prevent him from bouncing around. To survive, Pero had to manage on his own.
The result was… a princess sprinting on all fours, with a boy desperately clinging in front of her.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a beautiful sight. Still, in this world, some things couldn’t be helped. Though it might tarnish her dignity as a princess, survival was far more important than that.
In frustration, Elaine raised her voice.
“They said the Plains of Meeting are relatively safe with few Variants—!”
“……!!”
“Even if I bury my face in your chest and talk, all it does is tickle! I still can’t hear a thing, Pero—!!”
The boy, Pero, was also engulfed in his own frustration. He couldn’t comprehend why such a large Variant, one he had never seen before in his life, appeared in this peaceful land and why it was chasing them.
ROAAAR! GRAAAAH!
Even just from the sound of its cries, the gigantic Variant seemed to be quite upset. Was it complaining about why something that smelled delicious had appeared in front of it, or was it cursing them for being obscenely fast for mere humans?
“……!!”
“All it does is tickle, I told you!”
“Puhah, my bag, my bag… Emergency bait…!”
“I can’t spare a moment to pull it out—”
THUD—!! CRASH!
Elaine’s body shifted direction rapidly once more, and the boy was subjected to yet another round of what could be described as a physical Silence Magic.
“──!!”
“You have to do it, Pero!”
“……!!”
If you don’t act now, I’ll use you as bait and escape all by myself!
She held back the last part of her statement. After all, Elaine’s sense of reality was screaming in her head, urging her to eject this approximately 46 kg weight and speed up.
The 8 minutes of hesitation while she carried Pero was indeed a test of her will.
Pero tightened his grip around Elaine’s waist with all his strength. And so he stretched out towards the presumed location of the bag he had wedged between himself and Elaine…
But it wasn’t the texture of the bag.
“Not there, lower!”
“……?”
“The bag is above that!”
“……??”
“Are you doing this on purpose, Pero?!”
But he didn’t fumble around a fourth time. Pero retrieved a sphere wrapped in cloth from the bag, and Elaine quickly took that sphere, sending it flying high into the sky with a poetic somersault kick.
The giant Variant responded instantly. It turned away with a mournful whine, and after about 5 more minutes of cautious escape, Elaine gradually slowed down.
THUD.
Elaine collapsed onto the grassland, breathing heavily. Pero, too, was similarly drained. After such a rollercoaster ride, he was limp in Elaine’s arms.
“It’s hot, so can you move away a little, Pero?”
“M-My arms and legs aren’t working… I’m sorry, Elaine…”
“Am I not the same? If I had any strength left, I would’ve tossed you off myself…”
Elaine was too exhausted to carry out even the simple action of tossing Pero off by the scruff of his neck, so she decided just to endure this little human blanket.
After catching her breath for a while, Elaine looked up at the sky.
The sunlight was pleasant, and the day was clear. If one pushed aside the fact that the world was occupied by bizarre monsters and humanity was on the verge of extinction—surprisingly, it was quite nice.
Although she couldn’t clearly explain what was nice about it, it simply was. Nice. All of it.
“….Heh, AHAHAHA!”
As Elaine suddenly burst into laughter, Pero looked at her in shock. Once confirming that she wasn’t delusional from exhaustion, he joined in her laughter.
“Uhuhuhuhuh.”
“Heh, hehe.”
In a world where survival took precedence above all, the title of Impereal Princess lost its significance. In these wilds, she was merely Elaine, and the boy was just Pero. The raw connection shared was refreshingly invigorating.
From their chests pressed against each other, they could feel each other’s heartbeats. The distance between their hearts was roughly 20 centimeters.
It was quite a fantastic day.
===============================================================
The sunset began to smolder as it set.
The journey in the Plains of Meeting was definitely more pleasant than before. With each breath, their mouths didn’t feel gritty, and they found edible things more easily. Aside from the giant Variant, they hadn’t encountered any other Variants either.
On their journey, they even stumbled across some blackberries and feasted on handfuls. When Elaine tasted the wild blackberries, experiencing both the sourness and a delightful thrill, she found this odd sensation quite amusing.
Typically, the dishes prepared with care and effort by the royal chefs often went uneaten, yet here she was, finding joy in a simple wild berry. It was both ridiculous and delightful.
Pero glanced around cheerfully and spoke up.
“Today, we could even make a salad!”
“What about the dressing?”
“If we add a few ants, it’ll have some sourness!”
“Hmm, I’ll pass on the ants, so just give them to me plain.”
While Elaine gathered tinder to kindle a fire, Pero busily scoured their surroundings for ingredients. Fortunately, he found a broad leaf suitable for a plate, on which he piled various edible weeds to complete their meal for the day.
The group gazed at the pile of grass, topped with more grass, and before them lay their colorful meal, their appetites whetted.
“Here, let’s eat together!”
“Sure, mmm….”
Elaine picked up a slender stalk of some plant and chewed it. Crushing the tender stalk with her molars released juice within. There was a hint of bitterness, but the freshness was far more pronounced.
She sampled a red flower petal, too. While it didn’t have a distinct texture or explosive flavor, the fragrance that wafted forth was surprisingly pleasant. She thought it might even make for a decent tea.
Her eyes fell on the watch tattoo on her wrist. Five days had passed since being dropped into the wasteland, with roughly seven days remaining. Until now, she had been surviving quite smoothly. There were no significant threats, and their journey had tangible goals.
Upon returning, she thought she might instruct the royal chefs to explore recipes incorporating plant stalks.
While Elaine contemplated this, playing a mental game of whom should eat the last leaf in the bowl, Pero suddenly sprang to his feet.
“Pero?”
“……”
Pero was staring intently into the distant plains, deeply absorbed in thought. He appeared tense yet focused, his pupils slightly dilated and his mouth slightly agape.
For some time now, the young boy had occasionally displayed such peculiar signs.
When Elaine gently tapped his shoulder, he snapped out of his trance as if awakening from a dream.
“……Ah. Sorry, Elaine. Did you call for me?”
“You were staring blankly.”
“I heard a strange sound again. As if something was calling…”
In response, Elaine concentrated her mana in her ears. Given her soul’s aggressive nature, her magic’s effectiveness wavered for purposes beyond combat—yet still, her hearing was considerably superior to that of an ordinary person.
However, she heard nothing. At least, not in the direction Pero was looking.
Oddly enough, she sensed a presence approaching from the opposite direction. The distinct sound of bipedal footsteps echoed. From Elaine’s assessment, unless there was another hidden party member, it appeared to be a well-trained adult male.
“There’s someone coming from that direction, Pero.”
“Oh, from that side? I must have misheard…”
Elaine tenderly stroked the deflated Pero’s hair.
As darkness enveloped the sky, it seemed an individual had spotted their campfire and was making their way over. She relaxed her hand, awaiting her guest.
Was he a looter or not?
Would he be strong or weak?
Would this lead to gains or losses…?
Just as the shadow of a human grew closer and the campfire’s glow illuminated the stranger’s face, narrow eyes appeared between lines of ashen gray hair.
It was a young man dressed like an adventurer.
His expression was sly, resembling that of a cunning serpent, and the eyes revealed between his narrow slits shone a rather poisonous green. The same shade as Pero’s but darker.
He was sufficiently armed. Wearing sturdy-looking leather armor, a longsword and a crossbow were visible at his waist peeking out from beneath his cloak. He raised his arm in a friendly manner.
“Wow! Finally, I’ve met someone! Haha! I was worried that the Plains of Meeting had lost its glory, but this is a true relief!”
His tone carried a trivial charm.
As the Imperial Princess crossed her arms, watching, the young man’s eyes flitted from Elaine’s chest to the frozen Pero beside her, before breaking into a smirk. With a familiar air, he greeted them.
“Little Espero, nice to see you again! How long has it been?”
“Learo.”
Their relationship did not appear particularly cordial. Guilt and sorrow flickered in Pero’s eyes, while the eyes of the young man named Learo held no hint of joy.
“You can’t steal my chance to introduce myself to such a fine lady, Little Espero… I’m glad to meet you, Lady. May I have the honor of introducing myself?”
With a flourish, Learo extended his arm and bowed deeply. Though his etiquette seemed fair, to the eyes of the First Princess, it appeared hopelessly clumsy, as if a simpleton had learned by slightly squinting.
Additionally, even while bowing, the young man maintained his gaze forward. He was on guard for attacks from blind spots. He, too, was a survivor.
Elaine thought to herself that perhaps he could be a kindred spirit.
It was a natural law that clear hierarchies provided the key to avoiding conflict. Slowly, Elaine extended her hand toward the young man. Learo smiled and grasped her hand.
Then came a grip strong enough to crack stone.
Grrk…
“Consider this the price for your disrespectful gaze.”
Learo grimaced as pain shot through his hand while he shrank down but kept the corners of his mouth upturned in a grin.
“Ha, haha. In that case, I got off rather lightly. It’s the first time in my life seeing such beautiful hills and valleys.”
“Should I also charge you for your rude tongue?”
“I can only plead for mercy. I can’t say empty words after all—might I borrow your campfire just for tonight? I’ll pay for it…”
“What do you think, Pero?”
Elaine turned to ask Pero’s opinion. Since they appeared to know each other, she thought he might offer some valuable insights about this man.
“L-Learo is a c-childhood friend from h-hometown.”
Elaine narrowed her eyes. She waited patiently but received no further explanation from Pero. Quickly, she considered whether allowing Learo to join them by the campfire would be a net gain or loss.
It was clearly a loss. Allowing an armed stranger into their living space was a considerable risk.
However, she also thought it could be an opportunity to resolve several questions surrounding Pero. Where did he come from? How did he survive? What secrets was he hiding, and were they a potential threat to Elaine?
If those secrets proved harmless, maybe, just maybe, she could genuinely trust Pero, and they could become friends.
Even with such thoughts, Elaine lacked the intention to openly share her heart and engage Pero in a candid conversation. That was her self-serving and vulnerable side. Ultimately, she granted the narrow-eyed young man, Learo, permission to join.
“Given this fortuitous encounter, if you allow me to join! I shall bring salt!”
The allure of savoring salt after five days certainly influenced her decision to allow him to join them.
===============================================================
The young man, Learo, casually draped his arm over Pero’s shoulders and whispered some words, suggesting they had private matters to discuss as fellow townsfolk. Elaine channeled her magic into her ears, eavesdropping on their conversation.
With a cheerful smile, Learo casually spat out venomous words.
“Why did you come back, Espero… You’ve got some nerve. Did you expect there would still be a place left for you to return to?”
“It’s not like that, Learo. I’m searching for Paradise.”
“If that’s a joke, it’s not funny at all. If there was such a thing as Paradise, it was our homeland—and you’ve destroyed it. Every last bit.”
“…….”
Why hadn’t Pero made any excuses? Was there a sin he had to bear that rendered him unable to speak back to such biting remarks? If so, did that endanger my survival?
A phrase from the old Emperor echoed in Elaine’s mind. From the day she last met him until now, that desperate voice played on a loop.
“Survive. Our bloodline must continue.”
And just like that, an uninvited guest joined their camp.
With a flickering ember.
===============================================================
Distance remaining to Paradise: Approximately 250 km.
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