Chapter 54 – The Girl in the Black Hood –

※※※※

A pleasantly refreshing breeze blew in the clear sky, lightening my steps.

Veering slightly off the road and stepping among the trees, I found plenty of ripe fruits and nuts—and animals frequently appeared, eyeing them.

And then,

“The autumn leaves, aren’t they?”
“They’re beautiful…”

All the nature in sight was painted in warm hues.

It was a view I had never seen before.

Although the Northeastern Continent has its autumn, it only comes briefly before winter. The forest had never showcased autumn so boldly as it did here.

“Gyaah!!-Gyaah!!!”
“Have you gotten something again?”

Selma and Echidna, too, appeared rather cheerful.

I thought how wonderful it would be if every day passed just like this until we reached the Astraedi Grand Canyon.

However, things rarely go that way.

Strange happenings always occur, whether one wishes for them or not.

While walking along the highway, I suddenly noticed something odd.

“Hmm……?”

It was when I casually rubbed my eyelids.

When I rubbed the upper eyelid of the eye that still perceived color, the world naturally turned black and white—since the other eye had lost its ability to see color.

Yet, at that moment, a little person appeared.

He did not show up when I opened both eyes, or when I looked at the world solely with the eye that saw color.

As we walked, the little person kept pace with us.

I wondered if something had gotten into my eye and made me rub my eyelids several more times—but still, he did not disappear.

“Is something the matter?”
“No……”
“Could it be that, my lord, you’re feeling sleepy?”
“Not really……”
“Gyaah……?”

It seems that Selma, Ati, and even Echidna couldn’t see the little person.

I was the only one who could.

He was visible only through my eye which had lost its color.

The little person moved his lips.

Without uttering a sound, he only moved his mouth.

At first, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

But by watching his lip movements, I managed to decipher his words.

――I’m seein’, right?

I do see him.

――I wiped out the Jin, didn’t I?

Jin……?

――I’ll give you a reward.

Um… reward?

――Buy matches.

The little person pointed down the road and then quietly disappeared.

I couldn’t make sense of it.

What on earth was that…?

“Um… Harold-sama?”

Ati looked at me with concern.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

It didn’t seem like just a figment of my imagination.

Yet talking about something only I could see felt disconcerting.

It might make it seem as though I’d lost my mind.

Well, if I actually said it, I don’t think anyone would think so—and they’d believe me.

(Even so, “Buy matches,” huh……)

Strangely, the little person’s words lingered oddly in my memory.

※※※※

That night, we camped outdoors.

It was, in a way, our first night of camping since the journey began.

But there was no trouble whatsoever.

Thankfully, Ati was knowledgeable about this sort of thing.

She explained in detail what needed to be done, so once we all got ready, everything was finished in no time.

Naturally, we thanked her.

Then, as a reward, she said she wanted it done outside……

I had intended to wait for such acts until we stayed at an inn, but when asked for it with the words “as a reward,” I couldn’t refuse.

So, while Selma and Echidna were resting, we made love.

“You’re so naughty to want to do it outside.”
“Th-that won’t do, please……. Ahh”

If we weren’t careful, someone might catch us.

Besides, doing it outdoors was admittedly a bit too perverted.

I thought so too, but when we actually went through with it, there was an excitement unlike any other.

※※※※

The next day.

After tidying up the campsite, we set off along the highway once more.

We planned to reach the next town by the end of the day…

We moved at a leisurely pace.

The route was nearly the same as yesterday, and nothing particularly troublesome happened.

However,

By the time the sun had risen overhead,

I noticed a girl in a black hood standing by the side of the road, holding a rattan basket.

“Matches… Someone, please buy some matches…”

Matches…?

Now that I think about it, as I passed near the girl in the black hood,

“Aah! Traveler! Please buy some matches! Ever since the town at the end of this road became the Sleeping Town, fewer people pass by! I’m in big trouble because I can’t sell matches!”

With a face on the verge of tears, the girl in the black hood grabbed my sleeve.

Then, she looked up at me with pleading eyes.

Her cheeks were somewhat hollow.

“What should we do?”
“I suppose it depends on what Harold-sama wants to do. But you do seem to be in quite dire straits.”

Ati said.

Although the girl in the black hood was clutching my sleeve, she didn’t seem to harbor any particularly jealous feelings.

It was only the desperate tone in her plea that showed.

“Hmm……”

I hesitated for a moment.

The word “matches” sounded familiar just recently.

It was that little person.

He had said, “Buy matches.”

Perhaps he knew that this girl was here—and that I should buy from her.

The little person was indeed a peculiar presence, but he didn’t seem to have any ill will.

…Maybe I should just take it as a trick and give it a try.

“Alright. I’ll buy them.”
“R-really???”
“Yeah. How much will it be?”
“One box for one Du!”

With a rustling sound, the girl pulled a matchbox from her rattan basket. Looking inside, there appeared to be a total of ten boxes.

Maybe I’ll buy them all…

They seemed to be small boxes, so they weren’t cumbersome.

“…I’ll take all ten boxes.”
“Whoa!! What a kind person you are!!”

When I paid 10 Du, the girl in the black hood bowed respectfully, very politely,

“Oh, I’m truly grateful. If I hadn’t made any sales today, I wouldn’t have been in my element—I was thinking I’d have to venture into the forest to find food. I kept coming here every day, forgetting when to call it quits, believing that eventually the Sleeping Town would return to normal—and before I knew it, my household finances became a complete mess.”

“Every day?”
“Yes, indeed. I live in the town at the end of this road.”

The direction she pointed in was toward the town we were heading for.

“…This highway that connects the town I live in and the Sleeping Town used to be frequented by travelers. Because the Sleeping Town is a port town, this road used to be very profitable. There are two other roads leading to different towns, but this one was the best. …And so, unable to forget those memories, I ended up coming here day after day.”
“Hmm… Well, I suppose eventually the number of people coming along this road will increase again.”
“And why’s that?”
“Do you know where we come from?”
“Uh… Ah! That’s right! We’re coming from over there—from the Sleeping Town!”
“Yeah. That town is already back to normal. Well… the whole town is still in some chaos, but I think it will settle down eventually. …Though perhaps it might take about a month.”
“…It looks like it’ll take some time, but I’m glad the Sleeping Town is back to the way it was.”

With a sigh of relief, the girl in the black hood exhaled.

“By the way, could you tell me how much longer until we reach the town you live in?”
“We should arrive in about an hour and a half, but… are you heading in that direction?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm? Then shall I come along? I can guide you.”
“Um… Is that okay?”
“The matches were bought by the onii-chans, and they’re all sold out—so all that’s left for me is to head home.”

Since you should arrive if you follow the highway, a guide isn’t really needed.

However, since she said all she had left to do was go home—and given her kind offer—I decided to ask her to guide us.

“You’re buying all ten boxes? My lord, you are kind.”
“That’s right. Harold-sama is a very kind person. Keep that in mind.”
“Understood.”
“Gyaah!!”