The group, guided by Robis Omen, finally escaped the deep forest.
What kind of village would it be this time? It was probably a place where humans lived, so Sharin and I would scout it out first. Our supplies for the journey were running low. We needed to replenish our water and food. Naturally, everyone picked up their pace.
“Alright, Sharin and I will go take a look. Everyone else, please wait here for a bit.”
Sharin and I stepped into the village. It had been a while since we’d seen civilization. Even though I knew we might not be welcomed, I couldn’t help but feel excited. Having finally cleared the deep forest also made me feel bolder. But something felt off about the village. A small scale and few people were common, but so far, we hadn’t seen anyone. Furthermore, we couldn’t hear any sounds at all. All that reached our ears was the distant sound of gentle waves.
“Is there nobody here, or are they wary of us?”
“Indeed. Let’s try checking a few houses.”
I knocked on the door of a nearby house. The dry “kon-kon” sound echoed in the quiet village.
“Excuse me, is anyone there?”
There was no reply. I cautiously opened the door. It was dark inside, and there was no sign that anyone lived there. On the contrary, the furniture was overturned, and the floor was tattered, making it impossible to live in. It looked like the aftermath of a storm.
“Arisugawa, there’s no one in any of the houses. And they’re all broken.”
A chill ran down my spine at Sharin’s words. Could it be that there were no people left in this village? But those two had said there were. Had we come to the wrong place? We searched for a while longer but found nothing. Only broken houses remained.
I felt the flame of hope that had been lit in my heart flicker out. We had been through many hardships, but I had kept going, believing that things would eventually get better. A ruined village on the coast at the edge of the deep forest, with nothing there. I suddenly felt so lonely. It felt as if we were the only ones left in this world. The two from Robis Omen had probably already left. There was no way to ask them now.
As my mind went blank, Sharin spoke to me.
“From the looks of it, they must have been hit by a storm or a flood. And then, they had no choice but to evacuate all the residents. There’s no point staying here, let’s go back to everyone else.”
As if pulled by Sharin, I left the place. And everyone who heard the story looked disappointed, just as I expected.
“Ehh, what are we going to do, we came all this way!”
“Now, now, Nina, calm down. There must be some plan. Let’s think calmly.”
Nina and the others were either angry or looked anxious. I didn’t know what to do either, even if they said that. Even though I knew intellectually that I wasn’t being blamed, their reactions still irritated me.
“W-what are we going to do? Should we turn back for now?”
“I’ve had enough of going back into the deep forest.”
Cecilia and Lauren were talking.
“My sake is gone! Older Sister, did you drink it all?!”
“What could I do? My wound hurt, so stop complaining.”
“Piyo, I’m going to go look over there.”
“No, Piyo-chan, don’t go alone. It’s dangerous.”
In front of me was a village turned into ruins, and behind me were my companions, lost. I couldn’t think of anything due to the overwhelming anger, disappointment, and anxiety. Looking around, there was nothing. Should we search elsewhere? But which way should we go? What if there was nothing there either? Should we go back for now? But what if we were attacked by someone in the meantime? Would our supplies be enough?
“Hey, Brother, what are you going to do? We need to find civilization soon, my hands are shaking and I feel like I’m going to go crazy.”
“Karubene, please wait. Ah, Piyo-chan, no!”
“This is so annoying! Just shut up for a bit!!!”
My angry shout echoed endlessly on the quiet sandy beach.
