The Witch and the Doll Swear

Instead of a shepherd's hood, the dirt of which I remember so clearly, it was brown linen.

The place to sit is not a foul-smelling sheepskin mattress, but a hard but warm wooden board.

It's not an empty tent, there are other women sharing a room with him.

……here it is?

The girl curled up in the corner of the carriage, looking around blankly.

...Ah, that's right.

The wheels of the carriage creaked and creaked, and the vehicle swayed. Although it was a grassland, the grassland was not smooth. Amid such swaying, the girl woke up.

Not waking from "sleep".

Instead, reactivate the brain.

Not long ago, she did the same, waking up once.

"This thing is just an addition, is it okay? Although I heard that the tribes outside the grassland don't need every woman to have children, but this thing really can't give birth to anything, no matter what kind of man it is Nothing can make her belly grow, neither can sheep, horses and dogs."

"It's okay, it's okay, you said she is the elder's youngest daughter, right? Look carefully at this little girl, isn't she cute? Although virgins can be sold for a high price in the auction house, there are surprisingly many men who are good at it. , dogs, and even women who have mated with horses, and they are still so small, hey, maybe they can be sold for a high price."

"Is that so... Anyway, we have nothing to lose by throwing away a woman who can't give birth to a baby, so it's settled."

"Deal, who will wash and change this little girl's clothes? After being tortured like this, she doesn't even get sick. Very good, the healthier she is, the higher the price she can sell."

It took a long, long time for the girl's thoughts to finally realize her situation.

"...I was, sold."

I can't even remember the last time I spoke to myself. The voice that belongs to me sounds so strange.

The girl raised her head in a daze, and stretched out her hands to caress the old, but at least clean, linen cloth on her body. The touch from her palms was so alienated...why the alienation?

...By the way, I haven't worn clothes for a long, long time...Is "clothes" the word?

How do I know this word?

I am again...

Grabbing the long hair that fell down her cheeks, she dazedly mobilized her thoughts.

At this time.

"Yo, scum, you're awake."

A woman called out to the girl.

The girl who didn't react for a while, still curled up in a corner of the carriage blankly, not knowing how to react.

"What kind of attitude is that, scum, who do you think is the credit for being here? You think you belong to the elder's family... What is that, miss?"

Seemingly very dissatisfied with the girl's reaction, the brown-haired woman stepped up to the girl and yanked the girl down on the wooden board of the carriage.

Then, a foot stepped on her face fiercely.

"You're just a scum now! If it wasn't for the fact that we were sold out, there would be a new boss, and you'd still be locked in a tent waiting for men to piss on you!"

The woman stepped on the black-haired girl vigorously, and the girl could see her face clearly from the side view.

... Ahhh.

Suddenly, the girl remembered.

This woman is specially raised by the tribe to be sold to people outside the grassland. They only need to learn how to please men since they were young, but no man will touch them, and they don't need to have children. They just need to wait for the day, Get food, furs, weapons and medicine from the caravan coming from outside the grassland, and then follow those people away.

And she is the... daughter of the clan elder.

"... woo... ah..."

The girl closed her eyes and swallowed the scream.

It would be nice if thinking could stop here.

If only memory stopped here.

Facing the gods of the grassland, the girl prayed silently.

But the wind.

The icy wind blowing towards the face instantly lowered the temperature in the still warm carriage, turning this silent prayer into meaningless shivering.

"What are you arguing about?!"

The curtain of the carriage was pulled back.

The girl opened her eyes involuntarily because of the bright light that suddenly came through her eyelids. Before her eyes was the clear blue grassy sky.

Incomparably lofty, incomparably clear, incomparably bright, and dazzling.

Under the beautiful sky, the man who opened the curtain had fiery red curly hair swaying like a flame.

As if being scalded by the scorching flaming hair, the foot stepping on her face quickly moved away, and the brown-haired woman ran back to the place where she was sitting in three steps at a time, like a snake staring at her. Living like a prairie rat, he knelt down tremblingly and kept kowtowing to the man.

"Yes, I'm sorry sir, I just want to teach this ungrateful scum a lesson, let her, let her..."

"What is she babbling about? Apologizing?"

Because of fear, her voice kept breaking, but even if it didn't, the nomads couldn't understand the lingua franca. The flaming-haired man frowned, pulled up the girl who was lying on the wooden board, and turned her head towards the girl sitting on the board. asked another man at the front of the carriage.

"Master Klaus, she called this girl a scum, and then asked her to be grateful."

The man driving the carriage answered without turning his head. Compared with the man with fiery red hair, the driver's accent was a little more familiar.

However, because the opened curtain was only on this side, the girl couldn't see the face of the speaker, she was just blankly staring at the blue sky after so many years of absence.

"It's true that there is an extra one this time, but what is [scum]? Is it another adjective for barbaric nomads to distinguish classes?"

"Yes, the lowest class of people in nomadic society are female slaves, but even slaves, if they can have three children in five years, they will be accepted by the ethnic group. Conversely, if they have one child in five years not come down..."

"Even slaves are not as good as... don't they have the qualifications to be human? So these barbarians..."

The driver purposely didn't finish his sentence, Klaus spat in disgust at the completely dry grassland beside him, and then lifted the skinny girl up.

"Speaking of which, isn't this just a brat? Only a child born with this kind of body is a ghost, and is he stupid, dumbfounded..."

The man looked at the girl's brown eyes that are common to nomads with disgust, and turned his head again, but all he could see along the girl's line of sight was the blue sky without even a cloud. Wanting to see the spit sky, the girl who was grabbed by the neckline by him seemed to be completely absent-minded. In those empty eyes, not even the fierce face that was close at hand was reflected.

"Master Klaus, you got the order wrong. You are so thin because you can't have children, not because you are so thin and you can't have children. If you are interested in knowing the situation of the scum in the tribe, you can probably understand why she I don't have any spirit left."

"No, I'm not interested in the custom of savage monkeys who use fertility to determine a woman's value, and what if I know about it?"

Slap.

The man let go of his hand, let the girl lean against the partition of the carriage again, and closed the curtain again.

The blue sky light disappeared, along with the cold wind and the man's face.

"Filled with righteous indignation? Feeling pity? First, I can't turn around and destroy that tribe, and second, I can't buy her. Even if I have sympathy, it's just superfluous. There are too many unfortunate guys in this world. I don't have the time to do that." Go and sympathize."

"Are you talking about the theory of the supremacy of luck that you believe in again? Klaus."

"If we get rid of that tribe, we will be in trouble. Although they are a group of barbarians, they are still very good at taming people. If there are no slaves they sell, my daughter will be hungry."

"A box of white curly flowers can be exchanged for a young and well-trained woman. If you sell it for one gold coin, two silver coins can be exchanged for one gold coin. Where can there be such a good deal on the mainland? If anyone wants to grab this bowl of rice, I was the first to say no, hahahaha!"

The itinerary on the grassland has always been boring, because of this little commotion, the mercenaries guarding the carriage started talking one after another.

"But what you said is right. There are so many messy reasons in this world. If that little girl wants to resent, she can only resent herself for not being able to give birth to a son in five years." "She should be considered lucky. I met the boss asking for a higher price this time, so I brought her out as an extra, no matter where I sell it in the future, I don’t need to live a life that is not as good as a pig or a dog?"

"But I don't know if it will be worse or not, so please yourself! Hahaha!"

"Yes, those other women are also lucky enough. We have a contract with that tribe to buy them every year. Otherwise, if one of them doesn't have enough children, they will end up no better than her. There is also the car in the back. Little boy, according to the customs of these savages, all baby boys who cry when they are doused with animal blood are all strangled to death on the spot. They are lucky to have met such a conscientious businessman as us. You can grow up eating and drinking with a stick, and you can sell it to a certain nobleman. From now on, you can live a life of luxury by licking a man's asshole. Hey, hey, it's so lucky, isn't it? Hahaha!"

"That's right, that's right!"

The mercenaries burst into laughter. In this case, we are their saviors. The Church of the Holy Church should award us medals. In this way, they greeted everything they are not used to.

"Hey hey..."

But the man named Klaus who initiated this topic did not participate in their conversation. He frowned in displeasure, as if he was also disgusted by these vulgar and inferior mercenaries.

"Using fertility to measure value...? Think about it carefully, aren't we the same? The strength of a man, the size of the job, and the size of a woman's face, tits, and butt determine what they can sell The price, after all, we are all the same, the only difference is that you are more lucky, lucky not to be born in such a disgusting ethnic group."

Also not participating in the discussion full of female body parts and vulgar language, the driver unhurriedly directed the horses to stay away from the cracks in the grassland, while talking lightly.

"Then what about you, Mr. Former Nomad?"

"I'm probably luckier than any of you. I was lucky to survive to adulthood from a tribe that was more cruel than this tribe. I was lucky to meet ordinary caravans. I was lucky to get their help to leave the grassland. I was lucky to reach Bike. , luckily met the boss."

Compared with the man with darker skin color and hair color than everyone else, he shrugged indifferently.

Against the sun, the shadow at the corner of his mouth seemed to be an extension of his smile.

"According to Mr. Claus's theory, I am simply a child of the blessing of the gods, am I not? No matter which step I make a mistake, I will be trapped in the grassland and become a barbarian that Mr. Claus despises."

"Ha! Maybe that's right."

As if infected by that smile, the red-haired man also laughed out loud, because of his laughter, even the noise of the mercenaries was overwhelmed. The man on the carriage was like a ferocious beast baring its teeth and claws unscrupulously, showing its power to everything around it.

"But if there must be a chosen person, it is undoubtedly my uncle! Hey, who among you can survive dozens of assassinations by a super-family with a family like this uncle? Is there anyone who can burn down that kind of family that is full of lore and boredom like this uncle, and live a life on the mainland freely, and more importantly——” The warm wind blew away violently The girl who opened the curtain of the carriage and tilted her head slightly because of the falling sky light again.

Because of men's words, and not because of men's words.

A flame-shaped sword appeared in the man's hand. The runes on the sword were burning like molten lava. The flames made the horses panic, but they dared not move. Klaus held the straight sword with one hand. , as if holding an eternal burning flame, at this moment, with the carriage as the center, even the cold of winter was swept away.

"If my uncle wasn't extremely lucky, how could he get this kind of thing? It's not a big deal!"

He closed his eyes because of the dazzling flames that almost burned the blue sky.

——What an intense and provocative thing that is.

——What a powerful and shining thing that is.

Can be understood even without relevant knowledge.

Anyone born in this world can understand it.

It belongs to the proof of those who surpass ordinary people, and belongs to the recognition and nostalgia of the world.

"...[Noble Phantasm]..."

Words and phrases that she had never heard before played timidly from her lips, and was submerged in the warm wind. The girl was stunned, as if she was looking at the endless sky, looking at the flame.

"Hey, Mr. Klaus, the boss hopes that you will not slow down everyone's pace. The first snow may fall at sunset today. It will be bad if today's itinerary is not finished when it snows." "Know I got it—”

Then, the wind died down.

"Also, I heard from the boss, okay?"

"What did you hear?"

"That [scum], not only with people, but also by dogs, sheep, and horses. I heard that it is because the nomads think that some people have been unable to conceive because they were dogs, sheep, or dogs in their previous lives. As for horses, it’s ridiculous, but there are indeed women called “horse whores” in Sericatea, the country of grasslands, who can also swallow the work of horses. How about letting that scum show us a hand when we camp tonight? ?”

"Hey - if the boss agrees, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just an addition anyway. As long as it doesn't kill you, you can do whatever you want."

Turning the ring on her finger, the sword disappeared from her hand. Losing the source of the scorching heat, the fluttering flame-colored curly hair was messily scattered on the neckline of the leather armor. Seeing the mercenaries responding to the man, Klaus felt extremely bored and sat down again.

"...not lucky enough."

"Mr. Claus, did you say something?"

"Even though I'm a companion, sometimes I can't stand these illiterate guys..."

Spreading his hands, the red-haired man looked at the few cultivated and knowledgeable guys in the caravan, and took out a pipe from his pocket.

"That's right, Mr. Yuan Noble. Speaking of which, what did Mr. Klaus think of the two girls we saw from a distance before? One of them was naked, holding a wonderful mount They camped by a creek, the boss wanted to attack them but Mr. Claus stopped them, right, that is..."

"...Lucky."

"Oh? Mr. Claus thinks that's lucky too?"

"... Ah, but luckily it's on our side."

Creaking, creaking, the carriage continued to walk on the withered yellow grass.

——If you don’t dare to escape, find a corner and hide quietly. Don’t cry or laugh, don’t talk or cry, all of this will pass.

It seemed that every sound coming from outside the car was like what my mother said when she came to see me later.

"Mother……"

The girl hugged her knees and curled up into a ball.

……………………………………………………………………………………

"... so miserable."

It is snowing.

The snow that can be seen in Yansha City is at best the ice particles falling from the sky, tiny and small, hitting the eaves and the sea water one by one.

In the morning, the snow will accumulate in a thin layer, and then disappear on the gradually bustling streets, only a little white on the roof can prove that it is winter and snow has fallen.

"So, I've never seen such a big snow, it's not the ice particles falling from the sky, but the real thing, just like in the book, the feather-like university, dyeing everything in sight white, Turning the grassland into a snowfield also turned out to be a bit too exciting."

But this is really, a lot of snow.

You can't even see the slightest variegated color, covering the sky and the yellow grassland. It's not the whiteness accumulated by half-baked ice sand, but it can remind people of all the colors in fairy tales.

"It's understandable. After all, for many people in the hot southern climate zone, snow is something that they may not see once in a lifetime. It is completely understandable for Miss Tingna to be so excited."

"Right, so—"

"...It still can't be an excuse for suffering from snow blindness, Miss Tina."

"Woooo..."

"...The reflectivity of the snow to sunlight is extremely high, reaching nearly 95%. Looking directly at the snow is like looking directly at the sun. When Miss Tinna ecstatically made a snowman, rolled a snowball, fell on the snow and embraced the falling snow, I couldn't help feeling I have reminded you well."

"sorry……"

Burying her face into Miss Witch's platinum-blonde hair, the girl, who was older in appearance, burst into tears because of her irrefutable words.

The pair of sea-blue eyes that are always energetic on weekdays are now covered by a snow-white cloth strip, and golden magic runes are engraved on it, bringing warmth and absorbing the tears overflowing from the girl's eyes. Thanks to this, the sting The feeling of itching and itching was relieved, and it would not make the girl roll on the ground in pain, almost wanting to stick her fingers into her eye sockets to scratch.

【Snow blindness】

This is the first time a girl who grew up in the warm southern coast knew of the disease. It seems to be a symptom of temporary blindness caused by the stimulation of the eyes by strong light. In the northern lands, it is a common disease, and the way to prevent it is dark sunglasses--

"...However, I also have an unshirkable responsibility. I knew that Miss Tingna had no travel experience, but I didn't think about it." But who would have thought that in winter, under the sun that can't even be called mild, sunglasses are needed?

It wasn't just Tingna who hadn't seen the big snowfield at all.

It seems that because of the trait of [Immortality], Liliana has a very high resistance to most diseases and poisons. Once she gets a disease once, she will rarely get it again, and Alice, as a puppet, has no There are no eye structures that can be stimulated by strong light, and as a result both sides are neglected.

So, in Tina's memory, this memorable heavy snowfall, which started in the afternoon, was half bitter and half half happy.

"This symptom will really disappear in a few days..."

"One to three days, Miss Tina can still see a blurry shadow, can you see Alice?"

"Uh, uh, here... right? And here's the campfire..."

According to Alice, there is no particularly effective cure for this disease, and natural magic is useless, and it can only wait for it to heal on its own.

Therefore, Tingna, who stretched out her hands to hold Alice's legs, but could only distinguish the approximate parts under the bright firelight, could only sit in front of the bonfire in the tent, sighing helplessly.

Losing your clear vision is not a good experience.

"Yeah, so it's not a particularly serious symptom, so don't worry. If you're completely blind, it's really a big problem. However, Alice still recommends that Miss Tingna close her eyes during this period of time and take a good rest."

"...I will make a pair of goggles for Miss Tingna when the nomadic tribe gathers after the snow falls. Coincidentally, some commonly used spell-casting materials can also be replenished."

Because there was no gray crystal or glass, even Liliana was helpless for the time being. The original straight route had to be corrected again.

"But, does Miss Liliana know where the gathering place is?"

According to what the doll said, the blond girl closed her eyes, and felt a little better after her eyelids blocked the cold wind leaking in from the gap between the cloth strip and her face.

But in this case, even the originally blurred shadows can no longer be seen, except for the general light and darkness, it seems that the world has no trace.

I have always taken it for granted that the world that can be seen is taken for granted. After losing it, it turns out that there will be such uneasiness?

Even Miss Liliana's [Witch's Eye] can't share the vision. It seems that it is a magic based on the "eye", and it has no effect on the blind—even if it is only temporary.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu like this, even dinner is..."

From the iron frame of the bonfire, Miss Witch smeared the crispy toast sticks with jam.

"...open your mouth."

"ah……"

The girl chewed the sweet and sour citrus and the aroma of wheat, and uneasily hugged the witch in her arms even tighter.

"Lily definitely doesn't know, so I have to ask the caravan I saw far away before, it should be not far away, but going to the camp of the slave caravan on a snowstorm night may attract unpleasant Necessary trouble, so let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

"Um……"

"Don't worry, you can definitely see it again. If you can't see it, traveling will become difficult, so don't worry, Alice and Lily will definitely find a way to restore Miss Tina's sight."

The blond girl's posture like a helpless lamb made Alice shake her pointy ears at the witch, but Liliana didn't respond to the goblin doll's smirk, she just looked at the girl's eyes. He adjusted his posture in his arms.

What are you going to do?

Mortal feelings are difficult to deal with...

With a little calmness that had nothing to do with her, Alice used magic power to make the toast stick on the iron stand float.

Just at this time.

A certain direction of the earth exploded.

In Tina's exclamation, Liliana disappeared from the girl's arms and rushed out of the magic tent.

Not long after, a second explosion followed.

"Lily, could this be..."

Floating to the shoulder of the witch, because of the flash of fire in the gap between the wind and the snow, the little puppet holding the toast quickly chewed and swallowed the food.

"...It's not surprising that there are oil and wine in the caravan for the sake of cooking and quick fire, or for the exchange of goods. It's probably what I saw before..."

"Obviously they're going to have nothing to do to get the precious fuel for the fireworks."

The magic book belonging to Liliana was opened, and the rainbow-colored magic light wrapped the rainbow-colored star sand and feathers, stretching out the dreamlike wings of light.

"...Alice, take care of Miss Tina here, I'll..."

Even though it was covered by the howling north wind outside the tent, the roar was clear enough. There are two conceivable explanations. Either the caravan brought a large amount of flammable goods in addition to the slaves, or the distance was farther than imagined. close.

The former is outright bad news, while the latter may not be so bad.

Glancing at the pocket watch in her hand, Liliana calmly turned her face and said to the puppet sitting on her shoulder.

In any case, what we have to do now is to rush there immediately. If we miss this opportunity to obtain information, we will waste time for no reason...

"Please don't, please don't disappear suddenly, if Miss Liliana is not here, I really don't know what to do—"

However, before Liliana could finish speaking, the blond girl had already rushed behind her with a sobbing voice.

Tina buried her face in her long hair, and her arms, which were longer than those of a witch, tightly hugged Liliana's waist.

- I'll be right back.

The witch who decisively wanted to push Tina's hand away and said so hesitated.

Because of that trembling voice.

Its root is not panic.

but fear.

It was like a joke, just ten seconds ago, Liliana could still feel Tingna's steady heartbeat and stable emotions in her arms.

But now, every inch of her skin that is in contact with her is conveying the fear and trembling in the heart of the girl named Tingna in the most intuitive way, even more intense than when the snow blindness first broke out.

"Lily."

"...I know, Miss Tingna, no matter what, don't move around."

"Yes, it is!"

It is predictable what kind of psychological trauma would be caused to Tingna who lost her vision for the first time, so the thing to do is very simple.

Attaching the power-enhancing magic to himself, he hugged the girl who was holding back tears, and the platinum-gold witch stretched out the wings of the rainbow.

…………

As far as the results go, the confirmed guess is the latter.

After flying in the snow for several minutes, the wind smelled of smoke and burning.

Although Tina, who closed her eyes tightly, couldn't see anything—no, maybe it was because of the temporary loss of vision, her sense of smell and hearing became more or less sensitive, or it was just a pure psychological effect. As Liliana's speed slowed down and her height dropped, the temperature of the air also gradually rose. Accompanied by this warmth was a disgusting smell.

Yes, disgusting.

"Miss Liliana, what happened... what happened..."

Her answer was a kiss from Miss Witch.

Under the effect of magic, the smell that rushed straight into the nostrils weakened.

"It's okay if you don't know, Miss Tingna, it's not a particularly important matter, it's better not to know."

"……Um."

After hearing Alice's words, Tina's body trembled violently, and she buried her face in Liliana's neck.

"...are there any survivors?"

Gently stroking the girl's blond hair, the witch looked around at the scorched earth that could be clearly seen through the wind and snow in the sky.

As expected, there are corpses everywhere, the wooden carriage is still burning, weapons are scattered on the ground, the corpses of boys in linen clothes, men and women are everywhere, the corpses of the men in leather armor are relatively complete, Their weapons fell on the scorched soil, and they were also scorched black. There was also a man in well-dressed clothes. His corpse was the most complete, except that he was missing a head. Compared with his other companions, it was almost Is lucky and couldn't be more lucky--

At least that head won't have the look of being ripped apart.

——All were burnt, and the cause of death was the bite of a monster. Since the corpse of the monster cannot be seen, it is...

...that, huh?

It was a voice from the center of the scorched earth that interrupted the conversation between the witch and the puppet in the spiritual link.

"If you mean someone who will die in a while, then here... there is another one."

If you look carefully, this "corpse" that can be confused with the surrounding charred corpses is the most complete. Although both legs are broken, at least they are still connected to the body. Liliana said calmly. After walking over there, he reluctantly used his hands to prop up his upper body.

"……Who are you……"

Half of the man's face was scorched black and the other half was intact. On his head, there was still a part - because there was only a part of it, the extremely funny flame-colored curly hair. Looking at the somewhat impressive flame color, Liliana narrowed her eyes slightly.

"...Why are the direct descendants of the Nicholas family in a slave caravan?"

"...Platinum long hair, black pupils, rainbow-colored magic light, keep naked in the wild regardless of the season, dolls... Hey, really, that painting, if I remember correctly, was before the Thirteenth Holy War At once……"

But Klaus was even more surprised. After using his remaining eyes to see clearly the girl standing in front of him holding a girl who was much older than himself, he also fell silent.

"Hey, these idiots are really lucky, because I am here, and they managed to live a few more days. Why is the immortal witch on such a barbaric grassland!"

Then, as if he was feeling something, laughing at someone, he laughed.

For some reason, Tingna felt that this laughter was extremely exciting.

"……travel."

Since it was a matter of course, Liliana's tone of reply was also taken for granted.

Because it was so natural that even Klaus had the illusion that [traveling naked on the uninhabited wild prairie in winter] is an illusion that is a very common thing, which made the laughter stop abruptly end.

Ignoring the man's expression, Liliana continued to ask.

"...Do you know where the nearest [San Torre] is?"

"...It's really the same as the family records, can you figure out what's going on now?"

The man continued to be dumbfounded.

"Facing a dying person and an obviously bad situation, instead of saving him or asking about the situation, he asked about the gathering place of the nomads?"

"...You are hopeless."

But the witch who looked down at him just continued her words without any emotion.

"...There are no traces of the battle, no corpses or footprints of the enemy, and it is snowing heavily, so there is no need to guess. You have met a snow ghost, really bad luck."

Before the words fell, Alice, who was floating beside Liliana, lit up a magic circle in her hand, and threw a fireball to the edge of the scorched earth, on a suddenly raised snowball.

The sound of snow being melted and water being transpired made the blond girl hug the witch's neck even more nervously.

"I didn't expect to see this kind of thing in the south of the mainland..."

But there are still many uplifted snowballs, the smallest is only the size of a fist, and the largest is almost like a cow. After throwing a few fireballs, Alice simply clapped her hands, and a wall of flames rose on the edge of the scorched earth.

"If you talk together, it won't last long, so hurry up and answer Lily's question. It's just a tragedy caused by your bad luck. Alice and Lily are not interested in it."

Alice clapped her hands and floated over the man's head to look down at him.

And the same is true of those black eyes that didn't ripple at all. Although there was no obvious expression of impatience, there was also an overtone of "don't say unnecessary words and answer quickly".

"Ha ha ha ha……"

However, being watched like that, he would definitely die after a while, but he was still full of energy for some reason.

But he laughed wildly.

"Someone actually said to this uncle, to this Klaus: 'You are so unlucky'!"

Snow Ghost's attack was as sudden as the literal meaning.

The first snow in the year of the black flower that started to fall in the afternoon was already so heavy that even the horses were unwilling to take another half step at dusk. I had to stop to set up camp, which was more than half an hour ago.

Then, the tent was set up, the horses were set up, and the bonfire was lit. After spending more than half an hour doing this, I just poured the hot wine into my mouth.

Just when he finished a bottle of wine in one gulp, he was about to go into the tent to get a second bottle.

A large amount of snow poured into the carriage, and bright red blood spurted out.

It was the scream of the slaves of men and women.

A large number of snow blocks poured into the tent, and dark red blood splashed out.

It was the struggling death of mercenaries and merchants.

Surging snowballs also crawled around, spilling scorching blood.

It was the roar of anger and fury in his own pain.

As he draws his sword, sets fire to it to melt the attackers, and then recognizes them for what they are, Klaus really has nothing on his mind but "bad luck."

"In the southern grasslands of the mainland, I encountered a snow ghost during the first snow in the year of the black flower. There is really no other explanation except bad luck!"

"..."

"I don't have an expression of interest, anyway, knowing it can't change anything, right? Then——"

Because of the girl's silence, the bored man grinned the corners of his scorched mouth.

"Why should I tell you? Anyway, the journey of about three days is within this range, so go find it slowly!"

"...I can also ask after you die, it's just a little more troublesome."

In front of the excited man, Liliana just stared at him calmly, while Alice raised another wall of fire around the wall of fire, pushing the snow ghosts wriggling like waves back a little further.

"Well, this can last about ten minutes."

Followed by the third.

Floating to Tina's shoulder who didn't say anything, Alice twisted her fingers.

"If you add one more...you can hold on for another ten minutes."

On the periphery of the wall of fire, a higher wall of fire rose up.

"...Even if I die, you won't get the answer, because I really don't know. Since I was a child, I can't tell east, west, south, north."

The man replied with a livid face, probably not because he understood the witch's threat, but because his body had begun to dry up.

Liliana stared at his only blue eye calmly for a while, then nodded and turned around.

"Ah, but there is a slave who escaped, she is...we bought it in [San Torre], luck, a very lucky little girl, maybe she also knows..."

"...Even you couldn't escape, but a slave escaped?"

"No... lying to you... that little girl was very lucky, because, curled up in the corner of the carriage without saying a word, the snow ghost didn't kill her immediately, and waited until I released the treasure power to clear the field for the first time, and then... I asked her to help me retrieve the sword I threw out, and that sword directly recognized her..."

The man was still smiling, but it was a dying smile.

His voice became smaller and smaller. Although he kept inhaling, he didn't exhale much.

His scorched hands could no longer support the same scorched body, the excitement and wild laughter just now seemed fake, he grinned and fell back weakly.

"As expected of the bastard treasure left by that bastard ancestor... When the direct and direct descendants were still alive and dead, he and he recognized that slave and ran away with her... What a lucky little girl who makes people jealous Girl, don’t you? In comparison, I don’t have the face to call myself the Chosen One…”

The sound has gradually been buried in the wind and snow.

"...you are going to die."

The witch walking towards the other side of the scorched earth, faintly announced that his death was approaching.

"... Cough, even the last drop of blood on your body has to be turned into material to ignite the flames. In the end, this is the fate of the Nicholas family... Forget it..."

The firewall is gone.

The waves of snow swarmed up, and the scorched black land was covered with hideous white.

...which isn't bad either.

Then, the flames exploded.

After the sound of the explosion, the roar of the unknown snow ghost, and the calm chant of Liliana and Alice all disappeared in the wind and snow.

"Miss Liliana..."

Tingna, who witnessed the man's death, whispered, in Liliana's arms.

"Is that person really hopeless?"

Asking.

"...Eighty percent of the skin is severely burned, and a lot of blood is lost. It is completely dependent on medicine to barely maintain life, and there is no possibility of healing."

"More than 30 people died there. The breath of death is relatively strong, and the effectiveness of [Natural Magic] will be greatly reduced. As Lily said, there is no hope."

"That……"

As if unwilling, the girl continued to ask.

"What about the escaped slave, Miss Liliana and Alice... Will you save her? Can you find her..."

"...Miss Tina."

"Yes, it is."

"...After returning to the camp, I hope to hear why you value life so much."

"……Um."

"Then, the treasure of the Nicholas family is a scorching sword, definitely not something a little girl can pick up casually, so don't worry, Miss Tina, the traces she left..."

The snow was melted with the magic of flames, and the scratches and scorching marks of the sword blade were clearly visible on the soil. Alice did not drift far before discovering that this crooked straight line spread all the way to a gap in the grassland. There.

"Still easy to track."

The faint water mist is steaming.

……………………………………………………………………………………

When the girl opened her eyes again, the wind, snow and night had disappeared.

In the hazy water mist, the bright blue sky that can be seen between the rock crevices seems to be covered with a veil. The body soaked in the warm water ached everywhere.

"It's so warm..."

blurted out.

"it hurts……"

He bit his lips hastily again.

——If you don’t dare to escape, find a corner and hide quietly. Don’t cry or laugh, don’t talk or cry, all of this will pass.

"Ah, this voice...Miss Liliana, that child seems to have woken up."

...a woman's voice?

From lying in the water to sitting in the water, the girl supported her body, looked at the big sword in front of her and a woman she had never seen before. They stood a short distance away from her and looked at herself, but she only had Can blink blankly.

"...You fell on the snow and didn't suffer any injuries. The sword has been protecting you."

"I'm Tina, this is Miss Liliana, and Alice, do you have a name?"

drop? snow? Injuried?

what is that? What happened? my name, i...

"I used to be... the elder's daughter, but now I am..."

【dross】

A woman worse than a slave.

Memories poured out of my mind.

all memories.

The snow monsters pouring into the carriage crushed the women to pieces.

--will die.

——Even if you don't cry or make noise, don't talk or think, you can't hide from bloodthirsty monsters.

Unable to move because of such fear, a sword fell in front of him, and the flames scorched the snow monster, the carriage and the dead people, but he was unscathed.

The fiery red-haired man scolded loudly for pulling out the sword and handing it over to him, but the moment he held the sword, flames gushed out, and, then...

The girl hugged her head.

"It was you, saved me..."

"……Um."

The white-haired girl nodded.

"Then please tell me, me, what to do in the future..."

"..."

"I... used to be the elder's daughter, so I can speak the common language. However, since the fifteenth winter, because I couldn't give birth to a child, I never left the tent. I was going to be sold outside the grassland. But now... I don't know, I don't know where to go..."

"...You don't know, where is the nearest [San Torre]?"

"I don't know...I can't even go back, I can't do it..."

What happened in the wind and snow was like an unreal nightmare waking up a girl, filling her mind full of bewilderment and panic into the mind that hadn't thought about such complicated things for a long, long time, and this only brought More confusion and bewilderment came.

After Liliana was silent for a while, she turned and faced the rock wall on one side.

The magic of the earth turned the rock wall on one side into a gentle slope, pulling Tinna who didn't know what to say, Liliana walked towards the snowfield without saying a word.

"Wait, wait a minute, Miss Liliana, don't we help her?"

"Wait a minute, tell me what I'm going to do!"

"...Your eyes can see the surroundings clearly, your legs can walk as much as you want, and you even have a powerful treasure. What you want to do and where you want to go are all your own problems, and have nothing to do with me."

The answer was not only for this unknown girl, but also for Tingna.

"However, at least if the food reserves are enough, I can share a little bit with this child... and... ah, yes, if you don't know where to go, how about going to the hot spring that Miss Liliana built, If you go east from here..."

"...Let's go, Miss Tingna, the most important thing now is to cure your snow blindness and find the materials for a pair of goggles. I hope that man's final counterattack didn't destroy all the traces of the carriage."

"Eh... ok, but..."

"...Compared to Miss Tingna, she who is recognized by the Noble Phantasm is more able to survive on this grassland."

"...Eh? Eh——"

On the snow, a bulging backpack appeared.

The girls sitting paralyzed in the warm snowmelt water just stared blankly at their backs drifting away from the sword hilt that was constantly steaming with water vapor.

--not my business.

Speaking of which, I also heard this sentence last night.

"Tsk, I threw the sword out on a whim... Hey that guy, these snow ghosts will come over in a moment, quickly pick up the sword for me!"

When I was scolded, I picked up this weird sword with flame-like inscriptions on it, and then my whole body was wrapped in flames, and fell to the ground. The man with flame-like hair opened his mouth wide, and said with a shocked expression. expression, and laughed.

"Hey, hey, it's really the bastard treasure of that bastard ancestor. The direct descendants are dying here, but they are recognized by a slave? Are you kidding me! Is my luck so bad? !"

That laughter seemed to be cursing the gods and fate. The girl didn't understand at all, and her mind was in a mess. What happened and what to do, she couldn't understand anything, and when she finally When you react.

"Since the lucky ones were not eaten all at once, why are you still standing there in a daze! Waiting to die? Since you can be recognized by that sword, at least you still have the courage to escape. Run, if you are lucky enough Well, you should be able to escape and survive, if your luck is unlucky... Hey. That has nothing to do with me."

I have already started running.

Hold on, this sword...

The sword inserted obliquely into the mud was releasing heat, melting the snow into water, heating the water and turning it into warm steam, which rose into the sky and drifted in the wind.

Hold the hilt of the sword with your hand, let yourself stand up, the scorching rune on the sword body immediately emits amazing warmth, the tattered linen and hair on your body become dry instantly, and the cold is also isolated, it is almost like It's like a distant summer day in my memory.

Incredible sword, incredible power.

This is the Noble Phantasm... This is... [Nicholaste]...

—everything will pass.

——At least I still have the courage to escape.

Gently read out the wonderful words that I didn't know when I learned, the girl clutched her chest, and hesitated for a long, long time.

——What to do and where to go are all your own problems, and have nothing to do with me.

She held the hilt of the sword and pulled it out from the dirt.

On the freshly fallen snow, the beige backpack disappeared.

A string of footprints and a strange scratch spread towards the horizon.

In the direction of the rising sun.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Postscript of a certain day:

"Well, Miss Liliana, I'm done eating..."

"I ate a lot less than usual...ah, is Miss Tina going to lose weight? Because Lily thinks Miss Tina is very heavy?"

"...I didn't say that."

"It's not like that, it's just...Miss Liliana, I distributed a bag of food to that girl. I think, since it's my proposal, it should be reduced from my share..."

"But all the food was originally prepared for Miss Tingna. Only when Alice and Lily were traveling, they used local ingredients when they wanted to eat, and they didn't eat when they didn't want to eat."

"...and the food reserves are sufficient, so you don't have to force yourself."

"Yes, is it... Ha, ha ha..."

"...Are you still worried about that girl?"

"Well, although Miss Liliana said that she has a treasure or something, she is thin and small, and she seems to know a lot of things, which is really worrying. Miss Liliana and Miss Alice, there is nothing Don't you care?"

"……Um."

"Because it really has nothing to do with Lily and Alice, and her treasure is that sword, so don't worry at all. Ms. Tina should have heard of it to some extent. It has appeared in many novels. Ignite courage, The sword that brings hope, the true name of that Noble Phantasm is—”

【Nicholas】

"...【Light a fire for the desperate people】."