—In the forest.
The boys who had stolen the village's money kept watch on their surroundings as they counted their haul.
Deep in the dim woods, the chirping of birds filled the air with an eerie quality.
"Hurry up!"
When one of them urged the others on, the boy who had been counting spoke up.
"Fifty silver coins. That's what it adds up to!"
It was money that had been collected on behalf of the village — and these boys had known exactly where it was stored.
Blamed by the adults for recklessly hunting beasts and upsetting the balance of the forest, the boys had decided to leave for the city.
To raise the funds for that purpose, they had helped themselves to the village's coffers.
"Alright, that should be enough to get by in the city."
The city — they believed that if they could make it that far, somehow things would work out.
"It's perfect for getting away from all those naggy adults. Still, it really ticks me off how high and mighty that outsider acts. Guy's not even much of an adventurer."
The outsider they were referring to was most likely the village head.
From their perspective, the village head was a washed-up failure who had come back to the village to spend his twilight years. The kind of adventurer they envisioned was someone who owned a mansion in the city and lived in style.
"My old man and my brother told me — his rank as an adventurer is so low that a washed-up loser like him is all they'd ever send here."
Grumbling about the village head, the boys carefully stowed away their newly acquired money and began thinking about their plans going forward.
"Hey, how are we actually gonna get out of the village? Even if we've got money, we don't have food or equipment."
The three boys looked at each other, and the same answer sprang to mind for all of them.
"That's obvious, isn't it? We'll just borrow it from somewhere."
They didn't have anything resembling travel equipment.
The method that came to mind was to steal the equipment of Lyle and the others, under the guise of borrowing it.
"They always bring a bunch of girls along—I hate that guy. And the village chief, that ugly bastard, went and got himself a beautiful wife. He definitely bought her with money, no doubt about it."
As second and third sons who always occupied the weaker positions, they had long grown weary of life in their cramped village.
From time to time, they would hear traveling merchants tell tales of adventurers thriving in the cities, and they would dream of someday becoming like them.
But reality wasn't so sweet.
The villagers of Baim were relatively well-off, but there wasn't that much money available to send second and third sons off on their own.
The three of them had long since given up on the idea of clearing land and obtaining fields, so they only helped out with farming half-heartedly.
With no fields or houses to inherit, the path to independence they had settled on was becoming adventurers.
They held an unfounded confidence that they would succeed if they became adventurers. Of course, it was also true that many adventurers didn't understand reality any better than they did.
That was one reason why reckless adventurers never decreased in number.
"Hey, once we've got the equipment, then what? It takes two whole days on foot to reach the nearest village."
One of the boys deliberately raised a bag stuffed with silver coins to eye level and jingled it.
"Once we get that far, we can just buy food with money. And if we catch a ride on a supply cart, the city won't be far off."
The boys grinned as they pictured themselves striking out on their own in the city.
"Then let's sneak in after dark. As long as they don't venture deep into the forest, it should be fine."
The boys had noticed that since Lyle and the others had started going into the forest, the number of Monsters near the entrance had dwindled.
They figured if they hid until nightfall, things would work out somehow.
"Well, that means we've got time to kill."
The three of them had brought bread and water bottles along when they snuck out, and now they tore off pieces of bread and popped them into their mouths. They chewed through the hard bread and eyed the weapons hanging at their waists.
"Hey, if we collect the materials and Magic Stones, we could sell them when we reach the next village, right?"
When one of them said that, the other two turned their eyes toward the pouch stuffed with silver coins.
In their estimation, it was a fortune—but if possible, they didn't want to touch it until they made it to the city.
They would use that money to gear up as adventurers.
They wanted to save as much as possible and buy the best equipment they could.
"...Well, we've got time to kill. Might as well earn enough to cover our meals."
The boys headed deeper into the forest—.
After accepting the additional request from the village chief, I finished inspecting my gear and made my preparations to enter the forest.
Miranda watched me with a weary expression as I set off to enter the forest alone.
"You took the request, but there's no reason to push yourself into going into the forest, is there?"
I checked the spare Saber, short sword, and knife at my waist, then stuffed rope into my bag.
"I'll just wander around near the forest entrance and recover everything quickly. It'd be a pain if they ended up discovered as corpses."
Miranda looked at me, calling me a softy under her breath.
"Take me or Eva with you."
The only ones who could move around effectively inside the forest were Miranda, Aria, and Eva the elf. But it wasn't worth bringing all three along.
"If the three who ran off went deep into the forest, I'll turn back. Besides, I've got Skills too."
When I grabbed the Jewel to show her, Miranda spoke up.
"...Don't overdo it. And someday, you need to come clean about all those secrets. I'm willing to keep quiet until Rael tells me himself."
Watching Miranda's retreating back as she walked away, I thought to myself.
(She knows...)
Shrugging, I let go of the Jewel and the Fourth Generation spoke.
"I tried to say I kissed the Kirin and it was a lie, but it was meaningless. You should set up an environment where you can tell them someday."
The Sixth Generation said.
"Yeah. Well, it doesn't have to be right now."
I didn't think there was any need to explain, but thanks to Shannon, I had no choice but to. The timing was bad, but I should create an environment where we could talk calmly.
I had to explain in order, leaving no questions unanswered. And that the Jewel I possessed was different from the one Ceres had...
That's when I thought.
(What's the difference between the Jewel I have and the one Ceres has? Ceres said mine was fake or a failure... Isn't the true use of the Jewel to record Skills?)
Shaking my head, I headed for the forest, first thinking about rescuing the three boys.
Having entered the forest alone, thanks to Eva's guidance, I was able to walk through it by myself.
I wasn't used to it, but with the use of Skills, I didn't lose my way and avoided Monsters while heading deeper.
The three had gone deeper before I entered the forest.
"I think I can catch up."
Since they weren't going too deep, I thought I could catch up, so I continued to follow the three.
With the map of the surroundings appearing in my mind, and even knowing the reactions of friend and foe, I was probably suited for an adventurer's work.
That was also proof of how excellent the Fifth and Fourth Generation's Skills were.
Chasing after the three, I saw a corpse along the way.
It was a Grey Wolf. They must have given up on skinning it midway, as only the Magic Stone had been retrieved.
"That's awful."
Not that the Monster was torn to shreds, but that the stripping of the materials was awful. It seemed they didn't know the basics.
"The pelt is worth more, though."
In terms of buyback price, pelts fetched a higher amount.
After spending enough time as an adventurer, it seemed like such a waste no matter how he looked at it. But more than that, what nagged at him now was—
"If you could steal the village's money, why head deeper into the forest? No, you wouldn't even have been prepared to escape in the first place."
Or had they planned this from the start, hiding equipment and supplies somewhere in the forest? He followed the thought as far as it would go, then dismissed it as impossible and pressed onward.
Monsters began gathering below the boys' position. Unaware of the danger, they seemed to have surrounded something.
"They've surrounded the beast? A trap!"
The beast had been there from the start, and he hadn't noticed the trap had been set.
He broke into a run, drawing his short blade to hack away obstructing branches and grass as he hurried forward.
And then—
"...No way."
Understanding the situation through his Skill, he frantically picked up speed.
A voice of surprise echoed from within the Jewel as well.
It was the Fifth Generation.
"May..."
—The boys who had surrounded the beast stared at its lifeless body and let out sighs of disappointment.
"Seriously? There wasn't even a Magic Stone?"
The blood-splattered boy wiped his hands on a cloth, his irritation plain.
They had spent all that time only to come away with nothing. That was the source of his frustration.
"I told you I can't tell the difference."
"Wait, why do we have to be so careful about these things? They're the ones attacking us, aren't they?"
As it happened, the boys—left behind from a previous trap installation—spotted a wolf heading their way.
They surrounded the weakened wolf and brought it down, but it put up a far tougher fight than a Grey Wolf would have.
"How many Magic Stones do you think two would get us?"
"Ah, maybe enough for a large copper coin or so…"
As the three of them moved to leave, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck.
Along with a rumble of thunder, a pale blue light illuminated everything around them.
Looking up through the gaps in the branches and leaves, the small patch of sky visible above was a clear blue.
"What the— what's going on?"
"Hey, this isn't some dangerous Monster popping up, is it?"
"R-Run!"
Had a spell-casting Monster appeared? That was the conclusion the boys jumped to, and they scrambled to flee. But there, in the middle of their circle, stood a small girl.
She was uncannily unreal.
She wore clothes unlike anything they had ever seen.
The white outfit bared her midriff and shoulders. No—it was composed of separate pieces covering her chest, waist, and from the upper arms down.
The fabric around her chest and waist was snug enough to follow the contours of her body, showing off a trim waistline and a prominently large bust.
Her hips were on the smaller side.
Yet despite all that, the sleeves on her arms were so loose they completely hid her hands. On her feet were sandals, and wrapped around her calves was something resembling a net of interlocking straps.
With short, light golden hair swaying gently, she passed between the three boys, destroyed the trap clamped around the wolf's leg, and cradled the blood-soaked wolf in her arms.
The three boys stood rooted to the spot, unable to move—held in place by a sensation so overwhelming they could barely breathe, tangled up in emotions too complex to name.
When they saw the girl, they thought she was beautiful.
At the same time, they thought it was impossible.
Pushing aside her hair from just above her ears, two horns grew outward.
Seeing the girl with golden horns, the trio felt both beauty and terror.
They had never heard of a race among the demi-humans that possessed horns. Just because they didn't know of one didn't mean it didn't exist—but faced with a being they had never seen before, the three were terrified.
Above all, her aura was entirely different.
One of them managed to squeeze out a voice.
"Wh-Who are you? An adventurer who came to the village? I've never seen you around, though..."
When she turned around, the girl's eyes were a clear, transparent blue—yet at the same time, they looked down upon and glared at the three of them.
"Gah!"
When one startled boy fell backward, wolves began gathering around the girl. Ignoring the boys entirely, the wolves pressed their bodies against the girl's legs, sniffing the scent of their fallen companion.
The girl's mouth opened.
"I'm sorry I didn't get here in time to help you... Come now, it's time to say goodbye."
Saying that, the girl set the wolf she had been cradling down onto the ground. When the other wolves howled, a young pup pressed its forehead against the girl's leg and drew close.
The girl closed her eyes, and when she opened them, the body of the dead wolf burst into flames.
As the pale blue flames flickered, the girl spoke.
"Come now, go on ahead."
Sending the wolves back into the depths of the forest, she turned her glare on the boys. Avoiding the burning flames as she approached them, the girl said just one thing.
"I hate people like you. Ignorant, and arrogant... That's right. To make sure you never do this again, I'll have one of you disappear from here. The other two will return to the nearby village and tell everyone what happened today. That will be the end of it this time."
The girl spoke in a calm, detached tone, and the boys broke into cold sweats, their faces drained of color as they looked at one another.
The girl.
"Who's going to disappear?"
Disappear. The girl said as much, and the boys understood what she meant.
That one of them would be killed.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, so please just let us go."
When one of them said that, the girl tilted her head.
"What exactly are you sorry for? If you can say it, go ahead and try."
The boys exchanged glances.
"We— we killed the wolves."
Hearing that, the girl burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha, well, that's certainly true. Yep, you're not wrong. But you see..."
The girl's form transformed in an instant.
The small-statured girl shifted into a Kirin — white-scaled, with a golden mane.
Her two horns vanished, replaced by a single horn emerging from her forehead.
It was a fierce, razor-sharp horn.
"I'm not saying you shouldn't kill living things. I kill to survive too. Honestly, even if you were enjoying the killing, I wouldn't complain. That's your business. But..."
She took one step forward, and all the boys toppled backward, landing hard on their backsides. The first to fall scrambled on all fours, desperately trying to crawl away.
They were seeing a Kirin for the first time, and it was directing its hostility straight at them.
It was a divine, majestic sight — yet at the same time, it despised them.
Realizing this, the boys broke into tears and begged for mercy.
But the Kirin seemed uninterested.
"I don't personally care for you, though. And you went and disrupted the balance of the forest for no good reason. That's your crime. So — which one of you would like to disappear?"
Hearing a girl's voice emanating from the massive form of a Kirin was deeply unsettling.
But the boys were far more concerned with their own survival.
"I told you I didn't want to come! This is all because you dragged me here!"
"Shut up! You were having the most fun out of all of us!"
"I don't want to! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
The boys screamed and wept, hurling insults at one another. The Kirin listened — but.
"So then, who's it going to be?"
Their pleas for mercy never seemed to reach the Kirin.
But then the Kirin suddenly shifted its gaze away from the boys and turned around.
"It seems she's arrived. I've been waiting…"
What the boys saw was an adventurer with blue hair.
She must have rushed here — twigs and leaves were tangled in her hair. Out of breath, she switched the short sword in her right hand over to her left, then drew her saber.
She dropped low into a stance, locking her eyes on the Kirin.
Unlike the boys, she stood ready to face it head-on.
The Kirin raised its front legs high, leaped into the air, and when it landed, it had taken human form.
Then, looking down at the sobbing boys, it spoke.
"That's enough. I've met the one I was looking for now. If you ever show yourself before me again, next time you will most certainly disappear."
Terrified, the boys fled back the way they had come into the forest.
Throwing off the luggage she had been carrying, she ran desperately toward the village――.