Chapter 25: The Young Woman of Silgaya (Part 1)
The sky was just right, and the sun was shining bright.
In the remote Dilapidated Village, restoration work was being carried out in an orderly fashion. The men were bustling back and forth, hauling logs and stones with carts, delivering them to the hired craftsmen to be processed into usable materials. Meanwhile, the women and children mostly occupied themselves with kneading clay or weaving thatch for rooftops.
Aside from the occasional sorrowful expressions on people’s faces, everything seemed to have returned to its usual harmony.
Though the population had clearly diminished.
Not far from the village, in the fields, stood two rows of oddly shaped and uneven gravestones and crosses… if you could even call them gravestones; they were more like large rocks propped up in haste, barely resembling a burial site.
By the village road on the west side, a huge, fearsome beast coiled up, quietly sleeping among the ruins of broken walls.
At first, it had truly frightened the villagers.
“What… what is that monster?”
“Don’t be ridiculous; that’s the Dragon God… the Dragon God has manifested.”
Fortunately, this great beast had just been resting here without moving since the villagers had discovered it.
Some curious young men, fueled by bravery, tried to get closer. The giant creature merely lifted its eyelids slightly, gave them a lantern-like glare, and then went back to ignoring them.
Slowly, the villagers realized that the beast was friendly and wouldn’t hurt them. Their courage grew, and some even approached to gently stroke its snowy fur.
There were terrible scars on it.
“The Dragon God must have fought a fierce battle with that monster… It saved us.”
One person remarked, only to be smacked on the head by a companion.
“Idiot, it was Little Shay who saved us.”
“…Oh, right.”
Soon, they spotted a girl wrapped in the beast’s fur, eyes closed and covered in bl**d.
“Isn’t that Little Shay? The Dragon God is protecting her?”
“Quick, go tell Grandma Claire that Little Shay is here!”
“What’s wrong with her? Is she… sleeping?”
“She’s covered in bl**d… is she badly hurt?”
“Don’t be silly! It must be that monster’s bl**d.”
“But… Little Shay isn’t moving at all!”
“Could it be that she’s already…”
“If you say anything else that’s unlucky, I’ll stitch your mouth shut! Little Shay is our savior; I pray for her every day. The Deity will bless her.”
“I’m worried about her too.”
“…Look, she rolled over! It’s okay, Little Shay is fine! Thank goodness!”
…
Day turned into night.
At some point, the girl opened her eyes in the warm fluffiness.
“Uh—”
I stood there a bit dazed, moving my stiff body.
My eyes felt unbearably dry, and after rubbing them and slapping my cheeks, it took me a while to finally snap back to reality.
How long did I sleep?
There was still a mild ache in my body, but more than that, I felt itchy. The pressure in my chest was gone, and I could move my waist and legs freely.
What a terrifying recovery ability.
I looked at my filthy body; the bloodstains had dried and hardened into a deep brown.
Bending down, I sniffed my dress and grimaced.
…Such a strong smell; it stinks to high heaven.
The giant white creature noticed my movements and, realizing I was awake, gently nudged its massive head closer.
And then, it gave me a little nudge from behind.
“Thank you, Big White.”
I patted my backside as I stood up and stroked its rough jaw.
“Grumble, grumble.”
Big White let out a soft rumble, its bell-like eyes gazing intently at me.
In them, I saw a light I didn’t understand.
“…Big White?”
I questioned.
The next moment, Big White’s massive form began to fade.
It felt like color-drained paintings on an old canvas. Soon it became transparent, transformed into shimmering golden light particles, and then vanished completely.
“Big White——!”
I shouted in panic.
“Don’t worry.” Someone spoke to me.
I turned around and saw the Bearded Swordsman approaching.
At that moment, he had shed his cloak and armor, wearing instead a simple black suit, a piece of straw hanging from his mouth, his gray-white hair tied back in a simple ponytail, exuding a gentlemanly vibe with a touch of laid-back charm.
He felt very different from our previous encounters, probably because we weren’t in a hostile situation anymore. His eyes had lost the piercing sharpness and were instead filled with a hint of drowsiness.
The only thing that hadn’t changed was the sword at his waist.
“It didn’t d*e; it just returned to its home.”
“…Home?”
“Ah.” The Bearded Swordsman replied dismissively, then glanced at me. Seeing I had no intention of letting the topic d*e, he impatiently clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, how to put it… Many years ago, humans had conflicts with dragons. But since the power imbalance was too great, a Deity intervened and warned them, saying, ‘Stop fighting. I’ll create a new world for you called the Land of Dragons.’ So, that big guy went back there.”
“Really?”
“The legend says so, at least.”
“You can’t be lying to me.”
I clenched my tiny fists, somewhat stubborn.
The Bearded Swordsman’s gaze turned serious.
“Hmm, I’m not lying. It’s still alive.”
“You swear.”
“…I swear.”
He solemnly raised his hand, but the serious demeanor somehow seemed unreliable, making it quite amusing. Then he suddenly extended his right hand toward me.
“Let’s get properly introduced. My name is Carlos. Silver Flash—Carlos Gonzalez.”
“Pfft.”
Sorry, I burst out laughing.
Silver Flash? What even is that? A nickname? Do people in this world introduce themselves like that? Do they have to announce their ultimate move names like they’re ordering food in a fight…?
I strangely felt a tiny bit excited?
“What are you laughing at?”
“N-no, nothing… You’re not going to k*ll me, are you?”
“…Guess?”
“I’m not guessing.”
“Just take a wild guess.”
“…”
As expected, my previous judgment was correct; this guy was very boring. But whatever, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Hilvigia Rabithermos.”
I extended my tiny hand for a gentle shake.
Then the Bearded Swordsman slowly pulled out a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe his hand that had just shaken mine. He didn’t glance away even once, with an utterly nonchalant expression.
“…So dirty.”
Hey, what do you mean by that!!
I quickly looked at my little hand, which was covered in dried bl**d and dirt.
Uh… it is a bit dirty.
My cheeks flushed red.
“Little Shay…”
“Hilvigia.” I shot him a glare.
“Alright, Little Shay.”
Just as I was about to get angry, he suddenly shifted from his previous lazy demeanor, placing his fist over his heart and bowing to me.
“I, Carlos Gonzalez, representing the Holy Church and the countless citizens of Silgaya you’ve saved, sincerely thank you for everything you’ve done. Your sacrifice and dedication will be forever etched in our hearts.”
His tone was solemn, and his words were sincere.
Noon sun poured a crimson glow onto the Dilapidated Village.
A warm breeze brushed over the grassy meadow, creating shimmering waves and carrying curious gazes from passersby, gently tousling my black hair like ink.
Revealing a delicate but dirty little face filled with confusion.
This sudden turn of events left me flustered.
“Uh… You may rise?”
Should I say that? Is that how it’s supposed to be said?
“What did you say?”
After his bow, the Bearded Swordsman returned to his lazy manner.
“…Nothing, I’m hungry.”
I patted my stomach and said.
“Let’s go.”
“What? What do you want to do with me?”
I looked at him suspiciously.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“…Oh.”
“And you’re too dirty.”
“…Oh.”
“When a girl is in a situation like this, she should gasp dramatically and then show a shy expression. Take notes.”
“No way.”
“Tsk, what a buzzkill.”
“……”
