Chirp chirp.
Ameriko was woken up by the same bird sounds she was used to hearing in her world.
“Hn? Fuah…?”
While still feeling drowsy, Ameriko rubbed her face on the pillow she was hugging, but something felt wrong.
Himeno was not there anymore. She disappeared all of a sudden, even though Ameriko thought she had her in her arms.
“Crap…!”
It was like a ninja substitution technique. Ameriko sat up while still holding the pillow and looked around.
The previous night, Ameriko managed to talk her way into sleeping in the same bed as Himeno.
Ameriko gently whispered ‘it’s okay’, ‘don’t be nervous’, ‘I’ll be gentle’, and ‘you can think of it like a sport’, and Himeno reluctantly agreed.
Ameriko knew Himeno was weak to this sort of push.
When they got into bed she hugged her, touched her around with the tip of her fingers, and just when the mood was getting good… Ameriko was suddenly attacked by sleepiness and fell asleep.
When she woke up, Himeno was in the other bed. Ameriko had no idea when it happened, but Himeno snuck into the elf’s bed and slept there.
“…Hnfufu…♪”
“Uu?”
There were joyous sleeping sounds and distressed groans coming from the same bed. Himeno was using Chai as a hugging pillow.
“Ah! Geez Himeno, you’re awful!”
Without stopping to think about it, Ameriko shook her and woke her up.
“W-what!?”
“What do you mean what? Why are you sleeping there?”
“…I tend to toss and turn a lot…”
“That doesn’t make sense!”
As Ameriko responded to Himeno’s poor excuse, Chai woke up.
“Hn… What is all that noise… Himeno!?”
“G-good morning.”
“I was feeling paralyzed all this time. So it was your fault…?”
Chai stared at Himeno. Apparently what happened to him was similar to what happened with Ameriko.
He was suddenly sleepy the previous night, felt paralyzed, and felt a strange sensation.
“We can’t have anything happening, so from now on we should all sleep together. That’s freedom and equality, the spirit of brotherhood.”
“That is quite the convenient freedom for you.”
Anyway, they got up, washed their faces, and had last night’s leftovers for breakfast.
They opened a window and saw the village covered in morning mist and felt refreshing air.
It was just right for the start of their new adventure.
They filled the backpack with whatever they could find and would need, and preserved foods.
According to Chai, it was tradition for neighbors to bring in new items needed for one’s daily life as an offering after a person passed away, so no one would complain if they took them. At least that was what Chai said, but neither Ameriko or Himeno had any way to know how true it was.
And then, Ameriko found a gold coin underneath a jar used to store water.
“A gold coin! Lucky! I wonder if there’s more…!”
“There was one in the back of the dresser too.”
The house having lost its owner meant they could do what they wanted.
“Do you think you are playing a video game?”
“Now… Time to go!”
“…Oh?”
Chai tried to open the door, and seemed confused.
“What is the matter?”
“The door won’t open. Hnnn!”
He tried as hard as he could to turn the doorknob, but the door would not budge even when he pushed it.
“Strange. Hmph!”
Ameriko tried to open the door as if ramming herself against it, but even that would not move it.
“…It appears we are locked in.”
“Why!?”
“Isn’t it obvious!? They did it!”
Chai screamed, and then they heard a sound coming from outside.
“What now!?”
“It sounds like a drum!”
The successive heavy bass sounds seemed to be coming from a drum. Its distinctive rhythm reminded them of folk music.
They rushed to the window and looked outside. What they saw was the head of the village and dozens of other men surrounding the cabin.
Some banged the drums and others did strange dances with their faces covered with masks. Half were carrying weapons such as axes and large sickles. It was a very strange sight.
“Fofofo… You’re awake, girls.”
Said the village chief while stroking his beard and stepping forward. His humble attitude from the previous day was completely gone, and it was replaced by a faint smile and sharp eyes.
“Why did you lock us in here!?”
Protested Ameriko loudly.
“Quiet! Witches that are unable to use magic are nothing more than regular girls.”
“That’s right hahaha!”
“Hihihihi…!”
The men under the village chief laughed loudly and vulgarly, dulling the fresh morning air.
“…What do you mean?”
“Gehyahya! There’s a magic sealing device in that house!”
“Y-yes…! Lots of magic sealing stones under the floor! After spending one night there, it sucked your magic energy, so you can’t use magic anymore…!”
Said the middle aged man and the timid looking man, also with completely different attitudes. They yelled as though they were bragging about their victory.
“It’s true… They sapped my magic energy.”
Chai said as he turned pale. He looked at his hands, and then at Ameriko and Himeno with an anxious look on his face.
“So that’s why I felt paralyzed last night. It was your trap…”
“I thought for sure it was Himeno’s fault…”
Chai said he could use simple healing magic, but now he had lost his magic energy. To make matters worse, they were facing people with bloodlust in their eyes, like they were hunting witches.
“Indeed! You have lost your magic power… You are not witches or wizards anymore, you are simple girls. There is no reason to fear you.”
The village chief revealed his true, foul nature, and it seemed the men in the village were fully behind him.
“What are you planning to do with us?”
Asked Ameriko with a surprisingly calm tone.
“Fofofo…! You are like domestic animals in a cage, so we are free to do as we please…! You will be our playthings… No, you will be livestock used to birth children.”
“What!?”
“There aren’t many young women in this village… It’s very inconvenient.”
“Hihihi. I’m the biggest guy in this village, and I’m going to plant a lot of my seed…”
“Gehehe…! I’ll take the blonde one.”
“Don’t try to get a head start. We’re taking turns!”
“I’ll have the black haired one!”
“I can take the elf that’s actually a boy.”
The men spoke without any reservation while looking inside the log cabin with lustful eyes.
It made the skin of the three people inside crawl.
“…!”
“They’re just the worst!”
“What are we going to do!?”
Ameriko clenched her teeth.
“Too bad.”
They wanted to believe that the villagers had no choice but to put Chai through that terrible experience. That they were actually receiving travelers like them out of kindness and friendliness.
They wanted to believe that even in a different world people were generally good, but that trust was betrayed.
They offered women and children in their village to the orcs so only they could survive, and thought only about satisfying their lust.
“We’re getting out of here.”
Ameriko’s right hand started shining, and the particles of light turned into steel as they gathered. She summoned Colt Firearms’ M1911.
“No argument here.”
Himeno pressed her hands together, as if offering a silent prayer, and stretched her arms left and right as if unsheathing a sword. The white particles of light this action brought forth turned into a sword.
Phantom blade, short sword Kurourushi Hirumaki. Its cold shine captivated everyone around it.
“You two can use magic!?”
Said Chai with a glint in his eyes.
“This is not magic. Not quite.”
“It’s probably something else.”
Said Ameriko and Himeno with light smiles on their faces, before nodding to each other.
They were going to be fighting their way out. Chai realized what they were about to do, and rushed to grab the full backpack.
Ameriko fired two shots near the doorknob. The sound of metal being flicked away was heard as light entered the gap in the door. She then kicked the door with her boot as hard as she could, and it easily opened as the chains that held it shut were now broken, and scattered in front of the log cabin.
“W-whaaaat!?”
The men under the village chief panicked.
“T-they broke the door with magic!”
“Did the trap fail!?”
“No way…!”
“What are you doing!? Get them!”
“Y-yes… It’s just a couple of girls…”
A gunshot was heard, and blood sprayed out of the shoulder of the timid looking man. He held his left shoulder as he went down, and rolled around on the ground.
“Gyaaah!? It hurts!”
“J-Jean! How dare you…!?”
The bearded middle-aged man raised his axe.
From a distance of five meters, Himeno drew a silver crescent moon with her blade, which passed through the raised arm of the middle-aged man.
“Eh? Kyuaaaah!? My arm… My arm!?”
The axe hit the ground with a thud, and blood spurted out of his wrist. He pitched forward and fell while screaming. Part of his wrist was still attached to the axe’s handle.
“You can cut an opponent from a distance!?”
Ameriko was impressed by Himeno’s technique.
“Secret technique, Tenken Chikaku (space between heaven and earth), social distance blade. I learned a new sword skill the previous night when you invited me to your bed, and I was torn between being polite and saying how I felt.”
“What kind of reason is that!?”
Ameriko was shocked, and pointed her gun at the village chief and the others, almost in retaliation.
“Eeh!?”
“Spare me…!”
The circle around them became wider, as everyone surrounding them completely lost their lust and will to fight. Some pleaded for their lives with sweat running down their faces.
“Can we borrow the horse in that stable and the wagon?”
“Uu… Do as you like…”
The village chief said as his voice trembled. Chai quickly went to the stable to get the horse and connected it to the wagon.
“Hop in!”
Said Chai with the reins in his hands.
“Well, that’s it for us then.”
“Farewell.”
Ameriko and Himeno jumped aboard.
“Dammit! We finally got some girls…!”
Ameriko shot a villager that did not intend to let them get away. Her bullet pierced his knee and he collapsed while yelling in pain.
This was the decisive blow. Killing anyone would only enrage the others, but watching their defeated friends scream in pain made the rest lose their motivation.
“Go!”
The horse neighed, and the wheels started moving. The wagon broke through the circle of villagers and passed through the village’s gate.
The wagon gained speed as it left the village behind and followed the path into the forest. When they looked back they saw the men stomp their feet in frustration, but there was no sign that they would chase them.
“Ahh… Good grief…”
“That was truly awful.”
Ameriko and Himeno bumped fists while breathing a sigh of relief.
But then, before they were even a hundred meters away from the village, they heard screams.
“Orcs!”
“The orcs are attacking…!”
“Gyaaaah…!?”
“H-help!”
When they focused their eyes, they saw orcs jumping over the village’s fence and rushing into the village.
“P-please, witches…! Come back…!”
The village chief selfishly screamed while kneeling on the ground.
“What do you want to do?”
Asked Chai while facing forward.
“I’m not going back now, no matter how much they ask.”
“It is far too late for that.”
Ameriko and Himeno’s weapons disappeared, and they faced forward.
“Serves them right.”
Said Chai while smiling and skillfully handling the reins.
They heard screams behind them, but at some point stopped hearing them.
The light being filtered through the trees and the chirps of birds all around them felt nice, and the morning became refreshing once again.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
