“So basically, you’re traveling to save your hometown?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you come from?”
“Far east from here. The elven village on the other side of the forest.”
The lovely bride… Or rather, the boy answered Ameriko and Himeno’s questions.
His name was Chai, and he was a very healthy looking boy that looked like a beautiful girl.
He was shorter than Himeno, and while his face looked meek, his words and actions were full of energy. This made for a very cute gap that was so what Himeno liked that it made her dizzy.
His eyes were light blue, like an aquamarine crystal, and it was easy for one’s gaze to be drawn into them.
From behind his jaw-high and more or less evenly cut blue hair, his slightly pointed ears that were characteristic of elves could be seen peeking out.
“That is very brave of you. Taking on this mission and going on a journey by yourself.”
“Don’t treat me like a child. Despite my appearance, I am still an adult.”
“Adult…?”
They talked while eating fruit. This not only killed their hunger, but quenched their thirst as well.
This fruit that looked like fruit found in South America was just right in terms of ripeness and was very juicy. It hydrated them and was a good source of sugar, but it was also healthy and beautifying.
“How old are you Chai?”
“Sixteen.”
“Fah!?”
“…What did you say?”
“I did the coming of age ritual in my village too.”
Said Chai while puffing out his chest. His expression really did look childish, and it was hard to believe he was not around ten years old.
“Oh, so you’re a young adult uh?”
Said Ameriko with an amazed expression. He looked young, but was an adult on the inside. Many stories that included elves portrayed them as a race that lived for a long time, so their aging process was probably different.
“A legal shota elf… Fufufu, outstanding.”
“You sure seem happy Himeno.”
The black haired girl had a wicked grin on her face as she looked at Chai. He most likely noticed this, because he moved over to Ameriko’s side.
“No hum… I am simply happy because we finally found another person.”
“That’s true! So it’s not just a world filled with monsters after all…”
“T-thank you for saving me.”
Ameriko grabbed Chai’s hand, and his face turned a little red. Himeno also did not fail to notice the elf peeking at Ameriko’s large chest.
“Y-you two are witches aren’t you!?”
Said Chai as he threw away the core of a fruit he finished eating.
“Witches…?”
“Well, you used a gun to kill that monster, so it is only natural that he would think that.”
“Still, me a witch?”
“Explaining everything would take too long, so how about we say we are witches and leave it at that?”
“Well, we did come from another world… Explaining everything sounds like a lot of trouble.”
Himeno and Ameriko coordinated their story.
They said their names before, but decided to formally introduce themselves.
“I’m Ameriko, and I’m a gun shooting witch!”
“And I am Himeno. I wield swords.”
With a serious look in his eyes, Chai made a decision and spoke.
“Please! Thank you for saving me, but please save my village as well!”
“What do you mean?”
“Can you tell us more about that?”
Basically, Chai was traveling to look for a hero that could save his village.
He called this world ‘Cominform’. It was composed of one large continent and one kingdom that ruled it, but it was also dotted with many villages and towns that operated like self-governing states.
But then, a tragedy befell this world.
“Powerful sorcerers suddenly appeared, and no one knows where they came from. They have been taking over towns and villages all over.”
The sorcerers used their powers to rule with fear.
They showed off their power and took food and resources, and kidnapped women and children. They took over villages and towns and expanded their sphere of influence.
“Wait. Hum… So wizards and witches are different from those sorcerers?”
“Yes. Wizards and witches tell fortunes, look for things, solve problems, turn medicinal herbs into medicine to cure diseases, etc.”
Ameriko and Himeno looked at each other.
There was magic, but it seemed it was used in these people’s everyday life.
It was a little different than the flashy magic they were used to seeing in things like video games.
“So basically, you see magic as a good thing, and part of your everyday life?”
“Yes. I can use magic to heal wounds too. But… The sorcerers are different! They use magic to do bad things. They hurt people, and easily kill…”
Chai looked down, and his small body trembled.
“They sound terrible!”
Said Ameriko.
“They have been challenged by strong warriors, but they killed them all.”
Said Chai, looking frustrated.
This world was ruled by ‘sorcerers’, and Chai was looking for heroes to save it.
Ameriko and Himeno looked at each other again, and nodded.
“Alright. You can leave that to us!”
“Really!?”
“We are too far gone to turn back, and we also want to know more about this world.”
And if there was a chance, they would like to stay in Chai’s hometown. If they played their cards right, they could secure a place to sleep and eat nice food.
“But first… Where are the people that did this to you?”
They wanted to have a word with those that attempted to sacrifice Chai.
“In a nearby lumberjack’s village. They said they’ve been having a lot of trouble with orc attacks. They pretended to be friendly when I was passing by… And did this.”
“They’re awful!”
“I see. So they were scheming to offer you as a sacrifice, hoping that the orcs would leave them alone. That is quite selfish but…”
“I guess I can see why they’d want to offer a sacrifice after being attacked by that scary orc.”
They were not completely unsympathetic to the villagers’ situation.
“Hey! Whose side are you on!?”
“But still, offering an innocent child as a sacrifice is inexcusable.”
“I agree Himeno.”
“I’m not a child!”
It would take a week to reach Chai’s village on foot, but the lumberjack’s village was nearby. They had no choice but to make that their next destination.
“Let’s go give those people a piece of our mind!”
“Yes. As compensation for the terrible thing they did to Chai, we will be taking food and daily necessities… And if we could borrow some sort of means of transportation that would be nice.”
It was an over-optimistic calculation on the part of the calculating Himeno.
“You sound like a bandit, Himeno!”
“Don’t say that.”
As the old saying went, you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. They were going to need a lot of things for their journey.
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