Far away, consciousness floats between the waves.

The constantly fluttering ripples, the slight sleep, the narrow gap between dreams and reality, the consciousness is constantly rising and falling.

—methods, and others. ”

"yes. The rest is up to you. ”

On the dividing line between the underworld and the present world, far away, no, very close, the sound of someone talking to each other can be heard.

The voice, entangled, abandoned, cried, froze feelings.

Suddenly, the palm of the hand was surrounded by a soft touch.

I remembered from the memory of touching it several times, and the touch came from someone's hand.

Is it because of the pursuit of this warmth and the desire to get it back, that is why I have this dream?

The touch that surrounds the palm of the hand suddenly fades away.

Far away from the palm, far away, far away, out of reach, floating high, high.

And then—

"—I will, I'll save you. ”

Only this unwavering determination remains. Everything else slowly fades away, abandoned, faded, drifted away.

And then—

How many times has consciousness been forcibly interrupted and awakened like this?

Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, the Pleiades pondered the question in a daze.

"Ah, it hurts......"

After waking up, the Pleiades lying on the bed just wanted to support his upper body, but he felt a convulsion in his abdomen.

When I tried to touch my painful abdomen with my left hand, I felt a huge discomfort, so I raised my left hand to my eyes. Seeing that dilapidated look, he understood.

From the fingers of his left hand to his wrists, there were white scars.

It's not just the arms that feel disagreeable.

When he lifted his clothes, he also had a white scar on his right abdomen, which was twitching. The ankles, the right hand, and the shoulders of both feet are so numerous that even the buttocks are spared.

If these are all scars left by the fangs of the monster......

"Originally, I thought I was going to die..."

In order to protect Rem who was attacked, the Pleiades were torn all over by the fangs of the monster.

The monster seemed to tear the flesh of the Pleiades to pieces as if it were a molar.

Blood poured out of his body, his internal organs were exposed, and his life was falling little by little. He felt it firsthand, and he was almost sure that his life was over.

"After that, I barely picked up a life, and then was treated......

Pleiades moved his fingers, confirming his movements as he looked around.

Unfamiliar ceilings and rudimentary beds. This cramped room is not a room in a Rootsville dwelling. Then he noticed. Next to the entrance, there was a young girl sitting on a wooden chair, and she was sleeping soundly with her head bowed.

"—Amilia"

However, the girl did not respond.

Emilia seemed to be sleeping soundly, her breathing was quite deep. Beautiful long silver hair is rarely disheveled. The most striking thing was the dark stains left by blood and mud all over the clothes.

Seriously injured, she was able to usher in the morning sun of the next day in bed, as well as Emilia who was asleep next to her, and the clothes on her body. No matter how dull the mind is, you can immediately know what is going on.

"Do I owe her another favor......

"Is that so? I think it's a reward for your hard work, and I don't think Leah feels like you owe her anything."

A hoarse whisper echoed the Pleiades. He turned his head to look over the other side of the voice, and saw Parker crawl out of the sleeping Emilia's hair and float in his direction.

"Oh, good morning. Pleiades, are you feeling okay?"

"How can I say it? I feel like the wound is a little cracked, but what do you complain about after picking up a life? Although my body is full of injuries, as a man, I won't call my father and mother."

The wound on the battlefield is a wound of honor, although I won't say that, but for the indelible white scars on this body, I can't help but feel that.

More than this, the Pleiades are more concerned about the cause of the formation of the scar.

"It didn't go to waste, but what happened after that? Honestly, I was bitten by those dogs in the forest, and I can't remember what happened after that. ”

"Rattle, rattle, rattle, is a cute saying. Seeing that when you were brought back, that shattered look felt more like 'Jil-la-la-ca'."

"If you make that sound, you're going to die. Five or six lives are not enough to spend. ”

"Well, so, the blue-haired maid is so badly wounded. ”

Seeing Parker's uncaring and relaxed tone, Pleiades couldn't help but choke up.

"But ......"

Faced with the Pleiades' reaction, Parker continued.

"The child was affected by the ghosting, and the bite was almost healed. By the time she is carried back to the village, she has no visible injuries. So there's no need to use healing magic. ”

"Don't scare me, okay. ...... Anyway, Rem returned to the village safely. And then there's one more. What about the children who were carried back with me?"

"It's all safe and sound, don't worry. There are 7 children in total. The Pleiades were absolutely correct. ”

Parker gushed as he clapped his hands with his unclapping palms. Because the meat ball in the palm of the hand is so soft, you can't even clap your hands. I can't help but feel a little ridiculous when I see it like that. However, he shook his head and focused on business.

"Parker, the children back in the village, have their curses been lifted?"

"Don't worry, Betty and I were able to lift the curse and use magic to restore their strength. So they're fine. The children's curses have indeed been lifted. ”

Parker patted himself on the chest as if he were packing a ticket. Seeing it like that, the Pleiades breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he is reassured that his efforts have not been in vain.

Then, with his hand on his chest, he shifted the conversation to Emilia as she fell asleep.

"Well, Emilia, she...... Been here all night?"

"I tried to persuade her to go back and rest, but she wouldn't listen. She didn't hesitate to use Yuan Li to treat you, so she had to let her sleep there for a while."

"Yuanli...... Yes?"

Parker tugged at his beard and explained to the Pleiades who was puzzled by the unfamiliar words.

"The magic that fills the atmosphere is called magic. On the contrary, Yuan Li is stored in the body of living beings, the original magic power of living beings. The amount of Yuan Li will vary from person to person. And just like the word suggests, it can cause harm to the body if you use it. So I also said to Leah, try not to use this kind of magic......"

Seeing Parker's hesitant attitude, it was easy for Pleiades to imagine what Emilia had done.

Originally, it was not in accordance with the contract to summon Parker out at night. But in order to lift the curse, it is necessary to borrow the power of Parker and Beatrice, and Emilia will definitely do it without hesitation.

For the sake of others, he does not hesitate to be injured and suffered. Because of this, Emilia looks cute.

"This is somebody's house in the village, right? Can I go outside?"

If you're not going to wake Emilia up, it's time for the whispered discussion with Parker to come to an end.

Parker nodded to the Pleiades who had come out of bed, granting his request.

"It's good to be able to confirm the effect of the treatment with a little bit of activity. ”

With Parker's permission, he stepped out the door.

Passing by Emilia's side on the way, the Pleiades politely bowed to the silver-haired girl. When he looked down, he saw Emilia's sleeping face, and although he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to tease, he finally desperately resisted the thought and walked outside.

"Ahhh

After going out of the door and walking through the entrance in front of him to the outside of the house, he saw a commotion in the village and couldn't help muttering.

The morning sun has not yet fully risen, and the sky is faintly bright. But the square of the village was already crowded, and a large number of figures had gathered.

As long as there is any wind and grass in a small village, it will immediately spread throughout the village. The old people, the women, the children, with a look of uneasiness, noisily surrounded a group of strong young people.

That's the youth group that chased the Pleiades into the deep forest last night. And several of the members inside had bandages on their heads, and it seems that some of them were injured.

The Pleiades took a cursory look around, but couldn't see the person he was looking for, which was a little strange.

"-You're awake?"

At this time, a shout came from behind, and the Pleiades stopped and turned around.

Even though I knew who it was from calling my name, I felt a sense of peace of mind when I saw my face with my own eyes.

Standing in the back is the peach-haired maid - Ram.

Ram rolled up the sleeves of his usual maid's dress and held in his hand something resembling a basket, with a large amount of steamed sweet potatoes in it. It looks like she's shipping these things right now.

The faint smell of salt wafted from the slightly steaming white potatoes, causing hunger and a low voice in the stomach. Only now did he realize that he was hungry.

"It's so pitiful that I was so scared to death that I woke up and begged for food. Did you get infected by a dog after being bitten?"

"What kind of state is it to be infected by a dog. But, uh-huh~oh~ You're actually worried about me?"

"Eat this. ”

"It's so messy!"

Shaking from side to side and teasing Ram's pleiades, she coldly stuffed a piece of hot steamed sweet potato into her mouth.

The scorching white potatoes filled the entire mouth, and the head of the pleiades was constantly emitted a rough "ha-ha" sound.

"It's scalding, but it's delicious!"

"It's delicious. Freshly made ...... No, it's just steamed."

"What, I look like I'm grinning, it's really hot. It's really delicious!"

"Okay, okay, I'll give you another one, shut your mouth and enjoy it. ”

The Pleiades grinned like a child and took the sweet potato.

Ram said after giving him a contemptuous look.

"However, I sincerely thank you for what happened last night. Thank you for your hard work. ”

"Thank you so highly. ...... Are you really thanking you?"

"If the interests of the people in the territory are damaged, the lord will also be questioned. The thought of leaving it alone would be the children of the village to be attacked by the wolves of hell...... , you will understand that Mao Ri is doing the right thing. ”

"Hellwolf...... ? ”

This should be the name of those black ** beasts.

Hellwolf, in the memory of the Pleiades, was the name of a monster that only existed in mythology. This monster really has such a terrible name, why isn't it called Cerberus?

Just listening to it, it is not difficult to imagine that if you encounter it, you will definitely die.

Pleiades bowed slightly, and Ram looked to the forest.

"The barrier that was loosened last night has been repaired. After that, I spent the night patrolling the area to see if there were any problems with the barrier. There shouldn't be Ulugam crossing the border. ”

"As long as we don't go through here, is it safe, and if the kids go through the barrier and bring the puppies back, then it all seems meaningless?"

"I don't like it—I've told the people in the village everything you think. ”

Her voice always felt a little trembling, although Ram's face was expression, but at this moment her heart should be difficult to calm down.

After inquiring, I learned that it was the responsibility of the villagers to maintain, confirm and report the barrier. Because the villagers' negligence is likely to be detrimental to Rootswell's interests, she must be unhappy about this.

After that, he snatched two steamed sweet potatoes from Ram and said goodbye to her.

After parting ways with the Pleiades, Ram walked over to the villagers, who were still uneasy to cling to each other. She is here to show her concern for the villagers. That's why I brought steamed sweet potatoes over, which is really like Ram's style.

"But steaming white potatoes is fantastic, and the salt control is just right. ”

Munching on the sweet potato, he continued to walk around the village.

While checking his physical condition, he visited the children he had brought back from the forest to make sure they were okay.

Because of fatigue and the fact that lifting the curse consumes a lot of physical strength, the children have not yet woken up. But their parents and relatives are grateful to the Pleiades.

Truth be told, Pleiades didn't do it to get the gratitude of others, he was overwhelmed by those thanks. As a result, he didn't even pretend to be stupid, and escaped from it shyly, and there was nothing more embarrassing than this.

After touring the village, Pleiades planned to return to the original room and wait for Emilia to wake up, suddenly remembering that she had not yet seen the blue-haired girl.

“——”

Suddenly, the figure of a ghost covered in blood and laughing loudly flashed through his mind.

The figure was majestic and miserable, but it wasn't the sense of fear that frightened the Pleiades.

Extending from the forehead, white horns - to the inhuman appearance, the Pleiades felt something.

That's right, at that time-

"—you happen to be here."

Just before the emotions in my heart clearly turned into words, a voice stopped the Pleiades.

I saw that the grass shook and rustled. Beatoris walked over, the hem of her long dress dragging the floor haphazardly.

"You're wearing such a long skirt outside, aren't you afraid of getting dirty?"

"Dirt, sand, or anything else that tends to stain your skirt can be easily bounced off with magic. - I have something to tell you more than that. ”

After honestly answering the meaningless question posed by Pleiades, Beatoris beckoned to him.

Change places - that is, is it inconvenient to talk here?

Although he was a little puzzled, he was not dissatisfied with the girl in front of him who was kind to him. He followed the girl behind her and clapped his hands suddenly.

"Speaking of which, if you can run outside the house like this, it means that you can help lift the curse on the children. Thank you. ”

“...... It's nothing, Betty is just entrusted by her brother ~ brother to do what he says. ”

Of course, Parker will ask Beldoris to be entrusted by Emilia.

And she should know that.

Even so, Parker was used as an excuse. It seems that there is also a duplicitous girl here.

Lyric blushed, and he followed Beatles to a corner of the village, on a path next to a field. Due to the commotion caused by the monsters, the villagers gathered in the center of the village. So in this place far from the village, there is no shadow of people wandering around.

"So, what's the matter with bringing me here?"

"You didn't even say a boring joke, you're pretty good at reading things. ”

Facing the Pleiades with her hands outstretched, Beatrice's answer was a little flickering. His eyes wandered many times, and he kept playing with the skirt with his fingers, feeling a little hesitant.

There seems to be something unspeakable about this attitude.