Episode 7
The rain hadn’t stopped since morning, and even though it was noon, the outside was gloomy and dark due to the thick clouds.
“……Haa.”
A Waslein-affiliated inn located in the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Ukyak, a little ways away from the Waslein Territory. It had been three days since I evacuated here with the servants.
The weather, as if reflecting the feelings of the people of the kingdom, continued, and I still hadn’t seen the Royal Capital on a sunny day.
As I was gazing out the window from the room on the second floor that had been assigned to me, I heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway. Another bad report, perhaps…?
“Shino.”
“Yes.”
I urged Shino to open the door without waiting for a knock. On the other side was, as expected, a messenger from Waslein. He was drenched in fatigue, probably from rushing over. He looked surprised at the door opening on its own, but quickly composed himself and turned to face me.
“Reporting in! At the decisive battle on Faugh Hill… our side, our side… was annihilated…!”
“I see…”
The Kingdom of Ukyak, with the royal family taking the lead, had gathered soldiers from all over the country, mainly from the northwestern part, for a major decisive battle. It was practically a battle for the survival of the kingdom, but… to think it would be defeated so easily.
“And? Father and Older Brother?”
“Yes. Lord Ukari and Lord Amono both fought, inspiring the troops for a long time… but in the end, they stood at the forefront themselves… and, and died in battle…!”
I figured as much. The expressions on their faces when they sent me to the Royal Capital made it clear they were prepared to die. They must have fought without reservation, knowing they had sent their heir to safety.
“You’ve done well. You must have been riding all night? You should rest well today.”
“Yes, then, I’ll take my leave.”
I watched the messenger leave the room and sighed deeply. Even though I knew it was coming, this is quite a blow.
“Well, this has become quite the mess.”
“Lord Geld…”
“The Waslein Territory is probably in ruins, so what are we going to do now?”
“Ugh, ugh… Lord Geld…”
Shino was looking down, tears dripping. Many of the people left behind must have been acquaintances, so it’s no wonder.
“Don’t cry, Shino. They were all prepared for this.”
“But Lord Geld, Lord Geld’s family, is no more…”
Me? Is she crying because I’ve become all alone in the world?
I feel bad for Shino, who’s shedding tears for me, but the truth is, I’m not sad enough to cry.
It’s true that I’ve been under their care for three years, but I haven’t met them that many times, and of course, I don’t feel any blood relation. In my mind, they’re just a nice old man and an older brother.
However, there’s no way I can honestly say that, so I have to find some way to tell her that I’m okay. I want Shino to smile rather than cry.
“Ah… it’s true that Father and Older Brother are gone, but, well, I still have Shino and everyone else, right? So I’m okay.”
“……That’s, I……Ugh…”
Oh, oh dear. She’s crying even more. What should I do?
That’s right, maybe I should take advantage of the situation and hug her. Lend her my chest to comfort her.
I’ve been trying to avoid touching her body as much as possible until now, but I guess it’s okay now.
“Here, Shino. It’s okay, um, yeah. It’s okay, okay?”
I reached out and gently stroked Shino’s head as she looked down. And then, she clung to me—or rather, Shino clung to me.
Unfortunately, no clever words came to mind, but if I just wait a little while, she’ll calm down.
Even so… Shino is smaller and thinner than I thought, but still softer and smells better than a man… why is she stronger than me with this? Well, I know it’s because of the level difference.
I learned this recently, or rather, just before evacuating, that everyone was under strict orders not to let me defeat any monsters until I reformed and became a decent person. Originally, I was supposed to level up little by little as I got older, but they were completely shutting out all such practices.
Thanks to that, my level is probably still 1, a pathetic weakling. That’s why Shino was able to knock Geld out with one punch.
“Lord Geld… um…”
“Hmm? Are you feeling better?”
Crap, is it over already? I should have focused more on Shino’s touch and scent without thinking about unnecessary things.
“Yes. I’m sorry for the trouble… um…”
“No, don’t worry about it. It was a perk of the job. I wouldn’t mind continuing for another hour or so.”
“Eh… really!”
Oh, she smiled. Good, that’s how Shino should be. I want to protect that smile.
…But, I don’t think I can protect it.
If it were humans attacking, I could just evacuate somewhere and return when things cooled down, or settle down in the evacuation area, but since it’s a horde of monsters attacking, I have no idea where to escape.
Since the army that gathered the total power of the great Kingdom of Ukyak was easily crushed, I don’t think any other country can handle it. Furthermore, there is information that additional monsters are landing one after another from the dark continent in the north. The result will probably be the same no matter where I escape on the continent. It’s slightly better the further south I go, though.
But it’s no use thinking about it like this. I don’t have much time, so let’s just do what I need to do quickly.
“Shino, can you gather everyone downstairs now? Just the people in the inn.”
“Downstairs, you mean the hall?”
“Yeah. I have something important to tell everyone. As the Family Head of the Waslein Family, it’s my first and last job.”
“……Understood.”
After waiting a bit, I went down to the hall on the first floor, and the servants who used to work at the Waslein Estate, such as maids, butlers, guards, and cooks, were waiting for me with somber expressions.
They must have heard the news earlier. All the better that they know.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I have something important to tell you about the future, so please listen for a while.”
The number of people is… twenty-two. Less than half of what it used to be. It’ll be easier for me that way, but I still can’t shake the loneliness.
“Now, some of you may already know, but the Ukyak army fought against a horde of monsters… and apparently lost.”
No one in the room showed any signs of agitation. Everyone either already knew or expected it.
“Father and Older Brother both died in battle. And the Waslein Territory has suffered considerable damage… no, it’s almost certainly been ravaged. Even if we were to rebuild, it would be a long time in the future. In other words, the Waslein Family is finished.”
I could hear sobs and groans here and there. If the family they’ve served for so long is gone, some people will be shocked.
“So, with that said, all the servants of the finished family are dismissed. After all, we no longer have the income to pay salaries. Therefore, from here on out, everyone is free to do as they please, but I recommend escaping to the south for now. This Royal Capital won’t last much longer either, so escape as soon as possible!”
Oh, it suddenly became quiet. Were they surprised?
“I’ve prepared something like severance pay. It’s a decent amount, so I think you’ll be able to manage for a while. However, prices will probably rise sharply, so exchange it for goods as soon as possible. That’s all!”
Having said everything I needed to say, I handed out the money to the servants who were crying and saying goodbye.
Unlike Father and Older Brother, I’ve spent a long time with the servants. Especially when it comes to parting with the maids, I can’t help but tear up.
While somehow holding back the tears that were about to overflow, I finished distributing the money to everyone there and returned to my room. I can say that I’ve fulfilled my minimum responsibilities for now.
“How did this happen…”
I lay on my back on the bed and thought blankly, but of course, I couldn’t figure it out at all. Was there such an event in the game?
I’m hoping that the protagonist will appear dashingly somewhere and make a miraculous comeback, but there’s no sign of him appearing at all.
Has he already died somewhere unnoticed, and is this the humanity extinction END?
Well, I was completely off guard thinking it had nothing to do with the supporting characters. I didn’t think there was a story on the scale of eradicating the entire country, or even the humans of the continent.
As I was disappointed in the incompetence of the still unseen protagonist, I heard a soft knock on the door. A familiar sound.
“What’s up?”
“Excuse me.”
On the other side of the door was, as expected, Shino… but she had a slightly troubled expression. I have a bad feeling about this.
“Um, there’s something I wanted to ask you…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“…When are you going to escape, Lord Geld?”
“……Well, tomorrow, or the day after. Yeah, something like that. What about Shino?”
“Me too, tomorrow or the day after. Something like that.”
Ah, yeah, that kind of thing. I see, I see. Or rather, is she a little angry? If a super beauty gets angry, it’s super scary.
“Alright, alright, I’ll be honest. I don’t plan on running. So just leave me be and hurry up and escape.”
“…Why won’t you escape, sir?”
“Why, you ask? Well, another messenger will probably be here soon, so someone needs to be here. Plus, the chances of surviving if I run seem low. And running sounds like a pain.”
Ugh, great. I made her cry again.
Even so, I should probably get her to escape from here quickly, whether she likes it or not, but if she’s not going to survive even if she escapes, I feel like it’s better to respect her wishes until the end…
“Shino.”
“I refuse.”
“…………I see. Then stay with me until you die.”
“Y-yes.”
This time, Shino jumped into my arms. …Hmm? Before I knew it, the rain stopped, and we’re being brightly illuminated by the setting sun… Doesn’t this feel like a good atmosphere?
But still, considering what happened at the beginning, I need to be careful here… But this once-in-a-lifetime cha—