Chapter 399: An Unexpected Incident
Perhaps it was a country filled with talkative people, as information gathered quickly. In fact, even without trying to collect it, people approached us just by having casual conversations with Rio.
“Is this part of the national character…?”
“Well, it didn’t take long, so it’s not too bad.”
“That’s true, but…”
Still, I found myself a bit worn out from all the chatter.
“But, you know, the real situation is still unclear.”
“Is that so?”
From what I gathered, the story goes like this: this island and its surrounding sea are rich in ingredients, and there are almost no starving citizens. The population is on the rise. However, due to the island’s environment, there is little habitable land, and it seems they have begun sending ships in search of living space beyond the island.
I didn’t think this part was a lie, but…
“You know how it is with the leaders of a country—they often don’t share information that might lower the morale of the citizens.”
“Ah, I see.”
Especially during wartime, information about the country losing is kept from the public. Even in modern times, there are many major incidents that don’t get broadcasted on television despite being all over social media. It’s hard to believe that something similar isn’t happening in this country.
“I’ve heard they dispatched troops, so the possibility of invasion seems quite real.”
“Invasion, huh…”
Even as I said it, I wasn’t taking it too seriously, much like Rio. It seemed like they had sent a few people to blend into the city, but so far, there was no sign of any attack. The large ships we saw earlier raised questions, but even if they were far from land, staying in one place for too long would increase the chances of being discovered. I didn’t understand why they hadn’t taken action yet, but I could look into that later.
“I guess we’ll have to ask someone important for more information.”
“That might be a good idea.”
I glanced back toward the center of the island, where the city sprawled out. I couldn’t see it from here, but I had heard that the castle of this country was located just before the mountain in the center of the island.
“Shall we head back for today?”
“Yeah.”
The sun had already set, and the sky was painted in shades of red. I memorized the coordinates of a few less crowded spots using Spatial Magic and ventured further into the quieter areas. Eventually, I returned to the place where we first landed and climbed up a small hill behind it.
“The view is better than I expected.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Perhaps due to the slight elevation, I could see the sun half-submerged in the sea. A stunning red path seemed to stretch toward us, creating a breathtaking sight. I thought about telling Rio that she was more beautiful, but I decided against it. It felt a bit embarrassing, and the setting sun was indeed captivating.
Glancing to my side, I caught a glimpse of Rio’s profile, her hair dancing in the wind, illuminated by the sunset.
“Ah, it really is beautiful.”
I couldn’t help but murmur, and Rio turned to look at me.
“What did you say?”
Noticing my gaze, Rio turned back and smiled softly. Her black hair shimmered like gold in the sunlight at certain angles.
“No, I just thought you looked beautiful, Rio.”
“Eh? …Thank you.”
Rio’s expression turned momentarily blank before she averted her gaze, facing the sunset as she quietly murmured. She seemed a bit shy, which made me smile naturally.
“Well then, let’s head back.”
As I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and spoke, my smartphone in my pocket chimed with an incoming call.
“Oh, that’s unusual.”
When I pulled it out, it was the smartphone I had made myself. There was no Wi-Fi connection here, so I could only be contacted through this device. I felt a bit disappointed that the moment was interrupted, but I answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Big brother!”
Phonia’s voice came through, sounding frantic, and my earlier mood evaporated instantly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Big brother…! Nina… Nina…!”
“Nina?”
Who was Nina? A person’s name?
“Big broooooo, help me…! Waaaahhh!”
“Hey! Phonia!? What happened?!”
I raised my voice, trying to get through to Phonia, who had suddenly burst into tears, but all I received in return was her sobbing. Seeing Phonia in such distress made my heart race with anxiety.
“Shuu! We need to hurry back!”
As I struggled to get more information, Rio called out to me. When I turned around, I saw that she was also on her smartphone, and I could faintly hear Ivan’s voice on the other end.
“Indeed, we should…”
Regaining some composure, I checked that no one was watching us before Rio opened a Dimensional Rift, and we jumped through. We emerged in what seemed to be the garden of the orphanage.
Could it be that Nina was one of the children from the orphanage? I remembered Phonia mentioning that she had recently become friends with some kids there.
“…Shu! Over here!”
Ivan, who had been looking around near the entrance of the orphanage, spotted us and waved us over. We hurriedly followed him as he led us out of the orphanage and into an alleyway that led to the Main Street.
“Phonia!”
There, I saw Phonia crying beside a child who lay motionless on the ground.
“Big brother!”
“Is that her!?”
“Yeah… sniff… Big brother. Help Nina…”
As I rushed over, Phonia clung to me. The child lying there appeared to be a girl from the orphanage, around ten years old. Blood seemed to be dripping from her mouth, but her chest was still rising and falling—she was still breathing.
“I’ll take care of this.”
I didn’t know what had happened, but I resolved to do everything I could to treat her.