[There should be some people living around here, but now there are none.]
[Unlike when I passed by back then, there’s not a trace of people left.]
[Apparently they evacuated in such a hurry.]
[It seems so…]
[Eee~, I didn’t know there is actually a town here. It must’ve been built recently. Suffice to say that it’s comparable to a city now.]
[True. Those refugees we came across earlier must’ve been the last batch.]
[What should we do then? Find if anyone is still in the town, maybe we can gain some info from them?]
[Yeah, let’s do that. Mimir and Roxy, can you two do it?]
[ [ Yes ] ]
Even so, there was one other who noticed Snow’s behavior.
[Nee, Fate. Who would’ve thought that this girl and I actually have something in common?]
[That’s quite insightful of you.]
[Don’t push yourself too hard. If it’s still difficult for you to face Libra, then just stay here.]
[I’ll be fine… more than that, I’m worried about Snow.]
[It doesn’t seem like she remembers anything though.]
It might be her instincts flaring up automatically, I don’t know.
[But, judging from this, could it be that she’s related to Libra?]
[Well, even if she was… there’s no way to know right now. She doesn’t have any recollection about things prior to meeting us.]
I gently stroked the head of Snow who was still hugging my thigh. That managed to calm her after a while.
[Yosh, attagirl. I’m going to catch up with Roxy and Mimir, do you mind?]
[Un. There is something scary in here. Be careful.]
[I will.]
[Fate-sama!]
It was Mimir who had gone to search the town in advance. Judging from her expression, she might’ve found something.
[I found some people.]
[Where?]
[In a large mansion just up ahead. They were the family who govern this town… or rather who formerly governed this town]
[Understood. Lead the way.]
Perhaps it’s because most of the town’s residents had gone away, leaving the trees without anyone to take care of it. But even so, I felt that it’s too early for the plants to die.
[What’s wrong, Fate?]
[Nah, it’s nothing.]
Eris walked to my side, asking why I looked away earlier. But since it’s just a passing thought, I didn’t tell her.
[Fate-sama, Eris-sama, quick!]
[Yeah, okay.]
[Coming.]
[Eh, isn’t that…]
[What is it?]
[I remember that there should be a lake over there, but it’s gone now.]
In the direction I pointed at was a dried lake. The ground was cracked in many areas. There was not a single drop of water left.
[That way, there should be a large lake there.]
[Why of course. Without such a lake, there would be no benefit for living in this land.]
[Everyone, this way. The people inside suddenly acted strange.]
[Eh!?]
[My name is Ted, the Mayor’s son. Firstly, to the Holy Knight Sirs… Thank you for coming by despite our place’s current condition. As you can see, this place can no longer be considered a town. Therefore, I’m sorry to not be able to provide any satisfactory hospitality.]
[No, it’s alright.]
Rather than that, there’s something more important.
[By the way, where are your parents?]
[They collapsed earlier today, and are currently resting on the bedroom. Thankfully Roxy-sama was there to help me.]
When I glanced at Roxy, she simply smiled back at me.
[When I examined them, they were growing weaker and weaker. The land itself might have been the cause. It might be because of that infamous city eating monster, or probably this man who is only known as Libra. I do not know, but either way it is bad news.]
[It certainly is…]
[Then let’s get straight to the point. When did the man who called himself Libra arrived in this town?]
[About a month ago, Around the same time, the lake’s water level began decreasing. He said that there was something lurking here that is bad for us――he’s implying to the beast hiding underground. So we told him to leave the town. We drove him out without listening to what he had to say.
[Umm, did he leave right away after that?]
[Yes, but the lake rapidly dried up after that. Outside of this town is wilderness. People of this town relied on the power of the lake to make a living here, so with the lake dried, they had to give up and move out. And that man――our situation only grew worse after he left.]
[So there are others who decided to stay aside from your family?]
[Yes. other than my family… there are 10 other people staying in this town.]
[That’s the faces of people wondering why we insist on staying. The rest who remain in here, including me, were the first to discover this oasis in the middle of wasteland. We were originally exhausted from our travel and had no place to go. Finding this oasis was a great relief for us. Right then, we swore that no matter what happened, we won’t ever leave this paradise…]
[But, this place is no longer a paradise, and yet you still stay?]
[Yes. As I said, we will not leave from here no matter what happened.]
[Fate, don’t. It’s no use.]
[But…]
[Your intention is correct. But they’ll only find your good intentions as a nuisance.]
Eris then turned to Ted, staring at him straightly.
[Right?]
[Look at the ground]
[That’s…]
The trees uprooted, and the houses crumbled.
[Don’t tell me, this magic power…]
[It’s like someone is fighting underground.]
Snow grasped my hand tighter. She muttered while looking down to the ground.
[Fate, it’s coming.]
[What!? Everyone! Stay away from here!]
[Fate.]
[Fate-sama.]
[It’s one thing after another.]
[Mimir! Take care of Snow!]
[Yes.]
[Roxy, secure the exit]
[Understood.]
Eris and I, weapons drawn, cut apart the giant tendril in front of us.
『Fate, it’s useless to cut down these things』
[If even you say that, does that mean this is that so-called city-eating monster?]
『Yeah, it is. Although I believe this one should still be an infant. Libra might have done something to it, causing it to go on a rampage. Moreover, it is unlikely that we’ll be able to get rid of it』
[What…oi oi, are you kidding me?]
[In that case!]
[Are you kidding me?]
[These tendrils are actually resistant to fire.]
[Is there actually a plant that can’t be burnt?]
[It’ll be bad if we stay put for too long. Should we evacuate outside?]
[I don’t think we could at this point.]
[Guess no other way but to attack…]
I tightened my grip on the black sword. Readying myself to slash at the tendril, when
『Hold it, Fate』
[What is it?]
『Something is strange』
I didn’t know why Greed said so. But when I turned around again, the earthquake stopped.
[It’s dying… No. It’s decaying]
[Fate.]
