Published: August 2, 2025
There was a light source in the space that seemed to be a secret base, but it was much weaker and dimmer than magical light.
Because of that, perhaps, the boy Niki was sitting against the wall, hugging his knees, looking at me as if dazzled.
He sat still without moving, but he didn’t seem to be in pain.
“I’m glad you’re safe. Any injuries?”
“...I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“Ugh... I twisted my ankle while running away, but I can still walk...”
“I see.”
“While running away” meant he had escaped here chased by Goblins.
“Can you show me your twisted foot? I can use healing magic just in case.”
Since the Goblins had already been dealt with, I thought it best to treat him and then head back.
When I said that, he stiffened for a moment and pulled back the right foot he was about to show.
“...No.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to go back.”
“Ry... you mean! ...Really!?”
Niki muttered in a faint voice as if recalling something.
Almost at the same time, I heard Mr. Shin’s indistinct voice from behind.
I thought, “Don’t want to go back...” Whatever the response, I should first contact everyone at Shikum’s pier.
“‘Whisper’... Can everyone hear me? This is Ryoma. Since it’s hard to hear each other’s voices, I’m sending this using wind magic.”
“I hear you...!!”
“Good to hear that. Now, let me explain the current situation. We found Niki. He seems fine and uninjured. However—”
After explaining the situation, voices came from outside again.
This time, it seemed like everyone was calling out, but their voices mixed and became even harder to understand. Still, from the tone, I could vaguely tell they were calling for Niki to come out.
But that call seemed to backfire.
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up! No matter what anyone says, I’m never going back! If you don’t believe me anyway, there’s no point in talking!”
Niki raised his voice in resistance to the strong calls, but his face was downcast, and tears began to fill his voice.
...This place was narrow with nowhere to run, so it would be easy to restrain Niki here. I could throw him into the dimension home, have the slime temporarily hold him, and hand him over to his parents in the village, ending the missing person commotion.
But doing that would likely cause him to run away again from his parents.
If he built this secret base by himself, he must be quite resourceful.
He might try running away a second time.
“...Sorry everyone. I’d like to try talking calmly for a bit, so could you wait a little?”
It might be meddlesome, but I asked the five people above to wait a little while I tried to persuade him.
After some consultation, the leader Mr. Shin gave his approval.
After thanking them, I approached Niki again.
“I’ve got a little time. Let’s calm down. By the way, did you build this place by yourself, Niki? That’s impressive.”
The entrance to this secret base was so narrow you had to crawl through, but inside it was surprisingly spacious. If you stood up, your head barely wouldn’t touch the ceiling.
Most likely, he dug out mud from between tree roots, cut some roots to create space, and reinforced the area by weaving cut roots and branches between living roots to prevent mud from flowing in.
It was rough, but for someone Niki’s age, doing all this without magic must have been a big task.
“I’ve also lived in a place like this in the woods before—”
“Shut up... no need for flattery. You didn’t come here to talk about that, right?”
“—I see.”
My attempt to break the ice failed.
I truly thought building this place was amazing...
“Then I’ll get straight to the point.”
“What is it? You’re going to tell me to go back anyway, right? You said that earlier.”
“No, before that, I want to hear your story.”
“Want to hear my story... it’s just going to be about going back, isn’t it?”
“No, I mean your story, Niki. You shouted earlier, ‘If you don’t believe me, there’s no point in talking!’ So you must have something you want to say, right?”