Published: August 10, 2026
Our wagon, carrying us as we escaped the fire-engulfed Takane Village, rattled loudly as it raced through the forest.
Even I, riding a horse and holding the reins, did not know exactly where we were right now, or what lay ahead, so I drove the horse forward recklessly along whatever path the wagon could take.
I didn't know the enemy's numbers, and since I was the only one who could fight, running was our only option. If possible, I wanted to reach our destination without being found by Reytis soldiers.
If Akira were here, would he have fought there? Even if it meant killing soldiers, killing people.
"Hey, Asahina, where exactly are we headed!?"
Kazuki sat on the edge of the wagon bed so he wouldn't step into the magic circle Hosoyama had deployed, and in the space between the horse and the wagon, he shouted at me as he clung to the wagon with all his strength every time a wheel struck a large stone.
Given the length of the reins, normally Kazuki would be the one controlling the horse from that position. But then there would be no room for me to ride, so I had to ask the horse to bear with it.
"I don't know! But if there's a river with a bridge up ahead, then we're probably heading toward Miyama Village!"
"Miyama Village? That's the village closest to the other fortress that fell, right!? Isn't that even closer to the Kingdom of Reytis!?"
"Fortunately, the Reytis soldiers shouldn't have realized we've escaped yet! Even if they notice by the wagon tracks, it won't be until tomorrow's sun rises!"
Miyama Village was the one we were supposed to head to tomorrow.
Just like Takane Village, it had a fallen fortress nearby, and the wounded had been brought there.
"So we're going to the place where the strongest people nearby are before they notice us!"
"I see, that old guy from before is in Miyama Village! But is that okay? If we bring these people there, then again..."
Lark had reported that Miyama Village had even more wounded than Takane Village. And the soldiers who had stopped by Takane Village during reconnaissance, along with the lightly wounded soldiers whom Hosoyama had treated, had apparently gone there next.
Rather than taking another full day to return to the mansion or castle that had served as our base, it might be that Miyama Village was under attack too, but it was better to head somewhere I knew there were many soldiers. My skill, "Instinct," was telling me the same thing.
Maybe remembering Kanzou's words in Takane Village before the seriously wounded soldiers, Kazuki frowned and looked back at the wagon bed.
"That's exactly why Hosoyama is treating them right now. She said they'd recover if she had another two hours. In two hours, we can reach Miyama Village."
A while later, just as I'd expected, a stone bridge spanning a large river came into view ahead.
Fortunately, it looked sturdy enough that crossing with the wagon shouldn't be a problem.
I stopped the wagon before the bridge, hiding it among the trees. The horse had been running nonstop until now, so I wanted to let it rest if possible, but we probably only had time to stop for a little while.
"Kazuki, keep watch on the surroundings. There's no cover on the bridge. We'd be easy targets."
"Got it. Saru, I'm counting on you."
At Kazuki's words, Saru nodded and leapt from the wagon bed to a nearby tree, then rapidly moved through the branches.
Kazuki closed his eyes and nodded as he shared Saru's vision.
"Mmm. No enemies in sight for now. There's a river, so I can't see what's on the other side."
"Understood. We'll dash across in one go. Ready?"
"Yeah!"
After Saru returned and I confirmed Kazuki's nod, I kicked the horse's belly.
The wagon's loud rattling echoed through the forest.
As we reached the middle of the bridge, I suddenly sensed a surge of killing intent and drew my sword.
"Asahina!?"
"Duck!"
Following the sound of something cutting through the wind, I swung my sword on instinct, and the arrow flying toward us was split cleanly in two.
I repeated it twice, then three times. This was my first time cutting arrows, but apparently it was possible.